Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
You probably know how important it is to keep your doctor informed of new aches, pains or other changes in your health. This can help the doctor prescribe the best form of treatment to help improve your condition.
A surprising new study shows many doctors and patients arent talking at all about some treatment optionseven when their patients are USING themin todays Monday Edition of Health News Weekly! Lets not waste another minute
FDA Gives Vioxx® Successor
the Thumbs DOWN
An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration recently rejected Mercks appeal to market its new arthritis painkiller in the United States.
The FDA said a panel of experts voted 20-1 against Arcoxia®. The nonbinding vote will be taken as advice later when the FDA decides whether to approve the drug.
Arocoxia® is part of the class of Cox-2 inhibitors as its predecessor Vioxx®. Merck withdrew that $2.5 billion-a-year drug from the market in September 2004 after studies showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients taking it for at least 18 months.
The FDA came under fire for approving Vioxx®, which many critics see as a colossal mistake because of the drugs alleged ties to fatal heart attacks.
More than 27,000 lawsuits are pending against Merck by former Vioxx® patients and their families. Merck has vowed to fight all cases in courtrather than enter into a broad settlement agreement. In cases that have reached a jury verdict, so far Merck has won ten and lost five.
Doctors and Patients Adopt Dont Ask, Dont Tell Policy for Alternative Medicine Use
Herbal supplements meditation homeopathy acupuncture these are just a few of the complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used by nearly 2 out of 3 adults age 50 or older.
Despite the widespread use of alternative therapiesa whopping 69 percent of CAM users dont talk to their doctors about it, according to a new survey conducted by the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health.
The main concern is that people age 50 and older frequently use one or more prescription medications. To minimize the risk of potentially harmful interactions, blending CAM therapies with prescription drugs requires more open dialogue between doctors and patients. AARP Director of Health Strategies, Cheryl Matheis said communication is important to ensure the wise use of all conventional and CAM therapies.
To gather study data, researchers administered a telephone survey to 1,559 people age 50 or older to determine why doctors and patients dont discuss alternative therapies. The most common reasons survey respondents gave included:
- The doctor never asked (42 percent)
- They did not know that they should talk about them (30 percent)
- There was not enough time during the office visit (19 percent)
Study participants also said they didnt discuss alternative medicine during doctor visits because they didnt think physicians would be familiar with these treatmentsor would have advised against pursuing them.
So where do folks get information about complementary and alternative medicines if theyre not talking with their doctors? Study results indicate 22% of respondents rely on word-of-mouth referrals from family and friends. Only 12% of study participants turned to physicians for advice, and a mere 5% consult a pharmacist.
Researchers concluded that both patients and doctors need to be educated about the importance of discussing CAM therapies. They also recommend that doctors adopt the habit of asking patients about their use of alternative therapiesespecially given that many patients are uncomfortable prompting the discussion.
Doctors Silent on Controversial Care
If you want information or access to treatments outside those recommended by mainstream medicinetheres a good chance your doctor wont readily volunteer that information.
According to a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine, 29 percent of the 1,144 U.S. doctors polled felt no obligation to tell patients where to find treatments they found personally objectionable. Whats more, 14 percent of respondents said they felt comfortable withholding information on controversial topics such as birth control, abortion and sedating dying patients.
As reported by Reuters, Dr. Farr Curlin of the University of Chicago states if physicians ideas translate into their practices more than 40 million Americans may be cared for by physicians who do not believe they are obligated to disclose information about medically available treatment they consider objectionable.
The report concludes that patients should ask their doctors outright about treatment optionsrather than wait for doctors to volunteer information.
If youre afraid your doctor might not agree with alternative options you are investigating, simply ask your doctor if the solution you are considering is safe or would have any contraindications when mixed with traditional treatments or prescription medications.
Fast Fact
Ready to make a clean sweep of insects around your home? If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get insideand you dont have indoor insecticide handytry spraying Formula 409. Youll be surprised to see insects drop to the ground in a flash!
Got Healthy Feet?
People with blood sugar problems often suffer with circulation problems and dulled nerves in their feet. This means that tiny cuts, skin cracks or other minor injuries can easily become infected. And because of poor nerve functioningyou might not even notice it!
Untreated foot infections can progress quicklyand you could wind up losing a foot or leg. In many cases, you can avoid these dangerous infections just by checking your feet daily. Here are some simple steps you can take to promote healthy feet:
- Wash and dry your feet daily, including the skin between your toes
- Cut your toenails straight across; this can help prevent painful hangnails from cutting into your skin
- Use moisturizing creams to keep your feet from cracking
- Wear comfortable, well-fitting shoes; avoid wearing shoes like flip flops that can irritate your feet
- Try to avoid walking barefoot
Proper foot care is essential if you have blood sugar problems. With just a few simple steps daily, you can prevent a minor cut or bruise from becoming a major health disaster!