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Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Knowledge is power. Sunshine is a great disinfectant.
Despite these well known and agreed upon principles, I have mixed feelings about direct to consumer advertising by the drug companies. ONe of the recent ones to enter this arena is the commercials for Orlistat or Xenical®, the drug used for obesity.
Considering the fact that obesity is rampant in our society, it would appear to be a wise choice. DTC campaigns certainly make the consumer aware of the products and its potential applicability to him or her.
On the other hand, there is potential for people to quit doing the appropriate life-style changes (diet and exercise) in favor of pharmacological cure! Many people in the health-care community fear that there is over-use of medications as a result of such consumer-oriented campaigns.
Where do you stand on this issue? Do you think that the benefits of such consumer-targeted campaigns outweigh the possible overuse?
