Common Sweetener Explodes Internally
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Research, Opinion
Shane Ellison, an organic chemist known as the people's chemist, warns the public about a popular sweetener. He bravely hypothesizes that a commonly used sweetener may "explode internally". He uses this term to describe the potential to damage many parts of the body such as our genetic map known as DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid.
Manufacturers of the popular sweetener were furious over his accusation. They claim that the information included in Shane's article contains many inaccuracies and false information. They asked him to discontinue any further dissemination of these false and damaging statements. They continued by saying that if he fails to take these actions promptly, that they would consider the need for further legal action. Undeterred by such threats, Shane asserts that he is entitled to his own "hypothesis." Readers should understand that he is making no definitive statements. Instead, he is expressing his grave concern over this drug disguised as a sweetener. He feels that consumers have a right to know the whole story behind what may be a very dangerous scam in the artificial sweetener business - or not.
Shane holds a master's degree in organic chemistry. He is internationally recognized as an authority on therapeutic nutrition. Check out his life saving health briefs and natural cures to see for yourself if he's crying wolf or if he's got a scientific leg to stand on.
Sweet as a daisy
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Diet, Products
Stevia is a member of the daisy family, and Coca Cola teamed with Cargill to bring it onboard as a new sweetener in their family of products.
According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, Coca-Cola has filed 24 patent applications for the product, which has been tentatively named Rebiana. It plans to use the sweetener in some of its beverages. Stevia is only approved in the United States as a dietary supplement, not as a food additive. The extract is claimed to be the world's only all-natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index.
Extracts are said to have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. As a sweetener, Stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. Lower-calorie sodas are made with artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame and sucralose. A recent report revealed that the US sweetener market is poised to increase 4% annually, to reach over $1 billion in 2010. A company that could offer a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners may have found a new sweet spot this growing market.
Does your doctor take side-effects seriously?
Filed under: Drugs
A recent study has come up with some results that don't bode so well for doctors: it seems more often than not they "write off" concerns expressed by their patients regarding medication side-effects. The study included 650 adults who believed they were experiencing adverse drug reactions related to their cholesterol meds, and the majority of their doctors blew off the concerns and denied the possibility that the symptoms and the medications could be connected. This trend rings true even for the most commonly seen side-effects for the most commonly prescribed drugs -- what's up with that?The study wasn't designed to find out why this happened, just that it does. Some experts guess that it's simply because there are no laws (and no way to regulate) that doctors learn the side-effects of every medication they prescribe.
So I guess it's up to you, as the patient, to educate yourself and make sure you have a doctor who listens.
Medications that cause high blood sugar
Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Drugs, Research, Support
Several commonly used drugs have adverse effects on glucose metabolism. Among these drugs are: aspirin, and an antibiotic.
Aspirin is a commonly used drug to relieve minor aches and pains, to reduce fever, as an anti-inflammatory and as a blood-thinner. However, studies show it leads to glucose metabolism impairment in insulin-sensitive tissues. A 3g daily dose of aspirin was administered over a three-day period. Although insulin release increased after the aspirin, the glucose remained unchanged. Despite the increased insulin, the body seemed to decrease cellular sensitivity to insulin in the aftermath of aspirin.
A healthcare facility in Scottsdale, AZ advises doctors to avoid giving gatifloxacin to patients with diabetes. They suggest selecting an antibiotic other than a fluoroquinolone for an elderly patient with diabetes, especially those taking sulfonylureas. Beyond elderly diabetics, any person who has recently undergone treatment with an antibiotic in the fluoroquinolone family should raise questions if they are diagnosed with diabetes or deemed pre-diabetic. Drugs included in this family are: Cipro, Ciproxin, Enroxil, Penetrex, Megalone, Maxaquin, Noroxin, Quinabic, Janacin, Floxin, Oxaldin, and Tarivid.
[RESEARCH] Side effects of phenobarbital and carbamazepine in childhood epilepsy: randomised controlled trial
Objective To compare the behavioural side effects associated with two commonly used antiepilepsy drugs--phenobarbital and carbamazepine--in children in Bangladesh.
Design Prospective randomised controlled single centre trial.
Setting Specialist children's hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Participants 108 children aged 2-15 with generalised tonic-clonic (n=51) or partial and secondary generalised seizures (n=57).
Main outcome measures Seizure control and behavioural side effects.
Results 91 children were followed up for 12 months. Six required a change of antiepilepsy drug. Side effects were compared in 85 children. In the last quarter of the 12 month follow-up, 71 children were seizure free after one year's treatment. Thirty two in the phenobarbital group and 39 in the carbamazepine group had no seizures in 74 and 102 days after randomisation, respectively. Ten children had increased behavioural problems, which were unacceptable in four (one in the phenobarbital group and three in the carbamazepine group). Independent t tests, however, showed no difference between the two trial drugs.
Conclusion There was no excess in behavioural side effects with phenobarbital in children with epilepsy in a country with limited resources.
Trial registration NCT00381537.
[RESEARCH] Oral chemotherapy safety practices at US cancer centres: questionnaire survey
Objective To characterise current safety practices for the use of oral chemotherapy.
Design Written questionnaire survey of pharmacy directors of cancer centres.
Setting Comprehensive cancer centres in the United States.
Results Respondents from 42 (78%) of 54 eligible centres completed the survey, after consulting with 89 colleagues. Clinicians at 29 centres used handwritten prescriptions, two used preprinted paper prescriptions, and six used electronic systems for most oral chemotherapy prescribing. For six commonly used oral chemotherapies, on average 10 centres required a diagnosis on the prescription, 11 required the protocol number, four required the cycle number, nine required double checking by a second clinician, 14 required a calculation of body surface area, and 14 required a calculation of dose per square metre of body surface area. Only a third of centres requested patients' written informed consent when oral chemotherapy was given off protocol. Nearly a quarter (10) of centres had no formal process for monitoring patients' adherence. In the past year respondents at 10 centres reported at least one serious adverse drug event related to oral chemotherapy, and respondents at 13 centres reported a serious near miss.
Conclusion Few of the safeguards routinely used for infusion chemotherapy have been adopted for oral chemotherapy at US cancer centres. There is currently no consensus at these centres about safe medication practices for oral chemotherapy.
[RESEARCH] Cost effectiveness of home based population screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in the UK: economic evaluation of chlamydia screening studies (ClaSS) project
Objective To investigate the cost effectiveness of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis compared with a policy of no organised screening in the United Kingdom.
Design Economic evaluation using a transmission dynamic mathematical model.
Setting Central and southwest England.
Participants Hypothetical population of 50 000 men and women, in which all those aged 16-24 years were invited to be screened each year.
Main outcome measures Cost effectiveness based on major outcomes averted, defined as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, or neonatal complications.
Results The incremental cost per major outcome averted for a programme of screening women only (assuming eight years of screening) was £22 300 (33 000; $45 000) compared with no organised screening. For a programme screening both men and women, the incremental cost effectiveness ratio was approximately £28 900. Pelvic inflammatory disease leading to hospital admission was the most frequently averted major outcome. The model was highly sensitive to the incidence of major outcomes and to uptake of screening. When both were increased the cost effectiveness ratio fell to £6200 per major outcome averted for screening women only.
Conclusions Proactive register based screening for chlamydia is not cost effective if the uptake of screening and incidence of complications are based on contemporary empirical studies, which show lower rates than commonly assumed. These data are relevant to discussions about the cost effectiveness of the opportunistic model of chlamydia screening being introduced in England.
[RESEARCH] Vascular events in healthy older women receiving calcium supplementation: randomised controlled trial
Objective To determine the effect of calcium supplementation on myocardial infarction, stroke, and sudden death in healthy postmenopausal women.
Design Randomised, placebo controlled trial.
Setting Academic medical centre in an urban setting in New Zealand.
Participants 1471 postmenopausal women (mean age 74): 732 were randomised to calcium supplementation and 739 to placebo.
Main outcome measures Adverse cardiovascular events over five years: death, sudden death, myocardial infarction, angina, other chest pain, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, and a composite end point of myocardial infarction, stroke, or sudden death.
Results Myocardial infarction was more commonly reported in the calcium group than in the placebo group (45 events in 31 women v 19 events in 14 women, P=0.01). The composite end point of myocardial infarction, stroke, or sudden death was also more common in the calcium group (101 events in 69 women v 54 events in 42 women, P=0.008). After adjudication myocardial infarction remained more common in the calcium group (24 events in 21 women v 10 events in 10 women, relative risk 2.12, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 4.47). For the composite end point 61 events were verified in 51 women in the calcium group and 36 events in 35 women in the placebo group (relative risk 1.47, 0.97 to 2.23). When unreported events were added from the national database of hospital admissions in New Zealand the relative risk of myocardial infarction was 1.49 (0.86 to 2.57) and that of the composite end point was 1.21 (0.84 to 1.74). The respective rate ratios were 1.67 (95% confidence intervals 0.98 to 2.87) and 1.43 (1.01 to 2.04); event rates: placebo 16.3/1000 person years, calcium 23.3/1000 person years. For stroke (including unreported events) the relative risk was 1.37 (0.83 to 2.28) and the rate ratio was 1.45 (0.88 to 2.49).
Conclusion Calcium supplementation in healthy postmenopausal women is associated with upward trends in cardiovascular event rates. This potentially detrimental effect should be balanced against the likely benefits of calcium on bone.
Trial registration Australian Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN 012605000242628.
Prescribed a blood thinner? Things you should know
Filed under: Prevention, Drugs
Shortly after giving birth to her first child, my sister-in-law developed a blood clot that traveled to her lung. Because she's only in her mid-30s, she was surprised to find out she'd be taking blood thinners for the rest of her life, due to a previously undiscovered genetic blood clotting disorder. Though blood thinners are commonly prescribed to those with high risk of heart attack or stroke, they're also prescribed to prevent blood clots and to those who suffer from atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. When you first start using blood thinners, there are a few basics you should know, including:
- Blood thinners may interact with other medications you are taking, so be sure to tell you doctor about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs you use.
- Alcohol should be avoided while on blood thinners and patients should quit smoking.
- Regular monitoring of the blood is necessary to make sure your medication is effective.
Exercise of the Week: The Plank
Filed under: Prevention, Exercise
For those of you who were with us about six months back, I introduced an ongoing exercise program that centered around your TV viewing schedule. More or less, I offered up workouts that you could perform during your favorite TV shows, using visual and audio cues from said shows to start and end a particul
ar exercise. For example, if you were watching CSI, you may have been doing a set of 25 crunches every time a character in the show mentioned the word Blood. There were various cues for various shows, and by the end of the week you had completed an enjoyable workout without missing even a frame of your favorite programs. Getting back to that idea, I thought it would be fun to highlight a new exercise each week. Although this does not directly involve watching television, you could surely set-up your own cue system to just about any show you wanted. The important part is to be armed with an assortment of effective and easy-to-do exercises, which is what I hope to show you at least once a week for many weeks to come.
With that all said, I think the Exercise of the Week will be the Plank. In what at first blush actually looks more like a frozen stance than an exercise of any kind, the Plank is nonetheless a great exercise to work your abdominal and lower back muscles (making up what is commonly referred to as your core). By placing your body in a push-up position, you should place your forearms flat on the floor beneath you. Then, your goal is to keep your body as straight as you can off the ground as you remain in this position for approximately 30 seconds. If you can't last for 30 seconds, try 20. If 20's a no-go, reach for 10 or 15. Soon enough you will build your core strength to a point where 30 seconds seems like child's play. Do at least 2 total sets of this exercise.
As stated, the Plank may not look like much, but mark my words: You'll feel it. Expect to feel tension in your midsection, arms, and back. And while it isn't exactly classified as an aerobic exercise, you will still feel a bit winded by the end of the determined amount of time you hold the position.