Zelnorm Is Laid To Rest - Permanently

In the never ending battle of the drug companies against civilized society, another dangerous drug has finally been taken off the market. If you are a woman suffering from IBS and have taken the drug Zelnorm, you might have noticed that you can't get it any longer. We can only thank sanity for that. Every once in a while, somebody does the right thing and keeps the drug companies from turning us all into early corpses. This article is going to give you the dope on Zelnorm, what is was used for, why it was given the gate and finally take a look at the larger problem. Now we only have to hope that what they come out with next isn't even worse.

For IBS sufferers who are women, yes Zelnorm is for women only, this drug was designed to rid the terrible cramping, constipation and diarrhea that are associated with IBS. The drug actually produced some decent results. The problems arose when women starting complaining of heart related problems. A recent press release reported that there were a large number of cases of women reporting either angina, heart attack or stroke from a controlled study group. The part of the group given a placebo did not complain as much about these problems. Ultimately, the company that makes Zelnorm, Novartis, finally decided on March 30, 2007 that they would no longer be manufacturing this drug.

While this may sound like a moral victory for those who have been fighting against dangerous drugs for some time, this really brings up a more serious issue and something that nutritionists have been arguing about for years. It seems that every time a new drug comes out to combat a common problem, years down the road, and sometimes even sooner, serious problems are found with the drug itself and it has to not only be removed from the market, but also stand up to a rash of lawsuits. If you think I'm exaggerating, just take a look at Vioxx and the chaos left in its wake. I remember having a muscle pull once and took Vioxx and after only one dose, I thought my head was going to explode. My wife thought I was just being my usual hypochondriac self. I guess I wasn't.

The point is, until we thoroughly test the drugs that we casually dish out like Pez, we're going to be pulling more medications off the shelves of pharmacies than Carter has liver pills. The FDA is a rather toothless, ineffectual agency that only steps in after the horses are out of the barn. And my wife wonders why I won't even take an aspirin.

If you're tired of what the drug companies are doing to us, check out my signature and get your free report.

Zelnorm may be dead and buried, but this war is far from over.

To YOUR Health,

Steve Wagner

Acid Reflux Diet

If you are suffering from acid reflux it does not matter what you eat you will find that it just keeps reoccurring. In order to help improve the situation you will need to start using a special acid reflux diet. This particular diet will help you to find those foods which are safe for you to eat and those which you should be avoiding at all costs.

If you find yourself suffering from acid reflux a great idea to find out just what foods are causing you problems is to keep a food diary for 2 weeks. So when ever you have something to eat you write down what it is you have eaten and beside it not any symptoms that may have occurred after you have eaten it. This will not only help you in understanding just what may be aggravating your condition, but it will provide the doctor with a better understanding as well so that they will be able to suggest the best type of acid reflux diet for you and ways in which you should be changing your eating habits.

A good acid reflux diet should contain plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apples, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and peas. Also you can still have meat which is very lean and fish as well. If you are still wanting to include dairy products into your diet it is best if you eat either feta or goat's cheese as well as cheeses that are either low in fat or fat free. Also when it comes to include bread into your acid reflux diet you should really eat multigrain or white is perfectly satisfactory.

As you can see from above an acid reflux diet does not restrict everything that you would normally enjoy. But is certainly a diet which contains more healthy products. However, what you should do is avoid processed foods as much as possible as these often can cause the problems you are to be exacerbated further.

There are many sites available on the web today which are able to provide you with a complete list of all the foods which are safe and can included into an acid reflux diet.

Bart R

The Changing Face of the Pharmaceutical Industry

Fill prescriptions and hand out pills? If only it were that simple! Those who pursue a pharmacy profession perhaps might have cause to wonder just how so much politics got mixed with their job?

Plan B, the "morning after" pill
It hovers conveniently between being a contraceptive and an abortion aid. It is one or the other, certainly, but how? And do you have moral grounds to refuse to fill a prescription for it? How about the legal grounds? That's what pharmacists are asking all over the country.

Plan B is nothing more than a high dose of the synthetic hormone progestin the same ingredient in traditional birth control pills. Sold in the US, it can be used to prevent pregnancy for up to five days after sex though it is most effective when taken within 24 hours of intercourse. Plan B, its manufacturer says, reduces the odds of pregnancy by eighty-nine percent. Put another way, out of a hundred women having unprotected sex, typically eight will get pregnant; using Plan B, only one will.

But researchers can't rule out the possibility that Plan B may also prevent implantation of eggs in the uterus, unlike a contraceptive which simply prevent the egg from being fertilized. They're not sure because under natural conditions some fertilized eggs fail to implant anyway. So in studies on Plan B, there is virtually no way to tell whether the failure to implant is natural, or caused by the progestin in Plan B and is hence an "abortion pill".

To further muddy the waters, many anti-abortion groups have been branching out to oppose contraception, too. Some see a direct connection between the practice of contraception and the practice of abortion. Religious bodies such as the Catholic church have traditionally been against contraception anyway. This leaves pharmacists caught in the middle, with a few of them choosing sides. Some have actually refused to supply the pill, citing religious reasons. This is one debate that promises to drag out for a long time before pharmacists are sure exactly what they should do.

Illegal here and legal there
The influx of Canadian pharmaceuticals in recent years has shown that not every American agrees with how their representative democracy regulates drugs. A kind of patchwork class struggle has ensued, with some opposing certain kinds of drugs on everything from financial to political to religious grounds and others being the elderly, infirm, or just plain liberal getting what they need however they can.

Though it is still illegal to import pharmaceuticals from Canada or other countries outside the States, the government now says that it is backing off strict enforcements that have irritated elderly consumers buying cheaper Canadian drugs. However, the Bush administration still claims that importing Canadian drugs is dangerous because the medicines could be inferior or counterfeit. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has said that the shift in policy does not mean that Canadian drugs are safe, but that the agency has simply decided to refocus its resources.

Called into question is the purity of motives. America still has no citizen-wide health plan to speak of, and citizens must rely on insurance. Meanwhile Canadians enjoy their health care free (well, taxed), and Americans are quick to cross a border to take advantage of a freer drug economy. One must question that if money weren't involved, would this even be an issue? The FDA's objections are based on the notion that Canadian drugs may be unsafe to take. Yet they seem to be good enough for Canadians to take...

ADHD
Ritalin and other stimulants are increasingly shown to be doing more harm than good, while the diagnosis of Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder is rapidly being shown to be quackery. That would have been heresy five years ago, when it was nothing but a rant for the occasional lone nut. But now child psychologists, neurologists, and pediatric physicians are starting to speak out on it. And they are making these strong accusations.

There's the recently commenced FDA hearings, which pertain to reports of death, strokes and heart attacks in children and adults treated for ADHD Most recently the number one ADHD drug has been reported to cause strokes, some were sudden deaths and others were heart complications. Furthermore, the various drugs used to treat ADHD are always amphetamines, which are potentially as addicting as cocaine. And we prescribe it for half of the population, since the symptom list to ADHD reads pretty much like anybody could have it on a boring day.

It is certain that somebody, somewhere in the system wants ADHD and amphetamine prescriptions to stay around, leaving families, parents, and doctors to wonder whether they are seeing a real disease being treated, or a corporate machine grinding them into it's bottom line.

The marketing of drugs
Every country in the world bans the practice of direct-to-consumer drug advertising... except the United States. Here, consumers are subjected to a never-ending barrage of televised drug ads showing for an increasing array of patented chemicals to treat a mystifyingly trivial array of "diseases" and "disorders". TV commercials get more and more vague as to what, exactly, their product treats. Essentially, it amounts to taking pills for nothing. They actually have an acronym all their own: SMD, "Spontaneous Mass Diagnosis", where a new disorder is "discovered", then a bunch of patients are created who are potential customers for the pill the company which "discovered" the disorder.

A serious backlash against this direct marketing and it's effect on the industry has yet to find a voice. Mostly passive controversy exists. Americans, as it turns out, are more liberal about drugs than we once thought, as even those who strongly oppose the commercial drug racket tend to shrug and say "But if somebody wants to take it, let them!"

Will it get more controversial?
Much of these issues being raised are the result of advances in the way we practice medicine. But they are only a start. There are more advances in medical science being made today, and they will almost certainly lead to more political "hot-button" issues landing in the pharmaceutical industry's collective lap.

Proton Pump Inhibitors for Acid Reflux Syndrome - Are They For You?

There are many ways to treat acid reflux syndrome, and one of the things you might hear about the most are proton pump inhibitors (PPI's). These are the most commonly advertised types of medications, and they come in both OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription strength. These are really great for those who have a lot of problems with their reflux recurring day in and day out. However, they might not be needed for everyone all of the time. You should talk to your doctor about how often you have pain, and what they think would be the best for you.

Proton pump inhibitors do more than just help soothe pain. They do something to reduce the pain and keep the levels of acid down in the stomach. These medications will actually stop many of the acid pumps in the stomach from producing acid.

The idea is if you have less acid production in your stomach, you won't have the problem of the acid backing up into the esophagus. When this happens, the damage from acid reflux has time to heal. PPI's can also be used for people who have ulcers in their stomachs.

Those who have had damage to the esophagus might have to take a prescription proton pump inhibitor to give the tissues time to heal. These are prescribed by a doctor, and they will need to be taken anywhere from two weeks to two months.

Because the amounts of acid are reduced, you will feel relief from your bouts of heartburn, and all tissues have breathing room to heal as they should. After the prescription has run out, you can probably take the OTC version of proton pump inhibitor. They aren't as strong, but if the tissues have healed, you don't need the prescription strength any longer.

There are some side effects with proton pump inhibitors that you do have to watch out for. If something is giving you problems, you may have to try a different medication. The goods news about this is that there are many different PPI type medications that you can try until you find something that does not bother you.

Some of the most common side effects are diarrhea, gas, and upset stomach. Occassionally people report experiencing dry mouth and headache. These are pretty rare though, and most won't have problems with them.

Make sure you talk about all of your symptoms with your doctor so they can recommend the best medication for your acid reflux syndrome. If you are taking any other type of medication, either OTC or prescriptions, ask about drug interactions to be sure you will be safe.

You should be sure to let them know if you are pregnant, nursing, or have kidney problems. They may want to give you something else any of those are true for you. Also ask if there is anything else you can do to help your acid reflux syndrome. They might give you a food list, or recommend stress reduction to help with healing and to offer more relief.

The Truth Behind Thyromine - How Thyromine Was Created

Thyromine is a drug that fights hypothyroidism. Although Ultraherbal produced herbal supplements, they had no intention of making Thyromine. When one day, the mother of a director at Ultraherbal was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. She felt weak, depressed and was gaining weight for a long time, but she had no idea that it was because of hypothyroidism.

So, she went for a check-up at her doctors. The diagnose was hypothyroidism. Her doctor prescribed a synthetic drug against hypothyroidism. The medicine was doing its job but the side effects were intolerable. That's when the directors of Ultraherbal came up with the idea of developing a natural product against hypothyroidism without side effects.

So, they contacted and hired Dino Guglielmelli, an expert in technology of nutritional and natural products. Only with his help, Ultraherbal was able to develop an all-natural safe and effective drug against hypothyroidism. Dino Guglielmelli is the founder and CEO of the Garden Natural Products Inc.

Guglielmelli's company develops quality natural products at affordable prices. Dino Guglielmelli is an advanced formulator and has developed customized products for plastic surgeons, dermathologists, dentists, athletes, fitness instructors and celebrities.
That's why he was the perfect candidate for developing Thyromine. And after several months of hard work and research, the final product was developed.

Thyromine is a blend of herbs, Nori (a sea vegetable), bovine powder of adrenaline and bovine powder of thyroid. All these ingredients work together making the access to the thyroid easier. Each ingredient has its own big part in the process.

The adrenal powder comes from inspected plants and helps treat the adrenal gland. If someone had low adrenal function, this adrenal gland is basically the first that has to be treated. In this case, it's treated along with the thyroid.

Ginger is usually used a digestive aid and in treating nausea. In this case, ginger helps in achieving normal cholesterol levels since people suffering from hypothyroidism have a high cholesterol level. Guglipid basically treats obesity and lipid anomalies. Guglipid is extracted from a tree that grows in India known as a Guggal tree.

Nori is a sea vegetable and is served in many restaurants across the world. Sea vegetables are known to be rich in minerals. Nori contains Iodine, which is a much-needed element in thyroide treatment.

Piper Longum helps stimulate respiratory and digestive functions.
Thyroid Powder prevents goiter and carcinoma. It's an excellent replacement when treating hypothyroidism.

L-Tyrosine mainly helps the nervous system and the brain to regain their normal functioning levels.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or spastic colon, is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects thousands of people. The disorder is common in men and women as well as the young and old. Statistically, almost one in five Americans suffer from IBS. It often goes completely untreated, as many patients feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to discuss its symptoms with a doctor.

The disorder is a functional disorder that affects the activities of the large intestine, or colon. There is no structural abnormality in the intestines of any patient suffering from IBS. There are several main symptoms, but the main factor is discomfort caused by changes in the bowel’s habits. Symptoms of IBS include abdominal bloating, pain, cramping, constipation, and/or diarrhea. Sometimes, these symptoms will alternate.

There are several types of irritable bowel syndrome. IBS-D is used to describe a patient that suffers predominantly from diarrhea. IBS-C refers to those patients that suffer predominantly from constipation, while IBS-A describes patients that suffer from an alternating pattern of diarrhea and constipation. A fourth type of IBS exists, IBS-PI (post-infectious), which is directly related to a bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal system.

Causes Currently, there is no known specific cause of irritable bowel syndrome. A popular theory is that those patients that suffer from IBS have an unusually sensitive colon that reacts strongly to certain foods and even stress. In a patient with IBS, the intestine either absorbs too much liquid or too little.

Additionally, the immune and nervous system may affect the symptoms or onset of IBS. Recent studies have shown a direct effect of serotonin on the activity of the intestinal system. Patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome seem to have reduced serotonin receptor activity in the intestinal tract that, in turn, causes abnormal serotonin levels within the gastrointestinal system. Furthermore, it is common for patients with IBS to also suffer from depression and anxiety.

Diagnosis and Treatments In order to diagnose irritable bowel syndrome, one must visit a doctor. There is no specific test, however, other tests such as a blood test, stool sample, x-ray, sigmoidoscopy, and a colonoscopy are performed to eliminate any other disease. After a series of tests is performed, based on the patient’s symptoms, IBS may be diagnosed and treatment may begin. If one believes to be suffering from IBS, it is important to see a doctor, to at least rule out a more serious condition.

Treatments for irritable bowel syndrome range from adjusting one’s diet to over the counter medications to prescription drugs like Zelnorm. Many patients take fiber supplements in addition to the medications to help regulate their intestinal tract. Most patients find relief with medications to reduce diarrhea and constipation.

Irritable bowel syndrome is an uncomfortable disorder that affects the normal functions of the large intestine. While it does affect both sexes, usually, more women suffer from IBS. The disorder is commonly controlled my medication, diet, and modifying stress levels. Even though the disorder is uncomfortable, it is not generally related to more serious diseases and is not a precursor to cancer.

Update: If you or somebody you know takes Zelnorm for IBS, you should be aware of the recent Zelnorm Recall issued by the FDA. Zelnorm has been linked to serious, life-threatneing side effects. Learn more by visiting one of the links below.

Internet Pharmacy - An Ideal Platform For Drug Purchase

Getting the prescribed medicines from a nearby community drugstore had long been the only option for us. But now, Internet pharmacies have become a far better alternative. Internet pharmacies go a long way in meeting patient's demands than what the traditional pharmacies could. A good online pharmacy entitles us to a host of benefits and services that the age-old community drugstores are incapable of providing in the near future. Online pharmacies outclass the traditional ones on more than a single ground.

A lot of patients suffer from ailments that they do not wish to make public. It could even be embarrassing for some to publicly buy such drugs at a community drugstore. Conversely, they can buy similar drugs through an Internet pharmacy. The ordering process is easy, secure and confidential. No need to go out of the house to queue up near a drugstore; just fill in the online order form available in the internet pharmacy's website and wait for the drug to be delivered right at your doorsteps.

Most of us have a busy lifestyle. We need to take some time out for activities that are not a part of our daily routine. To get the drugs from a nearby drugstore, we need to find time to go out and buy them. Furthermore, there are patients who are too weak to move out. Such patients need to depend on others' help to procure drugs from the nearest store. An Internet pharmacy, on the other hand, not only save our time but also reduces the effort needed to go to a drugstore. Whether at home, office, or anywhere else, all we need is to login to an online pharmacy website and place an order.

The cost of medicines is an essential point of consideration for the patients. Online pharmacies offer drugs at a far cheaper rate than that of the traditional ones. The difference in price is due to the high overhead costs incurred by the community drugstores. Conversely, an online pharmacy does not have similar magnitude of infrastructure or operational costs. Furthermore, online pharmacies operating from Canada offer attractive discounts as compared to others. This is due to the price regulations of prescription medicines by the Canadian government. Such discounts can be as high as 70%!

Safety, security, confidentiality, low prices and good product quality is what drives most patients to login to an online pharmacy. However patients should be careful to check out the legitimacy of the pharmacy. Internet pharmacies have become a booming business and a lot of people try to cash in this opportunity by promising the best and offering the worst. Legal online pharmacies are authorized by an external authoritative agency. Most legitimate Internet pharmacies provide a link to such an agency in support of their authenticity. People should check out for such links. Apart from that, it is always better to stay away from pharmacies that have broken links and look badly managed. Such pharmacies, in all probability, are the ones to stay away from. Online Canadian drug pharmacies are truly the best place to order medicines from; however, just do a bit of research beforehand to crosscheck its legitimacy.