An over-medicated society

I've been thinking about a statistic I heard: "The average number of prescriptions filled by each person in the U.S. increased from about 9 a year in 1997, to almost 11 in 2006, and 13 in 2007!"

Most conditions that people are medicated for take simple, inexpensive lifestyle changes to heal the body. Wouldn't it be better to do things the natural way that our body will positively respond to, rather than taking a chemical prescription that has a whole list of negative side-effects to mask a symptom that our body is responding to something being out of balance in the body?

I'm on no prescription medications, and I don't ever want to be, because I believe my body can heal if I give it the natural and emotional support it needs. A story: The "pain management" doctor at the hospital was shocked and in disbelief when I told him I didn't need any pain medication after I gave birth to my baby. I felt silly... so I took some ibuprofen (they wanted to give me lortab!). I was pressured into taking pain medication because a doctor didn't believe I didn't need it. I do admit, the ibuprofen was helpful at times...it was after childbirth. I believe I had taken care of my body the best I knew how, and that my body was able to heal quickly because I had simple, natural stores of vitamins and minerals in my body from eating whole foods. (Not to say that if you don't need pain meds after childbirth you are any less human...you're sore no doubt, but I didn't want lortab, and I didn't want to be knocked out, it's childbirth....women have been doing to forever.)

Another statistic: "The average annual prescription rate for seniors age 65+ is 28 prescriptions per person."

This is my grandmother, she's on many meds, and I think she rattles like a pill bottle when she walks. I'm really wondering how many of them she really needs to be on. I think about what a nutrient-rich diet and a little bit of sunshine could do to reverse many of the symptoms she has. How much more lively could her, or many of our lives be if we just nourished our bodies with what they really need, and stop filling them with chemicals?