Another Day, Another Problem Drug Story

Why would anyone take a dangerous prescription drug when it only offers a small chance for improvement over a placebo effect? Most wouldn't which is why drug research information is so slanted in the drug company's favor. A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that while 94% of positive drug trials make it into print only 14% of those with disappointing or uncertain results did. Not exactly fair and unbiased reporting now, is it?

For example the makers of antidepressants Prozac and Paxil never published the results of nearly 1/3 of the drug trials that were done for government approval. This omission clearly misleads doctors, patients and government regulators. They admitted that 60% of test subjects benefitted from their drugs compared to 40% who got better due to the placebo effect but in other trials the numbers were not that good.

60% compared to 40% and that's the best they can talk about? So the real numbers may be a lot closer to 50-50 but in one case there is no liver damage or other harm done to the body. The placebo effect, or the body's natural healing ability, can do as well without artificial chemicals and damage.

In UnBreak Your Health I talk about Cognitive Behavior Therapy which actually has been shown to produce superior results to prescription drugs. What does it say about America today that we'd rather pop a pill, even though it's more dangerous, than taking responsibility for our own lives?