You’re free to have your opinion, but I detest your claim that there are bribes between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. The US pharmaceutical companies disclose in great detail, all their payments to physicians be they for research, scientific input and consulting, or honorarium for speaking at conferences. These payments are token, and are certainly not enough to risk any sort of quid pro quo, nor damage the professional reputations of prescribing physicans. Prescriptions are written based on scientific evidence, but they are usually done with a holistic approach when possible. That is, a patient with head and neck cancer might receive radiation and chemo, but they will also be counseled to stop smoking and maintain their levels of nutrition, if applicable. FWIW
I worked for a pharma sales contractor; the whole idea is to maximize revenue, and they spend a lot of money tracking EXACTLY what is spent and go to the abosolute max permissible to the letter of the law, focusing always on “low prescribers”. If you saw the beast from the inside, you’d understand. It’s literally training docs to prescribe, avoid patient resistence, push, push, push. The company line is rigorously parroted with exactly what you said in your post, about being no chance of quid pro quo, etc. No worries - that’s just one small part of marketing, the whole thing is MUCH more sophisticated than that, and much more intense.
The real situation is far more horrible than you can imagine, much worse than I describe here.
But even so, it is a nightmare.
Little tiny case in point: today I was with my mother at her doc. Literally, (this is a “good” GI doc, great degree), this person’s “analysis” was done ON THE FLY, in the office, when mom said current med (PPI) had shown no improvement, doc was thinking out loud, “hmmmm what can I try”.
IS THAT MEDICINE ???????????????
There was ZERO “SCIENTIFIC” ANALYSIS. NONE WHATSOEVER.
A system as complex as the human digestive system.
All tests have returned nothing wrong. Still nausea. Doc is stumped.
And yet... NO DISCUSSION AT ALL ABOUT.... FOOD !!!!!
Question to doc: is there any food I should avoid ? No, you can eat what you want. Go with how you feel, etc. No specifics on asking what she eats, what to eat, what to avoid.
Docs ROUTINELY avoid all discussion of diet.
They will simply parrot the mantra - low fat, low fat, stop smoking, stop drinking. Mom’s been low fat diet forever, never smoked, never drank. So, according to Western medicine, her gallbladder blew up because... well... these things happen, stupid sheeple. You’re not the doc, so shut up and eat your meds.
I go online and read and (spending way too much time) tons of information out there.
All the research is slow-walked. You dare not actually find ROOT CAUSES in research. You dare not ever replace modern barbaric medicine with anything natural. Ever.
It’s an unholy alliance between pharma and docs.
Without pharma co’s - WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD DOCS GET MEDICINES TO PRESCRIBE ? More importantly, where would they get the time to research how to formulate anything themselves ? Impossible. They would not be able to create a cold medicine and get it past the FDA and still have time to see patients. Docs know that they need big pharma, even if a number of them hate the pressure they are under to prescribe.... whatever they are told to prescribe by pharma product guidelines based on diagnosis.
If the medical industry were legit/sane/etc., life would be good, and medical industry would be 5% of GDP.
Instead, the industry is not at all what the sheeple think it is, and it’s 25% of GDP.
Doc today pushed vaccines - when I questioned - doc got NASTY in a polite sort of way. It is RECOMMENDED. TAKE YOUR VACCINE. Old people today are from a generation where they DO WHAT THE AUTHORITY FIGURE TELLS THEM. Doc pointed out (had the prepared comment ready (training)) there was an “epidemic” in a nearby city that’s a FESTERING CESSPOOL GHETTO. What’s that got to do with our area I asked. Doc then got NASTY. See the training ?
I stopped there.
I challenge ANYONE to go spend a day at ANY doctor's office and await the smart-dressed guy or gal coming in with freebies for the doctors & staff or there to take their food order. Next time others are in the doctor's office, clinic etc. pay attention to those very well-dressed & out of place folk that come in with lots of stuff; they're there to make sure the 'scrips keep flowin'.
This is almost a daily thing at some clinics. At one I was at 3 days consecutive for training they brought food for 2. No idea if it was the same firm, but they worked for Big Pharma (from the staff I was well-informed).
Bribes. There are industries that prevent this sort of payola, aka 'rebating'. Not medical supply. Not big pharma. My health was harmed by prescription drugs I later found I did not need.
A doctor that writes prescriptions for people's health, having received ANYTHING from the pharmaceutical companies, is compromised. That practice should be illegal.
Until then, that which they receive are BRIBES.
Don't like that? CHANGE IT!