July 4th weekend is coming up, and here in the United States, it’s a pretty big deal.
It should be.
July 4 is Independence Day, a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. It was ratified on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.
Reading the Declaration of Independence and the history of how it came about is sobering. Times were very rough, and those who worked and fought for independence were brave and sacrificed a great deal.
Britain had established colonies in North America. And as enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, they treated the people in these colonies unjustly.
A colony is defined as: “an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control.” It seems to me that big corporations have captured healthcare institutions, both private and public. And therefore, healthcare has been colonized.
Every year, especially these last few years, I think of you and your dedicated staff – chiropractors and other independent healthcare practices – like the revolutionaries of 1776.
You are the HEALTH PATRIOTS, and so are your teams and your patients. I recommend that you take some time, now and then, to acknowledge this. It’s an honor but also a responsibility.
“The Rights of the Colonists” is a 1772 essay by Samuel Adams (not the beer lol!), a Bostonian revolutionary leader. He wrote:
It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. For they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail.*
I suggest one of the best methods of growing your practice is through education. Teach your patients, your team, and seek knowledge yourself. Give them your wisdom, your experience, and help them become independent and, ultimately, interdependent.
Use your table talk, personal newsletters, thorough report of findings AND progress reports, and heck, even the old fashioned spinal care classes.
We are awash in corporate marketing and influence. * Fight colonialism through education and question everything. And encourage your patients and team to do the same.
All of us at PM&A want to thank you for your courage and generous care of your patients and community.
Respectfully, let’s Seize the Future! (Carpe Futurum!)
Ed
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The photo above is taken in the Boston Public Garden next to the Boston Common with a statue of George Washington behind me. The Boston Common was used as a training ground for colonial militias and served as a gathering place for political rallies and public gatherings during the pre-revolutionary period. It is also close to Lexington and Concord where “The Shot Heard Round the World” occurred on April 19, 1775. I was sightseeing before I attended RFK, Jr.’s announcement nearby for his run for President. RFK, Jr. said that this is one of the reasons he picked this location to announce his presidency -- which he did on April 19, 2023.
References:
Pharmaceutical companies spend around 68% of their $30 billion ( a year) medical marketing budget on persuading medical professionals of the benefits of their prescription drugs, with the largest payer being Bristol-Myers Squibb https://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/top-10-pharma-drug-brand-ad-spenders-2022 According to Vivvix
The pharmaceuticals and health products industry in the United States spent about $373.74 million on lobbying efforts in 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/257364/top-lobbying-industries-in-the-us/ Statistica
Pharmaceutical companies contribute significantly to medical schools and hospitals for research grants and continuing medical education classes. Pharmaceutical and medical device company contributions accounted for 28% of continuing medical education funding in 2017. https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/pharma-medtech-spending-accounted-for-28-of-cme-funds-in-2017/528598/
Of Harvard's 8,900 professors and lecturers, 1,600 admit that either they or a family member have had some kind of business link to drug companies — sometimes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars — that could bias their teaching or research. Additionally, pharma contributed more than $11.5 million to the school last year for research and continuing-education classes. 2008 https://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1883449,00.html
The U.S. taxpayer indirectly supports Big Pharma by funding research grants to universities and other institutions, which are used by pharmaceutical corporations to develop products to sell back to taxpayers. https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/us-tax-dollars-funded-every-new-pharmaceutical-in-the-last-decade
Samuel Adams (1906). “The Writings of Samuel Adams: 1770-1773” azquotes.com
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