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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]&lt;&lt;Most people who become doctors in the US do it for the money. Few of them come from families with a lot of money, so many see medicine as a path to riches. Not all of course, but many. &gt;&gt;

Now this thread has really jumped the shark, where people are just saying things with no factual basis behind it -- its like we've become a radio call in show where people just want to spout out there uninformed theories.

By God,PP, how in the world do you know that ''most people become doctors in the US for the money''' and that most come from familiies with little money. I truly think this is one of the most uninformed things i've read in all my time reading dcum...[/quote]

Ya, I knew that would rile y'all up. Every single doctor I know except one comes from no money. Not impoverished families, but just normal middle or lower-middle class families who came up in the world in both prestige and money by becoming doctors. My wealthy friend (who went to Georgetown) told me not a single person he knew at medical school came from a wealthy background. Of course not all doctors are in it solely for the money, but really, how many really talented people would become doctors if it paid as poorly as social work does? I do not claim to know every doctor in the universe, but in my fairly large circle, which includes many doctors, nearly all came from backgrounds where becoming a doctor was a step up in prestige and money.

The reason I mentioned this is directly related to the OPs question about ADHD drugs being over prescribed. Of course it is, and money is the root of that problem, which is fed by the marriage of big pharma and big medicine. Read the NYT article. Doctors are paid by big pharma to promote drugs including ADHD drugs to other doctors, who prescribe these drugs to children. It's not in doctors' best interests to band together and challenge big pharma, so they don't. Big pharma pays for lots of things doctors like, such as research and those nice conferences in the winter in warm places, where doctors are fed all the big pharma p.r. Don't just take my word for it. Investigate for yourself.

BTW, my doctor friend from a wealthy background selectively vaccinates his children, for example, and is very concerned about environmental toxins and interested in nutrition and alternative medicine as treatments for ADHD. He does not buy into the pharmaceutical industry p.r., nor does he need to take any money from big pharma. He has a traditional medical education (what could be more mainstream that Georgetown?), yet because he was financially independent before attending medical school was easily able to avoid the gimmes from Big Pharma.

So, prove me wrong, please. Show me the vast numbers of doctors who come from wealthy backgrounds, please. I bet you don't know a single one. Money is influence, surely you know that if you live in DC. And big pharma has big influence and big money, and for the doctors who want easy money, it's there for the taking. The price is the health of the citizenry and our children in particular.

Here's another NYT article on how big pharma sold the vaccine for cervical cancer, costing some healthy children their lives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/health/policy/20vaccine.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I could go on, as the bonds between the medical community and the riches of big pharma (including much research money) are tight and reach back many years. Remain ignorant if you wish, but that won't change the sad reality that Big Pharma in collusion with many doctors is using "science" to push powerful ADHD drugs on vulnerable children. Big pharma makes no money pushing a healthy diet or a toxin-free environment as a cure for ADHD. Doctors don't either. [/quote]

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