Blast from the past could destroy your future In Monday's e-Tip, I told you about the dangers of numerous drugs, including the arthritis drug Vioxx. Granted, Vioxx has been pulled off the market since the news broke back in 2004 of its risks. But if you think you're in the clear because you don't have a bottle of it in your medicine cabinet anymore, you should think again. After examining new data from the drug's manufacturer, Merck & Co, a public health expert said that former users of Vioxx could have sustained permanent cardiovascular damage and may be at risk of developing strokes for years to come. This is the first news that the drug, which was originally thought to "only" cause temporary problems, could cause long-term harm. Dr. Curt Furberg is a member of the Food and Drug Administration's Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee who examined a 107-page report released by Merck on patients who were followed for a year after taking Vioxx. He found that seven of the drug's users had strokes and two had mini-strokes during the year after they stopped the drug. No one in the trial's placebo group had any incidents. Reuters quoted Dr. Furberg as saying that the long-term risk may be related to the drug's "causing permanent damage to the cardiovascular system, accelerating atherosclerosis or a sustained increase in blood pressure." With this news, it's no wonder that a survey conducted by Medco Health Solutions, Inc., found that even physicians have lost confidence in the medications they prescribe. The survey found that one-third of 300 practicing physicians questioned earlier this year felt that new or recently approved drugs are less safe than drugs on the market for a decade or more. Who knows how long it will be until they take it a step further and start questioning ALL drugs -- not just the new ones. In the meantime, it's nice to know that there are doctors out there like Dr. Wright, who don't buy into patented pharmaceutical solutions as the only path to wellness. In fact, thanks to Dr. Wright and his colleagues, you and I both know that the best way to achieve optimum health is to avoid Big Pharma like the plague. You can search for Dr. Wright's tips on how to combat your arthritis pain naturally -- and how to boost your cardiovascular health in order to minimize your risk of the long-term effects of drugs like Vioxx -- on the Nutrition & Healing website (www.wrightnewsletter.com). Just log in with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue and enter the specific topic you'd like to read more about into the search function. Defense against chronic fatigue syndrome Q: Do you have any information on chronic fatigue syndrome? JVW: Severe cases of fatigue are often caused when your adrenal glands aren't functioning properly. Although this topic is a bit too complicated to discuss here, you can get a full explanation and a list of actions to take in the November 2001 issue of Nutrition & Healing. In the meantime, my colleague Kerry Bone, who is featured regularly in my newsletter, recommends a number of herbs to relieve the symptoms of CFS: * panax ginseng to increase stamina
* eleutherococcus senticosus to stimulate T-lymphocyte function
* astragalus membranaceus to enhance the immune system response
* St. John's wort as an antiviral and antidepressant
* Valerian, passionflower, or kava to help insomnia
* Ginkgo biloba for short-term memory and blood flow improvement
What is...chronic fatigue syndrome? Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex condition that's often brought on by stress. Patients are typically run-down before they develop CFS, and their weakened immunity eventually causes an abnormal immune response to a viral infection. In this state, the body can't sufficiently fight off the virus to restore health. CFS symptoms include sore throat, weight gain, muscle weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache, depression, light-headedness, anxiety, visual and cognitive impairment, and disturbed sleep patterns. No definitive cause has been found for this syndrome. But in order to be diagnosed with CFS, a person has to have six or more symptoms and two or more signs of illness, such as low-grade fever, pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx), and palpable or tender lymph nodes. Source: "Vioxx stroke risk could last years: health expert," Reuters, 5/18/06 | 
