U.S. lifespan falling behindTwenty years ago, the United States, the richest nation on the planet, led the world's longevity league, says The London Observer. "Today, American women rank only 19th, while males can manage only 28th place, alongside men from Brunei." U.S. researchers, the newspaper adds, attribute the decline to two key factors: obesity and inequality of health care.
Drugs not always the answer
The advances of medical science in the 19th and 20th centuries led to an amazing improvement in both the quality and the length of our lives. No longer do many common infectious disease cut short our lives. Antibiotics, increased knowledge of our body systems and advanced surgical techniques all combined to dramatically increase our expected longevity.
Now, however, we're beginning to see the folly of relying solely on medicine to solve our health problems. Drug-resistant viruses are becoming more common, as nature adapts to our technological advances. Harmful side effects of medicines, not seen in the early days of their use, have resulted in many pharmaceuticals being removed from the marketplace or used only as a last resort. Despite these setbacks, pharmaceutical manufacturing continues to be one of the largest, most-profitable enterprises on the planet.
We continue to learn that disease prevention, through lifestyle and diet modification, is a much safer route than medical intervention after disease has struck.
Advisory
Consumers who use Ayurvedic medicinal products should be aware that a new study in the United States has found that some commercially produced products may contain high levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic.
The December 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)1 reported a study of commercially available Ayurvedic medicinal products sold in the Boston area, which found that 14 of these products contained potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic. Although none of these products has been authorized for sale in Canada, to date, three of these products are suspected to be available in various parts of Canada.
Health Canada | JAMA
Aspirin, like all other drugs, is a poison
Swiss anesthetist Martin R Tramèr of Geneva University Hospitals reminds us that commonality of use does not make a product or drug safe. Tramèr cites several studies detailing the dangers of aspirin, for many years and possibly still the most used pain killer and anti-inflammatory drug in the world. |
Research sponsored by drug companies is biased
Systematic bias favours products which are made by the company funding the research, says the British Medical Journal. Explanations include the selection of an inappropriate comparator to the product being investigated and publication bias. |
Pharmaceuticals Nailed for Vitamin Price-fixing
BRUSSELS — Evidence of price fixing by several leading chemical and drug companies has recently surfaced in Europe. A record $752 million U.S. fine has been levied against eight vitamin producers, including the world's two largest manufacturers of vitamins. According to an Associated Press article, published November 22nd, 2001 in Canada's national newspaper, the Globe & Mail, the companies have been "under investigation since 1999 for colluding to eliminate fair competition for vitamin pills and overcharge consumers." |
Phenylpropanolamine and the Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke
A cold medicine and appetite suppressant ingredient, phenylpropanolamine, has been linked to hemorrhagic stroke -- particularly in women, although this may be because women are much more common users of appetite suppressants. Phenylpropanolamine is chemically similar to ephedra. |
