5 ms·

Imagine a US-China war where China's oil supply is cut off by the US Navy, and China refuses to export the precursors to pharmaceuticals. About 2/3rds of US ad

Imagine a US-China war where China's oil supply is cut off by the US Navy, and China refuses to export the precursors to pharmaceuticals. About 2/3rds of US adults take at least one prescription medication.

gnu8 3y ago
[flagged]
- tlow 3y ago
  Not sure why this is so heavily downvoted. USA medical system prefers sick people because they're more profitable. For example, type 2 diabetes is reversible...
  - meepmorp 3y ago
    > For example, type 2 diabetes is reversible... Sometimes, but not always. I know at least a couple type 2 diabetics who aren't overweight, eat generally healthy diets, and get regular exercise - but still require medication to control their blood sugar. And that's leaving aside the very real difficulties most people have in making the lifestyle changes necessary to affect the disease.
    - nradov 3y ago
      Eating a generally healthy diet isn't enough. Research has shown that type-2 diabetes can be reversed in many patients by following a specific protocol focused on nutritional ketosis. Have the diabetics you know tried following the approach documented here under medical supervision? https://www.virtahealth.com/research https://www.virtahealth.com/research
      - meepmorp 3y ago
        No, but: > 60% of patients enrolled one year attained an HbA1c below 6.5% without the use of diabetes medications other than metformin. 60% reversal without medication except for the major frontline medication for type 2 diabetes doesn't make it sound like a miracle cure, tbh. And it's still has the "major lifestyle changes that are typically hard for people" problem.
        nradov 3y ago
        Did you actually read the research? Results are superior to the use of metformin alone. No one claimed that the treatment protocol is a miracle cure, so you're arguing against a strawman. But the results show that it does work well for many patients. They literally did make those major lifestyle changes, with support from their healthcare providers. If you know a type-2 diabetic then I would at least point this out as an option. Some of them might choose to pursue it as an alternative to permanent dependence on exogenous insulin which doesn't even address the root cause of the condition.
- pengaru 3y ago
  Let's not pretend doctors aren't incentivized to over-prescribe meds by the pharmaceutical companies.
  - patmorgan23 3y ago
    How? It's illegal for them to get kick backs from pharama companies
    - pengaru 3y ago
      > How? It's illegal for them to get kick backs from pharama companies This has been so widely reported and easily searched for using obvious keywords as to render your comment effectively a strawman. https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-prescribe-more-of-a-drug-if-they-receive-money-from-a-pharma-company-tied-to-it https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-prescribe-more-of... https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/04/drug-companies-payments-gifts-affect-physician-prescribing/ https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/04/drug-companies-payments-...
- ben_w 3y ago
  I tried walking around a bit when I visited the US four times, cities and parks both. While the views — Route 1, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, Bonneville Salt Flats, Lake Tahoe, and the cityscape of Manhattan — are spectacular, the roads are terrifying, the footpaths sometimes just stop, and none of the national park facilities had running water. I'm not saying you can't keep fit in the USA, obviously it's possible, but between that and how much cheaper the fast food is than the vegetables in the supermarket (even the take out pizza was basically the same price as the supermarket pizza, not sure how), I have a lot of sympathy for people struggling with that.
  - david2ndaccount 3y ago
    Yosemite has running water, I don’t understand how you could think that it does not.
    - ben_w 3y ago
      In the facilities. The toilets. The ones I saw were just holes underneath the seats. I hope you didn't think I meant the river.
      - jtbayly 3y ago
        So what? Was there water to drink?
        ben_w 3y ago
        So… it was rather unpleasant, and I expect people to be put off going unless they can hold off "going". I know people that rules out, and for more than one reason. As for potable water… brought that with us in the car. As a random sight-seer I have no idea how to tell whether or not any given untreated surface water is safe. I don't mind lugging an extra few kilos of water while I walk, but same deal applies: I know multiple people that rules out.
- crote 3y ago
  Aaah yes, the well-known "30 minutes of light exercise" to prevent pregnancy, kill a bacterial infection, or solve asthma. Some diseases can be partially avoided or alleviated by exercise, but let's not pretend it is a panacea for all of life's ails. Medicine exists for a reason.
  - WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
    I'd be inclined to put sufficient REM sleep ahead of exercise or diet.
  - nradov 3y ago
    Breathing exercises have some efficacy in controlling asthma symptoms. (I am not suggesting that this is a substitute for unavailable medications.) https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14651858.CD001277.pub4 https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14651858.CD001277.pub4
- ASalazarMX 3y ago
  Thank you, I can feel my allergy was cured after walking briskly on my lunch hour! But seriously, I understand you're not suggesting that regular exercise will cure all conditions, just that it will help reduce prescriptions caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
- superb_dev 3y ago
  Wow, if only I knew. Thank you for curing me kind internet stranger!
roncesvalles 3y ago
And the US still continues to hesitate to forge stronger ties with India because of Cold-War-era (mis)alignments. It should be Canada, UK, India; instead India doesn't even feature in the top 15 closest American allies.
- colechristensen 3y ago
  India’s local geopolitics are much too complex for that string of ties. Canada is almost our twin and the UK had very similar interests and despite the ocean between us has essentially the same neighbors. India’s necessary relations with China, Russia, and the Middle East are just complex and it would not fit and be a major shift in power for it to align closely with American interests nor does America want to put itself in that position.
colechristensen 3y ago
It is not difficult to recreate industries with blank checks. Especially for chemical precursor kinds of things where it isn’t a complexity problem but a scaling problem. When you don’t care about cost things can be scaled up rather quickly.
- Incipient 3y ago
  Not if you don't have the raw material. Not if you've forgotten how to produce it. Not of you don't have anyone that can run the process. Restarting a supply chain can be very difficult.

gnu8 3y ago

[flagged]

tlow 3y ago
Not sure why this is so heavily downvoted. USA medical system prefers sick people because they're more profitable. For example, type 2 diabetes is reversible...
- meepmorp 3y ago
  > For example, type 2 diabetes is reversible... Sometimes, but not always. I know at least a couple type 2 diabetics who aren't overweight, eat generally healthy diets, and get regular exercise - but still require medication to control their blood sugar. And that's leaving aside the very real difficulties most people have in making the lifestyle changes necessary to affect the disease.
  - nradov 3y ago
    Eating a generally healthy diet isn't enough. Research has shown that type-2 diabetes can be reversed in many patients by following a specific protocol focused on nutritional ketosis. Have the diabetics you know tried following the approach documented here under medical supervision? https://www.virtahealth.com/research https://www.virtahealth.com/research
    - meepmorp 3y ago
      No, but: > 60% of patients enrolled one year attained an HbA1c below 6.5% without the use of diabetes medications other than metformin. 60% reversal without medication except for the major frontline medication for type 2 diabetes doesn't make it sound like a miracle cure, tbh. And it's still has the "major lifestyle changes that are typically hard for people" problem.
      - nradov 3y ago
        Did you actually read the research? Results are superior to the use of metformin alone. No one claimed that the treatment protocol is a miracle cure, so you're arguing against a strawman. But the results show that it does work well for many patients. They literally did make those major lifestyle changes, with support from their healthcare providers. If you know a type-2 diabetic then I would at least point this out as an option. Some of them might choose to pursue it as an alternative to permanent dependence on exogenous insulin which doesn't even address the root cause of the condition.
pengaru 3y ago
Let's not pretend doctors aren't incentivized to over-prescribe meds by the pharmaceutical companies.
- patmorgan23 3y ago
  How? It's illegal for them to get kick backs from pharama companies
  - pengaru 3y ago
    > How? It's illegal for them to get kick backs from pharama companies This has been so widely reported and easily searched for using obvious keywords as to render your comment effectively a strawman. https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-prescribe-more-of-a-drug-if-they-receive-money-from-a-pharma-company-tied-to-it https://www.propublica.org/article/doctors-prescribe-more-of... https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/04/drug-companies-payments-gifts-affect-physician-prescribing/ https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/04/drug-companies-payments-...
ben_w 3y ago
I tried walking around a bit when I visited the US four times, cities and parks both. While the views — Route 1, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, Bonneville Salt Flats, Lake Tahoe, and the cityscape of Manhattan — are spectacular, the roads are terrifying, the footpaths sometimes just stop, and none of the national park facilities had running water. I'm not saying you can't keep fit in the USA, obviously it's possible, but between that and how much cheaper the fast food is than the vegetables in the supermarket (even the take out pizza was basically the same price as the supermarket pizza, not sure how), I have a lot of sympathy for people struggling with that.
- david2ndaccount 3y ago
  Yosemite has running water, I don’t understand how you could think that it does not.
  - ben_w 3y ago
    In the facilities. The toilets. The ones I saw were just holes underneath the seats. I hope you didn't think I meant the river.
    - jtbayly 3y ago
      So what? Was there water to drink?
      - ben_w 3y ago
        So… it was rather unpleasant, and I expect people to be put off going unless they can hold off "going". I know people that rules out, and for more than one reason. As for potable water… brought that with us in the car. As a random sight-seer I have no idea how to tell whether or not any given untreated surface water is safe. I don't mind lugging an extra few kilos of water while I walk, but same deal applies: I know multiple people that rules out.
crote 3y ago
Aaah yes, the well-known "30 minutes of light exercise" to prevent pregnancy, kill a bacterial infection, or solve asthma. Some diseases can be partially avoided or alleviated by exercise, but let's not pretend it is a panacea for all of life's ails. Medicine exists for a reason.
- WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
  I'd be inclined to put sufficient REM sleep ahead of exercise or diet.
- nradov 3y ago
  Breathing exercises have some efficacy in controlling asthma symptoms. (I am not suggesting that this is a substitute for unavailable medications.) https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14651858.CD001277.pub4 https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14651858.CD001277.pub4
ASalazarMX 3y ago
Thank you, I can feel my allergy was cured after walking briskly on my lunch hour! But seriously, I understand you're not suggesting that regular exercise will cure all conditions, just that it will help reduce prescriptions caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
superb_dev 3y ago
Wow, if only I knew. Thank you for curing me kind internet stranger!

roncesvalles 3y ago

And the US still continues to hesitate to forge stronger ties with India because of Cold-War-era (mis)alignments. It should be Canada, UK, India; instead India doesn't even feature in the top 15 closest American allies.

colechristensen 3y ago
India’s local geopolitics are much too complex for that string of ties. Canada is almost our twin and the UK had very similar interests and despite the ocean between us has essentially the same neighbors. India’s necessary relations with China, Russia, and the Middle East are just complex and it would not fit and be a major shift in power for it to align closely with American interests nor does America want to put itself in that position.

colechristensen 3y ago

It is not difficult to recreate industries with blank checks. Especially for chemical precursor kinds of things where it isn’t a complexity problem but a scaling problem. When you don’t care about cost things can be scaled up rather quickly.

Incipient 3y ago
Not if you don't have the raw material. Not if you've forgotten how to produce it. Not of you don't have anyone that can run the process. Restarting a supply chain can be very difficult.