Eisha Sarkar Posted On Times Wellness on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Book Review: Death by Prescription
Author: Dr Ray D Strand with Donna K Wallace
Publisher: Magna Publishing
Price: Rs 175
Pages: 250
In his book, family physician Dr Ray D Strand writes, "If I had titled this book Death by Heart Attack or Death by Cancer, I doubt anyone would balk. After all, teaching patients how to prevent a heart attack and or avoid developing cancer is acceptable and good medicine. But teaching patients how they can avoid the number-three killer, adverse drug events, steps on some toes. Whether politically correct on not, I will go there where few choose to tread. Someone must address the life and death issue of death by prescription."
It certainly takes guts to go against the tide and Dr Strand's grit helps him unravel 'the most shocking truth behind an over-medicated nation'. You may have heard several cases of people reacting severely to drugs purchased without prescription, but do you know that even the pills prescribed by your doctor can possibly kill you? Dr Strand's shocking revelations in this book can send shudders down your spine and tremors through the world of medicine.
Cynthia's story: HRT can kill too
One by one, he tells you stories of innocent men, women and children who were victims of prescribed drugs. Like Cynthia whose doctor suggested that she take the hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) to improve all her menopausal symptoms and even her sex life. The doctor had claimed that HRT would decrease Cynthia's risk of developing osteoporosis, Alzheimer's dementia, heart attack and stroke. Cynthia faithfully started taking her oestrogen and progestrin everyday. She was relieved when her hot flashes and night sweats disappeared.
Months passed and then one day, she woke up feeling an unusual, crushing heaviness in her chest. She became short of breath and began sweating profusely. She dialled the emergency number 911 and crumpled to the floor. She was taken to the hospital where doctors tried everything to revive her before she was proclaimed dead. The autopsy revealed she had died of an acute coronary thrombosis - a heart attack, believed to have been caused by the oestrogen she took as part of HRT. She was killed by the drug that was supposed to provide her relief.
Don't be a guinea pig
Shocking, isn't it? Well, this is just one of the cases Dr Strand highlights in this book. There are many Cynthias still around and there's not much doctors can do to save them. Dr Strand traces why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has had to recall several prescription drugs from the market after reports of several cases of deaths due to heart attacks, liver toxicity and kidney failure as a result of adverse drug reactions.
Most, could have been avoided, had the FDA played the role of a regulator instead of a facilitator in the drug-approval process. He reasons that many people simply became the FDA's guinea pigs by using newly-released drugs that turned out to be life-threatening.
Too many drugs can react
The book highlights the role of the FDA, the pharmaceutical companies, the physicians, the pharmacists in the process of making drugs available to patients. The role of each is important in avoiding any casualties. Unfortunately, physicians end up prescribing drugs to treat symptoms and pharmacists turn into shops where you can purchase them, instead of providing more information about their use and side-effects.
It's the negligence on the part of each player that can cost people their lives. More so, in cases where patients see several specialists and purchase their drugs from various pharmacies. There's no way of telling whether one drug prescribed by one will cross-react with drug prescribed another and potentially harm the patient.
The verdict
The book's written primarily for an American audience, so some of the drugs you may not find in the Indian market. Though India may not be an 'over-medicated nation' like the US (given that there are more people here dying due to lack of treatment than because of it), it underlines the fact that even drugs can kill so you need to be very careful about what you take, for even over-the-counter diet pills may prove fatal in some cases.
Most drugs are hostile to the body, and have very negative side effects, and have little more than a placebo effect on whatever your illness happens to be. And if you think herbs are better at cure, you may be proved otherwise. At the end of the day, you should understand what is good for you and discontinue any drugs if you simply don't feel right.
Dr Strand's done well to add notes on each drug, pharmacists' scripts and tables on nutritional supplements to help the reader. He says correcting nutritional deficiencies may prevent occurrences of degenerative problems such as diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's etc. The language is simple, written in a narrative style, interspersed with stories of real people. Yes, there's a bit of jargon too, but Dr Strand does well by explaining what it all means.
Though Dr Strand may not have made many friends in the medicine world with this tell-it-like-it-is book, he'll sure find many readers.
Author: Dr Ray D Strand with Donna K Wallace
Publisher: Magna Publishing
Price: Rs 175
Pages: 250
In his book, family physician Dr Ray D Strand writes, "If I had titled this book Death by Heart Attack or Death by Cancer, I doubt anyone would balk. After all, teaching patients how to prevent a heart attack and or avoid developing cancer is acceptable and good medicine. But teaching patients how they can avoid the number-three killer, adverse drug events, steps on some toes. Whether politically correct on not, I will go there where few choose to tread. Someone must address the life and death issue of death by prescription."
It certainly takes guts to go against the tide and Dr Strand's grit helps him unravel 'the most shocking truth behind an over-medicated nation'. You may have heard several cases of people reacting severely to drugs purchased without prescription, but do you know that even the pills prescribed by your doctor can possibly kill you? Dr Strand's shocking revelations in this book can send shudders down your spine and tremors through the world of medicine.
Cynthia's story: HRT can kill too
One by one, he tells you stories of innocent men, women and children who were victims of prescribed drugs. Like Cynthia whose doctor suggested that she take the hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) to improve all her menopausal symptoms and even her sex life. The doctor had claimed that HRT would decrease Cynthia's risk of developing osteoporosis, Alzheimer's dementia, heart attack and stroke. Cynthia faithfully started taking her oestrogen and progestrin everyday. She was relieved when her hot flashes and night sweats disappeared.
Months passed and then one day, she woke up feeling an unusual, crushing heaviness in her chest. She became short of breath and began sweating profusely. She dialled the emergency number 911 and crumpled to the floor. She was taken to the hospital where doctors tried everything to revive her before she was proclaimed dead. The autopsy revealed she had died of an acute coronary thrombosis - a heart attack, believed to have been caused by the oestrogen she took as part of HRT. She was killed by the drug that was supposed to provide her relief.
Don't be a guinea pig
Shocking, isn't it? Well, this is just one of the cases Dr Strand highlights in this book. There are many Cynthias still around and there's not much doctors can do to save them. Dr Strand traces why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has had to recall several prescription drugs from the market after reports of several cases of deaths due to heart attacks, liver toxicity and kidney failure as a result of adverse drug reactions.
Most, could have been avoided, had the FDA played the role of a regulator instead of a facilitator in the drug-approval process. He reasons that many people simply became the FDA's guinea pigs by using newly-released drugs that turned out to be life-threatening.Too many drugs can react
The book highlights the role of the FDA, the pharmaceutical companies, the physicians, the pharmacists in the process of making drugs available to patients. The role of each is important in avoiding any casualties. Unfortunately, physicians end up prescribing drugs to treat symptoms and pharmacists turn into shops where you can purchase them, instead of providing more information about their use and side-effects.
It's the negligence on the part of each player that can cost people their lives. More so, in cases where patients see several specialists and purchase their drugs from various pharmacies. There's no way of telling whether one drug prescribed by one will cross-react with drug prescribed another and potentially harm the patient.
The verdict
The book's written primarily for an American audience, so some of the drugs you may not find in the Indian market. Though India may not be an 'over-medicated nation' like the US (given that there are more people here dying due to lack of treatment than because of it), it underlines the fact that even drugs can kill so you need to be very careful about what you take, for even over-the-counter diet pills may prove fatal in some cases.
Most drugs are hostile to the body, and have very negative side effects, and have little more than a placebo effect on whatever your illness happens to be. And if you think herbs are better at cure, you may be proved otherwise. At the end of the day, you should understand what is good for you and discontinue any drugs if you simply don't feel right.
Dr Strand's done well to add notes on each drug, pharmacists' scripts and tables on nutritional supplements to help the reader. He says correcting nutritional deficiencies may prevent occurrences of degenerative problems such as diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer's etc. The language is simple, written in a narrative style, interspersed with stories of real people. Yes, there's a bit of jargon too, but Dr Strand does well by explaining what it all means.
Though Dr Strand may not have made many friends in the medicine world with this tell-it-like-it-is book, he'll sure find many readers.
