While Mark Souder whines and vents about the “War on Drugs” and focuses on restricting marijuana, perhaps he should take a look around at the unbelievable number and kinds of prescription drugs that have us – as a nation – drugged to the hilt.
I receive the AARP magazine – a group I originally swore I would never join. Really – the Association for the Advancement of RETIRED People? I have to wonder how many members are actually retired. I know I have no plans to retire – retirement is something that leads to decline. Anyways, I received my latest issue of “AARP Bulletin”, and one of the articles was titled “The 50 Most Prescribed Drugs.”
So, much as I hate numbered lists, here goes. I am listing the drugs, followed by the number of yearly prescriptions written, and finally, the ungodly amount of money generated by the sale of the drug.
- Hydrocodone (pain) – 121.3 million prescriptions – $1.78 billion
- Lisinopril (hypertension) – 69.8 million prescriptions – $686 million
- Simvastatin (high cholesterol) - 60.2 million prescriptions – $1.45 billion
- Levothyroxine (hypothyroidism) – 58.6 million prescriptions – $546 million
- Amoxicillan (bacterial infection) – 52.1 million prescriptions – $439 million
- Azithromycin (bacterial infection) – 49.3 million prescriptions – $1.28 billion
- Lipitor (high cholesterol) – 49.0 million prescriptions – $5.88 billion
- Hydrochlorothiazide (edema/hypertension) – 47.1 million prescriptions – $288 million
- Alprazolam (anxiety/depression) – 43.6 million prescriptions – $468 million
- Atenolol (hypertension) – 40.9 million prescriptions – $274 million
- Metformin (type 2 diabetes) – 40.1 milliion prescriptions – $536 million
- Metoprolol Succinate (hypertension) – 38.9 million prescriptions – $1.11 billion
- Furosemide oral (edema/hypertension) – 37. million prescriptions – $209 million
- Metoprolol tartrate (hypertension) – 29.7 million prescriptions – $206 million
- Setraline (depression) – 29.5 million prescriptions – $648 million
- Omeprazole (ulcers/reflux) – 29.2 million prescriptions – $1.15 billion
- Zolpidem tartrate (insomnia) – 28.3 million prescriptions – $742 million
- Nexium (ulcers/reflux) – 26.9 million prescriptions – $4.79 billion
- Lexapro (depression) – 26.3 million prescriptions – $2.41 billion
- Oxycodone (pain) – 26.2 million prescriptions – $683 million
- Singulair (asthma) – 25.8 million prescriptions – $2.90 billion
- Ibuprofen (pain/inflamation) – 25.5 million prescriptions – $177 million
- Plavix (blood clotting) – 25.1 million prescriptions – $3.80 billion
- Prednisone oral (allergies/inflamation) – 24.8 million prescriptions – $211 million
- Fluoxetine (deression) – 23.3 million prescriptions – $349 million
- Synthroid (hypothyroidism) – 23.1 million prescriptions – $515 million
- Warfarin (blood clotting) – 22.8 million prescriptions – $317 million
- Cephalexin (bacterial infection) – 22.1 million prescriptions – $256 million
- Lorazepam (anxiety) – 22.0 million prescriptions – $340 million
- Clonazepam (epilepsy/anxiety) – 21.8 milion prescriptions – $287 million
- Citalopram HBR (depression) – 21.6 million prescriptions – $260 million
- Tramadol (pain) – 21.3 million prescriptions – $302 million
- Gabapentin (epilepsy/pain) – 20.7 million prescriptions – $809 million
- Ciprofloxacin HCL (bacterial infection) – 20.5 million prescriptions – $194 million
- Propoxyphene-N (pain) – 20.4 million prescriptions – $225 million
- Lisinopril (hypertension) – 20.4 million prescriptions – $687 million
- Triamterene (edema/hypertension) – 20.4 million prescriptions – $153 million
- Amoxicillin (bacterial infection) – 20.1 million prescriptions – $807 million
- Cyclobenzaprine (muscle injury/spasm) – 20.0 million prescriptions – $209 million
- Prevacid (ulcers/reflux) – 18.6 million prescriptions – $3.30 billion
- Advair (asthma) – 17.8 million prescriptions -$3.57 billion
- Effexor XR (depression) – 16.9 million prescriptions – $2.66 billion
- Trazodone HCL (depression) – 16.7 million prescriptions – $140 million
- Fexofenadine (allergy) – 16.5 million prescriptions – $772 million
- Fluticasone nasal (allergy) – 16.2 million prescriptions – $543 million
- Diovan (hypertension) – 15.7 million prescriptions – $1.28 billion
- Paroxetine (depression/anxiety) – 15.6 million prescriptions – $359 million
- Lovastatin (high cholesterol) – 15.3 million prescriptions – $378 million
- Crestor (high cholesterol) – 15.1 million prescriptions – $1.68 billion
- Trimethoprim (bacterial infection) – 14.6 million prescriptions – $131 million
Brand names (bolded and underlined) make up only 22% of the list, yet they make up 62% of the total of $53.2 billion cost. The total number of prescriptions is 1,140.3 billion – that’s 1 billion 140 million + prescriptions. The population of the United States is approximately 305 million. That means that every man, woman, and child could be taking at least three prescriptions.
The number of people with at least one prescription increased from 67 percent in 2000 to 74 percent in 2006, and the number of prescriptions per person rose to 14.3 from 10.8 in 2000 – a 32 perent jump. Unbelieveable. Is it any wonder that big pharma continues to lobby and push its products to physicians and the consuming public through TV commercials – advertising for every conceiveable ailment?
The audience sees the commercials and runs to doctors to request the drug. Doctors oblige their patients. And, don’t forget those free samples that the pharma reps provide to the doctors. But TV commercials aren’t the only culprit in this drug-dependent nation – our lifestyles have turned us into a reactive nation instead of a proactive nation.
The dichotomy in this scenerio is that while companies and health professionals urge exercise, healthy eating, and routine physical exams to enhance our lifestyles, citizens are becoming increasingly dependent on prescription drugs – a 32% increase in the number of prescriptions per person.
We have a drug crisis in this country all right, but it isn’t Mark Souder’s version. The list above shows just what this country has turned into – a drugged-out nation.
When prohibition is finally repealed, people will be amazed at how cannabis turns out to be a gateway off of hard drugs and prescription drugs. Who knew, they will say.
I just heard a story on NPR today, about how sales for prescription drugs went through the roof once television ads for them started. And I read another article about an unregulated ‘male enhancement’ supplement, the one with ads featuring ‘smiling Bob’, that shows just how eager Americans are to find a chemical solutions to problems they probably don’t have to begin with.
There has been a lot of progress, particularly with cholesterol lowering drugs, that has been positive for overall public health. Still, it’s always a troubling trend when supply drives demand, and when prescription drugs are marketed towards providing a better lifestyle, rather than addressing a real health issue.
@Lewis –
You make some great points. Not sure if you had a chance to hear/read another great story NPR featured regarding the role pharmaceutical companies and medical advertisements play in bringing potential customers into doctor’s offices around the country:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113664923&ps=cprs
From the NPR story:
“The patients come in quoting commercials they’ve seen on TV, requesting pills or diagnostic tests, describing new treatments for diseases they’re convinced they have.”
“Five or six times a day, people come in saying, ‘I looked this up on the Internet.’ Or, ‘I saw this and I wonder if I could have this?’ ” Moore says.
A drugged out nation? Did you take a moment to review the list of medications and their indications? Perhaps you prefer everyone just jump at the idea that this is a drugged out nation, rather than have each person read that much of the list is comprised of cholesterol medications, bacterial medications and hypertension meds.
When was the last time someone ran to the doctor to fake illnesses involving those indications? How many times are those particular drugs used recreationally? Oddly enough, even Anna Nicole didn’t have Lipitor in her system.
Good grief…next time, take a moment to review the meds that AARP members would hate to lose.
Rory;
I am certain there are many medications which are essential for many people, but I agree with Charlotte’s general premise that we are overdrugged. Several years ago, a very serious problem sent me to the hospital emergency room. After getting the immediate problem under control and investigating a bit, I was told that I had acid reflux. My esophogus was so scarred and constricted that they were afraid to do the procedure they often do to open it up more. I was prescribed Prevacid, to help control the reflux and keep the esophogus from further deteriorating, to be taken indefinitely.
I spoke with my doctor about eating and other habits that could affect this. His suggestions were drink less alcohol, eat my last meal three hours before going to bed, avoid spicy foods, and sleep on my back with my head elevated. He told me that none of these rules had to be followed 100%, but the more I moved towards the right habits, the more my condition would improve. You should realize that at this stage in my life, my regular routine consisted of staying out drinking until the bars closed, stopping at Taco Bell on the way home, then immediately falling asleep face down on the couch – a violation of all the doctor’s suggestions. It took a while to change my habits, but I haven’t taken any prescription medication for acid reflux for three years now. I do ocassionally take an over the counter medication, but very rarely.
In addition to this problem, I have also suffered from severe respritory illnesses for most of my life. I have emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. When I was seven years old, an entire lobe of one of my lungs was surgically removed. I spent months at a time in the hospital, and lived in an oxygen tent at home some of the time. Being overly medicated was a way of life for me, and it was not until my teenage years that I came to realize how different my situation was from others my age.
When I was about seventeen years old, I became disgusted with the cruth of medications that seemed necessary to sustain me. I wanted to be more normal and I decided something needed to change. I was determined that either I would break myself free of the extreme dependence on medication, or I would die trying. I will not elaborate here, but I made extreme modifications to my exercise, diet, sleep, and many other habits in furtherance of this goal.
As an adult, I have met many of the medical personel who worked on me as a child. They are all amazed that I am even alive today, and just floored to see that I am in such relatively good health. The look in their eyes tells me that these people know they are looking at a miracle – someone who really beat the odds. There is no doubt that their medical care (including the medications and surgeries) was essential in saving my life. But I also have no doubt that my determined efforts to painfully wean myself away from those drugs was the only thing that allowed me to eventually achieve a somewhat normal life.
There are people who will take pain medication (prescription or over the counter) when all they need to do is allow their body to get the proper amount of rest and to eat healthy foods. And yes, I have no doubt that there are many people who take antibiotics and other “essential” medications beyond what is actually necessary.
Phil,
You seem well intentioned and well written enough for me to ask the obvious- You needed a doctor to tell you that drinking until the bars closed and then eating spicy fast food was an issue?
Do you blame a politician’s stance on illegal drugs for your personal choices with regard to medications and lifestyle choices?
The blogger apparently does.
Rory:
You make my point on the medications. Why do you think I listed why the medicines are prescribed?
High blood pressure and high cholesterol are issues that relate to life styles. For instance – just in case you didn’t know it – our liver produces about 1,000 mg of cholesterol a day — all the cholesterol your body needs.
Another 200 to 500 mg can come from the food you eat. When you dump in food after food that contains cholesterol, it is just like trying to pour 16 ounces of water into a 12 ounce glass – it overflows. While this may be a simplistic example, that is exactly what Americans are doing to their bodies by choosing an unhealthy lifestyle.
Similarly, hypertension is an issue governed primarily by lifestyles. The causes of essential hypertension, affecting about 90-95% of the cases, are not directly identifiable but are linked to such issues as obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, high intake of salt, etc. Only 5-10% of high blood pressure cases are diagnosed as having an underlying cause such as an abnormality of an organ or body system.
The knee-jerk reaction has become one of popping a pill to control hypertension and/or high cholesterol rather than do the hard work of modifying and actually working on changing lifestyles.
I am not saying people are faking some of the illnesses, but what they are doing is failing to understand their bodies and how our systems work. And, then, God forbid, make some changes to the way they live.
I think you need to do some studying of the body, nutrition, and then look at the drugs above to see how they link to the poor choices people have made. I am a vegetarian, and I would not go back to a meat-based lifestyle for any amount of money. When I shop, I check the contents of items that I buy. I do not purchase processed products such as packaged dinners (macaronis, noodles, rice, etc.). I rarely purchase canned goods either. Check out the salt content on these items, and I think you will be stunned.
And no mention of bacterial medications on the list in your idealist rebuttle…
I notice the pride you take in proclaiming your vegetarian lifestyle, and it’s “benefits”, however, you make no assertions about being drug free. It would be difficult to argue against America’s obesity, however, it’s quite a leap of faith to suggest vegetarian lifestyles are the solution..unless of course you would suggest genetic predispositions be disregarded.
Additionally, I take issue with the way in which you presented the article. You did a quick bit of math and came up with an average # of prescriptions. While this is convenient, in no way should anyone, yourself included make the error of believing that each person is taking so many prescriptions. You have no way of knowing how many of those medications were discarded after side effects occurred and medications were changed. Also…while I attempted to research this list on-line, I was unable to find it. My hunch is that it’s the number of prescriptions filled, not written, as you proclaim. In fact, the media is so well versed in skewing fact, it may well be that AARP misrepresented the information to you. And, like many others, you absorbed those rediculous numbers without question. Why is it that some people take the time to evaluate information and others are eager to simply use it to bolster an arguement without thought.
You also pointed out the enormous money generated. Wonderful. At $25/per prescription for Amoxicillin, it’s well worth the price. And while we’re on Amoxicillin, please note that it appears 2x on the list with 2 different spellings…exactly how accurate is this list?
PS- Made my 2nd trip to the Dr. in 20 years just a couple days ago. Turns out that years and years of consuming red meat, fish, shell fish and fried vegetables (sorry, I don’t discriminate) had nothing to do with the bacterial infection taking up residence in the lungs and sinuses. I guess the overall good health must be the result of consuming only the finest cuts of meat since I can’t credit murdering vegetables as reason.
Phil:
Thank you for sharing your experiences about life changes. I hope that my readers understand I am not saying all medications are bad. I am saying that many, though, are prescribed simply because we, as a nation, have found it easier to take pills than to work on our lifestyles.
Your experiences are proof that changes can be made, but, as you noted, it takes work.
My mother was on 12 or 13 kinds of medicines by the time she died. She had taken NSAIDs for so long that her esophagus and stomach were in shreds and bleeding. Her last days were spent with a feeding tube because she could no longer ingest food. At the very end, she was diagnosed with a fast-spreading lymphoma. And, what had to be one of the few times (if not the only time), she chose to refuse treatment for the cancer.
She had taken medicines for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, thyroid, and others that I don’t even remember now.
Thanks again, and I am certainly glad you were able to correct and control your health issues.
Rory:
Come on – you’re avoiding the issue which is that we are a drugged-out nation. You know as well as I do that many of our ailments are attributable to lifestyle. That isn’t even an arguable point anymore. You avoid looking at the underlying reasons for hypertension, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and obesity. Of course, that would require asking individuals to take some responsibility for their lifestyles. As I said you and millions like you seem to think the solution is to pop a pill rather than work on change.
Any particular reason you are skewering AARP for reporting facts that can be easily ascertained? And, just as a point of correction – I did not do the math. I included the link with the information.
I did not say my vegetarian lifestyle was the solution – go back and read my post. I said I would not go back to eating meat for any amount of money. Meat contains cholesterol, and, if you bothered to research cholesterol, you would find, as I stated, that our body produces enough cholesterol without adding more. If you want to chow down on red meat or whatever, that is up to you.
I rarely go to the doctor either, so I guess we could argue back and forth why we both have fairly good health. However, I suspect that I may be older than you, so at my age to not have to go to the doctor or take prescription drugs is something for which I am grateful. I know too many people my age who have been on medications for years and will be – probably for the rest of their lives.
Big pharma sure has done a number on you – either that or you work in the field. You seem to accept the notion that we all need drugs to solve our problems. Ever listen to the side effects of the prescribed drugs? Some of them can even cause cancer.
And, I don’t blame Souder for personal choices. My point is that while he rails against marijuana, he overlooks the obvious drug addiction in this country. Just because it is legal to prescribe drugs, doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem.
Tsk Tsk Tsk. Can you provide sources for the %’s you gave on your prior response? (please…nothing from Vegan’s Corner or Vegetables-R-Us)
In order to prove your point that it’s a drugged-out nation you’ll need a bit more research. First, you’ll need an agreed upon definition of “drugged-out” and secondly, you’ll need detailed information on the actual meds consummed per person. Not a list of prescriptions written. Logical enough for you? Then, a scientific analysis of how many prescriptions are unneccesary or are avoidable should be produced. Then, they’ll need to be some sort of standard deviation etc etc. But well, I know…this is a blog, not a place where anyone should expect to discover factual information or truths…I digress…
Let’s reveiw- Sauder “rails” against illegal drugs.
Blogger rails against Sauder for his lack of control over individual choices.
I believe it’s important for everyone to take personal responsibility for their lives…in EVERY way. That responsibility extends to responsible blogging. I wish I had such a herd mentality that I could look at a list that seems immediately disproprotioned and think “hey, I can use this because I didn’t originate it and I’m absolved of all responsiblity regarding it and understanding it’s accuracy.”
Rory:
How is the list “immediately disproportioned?” Care to explain that comment? Any facts to back up your statement?
Oh come on Rory tsk, tsk, to you too – is this your baffle ‘em with BS technique?
Remember, the AARP list is the top 50 prescribed drugs – that leaves – oh – hundreds if not thousands of other drugs that weren’t listed. Please see the following site for a picture of just how drugged out the nation has become (by the way, these are FILLED prescriptions – that was one of your questions, wasn’t it):
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=265&cat=5
As to a definition of drugged-out? I would think that the above link does a nice job of showing you just how many prescriptions are filled. I guess in your mind, billions of prescriptions for a population of 305 million is just peanuts.
Your herd mentality is certainly showing – you have bought into the big pharma sales pitch that Americans need billions of prescriptions a year to live. How disingenuous of you to try to turn facts into fantasy. So here are some more sites with data for you. Of course, in your fantasy world, I am sure you will figure out how to downplay the amount of drugs Americans take.
http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79509
http://www.pharmacytimes.com/issue/pharmacy/2007/2007-05/2007-05-6472
Again, you are missing the point. But that is your prerogative.
Perhaps you are new to the blogging world. Bloggers use info from many different sites and write posts. I chose to report on prescription drug overuse by referring to an AARP article and chart listing only the top 50 most prescribed drugs. As you can see by the additional sites I have provided (assuming you use an open mind) that prescription drug use is even more astronomical if you start including the top 200 or top 300.
Rory;
Your response seems to imply that you may think my past alcoholism renders my opinion on the matter useless. I should point out here that I think you missed the real point. And that point was that most of the medical “experts” I had spoken with simply told me to take the pill. It was not until I pressed my own doctor for advice about lifestyle habits that could affect this problem that I was told there were other options. Even then, it was strongly suggested that I continue with the medication indefinitely. I changed my habits, and eventually dropped the pill.
As for why I was engaging in habits which were harmful to my body, that is complicated. I can list reasons, which might help others to understand why I did this, but I have no excuses. It was stupid, plain and simple. And yes, I did need a doctor to tell me this. Millions of people consume alcohol and spicy foods without tearing up their esophagus. I knew what I was doing was not healthy, but I really had no idea how unhealthy it was until the doctor showed me the pictures from the scope of my throat. If it were not for that, I would have probably continued with those bad habits for much longer than I did.
Regarding the antibiotics, I have thoughts on that matter also. First of all, the viruses that attack our bodies are evolving creatures. Any time you admit antibiotics into your system, you kill off a whole bunch of these bugs, but a few of them (the strongest ones who were resistant to the medicine) survive and propagate a new generation of virus which is significantly more resistant to that particular drug. The reason we have to keep creating more powerful antibiotics is because our overmedication of our bodies is strengthening the viruses.
Now, as for the politics of the matter, I would begin by saying that I think you (or any other adult) should be allowed to ingest whatever you want, so long as you are willing to accept the full consequences of it. It appears to me, however, that this rule is violated both by Mark Souder’s overzealous attacks on illegal drugs as well as what I feel is our society’s overdependence on legal medications.
Mark Souder wants to imprison people for getting high, whether or not they are actually causing any real harm to others. We have legalized alcohol. We don’t prosecute people for using this drug, only for how they use it. If you are using it in a manner which causes harm or is jeopardizing the safety of others, then you will be arrested for it. And I agree with that because others shouldn’t have the right to harm me against my will. But marijuana, which I think is no more dangerous than alcohol, is illegal. Buying and/or smoking even a small amount of this substance can land you in prison, regardless of the fact that you may have actually caused no harm to anyone else. I think that is ridiculous.
Regarding the medical industry, I would imagine that there is not one manufacturer of the drugs on Charlotte’s list which does not manage to find some way of getting tax dollars to support themselves. This means their campaigns to overmedicate our society are being partially funded by all of us. That is not fair. So, our government imprisons people for buying certain drugs, even if these drugs are bought with their own money and if the use of them causes no harm to anyone else. At the same time, the government taxes me, in order to fund the medical industry’s efforts to get us all addicted to their drugs. There is a lot of hypocrisy there.
You are correct, however, that Charlotte did not use a scientific analysis here. The kind of research you propose could only be done though by people with huge budgets, not by individuals. Such money exists within both the medical industry and within the political industry, and both those groups often perform what they claim to be in-depth research of matters. I could give you many reasons why I am reluctant to trust either group without reservation, but it all of my reasons could be summed up under incompetence and corruption.
I watched a Congressional hearing once that was discussing the MRSA virus. Three very prominent doctors were being questioned on the matter. The first one said that MRSA might be the next “AIDS,” and that if we did not act now it would soon turn into an epidemic. The next one said that MRSA was really no big deal and that they had the problem under control. I watched as a Congress woman chastised these doctors for not collecting the information which would conclusively prove how big of a problem this really was. And I watched as one of those doctors replied that, per the laws created by Congress, they were actually prohibited from collecting such information.
I think every medical provider should have to list every free gift (bribe) they have received from a drug company. I think I, as a consumer, should have the right to know whether my doctors “expert” advice is actually being influenced by such gifts. I also think that a vast majority of those in the health care industry would oppose such a requirement.
If you think the people who make our laws are guided by what is good for society, or that the medical community is guided by what is good for the patient, I believe that you are extremely naïve. I think they are motivated by money, and I think a lot of them would easily sell out a patients health or our entire society for a few extra dollars in their pockets. I think that any advice one gets from their doctor should be taken with skepticism, and it’s integrity should be verified through other sources.
Look at attention deficit disorder, a fictional disorder. If you take a child’s natural tendency to be hyper-active, add a parent’s wish to be free of the burden of being a parent, top it off with the doctors money-motivated desire to sell meds for the industry which gives them free golf trips, what you end up is a nation which gives their children a lobotomy pill simply because they were being children.
And the issue which I did not hear you address was people’s overuse of pain medication. These pills do not solve any problems, they only mask what are the bodies signals that something is wrong. We continue to increase the number and strength of these pills being consumed each year though. Many of these drugs are every bit as harmful and addictive as some of the hard-core illegal drugs. Yet they are legal because the campaign-contributing drug industry wishes it to be.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091020/LOCAL/910200329/Doctor+is++danger+to+public+++state+says
Food for thought, and scary.
Sorry, I forgot to “tiny URL” in the above post.
We can tear a baby from the womb but cant make our own decisions on the drugs we take? I have a little rule im trying to follow, If what someone does doesnt effect those around them, leave them alone.
Iceironman:
I agree with you.
The prescription drugs that I take are determined by my physician with my consent. Big Government and Big Blogger do not get a vote. Why would I want an uncaring government and a liberal blogger making decisions for me? No thank you, don’t want and will not abide a nanny at my age.
The prescriptions my family have are prescribed by our doctors, then subjected to approval by our insurance company. Many have been denied by the insurance company. Generic drugs are fine for thyroid problems, but for the type needed for my husband to keep his sight the doctor had to fight with the insurance company to get the one proved to work. We still pay a high price and are grateful. However, he dropped the lowering cholesteral medicine rather than to pay for it. Without real competition from a public option, insurance companies will continue to raise premiums and deny care prescribed by doctors.
I can’t wait till its all free from the government so I can be a drug induced hoosier. Woo Hoo………….bring it on. Make those mean old rich people pay for it too. That’s even better.
Things are not completely obvious yet. For instance, doctors are woefully deficient in nutritional knowledge. Our medicine feeds a scheme pushing medications which are copyrighted perversions of natural substances – somewhat poisonous virtually without exception. ‘Extracts’ are concentrates all right – but processing and preservation techniques are bound to cause changes which are bad as well as good.
Nor is it correct to talk of treating viruses with antibiotics : they are bacteria specific. Microbes and bacteria are entirely different.
Nor can one say that the fetish with killing bacteria and polluting out environment with toxins is wise. We live in a symbiotic relationship with nature. Killing our symbiotes may seem safer from the viewpoint of avoiding infection : but it compromises the immune system and digestive system as well.
A couple of days after finishing a course of anitbiotics, in fact, it is a practice of many to replenish friendly flora in the gut. I can tell the difference if I do that after being on an antibiotic.
Charlotte
Long time no quip. I still recall an article on CAFOs here from years back.Bluebloggin and Grist have similar concerns. No longer at opit.wordpress, I have continued to search out news on water. ore at Current TV has a group
I lost connectivity there.
JanforGore has a group monitoring water related stories at Current TV – and some farming concerns as well. Care2 has been an interesting community concerning both the environment and a wider view – with over 12 million members worldwide. My links at my.opera.com/oldephartte/links – Collections Forwarded to Blogger, include articles and sites headed ‘Water – Wealth & Power’. And Climategate shook things up enough that Global Research.ca started up a section on it. It and CFACT are in climate links..where I suddenly find myself in the position of swimming against the tide of ‘conventional wisdom.’