Archive for the ‘drugs’ Category
Friday, February 26th, 2010
A study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reported that “aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of cancer spread and death in women who have been treated for early breast cancer.” Researchers at Harvard Medical School studied 4,164 female registered nurses taking part in the Nurses’ Health Study. Starting in 1976 they looked at who took aspirin, who developed breast cancer and all causes of death up until 2006. During this time 341 nurses died of breast cancer. Of this group women who took aspirin two to five days a week had a 60% reduced risk of their cancer spreading and a 71% lower risk of breast cancer death. Other non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) in the same class as aspirin had the same effect and included ibuprofen and naproxen but not acetaminophen. This relationship was not as clear because of limited data. Although aspirin is relatively benign compared with chemotherapy drugs it can cause bleeding and should not be taken without medical supervision. It also should not be taken while undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy because of the possible side effects.
Tags: aspirin, breast cancer, cancer spread, death rates, Harvard Medical School, research
Posted in breast cancer, drugs, research | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Tocilizumab, brand-named Actemra, is a new biologic drug for treating moderate to severe rheumatoid arthtritis that is not well controlled by other medications. It has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and should be available for patients during the week of January 18. It is the first drug that blocks a protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) which is overproduced in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. The drug is given once a month by intravenous infusion and is powerful and fast acting. However, there are safety concerns so it must be used cautiously. Side effects experienced by people taking it during clinical trials included elevated LDL or bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, elevated liver enzymes and gastrointestinal perforations. Thus, its use is recommended only for those who have not responded to other therapies and the FDA is requiring the manufacturer to monitor it’s long term safety. Specifically the FDA is interested in evaluating the long term effect of elevated LDL, cholesterol and blood pressure on the cardiovascular health of those on the drug. If this drug is recommended, make sure you have frequent testing by your primary health care provider.
Tags: Actemra, cautious, elevated liver enzymes, FDA approval, gastrointestinal perforation, high blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, Tocilizumab
Posted in arthritis, drugs, rheumatoid arthritis | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
After 7 months of scientific and clinical studies the President of Bejing’s Chaoyang Hospital in Bejing during the last week announced a new herbal remedy called “Jin Hua Qing Gen Fang” as effective in treating A/H1N1 flu. He said it shortens the length of time patients have a fever and improves their respiratory system with no noted harmful side effects to patients. It was developed by a team of over 120 medical specialists at a cost of about 1.47 million U.S. dollars and was used in both scientific and clinical studies. Studies included experiments on more that 4,000 mice and clinical studies on 410 patients with A/H1N1 flu. It was picked from more than 100 classic anti-flu prescriptions based upon Chinese herbal medicine.
It is about 1/4th the cost of Tamiflu the current treatment of choice that was recommended by the World Health Organization. The goal is to make this available to all as an alternative to current drugs.
Tags: A/H1N1 flu, Jin Hua Qing Gen Fang, new herbal remedy, research, Tamiflu
Posted in Uncategorized, drugs, herbs, research | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Findings of a study published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism found that a new experimental medication known as oral dnaJP1 effectively gave relief to patients with rheumatoid arthritis and was well tolerated by them. The drug is a form of immunotherapy consisting of a peptide that previously was shown to contribute to inflammation. The scientist hypothesised that introducing the peptide might restore specific regulatory functions that prevent tissue damage and that are impaired in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
A total of 160 patients participated in the 6 month clinical trial in which half were given the medication and the other half unknowingly received a placebo. People who took the drug were more likely to benefit from a significant reduction in the percentage of immune cells that produced pro-inflammatory protein and showed improvement in symptoms. The researchers also found that the experimental drug could be used along with with the current rheumatoid arthritis drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Further research is needed to validate this trial study.
Posted in arthritis, drugs, research | 13 Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
A recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that although three drugs (tamoxifen, raloxifene, and tibolone) reduce a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer each has potential harmful effects for those using them. More specifically all three drugs significantly reduces invasive breast cancer in midlife and older women who have not previously had breast cancer but the benefits vary depending upon the drug and the woman.
The most common side effects for the drug tamoxifen are flushing, night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal discharge, itching and dryness, and for raloxifene are night sweats, hot flashes, and leg cramps, and for tibolone are vaginal bleeding. In addition, each drug carries a risk of adverse effects including increased risk of endometrial cancer, hysterectomies, and cataracts for tamoxifen compared to the other drugs; increased risk of stroke for tibolone; and increased risk of blood clots for both tamoxifen and raloxifene although it is greater with tamoxifen. More information is available at: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov
Tags: adverse effects, breast cancer, drugs, Holistic Health Show, raloxifene, Tamoxifen, tibolone
Posted in breast cancer, cancer, drugs | No Comments »
