I wished I shared you idyllic view of "Big Pharma". Alas, I don't. The pharmaceuticals companies are continually successful in having natural remedies removed from the marketplace such as ephedra because 2 or 3 people died of heart attacks but they put out "pseudoephedrine" which is, as it name implies, fake ephedra which must be bought at the pharmacy and come with a list of side effects that make it sound safer to drink Drano.
I'm not saying the pharmaceutical companies are evil incarnate nor am I saying they are pure as the wind driven snow. But, if you don't think they are in cahoots with RATS and RINOs to keep us dependent on their products, well, let's just leave it at that.
Ephedra was responsible for killing for than a few people. There are many others who will suffer life long health effects because of that "natural" remedy. The product should have been removed from the market much sooner, but because it wasn't considered a pharmaceutical, the product remained available for a long time. The only thing you need to know about Ephedra is how strongly Orrin Hatch defended the drug when the lobbyist were lining his pockets and how quickly he changed course when it was clear that the "remedy" was killing and injuring people. Don't you hate it when big government (led by a RINO like Hatch) protects "natural remedy" manufacturers even when it's clear that their products are dangerous? But you're against that, right?
Why would you use pseudoephedra when it comes with a list of side effects that make eating Drano safer? Did the "natural remedy" company provide a list of potential side effects with their bottles of Ephedra?
The belief that Big Pharma is making you dependent on their products is the worst kind of tin foil. Anyone who thinks that "Big Pharma" is in cahoots with the government, to ensure this alleged dependence, doesn't know much about the relationship between the fedgov and the pharmaceutical industry.