Archive for the ‘MEDICATIONS’ Category

BAYER DISCOVERS ASPRIN 1899

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

1899 : Bayer patents aspirin

On this day in 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co.

Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19thcentury, it was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to damage the stomach.

In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffman found a way to create a stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take. (Some evidence shows that Hoffman’s work was really done by a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were covered up during the Nazi era.) After obtaining the patent rights, Bayer began distributing aspirin in powder form to physicians to give to their patients one gram at a time. The brand name came from “a” for acetyl, “spir” from the spirea plant (a source of salicin) and the suffix “in,” commonly used for medications. It quickly became the number-one drug worldwide.


Aspirin was made available in tablet form and without a prescription in 1915. Two years later, when Bayer’s patent expired during the First World War, the company lost the trademark rights to aspirin in various countries. After the United States entered the war against Germany in April 1917, the Alien Property Custodian, a government agency that administers foreign property, seized Bayer’s U.S. assets. Two years later, the Bayer company name and trademarks for the United States and Canada were auctioned off and purchased by Sterling Products Company, later Sterling Winthrop, for $5.3 million.

Bayer became part of IG Farben, the conglomerate of German chemical industries that formed the financial heart of the Nazi regime. After World War II, the Allies split apart IG Farben, and Bayer again emerged as an individual company. Its purchase of Miles Laboratories in 1978 gave it a product line including Alka-Seltzer and Flintstones and One-A-Day Vitamins. In 1994, Bayer bought Sterling Winthrop’s over-the-counter business, gaining back rights to the Bayer name and logo and allowing the company once again to profit from American sales of its most famous product.

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha 17th March 2010


FREE SWINE FLU SHOTS FOR EVERYONE IN AUSTRALIA

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Vaccine

Protect yourself, protect your community

0431_swine_65x65A new FREE vaccine to protect Australians from pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus is ready. Panvax® H1N1 vaccine was registered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on 18 September 2009.
There is clear evidence of serious or fatal health complications for some people who catch this flu. It is a new strain of flu that spreads easily from person to person, and experience in other countries shows that this is not just a winter flu – it could come back during spring and summer.

Vaccination is the safest response for the community, particularly as large numbers of people continue to be infected, and some are suffering serious health complications. By getting vaccinated you can protect yourself and help stop this flu spreading.

How a vaccine works

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Panvax® H1N1 Vaccine contains extracts of protein from the new flu strain. Once you get vaccinated, proteins prompt your body to produce antibodies to protect you from the virus.
Protection after vaccination varies from person to person, but people generally start producing the antibodies that provide protection two weeks after the vaccination. Protection is expected to last for at least one year.

This vaccine does not contain live virus and cannot give you influenza.

People who should get immediate vaccination

All people can get vaccinated but some people are more at risk of severe outcomes if they catch this flu. Vaccination is strongly recommended for:

  • Pregnant women
  • Parents and guardians of infants up to six months old
  • People with underlying chronic conditions, including:
    • heart disease;
    • asthma and other lung diseases;
    • cancer;
    • diabetes;
    • kidney disease;
    • neurological disease;
    • other chronic conditions (talk to your GP)
  • People who are severely obese
  • Indigenous Australians
  • Frontline health workers
  • Community care workers

Where do I get vaccinated? How do I get this vaccine?

Vaccinations will be available from 30 September. Vaccination will be available from a range of locations, including GP offices, vaccination clinics, hospitals and health centres. To check vaccination location in your State or Territory, go to:

Health department websites and phone numbers

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WA: call 1800 186 815 or visit http://www.health.wa.gov.au/swine_flu/home/
SA: call 1800 022 222 or visit www.flu.sa.gov.au
VIC: call: 1300 882 008 or visit www.humanswineflu.health.vic.gov.au
TAS: 1800 358 362 (1800 FLU DOC) or visit www.pandemic.tas.gov.au
ACT: call 02 6205 2300 or visit www.health.act.gov.au/flupandemic
NSW: visit www.emergency.health.nsw.gov.au/swineflu/vaccination/index.asp, or call 180 2007 for your local Public Health Unit contact
QLD: 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) or vist www.health.qld.gov.au/swineflu/html/vacc.asp
NT: call 08 8922 8044 or visit www.swinefluvax.nt.gov.au

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 18th October 2009

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WORMWOOD HAS SOME MAGIC PROPERTIES FOR CURES…?

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009


Wormwood

Scientific Names
Forms
Traditional Usage
Overview
Active Ingredients
Suggested Amount
Drug Interactions
Contraindications
Side Effects


Scientific Names:
Artemisia absinthium L. [Fam. Asteraceae]

Forms:
Cut and dried leaves and flowering tops of wormwood; wormwood infusions and thujone-free wormwood extracts.

Traditional Usage:
- Antibacterial
- Antifungal
- Antihelmintic (worm expellant)
- Antiparasitic
- Appetite Loss
- Bile Deficiency
- Bile Duct Disorders
- Bloating
- Chronic gastritis
- Dyspepsia
- Fever
- Flatulence
- Gall Bladder Cleansing
- Gas
- Intestinal Worms
- Liver Cleansing
- Memory Loss
- Mental Functioning
- Stomach Disorders
-  Worms


Overview:
Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium L. [Fam. Asteraceae], is an extremely bitter medicinal herb native to Europe that is also now naturalized, from garden cultivation, in eastern North America. Wormwood leaves were traditionally nibbled to stimulate appetite. Wormwood tea was a traditional folk remedy for treating delayed menses, fevers, liver and gall bladder ailments, and as a worm expellant (vermifuge). It is still among the most popular antihelmintic (anti-worm), antiparasitic and repellent plants used in Central Italy. Wormwood can be used as a bitter tonic to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. It is especially effective for dyspepsia because it acts on the stomach and gall bladder and relieves feelings of fullness and the accumulation of gases in the digestive system. The plant extracts are diuretic, antiseptic and vermifuge. The essential oil can be used externally for relief of rheumatic pain and contains many antibacterial and antifungal compounds. Wormwood is also reputed to enhance or restore mental functions, including memory, according to traditional Western European medicine. Recent studies show that wormwood ethanol extract has human central nervous system (CNS) cholinergic receptor binding activity. The most potent extract, active at less than 1 mg/ml, was comparable in displacement activity with that of carbamylcholine chloride, a potent acetylcholine analogue. Choline is also found in the extract itself, but its concentration does not account for more than 5% of the displacement activity observed. Wormwood contains a compound called thujone that is known to be toxic. Acaricidal properties of essential oils of Artemisia absinthium and a related plant, Tanacetum vulgare (tansy) [Fam. Asteraceae] are attributed largely to beta-thujone – so thujone may be beneficial in wormwood products for expelling worms as well. Wormwood was formerly the main ingredient of the liqueur called absinth, but due to the toxicity of thujone, absinth was outlawed in France in 1915.


Active Ingredients:
Wormwood contains: 0.15-0.4% bitter substances and 0.2-1.5% essential oil; sesquiterpene lactones, with as the main component the dimeric guianolid, absinthin (0.20-0.28%); other sesquiterpene lactones include artabsin, matricin, anbsinthin etc., and the pelenolides, hydroxypelenolide can be detected during the TLC identification of the drug. Essential Oil: consists mainly of terpens but also includes b- or x-thujone ((1S, 4 R)-thugan-3-one or (1S, 4S)-thujan-3-one), trans-sabinyl acetate, cis-epoxyocimene, or chrysanthenyl acetate. Of the more than fifty other identified mono- and sesquiterpenes, thujan, thujyl, alcohol, linalool, and cineole, as well as x-bisabolol, b-curcumene, and spathulenol may be mentioned. Various flavonoids occur in the drug, and caffeic and other phenolic carboxylic acids have been detected; small amounts of polyacetylenes are also present; traces of a mixture comprising two diastereoisomeric homoditerpene peroxides (with in vitro antimalarial activity); some 24z-ethylcholesta-7,22-dien-3b-ol (antipyretic activity).


Suggested Amount:
To prepare wormwood tea: Pour boiling water over half a teaspoon of finely chopped wormwood herb. Steep for ten minutes then strain. Unless otherwise prescribed drink infusion several times a day a half-hour before meals. 1 Teaspoon = ca. 1.5 g.
Do not exceed recommended dose. Wormwood is not recommended for internal use for more than three weeks at a time due to the presence of thujone, which can cause convulsions if taken at very high concentrations. Thujone-free wormwood extracts are available and are recommended for long-term therapeutic use of this herb.


Drug Interactions:
None known.


Contraindications:
Should be avoided by people with stomach and intestinal ulcers. People suffering from psychiatric disorders may also want to consult with their physician prior to using wormwood therapeutically.


Side Effects:
None know if used as prescribed. Wormwood is safe when used as prescribed however it is not uncommon for users to experience strange and/or vivid dreams while taking the herb due to the compound, thujone. The toxicity of wormwood is attributed to the herb’s content of thujone, which can cause convulsions if taken at very high concentrations. Overdose of wormwood may cause intoxication, vomiting, stomach and intestinal cramps, urine retention, stupor, and in serious cases renal damage, convulsions, vertigo, and tremors may occur if taken in high doses. Wormwood was formerly the main ingredient of the liqueur called absinth, but due to the toxicity of thujone, which becomes concentrated in the drink, absinth was outlawed in France in 1915. Intoxication from absinthe liqueurs has been likened to that induced by marijuana. A syndrome called absinthism, common to drinkers (before it was outlawed), included many serious side effects including derangement of the digestive organs, intense thirst, restlessness, vertigo, tingling in the ears, trembling in the arms, hands and legs, numbness of extremities, loss of muscular power, delirium, loss of intellect, brain damage, general paralysis and death. Duke (1985) sites one reference that recounts a singular event where the daily ingestion of Italian vermouth (containing wormwood leaves, stems and flowering-heads) is suspected as a causative factor in a case of esophageal cancer. [Duke JA. 1985. Wormwood. In Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, p. 66-67.]
Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha

16th Sept 2009

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BLOOD PRESSURE AND LIFE STYLE – EASY FIX

Monday, September 7th, 2009

No-Pill Ways To Reduce Blood Pressure
By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D.

You thought you were ready to roll … until you’re standing in front of the room and realize that the thing you felt rolling around by your feet on the plane was the thumb drive with your presentation on it.
blood-pressure-sketch
Of course your blood pressure is going to go up. It even will when someone gets crazy in traffic or when you think you’ve lost your credit card. That’s what your body is designed to do when there’s stress: Run away. But that’s not always an option today (you can’t very well run away from the podium or the traffic jam). So try these YOU Docs strategies for helping you stress less and stay healthier:
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1. Lose it. We mean weight. The more body fat you pack, the more trouble your body will have getting your blood pressure down after stress.
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2. Work it. Build some muscle. Your blood pressure returns to normal more quickly after a stressful event if your blood vessels are toned. And the stress of building muscle (that’s good stress) through physical activity tones your blood vessels.
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3. Leave it behind. When college students recalled an injustice that had been done to them, their blood pressure went up. And it stayed elevated longer in those who couldn’t muster up any forgiveness for what happened. Forgiveness is a simple way to make yourself seriously healthier without a prescription.

Published by Henry Sapiecha 7th Sept 2009

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ANGINA CAN BE TREATED EASILY WITHOUT SURGERY

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

SOOTHING ANGINA IS EASY

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One million Americans suffer heart attacks every year. Quickly getting their arteries propped open with stents saves lives, studies have found. But millions more develop heart symptoms gradually. Usually it comes in the form of angina, a squeezing pain in the chest or arms caused by clogged arteries that starve the heart muscle of oxygen. The pain comes with exercise or stress, and then goes away.

People often assume they need a stent to get that artery opened up right away–or else. But new results from two big trials are unambiguous: The high-tech procedures don’t save lives or prevent heart attacks for most patients with stable symptoms. “It doesn’t do anything to lower risk of subsequent death or heart attack,” says William Boden, a cardiologist at the State University of New York at Buffalo who led one of the trials. Drug treatment alone is just as effective.

The reason for this counterintuitive result is that most heart attacks don’t occur at the locations that appear most clogged on an angiogram. Instead, heart attacks happen when lesser narrowings become inflamed and suddenly rupture, spewing a clot into the bloodstream. The blockage that bursts isn’t necessarily the one that causes symptoms. People think heart disease “is just a plumbing issue, that clogged pipes mean an impending heart attack,” says James Stein of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “A stent is just a local therapy for a systemic problem.”

Stents are installed during angioplasty, in which a balloon is used to unclog an artery. They are necessary if drugs cannot produce enough pain relief, say cardiologists. One of the two trials found that 66 out of 100 patients who received a stent were angina free after a year versus 58 out of 100 who received only drugs; that difference faded after five years.

Another study published in June comparing stents to drugs in diabetic heart patients found no difference in the risk of death or heart attacks, and only a little over 40% of those assigned drugs later got a stent. A more clogged-up group received either drugs or cardiac bypass surgery, in which veins are used to bypass blocked arteries. The bypass patients didn’t live longer but did have fewer nonfatal heart attacks. “I think physicians will be more likely to consider bypass for their diabetic patients and steer away from angioplasty,” says study author Sheryl Kelsey of the University of Pittsburgh.

One diabetic patient who did well without a stent is Earl Anderson of Old Bridge, N.J. The 62-year-old retired FBI agent first felt chest pains while rushing to catch a plane in 2002. An angiogram revealed a narrowing in one artery, and doctors gave him drugs. His angina soon went away and hasn’t come back. Now his cholesterol and blood sugar are down; he plays tennis weekly with his 14-year-old son

heart-diagram

Your Heart: A User’s Guide

Cardiologists who install stents say that these relieve pain better than drugs and that most patients have more symptoms than Anderson. “Patients with a lot of symptoms don’t do well with drug therapy,” says Gregg Stone of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

One reason so many stents are implanted is money. “Hospitals are paid handsomely if the patient has bypass surgery or has a stent. But they are not paid [so much] if a patient has drugs,” says cardiologist David Hillis of the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. While generally safe, stent procedures can cause heart attacks, bleeding or even death.

Another misconception is that getting a procedure will obviate the need for drugs. “People have this impression that ‘If I get a stent, then I am not going to have to take medicine,’ and that is wrong,” says Mayo Clinic cardiologist Raymond Gibbons. “Everybody is going to get medicines. The real question: Is stenting or surgery going to bring enough benefit in addition?” Patients who get drug-coated stents often must take more drugs; they need to stay on the blood thinner Plavix for at least a year to prevent rare cases of clots forming in the stent.

One key test that is often skipped: stress tests to determine if your heart is getting enough oxygen during exercise. The problem, says Scripps Research Institute cardiologist Eric Topol: Without stress tests, doctors don’t know whether narrowings seen on an angiogram are causing problems.

Heart patients with stable symptoms have choices–and time to consider their decisions. For many of them drug therapy alone, drug therapy and stents, or drug therapy with angioplasty are all reasonable options. If you are not sure which you want, you can ask the doctor doing your angiogram to hold off on the stent if nothing alarming is found. This will give you time to discuss the result with your primary care doctor or referring cardiologist.


Angina
A lack of blood flow to the heart causes chest discomfort but doesn’t kill the muscle. Most angina comes on only during exertion and stops afterward. Unstable angina that happens at rest is treated as a medical emergency.

Prevention
Eat a healthy diet and exercise to prevent the buildup of artery plaque.

Take statins and blood pressure drugs if your doctor dictates.

Treatment
For most patients, drug therapy can reduce the risk of heart attack and treat chest pain.

A stent/angioplasty procedure can reduce chest pain but has no proved impact on survival in those with stable symptoms.

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 28th June 2009

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CLEAN OUT YOUR ARTERIES WITH EASE

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

REPAIR CLOGGED ARTERIES WITHOUT SURGERY

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

New Research Uncovers Amazing Brain Saver!

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Clogged arteries prevent blood supply to the brain. Oxygen-deprived brain cells become damaged or even die.

But when scientists induced strokes in laboratory rats and treated them with an amazingly simple nutrient—a remarkable discovery was made. Here’s what happened…

In one experiment, strokes were induced in laboratory rats by blocking the carotid artery for 30 minutes. Once blood flow and oxygen were restored, there was a burst in the production of free radicals. This overwhelmed the brain’s antioxidant defenses and killed 80% of the rats within 24 hours.

In a follow-up experiment, everything was the same, except this time, researchers injected a powerful antioxidant into the rats before blood and oxygen was restored. After a 24 hour period—only 25% of the rats died. The remaining 75% made a full recovery. Further study concluded the brain of the antioxidant-treated rats showed no signs of a stroke at all!

The name of this stellar brain saver?
It’s alpha lipoic acid!

This research and many more demonstrate alpha lipoic acid can deliver remarkable protection to your brain to help prevent damage—and even help restore healthy brain function in the event of a blockage of blood flow to the brain.

That’s why you get the optimum dosage of alpha lipoic acid in every serving of Advanced Artery Solution™. It’s the ultimate insurance for brain health!

Try Advanced Artery Solution™ Risk-Free Today…
It’s Guaranteed to Work
or it’s FREE!

Plus Claim up to $502.65 in
Savings and Free Gifts Now

Can’t order online?

Call toll-free
1-800-746-4513

To receive this special web only offer, please reference savings code: TEC1434

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 25th June 2009

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DRUG TO REMOVE HEAVY METALS FROM YOUR BODY

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Malic Acid—the critical partner of the EDTA chelation Dynamic Duo!

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Studies have shown that EDTA is highly effective at removing most heavy metals from your body. But for optimal chelation therapy—getting rid of most of the toxic metals is just not good enough. That’s why Advanced Artery Solution™ also gives you optimum doses of malic acid—a powerful, complementary chelator that picks up where EDTA leaves off!

With malic acid, you can remove dangerous aluminum from your blood. Research shows aluminum can cause memory loss, brain decay and even unexplainable fatigue.

In one clinical test, fibromyalgia patients were given malic acid along with magnesium for eight weeks. All the patients reported significant reduction of muscular pain within 48 hours of starting the supplement!

For the #1 source of in-home, oral chelation—there’s nothing better than Advanced Artery Solution™! Now you can sample this heart supporting nutrient completely RISK FREE during this special introductory offer.

Source: EDTA Chelation, The Real Miracle Therapy
for Vascalur Disease. Life Enhancement, 2006.

Try Advanced Artery Solution™ Risk-Free Today…
It’s Guaranteed to Work
or it’s FREE!

Plus Claim up to $502.65 in
Savings and Free Gifts Now

Can’t order online?

Call toll-free
1-800-746-4513

To receive this special web only offer, please reference savings code: TEC1434

Sourced and published by Henry Sapiecha 25th June 2009
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