Hazards of Common Medications

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Hazards of Common Medications

 

_http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm)

Updated and revised 03/31/07

 

 

(http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181 & sourceid=115476 & bfpid=044634312\

9 & bfmtype=book) Tagamet

This is a popular stomach acid reducer that is advertised heavily on

television. Common side effects are depression, confusion, hallucinations,

impotence, and heart and kidney problems. Additionally, Tagamet interferes with

the

body’s ability to break down other chemicals, meaning you can get an overdose

of any substance you are exposed to. This is especially a problem if you are

taking prescription medications. For example, if you are taking blood thinners

or anticoagulants, normally these medications are broken down in the liver.

However, if you are using Tagamet, they are not broken down, and you can

bleed to death.

Blood Pressure Meds

While researching our book _Bypassing Bypass_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/bypassing_bypass1.htm) , we discovered a very serious

side effect to Blood

Pressure Medications: Congestive Heart Failure. The numbers are so high, it's

impossible for medical science to ignore them, but, that's exactly what your

doctor

does when he prescribes this junk.

Half of the time, blood pressure medications don't work at all. High blood

pressure has a nutritional basis, most of the time. There are alternatives.

Blood pressure meds pull B Vitamins from your body, and a heart without B

Vitamins will eventually fail. This is just a simple fact of life.

Reglan

Another common heartburn drug whose most side effect is the onset of

Parkinson’s disease symptoms: trembling, stiffness, facial paralysis, and

twisting

movements of the body. _Top_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm#Top)

All Antacids

You should note, that when it comes to taking antacids, whether prescription

or over-the-counter, more often than not, acid indigestion is more often

than not, caused by a lack of stomach acid, rather than a surplus of it.

(Another cause is lack of intestinal flora.)

If you lack stomach acid, the process of how heartburn starts is quite

simple: food that is not digested due to a lack of stomach acid does not pass

easily into your small intestine. It sits in your stomach and ferments. The

fermenting process causes the undigested foods to bubble and roll about, causing

acid reflux. Acid reflux is a wonderful medical term for a very simple action:

the acid gets into your esophagus, and even a small amount will cause pain

and discomfort. Taking an antacid in this case will cut the pain, but it will

also insure that partially digested food gets into your intestinal tract and

cause a host of problems: you don't get the nutrition you need, the digestive

system is overburdened, and your immune system suffers.

Before you take any antacid, demand that your physician or health care

provider tests you. It's that simple. Know whether or not you are making too

much

or too little stomach acid, because if you make too little, you can always

supplement your diet with some digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid.

And keep in mind that according to Dr Peter J. D'Adamo in his book Eat Right

For Your Blood Type, research shows that people with Type A blood have a

tendency to create less stomach acid than all other blood types. Since Type A

is

the most common blood type. . .well that sort of answers the question of why

antacids are the most commonly purchased over-the-counter medications.

Doesn't it? _Top_ (http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm#Top)

Halcion

A sleeping agent that was passed by the FDA just as they forbade the

production and sale of L-Tryptophan the natural sleep agent we all experience on

Thanksgiving (it comes from the turkey). Halcion’s side effects are agitation,

hallucinations, and amnesia. Abnormal behaviors have been noted in users of

Halcion, including murder and suicide. This drug is outlawed in England, and is

one of the most widely prescribed drugs in America.

Since the original writing of this, Halcion has been removed from the

market.

Cholesterol Lowering Medication

Here is an article from the Los Angeles Times:

A growing body of evidence suggests that diets and drugs that lower blood

cholesterol levels may indirectly raise the risk of certain types of violent

death by producing personality changes. Lowering cholesterol reduces the risk

of fatal heart attacks, but the decrease in deaths from heart attacks has been

offset by an increased risk of death from suicides, violence and accidents.

Researchers believe that lowering cholesterol levels can affect the levels of

brain neurotransmitters. Excess cholesterol is slowly deposited on the walls

of blood vessels, building up until an artery suddenly becomes too

constricted to sustain blood flow. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

In 1985,

the National Cholesterol Education Program set goals for Americans to know

their cholesterol level and take action if it reaches dangerous levels. No one

is questioning the value of reducing cholesterol in those individuals at high

risk of heart disease. But for those not at risk, side effects may be large

enough to worry about. The concern about such side effects arose in 1978 when

physicians analyzed the results of a trial of the cholesterol-lowering drug

clofibrate. Overall, the total number of deaths in the treated group was

virtually identical to the number in the untreated group. Other studies have

shown similar results. Researchers reason that lowering cholesterol in

individuals who do not have high levels to begin with concurrently lowers the

level of

serotonin in the brain. That, in turn, causes some individuals to be more

aggressive in their behavior toward others and to take more risks. In many

cases, the effects might be more subtle but still damaging. These opinions are

still in the minority. Researchers are awaiting the results of a new set of

clinical trials.

Our brains are made up mostly of cholesterol.

Perhaps you don’t know this, but according to some, the American people have

been hoodwinked by this focus on cholesterol. The industry’s own research

has yet to show that lowering cholesterol levels lowers death rates due to heart

attacks. Their own research. _Top_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm#Top)

Statin drugs cause heart disease. They weaken the heart muscle and can cause

it to fail. This is called cardio myopathy.

A new look at the effects of statin drugs on cognitive function should give

pause to anyone thinking of taking them. Researchers looked at the learning

ability of patients taking a low dose of simvastatin compared to controls (Am J

Med 2004 Dec 1;117(11):823-9. Using tests called Elithorn Mazes, researchers

looked at the level of improvement when patients take the test several

times. The time for solving a puzzle of some kind was improved by 16 percent in

the control group whereas the statin group showed no improvement. The

difference, together with the differences in a few other tests, was highly

significant, meaning that a considerable number of statin-takers were unable to

learn

anything from the first test. The researchers tried to explain away the results

by stating that “The observed treatment effects were quantitatively small

and were primarily manifest not as an absolute decline in performance but as a

failure to improve upon repeat post-treatment testing.†In a THINCS group

report, Dr. Uffe Ravnskov describes the results somewhat differently:

“Consider

that this result was achieved in a study comparing only 189 statin-treated

patients with 94 controls after only six months and on the lowest simvastatin

dose used in clinical practice. Translated to the U.S. population, it means

that millions of people may have become unable to learn from previous

experiences due to their cholesterol-lowering treatment.â€

 

Source: _Weston Price Foundation_

(http://www.westonaprice.org/causticcommentary/cc2004wi.html)

For lots of reading on The Cholesterol Myths, go to this web site.

_http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm_

(http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm)

_

What You Must Know About Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives_

(http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181 & sourceid=115476 & bfpid=075700257\

9 & bfm

type=book)

_

Lipitor, Thief of Memory, Statin Drugs and the Misguided War on Cholesterol_

(http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=2181 & sourceid=115476 & bfpid=0741418

819 & bfmtype=book)

Aspirin

Small amounts can cause bleeding of the stomach lining, continued use can

lead to peptic ulcers. Aspirin interferes with the production of hormones, and

has been linked to macular degeneration.

Remember the claim: an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks? Did you know

that plain aspirin didn’t work? Did you know that buffered aspirin did? Did

you know that although the people who took aspirin had a 47% less chance of

dying of heart attacks, their life expectancy did not increase? Perhaps because

their chances of dying of an hemorrhagic stroke increased 48%.

The aspirin in the study was buffered with magnesium. Magnesium is totally

safe. During a heart attack, a person has a 25% better chance of surviving if

given an injection of magnesium. Magnesium dilates blood vessels, aids the

body in potassium absorption, acts as a natural blood thinner, and keeps blood

cells from clumping. Nearly all autopsies on heart attack victims discover

magnesium deficiency. _Top_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm#Top)

Viagra

Viagra comes with many side effects, and the latest to be reported is

PERMANENT BLINDNESS IN ONE OR BOTH EYES. Other side effects are headache, facial

flushing, bluish vision, blurred vision and/or sensitivity to light and upset

stomach. If you have a history of heart disease or are on nitrate drugs, do NOT

take Viagra. If you do, death is a very possible side effect.

If you experience chest pain, nausea, or any other discomforts during sex or

an erection lasts longer than four hours, you are advised to seek immediate

medical help. (First reported in our newsletter from _March 2003_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/Newsletters/03_Mar.htm#Viagra) .)

 

 

Cancer and Hair Dyes

NCI research revealed that women who used hair dyes (the permanent type and

darker colors seem to be the worst) had a 50% higher risk of developing

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. However, no link to cancer was found in those who went

blond. [American Journal of Public Health, 1992;82: 7] _Top_

(http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/misc/haz_meds.htm#Top)

 

Carcinogenic Coffee

Styrofoam: did you know it’s biodegradable? If you wait six billion years!

Did you know that any hot liquid poured into Styrofoam releases small amounts

of the carcinogens and toxins from Styrofoam into the hot liquid? This has

been known for years. Personally, I use paper cups.

 

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