Medical Industrial Complex

crazy4carrots

Luan wrote:   In 2008, Canada was poised to begin to ban health supplements by introducing Bill C51 which would have criminalized vitamins, minerals & herbs making them illegal in Canada.

I don't think so, Luan.  Health Canada was concerned about the quality of supplements and the result was the Natural Health Products Directorate.  The focus was on making supplements SAFE for us and to weed out the producers of bad product. 

ktym

I don't trust either the pharmaceutical companies or the supplement companies to put my welfare over their finances.

Anonymous

Lindasa, have you read Bill C-51 in its entirety ?

Member_of_the_Club

These new regs will apply to "popular cheap synthetic vitamins" made by "Big Pharma" exactly as they apply to supplments.  These vitamins are supplements.  The new law applies to them.  And remember, something thats been sold for decades, such as a vitamin C or St. John's Wort, or whatever, will not be affected because it isn't a "new ingredient."  The new law only applies to substances that were never approved as safe.  Why anyone would be opposed to regulating supplements for safety, i don't understand, but maybe thats why Big Herb is lying about what these regs will do and claiming that the government is taking away people's supplements.

The government regulates toasters for safety and that hasn't translated into toasters being "taken down."  This is big business, the supplement industry, trying to stir up people with conspiracy theories in order to preserve their profits. 

Anonymous

Ironically, its Big Pharma that sells the cheap synthetic vitamins.  Any reputable Health Food store will only carry the best higher end quality brands.

Anonymous

BALD FROM CHEMO

"Are you still bald after chemo? Are you hiding under a baseball cap long after your hair was supposed to grow back? Are your doctors perplexed? If so, you may be one of a growing number of people around the world who have experienced persistent chemo-induced alopecia, or hair loss.

According to Sanofi-Aventis, manufacturer of the chemotherapy drug Taxotere-used to treat breast, lung, gastric, head and neck and prostate cancer-3% of patients administered the drug could experience long-term alopecia. This figure could rise to as high as 6.3% when given in combination with the drugs Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and Cyclophosphamide, according to a study by the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in Colorado.

"Such an emotionally devastating long-term toxicity from this combination must be taken into account when deciding on adjuvant chemotherapy programs in women who likely will be cured of their breast cancer," the study concludes.

Despite this recommendation, patients-are not being informed of this potentially disfiguring side effect."

http://aheadofourtime.org/

Three years of growth after chemotherapy

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/69/24_MeetingAbstracts/3174?eaf

kira1234

I don't know if this is the right place to give this info. My BS thought I needed to see it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/health/research/08genes.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Anonymous

Bald Women Lash Out At Sanofi-Aventis & Taxotere By Ed Silverman // March 8th, 2010 For every action, there is a reaction. In this case, a group of women are angry the Taxotere breast cancer med has not only left them permanently bald and looking sick long after they were treated for the disease, but the warning was insufficient. Calling themselves taxotears, several have formed a group - A Head of Our Time - to demand more patient education.‘A Head of Our Time is a world-wide organization of "baldies" who have banded together to share emotional support, compare medical research and educate our health care providers. If you are tired of the stares and the dismissive suggestions to "wear a wig", you will find understanding and, indeed, empowerment among us,' according to their web site."

Ang7

Luan~

There is a whole thread related to the Taxotere/Bald thing.  That is one of the reasons my onc. and I decided to do the Penguin Cold Caps.

But this probably belongs on another thread...

Anonymous

Ang, if you are squimmish looking at the pictures, maybe you should go to another thread.  This is about Big Pharma and chemo and this is where it belongs.

Edited to add.  Penguin cold caps are not recommended in our neck of the woods

Ang7

Oh please...

I don't know where your "neck of the woods" are but here in Virginia they are becoming part of the protocol.  What does squeamish have to do with anything?  I was letting you know that the information had been posted on this site already...

1Athena1

Luan, I've lost count of how many times you have told people to go on other threads. (Maybe such a comment belongs on a "Comments and Questions" thread?  )

Lots of censoring here. First, Apple gets scolded for posting about flaxseed, then Patzee tells us to stay on topic, and then after a mega detour into Taxotere baldness, someone who responds directly gets told to take their comments elsewhere.

So what is this thread really about?

Perhaps it's just Friday....

Anonymous

Ang7 - Well then you should address your concerns.... with our CMA and FMSQ

"Unfortunately, many studies were small and badly designed and are therefore difficult to compare. There is a considerable variation in the success rates in the various studies"

http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/3/352.full.pdf

Anonymous

(((((((((((((Athena)))))))))))  and more giggles....

Anonymous

Athena, you ignore the fact that I was told to post elsewhere first, are you taking sides ?

Anonymous

"A medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against a West Virginia doctor and hospitals for giving chemotherapy to a man who did not actually have cancer"

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/topics/chemotherapy/

Member_of_the_Club

Cold caps, cold caps, cold caps.  There I said it.

Member_of_the_Club

And I think we can all agree that people who do not have cancer should not be given chemotherapy as if they do.  (Not sure what the point of that post was).

Anonymous

Holy cow,

"Federal drug regulators are warning that some bottles of Qualitest generic Vicodin and Fioricet may have had their labels swapped due to a manufacturing problem, meaning that some patients could be taking the wrong drugs. 

A Qualitest generic drug recall was announced on June 27 after at least one bottle of generic Fioricet was found with a generic Vicodin label"

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/vicodin-fioricet-label-recall-19192/

Member_of_the_Club

I think we can all agree that labels shouldn't be switched.

Member_of_the_Club

And by the way, doesn't this demonstrate the need for FDA oversight?

Alpal

So, where's Leia? She started the thread. Did she appoint you all the thread police in her absence? What does "doing what comes naturally" have to do with Medical Industrial Complex? Patzee, I thought your thread would be about doing what comes naturally. It seems to have turned into a c&p fest on steroids. No one comes on there demanding you to stay on topic. What happened to free speech?

Anonymous

Endocet recall due to incorrect doses

"Some bottles of Endocet, a painkiller combining the active ingredients of OxyContin and Tylenol, have been found to contain pills with the wrong dose, resulting in two lots of the pills being removed from the market. 

The Endocet recall was announced on June 24 by the FDA after bottles were discovered containing pills with much more powerful doses of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, than was listed on the bottle. The pills are larger in size and have different shapes and markings.

The bottles are supposed to contain Endocet tablets containing 10mg of oxycodone (OxyContin's active ingredient) and 325mg of acetaminophen. However, some tablets found in the bottles had 650mg of acetaminophen instead"

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/endocet-recall-incorrect-dose-19144/

Anonymous

Alpal, what does "c&p fest on steroids" mean ?

AnnNYC

C&P means "cut and paste."

"On steroids" might mean "appears to be driven by unusual energy" or "grown to unusual size," as often seen "on steroids" -- either glucocorticoids or anabolic steroids.

Member_of_the_Club

I think we can all agree that drugs should not be packaged with the wrong dose.

Anonymous

AnnNYC, sure........ sorry I asked...

"As an IL lawyer will tell you, several prescription drugs have been shown to be associated with wrongful deaths, severe injuries, and other ill-effects: 

• Fosamax - This drug has been given to patients at risk for osteoporosis, but has been shown to cause many cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), or bone death of the jaw.
• Duragesic patches - This potent pain reliever is administered through a transdermal patch. It has been associated with manufacturing defects which have resulted in several fatal accidental overdoses and other serious injuries.
• Reglan - this drug is prescribed for gastroparesis and other digestive issues. It has been shown to cause tardive dyskenesia, a neurological disorder causing involuntary body movements, after long term usage, especially in children and the elderly.
• Levaquin - this antibiotic has been shown to cause tendon ruptures, especially Achilles tendon ruptures, when prescribed to senior citizens.
• Hydroxycut - this supplement commonly used for weight loss has been linked to liver failure and has been recalled.
• Amiodarone - also sold under the brand names Cordarone and Pacerone, is intended to treat heart rhythm conditions such as atrial fibrillation. It has been shown to cause conditions such as blindness and pulmonary toxicity, or damage to the lungs which can make it difficult to breathe or can be fatal.
• Chantix - this smoking cessation drug has been associated with increased rates of suicide among users."

http://www.accidentlawillinois.com/practice_areas/drug-side-effects-prescription-drug-interaction-claim-with-il-lawyer.cfm

Anonymous

"Common Hospital Infections

Approximately 1 million people in the United States develop a hospital infection every year. Hospital infections are typically related to a medical procedure or treatment that the patient is undergoing in a hospital. While dealing with one medical condition, a patient may then have to deal with a new infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 36% of hospital infections are preventable, if medical personnel follow strict guidelines on hygiene and maintain a clear, sterile environment.

The most common hospital infections include: 

• urinary tract infections (UTIs);
• surgical site infections; and
• pneumonia (associated with ventilator use). 

The source of hospital infections can be found in unclean catheters and tubes, through which bacteria can travel freely.

The Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology reports that 24% of patients who have a catheter inserted will develop a hospital infection. Approximately 5.2% of these infections will enter the bloodstream, and 4% to 20% of the infections will result in death. 

One of the leading causes of a hospital infection is unsanitary hospital conditions"

http://www.accidentlawillinois.com/blog/common-hospital-infections.cfm

Member_of_the_Club

OK, NONE of this has anything to do with cancer but it is a ridiculous list nonetheless.  I have gastroparesis and I am very lucky because I can mostly control it with diet and only have to spend some of the time with nausea and vomiting but there are people with this disorder who literally cannot digest food and the ONLY drug available is Reglen.  While Reglen has been associated with bad side effects in a very small number of people, it is a lifesaver for many, many others.  I haven't tried it yet but I can guarantee you that if I go through another phase of daily nausea and throwing up several times a week, that I will give it a shot.  Because the only other options for people with gastroparesis are feeding tubes and surgery.

 Luan, you have NO IDEA what you are posting, NO IDEA.  And I think if you threw up every time you ate, you would take the (very small) risk of side effects from Reglen and give it a shot. 

Member_of_the_Club

And WTF does hospital infections have to do with anything?  What are you doing????