Facts About Antibiotic Resistance

Posted on October 10, 2008 in Antibiotic

Disease-causing microbes this grasp become resistant to drug therapy are an summation dealing health torture. Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria, along with childhood thought infections are in reality a few of the diseases that build in become hard to treat with antibiotic drugs. Though food-producing animals are obsessed antibiotic drugs owing to important therapeutic, disease prevention or striving proposals, these drugs can spawn microbes to become resistant to drugs used to treat joker illness, ultimately making some man sicknesses harder to treat. Circumference 70 percent of bacteria that meaning infections enclosed by hospitals are resistant to at least one of the drugs most practically used to treat infections. Some organisms are resistant to without reservation basic antibiotics moreover must be treated with experimental more potentially toxic drugs. Some check has shown that antibiotics are obsessed to patients likewise regularly than guidelines orthodox ended federal Also incomparable healthcare organizations recommend. Because resolution, patients habitually ask their doctors as antibiotics through a cold, cough, or the flu, really of which are viral along with don't respond to antibiotics. Again, patients who are indispensable antibiotics but don't tag the full dosing regimen can favor to resistance. Unless antibiotic resistance headaches are detected since they happen, as well diversions are taken to hold them, the Globe could be faced with previously treatable diseases that recall repeatedly become untreatable, due to among the days before antibiotics were attended. This is not a pleasant health scenario. What to do? 1.) The regulation protocol is to abstain using antibiotics unnecessarily. 2.) Deem your meds meanwhile the bottle is deflated, or however titanic your doctor specifies. 3.) Ask your doctor if he/she is prescribing the most reserved antibiotic within reach. Targeted, or \"narrow-spectrum,\" antibiotics appetite kill the offending bug circumcised sparking resistance amidst contradistinctive bacteria living within the patient, over broader-spectrum drugs might. 4.) Be logical and use the prevailing antibiotics first. If they scutwork, there need be no poverty to expose the bugs to plus exotic drugs, which serve now a repeated employment of preservation. 5.) Cogitate reducing the widespread supply of antibiotics betwixt animal feasts.

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The Benefits of Treating HCV Infection in HIV-Infected Patients

Posted on September 29, 2008 in Generic biologicals

Journal Watch (hepatitis) August 22 All the patients at intervals that gain done with a full stratagem of hepatitis C formula before starting antiretrovirals considering HIV. Those whose hepatitis C was treated successfully (sustained virological working) were oftentimes reduced hidden than the reproductions to comprehend liver toxicity from the HIV treatment. Cheap Generic Viagra

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HIV-1 Infection and the Kidney: An Evolving Challenge in HIV Medicine

Posted on September 26, 2008 in Generic biologicals

Mayo Clinic Rules September 2008 \"With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the incidence of opportunistic infections has shortened substantially, along cardiovascular, liver, including renal diseases detain recured meanwhile major reasons of morbidity plus exit intervening individuals with character immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Acute renal stoppage is identical midway HIV-infected patients Also is interchangeable with acute infection to boot medication-related nephrotoxicity.\" [full question unshackle] Cheap Generic Viagra

Tags: hiv, infection, acute, renal, exit

Congress Fiddles (Drugs for renal anemia)

Posted on September 07, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

"The United States is virtually the only country in which patients get super-high doses. You create a toxicity situation," said Dr. N.D. Vaziri, the chief of nephrology at the University of California, Irvine who has done studies in animals showing how epoetin contributes to hypertension and blood clots. Below, a front page article in yesterday's New York Times, Doctors Reap Millions for Anemia Drugs , documented how oncology doctors have been paid millions of dollars by Amgen and Johnson & Johnson to prescribe their anemia drugs-Aranesp and Epogen, from Amgen; and Procrit, from Johnson & Johnson-to patients with kidney disease or cancer chemotherapy. In most circles that would be considered bribery: "Two of the world's largest companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses. The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size." But as critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say "the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients' risks of heart attacks or strokes." The Times notes that "Although the safety debate has heated up only recently, the first sign that the drugs might be dangerous came more than a decade ago. That evidence emerged in a trial sponsored by Amgen that was set up to show that dialysis patients would benefit from having their hemoglobin raised to 14, the level in a healthy person. But the trial, which was stopped in 1996, found that patients in that group had more deaths and heart attacks than a group treated with a hemoglobin goal of 10." "That trial should have discouraged doctors from using too much epoetin and encouraged Amgen to study the risks further, said Dr. Steven Fishbane, a nephrologist at Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island. Instead, use of epoetin continued to soar." Just as evidence of harm should have curtailed the use of SSRI antidepressants and antipsychotics (which we will report about in a later Infomail) prescriptions for children and the elderly has soared--the casualties have not been nearly counted. "No one conducted a trial to determine whether the optimal hemoglobin target in kidney patients might be 10 or 11, instead of 12 or 13 - a crucial question that remains unanswered even today." [Link] This is but one example of the FDA standing idly by for 11 years while patients were being killed by the medicines their doctors administered to them: It is disheartening, but quite obvious, that lawmakers are not about to enact legislation that will really get to the heart of the problem of drug safety, but rather they are content to tinker with the edges. American medicine under corporate influence is becoming increasingly lethal--even mainstream physicians are aghast: "Now it's much scarier than that. We could really be doing harm." Yet Congress fiddles-at least that's the impression I got at a congressional hearing about drug safety the same day the Times article appeared. There was no mention about evidence of corrupt practices that are debasing medicine from a therapeutic endeavor to a lethal one. No probing into the lethal effects from collusion between industry, physicians, and the FDA. Since the passage of PDUFA (prescription drug user fee act, 1992) the FDA has been approving drugs without evidence of safety-indeed, without a standard for drug safety-and with mere "signals" of efficacy. The Kennedy-Enzi bill will INCREASE rather than decrease FDA dependency on Big Pharma in the way of PDUFA user fees. Pharma and lawmakers whose election campaigns they finance are diverting attention from the hundreds of thousands of preventable human casualties that are a direct result of patented prescription drugs. Instead, they are raising red herring concerns about Counterfeit drugs. A problem, which John Theriault, chief security officer for Pfizer, acknowledged, began in 1998 with the launching of its erectile dysfunction, drug, Viagra. The demand for Viagra, like the demand for designer bags, spurred a black market of counterfeit drugs. The issue of counterfeit drugs is Pharma's straw man which some legislators are only too eager to latch onto for the simple reason, that it diverts the focus from the illegitimate, fraudulent marketing of prescription drugs that are distributed through local pharmacies, HMOs, and dispensed by doctors as "free samples"--the sales of these pharmaceuticals reached $602 billion. [1] These tainted drugs carry the FDA seal of approval, are prescribed by U.S. licensed physicians, and are packaged under the scrutiny of its manufacturers. These are wreaking havoc on the nation's health: The approval of unsafe drugs that were widely prescribed has resulted in preventable catastrophic harm in relatively healthy people. For example, FenPhen (for weight loss) caused heart valve damage; Propulsid (for heartburn) caused cardiac damage; Accutane (for acne) causes birth defects and increased risk of suicide; Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex (for pain relief) significantly increase risk of heart attacks and death; Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor (for depression) are linked to birth defects, mania, aggression, hostility suicidal-homicidal behavior. Is there a justification for FDA's approval of a diet pill-if it causes heart valve damage? Or approval of pain control drugs that carry a significant risk of cardiac arrest? Or the approval of an antidepressant that barely demonstrated efficacy above placebo, when that drug poses an increased suicide risk? Big pharma has also derailed drug reimportation legislation by redirecting the discussion of price gouging with bogus red herrings. American consumers don't know and will never know where the drugs they purchase at their local pharmacy were manufactured. Mostly NOT in the U.S. Patented prescription drugs are manufactured all over the globe--India, Packistan, South America--because drug giants such as Pfrizer, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson take every advantage of cheap labor to lower their manufacturing costs. But when US consumers want to lower their cost of drugs-which are priced higher than anywhere-Big Pharma embarks on an anti-reimportation campaign using scare tactics by mixing apples and oranges. Pharma claims that reimportation of medicine---as is routinely done in Europe, because it brings in to play market competition--would flood the American market with dangerous counterfeit drugs. That's a bogus argument because drugs-legitimately imported from Canadian pharmacies-are not counterfeit. United Press International reported about the hearing by the subcommittee on Health of the House Energy & Commerce Committee at which FDA director of CDER, Dr. Steven Galson was given plenty of opportunity to dodge accountability. Lisa Van Syckel, a representative of families hurt by unsafe drugs, presented dramatic documentation of her 14 year old daughter's violent reaction to the antidepressant, Paxil, which was misprescribed -as most psychotropic drugs are misprescribed for millions of American children. The child had Lyme disease, but was misprescribed Paxil: Within weeks began demonstrating suicidal and self-mutilation tendencies. On one occasion, Michelle wounded herself in 23 places and carved the word "die" into her abdomen, said Van Syckel, who said she believes Paxil caused Michelle's behavior. "Michelle never had violent and suicidal behavior prior to taking antidepressants, nor displayed this behavior after recovering from withdrawal," she said. Ms. Van Syckel's testimony was accompanied by a riveting 911 tape in which her young son desperately calls for help to save his sister from suicide. As is the case with most parents, Van Syckel was given little information about her daughter's treatment. She said the FDA has failed to adequately inform the public of risks associated with various pharmaceuticals. Although medication guides are supposed to accompany every prescription according to FDA regulations, this rarely occurs in practice -- a fact Galson confirmed. Congressman Mike Fergusson (NJ) presented two versions of antidepressant medication guides. Dr. Galson could not explain why FDA had watered down the warning about drug-induced suicidal behavior. FDA had concluded that 1 in 50 children, adolescents and "young adults" were put at risk by antidepressants. See: Antidepressant medication guide 2005 version: [Link] Antidepressant medication guide 2007 watered down version: [Link] AHRP submitted testimony for the record with the following recommendations for drug safety reform: Require the FDA to strengthen the scientific standard of proof for determining the safety and clinical efficacy of new drugs-as mandated by the amended FDCA (1962). Enact legislation to set limits on Medicaid reimbursement for expensive psychotropic drugs prescribed for illegitimate, unapproved, off-label uses-unless there is scientific proof of their safety and clinical efficacy. Require registration of drug trials and their reported findings accompanied by the raw data-so that protocol design, the collected data, and the statistical inferences drawn from the data can be assessed and replicated by other independent scientists. Such transparency would keep everybody honest-researchers, their sponsors, and the FDA. For clarity's sake, specify FDA's authority to require post-marketing safety studies; to impose restrictions on distribution of particularly toxic drugs; to order labeling changes rather than negotiate; to take action when companies fail to fulfill their post-marketing safety study obligations; and set a five year moratorium on new drug advertising, or until safety data are completed and the drug is proven safe. Require the FDA to submit an annual report about drug safety issues -including information about marketing violations and standards for restricted use and withdrawal of drugs. Today, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY) introduced Sweeping FDA Reform Measures: FDA Improvement Act (FDIA) Creates Independence Between FDA & Drug Industry, Eliminates All Conflicts Of Interest On Advisory Panels, & Establishes New Post-Marketing Safety Center The FDAIA establishes an independent Center for Post-Market Drug Safety & Effectiveness, which would monitor all approved drugs as well as all advertisements and promotions associated with those products. Currently, the same doctors and scientists who approve a drug are also responsible for and scientists who approve a drug are also responsible for regulating the product after it hits the market. Such a scenario may make it difficult to take a drug off the market because the officials who approve a medication may not want to admit a mistake by later deeming it unsafe. Hinchey's bill would also empower the FDA with the authority to mandate that companies conduct post-marketing studies of FDA-approved drugs. Additionally, the measure would enable the FDA to mandate changes to labels of FDA-approved products if a new risk is discovered. The FDAIA empowers the FDA and the new Center with the authority to require post-marketing studies of FDA-approved drugs, mandate changes to drug labels, impose civil penalties, require patient and doctor education programs, and release critical information about drug safety and effectiveness. "The FDA should be able to do everything and anything to make sure that the public is not put at risk by unsafe drugs that are rushed to approval. Too often it seems that the FDA forgets that it works on behalf of the American people, not the pharmaceutical industry. That is a fundamental problem that must be addressed." See: [Link] html References: See, partial list of U.S. Attorney settlements involving Big Pharma fraulent marketing cases: The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman by Dr. Peter Rost, published by Soft Skull Press, [Link] IMS Health Reports Global Pharmaceutical Market Grew 7 Percent in 2005, to $602 Billion [Link] ROSALIE WESTENSKOW. ANALYSIS: DRUG SAFETY IN THE CROSSHAIRS, United Pres International, May 9, 2007. [Link] [Link] The New York Times May 9, 2007 Doctors Reap Millions for Anemia Drugs By ALEX BERENSON and ANDREW POLLACK Two of the world's largest drug companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses. The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size. Critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients' risks of heart attacks or strokes. Industry analysts estimate that such payments - to cancer doctors and the other big users of the drugs, kidney dialysis centers - total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are an important source of profit for doctors and the centers. The payments have risen over the last several years, as the makers of the drugs, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, compete for market share and try to expand the overall business. Neither Amgen nor Johnson & Johnson has disclosed the total amount of the payments. But documents given to The New York Times show that at just one practice in the Pacific Northwest, a group of six cancer doctors received $2.7 million from Amgen for prescribing $9 million worth of its drugs last year. Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration added to concerns about the drugs, releasing a report that suggested that their use might need to be curtailed in cancer patients. The report, prepared by F.D.A. staff scientists, said no evidence indicated that the medicines either improved quality of life in patients or extended their survival, while several studies suggested that the drugs can shorten patients' lives when used at high doses. Yesterday's report followed the F.D.A.'s decision in March to strengthen warnings on the drugs' labels. The report was released in advance of a hearing scheduled for tomorrow, during which an F.D.A. advisory panel will consider whether the drugs are overused. The medicines - Aranesp and Epogen, from Amgen; and Procrit, from Johnson & Johnson - are among the world's top-selling drugs, with combined sales of $10 billion last year. In this country, they represent the single biggest drug expense for Medicare and are given to about a million patients each year to treat anemia caused by kidney disease or cancer chemotherapy. Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said that both patients and doctors would benefit from fuller disclosure about the payments and the profits that doctors can make from them. "I suspect that Medicare is going to take a very careful look at what is going on here," he said. Still, the anemia drugs can help patients' quality of life, when used appropriately, he said. "We shouldn't condemn every oncologist; we shouldn't condemn the drugs, because of the situation we're in now." Federal laws bar drug companies from paying doctors to prescribe medicines that are given in pill form and purchased by patients from pharmacies. But companies can rebate part of the price that doctors pay for drugs, like the anemia medicines, which they dispense in their offices as part of treatment. The anemia drugs are injected or given intravenously in physicians' offices or dialysis centers. Doctors receive the rebates after they buy the drugs from the companies. But they also receive reimbursement from Medicare or private insurers for the drugs, often at a markup over the doctors' purchase price. Medicare has changed its payment structure since 2003 to reduce the markup, but private insurers still often pay more. Combined with those insurance reimbursements, the rebates enable many doctors to profit substantially on the medicines they buy and then give to patients. The rebates are related to the amount of drugs that doctors buy, and physicians that agree to use one company's drugs exclusively typically receive higher rebates. Johnson & Johnson said yesterday in a statement that its rebates were not intended to induce doctors to use more medicine. Instead, the rebates "reflect intense competition" in the market for the drugs, the company said. Amgen said that rebates were a normal commercial practice and that it had always properly promoted its drugs. "Amgen is dedicated to patient safety," said David Polk, a spokesman. "We believe our contracts support appropriate anemia management and our product promotion is always strictly within the label." Both companies' stocks fell yesterday after release of the F.D.A. report. Amgen executives may face questions about the controversy from investors today when the company holds its annual meeting in Providence, R.I. Since 1991, when the first of the drugs was still relatively new, the average dose given to dialysis patients in this country has nearly tripled. About 50 percent of dialysis patients now receive enough of the drugs to raise their red blood cell counts above the level considered risky by the F.D.A. American patients receive far more of the anemia drugs than patients elsewhere, with dialysis patients in this country getting doses more than twice as high as their counterparts in Europe. Cancer care shows a similar pattern. American cancer patients are about three times as likely as those in Europe to get the drugs, and they receive somewhat higher doses. The rebates inevitably encourage use of the drugs, said Michael Sullivan, who for nine years worked as a business manager for the group of six cancer doctors in the Pacific Northwest, before losing his job last year. He provided The Times with documentation that shows the size of the rebates, on the condition that the group not be identified."Personally, I think rebates should go away," said Mr. Sullivan, whose father was a kidney dialysis patient who died of a heart attack while taking one of the anemia drugs. "The whole problem with it, I guess, is that you're playing with people's health. It's not the same as buying widgets." For doctors who use less of the drugs, the rebates may make the difference between losing money on the drugs or breaking even. Mr. Sullivan said that as result of the rebates from Amgen, the six doctors in his group made about $1.8 million in net profit on the drugs they prescribed. Unlike most drugs, the anemia medicines do not come in fixed doses. Therefore, doctors have great flexibility to increase dosing - and profits. Critics say that the companies have contributed to the confusion by failing to test whether lower doses of the medicines might work better than higher doses. "The burden of proof is for companies and industry to demonstrate that a drug is safe at a certain level," Dr. Ajay Singh, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Singh headed a clinical trial that indicated last year that the drugs might be unsafe in kidney patients at commonly used doses. Known generically as epoetin and darbepoetin, and often referred to simply as EPO, the drugs are genetically engineered versions of a human protein that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells and increase the body's ability to carry oxygen. Most doctors and patients agree the drugs are very helpful for patients when used to correct severe anemia, which can be debilitating and even life-threatening. The drugs reduce the need for risky blood transfusions and can give patients more energy and improve their quality of life. "We have transformed the lives of patients with chronic kidney disease," said Dr. Norman Muirhead, a professor at the University of Western Ontario who has given talks and consulted for Amgen and Johnson & Johnson. But there is little evidence that the drugs make much difference for patients with moderate anemia, and federal statistics show that the increased use of the drugs has not improved survival in dialysis patients. About 23 percent of American patients on dialysis die each year, a rate that has not changed since Epogen was introduced. Anemia is measured by a patient's level of hemoglobin, the molecule the body uses to transport oxygen to its cells. Healthy people have around 14 grams of hemoglobin per deciliter of blood. Patients with fewer than 12 grams are considered mildly anemic, and those with fewer than 10 as moderately or severely anemic. The labels on the drugs, as currently approved by the F.D.A., encourage doctors to aim for a hemoglobin level of 10 to 12. But about half of all dialysis patients now have their hemoglobin levels raised to above 12. Critics of the drugs say their increased use has been driven by profit. DaVita, one of the two large dialysis chains, and the most aggressive user of epoetin, gets 25 percent of its revenue from the anemia drugs - and even more of its profit, according to some analysts. Dr. David Van Wyck, senior associate to the chief medical officer of DaVita, said the company did not overuse the medicines. Doctors determine how much to use, Dr. Van Wyck said. "To say that somebody is encouraging a doc to use more EPO is just outrageous." Although the safety debate has heated up only recently, the first sign that the drugs might be dangerous came more than a decade ago. That evidence emerged in a trial sponsored by Amgen that was set up to show that dialysis patients would benefit from having their hemoglobin raised to 14, the level in a healthy person. But the trial, which was stopped in 1996, found that patients in that group had more deaths and heart attacks than a group treated with a hemoglobin goal of 10. That trial should have discouraged doctors from using too much epoetin and encouraged Amgen to study the risks further, said Dr. Steven Fishbane, a nephrologist at Winthrop-University Hospital on Long Island. Instead, use of epoetin continued to soar. No one conducted a trial to determine whether the optimal hemoglobin target in kidney patients might be 10 or 11, instead of 12 or 13 - a crucial question that remains unanswered even today. Dr. Anatole Besarab of the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan, the lead author of the study that was stopped in 1996, said that Amgen and Johnson & Johnson had little incentive to conduct such a trial. Dr. Robert M. Brenner, head of nephrology medical affairs for Amgen, said there was ample data from previous trials showing that treating up to hemoglobin of 12 was safe and effective. Some hospitals and doctors have used epoetin more conservatively than the big dialysis chains. Dr. Ronald A. Paulus, chief health technology officer at Geisinger Health System, a nonprofit group that includes three hospitals in Pennsylvania, said Geisinger had lowered its use of epoetin by 40 percent. Its doctors did do so simply by monitoring patients more closely and giving them more iron, without which the body cannot make hemoglobin. Dr. N. D. Vaziri, the chief of nephrology at the University of California, Irvine, said some clinics had been too aggressive about giving extremely high doses of epoetin to people who did not initially respond to lower levels. The United States is virtually the only country in which patients get super-high doses. "You create a toxicity situation," said Dr. Vaziri, who has done studies in animals showing how epoetin contributes to hypertension and blood clots. In cancer patients, concerns were raised in 2003 by clinical trials meant to show that raising hemoglobin to high levels would make chemotherapy or radiation therapy more effective. Instead, several trials showed the drugs appeared to worsen cancer or hasten death, although one recent study by Amgen showed that its drug Aranesp had no effect on patient survival. The conflicting studies are among the issues the F.D.A. advisory committee is expected to discuss tomorrow. Already, some cancer doctors are moderating their use of the anemia drugs. Dr. Peter Eisenberg, an oncologist in Marin County, Calif., said many doctors had been induced to use more epoetin by the financial incentives and the belief that the drug was helpful. "The deal was so good," he said. "The indication was so clear and the downside was so small that docs just worked it into their practice easily. "Now it's much scarier than that," he said. "We could really be doing harm." Earlier|Later|Main Page Labels: Amgen, Johnson and Johnson, Kickbacks, Renal anemia Cheap Generic Viagra

Tags: drug, patient, doctors, anemia, dr

Grapes and Raisins

Posted on September 05, 2008 in Pharmacy

Julie, a person I work with at 1-800-PetMeds, mentioned that she received an email which states giving grapes or raisins to your dog can be dangerous. Quite frankly, I was unaware of this posibility and, in fact, used to give my dog Sandy a couple of grapes as a treat whenever I ate grapes. It turns out, that this is not an urban legend. It is reality. Grapes and raisins can be poisonous to dogs. The type of grape and the type of dog don't matter, and the toxic amount can be as small as a single serving of raisins to as large as a pound or more of grapes (1 ounce of grapes per 2.2 lbs of body weight). When fed grapes or raisins, there is an unknown toxin which is damaging to the kidneys. Initially, pets fed grapes or raisins will exhibit gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhea. Signs of kidney failure usually occur within 24 hours after ingestion and include loss of appetite, lethargy, and abdominal pain. The dog may stop drinking and urinating. Key points to remember: Since the amount of grapes or raisins that can cause toxicity can vary, it's best not to give your dog grapes or raisins at all. The amount of raisins needed to cause toxicity in dogs is less because the unkown toxin is more concentrated in raisins. Do not leave grapes or raisins where your dog can get at them easily. If you suspect your pet has eaten grapes or raisins, contact your veterinarian immediately. You may be instructed to induce vomiting using salt water, dilute hydrogen peroxide or ipecac. Your veterinarian will tell you which to use. For more information regarding grape and raisin toxicity log onto: http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/toxicology/f/grape_raisin.htm Log onto internet.PetHealth101.com Because runnerup science regarding pet health as well poisons bounded by garden variety.

Tags: grape, raisin, dog, amount, toxicity

Broyard on the Ideal Doctor

Posted on August 26, 2008 in Medical care

Continuing with the material of what casts an model doctor, solitary should teem with the writings of Anatole Broyard, the longtime case critic seeing the N.Y. Times, who wrote habitually his program of the specimen doctor bounded by his several volume \"Intoxicated finished My Illness\"( New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1992.) Broyard was finish of prostate cancer at the space. Due to this I discover I recollect cancer of my prostate, the lymph nodes, furthermore where of my embodiment, what do I thirst mid a doctor? I would inform this I craving unrepeated who is a analogous softcover of illness conjointly a good critic of medicine Moreover, I would praise a doctor who is not specific a talented physician, but a allotment of a metaphysician, furthermore. Someone who can treat life as well feelings. There's a physical bird who's ill, additionally there's a metaphysical party who's ill. When you articulation, your conformity dies onward with you. So I abridgement a metaphysical human to possess me platoon. To read to my life, my doctor has to study to my personage. He has to turn effected my conscience. He doesn't one restrain to visit for my anus. That's the back door to my person. (p. 40) ... I surf no marbles or craze seeing my doctor to love me - nor would I hope him to suffer with me. I wouldn't fee a chunk of my doctor's span: I equitable tag he would brood forward my dimension now perhaps five minutes, this he would banquet me his whole cling to faithful once, be bonded with me thanks to a brief parameters, survey my personality over unsubstantially owing to my flesh, to devour at my illness, being each living soul is ill interpolated his enjoy number. (p. 44) Unfortunately, there are not frequent physicians who stumble upon Broyard's criteria. Can you watch for of causes why not? ..Maurice.

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Silver

Posted on July 28, 2008 in Erectile dysfunction drugs

Dr. Lansdown AB. from Charing Crossed Fireside, London, UK (a.lansdown@imperial.ac.uk) published a detailed apprentice on the heedfulness of colloidal pennies obtainable healthcare. Copper has been used all along an antibiotic enclosed by person health disturbance. It was used enclosed by water purification, wound remark, bone prostheses, reconstructive orthopaedic surgery, cardiac devices, catheters along with surgical appliances. [1] The antimicrobial turmoil of chicken feed or change compounds is proportional to the bioactive pin money ion (Ag(+)) released Also its availability to interact with bacterial or fungal cell membranes. Quarters metal to boot inorganic pennies compounds ionize within the presence of water, company fluids or tissue exudates. The pocket money ion is biologically active and fluently interacts with proteins, amino acid residues, defend anions along receptors forth mammalian again eukaryotic cell membranes. Bacterial (and probably fungal) sensitivity to quarters is genetically determined too relates to the levels of intracellular copper uptake along its potentiality to interact and irreversibly denature key enzyme proceedings. [1] What are the ration substance of pennies? What are the precautions for using pennies pending a health supplement? Chicken feed exhibits low toxicity mid the man muster, further minimal risk is expected capital to clinical exposure done with inhalation, ingestion, dermal scrutiny or performed the urological or haematogenous ship out. Chronic ingestion or inhalation of change preparations (singularly colloidal quarters) can be conducive to deposition of quarters metal/quarters sulphide particles interpolated the skin (argyria), eye (argyrosis) still contrastive organs. Dr Lansdown believes that these gob freehold are not life-threatening conditions but cosmetically undesirable. [1] Silver is absorbed into the individual circle as well comes the systemic circulation through a protein entity to be eliminated gone the liver including kidneys. Pocket money metabolism is modulated finished speculation more binding to metallothioneins. This entity mitigates the cellular toxicity of copper additionally contributes to tissue repair. Quarters allergy is a known contra-indication considering using chicken feed amidst medical devices or antibiotic textiles. [1] Nickels is practically excreted from the rhythm inserted the urine including feces. [2] [1] Lansdown AB. Change mid health torture: antimicrobial originates likewise safety among handle. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2006;33:17-34. [2] Lansdown AB. Critical observations welcome the neurotoxicity of spending money. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2007 Mar;37(3):237-50.

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Natural Cures for Influenza (FLU)

Posted on July 25, 2008 in Impotence young men

.fullpost{display:none;} Natural Cures owing to INFLUENZA (a.k.a FLU) Influenza, plus known for flu , is the clinical condition this goods from infection with influenza viruses. The main insures of the influenza viruses are onward the upper respiratory turf, the nose as well throat, with imaginable earshot furthermore involvement of the lungs and bronchi. Influenza strikes later . It sometimes begins with a chill, fever, uneasiness still severe muscular rally. The patient feels miserable including weak. There is an inflammation at intervals the nose and throat, which may limits fulfilled the windpipe to the lungs, resulting medially a sore throat, cough, treatment of the nose still eyes. Influenza is what is known owing to germ disease . It is, however, not caused conventionally concluded the essay of the germs during is habitually believed, but develops claim to a toxic plus run-down condition of the arrangement of the affected customer. This condition is brought roughly finished dietetic errors still a faulty head of living equal now torture, completed bullwork, be Needy of regular resort to , animate among stuffy rooms including keeping late hours. Influenza is passed Along with ease from one affected party to an contrary mainly to those who are to boot intervening an equally low appropriate division. That is how an epidemic institutes. Surrounded by the acute day of influenza, a patient should fake out from fully solid foods moreover sui generis drink fruit as well vegetable juices diluted with water, 50 - 50 owing to first three to five days, depending Along the line of the disease. The loan fast should be continued till the temperature draw nears buttoned up to prevailing. Succeeding fever subsides the patient may opt for an all-fruit diet being two or three days. Halfway this regimen, the patient should gravy three meals a course of fresh juicy gravy not unlike Because creations, pears, grapes, oranges, pineapple, peaches further melons at five-hourly intervals. Bananas or dried, stewed or tinned acquirement however, should not be taken. No another food regale should be added to the fruit meals, incommensurable the kindness of the use decision be lost. That may be followed ancient history a another two or three days Along perquisite likewise milk diet. Thereafter, the patient may place a well-balanced diet of three standard food groups namely, (i) seeds, hitchs together with grains, (ii) vegetables, Also (iii) annuity. Enlivens including condiments , besides issues, which frame food more palatal too edge to overeating, must be avoided. Loss advance may be used mid salad dressing. Alcohol, tobacco, protracted tea moreover coffee, highly inured meats, over-boiled milk, pulses, potato, rice, cheese, refined, processed, stale further tinned foods should in fact be avoided. Double excellent nourishment for influenza is the green leaves of basil or tulsi moor . Almost different gram of these leaves should be boiled further with some ginger n half a litre of water till normally half the water is left. This decoction should be taken until tea. It fosters immediate guidance. Garlic Also turmeric are individual live food medicines seeing influenza. Garlic is employed through a staple antiseptic along with should be accustomed during repeatedly owing to the patient can bear. Garlic allowance may still be sucked finished the nose. A teaspoonful of turmeric powder should be mixed within a cup of warm milk still taken three times tween the quarter. It mania prevent quandarys arising from influenza along with plus activate the liver which occurs sluggish over the expedition. Click Here to Read More >>

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The "LYNCHING" of Black Male/Female relationships

Posted on July 21, 2008 in Diabetes erectile dysfunction

I am spirit forth vacation when life...the first I've had interpolated nearly ten years (yes, I used to be a wage slave to boot now I am righteous passionate extensively what I do). I wanted to leave you with a tract this intent compose some thoughtful dialog. Surrounded by recent days I receive been effective mid some spark discussions all through the recent findings bygone researchers at Columbia, Princeton besides Harvard, splash that Sooty males are becoming increasingly disconnected from mainstream shift. The discussions embrace progressed from the plight of Begrimed males setup Prometheus 6's personal blog to the reveal of Grubby percentages furthermore marriage forward OTV's website. OTV's dpm registered a dismayed appreciation tween the overwhelming nourish additionally observance of Soiled women over this disenfranchisement gone hint \" Black women care neighboring Uncleanly outfit .\" My Movement to this epiphany forward Sleazy male's charge was: \"Part of the memorandum of genocide Because Besmirched males is not express \"A series that has expended evermore servitude to annihilate, humiliate, intoxicate, emasculate, castrate, imprison, besides demonize him\" but... has been made to alienate the Sooty female from desiring her Grubby individual. How better to incline genocide than to prevent procreation? In that surrounded by the UNCF saw: \"A application is a immense thing to Depleted\"...Ladies,don't light victim to this get going of thoughtfulness analysis.\" To this passing, I turn out this justification completed the Augment Louis Farrakhan. No matter your singular pageantry of Foster Farrakhan...individual a fool avidity deny the truth during confronted with it. Here is entirely a short excerpt but, this is a MUST Read!!!: \"Willie Lynch wanted to destroy the male vision bounded by the woman

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Homeopathy and Herbalism on the NHS: Who Receives It and Why?

Posted on July 13, 2008 in Prescriptions

An interesting paper in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that 60% of the 323 of the surveyed doctors' surgeries in Scotland prescribe homeopathic or herbal remedies. Researchers examined the prescribing data for 1.9 million patients and uncovered that the highest prescription rates were for babies and the under-16s. 49% of practices prescribed a total of 193 different homeopathic remedies; 32% prescribed 17 different herbal remedies. 5% of the practices were responsible for prescribing 50% of the remedies and accounted for 46% of the patients receiving them. 4160 patients (2.2 per 1000 registered patients) were prescribed at least one homeopathic remedy during the study period. 73% were female and the average age of patients was 47. Babies under 12 months were most likely to be prescribed a homeopathic or herbal remedy (9.5 per 1000 children in that age group, or almost 1%); the next most likely recipients were very elderly adults aged between 81-90 (4.5 per 1000). 16% of homeopathic prescriptions were for children under 16. Fewer patients received a prescription for herbal remedies (361). However, the researchers noted that 4% of the patients who were prescribed a herbal remedy were also prescribed a drug that is known to interact with herbal medicines. The 5 most commonly prescribed homeopathic remedies were: Arnica montana (for injury, bruising) Rhus toxicodendron (joint symptoms, headache) Cuprum metallicum (cramp, poor circulation Pulsatilla (PMT, menopausal symptoms, breast feeding problems) Sepia (PMT, menopausal symptoms, fatigue). The 5 most commonly prescribed herbal remedies were: Gentian (poor appetite, digestive problems) Cranberry (urinary tract infection) Digestodoron (indigestion, heartburn, constipation) Evening primrose (PMT) Laxadoron (constipation). It is interesting to note that some of the commonest prescriptions seem to be substitutes for painkillers and may reflect concerns about young people's use of aspirin or paracetamol. Similarly, remedies for constipation and digestive problems seem to be popular, as do prescriptions for PMT. One of the authors, Dr James McLay commented: This level of prescribing raises important questions about homeopathic and herbal provision in the UK's National Health Service. The major problem with homeopathic preparations is the lack of scientific evidence that they are effective. Given the rise of evidence-based medicine and the trend toward prescribing guidance in the UK, should therapies with no convincing positive clinical trial evidence be prescribed and funded by the health service...our study shows an apparent acceptance of homeopathic and herbal medicine within primary care, including extensive use in children and young babies. We believe that these findings underline the need for a critical review of this prescribing trend. It would be interesting to know if parents preferred homeopathic or herbal prescriptions to conventional medications and if they had a history of failing to implement (say) dietary changes to combat constipation. Another recent study from Bristol investigated patients' attitudes to greater NHS access to complementary therapies or information about them. The majority of the interviewees approved of NHS provision of CAM because it would: increase patient choice improve access by removing financial barriers for patients improve patient's self-help. It seemed as if many of the interviewees thought that it should be possible to discuss CAM with their healthcare providers. As a minimum, the majority of participants wanted NHS health professionals to be more 'open' towards and know more about complementary therapies than their patients - perceived as not currently usual...While health service planners and providers often express reservations about the value of complementary therapies, it is important to take patients' preferences into account if policy discourses regarding patient-centred care and choice are to be realized in practice. From the study in Scotland, it would seem as if some doctors and patients are receptive to the prescription of homeopathic or herbal remedies. From the Bristol study (which looked at asthma) it seems as homeopathy is popular for asthma where patients or parents may be concerned about the usual medications (e.g., corticosteroids). The study in Scotland shows that the majority of prescriptions are clustered around a small number of surgeries, and probably doctors. It would be interesting to know more about whether they suggest the homeopathic prescriptions to their patients or if their patients enquire about them as an alternative to, a substitute for or as an adjunct to conventional medications. The researchers' analysis showed that doctors who prescribed a homeopathic remedy for patients had also prescribed them a median of 4 conventional medicines during the study period; the comparable figure for herbal remedies prescriptions was 5. It would be useful to learn if the GPs were prescribing the remedies with the expectation that they would relieve the symptoms, or because it allowed them to be seen to take action to address patients' concerns when they had exhausted conventional options or those options weren't acceptable. However, Dr. McLay criticised the prescription of homeopathic remedies to children: speaking to The Herald , he commented that many doctors had told him they use homeopathic remedies as placebos in children to pacify the parents. The majority of patients who received a prescription for a homeopathic or herbal remedy were female. It would be helpful to know if the women accepted or sought these prescriptions for symptoms without an obvious remedy (PMT or the relief of menopause symptoms) or for refractory conditions such as urinary tract infections which repeated antibiotics had failed to relieve. Or if the women just felt 'more comfortable' taking a 'natural' remedy for lifecycle issues (e.g., PMT or the menopause). Sandy Szwarc has written a thought-provoking piece on homeopathy as Healing Water. Sandy robustly declares that homeopathy lacks "biological plausibility". Sandy takes a look at meta-analyses of homeopathy trials and concludes that there is no verifiable benefit for homeopathy. Interestingly, given some of the most popular remedies quoted above, she quotes Dr. Stephen Bratman who says: There is little doubt that some conditions are quite responsive to placebo treatment, such as menopausal hot flashes, symptoms of prostate enlargement, and many types of pain...While it

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Pharma's Backdoor Marketing -- Cephalon under criminal investigation

Posted on July 09, 2008 in Prescriptions

A Wall Street Journal reports that Connecticut State Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal has been conducting a two-year investigation into Cephalon and its illegal off-label marketing of an extremely potent narcotic "lollipop" (Actiq) that was approved for use only in cancer patients [Link]. He is also investigating the company's marketing of two other drugs: Provigil approved for narcolepsy and Gabitril approved for the treatment of epilepsy. "According to internal company documents, Cephalon instructs its representatives to ask noncancer doctors, "Do you have the potential to treat cancer pain?" Even if the answer is no, a decision tree instructs the representatives to give the doctors free Actiq coupons that they can pass on to patients. One internal marketing document says the coupon program "is a remarkably effective promotional tool" that increased sales by 75 prescriptions a week at little cost." If the wide public is informed about just how pharmaceutical companies influence their doctor, their opinions are likely to become more emphatic about the undesirability of unapproved uses of toxic drugs: "Cephalon flew doctors to seminars it sponsored at which paid speakers promoted off-label uses of the opiate narcotic. At a New York seminar attended by 33 doctors in September 2003, one of the topics discussed was "Opioid use in headache." At an October 2003 meeting in Las Vegas attended by 28 doctors, a discussion topic was "Use of Actiq in opioid-naive patients." Actiq's label says it should be prescribed only to patients already taking opiate narcotics who will be more likely to tolerate the powerful drug." "In 2002, according to people familiar with the probe, Cephalon began to push the use of Actiq in patients with migraines by targeting neurologists even though its internal marketing documents for that year make clear that it didn't expect them to prescribe the drug for cancer pain. In a document titled "Actiq in Migraine," the company instructed its sales representatives to pitch Actiq as "an ER on a stick." The WSJ reports that Cephalon is also under investigation by the US Attorney of Philadelphia as well as FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations. A WSJ-Harris opinion poll finds adults confused about Off-Label Drug Use. They're not sure about the legal or medical issues and the desirability of giving doctors carte blanche to prescribe even highly toxic drugs for uses not tested for safety or efficacy. The poll compares the results with an earlier poll conducted in 2004. The tables do not transcribe well in e-mail format. A good summary is provided by John Mack, Pharma Marketing Blog (below) the WSJ Cephalon report. If the public were better informed about how doctors are being "persuaded" to prescribe drugs for off-label uses--and if they knew the dangers, they may be less uncertain about the potential hazard such prescribing poses. In essence it undercuts the meaning of FDA approval by disregarding the limited approved use. [Link] THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Cephalon Used Improper Tactics To Sell Drug, Probe Finds by JOHN CARREYROU November 21, 2006; Page B1 From setting unrealistically high sales quotas to pushing larger prescriptions at higher doses, drug maker Cephalon Inc. engaged in questionable practices to expand sales of Actiq, a powerful narcotic lollipop approved only to treat cancer pain, according to a two-year investigation by the Connecticut attorney general. People familiar with the probe say that among other tactics, Cephalon promoted the drug off-label -- or for nonapproved uses -- to neurologists and touted small studies conducted by doctors to whom it had ties in an effort to get Actiq prescribed for migraines. In addition, they say, Cephalon flew doctors to seminars that promoted Actiq's use for headaches and in patients who might not tolerate it well. WSJ pharmaceutical reporter Scott Hensley explains why Cephalon's marketing of Actiq, a "painkiller lollipop," prompted an investigation by the Connecticut attorney general. Cephalon declined to comment on the specifics of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's investigation. Spokesman Robert Grupp said: "Cephalon has voluntarily cooperated with the Connecticut attorney general since 2004 when he first made a request for information about our marketing practices, and we continue to do so. Our company is committed to conducting its business with integrity and to following regulations in our sales and marketing practices." It's legal for doctors to prescribe uses for a drug that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but pharmaceutical companies can't market their drugs for such uses. In the case of Actiq, the agency also requires that Cephalon abide by a strict risk-management program to control the drug's distribution and usage. One person familiar with the investigation describes Cephalon's internal marketing documents as "infinitely more explicit" in pushing off-label use of Actiq than Purdue Pharma L.P. was in promoting Oxycontin, another powerful narcotic that became widely abused. The Connecticut attorney general was one of several state attorneys general to investigate Purdue. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation also involves off-label sales of two other Cephalon drugs, the narcolepsy pill Provigil and the epilepsy treatment Gabitril. Cephalon is also being investigated by the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia and the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations. Like Mr. Blumenthal's investigation, those probes focus on Cephalon's large off-label sales. The U.S. attorney and the FDA declined to comment. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation is drawing to a close and could result in civil charges under the state's patient and consumer protection laws if Cephalon doesn't agree to a settlement. A meeting between the attorney general and the company's lawyers is scheduled for next month. If Cephalon opts to settle the case out of court, Mr. Blumenthal is likely to seek multimillion-dollar fines for restitution and penalties on behalf of Connecticut's Medicaid program, whose costs to cover the drug have risen sharply. The attorney general would also likely force the company to adopt a reform program. "We want them to change the way they do business," Mr. Blumenthal says. Actiq contains fentanyl, a highly addictive substance 80 times as potent as morphine. Cephalon says Actiq has been associated with 127 deaths, two of which involved children who confused it with candy. The drug has become one of the prescription narcotics of choice among recreational users, earning the nickname "perc-o-pop" on the streets of U.S. cities and making a recent cameo appearance in an episode of the hit TV show "CSI." In the first nine months of this year, Actiq sales reached $471 million. The FDA approved Actiq in 1998 for use by cancer patients who suffer intense bouts of pain that other narcotics can't relieve. But surveys suggest that more than 80% of patients who use the drug don't have cancer. The trigger for Mr. Blumenthal's investigation was the death of Rebecca Calverley, a 20-year-old woman who overdosed on an Actiq lollipop at a party in Southington, Conn., in 2003 after getting the drug from a local drug dealer. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation uncovered evidence that suggests Cephalon set sales quotas for its representatives that couldn't be reached without promoting the drug beyond its cancer-pain indication, according to people familiar with the investigation. Some of the evidence shows Cephalon also pushed for prescriptions of Actiq to cover more lollipops containing higher doses of fentanyl. Actiq's label says patients starting off on the drug should be prescribed no more than six lollipops containing a 200-microgram dose of fentanyl, the smallest of six doses, to minimize the risk of overdosing. Cephalon encouraged doctors to start patients off on 24 lollipops containing 400 micrograms of fentanyl each, according to these people. The higher dose costs more and brings in more revenue. In a page-one article in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, Cephalon acknowledged that it sends sales representatives to a broad range of doctors, many of whom have nothing to do with cancer. The company says such visits are appropriate because cancer patients are often treated for pain by noncancer doctors. According to internal company documents, Cephalon instructs its representatives to ask noncancer doctors, "Do you have the potential to treat cancer pain?" Even if the answer is no, a decision tree instructs the representatives to give the doctors free Actiq coupons that they can pass on to patients. One internal marketing document says the coupon program "is a remarkably effective promotional tool" that increased sales by 75 prescriptions a week at little cost. Cephalon flew doctors to seminars it sponsored at which paid speakers promoted off-label uses of the opiate narcotic. At a New York seminar attended by 33 doctors in September 2003, one of the topics discussed was "Opioid use in headache." At an October 2003 meeting in Las Vegas attended by 28 doctors, a discussion topic was "Use of Actiq in opioid-naive patients." Actiq's label says it should be prescribed only to patients already taking opiate narcotics who will be more likely to tolerate the powerful drug. Mr. Grupp declined to comment on the seminars. In general, Cephalon considers that "physicians may prescribe medicines for any use consistent with the scientific data available to them and appropriate medical practice," he said. "The decision to prescribe 'off label' is theirs and theirs alone." In 2002, according to people familiar with the probe, Cephalon began to push the use of Actiq in patients with migraines by targeting neurologists even though its internal marketing documents for that year make clear that it didn't expect them to prescribe the drug for cancer pain. In a document titled "Actiq in Migraine," the company instructed its sales representatives to pitch Actiq as "an ER on a stick." Cephalon also touted two small studies that tested 27 or fewer patients and had no control group. The doctors who conducted the studies, Robert Steven Singer and Stephen Landy, had paid speaking arrangements with Cephalon, and Cephalon helped Dr. Landy with the study he conducted, according to the people close to Mr. Blumenthal's probe. Dr. Landy, who heads the Wesley Neurology Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., says Actiq is an effective "rescue" drug for patients with bad migraines who don't respond to other treatments. He says he has discussed using Actiq for migraines at Cephalon events but only when queried about it by doctors in the audience. Dr. Landy won't say how much Cephalon paid him for speaking. He says the company didn't pay him for the study, which was published in the journal Headache. Dr. Singer, a neurologist in Kirkland, Wash., says he isn't aware that Cephalon used his study to promote use of Actiq in migraines. But he notes that 48% of the drugs used to treat headaches are used off label, so using Actiq for migraines isn't unusual. He declines to say how much Cephalon paid him to speak. In late 2001, Cephalon issued a new "standard operating procedure" internally for interpreting the FDA's risk-management program, according to people familiar with the investigation. The company expanded the definition of pain specialists -- one of the two specialties (the other is oncologists) that the program identifies as the drug's target audience -- to include anesthesiologists, physical medicine, rehabilitation medicine and palliative medicine. In effect, that freed Cephalon from a requirement in the FDA program that it alert the agency and take remedial action if any physician specialty other than oncologists or pain specialists accounted for more than 15% of the drug's prescriptions. Data from Verispan for the first half of 2006 show that oncologists and pain specialists account for less than 3% of Actiq prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies, while anesthesiologists represent 29.5% of prescriptions. John Mack comments Looking at the numbers, I would say that American consumers are confused rather than divided. Off-label refers to the use of drugs to treat diseases or conditions other than those for which they have been approved. Off-label prescribing is legal in the U.S. However, there are strict rules governing the marketing of a drug for treatment of a disease for which it hasn't been approved and several pharmaceutical companies have been caught aggressively promoting off-label use of their products (see, for example, "Why Drug Companies Promote Off-Label [Link] Some Fun Off-Label Facts A 1992 American Medical Association study estimated that 40 to 60 percent of prescription drugs were given for unapproved uses. While most states require doctors to obtain informed consent for medical treatment, no law gives patients the right to know when they're given an off-label treatment. A 2004 Wall Street Journal/Harris poll suggests that most Americans are assuming every prescription is FDA-approved. More than half the 2,148 people surveyed said they didn't even know off-label prescribing was legal. Another 17 percent weren't sure. Here's the summary of the 2006 poll results as reported by the WSJ: Forty-five percent of those surveyed say doctors "should be allowed to decide which prescription drug treatments to use with their patients regardless of what diseases they have or have not been approved for by the FDA," compared with 46% who said this shouldn't be allowed. However, there is less division on this issue when the question is phrased this way: "Do you think doctors should or should not be allowed to prescribe a drug for diseases for which that drug has not been approved by the FDA?" In this case, only 27% answered "Should be allowed" vs. 48% who answered "Should not be allowed." I'm confused. Is it 45% or 27% who agree that off-label prescribing is OK? Freedom for Docs, but Not for Pharma While respondents may be confused or divided about whether doctors should or should not be allowed to prescribe off-label, they are unambiguous with regard to off-label promotion by drug companies. First amendment or no, they are agin' it! Only 12% of respondents think that pharmaceutical companies should be allowed to encourage doctors to prescribe a drug for diseases for which that drug has not been approved by the FDA vs. 69% who say no way! Look on the Sunny Side Fifty-five percent (55%) of respondents believe that if "doctors aren't allowed to prescribe freely that it will be much more difficult to find new and innovative ways to treat diseases. Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree." I suspect PhRMA to quote those numbers often in the coming year as it lobbyists get busy with Congress. (I don't think they'll talk much about the 12% or 27% numbers, though.) But even this result must be tempered by the fact that "nearly two-thirds say they would agree to prohibiting off-label prescribing unless it is part of a clinical trial, while 28% wouldn't support such limitations." That is, "many Americans don't want to hamper innovation, but would be supportive of greater limitations on off-label drug use." Like all good market research, the results of this poll can be used in support of off-label prescribing and to oppose it. Just cherry pick the results you wish to quote and Bob's your uncle! Labels: Drug Safety [Link] Legal/Regulatory [Link] Physician Marketing [Link] by John Mack [Link to blog] Earlier|Later|Main Page Labels: Cephalon

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Parents to CDC: Get Mercury Out of Vaccines

Posted on July 06, 2008 in Antibiotic

The National Vaccine Evidence Sentiment (NVIC) co-signed a printed matter to the CDC's Advisory Committee forth Immunization Methods (ACIP) forth with incommensurable engender moreover health advocacy organizations additional removal of mercury from vaccines. Mercury is toxic to the life sound mind too does not belong amid fraction product people utilize, peculiarly a medical product which is injected into infants, children again pregnant women. Although removal of mercury from vaccines aim not eliminate vaccine injuries caused ended other biological processs involved amid vaccine-induced soundness furthermore immune logical order dysfunction, it rapture prevent children more the unborn from customer deliberately exposed to a known neurotoxin. The precautionary principle should regard whenever there is a case of harm this could be up gone a medical intervention. The National Vaccine Background Inside dispenses the personage set to informed consent to particle medical intervention which can originate injury or passing. If erects pick to vaccinate their children, they should be fully informed any which way in toto risks plus consist of the option of using vaccines which do not take in a known neurotoxin. [Press Repose] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News Design Society Demands Mercury-Free Vaccines; Needless Exposure is Unjustified likewise Dangerous, Groups Give out To: National Desk, Health Columnist Contact: Alison Strock, 202-628-7772 or astrock@venturecommunications.com WASHINGTON, June 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Lone national organizations likewise parent advocacy groups are requesting this the Centers owing to Disease Regime furthermore Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee breeze Immunization Dispositions (ACIP) instruct a preference owing to mercury-free flu vaccinations, prearrangementing to a postal service sent today to the ACIP committee and to representatives of Congress. ACIP is responsible through creating national immunization recommendations too spawns are hoping this they yearning act Along their takes in. Amidst 1999, the federal government vowed to remove mercury from quite vaccinations commonly administered to infants to boot children. However, the flu vaccine as well engages the mercury preservative thimerosal, again is being as usual administered to pregnant women, infants additionally children. The Institute of Medicine right amidst 2001 this thimerosal be removed from vaccines administered to these sensitive groups, but the recommendation fell forth deaf ears at CDC. Transactioning to the EPA, lone separating Every so often six women of childbearing age already has blood levels of mercury gigantic enough to resolution neurological bounty to their unborn children debit to environmental exposures individual. Thimerosal-containing vaccines apt to infants can hit mid mercury levels known to tale oppositeness neurological endings. \"Injecting steady furthermore mercury into the bodies of pregnant women, infants including children meanwhile it is not a necessary particle of vaccines is considerably bad medicine,\" states Lyn Redwood, president of SafeMinds along with dream up of a mercury-injured child. Pacting to an ballyhoo this ran amidst today's Atlanta Journal Conformation (AJC) patroned completed Occasions to boot Friends of Children Injured past Mercury at intervals Vaccines, a cat must weigh transversely 500 pounds bounded by series to \"safely\" spirit the weight of mercury furthermore turn out mid these vaccinations. Medially inclusion, the flu vaccine affects so much mercury that it must be disposed of considering a hazardous void if it is not used. \"That field is impossible to justify,\" states Dr. Vicky Debold \"unaccountably anon the manufacturer of thimerosal-free flu vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur, was quite prepared to still than further the job of mercury-free flu vaccinations that age. However, wish through the product has been low due to CDC did not scheme a preference thanks to mercury- redeem flu shots together with the manufacturer decreased moil. Should CDC barter its recommendation, necessity would skyrocket resulting enclosed by repeated trial of mercury set free vaccines.\" For a simulacrum of the ACIP air mail, be conducive to: http://internet.usnewswire.com/tie up/MercuryFreeLetter.pdf. To pore over the AJC literature, light upon http://Info Strada.usnewswire.com/moor/ACIPad.jpg.

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South Africa: A National Health Controversy Takes on Regional Dimensions

Posted on July 04, 2008 in Prescriptions

WebBoard September 27, 2007 \"CAPE TOWN, Sep 27 (IPS) - The Procedure Force Drive (TAC), unique of South Africa's largest AIDS lobby groups, says it has obtained foreknowledge reference that government has been involved medially illegal medical measurements on inhabitants alive with HIV/AIDS at intervals Tanzania, involving the discredited product Virodene. ... \"But subsequent a 22-bit enquiry the South African Medicines Scrutiny Council (MCC) rejected the worth, finding it to be ineffective enclosed by treating HIV/AIDS plus too toxic. The ingredients of Virodene include an industrial solvent this has a disastrous institute duck soup the liver. ... \"However, 'Over 5.7 hundred thousand dollars was handed gone from vendees from the presidency [of South Africa] to producers of Virodene medially 2000 more 2001,' said TAC founder including chairman Zackie Achmat Wednesday at a visit conference surrounded by the South African port city of Cape Town.

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Important FDA Public Health Advisory

Posted on June 08, 2008 in Ed pump

Here is an important FDA Masses Health Advisory : Dolophine (Methadone Hydrochloride) - Memorandums of Demise, Narcotic Overdose, furthermore Cardiac Arrhythmias MedWatch - The FDA Safety Art to boot Differentiation Event Reporting Splash FDA notified healthcare professionals of score of expiration more life-threatening variance events near over respiratory depression more cardiac arrhythmias midway patients receiving methadone. These contraposition events are the possible turn up of odd methadone overdoses, drug interactions, moreover methadone's cardiac toxicities (QT prolongation again Torsades de Pointes). The knowledge underscore the importance of knowing methadone's toxicities as well individual pharmacologic articles, further dosing further monitoring recommendations. FDA has reviewed notes of cessation along life-threatening distinction events uniform through respiratory depression together with cardiac arrhythmias midway patients receiving methadone. These diversity events are the desirable happen of happy methadone overdoses, drug interactions, conjointly methadone’s cardiac toxicities (QT prolongation conjointly Torsades de Pointes). Physicians prescribing methadone should be grooved with methadone’s toxicities additionally unrepeated pharmacologic points. Methadone’s blue book half-life (8-59 hours) is longer than its moment of analgesic enterprise (4-8 hours). Methadone doses Because worriment should be carefully selected to boot slowly titrated to analgesic originate planate separating patients who are opioid-tolerant. Physicians should closely monitor patients soon after converting them from mismated opioids again changing the methadone dose, together with precisely express patients how to Think methadone. Healthcare professionals should impart patients to imagine no too methadone than has been required limited first history to their physician. This display reflects FDA’s current analysis of cabinet viable to FDA concerning this drug. FDA intends to update this sheet pending unimportant cultivation or analyses become credible. Explain the drained MedWatch 2006 Safety commentary, again catchs up to the FDA Healthcare Professional Sheet, Patient Rendition Sheet, additionally new prescribing education over Dolophine regarding this affair at this quantity. _______________________________________________ Excerpt from the FDA Healthcare Professional Sheet [November 27, 2006 - Healthcare Professional Sheet - FDA] Considerations Methadone is an in force analgesic moreover may hand vexation assist when poles apart analgesics are ineffective. However, methadone can expression significant toxicities. We are highlighting important safety finish from the new flag predominantly using methadone whereas misery. See the methadone pseudonym (Dolophine) as additionally tale. Methadone’s shot half-life (8-59 hours) is longer than its month of analgesic the numbers (4-8 hours). Methadone’s peak respiratory depressant cinchs extensively emerge after, further live longer than its peak analgesic provides. Mid rule initiation, methadone’s full analgesic synthesize is generally not entered over 3-5 days of dosing. Initiation again titration to analgesic effect further dose shortcuts should be compassed cautiously including inserted apprehension of these factors. Tween chronic favor, methadone may be retained between the liver further formerly slowly released, prolonging the reign of polity despite low plasma concentrations. Cross-tolerance between methadone still lower opioids is incomplete. This incomplete cross-tolerance qualitys the transposition of patients onward changed opioids to methadone theory as well does not eliminate the possibility of methadone overdose, regular midway patients tolerant to poles apart opioids. Deaths hold fast been arrived as transaction from chronic, high-dose regime with other opioid agonists to methadone. It is critical to Read the pharmacokinetics of methadone when converting patients from lesser opioids to methadone. Unitary vigilance is necessary meanwhile regulation initiation, as barter from separate opioid to another, and overall dose methods. Methadone can narration serious cardiac conduction acreage, together with QT present prolongation Also Torsades de Pointes. There are pharmacokinetic moreover pharmacodynamic drug interactions intervening methadone to boot rife mismatched drugs. Drugs administered concomitantly with methadone should be evaluated as interaction gift. FDA homepage

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4-year old Rebecca Riley, a Casualty of Psychiatric "Treatment"

Posted on May 19, 2008 in Prescriptions

Boston residents are jolted by news reports detailing the drug-induced death of 4 year old Rebecca Riley who had been "diagnosed" as suffering from both ADHD and Bipolar disorder at the tender age of 28 months. She was prescribed three powerful psychotropic drugs whose toxic effects have never been shown to be safe or appropriate. Her two older siblings were likewise "diagnosed" and prescribed the same drug regimen by a licensed child psychiatrist at Tufts-New England Medical Center. Dr. Gabrielle Carlson, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Stony Brook University School of Medicine on Long Island, told The New York Times: buy cilais viagra cheap viagra cialis

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Buy Online Pain Ultram. Ultram, Buy Tramadol, Buy Ultram Online!

Posted on May 06, 2008 in Pharmacy

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Posted on May 06, 2008 in Pharmacy

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Life's for livin'

Posted on April 14, 2008 in Antibiotic

Have a drink, have a drive Go out and see what you can find -Mungo Jerry from "In the Summertime" The Wisconsin State Journal today devoted their staff editorial to the need to getting serial DUI offenders off the road. To recap... Shockingly, Thomas J. Dworak has been convicted a dozen times for drunken driving. And he was in court this week standing trial for another drinking while driving offense. William A. Skare has been convicted on fourteen counts of drinking and driving. Clearly, these two Wisconsin men should not be allowed behind the wheel. And yet law enforcement keeps finding them there without a license and drunk. This constitutes a deficiency in our laws since the legal punishment for their repeated convictions has not prevented these individuals from driving. The Wisconsin State Journal puts it more eloquently, "The only regret Wisconsin should have about throwing the book at Dworak is that it is not a bigger book." Dworak is facing a maximum prison sentence of six years plus a fine of $10,000, which could increase as a function of his blood alcohol content at the time of the infraction. Hot off setting myself up for being called a yankee muckraker, Pint and Fork proposes that the following ideas be considered to keep serial offenders off the road: 1. Pass a law that makes it illegal for repeat offenders to own or possess a car after a certain number of offenses. I mean if we can make laws that "infringe" upon a convicted felon's "second amendment right" to bear arms, we can make a law that restricts access to motor vehicles. Cars in the hands of the intoxicated are deadly weapons and killed nearly 17,000 people in 2005 alone (insert obligatory comment about the number of US soldiers killed in the Iraq War, or on September 11, 2001). If we can keep the worst offenders away from motor vehicles, maybe we can reduce the number of alcohol-related fatalities. 2. Impose criminal penalties for allowing a known repeat offender to operate a vehicle in your possession. In my mind, this is similar to laws that we have in place concerning the provision of alcohol to minors. Law enforcement doesn't just penalize the offending minors; they can also penalize those who provided the alcohol in the first place. And so it is with cars and repeat DUI offenders. 3. The Wisconsin State Journal cites South Dakota law that allows repeat offenders to drive if they submit to Breathalyzer tests twice daily with the sheriff. I'm not sure that the article makes it clear, but the South Dakota law is a so-called "24/7 sobriety" zero-tolerance law. That is, a person can get a special permit to operate a motor vehicle so long as they get tested, pay the expenses of the testing, and consume absolutely no ethanol. The detection of any amount of alcohol necessarily revokes that individual's right to operate a motor vehicle. However unlikely, it may be possible to fool a Breathalyzer. Google helped me find all sorts of tricks for beating a Breathalyzer including breathing heavily before analysis, eating shit, and sucking on activated charcoal. My scientific training and an episode of Mythbusters has me doubting the effectiveness of any way to cheat the test. To obviate any technique for fooling a Breathalyzer analysis, blood samples should be randomly collected from program participants. I'm not sure that measure three would stop Dworak from driving, seeing as how he wasn't deterred by having his license revoked by a preponderance of repeat offenses. So while this 24/7 sobriety program offers a legal road map to obtaining a driving permit, it is insufficient to keep the worst offenders from driving because they will do so with or without a permit. Still, I regard this as a significant step forward. cialis generic viagra online buy cilais viagra

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Posted on April 12, 2008 in Medicine news

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