There is speculation that Michael Jackson died of a prescription drug overdose.
If the pop star's death seems senseless, at least there is one positive note. Many people will receive the message that prescription pills are not safe.
Plenty of conservative, anti-drug types such as Rush Limbaugh get hooked on prescription drugs, thinking "these pills are okay, because my doctor prescribes them. They were tested by a major pharmaceutical company, and approved by the FDA. I know they won't harm me." In reality, you know nothing of the sort. Prescription drugs can and will harm you, sooner than you think.
Part of the philosophy expressed in my blog is to question authority, even medical authority. Doctors have been known to prescribe poison. Many of their potions are unnecessary and many have side effects. The entire list of prescription drugs implicated in Jackson's death has not been published yet, but three that were mentioned in the article above were Xanax, Zoloft and the painkiller Demerol. That sounds like a devil's brew to me.
Xanax is prescribed when people complain about trouble sleeping or anxiety. It is a subtle sedative. I am ignorant about this drug and am not sure of its safety, but feel skepticism, because Xanax has only been around for a generation, and was designed for one purpose: to enhance shareholder wealth for a pharmaceutical company. Prescription drugs have no other purpose.
On the other hand, passionflower and valerian root have been tried and tested for centuries, being herbal folk remedies for insomnia and anxiety. No one will be getting rich if you try these things, and therefore no one has an ulterior motive for suggesting that you try them. Therefore I suggest following in Grandfather's footsteps and brewing a nice hot cup of passionflower and valerian root tea instead, if you want to fall asleep and have pleasant dreams. It is less likely you will overdose if you are drinking something, and those herbs are mild and safer than Xanax. They are also ten times cheaper.
Zoloft is a remedy prescribed by psychiatrists for depression, even manic depression. I am not sure how effective it is, but I have heard complaints that it turns people into zombies, putting people into a stupor. There have even been reports of people committing suicide or experiencing what is known as "suicidal ideation," or thinking about suicide, while on Zoloft. I am not sure how common that is, or whether Zoloft is safe or risky, but once again, here we are dealing with a substance only tested for a single generation, and many questions remain. Meanwhile, someone is getting rich because of Zoloft. Remember, what pharmaceutical companies care about is enhancing shareholder wealth, not making people better.
Demerol is yet another derivative of opium, used as a painkiller. The first time you take it, a "high" may be felt, but the second and subsequent dosages produce diminished effects, because tolerance develops as is true with most opiates. In cases of overdose, the human body shuts down, as if going to sleep, except it is a sleep from which one does not awake. Combined with alcohol, this drug would be particularly dangerous. If someone requires a painkiller on an ongoing basis, it seems to me that the underlying physical problem needs to be addressed, rather than continuing with the painkiller. Pain is the body's way to tell you that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.
People being only human, they mix and match pills without regard to the contraindications, as if the pills were candy.
In fact, prescription pills are ten times more dangerous than either marijuana or alcohol. Drinking liquor, you are unlikely to overdose--most people either know when to stop, or pass out before it kills them. Smoking pot, it is impossible to overdose. Marijuana is less toxic than any other substance ever ingested by humans, including caffeine or aspirin. Had Michael chosen marijuana, instead of prescription poisons, he would be performing today.
What makes the problem of prescription drugs more complicated is that the generic varieties sold over the Internet could contain literally any substance at all. They are not necessarily what they claim to be. Some prescription drugs that are sold on the street are counterfeits produced by criminal gangs. It is wise to stay away from these things.
I'm a bit put off by the extreme media attention that has been generated by Jackson's demise. I heard that the breaking news actually slowed down the Internet. Really? Is it really that big of a story? I liked his music myself, especially Human Nature and Do You Remember the Time, but I'm not thunderstruck in any way. Everyone is going to die. There's no escape. I guess it does make those of us who remember his music feel older, but he was only fifty, and if he had stayed away from the pills, he would probably still be alive.
An article in the New York Times picks apart an old skeleton, a testy exchange between one of Ronald Reagan's White House Staff and the entertainer's concert promoters. My reaction was, so what? In this particular case, I think I would side with the Reagan administration. Presidents should invite who they want to invite to perform, and should write letters of congratulation to whomever they please.
The media is really getting desperate for stories about Jackson. Suddenly any old yarn is publishable, as long as it includes the magic words Michael Jackson.
I don't think there will ever be as big a star as MJ was, though, in the current climate of the music industry. For my part, I could not name any of the top fifty performers right now--not a single one.
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