Needing an honest answer

Nurses General Nursing

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As nurses why do you guys think that medications only treat the symptoms of a disease instead of curing the disease? Is it because no one has come up any cures yet? (:rolleyes:) Or do you guys think it's a conspiracy?

I for one think it's a conspiracy and that's what I'm writing a paper on. Just wanted to know how you all felt. Thanks.

Side note: OMG just noticed I put "and" instead of "an" in my title. Disregard Please!

Specializes in OB.

What I really don't get, and this is meant sincerely, not sarcasm, is why anyone with this sort of viewpoint would want to become a nurse. I mean "joining the establishment" so to speak. Isn't this sort of going over to the dark side?

If the OP is still around I'd really like to understand.

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Specializes in ICU.
What I really don't get, and this is meant sincerely, not sarcasm, is why anyone with this sort of viewpoint would want to become a nurse. I mean "joining the establishment" so to speak. Isn't this sort of going over to the dark side?

If the OP is still around I'd really like to understand.

I might join too. I hear they have cookies...

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imo treating symptoms is always a good thing, but if you can cure an illness, even better!

we do not currently have a cure for diabetes, yet we can manage the disease and give patients a good quality of life. we can prevent many of the complications of the disease, which again, helps ensure a good quality of life.

mental illness is often also "managed". we treat the symptoms, bring the neurotransmitters within normal limits, but we cannot 'cure' it, we manage it.

i suffer from mental illness, i manage my illness just fine. my symptoms are managed, and i lead a great quality of life. am i cured? no. am i okay with that? yes.

quality of life is key, and sometimes managing an illness and treating the symptoms is enough to ensure to keep a good quality of life.

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Specializes in Peds, PACU, ICU, ER, OB, MED-Surg,.

Is this my mother?

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Ebony, some people here have given you some very sound advice, without the sarcasm and insults. I suggest you think about it seriously.

Those that haven't are actually proving that whole, "nurses eat their young" thing to be true, and should really think about responding without all the personal insults and sarcasm. She is a student and at one time you were in the same position and you were learninggggggg.

The OP made some pretty outrageous claims with little more than personal opinion to back them up. When members asked for more substance or suggested including actual research, the response did not indicate a "learninggggggg" attitude or approach, but rather a locked-in mentality that many found mind-boggling.

Yes, there could have been a more delicate response. But when people ask questions, they need to be prepared to get answers. Otherwise they should issue a disclaimer that only those who agree should respond. This would not likely be taken seriously, but at least we'd know that the supposed inquiry was actually a request for mindless cheerleading and support.

As for the reference to nurses "eating their young," that is a phrase that I wish would die a thousand deaths, never to be heard again. Anyone have a cure for that?

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Specializes in Peds, PACU, ICU, ER, OB, MED-Surg,.
Exactly. The people with the money control the world. Tell me why we had a pt. w/ a stage 4 decubitis ulcer, paraplegic late 20's male and he is'nt getting the help he needs bc he has a limited health plan. Like seriously? No, seriously :eek:. He even went to the hospital and they did'nt even admit him. This is off topic but it just goes to show that insurance companies, pharm. companies all are big businesses! They don't care if you live or die. It's all a profit to them.

Hate to disagree with you but this is not entirely true. "Superman" had all the money in the world and still ended up dying d/t overwhelming sepsis caused by an ulcer. Your patient needs wound care, not necessarily an acute admission to a hospital. Many treatments can be done outpatient but your patient must be willing to change his routine.

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Specializes in OB.
I might join too. I hear they have cookies...

Goes well with the koolaid.....

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I know though that medications are in one of the top 10 causes of human death.

Or not. From the CDC's website:

  • Heart disease: 616,067
  • Cancer: 562,875
  • Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 135,952
  • Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 127,924
  • Accidents (unintentional injuries): 123,706
  • Alzheimer's disease: 74,632
  • Diabetes: 71,382
  • Influenza and Pneumonia: 52,717
  • Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 46,448
  • Septicemia: 34,828

And from the WHO:

Coronary heart disease

Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases

Lower respiratory infections

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Diarrhoeal diseases

HIV/AIDS

Tuberculosis

Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers

Road traffic accidents

Prematurity and low birth weight

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This is 2010, not the 1800's! You can NOT convince me otherwise that there is isn't a cure for at least diabetes. The gov't decides what has a cure and what doesn't, but OP, you keep researching. I doubt you'll find the answer you're looking for.

Sure there is. Islet cell transplant. Oh... you meant a pharmaceutical cure?

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Or not. From the CDC's website:

  • Heart disease: 616,067
  • Cancer: 562,875
  • Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 135,952
  • Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 127,924
  • Accidents (unintentional injuries): 123,706
  • Alzheimer's disease: 74,632
  • Diabetes: 71,382
  • Influenza and Pneumonia: 52,717
  • Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 46,448
  • Septicemia: 34,828

And from the WHO:

Coronary heart disease

Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases

Lower respiratory infections

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Diarrhoeal diseases

HIV/AIDS

Tuberculosis

Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers

Road traffic accidents

Prematurity and low birth weight

Wow! Thanks for the info.

Makes one wonder how many more would die of these diseases and conditions if we didn't have the many medications we use now? And how many who have succumbed would have died months, if not years, sooner without modern pharmacology?

The financial end of things will always be a factor, and it certainly could stand some improvement. But to say that there are all kinds of cures that are being kept under wraps seems more than a little over the top. Imagine how many people would have to be silenced to keep such a conspiracy going.

Another thing--these conspirators, the big pharma guys and the insurance moguls and all the rest--they and their loved ones are susceptible to the same disease and conditions as the rest of us. Are they willing to put the ones they care about in harm's way? Or do they have secret repositories where you can get magic pills if you know the code word?

The least expensive/most effective remedies for many of the above ills have to do with eating better, exercising more, and avoiding risky behaviors. No one is standing in the way of those options, yet many do not avail themselves of this kind of help.

In part, the pharma world is so big because many folks would rather take a pill than a walk. I'm one of the guilty ones, so I know whereof I speak.

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I didn't read all 11 pages of posts so someone may already have said this; The human body is so complex that, in spite of all of the research we have done and continue to do, we still do not fully understand what makes it function. This imperfect knowledge is the reason why we have drugs that in some cases may alleviate only symptoms of a disease and also why we have drugs with nasty, and unexpected, side effects. More knowledge and a more complete understanding will lead to better drugs. But I agree wholeheartedly with Miranda that at the root of it all is what we eat and how we live that cures or causes disease. The answer can be simple a lot of the time. And a lot of the time it isn't, like with cancers, in which case we do need some of those nasty drugs and other interventions that, if applied incorrectly, can cause significant negative side effects. As for a conspiracy? I think that history shows us that some drug companies have behaved in ways that could, at best, be described as morally deficient. But so have companies in many other industries. How about those roof cleaning guys that go around ripping off the elderly? Does that mean that the entire roof cleaning industry is ripping people off? I don't think so. And it is the same with the drug companies. Sure, some of them would do well to reconsider how they do business but the majority aren't ethically or morally challenged.

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I tend to think that people who are fans of conspiracy theories generally have a limited understanding of the facts, or science, or both. Big business, eg:pharm. companies, are of course motivated by profit and need regulations to reign them in. Overall, though, it is science that drives the research and development of meds, and there are many diseases that ARE cured by drugs-for instance antibiotics cure some bacterial diseases. The market is driven by competition, so if one company made a drug that cured a disease, they would make the money on that drug. As a nurse, it really bothers me to see so many people who distrust the "medical establishment" so much that they reject lifesaving advances such as vaccines in favor of unproven and potentially dangerous "alternative" treatments. People who sell herbs and vitamins, etc. are also motivated by profit and there is no reason you should trust them, especially without the safeguards of regulation and approval that medications have. Doctors and other health professionals are usually motivated by a sincere desire to help people, not just to make money, and they are not all involved in a big "conspiracy". We can all get greedy though, and that's why there should always be checks and balances- eg: government regulation- built into the system. Diseases are often complex, not just caused by a simple bacteria that can be wiped out, and so treatment is often complex too, and there is usually no "magic pill" that will cure.

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