Doctors take an oath to do no harm, but they’re giving more and more patients addictive drugs. Why? Because non-addictive drugs cut into big pharma profits.

When a doctor gets his license, he commits to a standard of medical ethics known as the Hippocratic Oath. One of the most well-known concepts within that oath is ‘to do no harm,’ and most doctors take that very seriously. They’re healers. So why do they prescribe drugs that have serious and dangerous side effects, including the very real risk of prescription drug addiction? In many cases, the doctor doesn’t have a choice. Safe drugs are simply not available for certain conditions.

Pain, for example: Whether chronic, acute or just annoying, whether it’s from a back injury, surgery, or a headache, chances are your doctor will give you an addictive painkiller. More people are showing up in addiction treatment centers for painkillers they initially got from their doctor than ever before.

Why did your doctor give it to you? Unless he was willing to send you to a health practitioner who used drug-free methods to handle pain, he really didn’t have a choice. Addictive painkillers are virtually all the drug companies have to offer.

Don’t believe it? Do a Google search for non-addictive prescription painkillers. You’re not likely to find much – other than a few promises that scientists are working on developing them.

Big pharma spends about $60 billion a year on advertising – roughly the same amount it costs American taxpayers to fight the war on drugs. But they also devote money to research and development. It’s only about half the amount they spend on advertising but, still, it’s a lot of money.

With all that money and brain power you’d think they could have developed a non-addictive painkiller by now. After all, even primitive cultures had workable pain remedies – and some of them are still around. Surely the drug companies could come up with something we wouldn’t get addicted to.

In truth, developing a non-addictive painkiller could spell certain death for some drug companies.

It’s a well-known fact in business that repeat customers can make or break you. Salesmen all over the world make their living off satisfied customers coming back for more. Unfortunately, many drugs do not lend themselves to that natural progression. Their products have dangerous and uncomfortable side effects, not something that many people would choose to endure if they had a choice.

Big pharma is big business. Pure and simple. They’re not part of the medical community, regardless of the fact that they sell their products through doctors, and they’re not bound by the Hippocratic Oath. The only rules that apply are the rules of business, which are, for the most part, limited only by the law. And the survival of big pharma as an industry, in its current bloated state, depends on how many people are taking their drugs, and for how long.

So, they have a choice: They can spend their money on drugs they know people will have a tough time quitting, or they can focus on doing what’s right – developing drugs that will address the problem the person is having without causing further damage - drugs that can be taken safely, and stopped as soon as they’re no longer needed.

Of course, that would seriously cut into profits. And they’re not likely to do that willingly – which is why they are forced by law to fork over billions of dollars in damages.

For consumers, the only real option is to refuse to play into their greedy little hands. Get into an addiction treatment center to get off the drugs, find drug-free alternatives, and insist that your doctor do the same.