Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
Author: Tao Changwen (Physician)
I am an anesthesiologist who assists in surgical treatments for diseases. For my work and my own health, I need to understand illnesses.
On May 15th, the outstanding CTV anchor Shi Zhewei committed suicide. On May 12th, Mr. Wu from Baihe, Tainan, and Ms. Peng from Banqiao also took their own lives. If none of them had ever taken antidepressants, I wouldn’t be writing this article today. After all, the truth deserves to be known.
Over the past twenty years as a physician, I have extensively read Western natural medicine literature, traditional Chinese medical texts, and works on energy medicine by physicists. Long ago, I realized that orthodox Western medicine does not hold all the answers to health.
Many "conditions" cannot be definitively explained by Western medicine and are instead labeled as "symptoms" or "syndromes." However, the general public often doesn’t understand the difference between a "disease" and a "symptom." Through media campaigns or other marketing tactics, these "symptoms" are easily "educated" (misled) into being perceived as diseases requiring medical attention and medication. Examples include insomnia, anxiety, depression, menopausal symptoms, and osteoporosis in the elderly. Yet, these "symptoms" are simply part of life’s experiences.
This blurring of the line between "disease" and "symptom" is frequently employed by conventional Western doctors, who benefit from it. Another beneficiary is the pharmaceutical industry. Together, they become the "inventors of disease" (also the title of a book by a senior German medical journalist).
Marketing these "diseases" requires vast sums of money. Where does the money come from? Have you heard of the three most profitable industries? Oil, arms, and pharmaceuticals! Drug companies are among the most lucrative businesses.
Beyond direct drug advertisements or media hype about diseases, how else do pharmaceutical companies "educate" the public? First, doctors and drug companies establish "public welfare" organizations, where people who have suffered from "symptoms" and taken medication share how severe this "condition" is as a "disease." This garners sympathy and attention for the sufferers while effectively promoting the "symptom." The funding for these operations comes from "philanthropists," including donations from drug companies. Few remind the public that "symptoms" are superficial manifestations, like fever, headache, or cough being signs of a cold, whereas "diseases" stem from underlying issues in organs or cells.
Pharmaceutical companies also donate to renowned university doctors or professors for research. Professors need research papers for career advancement, and drug companies need studies to prove their medications work. Of course, these funds aren’t directly traceable to the drug companies—they may come from government agencies or private foundations. Mutual benefit is only natural. But could "interested parties" influence research outcomes to favor specific directions?
This symbiotic relationship has a history. In 1968, Dr. McCully, a pathology assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, researched and proved that homocysteine causes cardiovascular blockages. Yet, he was forced out of Harvard and ended up at a small rural hospital as a pathologist, unable to secure any research funding. The reason? At the time, vast resources were already invested in studying cholesterol to prove it caused heart blockages. Shortly after those intensive studies, cholesterol-lowering drugs hit the market, and to this day, they remain a major revenue source for drug companies. Not only that, but Western medicine also lowered the threshold for cholesterol medication, meaning more people now "need" these drugs. Doctors’ incomes are often closely tied to pharmaceutical profits.For half a century, "homocysteine" seemed to go unnoticed—why? Because lowering homocysteine levels simply requires taking vitamins. Pharmaceutical companies can't patent vitamins, and doctors prescribing vitamins as treatment risk criticism from their peers. Thus, patient interests were sidelined.
In Taiwan, antidepressants and sedatives were once prescriptions exclusive to psychiatrists. After lobbying by the Physicians' Association, all doctors could prescribe these drugs. The "civilizational epidemic" of depression once again proves that doctors' incomes are closely tied to pharmaceutical profits. Why do some doctors often tell patients, "Your condition can't be cured; you'll need long-term medication"? Because if patients recover, prescriptions decrease, and incomes become unstable. Under the current health insurance system, doctors can boost earnings by prescribing more. If the wife wants Chanel or the child needs English tutoring, just add a few more prescriptions for regular patients.
Moreover, why can any doctor prescribe antidepressants and sedatives? Because psychiatry lacks objective, concrete scientific evidence. Depression is theoretically linked to insufficient serotonin in the brain, yet no cerebrospinal fluid test is required for diagnosis—if a doctor says it's depression, it's depression.
The general public never thinks to ask: Why is it called a "disorder" and not a "disease"? Yet everyone is conditioned to obey doctors unquestioningly. No one asks why blood tests or other exams aren’t done to check if an underlying organ issue is causing depressive symptoms. People see the white coat but not the invisible hand of Big Pharma pulling the strings.
Even in prestigious medical journals, many studies and reports are ghostwritten by pharmaceutical researchers, later credited to university professors or renowned physicians. Such cases are rampant—so much so that one editor of *The Journal of the American Medical Association* resigned in protest and wrote *The Truth About the Drug Companies*.
Today, the easiest "diseases" to sell are depression and ADHD. Antidepressants "may trigger suicidal thoughts and violent behavior," a warning the FDA mandates on drug packaging. Yet in Taiwan, patients never see these boxes—hospitals and pharmacies don’t provide them, and even if they did, the warnings are in English. A recent news anchor who took his life likely never imagined the antidepressants he took for insomnia were the very reason for his suicidal ideation.
Recently, children in New Taipei City began being screened for ADHD. I believe the mayor means well but doesn’t realize ADHD was "diagnosed" by psychiatrists via a show of hands—meaning if not enough hands are raised, certain symptoms cease to be mental illness. This unscientific voting system once classified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1968, only to reverse it in 1987 after protests. I urge the mayor and public to note: No other medical field decides diagnoses by vote, because real medicine relies on science.
The legal ADHD drug "Ritalin" is a central nervous system stimulant—its chemical structure alarmingly similar to methamphetamine. Users of such drugs describe hyper-focused states during the high. Sound familiar? Ritalin "helps" ADHD kids focus. The public never sees the drug insert, which lists a litany of "side effects" and "rare adverse reactions"—government-mandated, yet hidden in plain sight.Those interested can look up drug package inserts online. By carefully comparing each side effect, you’ll find that the medication bags provided by hospitals don’t list all the side effects. Perhaps it’s because a single sheet of paper can’t cover them all, and if they were all listed, no one would dare take the medication.
However, one of the most common practices in psychiatry is prescribing even more drugs to address those side effects. As a result, patients' bodily functions are constantly switched on and off by these little pills, leaving them with no autonomy, while the doctors who follow this approach line their pockets. A friend of mine had a son who graduated from medical school and chose to specialize in psychiatry. When his father asked why, he replied, “Because patients need lifelong medication—I’ll never run out of patients.”
Here’s my advice to parents troubled by their children’s hyperactivity: always seek a non-psychiatric doctor to thoroughly examine them. Sometimes, children simply exhibit attention deficits due to nutritional imbalances—too much sugar, artificial coloring, processed junk food, or insufficient protein. Keep in mind that allergies don’t always manifest as itchy skin or a runny nose; sometimes, allergic reactions can cause restlessness. Yet, no one provides the public with comprehensive education on these matters. Why? Let me say it again: educating the public costs money. Where does the funding come from? Would pharmaceutical companies spend money teaching people not to take medication? After all, no matter how beneficial a research report may be for patients, if it doesn’t involve drugs, it doesn’t generate pharmaceutical revenue.
Trust between people is precious, especially between doctors and patients, who should ideally share the same goal. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry hides some little-known secrets. Most people may never see the full picture, but think of detective movies—what do detectives often say? “Follow the money!” When it comes to medical issues that affect you, perhaps this clue can help uncover the truth.
Source: http:/ / www. appledaily. com. tw……C% E7% 9A% 84% E9% BB% 91% E5% B9% 95
The Dark Side of Medicine
I am an anesthesiologist who assists in surgical treatments for diseases. For my work and my own health, I need to understand illnesses.
On May 15th, the outstanding CTV anchor Shi Zhewei committed suicide. On May 12th, Mr. Wu from Baihe, Tainan, and Ms. Peng from Banqiao also took their own lives. If none of them had ever taken antidepressants, I wouldn’t be writing this article today. After all, the truth deserves to be known.
Over the past twenty years as a physician, I have extensively read Western natural medicine literature, traditional Chinese medical texts, and works on energy medicine by physicists. Long ago, I realized that orthodox Western medicine does not hold all the answers to health.
Many "conditions" cannot be definitively explained by Western medicine and are instead labeled as "symptoms" or "syndromes." However, the general public often doesn’t understand the difference between a "disease" and a "symptom." Through media campaigns or other marketing tactics, these "symptoms" are easily "educated" (misled) into being perceived as diseases requiring medical attention and medication. Examples include insomnia, anxiety, depression, menopausal symptoms, and osteoporosis in the elderly. Yet, these "symptoms" are simply part of life’s experiences.
This blurring of the line between "disease" and "symptom" is frequently employed by conventional Western doctors, who benefit from it. Another beneficiary is the pharmaceutical industry. Together, they become the "inventors of disease" (also the title of a book by a senior German medical journalist).
Marketing these "diseases" requires vast sums of money. Where does the money come from? Have you heard of the three most profitable industries? Oil, arms, and pharmaceuticals! Drug companies are among the most lucrative businesses.
Beyond direct drug advertisements or media hype about diseases, how else do pharmaceutical companies "educate" the public? First, doctors and drug companies establish "public welfare" organizations, where people who have suffered from "symptoms" and taken medication share how severe this "condition" is as a "disease." This garners sympathy and attention for the sufferers while effectively promoting the "symptom." The funding for these operations comes from "philanthropists," including donations from drug companies. Few remind the public that "symptoms" are superficial manifestations, like fever, headache, or cough being signs of a cold, whereas "diseases" stem from underlying issues in organs or cells.
Pharmaceutical companies also donate to renowned university doctors or professors for research. Professors need research papers for career advancement, and drug companies need studies to prove their medications work. Of course, these funds aren’t directly traceable to the drug companies—they may come from government agencies or private foundations. Mutual benefit is only natural. But could "interested parties" influence research outcomes to favor specific directions?
This symbiotic relationship has a history. In 1968, Dr. McCully, a pathology assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, researched and proved that homocysteine causes cardiovascular blockages. Yet, he was forced out of Harvard and ended up at a small rural hospital as a pathologist, unable to secure any research funding. The reason? At the time, vast resources were already invested in studying cholesterol to prove it caused heart blockages. Shortly after those intensive studies, cholesterol-lowering drugs hit the market, and to this day, they remain a major revenue source for drug companies. Not only that, but Western medicine also lowered the threshold for cholesterol medication, meaning more people now "need" these drugs. Doctors’ incomes are often closely tied to pharmaceutical profits.For half a century, "homocysteine" seemed to go unnoticed—why? Because lowering homocysteine levels simply requires taking vitamins. Pharmaceutical companies can't patent vitamins, and doctors prescribing vitamins as treatment risk criticism from their peers. Thus, patient interests were sidelined.
In Taiwan, antidepressants and sedatives were once prescriptions exclusive to psychiatrists. After lobbying by the Physicians' Association, all doctors could prescribe these drugs. The "civilizational epidemic" of depression once again proves that doctors' incomes are closely tied to pharmaceutical profits. Why do some doctors often tell patients, "Your condition can't be cured; you'll need long-term medication"? Because if patients recover, prescriptions decrease, and incomes become unstable. Under the current health insurance system, doctors can boost earnings by prescribing more. If the wife wants Chanel or the child needs English tutoring, just add a few more prescriptions for regular patients.
Moreover, why can any doctor prescribe antidepressants and sedatives? Because psychiatry lacks objective, concrete scientific evidence. Depression is theoretically linked to insufficient serotonin in the brain, yet no cerebrospinal fluid test is required for diagnosis—if a doctor says it's depression, it's depression.
The general public never thinks to ask: Why is it called a "disorder" and not a "disease"? Yet everyone is conditioned to obey doctors unquestioningly. No one asks why blood tests or other exams aren’t done to check if an underlying organ issue is causing depressive symptoms. People see the white coat but not the invisible hand of Big Pharma pulling the strings.
Even in prestigious medical journals, many studies and reports are ghostwritten by pharmaceutical researchers, later credited to university professors or renowned physicians. Such cases are rampant—so much so that one editor of *The Journal of the American Medical Association* resigned in protest and wrote *The Truth About the Drug Companies*.
Today, the easiest "diseases" to sell are depression and ADHD. Antidepressants "may trigger suicidal thoughts and violent behavior," a warning the FDA mandates on drug packaging. Yet in Taiwan, patients never see these boxes—hospitals and pharmacies don’t provide them, and even if they did, the warnings are in English. A recent news anchor who took his life likely never imagined the antidepressants he took for insomnia were the very reason for his suicidal ideation.
Recently, children in New Taipei City began being screened for ADHD. I believe the mayor means well but doesn’t realize ADHD was "diagnosed" by psychiatrists via a show of hands—meaning if not enough hands are raised, certain symptoms cease to be mental illness. This unscientific voting system once classified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1968, only to reverse it in 1987 after protests. I urge the mayor and public to note: No other medical field decides diagnoses by vote, because real medicine relies on science.
The legal ADHD drug "Ritalin" is a central nervous system stimulant—its chemical structure alarmingly similar to methamphetamine. Users of such drugs describe hyper-focused states during the high. Sound familiar? Ritalin "helps" ADHD kids focus. The public never sees the drug insert, which lists a litany of "side effects" and "rare adverse reactions"—government-mandated, yet hidden in plain sight.Those interested can look up drug package inserts online. By carefully comparing each side effect, you’ll find that the medication bags provided by hospitals don’t list all the side effects. Perhaps it’s because a single sheet of paper can’t cover them all, and if they were all listed, no one would dare take the medication.
However, one of the most common practices in psychiatry is prescribing even more drugs to address those side effects. As a result, patients' bodily functions are constantly switched on and off by these little pills, leaving them with no autonomy, while the doctors who follow this approach line their pockets. A friend of mine had a son who graduated from medical school and chose to specialize in psychiatry. When his father asked why, he replied, “Because patients need lifelong medication—I’ll never run out of patients.”
Here’s my advice to parents troubled by their children’s hyperactivity: always seek a non-psychiatric doctor to thoroughly examine them. Sometimes, children simply exhibit attention deficits due to nutritional imbalances—too much sugar, artificial coloring, processed junk food, or insufficient protein. Keep in mind that allergies don’t always manifest as itchy skin or a runny nose; sometimes, allergic reactions can cause restlessness. Yet, no one provides the public with comprehensive education on these matters. Why? Let me say it again: educating the public costs money. Where does the funding come from? Would pharmaceutical companies spend money teaching people not to take medication? After all, no matter how beneficial a research report may be for patients, if it doesn’t involve drugs, it doesn’t generate pharmaceutical revenue.
Trust between people is precious, especially between doctors and patients, who should ideally share the same goal. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry hides some little-known secrets. Most people may never see the full picture, but think of detective movies—what do detectives often say? “Follow the money!” When it comes to medical issues that affect you, perhaps this clue can help uncover the truth.
Source: http:/ / www. appledaily. com. tw……C% E7% 9A% 84% E9% BB% 91% E5% B9% 95