FYI This thread can help lower your cholesterol*

"Snake venom is natural, so it's good for you, right?" tends to shut those people up.

I'm going to open a weight loss clinic, where I give my customers ebola. All natural, guaranteed effectiveness..

have them swallow a tape worm...very natural

What's been explained to me is that they just don't have the time to read through trials and reports on every drug, which is understandable. Especially docs in fields like family medicine. I obviously don't know personally though. Do you read all that stuff for all the drugs you prescribe?
mine, yes but I specialize so it is easier for me than a family/GP

well not everything, I have trusted sources
 
I'm sure you could..not sure what you do, but sales reps unfortunately get laid off left and right, some really good ones stick around or are easily picked up by rival drug companies but when $ drops, they are the first to get axed

I do *insert basic no experience needed job here, but i'm not really serious about a drug report. I just went back to school so I can get an actual degree and career.
 
Ive always been baffled by prescription only medicine advertising.
Do people really go in to the DRs office all like "Doc, my elbow hurts, and I saw on the tv theres a med called "Elbowacillin" , can I get some?"
I mean, really?

yes. i recently took lil' bird to the doc because his throat was hurting him. he got tested for strep...nothing. so the doc is going over a couple of "it-could-bes" and then, pretty much apologetically, said that he really didn't think giving him antibiotics would be anything useful...i was VERY quick to say "that's great!" i thanked him for NOT writing out some script just to make me/him/us "happy"! i told him i did NOT want meds unless my kid NEEDED them. it was just crazy to see him be apologetic for not having some magic pill to give him. :hs:

"ask your docter if this crap is right for you".

No, maybe I'll trust my doctor to give me what's right for me.

Except they may not know any better than you. Maybe even worse, because they've got the drug rep barking in their ear as well...

TSRH. for a number of reasons, docs just are not as well informed as they probably were way back when...and if they really are promoting the pharm's drug-of-the-day, they'll likely tell you what they've just been told, assuming the pharm rep knows what they're talking about...which they probably do...up to a certain point -- because the drug companies are telling them the things they need simply to push the stuff.
 
I could do this. BRB changing careers.

I definitely could not. To be a successful drug rep you seem to have to be obnoxiously rude and pushy which is really quite uncomfortable to witness, constantly calling up to try and find out where people are, trying to get meetings with them by hassling people until they're sick to death of you. One of our more pushy reps actually turned up in a clinic at the other side of town to 'have a word' with one of our doctors, who was then so fed up of her antics she gave her a real dressing down infront of everyone in the clinic.

I hate drug reps. There's like one that's really nice, but she probably won't last because she's not rude enough to get whatever the companies want done.
 
TSRH. for a number of reasons, docs just are not as well informed as they probably were way back when...and if they really are promoting the pharm's drug-of-the-day, they'll likely tell you what they've just been told, assuming the pharm rep knows what they're talking about...which they probably do...up to a certain point -- because the drug companies are telling them the things they need simply to push the stuff.

From my experience pharm reps are pretty knowledgable actually, most the ones I know have degrees in phamacology or biochemistry or something related so it's not like they're just spouting shit without knowing what it means.
 
The only thing worse than the shit that food companies claim is the "OMG CONSPIRACY TOXIC FOOD" shit that people come up with to create a fake scandal around those food companies. Got a gem this morning claiming that aspartame used to be a pesticide made by the evil Monsato until they figured out it tasted sweet and started sweetening food with it...

And makeup/skin care commercials are the most evil of all of them as far as bullshit claims, but people swallow that shit up.
There are a lot of fallacies about food safety out there. Aspartame is a pretty nasty substance though, iirc it was initially banned by the FDA and was only allowed into food because of heavy lobbying and pressure from congress. This is all well documented so it's a good example of OMG CONSPIRACY because it kinda was.

I avoid it because I dislike the taste and because it makes me feel off. I can drink a liter of coffee/soda and be fine, but a half can of diet soda makes me twitchy. Even chewing gum with aspartame gets me. Sucks as I love chewing gum and it's hard to find gum that still has sugar in it.
I agree about the food ones.... every "chemical" that has ever touched food gives you cancer. When I tell patients that freak out that food is made of chemicals.. " no, it's natural" "natural and chemical are not opposites"
Everything gives you cancer now. Sounds like you're playing the semantics game with them. IMHO, most people think "made in a lab" when you say "food is made of chemicals" instead of "chemicals come from nature." Do you want to eat a lab created, factory farmed, color added Salmon? I sure as hell fucking don't. I don't want to eat vegetables with bt toxin in them and glyphosphate all over them either.

Take a tub of margarine and leave it opened up on the counter for a week. It won't melt and no animal/insect will touch it. It's only yellow and tastes ok (debatable) because they have to add color/flavor to make it palatable since the hydrogenation process outputs grey colored rancid smelling goo. I'll stick to butter, thanks.

There's a huge difference in quality of foods between something in its natural form vs something created in a lab. Almost every other nation has severely limited genetically modified foods, and Monsanto spent millions to prevent GMO labelling in California.

If GMO and other lab created foods were truly GRAS, why would this be necessary?

And let's face it, agriculture today is pretty fucked up. You're forced to buy seeds every year because of your contract, if you are "caught" growing patented crops (even by accident, if the crop was volunteer) your farm is seized. What they don't tell you is that there's no way to not grow these patented crops; they're prolific pollinators and insert their DNA into whatever they can. Raw dairy is illegal, and whole foods are being phased out in favor of lab created varieties....

It's not all conspiracy theory, there's a lot of truth there as well. Corporations today will do whatever it takes....
 
From my experience pharm reps are pretty knowledgable actually, most the ones I know have degrees in phamacology or biochemistry or something related so it's not like they're just spouting shit without knowing what it means.

Uhhh, things are different here. The best drug reps here are tall, blonde, and have to explode out of a 34C bra.
 
There are a lot of fallacies about food safety out there. Aspartame is a pretty nasty substance though, iirc it was initially banned by the FDA and was only allowed into food because of heavy lobbying and pressure from congress. This is all well documented so it's a good example of OMG CONSPIRACY because it kinda was.

I avoid it because I dislike the taste and because it makes me feel off. I can drink a liter of coffee/soda and be fine, but a half can of diet soda makes me twitchy. Even chewing gum with aspartame gets me. Sucks as I love chewing gum and it's hard to find gum that still has sugar in it.

Everything gives you cancer now. Sounds like you're playing the semantics game with them. IMHO, most people think "made in a lab" when you say "food is made of chemicals" instead of "chemicals come from nature." Do you want to eat a lab created, factory farmed, color added Salmon? I sure as hell fucking don't. I don't want to eat vegetables with bt toxin in them and glyphosphate all over them either.

Take a tub of margarine and leave it opened up on the counter for a week. It won't melt and no animal/insect will touch it. It's only yellow and tastes ok (debatable) because they have to add color/flavor to make it palatable since the hydrogenation process outputs grey colored rancid smelling goo. I'll stick to butter, thanks.

There's a huge difference in quality of foods between something in its natural form vs something created in a lab. Almost every other nation has severely limited genetically modified foods, and Monsanto spent millions to prevent GMO labelling in California.

If GMO and other lab created foods were truly GRAS, why would this be necessary?

And let's face it, agriculture today is pretty fucked up. You're forced to buy seeds every year because of your contract, if you are "caught" growing patented crops (even by accident, if the crop was volunteer) your farm is seized. What they don't tell you is that there's no way to not grow these patented crops; they're prolific pollinators and insert their DNA into whatever they can. Raw dairy is illegal, and whole foods are being phased out in favor of lab created varieties....

It's not all conspiracy theory, there's a lot of truth there as well. Corporations today will do whatever it takes....


Honestly, I have no problem with labs and "natural" chemicals can give you cancer too unless my knowledge of tobacco is incorrect.

And your point about margarine....well I don't like margarine but it ain't the preservatives. I like preservatives, they keep my food from spoiling and allows my wife and I to lessen the trips we make to the store. I think the chemicals created in labs have had a nice benefit. My food tastes better for cheaper with art flavors and lasts longer with preservatives ..art color is fan favorite of my kids. I have yet to see conclusive proof that this shit causes illnesses beyond speculation centered around "it's not natural so it must be shitty for us.... look people are getting cancer, there must be a link." Just like there had to be a link between autism and vaccinations as both skyrocketed at the same time.

God gave us brains, we use them to make our food better. What's the real danger about our food? The caloric intake... whether natural or artificial that is what is giving us diabetes, high triglycerides and heart disease. It's not the chemicals , its the quantity and the ease in which we can fill our stomachs with sugar and fat. I am teaching my kids to avoid excess and eating desserts as meals, not to eat a stick of carob because it didn't come from a factory.
 
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Honestly, I have no problem with labs and "natural" chemicals can give you cancer too unless my knowledge of tobacco is incorrect.

And your point about margarine....well I don't like margarine but it ain't the preservatives. I like preservatives, they keep my food from spoiling and allows my wife and I to lessen the trips we make to the store. I think the chemicals created in labs have had a nice benefit. My food tastes better for cheaper with art flavors and lasts longer with preservatives ..art color is fan favorite of my kids. I have yet to see conclusive proof that this shit causes illnesses beyond speculation centered around "it's not natural so it must be shitty for us.... look people are getting cancer, there must be a link." Just like there had to be a link between autism and vaccinations as both skyrocketed at the same time.

God gave us brains, we use them to make our food better. What's the real danger about our food? The caloric intake... whether natural or artificial that is what is giving us diabetes, high triglycerides and heart disease. It's not the chemicals , its the quantity and the ease in which we can fill our stomachs with sugar and fat. I am teaching my kids to avoid excess and eating desserts as meals, not to eat a stick of carob because it didn't come from a factory.
If I implied natural things wouldn't give you cancer, I apologize as that was not my intent. Plenty of things, like the tobacco example you provided will give you cancer.

I will disagree that my food tastes better with chemicals. Having had farm fresh organic meat, produce, and raw dairy I can assure you the difference between them and anything you get from the supermarket is night and day. Want food that tastes amazing? Get it from a farm.

I understand going to the market is convenient if you go once a week or every other week, but you're sacrificing freshness IMHO. I also noticed increased variety when I started getting my groceries every 2-3 days.

Agree on portion control and nutritional content. The food pyramid is way off, and with today's busy lifestyle nobody has time for anything anymore. I was talking with the moms at ballet and mentioned dominating the crock pot. Every one of them was amazed to learn of the variety you can make with a crock pot, they all only used theirs for one or two dishes. "They have crock pot cookbooks?" Sigh.
 
And fwiw, organic, non GMO food has been shown to be slightly more nutritious. Turns out that when you design a plant or animal to grow really fast on next to nothing, they don't produce the same amount of vitamins and minerals. And for animals, the meat is also leaner, and therefore generally considered more healthy.
 
If I implied natural things wouldn't give you cancer, I apologize as that was not my intent. Plenty of things, like the tobacco example you provided will give you cancer.

I will disagree that my food tastes better with chemicals. Having had farm fresh organic meat, produce, and raw dairy I can assure you the difference between them and anything you get from the supermarket is night and day. Want food that tastes amazing? Get it from a farm.

I understand going to the market is convenient if you go once a week or every other week, but you're sacrificing freshness IMHO. I also noticed increased variety when I started getting my groceries every 2-3 days.

Agree on portion control and nutritional content. The food pyramid is way off, and with today's busy lifestyle nobody has time for anything anymore. I was talking with the moms at ballet and mentioned dominating the crock pot. Every one of them was amazed to learn of the variety you can make with a crock pot, they all only used theirs for one or two dishes. "They have crock pot cookbooks?" Sigh.


1st, we love our crockpot and use it 2x a month... that is an aside though

ok, misunderstanding here... if one were to compare apples to apples, natural/farm/fresh is better ALWAYS. An apple from a farm is tastier than the supermarket and the addition of chemicals does not make it taste better. I mean that chemicals allow us to make tasty food in mass production. My mac and cheese tastes great and it couldn't without many many chemicals to make the cheese a powder and one that is easy to use and tasty. Chemicals allow us to have tasty food all the time. Farm veggies and fruits and even meats taste better no question, but organic mass produced products do not taste better than their alternative and often worse, but that's okay since it costs much more lol
 
And fwiw, organic, non GMO food has been shown to be slightly more nutritious. Turns out that when you design a plant or animal to grow really fast on next to nothing, they don't produce the same amount of vitamins and minerals. And for animals, the meat is also leaner, and therefore generally considered more healthy.

slightly, but still would probably be cheaper to buy regular food and a vit supplement
 
Uhhh, things are different here. The best drug reps here are tall, blonde, and have to explode out of a 34C bra.

it's really fucking irritating when company reps are obviously hired for looks instead of knowledge. i would much rather talk to a grizzled old fat guy who knows his shit than a gorgeous moron.
 
1st, we love our crockpot and use it 2x a month... that is an aside though

ok, misunderstanding here... if one were to compare apples to apples, natural/farm/fresh is better ALWAYS. An apple from a farm is tastier than the supermarket and the addition of chemicals does not make it taste better. I mean that chemicals allow us to make tasty food in mass production. My mac and cheese tastes great and it couldn't without many many chemicals to make the cheese a powder and one that is easy to use and tasty. Chemicals allow us to have tasty food all the time. Farm veggies and fruits and even meats taste better no question, but organic mass produced products do not taste better than their alternative and often worse, but that's okay since it costs much more lol
No. Skill allows us to have tasty food all the time. Chemicals allow us to have OK tasting "food" that's easy to prepare.

Boxed mac-n-cheese is tasty? No way, that shit is GROCE. It takes 20 mins to make homemade mac-n-cheese from scratch just like it does to make a box. Granted, I make a bechamel and melt cheese in that 20 mins vs just boiling pasta and adding a packet...

Some organic stuff is nasty and expensive, yes. Conventional produce can be the same. We make most of our stuff with the ingredients, as opposed to buying them boxed. Anything freshly made from scratch will taste better than something processed, packaged, and shipped as ready to eat.
slightly, but still would probably be cheaper to buy regular food and a vit supplement
Depends on how you feel about the cost of cancer treatment. Eating real non-gmo foods is less expensive long term.

http://www.naturalnews.com/038868_GM_corn_organ_damage_scientific_studies.html
 
No. Skill allows us to have tasty food all the time. Chemicals allow us to have OK tasting "food" that's easy to prepare.

Boxed mac-n-cheese is tasty? No way, that shit is GROCE. It takes 20 mins to make homemade mac-n-cheese from scratch just like it does to make a box. Granted, I make a bechamel and melt cheese in that 20 mins vs just boiling pasta and adding a packet...

Some organic stuff is nasty and expensive, yes. Conventional produce can be the same. We make most of our stuff with the ingredients, as opposed to buying them boxed. Anything freshly made from scratch will taste better than something processed, packaged, and shipped as ready to eat.

Depends on how you feel about the cost of cancer treatment. Eating real non-gmo foods is less expensive long term.

http://www.naturalnews.com/038868_GM_corn_organ_damage_scientific_studies.html

link to unbiased article? :D

ok I get your point about it not being as tasty as home made.... home made takes time and maybe even if its the same amount of time total, I can be helping my kid with her homework while its cooking instead of making the cheese mix. and when I said "tasty" not in comparison to the natural or home made equivalent .. ever... the latter is always better. But if you are comparing it to the easy to prepare food of the past such as rice, potatoes and such... it is much tastier and fuck I still give them credit for making those things as tasty as they are. When i eat Herr's potato chips, I am quite pleased with their taste...could I have devoted a lot of effort and time to make better tasting chips? sure but it would cost me more than the $1 I spent on Herr's after factoring in time and ingredients
 
slightly, but still would probably be cheaper to buy regular food and a vit supplement

But the body doesn't absorb them as well as they do in food. :p It's a circular argument and I do get what you're saying.

And for the record, I think things like boxed mac-n-chz, high fructose corn syrup, and baconaters ARE tasty. They're loaded with salt and sweeteners, how could they not be? However, I CHOOSE to eat higher quality food because on some level I care about my long term health. And more importantly, I have the extra disposable income to do so.