A powerful new opioid painkiller called Zohydro is about to be unleashed on a willing, yet misguided population. Opioids are a class of drugs that are commonly prescribed for pain-killing affect. They include morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and methadone. Opioids may be more easily recognized by drug names such as Kadian, Avinza, OxyContin, Percodan, Darvon, Demerol, […]
Have you’ve been told that you’re crazy, lazy, or depressed? If so, you are not alone. Friends, family, and doctors may try to make you think your illness isn’t real. They’ll probably say, “its all in your head.” Ok, so you forget appointments, cancel at the first sign of bad weather, get lost on the […]
Americans spent more than 280 billion on prescription drugs during 2013. A Mayo Clinic study reports, nearly 70% of all Americans are on at least one prescription drug. And 20 percent of all Americans are on at least five prescription drugs. Many of my fibromyalgia patients are taking 8 or more prescription when they start […]
Hormones that may be Affected by Hypothalamic Dysfunction The hypothalamus is the master gland controlling the activity of most other glands in the body. This small gland coordinates a phenomenal portion of the body’s activity. The hypothalamus receives and transmits messages from the nervous system and hormonally through the circulatory system. Because of its broad […]
Theravance Announces Positive Results From a Phase 2 Study of TD-9855 in Patients With Fibromyalgia Theravance, Inc. THRX -0.80% today announced positive results from a Phase 2 study of TD-9855, an investigational norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (NSRI), in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). “We are very pleased with the positive results of our Phase 2 […]
In a new study, nearly all patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) who had a preexisting diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) experienced improvement in their FM symptoms following parathyroid surgery, and 1 in 5 were able to drop all of their FM-related medications. The finding suggests that a [SMALL] subset of patients diagnosed with FM actually have […]
I believe in miracles, but this isn’t one of them. Dr. Oz has promoted a series of weight loss supplements on his show. Raspberry ketones were reported as a fat-busting miracle. Green coffee bean extract was said to be “magic,” “staggering,” and “unprecedented.” And now both of “those miracles” have apparently been superseded by an […]
Breakthrough Fibromyalgia Research: More Hype Than Hope The “revolutionary breakthrough” study made a big splash in the news. Numerous headlines were similar to this one: “Breakthrough Study Reveals Cause of Fibromyalgia” Healthline News Reported it with this headline: Scientists Pinpoint Physical Cause of Fibromyalgia Pain Their article went on to report – “New research literally […]
Just Released – Medical News Reports … “Effective Treatment for Fibromyalgia May Now Be Possible” Gets your attention doesn’t it? It got my attention, since traditional medicine has a long and growing history of providing little, if any effective solutions for treating fibromyalgia. So, I was curious to say the least. Just what effective treatment […]
Traditional medicines focus on treating symptoms, instead of causes, is literally killing thousands of people every year. Americans using FDA sanctioned drugs, as directed, are dying at the rate of one every three to five minutes. In fact, the average American has a 26% chance of being hospitalized from a drug injury from the effects […]
Adrenal Fatigue and Low Blood Pressure What is adrenal fatigue? The adrenals are a pair of pea-sized glands located atop each kidney. The adrenal glands release certain hormones that allow us to be able to deal with immediate and long-term stress. These glands and the hormones they release allow us to be resilient to day-to- […]
A recent review of two well-known fibromyalgia drugs, Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Savella (milnacipran) confirms what I’ve said for the last two decades, and wrote about in my first edition Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia book in 2003. These drugs are ineffective for most fibro patients, especially long term. The review published in The Cochrane Library shows […]
Using prescription drugs to help you sleep may cost more than you think. It may cost your life. A new study shows sleep drugs increase risk of death as much as smoking. An estimated six to 10 percent of US adults used some sort of hypnotic sleeping pill in 2010. But, as evidenced by a […]
Antidepressants Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine HCl), Celexa (citalopram), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Luvox (fluvoxamine), work by increasing the brain’s use of the neurotransmitter serotonin. (Serotonin deficiency is linked to anxiety, depression, lowered pain tolerance, poor sleep, and mental fatigue.) Potential side effects of antidepressants Upset stomach, constipation, headache, heartburn, […]
Do You Know What You Should Know? One of the most important things you can do to improve your health is to become proactive. I strongly encourage you to become an informed patient. You should know what drugs you are taking, what they are for, what their potential side effects are (chances are you are […]
