FIELD BURNING REVISITED – ILLEGAL ON APPEAL * EPA TO STEP IN – AGAIN – WILL THE CDA TRIBE and THE ELECTED OFFICIALS STEP UP TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL “PATIENT ADVOCACY” PLATE?

can you buy gabapentin online reddit The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals declared that the field burning practice since 1993 has been illegal. The unanimous decision by the Court forces a reconsideration of events that allowed the practice to continue despite widespread opposition. The EPA federal laws overpower the lobbyist-generated state laws. An environmental plea must go out to the owners of the lands where field burning is conducted. buy Pregabalin online next day delivery www.castMD.com has been writing about this issue for months – where has the EPA been? Where have the protectors of the land, water, and air been? To lease or rent, knowingly for the practice, is like knowlingly leasing a house for meth making or meth distribution. All the parties know that this practice pollutes. All the parties know that this practice is unsafe for patients. All the parties know this is harmful to the people of the earth. Isn't it time for leadership by the elders, officials, elected few, and, as "Country Attorney" Jerry Spence would say: "Faceless corporations?" Which leaders will be strong, bold, and sincere to tell the truth AND do the right thing? It is time to "walk the environmental talk."

SEE PREVIOUS ENTRIES:

http://www.castmd.com/?p=53

http://www.castmd.com/?p=47

http://www.castmd.com/?p=46

http://www.castmd.com/?p=48

http://www.castmd.com/?p=24

http://www.castmd.com/?p=8

quit smoking – cessation by drug – nicotine blocker chantix – how good is it? side effects and risks?

The latest news on this new nicotine receptor blocker to assist you to quit smoking is good but not the great breakthrough. Research is getting hotter. And we can help patients "shock" that habit with this new drug at a brain receptor level.

What castMD has been told is a reality of about 25 % of patients on this medicine (lest we forget…risks of medicine exist here also) continue to be smoke-free at about 3 months, and about 45 % are smoke-free at about 6 months. This is the latest scoop on this as compared to previous numbers below. As with all new drugs, the love affair of the honeymoon settles in to reveal the subsequent anniversaries and the baseline love still there. Thus, as with new drugs…but this addiction research is approaching marvelous breakthroughs with the MRI, PET, 3D scanners and high tech computer software in the brain research world.

Many patients have success with the gum, patch, or control device. Yet many simply quit cold turkey…but often this is after "an event" such as a heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, emphysema attack…landing that patient in the hospital.

The "click of the heels" and make a wish still remains hard work, commitment, and desire to stop smoking. Moral, family, and friend support must be involved to a level that they all qualify for an "Oscar" for best supporting role!

Journal of the AMA published an article in July, 2006 on the Chantix nicotine receptor blocker and its goal of stopping smoking:

44% of those on Chantix were not smoking at 12 weeks
29.5%% of those on Zyban were not smoking at 12 weeks
18% of those on a placebo were not smoking at 12 weeks
22% of those on Chantix did not smoke from week 9 to 52
16% of those on Zyban did not smoke from week 9 to 52
8.4% of those on a placebo did not smoke from week 9 to 52

*****

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced approval of Chantix (varenicline tartrate) tablets, to help cigarette smokers stop smoking. The active ingredient in Chantix, varenicline tartrate, is a new molecular entity that received a priority FDA review because of its significant potential benefit to public health.

Chantix acts at sites in the brain affected by nicotine and may help those who wish to give up smoking in two ways: by providing some nicotine effects to ease the withdrawal symptoms and by blocking the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if they resume smoking.

"Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and is responsible for a growing list of cancers as well as chronic diseases including those of the lung and heart," said Scott Gottlieb, MD, Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs. "The agency is committed to helping facilitate the development of products to help people quit smoking and improve their overall quality of life."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 44.5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes and more than 8.6 million of them have at least one serious illness caused by smoking.

"Cigarette smoking is a very difficult habit to break due in large part to nicotine dependence or addiction" said Dr. Steven Galson, Director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Chantix therapy has proven to be effective in smokers motivated to quit and will provide another tool for physicians to use for the millions of smokers who want to quit."

The effectiveness of Chantix in smoking cessation was demonstrated in six clinical trials, which included a total of 3659 chronic cigarette smokers who were treated with varenicline. Five of the six studies were randomized, controlled clinical trials in which Chantix was shown to be superior to placebo in helping people quit smoking.

The approved course of Chantix treatment is 12 weeks. Patients who successfully quit smoking during Chantix treatment may continue with an additional 12 weeks of Chantix treatment to further increase the likelihood of long-term smoking cessation.

In clinical trials, the most common adverse effects of Chantix were nausea, headache, vomiting, flatulence (gas), insomnia, abnormal dreams, and dysgeusia (change in taste perception).

Chantix is manufactured and distributed by Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY.

(adapted from FDA-AMA sources)

CYANIDE ANTIDOTE – FDA APPROVED RECENTLY – WILL IMPROVE FIRE AND POISONED VICTIMS’ CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WITH EARLY EMS AND KEY TO BIOTERRORISM MONITORING *** CYANOKIT (C)

Fire victims, EMS providers, methlab remediation teams, and firefighters will be greatly served by this medical advancement in the United States. This cyanide antidote replaces the "lilly kit" that had been used for years, which used early, was lifesaving but medically cumbersome at best. Three medicines quickly had to be given to these severely critical patients – and the antidote itself had poisoning problems itself. This new antidote uses an extremely novel idea. Vitamin B12, hydroxycobalamin, likes cyanide. With a little molecular twist, the new antidote drug, hydroxocobalamin, simply exchanges a part of the drug and binds the cyanide with impressive results. Dr. Steve Borron, well know to some of us, and definitely an international leader in this arena, has done significant and life changing research on this new antidote to get the approval through the FDA. This antidote has been used in Europe for over a decade with great success. Others like Dr. Hall in Denver has done work on the FDA project years ago. Many have contributed to this landmark success of getting this drug in a workable form into the United States. Congrats to all of them!

FDA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
P06-205
December 15, 2006

Media Inquiries:
Press Office, 301-827-6242
Consumer Inquiries:
888-INFO-FDA

FDA Approves Drug to Treat Cyanide Poisoning

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Cyanokit (containing the drug hydroxocobalamin, intravenous tubing and a sterile spike for reconstituting the drug product with saline) for the treatment of known or suspected cyanide poisoning. The approval, which is based on evidence of the drug's effectiveness when tested in animals, improves the nation's ability to respond to emergencies, including a potential attack by terrorists.

"Cyanide is a potent poison and one of the substances that could be used in a chemical attack," said Dr. Steven Galson, Director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Today's approval is yet another measure to counter the threat of terrorism, which is a critical component of FDA's public health mission."

Cyanokit received a priority review and was approved under the Animal Efficacy Rule, which allows use of animal data for evidence of a drug's effectiveness for certain conditions when the drug cannot be ethically or feasibly tested in humans.

In a controlled study in cyanide-poisoned adult dogs, the use of Cyanokit reduced whole blood cyanide concentration by approximately 55% by the end of the infusion, and significantly improved survival of the Cyanokit-treated dogs compared with dogs receiving placebo.

The safety, metabolism and excretion of Cyanokit were evaluated in 136 healthy adult humans. At the proposed starting dose of 5 grams, the drug was found to be generally well tolerated with side effects that were mild to moderate. The drug exits the body unchanged in the urine. In the presence of cyanide, Cyanokit's active drug takes up the cyanide and becomes a form of vitamin B12.

The most frequently reported adverse reactions in the trial were red urine, skin redness (both from the drug's coloration itself), a temporary increase in blood pressure, headache, nausea and injection site reactions. Allergic reactions were observed in a small number of individuals but were relatively mild and responded quickly to treatment.

Cyanokit is manufactured for EMD Pharmaceuticals, Inc by Merck Sante s.a.s. in Semoy, France and packaged by Dey Laboratories of Napa, California.

More information about FDA's efforts to counteract bioterrorism is available on FDA's website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bioterrorism.html.

(photos courtesy: google images)

METH LABS — smurfing — AFTER THE CLEANUP IS RISK REAL? TOXIC TALE?

Methlabs continue to plague society. Costs continue to rise. New laws embedded. New techniques on how to get the drugs to help make meth continue, for example:

Typical mechanisms that the non-cartel methlab cooks get pseudoephedrine are: smurfing and shelf sweeping. Individuals that “smurf” go to a large number of stores and buy amounts at each retailer of pseudoephedrine that are under the legal limit but in the aggregate are much more. A less sophisticated version of smurfing involves sending many individuals into the same store to buy amounts of pseudoephedrine just below the legal limit. “Shelf sweeping” occurs when an individual or a group goes into a store and remove all the pseudoephedrine on the shelf and then exit without paying.

photo courtesy srhd

Recently, radio listening to a report of the "significant" risks to persons entering into methlab areas that already have been cleaned up or decontaminated or remediated. The report left me believing that any site with any amount of meth activity is the same. Not true.

The report said after the cleanup process has occurred, the persons are still able to be "poisoned" and become "toxic" from being in the decontaminated room. Not probable either.

The epidemic of methlabs across the country have spawned the entire "cleanup industry" making many companies extremely wealthy in the "abatement industry." One operator told me, "If I just turn on the truck, the fee is $2500 dollars, then the bill goes up depending on what we do."

Most ingredients of methlabs are dangerous. Some can be flammable. Some have bombs or incindary devices. However, after the cleanup has occurred, risk is minimal, probably non-existent.

Do you clean out your garage or shed as a methlab decon project – the spaces that have been storage for such contaminants of lawn mower gasoline, oil, garden chemicals, camping or cooking supplies, glass cleaner, carburator fluids, drain cleaners, windshield washer fluids, antifreeze, and other highly toxic day to day chemicals of household use?

The risk of financial collapse for cleanup is hard hitting for any owner that needs to hire a "cleanup" company. It is estimated that a methlab cleanup can cost from $1000 to hundreds of thousands, depending on cartel activity or the mom-pop variety.

Google "methlab cleanup companies" (remediation) and nearly 60,000 hits arrive at the "deal or no deal" option.

Searching and searching, little is found on "risk of after-cleanup toxicity." Colleagues in this area have been surveyed. An anwer is in waiting. Thus far, experience has not shown me one person ill, sick, contaminated, physically harmed, toxic from a space declared "clean."

IMMEDIATE CARE urgent care CLINICS – WHY WAIT IN THE ER * MINOR EMERGENCY WALK IN * URGENT CARE * INJURY ILLNESS – WORKER OCCUPATIONAL CARE – DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE TESTING – MRO REVIEW – SPORTS CARE – FAMILY CARE – URGENT CARE

OVER THE PAST DECADE AT LEAST 400 (FOUR HUNDRED) OR MORE EMERGENCY ROOMS HAVE CLOSED
GREATER 120 MILLION PEOPLE WERE TREATED IN ERS A FEW YEARS AGO – GROWING
GROWTH IS AN ALARMING 20-30% EVERY 5-10 YEARS
COMPLICATED PATIENTS CONTINUE TO GROW – AIDS, TB, CANCER, ADVANCED DIABETES, STROKE, HEART DISEASE COMPLICATIONS, TRAUMA, SHOOTINGS, DRUGS OF ABUSE
NEARLY 50 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE NO INSURANCE OR LIMITED ACCESS

click on link – http://www.nimcc.com

WHAT TO DO:

BRING A LIST OF YOUR ALLERGIES, MEDICATIONS, PAST MEDICAL HISTORY, EKG IF YOU HAVE IT, AND NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS OF SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, AND INSURANCE INFO IF IN DATE

GO TO IMMEDIATE CARE IF UNSURE – IF NOT SEVERELY ILL OR INJURED

IF YOU MUST GO TO THE ER, GO IN THE MORNING…LESS BUSY USUALLY

WHEN IN DOUBT – IF ILLNESS OR INJURY IS SEVERE…CALL 911

TELL THE TRIAGE NURSE YOUR SYMPTOMS…ALL OF THEM

KNOW THE CREDENTIALS OF YOUR DOCTOR…EXPERIENCE

IS THE EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN RESIDENCY TRAINED IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE

IS THE EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BOARD-CERTIFIED IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE

BRING AN ADVOCATE TO WATCH, LISTEN, AND ASK QUESTIONS – ESPECIALLY IF VERY ILL

MANY IMMEDIATE CARE CLINICS CAN TAKE CARE OF MANY ILLNESSES AND MINOR EMERGENCIES – CALL IF UNSURE

MANY IMMEDIATE CARE CLINICS CAN STABILIZE AND TRANSFER TO THE HOSPITAL

MANY IMMEDIATE CARE CLINICS HAVE BOARD CERTIFIED ER DOCS AND ER EXPERIENCED DOCS

PHARMACEUTICAL ADVERTISING TO THE PUBLIC – GAO WEIGHS IN ON THE FDA – WWW GROWTH TOO FAST – PATIENTS SMOTHERING IN DRUG ADS

WWW.CASTMD.COM HAS BEEN HOT TRACKING THIS ONGOING MASSIVE PATIENT BOMBARDMENT.

NOW YOU TOO CAN READ THE WARNING LETTERS FROM THE FDA SITE.

http://www.fda.gov/cder/warn/warn2006.htm

http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning.htm

LIKE PREVIOUS CASTMD.COM BLOGS, http://www.castmd.com/?p=86 THIS LEVEL OF MARKETING PLACES RISK ON PATIENTS AND PHYSICIANS THROUGH THE USE OF THE OLD MARKETING PLOYS AND SILENT ADVERTISING – "SUBLIMINAL SUGGESTION." http://www.castmd.com/?p=79

FDA officials are issuing fewer offense warnings to drug companies for false and misleading advertisements and are taking longer to do it, a congressional report says.

Annual spending on direct-to-consumer drug advertisements at $4.2 billion and growing, the government has limited ability to curb distribution of ads that violate federal rules, according to the report being released Thursday.

From 2002 through 2005, it took the FDA four months on average to draft, approve and send warning letters and other correspondence to companies that were in violation of the rules, government auditors said.

Between 1997 and 2001, before FDA lawyers began reviewing the letters as a matter of policy, it took just two weeks on average to issue the letters. The number of letters fell off by about half between the two time periods.

The GAO also said the FDA lacks an effective way to screen, review and track the more than 10,000 ads and Web sites brought to the agency's attention each year. The amount has doubled in just four years.

(adapted from fxnws/fda/gao)

smokers CALL 911 * LIFE-SAVING DISTANCE ADDED TO SMOKERS BAN BUBBLE – SOME SMOKE IS HEALTHIER THAN OTHER SMOKE IN COEUR D ALENE AND THE IDAHO LEGISLATORS AND LOBBYISTS

AS CASTMD.COM HAS OPINED PRIOR ON THE ONGOING LUNG ASSAULT FROM THE AGENTS OF FIELD BURNING IN NORTHERN IDAHO AND OTHER CLOSE AREAS, NOW THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARE ADDING "LIFE-SAVING" DISTANCE TO THE CIGARETTE SMOKERS BANNED AREAS.

I BELIEVE, IDAHO STATE LAW STATES THAT SMOKING IS ALLOWED ONLY BEYOND 20 FEET FROM A PUBLIC DOORWAY OR ENTRANCE. THE KOOTENAI COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CHANGED IT TO 20 FEET FROM ANY BUILDING.

ONE OF THE LOCAL PAPERS QUOTED A COMMISSIONER SAYING, "IT'S AN EMPLOYEEE, RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUE."

WHAT IS THIS? THE COMMISSIONERS CONTINUE TO ALLOW FIELD BURNING SO PATIENTS, EVEN WITH SEVERE LUNG DISEASE AND HEART DISEASE AND KIDS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS, ASTHMA, AND ALLERGIES – CAN BREATHE POLLUTED AIR IN THE BEAUTIFUL SUMMER AND FALL MONTHS.

IN THE LOCAL PAPER, THE STORY CONTINUED THAT SOMEONE EVEN STATED IT [THE SMOKE] "PERMEATES THE BUILDING." AMAZING TO SAY THE LEAST……

RISE UP FOLKS…DO THE FIELD BURNING AND THE FOREST FIRES BOTHER YOU? CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF TONS OF PARTICULATES CREATED AND THAT YOU MUST INHALE WITH THOSE PROBLEMS. (SEE PREVIOUS BLOGS FROM WWW.CASTMD.COM)

SO, IT IS NOT A MYTH. IT IS TRUE.

IN IDAHO'S LEGISLATORS AND LOBBYISTS, SOME SMOKE IS HEALTHIER THAN OTHER TYPES. SIMPLY AMAZING !

OSTEOPOROSIS AND TREATMENT SIDE-EFFECTS * Jaw Osteonecrosis

THE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR FOSAMAX AND OTHERS BRINGS FORWARD MANY PAID ADVERTISING LAW FIRMS REGARDING LAWSUIT INVITATION AND CONSULTATION REGARDING THIS CONCERN.

WWW.CASTMD.COM LOOKED TO SEE IF THIS IS A PROBABILITY OR POSSIBILITY FOR LITIGATION AND JURY AWARD. WHAT DOES SOME OF THE LITERATURE SAY?

MANY COMMENTS ARE BEING MADE OF THE RISK OF TAKING OSTEOPOROSIS MEDICATION FOR PREVENTING BONE LOSS, AND REBUILDING BONE. MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THE CONTROVERSY IS RELATED TO JAW BONE LOSS, OSTEONECROSIS OF THE JAW. THE CONTROVERSY ALSO RELATES TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE MEDICINES CALLED "BIPHOSPHONATES" SUCH AS FOSAMAX, AREDIA, AND ZOMETA, AND POSSIBLY OTHERS.

OSTEONECROSIS OF THE JAW IS A DEVASTATING CONDITION. THE BONE LOOKS AND ACTS INFECTED. MOST CASES COME FROM THE ILL EFFECTS OF INFECTION DUE TO DENTAL PROBLEMS OR DENTAL SURGERIES. MANY CASES, IF NOT ALMOST ALL, COME FROM THE USE OF INTRAVENOUS USE OF THE MEDICINES, WITH CASES OF METASTATIC BONE CANCER.

MERCK PUBLISHED THEIR CONTROLLED TRIALS OF OVER 17,000 PATIENTS, WITH 10 YEARS' DATA USING FOSAMAX, SHOWING NO REPORTS OF ONJ. IN POST-MARKETING USE, MERCK ESTIMATES BY MARCH 31, 2006 THE CUMMULATIVE RISK FROM ALL SOURCES OF CAUSE WAS ESTIMATED AT LESS THAN 1/100,000 PATIENT-TREATMENT YEARS.

CURRENTLY, THE NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS FOUNDATION SEES THE RISK AS RARE IN PERSONS TAKING ANY ORAL FORM OF THE MEDICINE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS. THE FOUNDATION ALSO STATES THAT IT BELIEVES THAT THE RISK OF FRACTURES AND BONE LOSS IS MUCH GREATER TO MOST PATIENTS THAN ANY RISK OF DEVELOPING THE ONJ PROBLEM DUE TO THE MEDICINES FOR OSTEOPOROSIS.

PLEASE, IF YOU ARE ON A MEDICINE FOR REDUCTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS RISK, A BIPHOSPHONATE, TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND STAY INFORMED. HOPEFULLY THIS HAS ASSISTED YOU IN YOUR DECISION TO BE AND STAY HEALTHY.

THE PRESTIGIOUS NEW ENGLAND JNL OF MED WILL SPEAK TO THE ISSUE THIS NEXT WEEK, I AM ANTICIPATING.

BABY BOOMER BREAKDOWN MEDICAL CLINIC & OXYGEN BAR *** A Health Screening Survey A MEDICAL PARODY

HEALTH SCREENING SURVEY

ARE YOUR HEMORRHOIDS HURTIN’ FROM TOO MUCH HARLEY RIDIN’

ARE YOU DRINKIN' MORE PRUNE JUICE THAN BEER

ARE YOU ASKIN' FOR DIRECTIONS CUZ YOU CAN’T SEE

ARE YOU PALPITATIN’ WHEN MAMA ISN’T EVEN THERE

ARE YOU CREAKIN’ MORE THAN THE FLOOR

ARE YOU BEDDIN’ DOWN BEFORE THE ‘LATE SHOW’

ARE YOU WONDERIN' ABOUT BUYIN’ THE RV

ARE YOU BUYIN' CROAKIES FOR YOUR READIN’ GLASSES

ARE YOU INVESTIN' IN FLAX AND FIBER COMPANIES

ARE YOU DRIBBLIN’ UNTIMELY INSTEAD OF BASKETBALLS

ARE YOU SHOPPIN’ WALMART AND GETTIN’ LOST

ARE YOU BORN BETWEEN '46 AND '64

IF YES

COME TO THE NEW AND UNIQUE

“BABY BOOMER BREAKDOWN

(a select pathway)

(Based on the Vegas Oxygen Bars only with Medicare coverage)

YOU’LL LOVE THE TALKIN’

WITH LITTLE WALKIN’

SIP YOUR JUICE

AND PLAY SOME FOOS

NOT ONLY MEDICARE D CLASSES

BUT KENO AND LOTTO FOR THE MASSES

COME ONE COME ALL

BEFORE YOU TAKE THAT NEXT FALL

CALL FOR APPOINTMENTS NOW…BEFORE YOU FORGET

COCAINE “ENERGY DRINK” IS CAFFEINE BASED – ALOT ! OVERDOSE potential ?

THE LASTEST CRAZE OF ENERGY DRINKS IS THIS PRODUCT BY REDUX BEVERAGES FROM LAS VEGAS. IT IS NOT COCAINE. IT IS CAFFEINE BASED. EACH UNIT HAS ABOUT 280 MG OF CAFFEINE. THE AVERAGE COFFEE CUP HAS ABOUT 80 MG.

THE QUESTION IS: IS IT UNETHICAL ADVERTISING TO HIGHLIGHT AND ENTICE THE "ABUSE" OF OVERUSE, OVERDOSE, AND GETTING HIGH WITH SUCH PRODUCTS?

CAFFEINE OVERDOSE IS A SERIOUS MATTER. MANY TIMES THE KIDS THAT RELY ON THE "HIGH" MAY ALSO BE ABUSING OTHER AGENTS OF TOXICITY.

SHOULD WE ADVERTISE THE "HIGH" OF SNIFFING PAINT, PAINT IS A LEGAL PRODUCT ?

SHOULD WE ADVERTISE THE "HIGH" OF HUFFING COMPUTER AIR, AIR IS A LEGAL PRODUCT?

SHOULD WE ADVERTISE THE "HIGH" OF ALCOHOL, ALCOHOL IS A LEGAL PRODUCT?

THE ANSWER IS THAT THIS PRODUCT AND OTHERS, I BELIEVE, HIGHLIGHT ABUSE AND OVERUSE.

TELLING A PARENT THAT THEIR SON OR DAUGHTER HAS DIED IN THE ER OR WAS D.O.A. IS A REAL EXPERIENCE THAT SOME OF US HAVE HAD TO BARE…

THE ANSWER IS: YES, IT IS UNETHICAL ADVERTISING AND MARKETING. THE COMPANIES SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE "ENTICING" APPROACH.

DEATH BY CAFFEINE IS NOT ANY MORE CALMING THAN DEATH BY OTHER OVERDOSE MEANS. PARENTS BEWARE.

(adapted: aceommroupdt)