Modern Meicine Killing You-References

IS MODERN MEDICINE KILLING YOU? REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Below is a selection of related articles covering the topics from above should you wish to conduct more investigation. Click on the links to read the full articles.

First is an article from way back in 2001 that suggests the link between Vioxx and Celebrex and heart problems.

Celebrex and Vioxx Increase Heart Disease Riskhttp://www.mercola.com/2001/sep/5/celebrex_vioxx.htm

“The popular painkillers Celebrex and Vioxx may slightly increase a person's risk of having a heart attack, according to an analysis of clinical studies of the "super aspirin" drugs.

“The drugs, while extremely popular, appear to carry a small risk of heart attack, somewhere in the range of 0.3% to 0.5%. This translates to about 1 in 300 patients.”

Next comes the media release from the TGA announcing the withdrawal of Vioxx.

Consumer level recall of arthritis drughttp://www.tga.gov.au/media/2004/040930_vioxx.htm 

“Pharmaceutical company, Merck Sharp & Dohme has announced an immediate voluntary world-wide withdrawal of the drug, Vioxx (rofecoxib), commonly used for patients with rheumatoid or osteoarthritis.

“The company's decision is based on new information from a recent clinical study called APPROVe which showed that there was an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke beginning after 18 months of treatment, in the patients taking Vioxx at a dose of 25 mg once daily.

“Compared with taking a placebo, there was one extra of these sorts of events for each 65 patients who took Vioxx for at least 18 months. In the study the fatality rate was not increased in those taking Vioxx.

“As a consequence of these results, Merck Sharp & Dohme notified the Therapeutic Goods Administration that it is recalling the drug.”

The article below investigates the ramifications of the Vioxx fiasco.

Vioxx – The Beginning of the End for Conventional Medicine; Feds Ignore Vioxx Warningshttp://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/1/vioxx_warning.htm

“It seems that evidence continues to surface concerning Vioxx's removal from the market. The drug, developed to reduce pain and inflammation, was proven to double cardiovascular risks such as heart attack and stroke. However, it has also been discovered that Merck, the drug's manufacturer, was not so oblivious to these adverse side effects after all.

“One Denial After Another.

“In March 2000, Merck was first notified of the possible heart risks linked to taking Vioxx. The findings were derived from a study focusing on rheumatoid arthritis. Even though the drug showed to reduce the risk of internal bleeding, it appeared to raise the incidence of heart problems.

“In May 2000, Merck was again notified of the drug's link to cardiovascular risk. Though, instead of addressing the issue and conducting trials to pinpoint the dangers of using Vioxx, Merck executives rejected further studies.

“Due to this lack of concern, or pure negligence, Merck faces Congressional and Justice Department investigations, as well as potentially thousands of personal-injury lawsuits. Regardless of the accusations against them, Merck stands firm in its rebuttal, stating, "The company acted responsibly, voluntarily withdrawing Vioxx as soon as it had clear evidence the drug was harmful.

“That was the understatement of the year.

“In 2002, a study found that using Vioxx damaged the lipids in a way that made them more susceptible to clotting. Further suspicions were raised after one of the FDA's own scientists presented evidence that Vioxx had been associated with over 27,000 heat attacks or deaths linked to cardiac problems.”

Next comes an article that discusses the research showing just how large the risks from taking Vioxx were.

Cardiovascular risks almost doubled with Vioxx, researchers confirmhttp://www.wcanews.com/archives/2005/feb23b.htm

“Funded by its manufacturer, Merck Research Laboratories, the largest prospective trial ever to examine the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx as a chemoprevention agent found that the risk of developing a cardiovascular “event” – heart attacks and/or strokes – was almost double in those patients who received the drug, compared to those who took the placebo, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

“The risk had first been discovered and reported last year by the study’s safety monitoring board, and the trial (known as APPROVe – Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on Vioxx) stopped on September 30, approximately two months prior to scheduled completion. Subsequently, the drug was withdrawn from the US market.”

How many dead?

138,000http://www.jvsr.com/researchupdate/detail.asp?ID=876

“In a recent Update I wrote about the Merck Vioxx disaster and quoted the number 27,000 as the number of people who were either killed, had heart attacks or strokes from the drug.

“I spoke too soon. According to the testimony of David J. Graham, MD, MPH, on November 18, 2004 before the Senate Finance Committee, the number of deaths, heart attacks and strokes is now estimated to be between 88,000 – 138,000.”

Now for some good news on Celebrex!.. Not.

Drug Giant Admits Another Arthritis Painkiller Increases Heart Riskshttp://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/8/celebrex_heart.htm

“Pfizer announced that patients who took a high dosage of Celebrex, its top moneymaking painkiller, were in the higher risk bracket for heart attacks. This announcement was made right on the heels of the withdrawal of its one-time big competitor, Vioxx, which was stripped from store shelves in September.”

This article is not a beat-up: Read the facts from our own Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Potential safety risks with Celebrexhttp://www.tga.gov.au/media/2004/041220_celebrex2.htm

“The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has consulted today with the Chairs of its peak advisory committees, the Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Committee (ADRAC) and the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC), about the latest research into the safety of the arthritis drug, Celebrex.

“On Saturday the TGA received advice from its American counterpart, the US FDA, about some preliminary results from a long term research study using Celebrex that indicated there may be an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in people taking high doses of this drug.

“Since another arthritis drug in the same family, Vioxx, was withdrawn from the world market recently because of increased risks of cardiovascular disease, the TGA has been undertaking an exhaustive review of all Cox-2 Inhibitors, including Celebrex.

“The TGA has now fast tracked this review requesting that the US research data be provided to the Australian regulator immediately and reinforcing to all other companies researching Cox-2 Inhibitors to produce their results as a matter of urgency.

“The TGA has also instructed all organisations conducting trials using celecoxib not to enrol any further patients and to inform their ethics committees to formulate responses to existing trial participants.

“Although there has been no evidence of a problem with Celebrex, the ADRAC had advised that all drugs in the class of Cox 2 inhibitors should be regarded as having an increased cardiovascular risk until more is known.

“Advice for patients and doctors has been placed on the TGA website at www.tga.gov.au and people taking Celebrex should consult their doctor about whether to continue with the drug.”

Drugs and Doctors May be the Leading Cause of Death in U.S. http://www.mercola.com/2003/jan/15/doctors_drugs.htm 

“At one time, the main title of my Web site read: Doctors are the Third leading Cause of Death.

“Many of you reading this have read or seen this in many places other than my Web site. This article, available on my home page, was widely circulated on the Internet and was one of the reasons why my Web site was initially popular. What you may not realize is that I am not the one who made this analysis and popularized it. The original study was published by Dr Starfield, a full professor of public health at the most prestigious hospital in the United States, Johns Hopkins. Her study never had the headline in it, but instead listed the published research documenting the various causes of deaths that doctors contributed to. I simply added them all up and compared them to cardiovascular diseases and cancer and came up with the above headline, which was widely circulated on the Internet…”

Now for some good news – Chiropractic.

Original Research: Surrogate Indication of DNA Repair in Serum After Long Term Chiropractic Intervention – A Retrospective Studyhttps://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=243

“Serum thiols are a measure of human health status. It is a surrogate estimate of DNA repair enzyme activity. While it is suggested that chiropractic care improves general health, the effect of chiropractic care on serum thiol levels has not been investigated.

“Results: There were statistically significant differences in the serum thiol levels of the three groups. Mean serum thiol levels were lowest in patients with active disease as well as patients with initial musculoskeletal complaints. Asymptomatic subjects under chiropractic care demonstrated higher mean serum thiol levels than patients with active disease. Mean serum thiol levels were highest in the group with 52-312 weeks of chiropractic care.

“Conclusion: Asymptomatic or primary wellness subjects under chiropractic care demonstrated higher mean serum thiol levels than patients with active disease and produced some values that were higher than normal wellness values.”

I warned about the dangers of celebrex back in 2001 and recommended Glucosamine even then.

Arthritis – celebrex or glucosamine?http://www.healthetalk.com.au/index95.htm

“If you suffer with chronic arthritic pains, the choice of whether to resort to "drugs" or to try some natural options can be a difficult one. This week we compare 2 of the most "trendy" tablets being consumed by sufferers.”

And Glucosamine ain’t just some new kid on the block: I wrote about it ages ago!

Scientific studies of glucosamine, chondroitin & arthritis:http://www.healthetalk.com.au/index122.htm

“We have previously discussed a popular natural alternative to anti-inflammatories to help cope with arthritic pains - Glucosamine & Chondroitin. The common "medical" criticism of natural therapies of any type, is that there is no scientific proof that they work! When it comes to Glucosamine & Chondroitin however, this is far from the truth.”

Glucosamine for osteoarthritis - Bogus or Cure?http://www.arthritisnsw.org.au/articles/glucosamine-bogus-or-cure.htm

“Arthritis Foundation of NSW Articles.

“There is accumulating evidence that glucosamine may have a role in the management of osteoarthritis. Certainly there is enough evidence of glucosamine being a safe and well tolerated. Now more compelling evidence is presented that it may provide long term protection in preventing degeneration of cartilage.”

Chondrosamine capsules – Product informationhttp://www.pharmafoods.com.au/products_files/Chondrocaps.htm 

“Glucosamine and chondroitin (sulphate) supplement with copper, manganese, zinc and selenium. Contains synergistic trace minerals which assist activation of antioxidant enzymes such as super oxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase.

“Indications: Chondrosamine Capsules may be beneficial in the:
• Temporary relief of osteo-arthritis.
• Relief of joint pain, tenderness and swelling of osteo-arthritis.
• Useful for production of collagen and important glyco-proteins.”

Arthrototal contact cream – Product information

“Fast, temporary relief from arthritis pain - goes to work on contact! This unique formula is a combination of natural pain relievers and nutrients for the maintenance of healthy joints. Arthro-total Contact contains Glucosamine Sulfate and Chondroitin Sulfate to synergistically provide the building blocks of new cartilage and Capsicum Extract for effective temporary pain relief. Arthro-total Contact delivers an advanced pain relieving formula directly to your problem areas, relieving pain fast. Arthro-total Contact is easily and quickly absorbed, non-greasy and easy to apply.”

HERE’S A THOUGHT:

“Rationalising our limitations creates a fog that hinders us from finding answers. Recognising our limitations clears away the fog and allows us to find answers.” (Peter McHugh – “You & the creative power of frustration”.)