Worsening of symptoms of MS associated with carbamazepine

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that uses toxic drugs to keep the symptoms at bay. Unfortunately, many of the side effects of therapy are bad, and all the drugs seem to do is reduce the number of flare ups. I know several MS patients who went off their med entirely and made some strong lifestyle changes and are now healthier than ever. bmj.com Ramsaransing et al. 320 (7242): 1113

Drug Firms Fail to Conduct Post-Marketing Studies

Sometimes it seems that the government has less and less control over the pharmaceutical companies. This is a perfect example of the drug companies ignoring mandates from the FDA. Apr 17 (Reuters) – Most of the studies that federal health officials require drug companies to perform on new medicines after they hit the market are never done, a US consumer group charged on Thursday. Often when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it orders the manufacturer to conduct further studies of side effects or how well it works for certain patients. But only 13% of the 88 follow-up studies required for drugs launched in the early 1990s were completed, according to a report by consumer group Public Citizen. No studies were finished for 107 drugs that went on the market between January 1995 and last December, the group said.

Bone Loss Resumes When Calcium Supplementation Stops

Calcium supplementation is a lifelong commitment and needs to be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Adequate calcium intake must be a “lifetime commitment” if individuals wish to maintain improvements in bone density, according to experts from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). They warn that bone loss associated with aging climbs to pre-therapy levels soon after calcium supplementation is discontinued. “Our take home message is ‘don’t stop,’” said Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, of the Jean Mayer USDA Human nutrition research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts. She presented her findings here at the Experimental Biology 2000 conference.

Content versus label claims in ephedra-containing dietary supplements

Being that ephedra has lead to numerous deaths as a weight loss method, the finding that levels of ephedra in various supplements do not match the label, with the actual levels being many times higher in some cases. Content versus label claims in ephedra-containing dietary supplements

Glucosamine Sulfate May Promote Development of Insulin Resistance

This was a small study, but this will definately require further studies. Many people continue to take high levels of GS once they have noticed a response. Many times the dosage can be tapered down to much less than the original dosage. If more patients followed this guideline, the risk for increased insulin resistance may turn out to be less. A research study presented at the annual Experimental Biology scientific meetings in San Diego, California, cautioned that consumption of the popular dietary supplement glucosamine sulfate may actually increase the risk of developing insulin resistance and may worsen control of diabetes in patients with this disease. Glucosamine sulfate is widely used to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis and other chronic joint conditions.

Macadamia nuts improve cholesterol levels

Just because something is high in fat does not mean it’s bad for us. This is a perfect example. Just think what we could do to lower cholesterol levels if we added nuts, cut out on refined carbs, exercise, and possibly added in natural substances such as garlic or red chinese yeast. Serum Lipid Effects of a High#150Monounsaturated Fat Diet Based on Macadamia Nuts

Using niacin to raise HDL levels

This adds on the previous article. In this study, nicacin was much more effective than a comparible pharmaceutical. Extended-Release Niacin vs Gemfibrozil for the Treatment of Low Levels of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol

FDA Clears Beckman Coulter’s Osteoporosis Blood Test

What amazes me about this is that several labs in the country have been running tests for bone turnover for YEARS now!! And, even better, they use urine to test the rate at which bone is being broken down. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) marketing clearance to Beckman Coulter for its Access Ostase blood test for use in managing osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. The new test, known in the industry as a “bone turnover marker,” will be the first automated, serum-based assay sold and updates the firm’s own manual assay, the Hybritech Ostase Test, Beckman Public Affairs Associate Jobe Dubbs told Reuters Health.

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