An old gout medicine + a new patent = HUGE price increase of an old drug

Jay Parkinson brought this to my attention:

Colchine has been used to treat gout for decades. Gout is a relatively common painful kind of arthritis. Colchicine has been around so long that nobody had ever bothered to patent it. It was a few pennies a pill and very effective. In steps URL Pharmaceuticals. They realized it didn’t have a patent so they quickly did some studies to determine its effectiveness. Of course the studies showed that it was safe and effective. They took their studies to the FDA who quickly approved “their” colchicine. URL then had exclusive rights to sell colchicine as a branded drug at over $5 a pill. And then they successfully sued the companies who had been making colchicine as a generic for years. They’ve won the cases. And now people who depended on colchicine for their daily lives must pay $5 a pill instead of 5 cents.


Now a few members of Congress want answers.

Too late. What URL Pharmaceuticals did was just business right? That’s the American medical industry…

BMI

The other day, I was out in the community delivering a Wellness presentation to a group of professionals.  One of the subjects of the talk was BMI (or Body Mass Index), what it is a measurement of, and what ways can the data it gives accurately be used.

I got into a little bit of trouble from this particular group and I am not entirely sure why.  It might be because they were getting conflicting reports about what the measurement really says about them -- and maybe I added to the problem by adding another wrinkle.

Here is an extension of what research is saying about BMI.  I agree with some of the cited researchers when they say sometimes, the stress of being labeled overweight is worse for you than the motivational benefit that the label provides.

If you feel you have a good grasp on BMI already -- I encourage you to click here and scroll to the bottom of the page under the heading Limitations and Shortcomings. 

Read the article -- and then let me know what you think!

Tight Blood Pressure Control

I always find it interesting when a study comes out saying that there isn't a real difference between tight regulation (though pharmacological means) and improved long-term outcomes of the disease the tighter control is meant to help.

This study is a case in point.  It looks at the incidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes during the follow up period.  It determines that those with BP kept under 130 mm Hg systolic pressure did not decrease their chances of dying in the follow-up period more than those with a BP kept between the 140-130 mm Hg level.

Usually, the extra control comes from adding another BP medication.  But my question has always been, is that extra med doing any good?  And, is that extra med doing more harm, since it is another non-food item the body has to metabolize and get out of the system.

I am not advocating you go off your BP meds right now -- but I think it at least bears some thought and perhaps some thoughtful discussion with your health care provider.  Like so many other things -- sometimes more is not better...it is just more.

My Paranoia might not be wholey unfounded???

All this summer I have faced the dilemma of just how necessary 30+ SPF really is.  I am extremely suspicious that it might just be the sunscreen that will do me in in the end (but of course then it wouldn't be skin cancer, right?)  And sure, I don't want tons of wrinkles and to look 147 years old -- but I live in Michigan!  With the exception of the few summer days when the planets perfectly align (I have a day off, the sun is out, it isn't too hot, hot, hot to be outside, and I am actually outside), most of my skin is covered up most of the time.

And without the sunlight hitting skin, bodies don't make Vitamin D.  Many of you know how important this vitamin is to calcium absorption (essential) but you may not know that our bodies are much more efficient at making Vitamin D we can actually use than it is absorbing the Vitamin D that comes from the drug store.

Strong bones are important -- really important!  But this study suggests that strong bones might just be the tip of the iceberg for what Vitamin D does. 

The researchers found 2,776 binding sites for the vitamin D receptor along the length of the genome. These were unusually concentrated near a number of genes associated with susceptibility to autoimmune conditions such as MS, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (or 'lupus') and rheumatoid arthritis, and to cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and colorectal cancer.

It's not a done deal -- these are merely associations right now, so don't run off to a nudest colony in the Bahama's and try to get your HSA to pay for it.  Just give it some thought and keep your eyes and ears open for further research.

It's your whole diet pattern that matter -- not individual components

Ever consider just taking a pill instead of eating your veggies?  Same thing, right?  Sorry!  The answer is no it's not.  Scientist have looked at people with Metabolic Syndrome.  Those most successful at reversing their health issues are the ones that change their whole dietary pattern to include less high-fat, highly processed food and add in more whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  (in other words, REAL FOOD)

There's just no getting around it!  We need to eat things that grow in the ground and on trees if we want to achieve that next level of health.

Click here and here for more information.

Think Tai Chi is only for old people?

No way!  If you have ever taken a class, you might have notice how the movements highlight your lack of balance and coordination.  Think your coordinated?  Maybe, maybe not -- but you'll know for sure after your first session on Tai Chi.

Young and old alike can benefit from these ancient, smooth movements.  Alternative forms of movement are attracting the attention of the West's scientific community.  The newest study I have come across looks at whether Tai Chi is a better therapy for Fibromyagia sufferers than just stretching.  And the results of that study??

Survey says "Tai Chi wins out as a more effective pain management technique.  As an added bonus -- with less pain, people suffer from less depression.

Interested in trying Tai Chi?  Click here for classes at BHFC.

The Web can be a great (and terrible) resource for people dealing with disease

From WebMD to Wikipedia, the web is full of places to get information on disease.  I just came across this one though.  PatientsLikeMe is a community website where you can connect with people working through the disease process.  There is information on symptoms, treatments, and research.

If you or a loved one is struggling to make sense of what is happening with your health, this might be a great tool to receive or share information.  If you're considering posting your health information, though, please be sure to read this.

Myofacial Pain Syndrome -- Have you ever heard of it?

Seems like you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone who has muscle pain.  Muscle pain is pretty common -- most of us have experienced it and likely will again.  But what about those you know who have muscle pain that just doesn't seem to go away?

Fibromyalgia is getting a lot of press in the last few years (mostly because they have some new drugs to treat the pain).  But what if you aren't meeting those diagnosis criteria?  Perhaps you feel like you have chronic muscle knots -- they might move around but they're always somewhere -- and they hurt!  What are they and what can you do about them?  Myofacial Pain Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as tendinitis or fibromyalgia. 

Trigger point therapy is used to treat the more mild cases.  With a little knowledge and know how -- chronic muscle pain could be a thing of the past!

The 7th Leading cause of Death in the US is largely preventable!!

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the US. 

When I was younger (and even though it was a while ago, I wasn't THAT young), I didn't think diabetes was any big deal.  So you got some diagnosis.  Your body could deal with the sugar you age efficiently enough.  You tested your blood sugar -- tried to stay away from some the the sugar in your diet -- things were fine -- no big deal.

Then I started learning that with diabetes, a person without good control dies by parts.  First is just the diagnosis.  But then some time goes by and you lose feeling in your feet .. then your hands -- Hello!  the nerves have died!  As in dead!!  --Because you don't have good blood supply.  And you know what?  If you don't have good blood supply there -- your whole system -- every part of you has decreased blood supply.

Blindness can occur from this tissue death.  Irreparable organ damage happens.

And then most impactful to the younger version of me???  The time I spent in the hospital with a family friends while their diabetic dad was in surgery and might not come out of it with both legs because he had a sore that wouldn't heal and each time they tried to surgically help him, they had to take more of his tissue -- until finally the leg needed to come off so the rest of him could live.

But here's the mind-boggling thing: