Fwd: WDDTY e-News Service - 31 July 2003

[Guest guest]

" WDDTY e-News "

 

WDDTY e-News Service - 31 July 2003

Thu, 31 Jul 2003 12:08:43 +0100

 

 

WHAT DOCTORS DON’T TELL YOU - E-NEWS BROADCAST No.46 - 31 July 03

 

Please feel free to email this broadcast to any friends you feel would

appreciate receiving it.

 

 

 

MENOPAUSE: Well, can I interest you in a powerful antidepressant? (Or: The

Resourcefulness of the Drugs Industry, part I)

 

Readers of last week's Enews will know that the pharmaceutical industry has lost

one of its best money-spinners after HRT therapy was so thoroughly trashed by

the influential Women's Health Initiative trial.

 

But the pharmaceuticals didn't get where they are today by being anything other

than resilient (and creative). They are already suggesting that a powerful

antidepressant could be a suitable replacement for HRT.

 

Specifically they have been testing paroxetine (Paxil), a selective serotonin

reuptake inhibitor. They tested it on 165 menopausal women who had been

complaining of hot flashes-and, compared with a placebo, it seems to be

effective over a six-week period. In fact, the researchers conclude, Paxil

could well be a good alternative therapy to HRT.

 

This breakthrough discovery may lose its edge a little if we now reveal three

facts: Fact 1: Paxil is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Fact 2: three of the

four researchers are full-time employees of GlaxoSmithKline, and the fourth is a

consultant to the company. Fact 3: GlaxoSmithKline paid for the research.

 

The employees (sorry, researchers) may also have been diffident to talk about

adverse reactions to the drug. That's a pity because Paxil is not well

tolerated, with around 16 per cent of users having to discontinue treatment.

The more common reactions include sweating, tremor, dizziness and insomnia

(Aren't they supposed to be menopausal symptoms? -Ed), headache, sleepiness,

constipation, and female genital disorders. Serious reactions have included

hypertension, tachycardia, pain, ulcers, arthritis, osteoporosis, delirium,

hallucinations, grand mal, asthma, conjunctivitis, eye hemorrhage, breast

atrophy, and kidney malfunctioning.

 

Still, compared with hot flashes, it's got to be a winner.

 

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003; 289: 2827-2834).

 

 

 

VIAGRA: Now would you like to take it for your prostate, sir? (Or: The

Resourcefulness of the Drugs Industry, Part II)

 

Drugs are not always prescribed to treat the condition for which they were

originally intended, or for which they earned their original licence.

 

The latest to get the 'off-label' treatment is that great urban myth Viagra

(sildenafil). It was licensed to treat impotence, or erectile dysfunction

(ED)-but now experts are looking for other conditions it can treat. It's been

mooted as a therapy for rapid ejaculation, lower urinary tract symptoms, and for

those undergoing radical prostatectomies.

 

" With the efficacy and safety issues of sildenafil for erectile dysfunction

basically settled, you need to explore new frontiers " , said Harin Padma-Nathan,

clinical professor at the University of Southern California, in a paper

presented to the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological

Association.

 

This Star Trek-like adventure, to boldly go where the drug hasn't been licensed

to go, doubtlessly grabbed the imagination of all who read these heroic words.

 

But once we've cleared the tears from our eyes, some of Prof Padma-Nathan's

comments might make a Vulcan blush. It's interesting he considers the safety

issues to have been settled. It is a view with which the Israeli drug

regulators may take issue as they banned the drug because of its dubious safety

record. It might also cause consternation in the homes of the men who died

after taking the drug.

 

But these are the mere twitterings of a sourpuss. Warp factor nine, Scottie,

the drug can take it (even if the public can't).

 

* And here's a funny thing. 'All-natural' herbal products that also claim to

treat penile dysfunction are allowed on the American market by the drug

regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But the FDA will swoop if

they discover the products contain Viagra. Perhaps the FDA knows something that

Prof Padma-Nathan doesn't.

 

(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003; 289: 2784-6).

 

 

 

ALZHEIMER'S: Now let's try an arthritis drug for it (Or; The Resourcefulness of

the Drugs Industry, Part III)

 

Most of us know that there's very little similarity between arthritis and

Alzheimer's disease, other than the fact that they both start with the letter

'a'.

 

The drugs developed to treat them are likewise dissimilar. Common drugs for

treating arthritis, for example, are the NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory

drugs), which, as their name suggests, try to reduce swelling and inflammation,

so easing pressure on arthritic joints. An increasingly popular

anti-inflammatory is the COX-2 inhibitor, designed to be kinder to the stomach.

 

It's hard to see, therefore, why some therapists are beginning to treat mild,

early-stage Alzheimer's with an NSAID or a COX-2. The only likely reason is the

belief that Alzheimer's is, in some way, an inflammatory disease.

 

But researchers have tested the theory, and found it wanting. They tried tested

the NSAID naproxen and the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib against a placebo on 351

patients.

 

They found that neither drug was any better than the placebo in slowing the

progress of the disease over a year. Worse, many of those on one of the drugs

suffered at least one adverse reaction, such as hypertension, fatigue or

dizziness.

 

So, in short, they were worse off while taking one of the arthritis drugs.

 

(Source: Journal of the American medical Association, 2003; 289: 2819-26).

 

 

 

MMR: The mothers lose their High Court appeal (but keep making the donations,

please)

 

As you may have already heard, the two single mothers have lost the second round

of their fight to stop their children having the MMR vaccination against their

wishes.

 

Three appeal judges upheld the original ruling, which had found in favour of the

two estranged fathers, who want their daughters vaccinated.

 

One of the appeal judges, Lord Justice Sedley, described the possible link

between the MMR vaccine and autism as 'junk science'.

 

So what now? One of the mothers is continuing her fight to the House of Lords,

and possibly to the European Court of Human Rights. We at WDDTY are supporting

her right to decide the healthcare of her child as she is the only supportive

parent, and we have launched a fund to help support her during these very trying

times.

 

You can send cheques, made payable to 'The MMR Account', to WDDTY. 2 Salisbury

Road, London SW19 4EZ, or email your credit card details to:

mmrfund, or fax them to 0870 444 9887. Thank you for any help you

can give.

 

 

 

READERS CORNER

 

Mercury: One reader wanted to know how to rid the body of mercury after having

removed her amalgam fillings. We came up with a few suggestions, and one reader

also suggests a daily infusion of coriander tea, made from fresh or dried

leaves.

 

 

HRT: The dangers of HRT were well known to one reader, long before the

researchers caught up. She had been taking HRT for 14 years when she developed

a pulmonary embolism. Her doctor had told her the therapy was safe.

 

 

Diabetes: One reader last week mentioned the work of a man in Poland called

Kwasniewski. We described him as a therapist, but one reader tells us he is a

qualified doctor " who had the guts to fly in the face of all the rest of the

medical establishment when he looked after the Polish air force pilots during

the Communist regime'. Thanks for the extra information.

 

 

Listen to Lynne

 

On the radio: Hear Lynne McTaggart on Passion the new DAB Digital Radio Station

focusing on your health and your environment -

http://www.wddty.co.uk/passion_main.asp

 

On demand: Select and listen to any of Lynne's archived broadcasts on Passion,

there's a new one each week - http://www.wddty.co.uk/passion_archive.asp

 

 

View missed/lost e-News broadcasts:

 

View our e-News broadcast archives, follow this link -

http://www.wddty.co.uk/archive.asp

 

 

Help us spread the word

 

If you can think of a friend or acquaintance who would like a FREE copy of What

Doctors Don't Tell You, please forward their name and address to:

info.

 

Please forward this e-news on to anyone you feel may be interested,they can

free by clicking on the following this link:

http://www.wddty.co.uk/e-news.asp. Thank you.

 

=============================================================

 

..