Posts Tagged ‘diabetes’

Concerned About Avandia?

Sep 4th, 11 / 0 Comments

The FDA warning released about the serious health risks associated with Avandia has left patients confused, concerned and even in danger. Patients who terminate their use of the drug without the oversight of a physician may be taking even greater medical risks off the drug than on it, experts warn.

Manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, Avandia is used to treat type 2 diabetics. It functions as an insulin sensitizer, boosting the body's ability to control blood glucose levels. Clinical studies and complaints filed to the FDA show that long-term effects of Avandia include heightened risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke. Affected individuals and their families have filed Avandia lawsuits for personal injury and wrongful death related to these health risks.

Reports of these claims have been met by widespread controversy. In fact, when the FDA released its September 2010 restriction on the drug, GlaxoSmithKline (the drug's manufacturer) responded with a 30-page rebuttal stating that the evidence cited by the FDA did not match the credibility of the extensive clinical trials conducted by the company. The FDA's restriction on the drug instructed that the drug was only to be administered in patients who have already proven to use Avandia without the aforementioned side effects, patients who have no other option for effectively controlling their blood glucose levels and patients who have signed a release indicating they are aware of the potential health risks associated with the drug.

In the wake of so much controversy, and in light of a rash of consumers filing an Avandia lawsuit, type 2 diabetics need clear answers to their questions. Questions they are asking include: If I am already taking Avandia, should I continue taking it? Is there a way to know if it is truly safe for me? Are there other drugs on the market that serve the same purpose without the health risks associated with Avandia? What recourse can I take if I feel Avandia has harmed me?

If I am already taking Avandia, should I continue taking it? Is there a way to know if it is truly safe for me? Experts agree that until an alternative therapy is prescribed by a physician, patients currently taking Avandia should continue to use the drug. Patients who stop taking Avandia without an alternative in place are immediate and great risk related to their glucose levels. If taking Avandia over the long term scares you, consult with your medical provider before ceasing use of the drug.

Are there other drugs on the market that serve the same purpose without the health risks associated with Avandia? Takeda Pharmaceutical's Actos is a drug in the same class as Avandia. While it may also increase the risk of congenital heart failure, it is not known to cause heart attack, angina or stroke.

What recourse can I take if I feel that Avandia has harmed me? The FDA maintains the MedWatch program, through which consumers may file reports of adverse drug incidents. You may also join the ranks of other diabetics filing Avandia lawsuits.

Heart Disease

Premature Aging: Fight Back with this Essential Nutrient

Jul 22nd, 11 / 0 Comments

It’s no secret that as you age your body faces more challenges than you saw in your younger years. Oxidative stresses, the negative effects from illness and disease, and age-related changes in your genes can make it more difficult to enjoy the health and vitality you once did.

One reason for these challenges is because as the years tick by, your natural levels of some nutrients begin to deteriorate. This is why many people experience what is often referred to as “premature aging.”

Coenzyme Q10 is such a nutrient. Commonly called CoQ10, with the scientific name ubiquinol, is a coenzyme found throughout the human body. This nutrient helps the mitochondria of cells transform the food you eat into the energy your body needs to function smoothly and effectively. With this understanding, it's easy to see why a deficiency of CoQ10 can cause health problems!

If your cells don't have enough energy for biochemical processes involved in keeping your body functioning properly, then these processes begin to slow down and you begin to age. Almost every cell in your body contains CoQ10. The liver and heart cells contain the greatest amount.

CoQ10 improves the function of mitochondria so that the cells can produce more energy. CoQ10 is the essential component for the chemical reactions that produce the energy you need. Additionally, it's a powerful antioxidant - meaning it takes care of the harmful free radicals your body generates during normal metabolism.

Health benefits of CoQ10.

There have been numerous international controlled studies, which establish that CoQ10 can significantly improve heart muscle function. This powerful nutrient is involved in the biochemical processes of not just your heart, but so many of your body’s systems. It is essential that you get enough CoQ10 to maintain your good health as well as to prevent many chronic degenerative and metabolic diseases .

As well as the cardiovascular benefits of CoQ10 supplementation, studies have shown that it helps with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. It's also been shown to benefit people with diabetes, muscular dystrophy, immune disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, periodontal disease, male infertility, and even HIV/AIDS.

Where is CoQ10 found naturally?

Your body is able to produce some of the CoQ10 you need on its own.  When it comes to the foods you eat, CoQ10 is found primarily in meat and fish. The most beneficial food sources are beef meat and organs, fresh mackerel and sardines, lamb, pork, and eggs. Vegetable sources include wheat germ, broccoli, peanuts, spinach and whole grains. These foods must be fresh and unprocessed in order to be considered viable sources of CoQ10.

What about CoQ10 supplements?

Supplements are available in soft gel and capsule forms. The recommended dosage is about 30 to 90 mg per day, although people who have specific health problems may want to take a larger amount– about 100 mg three or four times a day.  Always check with a qualified physician before taking any supplement, including CoQ10.

Many experts recommend CoQ10 be taken during meal times to improve absorption. CoQ10 is fat-soluble so it's not absorbed well from the gastrointestinal tract when taken on an empty stomach.

If you’re serious about helping your body meet the challenges of growing older, you owe it to yourself to find out more about what CoQ10 can do for you.

 

 

Heart Disease

Type Two Diabetes : Damage My Heart! Why!

May 1st, 11 / 0 Comments

Your blood vessels and heart can be at serious risk if your diabetes is not properly treated and cared for. Too much blood glucose, also referred to as blood sugar, can severely damage parts of one's body. Damage to the heart and blood vessels can cause diseases that then lead to strokes and heart attacks. These serious illnesses are the leading cause of mortality for those with Type II Diabetes. But, measures can be taken that will help prevent and slow down problems caused by diabetes. The good news is the best thing to do is discover out more information about Type II Diabetes and how to help yourself stay healthy.

 

Your circulatory system is made up of your blood vessels and heart. The blood is pumped through one's body with their heart. Oxygen rich blood is carried off to the large as well as small blood vessels. Did you know when a person has Diabetes 2, the individual's cholesterol level can be raised very high and thus start to clog your blood vessels. This makes it harder for adequate amounts of blood to get all parts of your body. This disease results in other illnesses start to take form and take a hold. When your blood vessels get clogged, you will start to have problems like angina, heart attack or even stroke.

 

Angina is a chest pain that you will feel not only in your chest, but in your arms, back or shoulders. The pain can increase when your heart beats faster as you move about. The resulting chest pain is then more frequent if treatment is not obtained. This can be a consequence of Type 2 Diabetes seriously damaging the nerves of your heart. Some people may not feel any pain because diabetes may have already disturbed the nerves. If this is the case, you may suffer something far worse than just angina. Heart attacks then ensue if if does not receive enough blood. The heart muscles stop and then your heart will eventually grow weaker. Sometimes you can have symptoms of a heart attack, other times you have none.

 

Stroke is the worse effect of a damaged heart and blood vessels. This now means that the supply of blood to your brain has been blocked. Strokes typically ends in brain damage, which is far mor worse than the majority of cardiac cases. Diabetes Type 2 makes the blood pressure go up very high leading to great damage to the heart and blood vessels. Diabetes 2 already affects a patient’s eyes and kidneys; having high blood pressure will also make it worse. It’s imperative to discuss with your  doctor to find out about how to maintain your blood pressure with proper diabetes diet and exercise.

 

Heart Disease

Questions Arise About the FDA’s Ability to Keep Us Safe

Apr 23rd, 11 / 0 Comments

Avandia, sold by GlaxoSmithKline, has been a popular drug used to treat type 2 diabetics in the U.S.  As a result of their illness, diabetics are at high risk of heart attack and heart failure – in fact, two-thirds of people with diabetes die of heart problems.   People with diabeteshave been prescribed Avandia in large part to reduce their likelihoodof heart attack and heart failure. However, Avandia has been found to increase the risk of heart disease in patients who use it for a long period of time.  Avandia has been investigated by the Food and Drug Administration since 2007, but it is still legal in the U.S..  An estimated 13,000 Avandia law suits have been filed against the company since 2007.

To date, GlaxoSmithKline has settled in over 10,000 of the Avandia law suits, paying out an estimated $1 - $6 billion dollars in damages.  Successful Avandia lawyers have represented individuals who can connecttheir experience of one of the following conditions to taking Avandia: congestive heart failure, heart attack, liver toxicity, severe allergic reaction and stroke.  The drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, has been accused of withholding information from  the FDA and patients of potential side effects of the drug.  Evidence suggests that the drug maker had evidence of these risks and withheld the information in order to continue to sell this popular product.  In its investigation of Avandia, the Senate Finance Committee uncovered that GlaxoSmithKline paid to have articles written promoting the benefitsof Avandia in spite of GlaxoSmithKline's knowledge of opposing evidence as early as 2000. 

Despite three years of investigations into the drug and the thousands of law suits GlaxoSmithKline that have been filed by Avandia lawyers, the drug is still being prescribed  in the U.S.  Conflicting studies have created disagreement at the FDAover the safety of Avandia.  In 2007, the FDA voted to keep the drug on the market, but added a "black box" warning about the possible side effectsof Avandia.  The FDA voted again in July 0f 2010 that Avandia would still be available in the U.S..  The possibility of attaching a new, stronger warning was discussed but rejected at that time.  During September of 2010, the FDA finally voted to restrict the sale of Avandia to patients who had already shown they were doing fine on the drug.  Sales of the drug dropped significantly following the release of FDA warnings in 2007 and some physicians reportedly no longer prescribe Avandia to their patients altogether.  The FDA recommends that patients stay on Avandia until their physician prescribes an alternative.

Avandia passed initial safety testing and was approved for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration, and was also common in Europe and other countries.  However, safety testing of pharmaceuticals, which occurs over a two- to three-year period, did not reveal the negative effects of taking the drug over the long-term.  Two- to three-year testing is most effective for drugs used to treat acute symptoms in the short term, but the failure to detect the side effects of long-termingestion of Avandia suggests that a new system for long-term drug testing needs to be adopted.  It is important to note that the FDA's Associate Director of Drug Safety pointed to similar prescriptions withsimilar efficacy in treatment but without the deadly side effects much earlier. It speaks volumes that similar diabetes medications from other manufacturers have been shown to be equally effective in treatment but with much lower cardiovascular dangers, yet Avandia still remains on the market. Investigations will be conducted by the FDA to determine what information GlaxoSmithKline may have withheld. Plus thousands of Avandia lawyers are proceeding with their own discovery process as part of the lawsuits over Avandia they are engaged in.  With more and more prescription drugs being taken for indefinite periods of time, this would appear that the FDA has simply agreed to outsource its primary role, the safety of the public, to the companies that stand to make the most from finding no flaws with their products, the drug manufacturers.

Heart Disease

Is Acai Berry Safe?

Mar 12th, 11 / 0 Comments

The majority of drugs undergo assessment but sadly plenty of them still fall into the market and this might be possibly damaging. With drugs that are not tested diligently, unwanted side effects that may be resilient and may cause damage won't be identified. Even for all those drugs that are just examined for a brief period of time, its extended effect remains not identified until years after it’s launched for sale.

Also, drugs that are known to be safe possess less critical side-effects on the body each and every day, consequences just like headaches, drowsiness and nausea. 
Drugs which are diet aids are increasingly being advertised by the weight-loss industry. These several weight loss drugs all claim that they'll aid in reducing your weight. However, a lot of these drugs generated serious frustration to the customer since they are discovered to be really unsuccessful or even worse. Not only are many of these drugs really not worth it, a lot of them migh result to unwelcome side effects and in extreme cases life-threatening state. So here is the question; are we really prepared gamble our over-all health on the claims of these drug companies to ensure us to shed a few pounds?
Of course not! Most of the people wouldn't normally choose to ingest chemicals that aren't clear on its long-term effect. However, if weight reduction drugs are probably bad for your health, what are the alternate options?

Your best option coming from all is Acai Berry. Now how safe can it be? Basing on its popularity, the solution to this real question is; yes, it is entirely safe! This berry lacks any artificial contents but is acquired from the Acai Palm that are available in Central and South America. The berry is free of additives or dangerous chemicals. This only denotes that consumers don’t have to worry about any outcomes of not known chemicals inside their bodies. Acai Berry’s unwanted side effects are simple: none. Actually, to become really truthful about this, its negative effects does consist of boost in energy, a healthy feeling and suppressing your appetite. So quite simply it only provides favorable side effects.

For people who tried another option weight reduction aids without success, the Acai Berry has succeeded. The pulp allows the digestive system to stay clear motivating efficient bowel movement and improving metabolism. Acai Berries are also full of helpful amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

The Acai Berry, which consists of proven zero negative side-effects is really a great superfood. Try Acai Berry today and avoid being disappointed. Along with the features that Acai berry has, why would someone consider using any other product?

Heart Disease
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