coyote's corner

This applies to all women.......
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 3:32 PM
Subject: Jumpin' Pax Flash


> Jumpin' Pax Flash
>
> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert
>
> June 9, 2003
>
> **************************************************************
>
> Dear Reader,
>
> I was torn. I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. (I
> guess I did both because a couple of people stopped by my
> office to see if I was okay.)
>
> That was my reaction last week when I read this "good news"
> for menopausal women who suffer from hot flashes: A new study
> concludes that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
> called paroxetine (better known as Paxil) can reduce the
> frequency and severity of hot flashes.
>
> This is WONDERFUL news...if you happen to be on the board of
> directors of GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Paxil.
>
> But if you're among the many women who will hear about this
> and ask their doctors for a Paxil prescription, you might
> eventually find yourself wishing you could trade the Paxil
> for the hot flashes. The problem is, by then you might not be
> able to.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> 3 out of 4 doctors recommend...
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> There's no need to spend a lot of time with the details of
> this study, so here are the bare bones: Researchers randomly
> selected a group of 165 menopausal women who experienced hot
> flashes and who were not taking a hormone replacement
> therapy. Roughly one-third of the group received 25 mg of
> Paxil daily, one-third received 12.5 mg daily, and one-third
> received a placebo. The frequency and severity of hot flashes
> were approximately reduced (on average) 65 percent in the
> first group, 62 percent in the second group, and 38 percent
> in the placebo group.
>
> The researchers concluded that Paxil may be "an effective and
> acceptable" therapy for treating hot flashes.
>
> Going just by the numbers of this study, it appears that
> Paxil does relieve hot flashes. So I'll let them
> have "effective." But the word I have trouble with
> is "acceptable." Because given the wide variety of problems
> that Paxil users have reported over the past decade, it would
> be stretching the point to call this drug acceptable. And the
> researchers are certainly well aware of the whole Paxil
> package because three of the four members of the research
> team are employees of GlaxoSmithKline.
>
> Nice. I think it was right there I might have screamed.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> A good trade off?
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Because this study was conducted at Johns Hopkins Medical
> School, and because it was published in the Journal of the
> American Medical Association (JAMA), there's no doubt that
> doctors all over the country will be intoning these
> prestigious names when assuring their menopausal patients
> that Paxil is an "effective and acceptable" treatment for
> their hot flashes.
>
> Acceptable? Here are some of Paxil's side effects described
> as "frequent": hypertension, impaired concentration, nausea,
> vomiting, emotional instability, vertigo, inflammation of the
> mucus membrane, rapid heart beat, weight gain, and temporary
> suspension of consciousness. And here's my favorite frequent
> side effect: depression. That's right - the very thing that
> Paxil is designed to relieve.
>
> What's worse is that some patients report even worse side
> effects when they try to discontinue their Paxil use. For
> many years GlaxoSmithKline assured consumers that Paxil was
> non-habit forming and easy to discontinue. Meanwhile, case
> after case reported that patients coming off the drug
> experienced nightmares, dizziness, burning and itching of the
> skin, agitation, sweating and nausea. And for many of those
> patients, the only way to treat the side effects was to begin
> taking Paxil again! And then, just to make it official, last
> year the FDA issued a warning that withdrawal symptoms from
> Paxil may be severe.
>
> All of these things are well known about Paxil. So who (other
> than GlaxoSmithKline employees) could possibly characterize
> Paxil as an acceptable trade off for hot flashes?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> A little spin on the side
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ABC television coverage about the JAMA study reported that
> the researchers "believe" that Paxil is "more promising" than
> alternative therapies such as vitamin E and black cohosh.
> Their study had nothing whatsoever to do with any alternative
> therapies, but ABC kindly helped them create the impression
> that Paxil trumps natural methods of coping with hot flashes.
> Of course, ABC didn't mention the GSK connection to the
> study. They wouldn't want to offend a drug manufacturer that
> buys plenty of TV advertising for its other products,
> including Gaviscon, Contac, Tums, Tagament, Flonase, Zantac,
> Nicorette, and Aquafresh toothpaste.
>
> In an e-Alert I sent you last month ("Spin This" 5/29/03), I
> told you about a number of alternative therapies that have
> relieved menopause symptoms for HSI members. Contrary to what
> the Johns Hopkins researchers would have ABC believe, many
> women find black cohosh to be very effective in controlling
> hot flashes. And if black cohosh doesn't work, there are
> other safe and natural methods to try, including red clover,
> wild yam progesterone cream, indium sulfate, and vitamin E.
> (One member wrote to tell us that daily doses of 2000 mg of
> vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E reduced her frequency of
> hot flashes from 10 each day, to only one. Side effects:
> none.)
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> The larger picture
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think that one of the primary reasons why women ultimately
> won't be happy using Paxil is that there's much more to
> menopause symptoms than just hot flashes. In other words,
> Paxil can't address menopause as a whole.
>
> Some time ago I told you about a special report titled "Look
> and Feel Your Best," written by HSI Panelist Linda Page,
> N.D., Ph.D. - a noted author and a doctor of holistic
> medicine. In "Look and Feel Your Best" Dr. Page shows women
> how to make their way through menopause naturally, without
> using hormone replacement therapy. She emphasizes that
> menopause is actually nature's way of protecting women from
> breast and uterine cancer by rebalancing hormone production -
> a process that no one should try to defeat with
> pharmaceuticals. Read more at
> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/610SHORM/W610D611/home.cfm
> to find out about how Dr. Page's techniques can make the
> difference between just surviving menopause, and emerging
> from it happier and healthier.
>
> Best of all, this report is guaranteed NOT to cause
> hypertension, impaired concentration, nausea, vomiting,
> emotional instability, vertigo, inflammation of the mucus
> membrane, rapid heart beat, weight gain, and temporary
> suspension of consciousness. But if you're feeling blue due
> to menopause symptoms, it just might help lift you out of
> depression.
>
> **************************************************************
> LOSE UP TO 20 POUNDS IN 90 DAYS
>
> Major scientific studies prove that two all-natural plant
> extracts can help you, jump start your metabolism, stimulate
> your body's natural fat-burning ability, reduce body weight
> by up to 14% in 8 weeks, normalize blood sugar levels, boost
> your energy and wipe away the dieting "blues."
>
> One key ingredient has helped people lose up to 20 pounds in
> 90 days - without caffeine or ephedra. Read more to learn
> more about this safe, natural weight management alternative.
>
> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/650SV01/W650D605/home.cfm
> (if you can't open here use the HTML links listed below)
>
> **************************************************************
>
> ..and another thing
>
> You may have heard how the Atkins diet succeeded in
> two "controlled" trials, as reported last month in the New
> England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). An HSI member named Adam
> heard, and sent these comments:
>
> "It is a shame that the results of the study shows no weight
> change after a year. There are too many drop outs for the
> statistics to be non biased. Would like to see your
> comments."
>
> While the results of these studies had their drawbacks, the
> details are not as negative as Adam seems to think.
>
> Both studies (from the University of Pennsylvania) compared
> the Atkins high-protein diet to a high-carbohydrate/low-fat
> diet in obese subjects. In both trials (one lasted 6 months,
> and the other a year) the Atkins groups lost more weight than
> the high-carb groups. In the year-long study, participants of
> both groups gained back some of their initial weight loss.
> The authors of the study called the differences between the
> final net weight losses of the two groups "statistically
> insignificant." And that's true. But in the end, the Atkins
> group lost more than the high-carb group.
>
> This may not sound like a resounding success, but it's a
> success just the same. Because until just recently very few
> mainstream nutrition or dietary experts would have ever
> imagined that in a one-year controlled trial a high-protein
> diet could succeed over a low-fat diet. "Low fat equals good
> health" has been the mainstream mantra for more than 20
> years, but with these studies and others, that mantra is
> being challenged like never before.
>
> And while it's true that there were dropouts in each of the
> groups in both studies (as there are in virtually all long-
> term dietary trials - especially with obese subjects), the
> dropouts were not so many that the test results were
> invalidated.
>
> Beyond the fact that the Atkins diet clearly bested the high-
> carb diet, these equally important results stand out as well:
> In the one-year trial, the Atkins group had a significantly
> greater increase in HDL cholesterol, and their triglyceride
> levels decreased more than in the high-carb group. Similar
> results occurred in the 6-month trial, with the Atkins group
> showing greater triglyceride reduction and increased insulin
> sensitivity compared to the other group.
>
> I think we're so used to seeing wild claims on TV ads ("I
> lost 50 pound in two days!") that the results of a
> controlled, year-long trial like this may not seem
> impressive. In fact, these are very important mainstream
> successes for a diet that was almost universally dismissed by
> the nutritional establishment for 30 years.
>
> Somewhere Dr. Atkins is smiling.
>
> To Your Good Health,
>
> Jenny Thompson
> Health Sciences Institute
>
> **************************************************************
> KEEP YOUR BODY YOUNG, ALIVE & FULLY FUNCTIONING
>
> New research reveals revolutionary sound technology - the
> same technology that enhances memory - can dramatically
> increase longevity, slow aging and lower stress. This sound
> technology can actually put you - very safely, quickly and
> easily - into states of...
>
> * Deep stress release and relaxation
> * Superlearning
> * Dramatically enhanced creativity
> * Laser-beam focus and concentration
> * Enhanced memory
> * Increased feelings of well-being
>
> Read below to read more about how you can improve your
> health and keep your body young and alive.
>
> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/600SAMND1/W600D617/home.cfm
> (if you can't open here use the HTML links listed below)
>
> **************************************************************
>
> Sources:
> "Paroxetine Controlled Release in the Treatment of Menopausal
> Hot Flashes" Journal of the American Medical Association,
> 2003;289;2827-2834, jama.ama-assn.org
> "Frequent Paxil (Paroxetine) Side Effects" Prozac Truth,
> prozactruth.com
> "Withdrawal From Paroxetine Can Be Severe, Warns FDA" Alison
> Tonks, British Medical Journal, 2002;324:260, 2/2/02, bmj.com
> "Halting Hot Flashes - Researchers Say Antidepressants May
> Help Menopausal Women" ABC News, John McKenzie, 6/3/03,
> abcnews.com
> "A Randomized Trial of a Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Obesity"
> New England Journal of Medicine, 348:2082-2090, No. 21,
> 5/22/03, content.nejm.org
> "Atkins Diet Bolstered by Two New Studies" Janet
> McConnaughey, Associated Press, 5/21/02
> "Atkin's Gains Upper Hand in 'Controlled' Trial"
> NaturalIngredients.com, 5/22/03, naturalingredients.com
>
> Copyright (c)1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C.
> The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without
> written permission.
>
> **************************************************************
> Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please
> click here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html
>
> **************************************************************
> <b>HTML links for AOL, CompuServe and other users</b>
> <a
href="http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/650SV01/W650D605/home.cfm">http://www
.agora-inc.com/reports/650SV01/W650D605/home.cfm</a>
> <a
href="http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/600SAMND1/W600D617/home.cfm">http://w
ww.agora-inc.com/reports/600SAMND1/W600D617/home.cfm</a>
> <a
href="http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/610SHORM/W610D611/home.cfm">http://ww
w.agora-inc.com/reports/610SHORM/W610D611/home.cfm</a>
>
> **************************************************************
> If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past
> e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like
> to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com
>
> **************************************************************
> To learn more about HSI, call (203) 699-4416 or visit
> http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/HSI/WHSIC313/home.cfm.
>
> **************************************************************
> IMPORTANT: We have a strict anti-spam policy. It is our
> intention to honor all "remove" requests promptly. However,
> if you do not follow the unsubscribe instructions below and
> simply hit reply instead, we may not receive your request and
> cannot guarantee that you will be removed from the list.
>
> **************************************************************
> If you no longer wish to receive the HSI e-Alerts or you need
> to change your e-mail address, please follow the instructions
> below. Your changes will be effective immediately.
>
> *******
> TO REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THIS LIST, SEND AN EMAIL
> TO: hsia_UNSUB@... OR GO TO OUR WEB INTERFACE
> AT: HTTP://WWW.AGORAMAIL.NET/HOME.CFM?LIST=hsia
>
>

unolist

Janis, I will come back and read this when I get more time. BUt I
*AM* one of those unfortunate people who had a bad run with PAX-hell.
Don't walk, RUN away from Paxil. This post caught my interest because
I actually started getting hot flashes when first taking it. I will
tell more when i get more time.....gotta run......

Ang

coyote's corner

That's exactly what this says....KEEP AWAY!!!!!

thanks,
Janis
didn't mean to yell.....
----- Original Message -----
From: unolist
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 5:00 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] Re: Fw: Jumpin' Pax Flash


Janis, I will come back and read this when I get more time. BUt I
*AM* one of those unfortunate people who had a bad run with PAX-hell.
Don't walk, RUN away from Paxil. This post caught my interest because
I actually started getting hot flashes when first taking it. I will
tell more when i get more time.....gotta run......

Ang


Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT




~~~~ Don't forget! If you change topics, change the subject line! ~~~~

If you have questions, concerns or problems with this list, please email the moderator, Joyce Fetteroll (fetteroll@...), or the list owner, Helen Hegener (HEM-Editor@...).

To unsubscribe from this group, click on the following link or address an email to:
[email protected]

Visit the Unschooling website: http://www.unschooling.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]