Death Rates From Prescription Drugs
Explode at the Beginning of Each Month

According to research, deaths attributed to medication errors rise by as much as 25 percent above normal in the first few days of every month. This study is the first to document a beginning-of-the-month boost in deaths associated with mistakes in prescription drugs.

The Problem
The primary culprit behind these death rates: A beginning-of-the-month increase in pharmacy workloads and a consequential increase in their error rates. To offer a further explanation of this occurrence, one sociologist stated, "Government assistance payments to the old, sick and the poor are typically received at the beginning of each month. Because of this, there is a beginning-of-the-month spike in purchases of prescription medications."

However, further findings suggest otherwise.

Researchers examined all United States death certificates from 1970 to 2000 to analyze some 131,000 deaths caused by fatal poisoning accidents from drugs. They found that a small number (3 percent) of the deaths were from adverse effects of the right drug taken at the right dose, while the majority of deaths (97 percent) resulted from medication errors:

· Wrong dose given or taken
· Accidental overdose of a drug
· A drug taken inadvertently
· It was also discovered that the beginning-of-the-month spike in deaths was apparent in the young and well as in the elderly and poor, indicating the problem is partially due to pharmacy error.

(The study did not include specific clinical information regarding prescription type, dosage or days supply, nor did it include deaths associated with overdose of street drugs or from intentional poisoning.)

The Solution
In order to reduce the medication-error death rate researchers recommended:
· Pharmacies to consider increasing staffing levels at the beginning of each month
· Government officials to consider spreading assistance payments out over the entire month, rather than the beginning.
· Both patients and clinical staff to make a special effort to check the accuracy of their prescriptions at the beginning of each month

Science Daily, 6th January 2005
Per www.mercola.com
Excellent free newsletter available from this site,

Kill Pill

Bad 'Cures' Wipe Out 10,000 People a Year
By Dr Hilary

Next time you are taking a pill your doctor has prescribed for you, think before you swallow. For there's a slight chance the little tablet in the palm of your hand will do you more harm than good. And you should be prepared to find out everything you can about its ingredients and side-effects before putting it on your tongue - because an astonishing 10,000 people a year die from bad medicine in the UK.

There are plenty of case histories. Colin, a 44-year-old builder, collapsed and died from a bleeding stomach ulcer caused by long-term use of anti-inflammatory pills. Dave, a seventeen-year-old student, was taking anti-depressants and apparently doing well until he suddenly took his own life.

Mary, a 38-year-old secretary, was prescribe a harmless looking appetite-suppressant tablet and developed heart failure as a result a few years later.

A recent survey showed that out of 20,000 emergency admissions to two NHS hospitals, 1,300 were actually victims of medicine side-effects. It's estimated that the NHS spends £466 million looking after patients made even more ill by their prescriptions - and the ever-increasing numbers of newer and more potent drugs is making the problem worse.

Only during the last few weeks Vioxx - a commonly dispensed anti-arthritic tablet - and Crestor, a cholesterol lowering agent, have both been hastily withdrawn from the market because of concerns over a link to increased heart disease rates. All of the most modern types of anti-depressants have been banned from use by teenagers because of concerns over increased suicides. In some cases the drugs have turned people into killers.

In 1989 Joseph Wesbecker entered a Louisville, Kentucky printing plant and shot dead eight people before turning the gun on himself. Wesbecker was on an anti-depressant. The families of the victims claimed the medication had affected Wesbecker's state of mind and sued the pill's manufacturer who settled with them out of court.

It isn't just the newest medicines or those used for the most serious conditions that cause the problems. Far from it.

Humble aspirin is often hailed as the oldest surviving painkiller of all and is used to stave off strokes and heart attacks, thin the blood and prevent colon cancer. But it is also responsible for nearly 20 per cent of all admissions caused by adverse drug reactions. Aspirin's side-effects include fevers, especially in the young and gastro-intestinal disorders.

Penicillin causes allergic reaction in 10 per cent of the population. Beta-blockers, used for controlling high blood pressure, can make asthma worse.

So what can we do to protect patients from bad medicine?

Doctors need to prescribe medicines which are gentler, less often and in the lowest effective dose for the least amount of time. They need to spell out the side-effects of the drug to the patient before handing over the prescription.

Patients should ask the doctor how their medicine works and what are the likely side-effects? They should ask if any pills they are already taking - including herbal treatments - will react badly with it.

It's only by being savvy that you will prevent any nasty reactions to the medicines you take and reduce the risk of making yourself MORE ill than you were before you took them.
The News of the World, 16th January 2005

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: If the only conclusion the News of the World can come to is to use more gentler, friendly drugs, then let me interpolate the proper nostrum: Drugs kill, damage, confuse, cause suicide, and only treat the symptoms. While they can put a patient into a holding pattern (Warfarin thinning the blood, pain-killers for killing pain, etc.), they do not solve the underlying cause of any illness. The only reason you need to consult a doctor whenever discontinuing medication is to find out whether they have been keeping your blood pressure down artificially, so if you stop, you might have a problem. Arthritis patients are given pain-killers or steroids, never the unpatentable advice they need to stop themselves damaging their joints further.

Folks, always seek to change diet and lifestyle first. Stay as far away from doctors as you can unless you accidentally run into the back of one in a road accident. Find a real doctor trained in nutritional protocols who can oversee you where necessary. For more information on the drug-death phenomenon, please see the resources below.

Further Resources

Health Wars by Phillip Day
Wake up to Health in the 21st Century by Steven Ransom
The Mind Game by Phillip Day

Click here to purchase or review any of the above.
Click here for telephone sales around the world.
Click here if you wish to contact Credence for information on treatment options or resources.

Drug Giant Admits Another Arthritis
Painkiller Increases Heart Risks

by Dr Joseph Mercola

Pfizer announced that patients who took a high dosage of Celebrex, its top moneymaking painkiller, were in the higher risk bracket for heart attacks. This announcement was made right on the heels of the withdrawal of its one-time big competitor, Vioxx, which was stripped from store shelves in September.

Pfizer admitted that one of two cancer trials revealed an increased cardiovascular risk over placebo, while the other trial revealed no greater cardiovascular risk.

The results of this study prompted one cardiologist to discontinue prescribing Celebrex and all other COX-2 inhibitors.

Celebrex and Vioxx fall into the category of painkillers known as Cox-2-inhibitors. These drugs have gained extensive popularity among arthritis sufferers due to their effectiveness in alleviating arthritis pain without side effects such as upset stomach and bleeding.

A spokesperson from Pfizer stated the company had no plans to remove Celebrex from the market. Celebrex also just so happens to be one of the biggest moneymakers for the drug company pulling in $1.9 billion in sales in 2003. Bextra trailed close behind with total sales of $687 million.

When problems with Bextra arose, the FDA took action by placing warning labels on the bottles warning patients of potential heart problems linked to taking the drug in people who had recently undergone heart bypass surgery. In regard to the announcement on Celebrex, the FDA responded by saying they would be studying the new data on Celebrex before taking any necessary actions. Until these actions are determined, they encouraged doctors to offer alternative treatments.

Pfizer, on the other hand, has plans in the works to conduct an extensive trial next year to verify the heart-safety of Celebrex in arthritis patients who recently experienced a heart attack.
USA Today, 17th December 17, 2004
Per www.mercola.com
Excellent free newsletter available from this site.

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: The real story itching to come out here is not that 'the drugs can do you in' (we've known that for years), but a) the public can clearly see the drug industry has absolutely no clue how to treat disease other than by deadening the pain and removing the symptoms and b) isn't this the unimpeachable drug regulation procedure the EU wishes to employ to save us from our wicked vitamins?

Osteoarthritis and rheumatism are eminently treatable using natural means. There's the news that's fit to print! In my book, The ABC's of Disease, I lay out the research that has been done on these conditions and the best strategies to adopt to get us back on our feet and squeak-free. But we will have to do a little more than groan at the inconvenience and pop a pill.

Further Resources
The ABC's of Disease by Phillip Day

Click here to purchase or review any of the above.
Click here for telephone sales around the world.
Click here if you wish to contact Credence for information on treatment options or resources.