Big Pharma the big television news sponsor–but do they really improve health?

Michael Snyder posted the following:

The Real Reason Why The Pharmaceutical Industry Is Spending Far More On Television Advertising Than Anyone Else

May 1, 2023

If you still believe that television news exists to look out for your best interests, you are hopelessly naive. The big networks are going to protect their customers at all costs, and you are not their customers. You are the product. CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox are all trying to get as many of us watching as possible so that they can deliver millions upon millions of ad impressions to their true customers. Of course the biggest customers of all are in the pharmaceutical industry. According to Adweek, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than 400 million dollars on national television advertising during the month of March alone…

If a certain industry is showering you with millions upon millions of dollars, do you think that you will have an incentive not to do any negative stories about that industry?

Of course.

It is just human nature.

Any news executive that does not take special care to protect the network’s most important customers is not likely to have a job for long.

During the 18 months that stretched from the beginning of 2020 to the middle of 2021, the pharmaceutical industry spent more than 2 billion dollars “on ads during primetime cable news”…

Over two billion dollars ($2.2B) were spent on ads during primetime cable news (5 pm until midnight on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC) and nightly network news programming on ABC, CBS, and NBC between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Fox News earned the most in advertising ($622M) and CBS earned the least ($205M).

Please pay special attention to that last sentence.

Fox News received more money from Big Pharma during that period than anyone else.

So if any Fox News hosts were to be highly critical of the pharmaceutical industry, that would put hundreds of millions of dollars at risk.

But that is precisely what Tucker Carlson did less than a week before he was fired.

He delivered a blistering monologue in which he revealed the truth about the damage that the industry is doing and the influence that it has over the big news networks… https://endoftheamericandream.com/the-real-reason-why-the-pharmaceutical-industry-is-spending-far-more-on-television-advertising-than-anyone-else/

Legal drugs in the USA are a big business as those in the USA use a lot of medications:

If it seems like about half the country is on drugs, that is because it is actually true. According to a new survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, almost half of all Americans have taken a pharmaceutical drug within the past 30 days, and that officially makes us “the most medicated country in the world”. And needless to say, those dealing these drugs are becoming exceedingly wealthy at our expense. The average American spends $1,200 a year on prescription drugs, but of course many Americans spend far more than that and others spend nothing at all. …

Without a doubt, there are some pharmaceutical drugs that greatly help people. In fact, many people wouldn’t be alive today without them.

On the other hand, it has been estimated that Americans spend somewhere around $200 billion a year on drugs that they do not need, and this new survey from the National Center for Health Statistics discovered that 46 percent of all Americans have taken a prescription drug within the last 30 days…

I am sorry, but there is no way that half the country needs to be hooked on drugs.

And for senior citizens that number is much higher. In fact, the survey found that a whopping 85 percent of Americans over the age of 60 are currently on at least one pharmaceutical drug.

For adults under the ago of 60, antidepressants are being taken more than anything else…

For young adults antidepressants are king. According to the most recent numbers, 11.4 percent of 20- to 59-year-olds had taken a drug to help with their mood in the last month when they took the survey.

Could this help to explain why so many people are walking around like zombies these days?

And since nearly all mass shooters have been found to be on some kind of mind-altering drug, perhaps Congress should finally take some action in this area. It can be exceedingly difficult to get off these insidious drugs, and many that get hooked on them end up staying on them for the rest of their lives.

Of course antidepressants are just one part of the problem. For example, opioids are some of the most addictive drugs on the entire planet, and their overuse has destroyed countless lives all across America. 05/08/19 http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-most-medicated-country-in-the-world-46-of-americans-have-taken-a-pharmaceutical-drug-within-the-last-30-days

Plus, more and more are accepting the use of marijuana. Many have been deceived about medications and drugs like marijuana.

Before going further, note that there are side effects also from medications. Notice this report:

Diabetes drug may cause infection that destroys genitals, study warns

A certain type of drug used to treat diabetes may help manage the disease, but a new study advises physicians to look for troubling signs of a dangerous flesh-eating infection in patients taking that drug—one that could even kill.

Per USA Today, the study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined ties between sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, used in Type 2 diabetes treatment, and a genital infection called Fournier gangrene, an “extremely rare but life-threatening” disorder, per the Food and Drug Administration, which looked at 55 cases of patients with the infection. https://fox8.com/2019/05/09/diabetes-drug-may-cause-infection-that-destroys-genitals-study-warns/

As far as medications and costs go, notice that an earlier report found that the United States spends more on medications than other developed nations, yet Americans do not live longer:

November 5, 2015

Americans spend twice that of other developed countries on drugs, but don’t live longer.

An annual report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development compares spending on health care and outcomes for its 34-member nations. Here are some of the findings:

The U.S. spends twice the average annually on pharmaceuticals.

Health care spending is 16.5 percent of GDP, the highest of all the organization’s nations and 2.5 times more than the average.

In 1970, average life expectancy in the United States was a year above the average. Now it is almost two years behind the average, at 78.8 years versus 80.5.

Although the growth of U.S. health care spending has slowed, high-priced medicines will continue to drive up costs in coming years.

Two factors drive spending on pharmaceuticals: more Americans than ever take prescription drugs and companies have been hiking prices. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/americans-pay-more-for-drugs-but-dont-live-longer/

November 4, 2015

The United States spends more on health care than any other developed nation.

That’s one finding from a new report, “Health at a Glance 2015,” from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

We’re spending more than twice the amount on health care compared to several other countries including Germany, Canada, and France, where actual health outcomes have been better for years.

In 2013, the report found, we outspent all other OECD countries “by a wide margin,” shelling out roughly $8,713 for each resident.

The average of all OECD countries in the report was $3,453, putting our spending at 2.5 times that amount. http://www.businessinsider.com/oecd-health-report-on-health-expenditure-2015-11

Pharmaceutical drugs or artificial medicines are not the answer for many health issues.

The results of the report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development brought to mind some scriptures which I then added to:

11 In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured. (Jeremiah 46:11)

12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians. (2 Chronicles 16:12)

4 But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians. (Job 13:4)

25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. (Mark 5:25-26)

The USA is already technically bankrupt, meaning that it cannot pay back its bills, so it keeps borrowing more. The cost of prescription drugs, which President George W. Bush got made into law (called the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act) in 2003, and the ‘Affordable Care Act’ (ObamaCare), that Barack Obama got made into law, are both expensive and are adding to the debt burden of the USA (for something else on ObamaCare, see CBS: Obamacare designed to take advantage of the stupidity of USA voters).

There are multiple factors that affect health and for many of those, medications really cannot help.

But since the news organizations and many politicians are funded by the pharmaceutical industry, do not expect them to change direction in this age.

Furthermore, the USA pushes and promotes GMO ‘foods’ around the world that I have major health concerns about (GMOs and Bible Prophecy). The USA also pushes and promotes a lot of excessively processed ‘foods’, which now also includes GMOs–and many chemical companies.

For example, grits, which once were made of ground, whole organic corn, are now made with degerminated GMO corn, ‘fortified’ with synthetic (petroleum-derived) vitamins. After corn was ‘degerminated’ thousands of people in the Southern USA died from a disease called pellagra. Instead of going back to whole corn, chemically-derived synthetic vitamins were added, which I consider to be dangerous.

Breakfast cereals used to be one of the original ‘health foods’ when Dr. Kellogg first introduced Corn Flakes at his clinic in Battle Creek, Michigan. It was basically made of whole organic corn. Now, it seems to be made with GMO corn (its label does not state otherwise, which in the USA means the corn source is almost always genetically-modified) and is ‘fortified’ with synthetic vitamins.

Many other breakfast cereals, especially the ones targeted towards children are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, a lot of sugar, and artificial colors. Pop-Tarts are made of refined, degerminated grains, synthetic vitamins, fruit, sugar, gelatin (probably biblical unclean; see also The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats), and artificial colors.

As far as sodas go, they are not healthy, often contain GMOs, and most should avoid them, yet the USA is a big consumer of them.

As far as bacon (biblically unclean), biscuits, and gravy go, a study came out showing that the typical Southern diet (which tends to contain those) was unhealthy and increased risk for strokes (see Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible).

Processed and uncleaned meats are a health risk for many (see Certain American ‘foods’ gross out foreigners, while American hotdogs often have ingredients no one should eat).

Furthermore, the Bible warns about eating things that are not really food:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Refined processed “breads,” refined and artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning.

What should you eat? You should eat real food and be careful about your quantities.

2…Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. Artificial medications are not the solution.

People should also get enough physical activity, and exercise if appropriate (1 Timothy 4:8).

Fasting can also be helpful.

The USA can spend its way into artificial health. It is currently spending its way into more debt.

Back in 1976, the old Worldwide Church of God published the following:

Psychoactive Drugs

Technically speaking, a drug is any substance (other than food) that by its chemical nature affects the structure or function of a living organism.

Doctors usually refer to a drug in terms of its ability to treat physical and mental diseases. They stress the therapeutic value. But many laymen now focus on the negative connotations of the word. For them, “drug” has become a four-letter word of the worst kind, an epithet, an obscenity. When used in conversation it provokes strong emotional reactions. It’s a good word to start an argument with, or even a fight.

Medicine and Menace

You encounter a lot of this when discussing drugs. They can relieve pain, prevent infection and save lives. That’s good! But they can also destroy bodily tissue, impair healthy bodily metabolism, enslave by addiction and ultimately kill. That’s bad!

The drug problem would be greatly simplified if drugs were not ambivalent, if they were very selective in their effects. If only drug X eased pain, but was not addicting, if only drug Y helped people relax but didn’t adversely affect the brain or the liver.

But drugs don’t work that way. Rather, their effects are varied and often ambivalent — they have the potential to simultaneously hurt or harm, depending on a number of variables. Because any drug can play both the role of medicine or health menace, any description of its effects is bound to sound like a “that’s-good, that’s-bad” routine.

Morphine presents a good example of a “that’s-good, that’s — bad” story. It came into widespread use as a pain-killer during the American Civil War (1861-65). So effective was it as an analgesic for wounds and amputations that physicians sometimes referred to it as “G.O.M.” — “God’s own medicine.”

That’s good!

But in time morphine was found to be addicting — prolonged use followed by abstinence led to agonizing withdrawal symptoms. “God’s own medicine” turned out to be “the Devil’s own misery.” Hundreds, if not thousands (accurate statistics are hard to come by), of war veterans inadvertently became drug addicts.

That’s bad!

But that’s the nature of opiates. And it illustrates a fundamental principle of pharmacology: any drug can be dangerous depending on the dosage, the duration of use, its purity and many other factors. No drug is completely “safe.”

Recognizing this, the Federal government under the Controlled Substances Act regulates drugs according to their potential for abuse. The drugs are listed in five schedules in descending order of proven abuse potential and current medical usage.

Schedule I lists drugs deemed to have great abuse potential and no legitimate medical use. The score or so drugs on this list include heroin, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin and marijuana.

Schedule II lists drugs with great abuse potential that have legitimate medical uses. Drugs in this list can come under production quotas, and telephone and refillable prescriptions are prohibited. The psychoactive drugs listed here include the opiates such as morphine and synthetic opiates such as methadone and Demeral, certain barbiturates of the short-acting type, methaqualone and amphetamines. Altogether over 1300 drug preparations are listed!

Schedules III, IV and V list drugs with correspondingly less proven abuse potential. The widely used tranquilizers Librium and Valium are in Schedule IV — a classification the manufacturers have protested. Altogether over 3600 drug preparations are covered by these three schedules.

The list is not static. On the basis of new evidence and accumulated experience, drugs are often being added to the list. And drugs already listed are sometimes moved to higher schedules, indicating greater proven abuse potential.

The dual nature of drugs guarantees that the debate over their benefits versus hazards will continue for some time. (Graunke DP. The Dilemma of Drugs. Worldwide Church of God, 1976)

Since that came out in 1976, the opioid crisis has worsened.

Notice also the following:

The term “big pharma” is really making its rounds as more and more people become aware of the fact that the major corporations that manufacture the majority of our “medicine” are actually criminals. The latest example comes from a recent case where a federal jury found multiple top executives of Insys-Therapeutics, a well-known pharmaceutical company that sold a fentanyl-based painkiller (opioids), guilty of racketeering charges and contributing to America’s current opioid epidemic.

According to the New York Times:

The verdict against Insys executives is a sign of the accelerating effort to hold pharmaceutical and drug distribution companies and their executives and owners accountable in ways commensurate with the devastation wrought by the prescription opioid crisis. More than 200,000 people have overdosed on such drugs in the past two decades. Federal authorities last month for the first time filed felony drug trafficking charges against a major pharmaceutical distributor, Rochester Drug Cooperative, and two former executives, accusing them of shipping tens of millions of oxycodone pills and fentanyl products to pharmacies that were distributing drugs illegally. …

The U.S. Department of Justice document reads:

Several pharmaceutical executives and managers, formerly employed by Insys Therapeutics, Inc., were arrested today on charges that they led a nationwide conspiracy to bribe medical practitioners to unnecessarily prescribe a fentanyl-based pain medication and defraud healthcare insurers.

Pretty wild, isn’t it?

This is great, but how deep does the deception go? How much power do these corporations and their executives hold? Below is a great quote from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that explains the issue quite well:

The pharmaceutical companies have been able to purchase congress. They’re the largest lobbying entity in Washington D.C.. They have more lobbyists in Washington D.C. than there are congressman and senators combined. They give twice to congress what the next largest lobbying entity is, which is oil and gas… Imagine the power they exercise over both republicans and democrats. They’ve captured them (our regulatory agencies) and turned them into sock puppets. They’ve compromised the press… and they destroy the publications that publish real science. (source)

We don’t really live in a democracy, we are living in a ‘corporatocracy.’ There are many products manufactured by pharmaceutical companies that are highly questionable in light of evidence like the example above. Take, for example, when pharmaceutical companies were not disclosing all information regarding the results of their drug trials. Researchers looked at documents from 70 different double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) and found that the full extent of serious harm in clinical study reports went undocumented. (source)

Another great example comes from documents showing that pharmaceutical companies are deliberately concealing information for the sole purpose of getting us to comply with an “official” vaccination schedule. https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/05/09/big-pharma-exec-pushing-opioids-found-guilty-of-racketeering/

Yes, many in the pharmaceutical industry are drug pushers. And yes, money influences a lot of “medical” decisions.

As far as opioids go, the reality is that many people have physical and spiritual pain and they reach out to drugs for relief. This tends to be addictive.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) recently put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

13:19

Opioid Crisis

Since 1997, over 700,000 Americans have died related to opioids. What are opioids? What does the National Institute on Drug Abuse teach about them? Why do people use them? Are they effective? Can they be addictive when medically-prescribed? Does the UK have a problem with opioids? Did Great Britain force China to accept opioids in the 19th century? Has pharmaceutical greed been a factor in the opioid crisis? What is the dilemma of drugs? Is switching to non-opioid substances like marijuana the answer? Does the Bible provide insights related to mind altering substances? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. A written article of related interest is available titled “Opioid Crisis Leaves 700,000 Americans Dead.”

Here is a link to the sermonette video: Opioid Crisis.

While the USA is facing an opioid epidemic that it is hoping to fight, it is in the process of increasing its marijuana epidemic, which more and more US states are encouraging.

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

21 For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty (Proverbs 23:21)

Notice something the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

As God inspired Jeremiah to write: