More from Dr. William Campbell Douglass II. This is about the dangers of diabetes drug Avandia and the growing concern of Canada’s new licensing on supplements. Think it can’t happen here? Check out John McCain’s co-sponsored supplement law. Luckily, I think we have this one in remission. Good read, and Pass It On. dmc
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Common med tied to heart risk
Diabetes is deadly enough on its own… but some patients are getting extra help finding their way to that early grave.
And as usual, you can thank Big Pharma for lighting the way.
A new report pegs tens of thousands of deaths on the diabetes drug Avandia. No real surprises there — anyone paying attention knows this med is bad news, even if the FDA still refuses to pull the plug on it.
No, the real shocker here isn’t the report itself… but the fact that it came from the Senate Finance Committee.
Now I’ve seen everything!
If we have to rely on grandstanding D.C. politicians to save us from Big Pharma’s riskiest meds, then we’re in it even deeper than I thought.
The bipartisan report says the FDA’s own numbers show 83,000 heart attacks caused by this drug between 1999 and 2007. Government numbers obtained by the New York Times find that simply switching diabetics to a rival med would prevent 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure every month.
And two of the FDA’s own epidemiologists — including Dr. David Graham, the hero who blew the whistle on Vioxx — are calling for this drug to be pulled from pharmacies.
So where’s the FDA on all this? They’re urging patients… to keep taking the drug! They say they’re still reviewing “new” numbers that were delivered to them last summer… and hope to hold a meeting on this in July.
Going by the conservative numbers in the Times, that means at least 2,500 unnecessary heart attacks and 1,500 preventable cases of heart failure will have happened between now and then.
Nice work, guys. America’s safe in your hands.
Of course, they’re just doing what they do best: Buying time for Big Pharma to sell more meds before the party comes crashing to a halt.
After all, there will probably be some legal bills to pay when all’s said and done.
Supplements yanked from Canadian pharmacies
Saddle up the Mounties and sound the alarm, boys — someone’s been caught selling vitamins north of the border.
Canadian health officials are telling pharmacists to pull thousands of perfectly natural supplements from store shelves, as new regulations kick in that they claim will bring order and safety to the vitamin industry.
In reality, all they’ve done is give Big Pharma a chance to tighten the death grip it has on modern medicine. And as those drug companies pad their profits, supplement makers are caught up in a bizarre Catch-22 that could lead to job losses and business failure.
The new rules require supplement makers to have a license to sell their vitamins. But the bureaucrats who issue those licenses are either so overwhelmed or so inept — or both — that they can’t get them out fast enough
Canada’s National Post tells of one little company that makes just two supplements. One’s a homeopathic treatment for diabetes pain, the other is a vitamin. I have no idea if either work — but it may not matter, because neither one’s been given that government blessing yet.
If those two products get the Canadian heave-ho, the company will be toast — or whatever else it is that they burn for breakfast up there.
I hate to break it to them, but they should probably polish up those resumes: There’s an estimated backlog of 10,000 vitamins and supplements waiting for approval.
That’s one hell of a waiting list.
Over six years, the regulators issued around 18,000 licenses. I’m no math whiz, but that’s 3,000 licenses a year — which means it’ll take more than three years to get to everyone still waiting.
This is the precisely the kind of disarray and “regulation” that Big Pharma lives for… because while you can’t get many completely ordinary vitamins and supplements in Canada now, you can still get Avandia.
Mad enough to melt the snow,
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
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Tags: Avandia, Canadian supplements banned, CDC, Daily Dose, diabetes drugs, Dr. William Campbell Douglass II
This is from Dr. William C. Douglass II Daily Dose. Dr. Douglass is on the prowl again, thank goodness. Pass it on. dmc
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CDC fails at math
The feds are still squealing over swine flu — but no matter how loud they oink, their numbers just don’t add up.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared that 57 million Americans have come down with swine flu — and their media lap dogs (or are they now pigs?) just ate it up. I saw that big number repeated in headlines everywhere as if that were a fact and not a completely made-up number.
Oink, oink.
But that’s just what it is — a story as true as those Babe the Pig movies. If someone can prove to me that 57 million Americans actually came down with swine flu, I’ll trade my lab coat for overalls and take up hog farming.
I mean it… but it’s not going to happen. The truth is, no one knows how many swine flu cases there were, not even the math whizzes at the CDC. That 57 million figure is just the midpoint of a massive estimate range that claims up to 84 million Americans may have had swine flu.
They may as well say it was between 1 and 300 million.
Remember, the feds stopped counting swine flu cases in July — they actually told state and local health authorities to stop testing for it and stop tracking it. It’s better than burning evidence — because they prevented the evidence from ever existing in the first place.
Now, they can throw around any number they want without having to worry that the truth might someday come out and squeal on them.
All we know for certain — and this is based on real data from the CDC and state health departments — is that only a tiny fraction of the suspected H1N1 cases that were sent to labs for confirmation actually turned out to be swine flu, or even any kind of flu at all.
Most people just had a bad cold.
Yet the feds keep pushing this myth that Americans should STILL rush out and get swine flu shots… hinting darkly at the possibility of a “third wave.”
If it’s as “bad” as the first or second wave, you can safely keep your sleeve down… because this undercooked bacon is already cold.
Beer for your bones
Drink up, gals — and make sure you take full advantage of Ladies’ Night: Women who enjoy their beer are a lot more fun… and they’re healthier too.
The benefits of steady-but-moderate alcohol consumption are beyond dispute for men and women alike (and if anyone tells you otherwise, thank them for their input, end the conversation there and pour yourself another drink).
But a new study shows how a good brew can also help build your bones and lower your risk for osteoporosis — thanks to a fantastic trace element called silicon.
I’ve been toasting the praises of beer for years… I’ve even told you about those high silicon levels before. But the latest research shows which brews are best — and how much of a benefit you’ll get from each.
Researchers bought 100 types of the golden elixir for lab analysis. They found that India pale ales — better known as IPAs — had the most silicon, with 41.2 milligrams per liter. That’s slightly more than two U.S. pint glasses, or what I call a good start to an evening.
When you consider that many people get 20 milligrams of silicon per day — or less — you can see how quickly beer will boost your levels. What’s more, the silicon in beer is easily absorbed and used by your body.
Other beers are also packed with silicon — although none quite hit those IPA levels. Pale ales had 36.5 mg/L, ales had 32.8 mg/L, lagers averaged 23.7 mg/L and non-alcoholic beers had just 16.3 mg/L.
Hey, if you’re drinking non-alcoholic beer, you may as well take a bath without water too.
Gents, when you buy the lady a drink, be sure to help yourself to one as well. It’s not just polite… you’re also at risk for osteoporosis, whether you’re aware of it or not.
And don’t be afraid to drink your brew at the beach — sunlight is also a great bone booster. If you want more secrets on beating osteoporosis without drugs, pour yourself a pint of beer and read the November issue of The Douglass Report. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up here.
Cheers!
William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.
Interested in receiving Dr. William C. Douglass’ highly acclaimed monthly newsletter — and FREE bonus gifts? Call (915) 849-4615 or visit http://clicks.douglassreport.com//t/AQ/AAEd6Q/AAEkCg/C+Q/AQ/AlhCAQ/YxCt
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Tags: Beer, CDC, Daily Dose, Dr. William Campbell Douglass II, Osteoporosis, swine flu
This is from Dr. David Williams on Osteoporosis drugs and the dangerous side effects. This is an excellent article. Please take a few minutes to read the following. My advice, subscribe to Dr. Williams Alternatives Newsletter. It’s worth every penny. I highly recommend his Daily Advantage vitamin program. And, as always, pass it on. dmc
Special Alternatives Health Dispatch
Dear Dan:
Some popular osteoporosis drugs may actually increase your risk of breaking your leg, as recently reported on ABC’s Good Morning America.
The good news here is that the word about these drugs is finally getting out to a wider audience. The bad news is that it took so long to happen.
In 2008, the FDA alerted Merck, the manufacturer of the osteoporosis drug Fosamax, that there were reports of what’s called “subtrochanteric fracture of the femur.” In simple terms, this refers to a break in the thigh bone at a point somewhere below the hip. It took Merck more than a year to finally say, essentially, “We’re looking into it.”
I Hate to Say It, But “I Told You So”
I first wrote about the perils of these osteoporosis drugs in 2002. At that time, I warned readers of my Alternatives newsletter about studies showing that drugs like Fosamax, a group called bisphosphonates, increase bone strength over the first few years of use, but eventually the bone becomes brittle and more susceptible to fracture.
That appears to be exactly what’s happening here. Women who have taken Fosamax for longer than five years appear to be suffering the thigh fractures after doing such commonplace activities as walking down stairs.
Fortunately, women who took my advice back in 2002 stopped taking these drugs, and have saved themselves from years of worry-and possible fracture and disability. I didn’t leave these women in the lurch, however. Over the years in Alternatives I’ve provided many other safe, natural ways to keep your bones healthy and strong. Here’s a quick summary.
My 3-Point Plan to Keep Your Bones Healthy and Strong
Exercise. Your bones are living tissue, and they need a healthy degree of stress to stay healthy and vibrant. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking or dancing provides appropriate stress. As your bones respond to this stress, they renew themselves and become stronger.
Whenever you can, get your activity outdoors. For much of the year, exposure to the sun will form vitamin D, which is necessary for good bone health. If bad weather prevents you from getting outside, or you’re not able to be very physically active for some reason, an alternative for good bone health is vibration therapy. Simply standing on the vibrating platform of a device such as the Power Plate will provide your bones with a good dose of healthy stress. Diet. Bones are more than just a coatrack for your skin and muscle to hang on. They also act as a store of minerals to keep your body’s pH in balance. The modern American diet is loaded with foods that push your pH out of the healthy range, so for better bone health you must make the switch back. Cut down on bone-unfriendly foods such as white bread and rice, most grains, and most meat. Eat more bone-friendly foods such as fruits and vegetables, flax and chia, and even dairy foods.
Supplements.You need more than just calcium tablets to keep your bones in good shape. Your bones also contain large amounts of magnesium, and smaller amounts of minerals such as boron. In addition, your body needs vitamin D and vitamin K to get that calcium and magnesium moved into position. I recommend the following amounts daily for bone health:
* 500 mg of magnesium (from a combination of diet and supplements),
* 1,000 mcg of boron,
* 2,000 IU daily of vitamin D (in the form of vitamin D3), and
* 150 mcg of vitamin K (in the form of vitamin K2).
What to Do If You’re Taking the Drugs Now
The FDA has issued a patient advisory. In it, they address the recent ABC report, and tell patients to “talk to your doctor.” That would be the same doctor who advised you to begin the drug in the first place, even though the dangers have been known since 2002.
I do recommend that you talk to your doctor. But the conversation shouldn’t begin with, “Can I stop taking the drug?” Instead, start with, “I want off. What should I do instead?” When your doctor shrugs, or insists that drugs are your best option, show him or her this e-mail. Then start on the 3-point plan I gave you earlier.
Whatever you do, get out of the bone-drug trap as quickly as you can.
Take care,
David Williams
Tags: Dr. David Williams, Fosamax, Osteoporosis
This is from Dr. Ed Martin of House Calls. Once again, he’s uncovered the real truth about expensive MRIs and why doctors and hospitals love to give them to you. And, it’s not always about your good health. A definite “pass it on”. And, in article #2, he reveals that Canada is starting to regulate vitamins and supplements, playing right into Big Pharma’s hands. What’s with that, eh? dmc
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MRIs: An Expensive Mistake for Breast Cancer
One of the biggest cash cows is breast cancer… and a new study shows just how efficiently they use this disease to redirect cash from patients and their insurance companies to doctors and labs.
That’s because MRI exams add a new layer of expenses for breast cancer patients… but not much else, according to the study out of Britain.
The researchers followed 1,623 women already treated for breast cancer. All of them went through the usual tests — generally a doctor’s visit, an x-ray or ultrasound, and a lab test — to determine if they’d need another operation.
But roughly half of them were also given an MRI exam.
Within six months, 19 percent of the women who got the MRIs were told they’d need another operation. Within those same six months, 19 percent of the women who DIDN’T get the MRIs were also told they’d need a second surgery.
A year later, there was also no difference in the quality of life between these two groups, according to the study published in The Lancet.
In other words, the MRI didn’t make a single bit of difference on any level… except run up costs. Here in the United States, a breast MRI can cost up to $1,500.
There’s really only one word for this: exploitation.
That’s because this study is hardly the first of its kind… it’s not even the most damning. Other studies have also found that MRIs add little to the process beyond extra costs. They can even lead to entirely unnecessary surgeries since they can pick up minute tumors and lesions that were best left alone.
A study published last year found that women who get MRIs don’t live longer… and don’t have a lower rate of recurrence.
Add it all up and here’s what we have: A very expensive test that doesn’t increase lifespan or quality of life, and doesn’t help doctors determine who’ll need additional surgeries.
Of course, whether it’s an MRI for a woman who’s already fought off a breast cancer diagnosis or a mammogram for a woman who hasn’t, most of these screenings are unnecessary to begin with. The long-term data is in, and the numbers don’t lie: All those extra screenings pushed by the mainstream lead to more surgeries — but not fewer deaths.
They just don’t work — not for the patient, anyway. They work out pretty well for all the doctors, surgeons and labs that profit off them.
But let’s shift our outrage to Canada now, where vitamins are coming under government assault. Keep reading!
Canada’s nutrition crackdown
Canadian officials are cracking down on vitamins and nutrients, leaving many Canucks who rely on supplements out in the cold. For many conditions, Canadians now have no choice but to take Big Pharma’s dangerous meds… or do nothing at all.
And if you think this can’t happen here, you haven’t been paying attention — because there’s already a bill making its way through Congress that would give the FDA new oversight over natural health products like vitamins and supplements.
But let’s get back to Canada, where the heavy-handed bureaucrats of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities have told pharmacies to stop carrying unlicensed natural products and supplements.
Most of the companies who make these products — vitamins that have been on store shelves for years — want to comply, but can’t… because there’s a huge backlog for those licenses.
How did it happen?
Let’s rewind to 2004… when Canadian officials began regulating vitamins. Under the new rules, all supplements would need a license. They knew it would take a while to get to every product, so they told the companies that make them not to worry. As long as they’ve at least applied for a license, they could keep selling their vitamins.
Now, nearly six years later, they thought they’d be done by now — so they’re pulling the plug on that informal grace period. If your product doesn’t have a license by now, tough. But there’s just one little problem: They’re not even close to done.
They’ve still got some 10,000 applications to review.
It’s not just bad for consumers who want and need these natural treatments… it’s bad for the Canadian economy. The companies that make these vitamins and supplements say they’re facing big losses and will have to lay off workers — if they manage to survive at all.
One little company makes just two products — and neither one has been granted a license yet, according to a story in Canada’s National Post.
Oh, Canada — looks like the only thing you stand on guard for now is Big Pharma’s best interests.
On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls
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Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer screening, Canada regulates vitamins, Dr. Ed Martin, House Calls, MRI, supplements
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