The You Revolution

What Drugs Do Docs Avoid?

2008-07-12T18:31:54-04:00

One of my major areas of concern for us smart women is our health and how we maintain it. Sometimes we need the wonders of modern medicine it's true and I'm thankful that some drugs exist to save our lives or move us quickly through infections and the like. Not all drugs save lives or help us preserve our health without dangerous and often painful side effects. Many are routinely prescribed for long term use with no alternatives offered if the person taking the drug doesn't do well on it.

If you are not convinced that some drugs--even over the counter ones--can be dangerous and you are not being told just how dangerous consider this; when a reporter at MSN Health asked an unspecified number of doctors which drugs they would skip because they know them to be dangerous these were the top 8:

Advair

It's asthma medicine that can make your asthma deadly. Advair contains the long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol. A 2006 analysis found that regular use of LABAs can increase the severity of an asthma attack. Researchers estimate that salmeterol may contribute to as many as 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year.

Avandia

Diabetes is destructive enough on its own, but if you try to control it with rosiglitazone, better known as Avandia, it could cause a heart attack. A study found that people who took rosiglitazone for at least a year increased their risk of heart failure or a heart attack by 109 percent and 42 percent, respectively.

Celebrex

This painkiller has been linked to increased risks of stomach bleeding, kidney trouble, and liver damage. And according to a 2005 study, people taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk.

Ketek

This antibiotic, which has traditionally been prescribed for respiratory-tract infections, carries a high risk of severe liver side effects. In February 2007, the FDA limited the usage of Ketek to the treatment of pneumonia.

Prilosec and Nexium

The FDA has investigated a suspected link between cardiac trouble and these acid-reflux remedies, although they did not find a "likely" connection. But whether this is true or not, they can raise your risk of pneumonia, and result in an elevated risk of bone loss. The risk of a bone fracture has been estimated to be over 40 percent higher in patients who use these drugs long-term.

Visine Original

These eye drops “get the red out” by shrinking blood vessels. Overuse of the active ingredient tetrahydrozoline can perpetuate the vessel dilating-and-constricting cycle and may cause even more redness.

Pseudoephedrine

This decongestant, found in many drugs, can raise blood pressure and heart rate, setting the stage for vascular catastrophe. Over the years, pseudoephedrine has been linked to heart attacks and strokes, as well as worsening the symptoms of prostate disease and glaucoma.

If these commonly prescribed meds are offered to you tell your physician you prefer an alternative with a better track record.

More on the Importance of Vitamin D Women

2008-06-24T12:44:27-04:00

I've posted before on the importance of ample Vitamin D levels for breast cancer sufferers. At the time I reported that those women with breast cancer and optimal levels of Vitamin D had a greater chance of recovery than those with low levels.

In an article that appeared Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Austrian researchers found people with a Vitamin D deficiency more likely to die from all causes than those with optimal levels.

Adults the world over it seems, are low in the vitamin.

Most of us know that vitamin D is important for calcium absorption but did you know that it protects against peripheral artery disease and tuberculosis. Last week, US researchers said Vit. D may extend the lives of colon cancer patients.

BUT, this is not a reason to start popping Vit D pills in excess or lying in the sun for hours. Too much Vit D brings other problems and too much sun is linked to skin cancer.

15 - 20 minutes per day of sun without sun screen protection is not only safe but allows the body to synthesize Vit D from the sun's rays. If you live in an area where there is little sun due to cloud cover or you can't get outside when it's shining, then supplements are in order.

Conventional medicine tends to be conservative in their recommendations and suggest 200 IUs for children and adults up to age 50, then 400- 600 IU after age 50. My research shows that adults and younger people can not only tolerate, but would benefit from 800- 1000 IUs per day all in from food and supps. (I am not including children in this)

Since D is a fat soluble vitamin it should be taken with food that contains some fat for best absorption.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer

2008-05-16T10:06:33-04:00

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately. It is now known that sub-optimal levels of this fat soluble vitamin can pave the way for increases in osteoporosis, lowered immune function, and greater levels of inflammation throughout the body.
A new study out of the U of Toronto followed 500+ women who were diagnosed with breast cancer for 6 years or more, depending on when the women entered the study. They found that women who were vitamin D deficient at the time of their cancer diagnosis were 94% more likely to have their cancer spread, and 73% more likely to die compared to those women whose levels were optimal.
Cancer cells have vitamin D receptors and it is believed that supplementing with this vitamin can slow down the growth and aggressiveness of these cancer cells.

They are NOT encouraging women to just go out and start taking vitamin D to prevent cancer without getting some information first. Testing for vitamin D is safe and simple. Ask your doctor for a "25-hydroxy vitamin D" test to determine if you are deficient first. If your levels are low--there are three sources for vitamin D. You can combine them but most of us will have to add a supplement to get to the desirable level.

Natural sunlight converts vitamin D in the skin but most of us--wisely--apply sunscreen which blocks D synthesis. It's still ok to take 15 minutes of sun--not at the strongest point in the day--of sun on unprotected skin. After the age of 70 our skin is much less efficient at converting sunlight to D.

Food sources can add some D to your diet. Start looking at labels on dairy products and cereals. Oily fish are also high in Vitamin D.

Supplements are the last and possibly best way to ensure you have a protective level. According to the UC Berkeley Wellness letter "Most experts now agree that blood levels of at least 30 to 40 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter of blood) of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are desirable." You can read a more detailed article on vitamin D here.

Supplements are easy to find, safe, and inexpensive. You might get some D in your calcium supp or in a multi so make sure to read the labels and do the math so you don't end up taking too much. Since it's a fat soluble vitamin you should take it with a meal or snack that includes some fat.
Have you had your levels tested?

Master Trainer Camp makes me a Smarter Smart Woman

2008-05-12T15:20:30-04:00

The mountains above Santa Barbara California are an ideal setting for most anything. I spent last week there learning to be a better communicator, trainer, coach, person.
The roster of speakers was packed for 4 full days. Martin Wales the Customer Catcher, (in the photo with me), Suzanne Falter-Barnes of Get Known Now, Melanie Benson-Strick of Success Connections, Graham White, Effective Ethical Marketing, Dr. Ted Morter the younger of Morter Health Systems, Stephan Stavrakis who taught us that getting good onstage means sucking a lot in the beginning. Lisa Sasevich is one of the most fun women on stage. Closing sales has never been high on my list of things to learn but boy am I glad she was there. I laughed and laughed and wrote pages of notes.
There are more great speakers but and I'll mention them tomorrow.
Today I just wanted to post a few pics of where I've been and introduce you to these great presenters all of whom offer free information and newsletters for you at their websites.

If you have a business or work for yourself in any capacity check these folks out. They are at the top of their games and offer lots of valuable products in marketing, sales, media, communications and more.