"If you don't learn to laugh at troubles, you won't have anything to laugh at when you grow old."
~Edward W. Howe

Popular Arthritis Drug Vioxx Pulled Due To Deadly Side Effects

Moline – The popular and heavily advertised arthritis drug, Vioxx, has been pulled from the market after a study confirmed long-standing concerns it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The drug’s manufacturer, Merck & Co., had this to say, “Patients who are currently taking Vioxx should contact their health care providers to discuss discontinuing use of Vioxx and possible alternative treatments.”

Merck said it was withdrawing the drug after analyzing data from a three-year study to determine if Vioxx was effective for polyps associated with colon cancer.

“In this study, there was an increased relative risk for confirmed cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, beginning after 18 months of treatment in the patients taking Vioxx compared to those taking placebo,” Merck said in a press release.

What exactly does an “increased relative risk” mean?

A recent study by the Food and Drug Administration suggested patients taking Vioxx faced a 50 percent greater risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death than those taking Pfizer's Celebrex arthritis treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration said it would closely watch drugs in the same class as Vioxx, which would include Pfizer Inc.'s Celebrex, for signs of risk.

The really scary thing is: Worldwide sales of Vioxx totaled $2.55 billion last year. Since the introduction of the drug in 1999, 91 million Vioxx prescriptions have been written in the United States alone.

With those kinds of sales numbers and people taking Vioxx, it is impossible to estimate how many people have been permanently damaged by this drug.

And in a shocking (at least to me) response to the looming avalanche of lawsuits, Merck’s general council, Kenneth Frazier had this to say, “We have substantial defenses in these cases and will defend them vigorously.”

What’s so shocking about that? One word… Compassion!

How about a little compassion for all the dead and/or injured people who took Vioxx? Especially when you calculate how much money was collected. Sales in ONE YEAR were 2.5 BILLION. And I guess Wall Street investors see it similarly. Merck shares fell 27 percent in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange, wiping out more than $25 billion of market value. What’s even more shocking is drugs like Vioxx get FDA approval in the first place. You would think something like a 50% increased risk in heart attack or stroke would be picked up long before a drug hit the market… wouldn’t you?

Well, here’s something you should know: A study released in the May 1, 2002 issue of the Journal Of The American Medical Association revealed: 20% Of New Drugs Will Be Labeled “Dangerous” Or Withdrawn From The Market Within 25 Years! Do you understand what this means? One out of five drugs APPROVED BY THE FDA AND BEING CONSUMED BY THE PUBLIC will be found to be unsafe over the next 25 years. The FDA
calls this “Black Box Warnings.” I can only imagine how much harm these “Black Box Warning” drugs do during the time they are being used. With all this “bad news” about many drugs, why are so many people taking them and sales so good?

The answer is simple: MARKETING! And the sad fact of the matter is – according to the January 4th 2003 edition of the medical journal, Lancet: Pharmaceutical ads in medical journals are often deceiving, leading one team of researchers to suggest that doctors use caution when reviewing such ads. The study of about 100 promotional claims for blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering drugs in medical journals found references to research studies did not support the advertisements’ claims 44 percent of the time. For blood pressure medications, references were misleading some 69 percent of the time, and about 20 percent of ads for cholesterol-lowering medication were misleading. Although government regulations and reviews by journal editors are being used, it is obviously not enough. You really understand how out of control the situation has become when, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, drug companies spent more than $19 billion in 2002 to promote their products to doctors. That nearly doubled what was spent in 2001. Yet from January to September of 2002, the FDA only told drug companies to fix distorted ads 18 times. Seems a little low considering the study mentioned above found a 44% distortion rate – doesn’t it?

But here’s the REAL question: Americans spent over 500 billion on drugs in 2003…so…Do You Really Believe Americans Are Getting Half A Trillion Dollars In Benefits From All These Drugs? That’s up to you to personally decide… but… the answer is crystal clear to me. So what can be done to combat aches and pains associated with arthritis besides gobbling handfuls of drugs that are very likely to do more harm than good?

First and most important is to understand what causes arthritis so the cause can be treated instead of simply covering up symptoms with drugs. In many cases, osteoarthritis can be caused…or made worse…by misaligned or malfunctioning joints. How? When one or more of your joints are misaligned or malfunction, they “rub the wrong way” and wear unevenly. Over time, this uneven wearing causes inflammation, pain and degeneration of the joints. If the malfunction is in the spine, discs can begin to wear out. Even leading to herniations and sciatica. As this process continues…your joints malfunction more and more and your pain gets worse. This vicious cycle continues until your joints completely wear out and bone is rubbing on bone.So how does a drug help that? It doesn’t. At least it doesn’t fix the problem. Drugs may numb you so you don’t feel the pain, but if your joint is malfunctioning – the damage will continue. And at some point, the drugs won’t work anymore and you will be left in worse shape.

That’s why Chiropractic care can help if you are suffering with arthritis pain. Chiropractic care helps joints function better so the pain goes away naturally and your joints don’t wear out as fast. And while Chiropractic care is not a cure for all cases of arthritis, it can help many cases – even getting some relief for some severe cases. It’s abundantly clear that routinely taking drugs for your aches and pains does not work in the long run -- and even worse – can be deadly.

“Given the availability of alternative therapies, and the questions raised by the data, we concluded that a voluntary withdrawal (of Vioxx) is the responsible course to take.” That’s what Merck Chief Executive Officer Raymond Gilmartin said. In my opinion, the first “alternative therapy” should be Chiropractic – not another toxic drug!

And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to us. Contact us with your, questions. We’re here to help, and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in your life long good health.

Success Story Of The Month
(Names And Details Have Been Changed To Protect Privacy)

“Is Courage Dead?”

I’m about to tell you a true story. The first time I heard this story, it sickened me. Actually knotted my stomach. As bad as that seems, I hope YOU have the same reaction. If you do, it will give all of us hope for the future.

Here’s the story: Kelly reported for work at the York Pennsylvania County Courthouse on September 29, 2003 just like any other day. She had no idea her life was about to change… forever… on that fateful day. It started out as a routine day for the 34-year-old court stenographer. But everything changed when she left the courthouse and was on her way to FedEx to ship a package.

As she crossed the street in front of the courthouse, a man began to yell at her. Taunting her by shouting, “Hey baby, you want a boyfriend?” Kelly tried to ignore him… hoping he would give up if she did not respond. That was not the case. The man started following behind her and his verbal assault increased. Kelly started walking faster in an attempt to lose him. This backfired, however, as the man suddenly appeared at Kelly’s side and grabbed her around her neck. Absolutely horrified, Kelly screamed for help at the top of her lungs. Over and over she screamed. No one in the busy street came to her aid. No one even moved a muscle besides their eyes as they simply stood around and watched. No one even called the police. Kelly said she was completely shocked that not one person tried to help her as her attacker dragged her around a busy city neighborhood in broad daylight. She even commented that a man sitting on his porch – that she passed every day for the last 7 years as she went to work – sat there and did nothing.

Kelly, still thinking surprisingly clearly, offered the man her purse. He refused and headed for a more remote side street. Kelly began to panic. She was sure he was going to rape and kill her. Kelly decided she was NOT going down that alley. Kelly’s attempts to break the death grip from around her neck only enraged her attacker. He punched her in the face…. and then in the jaw, leaving her dazed and in severe pain. Just at that point… at her lowest point… she looked up and saw what appeared to be an angel. That angel was Ron.

Ron was a 31-year-old criminal defense attorney that was returning to the courthouse after trying a case in another county. Ron is also married and the father of two little girls. As Ron turned down the alley, he saw what was happening and jumped out of his car. He yelled at the attacker who turned around and dropped Kelly. Kelly looked at Ron and Ron realized she was actually someone he worked with. Kelly ran to Ron’s car and got in. Ron tried to call the police from his cell phone, but was too shaken to dial just three numbers – 911. The attacker… only 5 feet from Ron… pulled out a gun and began screaming at him. Ron was backed up against his car and had nowhere to go. Kelly was horrified inside Ron’s car. She was sure he was going to be shot. Ron was sure too.

In a last ditch effort, Ron looked around for help. He noticed 4-5 guys standing around watching – as if it was a movie. Once again… no one helped. The attacker hit Ron in the face with his gun – knocking him to the ground. Almost unconscious, Ron could still see the bystanders simply looking on. The attacker grabber Ron’s cell phone and said, “You ain’t calling nobody and nobody’s going to help you!” And then, suddenly, for no apparent reason, the attacker turned and walked away. Ron yelled at the bystanders to call 911 and Kelly jumped out of the car and gave Ron a big hug.

As the cops turned down the alley, Kelly pointed them in the right direction and yelled that he had a gun. The police cornered the attacker, who turned and shot one of the officers. The police returned fire, killing him on the spot.

Well, did your stomach knot up like mine? Are you thoroughly and completely disgusted with the people who stood by and watched as Kelly was being attacked and possibly dragged to her death? Did you ask yourself as I did – what has happened to good, old-fashioned COURAGE?

In an essay entitled, “Why Courage Matters” Arizona Senator John McCain had this to say about the matter of courage: “If the standard of courage remains – as I think it should – acts that risk life and limb to uphold a virtue, then most examples fall short of it. Yet they are celebrated as courageous by almost all of us today, and it seems stingy to consider them less so. But what happens if we lower our standards in defining courage? If people believe that courage constitutes something less perilous, less dear, than the confrontation of mortal fear or serious peril, don’t we risk losing our grasp on true courage, the kind of courage that inspires another person to reach beyond goodness to greatness?”

Too often we call an athlete’s performance on the playing field “courageous.” Too often we say if someone stands up and speaks against common societal beliefs – they are “courageous.” With so much “courage” in society… where was it on September 29, 2003? The answer is: real courage is rare. Real courage separates, as John McCain put it, goodness from greatness. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “If a man hasn’t discovered something he is willing to die for, he isn’t fit to live.” Ron has made that discovery. To paraphrase John McCain once again -- We all have fears. Some more than others. But fear is not a weakness – it is an opportunity for courage. You were not born a coward. You were meant to love and have the courage for it. So look to people like Ron and reach beyond goodness to greatness. We need more people like Ron.

We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay feeling better and looking younger! Don't be a stranger. Call us, and we will assist you in putting together a customized maintenance plan. It's not a luxury anymore! With our low monthly payment plan, it's less expensive to maintain your good health! You really can afford Chiropractic care! Don't wait until you can no longer move

Did You Know?

• Optimistic people who have suffered a heart attack are lees likely to have a recurrence of the heart problems. A study of 300 people who were treated for blockage to the coronary arteries and had been through an angioplasty procedure found an amazing fact. The optimistic people were more than three times less likely to have another blockage requiring an angioplasty within six months of the first procedure! Your attitude DOES make a big difference in your health!
  
• The idea that exercise before going to bed will cause you to have trouble falling asleep isn’t true, according to a study done at a major university. In the study, non-exercisers worked out for an hour at different times of the day. The group who exercised before they went to bed fell asleep two to three times as quickly as people who exercised earlier in the day. Plus, not only did they fall asleep faster, they reported enjoying their night’s sleep much better than the people who worked out in the morning or afternoon.
  
• Tea is a great food for health! Did you know: * Tea without sugar or honey only has two calories per cup? * Steeping tea for three to five minutes produces the most antioxidants? * Milk in your tea doesn’t reduce the health benefits the tea contains? * The maximum amount of antioxidants contained in tea comes from brewing loose leaves or from tea bags? (Tea in powders or bottles has little or no helpful antioxidants!) * Tea in products applied to the skin has little or no health enhancing properties?
  
• You could increase the risk of coming done with age related disorders such as diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) much sooner in life if you don’t get enough sleep! Researchers at the Free University in Belgium found that people who don’t get adequate sleep for prolonged periods of time are far more likely to get these ailments at younger ages than people who do get proper amounts of sleep. Moral of the story: You need to get enough sleep along with the right amount of exercise and correct nutrition!

Tip of The Month

Holiday Tips To Make Thanksgiving Great – Even If You’re Afraid To Go Near A Turkey!!! The holiday season is often referred to as the best and the worst of times all wrapped into one. For some, the stress created during the holiday season outweighs the joy. Here are some tips to help make this Thanksgiving the best ever!

How To Make Stuffing So Good Your Relatives Will Beg You For The Recipe!

We all know the dirty little Thanksgiving secret: The turkey is just an excuse to get your hands on the stuffing! You know it and you’re not fooling anyone! Here’s a little stuffing recipe I got off the Internet that’s made me the envy of my entire family:

• 5 loaves bread, left out overnight to harden
• 1 large bunch celery, chopped
• 1 bag frozen onions or 2 cups fresh chopped onions
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 2-4 eggs
• pepper
• poultry seasoning

Melt butter or margarine in a fry pan, over medium heat; add celery and onion. Cook until the onion starts turning golden brown and celery softens. Tear up bread and place in large stockpot. Add the onion/celery mixture and slightly scrambled eggs. Add hot water slowly until the mixture becomes very moist. Add pepper and poultry seasoning to taste. Mix well using a spoon or your hands (have the kids help out, it's lots of fun). Place stuffing in greased casserole dishes and bake at 350 degrees for approximately an hour, or until it's browned on top. Serves 10-12 people.

How To Carve A Turkey Like A Skilled Butcher… Even Your Last Attempt Looked Like You Used A Cheese Grater!!!

I don’t know what I would rather do – stick rusty nails in my eyes or carve a turkey with my entire family (including the in-laws!) eye-balling me. Just in case you need a little help like I did, here’s the basics:

• Jab the fork into the turkey breast and push down to hold the bird steady.
• Cut a leg from the body and slice the thigh and drumstick apart.
• Pushing down on the bird with the tines of your carving fork, slice just above the wing and cut at a 45-degree angle to the cutting board until you hit the wishbone.
• Finally, slice the breast meat in eighth-of-an-inch cuts perpendicular to the cutting board. Once you've made the downward cuts, a single cut tracing the ribs should produce a nice array of white meat.

A final tip: Rein in that ego when buying your turkey--a huge bird might impress your greedy uncle, but small birds are usually far more flavorful.

Offensive Odor Anyone?

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, it’s inevitable – all the cooking you do will leave unpleasant odors. Here are a few simple ways to get rid of those annoying household smells.

• Place a pan of white vinegar on the stove and let it simmer for a while.
• Use lemon juice to remove fish, garlic and onion odors from utensils, pans, even hands.
• Odors from your garbage disposal can be eliminated by grinding up orange, grapefruit or lemon peels while running hot water.

And don't forget about the odor-absorbing magic of baking soda. For nasty spills and odors inside your fridge or freezer, wash it out using a sponge or cloth and a solution of 2 tablespoons baking soda to 1-quart warm water. And keep a box of baking soda in the fridge or freezer to soak up new odors. Baking soda also helps keep kitchen drains odor free. About once a week, toss a handful of baking soda down the drain and let the warm water run.

Welcome New Patients!

Here are the new patients that became members of our practice family this last month! We'd like to welcome you publicly, and wish you all the best!

Steve Blaser
Sheryl Correll
Sandra Gustafson
Samuel Moose
Brian Taylor
Christiane Young

Patient of The Month

This month's patient of the month is Evelyn Hinkhouse! Congratulations! As usual, the patients of the month will receive a $5 gift certificate to Whitey's Ice Cream! Watch for your name here in a coming month!

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