be very careful

even when the best doctors and the best hospitals try to come up with guidelines for the best ways to treat various diseases, they have difficulty. why? well, not everybody's the same. that's one reason. but arguably the biggest reason is that there are no studies to show how one drug performs against another or how choosing not to treat a specific disease compares with aggressive treatment of that problem. and why do these studies not exist, or why were they never published, which is a better question? because it is the drug companies that pay for the studies. they aren't going to publish a study, or even complete a study, if their drug or treatment isn't going to look good. if doing nothing is as good as doing something, are they going to tell you? heck no. they'll use statistics (there is a 14% chance that a person with this problem taking this drug will improve more quickly and have a better life with more money and more happiness and basically just turn out to be a better person than someone who chooses to try a good diet and some lifestyle changes to achieve the same goal). 

pharmaceutical ads are just like automobile ads, the glitz is up front then comes all the 'fine print'. but in car ads the guy on the commercial pretty much auctioneers his way through the interest rate, payments due at beginning and end of lease, with approved credit, may not apply to certain people on certain days ending in 'y', etc. in the drug ads they seem quite proud of the fact that their drug could cause liver and kidney damage and pretty much make your life a living hell, but you should still 'ask your doctor' about it because dadgummit you want it, don't you?

best marketing for viagra? jack nicholson in 'something's gotta give' when he's taking viagra and nitrates for chest pain and tries to deny it. it's an unforgettable scene and one which sold more viagra than any 'ask your doctor' commercial. 

see the blog a few back on marketable side effects. are we a gullible society or what? just because it's new or newly indicated for something doesn't make it necessary or even a good idea.