Question

Think about the following conditions, which are commonly diagnosed and treated in today’s society:

• Hypertension
• High Cholesterol
• Obesity
• Pre-Menstrual Syndrome
• Repetition Strain Injury
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Prostate Cancer Screening
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Social Phobia
• Erectile Dysfunction

Pick one of the above mentioned conditions to think about.

1. Do you think it fits the category of disease mongering or selling sickness? Why? Why not?

500 words

Answer 1

HYPERTENSION

Disease mongering is defined as persuading healthy individuals as sick or sightly ill as critical.Making someone believe that they are sick and looting money are the mainstay of business by the pharmaceutical companies seen in today's world. In order to expand the business net of the companies,they have broadened the boundary of a treatable disease into a dreadful one.High consequences will be faced by the individual as well as the society due to disease mongering.Hypertension is one of the examples and it is widely promoted.

Hypertension is a lifestyle related illness.It does not require drug therapy rather could be lowered through diet and modification of lifestyle.Since many years the normal hypertension was considered as systolic 120 and diastolic 80 and systolic above 140 was high normal.The Joint National Committee on detection,evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure (JNC) was forced to lower systolic by 115 and diastolic by 75, by the pharmaceutical companies.Hypertension brings out more income to the companies as it is defined as a life long uncontrollable disease controlled effectively by drugs,by the pharma companies.Doctors are also being paid by the insurance companies for their cooperation.A new term "pre-hypertension" is being introduced into the market,which is also an act of disease mongering,that is treating you with anti hypertensives who are risk of hypertension.Studies are coming up with the information that medication for pre hypertension stage is ineffective and is not at all needed.

According to the guidelines set by the pharma companies,individuals with mild hypertension in United States will be 27% which indeed is a big business deal.Long years back even systolic 140 were considered as normal. Even the clinical researches shows that alternative therapies are successful in treating hypertension,The American Heart Association,still work pushing drugs for the companies.Unless the financial incentives of the pharmaceutical companies drop down,hypertensive individuals number will never ever drop.