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To help you navigate the complex world of herb/supplement-drug interactions this well-researched information is presented first by category of drugs then by herbs and supplements each in alphabetical order for easy reference. An excellent resource for both the general public and health care practitioners. Click here to read the entire article.
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---------- Health News You Can Use ----------
Table of Contents
"Harmful pesticides found in everyday food products"
"Study links knee ills to obesity"
"Very low-fat diet helps after cancer."
"Duke lab unlocks a secret of drug-resistant depression"
"A laugh may help your health"
"Hormone pills may worsen incontinence, study says"
"Vitamin E Takes a Hit, but Hangs On"
"Inflammation may be key to heart attacks"
"NIH stops study of Celebrex, naproxen"
"Celebrex linked to heart risks"
"Breast Cancer and Xenoestrogens"
"Celebrex linked to 14 deaths"
"Study links heartburn drugs to pneumonia risk"
"For one patient, worries lead to better treatment"
"Study says bone woes on increase"
"Safety of medicines like Vioxx questioned"
"Estrogen-progestin linked to blood clot risk"
"Acupuncture Moves Towards the Mainstream"
"Does Today's World Cause Breast Cancer?"
"Acupuncture Good for Back Pain of Varying Causes"
"Lack of efficacy of acetaminophen in treating symptomatic knee osteoarthritis"
From an article in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Jan. 30, 2008
"Harmful pesticides found in everyday food products" By Andrew Schneider P-I Senior Correspondent
A peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety of conventional foods from area groceries contained biological markers of organophosphates, the family of pesticides spawned by the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II.
You can read the entire article online at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/349263_pesticide30.html?source=mypi
There is a list of contaminated produce at the end of the article listing foods by overall rank from worst to best.
From an article in The News and Observer, May 19, 2005
"Study links knee ills to obesity" By Doug Alden, The Associated Press
Being overweight probably leads to more than half of the nation's 850,000 annual operations to repair cartilage tears in the knee, researchers at the University of Utah concluded. The study published in the May edition of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, focuses on the connection between weight and torn cartilage, but doesn't address the exact cause. Nearly two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for a number of related health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and sleep disorders, even premature death.
To find out more about these important health issues we invite you to read our articles on Weight Reduction, High Blood Pressure and Diabetes.
From an article in The News and Observer, May 17, 2005
"Very low-fat diet helps after cancer" By Josephine Marcotty, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Breast cancer patients who followed a very low-fat diet after treatment had a 24 percent lower rate of new cancers compared with those on a healthy, but higher-fat diet, according to research findings made public Monday. Though high-fat diets have long been suspected of increasing risk for a number of cancers, this is the first study to find a direct link between dietary fat and breast cancer relapse in postmenopausal women, said Alice Shapiro, a licensed nutritionist at Park Nicollet Institute of Oncology Research, one of several scientists working on the ongoing study. Researchers said that while many women in the low fat group did get their fat calories down to 15 percent or less, not all of them did. The women eating the low-fat diet reduced their daily fat intake by an average of 18 grams per day.
To find out more about breast health and diet we invite you to read our article on Breast Health and Diet. To find out about cancer prevention and diet we invite you to read our article on Cancer Prevention and Diet.
From an article in Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing, May 2005
Dr. Andrew Weil's reply: "I think that acupuncture is safe during pregnancy. In fact, studies have found this ancient technique to be effective in easing back pain, morning sickness and other complaints in expectant mothers.... I think acupuncture is much safer than pain medications during pregnancy and don't foresee a problem as long as your daughter sees a licensed acupuncturist who has experience treating pregnant women."
To find out more details about the health benefits of acupuncture for pregnant women we invite you to read our article entitled Research on the Health Benefits of Acupuncture on our website.
From an article in The News and Observer, April 24, 2005
"Duke lab unlocks a secret of drug-resistant depression" By Catherine Clabby, Staff Writer & Judson Drennan
For years, doctors have known that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, do not work on some depression patients. These patients often endure months of unsuccessful treatments. Duke researchers have identified a probable cause: a genetic mutation. One day a genetic screen may identify such patients immediately. People with depression commonly have low levels of serotonin. With less of the chemical available, fewer feel-good impulses register. SSRIs keep more serotonin in synapses, keeping the message alive. Duke studies suggest depressed patients with the mutation produce only about 20% as much serotonin as people with the normal gene. With less serotonin available, SSRIs are less effective.
To find out how Barbara and I treat depression we invite you to read our article entitled Mental and Emotional Disorders on our website.
From an article in The News and Observer, April 8, 2005
"Pfizer Bextra taken out" By Lauren Neergaard, The Associated Press
Pfizer's blockbuster painkiller Bextra was yanked off the market Thursday, and the government ordered that 19 other popular prescription competitors -- from Celebrex to Mobic to high-dose naproxen -- carry tough new warnings that they, too, may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The warnings encompass an entire class of anti-inflammatory medicines called NSAIDs that are the backbone of U.S. pain treatment, not just new versions of the painkillers initially suspected when the heart concerns made headlines last fall. Use of COX-2 inhibitors skyrocketed, particularly by people with arthritis and other chronic pain, when they hit the market in the late 1990s because of claims that that were easier on patient's stomachs than traditional painkillers. The FDA cautioned that those claims were never proven.
To find out how Barbara and I treat pain we invite you to read our articles entitled Pain Management, Inflammation and Its Role in Disease and Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News and Observer, March 8, 2005
"A laugh may help your health" By Lee Bowman, Scripps Howard News Service
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that laughter seems to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels to relax or expand, increasing blood flow. Mental stress causes the opposite -- making vessel linings constrict and thus reducing blood flow. Dr Michael Miller, the principal investigator for the study said, "so given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Miller said the study was not able to determine exactly how laughing benefits the blood vessels. "Does it come from the movement of the diaphragm muscles as you chuckle or guffaw, or does it come from a chemical release triggered by laughter, such as endorphins? he wondered.
To find out how Barbara and I treat cardiovascular disease we invite you to read our article entitled High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Heart Disease on our website.
From an article in The News and Observer, Feb. 23, 2005
"Hormone pills may worsen incontinence, study says" By Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press
Researchers have found another problem that hormone pills taken at menopause seem to make worse, not better: incontinence. The findings published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, come from research on 27,347 women, ages 50 to 79, participating in the Women's Health Initiative study. Compared with women taking dummy pills, those on estrogen pills for one year were 53 percent more likely to develop urinary incontinence by year's end. Those on pills containing both estrogen and progestin faced a 39 percent higher risk. The highest risks were for stress incontinence. Women taking estrogen pills faced more than double the risk of developing stress incontinence, and risks were almost as high for women on pills containing both hormones.
ADDITIONAL SIDE EFFECT: A government study has linked estrogen and progestin to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer and dementia.
To find out how Barbara and I treat incontinence we invite you to read our article entitled Incontinence on our website. To find out how we treat menopausal symptoms we invite you to read our article entitled Menopause, Perimenopause and Postmenopause.
From an article in Alternative Medicine, Feb. 2005, p. 20
"Vitamin E Takes a Hit, but Hangs On"
A review study (Miller et al 2005) links taking vitamin E supplements to an earlier demise. Users who took more than 400 IU a day were 4% more likely than those in a placebo group to die during the years in which they were followed. However, a closer look at the research suggests it's not time to panic. For one thing, many of the trials included people with chronic disease, so the results might not apply to a healthy person taking vitamin E to prevent illness. Also the authors only looked at total mortality which covers death from any cause, including everything from heart attacks to suicide to car accidents. It is hard to believe that vitamin E could be the culprit behind such a broad range of events. But perhaps most important says Jeffrey Blumberg, a researcher specializing in antioxidants at Tufts University in Boston, is that the study's findings don't account for vitamin E's benefits. The study may be a cause for concern, but it raises far more questions than it answers. Until more studies are done, Blumberg still thinks the weight of the research on vitamin E suggests that getting 100 to 400 IU a day in supplement form is more helpful than harmful.
From an article in The News & Observer, Jan. 6, 2005
"Inflammation may be key to heart attacks" By Rob Stein, The Washington Post
Damping inflammation in the body appears to be just as important for fighting heart disease as lowering cholesterol, two studies show. In the first study, Paul M. Ridker, a cardiologist, and his colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that cutting C-reactive protein levels in the blood was as important as cutting levels of low-density lipoproteins, the so-called bad cholesterol. And those with low C-reactive protein levels did better regardless of whether their LDL level was high or low. That indicates that C-reactive protein level was an independent risk factor. The patients with the lowest risk had the lowest levels of both low density lipoprotein and C-reactive protein. The findings may explain why many people with low cholesterol still have heart attacks, Ridker said.
To find out how Barbara and I treat heart disease we invite you to read our articles entitled Inflammation and Its Role in Disease and High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Heart Disease.
From an article in The News & Observer, Dec. 21, 2004
"NIH stops study of Celebrex, naproxen" By Paul Recer, The Associated Press
A study testing whether Celebrex or naproxen would reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease was halted Monday after researchers noted an increase in heart attack and stroke among participants who were taking naproxen, an over-the-counter pain reliever on the market for nearly 30 years. Officials at the National Institutes of Health said the study was stopped after three years when it was noticed that patients taking naproxen, sold under the brand name Aleve, had a 50 percent greater incidence of cardiovascular events -- heart attacks or stroke -- than patients taking placebo. Celebrex and naproxen are pain relievers commonly used to treat arthritis.
To find out how Barbara and I treat arthritis we invite you to read our articles entitled Inflammation and Its Role in Disease and Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News & Observer, Dec. 18, 2004
"Celebrex linked to heart risks" by Bruce Japsen, Chicago Tribune
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. said Friday that high dosages of its drug Celebrex, the top-selling brand name arthritis prescription in the United States, has been found to significantly increase the risk of heart attacks for those who take it. Celebrex is a Cox-2 inhibitor -- the same drug class as Vioxx, which was pulled less than three months ago because of cardiovascular risks. Although Pfizer said it has no plans to remove Celebrex from the market, the Food and Drug Administration urged physicians and patients to "evaluate alternative therapies"...
In related news: in a soon-to-be-published letter released Friday by the New England Journal of Medicine, three Vanderbilt University School of Medicine researchers recommended that doctors stop prescribing Bextra because of its cardiovascular risks, The Washington Post, reported.
To find out how Barbara and I treat arthritis we invite you to read our article entitled Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News & Observer, Nov. 19, 2004
"Other Drugs may be Problems" By Diedtra Henderson, The Associated Press
David Graham, a reviewer with the Food and Drug Administration cited Accutane, Bextra, Crestor, Meridia and Serevent, in testimony Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee. The nation is "virtually defenseless" against a repeat of the Vioxx debacle, he said.
Accutane is an acne drug linked to birth defects which Graham said should be restricted immediately. (To find out how Barbara and I treat acne we invite you read our article on Acne).
Bextra is a painkiller which Graham said, poses the same heart attack and stroke risk as Vioxx. (To find out how we treat pain we invite you to read our article on Pain Management.)
Crestor is an anti-cholesterol drug which he said the government should evaluate for the occurrence of renal failure and other serious side effects. (To find out how we treat high cholesterol we invite you to read our article on High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Heart Disease.)
Meridia is a weight loss drug which he said the agency should consider whether its benefits outweigh the risks of higher blood pressure and stroke among people taking it. (To find out how we treat weight issues we invite you to read our article on Weight Reduction.)
Serevent is an asthma treatment. He said the drug was shown with 90% certainty in a long-term trial in England to cause deaths due to asthma. (To find out how we treat asthma we invite you to read our article on Allergic Rhinitis, Sinusitis & Asthma.)
From an article in the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, Nov. 2004, p.46-7
"Breast Cancer and Xenoestrogens" by Rose Marie Williams, MA
Oncology expert and lead researcher, Phillipa Darbre, at the University of Reading in Edinburgh, has revisited the issue of what risks might be associated with deodorants. The study found paraben chemicals in samples of breast cancer tumors. Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives used in more than 13,000 cosmetic and personal care products. Though small (the study included only 20 tumors) it was determined that the chemicals are easily absorbed through the skin. These estrogen-mimicking chemicals persist and accumulate in breast tissue in their original form without being degraded. The San Francisco based Breast Cancer Action group and other grassroots coalitions advise women to avoid personal care products that contain parabens and phthalates.
An August 2003 study in the journal of Nature Medicine reported that small doses of the heavy metal cadmium could mimic the female hormone estrogen, suggesting it may be a risk factor for breast cancer. Cadmium (which is commonly found in pigments, alloys and batteries) has been implicated as a risk factor for prostate cancer as well. It is in foods, especially shellfish, liver and kidney. Smokers encounter two to four micrograms of cadmium in each pack of cigarettes.
To find out more about breast health and diet we invite you to read our article on Breast Health and Diet. To find out about cancer prevention and diet we invite you to read our article on Cancer Prevention and Diet; and to find out more about estrogen and cancer we invite you to read our article on Menopause, Perimenopause and Postmenopause.
From an article in The News & Observer, Nov. 5, 2004
"Celebrex linked to 14 deaths" The Associated Press
Canadian health officials said they have received reports linking Pfizer painkiller Celebrex to 14 deaths and numerous heart-related side effects, but that it would be premature to issue a warning or pull it from the shelves.
To find out how Barbara and I treat arthritis we invite you to read our article entitled Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News & Observer, Oct. 27, 2004
"Study links heartburn drugs to pneumonia risk" The Associated Press
Heartburn and ulcer drugs such as Nexium, Pepcid and Prilosec can make people more susceptible to pneumonia, probably because they reduce germ-killing stomach acid, Dutch researchers found in a study of more than 300,000 patients. The highest risks occurred with more powerful acid-fighting drugs called proton pump inhibitors...such as Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec. Users of another class of acid-fighting drugs that includes cimetidine and famotidine -- sold in the US as Tagamet and Pepcid -- also faced an elevated risk. The study was led by researcher Robert J. F. Laheij at University Medical Center St. Radboud in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and appears today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
To find out how Barbara and I treat heartburn and ulcers we invite you to read our article entitled Gastro-Intestinal Disorders.
From an article in The Los Angeles Times, Oct. 11, 2004
"For one patient, worries lead to better treatment" Marc Siegel Special to The Times
The 40 year-old patient swore by Vioxx. But the drug has been shown to nearly double a person's risk of heart attack or stroke. In this patient's case, I was more concerned about the long-term effects of the drug on her kidneys and liver than her heart. With extended use, nonsteroidal drugs such as Vioxx -- along with Celebrex (a competitor to Vioxx), naproxen and ibuprofen -- are associated with gradual, progressive damage to the tubules of the kidney. The more than 100,000 people who are admitted to the hospital yearly from nonsteroidal bleeding include many users of the Cox-2 inhibitors, despite the marketing claims. (Marc Siegel is an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine)
To find out how Barbara and I treat pain and arthritis we invite you to read our articles entitled Pain Management and Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News & Observer, Oct. 15, 2004
"Study says bone woes on increase" The Associated Press
Half of Americans older than 50 will be at risk of fractures from too-thin bones by 2020, the Surgeon General Richard Carmona warned Thursday, urging people to get more calcium, vitamin D and exercise to avoid crippling osteoporosis. Osteoporosis affects about 10 million Americans, and each year about 1.5 million suffer a fracture as a result.
Find out more about what you can do to avoid suffering from this crippling condition by reading our article entitled Osteoporosis Bone Health Program.
From an article in The News & Observer, Oct. 7, 2004
"Safety of medicines like Vioxx questioned" The Associated Press
The safety of Celebrex and other pain relievers was questioned Wednesday as scientists in the United States and regulatory agencies in Europe said they feared such drugs might raise the same risk of heart problems as those blamed on the arthritis medicine Vioxx. Vioxx was pulled off the market last week after its maker said a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. According the Dr. Garret FitzGerald, of the Univ. of Pennsylvania, studies done 5 years ago when Celebrex and Vioxx were approved suggest that the same mechanism that inhibits inflammation and makes the drugs easier on the stomach than traditional painkillers also blocks a substance that prevents heart problems. Researchers writing in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) also questioned such drugs as Celebrex and Bextra. (For more information on this important subject you may wish to read the NEJM article entitled "Coxibs and Cardiovascular Disease" available at http://content.nejm.org/
To find out how Barbara and I treat pain and arthritis we invite you to read our articles entitled Pain Management and Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions on our website.
From an article in The News & Observer, Oct. 6, 2004
"Estrogen-progestin linked to blood clot risk" by Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Results from a Women's Health Initiative study led by Dr. Mary Cushman, from the Univ. of Vermont, found that Prempro estrogen-progestin pills double postmenopausal women's chances of developing dangerous blood clots, and the risk is even higher for overweight patients and those over 60. These results came from the Women's Health Initiative, the same study that was halted two years ago after Prempro pills appeared to raise the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer. Later women's initiative data found that Premarin, an estrogen-only pill, was risky too.
To find out how Barbara and I treat patients suffering from postmenopausal symptoms we invite you to read our article on Menopause, Perimenopause and Postmenopause
From an article in the New York Times, Sept. 28, 2004
"Acupuncture Moves Towards the Mainstream" by Anahad O'Connor
Anahad O'Connor writes that acupuncture...is slowly gaining ground in doctor's offices around the country. And ...studies in recent years -- including one at Duke last week -- have thrown scientific weight behind its benefit supporting its usefulness in alleviating conditions from morning sickness to carpal tunnel syndrome. She goes on to add that in the past few years, the number of hospitals offering acupuncture has doubled. The Duke study by Dr. Tong J. Gan and published in Anesthesia and Analgesia showed that acupuncture was far more effective for postoperative sickness and vomiting in a group of 75 subjects than Zofran, a widely used antinausea drug.
For a detailed list of other scientific studies on acupuncture we invite you to read our article entitled Research on the Health Benefits of Acupuncture.
From an article in Alternative Medicine Magazine, Oct. 2004:74-78
"Does Today's World Cause Breast Cancer?" by Sally Lehrman
In this timely article Sally Lehrman targets seven major everyday breast cancer risks: Phthalates, Radiation, Bisphenol-A, Chlorinated Products, Pesticides, PVC and Hormones.
Phthalates - are plastic softeners that can disrupt hormones, some by mimicking estrogen, which is linked to breast cancer risk. They are found in personal care products like cosmetics, moisturizers and perfumes.
Bisphenol-A - is found in many plastic food containers and metal food can liners. It alters mammary gland development in mice, causing changes that are linked to breast cancer. You can limit your expose by not heating plastic containers in the microwave, not drinking water from plastic bottles that heated up in the sun and opting for glass whenever possible.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - is found in cling wrap and it contains cadmium and lead as well as phthalates. Use waxed paper instead of cling wrap whenever possible.
To find out more about breast health and diet we invite you to read our article on Breast Health and Diet. To find out about cancer prevention and diet we invite you to read our article on Cancer Prevention and Diet; and to find out more about estrogen and cancer we invite you to read our article on Menopause, Perimenopause and Postmenopause.
Sept. 21, 2004
News item from The Wall Street Journal
According to a study published two years ago in the journal Fertility and Sterility involving 160 women undergoing in-vitro fertilization, half of whom were randomly assigned to get acupuncture before and after embryos were placed in their uterus, the acupuncture group had a pregnancy rate of 43% compared with 26% for the control group.
To find out more about how Barbara and I treat infertility we invite you to read our article on Infertility.
News item from Acupuncture Today Newspaper, Aug. 2004:
"Acupuncture Good for Back Pain of Varying Causes"
Eighty six patients diagnosed with back pain resulting from various factors (myositis, degenerative joint disease, herniated disk, laminectomy and fibromyalgia) were treated with weekly 30 minute French meridian acupuncture sessions. Back pain improved completely in 68.6% of the patients and significantly in 16.3 %. Source: Kurivilla AC. "Acupuncture in the management of back pain." Medical Acupuncture May 2004;15(3):17-18
To find out more about how Barbara and I treat back pain we invite you to read our article entitled Back & Neck Pain.
Published study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, Jan. 27, 2003;163(2):169-78
According to this study the authors concluded that there is scanty published evidence for a therapeutic effect of acetaminophen relative to placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
To find out more about how Barbara and I treat osteoarthritis we invite you to read our article entitled Rheumatic and Arthritic Conditions.
