From Dr. Douglas:

I keep telling you that the medical establishment is going to hell in a pillbox. If you still don’t believe me, try this next bit of information on for size. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, almost 70% of academic leaders at teaching hospitals and medical schools have climbed in bed with Big Pharma.

Before I get into specifics, let me say first of all that these results are based on surveys and you know how I feel about surveys (they’re about as accurate as a White House investigation into WMDs and can’t be qualified as “science” no matter what the epidemiologists and bean- counters say). Still, I found these numbers interesting, and if anything, the REAL numbers would be even higher than the ones represented here.

First, a little background. The lead author of the study was Eric Campbell, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Campbell’s on to something and he knows it. Last year, he conducted a study that revealed the close, personal relationship between Big Pharma and hospital review boards responsible for overseeing experiments on patients.

This time around, Campbell expanded his search. He sent a survey to the 688 departments heads of all 125 accredited medical schools in the U.S. and to the 15 largest teaching hospitals. You’ll be shocked at what he found.

Here are a few specifics Campbell found from his survey: Of the 67% that responde¦

• 67% of them said their departments had received payola of some kind or another
• 60% admitted to having a personal financial relationship with Big Pharma
• 27% had served as a paid consultant
• 27% served on a company scientific advisory board
• 21% served on speakers’ bureaus for Big Pharma

And when you break it down, the numbers specifically for the department heads of those areas related directly to patient care (like surgery and anesthesiology) are just as bad…

• 65% accepted money for continuing medical education
• 50% accepted money for food and drinks
• 30% accepted money for travel and meetings

What do those numbers mean to you? If you’re taking prescription drugs, everything.

Dr. Jerome Kassirer, a former New England Journal of Medicine editor put it perfectly. He said, “[Financial ties] are dangerous when doctors are so beholden to the company that they withhold safety concerns or push the newest or most expensive products when they aren’t necessarily best for the patient.”

Of course, not everyone sees it that way. According to the AP article, Alan Goldhammer, who is with Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said that “the study results don’t mean these relationships are a problem.” Of course he did. It’s no skin off his back when it’s lining his pockets with dough.

So what to do? Let’s face it: no amount of rules, regulations, or raking-over-the coals is going to make a crooked arrow fly straight. But when your doctor pulls out his prescription pad before you even tell him where it hurts, consider that his puppet masters in academia or Big Pharma are probably pulling the strings. And think twice about swallowing what he’s pushing.

Never anyone’s puppet,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.