The FDA watches risk factors of different drugs and occasionally they will either put out a warning or in some cases pull a product all together. Well today one product type for pain relief did get pulled

On July 7, 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced actions it was taking to reduce the risk of overdose in people who use pain medications, such as Darvon and Darvocet. These medications contain the drug propoxyphene, which is linked to death from overdoses.

FDA finds there is evidence that propoxyphene can effectively treat pain at recommended doses. But because of the drug’s potential risks, the agency is requiring manufacturers to provide more information to help physicians and patients decide whether propoxyphene is the appropriate pain treatment. Read the rest of this entry »

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Be sure to find out how you can change your life with the Free Fitness program.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Darvon, dizziness, fda, food and drug administration, lightheadedness, nausea, pain, vomiting

I am always concerned about hydration when I exercise but in the summer months when it is hard to stay hydrated even when doing nothing it is even more critical to keep your water and electrolytes up.

Proper hydration plays a critical role in athletic performance. Some consequences of dehydration are as follows: cramping, fatigue, dizziness, rapid elevation of body temperature, confusion, fainting, and the inability to sweat (cooling mechanism of the body).

Despite these symptoms obviously hampering athletic performance, they can progress rapidly into heat exhaustion or heat stroke. In order to avoid these serious side effects and increase the ability to perform at top levels, it is essential that not only athletes, but everyone that is exposed to Louisiana temperatures have a clear understanding of how to maintain proper hydration.

When focusing on hydration, it is important to look at some warning signs that the body gives to signal the lack of proper hydration. Thirst is considered by some experts to be an early signal that your body is in need of re-hydration. But according to Nancy Clark in her “Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” athletes may have already lost over a pound and a half of water weight before their thirst mechanism kicks in. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: dehydration, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, Louisiana, Nancy Clark, Porche, stroke

Detoxification diets are specially-developed with the main purpose of sanitizing and cleansing the body by flushing out toxins and other synthetic chemicals. Detox diet plans are proven to have good beneficial effects on the over-all state of health of users. However, some scientific studies have revealed that detox diets can harm the body, especially to young people.

What are Detox Diets?

It is common knowledge that detox programs involve fasting. There are various versions of fasting: full, moderate, and maintenance. The full version requires complete absence of solid foods during the detoxification period. The moderate fasting allows only fresh fruits and vegetables with the detox diet. Lastly, the maintenance version set aside one day of full-version fasting every week-which is a diet of no-solid-all-liquid.

The general idea of eliminating waste materials from the body is very good. Who want to store toxins inside their bodies? Cleanliness, inside and out, is very much desired by users of detox diets; even though they have to suffer from several side effects during the cleansing period. Most people experience headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and fatigue. These are negative reactions shown by the body while getting detoxified. It is not surprising that body systems are shocked while massive amount of harmful substances passes through on their way out. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: body systems, dizziness, energy levels, flushing, headaches, pain, synthetic chemicals, vomiting

I have been compiling info on artificial sweetners for years and there are some that are OK and some that are really bad for you but here is a bit of an overview of he dangers of using different artificial sweeteners to try to drop your calorie intake.

Aspartame

Aspartame, a dipeptide of aspartic acid and a methyl ester of phenylalanine, is approved for use in pharmaceutical products and is being used increasingly in chewable tablet and sugar-free formulations. Labels for both prescription and nonprescription products must include the phenylalanine content. The major consideration in the use of aspartame in children is in patients with autosomal recessive phenylketonuria. Although heterozygotes do not appear to have clinically significant increases in phenylalanine after ingestion of even large amounts (equivalent to 24 12-oz cans of diet beverages), homozygotes with strict dietary restrictions should avoid aspartame. Children without dietary restrictions could safely ingest 10 mg/kg/day. Dietary consumption of aspartame is typically less than 5 mg/kg/day; young children, however, could ingest considerably more. For example, a 2-year-old child weighing 12 kg consumes 17 mg/kg from drinking one 12-oz can of diet soda and one serving of a sweetened product (eg, cereal, pudding, gelatin, or frozen dessert). Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: absence seizures, affective disorders, albuminuria, allergy, American Herbal Products Association, American Medical Association, artificial chemical, artificial sweetners, aspartame, aspartic acid, bladder cancer, blisters, Brazil, cancer, chemical, dairy by-product, dairy products, depression, diarrhea, diet beverages, Dietary Supplement, dietary supplements, dizziness, eczema, epilepsy, evidence, fda, FDA/National Cancer Institute, food, food additive, Food additives, food processors, food products, headache, headaches, Hypersensitivity, insomnia, Japan, Japanese government, migraine headaches, mitral valve prolapse, nausea, neuropsychiatric disorders, nonprescription products, oliguria, panic attacks, Paraguay, pharmaceutical agents, pharmaceutical products, phenylketonuria, placebos, product, prurigo, pruritus, Saccharin, salty applications, SeaLife SL 200C 35mm Film Camera, seizure disorders, seizures, sodium chloride, Stevia, strabismus, Sucralose, tachycardia, Tagatose, United States, urticaria, vascular headaches, visual hallucinations, wheezing

Just caught this long article on Eating disorders on the main MSN.ca site. There are a lot of facts in this article and it is interesting that when people want to better their health sometimes they go to far and actually harm themselves by losing to much weight. I used to hate the talk of Anorexia and Bulimia being a disease thinking that it was just a way for some people to get attention but have really learned over the last few years that this is something that is a very dangerous disease with very deep rooted causes.

Eating disorders have increased in frequency as a consequence of society’s emphasis and preoccupation with thinness. Eating disorders are multi-factorial, with genetic, traumatic and nutritional causes. In North America, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the two most important eating disorders. They predominantly affect females.

What is the difference between anorexia and bulimia?

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric condition where people intentionally starve themselves because of a false belief that they are fat, or for fear of becoming obese. In reality, they are almost always underweight or of normal weight when the condition starts. It is estimated that more than 90% of all those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa are female, often from middle and upper socioeconomic backgrounds. This disorder usually starts in the years between adolescence and young adulthood, with the average age at onset of 14 years. Anorexia nervosa afflicts about 1 per 100,000 in the population at large, but the rate is believed to be higher among Caucasian adolescent girls – about 1 in 200. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: affective disorder, alcohol abuse, American Psychiatric Association, anorexia nervosa, anxiety disorders, binge-purge syndrome, bulimia nervosa, cognitive behavioural therapy, constipation, Counselling, dangerous disease, dehydration, depression, digestive and reproductive systems, dizziness, drug abuse, Drug therapy, dysfunctional family environments, eating disorder, eating disorders, enemas, esophagitis, food, food craving, food cravings, food restriction, inflammation, low blood pressure, malnutrition, Mumps, nervous and hormonal systems, north America, obesity, obsessive compulsive disorder, olanzapine, panic disorder, parenting, Psychotherapy, runner, schizophrenia, social phobias, starvation, vomiting

Some of the most astonishing miracles to come out of the nutrition laboratories in recent months have had to do with the mighty family of water-soluble vitamins grouped together under the head of the B complex.

When they use the term “B complex,” scientists are tacitly admitting that they do not know all the vitamins that compose it. Yet experiments with animals indicate that the B vitamins may turn out to be the most remarkable treasure house o£ human health thus far discovered.

The entire B complex (not the individual and better known B vitamins) appears to be a preventive o£ baldness and of gray hair, at least in animals, as we shall later see. Liberal B intake in animals is believed by many researchers to encourage greater resistance to infantile paralysis. Also, in very recent experiments, it has proved remarkably effective in preventing the development of liver cancers in laboratory rats. Right now there is a ferment of activity to relate these startling findings to human beings. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: alcoholism, anemia, b complex, b vitamins, B1 deficiency, baldness, beef liver, beriberi, chicken livers, constipation, cramps, delirium tremens, dizziness, energy, Energy-yielding carbohydrates, food, Golf, hallucinations, head, headache, heart failure, infantile paralysis, liver cancers, numbness, pain, peptic ulcers, poisoning, starvation, temperance lecturer, Tennis, thiamin, vitamin b1, vitamin deficiencies, water soluble vitamins, yeast

What is a low carb diet?

I realized that I have mentioned a bunch of times about how people should lower the amount of carbs in their diet and increase the amount of protein in their diet. This is sometimes called carb depleting but the way I look at it if you drop your carbs somewhat and increase protein you are going to be in better shape. Just so not drop the carbs too far.

Low-carbohydrate diets for weight control have been very popular. Anyone who is considering losing weight has heard about low carb diets. Key questions you may have are: What are low carb diets? Are they safe? How do they work? Can low carb diets have any negative side effects to my health in the long term?

As the number of overweight and obese people has increased, calls to overweight people encouraging them to lose weight have also increased. As a result, there are more searches for diets that can help people lose weight and keep it off.

Today, more people who are deformed and overweight are engaging in the low carb dieting for their better health and vitality; and also to prolong their lives. It is noteworthy that low carb diets have also been followed by even those who are healthy and who are not overweight; bust would like to maintain their well-being, energy, vitality and health by following the basics of the low carb diet. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Atkins New Diet Revolution, carbs, constipation, diabetes, dizziness, energy, fatigue, food manufacturers, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, lose weight, low carb diet, low carb diets, low carb food, low fat diets, nausea, obesity, protein

There is a lot of confusion surrounding menopause. The term “menopause” actually refers to the point in time when a woman hasn’t had a menstrual period in 12 consecutive months. However, many women refer to the process that leads up to their last period as “going through menopause.” Medically, that process is called perimenopause.

During perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries gradually reduce the amount of estrogen they produce, which causes menstrual periods to become irregular and, eventually, to stop. Some women have their ovaries removed surgically, creating a condition known as surgical menopause, which eliminates perimenopause and results in an abrupt stop in menstrual periods.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

A few lucky women (about 15%) have no symptoms other than irregular menstrual periods. Most women, though, have at least some symptoms. Generally, the symptoms fade over time and disappear completely once a woman reaches the point of menopause. The most common symptoms include:

• Hot flashes: These sudden changes in body temperature arrive without warning, are often accompanied by heavy sweating, and generally last a few minutes. When they occur during sleep, they are called night sweats, and they can be severe enough to awaken some women and make it impossible for them to get a good night’s rest.

• Vaginal changes: Dryness, itching, and irritation sometimes occur and may interfere with sexual intercourse. Your pharmacist can help you select products to minimize these symptoms.

• Urinary tract problems: Some women become more likely to develop infections or bladder control problems. There are treatments a doctor can prescribe to treat these conditions.

• Other physical changes: Some women experience palpitations, mild dizziness, tingling sensations, fatigue, restlessness, constipation, or aching bones. Others gain weight or find that their breasts become smaller.

• Emotional changes: Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, memory loss, and other emotional symptoms can result from changing hormone levels, lack of sleep (often the result of night sweats), or a variety of other factors.

Some of the changes that take place during peri menopause have a permanent effect on a woman’s health. For example:

• Heart: The loss of estrogen raises the level of LDL (”bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides in a woman’s blood, increasing her risk of developing heart problems.

• Bones: As the level of estrogen in a woman’s body declines, her bones may become weaker and brittle, increasing her risk of developing osteoporosis.

• Sex organs: The wall of the vagina may become thinner and drier, making intercourse painful and increasing the risk of infection, and her breasts may become smaller and sag.

• Skin: Because the skin is likely to become drier and lose its elasticity, it may lose its youthful appearance

Tags: constipation, dizziness, emotional_changes, fatigue, hot_flashes, irregular_menstrual_periods, irritation, itching, last_period, memory loss, menstrual_period, night_sweats, osteoporosis, perimenopause, pharmacist, restlessness, symptoms_of_menopause

Causes of Respiratory Allergies

Doctors don’t know for sure why some people get allergies or allergic asthma. However, they have identified some factors that make a person more likely to develop these conditions:
• Family history-the tendency to develop allergies may be inherited
• Exposure to air pollution
• Being exposed to certain substances in the workplace
• Exposure to secondhand smoke
• Having certain health conditions, such as respiratory infections during childhood or being overweight

Diagnosing Allergies
Some allergies are easy to identify, because there is an obvious pattern of symptoms following exposure to certain substances. For example, if a person always sneezes around cats, that points to an allergy to cats. Someone who gets a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes every spring may be allergic to pollen.

A visit to the doctor’s office for a physical exam¬ination is important. When the allergy trigger is not obvious, the doctor may recommend a specialist called an allergist who will likely do a series of skin tests to identify the allergens that are causing the problem.

Treating Allergies

Avoiding the allergen is the best way to prevent an allergy attack, but this isn’t always possible. Someone who is allergic to pollen, for example, can’t hide in a closet during allergy season. However, there are some steps people can take to reduce their exposure to allergens. If pet dander is the trigger, it will help to limit the areas of the home that family pets are allowed to be in. If dust is the problem, regular cleaning will help to keep it from accumulating. Avoiding damp areas will help if mould is the culprit.

Medications can help ease the symptoms. Some can be bought over-the-counter; others require a prescription. Allergy medicines fall into several different categories:
• antihistamines
• decongestants
• corticosteroids
• bronchodilators
• mast cell stabilizers
• leukotriene modifiers

When medications don’t provide enough relief, a doctor may recommend immunotherapy (allergy shots) to reduce sensitivity to the allergy triggers.

Not every treatment is right for all allergy sufferers, so it is very important to discuss possible treatments with your doctor.

Anaphylactic Shock

Sometimes the sensitivity to an allergen is so extreme that the body goes into anaphylactic shock (also known as anaphylaxis). This is a sudden, severe allergic reaction that affects various systems in the body. The result is:

• difficulty breathing
• swelling of the face, throat, lips, and tongue
• rapid drop in blood pressure
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness
• unconsciousness.

If it is not treated rapidly, it may lead to death. Anaphylaxis can happen within seconds of being exposed to a triggering substance, or it might happen up to two hours later. Among the most common causes of anaphylaxis are peanuts, seafood, and insect stings.

Anaphylaxis requires immediate treatment. People who know they have severe reactions should carry medication (epinephrine) with them at all times. The medication comes in a small syringe that may look like a pen, and it must be injected. Highly allergic people, their family members, and their friends should know how to give the injection in an emergency. This knowledge could save a life. Medical treatment is important even after the shot is given, because a single injection is not always enough.

Your pharmacist will be happy to answer any questions you have about allergies or allergy treatments and to help you select products to ease your family’s symptoms.

Tags: air_pollution, allergic reaction, allergies, allergy, allergy_attack, allergy_medicines, allergy_season, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, Asthma, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, dizziness, epinephrine, family_pets, immunotherapy, itchy_watery_eyes, nausea, pet_dander, pharmacist, respiratory infections, respiratory_allergies, sneezes, unconsciousness, vomiting

A food allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system. When a person is sensitive to a food, such as peanuts, the immune system overreacts when the person comes in contact with that food. True food allergies are quite rare, affecting only about 1 % of adults and about 5% of children.

Many people think they have a food allergy, but what they really have is a food intolerance, which is a problem in the digestive tract and does not involve the immune system. In someone with a food intolerance, either the food irritates the digestive tract or the body is unable to digest that food properly.

While the symptoms of food allergies and food intolerances are often similar, there are important differences between them as well. Eating even a tiny amount of a food can trigger an allergic reaction, and the reaction will happen every time the person eats that food. On the other hand, a food intolerance may not cause a reaction unless a large amount of the food is consumed. For example, in someone with lactose intolerance drinking a cup of coffee with a small amount of milk in it may not cause a problem, but that same person might become sick after drinking a whole glass of milk.
The foods that most commonly trigger allergies are:
� cow’s milk
� eggs
� fish (such as bass, cod, and flounder)
� shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
� peanuts
� tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts)
� wheat
� soy

Symptoms
Food allergy symptoms usually develop within an hour of eating the food, sometimes within minutes, and they can range from mild and annoying to frightening and life-threatening. People who are especially sensitive may have a reaction from simply touching the food or breathing in particles of it.

Symptoms of a food intolerance may be extremely uncomfortable, but they are typically less serious than the symptoms of a food allergy.

In severe cases of food allergy, the person may suffer from a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. This dangerous reaction can cause:
� tightening of the airways, including a swollen
throat that causes breathing difficulties
� shock, with a severe drop in blood pressure
� rapid pulse
� dizziness, light headedness, or loss of consciousness.

These are warning signs of a serious problem and require immediate medical attention. There is a medication (epinephrine) that people with serious allergies should carry at all times. It comes in a self-injecting device, and anyone who has food allergies or knows someone who does should know how to use the device. This can, quite literally, be a life saver. Even if the reaction is controlled quickly, immediate medical attention is still necessary. A single injection is not always enough to completely control the reaction.

People with severe allergies should also wear medical identification jewelry. During a severe reaction a person may not be able to speak, and this jewelry can identify the problem for emergency medical personnel so that the proper treatment can be given quickly.

When a child has a food allergy, the parents must take special precautions. Make sure that all caregivers (including family members, teachers, babysitters, and the parents of the child’s friends) all know how to use the epinephrine injection device. Older children should learn to use the device themselves.

Parents must also impress on children how important it is not to eat the food they are allergic to. Young children should be instructed never to eat food given to them by anyone other than a family member. Older children should be instructed to ask about any food someone gives them and to make sure the person giving them the food knows about their allergy and how serious it is.

Tags: allergic reaction, allergies, allergy, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, dizziness, epinephrine, epinephrine injection device, family member, food, food allergies, food allergy, food allergy symptoms, food intolerance, food intolerances, immune system, lactose intolerance, light headedness, loss of consciousness, peanuts, self-injecting device