Sonia Barrett can’t remember the last time she took a Tylenol, an Advil or any form of medication, and will admit that even her kids never saw a prescription bottle in the household while growing up.

It’s not that the filmmaker and author who has published several books including “The Holographic Canvas; The Fusing of Mind and Matter,” detests the pharmaceutical companies, but Barrett prefers the alternative method.

“We have become a society that is too dependent on medication and I think we have gotten away from being able to take more responsibility for ourselves,” says Barrett. “There are times when you need assistance and some help to get over that hump and illness, but there are other options,” continues the filmmaker who is currently producing her first documentary titled “The Business of Disease,” a 90 minute feature film which explores our dependency on pharmaceutical drugs.

“Most pharmaceutical drugs contain plant extracts or active components prepared from more complex plants.  The side effects of these medications are a result of the chemical process by which the drug was created. This causes the body to reject these chemicals as they do not align with the body’s natural chemistry. So even though a medication might make you feel okay on one level, you have to question what it is doing to the other part of your body — especially antibiotics. Think about limiting that quick fix,” adds Barrett.

In the documentary, Barrett features interviews with holistic practitioners, scientists and those who have experienced the impact of cancer and other autoimmune disorders.

“Everybody that we have featured all have PHD’s in their fields of expertise, but I will admit we had a really hard time getting interviews with medical doctors,” shares the Kingston native. “There’s just a line they don’t wish to cross for there is a fear that bringing in alternative medicine would threaten the very structure of this money making system in place.”

A film which is currently in post-production and scheduled for a February 2013 release, Barrett is seeking distributors for a theatrical release.

“I hope that once people see the film that they will want to examine it more. I would really like to see it in theaters and for everyone to go and see it. Most of us have a will to live healthy and happy and we don’t,” she continues. “People don’t realize that homeopathic medicine existed before. That was the way that we lived. Now we want everything prepackaged, pre-done and medication comes in as part of that quick fix. It’s the same kind of quick fix mentality which takes us away from really being responsible for ourselves.”

For more information visit: www.thebusinessofdisease.com