Big Pharma, Whitney Houston, and the Bible

The world was shocked on February 11th when the news was released that Whitney Houston, one of the most talented pop singers on the planet, had passed away. At 48 years old, she died long before her average life expectancy.

Although the reports initially did not state the cause of death, everybody immediately suspected that illegal drugs had something to do with it. It wasn't a secret that in the past, Houston had had some problems with using illegal drugs, including crack cocaine. Even if she hadn't been using drugs at the time, years of drug abuse could have caused her heart to weaken and could have caused damage to her brain and other organs. Most recently, it is believed that she could have died from taking medication that was prescribed to her for depression, not because she started using illegal drugs again.

I have always believed in taking the minimum amount of medication to get the job done. Over the last few years, I have developed the philosophy of Hippocrates of "let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food." Earlier this winter, I developed a cold that felt like bronchitis. I get it almost every winter, and I usually have to go to the doctor to get antibiotics to get rid of it. This year, I took garlic instead of antibiotics, knowing that this herb has antibiotic properties. I was cured of my bronchitis this year without a trip to the doctor. I know that sometimes that is not possible, but I do my best to take care of things naturally.

The Bible warns us against the use of too many medications. While I do believe that in some cases, people really do need to use medications, at least for a while, I think that we should be diligent not to abuse them. Perhaps this golden voice could have remained with us for a bit longer had Ms. Houston tried to rely on as little medicine as possible.

More than 200,000 people die from prescription drugs every year. Some of them, like perhaps Whitney Houston, die because they are not taking the prescriptions correctly. Perhaps they obtain their prescription drugs from someone who is selling extras, or maybe they go to more than one doctor so they can get more drugs. Houston may have been able to use her power as a celebrity to get more than the typical amount of drugs for herself. At least four different prescription medications were found in her hotel room. Perhaps her doctor knew about all the pills that she was taking, and should have done something to reduce the amount that she was prescribed. Perhaps Houston had done something to get more prescriptions than normal people would get. Whatever the case, Houston (and perhaps you) could have done well to reduce the amount of medicine that she was being prescribed.

Sometimes you can't help needing a certain medication. My husband, for example, has sickle cell anemia. He has a genetic abnormality that causes him to make blood cells that don't work as efficiently as the cells that normal people make. He takes a medicine to help him make normal blood cells. Before he started taking this drug, he was going to the hospital on a more and more frequent basis (a couple of times a year) whenever he had a sickle cell "crisis". This drug has definitely reduced his need for going to the hospital.

Other people need drugs (for the moment) for things like diabetes or depression. In many cases, there are ways to reduce your dependency on these sorts of medications by taking better care of yourself and watching what you eat. Things like exercise and eating less sugar and processed food can do wonders for your health (and even, in some cases, your mental attitude).

Taking the natural route to health, trying to fix the root causes of your health problems, instead of taking care of the symptoms with medication, can take a lot of work. The easiest way for a doctor to take care of symptoms is to prescribe medication. Often, people don't want to change their lifestyles, and sometimes doctors don't really want to take the time to teach people how to live healthier anyway. The pharmaceutical industry certainly doesn't have any incentive for you to actually get healthy (instead of just masking your illnesses with prescriptions).

If you currently depend on prescription drugs, it's usually not a good idea just to drop your medicine right away; however, you can take steps to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle, and over time, you might be able to reduce your need for these chemicals. A good place to start learning about health is Underground Wellness. I've been following Sean Croxton's site and have been listening to his podcasts for a couple of years now. I still have much to do to become as healthy as I would like, but I can tell you for a fact that I am stronger and more flexible than a year ago. I also make slightly better food choices. In 2011, I didn't gain weight (which is an accomplishment for me). The only pills that I take are supplements, and I don't depend on them. I often use foods like cinnamon, turmeric, and garlic in my cooking. Living a healthy lifestyle is definitely something to try to strive for.

People take more drugs, both legal and illegal, than ever before. Yes, I know that there were the Opium Wars fought when Great Britain was trying to keep the Chinese hooked on opium, and I know that drugs like cocaine were legal in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but they weren't in widespread use back then.

Today, you see prescription drugs for almost any ailment. Sleeping medication. Heart medication. Cholesterol medication. Depression medication. Medicine to help kids with ADHD concentrate in school. These are the legal drugs. That doesn't include people who are abusing prescriptions, making meth in their bathtubs, or buying illegal drugs on the street corner. It doesn't include people taking medical marijuana, either for real problems like nausea after chemo, or made up ones like headaches. More and more people are taking chemical cocktails just like Ms. Houston did. It's not healthy (although in some cases it may be necessary). The Bible also warns us against it.

Revelation 9:21 says "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." Most of us know that murdering, fornication, and witchcraft are frowned upon in the Bible. Sorceries in this verse is the Strong's Greek word G5331, which is in Greek φαρμακεία or written in the Arabic alphabet, pharmakeia. It's where our word "pharmacy" comes from, and can mean medicine. Drug use is often used by primitive tribes when they want to contact the spirits, which explains its connection to the translated word sorcery. We can also infer from the original Greek that the Bible frowns on abusing illegal and prescription drugs.

Other parts of the Bible speak of using medicine to help cure your ailments. Proverbs tells use that laughter is good medicine. Paul told Timothy to take some grape juice so that his stomach would feel better. Clearly, there is a place for people to take some medicine when they are sick or have a chronic condition. However, drugs of any kind can be dangerous, as we see from Whitney Houston's death. We would be wise if we do our best to reduce our dependency on them.