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I've caught the most terrible diseases
Friday, 21st April 2006
This is awful.
I have caught a bunch of terrible diseases... and I don't know whether I'll ever be able to cure them.
Every night I wake up in a cold sweat, panicking about my problems.
Lara has to stay up on nightwatch duty. And during the day, the kids take it in turns to bring me cups of herbal tea just to calm me down.
What's wrong with me?
Well... I have to tell you... EVERYTHING.
I've got 'Social Anxiety Disorder'... 'Compulsive Writing Disorder'... and 'Jumpy Legs After Watching Too Much TV Syndrome'...
But that's just for starters.
I've also caught, 'Shyness', 'Tiredness in the Morning', 'Emerging Grey Hair Disorder'... and something called 'Ageing'... which sounds absolutely terrifying.
The only solution I can see to these problems is for the friendly Pharmaceutical Companies to get to work as soon as possible on some drugs I can take.
The more expensive the better, I reckon.
What do you think?
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Have I finally lost the plot?
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Okay, okay, I am being satirical here.
But my introductory rant won't seem as mad if you've been reading the papers recently.
Last week a flurry of articles in the mainstream press (yes, they're cottoning on, finally) exposed the strategies used by the pharmaceutical companies to make loads more money out of us.
'Pray how?' I hear you ask in a Victorian kind of way.
Well, simply by turning absolutely EVERYTHING into a disease.
'Drug companies are inventing diseases to sell more of their products,' yelped The Daily Mail in surprise.
'Drugs firms accused of turning healthy people into patients' read a headline in The Guardian.
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The debate was sparked by an article in the online journal, 'Public Library of Science Medicine'. It claimed that 'disease-mongering promotes non-existent diseases and exaggerates mild conditions in order to boost profits'.
'Disease mongering'...
Now there's a nice little phrase for me to use in future Good Life Letters
Although it's not as catchy as 'Fishmonger' or 'Ironmonger', see if you can slip it into a conversation with your partner this week:
'I'm just popping down to the disease mongers, dear. Want me to get you anything?'
Anyway...
One of the examples of disease mongering mentioned in the papers is 'Restless Leg Syndrome', where you have an unstoppable urge to move your legs.
Now, although this is a REAL ailment that can cause discomfort and problems.... it's NOT a disease that needs the Big Pharmaceuticals to swoop in with their expensive drugs.
Restless Leg Syndrome is just one of those things that go wrong in the body. Perhaps because of diet or lifestyle. And it's preventable and treatable naturally (I'll give you a couple of tips in a moment.)
Another one is cholesterol.
It's presented as a 'disease' by elements in the medical community when, in fact, it's just a 'risk-factor'... a thing in the body that can lead to heart problems.
Even shyness is often presented as 'social anxiety disorder' these days. Some people even get put on anti-depressants for it!
What next? Drugs to cure 'Grumpiness'?
(Lara pricked her ears up when I mentioned that one yesterday. 'You should take some of those,' she said.)
Nice to have support from my family!
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It's not just the big pharms pushing the pills
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The Guardian article quoted the guest editors of Public Library of Science Medicine Journal, Ray Moynihan and David Henry, who wrote:
'Informal alliances of pharmaceutical corporations, public relations firms, doctors' groups and patient advocates promote these ideas to the public and policy makers, often using mass media to push a certain view of a particular health problem.'
The mass media being manipulated by multi-billion pound drug corporations? Well I never!
Of course, the drug companies fought back immediately.
'One of the exciting things about medical science is that we are finding new solutions to ailments or problems people have,' said Pfizer, makers of Viagra, 'and this is something good we can offer.'
I personally have a bit of a problem with that statement.
While the drugs companies reveal scientific breakthroughs based on expensive, laboratory-made drugs, they're a little less enthused when it comes to discoveries about natural cures.
Or about mentioning natural treatments that have worked for Centuries in many different cultures across the word.
But fair enough, their job is to make money. Which is fine by me. They're corporations, after all. And you'd hardly expect their shareholders to back non-profit based research.
It's the way of the modern world.
That said, I reckon people also need to hear about how to prevent many of the ailments by making tiny changes to their lifestyles.
This is why I started The Good life Letter.
Rather than see everything as a disease, which needs a cure, I see most ailments as preventable - if you're armed with the right information.
But even though there are so many great books and journals packed with alternative tips and natural remedies that really work... we rarely get to hear about them.
Which is why I like to recommend books you don't see in the book review supplements, or on the tables in the doctor's waiting rooms.
Take diabetes, for instance. This is seen by pharmaceutical companies as a disease which |
If you get annoyingly jumpy legs at night, try a couple of these tips first, and see how you feel.
-- Cut down on caffeine - it will reduce the symptoms dramatically. This includes tea as well as coffee, by the way. And check the labels on soft drinks, too.
-- Try folic acid - many people who get restless legs believe that a shortage of folic acid is the problem. So up your intake of beets, steamed leafy green vegetables and spinach. Try eating liver or kidneys, too.
-- To lessen any mental stress, anxiety or nervousness when you sleep, try putting some chamomile and lavender under the edge of your pillow, near your head.
-- Lightly stretch you lower limbs - try some gentle stretching in the morning and just before bedtime, every day. But don't overdo it.
-- Go for a deep massage - but make sure you go to a trained practitioner.
Hope that helps you calm those legs. I'll be tackling more of these preventable ailments (not diseases) over the coming weeks, so keep reading.
In the meantime, I'll keep an eye on the arguments raging in about 'disease mongering'... and let you know the latest.
Especially if it comes to fisticuffs!
Yours, as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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