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Lipitor Mismarketed To Women
Lipitor has been the top-selling drug in the world and has accounted for over $12 billion in annual sales. It has been prescribed to both men and women to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with common risk factors for heart disease.
However, a new study appearing in the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies was unable to find high quality clinical evidence documenting reduced heart attack risk for women in a primary prevention context. Furthermore, advertising omits label information relevant to women.
Theodore Eisenberg of Cornell Law School and Martin T. Wells of Cornell University assembled studies for a meta analysis of drugs’ effects on cardiovascular risk, taking into account all relevant studies reporting risks for both men and women.
Not one of the studies that included women with a mixture of risk factors for heart attacks provided statistically significant support for prescribing Lipitor or other statins to protect against cardiovascular problems. Pfizer’s claims of clinical proof that Lipitor reduces risk of heart attack in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease does not appear to be scientifically supported for large segments of the female population.
In addition, Lipitor’s advertising repeatedly fails to report that clinical trials were statistically significant for men but not for women. Unqualified advertising claims of protection against heart attacks may therefore be misleading. Pfizer’s advertising also does not disclose critical portions of the Lipitor FDA-approved label, which acknowledges the absence of evidence with respect to women.
“Our findings indicate that each year, reasonably healthy women spend billions of dollars on drugs in the hope of preventing heart attacks but that scientific evidence supporting their hope does not exist,” the authors conclude. Lipitor has been the top-selling drug in the world and has accounted for over $12 billion in annual sales. It has been prescribed to b... more -
Red Bull could give you a stroke
Just one can of the popular stimulant energy drink Red Bull can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. The effect was seen even in young people.
The caffeine-loaded beverage causes blood to become sticky, a pre-cursor to cardiovascular problems such as stroke.
One hour after drinking Red Bull, your blood system becomes abnormal, as might be expected from a patient with cardiovascular disease.
Red Bull is banned in Norway, Uruguay and Denmark because of health risks. Just one can of the popular stimulant energy drink Red Bull can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. The effect was seen even... more -
NKorea's Kim Jong-Il may have suffered stroke
SEOUL (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il failed to appear Tuesday at a massive parade marking the communist country's 60th anniversary and a US intelligence official said he may have suffered a stroke.
The 66-year-old, who is known to suffer from diabetes and heart problems, was absent from the parade of reserve military forces, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which monitored North Korean television.
"It does appear that Kim Jong-Il has had a health setback, possibly a stroke," said the official in Washington on condition of anonymity.
The official said it appeared to have happened in "the last couple of weeks" but there were no outward signs of a struggle to succeed him.
US intelligence was "pretty confident" of its health assessment, the official said, saying a stroke "possibly is what it looks like now."
Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on August 22.
The paper, quoting an embassy source, said the intelligence came from Chinese sources.
Chosun reported last Saturday that five Chinese doctors had been in North Korea for more than a week, possibly to treat Kim.
Kim's health has been the subject of intense speculation since he took over from his father, who died in 1994, in the communist world's only dynastic succession. He has not publicly nominated any successor.
Japan's Kyodo news agency said his absence from a major military parade was the first he has missed since he became head of the armed forces in 1991. He also did not appear at anniversary events Monday.
Story continued at link... SEOUL (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il failed to appear Tuesday at a massive parade marking the communist country's 60th a... more -
Family Man
A story about Lou Provost and his struggles with age. Lou's story is unique and inspiring.
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Stroke Risk in Women Smokers Goes Up by Each Cigarette
The risk of stroke for a young woman smoker is directly related to the number of cigarettes she smokes, a new study finds.
While smoking has been clearly established as increasing the risk of stroke, "there is not a lot of data out there on the actual dose response," said Dr. John Cole, the study's corresponding author and an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Cole and his colleagues interviewed 466 women who had had a stroke, and also 604 women who hadn't. All were between the ages of 15 and 49, and were either smokers, non-smokers or former smokers.
Any smoking at all doubles the risk of stroke, the study found. The risk was 2.2 times greater for women smoking one to 10 cigarettes a day, 4.3 times greater for those smoking 21 to 39 cigarettes a day, and 9.1 times greater for those smoking two packs a day or more, compared to nonsmokers.
The study also demonstrated the benefit of quitting smoking. Stroke risk declined as early as 30 days after a woman gave up smoking and returned to normal in about two years.
"Stopping is the best thing to do, but cutting back will also reduce the risk," Cole said.
Smoking raises the risk not only of stroke but also of heart disease by damaging blood vessels and making blood clots more likely, Cole said.
The study findings are published in the Aug. 15 issue of the journal Stroke.
"Cigarettes, among other tobacco products, are the only products that when used as directed are still guaranteed to do harm," said Dr. David A. Meyerson, director of cardiology consultative services at Johns Hopkins University Bayview Medical Center, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association.
"There are four major reasons why," Meyerson added. "Smoking disrupts the cells lining the blood vessels. It increases blood fibrogen levels, which makes blood more likely to clot. It increases the stickiness of platelets, the cells that form blood clots, and it also decreases the body's natural clot-dissolving mechanism." The risk of stroke for a young woman smoker is directly related to the number of cigarettes she smokes, a new study finds. ... more -
After Stroke: New Treatment for Vision Loss
NovaVision is VRT, the Vision Restoration Therapy. VRT is an FDA-cleared, patented, non-invasive rehabilitation that may restore visual field defects after brain or optic nerve damage due to stroke, head injury or a brain tumour.
These impairments of the visual system have traditionally been considered untreatable, but in the last years scientific research provided evidence that even the visual brain’s restitution potential can be reactivated. By systematic stimulation some of the lost visual functions can be restored and the intact visual field can be noticeably enlarged.
NovaVision VRT consists of a neuropsychologically based examination of the visual field defect and – if conditions are considered as positive - a computer-based home therapy for six months. The daily therapy sessions themselves are going to be performed by the patient on his own PC at home in two twenty minute parts. Monthly, the patients send their data to NovaVision for supervision and adjustment to the reached progress of their visual field.
Patients who undergo VRT have a clinically proven 70 percent success rate without surgery or medication.
Since 2008 British patients have an easier way to access treatment with VRT. Janice Juul in Bristol, an optometrist with a lot of neurological experience, started partnership with NovaVision. Patients can visit her to have their visual field loss precisely diagnosed. NovaVision is VRT, the Vision Restoration Therapy. VRT is an FDA-cleared, patented, non-invasive rehabilitation that may restore visua... more -
Too much sleep can increase stroke risk
Regularly getting nine hours or more of sleep per night may increase the risk of stroke in postmenopausal women, according to a study published on Thursday.
Only 5 percent of the 93,000 women in the study, who were 50 to 79 years old and from 40 locations around the United States, reported getting nine hours or more of sleep nightly. But they had a 60 percent to 70 percent higher risk of stroke compared to women getting seven hours of sleep per night, the most common sleep duration, the researchers wrote in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
The researchers statistically accounted for known risk factors for stroke and still found the increased risk in the longer-sleeping women. "Whether it's because of sleep apnea or because of restless sleep or because of any number of things, we don't know," Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, one of the researchers, said in a telephone interview. "The study definitely does not say that for women who sleep longer, if they decrease their hours of sleep they'll be better off," Wassertheil-Smoller, an epidemiologist, added.
The researchers said it is unclear whether the findings would apply to men and younger women.
(Excerpts / Reuters) Regularly getting nine hours or more of sleep per night may increase the risk of stroke in postmenopausal women, according to a study ... more -
Hearing loss link to stroke risk
Sudden hearing loss could be a warning sign of increased stroke risk, Taiwanese research suggests.
People hospitalised for sudden hearing loss had more strokes in the following five years than otherwise healthy appendicitis patients.
The article, in the journal Stroke, suggested no reason why the hearing problem could be linked to strokes
There are dozens of reasons, including some illnesses, such as mumps, measles, and meningitis, why someone might suffer sudden hearing loss.
The suggestion of the research, which looked at 1,423 patients taken to hospital after losing their hearing, is that it could be a sign that the person has a far higher chance of stroke even some years afterwards.
The hearing loss patients were compared with 5,692 patients taken into hospital for appendix removal - chosen because among hospitalised patients, they best represent the healthy population outside.
The researchers found that after hearing loss, they were one-and-a-half times more likely to have a stroke in the five subsequent years Sudden hearing loss could be a warning sign of increased stroke risk, Taiwanese research suggests. ... more -
How Men can Outsmart Top 5 Causes of Death
Guys, listen up: In the 1920s, women outlived you by an average of one year. Now? By at least five. You die at higher rates than women do for the top causes of death.
Also Online
So take to heart this bit of info about the leading causes of death, knowledge we gleaned from www.webmd.com . The good news is that some of these can be prevented, or at least treated if caught early.
1. Heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four men has some form of heart disease. What causes it? Increasing age, family history, race and just being male. These you can't do much about.
You can, though, do something about other risk factors: Smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol.
2. Stroke. In general, risk of stroke for men is 1.25 times that for women. It's the No. 3 cause of death in men, behind heart disease and cancer. The main cause is hypertension, which can be treated. Other risk factors include increasing age, race (blacks have a higher risk than whites), diabetes, inactivity, smoking, obesity, alcohol and substance abuse. (Noticing a pattern here?)
3. Suicide and depression. Men are four times more likely than women to commit suicide. One reason: Undiagnosed depression, which affects an estimated 6 million men every year. Problem is that men tend to show their depression in ways other than sadness: anger, aggression, work burnout, risk-taking behaviors, and alcohol and substance abuse.
Men tend to ignore pain, physical as well as emotional. So they and their loved ones need to watch for such symptoms.
4. Lung cancer. This is the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in men and women. More people die of lung cancer than prostate, colon and breast cancer combined. This year, more than 160,000 men are expected to die of the disease.
Ninety percent of cases are caused by tobacco products. As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of the disease drops.
5. Prostate cancer. This is No. 2 behind lung cancer in men's cancer deaths, as well as the most diagnosed cancer in men. Risk factors include increasing age, nationality (most common in North American and Northwestern European men) and high-fat diets.
What's tricky about this is that, though treatable when caught early, there may be no symptoms until it has spread. So it's especially important to have screenings at age 50 or older. Check with a doctor to see whether you should be screened earlier. Guys, listen up: In the 1920s, women outlived you by an average of one year. Now? By at least five. You die at higher rates than women... more -
The story of Brush and cat
The ginger lad likes to be brushed with the broom.
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Ted Kennedy hospitalized after suffering seizures
Doctors believe that Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts suffered a seizure at his home in Hyannis Port this morning, then a second seizure as he was being transported by helicopter from Cape Cod Hospital to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to an official briefed on the situation.
Kennedy's condition was unclear early this afternoon, as a special police security detail gathered at Mass. General. Kennedy family members were called this morning and told to rush to Boston, according to sources.
More at link. Doctors believe that Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts suffered a seizure at his home in Hyannis Port this morning, then a se... more -
Ted Kennedy Rushed to Hospital for Stroke Symptoms
76-year-old MA senator Ted Kennedy was flown by helicopter Saturday from Cape Cod, where he was staying at the family home Hyannisport, to Mass General Hospital in Boston. 76-year-old MA senator Ted Kennedy was flown by helicopter Saturday from Cape Cod, where he was staying at the family home Hyannisport... more
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Ted Kennedy Rushed To Hospital
(CNN) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy was rushed to a hospital in Massachusetts Saturday morning, his office confirmed.
Kennedy was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for evaluation after initial treatment at Cape Cod Hospital, a statement from his office said.
The senator spent less than an hour in the Cape Cod facility, hospital spokesman David Reilly said.
Massachusetts General said it had no information on Kennedy.
A well-informed Democratic source in Massachusetts said the 76-year-old senator had "symptoms of a stroke" at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port.
An official with the Hyannis Fire Department said it received a 911 call from the Kennedy compound at 8:19 a.m. and transported a patient to the hospital, arriving at 8:50 a.m. The official would not be more specific.
Kennedy had surgery in October to clear his carotid artery in hopes of preventing a stroke. Colleagues said he had recovered quickly and was working energetically recently.
He suffers chronic back pain from injuries suffered in a plane crash in 1964.
Kennedy has represented Massachusetts in the Senate since 1962. He is one of only six senators in U.S. history to serve more than 40 years. He is known as a liberal champion of social issues such as health care, family leave, and the minimum wage.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980. He has endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the 2008 nomination.
Obama said that his "thoughts and prayers" are with Kennedy.
"We are going to try to find out as quickly as possible what is going on," Obama said, and added that he would call Kennedy's wife, Vicky.
"He is one of my favorite people," Obama said.
Kennedy is the youngest of nine children in the famous family of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. His oldest brother, Joe, died in World War II; two other brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert Kennedy, were both assassinated in the 1960s. (CNN) -- Sen. Edward Kennedy was rushed to a hospital in Massachusetts Saturday morning, his office confirmed. ... more -
Ted Kennedy rushed to hospital
# Massachusetts senator reportedly has 'symptoms of a stroke'
# Kennedy reportedly transferred from Cape Cod to Boston hospital
# 76-year-old liberal stalwart has served in Senate since 1962 # Massachusetts senator reportedly has 'symptoms of a stroke' ... more -
Birth control pills, salon haircuts can raise stroke risk
Though 100,000 women, middle-aged and younger, will have a stroke this year, some doctors -- and far too many women -- still think of strokes as an affliction of the elderly or of men.
The truth is, a woman between the ages of 45 and 54 is more than twice as likely as a man to have a stroke, according to recent research from the University of California, Los Angeles. What's more, even though the most common cause is high blood pressure, women are disproportionately affected by some surprising and far-less-well-known causes: chiropractic neck adjustments, pregnancy, oral contraceptives -- even getting a salon hair wash, or riding a roller coaster.
"You can't go through life avoiding everything that carries the slightest risk, but strokes are extremely serious," says Shirley Otis, M.D., a neurologist at Scripps Clinic Medical Group in La Jolla, California. "It's important to be aware of what may be dangerous." Though 100,000 women, middle-aged and younger, will have a stroke this year, some doctors -- and far too many women -- still think of ... more -
Diet Soda Makes You Fat
by Nicole
We all know that diet food can make you fat. With increased sugar often replacing fat in so-called "diet" foods, dieters often don't get enough of the satisfying fat their body needs to tell them they're full, so they inadvertently end up eating more high sugar foods, putting on weight instead of taking it off. Now it seems that diet drink may have a similar effect.
In a recently published study, scientists found a link between low calorie soda and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders (high blood pressure, obesity, and abnormal cholesterol levels) that leads to an increased risk of heart disease, stokes and diabetes.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina's Department of Nutrition gave a 66-item food frequency questionnaire to 9514 participants aged between 45 and 64 years old. After nine years of follow up, 3782 cases of metabolic syndrome were identified among those studied.
While dairy consumption proved to be beneficial, the study found that meat and fried food were adversely associated with metabolic syndrome. What they found surprising was that there also seemed to be a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who consumed one or more cans of diet soda each day when compared with those who drank none.
It seems there's one less short cut on the road to good health. The Daily Mantra recommends you give up your diet soda, and drink water, fruit juice or tea instead.
http://www.dailymantra.com by Nicole ... more -
Wii helps stroke victim recover
Another great Wii success story....
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