Adverse
Effects of Prescription Drugs/NSAIDs/Antibiotics
1.
Studies have found pharmaceutical use to be a leading cause of hospitalizations and
the third leading cause of deaths(1).
In 1998 an extensive study published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) showed that 106,000 people die each year in American
hospitals from medication side effects (1). But studies also show that less
than 5% of hospitalizations and deaths due to pharmaceuticals are identified as
such so the actual total is much higher.
From 1998
through 2005, reported serious adverse drug events to the FDA increased
2.6-fold from 34,966 to 89,842,
and fatal adverse drug events increased 2.7-fold from 5519 to 15,107. Reported
serious events increased 4 times faster than the total number of outpatient
prescriptions during the period (37). Only a small percentage of such cases are
reported to the FDA.
2. Tylenol/acetaminophen
can cause serious or chronic liver damage (2)(37).
Tylenol/acetaminophen reduces glutathione levels, especially in elderly(20;
glutathione levels have been documented to be a marker for aging and health, as
well as chronic health conditions including degenerative eye conditions(Dr.
David Williams, Alternatives,1). Last year an FDA review estimated that there
are more than 14,000 unintentional overdoses of acetaminophen every year, with
about 100 of those cases resulting in death. Studies have shown that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an effective antidote for
acetaminophen poisoning and is especially effective within 8 hours of ingestion
of the overdose.
3. NSAID use has been
linked to “leaky gut” and intestional damage
by a large number of studies(3). Of a group of arthritis patients with a
history of NSAID use, 70% were found to have intestinal erosion, and 25% had
severe, large lesions(3b). Ibuprofen(Advil,Midol,Motrin,Nuprin,Pamprin), naproxen(Aleve,Naprosyn,Anaprox), and indomethacin
had the worst adverse effects.
4. Newcastle Univ. researchers
found that NSAIDs are major contributors to heart
problems(4).
There was evidence that NSAIDs are a major factor in over 20% of first hospital
admissions for congestive heart failure(4a). NSAIDs decrease the
ability of the body to excrete excess salt and water, resulting in fluid
retention and buidup, the beginning of congestive
heart failure.
In those
with a history of heart problems, NSAID use increased the risk of hospital
admission over 10 fold. NSAIDS have
been found to sometimes cause adverse health effects including
gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and skin relations- some of which have been fata(4b).
5. NSAIDs
taken by pregnant women dramatically increase the risk of miscarriage(5).
In a large study those who took NSAIDs during
pregnancy had an 80% increase in miscarraiges and
even those taking baby aspirin had an increased risk of 60%. NSAIDs interfere
with the attachment of a fertilized egg to the uterus. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Britain has issued an
advisory telling women to avoid NSAID use during pregnancy.
6. NSAID use has been found
to induce hypersentive reactions including asthma,
respiratory problems, and urinary problems(6). Between 8 - 20% of adult asthmatics
experience bronchospasm following ingestion of
aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Termed aspirin-induced asthma, this reaction is potentially fatal. "The
prevalence of aspirin and NSAID-sensitive asthma in Australia is probably as
low as 5-10 per cent in all adults with asthma,"
7. Studies have documented an increased
risk of renal failure in some groups of elderly who use
NSAIDs(7).
8. Long term aspirin use
can increase your risk of heart attacks and stroke. Long term aspirin use also increases the risk
of macula degeneration and the risk of cataracts by up to 44 %(8).
9. Antibiotic use in the
first 6 months of life has been found to be a major cause of asthma and
allergies(6,9), with an increased incidence of over 250%. For those taking broad spectrum antibiotics,
the risk increased by from 8.9 to 11.5 times that of those not taking
antibiotics. In addition to the
potential of leading to emergence of ABx-resistant
bacterial strains, Antibiotic treatment is also responsible for 10-30% of all
medication-induced adverse events(9c).
10. Gray syndrome may be especially
likely to occur in children, who are usually more sensitive than adults to the
effects of chloramphenicol which is commonly
used in the treatment of ear infections in children. Effects include: blue tone
to the skin, changes in blood pressure or heart rate, eating problems,
irregular breathing, passage of loose green stools, or stomach bloating with or
without vomiting.
11. The statin
class of cholesterol-lowering drugs(Lipitor, Zocor,etc.)
interrupt the body’s natural production of CoQ10 reducing blood and cellular
levels(11). CoQ10 is a necessary enzyme for heart function and other body
processes. Cholestyramin(Questran,Prevalite) causes
various gastrointestinal problems including constipation, bloating,
inhibition of fat soluble vitamins which can lead to night blindness, bruising,
increased triglyerides, osteoporosis.
12. The FDA has notified
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. that it must include a so-called black-box warning on
its label for the antidepressant Serzone
advising patients that life-threatening liver failure can occur with use
of the drug(11).
Serzone has been taken off the market in all
European countries because it has been linked to 26 deaths from liver damage.
13. Fluoroquinolone
antibiotics have been found to cause peripheral neuropathy(13). This study found that many
cases are severe and long term, with some cases affecting many organs. Of the cases followed in this study, 70%
lasted more than 3 months and 58% more than one year. Examples of fluoroquinolones causing PN are levofloxacin,
ciprofloacin,afloxacin.
14. Most cases of acute
generalized exanthematic pustulosis(AGEP) are drug induced, and get better after
cesation of drug use.
amoxicillin, pristinamycin, hydroxychloroquine, ampicillin, diltiazem, co-trimoxazole, terbinafine, carbamazepine and spiramycin have most cases.
15. Merck deliberately mislead
doctors and public about safety of Vioxx.
After a
company study in March 2000, known as VIGOR, reported increased heart attack
risks, Merck directed its sales force to show physicians a "cardiovascular
card" that made it appear Vioxx could be eight
to 11 times safer than other anti-inflammatory drugs. The card omitted any
reference to VIGOR and was based on data the FDA considered to be inappropriate
for a safety analysis.
After an FDA advisory committee agreed in a 2001 vote that physicians should be
informed of the risks found in the VIGOR study, Merck sent a bulletin to its
sales force that advised: "Do not initiate discussions of the FDA
Arthritis Committee ... or the results of the ... VIGOR study." If
physicians asked about the study, Merck representatives were told to respond,
"I cannot discuss the study with you."
After the New York Times reported on the cardiovascular danger of Vioxx in May 2001, Merck instructed its field staff to tell
physicians that patients on other anti- inflammatory medications were eight
times more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than patients on Vioxx.
After extensive negotiations with the FDA, Merck agreed to a label change for Vioxx in April 2002 that mentioned the cardiovascular risks
found in the VIGOR study, but it included a statement that the significance of
the findings was "unknown." The committee said Merck then instructed
its sales force to emphasize the uncertainty of the VIGOR study to counter
physician's concerns.
For Vioxx®, the risk of blood clots was approximately 34 per
cent higher than the risk in comparable patients not treated with Vioxx®. On average, blood clots appeared in 0.3 per cent of
Vioxx® users(15b).
16. Data from the ADAPT trial indicated
an apparent increase in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular
events among the participants taking naproxen(Aleve)
when compared with those on placebo.(16)
17. Inositol
supplementation was found to be more effective than the SSRI fluvoxamine for panic disorder, while also having less
adverse health effects(17).
18. Bruxism(tooth
grinding) and headaches have been found
to be associated with the use of certain medications, such as L-dopa (used in
Parkinson's Disease) and with some of
the so-called "SSRI" antidepressants. These include Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, and Luvox. (18)
19. SSRIs
cause hyperprolactinimemia which results in erectile disfunction, increased breast cancer, autoimmune conditions
such as lupus, etc. (19) . Proscar(finasteride) has been found to
increase significantly the risk of breast cancer in men as well as breast enlargement (gynecomastia) (19a)
20. Children
and young people treated with SSRI or SNRI more frequently exhibit suicidal
thoughts and suicidal behaviour as well as hostile behaviour than comparable patients treated with a placebo(20).
21. Preliminary
results of a Danish register study1 show an increased occurrence of
malformation in children born by mothers who had used an antidepressant of the
type SSRI during the early pregnancy (1 st
trimester).
22. Moms' Antidepressants Affect Newborns . A study, headed by
Dr. Rachel Levinson-Castiel of the Children's Medical
Center in Petah Tiqwa,
found that nearly one in three infants born to women taking anti-depressants
showed signs of withdrawal. Symptoms
such as high-pitched crying, tremors, gastrointestinal problems and disturbed
sleep showed up in the first 48 hours after birth and were more pronounced in
babies whose mothers had been taking higher doses. The risk was highest among
those exposed to 27 mg or more. Thirty
percent of the 60 newborns exposed before birth to selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors had withdrawal symptoms and the symptoms were classified as severe
in 13 percent. Symptoms usually did not
peak until after the first day of life but the long-term effects are not known,
the researchers said(24)
23. The makers of antidepressants like Prozac
and Paxil never published the results of
about a third of the drug trials that they conducted to win government
approval, misleading doctors and consumers about the drugs’ true effectiveness,
a new analysis has found. : when all data is
considered the drugs outperform placebos, but by a modest margin, concludes the
new report.
24. It
has been detected that there is an increased risk of blood clots by use of the
selective COX-2 inhibitors (celecoxib, etoricoxib, lumiracoxib, paracoxib).
25. 2 osteoporosis drugs, Reclast, a drug made by Novartis AG and Fosamax by Merck & Co, were found to
sometimes cause irregular heart rhythms.
26.
Antibiotics are the leading cause of drug related adverse effects and deaths
(26).
27. Certain
antibiotics, such as the fluoroquinolones, the class
of antibiotics that includes the name-brands and generic brands of Levaquin™, Cipro™, Tequin™, and Avelox™, actually
are known to trigger a type of virus called bacteriophages
(viruses that can infect bacteria), to change the genetic sequencing of the
bacteria, causing the bacterium they have infected to start producing toxins.
These viruses can act as genetic delivery vans, invading bacteria, such as
spirochetes, and often lying dormant until activated by a change in the host
(your body) environment. Once activated, these viruses insert their
toxin-generating genes into the bacterial chromosomes. These viruses can turn
basically harmless bacterium into killers through this genetic sequencing of
toxins (27).
28. Based on five years of data on 3,876 heart bypass
patients from around the world, the death rate among the 1,072 patients given
Bayer AG's anti-bleeding drug aprotinin (Trasylol) was nearly 21 percent, two-thirds higher than the
mortality rate among surgery patients not given anti-bleeding drugs.
Bayer failed to reveal to U.S. regulators the
results of a large study suggesting that a widely used heart-surgery medicine
might increase the risks of death and stroke, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has announced. (28)
29. In clinical trials by Merck, the cholesterol lowering
drugs Zetia and Vytorin
were found to not be effective at preventing heart attacks, and in fact caused
fatty plaques to grow almost twice as fast as in the control. Fatty plaques are
a known risk factor for heart attacks and strokes(29).
30. Liberty Link(Bayer)
genetically modified corn has been found to cause adverse health effects to
test animals and people (28).
31. A new
study gave 28 of the men a one-year course of finasteride
(Proscar(r)), the standard drug for benign prostate
problems. The other 25 were given nothing. When the year was up, researchers
gave each man a second biopsy. Nearly
30% of the men taking Proscar(r) developed prostate Tumors. Yet tumors were found in only
one of the 25 men taking nothing.
32. Although studies have shown a connection between Singulair use to suicidal
thoughts, Merck does not widely publicize this, as they are supposed to.
33. Two creams used to treat eczema, Elidel and Protopic, will also soon carry the FDA's strongest
"black box" warning on their packaging to alert doctors and patients
to healh risks including cancer. The warning advises doctors to prescribe
short-term use of Elidel and Protopic only after other available eczema
treatments have failed in adults and children over the age of 2. The FDA's
Pediatric Advisory Committee reviewed research in animals that of skin
cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In those studies, the risk of cancer
increased as the dose of the drugs increased.
Research presented at the meeting also linked Elidel and Protopic to
about 25 cases of cancer in adults and children who used the drugs. The FDA has also received reports of serious
adverse events in children under the age of 2 who were prescribed the drugs.
34. An independent analysis of thousands of older
people with diabetes found that those treated with the
widely used drug Avandia had significantly elevated
risks of heart attack and death. “Our study suggests that at least in this
high-risk population, the harms of the drug may outweigh the benefits,”
35.
computed tomography scans, or CT, are a health risk for radiation. each scan gives the patient a far higher dose of radiation
than a conventional X-ray would. Unfortunately, even many doctors have no idea
how much radiation a CT scan delivers. the researchers
suggest, as many as 2 percent of all cancers in the United States may be
because of radiation from CT scans performed today.
36. An experimental anticlotting drug from Eli Lilly, prasugrel, quadrupled the
risk of fatal bleeding though other benefits were found compared to Plavix.
37. The Rx painkillers oxycodone and fentanyl caused at
least 9000 deaths between 1998 and 2005.
The
antipsychotic Clozapine caused at least 3277 deaths
between 1998 and 2005.
The antipsychotic medication risperidone (Risperdal) was
responsible for at least 1093 deaths between 1998 and 2005. interferon-beta, a drug that helps regulate the immune
system; and two immune-affecting drugs, Infliximab and Etanercept, were each responsible for over 1000 deaths
between 1998 and 2005.
References:
1. Journal of the American Medical
Association(JAMA) 2000;284:483-485; &. Lazarou J; Pomeranz BH; Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug
reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies.
JAMA, 1998 Apr 15, 279(15):1200-5; & Angell,
"Is Academic Medicine for Sale?", p.128; &
www.healingdaily.com/conditions/pharmaceutical‑companies.htm; &(b) J.
Lyle Bootman, PhD,Dean and
Professor, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona,1703 E. Mabel,
Tucson, Arizona 85721; & Johnson/Bootman Arch Intern. Med Vol 155
Oct 9, 1995;
www.who.int/dap‑icium/posters/4f1_Text.html;
& Bootman@elixir.pharm.arizona.edu; & (c)
Weinberger M, Murrary
MD, Marrero DG, Brewer N, Lykens M, Harris LE et al. Effectiveness of
pharmacist care for patients with reactive airways disease: A randomized controlled
trial. JAMA 2002;288(13):1594-1602.
www.uic.edu/pharmacy/services/di/jamapharm.htm & Review: www.flcv.com/iatragen.html
2. Dr. David Williams,
Alternatives, April 1996
3. S Hernáández-Diaz,
LA Garcíía Rodriguez. Association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and upper
gastrointestinal tract bleeding and perforation: An overview. Archives of
Internal Medicine 2000 160: 2093-2099; & Dr. David Graham, Veterans
Administration Medical Center, Houston, Texas, 2003, paper given at Digestive
Disease Week meeting, Orlando, Florida.
(Alt.,2003); & AL Blower, A Brooks, CG Fenn
et al. Emergency admissions for upper gastrointestinal disease and their
relation to NSAID use. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1997 11: 283-91.
4. Arch Intern Med 00:
160(6):777-84; &
Archives of Internal Medicine, March 27, 2000;
& (a) J
Page, D Henry.
Consumption of NSAIDs and the development of
congestive heart failure in elderly patients: An underrecognized
public health problem. Archives of Internal Medicine 2000 160:777-784;
& Feenstra
J, Heerdink ER, Grobbee DE,
Stricker BHC. Association of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with relapsing heart
failure. The Rotterdam Study. Arch Intern Med
2002; 162(Feb. 11):265-70; & ER Heerdink et al. NSAIDs associated with increased risk of congestive heart
failure in elderly patients taking diuretics. Archives of
Internal Medicine 1998 158:1108-1112.
(b) European Medicines Agency
http://www.emea.eu.int/pdfs/human/press/pr/34345605en.pdf
5. D.K. Li et al, Kaiser
Permanente Medical Care Program, British Medical Journal, Aug 2003; &
Nielsen GL, Sorensen HT, Larsen H, Pedersen L. Risk of adverse birth outcome
and miscarriage in pregnant users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs:
population based observational study and case-control study. BMJ 2001;
322:266-70; & Dr. D Williams, Alternatives, 2003.
6. Jagiellonian
University, Krakow, Poland, in
Alternatives, Dec 2003; & American Academy of Allergy,Asthma,
and Immunology, www.aaaai.org/patients/advocate/2004/winter/aspirin.stm
Slepian IK, Mathews KP, McLean JA.
Aspirin-sensitive asthma. Chest 1985;87(3):386-391; &
Power I. Aspirin-induced asthma (Editorial) Brit J Anaes 1993;71(5):619-620; &
Dr Christine Jenkins, thoracic physician and
Chairman of the National Asthma Campaign.
7. Ophthalmology, 1998,
105:1751-58; Alternatives, 2003.
8. MR Griffin, A
Yared, WA Ray. Nonsteroidal antiinflamatory drugs and acute renal
failure in elderly persons. American Journal of Epidemiology 2000
151:488-496; & D Henry et al. Consumption of non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and the development of functional renal impairment in
elderly subjects. Results of a case-control study.
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 1997 44: 85-90
9.Large study at Henry Ford Health
System, Epidemiol Rev 2002, 24(2):154-75; &
European Respiratory Society's annual conference in Vienna; & (b)J. H. J. Droste and colleagues in
Clinical & Experimental Allergy, Nov 2000;
&(c) American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology(AAAAI),
2002, Selected Articles from the Recent
Literature, Summary
www.aaaai.org/aadmc/currentliterature/selectedarticles/2002archive/adverse_effects.html
10. Medline, National Library of
Medicine, www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202126.html
11. Dr. David
Williams, How to Deplaque Your Arteries,
Alternatives, 2003.
12. U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA), 2001
13. J.S. Cohen, Peripheral
Neuropathy Associated with Fluoroquinolones, The Annuls of Pharmacology, 2001, Vol
35, Dec.
14. Saissi
EH, Drugs associated with acute generalized exanthematic
pustulosis.
Ann Dermatol Venereol.
2003 Jun-Jul; 130(6-7): 612-8.
15. 5/06/05 Author: Robert Cohen
Source: The Star-Ledger & Congressional Hearing
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1115357231320930.xml
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/06/MNGKLCL3V31.DTL
(b) The Danish Medicines Agency,
http://www.dkma.dk/1024/visUKLSArtikel.asp?artikelID=5964
16. NIH, Alzheimer’s Disease
Anti-Inflammatory Prevention Trial (ADAPT), Dec 2004 http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2004/od-20.htm
17. Palatnik A, Frolov K, Fux
M, Benjamin J. Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol
versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic
disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2001
Jun;21(3):335-9.
18. Ellison and Stanziani, Journal
of Clinical Psychiatry 54:432, 1993. (or 17?)
19.
Life Enhancement, July, 2004, p29-30.
19b. Lee and Ellis, Male breast cancer durin
finasteride therapy, J Natl
Cancer Inst 96(4): 338(2004)
20. The
Danish Medicines Agency,
http://www.dkma.dk/1024/visUKLSArtikel.asp?artikelID=6473
21. International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology
2005, http://www.dkma.dk/1024/visUKLSArtikel.asp?artikelID=6776
http://www.dkma.dk/1024/visUKLSArtikel.asp?artikelID=7537
22. Dr. Rachel
Levinson-Castiel, Archives of Pediatrics and
Adolescent Medicine, 2005
23. New
England Journal of Medicine, Jan 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/health/17depress.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
24. The
Danish Medicines Agency,
http://www.dkma.dk/1024/visUKLSArtikel.asp?artikelID=6521
25. Dr. Steven Cummings et al of California Pacific Medical Center Research
Institute, New England Journal of Medicine,
April 2007
26. Adverse effects of antibiotics, Townsend Letter www.townsendletter.com/April2007/antibioticlyme0407.htm
27.
John
Travis, Science News (July 2003;164). http://www.fqresearch.org/
28. Dr. Dennis Mangano,
Ischemia Research and Education Foundation, San Bruno, California. Journal of the American Medical
Association, Feb 2007
http://www.cbgnetwork.org/1771.html NY Times , http://www.cbgnetwork.org/1639.html
29.
N.Y. Times, EDITORIAL, Cholesterol Drug
Bombs, : January 16, 2008
30.Spilling the Beans, Genetically Engineered Crops May
Produce Herbicide Inside Our Intestines, May 2006, By Jeffrey M. Smith http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2778
31. Medscape: Allergy
& Clinical Immunology, Cancer Diagnosis in the Prostate Cancer Prevention
Trial, J Natl Cancer
Inst. 2007;99(18):1375-1383. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/564696_2
32. Suicide
and a common allergy medication, Singulair http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S360205.shtml?cat=300
33. WebMD.com, Michael Smith, MD
34. American Medical Association, L Lipscombe et al, Dec 2007, & NEJM, May 2007, S.E. Nissen et al, Another
study finds heart risks in diabetes drug, Avandia
www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/business/12drug.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
35. New England Journal of Medicine (Nov 2007)
36. Lilly heart drug
effective for heart attacks, but has other risks, CNNMoney.com, http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/04/news/companies/lilly_drug/index.htm
MSN: Health and Fitness, http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100198254&page=2
National Istitute of Health(NIH), special interest ties of officials several received over $500,000 in fees from
pharmaceuticals they have regulatory control over, several instances of
health harm and death in trials have been overlooked in products
of compancies they received fees from. Smart Publications: Health and
Wellness Update, Vol 141, p16,17.
Ten Lies About Health Your Doctor Taught You
Date: 5/5/05 Author: Mike Adams Source: NewsTarget.com
Ten Lies About
Health Your Doctor Taught You
Lie #1: Prescription drugs will make you healthier.
Truth #1: Prescription drugs only mask symptoms. They do nothing to correct the
underlying biochemical causes of disease. Simultaneously, most prescription drugs
cause nutritional deficiencies which lead to further progression of chronic
disease.
See http://www.newstarget.com/001352.html
Lie #2: You should actively treat the swelling of sprains, strains and other
injuries.
Truth #2: Swelling is your body's natural strategy for enhancing the flow of
blood and nutrients to the injured area. If drugs or hormones are used to
prevent swelling, the injured tissues won't heal correctly, greatly increasing
the likelihood of repeat injuries to the same area.
Lie #3: Mammograms prevent cancer.
Truth #3: Mammograms actually cause cancer. They dose the breast tissues with
harmful radiation. Even when they spot breast cancer tumors, they aren't
"preventing" breast cancer; they're merely detecting breast cancer.
True prevention requires changes in food choice and lifestyle, not the use of
imaging technology. See http://www.newstarget.com/000895.html
Lie #4: Vitamins give you "expensive urine."
Truth #4: The most expensive urine in the world is created by taking multiple
overpriced prescription drugs, not vitamins. With more than 40% of the U.S.
population now on prescription drugs, the drug content in human urine is now so
high that trace amounts of antidepressant drugs can be found in public water
supplies. Compared to drugs, vitamins are cheap prevention.
See http://www.newstarget.com/001891.html
Lie #5: The sun will give you cancer.
Truth #5: The sun will prevent cancer due to the creation of vitamin D by the
skin. Most Americans (and Canadians and Europeans, for that matter) are
deficient in vitamin D. As a result, tumor cell growth in the breast and
prostate is unregulated. Sensible exposure to natural sunlight generates
cancer-preventing vitamin D... at no charge! Sunburns are actually caused by
nutritional deficiencies (lack of antioxidants in the skin), not by sensible
exposure to sunlight.
See http://www.newstarget.com/Vitamin_D.html
Lie #6: CT scans (CAT scans) are perfectly safe.
Truth #6: CT scans expose patients to 1000 times the radiation of chest X-rays.
Repeated exposure to CT scans raises a patient's cumulative radiation to levels
experienced by many hydrogen bomb victims in Hiroshima. In addition, rigorous
studies have concluded that CT scans offer no medical benefit whatsoever. See http://www.newstarget.com/004060.html
Lie #7: The U.S. health care system is the best in the world.
Truth #7: The health of U.S. citizens is actually the worst of any industrialized
nation. We pay double, triple, and even quadruple the price for prescription
drugs as any other country. We also have the highest rates of obesity,
Alzheimer's, cancer and diabetes, plus the highest health insurance costs in
the world. The U.S. health care system ("sick care system") is so bad
that people are fleeing the country to seek medical services in Asia. It's a
trend called "medical tourism," and it's flourishing.
See http://www.newstarget.com/007097.html
Lie #8: All surgical procedures have been proven safe and effective.
Truth #8: There is currently NO requirement whatsoever that
surgical procedures must be either safe or effective in order to be
practiced. Hundreds of thousands of medically unnecessary surgical procedures
are performed each year in the U.S. alone, including hysterectomies and
prostate cancer surgeries.
See http://www.newstarget.com/002608.html
Lie #9: You can get all the nutrition you need from three balanced meals a day.
Truth #9: Today's foods are nutrient depleted, and they come from depleted
soils. Processed and manufactured foods would have to be eaten at the rate of
10,000 calories a day just to meet minimum RDA requirements for basic nutrition
(see related ebook on nutrition). The only way to get
adequate nutrition is to supplement with superfoods
or whole food concentrates (vitamins, whole food powders, supplement capsules,
etc.) along with eating healthy meals. Organizations like the AHA, however,
insist that nutrient supplementation is actually bad for your health.
See http://www.newstarget.com/001587.html
Lie #10: All these lab tests are for your own good.
Truth #10: At least half of all diagnostic tests ordered by doctors are
medically unnecessary. They're often conducted merely to generate revenues for
the hospital or medical group that owns the doctor's clinic. Some doctors are
actually required to generate a certain dollar amount of lab test revenues in
order to keep their jobs.
Overview:
Ten Lies About Health Your Doctor Taught You
Source: http://www.newstarget.com/007348.html
K. Johnson et al, Institute
of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, July 2006
At least 1.5 million Americans are injured or killed every year by
medication errors at a direct cost of billions of dollars. Approx. 98,000
people are killed each year as a result of medical errors, 7,000 due to
medication errors.