Fl - A Difficult Halogen for People to Understand

UPDATE: 28 March, 2011
As more people move to add sea vegetables to their diets to help aid protection from radioactive fall out, be aware that hijiki is very high in arsenic.

Seaweed and toxins

Title: Halogenated Compounds from Marine Algae
Authors: Maria Teresa Cabrita ¹, Carlos Vale ¹ and Amélia Pilar Rauter ²
Affiliations: ¹ IPIMAR, Av. de Brasília, 1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal E-Mails: cvale@ipimar.pt (C.V.); tcabrita@ipimar.pt (M.T.C.)
² Centro de Química e Bioquímica/Departamento de Química e Bioquímica da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Ed C8, Piso 5, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; E-Mail: aprauter@fc.ul.pt (A. P. R.)
Abstract: Marine algae produce a cocktail of halogenated metabolites with potential commercial value. The structure exhibited by these compounds goes from acyclic entities with a linear chain to complex polycyclic molecules. Their medical and pharmaceutical application has been investigated for the past two decades, although other properties like antifouling are not to be discarded. Many compounds were discovered in the last years but the need for new drugs keeps this field open as many algae species are poorly screened. Apart from the biotechnological potential, the ecological role of marine algal halogenated metabolites has somehow been overlooked. This new research field will provide valuable and novel insight into the marine ecosystem dynamics as well as a new approach to understanding biodiversity. Furthermore, understanding interactions between halogenated compounds production by algae and the environment, including anthropogenic or global climate changes, is a challenging target for the coming years. Research has been more focused on macroalgae than on phytoplankton. However, phytoplankton is a very promising material as the bottom link of the marine food chain with very quickly adaptation to environmental changes, which undoubtedly has consequences on the secondary metabolism. This paper summarizes current knowledge and revises recent progress and presents trends on the role of marine algae as producers of halogenated compounds.
Keywords: marine algae; halogenated compounds; biotechnological applications; ecological role

From 3 March, 2009 -
In the periodic table of elements one finds the halogen family at an atomic weight of 9.

The halogens are five non-metallic elements found in group 17 of the periodic table. The Halogens are: Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Astatine. The term "halogen" means "salt-former" and compounds containing halogens are called "salts". All halogens have 7 electrons in their outer shells, giving them an oxidation number of -1. The halogens exist, at room temperature, in all three states of matter:

Solid- Iodine, Astatine
Liquid- Bromine
Gas- Fluorine, Chlorine

Fluorine is the most electronegative and reactive of all elements, and this property is one of the reasons why it easily displaces Iodine. Iodine is critically necessary for health.

The fluoride ion is highly toxic. Los Alamos National Laboratory recommends that no one be exposed to more than 1ppm Fl- in any 8-hour time period. Cumulative exposure to Fl- may result in the hardening of the Pineal Gland, is considered to be the electro-magnetic foci of the human body, and the gland that is directly involved with the production of melatonin. Vitamin B12 is also a substance that seems to be related to health of the Pineal gland.

Fluoride Excess is cumulative and there is a danger of ingesting fluoride in any so called "natural form" as is found in the current trend for Pink Himalayan Salt, which is known to contain many other heavy metals, some not at all necessary for human health.

People who live in areas where the drinking water has a naturally high fluoride level may consume too much fluoride—causing a condition called fluorosis. Fluoride accumulates in teeth, particularly permanent teeth. Chalky white, irregular patches appear on the surface of the tooth enamel. The patches become stained yellow or brown, causing the enamel to appear mottled. The teeth may also become pitted.

Fluoride also accumulates in bones. Rarely, consuming too much fluoride for a long time results in dense but weak bones, abnormal bone growths (spurs) on the spine, and crippling due to calcium accumulation (calcification) in ligaments.

(Some of the material found in this post on Fl- comes from the Merck Index and Merck Manual)

Fluoride in salt, water, pharmaceuticals, dental products, pesticides and herbicides, chemicals used in war and any other form continues to cause a myriad of health problems.

See also
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/salt-may-be-health-scam.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/melatonin-offers-protection-from.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/01/pregnancy-and-nutrition.html
and other posts related to Fluoride via the search window.

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,fluoride dangers,independent news,natural health news

TV Drug Ads, Celebrities and FDA Propaganda

UPDATE: May 27, 2010 - FDA Adds Liver Injury Warning to Diet Drug

WASHINGTON -- The weight-loss medication orlistat, marketed both by prescription as Xenical (120 mg) and over-the-counter as Alli (60 mg), will carry a warning about the potential for severe liver injury, the FDA announced ... full story http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/PublicHealth/tb/20310

UPDATE: August 25 - FDA probes liver damage with weight loss pill alli
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted 2/13/09
As we shall see over comings months the stimulus package is not going to be all you think it is because of smoke, mirrors and an ever expanding bureaucracy.

Not too far removed from the stimulus issue is how TV ads for drugs push up profits for Big Pharma.

One example of just how thick as thieves things are between drug companies and their PR programs is a recent story about how Wyeth promoted risky HRT through a media program aimed at increasing prescription writing for their well know hormone product just as they moved to be bought out by Pfizer.

Now, as if this $12 million isn't enough of a tax write off for the drug industry, GSK is leading us all down the pike to fairy land with its ad featuring Wynonna for its over-the-counter weight loss drug 'alli'.

During the commercial featuring Wynonna, whom we all know has had some serious weight problems, is shown serving herself some vegetables during a family meal. Then the camera moves to a tight head shot where we learn that she could not erccomend anything that sin't safe but she is gald that alli is FDA approved.

These days FDA approval and a quarter don't get you a cup of coffee.

And here is probably a fairly reliable take on what the glossy ad that cost plenty of money alone, not including air time fees, might be what GSK doesn't want you to know.

Alli Weight Loss Pill: Expectations Vs. Reality
January 02, 2008 by Big Momma
It's the time of year when our thoughts focus on shedding a few pounds. We are inundated with commercial advertisements promoting the best, easiest or fastest way to lose weight.

Alli is the newest over the counter weight loss pill that promises hope to the masses by blocking fat absorption in the body. Alli is FDA approved, is not absorbed into your body and works only in the digestive track.

My first red flag regarding Alli was the product statement that Alli is to be used together with a reduced calorie diet to promote weight loss. A reduced calorie diet by itself will promote weight loss, but let's see the results that one Alli user has had.

An acquaintance of mine has been using Alli for several months, her expectations from the Alli pills were to help her jump start a weight loss program that she could stick with and ultimately help her reach her goal weight.

The Alli usage pamphlet warns users of 'treatment effects', which include greasy/oily leakage in undergarments, gas with discharge, change in stool color and/or fatty deposits in stools, inability to control bowel movements, stomach pain, rectal pain, teeth/gum problems or flu like symptoms. Alli users are advised to wear dark clothing and pads to protect against the leakage.

This is the reality she got from using Alli: Large amounts of uncontrollable leakage of a greasy substance that permanently stained her clothing. Dark clothing and pads could not contain or hide the leakage most of the time. She had a significant increase in gas and odor, with gas bubbles being expelled along with the greasy substance. She had no control over this.

Abdominal cramping became a part of her daily life, she likened the feeling to a gall stone attack. She felt tired all the time, even though she was taking the additional vitamins that are recommended by Alli. She also experienced hair loss while taking Alli.

After using Alli for six months, she had lost a total of 15 pounds. Yes, 15 pounds.

Another 'treatment effect' of Alli is that even after you stop taking it, you experience the greasy leakage and abdominal pains for up to two months, until the product works it's way completely out ofyour system.

A new wardrobe is eagerly anticipated at the end of a diet, but having to buy new clothing during the diet due to your body leaking grease, is altogether different.

Six months and 15 pounds later, the expectations from the weight loss pill Alli and the reality of it did not even come close.

NB: Natural Health News posted this information in 2008.  It took Mike Adams another 2 years to inform you, yet his backers are continually continually monitoring this website, now for 6 years, to get their story ideas. 1 June,10.

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Posted in: alli,consumer health,drug ads on TV,FDA,GSK,natural health news,Pfizer,Wyeth

Insurance Caveat You Don't Hear About

As a health care consumer you really do need to wake up to the issues addressed in this article and also to the fact that Big Insurance has controlled the medical industry for a good three decades if not longer and it is the biggest cost driver there is.

RELATED ARTICLE: Six Lobbyists for Every Member of Congress

The "death panels" are already here
Sorry, Sarah Palin -- rationing of care? Private companies are already doing it, with sometimes fatal results
By Mike Madden, Aug. 11, 2009

The future of healthcare in America, according to Sarah Palin, might look something like this: A sick 17-year-old girl needs a liver transplant. Doctors find an available organ, and they're ready to operate, but the bureaucracy -- or as Palin would put it, the "death panel" -- steps in and says it won't pay for the surgery. Despite protests from the girl's family and her doctors, the heartless hacks hold their ground for a critical 10 days. Eventually, under massive public pressure, they relent -- but the patient dies before the operation can proceed.

It certainly sounds scary enough to make you want to go show up at a town hall meeting and yell about how misguided President Obama's healthcare reform plans are. Except that's not the future of healthcare -- it's the present. Long before anyone started talking about government "death panels" or warning that Obama would have the government ration care, 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, a leukemia patient from Glendale, Calif., died in December 2007, after her parents battled their insurance company, Cigna, over the surgery. Cigna initially refused to pay for it because the company's analysis showed Sarkisyan was already too sick from her leukemia; the liver transplant wouldn't have saved her life.

That kind of utilitarian rationing, of course, is exactly what Palin and other opponents of the healthcare reform proposals pending before Congress say they want to protect the country from. "Such a system is downright evil," Palin wrote, in the same message posted on Facebook where she raised the "death panel" specter. "Health care by definition involves life and death decisions."

Coverage of Palin's remarks, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's defense of them, over the weekend did point out that the idea that the reform plans would encourage government-sponsored euthanasia is one of a handful of deliberate falsehoods being peddled by opponents of the legislation. But the idea that only if reform passes would the government start setting up rationing and interfering with care goes beyond just the bogus euthanasia claim.

Opponents of reform often seem to skip right past any problems with the current system -- but it's rife with them. A study by the American Medical Association found the biggest insurance companies in the country denied between 2 and 5 percent of claims put in by doctors last year (though the AMA noted that not all the denials were improper). There is no national database of insurance claim denials, though, because private insurance companies aren't required to disclose such stats. Meanwhile, a House Energy and Commerce Committee report in June found that just three insurance companies kicked at least 20,000 people off their rolls between 2003 and 2007 for such reasons as typos on their application paperwork, a preexisting condition or a family member's medical history. People who buy insurance under individual policies, about 6 percent of adults, may be especially vulnerable, but the 63 percent of adults covered by employer-provided insurance aren't immune to difficulty.

"You're asking us to decide that the government is to be trusted," Gingrich -- who may, like Palin, be running for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2012 -- told ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" on Sunday. But as even a quick glance through news coverage of the last few years shows, private insurers are already doing what reform opponents say they want to save us from. (The insurance industry, pushing back against charges that they're part of the problem, said last month that "healthcare reform is far too important to be dragged down by divisive political rhetoric." The industry has long maintained that its decisions on what to cover are the result of careful investigations of each claim.) Here is a look at a handful of healthcare horror stories, brought to you by the current system. It took Salon staff less than an hour to round these up -- which might indicate how many other such stories are out there.

-- In June 2008, Robin Beaton, a retired nurse from Waxahachie, Texas, found out she had breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy. Two days before her surgery, her insurance company, Blue Cross, flagged her chart and told the hospital they wouldn't allow the procedure to go forward until they finished an examination of five years of her medical history -- which could take three months. It turned out that a month before the cancer diagnosis, Beaton had gone to a dermatologist for acne treatment, and Blue Cross incorrectly interpreted a word on her chart to mean that the acne was precancerous.

Not long into the investigation, the insurer canceled her policy. Beaton, they said, had listed her weight incorrectly when she bought it, and had also failed to disclose that she'd once taken medicine for a heart condition -- which she hadn't been taking at the time she filled out the application. By October, thanks to an intervention from her member of Congress, Blue Cross reinstated Beaton's insurance coverage. But the tumor she had removed had grown 2 centimeters in the meantime, and she had to have her lymph nodes removed as well as her breasts amputated because of the delay.

-- In October 2008, Michael Napientak, a doorman from Clarendon Hills, Ill., went to the hospital for surgery to relieve agonizing back pain. His wife's employer's insurance provider, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthCare, had issued a pre-authorization for the operation. The operation went well. But in April, the insurer started sending notices that it wouldn't pay for the surgery, after all; the family, not the insurance provider, would be on the hook for the $148,000 the hospital charged for the procedure. Pre-authorization, the insurance company explained, didn't necessarily guarantee payment on a claim would be forthcoming. The company offered shifting explanations for why it wouldn't pay -- first, demanding proof that Napientak had tried less expensive measures to relieve his pain, and then, when he provided it, insisting that it lacked documentation for why the surgery was medically necessary. Napientak's wife, Sandie, asked her boss to help out, but with no luck. Fortunately for the Napientaks, they were able to attract the attention of a Chicago Tribune columnist before they had to figure out how to pay the six-figure bill -- once the newspaper started asking questions, the insurer suddenly decided, "based on additional information submitted," to cover the tab, after all.

-- David Denney was less than a year old when he was diagnosed in 1995 with glutaric acidemia Type 1, a rare blood disorder that left him severely brain damaged and unable to eat, walk or speak without assistance. For more than a decade, Blue Cross of California -- his parents' insurance company -- paid the $1,200 weekly cost to have a nurse care for him, giving him exercise and administering anti-seizure medication.

But in March 2006, Blue Cross told the Denney family their claims had exceeded the annual cost limit for his care. When they wrote back, objecting and pointing out that their annual limit was higher, the company changed its mind -- about the reason for the denial. The nurse's services weren't medically necessary, the insurers said. His family sued, and the case went to arbitration, as their policy allowed. California taxpayers, meanwhile, got stuck with the bill -- after years of paying their own premiums, the Denney family went on Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid system.

-- Patricia Reilling opened an art gallery in Louisville, Ky., in 1987, and three years later took out an insurance policy for herself and her employees. Her insurance provider, Anthem Health Plans of Kentucky, wrote to her this June, telling her it was canceling her coverage -- a few days after it sent her a different letter detailing the rates to renew for another year and billing her for July.

Reilling thinks she knows the reason for the cutoff, though -- she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2008. That kicked off a year-long battle with Anthem. First the company refused to pay for an MRI to locate the tumors, saying her family medical history didn't indicate she was likely to have cancer. Eventually, it approved the MRI, but only after she'd undergone an additional, painful biopsy. Her doctor removed both of her breasts in April 2008. In December, she went in for reconstructive plastic surgery -- and contracted a case of MRSA, an invasive infection. In January of this year, Reilling underwent two more surgeries to deal with the MRSA infection, and she's likely to require another operation to help fix all the damage. The monthly bill for her prescription medicines -- which she says are mostly generics -- is $2,000; the doctors treating her for the MRSA infection want $280 for each appointment, now that she's lost her insurance coverage. When she appealed the decision to cancel her policy, asking if she could keep paying the premium and continue coverage until her current course of treatment ends, the insurers wrote back with yet another denial. But they did say they hoped her health improved.

-- Additional reporting by Tim Bella
-- By Mike Madden

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Posted in: consumer health,health care reform,medical insurance,natural health news

Health Care Debate?

UPDATE: 13 August - If you've missed it because mainstream media dis little to report it, Obama mad a deal with Big PhRMA some weeks back that basically let them off the hook regarding Plan D in Medicare and price negotiating.

Thanks to Huffington Post we have a story that confirms what Natural Health News knew when the "deal" was briefly reported.

Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big PharmaA memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.

The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.

It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.

In exchange, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) agreed to cut $80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years. Or, as the memo says: "Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion."
complete article

First of all, Listen up! The US does not have health care, The US has sickness care and every effort to make you think otherwise is just smoke and mirrors.

Sickness drives profit and for a minute don't believe that insurers or drug companies have one altruistic cell in their high rolling enterprises.

I've got plenty of examples collected over 3+ decades as I found myself in various positions in the medical industry. I'm just a very good observer with a photographic memory.

So here's the latest in the "debate" (more like forced pablum) that caught my eye this morning. And I am trying not to post on weekends...or so I tell myself, and really trying not to be cynical.

Drug industry backing Obama's health care plan

Consumer protections lost in health care debate

I happened to see news coverage of a meeting WA Rep Rick Larsen held in the district. I watch this district because I used to live in it. I'm also not a Larsen fan because he is, like Gary Locke and Maria Cantwell, one of those penultimate politicians who's in it for lining his pockets. He's also skilled in the art of the slippery and fork-ed tongue, the best any politician can hope for, eh?

If you see this news video, the look on Larsen's face was most telling when a fellow in the audience stated that he wanted the same health care as members of Congress enjoyed. There was a dead pan face and dead silence from Rick.

Now of course we did hear from Obama that the constituents would get the same care as members of Congress, but then you've probably noticed that's dropped off the radar of late.

What you do read and hear on every radio or TV channel is that Big Insurance and Big PhRMA are rolling out the big PR campaigns to reign in any substantive change in the way people get care from the medical establishment in the US.

Big PhRMA's already conned the Seniors by their pitiful deal with the Obama insiders to drop costs in Medicare D's "doughnut hole" by 50 percent. I'd personally rather see Obama scrap the Bush corporate welfare handout to PhRMA and re-create it with required price negotiation. I'm sure unsuspecting Seniors who've been made drug dependent via the medical industry would like this too!

However, the biggest jolt to getting reform off dead center would be required use of the universal claim form.

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Posted in: Big Insurance,Big PhRMA,consumer health,health care reform,natural health news,Obama,Rick Larsen,universal claim form

Say NO to Electronic Medical Records

We already know that Google generally collects and sells data (a good reason to use startpage.com for your search engine). They've also been implicated with government spy and law enforcement agencies.

We also know that electronic medical record will not save money as well as the fact that HIPAA was the open sesame for everyone to get access to your data.

You do have a choice, and most likely it is to find a health care professional that doesn't do third party insurance billing and takes cash.

From Times Online July 27, 2009

David Davis: Google is the last company I would trust with my personal dataSam Coates, Chief Political Correspondent
Google cannot be trusted with sensitive personal data and any plan to transfer health records to the company is “naive”, David Davis writes in The Times today.

The former Shadow Home Secretary, who resigned from the Tory front bench to campaign on privacy issues, says that companies should not be able to make money out of holding patient records.

Mr Davis has been tipped for a return to frontline politics if the Tories win the general election. However, in today’s article he labels as “amoral” a company with close ties to the Conservative Party — David Cameron’s adviser Steve Hilton is married to Rachel Whetstone, Google’s head of communications.

He also criticises the work of “young researchers” in Conservative headquarters and queries whether Mr Cameron’s notion of the “post-bureaucratic age” may further damage public trust in the state.

This comes amid divisions in the Conservative Party over its cherished policy of publishing government-collected statistics, which underpins many of their plans for public-sector reform.

An insider told The Times there was a “healthy debate” over whether information such as hospital cleanliness ward by ward or street-by-street crime data should be released free or sold. Some believe that there is vital money to be made for the Exchequer.

Others say that existing commercial websites have failed to turn a profit from the small amount of public-sector data already freely available, raising questions over whether private companies would fulfil the function of websites currently run by government.

Mr Davis, who has championed privacy issues since he refought and won his parliamentary seat of Howden & Haltemprice in a by-election last year, accepts that there are “massive weaknesses” in the NHS patient records database, which is not expected to be fully delivered until 2013-4.

However, he adds: “Google is the last company I would trust with sensitive personal data belonging to me. In the words of Privacy International, Google has ‘a history of ignoring privacy concerns. Every corporate announcement has some new practice involving surveillance’.”

He says that Google, whose chief executive Eric Schmidt is on a Tory advisory board, has a “near monopoly internet presence, combined with legally unfettered use of vast quantities of personal data”.

Senior Tories emphasise that there are still huge barriers before health records could be transferred to private-sector companies such as Google Health or Microsoft HealthVault. A review is underway by Dr Glyn Hayes, a member of the British Computer Society.

There still appears to be disagreement inside the party over whether patients — or their GPs — should act as the gatekeeper for records. It may be up to GPs, rather than patients, to chose which company stores the data, for instance.

David Cameron has repeatedly said that he does not want a big central state-run database for health records. “For every penny we could save on the computer that isn’t really working very well we could put money into nurses and doctors and patient care.” The NHS points out that health records are not held centrally, but by individual trusts.

One stumbling block in the idea to transfer records to services such as Google Health would be that this could make it inaccessible to hospital doctors in accident and emergency facing a patient unexpectedly.

Patients brought unconscious into hospital, for instance, may not be able sign over electronic “permission” for the A&E doctors and nurses to see their notes.

Senior Tories have decided however this is not a fundamental flaw in the idea. They have been told by doctors that A&E staff, for instance, have not in the past required comprehensive notes in the first few hours when a patient is critically ill and that patients often have other ways of indicating allergies, such as wristbands.

The most important part of the Tory plan, insiders say, is that all systems used to maintain patient records — whether managed by the patient themselves or their GP — must be electronically compatible with one another.

Google, the search engine, has said there are no circumstances in which it would sell health data to outside companies, even in an anonymised fashion.

The company strongly rejected suggestions it they would consider selling data for health trials by pharmacuetical companies.

Challenged over how the Google Health service in the UK could make money, the company said its goal was to “drive brand loyalty and more searches on google.com where we make our money on advertising”, adding “at this time, we have no plans to host ads into Google Health”.

However, they hinted that in future they could, in principle, use the service to sell advertising.

A Google spokeswoman said: “We would not serve ads on Google Health without fully informing our users in advance.”

Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.

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Posted in: consumer health,electronic health records,google,natural health news

There's a Dent in Denture Care Consumer Products

ABC News Coverage May 2009

UPDATED 6 May
The issue of toxicity in denture cream products recently met with a critical mass when Good Morning America discussed this issue on a very recent program.

You can find that information here...

Originally posted 17 April
Health Considerations of Consumer Products: Zinc and other Issues with Denture Adhesive Creams

Several years ago complaints began to surface regarding the use of dental adhesives and the development of neuropathy as an adverse effect of using denture adhesive creams.

The reports came from people who were thought to be suffering with hypocupremia (copper deficiency) and hyperzincemia (excess zinc) which may have resulted from chronic excessive use of denture adhesive creams. Most recently, denture cream lawsuits are being investigated regarding adhesive creams such as Super Poligrip and Fixodent. There are, however, other health problems that may be associated with ingredients found in denture adhesive creams.

According to available ingredient information on popular dental adhesives they may include some or all of the following ingredients: Polymethylvinylether Maleic Acid Calcium-Zinc Salt, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Cellulose Gum, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Saccharin, Flavor, Red 27 Aluminum Lake and Yellow 6 Aluminum Lake. Combinations of this group of chemicals raise concern.

Consumers are well advised to read product labels carefully to evaluate if any ingredient may lead to an adverse event.

Both Calcium and Zinc are essential minerals. Calcium is most commonly known to be stored in bone and teeth, and is important to skeletal and muscle health. One of many of zinc’s functions is in the health of the immune system and assisting vitamin A use in forming bone and teeth.

Copper is also an essential mineral, however in sufficient amounts, copper can be poisonous and even fatal. Zinc may act to cause heavy metal poisoning similar to lead when the body stores excess amounts. Zinc and copper are antagonists to each other; as one rises in the blood, the other decreases. Excessive zinc has been linked to neuropathy.

Unidentified is “Flavor” and it is well established that this category may include MSG, a flavor enhancer and neuro-excitotoxic substance. Synthetic flavorings may be petroleum based. Mineral oil and petrolatum are petroleum based ingredients. Petroleum based products have been reported to effect lung function and other mucous membrane function in the gastrointestinal tract.

Cellulose gum is often used either as a bulking agent, an emulsifier, stabilizer and thickener. It is known chemically as Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose.

Silicon Dioxide is a commonly used ingredient often used as a flow agent or hydration factor. Since it takes on water, extended exposures may cause drying of the skin or other tissue, and may be an abrasive when used in a hydrated form. It is known as a gastrointestinal irritant and may be connected with GI obstructions.

Fluoride is known to react with silicon dioxide to form hexafluorosilicic acid which is considered to be corrosive and may cause fluoride poisoning or swelling of lung tissue. Fluoride is also considered to be a thyroid suppressive substance with many health risks. Impaired thyroid function may be associated with immune suppression and other health concerns.

In addition, silicon dioxide reacts chemically with zinc salts.

Sodium saccharin has a controversial history as an artificial sweetener. This substance is banned in many countries, including Canada, but was allowed in the United States as long as the product is labeled to contain saccharin which may increase the risk of cancer. In 2000 the labeling requirement was discontinued by Congress. Older research showed an increase risk of bladder cancer when using saccharin.

Both Red 27 and Yellow 6 are Aluminum Lake colorings. Some research has proposed that aluminum is a factor in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. These are naphthalene-azo dyes.

The gum like paste that forms the base material for these adhesive creams is Polymethylvinylether Maleic Acid (PVM/MA). This is a synthetic polymer used as a film forming or thickening agent. Ingestion of excessive amounts of these substances may cause nausea, abdominal pain, burning sensations, vomiting or diarrhea. They may also be drying to skin.

Authors of a study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
involving people using dental creams found very large and varied amounts of zinc concentrations in the products. They concluded that use of the creams in excessive and chronic use patterns may result in trace element imbalance and serious neurologic disease.

Should you have questions about using these products, contact your dental or other health care provider.

This article is part of a consumer health education series written by Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND, of Creating Health Institute, in collaboration with Bernstein Liebhard, LLP, who sponsors the consumer advocate website, www.ConsumerInjuryLawyers.com.

You can follow this link to read more about a denture cream lawsuit, Fixodent lawsuit or Poligrip lawsuit. 12/11/08

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Posted in: consumer health,consumer lawyer,copper,denture cream,Fixodent,Good Morning America,health news,injury,metal poison,natural health news,neurological problems,Poligrip,zinc

The Importance of Vitamins

When my children were infants our pediatrician prescribed vitamin drops that included vitamins A and D as well as being a multiple. They contained 5000 IU of vitamin A, and there was no furor over these vitamin drops. Nothing happened to my children because of it and both of them are now healthy adults.

They also had real food, including raw milk, and lots of vegetables and fruit. They ate butter and broth made from bones, and homemade bread and real yoghurt.

Their vitamins were good brands we did not buy at the grocery store of other of the low cost box stores.

You do get what you pay for in vitamins, and they do benefit your health, even at levels well beyond the too low RDA levels. Remember that RDA levels are very arbitrary and too low for therapeutic benefit. Now days you want good vitamins and good levels because of all the issues with health care and you want them to be able to help you support your health.

It is good that Consumer Lab is doing this testing, but it is also at a time when Big Pharma and the FDA are trying to get you to believe you don't need vitamins for health or they are tainted.

This philosophy could not be further from the truth.

Over the years as the health market became cluttered with every kind of product we've always stayed with out tried and true clean and hypoallergenic vitamins. We know what is in them and we know they are effective.

Report warns of problems with multivitamins
Thu Apr 9, 2009

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – More than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead, the company reports.

ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.

Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on www.ConsumerLab.com.

For example, the Institute of Medicine sets a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 1,300 international units (IU) of vitamin A for children ages 4 to 8 years and an upper tolerable limit of 3,000 IU. However, one multivitamin tested provided 5,000 IU of vitamin A.

In the short term, too much vitamin A may cause nausea and blurred vision, and, in the long-term, may lead to bone softening and liver problems.

Upper tolerable limits for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the supplements for young children tested. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc may cause immune deficiency and anemia.

Tests turned up problems with some men's multivitamin products as well. Two of three men's multivitamins failed to pass testing. One contained too much folic acid, which may increase the risk of prostate cancer, while another was contaminated with lead.

Among four women's multivitamins tested, one provided only 66 percent of its claimed vitamin A; one of five seniors' multivitamins selected contained only 44 percent of its vitamin A; and among three prenatal vitamins, one was short on vitamin A.

Two out of five general multivitamins were short on ingredients: one provided only 50 percent of its claimed folic acid and the other was missing 30 percent of its calcium.

A vitamin water tested by ConsumerLab.com had 15 times its stated amount of folic acid, so drinking one bottle would exceed the tolerable limit for adults; less than half a bottle would put children over the limit, the company warns on its website.
http://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Multivitamin_Multimineral_Supplements/multivitamins/

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,Consumer Lab,natural health news,vitamins

Insurance Companies May Not Be Your Friend

With all the talk about the health stimulus plan and the recent wave of backlash from Big Insurance against universal care, we now have some insight into what this industry does as a routine practice.

What ever way health care goes, the issues at stake are pretty big ones. It surely is just one more reason why you should start now to get healthy and stay healthy, plus learn what you can do to maintain your health.

Reliance on insurance and the government might not be your best call.

Senate takes on out-of-network insurance issue
By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Ever wonder how that bill was calculated if you had to pay to see a doctor outside your insurance network?

Might be a scam, says a senator investigating the issue.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, wants answers at a hearing Tuesday from the chief executives of UnitedHealth Group Inc. and its subsidiary Ingenix Inc., a claims database used by insurers nationwide to calculate out-of-network rates.

The inquiry follows lawsuits and an investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo alleging that UnitedHealth and Ingenix manipulated rate data so insurers had to pay less and patients more for out-of-network services.

"They're lowballing deliberately. They deliberately cut the numbers so the consumer has to pay more of the cost," Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday.

"It's scamming. It's fraud," he said.

In January, UnitedHealth agreed to pay $350 million to settle a suit by the American Medical Association and others over the issue. UnitedHealth did not admit wrongdoing. But, under pressure from Cuomo, the company agreed to pay $50 million toward creation of an independent claims database and eventually close down the Ingenix databases.

Cuomo has secured similar agreements from other major insurers, including WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., and Cigna Corp. The AMA is pursuing suits against those companies, too.

"Our view is that we've reached a resolution on this matter and we're moving forward," UnitedHealth spokesman Tyler Mason said in a voicemail message Friday. "We think it's positive that this information will continue to be made available in the health care marketplace so that people can make informed decisions."

A spokeswoman for Ingenix referred calls to UnitedHealth.

Rockefeller and other lawmakers, along with doctors and consumer groups, view the matter as far from over. They say more accountability and transparency is needed in how insurance companies determine out-of-network rates, and that patients need to understand how it's done to avoid sticker shock when they get their medical bills.

One such patient is Mary Jerome of Yonkers, N.Y. She went out of network to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006. When she began getting her bills she discovered that Memorial Sloan-Kettering was not being reimbursed by her insurer anywhere near as much as the center was charging and that she was responsible for paying the rest.

"Unknown to me, they were operating with deceptive methods of reimbursement," Jerome told Rockefeller's committee in written testimony. "I had to battle cancer — and I am still battling it — and I had to battle my insurance company to try and get fair coverage."

More than 70 percent of workers who get health care through their employers are enrolled in plans that allow them to go out of network, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Typically, those plans will pay a set percentage, say 70 percent, for an out-of-network visit.

But unknown to many consumers, when patients go out of network, their plan doesn't actually pay 70 percent of the doctor's visit cost. It pays 70 percent of what it determines is the "usual, customary and reasonable" cost for the procedure or doctor's visit in question.

Insurance companies determine that cost themselves, and there's scant regulation or oversight of how they do it.

In the case of UnitedHealth and Ingenix, they were allegedly manipulating claims data so that the "usual, customary and reasonable" costs they used were lower than they should have been, leaving patients to pay more. Cuomo's office said Ingenix was understating the market rate for doctor's visits across New York state by 10 percent to 28 percent.

Even with the UnitedHealth settlement, lawmakers and others want bigger changes in the system so rate calculations are fairer and better understood. Rockefeller said federal legislation might be needed.

"You ask me how are their 'usual and customary' rates being determined," Rockefeller said. "I don't know."
___

On the Net: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/

UnitedHealth Group: http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com
Ingenix: http://www.ingenix.com/
N.Y. Attorney General's office: http://tinyurl.com/d6n89j
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,health insurance,natural health news,out-of-network billing

Thyroid care off base in the US too...

Thyroid concerns are perhaps a greater health concern that realized. This may be related to low selenium levels in food, the thyroid suppressing effect of water fluoridation, the rise in the number and use of fluoride based prescriptions drugs, and increased presence of drug waste in water. Rising impact of EMF-ELF proliferation and depleted uranium are environmental concerns.

HOT NEWS

DID YOU KNOW: Thyroid therapy was used to cure polio and breast cancer, as well as prevent dementia?

There is quite a substantial body of science regarding thyroid health on the web. Just as with anything, some of the information may be incorrect, however the majority of valuable data comes from longtime researchers and providers like Dr. Barnes, Dr. Wilson, Dr. Lowe and others.

Once again on a trip back to the future, people with thyroid problems and the thyroid were not disregarded as "flakes". And it seemed that doctors knew what tests to order and how to properly interpret them s well. They also had no fear of natural thyroid products such as Armour.

Today, it seems as if the thyroid is some taboo gland that will, if not functioning very well on the hypothyroid side, lead you only to the following scenario - a TSH only test - or if you are lucky you might get a TSH and a T4 - and maybe if your result is outside the old range up to 5 or even 8, you might get Synthroid.

Synthroid is synthetic T4 and it usually does not effectively address the physiological issues present. It also can lead to osteoporosis in long term treatment.

One problem is that several years ago the range for TSH results were redefined at 0.3 to 3.2. So if your doctor, NP, or lab is still relying on the old scale, get a new one.

And if they rely on the old scale, maybe they don't even know how to interpret the results.

Some people may need T3, like Cytomel, but with compounding pharmacies being attacked maybe this is herd to come by where you live.

Many people do not do well on Synthroid and really need natural glandular products, or a combination product like Thyrolar.

And you can have normal appearing lab results and still have a problem, which indicates more testing like an rT3 and/ or a TRH, and not to overlook both Free T3 and Free T4.

On the other side of the coin is a group of people with hyperactive thyroid conditions who are "radiated" to "kill" the gland and then require supplementation, usually Synthroid. This group of people should know that there are effective ways to address this situation, as hypothyroid as well, using natural therapy or in combination with drugs; usually you do not hear this too.

Of course it is worthwhile to consider that adrenal function might be evaluated first, and corrected if needed, before addressing thyroid concerns. Its that TPA (Thyroid-Pituitary-Adrenal) axis thing you know...

"The prevailing dogma says that all you need to know is that the TSH test is the gold standard for diagnosis, and the only treatment is T4-replacement/levothyroxine. Even then, the dogma usually stipulates that you use Synthroid, the top-selling levothyroxine drug, the most expensive of all the brands, the one that has legions of drug reps in its employ, and the one that not coincidentally spreads around millions in research money, grants, honoraria, freebies, samples, and support to doctors, endocrinologists, professional groups and patient organizations each year.

People deserve to know that:
there are other brands of levothyroxine than Synthroid, and despite a doctor's allegiance to one brand, another brand may work better for you (not to mention cost you far less)
some patients will not be relieved of their hypothyroidism symptoms -- such as fatigue, depression, weight gain -- despite treatment to the so-called "normal range," and will need additional treatment to regain their health
patients deserve to know that there are other thyroid medicines that for some, may better relieve their symptoms -- additional T3 as Cytomel or time-released T3, a synthetic T4/T3 combination Thyrolar, or the natural desiccated prescription thyroid drugs Armour and Nature-throid
the TSH test itself is one part of diagnosing thyroid problems, but T4, T3, free T4, free T3 tests, antibodies tests, clinical evaluation of signs and symptoms, and consideration of medical and family history, should also be part of a thorough diagnostic process for thyroid disease
The TSH "normal" range that is used to rule thyroid disease in and out may not be relevant on an individual basis, it may be flawed, and it is subject to change, making it a rocky foundation on which to base an entire diagnosis and treatment regimen"

from David Odom, MD, a UK physician: "Of course, this move in Britain is politically based. This document is no more than ossified opinion. This is in a country that has 'cookbook' medicine. So, politics rules! Likely, this our future, approaching rapidly. In my practice, I have the patient supplement Thyroid USP, so as to maintain relief from low thyroid symptoms while maintaining a youthful Free T3 (& coincidentally suppressing TSH). It is ironic that the British medical literature has pointed out 'the emperor's new clothes' regarding treatment of hypothyroidism. It turns out that suppression of the TSH is an expected consequence of thyroid supplementation that has no adverse health consequences, moreover the TSH has no specific or reliable correlation with thyroid function. The large majority of medical practitioners follow the system of prescribing synthetic levothyroxine to regulate the TSH, even though this practice has no scientific foundation. Doctors who practice Natural Hormone Replacement therapy, on the other hand, prescribe Thyroid USP or compounded T4/T3 combinations, seeking symptom reversal without regard to the TSH and find success with great benefit for patients."

Thyroid disorders 'misdiagnosed'
People with suspected thyroid disorders are being mistreated and misinformed, experts have warned.

British Thyroid Association doctors say some people are being given the wrong tests and the wrong treatment.

NHS doctors abide by expert guidelines - but the BTA says the problem comes when patients go outside the NHS.

Around 3% of the UK population has an underactive thyroid, which should be diagnosed with a blood test and treated with a synthetic hormone.

An under-active thyroid, or hypothyroidism, develops when the thyroid gland produces too little thyroxine, and it is becoming more prevalent because of the ageing population.

Symptoms can include being very tired, feeling the cold, having difficulties with memory or concentration, weight gain and fertility problems.

These are symptoms that can mimic other conditions, and experts warn an incorrect diagnosis could mean some patients could suffer harmful effects from excess thyroid hormones, while other serious conditions may go undiagnosed.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) recently set out guidance for how hypothyroidism should be diagnosed and treated in the UK.

It says the only accurate way to diagnose a thyroid disorder is via a blood test which measures hormone levels, and the only scientifically proven way of treating the condition is by topping up a patient's natural thyroxine levels with a synthetic form of the hormone.

But the BTA warns that information on the web and in the media about alternative ways of diagnosing and treating the condition are leading people to turn to alternative methods of diagnosis and treatments.

It says urine tests, saliva tests and measuring body temperature are not reliable ways of diagnosing the condition.

Confusion

Dr Amit Allahabadia, the secretary of the BTA who wrote the editorial, said: "This is potentially an enormous problem, given that in any one year, one in four people in the United Kingdom have their thyroid function checked.

He added: "I think it is essentially doctors who are outside the NHS [who] may be misdiagnosing the condition.

"Patients may go to see them when they think they have an under-active thyroid, or when tests have shown they have normal hormone levels but they still feel ill."

Dr Allahabadia said he believed a "significant minority" of patients were affected, either directly through misdiagnosis or mistreatment or because they were being confused by inaccurate information.

Professor Peter Trainer, who chairs the clinical committee of the Society for Endocrinology which represents the specialists who treat thyroid disorders, said: "Our sympathy has to lie with the patient because there is potentially misleading information available on the web.

"It can be confusing for patients, and it can be difficult for GPs when they are confronted with that information, which is why the RCP guidance was published."

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7965417.stm
Published: 2009/03/27 © BBC MMIX

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,endocrinology,natural health news,thyroid

Healthy Suggestion

UPDATE 8 May: Plavix et al and Anti-Acid Drugs Again in the News:

Benefits Of Anti-clotting Medications Reduced By Common Heartburn Drugs

ScienceDaily (2009-05-07) -- Proton pump inhibitors interfere with anti-clotting protection of clopidogrel. The anti-clotting action of the medication clopidogrel can be compromised by common drugs for the treatment of heartburn and ulcers resulting in a roughly 50 percent increase in the combined risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiovascular illnesses, according to a new study. ... > read full article

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One of the most popular items at Natural Health News has been a post I made back in November about Plavix and Nexium.

Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) is an inhibitor of ADP-induced platelet aggregation acting by direct inhibition of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) binding to its receptor and of the subsequent ADP-mediated activation of the glycoprotein GPIIb/IIIa complex. Chemically it is methyl (+)-(S)-α-(2-chlorophenyl)-6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridine-5(4H)-acetate sulfate (1:1). The empirical formula of clopidogrel bisulfate is C16H16ClNO2S•H2SO4 and its molecular weight is 419.9.

Gastrointestinal and intracranial hemorrhage as well as other bleeding events are a risk of this drug.

Plavix Postmarketing Experience: The following events have been reported spontaneously from worldwide postmarketing experience:

Body as a whole:
- hypersensitivity reactions, anaphylactoid reactions, serum sickness
Central and Peripheral Nervous System disorders:
- confusion, hallucinations, taste disorders
Hepato-biliary disorders:
- abnormal liver function test, hepatitis (non-infectious), acute liver failure
Platelet, Bleeding and Clotting disorders:
- cases of bleeding with fatal outcome (especially intracranial, gastrointestinal and retroperitoneal hemorrhage)
- thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) - some cases with fatal outcome - (see WARNINGS)
- agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia/pancytopenia
- conjunctival, ocular and retinal bleeding
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders:
- bronchospasm, interstitial pneumonitis
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders:
- angioedema, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, lichen planus
Renal and urinary disorders:
- glomerulopathy, increased creatinine levels
Vascular disorders:
- vasculitis, hypotension
Gastrointestinal disorders:
- colitis (including ulcerative or lymphocytic colitis), pancreatitis, stomatitis
Musculoskeletal, connective tissue and bone disorders:
- myalgia

You can learn more about Plavix at http://www.rxlist.com/plavix-drug.htm#ad

Allegedly, according to the manufacturer, Nexium or other proton pump inhibitors are taken with Plavix to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. However it is also pointed out that the risk of heart attack with this combination is about 50% higher that if you were not taking the PPI drug.

Interestingly enough there are a number of natural appraoches to reducing platelet aggregation that are certainly less effective and do not seem to create risk of GI or other serious bleeding.

Plavix costs about $1.50 a pill.

Other products that will reduce platelet aggregation are aspirin, vitamin E, garlic, and natto. There are also herbs that will help support this process such as red clover and ginkgo.

Generally, with natural products you do not run the risk of major bleeding are risk of heart attack.

And if you are also concerned about GERD, not related to combined use with other drugs, you might consider -

PPI drugs may deplete Calcium, Folic acid, Vitamin B12* and Vitamin C

Vinegar for gastic distress

1 teaspoon of organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a glass of pure water
about 20 minutes before meals reduces reflux.

or Chamomile tea, or the tea with added tincture, rebalances gastric acidity.

or a simple glass of water sipped slowly (no ice) reduces stomach acid.

or the use of high quality digestive enzymes (simply4health full spectrum enzymes) and evaluation of the amount of HCl present in your stomach as low levesl of HCl contribute to GERD.

Consider too that lecithin granules do a lot to improve the flexibility and health of your arteries and reduce risk of arteriosclerosis. Plain yoghurt mixed with applesauce also helps this condition.
***
Long term side effect of stomach acid blockers such as Pepcid, Tagamet, Zantac, Prilosec - Potentially harmful acidity develops in the tissues of the body when the system's ability to eliminate the acids that are produced (metabolic waste, acid forming foods, and the system's various stress mechanisms) is reduced. The stomach is one of the primary venting mechanisms for this build up of hydrogen ions (acids are typified by an abundance of such ions) and when our stomach's acid producing mechanisms are pharmaceutically inhibited, the hydrogen ion concentrations become too abundant to be efficiently eliminated by other pathways of elimination. Consequently, the acids build up in the tissues and fluid compartments of the body, where they greatly interfere with the normal cellular functions. The overly acidic condition of the intercellular fluid compartment makes it an ideal breeding ground for harmful micro-organisms, creating an enormous burden on the immune system. This build-up can lead to fatigue, poor mental and emotional health and eventual chronic degenerative illness.

A Second Opinion -
Plavix clopidogrel by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Benefit and side effects of Plavix medication

Plavix is a prescription medication marketed by Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Plavix was launched in 1998. It is currently marketed in over 80 countries.

Cardiologists are re-evaluating how they prescribe Plavix, a popular heart medication used to prevent blood clots, after a major clinical study found the drug may cause dangerous bleeding in patients who take it along with aspirin to ward off a first heart attack. Some people taking the blood thinner Plavix on top of aspirin to try to prevent heart attacks, as many doctors recommend, now have good reason to stop. The Plavix and aspirin combination not only didn’t help most people, but it unexpectedly almost doubled the risk of death, heart attack or stroke for those with no clogged arteries but with worrisome conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Plavix danger in combination with proton pump inhibitors
Patients with stents who take Plavix with prescription heartburn drugs, including AstraZeneca PLC’s Nexium, are significantly more likely to be hospitalized for a heart attack, stroke, chest pain or a coronary artery bypass operation than those who take Plavix alone.

Q. I read that taking Plavix and Nexium is dangerous. I am taking Plavix and Zantac. Is this dangerous too? I had a heart attack and a stent was put in my artery. I then was put on Aspirin (325 mg), Plavix (75 mg), and Zantac because I have stomach ulcer. I had sever nose bleeding after 2 weeks taking the above medications. My cardiologist reduced aspirin to 81 mg. I don't know how I will tolerate this new regiment.
A. Nexium and Zantac work in different ways so I don't know if Zantac, an H2 antihistamine, would have a similar interaction with Plavix as would Nexium, a proton pump inhibitor.

People who suffer a heart attack nearly double the risk of having another if they are taking the widely used blood thinner Plavix together with a heartburn drug like Prilosec. Plavix, also known as clopidogrel and made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, and aspirin are often used to thin a patient's blood after a heart attack. Doctors also may prescribe a proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, such as AstraZeneca Plc's heartburn drug Prilosec to cut the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding from bloodthinners. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association tracked 8,205 U.S. patients who were treated for a heart attack or chest pain known as unstable angina and given Plavix and aspirin. Two-thirds of these patients also took a PPI, primarily Prilosec, and had almost double the risk of having another heart attack or bout of unstable angina compared to those not taking a PPI. Dr. Michael Ho of the Denver VA Medical Center, who led the study, said this drug combination may be responsible for thousands of repeat heart attacks.

Plavix Prescription
Plavix is one of the world's top-selling drugs. Plavix is prescribed with the intention that it may prevent strokes and heart attacks in patients at risk for these problems. Plavix is in a class of medications called antiplatelet drugs. It apparently works by helping to prevent harmful blood clots.

June 2007 - A federal judge permanently blocked a Canadian maker of a cheap generic version of blood thinner Plavix from marketing the drug, saying its version infringed on a valid patent for Plavix. U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein said Apotex Inc. had failed to prove that the patent was invalid.

Plavix in Germany
German health insurers, under pressure to cut costs amid reforms, are considering whether to restrict prescription guidelines for Sanofi-Aventis's blood thinner Plavix in a move that could harm the drug's sales. The Joint Committee (B-GA), the self-regulating body of German health insurers is reviewing a report it had commissioned from an independent research institute which questions the benefits of Plavix for certain patients. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare (IQWiG) said Plavix or Iscover, offered no benefits over aspirin when used alone as a preventative treatment for conditions resulting from arterial diseases. Sanofi-Aventis, the world's third biggest drugmaker, criticised the institute's report.

Plavix update
October 2006 - Bristol-Myers Squibb had third-quarter earnings in 2006 plunge as sales of the anti-clotting drug Plavix were hurt by a cheaper generic. New York-based Bristol earned $338 million, or 17 cents per share, from continuing operations, compared with $964 million, or 49 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Plavix was hurt by competition from the early introduction of the cheaper generic by privately held Canadian drug maker Apotex Inc. A deal between Bristol-Myers and Apotex to delay the generic for years fell apart and is now under criminal investigation by the U.S. government for possible antitrust violations. The probe has been widened to review whether the deal violated federal securities laws. Plavix, used to prevent blood clots that can trigger heart attacks, was the world's second-biggest medicine, with global annual sales of $6 billion before the generic arrived.

September 2006 - Plavix has been approved for patients who have had a type of heart attack called acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who are not going to have coronary artery repair (angioplasty). A STEMI is a severe heart attack caused by the sudden, total blockage of an artery. In STEMI patients, Plavix prevents subsequent blockage in the already-damaged heart vessel, which could lead to more heart attacks, stroke - and possibly death. FDA approved Plavix in November 1997 to decrease platelet function in people who suffer from acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Platelets are the sticky blood cells that help to form a clot and can contribute to blocked coronary arteries. According to the American Heart Association, each year an estimated 500,000 Americans have a STEMI heart attack.

August 2006 - A Bristol-Myers Squibb executive entered a secret side deal with a generic drug maker in hopes of preserving a lucrative monopoly over the anti-clotting drug Plavix. Those allegations are thought to be the focus of a Department of Justice investigation of Bristol-Myers and the company’s marketing partner for the drug, Sanofi-Aventis. The court filing, made by lawyers for the Canadian generic drug company Apotex, contends that Bristol-Myers made the secret agreement as part of a proposed patent lawsuit settlement with Apotex. The secret deal, Apotex contends, was an effort to evade the scrutiny of the federal and state regulators who were reviewing the settlement. The filing alleges that Dr. Andrew G. Bodnar, a top assistant to Bristol-Myers’s chief executive, Peter R. Dolan, negotiated the secret deal after regulators objected to an earlier version of the patent settlement on the ground that it would stifle competition. Although the Food and Drug Administration approved Apotex’s generic version of Plavix in early 2006, the settlement would have delayed the introduction of that drug until 2011, several months before the expiration of the Plavix patent.

August 2006 - Canadian drugmaker Apotex Corp. launched a generic version of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s blockbuster Plavix anti-clotting medicine, threatening Bristol-Myers' earnings outlook and dividend.

March 2006 - Sanofi-Aventis shares surged after the French drugmaker settled a dispute with generic rival Apotex Inc. that could keep U.S. patent protection on its multibillion-dollar blood thinner Plavix until 2011.

Plavix or Aspirin?
Plavix is commonly used to prevent blood clots, but is aspirin a cheaper way to prevent a blood clot? Is Plavix being used by doctors mostly because of a major marketing push? Plavix is distributed by Sanofi-Aventis, a French drug manufacturer, and Bristol-Myers Squibb of New York. Plavix is Sanofi-Aventis's top-selling drug.

Plavix Side Effects
Serious side effects of Plavix include bleeding and, rarely, low white blood cell counts or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (low platelet counts with spontaneous bleeding and clotting).

Dr. Sahelian's Opinion
I prefer to stick with aspirin at this time since, in my opinion, Plavix is very expensive and I have not seen enough proof that it is significantly superior to aspirin.

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,independent health news,natural health care,natural health news,natural news,Nexium,Plavix

Scattershot method for determining best medicine

This article points to a 50% effectiveness for comparison shopping. Other studies have established that 80% of what is standard in health care doesn't work, and many providers just do not know why.

If this is where things are today, then it is going to be as slow as molasses in January to get a fire under change in health care.

I raised questions about ability to diagnose what ails you. I've also questions drug issues. It just seem as if no one really knows what is going on. And to top it off, doctor groups don't want people to be allowed to comment about them on line.

Is there a problem with free speech in medicine these days as well?

All I know is that for me this does not bode well, and I suppose I'd better get started on that book everyone wants me to write. The one with patient stories, the ones I hear every day from very frustrated people who are only trying to maneuver their way through the current system. They are just seeking preventive tools or better care from a provider who will at least talk with them - face to face.

HEALTHBEAT: What's the best medicine -- really?
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical, Mar 9, 2009

WASHINGTON – Think your doctor knows which drug — or surgery or even diagnostic test — works best? Think again. Half the time, there's little if any good evidence comparing one to another. And one of medicine's little secrets is that brand-new drugs don't have to work any better than cheap old ones to be approved for sale.

Now the government has a $1.1 billion down payment to start unraveling that problem, money provided in the economic stimulus package to better determine which test or treatment works best, when and for whom so that patients don't waste time and money on poor choices.

But which ailments go to the top of a very long wish list? And perhaps most important, how to make sure the results get into doctors' and patients' hands but not overly limit what therapies people can choose?

"There's a lot of clamor ... that this is going to deprive people of the choice to basically have every treatment they want. That's based on a false premise," Dr. Harold Sox, past president of the American College of Physicians, told The Associated Press. Last week, Sox was chosen to lead a panel of the prestigious Institute of Medicine to help guide what comparisons the government makes.

"If people had a good explanation of why a test that they wanted was more likely to hurt them than to help them, they might of their free choice say, 'You know, I was clearly wrong. I shouldn't want that test and now I don't."

At issue is what's called "comparative effectiveness." Should you have open-heart bypass surgery or far less invasive stents to open severely clogged heart arteries? Which of two hot treatments best prevents stroke from a clogged neck artery, surgically rooting out the clog or pushing it aside with a stent?

Does arthroscopic surgery work any better than painkillers for knee arthritis? Of all the competing pills, which is best to start with in treating Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure? Is there really any difference between Prevacid and Prilosec for heartburn, or between Fosamax and hormone treatments for bone-weakening osteoporosis?

Those winners-and-losers questions drive fierce opposition to comparison effectiveness research from drug makers and others who have a financial stake in the outcome and fear that insurers will use the results to make coverage decisions. Back surgeons once lobbied to kill the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality after it found "insufficient evidence" supporting certain spine operations — not that they didn't work, just that more evidence was needed.

The result: The nation has a scattershot method for determining best medicine. The little-known AHRQ spends about $30 million a year reviewing evidence of select tests and treatments. The National Institutes of Health occasionally compares contested therapies in expensive, years-long studies involving thousands of patients, like the stroke trial now under way.

So an extra $1.1 billion for the government to start spending on such comparisons this year marks a huge jump. By June's end, the Institute of Medicine panel will provide a priority list of up to 50 vexing medical questions to help the feds determine where to start.

Don't expect easy answers. Federal scientists are acutely aware that many of today's studies don't account for wide variations in responses to treatments by minorities or other subgroups.

"We have not yet seen a report or an assessment that says, 'Option A thumbs up, Option B forget it,'" says AHRQ Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy. The goal is "to figure out what's the right choice for me."

"Medical decision-making is rarely black-and-white," adds the NIH's heart chief Dr. Elizabeth Nabel. "We see certainly helping to provide additional evidence that really guides physicians and individuals in sorting through the shades of gray."

The bypass-versus-stent question for severe heart disease is a good example. Last week's New England Journal of Medicine published a comparison suggesting bypass recipients fare slightly better. But Nabel notes that in fact the study found tradeoffs that mean people may legitimately choose the easier recovery of a stent.

A bigger question is how to ensure that patients get the opportunity to consider such findings. AHRQ has begun translating its jargon-filled comparisons into easy-to-understand consumer brochures.

But the most-used comparative effectiveness research may come from a unique program in Oregon called the "Drug Effectiveness Review Project" that evaluates the evidence behind competing drugs.

One example: Two years before the painkiller Vioxx was pulled off the market because of heart side effects, the project declared it riskier than its equally effective cousins, says project director Mark Gibson at Oregon Health and Science University.

The reports don't weigh drug costs but they are used primarily by the Medicaid directors of 14 states in coverage decisions. A wider audience sees them thanks to the influential Consumers Union, which does add price to evaluations done by both the Oregon project and AHRQ to create its free Web-based "Best Buy Drugs" guides.
___

EDITOR'S NOTE — Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
___

On the Net:
AHRQ: http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov
Oregon project: http://www.ohsu.edu/drugeffectiveness/

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press.

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,costly and wasteful health care,health news,ineffectice medical care,natural health news

Vitamin C cancer study challenged

TUCSON, March 6 (UPI) -- Personal nutrition coach and U.S. nutrition author Jack Challem is challenging a recent study on high doses of vitamin C interfering with chemotherapy drugs.

Challem, a Tucson, Ariz., personal nutrition coach and a regular contributor to the journal Alternative and Complementary Therapies, challenges the findings of a study published in Cancer Research which concludes that vitamin C given to mice or cultured cells treated with common anticancer drugs reduces the tumor-fighting effects of the chemotherapeutic agents.

Challem points out two main problems with the study -- the oxidized form of vitamin C, or dehydroascorbic acid, and not actual vitamin C, ascorbic acid, was used; and in the mouse experiments, the animals were given toxic doses of dehydroascorbic acid, a compound that is not used as a dietary supplement in humans.

"This study and the subsequent headlines were a grievous disservice to physicians and patients with cancer," Challem writes in the Medical Journal Watch column in Alternative and Complementary Therapies.

"Considerable positive research ... has shown striking benefits from high-dose vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in cancer cells and animals -- and in actual human beings."

High-dose intravenous vitamin C is a common form of alternative and complementary therapy for patients receiving chemotherapeutic drugs and is believed to help bring about tumor cell death, Challem says. In addition, it may promote post-surgical healing by enhancing collagen formation, and increase tissue resistance to tumor spread.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/03/06/Vitamin_C_cancer_study_challenged/UPI-98611236362282/

You might refer to this report on the vitamin C and others you can find by searching Natural Health News.

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Posted in: 2009,Cancer,chemotherapy,consumer health,independent health news,natural health news,natural news,vitamin C

Here's Your Chance

UPDATE:

White House to hold healthcare forums across U.S.
Fri Mar 6, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama's administration will organize healthcare forums across the United States in the coming weeks to involve Americans and local policy makers in a push for reform, the White House said on Friday.

Obama vowed on Thursday to break the political stalemate that has blocked past efforts and pass a comprehensive plan to cut healthcare costs and expand insurance coverage this year.

The regional meetings, which will take place in California, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Vermont in March and early April, are meant to gather ideas from local communities about how to fix the system.

"The forums will bring together diverse groups of people all over the country who have a stake in reforming our health care system and ask them to put forward their best ideas about how we bring down costs and expand coverage for American families," Obama said in a statement.

"The time for reform is now and these regional forums are some of the key first steps toward breaking the stalemate we have been stuck in for far too long."

The events will be hosted by the participating states' governors and will include doctors, elected officials from the Democratic and Republican parties, and "everyday" citizens, the White House said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited

There is a conduit set up now to take your views on health care and reform.

Of course I hope it isn't lip service as the government hasn't been too trustworthy for several decades now.

Just don't overlook the change and of course you can contact The White House directly as well.

Now that daylight savings time arrives this coming weekend, perhaps more light on issues will bring better outcomes.

I see this as a very good time to push acceptance of coverage for supplements and more inclusion of natural care as a way to lower costs and raise effectiveness of acre. I am not endorsing that this be under the control of MDs, however.

Remember, you can dodge the rat-pack mass herding mentality and skip a currently circulating SEO generated petition by submitting your own comments directly via the links in this post and to your representatives at Congress.org.

Obama says U.S. can't afford to wait on healthcare
By David Alexander, Mar 5, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Saying Americans cannot afford to put off an overhaul of healthcare, President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to break the political stalemate that has blocked past efforts and pass a comprehensive plan this year.

Obama formally launched a drive for healthcare reform at a White House forum, telling about 120 experts the costly and inefficient system was dragging down the ailing U.S. economy.

"Health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it is a fiscal imperative," Obama said. "If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, then we must address the crushing cost of healthcare this year, in this administration."

Obama said he understood skepticism about the initiative given the failure of President Bill Clinton's plan in the 1990s, which died amid heavy opposition from insurance and drug companies.

"I know people are afraid we'll draw the same old lines in the sand and give in to the same entrenched interests and arrive back at the same stalemate that we've been stuck in for decades," he said.

"This time is different. This time, the call for reform is coming from the bottom up, from all across the spectrum -- from doctors, nurses and patients; unions and businesses; hospitals, health care providers and community groups," he said.

Obama's drive for a healthcare overhaul, a core promise of his Democratic candidacy, is another big-ticket item on a jammed White House agenda that includes programs to ease the economic crisis, rescue the financial system and cure an ailing housing market.

But Obama said the U.S. economic crisis made the healthcare task even more critical, and he reiterated his goal to pass a comprehensive healthcare measure by the end of the year.

"By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation's balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care," he said.

U.S. healthcare costs have grown to $2.5 trillion annually and the ranks of the uninsured have swollen to 46 million people. The country consistently ranks lower than other rich countries in preventing and treating many diseases such as diabetes.

MOMENTUM GROWING FOR REFORMS

Political momentum for an overhaul has grown in recent years. Obama and his Republican rival in the presidential election, Senator John McCain, both proposed extensive changes in the healthcare system during the campaign.

More than 80 percent of Americans think the U.S. health system needs fundamental change or a complete overhaul, a 2008 Harris Interactive poll found. In his budget plan, Obama proposed setting aside $634 billion to help pay for the overhaul over the next 10 years.

"Now is the time for action," said Senator Edward Kennedy, a Democrat and champion of healthcare reform whose appearance at the forum's closing session sparked a standing ovation.

"I'm looking forward to being a foot soldier in this undertaking," said Kennedy, who has brain cancer. "This time we will not fail."

The attendees at the White House session include congressional, industry, union and think tank experts including some, such as insurance and pharmaceutical industry lobby groups, which may oppose a final plan.

Healthcare stocks were down across the board on Thursday. The Morgan Stanley Healthcare Payor index of health insurers fell more than 9 percent, including steep drops for Humana Inc and Cigna Corp.

Obama has not presented a specific reform plan to Congress, seeking to avoid the problems that killed Clinton's effort and build support before he settles on an approach.

"It is clear there is tremendous momentum," said Democratic Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "How do we do this? The fact is this is going to be incredibly difficult."

Baucus and Senator Charles Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said they were aiming to put together a healthcare bill by June.

Representative Joe Barton, the top Republican on the House panel that leads on healthcare, complimented the president on getting all sides together and said "if this is a real process and we're listened to, folks like me will participate."

"I don't consider what happened in the '90s a failure," Barton said, adding he worked hard to kill the Clinton plan. "But this is a different time and a different approach."

Clinton was criticized for hatching the reform plans behind closed doors, but Obama said he would ensure the process was transparent and inclusive. The Health and Human Services Department unveiled a new website devoted to the issue at www.healthreform.gov.

(Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Maggie Fox and David Storey)
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, is serving on the House committee writing the health care bill, contact her too.

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,health care reform,health freedom,natural health news,natural news

Digital TV Health Risks Identified

Originally posted 21 Feb/09
Problems with the implementation of digital TV have been sounded for at least a decade. For your information, please review the following excerpt of a report from Germany regarding what people are experiencing there.

"In Germany, analog broadcast television stations have gradually been switching to digital broadcast signals since 2003. This switchover first took place in metropolitan areas. In those areas, however, the RF exposures in public places as well as at home continued to increase at the same time. As a result, the continuing declining health status of children, adolescents, and adults in urban areas could not be attributed to any single cause.

On May 20, 2006, two digital broadcast television stations went on the air in the Hessian Rhoen area (Heidelstein, Kreuzberg), which until recently had enjoyed rather low mobile phone radiation exposure levels. Within a radius of more than 20 km, the following symptoms that occurred abruptly were reported:

Constant headaches, pressure in the head, drowsiness, sleep problems, inability to think clearly, forgetfulness, nervous tensions, irritability, tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, depressive mood, total apathy, loss of empathy, burning skin, inner burning, leg weakness, pain in the limbs, stabbing pain in various organs, weight increase.

Birds had fled the area. Cats had turned phlegmatic and hardly ever went into the garden. One child committed suicide; a second child tried doing it.

Over time the same unbearable symptoms showed up in other locations—most recently in Bamberg and Aschaffenburg on November 25, 2008. Physicians accompanied affected people to areas where there was no DVB‐T reception (valleys, behind mountain ranges) and witnessed how these people became symptom‐free only after a short period of time."

Full article
Related article
Water Tower Antennae

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Posted in: 2009,consumer health,Digital TV,digital TV health risk,DTV danger,Green Living,natural health news

Transvaginal Mesh and Women’s Health

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh Origins

Polypropylene was first developed in the 1950s as a thermoplastic polymer resin of propylene and is made from petroleum. Polypropylene may be molded or extruded into many forms, including fibers for suture material, specially produced mesh and nonwoven sheet applications. Nonwoven polypropylene fabric later began to be extruded from polymer melts rather than from fibers.

Quaternary ammonium biocides are used as a disinfectant and germ killing substance because they disrupt the cell membrane and proteins. QUATS may not, however, be fully effective against Pseudomonas bacteria. Also, researchers have found in laboratory experiments that oleamide, which interacts with neurotransmitters, may leak out of polypropylene plastics.

Polypropylene Knitted Mesh (PPKM) fabrics are comprised of monofilament yarns, which are engineered for the manufacturing of textile fabrics. The polymer and manufacturing processes that are used produce fabrics with properties that are ideally suited for the manufacturing of medical device applications. Medical applications include hernia mesh patches, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) slings, and vaginal prolapse suspenders.

Nonwoven polypropylene fabric has been used for similar applications.

Problems with polypropylene fabrics have led to warnings being issued for various products made from nonwoven material and in some cases, the manufacturers have stopped marketing the products

According to adverse reports submitted to the FDA from nine different manufacturers, more than 1,000 people have suffered severe complications from surgical mesh implants. The reports include infection, pain, urinary problems and bowel, bladder or blood-vessel perforations. The repaired prolapse may have recurred or incontinence increased. Additional surgeries to remove mesh have been required because of vaginal erosion.

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh to Treat SUI

Sudden Urinary Incontinence (SUI) is estimated to affect as many as 11 million women in the United States. It is generally defined as the sudden, involuntary loss of urine when a patient is laughing, sneezing, coughing or exercising. SUI is caused by anything that may have led to serious pelvic muscle strain or weakness such as vaginal childbirth. It can be exacerbated by estrogen and other hormonal imbalance accompanying menopause.

Nearly 40% of all adult American women will experience various degrees of SUI during their lifetime. Symptoms can range from occasional leakage of a few drops of urine to complete loss of urine under certain conditions of stress. Although nonsurgical methods such as dietary changes, bladder retraining, Kegel exercises, biofeedback, pessaries, electrostimulation, and drug therapies have been used successfully to treat these women, many patients eventually require surgical repair to relieve their symptoms.

Historically, and for many decades, the Kelley plication or the Marshall-Marchetti (Krantz) procedures have been the main hospital based surgical treatments for reinforcing the bladder neck in order to prevent unintentional urine loss.

Other surgical techniques have been used to correct pelvic organ prolapse (POP), a related condition.

Transvaginal Surgical Mesh to Treat POP

The problem of incontinence for women from various causes becomes more common after pregnancy and in menopause, when surgery can be recommended after other non-intrusive treatments are not found effective.

These conditions are referred to as Pelvic Organ Prolapse(POP).

POP is the term that describes a condition when a pelvic organ drops from its normal location and pushes against the walls of the vagina. This generally occurs when muscles that hold pelvic organs in place are weakened or stretched by childbirth or surgery. POP can lead to symptoms that include pain, discomfort, loss of bladder control and constipation.

Mentor Sling

One popular product, known as the transobturator vaginal sling, was made by Mentor Corporation. This product was more commonly called “OB Tape.”

Mentor manufactured an OB Tape vaginal sling that was not recalled, but the company stopped marketing it in the spring of 2006. The product used a nonwoven material which made it different in design than most other mesh devices. The nonwoven fabric is alleged to have blocked oxygen and nutrients, substantially increasing the risk of problems such as infection. This impedance potentially can cause serious problems with the device that may not appear for months, or even years following implantation surgery.

The complication rate could very easily reach 20% of all patients who used the Mentor sling.

At least 35,000 women may have been treated with the OB Tape vaginal sling between 2003 and 2006 to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The bladder sling is designed to prevent involuntary leakage that occurs when pelvic muscles supporting the bladder and urethra are stressed or weakened. A number of women have filed Mentor sling lawsuits.

A study published in the Journal of Urology in October 2006 highlighted the risk of complications associated with the OB Tape sling. More than 13% of the women who received the Mentor Sling for incontinence allegedly have suffered vaginal extrusions. Many more cases reported women who suffered chronic vaginal discharge and abscesses.

Symptoms of OB Tape Sling injury may include but are not be limited to:

· High fever

· Vaginal Pain

· Pelvic Pain

· Pain During Sex

· Chronic Infections

· Perineal Cellulitis

· Severe Pain in the Back, Hips and Legs

If you have had this surgery and are experiencing any of these or other symptoms not listed here, immediately contact your health care provider.

If you have suffered an injury or Mentor sling side effects from surgery involving the use of a Mentor sling, and would like to learn about your legal rights and pursuing a Mentor sling lawsuit, you can find information at Consumer Injury Lawyers.

Other Transvaginal Surgical Meshes

Another product, Gynecare’s Prolift Sling, created serious problems that required additional surgery that has caused permanent injury. The Avaulta Bard surgical mesh, which is used to treat POP and SUI have also been the subject of Avaulta transvaginal mesh lawsuits. It has led some consumer advocates to call for an Avaulta transvaginal mesh recall.

If you have had a prolene mesh pelvic floor repair system and have suffered complications, you may have a viable product liability claim. In October 2008 the FDA transvaginal mesh alert was issued for at least nine manufacturers of vaginal sling products.

Overall use of these surgical mesh products has been associated with severe and debilitating injuries including vaginal extrusions, urinary tract erosions, infection and nerve pain. Other known complications include, but are not limited to, mesh erosion, mesh shrinkage, granuloma from tissue injury or dyspareunia (pain with sexual relations).

Product and procedure failure with the tape sling products have required additional surgeries to remove the mesh, along with an increased risk of more injury.

If you have suffered an injury from any surgery involving the use of the surgical meshes referred to in the above article and would like to learn about your legal rights, you can find information from Consumer Injury Lawyers, a consumer advocacy legal website that provides helpful information to consumers about various drugs and medical devices, including for example information about the recent reports of zinc poisoning caused by denture cream, including information about denture cream lawsuits such as how to file a Fixodent lawsuit or Poligrip lawsuit.

This article is part of a consumer health education series written by Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND, of Creating Health Institute, in collaboration with Bernstein Liebhard, LLP.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Gayle Eversole.

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Posted in: 2009,Avaulta,consumer health,consumer injury lawyers,Mentor tape,natural health news,natural news,OBTape,POP,suicide risk,transvaginal mesh,vaginal sling