Harvard Docs Score an “F” For Taking Big Bucks From Big Pharma

June 26, 2009 by Dr. Nicole Sundene
Filed under American Sickcare System, Kitchen Sink, Research

I always love reading Dr. Mercola’s opinions on various new stories because he is fearless, and is quick to point out the pink elephant in the room. He must get a lot of hate mail…poor guy. But for those of us sitting back going, “AMEN!!!” I would just like to take a moment to say thanks. Especially when I read up on a topic that has had me concerned for nearly a decade….how drugs are marketed.

Here is Dr. Mercola’s take on this topic: “Harvard Med Students Rebel Against Big Pharma”And here is the original article if you would like more info.

So I don’t really find it big news at all that Harvard Med School recently scored an “F” (yes - the worse score possible) for taking too many kick backs from big pharma….

Not to mention one of the largest drug manufacturers put up shop just right across the street…
Hmmm….coinkydink?

I think NOT!!!

As much as I would love for some drug rep to whisk me away from my life of overworking hell and take me to the Bahamas where I just have to listen to some seminar to make an extra $20,000 grand this year in “grants” or whatever….it just is not going to happen.

The Chief of Staff at the hospital I worked wouldn’t even use a single pen made by a drug rep, and heaven forbid some newbie actually made it past me and into his office!

At the time, I would sit at my desk and organize my free pads of paper, water my free Viagra cactus, eat my free glucophage doughnuts, and drink my free coffee from the Angiotensin II Receptor Blocking Rep (blood pressure med) without being educated enough to understand how deep the bitter ugly irony of my drug rep riddled world was…especially when the phone would ring and I would talk to little old ladies about how they couldn’t afford food because medicare didn’t cover this drug that they desperately needed.

Back before I actually became a doctor, I would observe the doctors I worked for so that I could be as “doctor like” as possible. I watched every move they made. Memorized anything they said. I watched how most drug reps would manage to schmooze their way in.

I watched how certain doctors refused to read their literature. I watched one doctor hold up a sign she had made with a black sharpie pen that said, “NO THICK GLOSSY LANDFILL” as she signed for that week’s free samples….she was a pharmacologist and an MD, and she knew better than to take advice on how to be a doctor from some “barbie doll with a briefcase.” Her words, not mine.

Now that 100 people have just unsubscribed from my blog, be sure to drop me some fan mail if you like my occasional angry rants because it sure does help me fight this cause.

Nonetheless….good will prevail over evil….and this article on what should be the BEST of American medical schools demonstrates the fraudulent duplicity in our health care system that results in us being the most unhealthy country second to Finland, while we manage to spend the MOST on health care.

Can I give the entire American health care system an “F” while we are at it? I guess I can’t really fault the students when the teachers….the doctors (from the Latin “docere” meaning “to teach”) are replete with corruption.

You know where the best med school is though?

Bastyr University….my alma mater. The best school for naturopathic physicians in the world. Go there….trust me, there isn’t a drug rep to be found.

If Obama wants to make a difference in health care while in the oval office, he needs to cap how drug companies are allowed to market their product. And for all you capitalists out there…

I know this is America, but we have to draw the ethical line somewhere, and it looks like we need to start on the street dividing Harvard from Big Pharma.

Interview with Dr. Joseph Mercola

June 19, 2009 by Kitchen Table Medicine
Filed under Guest Posts, Kitchen Sink

5 Comments

If you enjoy what you read here at the Kitchen Table, feel free to stop by and subscribe to Mercola.com as we both are fighting the same cause: disease prevention through a whole food diet and lifestyle. It is one of my greatest honors to bring to the Kitchen Table Osteopathic Physician, Dr. Joseph Mercola:

What is an Osteopathic Physician?

A D.O., or an osteopathic physician, is in many ways similar to an M.D. A D.O. completes four years of medical school after college, and completes three to eight year residency programs in the specialty they choose. D.O.’s are fully trained and qualified physicians who are licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery in every state in the U.S.

Philosophically, D.O.’s differ from M.D.’s in that they have more of an emphasis on holistic approaches, and recognize the importance of musculoskeletal alignment and balance to health. In addition to identical two years of basic medical science, they also learn skeletal adjustments, similar to chiropractors.

On a practical level, the drug companies have effectively penetrated the profession, just as they have the M.D.’s, so in reality there are not many differences between the two.

The only practical difference I have observed is that there is typically a difference in the selection process of students that are accepted into the school, as they tend to focus on qualities other than academic credentials that would result in caring and compassionate physicians.

So while the treatment recommendation from D.O.’s and M.D.’s will be very similar, it has been my experience that a higher percentage of people will enjoy their interaction with an osteopathic physician.

How do Osteopaths address and treat symptoms?

Since I really don’t perceive a practical difference on the therapies that are recommended by an M.D. or D.O., I typically advise patients seeking a natural medicine physician to go several health food stores in their area, and ask for the best medical doctor they know, as the people that work in the stores typically have a fairly good sense of who the best local physicians are.

There are too many variables to give a broad recommendation. In my experience most of the important ones are related to personality characteristics rather than actually knowledge.

In your opinion How do Osteopaths differ from Naturopaths?

Firstly, there are two types of naturopaths:

Those that receive training in an accredited four year medical college and, like D.O.’s, have full license to practice medicine in a few states (unfortunately there are not many states that provide them these practicing privileges.)
Those who attend a correspondence school.

Unfortunately they are both given the same degree, even though there is typically a vast difference in the level of expertise between the two.

ND’s from either training can be outstanding, but if you were looking at it from a probability perspective there is a far higher percentage that an ND trained at a four year college would be superior.

However, even with the four year trained NDs, they are very weak on post graduate training and most of them tend to begin practice immediately after their four years of training. There are very few that complete residency training programs.

Most D.O.’s have an additional 3 to 8 years of post graduate residency training. This does not necessarily make them better physicians, but D.O.’s do have more formal clinical training.

What are your favorite tips for disease prevention?

1. Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally from appropriate sun exposure.

2. Address your emotional traumas.

3. Eat the right fats.

4. Eat plenty of raw food.

5. Control your insulin and leptin levels.

For more information about Dr. Mercola or to set up an appointment, visit www.Mercola.com

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table, and many thanks to Dr. Mercola for taking the time to continue to inspire me.

Dr. Nicole Sundene