Another Killer Drug on the Loose?
By Jon Herring
Three years ago, Merck & Co. voluntarily withdrew its pain-relieving drug Vioxx from the market when it was discovered that it substantially increased the risk of heart attack. According to Dr. David Graham of the FDA, Vioxx has been responsible for at least 140,000 heart attacks and as many as 40,000 deaths.
Wow! And to think the FDA has re-approved this drug for the market (with a stronger warning label), while they are doing their level best to control your access to safe, natural supplements. It would be enough to elicit a big ol' belly laugh... if the issue were not so deadly serious.
And what do we have now? The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an article suggesting that the diabetes drug Avandia, taken by more than 6 million people worldwide, also raises the risk of heart attack... and, possibly, death. As you may be aware, more than two-thirds of people with Type II diabetes die of heart problems. And the pooled results of dozens of studies on nearly 28,000 people showed a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for those taking Avandia as compared to those taking no diabetes medication.
As you might expect, the maker of Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline, disputed these results. The company said their own review showed "only" a 30 percent increased risk of heart attack. (Phew! What a relief!)
If all this isn't troubling enough, the study I told you about yesterday showed that the use of diabetes drugs has risen almost threefold among teenage girls in the last five years. There's no telling what the long-term fallout from this trend might be.
Besides antibiotics and antivirals, no drugs I know of can successfully remedy an underlying medical condition. All they do is mask or alleviate the symptoms. And while they might provide temporary relief, in some cases, the unintended consequences can be profound.
Type II diabetes is a condition brought on by lifestyle choices. And, in most cases, it is easily preventable and readily reversible. To do so, you must exercise consistently, maintain adequate vitamin D levels by enjoying frequent sun exposure, and eat a diet rich in protein and healthy fats... while avoiding starches, sweets, and grains.
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It's Fun to Know: Popular Pet Names
The top 10 pet names in the United States, according to a study by the ASPCA, are Max, Sam, Lady, Bear, Smokey, Shadow, Kitty, Molly, Buddy, and Brandy. Neither Spot nor Rover made the list.
(Source: the InfoPlease website)
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Word to the Wise: Serendipity
"Serendipity" (ser-un-DIP-ih-tee) is good luck - making a desirable discovery by accident. The word was coined by the English author Horace Walpole in 1754. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip" [an old name for Ceylon/Sri Lanka] whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of."
Example (as I used it today): "It's sometimes fun to let someone else - a partner, your spouse, or even your assistant - award the bonus. That way, it feels more serendipitous."
Michael Masterson
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2056, 05-31-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
Three years ago, Merck & Co. voluntarily withdrew its pain-relieving drug Vioxx from the market when it was discovered that it substantially increased the risk of heart attack. According to Dr. David Graham of the FDA, Vioxx has been responsible for at least 140,000 heart attacks and as many as 40,000 deaths.
Wow! And to think the FDA has re-approved this drug for the market (with a stronger warning label), while they are doing their level best to control your access to safe, natural supplements. It would be enough to elicit a big ol' belly laugh... if the issue were not so deadly serious.
And what do we have now? The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an article suggesting that the diabetes drug Avandia, taken by more than 6 million people worldwide, also raises the risk of heart attack... and, possibly, death. As you may be aware, more than two-thirds of people with Type II diabetes die of heart problems. And the pooled results of dozens of studies on nearly 28,000 people showed a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for those taking Avandia as compared to those taking no diabetes medication.
As you might expect, the maker of Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline, disputed these results. The company said their own review showed "only" a 30 percent increased risk of heart attack. (Phew! What a relief!)
If all this isn't troubling enough, the study I told you about yesterday showed that the use of diabetes drugs has risen almost threefold among teenage girls in the last five years. There's no telling what the long-term fallout from this trend might be.
Besides antibiotics and antivirals, no drugs I know of can successfully remedy an underlying medical condition. All they do is mask or alleviate the symptoms. And while they might provide temporary relief, in some cases, the unintended consequences can be profound.
Type II diabetes is a condition brought on by lifestyle choices. And, in most cases, it is easily preventable and readily reversible. To do so, you must exercise consistently, maintain adequate vitamin D levels by enjoying frequent sun exposure, and eat a diet rich in protein and healthy fats... while avoiding starches, sweets, and grains.
______________________________
It's Fun to Know: Popular Pet Names
The top 10 pet names in the United States, according to a study by the ASPCA, are Max, Sam, Lady, Bear, Smokey, Shadow, Kitty, Molly, Buddy, and Brandy. Neither Spot nor Rover made the list.
(Source: the InfoPlease website)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Serendipity
"Serendipity" (ser-un-DIP-ih-tee) is good luck - making a desirable discovery by accident. The word was coined by the English author Horace Walpole in 1754. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of Serendip" [an old name for Ceylon/Sri Lanka] whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of."
Example (as I used it today): "It's sometimes fun to let someone else - a partner, your spouse, or even your assistant - award the bonus. That way, it feels more serendipitous."
Michael Masterson
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2056, 05-31-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
posted by Oak Stone at 6:58 PM
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