User:Stevenarntson/group spaces/2009fallanalytical/group 3

=Group members= sign in here with ":" (a colon and three tildes).

JoshBrumfield
 * Cherrykyle
 * EricD
 * VeronicaLG
 * CallahanCarlin
 * Zakiyas

=Overview=
 * 1.summary

Throughout the process of developing a new drug, there are constant tests being done. The reality is that there is little regulation on how the testing is done before it gets to humans. Testing on animals is commonplace and can be brutal. Even when the drug gets far enough to be tested on humans, these tests can only test the short term effects and side effects of the drug. Long term effects could take a decade or more to surface and could be fatal. The designer drugs can be even more dangerous because they are usually the most popular. Millions of people can be taking a drug to loose weight that one day could have some serious if not fatal repercussions. There is no way to test the 20-30 year effect of a drug. JoshBrumfield
 * 2.reflective assessment


 * 1.successes


 * 2.failures


 * 3.future strategies

=Introduction: A Narrative=

Here she comes. I can hear her coming from the kitchen. After she comes home from work, the first thing she always does is look for them so she can ease her pain of being human; be alive. I’m scared for her. I’m scared that one day she’ll escape reality and never come back. It’s been four years since the crash and ever since then she hasn’t been the same. I mean, doesn’t she know I’m suffering too?! She’s not the only one who lost someone they loved. By now, I know all her hiding places. I try and make sure when she leaves for work, I find the pills and take them in my room where she can’t get to them. I don’t get rid of them. I’ve made the mistake of flushing them down the toilet. I’ll never do that again. Last time I did that, she left more than one mark. So now, I hide them. At least now I can control how much she takes. I wish there was some other way I could help her. Rehab is out of the question. It didn’t help her the first three times. Grandma and Grandpa just pretend she doesn’t exist now. All she has left is me, and I’m her last hope.

Uh oh, she’s here. “NO MOM! GO AWAY! YOU’RE NOT GETTING THEM BACK!” “Susan! I’m not playing games! Open this GOD DAMN DOOR! I need them! I NEED MY PILLS!” “Mom, you took half the bottle this morning while I was in the bathroom getting ready. You are NOT getting anymore until tomorrow!”

“SUSAN! DAMNIT!”

Good, she gave up easy this time. This is my life. Every day she cries at my door begging for her fix. Some people might think that what I’m doing is wrong. They say that it’s not helping. It’s the only thing I can do. I’m only thirteen. No one will listen to someone my age. I can’t just barge into Doctor Blake’s office and demand he refuse her anymore pain killers! He won’t listen to me. Even if he did, it’s not like it would matter. Mom would just get them somewhere else. “At least she’s getting them from a doctor and not on the streets,” I tell myself. Other people have it worse than me right?

I can’t keep saving her forever. I wish I could be a regular kid and have friends over to play games. Or go play softball on a team, maybe have sleepovers and talk about how gross boys are. Things used to be normal. Four years ago everything was perfect! Me, mom, dad, and Lisa. I miss my dad and little sister so much. Lisa was my sister and my best friend. We did everything together. My dad used to read to me every night before bed. What I would give just to hear my dad recite “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I am” one more time. After mom and I lost Dad and Lisa things got really ill. Mom got pain killers and never got off them. It’s gone from bad to worse. I wish things were the way they used to be. I wish my life was better. I wish my mom was just…dead… EricD

=Production= The production of a new drug starts with the development of New Chemical Entities. These are compounds that are made by chemists that target a reaction with a cause of disease. For instance a compound that reacts with the cells that balance the sugar levels in the body. At this point in the drugs life it is not known how safe the compound is or if it will hold up in the human body. This is where the testing is started. Firsts are tests for the stability and viability of the compound. They will also test the effectiveness of the compound on the disease. Then the new compound is tested with other chemicals to determine the most suitable form of delivery. So the potential new drug is made into a pill, a spray, a capsule or any of the many other forms of drugs. Next is the test to find out the dosage that is safe for humans. This often involves animals and is the most secretive part of the study. This is where the new compound is refined and ready to be introduced to human studies. JoshBrumfield

Research and Development
Once the drug is ready then the formula and how the drug is made is submitted to the FDA. This is called the Investigational New Drug application. The drug company has to also submit the use of the drug and the companies plan for the first phase of human testing. After a 30 day waiting period the trials can begin. The first phase of the trials is used to test the tolerance in humans. Different doses are administered to observe the effect it has on humans. They will also test different ways to administer the drug to see which way is more effective, both on the targeted disease and the side effects on the human body. The next phase is testing if the drug works and at what dose. These tests are looking at if the drug actually does what it is supposed to do. They also look at what dose it takes to work. The third and final stage is the controlled and uncontrolled studies. The new drug is administered to patients who stay in the hospital and outpatients. These trials can involve thousands of participants and determine how the drug is sent to the market. This test also involves testing on healthy people to study how the drug goes through the system. Once all the data is collected and the final product has been put together it is ready to file a New Drug Application. This process can take hundreds of millions of dollars and up to 10 years to finish. Once the testing is done then it goes to the FDA. Then it can go to the market. The more money that you invest the faster you can get this process done. JoshBrumfield

Testing
Throughout the stages of the drugs life it is being tested and modified until the final submission to the FDA. In the beginning stages of the drugs life test are done in dishes. The NCE is tested for effectiveness on the organism that is being targeted on cellular levels. Once it is determined that the compound does actually work and does have the effect intended, the potency needed to work is tested. Once the company can prove the NCE works the FDA has to approve it and it becomes an Investigational New Drug and further testing can take place. The new drug is put through a series of tests and revisions to determine the tolerance of the drug. This is where the testing process starts to get scrutiny and where the debate starts. Up until this point the drug has been tested with microscopes and dishes. However in order to get the potency right and still make sure that it will be safe on humans they need to test it on animals. There is no good situation for the animals. In order to figure out the right formula they have to get it wrong. This at the very least will be very uncomfortable for the animal, but more than likely will kill some before the formula is complete. The next stage also includes test animals, but also is done with human subjects as well. This is where the company determines the delivery system best suited for the new drug. There are many different ways to get a drug into your system. You can take them in a pill, but there has to be other chemicals mixed in to hold it together. If it is taken in liquid form it also has to be mixed with something to stay in liquid form. There might also be an unexpected reaction with the drug that needs to be countered with another in the same dose. This testing inevitably is completed on humans. The final stages of testing are the control and uncontrolled trials. This is when they bring human test subjects in and test for side effects and effectiveness. They will use the real drug in different doses as well as sugar pills. The patients are tested both in the hospital and as outpatients. The major flaw in this is that they can only measure the short term side effects on humans. There is no way to really measure the long term effects. Drug companies don’t wait the 15, 20 or 30 years it might take for a side effect show up. The average testing period is 7 years but a drug could be released in as little as 2. There have been massive drug recalls because of unforeseen long term effects. Unfortunately people usually have to get very sick or die before a massive recall. One person having negative effects is not enough to warrant a recall, sometimes it takes thousands before a recall is done. Most of the time the drug just quietly disappears, but there have been more and more public recalls. This has caused the public to lose trust in the drugs and the doctors who are prescribing them. This is a good thing. The more the public distrusts the drug companies the more the public is going to look at alternantive ways of staying healthy.

=Trinity Triangle=

Pharmaceutical Drugs and the Trinity New Revised version Below ,

--Zsanders 20:04, 16 December 2009 (UTC)==Prescription Drug Companies In the recent years there has been a growing trend of pharmaceutical fraud with in the medical field. This trend is a very lucrative business providing participates with hefty pay outs and the patients lost in a world of prescription drugs. Before we can get into the problems or solution with this issue, first we need to establish key players that make this trend possible. As we explore the different avenues in which prescription drugs are manufactured, distributed, and prescribed, we will also reveal the organization behind this business. While all person involved in this activity may not know their responsibility, the issue still remains that whether they are aware or not, they are assisting in the efforts to keep this particular business alive and thriving. This is an intricate system composed of professionals that use and abuse power for financial gain. There is a high profit margin at stake, so the lure of quick easy and consistent financial gain is there.

Drug companies reside in the top position. These are companies that work continuously to provide prescription drugs. Their main role is to create and manufacture drugs that will be distributed and sold to medical facilities including private practices.Drug companies have been involved in fraud.Pfizer units had been pushing doctors to prescribe an epilepsy drug called Neurontin for uses the FDA had never approved. Warner- Lambert plead gulty to two felony counts of marketing a drug for unapproved uses. John, Byrne. "The Raw Story". 11-30-09 

--Zsanders 20:14, 16 December 2009 (UTC)==Drug Reps==

The next in line are the drug reps. These guys and gals are know as the distributors. They wake up every day and stakeout and create and build relationships that allow for mass distribution of drugs. This salary averages about 100,000 annually, with added bonuses based on sales. Their role is simple in nature, they do the foot work, that requires you get out and go see doctors in clinics and hospitals. It is normal for drug reps to show up day in and day out at your practice and aggressive market these drugs to you These drug reps that come and visit do not come empty handed, but also bearing gifts of enticement, and free drug samples for immediate distribution. ProPublica's investigation centers on the $420,000 Rep.

Ross and his wife Holly received for selling the pharmacy's property -- substantially more than the $263,000 it was valued at by the county tax assessor, and the $198,000 estimated by a private appraiser hired by ProPublica. But that's not all:

But the $420,000 was just the beginning of what Ross and his pharmacist wife, Holly, made from the sale of Holly's Health Mart. The owner of USA Drug, Stephen L. LaFrance Sr., also paid the Rosses $500,000 to $1 million for the pharmacy's assets and paid Holly Ross another $100,001 to $250,000 for signing a non-compete agreement. Those numbers, which Ross listed on the financial disclosure reports he files as a member of Congress, bring the total value of the transaction to between $1 million and $1.67 million.

John, Byrne. "A New Vision for a Changing South". The Institute for Southern Studies. 11-30-09 .

--Zsanders 20:21, 16 December 2009 (UTC)==Doctors== The final persons involved in directly dealing to the public is doctors and medical staff that prescribe various medicines. Now these are the only persons that can be “duked” if we can say that, in this process. But even then, they cannot fully say that they weren’t aware of certain things. They do work in offices where patients receive medical care and all things are documented in patient charts.Doctor, three others arrested on charges

In ATHENS, Tenn. - A physician and three other suspects were arrested Thursday after being indicted on charges including prescription fraud, extortion, conspiracy and filing false reports.

Dr. Rodney Dunham, 56, was indicted on one count of dispensing prescriptions by fraud. Dunham, who ran a walk-in clinic in Athens, Tenn., and had his license suspended in October, allegedly was in a relationship exchanging prescription drugs for sex with 19-year-old Laura Creek of Athens, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Creek was charged with obtaining prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to obtain prescriptions by fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion and filing false reports. Her mother, Patricia Cheek, 42, of Etowah, Tenn., also was indicted for obtaining prescriptions by fraud, extortion, conspiracy to obtain prescriptions by fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion. "Knoxnews.com". Knoxvlle News Sentinel. 11-29-09 .

--Zsanders 20:29, 16 December 2009 (UTC)==Correlation of Abuse== It is clear that there are many ways in which prescription drugs make it to the market. Some of these drugs have been approved by the FDA, while others haven't. What we do know about this topic is that, in order for prescription drugs to be manufactered delivered and sold, it takes a process. In this process Drug companies,Drug Reps, Doctors and medical staff have to work together. This is the only way that drugs can make it to the market, and when illegal drugs are introduced they must go through at least one of the channels. Uncovering the gray areas in this process might identify how some many illegal drugs are getting into the system, and how many more legal ones are too.

=Insurance Prescription Control =

Today, it seams that getting prescriptions covered by health insurance is becoming a thing of the past. That's not to say coverage is gone but it is very difficult to get. Employers are giving less, insurance companies are charging more and doctors are promoting drugs that they get kickbacks on.

The point of health insurance, and more importantly prescription drug coverage, is to provide the prescriptions to keep you healthy. More and more, insurance companies are denying drugs to those that need it. Your doctor might prescribe you one thing and then your insurance will prescribe you something different. Doctors are forced to ether fight or cope with what is covered, lowering the quality of our health care.

On the patent end, co-pays and tiered levels of drugs are making it harder to get what is prescribed. Most drugs are covered on the cheaper tier only costing a small co-pay. Other drugs are on higher tiers, costing four or more times the cost. The higher co-pays can add up and cost those with lots of prescriptions more than they can afford. This is why you hear, more commonly now then in the past, of people going to Canada to buy their prescription drugs.-Kyle Cherry Cherrykyle

Why it is Difficult for the Public
Drug companies have the power to say no when covering a drug. If the drug does not fit there list of approved drugs, they will change your perscription. For instance if one drug works better than another the insurance company will chose the cheaper one and not always the better one.

Drug companies create books called formularies. These books are used to decide what drugs that company wants to cover. The formulary is created by physicians and pharmacists that work for the drug companies. If a drug dose not fit in the right tear of the compilation, the insurance company will not always cover the drug.

Melissa Jeffries, a health care journalist, says that "One main purpose of the formulary is to encourage you to use the generic form of a given drug. If you don't choose the generic, some plans will charge more. Others may ask for the price difference plus the normal co-pay, some have a deductible for name-brand drugs and others will simply deny the coverage altogether." (Jeffries) -Kyle Cherry Cherrykyle

Changes that Could be Made
In trying to prevent insurance coverage form getting out of control, some people are calling for more regulation. Federal regulation and laws could prevent health insurance from getting worse. Right now, the laws for health insurance are different for each state so coverage quality varies.

Other people are wanting insurance to be sold accost state lines. Right now, there is very little competition within each state, allowing for monopolies and higher prices. If insurance could be sold by any of the insurance providers, anywhere in the country, the quality would go up an the cost would go down. -Kyle Cherry Cherrykyle

How to Get Better Coverage Now
One solution is to try and get an insurance plan that is based on deductibles for prescriptions. With the deductible, you pay out of pocket up to a predetermined dollar amount for that year with the insurance companies paying a percentage of the cost of threw the remainder of the year. Most of these plans are hard to get and are not offered by every employer.

Another solution is to try and upgrade your coverage plan. Some employers offer more than one insurance plan and it is always a good idea to see which one will be the cheapest in the long run and not just the short run. Paying for the right plan, to get good perspiration coverage, is always a good idea and, a lot of times will, save you money. -Kyle Cherry Cherrykyle

=Ease with the Military= With Military Benefits come great responsibilities. To become a dependent a person has to be a spouse or kin of an individual who is either active duty or retired in the military. This means complete health coverage where medicine is at the tip of your fingers whenever needed. As a dependent myself, I have come to realize that I am very naïve when it comes to prescription drugs. All I’ve ever known is that when I don’t feel good, I go to the doctor. For many individuals it doesn’t come that easy. Many people who aren’t military dependents find themselves either paying expensive co-pays or not insured at all. As a dependent I will have full health coverage until 21, and then 23 if I prove that I am a college student, and my mother will have full health coverage for the rest of her life as long as she is legally married to my dad. Personally I haven’t abused my rights to free health coverage, but many do. When I was first prescribed Percocet, all I could think of was that I hoped it wouldn’t make me sick. When I told my doctor that ibprofin didn’t seem to have any effect on me any longer, he didn’t think twice about prescribing the Percocet. Many people take advantage of this. Although I had to sign for my medicine because it is a registered narcotic, many people abuse their rights by selling to outside parties who either abuse drugs or cannot get them with their insurance. When I was first approached by an acquaintance asking if they could buy some “perc” off of me, I naively assumed that he must really need it if he was coming to me about it. I didn’t even think twice about him wanting to buy it off me to get high or take it for any other reason but for pain. He told me that he hurt his back really bad at work and didn’t have time or money to go to the doctor. I almost sold it to him because I felt so bad until my gut feeling told me not to. As a dependent if I were to ever sell my prescriptions or get caught giving them to someone who was not prescribed them, I could lose full privileges of all, not just my military benefits. This means that I would no longer be able to have access to military bases and/or forts; I would lose my military ID, lose ALL health benefits, and would face jail time. Military doctors hand out prescription drugs like candy. I feel that this aspect could be a major factor in rising drug abuse. Many dependents go to the doctor complaining of pain, just to get a prescription for major pain killers, and doctors don’t even think twice when handing them a full bottle. From the extremes of military benefits where prescription drugs are right at the tips of your fingers to the insurance companies who either charge high co-pays for medicine, or wont prescribe pain killers at all, I feel that there really needs to be a medium. If this becomes more regulated, I feel that less people would abuse their benefits and or drugs themselves. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/theorderlyroom/l/bldrugtests.htm, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m6052/is_2002_Sept/ai_96196002/, http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/

=Voiceless Victims: Children =

Diagnosis
Abuse among drugs is not limited to the adults that can buy them or acquire them through special means, but for the kids that they are pushed upon. The child could be perfectly fine yet if the doctor or teacher suspects there might be something wrong, then immediately ask for them to be put on medication for whatever reason. Such instances are for those that are said to have ADHD. These children naturally have an excess amount of energy as most children do. Yet for the ones that act a little out of line, like stop paying attention to what they are doing or act a little more eccentric, then they are labeled.

There are several tests to find out if a child has ADHD like a doctor/patient Q and A, physical exam and even a behavior rating checklist. Doctors can also check through blood work, hearing and vision tests, and check for learning disabilities.

http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/674/Lombardo.html But does learning at a different pace than others or not being able to hear as well count you as being ADHD? There are those that believe it is over diagnosed yet there are doctors and researchers that believe since technology has improved, the detection of the so called illness has increased and is helping more people. It is also another way of getting parents to pay quite a bit of cash to keep their kids “healthy”. And the ones who can’t do a thing about it or even have a choice in the matter of whether they want to take the medicine are of course, the children.

Environment
In a learning environment, there are many distractions that anyone would have, especially if they’re in a room filled with other young energetic kids. Not paying attention and messing around with other students is actually quite normal, yet they can be singled out. Those that act up in class or can’t sit still are usually considered trouble makers or that something is wrong with them. It can also be around family and friends. The child could get into trouble or not listen to what the other adults are saying can have a negative outlook on the parents and how they are raising their kids.

Not only do teachers or doctors put pressure on the kids, but the parents are put under pressure as well. The parents can feel the pressure by being told that their child is uncontrollable and needs to be medicated and can get negative feedback. Therefore, the mother or father can feel compelled to give in and allow the use of medication just to get the others off their backs and have their little one finally behave. Though that could be remedied without the use of medication by proper discipline, a healthy diet, and more attention for the child.

=My own Experiences=

As a child, I, along with some of my friends, were also declared ADHD and put on Ritalin. I was entering first grade when my teachers started complaining about me being “excessively energetic” and that I “did not pay attention.” Eventually all this rabble about me got to the ears of the school nurse and the counselor and they asked my parents (actually more like told them) to get me checked to see if I had any learning disorders. I don’t really remember at all what they did to see if I was ADHD, but soon I was medicated. It was horrible, but of course, I was a child and didn’t have a choice in the matter. During the day I was quiet and seemingly well behaved. The teachers loved it and usually by the time I got home the meds wore off so my parents didn’t really know how much of a change it was. You see, I only took the medicine during the school week.

It wasn’t enough that I along with my friends was medicated. I remember once when this girl in my class was acting up. From my view, I thought she just had too many Hostess Cakes at lunch but the teacher thought otherwise. The lady went to the drawer that held everyone’s medicines, like inhalers and stuff like that. She took out some other kid’s Ritalin and gave it to this girl to take. Can you believe that? Of course, the child calmed down after a while and thus another zombie joined the class for the day. Medicating children like this on a whim or on a sense that it will help make the teacher’s life easier is wrong. It is the duty of a teacher to teach children not only their letters and numbers, but how to deal with other children and ranges of other’s personalities. Not only does medicating a child like this suck the personality out of the child but in certain cases, it can even change the child’s development. Thanks to a team of American scientists that conducted the Multimodal Treatment Study With ADHD in 2007 on November 12th, they found that while medicines like Concerta and Ritalin work short term, on the long term it showed that there was “no demonstrable improvement in a child’s behavior.” They even found that the substances could stunt growth.

http://www.treatadhdnaturally.com/

In my case, of effects due to the medicine, that is what had happened to me. For many years I was a tiny little bean sprout. Even after I got off of the meds, it was a long time before I actually started growing, and that was halfway through high school. In essence, telling a child before they need medication so young in their life is no nessecarily needed. It not only effects how the child's mind works but also can have negative effects on their young development. Instead of meds, if you are trying to get your child to behave or pay attention, then try some healthy games that can peak their interest or some interactive activites like sports or family time. Even spending more time with a child can have great improvements. -Veronica LG

=Solutions=

There is no easy solution when it comes to solving the problems within the prescription drug industry. The one common failure throughout the process, from conception to distribution, is the regulations or the enforcement of them. By fixing these problems within the process, the public can feel more confident that their health is in the hands of the right people. In addition, the public needs to take precautions to eliminate the need for some of the drugs being produced. By adjusting your lifestyle by eating healthy and exercising you can drastically reduce the need for drugs. The public should also be more knowledgeable on what they are taking. More funds should be available for natural alternatives and research out side of big pharmaceuticals. With more transparency from the drug companies, enforcement from the government and vigilance from the consumer we can start to understand the real problems. -Drugs Not Hugs

=Natural Solutions= Naturopathic medicine in and of itself is not necessarily a solution to the pharmaceutical crisis occurring in America today. However, it has potential to benefit many people if given the chance. In an ideal world, a democracy such as that of America would truly be ‘for the people, by the people.” For as long as there has been disease, there have been those who profess to hold the cure. Counterfeit remedies and impostor cures are an ever present threat in society. Just turn on the television and you will be bombarded with phony weight loss schemes and similar ploys. So how do we differentiate between the genuine Naturopathic remedies and the so called ‘snake oils’ that are on the market? The truth is we as consumers cannot make that decision on our own. In a situation such as this, we are helpless, forced to believe what we are told. In this case it is the government’s responsibility to provide the truth. In the perfect world previously mentioned, the government would subsidize the research for Naturopathic medicine to better serve their people and in turn benefit from a healthier country.

-Callahan Carlin

All Natural Alterantives
Naturopathic medicine

Naturopathic medicine (also called alternative medicine, or homeopathy) is a area of medicine which approaches health in a completely different manner than what we as a society have come to accept. It is controversial subject among the medical profession, and can quickly become an “all or nothing” philosophy. There are those who view it as nonsense and there are those who live by it absolutely. Either way, it is a science that should be made available for those who wish to utilize it. As of today this is not necessarily the case, most insurance companies do not support Naturopathic doctors and medicines and prefer to hand out prescription drugs like candy. I believe that it is a subject that needs to be evaluated and some action needs to be made. I am not proposing that Naturopathic Medicine should be the only medicine available, but it should be available for the people who wish to explore the options it provided.

Naturopathic medicine- “It is as old as healing itself and as new as today’s medical breakthroughs. It is a dynamic philosophy as well as a profession that recognizes the interconnection and interdependence of all living things. It utilizes the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies to treat illness and to promote wellness by viewing the body as an integrated whole.” There are six major principles doctors who practice Naturopathic medicine adhere to: 1) The body has an inherent ability to heal itself-trust it 2) Look beyond the symptoms and find the primary cause 3) Use the least invasive, least toxic, and most natural treatment 4) Educate patients to help them maintain their health 5) Treat the whole body- view the human body as an integrated entity in all its physical and mental dimensions 6) Prevention- focus on overall health and prevention. Licensed Naturopathic doctors are required to complete a four-year accredited program. They are trained in Biochemistry, Human Physiology, Histology, Anatomy, Macro- and Microbiology, Immunology, Human Pathology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Clinical Nutrition, Botanical Medicine, Homeopathy, Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Lifestyle Counseling, Massage, Physical Medicine, and Hydrotherapy.

http://www.aanmc.org/naturopathic-medicine/naturopathic-physicians-are-rigorously-trained.php

“You might be surprised to learn Naturopathic Doctors after they attend a four year college also are trained in a four year medical school just as a Doctor of Medicine and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. NMD's train in the same basic medical anatomy and all other fields of medical science but in addition are trained in medical nutrition. That sounds like a winning combination in a patient that is in treatment for cancer. Botanical (natural medicine) is a concept that goes back two thousand years in Chinese Medicine, a concept that pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know.” “Many medical doctors see Naturopathic Medicine as a welcomed addition to the treatment of care, but realize it is not probable for those with limited funding or limited health care coverage. It only makes sense while treating disease to keep the entire body healthy. Nutrition is vital when our defense systems are down. While we are looking to make change let’s not overlook other health care remedies that not only contribute, but can be a vital part of recovery. IF all providers can work together and our health care system recognizes Naturopathic Medicine as part of it that would be a huge step toward change within our soon to be health care system.”

Naturopathic medicine is often overlooked because it is considered to be very costly, however the main reason it is so expensive is it isn’t covered by most health insurance. Compared to the medical costs of prescriptions and hospital visits, Naturopathic medicine is considerably less expensive. Think about it, which process seems more costly? Harvesting natural herbs and refining them, or processing and testing thousands of chemicals? But perhaps that is the point, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies make more money selling prescription drugs (especially the addictive ones) than if they supported more natural ones.

http://www.examiner.com/x-9649-Phoenix-Health-Care-Examiner~y2009m5d12-Health-Insurance-Companies-need-to-recognize-Naturopathic-Doctors

For the few insurance companies that choose to support Naturopathic medicine, to assure you are covered for alternative treatment, here are some questions to ask your insurer:

Does this care need to be pre-authorized or pre-approved? Do I need a referral from my primary care provider? What services, tests, or other costs will be covered? How many visits are covered and over what period of time (for example, 6-10 visits a year of acupuncture)? Is there a co-payment? Will the therapy be covered for any condition or only for certain conditions? Will any additional costs be covered, such as lab tests, dietary supplements, equipment, or supplies? Will I need to see a practitioner in your network? If so, can you provide me with a list of practitioners in my area? If I use a practitioner who is not part of your network, do you provide any coverage? Are there any additional out-of-pocket costs? Are there any dollar or calendar limits to my coverage?

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/alternativemedicinebasics/a/Insurance.htm

Some allopathic doctors view Naturopathic as quackery. Which could be true in certain circumstance, but if I were a doctor I would simply want my patient to be healthy and happy, after all that is their job; so I would do anything and everything in my power to see that happen. Doesn’t it stand to reason that if you are being treated for cancer and pumping unnatural chemicals into your body to kill a tumor, those other parts of the body will suffer? Why pump more chemicals into the body to treat side effects when there could be a natural alternative?

Naturopathic is not a ‘cure all’ by any means and its not to say that Naturopathic should be the only method of medicine. However, in combination with allopathic medicine, Naturopathic has the potential to do a great amount of good in a world full of illness. It will never get the chance if the government continues to stifle it. The corruption between the pharmaceutical and insurance companies and the doctors who support them must be stopped. Over prescribing and “Pharming” out prescription drugs is primarily for their benefit and extremely careless in some cases.

-Callahan Carlin