Sunday, July 27, 2008

Is Michael Savage right about autism diagnosis

BigPharma the legal drug pusher

Michael Savage a popular national radio talk show host stood by his remarks saying that "there is no definitive medical diagnosis for autism” but it's an epidemic created by "greedy, corrupt medical/pharmaceutical establishment." It was during his July 16th broadcast that he stated “99 percent of the cases” were due to lax parenting and the kids needed to be told "don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot." Michael Savage remarks could be harsh, and many autistic parents differ in their opinion. Seems like the backlash is more towards Mr. Savage and conservatism and not about autism, the alarming increasing diagnosis, and BigPharma’s role.
Pharmaceutical companies have been increasing their market share in many areas. According to, Health, United States 2004 Almost half the U.S population uses some kind of subscription drug. The recent health data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics and dozens of other Federal health agencies, academic and professional health associations, and international health organizations. Another study by CNS Drugs has done a survey of doctors office visits and found the use of antidepressant pharmacotherapy had increased 147% (16 million to 40 million) from 1990-1998.
A recent article from CNN July 2007, According to a (CDC) government study antidepressants have become the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. They're prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches. In its study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in visits to doctors and hospitals in 2005. Of those, 118 million were for antidepressants. High blood pressure drugs were the next most-common with 113 million prescriptions. Dr. Robert Goodman, an internist in New York City, says the real force behind skyrocketing antidepressant prescription rates is pharmaceutical marketing to doctors and to consumers. "You put those two together and you get a lot of prescriptions for antidepressants," he said. These are alarming numbers of people being diagnosed antidepressants.
Are Americans that depressed? Is the only remedy a pill? Has BigPharma found another means to diagnose and drug with autism? Certainly more research is necessary, but why are drugs the American solution? Drugging a child has got to be the last option for a parent There are many questions we should all be asking long before taking a prescribed drug. It should not be the quick and easy solution. It is not the solution in other countries like India, and China, where homeopathies are the prevailing solution. Is this nation depressed, with rising diabetes and heart disease? Is this is part of the American dream? Now doctors are increasingly subscribing drugs for autism. Department of Education annual reports to the US Congress from 1992-2000 Autism diagnosis increased 435% BigPharma, big money, and bye, bye America. Welcome to America the drug capital of the world.
Stop Foundation Inc. is a non profit organization and it was formed to inform people of better solutions to antidepressants, and the alarming effects of these drugs. The company can be reached on the web at www.stoprx.org