Big Pharma Has No Shame

Two days ago (6.23.12), in my blog article I wrote that 50,000 people died from taking a prescription medication that should not have been prescribed.  I was talking about the COX-2 medications such as Vioxx and Celebrex.  What happened with these medications is a national tragedy.   You would think that 50,000 deaths and over 100,000 heart attacks due to a medication would warrant congressional investigations and a special prosecutor.  Unfortunately, with the U.S. Congress in their back pocket, the Big Pharma Cartel would not let that happen.  

In today’s New York Times (6.25.12) there is an article titled, “In Documents on Pain Drug, Signs of Doubt and Deception.”  This article described unsealed emails in a securities fraud case against Pfizer.  The author of the article wrote, “A research director for Pfizer was positively buoyant after reading that an important medical conference had just featured a study claiming that the new arthritis drug Celebrex was safer on the stomach than more established drugs.”  The next paragraph quoted the Pfizer research director in an email to a colleague where he stated, “They swallowed our story, hook, line and sinker.”

I wrote in my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, that COX-2 inhibitors were initially promoted as safer than the older anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen.  However there was no credible data to support the claim that COX-2 inhibitors were safer than older anti-inflammatory medications.  None.  However, most doctors failed to study the mechanism of action of these new COX-2 drugs and began prescribing them in large amounts.  As I stated earlier, the end result is 50,000 are dead and over 100,000 suffered a stroke or heart attack.

That quote from the Pfizer researcher is beyond words.  Big Pharma has no regard for our health.  They only want to maximize profits, even if it means promoting bad drugs.  Don’t be taken in by their propaganda.  You must educate yourself on how these drugs work in the body.  That is the only way you can make an educated decision about whether to take the medication.    

50,000 People Die From Taking A Drug That Should Not Be Prescribed

An article in JAMA (June 6, 2012, Vol. 307, No. 21, page 2247) states, “For years, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that target the…Cox-2 enzyme have been linked to increased cardiovascular risks.  New research indicates that these elevated risks occur because COX-2 inhibitors suppress prostacyclin—a vasodilator and platelet inhibitor with heart protecting properties.”

This ‘new’ research has come much too late for the 50,000 who died and over 100,000 patients who suffered a stroke or a heart attack directly related to the use of a COX-2 inhibitor such as Vioxx or Celebrex. 

However, simply looking at the mechanism of action of COX-2 inhibitors would lead anyone to predict that their use would be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems including stroke and heart attack. 

How can I make such a strong statement?  In my book, Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, I discuss the biochemical mechanism of action of commonly used drugs.  Nearly all prescription medications work by poisoning enzymes or blocking receptors in the body.  Either way, most prescription drugs disrupt the normal biochemistry of the body which lead to adverse effects.

In the case of the COX-2 medications, they work by poisoning the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).  As previously stated, this enzyme is responsible for producing prostacyclin which is a vasodilator and a platelet inhibitor.  It does not take an M.D. or a PhD to predict that a disruption in prostacyclin production will lead to an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events.  I describe the problems with the COX-2 inhibitors in more detail in my book.

What can you do?  The best advice I can give you is to be careful about taking prescription medications, especially for the long-term.  This includes commonly prescribed medications for treating diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and gastritis.  Each of these conditions is discussed in my book.  Having said that, it is important to point out that there is a time and a place for most prescription medications.  Keep in mind that doctors prescribe too many inadequate drugs which are associated with too many serious adverse effects.  

Many conditions can be effectively managed by making better lifestyle choices such as improving the diet, exercising, and correcting nutritional and hormonal imbalances. This has been my clinical experience after treating patients for over twenty years.  COX-2 inhibitors are prescribed for their anti-inflammatory effects.  There are many natural products such as enzymes and curcumin that have equal or even more anti-inflammatory effects as compared to prescription NSAID's.  Furthermore, the natural anti-inflammatory items do not have the serious side effects that plague all the NSAID's (both COX-1's and COX-2's). 

Most importantly, you need to educate yourself about the mechanism of action of a prescribed drug.  Once you have the relevant information you can decide whether it is in your best interest to take the prescribed drug.  Remember, it is your decision on whether or not to take a prescription medication.  

Drugs That Don't Work and Natural Therapies That Do can be ordered by clicking here: https://www.drbrownstein.com/bookstore.php  

Iodine Deficiency Still Occurring At Epidemic Rates

At my office, my partners and I have found that iodine deficiency is occurring at epidemic rates.  We have tested over 6,000 patients and  found the vast majority significantly low in iodine.  Iodine is an essential nutrient; we cannot live without it.  Iodine concentrates in the glandular tissue.  It helps to ensure that the glandular tissue is healthy and maintains a normal architecture.  A deficiency in iodine sets the stage for problems with the glandular tissue.

 

Which tissues comprise the glandular tissue?  The breast, ovaries, uterus, prostate, and thyroid gland all are part of the glandular tissue.  A deficiency in iodine can cause a disrupted architecture of the glandular tissue. This can ultimately lead to problems such as cysts, nodules, dysplasia and cancer of these tissues.  Unfortunately, we are in the midst of an epidemic rise in cancer of the breasts, ovaries, uterus, thyroid and prostate.  I believe iodine deficiency is (in part) responsible for this epidemic rise in cancer and other diseases of these tissues.

However, it is not just cancer that is a consequence of iodine deficiency.  If a pregnant woman is deficient in iodine, the fetus will also suffer complications.  An article in Nutrients (2011;3:265-273) describes the fetal consequences of iodine deficiency.  During the first trimester, the fetus is dependent on the thyroid hormone produced by the mother.  If the mother is deficient in thyroid hormone, the fetus’ thyroid will not develop normally and the fetus may be subjected to neurological problems.

According to the article, in order for a pregnant woman to produce enough thyroid hormone to meet both her own and the baby’s requirements, a 50% increase in iodine intake is recommended.  Adequate iodine levels are needed to produce thyroid hormone.   Iodine deficiency in the mother results in damage to the fetal brain which is aggravated by fetal hypothyroidism. 

I have been writing and lecturing about thyroid problems and iodine deficiency for nearly 20 years.  Unfortunately, over this time period, iodine deficiency is still occurring at epidemic rates.  I have no doubt that if we do not correct this decline, the increasing burden of illness will lower our standard of living. 

Iodine deficiency should be a national health concern addressed by the highest levels of the government.  Since it takes 100 years (my estimate) for the government to react, I say that you should not wait;  take matters into your own hands.  Educate yourself about iodine and have your levels checked.  If you are low in iodine, I suggest supplementing with iodine.  More importantly, it is vitally important for women of child-bearing age to have their iodine levels assessed before they become pregnant.    

More information about iodine and how to be tested for it can be found in my book, Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It.  This book can be ordered at:  https://www.drbrownstein.com/bookstore_Iodine.php

Jimmy Moore interviews Jenny Ruhl yet again in this new podcast

That sweet-talking Jimmy Moore worked his usual interview magic in yet another podcast which just went live on his site. If you have comments or questions feel free to post them in the comment section of this post.

http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/the-llvlc-show-episode-582-jenny-ruhl-gets-real-sharing-the-truth-about-low-carb-diets/14390

Interesting Research (FaceBook Links posted since 5/14)

"for women...moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial."

(Thanks to Peter at the blog, Hyperlipid, for the citation.) This huge, long epidemiological study debunks the relationship of Total Cholesterol to cardiovascular death.

THIS IS IMPORTANT. Read the study and look at the charts. (Note: Total cholesterol of 5 mmol/L is 193 mg/dl,  7 mmol is 271 mg/dl.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303886/

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A study confirms that low carb diets are safe for the kidneys. (Not the first, but a fairly large one.)

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/01/are-low-carb-diets-safe-for-kidneys/
Good news. The CVD death rate among people with diabetes declined by 40% (95% CI 23–54) and all-cause mortality declined by 23% over the past decade.

Trends in Death Rates Among U.S. Adults With and Without Diabetes Between 1997 and 2006
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/6/1252.full


OBJECTIVE To determine whether all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rates declined
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Carotid intima-media thickness does not reliably correlate with heart disease risk--though drugs are being sold based on studies that assume it does.
Carotid intima-media thickness progression to predict cardiovascular events in the general population

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60441-3/abstract

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In case you don't have enough reasons already not to take Actos. Like brittle bones, macular edema (leading to blindness) and causing heart failure.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/246065.php

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This may give hope for some people with advanced diabetic neuropathy whose wounds don't heal. The underlying cause is damage to the nerves supplying extremities which are essential for triggering the release of the various immune system com...See More
Discovery Promises Unique Medicine for Treatment of Chronic and Diabetic Wounds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120528100242.htm

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This backs up what some smaller studies I've seen have found. Exercise works well for some, for others it has no effect, and for some it makes health worse.

Can Exercise Be Bad for You?
For Some Exercise May Increase Heart Risk
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/can-exercise-be-bad-for-you/

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People diagnosed with Type 2 under 30 may have MODY. "Only 47% of MODY case subjects identified met current guidelines for diagnostic sequencing." Especially likely if diagnosed under 30 or under 45 without "metabolic syndrome."
Systematic Assessment of Etiology in Adults With a Clinical Diagnosis of Young-Onset Type 2 Diabetes


http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/6/1206.abstract

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Diet causes growth of neurons in the hypothalamus leading to weight gain. I wonder if SSRIs also cause this overgrowth in they hypothalamus. They do in the hippocampus. (Note this is a mouse study, but it has very interesting implications.)
Weight struggles? Blame new neurons in your hypothalamus

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521115331.htm

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Not really diabetes news but absolutely amazing. Use of sound gives people born blind ability to read eye charts.
Training the blind to 'see' using new device to 'listen' to visual informatoin


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120516093156.htm

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Fake industry-supported lobbying groups ensure your right to be exposed to endocrine disrupters linked with diabetes and worse.
Are You Safe on That Sofa?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/opinion/sunday/kristof-are-you-safe-on-that-sofa.html

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Yet another study showing that cutting carbs lowers blood sugar that will be ignored by the ADA.
Swedes Lob Dynamite Into a Controversy: High-Fat Diet Improves Blood Sugars - Diabetes Health


http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2012/05/20/7533/swedes-lob-dynamite-into-a-controversy-high-fat-diet-improves-blood-sugars/

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It's only 7 years since I posted the documentation supporting the idea that prediabetic blood sugars cause neuropathy. Now the Lancet acts like this is news.

http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/news/online/%7BFEC3820C-6604-4589-B8A7-600E7938AFD9%7D/Prediabetes-other-metabolic-syndromes-could-be-linked-to-neuropathy

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"Sulfonamides, macrolides and other antibiotic traces have been found [in baby food], as well as anthelmintics (anti-worm) and fungicides." Another subtle factor damaging our genes?


New method detects traces of veterinary drugs in baby food

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120518132416.htm

The Problem with FaceBook

As an experiment, I set up a Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook page last year to see if I could spread more awareness of blood-sugar related issues.

The page attracted a lot of interest and currently has over 1,100 "likes." But FaceBook had to do something to justify the billions it winkled out of investors, and what it has done is pernicious.  After urging content providers to generate likes--even suggesting that we advertise with FaceBook to raise the number of people who like our page (I didn't), FaceBook has now stopped showing page updates to most people who have liked our pages.

I had noticed this when I reviewed the feeble stats that FaceBook provides for pages. Then I read online that only 20% of people who had liked a page were seeing the updates. A poll I posted as an update on the Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook page a few weeks ago confirmed this. Only 20% of the people who had liked the post responded to a question about whether they could see the feed.

Now when I post on the Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook page, FaceBook is hitting me with something new--a chance to PAY for the ability to have my status updates seen by the people who have already liked the page. (Details here.) For a mere $5-10 bucks per update I can ensure that people who subscribed to my page under the impression that it meant they would see the updates can see those updates.

If this had been explained explicitly when I created the page, that would be one thing. But this was not at all the way that FaceBook worked a year ago when I started the page. For example,  FaceBook has also disabled the ability of page owners to contact those who have liked their pages--a feature that was  intact when I created my page and was part of what attracted me to doing it.

I don't spam people, but now and then it would be nice to be able to send out messages about particularly important events. Not so coincidentally, FaceBook took away my ability to contact page likers just at the time they started charging for the ability to have those same subscribers see feeds.

This is making me seriously reconsider whether I should post on FaceBook at all. FaceBook is using the fact that people like my page to gather information they sell to marketers who then target those people. Since my page discusses diabetes and diet, people who like the page will get shown ads for the kind of crap exploiters love to push on people with diabetes.

Since Blogger has never played these kinds of games with me I'm liking the blog more and more and am thinking I'll move my posting activity back to the blog. But because many of the people who do still see my feeds have asked me to keep the FaceBook page going, for now I am going to keep the Blood Sugar 101 FaceBook page alive.

However, if you are on FaceBook and interested in seeing the feeds there, don't assume FaceBook will show them to you. To see the updates, you'll have to bookmark the page and remember to visit it from time to time to see the updates.

If you are active on FaceBook, it would be a good idea to also warn your friends that FaceBook is probably not showing them the feeds from pages they want to follow and that they are charging page creators for the "privilege" of having their feeds seen. Though you may find that many of those who have liked your page are no longer seeing your feeds either.

Another Nail In The Coffin for Bisphosphonate Drugs

A new study in the Archives of Medicine (published online May 21, 2012) destroys the fictional theory of treating osteoporosis with bisphosphonate drugs.  I have been writing and warning about the dangers of bisphosphonate drugs for years.  In my book, Drugs that Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do, I predicted, “…the long-term use of these medications will… lead to the formation of poor quality bone.”  Unfortunately, my prediction has come true.   

Bisphosphonate drugs (Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, and Zometa) were found to significantly increase the risk of atypical bone fractures the longer the drugs were taken.  Shockingly, not only was the risk tremendously increased, it was found to be increased in a linear fashion.   

In fact, the study found those taking bisphosphonate drugs less than two years were 35 times more likely to have an atypical bone fracture.  For patients who took the medications for two to five years, there was a 47 fold increase in atypical fractures.  Women who took the drugs for five to nine years had a 117 fold increase and those that took the prescriptions over nine years were 176 times more likely to suffer an atypical fracture. 

How could this occur?  Aren’t these drugs supposed to make stronger bones?  The answer to these questions becomes easy to answer after studying the mechanism of action of osteoporosis drugs.  These drugs poison a crucial enzyme that is important to the bone remodeling cells--the osteoclasts.  It can easily be predicted that the poisoning of the osteoclasts will disrupt normal bone function and lead to the formation of weak bone.  I explain this in much more detail in my book. 

Folks, this article is a big deal.  I will watch closely how Big Pharma responds to it.  There is more information in this article that is damning to the bisphosphonate drugs.  I will keep you updated in future posts.  

These drugs should be pulled from the market.  Their use has never conclusively been shown to lower fracture risk.  Remember, osteoporosis is not the result of a deficiency of bisphosphonate drugs.  It results from a combination of factors including eating a poor diet as well as nutritional and hormonal imbalances.    A better approach is to use a therapy that treats the underlying cause of osteoporosis.  This includes eating a healthier diet, avoiding antacid medication and balancing the hormonal system with the use of bioidentical, natural hormones.