Natural Alternatives to Vioxx

[Guest guest]

Natural Alternatives to Vioxx JoAnn Guest Dec 20, 2004 17:11 PST

 

ABC Submits Letter to the Editor of the WSJ

Regarding Natural Alternatives to Vioxx

 

http://www.herbalgram.org/default.asp?c=vioxx

 

In the wake of the recent recall of the popular drug Vioxx due to recent

research demonstrating that it can increase the risk of heart disease,

there has been a rush by media to cover this story. The Wall St. Journal

(WSJ) is one of the many media outlets producing articles on this topic.

 

 

On Saturday, October 2, ABC Founder and Executive Director, Mark

Blumenthal, was interviewed by WSJ reporter Paul Davies for a story on

various natural alternatives in the dietary supplement industry that

consumers might use an acceptable substitute for Vioxx® (the

multibillion dollar pain reliever from Merck).

 

Unfortunately, none of

Blumenthal’s comments were used in the article published Tuesday,

October 5, 2004. As a result, Blumenthal wrote a letter to the editor of

the WSJ that has not been published. Additionally, ABC has received no

response from the author for repeated requests for a copy of the

article.

 

Vioxx is a known for its primary mechanism of action of inhibiting the

enzyme cycloogygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in the production of

prostaglandins and the resulting inflammatory process.

 

Inhibition of

COX-2 is a successful strategy developed recently for pharmaceutical

drugs for controlling inflammation and associated pain.

 

In his interview with the author of the WSJ article, Blumenthal

discussed herbs containing compounds with demonstrated COX-2 inhibiting

activity, particularly ginger and turmeric.

 

He stated that both these

herbs contain compounds that have shown COX-2 inhibiting activity in

published research.

 

He also noted that several proprietary herbal

dietary supplement formulations intended to help manage inflammatory

conditions have included ginger (and/or turmeric) as primary

ingredients.

 

He also stressed the safety of these time-honored herbs as

foods and spices, noting that turmeric is the spice that gives prepared

mustard its bright yellow color.

 

One of the specific products he mentioned is Zyflammend® (New Chapter

Inc., Brattleboro, VT), a proprietary combination of carbon dioxide

extracts of ginger, turmeric, rosemary, green tea and other herbs with

Cox-2 inhibiting and antioxidant activities.

 

He also mentioned a Danish

formulation made from ginger root and galangal root (Alpinia galangal,

an herb in the ginger family), which has been shown effective in

treating pain and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee in at least one

clinical trial.

 

The Danish formulation is imported into the U.S. by

several companies, including Enzymatic Therapy (Green Bay, WI) under the

trade name FlexAgilityTM in health food stores, and EV.EXT 77 (the

original Danish product name) also sold under that name in the U.S.

under the PhytoPharmica line in independent pharmacies and by various

health care practitioners.

www.enzy.com

 

 

Blumenthal also mentioned the well-known benefits and safety of

glucosamine sulfate for providing relief from osteoarthritic conditions.

In a follow up email this morning, Blumenthal also noted the potential

benefits and COX-2 inhibiting effects of boswellia (Boswellia serrata)

and compounds derived from it (e.g., boswellin), found in many Ayurvedic

herbal formulations.

 

Blumenthal also mentioned that many “generic”

ginger and turmeric herbal products would probably offer some valued

assistance to consumers suffering from pain and swelling associated with

various types of arthritis, but that most of these products have not

been subject to controlled clinical trials to test and document their

benefits in this area.

 

 

 

October 5, 2004

Letters to the Editor

The Wall Street Journal

200 Liberty Street

New York, NY 10281

Sent via email: wsj.-

 

Re: “Evaluating Vioxx Alternatives” by Paul Davies and Heather Von

Tesoriero, October 5, 2004.

 

To the Editor:

 

Your article explored various alternative treatments for controlling

arthritis pain and inflammation after the Vioxx recall, but it failed to

include a promising area of unconventional therapy: herbal dietary

supplements.

 

The primary mechanism of action of Vioxx is inhibition of

cycloogygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in the production of

prostaglandins and the resulting inflammatory process. The common spices

ginger and turmeric, and numerous other herbs, contain compounds that

have demonstrated COX-2 inhibiting activity in laboratory and animal

studies.

 

As I told your reporter, Mr. Davies, when he interviewed me for this

story, a 2001 study on a Danish ginger formulation (known as EV.EXT 77,

or FlexAgilityTM in the U.S.) reduced pain and improved symptoms of

osteoarthritis of the knee.

 

While more clinical research is clearly needed, a growing body of

science suggests that selected herbal supplements may provide former

Vioxx patients with safe, low-cost relief from pain and inflammation.

This information should have been included in your article for the

benefit of your readers.

 

Sincerely,

Mark Blumenthal

Founder and Executive Director

American Botanical Council

Austin, Texas

Editor, HerbalGram

 

 

P.S. References available upon request

 

Note: Product brands are included as part of the American Botanical

Council’s policy to provide names of clinically researched brands. This

is done as an acknowledgement of the specific formulation upon which

scientific and medical research is conducted. An independent research

and education nonprofit organization, ABC does not recommend or promote

specific products.

 

EV.EXT 77 is a proprietary combination of ginger and galangal roots,

manufactured by Ferrosan A/S in Soeborg, Denmark. This product is

imported into the U.S. and sold as FlexAgility by Enzymatic Therapy of

Green Bay, WI and as EV.EXT 77 by PhytoPharmica of Green Bay. EV.EXT 77

was subject of a human clinical study: Altman RD, Marcussen KC. Effects

of a ginger extract on knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis.

Arthritis Rheum 2001 Nov44(11):2531-8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Botanical Council, 6200 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78723

Phone: (512) 926-4900 | Fax: (512) 926-2345 | Email: ab-

 

The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only

and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare

professional. ABC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt research and education

organization under IRS section 501©(3). All text, images and content

2002 American Botanical Council, unless otherwise noted.

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet the all-new My – Try it today!