Drug shortages seem to be igniting some problems for pharmaceutical companies and health officials – so much so that president Barack Obama previously issued an executive order demanding that the Food and Drug Administration address the shortages. Per Obama’s request, the FDA is taking action and continues to fight the drug shortages traversing the United States. Despite mostly being mostly manufactured in China with virtually no inspection, mega-tumor-linked pharmaceutical drugs are now being rolled out more than ever before.

It was only last month when we reported on the struggle pharmaceutical companies are going through with filling prescriptions for ADHD. More than 18 million prescriptions were written for Adderall in 2010, up 13.4 percent from 2009. While pharmaceutical companies would normally be thrilled about this, they are actually struggling  to acquire enough of the active ingredient used in the drug, Adderall, to ‘treat’ the ‘disease. This is leading to complications for the drug companies since they are unable to provide for the high demand. Of course the information showing that ADHD can be combated with simple dietary changes is of no concern to drug giants.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration has announced on Tuesday that they will be taking measures to increase the supply of two other drugs – Methotrexate, a drug for children with leukemia, and Doxil, a drug used to ‘treat’ various cancers. Until the FDA successfully increases available supplies of the original drugs, substitute drugs from overseas will be implemented for United States patients. Nearly half of all pharmaceutical drugs within the United States are already produced overseas, with a shocking 81% of the 3,765 unregulated foreign factories never having been inspected by the FDA.

Is an executive order from the president forcing the FDA to supply the nation with more pharmaceutical drugs the answer to the nation’s health crisis? It isn’t a pharmaceutical drug deficiency that is causing such health ailments, but rather a weak immune system deficient in vital vitamins and nutrients. There have been some great advancements in the field of nutritional science, but pharmaceutical drugs have become the only ‘solution’ as far as the medical establishment goes. Interestingly, There have been zero deaths as a result of vitamins and over 3 million deaths related to prescription drug use over the past 27 years.

But why are natural solutions – which actually have virtually no side effects and boost overall immunity – being ignored?

Turmeric alone is known to positively affect over 573 diseases and has even decreased brain tumor size in animals by 81 percent in more than 9 studies. So why hasn’t turmeric been recommended as an inexpensive and powerful solution, potentially saving billions in healthcare costs per year? Instead, government organizations like the CDC and the FDA push pharmaceuticals on the public while suppressing many health-promoting supplements like turmeric and vitamin D.

The pharmaceutical industry is prospering. With each drug comes an average of 70 negative side-effects, all of which are targeted by yet another pharmaceutical for treatment. It is an endless cycle of pharmaceuticals which must be taken for a lifetime. Advancements are great, but the current mainstream medial system is a complete failure.

If you are a parent then there is a good chance your child has been labeled with some type of disorder, whether it be mental, depressive, or hyperactive. But even if your child is “lucky” enough to dodge the onslaught of disease labeling, you can be sure that most other children around weren’t as fortunate. While there are numerous reasons for the influx of disorder-labeling such as additives in the food, toxins in the water, and chemicals in the air, one of the main reasons actually has everything to do with a simple stroke of a pen in a book known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM.

You May Have a New Disorder with the Stroke of a Pen

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the bible of mental health as far as psychiatrists are concerned. This book possesses the definition of every single disorder known to man, and also every disorder invented by man. Similar to how lawyers are often thought to have their own language which no normal person would fully understand, this book holds a language of its own to classify people into certain categories. If you are a 296.22, you have experienced a single mild episode of major depressive disorder, while if you are a 301.83 you very close to having personality disorder.

As the decades have gone by, the amount of disorders someone can possibly have has gone up by the hundreds. Most notably, homosexuality was battled for inclusion, describing people as having a “sociopathic personality disturbance.” Later, it was replaced with a disorder called “ego-dystonic homosexuality,” a problem specifically surfacing from a source of distress.

The book is currently on its fourth edition, but the DSM-5′s planned release is coming in May of 2013. As the DSM editions continue to be released, the criteria for labeling a person for many disorders becomes much lower. Psychiatrists, the pharmaceutical industry and all of their ties love these changes, as medications are prescribed with even less effort on the medical establishment’s part. With a few simple strokes in this book, every single person in the country could soon be labeled as having a disorder, whether caught by medical “professionals” or not.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is Leading to Unnecessary Medication Use

During the 1990′s childhood ADD, a disorder ridiculously common today, exploded so much that a 700 percent increase in Ritalin and other stimulants use was seen. You may or may not be surprised to know that your child “has ADD” so long as 6 of 9 boxes from a list of symptoms are checked, symptoms like “often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly” or “often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.” Two other proposed disorders for the DSM-5 are “mild neurocognitive disorder” in the elderly and “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder” in kids. With the approval of these disorders, there will undoubtedly be a dramatics increase in powerful antipsychotic drug use. These drugs which breed overweight, diabetic children, rose to the top in 2008 with over $14 billion in sales, and have been pushed on millions of children since 2009 alone.

Whether more disorders are added to DSM-5 or not, it is more than expected that criteria be lowered for already existing disorders. No matter the final decision, this book has been helping the pharmaceutical industry for decades while causing millions of people to suffer from unnecessary medications. The vicious profit-driven cycle brought to you by the pharmaceutical industry only leads you to become dependent on their products while heavily contributing to the decline of legitimate health practices.

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Allpsyche

Salon

People have been seeking quick and simple fixes for various life issues since the beginning of human history. These issues include tight finances, relationship complications, and most definitely one of the top contributing causes of virtually all health problems – obesity. Instead of adopting the sound solution of eating healthful foods and exercising, it seems the quest for the magic bullet continues. Recent tests show that those longing for a magic solution without adequate lifestyle changes may soon get their wish – a shot that has been shown to reduce body fat by 39 percent in 4 weeks. A drug known as Adipotide has recently been put to the test. But will the shot come with a health toll?

Adipotide Shown to Reduce Body Fat by 39 Percent in One Month

Using monkeys as the test subjects, researchers found that with a daily dose injection of Adipotide came substantial fat loss at a rapid pace. After allowing the monkeys to gain weight and then be injected with the drug daily, researchers noticed that the drug had the ability to ignite fat loss as such such a pace where body fat was reduced by 39 percent and stomach fat 27 percent in just four weeks.

Adipotide is supposed to work by cutting off the blood supply to fat cells while also releasing a synthetic peptide meant to trigger cell death. As blood vessels supporting the fat cells wither away, the fat cells starve and end up being metabolized.

Pharmaceutical Drugs are Not the Solution

As long as there have been drugs to “solve” the many problems we face today, there has been a list of side-effects which always accompany them. In fact, drug labels have 70 side-effects on average, while many medications reach the 100 or even 500 mark. Prescription drug use is expanding so rapidly that traffic deaths are now lower than deaths caused by pharmaceutical drugs.

Of course further tests and research must be conducted before the drug is released on the market as a weight loss solution. While many obese individuals may be think this is the magic bullet, it is safe to say that Adipotide will not be the quick fix everyone has been waiting for. Long-term observation concerning Adipotide and weight loss is required for the medical establishment to even think about pushing it on overweight individuals. Even then, the injection could be riddled with adverse health reactions, similar to antipsychotics which have been approved by the US government yet found to be extremely dangerous.  While the daily injection may result in quick fat loss initially, no claim can even be made regarding the long term results. If we have learned anything from the medical establishment, it is that in order for the true side effects of many pharmaceuticals to be recognized, they must be studied for decades.

The real, sound solution to obesity and excess weight is simple – diet and exercise. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is absolutely critical for happiness and healthiness. Ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup placed in the majority of our food today have been shown to be addictive and contribute heavily to obesity. Omitting these ingredients from the diet will infinitely help you reach your overall wellness goals.

It is also important to note that during the past 27 years there have been no deaths triggered by vitamins, while at least 3 million have died from prescription drugs. Drinking tea or upping vitamin D intake may has also been identified as a natural solution to weight loss. Adipotide may eventually be sold as a weight loss “solution” either as injection or pill form. Would you choose the drug, or nutrition?

ADD and ADHD are among the most common diagnoses applied to young children and adolescents. The implications of such a diagnosis include a potential health risk, as most children in this category are prescribed behavior altering drugs with dependency-based reactions. Drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are oftentimes prescribed to children who continue to take them only to find that they are not producing any kind of solution to treat the root cause of neurological and behavioral disorders in general.

Mind Altering Drugs Lead Only to Negative Consequences

As of 2006, at least 4.5 million American children were said to have been diagnosed with ADHD, and the prevalence of behavioral disorders has been increasing. This is due in part to misdiagnosis, simply based on the fact that all children do not behave and act in the same manner. Some children may choose to act out of line for a number of reasons, but the stigma of a behavioral disorder is unfairly applied to them. In fact, half of all Americans will be diagnosed with at least one mental illness within their lifetime.

The issue self-perpetuates as the children are prescribed these behavior altering drugs, which alter their brain chemistry and lead to more serious problems like depression and drug dependency later in life. Even over the counter drugs which are much more accessible are dangerous. Pharmaceuticals are only a temporary fix that do not address the fundamental issues behind behavioral disorders. That is why even mainstream health officials are now speaking out against antipsychotics.

Numerous studies have linked diet choices to the appearance of ADD, ADHD, and other behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. Feeding children junk food, processed foods high in sugar, or even excessive amounts of grains have been found to produce all types of behavioral issues. Very recently, gluten consumption has also been linked to ADD and ADHD symptoms.

Altering the diet of a child or adolescent to create more of a balance while including proper nutrition will result in a boost of overall mental health and cognition. These dietary changes will also eliminate many of the apparent behavioral issues and mental dissonances within developing children. Not only can proper nutrition be much more effective than antipsychotics, but it will also be much safer in every aspect. Keep in mind that pharmaceuticals are responsible for millions of deaths, while vitamins are responsible for none. In fact, pharmaceuticals have led to more deaths than ever traffic fatalities.

More important to consider however, is the personal dynamic involved with each individual. Every person is different and develops in a unique way compared to those around them. Children who apparently act out or teenagers who do the same may simply be responding to some form of alienation or attempting to understand themselves better.

It is a tragedy how most doctors are quick to drop the hammer and declare that the individual has a disorder, only to prescribe dangerous and mind-altering drugs as a solution. Each individual needs to be handled differently and should be given the privilege of being counseled rather then being categorized as mentally unstable and coldly given a cookie cutter solution – a habitual trait that seems pervasive in the medical establishment today.

Millions of children have been put on antipsychotic drugs since 2009 alone. The number of children on these pharmaceuticals is becoming so astronomical that the U.S. pediatric health advisers are now speaking out against the known and unknown dangers of such widespread drugging of children nationwide. Doctors have become so eager to prescribe these drugs to patients that half of all citizens in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental illness within their lifetime. What is even more nonsensical about the explosion in prescription antipsychotics is that there is hardly any scientific data to show that the drugs are effective at treating what they claim to, while there is significant amounts of research linking antipsychotics to suicide, diabetes, weight gain, decreased life expectancy, and triggering an array of metabolic conditions.

Of course the link between suicide and antispychotic and anti-depressant drugs was completely covered up by Eli Lilly & Co, the makers of Prozac. Despite research conducted as far back as the 1980′s finding that Prozac actually leads to suicide, which is the very thing it is often prescribed to treat, the company hid the evidence until a Harvard psychiatrist leaked the information into the press. The psychiatrist, Martin Teicher, stated that the American people were being treated like guinea pigs in a massive pharmaceutical experiment.

In order to cover up their scandalous actions, the company set up false drug trials in an attempt to prove the safety of Prozac. Teicher explained how the company interfered with the research to produce false conclusions:

“They culled patients from their worldwide trials, they cherry-picked the studies, leaving out the trials showing problems.”

Since the 80′s, numerous studies have reached even more frightening conclusions regarding mental health pharmaceuticals. Ritalin, a very popular drug among unruly children, stimulates the central nervous system. As a biological response, conditions develop such as:

• Increased blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Increased body temperature
• Increased alertness
• Suppressed appetite

Harry Hucknall, a 10 year-old boy, hung himself after taking a combination of Ritalin and Prozac. The tragic death was most likely a result of the pharmaceutical concoction, as the autopsy revealed his body to contain more drugs than the normal level for adults suffering from the same problems. Even the ‘normal’ amount of these drugs can ignite suicidal thoughts. Imagine a child coping with an amount far exceeding the levels required to treat an average adult.

Doctors who readily prescribe unnecessary and severely dangerous pharmaceuticals like Prozac and Ritalin are oftentimes more concerned about monetary kickbacks and benefits than the health of the patient. Instead of paying for harmful side effects, try a natural approach that is both free and effective:

• Exercise: Proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, simply walking for 15 minutes per day can lead to noticeable changes in your mental clarity.

• Nutrition: It has been proven that the health of your gut directly affects the health of your brain. Artificial sweeteners and genetically modified ingredients hinder and tax the body, making it harder to feel the way you truly should. Adapt a diet that is full of high-quality organic foods, preferably full of raw fruits and vegetables.

• Detoxify: Rid the body of built-up chemicals and undigested food substances. Super hydrate yourself by drinking half your body weight in purified water, and consuming fresh raw vegetables for a week and see the difference. Detoxifying by performing various cleanses such as a colon cleanse, liver cleanse, or heavy metal cleanse can also be extremely beneficial. Performing cleanses will flush out the toxins which have accumulated in your body over the years

Researchers have found that privacy curtains used in hospitals to separate patient rooms are oftentimes heavily contaminated with drug-resistant super bugs like MRSA. Even more concerning is the fact that the curtains often hang for long periods of time and are very challenging to properly disinfect. This means that the bugs could be spreading from patient to patient, according to the findings of Dr. Michael Ohl from the University of Iowa. Dr. Ohl’s research was presented at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

To perform the study, Dr. Ohl and his team took 180 swab cultures from 43 hospital privacy curtains 2 times per week for 3 weeks. The curtains were located in medical and surgical intensive care units, and on a medical ward in the University of Iowa Hospitals. Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, ethicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and the drug resistant gut bacteria Enterococci were found to be present on the curtains.

Harmful bacteria has also been found on the uniforms of doctors and nurses, similarly drug resistant and dangerous to already ill patients. The studies show that hospitals may not be the safest place for those with compromised immune systems, and also highlights the necessity of a powerful immune system to combat viruses and bacteria that pharmaceuticals cannot.

Dr. Ohl says that doctors often touch the curtains before touching the patient, and that doctors should begin washing their hands after coming into contact with hospital curtains to prevent infection of the patient.

The number of Americans using illicit drugs is on the rise, with a new government study showing that 22.6 million people, nearly 9 percent of the population, abused prescription drugs or regularly used marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, or inhalants. Marijuana was the most commonly used drug, with 17.4 million regular users—or 6.9 percent of the population—compared with 5.8 percent in 2007.

CNN reports:

In 2010, 7 million people used psychotherapeutic drugs (including stimulants, tranquilizers, painkillers and sedatives) for non-medical purposes, and 1.2 million people used hallucinogens, according to the study.  The numbers are similar to the past few years.

One and a half million people used cocaine, similar to recent years’ study results but a drop of nearly 1 million from 2006.  Methamphetamine use dropped by more than half between 2006 and 2010, to only a 10th of 1% of the population, according to the survey.

The number of young people using drugs has continued to increase. In 2008, 19.6% of 18- to 25-year-olds used drugs, but in 2010’s survey, that number had climbed to 21.5%. The increase is largely due to marijuana use, according to the study.

Drug use among 12- to 17-year-olds stayed steady in the survey, at about 10%.

States allowing medical marijuana could be fueling the increases in drug use, Kerlikowske said.

“Emerging research reveals potential links between state laws permitting access to smoked medical marijuana and higher rates of marijuana use,” his statement said. “I urge every family – but particularly those in states targeted by pro-drug political campaigns – to redouble their efforts to shield young people from serious harm by educating them about the real health and safety consequences caused by illegal drug use.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced an emergency ban on ‘bath salt’ products which are typically used as hallucinogen-type drugs and sold in legal ‘designer’ drug stores that typically carry other substances like salvia — a more potent and legal mimicker of marijuana. The agency called the chemicals an ”imminent hazard” to the public.

“This imminent action by the DEA demonstrates that there is no tolerance for those who manufacture, distribute, or sell these drugs anywhere in the country, and that those who do will be shut down, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said in a statement on the DEA website.

ABC News reports:

The DEA describes the so-called “bath salts”, which have nothing in common with products long-used in bathing, as a sort of imitation cocaine or LSD – a substance that while legal, has not been approved by the FDA for human consumption and has been linked to violent, sometimes deadly outbursts by users. Varieties of “bath salts” are sold under different labels in corner stores across the U.S. as well as online and have prompted thousands of calls to Poison Control nationwide.

“They’re selling time bombs,” Louisiana Poison Control Center Director Dr. Mark Ryan said in the course of the ABC News investigation. “We’ve had some people show up who are complaining of chest pains so severe that they think they’re having a heart attack. They think they’re dying… They have extreme paranoia. They’re having hallucinations. They see things, they hear things, monsters, demons, aliens.”

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), proposed a national ban on the chemicals used in bath salts in February. Thirty-three states already have measures to control the substance.

“I am pleased the DEA has finally heeded our call to ban these drugs by making them illegal controlled substances. While this is a solid first step, we need to ensure that these drugs stay off the market for good,” Schumer said. “I will push to permanently ban these drugs until the threat of this scourge is removed from our neighborhoods, our schools, and from store counters across the country.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a major drug research contractor has been found faking documents and manipulating samples. The firm, Cetero Research, has tested medicines for major drug companies that are now being forced to reevaluate their products in response to warnings issued by U.S. regulators.

Reuters reports:

The Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday two 2010 inspections, an internal company investigation and a third-party audit uncovered “significant instances of misconduct and violations” at a Cetero facility in Houston.

The Cary, North Carolina-based firm does early-phase clinical research and bioanalytics for a number of drugmakers. The pharmaceutical companies can then use those studies as supporting evidence in drug approval applications to the FDA.

“The pattern of misconduct was serious enough to raise concerns about the integrity of the data Cetero generated during the five-year time frame,” the FDA said, warning drugmakers they might have to repeat or confirm any studies Cetero did in support of their applications between April 2005 and June 2010.

It remains unclear which drugmakers have used Cetero’s services to apply for regulatory approvals and the FDA is asking companies to identify such instances. The regulators said the measure is precautionary and the safety and efficacy of drugs already on the market are unlikely to be affected.

The FDA inspected Cetero in May and December last year and found falsified records about studies.

Specifically, in at least 1,900 instances between April 2005 and June 2009, laboratory technicians identified as conducting certain studies were not actually present at Cetero facilities at that time, the FDA said in its May report.

The FDA also said at the time that Cetero might have “fixed” studies to get the desired result, or did not include failed results in their report.

“Cetero’s May 2010 and December 2010 responses are inadequate because the scope of their internal investigation was far too narrow to identify and adequately address the root cause of these systemic failures,” the regulators said.

Could low doses of Aspirin be to blame for intestinal injury and bleeding?  A recent study found a connection between Aspirin and small bowel mucosal damage and blood flow.

GreenMedInfo reports:

Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into two groups: a placebo group given low-dose aspirin plus placebo and a rebamipide group given low-dose aspirin plus rebamipide for a period of 14 d. Capsule endoscopy and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were performed before and after administration of drugs. Areas under the curves and peak value of time-intensity curve were calculated.

Conclusion: Short-term administration of low-dose aspirin is associated with small bowel injuries and blood flow