Dear Doctor:
How we interpret and act on the removal of Vioxx from circulation will play a major role in the development of the wellness movement. The pharmaceutical companies want you to believe that because there are other alternative medications that could do what Vioxx does, there will be an easy transition to other drugs they are positioning as safer.
The problem is, when the whole system is based on a misguided outside-in philosophy, there’s no reason to believe that the drug giants, who clearly have a vested interest in having the public use their products, can ever objectively evaluate the true risks.
Common sense points at the fundamental flaw in the approach – there is no way that you can introduce bioactive agents like these and expect them to affect only the target physiologies. There will always, yes always, be an impact on other aspects of body function -- the hip bone is indeed connected to the thigh bone, and everything else, at all times. As chiropractors, with a deeper understanding of health, we must use this opportunity to cause more health consumers to shift, not just away from Vioxx, but away from using chemical intervention, except in the most necessary of circumstances.
This is difficult, since most people have been indoctrinated into the drug culture – yet the evidence is mounting that this has been a severe wrong turn in the delivery of health care services. In the coming months, expect to see more research that demonstrates the futility of chasing disease with medications, rather than exploring underlying causes and making lifestyle corrections to enhance wellness driven health care.
The arrogance of the drug houses in situations like this is appalling – Merck’s president stated that they could have simply relabeled the drug with proper warnings and left it on the market, but they decided that since there were alternatives available, they would remove Vioxx – who is he kidding? It seems that they had information long ago about the risks of this medication, but they stalled as long as possible, under cover of ongoing research, so they could make billions at the public’s expense. That’s bad enough, but the deeper problem is that people buy into the overall medical position that pain and disease must be treated by drugs, rather than by pursuing proper lifestyle and natural care, not only as a pre-emption to disease, but as a foundation of health and wellness.
It points out how big our job is – we must consistently represent chiropractic with pride, dignity, and passion to get our message out – people’s lives really do depend on it.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle PS Have you registered for The SuperConference? It will be like nothing you’ve ever seen in chiropractic – please call 800-451-4514, or visit themasterscircle.com.
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