Natural Alternatives (o T C) to Over-The-counter and Prescription Drugs - Hardcover

Murray, Michael & N D; Murray, Michael T

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688123589 ISBN 13: 9780688123581

Publisher: William Morrow, 1994

Synopsis

Is there really a safer, more effective natural alternative to most prescription and over-the-counter medicines?The answer is yes. In this groundbreaking book, Michael T. Murray provides specific natural alternatives to some of the drugs most used by Americans, including Tagamet, Prednisone, Seldane, and Zantac, as well as alternatives to over-the-counter drugs used to treat acne, high cholesterol, hay fever, heartburn, insomnia, and many other common ailments.

Naturopathic physician Michael T. Murray discusses the effectiveness, and the unwanted side effects, of many of the drugs used today. He then shows how these drugs can be replaced with less expensive natural remedies whose medicinal benefits have been proven in clinical studies. Murray discusses dozens of herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals, extracts, and ointments, and shows how each can be used to bring relief from specific ailments. With easy-to-understand charts, graphs, and tables throughout, the book offers detailed, practical information that will help readers live a fuller, healthier life -- free from pharmaceutical medicines.

As Dr. Alan R. Gaby writes in his Foreword: "Because of the efforts of Dr. Murray and others, the medical profession is slowly becoming aware that there are legitimate alternatives to drugs and surgery. As the research and data supporting natural medicine continue to increase, and as the limitations and dangers of conventional medicine become more widely appreciated, natural medicine will emerge as the only reasonable alternative."

About this title

About the Author:

Michael T. Murray, N.D., teaches at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. In addition to practicing medicine, he is the author of fourteen books, including A Textbook of Natural Medicine. He lives in Bellevue, Washington.

Michael T. Murray, N.D., teaches at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. In addition to practicing medicine, he is the author of fourteen books, including A Textbook of Natural Medicine. He lives in Bellevue, Washington.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Making Medicine or Making Money

The United States spends more money on health care than any country in the world. For 1994, the projection is that the total will exceed one trillion dollars. Despite this tremendous financial commitment, are Americans getting their money's worth? If so, why is the United States ranked sixteenth in terms of life expectancy and why are there more people in nursing homes in this country than anywhere else in the world? Where is all this money spent on health care going? Are drug companies and doctors more concerned about making money than making people healthy?

Since the 1950s, the drug industry has been the most profitable industry in America. In December 1959, the last year of the Eisenhower administration, the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly heralded a year-long investigation of the drug industry with the declaration that the public was not only being overcharged for drugs, but was being ripped off by more than $250 million a year for useless and sometimes harmful medicines. The drug industry was harshly criticized for its unrestricted promotional, marketing, and pricing practices.

Have things changed in the last thirty-five years? Yes, they have gotten much better for the drug companies at the public's expense. During the past thirty-five years, drug costs have skyrocketed at a rate four times that of inflation. In 1960, the drug industry was the most profitable industry in America, with a profit margin of 10.6 percent of sales. By 1992, this had increased to 13 percent.

In 1980, the average prescription cost was $6.52. In 1992, the cost of the same prescription was $22.50. Since 1980, prescription drug costs have risen nearly three times higher than the consumer price index. Projections are that drug costs will continue to rise at a rate of nearly 10 percent per year for the next few years. Some drugs will see rises even steeper. Not surprisingly, the drugs most likely to rise in cost are those in highest demand among aging baby-boomers. For example, Premarin, a drug used primarily in women around the time of menopause, is being prescribed more. In 1985, the price of one hundred tablets of Premarin was $13.34; in 1991, the price had increased by nearly 2.5 times that amount to $33.09.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0688123589
• ISBN 13: 9780688123581
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 383