What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know: The Alternative Treatments That May Change Your Life--and the Prescriptions That Could Harm You |  | Author: Michael T. Murray
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
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Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 60436
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 1416549331
Dewey Decimal Number: 615.535
EAN: 9781416549338
ASIN: 1416549331
Publication Date: June 30, 2009
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Product Description
From one of today's leading authorities on natural medicine comes a provocative look into how the pharmaceutical and medical industries have created our current health crisis and a practical guide to the holistic treatments that may help you and your loved ones.Modern medicine offers many wonders, but an ever-present reliance on medications to cure what ails us is at the core of America's health crisis. Drawing on more than thirty years' worth of scientific research, Dr. Michael T. Murray has assembled irrefutable evidence that the pharmaceutical treatments for the most common diseases that plague our society are often ineffective and result in serious, widespread side effects -- the existence of which is frequently hidden from the public. What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know offers a close look at the way that the American healthcare system has evolved in the last fifty years and examines the roles of the FDA, the pharmaceutical monopolies, and the medical community in producing what has become a failing healthcare system with little accountability. Dr. Murray illustrates how a nationwide dependence on pills has hobbled health in America and resulted in a national wellness epidemic as lifestyle, ignorance, and politics collide in our medicine cabinets. At a time when adverse reactions to over-the-counter and prescription drugs are currently estimated to kill more than 100,000 Americans a year (making this the fourth leading cause of death in the United States behind cancer, heart disease, and stroke) and when Americans use more than 40 percent of all of the prescription drugs produced in the world each year (according to the World Health Organization) yet are forty-second in terms of life expectancy, we must radically reevaluate the way that we take care of ourselves. Both a call to arms and a practical guide to the natural treatments that could revolutionize both your health and the well-being of the entire nation, What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know provides clear guidance on the steps needed to help you lead a fitter, happier, and healthier life.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 Intriguing Facts on the Drug Companies, and how to break free from drugs June 29, 2009
Susan Schenck (San Diego, CA)
49 out of 51 found this review helpful
This book is destined to become a classic among those that shift the paradigm from toxic drug use to natural healing! It is very reader friendly for the layman. In the first chapter, Murray illustrates how the drug companies only care about money, not health. (When I first discovered this years ago, it was like finding out your mother had Munchousen syndrome by proxy---a mental disorder in which moms poision their kids!) Dr. Murray packs the chapter with shocking facts: Though the USA buys 40% of the world's drugs, we rank 42 in life expectancy. $57 billion is spent on marketing to MDs, and twice as much is spent on marketing as on drug research. Their research is suspect, since they hire for-profit research companies and are also able to suppress the research that doesn't show the drug as effective. In the last 20 years, 2 million have died from adverse drug reactions!
In chapter 2, Dr. Murray explains that the knowledge of the body as self-healing has been forgotten by doctors. He points out that many drugs are really little more than a placebo effect, harnessing the power of the patient's mind to heal the body. Murray teaches us how drugs merely relieve symptoms but absolutely do not cure. One can never heal without getting to the root of the illness. As an expample, he had a patient with high blood pressure. Instead of giving him drugs, Murry learned the guy was jogging near the freeway, which made him breathe in lead. Once he switched to the beach, the blood pressure normalized!
In several of the chapters, Dr. Murray takes us on a detailed journey of common health disorders (such as headaches, osteoarthritis, asthma and more) and points out the pitfalls and side effects of drug treatment and the simplicity and effectiveness of natural remedies. After that, he exposes the cholesterol myth and shows the more sinister side of drug companies, explaining that "six of the nine expert members of the government panel that drafted the new cholesterol guidelines had either recieved grants from or were paid consulting or speakers' fees by the companies taht make some of the most popular statin drugs." He says that the levels of "normal" cholesterol were lowered just so more people would go on drugs! (There is a great deal of other shocking material like this in this book.)
Murray shows us many other gems, such as how we were scammed into taking SSRIs and obesity is a common side effect though it is STILL not listed as one. (Decades ago, I took Prozac and gained 40 pounds within MONTHS!)
Dr. M. points out that many drugs actually CAUSE the symptoms they are supposed to be treating, so you get addicted to them! Examples include headache medicine and NSAIDS used for joint pain (which destroy the carilage!).He also shows us how to critically analyze media stories that belittle natural remedies like fish oil or Saint John's Wart. He tops the book off with a detailed chapter on how to get well and stay well.
Though I have read hundreds of nutrition books (have even written one myself!) I was pleased to learn many new facts, such as that Vitamin D is anti-aging!
I was criticized as being "negative" when I put exposed the drug companies in an appendix of my book, The Live Food Factor. But people need to be deprogrammed! I applaud Dr. Murray's courage to take on the medical establishment, and I hope this book gets into the hands of all doctors and patients, as well as health seekers everywhere!
An Interesting Approach to Healthful Living June 26, 2009
James R. Holland (Boston, MA)
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
The first thing I did when I received this review copy was to Google "Bastyr University" and find out exactly what the N.D. degree means since that is the author's official medical degree. I'd recommend any reader do that first before reading the book. "The university is located north of Seattle, Washington. Named by the "Princeton Review' as one of the 168 best medical schools in the country, the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University is committed to developing leaders in the evolving field of natural medicine. Bastyr's fully accredited naturopathic doctor (ND) program is internationally renowned for its rigorous curriculum, comprehensive clinical training and ground breaking research." The University also gives various kinds of degrees in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Nutrition, Health Psychology, Herbal Sciences, Exercise Science and Wellness, and has graduate schools of Midwifery Certification and Applied Behavioral Science. With the book author's medical credentials out of the way, the reader can then dive into this interesting study done by "one of the world's leading authorities on natural medicine." He is co-author of "Textbook of Natural Medicine" and has written 20 other books as well.
"Naturopathic medicine," unlike conventional or "allopathic medicine" that focuses primarily on treating disease rather than promoting health, naturopathic "is a system that emphasizes prevention, treatment and the promotion of optimal health through the use of natural, nontoxic therapies."
The author warns the readers that "when people refer to me as an expert in alternative medicine, I usually correct them. I am a proponent of what I like to describe as `rational' medicine, which combines the best of both conventional medicine and alternative methods."
The book contains eleven major chapters that include "A Matter of Trust--Making Medicine or Making Money: The Number One Thing that they Don't Want you to Know: An Overlooked Goal of Healing--Removing Obstacles to a Cure: Functional Medicine Versus the Treatment of Disease: Is Symptom Relief a Path to Bad Medicine: Creating a Market Versus Providing a Cure; Exploiting the Cholesterol Myth: Drugs are Less Powerful than Our Attitude: Drugs Cannot Overcome a Poor Diet or an Unhealthy Lifestyle: Looking Behind the Headlines and Through he Bias: and How to Get Well. Stated simply, that is what is included in this book along with dozens of examples and nearly a hundred pages of Appendix, Notes an a very good Index.
This is another very good book of common sense backed up with studies that help prove the common sense. In addition to pointing out the way to naturally maintain optimum health and wellness, as the book's title indicates it also exposes much of the current medical culture of treating illness mostly with drugs alone. Americans have come to expect to substitute healthful lifestyles with short cuts and quick fixes provided by taking pills. Even medical doctors don't know the full truth behind some of drugs they recommend. "The drug industry spends about $60,000 in marketing per physician annually." "Drugs like Paxil, Zolft, and Prozac contribute to obesity, but weight gain is not listed as a common side effect of those drugs" and it hardly needs to be said that patients taking those drugs don't need the kind of extra stress and worry produced by uncontrolled obesity.
A couple more quick samples of the kind of information provided by this volume are that "Olive oil contains a heart-protective monounsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid. It also contains several antioxidant agents that prevent circulating LDL cholesterol from becoming damaged and then subsequently damaging the arteries." As most of us have heard for years, "Fish oils can also lower the risk of many cancers--particularly breast, prostate, colon and lung cancer--and many other chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, asthma, depression, diabetes, high blood pressure, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis."
I found this book fascinating, but I should probably mention that I grew up as a devoted Christian Scientist, and many of these healthful lifestyle practices were a part of my everyday life without my having any idea why. I'm definitely not a doctor, diet guru, exercise fanatic or somebody who has ever paid much attention to medical theories so I can't vouch for how much of this book's information is true, but it does seem to square with my life experience. Every reader will have to judge that for themselves.
One minor recommendation for this volume that I encountered first-hand was that as soon as I'd finished it, two adult members of my family were arguing about who would get to take the book home. It was out of my hands in a flash.
America's Drugged-Up Culture Examined June 29, 2009
David Kinchen
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
[...]
As I sat down at my computer to review Dr. Michael T. Murray's "What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know" (Atria Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint, 352 pages, $25), the news of Michael Jackson's death at the age of 50 came blasting out of the broadcast and print channels.
Another Dr. Murray -- no relation to author Michael Murray -- Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's 51-year-old personal physician -- figures in the torrent of words about the death in Los Angeles of the so-called "King of Pop." Reuters reported that the death of the music and cultural icon from cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009 "has raised a host of questions about what might have caused it [the cardiac arrest]....One possible cause reported by celebrity website TMZ.com is that he was injected with the potent painkiller Demerol before he went into cardiac arrest. Others speculate it was a combination of Demerol and Oxycontin, another powerful painkiller that is among the most commonly abused prescription drugs."
[...]
Murray, one of the nation's leading practitioners and authorities on natural medicine, argues in his well-documented book that much of our current health crisis was actually created by the pharmaceutical and medical industries with their aggressive marketing campaigns to maximize profits. He offers a practical guide to holistic treatments that he believes are a better alternative to the plethora of drugs offered to treat the most common diseases that plague our society -- drugs that he says are often not only ineffective, but result in serious, widespread side effects -- "the existence of which is frequently hidden from the public."
Sandwiched between news coverage of Michael Jackson's death and the seizure by the Los Angeles Police Department of Dr. Conrad Murray's silver BMW (he's not been charged with any crime), I saw a TV ad for a prescription drug that promises women richer, fuller eyelashes...A classic example of a drug created for what I believe is a non-existent disease.
Murray demonstrates to my satisfaction how a nationwide dependence on pills has hobbled heath in the U.S. -- a nation that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is 24th in terms of life expectancy -- and has resulted in a national wellness epidemic as lifestyle, ignorance, and politics collide in our medicine cabinets.
WHO says Americans use more than 40 percent of all the prescription drugs produced in the world each year, Murray writes. This is at a time when adverse reactions to over-the-counter and prescription drugs are estimated to kill more than 100,000 Americans a year -- the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. behind cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Younger readers might be surprised to learn that there was a time -- only a couple of decades ago -- when prescription drug advertising was prohibited on TV, radio and in general circulation publications. Today, drug companies -- Big Pharma -- spend twice as much on marketing as they do on research and development, Murray writes.
With about 700,000 practicing physicians in the U.S., Murray cites statistics showing that the drug industry spends about [...] in marketing dollars per physicians per year -- a whopping [...] a year. Many of these dollars are spent on the detail people who call on doctors throughout their work week. A now deceased physician friend of mine with a psychiatric practice in Beckley. WV once told me he had to ration the appointments of drug detail sales people because he had run out of time to devote to his patients.
As the recipient of a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University near Seattle, Murray is oriented to natural medicine and products like St. John's wort extract, saw palmetto berry extract, glocosamine sulfate and fish oil -- among many others -- but he is not totally opposed to the use of antibiotics and other medicines. He is just against the overdosing that he believes is endemic in American medicine. As a believer in alternative treatments, especially acupuncture and chiropractic, I'm inclined toward Murray's message.
Among the facts presented in the book:
* During the past 50 years drug costs have skyrocketed at a rate five times the inflation rate
* Oral medications to treat Type 2 diabetes don't alter the long-term development of the disease
* Drugs like Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac contribute to obesity, but weight gain is not listed as a common side effect of these drugs
* It is estimated that 70 percent of patients with chronic daily headaches suffer from drug induced headaches
* * *
To kick the prescription medication habit that has overdosed America, Murray suggests a seven-step holistic program to "vibrant" health:
Step 1: Incorporate spirituality into your life
Step 2: Develop a positive mental attitude
Step 3: Focus on establishing positive relationships
Step 4: Follow a healthy lifestyle
Step 5: Be active and get regular physical exercise
Step 6: Eat a health-promoting diet
Step 7: Support your body through proper nutritional supplementation and body work
"What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know" rang true to me because I'm a believer in less is more when it comes to drugs. Those seeking a practical guide to the natural treatments that could revolutionize both your health and the well-being of the entire nation will find Murray's book an excellent guide to a healthy life, free from the poisonous effects of drugs that aren't needed.
About the author: Michael T. Murray is the author of more than 20 books on natural alternatives to health and well being and is currently a director of product development and education for Natural Factors, a major manufacturer of nutritional and herbal supplements. [...]
Great Book November 9, 2009
Evan Walters
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book is packed full of information! It has 23 pages of sources (notes), and a 13-page index. It's also well-written, and is very liberating. After reading, I feel in control of my health, mentally and physically. I highly recommend it.
What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know June 12, 2010
Delphine (Dee) A. Richert
The alternative treatments in this book are amazing. It's too bad that doctors don't practise more alternative medicine. If they did,the pharmaceuticals wouldn't be able to GOUGE people with their outrageous prices!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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