They're at it again! With all the hits Big Pharma has been taking lately, it should come as no surprise that they're looking for other ways to shore up profits. This time they've set their sights on the compounding and dispensing of (BHRT). If they're successful, it will limit your access to this natural and completely safe alternative to HRT. Wyeth, the supplier of one of the most popular HRTs on the market (Premarin), has recently filed a citizen's petition with the Food and Drug Administration calling for enforcement actions ranging from seizures to warning letters against any pharmacies found to be compounding, labeling, advertising, or dispensing BHRT in violation of laws normally applied to manufactured drugs. The petition is false and misleading and is a naked grab by Wyeth to maintain their hold over consumers who are drifting away. As more consumers become aware of the harmful effects of drugs and opt for natural products, the market share Big Pharma once enjoyed is shrinking. The petition is a desperate attempt to undercut any competition and in the process they're preventing women from using safe, natural options to combat the symptoms of menopause. Our long-standing right to choice in healthcare decisions is being threatened, and our options will be eroded if this measure is adopted. Over the past few weeks, consumer health advocacy groups have been hard at work to temper the pharmaceutical industry's ability to influence the FDA with comments from the other side. Officials have been alerted to the positive impact of BHRT and how access to this life-enhancing combination of natural supplements must go on unimpeded. Let's hope they listen.
Flushing out a UTI
Q: I was hospitalized twice last year with severe UTIs. Is there anything I can do to help stop this problem before it starts? JVW: The natural, simple sugar D-mannose can be a valuable aid in preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs). D-mannose clings to the E. coli, the bacteria responsible for 90 percent of all urinary tract infections. By coating the bacteria, it prevents them from clinging to the walls of the bladder and urinary tract. The normal flow of urine rinses the bacteria out of your system, thus preventing infection. D-mannose instructions state to take 1/2 to 1 tsp. every four to six hours, but it's safe to use more and to take it more often in order to clear the urinary tract of infection as quickly as possible. But even though D-mannose can prevent the majority of UTIs, it will not work on the 10 percent that are caused by something other than E. coli bacteria. For this reason, if you have symptoms of an infection that last longer than 24 hours, it is important to talk to your doctor about whether you might need some other form of treatment.
What is...D-mannose?
D-mannose is a natural, entirely safe simple sugar that is present in small amounts in some fruits, such as cranberry and pineapple. Although it has the ability to latch on to the bacteria that cause most urinary tract infections, it does not harm the good bacteria lining the digestive tract, which makes it safe for long-term preventative treatment. Our bodies have the ability to metabolize only small amounts of D-mannose, so most is excreted in the urine unchanged.
Sources:
"Thousands of Patients to FDA: Don't Let Wyeth Rob Us of Our Hormone Treatments," International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (press release, www.iacprx.org), 4/4/06
"Your Access to Natural Hormones Is Being Threatened!" Natural Solutions Radio (www.naturalsolutionsradio.com), 2/13/06
| 
