I have to wonder why some doctors thought it would be a good idea to give bee sting venom to women who had difficulty getting pregnant. Regardless, the results are remarkable. The pregnancy rate climbed from zero to 57% (4 in 7). This deserves more study. Now.
Honey is so common and it offers many health benefits - and it tastes good. Maybe we should take a serious look at the benefits and not be turned off because it's so "old fashioned" and "simple". Dr. David Williams writes, "... even after hundreds of years of success and research studies to support its use, you’d be hard pressed to find honey in any ambulance, fire truck, emergency room, hospital, or doctor’s office."
Honey is so common and it offers a myriad of health benefits - and it tastes good. Maybe we should take a serious look at the benefits and not be turned off because it's so "old fashioned" and "simple". Dr. David Williams writes, "... even after hundreds of years of success and research studies to support its use, you’d be hard pressed to find honey in any ambulance, fire truck, emergency room, hospital, or doctor’s office."
Would you like to see them stock honey on fire trucks?
"Provenge... is the latest in a series of new, high-priced cancer treatments that appear to eke out only a few more months of life, prompting alarm about their costs. Provenge appears able to extend patients’ lives by about four months."
Prostate cancer strikes 192,000 men in the United States each year. At $93,000 per treatment, this could cost as much as $17BILLION. Is this a good way to spend health care dollars?
"More than half of the nearly 500 writers and reviewers of recent cardiology clinical practice guidelines reported a conflict of interest due to ties with drug makers and other companies, a new study finds."
We don't even have a fifty-fifty chance of an unbiased report.
McNeil Recalls More Tylenol Tablets Over Complaints of Musty Odor.
Customers have complained of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea from the odors, J&J has said in previous statements.
No, I do not suggest switching to a generic acetaminophen.
It has long been common to toss down a few Tylenol tablets for routine aches, pains, or hangovers. In fact, most companies that make narcotic pain relievers will mix the "good stuff" with acetaminophen. Somehow, they think they're helping reduce illicit drug use. They're not. The added acetaminophen is especially toxic to people with already damaged livers. I don't recommend that anyone take acetaminophen - for any reason. Here's a study that demonstrates a real problem for babies whose mothers took that drug while pregnant.
There's poison in EVERY potion.
Seth Godin has an unusually keen sense of appropriate business behavior. This is a brief piece that meshes well with my ideas about smart phones.
One of the largest selling drug categories of all time is implicated in increased risk for diabetes.Statin therapy was associated with a 9% increased risk for incident diabetes.
It's long past the time when we should all being saying NO to stating drugs.
Regardless, some Irish doctors seem to be steps ahead of the United States when it comes to ordering statin drugs for otherwise healthy people. At least one doctor has stated, "As part of a sensible and practical cost-saving strategy, a moratorium on the use of statins in primary prevention should be seriously considered.
Seems that everyone and their uncle is *freaking* about radiation and potassium Iodide. The frantic search for KI continues. I posted my thoughts on the topic over a week ago - DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. Here's a level-headed article about the how and why of using iodine supplements. It is unlike some of the blog posts circulating every day. Advice to Mike Adams...CHILL.
The drug maker is not going to pursue the sales of this drug on the world market. It is "supposed to" treat prostate cancer. However, studies indicate that it may actually INCREASE THE RISK of the most serious types of tumors.
There is no indication that they will remove it from the U.S. market. Men here will still be able to have their risk of tumor increased.
There is a movement to grant prescribing rights to PSYCHOLOGISTS.
I stand firm on my observation that, "Too Many People Take Too Many Drugs". Instead of an effort to reduce drug consumption, some folks feel there aren't enough people prescribing them.
I can just imagine the high level management meetings that took place at someone's expense so the "researchers" could report on a finding that is..
INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS TO THE MOST CASUAL OBSERVER.
What's next, a research project that demonstrates an increased risk of death in people who have nails driven into their skulls?
Yes, the insurance people in California are upset. The money they've been paying for drugs was being used to party with high-prescribing doctors. They are seeking damages in the hundreds of millions of dollars. SO WHAT?
There isn't a fine so big that the drug company can can't recover it by raising prices and/or selling more product. Punish the individuals IN the company and you'd see some changes. Fire the people. Fine them. Put them in jail. Whatever. The results would be far superior than just slapping a monetary fine on a company.
For every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal, adjusted for the same amount of power produced... This supports my conclusion that we need to invest heavily and quickly in more nuclear power. It is affordable and safe - and can be made even safer as technology advances.
The arguments against nuclear are based on false beliefs and politics.
This is a surgical procedure that ought to be stopped. No, I do NOT think the "guvment" should step in and pass some kind of regulation. I suggest that doctors (surgeons) should act like the professionals they are supposed to be. They should be honest with their patients and warn them that the success rate is around 50%.
I originally published this article about PPIs a year ago. After a year, our FDA has acted. No, they haven't recalled the drug. They've only issued warnings.
More than 100 million Americans (even children) take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The study showed that as many as 25% of them would have an increased risk of hip fracture.
Nobody cares for your health like you do. Not your neighbor. Not your doctor. Not the drug makers. Not the government. In fact, many of those people are perfectly content allowing you to use a drug that causes serious damage. And, you may be delighted to learn that practically all PPI doses are unnecessary.
This writer is brilliant - and he's my son. The writing style is harsh and weeds out some readers. However, the message is clear. I don't talk/write like that, but I am proud to say that Joel Frieders is my son and he's a damn good writer - and a much better person.
This one will tug at your heart - as well as your mind.
After numerous calls and emails, I have decided to make a statement about the "impending nuclear disaster" from Japan - and what I think we should DO ABOUT IT. Make plans to send a lot more aid to the people of Japan. That's it. No fear. No panic. No iodine. Just help those who need our help in the best way we can.
If we that, we'll be fine - in more ways than one.
Drugs are blessed with long patent lives - around 17 years. The generics are coming and the prices for brand name drugs are going up. Seem they want to make sure they've drained every last cent.
Rumor has it that some brand name drug makers also own generic drug companies. The money just moves from one pocket to another.
On the one hand, I may be "all wet" when I complain about too many drugs, side effects, harmful surgeries, and radiation damage. This report suggest that all those dastardly "things" are possibly responsible for a greater life expectancy.
Three points to ponder.
(1) is it possible that healthier "living" and better living conditions set things up such that we are able to survive a little longer even when assaulted by drugs, chemicals, surgeries, and radiation?
(2) is an increase of 0.2 years (73 days) significant - it's a 0.25% increase)?
(3) is a few extra days of "not dying" really the same as living - especially if you're in pain, unconscious, on life support, or completely unaware of who you are?
OTC (non-Rx)proton pump inhibitors are only intended for a two-week treatment course up to three times per year, so the FDA notes there is very low risk of low magnesium.
I have yet to meet a person who used a non-Rx proton pump inhibitor for ONLY two weeks. Therefore, I conclude that the OTC drugs are potentially as dangerous as the Rx versions.
Now, here's some things to think about.
WHAT IF tobacco/nicotine isn't really a villain?
WHAT IF there are actually some health benefits from tobacco?
That would really throw a monkey wrench into the mix, wouldn't it?
What do you think about a company that duplicates a preparation that has been available from compounding pharmacies for almost 2 decades - and has the gall to charge ONE HUNDRED TIMES what the pharmacy has been charging. Yes, there is a company that plans to charge $15,000.00 for ten doses of an injection that I can sell for $150.00.
I say again, "Ripoff. Greed. Immoral. Sinful."
Cholesterol + Sunshine = Vitamin D.
Use drugs to lower cholesterol and apply sun blockers to "protect" your skin. Then, wonder why your vitamin D level is low.
I would hazard to suggest that low cholesterol and low vitamin D are at the root of many chronic illnesses. Proof? Look around.
If you WANT to be a citizen of Luxembourg, you MUST pass a proficiency test in the Luxembourgish language
Unlike the United States, where we seem to make every effort to encourage multiple languages and discard the notion of a national language, the people in Luxembourg are doing it differently.
Is there something valuable in establishing and maintaining a national language?
Where Free Speech and Political Correctness Collide. You may have heard about this 28 year old school bus driver. Robert Whitehead is stepping up to help the young man in a case against the school board.
There isn't a single drug on the market - or even under consideration - that cures anything. In fact, the mere thought that some big drug maker actually wants a cure is absurd. Their survival as a business depends on diseases for which there is NO CURE.
I recall the days when the March of Dimes rallied around polio. When polio was cured/prevented, the March of Dimes scurried for a new "cause". In the past few decades, they have successfully convinced us to support their work to prevent birth defects.
Like MANY issues in "health care", it seems that surgical procedures are done, drugs ordered, and radiation used BECAUSE WE CAN, not necessarily BECAUSE WE SHOULD.
What do you think?
Heck, doctors have been selling our personal information for a long time. One of my acquaintances received a prescription, but did not have it filled. Within a week, however, she received a mailing from the drug maker that "welcomed her to the family of abcdefg users". How do you suppose THEY got her name and address?
In a discussion about the *POSSIBLE* effects of anesthesia on children's brains, a doctor stated, “We don’t know what this means for children at this time,” Dr. Rappaport said, adding, “That’s exactly why it’s so critical that we get all of the necessary information.”
How on earth can a "doctor" in the 21st century make such a naive statement? Isn't it intuitively obvious that potent brain drugs would probably cause some damage? I would have expected that surgeons and anesthesiologists were warning patient's about this for decades.
Hells bells, we are warned that even one exposure to second hand smoke may cause harm and that small amounts alcohol is dangerous to babies. They should have also been warning us about the likely effects of anesthetics. Am I the only one upset by this report?
Show me a "scientific" study and I'll show you another that questions or disproves the one you showed me. Given time, practically any finding will be discredited. That begs the question, why do we award so much power to any study?
They're selling a $23million jet to cover the cost of these new choppers - valued at $13million to $15million. They are also laying off employees. I'm not sure how I FEEL about this news,
Tell me again, Mr. Mussolini, how mixing government and business is a good thing.
Premature labor drug spikes. Been available from compounding pharmacies for years at about $150 for ten doses. This NEW DRUG will sell for $15,000 for ten doses. Those margins would make any business happy.
The fees paid for this approval probably make the FDA folks happy as well.
A meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related researchther. Basically, the meta-analysis is a report about several related studies.
Canadian researchers reviewed 29 meta-analyses, which covered data from 509 randomized controlled drug trials. About 62 percent them had their funding sources listed when they were published in the key medical journals. More than two-thirds of them had been supported at least partly by the pharmaceutical industry. It is disturbing that the majority of reports are published by researchers who benefit when the report is good. The fact that some of them reported their conenctions is a step in the right direction. It would be far better if no reseaerchers were financiually dependant on the drug makers. That won't happen, so knowing they may be biased is better than not knowing, until we look at the meta-analysis reports.
The Canadian researchers found that none of the meta-analyses disclosed the original authors' ties to pharmaceutical companies.
We have to be very careful about the reports we read and believe.
** Major Drug Review Research Fails to Disclose Funding Sources **
A meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related researchther. Basically, the meta-analysis is a report about several related studies.
Canadian researchers reviewed 29 meta-analyses, which covered data from 509 randomized controlled drug trials. About 62 percent them had their funding sources listed when they were published in the key medical journals. More than two-thirds of them had been supported at least partly by the pharmaceutical industry. It is disturbing that the majority of reports are published by researchers who benefit when the report is good. The fact that some of them reported their conenctions is a step in the right direction. It would be far better if no reseaerchers were financiually dependant on the drug makers. That won't happen, so knowing they may be biased is better than not knowing, until we look at the meta-analysis reports.
The Canadian researchers found that none of the meta-analyses disclosed the original authors' ties to pharmaceutical companies.
I hope nobody asks me because I don't know.
This article states, "Consumers who believe they are taking an unapproved prescription cough, cold, or allergy product should contact their health care provider to discuss alternatives."
I've seen those Snickers commercials about "needing a snack". Yeah right! But, wait a minute. Is there actually a place in our diet for sweet treats like a Snickers Bar?
READ THE COMMENTS... "... it is simply a question of how many vaccine damaged or dead children do we consider acceptble collateral damage ..."
MAKES ME SHUDDER
When it is time for a treat, I WANT one that is honestly "treat-worthy", not something that is dressed up like something healthy.
In case you don't want to read the article, I'm posting the names of just a few NSAID products;
• Acetaminophen • Advil • Aleve • Alka-Seltzer • Anacin • Anaprox • Aspirin • Aspirin-free Excedrin • Bextra • Bufferin • Bayer • Celebrex • Excedrin • Ibuprofen • Mediprin • Motrin • Naprelan • Naprosyn • Nuprin • Vioxx
The FDA says it is okay to start prescribing even though it’s effectiveness has not been tested beyond nine weeks.
Intuniv (guanfacine) is now available for children, age 4 to 17, diagnosed with ADHD. Merely using stimulants isn't enough. Now they can prescribe an additional drug that lowers blood pressure.
Side effects include: 30-40% sleepiness; 25% headache; 17% reported upper respiratory tract infection; 10% sedation. Other possible side effects that may be an issue: head injury, suicidal ideation.
In one study, 5 participants out of 262 (1.9%) who took Intuniv experienced syncope, or “temporary loss of consciousness.” In layman’s terms, they fainted or blacked out.
