Pharmaceutical Awareness

I didn’t grow up in a crunchy household. We lived well, ate homecooked meals everyday,  and rarely had access to sugar or treats. Yet, I grew up with migraines, recurring yeast infections, bladder infections, antibiotics on repeat, and acne so bad I still carry the scars.  We had a deep trust in the medical system, and believed that our doctor always knew best. 

And don’t get me wrong — sometimes the doctor does know best. These days, with limited access to a family doctor and rushed ten-minute, one-issue appointments, our interactions have been reduced to “a pill for an ill” - and room for very little else. 

Somewhere along the way — thanks to a few extended family members and a beat-up copy of Let’s Have Healthy Children — a seed was planted. I started asking questions. Could there be another way?

Through the years, I slowly added things like garlic, tea tree oil, probiotics — little things I clung to like lifelines. But the real turning point came when I took one of my kids to the doctor and was told,  "It's most likely a virus, but here's a prescription for antibiotics anyway" That moment flipped a switch in me. I remember thinking, Then why are we doing it? 

Fast forward to about 14 years ago, when I began a deep dive into functional nutrition, natural remedies, and root-cause healing. I read. I studied. Slowly I changed. 

Now, I’m here to offer the hope and tools I wish I had when I didn’t realize there was another way. If you’ve ever felt like the system you trusted might not have your best interest at heart… you’re not crazy. 

Vioxx was a wildly popular painkiller used by millions — including about 350,000 Canadians — and was pulled from the market in 2004 after being linked to serious heart problems, including tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. alone. In Canada, over 15 million prescriptions had already been filled. Merck, the drug’s maker, ended up paying $4.85 billion in the U.S. and $37 million in Canada to settle lawsuits. It wasn’t just the health risks — data was hidden and risks downplayed, with devastating consequences for a trusting population.

For a deeper dive, you might find the documentary "We'll Take Care of You" (2007) insightful. It explores the key players and events surrounding the Vioxx scandal. 

2. The Baby Powder Lie: J&J's 50-Year Cover-Up
Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder — something marketed as gentle and safe - trusted for our babies — contained asbestos for decades. And they knew. Women have died of ovarian cancer! In 2020 the company finally stopped selling the product in North America. Here's a real kicker: they kept selling the same talc-based formula in other countries — mostly poorer, less regulated markets — for another two years. They didn’t stop global sales until 2023. If they could allow that for 50 years, what else are we not being told? 

Oh, and that's not even the last of it... Johnson & Johnson pulled off a real fancy legal move, called the “Texas Two-Step” bankruptcy maneuver: J&J created a shell company (LTL Management), dumped their talc-related liabilities into it, and then had that company file for bankruptcy. The goal? To limit financial responsibility for the thousands of lawsuits tied to their baby powder. Settlements were delayed, reduced, or wrapped into a proposed bankruptcy settlement offer — far less than what individual claimants might have received through court. And many families still haven’t been compensated years later. It’s been a long legal mess, with ongoing appeals and public outrage - a slap in the face to thousands of women and families seeking justice.

3. Fraudulent Advertising and Billion-Dollar Settlements
When drug companies are sued for false advertising, illegal marketing, and hiding risks — and settle for billions — and then continue operating like nothing happened... it makes you wonder how are they allowed to continue operating like this? 

Examples? Oh, there are plenty. Here is a snapshot:

4. OxyContin and the Opiod Crisis That Shattered LIves
A generation was devastated by an addiction crisis rooted in lies. Purdue Pharma marketed OxyContin as "non-addictive" — and the result was catastrophic. Communities were torn apart, lives were lost, and the drugmakers profited massively before finally facing legal consequences. This was not just a mistake — it was a strategy. 

Purdue Canada sold OxyContin starting in 1996, and Canada had one of the highest per-capita prescription rates of opioids in the world. The Canadian opioid crisis continues, and multiple provinces — including British Columbia — joined a $150 million national class action against Purdue Canada. That case is still ongoing, and several other manufacturers and distributors are being sued as well.

The documentary “The Crime of the Century” (HBO, 2021) is a powerful two-part docuseries  that dives deep into the OxyContin crisis, the role of Purdue Pharma, and the wider corruption in Big Pharma and government regulators.

There’s also a dramatized series called “Dopesick” (Hulu, 2021), that tells the emotional, human side of the opioid epidemic — from doctors to addicts to whistleblowers.

Both are worth checking out (with tissues and maybe something to throw at the screen 😬).

5. Fast-Tracked Drugs, Missing Data and Unanswered Questions
I’m all for innovation — but not at the cost of safety. When medications are rushed through approval, long-term effects are unknown, and we become the experiment. If asking questions is problematic, we’re no longer in a system of informed consent — we’re in a system of obedience. And that’s not okay

All of this taught me to stop seeing symptoms as problems to silence — and start viewing them as the body's way of waving a red flag.
Now? I don’t rush to ‘shut them up’ anymore. I ask WHY.
And I support my body with tools that work with it, not against it

These days, my medicine cabinet looks a whole lot different. I've filled it with tools that actually support healing at the root.

And now? I help other women do the same. I've created a free guide to get you started:
📌 The Empowered Woman’s Medicine Cabinet: Natural Remedies Every Home Needs — go-to tools that have changed how I support my health and my family’s.

Come join us in my private Facebook group. Whether you're brand new to this or already mixing up elderberry syrup like a boss — you belong. Inside the group, you’ll find women who are asking the same questions, sharing what’s working, and cheering each other on.
You’ll even get access to a complimentary Wellness Call inside the group — to help you finally feel heard, and confident taking the next right steps for you.

There's a better way. Healing is possible. And you don’t have to do it alone. 💛

In your corner!