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5.5%—from 18.1 to 19.1 prescriptions." The number of pre- WHAT REMAINS TO BE UNCOVERED scriptions in 2000 was 2.98 billion, with an average per-person Our ongoing research will continue to quantify the iatrogenic prescription amount of 10.4 annually.'” morbidity, mortality and financial loss in out-patient clinics, tran- Ina study of 818 residents of residential care facilities for the sitional care, long-term care, rehabilitative care, home care, pri- elderly, 94% were receiving at least one medication at the time of vate practitioners' offices as well as hospitals due to: the interview. The average intake of medications was five per 1. X-ray exposures: mammography, fluoroscopy, CT scans; resident. The authors noted that many of these drugs were given 2. Overuse of antibiotics in all conditions; without a documented diagnosis justifying their use.'* 3. Drugs that are carcinogenic: hormone replacement therapy Unfortunately, seniors and groups like the American (* see below), immunosuppressive drugs, prescription drug; Association for Retired Persons (AARP) appear to be dependent 4. Cancer chemotherapy: if it doesn't extend life, is it on prescription drugs and are demanding that coverage for drugs shortening life?;” be a basic right. '® They have accepted the overriding assumption 5. Surgery and surgical procedures; rom allopathic medicine that aging and eying in America must 6. Unnecessary surgery: Caesarean section. facial e accompanied by drugs in nursing homes and eventua mastectomy, preventive mastectomy, radical hysterectomy, hospitalisation with tubes coming out of every orifice. Instead of prostatectomy, cholecystectomies, cosmetic surgery, choosing between drugs and a diet/lifestyle change, seniors are arthroscopy, etc.; given the choiceless option of either high-cost patented drugs or 7. Medical procedures and therapies; low-cost generic drugs. Drug companies are attempting to keep 8. Discredited, unnecessary and unproven medical procedures the most expensive drugs on the shelves and to suppress access to and therapies; generic drugs, in spite of stiff fines of hundreds of millions of 9. Doctors themselves: when doctors go on strike, it appears dollars from the government." In 2001, some of the world's the mortality rate goes down; biggest drug companies, including Roche, were fined a record 10. Missed diagnoses. £523 million (US$871 million) for conspiring to increase the price of vitamins. '? * Part of our ongoing research will We would urge AARP, especially, be to quantify the mortality and to become more involved in morbidity caused by hormone prevention of disease and not to rely replacement therapy (HRT) since the AARP recommendations for aiet We, as a sociely, must take an December 2000, a government and nutrition assume that seniors are responsibility for the way scientific advisory panel anaverage diet, Atmost. they | (Which we deal with those J oosecen ie added tothe nation’s ist suggest extra calcium and a multiple who are unable to care of cancer-causing agents. vitamin/mineral supplement.'* This for themselves HRT, either synthetic oestrogen is not enough, and in our next report we will show how to live a healthier life without unnecessary medical intervention. United States. '* We would like to send the same The aborted Women's Health message to the Hemlock Society, which offers euthanasia options Initiative Study (WHI) of 2002 showed that women taking to chronically ill people, especially those in severe pain. What if synthetic oestrogen combined with synthetic progesterone have a some of these chronic diseases are really lifestyle diseases caused higher incidence of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, stroke and by deficiency of essential nutrients, lack of care, inappropriate heart disease and little evidence of osteoporosis reduction or medication or lack of love? This question is extremely important prevention of dementia. alone or combined with synthetic progesterone, is used by an estimated 13.5 to 16 million women in the to consider when you are depressed or in pain. We must look to WHI researchers, who usually never give recommendations healing those conditions before offering up our lives. other than demanding more studies, are advising doctors to be Let's also look at the irony of underuse of proper pain medica- very cautious about prescribing HRT to their patients." '“'° tion for patients that really need it. For example, in one particu- Results of the "Million Women Study" on HRT and breast can- lar study, pain management was evaluated in a group of 13,625 cer in the UK were published in the Lancet of 9 August 2003. cancer patients, aged 65 or over, living in nursing homes. Lead author, Professor Valerie Beral, Director of the Cancer Overall, almost 30%, or 4,003 patients, reported pain. However, Research UK Epidemiology Unit, is very open about the damage more than 25% received absolutely no pain relief medication; HRT has caused. She said: "We estimate that over the past 16% received a World Health Organization (WHO) level-one decade, use of HRT by UK women aged 50-64 has resulted in an drug (mild analgesic); 32% a WHO level-two drug (moderate extra 20,000 breast cancers, oestrogen—progestogen (combina- analgesic); and only 26% received adequate pain-relieving mor- tion) therapy accounting for 15,000 of these."!" phine. The authors concluded that older patients and minority However, we were not able to find the statistics on breast can- patients were more likely to have their pain untreated.'“ cer, stroke, uterine cancer or heart disease due to HRT used by The time has come to set a standard for caring for the American women. vulnerable among us—a standard that goes beyond making sure The population of America is roughly six times that of the UK. they are housed and fed and not openly abused. We must stop Therefore, it is possible that 120,000 cases of breast cancer have looking the other way, and we, as a society, must take been caused by HRT in the past decade. responsibility for the way in which we deal with those who are Continued on page 75 unable to care for themselves. Our ongoing research will continue to quantify the iatrogenic morbidity, mortality and financial loss in out-patient clinics, tran- sitional care, long-term care, rehabilitative care, home care, pri- vate practitioners’ offices as well as hospitals due to: 1. X-ray exposures: mammography, fluoroscopy, CT scans; 2. Overuse of antibiotics in all conditions; 3. Drugs that are carcinogenic: hormone replacement therapy (* see below), immunosuppressive drugs, prescription drug; 4. Cancer chemotherapy: if it doesn't extend life, is it shortening life?;” 5. Surgery and surgical procedures; 6. Unnecessary surgery: Caesarean section, radical mastectomy, preventive mastectomy, radical hysterectomy, prostatectomy, cholecystectomies, cosmetic surgery, arthroscopy, etc.; 7. Medical procedures and therapies; 8. Discredited, unnecessary and unproven medical procedures and therapies; 9. Doctors themselves: when doctors go on strike, it appears the mortality rate goes down; 10. Missed diagnoses. We, as a society, must take responsibility for the way in which we deal with those NEXUS 29 WHAT REMAINS TO BE UNCOVERED who are unable to care for themselves. Continued on page 75 DECEMBER 2004 — JANUARY 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com