Vioxx May Raise Blood Pressure

Vioxx selectively inhibits the Cox-2 enzyme, helping decrease pain and inflammation. It doesn't inhibit the Cox-1 enzyme and because of this Vioxx has an appeal to many physicians because it is less likely than some other anti-inflammatory drugs to cause an ulcer. A new study by the Arthritis Research Center Foundation in Wichita, Kansas shows that patients using Vioxx had an increased risk of developing limb swelling (edema), or have an increase in their blood pressure than patients using Celebrex or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The study examined data on 8538 patients taking part in an ongoing study.

Swelling unrelated to arthritis was 23% higher among participants using Vioxx than among individuals not taking painkillers. Celebrex and other NSAID users had an 18% increase over participants not using painkillers.

The possibility of experiencing an increase in blood pressure was 21% higher in patients taking Vioxx versus those taking Celebrex. The study is published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Rheumatology.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Vioxx has been linked to many conditions; in one report by the FDA it increased the risk of nonbacterial meningitis, it has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack in several studies, an increased risk of developing congestive heart failure (80% increased risk of being admitted to a hospital with heart failure over patients taking Celebrex), and a doubling of the risk of developing a heart attack

If you have a joint problem, consider using any of the following - Joint Balance, InflamMune, and/or Collagen Repair Formula.

Passive Smoke is Very Dangerous

Passive smoking means that you as a nonsmoker inhale someone else's cigarette smoke. Scientists in Britain studied a breakdown product of tobacco smoke in the blood of non-smokers known as cotinine. People who didn't smoke but had higher blood levels of cotinine had a 50% increased risk of developing heart disease than people with low levels. The report is published in this week's early online edition of the British Medical Journal.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Some nutrients that may help protect you from all of the toxins in second hand smoke include the following - Ultimate Detoxification Formula, Jerry's Greens, Reds Hx, Resveratrol, Aged Garlic, Homocysteine Reductase, Green Tea Extract, Astaxanthin.

EPA Pollution Alert

The Environmental Protection Agency notified governors of 21 states that the nearly 100 million people living in these states are breathing unhealthy levels of tiny particles of pollution spewed into the atmosphere from sources such as cars, trucks, wood burning stoves, coal-burning power plants, and factories. The particles are linked to earlier death from heart or lung disease, chronic bronchitis and asthma. Just partially achieving the goal of reduced levels could prevent 15,000 premature deaths each year. Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were among the states whose governors were notified.

b>Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

About five years ago I found a study that showed how truck exhaust when burnt under a heavy load created two of the most carcinogenic (cancer causing) substances known to science. Compounding the problem was that these substances were tiny and were not a large enough particle size to be followed by the EPA at that time. We are exposed to many toxins not regulated or measured by any agency. Unfortunately, no one knows how toxic these different pollutants are when they chemically combine in your body. One study said that some of the combinations of these pollutants are 10,000 times more toxic than are the individual components. To safeguard yourself eat fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and some fresh raw nuts, some high quality fresh fish. Also incorporate some of the following into your daily regimen - Ultimate Detoxification Formula, Green Tea extract high in EGCG, Jerry's Greens, InVite, and Red's Hx.

Strep Bacterial Infection May Trigger Psychiatric Disturbances in Some Children

Doctors from the Institute of Child Health in London report that 40 children seen at their center over a 4 year span had developed psychiatric and neurological disorders after having a beta-hemolytic streptococci infection (33 of these children developed the disorders soon after the infection). The children experienced a wide array of features including emotional instability, obsessions, compulsions, depression, aggressiveness, oppositional behavior, disruptive behavior and attention deficits. Many developed spastic movement disorders. A number of these children had close family members with movement or psychiatric disorders. The disorders stopped completely after one episode in 11 of the children. The other children have developed chronic conditions or have suffered relapses after additional infections. Some children may be prone to developing these conditions after a Strep bacterial infection due to a genetic predisposition. The report appears in the July 2004 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Streptococcal infections are being investigated as a link to some cases of autism, Tourette syndrome, and even some cases of anorexic eating disorder. A condition known as PANDA (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder) associated with Streptococcus infection has been linked to the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other forms of mental illnesses in children. A Yale research team even connected Streptococcal infections with ADHD.

A Multiple-Vitamin Cuts the Risk of Death from AIDS

Harvard School of Public Health researchers traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and enrolled 1,000 pregnant mothers who were HIV positive into their study. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. They went to this area because of the high incidence of infection and the high incidence of malnutrition. Malnutrition weakens the immune system allowing the HIV virus to be more vicious.

The women were given a Multiple-Vitamin, or a Multiple-Vitamin with a separate preformed (animal derived) Vitamin A (and a small amount of beta-carotene), a massive dose of Vitamin A, or an inactive placebo. The Multiple-Vitamin alone cut the risk of death from AIDS by 27%. It slowed the progression to full blown AIDS by 50%. Vitamin A by itself helped a little but the massive dose of 200,000 IU vitamin A did not help when added to the Multiple-Vitamin. The study is published in today's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

There is no doubt that daily supplementation with a high quality multiple-vitamin supplement saves and/or prolongs lives. Studies show that simply taking a good multiple-vitamin improves immune function in middle-aged adults, in the elderly, in diabetics, in the ill and infirm, and according to this and previous studies in HIV positive and AIDS patients. When the collective minds of the physicians, scientists and pharmacists planned and created the InVite Multiple-Vitamins, there was a massive-cooperative effort to include nutrients helpful to proper immune function and general health. Other nutrients that are important to HIV positive and AIDS patients include Astragalus membranaceus, Maitake Mushroom, Green Tea EGCG, Resveratrol, Glutathione promoters, and antioxidants.