The Thin Pill
Trend Spotter — September 29, 2006 — Fashion
References: wired
Obsessed with thin? Wired had a great article about how pharmaceutical companies more or less created a disease (called fat) and then invented drugs to cure it. Interesting.
From Wired:
75 million Americans may have something called metabolic syndrome. How Big Pharma turned obesity into a disease – then invented the drugs to cure it.
The breakthrough came last December when her new endocrinologist diagnosed her with something called metabolic syndrome. She'd never heard of it. As she Googled to learn more, her chronic ailments – the weight, the high blood pressure, the lack of energy – started to make sense. They even seemed treatable. She's now on Glucophage and Avandia (which both regulate blood sugar) and has lost 20 pounds by cutting out carbohydrates. "Getting a diagnosis was a relief," Cunningham says. "I have hope now, whereas I didn't have any before."
From Wired:
75 million Americans may have something called metabolic syndrome. How Big Pharma turned obesity into a disease – then invented the drugs to cure it.
The breakthrough came last December when her new endocrinologist diagnosed her with something called metabolic syndrome. She'd never heard of it. As she Googled to learn more, her chronic ailments – the weight, the high blood pressure, the lack of energy – started to make sense. They even seemed treatable. She's now on Glucophage and Avandia (which both regulate blood sugar) and has lost 20 pounds by cutting out carbohydrates. "Getting a diagnosis was a relief," Cunningham says. "I have hope now, whereas I didn't have any before."
Trend Themes
1. Pharmaceutical Disease Invention - The trend of pharmaceutical companies creating diseases and inventing drugs to cure them presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the healthcare industry.
2. Metabolic Syndrome Diagnosis - The trend of diagnosing metabolic syndrome, a condition created by Big Pharma, provides opportunities for disruptive innovation in the medical diagnosis and treatment industry.
3. Regulation of Blood Sugar - The trend of using drugs like Glucophage and Avandia to regulate blood sugar levels opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry for developing effective treatments for metabolic conditions.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can explore disruptive innovation opportunities in countering pharmaceutical disease invention by promoting natural approaches to wellness and educating patients about the potential consequences of unnecessary medication.
2. Medical Diagnosis - The medical diagnosis industry can seize disruptive innovation opportunities by developing advanced diagnostic tools and protocols to accurately identify and classify metabolic syndrome and its related conditions.
3. Pharmaceutical - The pharmaceutical industry can capitalize on disruptive innovation opportunities by focusing research and development efforts on developing safe and effective drugs for regulating blood sugar levels and treating metabolic syndrome and its associated health risks.
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