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20 February 2008, 00:37
Health: Narcotic companies play the digit game Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
You are betting that the benefits will outweigh the risks. But do you realize a payoff is far from certain? Drug companies infrequently have to prove that their pills actually produce the desired outcome. All they have to show is that the medication moves the needle on some gauge or lab test.
These integer are called surrogate endpoints. They are things like blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar. If you have hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels or diabetes, it is assumed that getting the numbers down is ace enough.
But the authentic aim is reducing the gamble of kidney disease, strokes and heart attacks. Uncommon drugs are proven to accomplish those goals. Imagine successful to a casino.
If you demand to frolic poker or roulette, you buy chips. Those sherd are your surrogate money. If you win, you bias to cash the chips back in for real money.
Any gambler would be outraged whether the casino refused to trade the chips for currency at the end of a champion night. No casino would remain elongated if it didn't pay up. Drug companies, though, get away without delivering on the eventual outcome because such studies are expensive and take a long time to complete.
It is far easier just to make good that your pills lower cholesterol or blood sugar - and that is all that the Food and Drug Administration requires. Several new studies suggest that such surrogates are no longer adequate.
A huge diabetes glance at financed by the federal government was halted prematurely over the results were so disappointing.
The Agree trial (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) was designed to lower blood sugar aggressively in high-risk diabetes patients. To everyone's surprise, those who got the most intensive action towards with insulin and oral medications were more likely to die than those on standard therapy. Researchers were shocked that greater blood-sugar control did not result in an improved outcome as expected.
In fact, even-handed the inverse occurred. It would be like captivating the pool and discovering you had to fee money instead of taking your winnings. We have heard from other readers who have hand-me-down Listerine in this way.
Q. I am taking naproxen for rack in my lower back, hands and knees. It seems to do the trick championing the pain, but I am having lots of flatulence.
There is probably no connection, however I would like to know for sure if the naproxen is causing it. Also, are there any other complications of naproxen that I should be aware of? A. Naproxen (available as Aleve over the counter and as Anaprox, Naprelan or Naprosyn by prescription) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Like ibuprofen and similar pain relievers, naproxen can cause flatulence.
A surprising number of medications can contribute to gassiness. NSAIDs like naproxen can cause digestive distress including ulcers, high blood pressure, fluid retention, dizziness, drowsiness, ringing in the ears, rashes and kidney damage.
You may require to consult some common approaches to easing agony and sore such as boswellia, turmeric or fish oil.
You can find absent more about such approaches as well as a number of causes and treatments for flatulence in "Best Selection From The People's Pharmacy." It is present from your local library or bookseller, or online at www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. I've study that people, largely older folks, should be out in the sun for at least 10 minutes per day to get vitamin D. What if the person has had pelt cancer?