The Drugging of American Seniors: Big Pharma Profits Depend on Sick Seniors
As the "baby-boomer" generations move into their senior years, they are seen as a "cash-cow" for pharmaceutical companies. For example, it is estimated that about one out of every four Americans over the age of 55 are currently being prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, in spite of the evidence that these drugs do not prolong lifespans, and have very serious side effects. Studies have confirmed that dementia, especially early onset dementia, is often caused by too many pharmaceutical drugs. A Harvard Medical School publication, "Guide to Coping with Alzheimer's Disease," states: "Medications are common culprits in mental decline. With aging, the liver becomes less efficient at metabolizing drugs, and the kidneys eliminate them from the body more slowly. As a result, drugs tend to accumulate in the body. Elderly people in poor health and those taking several different medications are especially vulnerable." As people age, they wind up taking, on average, more than four prescribed pharmaceutical drugs daily. Many of these medications are for heart disease prevention by lowering cholesterol and also for lowering blood pressure. These drugs are intended to be taken till death. The side effects from those drugs alone can create the need for more prescriptions. The pharmaceutical business model depends on sick customers staying sick, not healing them.