Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Seed Planting
The opening was a success. All of the seeds were planted and many were adopted. Thank you to everyone who helped with this process. We were excited with the number of people who stepped foward to help. We will posting images to chart the growth of the plants.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Little Pharma Physic Garden at Fringe Exhibitions, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008
FINISHING-SCHOOL - Little Pharma Physic Garden
(Main Gallery)
JON BRUMIT - Monsanto's Workshop (Kernel Square Wave)
(Lower Level)
WAYNE SHIMABUKURO - Portraits of LA Artists (Fringe FIles)
Exhibition Dates: October 11 - November 8, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 11, from 6-9 PM
The Little Pharma Physic Garden by Finishing-School is a participatory installation that promotes education, community involvement, natural beauty, relaxation and renewal.
The garden model is based on several specific European gardens established by monks in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their calling was to encourage and empower the public to be directly involved in their own health and well-being and to promote the study of herbal medicine, known then as the "physic" or healing arts. The monks involved the public in community gardening and demonstrated the many uses of plants and the tradition of the plant world as the most common medicine source. These gardens also provided a place of natural rest, meditation, and spiritual renewal for many weary urban dwellers.
The Little Pharma Physic Garden includes a research library, seed bank, a publicly maintained herbal medicine garden, meditation vistas, and a workshop area. Additionally, the public is invited to participate in several events hosted by Finishing School and collaborators throughout the run of the exhibition. There will be an herbal medicine course, meditation events, and a gardening workshop as well as a pharma-themed costume workshop and bicycle tour sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The bicycle tour and related workshop will be presented during a three-month residency by Finishing-School at MOCA titled Engagement Party.
Little Pharma is an umbrella inter-disciplinary investigation that explores and promotes various alternative medicines and lifestyles as viable antidotes to some of the Big Pharma pathologies. Projects include web and printed matter, exhibitions, workshops, roundtable meetings, lectures, and interventions. Little Pharma is included in the Rhizome Artbase collection.
FS SPECIAL EVENTS
Saturday, October 18
Herbal Medicine Garden Workshop
12-2pm
Fringe Exhibitions
Saturday, November 1
Meditation Workshop
12-2pm
Fringe Exhibitions
Thursday, November 6
Little Pharma Drug Run and Film Screening
7-11pm
Begins at MOCA on Grand Ave and finishes @ Fringe
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Little Pharma - Physic Garden
Sorry for the long absence. We have been swamped with a lot of really fantastic projects. We will be presenting Little Pharma - Physic Garden at Fringe Exhibitions in the Fall. The installation will open on October 11. Please mark your calendars. Here is the press-release that we wrote for it:
The Little Pharma Physic Garden is a participatory installation that promotes education, community involvement, natural beauty, relaxation and renewal.
Our garden model is based on several specific European gardens established by monks in the 16th and 17th centuries. Their calling was to encourage and empower the public to be directly involved in their own health and well-being and to promote the study of herbal medicine, known then as the "physic" or healing arts. The monks involved the public in community gardening and demonstrated the many uses of plants and the tradition of the plant world as the most common medicine source. These gardens also provided a place of natural rest, meditation, and spiritual renewal for many weary urban dwellers.
The Little Pharma Physic Garden includes a research library, seed bank, a publicly maintained herbal medicine garden, meditation vistas, and a workshop area. Additionally, the public is encouraged to participate in several events hosted by Finishing School and collaborators throughout the run of the exhibition. There will be an herbal medicine course, meditation events, and a gardening workshop as well as a pharma-themed costume workshop and bicycle tour. Details for the events, TBA.
Addtionally, portions of the Physic Garden are currently on display at Cypress College. Click here for more details.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Little Pharma: Herbal Medicine Garden - Echinacea
Herbal Medicine Garden - Echinacea
Echinacea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Echinacea purpurea 'Maxima'
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Echinacea
Species of Echinacea are:
Echinacea angustifolia - Narrow-leaf Coneflower
Echinacea atrorubens - Topeka Purple Coneflower
Echinacea laevigata - Smooth Coneflower, Smooth Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida - Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea paradoxa - Yellow Coneflower, Bush's Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower, Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea sanguinea - Sanguine purple coneflower
Echinacea simulata - Wavyleaf Purple Coneflower
Echinacea tennesseensis - Tennessee Coneflower
Echinacea, commonly called Purple Coneflower, is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae. All are strictly native to eastern and central North America. The plants have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. Some species are used in herbal medicines.
E. purpurea flower centre
The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny," due to the spiny central disk. They are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing to 1 or 2 m in height. The leaves are lanceolate to elliptic, 10 – 20 cm long and 1.5 – 10 cm broad. Like all asteraceae, the flowers are a composite inflorescence, with purple (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head — "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone.
Medicinal effects
A controlled double-blind study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and documented in the New England Journal of Medicine[1] stated that echinacea extracts had "no clinically significant effects" on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms. The effects held when the herb was taken immediately following infectious exposure and when taken as a prophylaxis starting a week prior to exposure.
An earlier University of Maryland review based on 13 European studies concluded that echinacea, when taken at first sign of a cold, reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration.[2] The review also found that three of four published studies concluded that taking echinacea to prevent a cold was ineffective.
As with any herbal preparation, individual doses may vary significantly in active chemical composition. In addition to poor process control which may affect inter- and intra-batch homogeneity, species, plant part, extraction method, and contamination or adulteration with other products all lead to variability between products.[3][4]
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) assessed the body of evidence and approved the use of expressed juice and dried expressed juice from fresh flowering aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea for the short-term prevention and treatment of the common cold. According to their recommendations,
It should not be used for more than 10 days. The use in children below 1 year of age is contraindicated, because of theoretically possible undesirable effect on immature immune system. The use in children between 1 and 12 years of age is not recommended, because efficacy has not been sufficiently documented although specific risks are not documented. In the absence of sufficient data, the use in pregnancy and lactation is not recommended.[5]
Assessment report is also published.[6]
Popular belief and traditional use
Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown.[8]
History
Echinacea angustifolia rhizome was used by North American Plains Indians, perhaps more than most other plants, for various herbal remedies.[citation needed] Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, and its use was documented for snakebite and anthrax. In the 1930s echinacea became popular in both Europe and America as an herbal medicine.
Active substances
Like most crude drugs from plant or animal origin, the constituent base for echinacea is complex, consisting of a wide variety of chemicals of variable effect and potency. Some chemicals may be directly antimicrobial, while others may work at stimulating or modulating different parts of the immune system. All species have chemical compounds called phenols, which are common to many other plants. Both the phenol compounds cichoric and caftaric are present in E. purpurea, other phenols include echinacoside, which is found in greater levels within E. angustifolia and E. pallida roots than in other species. When making herbal remedies, these phenols can serve as markers for the quantity of raw echinacea in the product. Other chemical constituents that may be important in echinacea health effects include alkylamides and polysaccharides.
Root or whole plant
As with any plant, the chemical makeup of echinacea is not consistent throughout the organism. In particular, the root has been promoted as containing a more efficacious mixture of active chemicals. A 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Taylor et al. 2003[9]) found that when echinacea products made from the entire plant were taken after the second cold symptom appeared they provided no measurable beneficial effect for children in treating the severity or duration of symptoms caused by the common cold virus. The study has been criticized for using whole-plant extracts instead of root extracts, and the dosages studied were lower than those recommended by herbalists.[citation needed] A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Turner, 2005[1]) focused on several root extracts, but still found no statistically significant effects on duration, intensity, or prevention of symptoms.
Frequency of administration
Proponents of echinacea assert that it is not a "one-dose" treatment, and that in order to work effectively, a dose should be taken at the very first sign of a cold symptom. Subsequent doses are called for every two to four hours after the first dose, including during the overnight sleeping period, until the cold symptoms have disappeared.
Species
The several species of echinacea differ in their precise chemical constitution, and may provide variable dosages of any active ingredients.
Side effects and contraindications
Reported adverse effects of echinacea include nausea, dizziness, dyspnea, rash, dermatitis, pruritis, and hepatotoxicity. These tend to be infrequent, mild, and transient.[10][11] Echinacea should not be taken by persons with progressive systemic and auto-immune disorders, connective tissue disorders, or related diseases. It should not be used with immunosuppressants or hepatotoxic drugs,[11][12] and has the potential to interfere with anesthesia.[13]
In one investigation by an independent consumer testing laboratory, five of eleven selected retail echinacea products failed quality testing. Four of the failing products contained measured levels of phenols believed to be related to potency below the levels stated on the labels. One failing product was contaminated with lead.[4]
[edit]Other uses
Some species of echinacea, notably E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.[14] They tolerate a wide variety of conditions, maintain attractive foliage throughout the season, and multiply rapidly. Appropriate species are used in prairie restorations.
References
a b Turner, Ronald B.; Rudolf Bauer, Karin Woelkart, Thomas C. Hulsey, and J. David Gangemi (2005-07-28). "An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus Infections". The New England Journal of Medicine 353: 341–348. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa044441. PMID 16049208. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
Bergner. "Healing Power of Echinacea and Goldenseal and Other Immune System Herbs" (The Healing Power)1997
Linde K, et al. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jan 25;(1):CD000530
a b "Product Review: Echinacea". ConsumerLab.com, LLC (2004-03-18). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
Monograph on Echinacea purpurea[1]
Human Medicines - Herbal Medicinal Products
Shah SA, Sander S, White CM, Rinaldi M, Coleman CI. Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis.Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80. [2]
Caruso TJ, Gwaltney JM (2005). "Treatment of the common cold with echinacea: a structured review". Clin. Infect. Dis. 40 (6): 807–10. doi:10.1086/428061. PMID 15736012.
"Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial", Taylor, J. A., et al. 2003., Journal of the American Medical Association 2003 Dec 3;290(21):2824-30
Cheeseman, Mark (2002-12-13). "Echinacea". Complementary Medicines Summary. UK Medicines Information, National Health Service. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
a b Mayo Clinic. "Echinacea (E. angustifolia DC, E. pallida, E. purpurea)". Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
Miller LG (1998). "Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions". Arch. Intern. Med. 158 (20): 2200–11. doi:10.1001/archinte.158.20.2200. PMID 9818800.
"Echinacea". American Cancer Society (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
"A Comprehensive Echinacea Germplasm Collection Located at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station", USDA
Echinacea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Echinacea purpurea 'Maxima'
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Echinacea
Species of Echinacea are:
Echinacea angustifolia - Narrow-leaf Coneflower
Echinacea atrorubens - Topeka Purple Coneflower
Echinacea laevigata - Smooth Coneflower, Smooth Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida - Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea paradoxa - Yellow Coneflower, Bush's Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower, Eastern Purple Coneflower
Echinacea sanguinea - Sanguine purple coneflower
Echinacea simulata - Wavyleaf Purple Coneflower
Echinacea tennesseensis - Tennessee Coneflower
Echinacea, commonly called Purple Coneflower, is a genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae. All are strictly native to eastern and central North America. The plants have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. Some species are used in herbal medicines.
E. purpurea flower centre
The genus name is from the Greek echino, meaning "spiny," due to the spiny central disk. They are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing to 1 or 2 m in height. The leaves are lanceolate to elliptic, 10 – 20 cm long and 1.5 – 10 cm broad. Like all asteraceae, the flowers are a composite inflorescence, with purple (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head — "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone.
Medicinal effects
A controlled double-blind study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and documented in the New England Journal of Medicine[1] stated that echinacea extracts had "no clinically significant effects" on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms. The effects held when the herb was taken immediately following infectious exposure and when taken as a prophylaxis starting a week prior to exposure.
An earlier University of Maryland review based on 13 European studies concluded that echinacea, when taken at first sign of a cold, reduced cold symptoms or shortened their duration.[2] The review also found that three of four published studies concluded that taking echinacea to prevent a cold was ineffective.
As with any herbal preparation, individual doses may vary significantly in active chemical composition. In addition to poor process control which may affect inter- and intra-batch homogeneity, species, plant part, extraction method, and contamination or adulteration with other products all lead to variability between products.[3][4]
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) assessed the body of evidence and approved the use of expressed juice and dried expressed juice from fresh flowering aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea for the short-term prevention and treatment of the common cold. According to their recommendations,
It should not be used for more than 10 days. The use in children below 1 year of age is contraindicated, because of theoretically possible undesirable effect on immature immune system. The use in children between 1 and 12 years of age is not recommended, because efficacy has not been sufficiently documented although specific risks are not documented. In the absence of sufficient data, the use in pregnancy and lactation is not recommended.[5]
Assessment report is also published.[6]
Popular belief and traditional use
Echinacea is popularly believed to be an immunostimulator, stimulating the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections. A common reference source for believers is a 2007 meta-analysis in The Lancet Infectious Diseases[7]; however, this study fails to indicate important confounding factors that could drive the reported conclusion. The studies pooled in the meta-analysis used different types of echinacea, different parts of the plant, and various dosages. This review cannot inform recommendations on the efficacy of any particular type of echinacea, dosage, or treatment regimen. The safety of echinacea under long-term use is also unknown.[8]
History
Echinacea angustifolia rhizome was used by North American Plains Indians, perhaps more than most other plants, for various herbal remedies.[citation needed] Echinacea was one of the basic antimicrobial herbs of eclectic medicine from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century, and its use was documented for snakebite and anthrax. In the 1930s echinacea became popular in both Europe and America as an herbal medicine.
Active substances
Like most crude drugs from plant or animal origin, the constituent base for echinacea is complex, consisting of a wide variety of chemicals of variable effect and potency. Some chemicals may be directly antimicrobial, while others may work at stimulating or modulating different parts of the immune system. All species have chemical compounds called phenols, which are common to many other plants. Both the phenol compounds cichoric and caftaric are present in E. purpurea, other phenols include echinacoside, which is found in greater levels within E. angustifolia and E. pallida roots than in other species. When making herbal remedies, these phenols can serve as markers for the quantity of raw echinacea in the product. Other chemical constituents that may be important in echinacea health effects include alkylamides and polysaccharides.
Root or whole plant
As with any plant, the chemical makeup of echinacea is not consistent throughout the organism. In particular, the root has been promoted as containing a more efficacious mixture of active chemicals. A 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Taylor et al. 2003[9]) found that when echinacea products made from the entire plant were taken after the second cold symptom appeared they provided no measurable beneficial effect for children in treating the severity or duration of symptoms caused by the common cold virus. The study has been criticized for using whole-plant extracts instead of root extracts, and the dosages studied were lower than those recommended by herbalists.[citation needed] A 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Turner, 2005[1]) focused on several root extracts, but still found no statistically significant effects on duration, intensity, or prevention of symptoms.
Frequency of administration
Proponents of echinacea assert that it is not a "one-dose" treatment, and that in order to work effectively, a dose should be taken at the very first sign of a cold symptom. Subsequent doses are called for every two to four hours after the first dose, including during the overnight sleeping period, until the cold symptoms have disappeared.
Species
The several species of echinacea differ in their precise chemical constitution, and may provide variable dosages of any active ingredients.
Side effects and contraindications
Reported adverse effects of echinacea include nausea, dizziness, dyspnea, rash, dermatitis, pruritis, and hepatotoxicity. These tend to be infrequent, mild, and transient.[10][11] Echinacea should not be taken by persons with progressive systemic and auto-immune disorders, connective tissue disorders, or related diseases. It should not be used with immunosuppressants or hepatotoxic drugs,[11][12] and has the potential to interfere with anesthesia.[13]
In one investigation by an independent consumer testing laboratory, five of eleven selected retail echinacea products failed quality testing. Four of the failing products contained measured levels of phenols believed to be related to potency below the levels stated on the labels. One failing product was contaminated with lead.[4]
[edit]Other uses
Some species of echinacea, notably E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida, are grown as ornamental plants in gardens.[14] They tolerate a wide variety of conditions, maintain attractive foliage throughout the season, and multiply rapidly. Appropriate species are used in prairie restorations.
References
a b Turner, Ronald B.; Rudolf Bauer, Karin Woelkart, Thomas C. Hulsey, and J. David Gangemi (2005-07-28). "An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus Infections". The New England Journal of Medicine 353: 341–348. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa044441. PMID 16049208. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
Bergner. "Healing Power of Echinacea and Goldenseal and Other Immune System Herbs" (The Healing Power)1997
Linde K, et al. Echinacea for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jan 25;(1):CD000530
a b "Product Review: Echinacea". ConsumerLab.com, LLC (2004-03-18). Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
Monograph on Echinacea purpurea[1]
Human Medicines - Herbal Medicinal Products
Shah SA, Sander S, White CM, Rinaldi M, Coleman CI. Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis.Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80. [2]
Caruso TJ, Gwaltney JM (2005). "Treatment of the common cold with echinacea: a structured review". Clin. Infect. Dis. 40 (6): 807–10. doi:10.1086/428061. PMID 15736012.
"Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial", Taylor, J. A., et al. 2003., Journal of the American Medical Association 2003 Dec 3;290(21):2824-30
Cheeseman, Mark (2002-12-13). "Echinacea". Complementary Medicines Summary. UK Medicines Information, National Health Service. Retrieved on 2007-07-07.
a b Mayo Clinic. "Echinacea (E. angustifolia DC, E. pallida, E. purpurea)". Retrieved on 2007-12-18.
Miller LG (1998). "Herbal medicinals: selected clinical considerations focusing on known or potential drug-herb interactions". Arch. Intern. Med. 158 (20): 2200–11. doi:10.1001/archinte.158.20.2200. PMID 9818800.
"Echinacea". American Cancer Society (2007-06-26). Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
"A Comprehensive Echinacea Germplasm Collection Located at the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station", USDA
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Red Yeast Rice
Red yeast rice has been used in China since the Tang Dynasty to treat gastric problems, blood circulation, among others. According to this article on the Mayo Clinic's website, red yeast rice may also serve as a natural remedy for high cholesterol.
As with any natural remedies we post up here, it is for informational usage only. Consult your physician should you wish to begin alternative treatments.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Push'n Drugs on Kids
For Immediate Release
July 30, 2008
Contact: Josh Golin (617.278.4172; jgolin@jbcc.harvard.edu)
Advocates to Channel One: Stop Marketing Prescription Drugs to Children
Advocates for children are demanding that Alloy Media and Marketing immediately remove ads for prescription drugs from its Channel One website. Channel One, the controversial in-school news program that makes viewing ads a compulsory part of the school day for grades six through twelve, was purchased by Alloy in 2007. As part of its user agreement with schools, Channel One has pledged not to market prescription drugs to its young audience. Yet ads for the prescription acne medications Differin and BenzaClin have been running on the Channel One website for at least the past week.
“Alloy is taking Channel One to a new low by peddling prescription drugs to children,” said Dr. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. “The company that has done more than any other to commercialize classrooms is now delivering young students to the pharmaceutical industry.”
The ads were spotted on channelone.com on July 20, 2008 by Jim Metrock of Obligation, Inc., a nonprofit advocacy organization that monitors Channel One. Because the ads clearly violate Channel One’s advertising policy, Metrock contacted Paul Folkemer, Senior Vice-President and Director of Education at Channel One Network and Matt Diamond, Chief Executive Office of Alloy Media and Marketing, to demand that the ads be removed. Neither Folkemer nor Diamond has responded. On July 22, Obligation, Inc. filed a complaint against Channel One with the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU). CARU guidelines state that advertisers should not advertise drugs to children.
“There has never been a better time for schools to pull the plug on Channel One,” said Metrock. “There is simply no reason for schools to deliver a captive audience of students to a company like Alloy that violates its own meager advertising policy and advertising industry standards.”
One of Channel One’s drug ads links to Acneheroes.com, a kid-targeted website created by the pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis to promote BenzaClin, a prescription drug for acne. The website features actor Cody Linley, who introduces himself as one of the stars of Hannah Montana, which airs on the Disney channel and is among the most popular television programs for children.
“It’s outrageous that Alloy is abetting a pharmaceutical company’s cynical exploitation of children by linking a popular program like Hannah Montana to a branded prescription drug,” said Dr. Linn.
For Dr. Victor Strasburger, Professor of Pediatrics at University of New Mexico School of Medicine, the Channel One ads are part of a disturbing trend in which children are targeted with ads that tout drugs as the answer to life’s problems. “If we want kids to 'just say no' to drugs, how can we possibly beam ads at them for prescription drugs?” asked Dr. Strasburger. “Early on, they get the clear message: there's a drug for every problem we have."
To view Channel One’s advertising policy and screen shots of the Differin and BenzaClin ads, please visit http://commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/prescriptiondrugs.html.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration among organizations and individuals who care about children. CCFC supports the rights of children to grow up – and the rights of parents to raise them – without being undermined by rampant commercialism. For more information, please visit: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org.
If you no longer wish to receive CCFC press releases, please reply with “unsubscribe” in the headline.
via commercial free childhood
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
DEA agents raid Culver City medical marijuana dispensary
The Los Angeles Times Reported this yesterday (Aug 1, 2008):
DEA agents raid Culver City medical marijuana dispensary
The action comes on the same day an appellate court in San Diego rules that federal law does not preempt California's medical pot law.
(Photo:Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Employee Brian V. Birbiglia, 35, is questioned by DEA agents after Organica Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary, was raided. Birbiglia sat handcuffed next to DEA agents on a tattered couch outside the dispensary for more than four hours during the raid.
Federal agents raided a Culver City medical marijuana dispensary where they spent more than four hours this afternoon, serving a search warrant that resulted in no arrests but left the shop in disarray.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrived about noon at Organica Collective in the 13400 block of Washington Boulevard, said Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles office of the agency.
"Marijuana remains a controlled substance, and it is illegal under federal law to possess, dispense or cultivate marijuana in any form," Pullen said of the purpose of the raid.
The federal operation came on the same day an appellate court in San Diego ruled that federal law does not preempt the state's law allowing the use of medical marijuana -- a ruling touted by supporters of California's medical marijuana law as a significant win.
At the dispensary agents left behind trash, counters strewn with open and empty glass jars, piles of receipts thrown on the ground, upturned couch cushions, bits of marijuana on the edges of counters and an ATM with its doors torn open and emptied.
In the residents' rooms a safe was cut open, dresser drawers pulled open, and rumpled clothes and knickknacks thrown on the ground. An outdoor vegetable garden had plants uprooted, along with marijuana plants removed by the agents.
Brian V. Birbiglia, 35, sat handcuffed next to DEA agents on a tattered couch outside the dispensary for more than four hours during the raid. Next to the couch sat a box marked "DEA evidence," about a dozen black trash bags and two Trader Joe's paper bags. Some agents wore protective chest gear, black sunglasses and guns in leg holsters.
After the raid was over and he was released, Birbiglia was visibly enraged. An employee and friend of the dispensary's owner, Jeff Joseph, Birbiglia said he is a disabled former Marine who has a prescription to smoke marijuana for a foot injury.
"We follow the law," he yelled, his face red and his eyes teary. "We might as well have just got robbed by a bunch of thugs downtown."
Birbiglia found a remaining bud of marijuana that agents had missed, and he popped it into a pipe to smoke.
"They forgot this, and I'm going to smoke it," he said.
Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl was called to the scene by the owner and arrived several hours after the raid began. Rosendahl, standing outside the gate to the store's parking lot, said he was frustrated that there was nothing he could do to intervene. The dispensary straddles the boundary between Los Angeles and Culver City, Rosendahl said. Culver City police assisted federal agents at the scene.
"This is an action with the federal government, which is sad," Rosendahl said, "because these laws need to be revisited in Washington, especially the medical marijuana law. We're incarcerating people by the tens of thousands, we're destroying peoples' lives, and people who have a medical marijuana legitimacy are caught in the middle. It's a problem we need to resolve. This conflict is totally unacceptable."
Clyde Carey, 50, of Marina del Rey was at the store Friday visiting a friend when agents burst in through the locked front door, he said.
"We heard some noise outside, and then the door literally burst in, and the DEA came in in full combat gear, told everybody to get on the floor and put their hands behind their heads," Carey said. "It was like, literally, an episode of "24," when they bust in on a terrorist cell."
Carey, who said he has multiple sclerosis and has been a dispensary customer since February, stood across the street near a Starbucks with about half a dozen people who had witnessed the raid, watching agents walk in and out.
He said DEA agents searched and cuffed the roughly 25 people inside the building, which also includes four upstairs rooms. Then agents started searching the premises, removing computers, medicine and money, and using a steel cylinder battering ram to get into the upstairs bedrooms, Carey said.
Joseph, the owner, said he was at the bank when an employee called to warn him of the raid.
"I'm a fugitive at the moment," he said. Joseph said he had been speaking with his attorney but would not comment on the amount of marijuana lost. "It's going to be very expensive," he said, adding that he had "paid my taxes, every quarter since last year; I've paid my taxes."
The search warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Victor B. Kenton authorized the seizure of "controlled substances, including marijuana; derivatives thereof, and edible products containing marijuana . . . receipts, notes, ledgers, records . . . reflecting the proceeds of those activities . . . electronic equipment . . . photographs, negatives, videotapes, films, addresses and/or telephone books . . . records, documents, programs, applications. . . ."
On a Web forum for medical marijuana users, news of the raid was posted shortly after 1 p.m. with a call for protesters to "please go down with signs and friends to show your support!"
The dispensary’s MySpace page says it offers "the best of Los Angeles' medical cannabis, as well as several different types of clones. New patients receive a free gift with their first purchase! We are open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with free secure parking and friendly vibes!"
In addition, the section titled "Who I'd like to meet" solicits people without a "medical recommendation card" for marijuana.
"Suffer from migraines, cancer, glaucoma, depression, arthritis, nausea, anorexia, AIDS, insomnia, chronic pain or any other disorders?" the website says. "Medicinal marijuana might be for you! Come meet with our doctor and see if you qualify."
tami.abdollah@latimes.com
DEA agents raid Culver City medical marijuana dispensary
The action comes on the same day an appellate court in San Diego rules that federal law does not preempt California's medical pot law.
(Photo:Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Employee Brian V. Birbiglia, 35, is questioned by DEA agents after Organica Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary, was raided. Birbiglia sat handcuffed next to DEA agents on a tattered couch outside the dispensary for more than four hours during the raid.
Federal agents raided a Culver City medical marijuana dispensary where they spent more than four hours this afternoon, serving a search warrant that resulted in no arrests but left the shop in disarray.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrived about noon at Organica Collective in the 13400 block of Washington Boulevard, said Sarah Pullen, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles office of the agency.
"Marijuana remains a controlled substance, and it is illegal under federal law to possess, dispense or cultivate marijuana in any form," Pullen said of the purpose of the raid.
The federal operation came on the same day an appellate court in San Diego ruled that federal law does not preempt the state's law allowing the use of medical marijuana -- a ruling touted by supporters of California's medical marijuana law as a significant win.
At the dispensary agents left behind trash, counters strewn with open and empty glass jars, piles of receipts thrown on the ground, upturned couch cushions, bits of marijuana on the edges of counters and an ATM with its doors torn open and emptied.
In the residents' rooms a safe was cut open, dresser drawers pulled open, and rumpled clothes and knickknacks thrown on the ground. An outdoor vegetable garden had plants uprooted, along with marijuana plants removed by the agents.
Brian V. Birbiglia, 35, sat handcuffed next to DEA agents on a tattered couch outside the dispensary for more than four hours during the raid. Next to the couch sat a box marked "DEA evidence," about a dozen black trash bags and two Trader Joe's paper bags. Some agents wore protective chest gear, black sunglasses and guns in leg holsters.
After the raid was over and he was released, Birbiglia was visibly enraged. An employee and friend of the dispensary's owner, Jeff Joseph, Birbiglia said he is a disabled former Marine who has a prescription to smoke marijuana for a foot injury.
"We follow the law," he yelled, his face red and his eyes teary. "We might as well have just got robbed by a bunch of thugs downtown."
Birbiglia found a remaining bud of marijuana that agents had missed, and he popped it into a pipe to smoke.
"They forgot this, and I'm going to smoke it," he said.
Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl was called to the scene by the owner and arrived several hours after the raid began. Rosendahl, standing outside the gate to the store's parking lot, said he was frustrated that there was nothing he could do to intervene. The dispensary straddles the boundary between Los Angeles and Culver City, Rosendahl said. Culver City police assisted federal agents at the scene.
"This is an action with the federal government, which is sad," Rosendahl said, "because these laws need to be revisited in Washington, especially the medical marijuana law. We're incarcerating people by the tens of thousands, we're destroying peoples' lives, and people who have a medical marijuana legitimacy are caught in the middle. It's a problem we need to resolve. This conflict is totally unacceptable."
Clyde Carey, 50, of Marina del Rey was at the store Friday visiting a friend when agents burst in through the locked front door, he said.
"We heard some noise outside, and then the door literally burst in, and the DEA came in in full combat gear, told everybody to get on the floor and put their hands behind their heads," Carey said. "It was like, literally, an episode of "24," when they bust in on a terrorist cell."
Carey, who said he has multiple sclerosis and has been a dispensary customer since February, stood across the street near a Starbucks with about half a dozen people who had witnessed the raid, watching agents walk in and out.
He said DEA agents searched and cuffed the roughly 25 people inside the building, which also includes four upstairs rooms. Then agents started searching the premises, removing computers, medicine and money, and using a steel cylinder battering ram to get into the upstairs bedrooms, Carey said.
Joseph, the owner, said he was at the bank when an employee called to warn him of the raid.
"I'm a fugitive at the moment," he said. Joseph said he had been speaking with his attorney but would not comment on the amount of marijuana lost. "It's going to be very expensive," he said, adding that he had "paid my taxes, every quarter since last year; I've paid my taxes."
The search warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Victor B. Kenton authorized the seizure of "controlled substances, including marijuana; derivatives thereof, and edible products containing marijuana . . . receipts, notes, ledgers, records . . . reflecting the proceeds of those activities . . . electronic equipment . . . photographs, negatives, videotapes, films, addresses and/or telephone books . . . records, documents, programs, applications. . . ."
On a Web forum for medical marijuana users, news of the raid was posted shortly after 1 p.m. with a call for protesters to "please go down with signs and friends to show your support!"
The dispensary’s MySpace page says it offers "the best of Los Angeles' medical cannabis, as well as several different types of clones. New patients receive a free gift with their first purchase! We are open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with free secure parking and friendly vibes!"
In addition, the section titled "Who I'd like to meet" solicits people without a "medical recommendation card" for marijuana.
"Suffer from migraines, cancer, glaucoma, depression, arthritis, nausea, anorexia, AIDS, insomnia, chronic pain or any other disorders?" the website says. "Medicinal marijuana might be for you! Come meet with our doctor and see if you qualify."
tami.abdollah@latimes.com
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sleep Apnea
image via apnea.com
Some of us in FS have been told that we snore...we won't name names. I will out myself, I, Ed, snore. After several years of prodding, I went in for a sleep study (I will write about that later). The results: I have moderate Sleep Apnea. The most startling part for me was to discover that i don't get to sleep in REM. Which would explain why I can't remember my dreams.
We will explore Sleep apnea, what it is, why it needs to be addressed, and compare some of the traditional and alternative remedies, using Ed as the Guinea pig. Stay Tuned!
quote below via wikipedia
"Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea (Greek: άπνοια (ápnoia), from α- (a-), privative, πνÎειν (pnéein), to breathe), lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. The standard definition of any apneic event includes a minimum 10 second interval between breaths, with either a neurological arousal (a 3-second or greater shift in EEG frequency, measured at C3, C4, O1, or O2), a blood oxygen desaturation of 3-4% or greater, or both arousal and desaturation. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram.
Clinically significant levels of sleep apnea are defined as five or more episodes per hour of any type of apnea (from the polysomnogram). There are three distinct forms of sleep apnea: central, obstructive, and complex (i.e., a combination of central and obstructive) constituting 0.4%, 84% and 15% of cases respectively.[1] Breathing is interrupted by the lack of respiratory effort in central sleep apnea; in obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort. In complex (or "mixed") sleep apnea, there is a transition from central to obstructive features during the events themselves.
Regardless of type, the individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body (sequelae). Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance."
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Study: Exercise slows Alzheimer's brain atrophy
Article starts really strong and then spirals into big pharma ad....FS says, "Get off your ass and walk, jog, or bike!"
Study: Exercise slows Alzheimer's brain atrophy
NEW YORK - Patients with early Alzheimer's disease who exercised regularly saw less deterioration in the areas of the brain which control memory, according to a study released Sunday at the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Chicago.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies showed that exercise positively affected the hippocampus region of patients' brains, an area which is important for both memory and balance. In Alzheimer's, the hippocampus is one of the first parts of the brain to suffer damage.
Exercise and physical fitness have been shown to slow down age-related brain cell death in healthy older adults, and earlier this month a preliminary study was published showing that exercise may help slow brain shrinkage in people with early Alzheimer's disease.
Now, researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., have used MRI and other neuroimaging tools to analyze how exercise affects the brains of those with early Alzheimer's.
The researchers found that patients with early Alzheimer's had a "significant relationship" between the size of key brain areas associated with memory and fitness, unlike healthy older adults. Those patients with better fitness ratings had less brain tissue atrophy and those with worse fitness had more brain damage.
"This is the first study to get an inside look into specifically where these changes occur in the brain — we're able to locate the changes associated with fitness to the actual memory region, the hippocampus, which is a key area for Alzheimer's-related atrophy," said Robyn A. Honea, PhD, a lead investigator on the study. "This suggests that maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness may positively modify Alzheimer's-related brain atrophy."
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Another report from ICAD 2008 showed that a 12-month home-based exercise program reduced falls and improved balance in patients with dementia. According to researchers from Western Medicine, Nedlands, Western Australia, people suffering from dementia fall up to three times more than those who have no cognitive impairment.
"Falls have a negative impact on a person's quality of life, often resulting in nursing home placement, increased mortality and significant costs to the community," said Megan J. Wraith, a researcher on the study. "Targeting this high risk group may be a relatively cost effective way of having a significant impact on the overall rate of falling in the elderly."
The study was funded by the Sir Charles Gairdner Research Foundation and Hollywood Private Hospital Research Foundation.
Currently, the prognosis for patients with Alzheimer's is bleak. The Alzheimer's treatment market is small, led by Pfizer Inc.'s Aricept, Forest Laboratories Inc.'s Namenda, Razadyne from Johnson & Johnson and Shire Ltd., Novartis AG's Exelon and Sciele Pharma Inc.'s Cognex. But while those drugs fight Alzheimer's symptoms, they can't stop its ultimate progress.
Wyeth and Elan Corp. are currently developing a new kind of Alzheimer's treatment, bapineuzumab, which is designed to actually slow progress of the disease. In June, study data showed that drug was shown to benefit Alzheimer's patients who lacked a certain gene.
via Yahoo News
Thursday, July 24, 2008
My Healthy Life Expo, Orange County
We went down to the fair this past week and saw an advertisement for an upcoming health expo at the fair grounds in Costa Mesa. The event dates are September 6-7, 2008. Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Weekly Remedy #6: Stinky Feet
image via morguefile
Do you suffer from stinky feet? Many assume that it's the sweat. Actually, sweat is sterile and has no odor. It's the sweat interacting with fungus and/or bacteria living on your skin. Try soaking your feet in brewed tea for 30 minutes a day for a week. The tea contains tannic acid which will help combat the fungus and/or bacteria. We heard about this from Dr. Oz on Oprah...yes, Oprah.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Top Twelve Herbs (the most useful...maybe)
Here a list of useful herbs given to us by a trained master herbalist. Before we could type out the list she started reworking the list. Apparently Herbs, like many things, are relative.
Burdock
Calendula
Chamomile (Roman and German)
Dandelion
Echinacea
Gingko
Licorice
Red Clover
St. John's Wort
Valerian
Wild Yam
Yellow Dock
Burdock
Calendula
Chamomile (Roman and German)
Dandelion
Echinacea
Gingko
Licorice
Red Clover
St. John's Wort
Valerian
Wild Yam
Yellow Dock
Ayahuasca, Amazon Herbal Medicine Documenatry
not totally sold on this.
via youtube:
"Health Nut talks about his Upcoming documentary on the Amazon Rain forest, "the worlds medicine chest". to find out more info check out these sites:
http://refugioaltiplano.org/
there are many studies with Ayahuasca for treatment with AIDS/HIV, addiction, cancer, diabetes etc etc.
42% of all drugs on the market today got their start from rain forest plants. help with all degenerative diseases is in the Amazon plants. herbal medicine is as old as man herself. if you are truly interested in saving the planet and your own health Amazon Herbs are a NO BRAINER.
http://amazontroy.amazonherb.net/Nutr...
to contact the singer, shaman Elisa directly: shipibotours@hotmail.com
there are no degenerative diseases in the Amazon....NONE, they do not exist. if allopathic medicine is such a great human achievement why are so many new and old diseases cropping up and exponentiating???"
Truth in Advertising: Rx Drug Ads Come of Age, FDA Consumer Magazine, July 2004
From the FDA
"Truth in Advertising: Rx Drug Ads Come of Age
By Carol Rados
You may have seen the advertisement: A melodrama of crime and corruption, conflict and emotion, centering on indoor hit men like dust and dander, and outdoor hit men such as pollen and ragweed, all threatening to offend a young and very beautiful woman's nose. The 45-second broadcast ad covers everything from talking to your doctor to the possible side effects that people can expect. Then the narrator mentions "Flonase."
Entertaining though it may be, the Food and Drug Administration says this promotional piece about nasal allergy relief also has all the elements of a well-crafted, easy-to-understand prescription drug advertisement directed at consumers, and it meets agency requirements for these ads.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs in its varied forms--TV, radio, magazines, newspapers--is widely used throughout the United States. DTC advertising is a category of promotional information about specific drug treatments provided directly to consumers by or on behalf of drug companies. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office--the investigational arm of Congress--pharmaceutical manufacturers spent $2.7 billion on DTC advertising in 2001 alone.
The Controversy
Whether it's a 1940s, detective-style film noir of unusual allergy suspects or a middle-aged man throwing a football through a tire swing announcing that he's "back in the game," the DTC approach to advertising prescription drugs has been controversial. Some say that DTC promotion provides useful information to consumers that results in better health outcomes. Others argue that it encourages overuse of prescription drugs and use of the most costly treatments, instead of less expensive treatments that would be just as satisfactory.
There seems to be little doubt that DTC advertising can help advance the public health by encouraging more people to talk with health care professionals about health problems, particularly under-treated conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
DTC advertising also can help remove the stigma that accompanies diseases that in the past were rarely openly discussed, such as erectile dysfunction or depression. DTC ads also can remind patients to get their prescriptions refilled and help them adhere to their medication regimens.
On the other hand, ads that are false or misleading do not advance--and may even threaten--the public health. While the FDA encourages DTC advertisements that contain accurate information, the agency also has the job of making sure that consumers are not misled or deceived by advertisements that violate the law.
"The goal here is getting truthful, non-misleading information to consumers about safe and effective therapeutic products so they can be partners in their own health care," says Peter Pitts, the FDA's associate commissioner for external relations. "Better-informed consumers are empowered to choose and use the products we regulate to improve their health."
In three FDA surveys conducted in 1999 and 2002, physicians reported that DTC ads had these beneficial effects for patients:
How Ads Affect Consumers
The FDA surveyed both patients and physicians about their attitudes and experiences with DTC advertising between 1999 and 2002. The agency summarized the findings of these surveys in January 2003 in the report, Assessment of Physician and Patient Attitudes Toward Direct-to-Consumer Promotion of Prescription Drugs.
DTC advertising appears to influence certain types of behavior. For example, the FDA surveys found that among patients who visited doctors and asked about a prescription drug by brand name because of an ad they saw, 88 percent actually had the condition the drug treats. This is important, Pitts says, because physician visits that result in earlier detection of a disease, combined with appropriate treatment, could mean that more people will live longer, healthier, more productive lives without the risk of future costly medical interventions.
With the number of ailments Patricia A. Sigler lives with--diabetes, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, nerve damage, and a heart defect called mitral valve prolapse--the 64-year-old small business owner in Jefferson, Md., says that she's always on the lookout for medicines that might improve her quality of life, and that she pays attention to DTC ads for prescription drugs.
In the three FDA surveys, patients reported recalling this information from TV ads:
Some Doctors Don't Agree
Michael S. Wilkes, M.D., vice dean of the medical school at the University of California, Davis, says that two reasons he doesn't like DTC advertising are that patients may withhold information from their doctors or try to treat themselves. Aiming prescription drug ads at consumers can affect the "dynamics of the patient-provider relationship," and ultimately, the patient's quality of care, Wilkes says. DTC advertising can motivate consumers to seek more information about a product or disease, but physicians need to help patients evaluate health-related information they obtain from DTC advertising, he says.
"DTC advertising may cultivate the belief among the public that there is a pill for every ill and contribute to the medicalization of trivial ailments, leading to an even more overmedicated society," Wilkes says. "Patients need to trust that I've got their best interest in mind."
Others who favor DTC ads say that consumer-directed information can be an important educational tool in a time when more patients want to be involved in their own health care. Carol Salzman, M.D., Ph.D., an internist in Chevy Chase, Md., emphasizes, however, that physicians still need to remain in control of prescribing medications.
"Doctors shouldn't feel threatened by their patients asking for a medicine by name," she says, "but at the same time, patients shouldn't come in expecting that a drug will be dispensed just because they asked for it."
Salzman says she finds it time-consuming "trying to talk people out of something they have their hearts set on." Wilkes agrees. Discussions motivated by ads that focus on specific drugs or trivial complaints, he says, could take time away from subjects such as a patient's symptoms, the range of available treatments, and specific details about a patient's illness.
Education or Promotion?
At least one patient advocacy group is concerned about what it says are the downsides of advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers, claiming that DTC ads often masquerade as educational tools, but provide more promotion than education. The ads, they say, provide little access to unbiased information.
"People need to be careful with ads that it isn't just hype that they're going to feel better, with no objectivity of the downsides," says Linda Golodner, president of the National Consumers League in Washington, D.C. Although all DTC advertisements must disclose risk information, she says what is typically communicated is a brand name, a reason to use the product, and an impression of the product. Golodner wants all offices within the FDA that have a responsibility for any aspect of DTC advertising to work together. "There's a lot of the same information out there, so why not bring it all together so that consumers can understand it better?"
Truth in Advertising
The FDA has regulated the advertising of prescription drugs since 1962, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and related regulations. The regulations establish detailed requirements for ad content. Most other advertising, including that of over-the-counter drugs, is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission under a different set of rules.
The FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC) oversees two types of promotion for prescription drugs: promotional labeling and advertising. Advertising includes commercial messages broadcast on television or radio, communicated over the telephone, or printed in magazines and newspapers. Prescription drug ads must contain information in a "brief summary" relating to both risks and benefits. Recognizing the time constraints of broadcast ads, FDA regulations provide that a broadcast advertisement may include, instead of a brief summary, information relating to the major risks. The ad must also make "adequate provision" for distributing the FDA-approved labeling in connection with the broadcast ad. This refers to the concept of providing ways for consumers to find more complete information about the drug.
Most ads fulfill this requirement by including a toll-free telephone number, a Web site address, or a link to a concurrently running print ad. They also encourage consumers to talk to their health care providers. Both print and broadcast ads directed at consumers may only make claims that are supported by scientific evidence.
DDMAC oversight helps ensure that pharmaceutical companies accurately communicate the benefits and risks of an advertised drug. The regulations require that advertising for prescription drugs must disclose certain information about the product's uses and risks.
In addition, advertisements cannot be false or misleading and cannot omit material facts. FDA regulations also call for "fair balance" in every product-claim ad. This means that the risks and benefits must be presented with comparable scope, depth, and detail, and that information relating to the product's effectiveness must be fairly balanced by risk information.
The FDA does not generally require prior approval of DTC ads, although companies are required to submit their ads to the FDA at the time they begin running. The agency, therefore, routinely examines these commercials and published DTC ads after they become available to the public. FDA, however, also is happy to review proposed ads if a drug company makes a request.
"We look at a lot of DTC ads before they run," says Kathryn J. Aikin, Ph.D., a social scientist in DDMAC. "Manufacturers typically want to be sure they're getting started on the right foot."
The Trouble With Ads
Of the three types of DTC advertisements, the first and most common--product-claim ads--mention a drug's name and the condition it is intended to treat, and describe the risks and benefits associated with taking the drug. Some manufacturers have decided not to present this much information and instead, have made use of two other kinds of ads. "Reminder" ads give only the name of the product, but not what it is used for, and "help-seeking" ads contain information about a disease, but do not mention a specific drug. These help-seeking--or disease-awareness--ads can be extremely informative and, because they name no drug, they are not regulated by the FDA. Examples of help-seeking ads are those that mention high cholesterol or diabetes, and then direct you to ask your doctor about treatments. Reminder ads call attention to a drug's name, but say nothing about the condition it is used to treat, its effectiveness, or safety information. A reminder ad is not required to include risk information.
There has been a great deal of discussion about the brief summary that accompanies DTC print ads. The typical brief summary is not brief and uses technical language. This is because it reprints all of the risk information from the physician labeling. People have complained that the brief summary cannot be understood by consumers. Aikin says, "Patients do not typically read the brief summary in DTC print ads unless they're interested in the product." Even then, she says, much information is likely glanced at, rather than fully read.
Public input and the FDA's own experiences with DTC promotion prompted the agency to publish two new draft guidances in February 2004: one on the brief summary, and one on help-seeking ads. These guidances are designed to encourage more informative, understandable ads.
Advertising Guidance
The draft guidance on the brief summary encourages companies to use consumer-friendly language and formats to convey prescription drug risk information--through a "less is more" approach. This approach focuses on the most serious and the most common risks of a drug, rather than listing every risk from the physician labeling. "Even though the information currently in the brief summary is complete, accurate, and in compliance," says Pitts, "it does not mean that patients are deriving the maximum benefit from it."
Sometimes marketers combine help-seeking ads with perceptually similar reminder ads in a way that causes the audience to perceive the two pieces as one advertisement. Appearing individually, these ads are exempted by regulation from the risk disclosure requirement. Combined, however, both ads can, in some cases, make a product-claim advertisement that requires risk disclosure.
The agency's recent draft guidance on help-seeking ads explains that help-seeking and reminder ads must appear distinct to avoid coming under the regulations for a product-claim ad. The draft guidance also addresses the separation needed between the two types of ads--in space for print ads, and in time for TV ads.
Those in Violation
For companies that don't follow the rules, DDMAC's possible actions include two types of letters--"untitled" and "warning." These letters address advertisements that make misleading claims about a drug's effectiveness--violations such as overstating the effectiveness of the drug, suggesting a broader range of indicated uses than the drug has been approved for, and lack of risk information. In both types of letters, DDMAC asks that the advertisement be withdrawn.
Warning letters, which are sent to companies that have violated the law repeatedly or that have committed serious regulatory violations in their advertising, typically request corrective advertisements to assure that the audience that received the original false or misleading information also receives truthful and accurate information.
Untitled letters are usually, but not always, sent to companies for first-time offenses or for less serious violations.
For example, the 60-second DTC broadcast television ad featuring "Digger," the well-known animated dermatophyte microorganism touting Lamisil (terbinafine), a treatment for nail fungus, was initially found to be false or misleading. The FDA sent an untitled letter to the makers of Lamisil for overstating the drug's effectiveness, minimizing its risk information, and making an unsubstantiated superiority claim. As a result, the manufacturer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., stopped running that ad.
DDMAC recently sent a warning letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. about false or misleading promotional materials for Pravachol (pravastatin sodium), a drug approved to lower cholesterol in people with high cholesterol, to help prevent heart attacks in people with high cholesterol or heart disease, and to help prevent stroke in people with heart disease. One of the company's ads misleadingly suggested that the drug had been proven to help prevent stroke in all people worried about having a stroke, regardless of whether or not they had heart disease.
Another ad, directed at diabetes patients, misleadingly suggested that Pravachol had been proven to help prevent heart attacks and stroke in people with diabetes. Following the warning letter, the company created a corrective ad campaign acknowledging that Pravachol had not been approved for these indications.
Assessing DTC advertising is an ongoing process for the FDA. As more research surfaces, the agency will continue to evaluate DTC drug promotion and will take additional measures as appropriate to protect the public health.
DTC Ads at a Glance
Product-claim ads:
mention a drug by name
make representations about the drug, such as its safety and effectiveness
must have fair balance of information about effectiveness and risks
are required to disclose risks in a "brief summary" of benefits and risks (for print ads)
are required to give a "major statement" of risks and "adequate provision" for finding out more, such as a toll-free number (for broadcast ads).
Reminder ads:
provide the name of the medication
may provide other minimal information, such as cost and dosage form
do not make a representation about the drug, such as the drug's use, effectiveness, or safety
are not required to provide risk information.
Help-seeking ads:
educate consumers about a disease or medical condition
let people know that treatments exist for a medical condition
don't name a specific drug
are not required to provide risk information."
"Truth in Advertising: Rx Drug Ads Come of Age
By Carol Rados
You may have seen the advertisement: A melodrama of crime and corruption, conflict and emotion, centering on indoor hit men like dust and dander, and outdoor hit men such as pollen and ragweed, all threatening to offend a young and very beautiful woman's nose. The 45-second broadcast ad covers everything from talking to your doctor to the possible side effects that people can expect. Then the narrator mentions "Flonase."
Entertaining though it may be, the Food and Drug Administration says this promotional piece about nasal allergy relief also has all the elements of a well-crafted, easy-to-understand prescription drug advertisement directed at consumers, and it meets agency requirements for these ads.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs in its varied forms--TV, radio, magazines, newspapers--is widely used throughout the United States. DTC advertising is a category of promotional information about specific drug treatments provided directly to consumers by or on behalf of drug companies. According to the U.S. General Accounting Office--the investigational arm of Congress--pharmaceutical manufacturers spent $2.7 billion on DTC advertising in 2001 alone.
The Controversy
Whether it's a 1940s, detective-style film noir of unusual allergy suspects or a middle-aged man throwing a football through a tire swing announcing that he's "back in the game," the DTC approach to advertising prescription drugs has been controversial. Some say that DTC promotion provides useful information to consumers that results in better health outcomes. Others argue that it encourages overuse of prescription drugs and use of the most costly treatments, instead of less expensive treatments that would be just as satisfactory.
There seems to be little doubt that DTC advertising can help advance the public health by encouraging more people to talk with health care professionals about health problems, particularly under-treated conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
DTC advertising also can help remove the stigma that accompanies diseases that in the past were rarely openly discussed, such as erectile dysfunction or depression. DTC ads also can remind patients to get their prescriptions refilled and help them adhere to their medication regimens.
On the other hand, ads that are false or misleading do not advance--and may even threaten--the public health. While the FDA encourages DTC advertisements that contain accurate information, the agency also has the job of making sure that consumers are not misled or deceived by advertisements that violate the law.
"The goal here is getting truthful, non-misleading information to consumers about safe and effective therapeutic products so they can be partners in their own health care," says Peter Pitts, the FDA's associate commissioner for external relations. "Better-informed consumers are empowered to choose and use the products we regulate to improve their health."
In three FDA surveys conducted in 1999 and 2002, physicians reported that DTC ads had these beneficial effects for patients:
How Ads Affect Consumers
The FDA surveyed both patients and physicians about their attitudes and experiences with DTC advertising between 1999 and 2002. The agency summarized the findings of these surveys in January 2003 in the report, Assessment of Physician and Patient Attitudes Toward Direct-to-Consumer Promotion of Prescription Drugs.
DTC advertising appears to influence certain types of behavior. For example, the FDA surveys found that among patients who visited doctors and asked about a prescription drug by brand name because of an ad they saw, 88 percent actually had the condition the drug treats. This is important, Pitts says, because physician visits that result in earlier detection of a disease, combined with appropriate treatment, could mean that more people will live longer, healthier, more productive lives without the risk of future costly medical interventions.
With the number of ailments Patricia A. Sigler lives with--diabetes, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, nerve damage, and a heart defect called mitral valve prolapse--the 64-year-old small business owner in Jefferson, Md., says that she's always on the lookout for medicines that might improve her quality of life, and that she pays attention to DTC ads for prescription drugs.
In the three FDA surveys, patients reported recalling this information from TV ads:
Some Doctors Don't Agree
Michael S. Wilkes, M.D., vice dean of the medical school at the University of California, Davis, says that two reasons he doesn't like DTC advertising are that patients may withhold information from their doctors or try to treat themselves. Aiming prescription drug ads at consumers can affect the "dynamics of the patient-provider relationship," and ultimately, the patient's quality of care, Wilkes says. DTC advertising can motivate consumers to seek more information about a product or disease, but physicians need to help patients evaluate health-related information they obtain from DTC advertising, he says.
"DTC advertising may cultivate the belief among the public that there is a pill for every ill and contribute to the medicalization of trivial ailments, leading to an even more overmedicated society," Wilkes says. "Patients need to trust that I've got their best interest in mind."
Others who favor DTC ads say that consumer-directed information can be an important educational tool in a time when more patients want to be involved in their own health care. Carol Salzman, M.D., Ph.D., an internist in Chevy Chase, Md., emphasizes, however, that physicians still need to remain in control of prescribing medications.
"Doctors shouldn't feel threatened by their patients asking for a medicine by name," she says, "but at the same time, patients shouldn't come in expecting that a drug will be dispensed just because they asked for it."
Salzman says she finds it time-consuming "trying to talk people out of something they have their hearts set on." Wilkes agrees. Discussions motivated by ads that focus on specific drugs or trivial complaints, he says, could take time away from subjects such as a patient's symptoms, the range of available treatments, and specific details about a patient's illness.
Education or Promotion?
At least one patient advocacy group is concerned about what it says are the downsides of advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers, claiming that DTC ads often masquerade as educational tools, but provide more promotion than education. The ads, they say, provide little access to unbiased information.
"People need to be careful with ads that it isn't just hype that they're going to feel better, with no objectivity of the downsides," says Linda Golodner, president of the National Consumers League in Washington, D.C. Although all DTC advertisements must disclose risk information, she says what is typically communicated is a brand name, a reason to use the product, and an impression of the product. Golodner wants all offices within the FDA that have a responsibility for any aspect of DTC advertising to work together. "There's a lot of the same information out there, so why not bring it all together so that consumers can understand it better?"
Truth in Advertising
The FDA has regulated the advertising of prescription drugs since 1962, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and related regulations. The regulations establish detailed requirements for ad content. Most other advertising, including that of over-the-counter drugs, is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission under a different set of rules.
The FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC) oversees two types of promotion for prescription drugs: promotional labeling and advertising. Advertising includes commercial messages broadcast on television or radio, communicated over the telephone, or printed in magazines and newspapers. Prescription drug ads must contain information in a "brief summary" relating to both risks and benefits. Recognizing the time constraints of broadcast ads, FDA regulations provide that a broadcast advertisement may include, instead of a brief summary, information relating to the major risks. The ad must also make "adequate provision" for distributing the FDA-approved labeling in connection with the broadcast ad. This refers to the concept of providing ways for consumers to find more complete information about the drug.
Most ads fulfill this requirement by including a toll-free telephone number, a Web site address, or a link to a concurrently running print ad. They also encourage consumers to talk to their health care providers. Both print and broadcast ads directed at consumers may only make claims that are supported by scientific evidence.
DDMAC oversight helps ensure that pharmaceutical companies accurately communicate the benefits and risks of an advertised drug. The regulations require that advertising for prescription drugs must disclose certain information about the product's uses and risks.
In addition, advertisements cannot be false or misleading and cannot omit material facts. FDA regulations also call for "fair balance" in every product-claim ad. This means that the risks and benefits must be presented with comparable scope, depth, and detail, and that information relating to the product's effectiveness must be fairly balanced by risk information.
The FDA does not generally require prior approval of DTC ads, although companies are required to submit their ads to the FDA at the time they begin running. The agency, therefore, routinely examines these commercials and published DTC ads after they become available to the public. FDA, however, also is happy to review proposed ads if a drug company makes a request.
"We look at a lot of DTC ads before they run," says Kathryn J. Aikin, Ph.D., a social scientist in DDMAC. "Manufacturers typically want to be sure they're getting started on the right foot."
The Trouble With Ads
Of the three types of DTC advertisements, the first and most common--product-claim ads--mention a drug's name and the condition it is intended to treat, and describe the risks and benefits associated with taking the drug. Some manufacturers have decided not to present this much information and instead, have made use of two other kinds of ads. "Reminder" ads give only the name of the product, but not what it is used for, and "help-seeking" ads contain information about a disease, but do not mention a specific drug. These help-seeking--or disease-awareness--ads can be extremely informative and, because they name no drug, they are not regulated by the FDA. Examples of help-seeking ads are those that mention high cholesterol or diabetes, and then direct you to ask your doctor about treatments. Reminder ads call attention to a drug's name, but say nothing about the condition it is used to treat, its effectiveness, or safety information. A reminder ad is not required to include risk information.
There has been a great deal of discussion about the brief summary that accompanies DTC print ads. The typical brief summary is not brief and uses technical language. This is because it reprints all of the risk information from the physician labeling. People have complained that the brief summary cannot be understood by consumers. Aikin says, "Patients do not typically read the brief summary in DTC print ads unless they're interested in the product." Even then, she says, much information is likely glanced at, rather than fully read.
Public input and the FDA's own experiences with DTC promotion prompted the agency to publish two new draft guidances in February 2004: one on the brief summary, and one on help-seeking ads. These guidances are designed to encourage more informative, understandable ads.
Advertising Guidance
The draft guidance on the brief summary encourages companies to use consumer-friendly language and formats to convey prescription drug risk information--through a "less is more" approach. This approach focuses on the most serious and the most common risks of a drug, rather than listing every risk from the physician labeling. "Even though the information currently in the brief summary is complete, accurate, and in compliance," says Pitts, "it does not mean that patients are deriving the maximum benefit from it."
Sometimes marketers combine help-seeking ads with perceptually similar reminder ads in a way that causes the audience to perceive the two pieces as one advertisement. Appearing individually, these ads are exempted by regulation from the risk disclosure requirement. Combined, however, both ads can, in some cases, make a product-claim advertisement that requires risk disclosure.
The agency's recent draft guidance on help-seeking ads explains that help-seeking and reminder ads must appear distinct to avoid coming under the regulations for a product-claim ad. The draft guidance also addresses the separation needed between the two types of ads--in space for print ads, and in time for TV ads.
Those in Violation
For companies that don't follow the rules, DDMAC's possible actions include two types of letters--"untitled" and "warning." These letters address advertisements that make misleading claims about a drug's effectiveness--violations such as overstating the effectiveness of the drug, suggesting a broader range of indicated uses than the drug has been approved for, and lack of risk information. In both types of letters, DDMAC asks that the advertisement be withdrawn.
Warning letters, which are sent to companies that have violated the law repeatedly or that have committed serious regulatory violations in their advertising, typically request corrective advertisements to assure that the audience that received the original false or misleading information also receives truthful and accurate information.
Untitled letters are usually, but not always, sent to companies for first-time offenses or for less serious violations.
For example, the 60-second DTC broadcast television ad featuring "Digger," the well-known animated dermatophyte microorganism touting Lamisil (terbinafine), a treatment for nail fungus, was initially found to be false or misleading. The FDA sent an untitled letter to the makers of Lamisil for overstating the drug's effectiveness, minimizing its risk information, and making an unsubstantiated superiority claim. As a result, the manufacturer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., stopped running that ad.
DDMAC recently sent a warning letter to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. about false or misleading promotional materials for Pravachol (pravastatin sodium), a drug approved to lower cholesterol in people with high cholesterol, to help prevent heart attacks in people with high cholesterol or heart disease, and to help prevent stroke in people with heart disease. One of the company's ads misleadingly suggested that the drug had been proven to help prevent stroke in all people worried about having a stroke, regardless of whether or not they had heart disease.
Another ad, directed at diabetes patients, misleadingly suggested that Pravachol had been proven to help prevent heart attacks and stroke in people with diabetes. Following the warning letter, the company created a corrective ad campaign acknowledging that Pravachol had not been approved for these indications.
Assessing DTC advertising is an ongoing process for the FDA. As more research surfaces, the agency will continue to evaluate DTC drug promotion and will take additional measures as appropriate to protect the public health.
DTC Ads at a Glance
Product-claim ads:
mention a drug by name
make representations about the drug, such as its safety and effectiveness
must have fair balance of information about effectiveness and risks
are required to disclose risks in a "brief summary" of benefits and risks (for print ads)
are required to give a "major statement" of risks and "adequate provision" for finding out more, such as a toll-free number (for broadcast ads).
Reminder ads:
provide the name of the medication
may provide other minimal information, such as cost and dosage form
do not make a representation about the drug, such as the drug's use, effectiveness, or safety
are not required to provide risk information.
Help-seeking ads:
educate consumers about a disease or medical condition
let people know that treatments exist for a medical condition
don't name a specific drug
are not required to provide risk information."
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Activity: No Free Lunch
We will be posting DIY activities as we find them. We are cross posting this on our other blog. Enjoy:
"Spend some time exploring the website of No Free Lunch (http://www.nofreelunch.org). Then interview your doctor about the organization: Has he or she heard of it? Do they know what its goals are? What do they think about its mission? Have they signed the pledge? If not, why not? Would they in the future? Make some calls to other doctor’s offices and try to find out how many have heard of the organization and/or signed the pledge. Post your findings here in the comments section."
assignment via Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs Study Guide Written by Bill Yousman
"Spend some time exploring the website of No Free Lunch (http://www.nofreelunch.org). Then interview your doctor about the organization: Has he or she heard of it? Do they know what its goals are? What do they think about its mission? Have they signed the pledge? If not, why not? Would they in the future? Make some calls to other doctor’s offices and try to find out how many have heard of the organization and/or signed the pledge. Post your findings here in the comments section."
assignment via Big Bucks, Big Pharma: Marketing Disease and Pushing Drugs Study Guide Written by Bill Yousman
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Weekly Remedy #5: Ginger
Image via wikipedia
Ginger has been used as natural cures in several cultures. It can cure stomach ailments. It can be used to cure nausea developed from seasickness, morning sickness, and chemotherapy. It is also often used in different cultures in different forms to help with the common cold.
Read more about it here.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Animals and Drugs...
The above video is NOT related to the NY Times article quoted below and we have no idea if the dog in the video is on any drugs nor are we in a position to diagnose whether the animal needs drugs. We do think that he/she has a thing for running around in circles. And we are OK with that.
Seriously though,
The following quote is from a recent NY Times article regarding prescription drugs for animals.
“He’s agile,” Allan says. “He’s healthy. He’s a good-looking animal.” Michelle adds, “We love him to death.” That is why they had no choice, she says. The dog simply had to go on psychoactive drugs.
Read the whole story here.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Objectifying Relaxation
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Cholesterol Drugs and Kids
Here are a few very interesting articles from Tara Parker-Pope at the New York Times. There is a new push to do cholesterol tests and even medicate high-risk children.
Cholesterol Screening Is Urged for Young
8-Year-Olds on Statins? A New Plan Quickly Bites Back
Cholesterol Drugs for Kids
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn
founder of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts. Here he speaks on the subject of mindfulness on the Google campus. The talk on mindfulness and meditation is done in a completely none-New Age way. The lecture lasts well over an hour, so make sure you give it plenty of time before you watch the video.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Weekly Remedy #4: Lavender
Need to relax? Tired but not able to sleep? Muscles aching? Excess skin? Try Lavender.
They grow it here.
Who Are the Players???
Earlier this week we posted the 2007 Pharma Cheerleader roster which begs the question, "who are the players?" Over the next few weeks we will post info about some of our favorite Big Pharma players.
image via PBS
Player: Scott Gottlieb M.D.
Claim to Fame: Former FDA Official
Read this: Alternet- Disgraced FDA Official Goes Back to Big Pharma By Martha Rosenberg
image via PBS
Player: Scott Gottlieb M.D.
Claim to Fame: Former FDA Official
Read this: Alternet- Disgraced FDA Official Goes Back to Big Pharma By Martha Rosenberg
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Well: The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating via Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times
Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
read more | digg story
Eat your:
Beets
Cabbage
Swiss chard
Cinnamon
Pomegranate
Dried plums
Pumpkin seeds
Sardines
Turmeric
Frozen blueberries
Canned pumpkin
read more | digg story
Eat your:
Beets
Cabbage
Swiss chard
Cinnamon
Pomegranate
Dried plums
Pumpkin seeds
Sardines
Turmeric
Frozen blueberries
Canned pumpkin
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Blood Pressure Action #2
Taken at 9:45 a.m. (awake 60 minutes)
No food
No coffee
Looking better
Still need to hit the bike today.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Dr. Peter Rost: Big Pharma Uses Hunky Males Too
Half the pharmaceutical sales force consists of alpha males, and I have been remiss in not displaying them in this blog. They are clearly very effective, since many doctors are women, and almost all the front office personnel who are supposed to keep drug reps at bay are females.
read more | digg story
Drug Reps that moonlight as Cheerleaders - Introducing … the 2007 All-Pharma Cheerleading Squad!
We posted about a New York Times article a while back which connected cheerleading and Big Pharma. Here is a blog post that found a few examples via eDrugSearch.com
Allison, Philadelphia Eagles
Beth , St. Louis Rams
Brooke, Cincinnati Bengals
Carla, Atlanta Falcons
Kellie, Baltimore Ravens
Lindsey, New Orleans/Okla. City Hornets
Monae, Seattle Sonics
Natalie, San Francisco 49ers
Onya, Washington Redskins
Romney, Baltimore Ravens
Stacey, Charlotte Bobcats
Romney, Baltimore Ravens
Tawnya, Philadelphia Eagles
Traci, Tennessee Titans
Trisha, Kansas City Chiefs
Wanda, Washington Wizards
Allison, Philadelphia Eagles
Beth , St. Louis Rams
Brooke, Cincinnati Bengals
Carla, Atlanta Falcons
Kellie, Baltimore Ravens
Lindsey, New Orleans/Okla. City Hornets
Monae, Seattle Sonics
Natalie, San Francisco 49ers
Onya, Washington Redskins
Romney, Baltimore Ravens
Stacey, Charlotte Bobcats
Romney, Baltimore Ravens
Tawnya, Philadelphia Eagles
Traci, Tennessee Titans
Trisha, Kansas City Chiefs
Wanda, Washington Wizards
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