Statins lower cholesterol levels, but not heart risk

Business Week on January 17 published an article by John Carey saying that except among high risk heart patients, the benefits of statins such as Liptor, which are used to lower cholesterol levels by 13 millions of Americans in hopes to reduce their heart risk, are quite limited.

The article says trial results indicate that among those who take Liptor, a cholesterol lowering drug manufactured by Pfizers, only 1% of patients may benefit from the drug in reducing his heart risk while 99% people do not experience any benefit during a 3.3-year period.

In addition, the drugs are not inexpensive. The cholesterol lowering drugs sold by Merck, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb in addition to Pfizer earned the drug makers 27.8 billions in sales in 2006 in the U.S. alone, according to the article.   These medications can also cause side effects in an estimated 10% to 15% of statin users including muscle pain, cognitive impairments, and sexual dysfunction.

The report suggests that “Perhaps urging people to switch to a Mediterranean diet or simply to eat more fish. In several studies, both lifestyle changes brought greater declines in heart attacks than statins, though the trials were too small to be completely persuasive.”  

John McCain healthy enough to be president, doctors say

In an effort to prove that John McCain is healthy enough to be President of United States, the Mayo Clinic of Scottsdale released the Arizona senator’s health records.   His doctors said Friday the soon-to-be 72-year old senator has no health problems that would keep him from performing duties as president of the United States should he be elected.

McCain has a history of suffering skin cancer, colon, polyps, kidney stones and dizziness, according to news media.   Some voters may have concern about his health status and age.

Records showed, according to Reuters, that the Arizona senator suffers chronic shoulder pain and moderate pain of the right knee from injuries inflicted when he was shot down as a Navy pilot and imprisoned in Vietnam as a war prisoner for five and a half years.  

McCain has also had four malignant skin cancers known as melanomas removed in 1993, 2000 and 2002.  The most serious one was removed in 2000.  But there is no sign suggesting that he would have recurrence of the deadly skin cancer.
 

Talc power use raises risk of ovarian cancer

Cancer Prevention Coalition endorsed by leading national authorities on May 19 submitted a petition to the FDA to update scientific information detailed in a petition submitted on Nov. 17,1994, which asked the agency to require an ovarian cancer warning to be put on the label of cosmetic talc, but got rejected.

The 2008 petition cited 11 reports in leading scientific journals to say genital dusting with talc powder increases risk of ovarian cancer by 30 to 60 percent.   In an early statement, the coalition says that over 40 scientific publications showed the genital use of talc powder increases the cancer by 35 to 90 percent.

According to the non-profit environmental health advocate, up to 20 percent of U.S. pre-menopausal women regularly dust their genital area, sanitary pads or contraceptive diaphragms with cosmetic grade talcum powder, which is largely made by Johnson and Johnson.

Ovarian cancer kills 15,000 women in the United States each year, according to the press release by the coalition which says in an August 12, 1992 New York Times article, Johnson & Johnson admitted that genital use of talc power raises the cancer by three-fold.

The coalition says cornstarch power is a perfect safe and effective alternative to talc power.

Drivers should not take anti-smoking drug Chantix

The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Thursday said drivers of commercial motor vehicles should not use the anti-smoking drug Chantix because of its potential adverse effects

The FMCSA announcement came only a day after the Federal Aviation Administration banned use of the drug by airplane pilots and air traffic controllers.

The agencies made the decisions in response to a study report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices claiming that Chantix was linked to seizures, dizziness, heart rhythm problems, diabetes and more than 100 accidents, media reported.

According to the report, the drug was associated with 988 serious incidents in the last quarter of 2007.

The FDA has already updated warnings on Chantix’s label to reflect the adverse effects including depression and suicidal thoughts.   But the report urges stronger warnings.   The FDA has not responded to the report.

Turmeric offers lots of health benefits

Scientists have found curcumin, the active ingredient in the traditional herbal remedy and dietary spice turmeric, possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties against many serious diseases including cancer.

Hatcher H at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC
and colleagues published an article titled Curcumin: From ancient medicine to current clinical trials in the March 7, 2008 issue of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences giving a snapshot of what this wonder herbal ingredient can do for humans.

According to the authors, curcumin has many therapeutic properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity. The compound can scavenge free radicals and acts as hydrogen donor, bind metals such as iron and copper, and function as an iron chelator.

Currently, the authors said this compound is being tested in human clinical trials for a variety of conditions including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis and Alzheimer's disease.