It is reported that the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which manufactures the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin (Lipitor), will attempt to gain FDA approval to sell the drug over the counter. The patent on Lipitor expires in November, which means that generic versions of the drug will drive the cost way down. Selling Lipitor over the counter would help make up for the lost profits for Pfizer. It’s not the first time Big Pharma has tried to gain this status for a statin drug—in 2008 an FDA advisory panel rejected applications from Merck for over-the-counter lovastatin, another statin drug. This application was rejected for a number of good reasons.

Drugs that have already taken the leap from prescription to over-the-counter status are those intended for temporary or intermittent treatment of symptomatic conditions like allergy, pain or gastric reflux (I won’t get into the inappropriate long-term use of over-the-counter proton pump inhibitors here—I’ve blogged on that before). Long-term treatment of asymptomatic conditions like high cholesterol requires physician monitoring of dosage, response and side effects. Liver damage and muscle pain are the most common side effects of statins. While muscle pain is obvious, liver damage can occur with no side effects, highlighting the importance of physician monitoring while on these medications.

Further, there is valid concern that consumers will not be able to appropriately select statin drugs and use them correctly. Consumers with little risk for a cardiovascular event may take over-the-counter statins with false hopes that the drug is benefitting them. Proper dosage is another factor—consumers needing a higher dose may mistakenly take a low dose, while those needing a low dose may overmedicate themselves.

For all these reasons, the FDA rejected the previous attempt at approval of over-the-counter statins. Let’s hope the FDA will take the same position with Pfizer’s attempts to gain over-the-counter status this time around. Statin drugs are already over-prescribed.

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allergy, cardiovascular, drug, gastric reflux, high cholesterol, Lipitor, liver damage, muscle pain, over-the-counter, pain, patent, pharmaceutical, prescription, proton pump inhibitors, side effects, statin

Think our kids aren’t picking up our unhealthy eating habits? Think again. I read recently that childhood obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled in the last 30 years… yes, I said tripled. Even scarier is that some experts predict this might be the first generation that doesn’t outlive their parents.

According to the Washington Post one third of all American children are overweight or obese. What does that mean for our kids? A laundry list of adverse health effects—everything from increased risk of heart attack and stroke to hormonal changes, liver damage, and yes, shorter life spans than ever before. Wake up, America! We need to start making a change!

If you’re as concerned as I am, you’ll want to check out this eye-opening interactive diagram from the Post’s website on childhood obesity. The organ-by-organ summary lets you click on different organs for details about the damage that obesity can do over time. And get the kids involved—the diagram is a great visual learning tool for adolescents and teens as well as adults, and it’s really important that we increase awareness about the dangers of an unhealthy body weight. It may be a small step, but it’s an important step!

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American children, childhood obesity, heart attack, hormonal changes, liver damage, obese, obesity rates, organs, overweight, stroke, unhealthy eating habits

It has been known for a while that humans (and even babies in the womb) have flame retardants in their blood due to environmental exposure. Flame retardants, or more specifically polybromated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used in carpeting and upholstery as well as in many household items. The main route of exposure was always thought to be from air and dust.

A new study supported partly by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has found that these chemicals may also come from the diet. Higher blood levels of PBDEs were associated with the consumption of fat from poultry and red meat. There was no association found for consumption of fat from fish or dairy products, however.

Though it was not determined how these flame retardants make their way into the food supply, some possibilities exist. Due to the nature of these chemicals to be stored in fat and to break down very slowly, animals could be contaminated from their environment, during meat processing, or even from contamination of animal feed.

Researchers mentioned that exposure of flame retardants may be shifting from indoors to outdoors now because these chemicals enter the waste stream, essentially building up over time. Indoor exposure still occurs, but this study illustrates the far reaching damage that chemical toxins can have as they pervade the environment. Where will it go from here?

Flame retardants have been shown to negatively affect the endocrine and nervous system as well as cause liver damage in animal studies. Human studies have shown them to affect male development, reproductive and thyroid hormones.

Toxins are everywhere. It’s virtually impossible to avoid all toxins this day and age. But there are measures that can be taken to decrease toxin exposure and help support the body’s detoxification processes. According to this study, eating fat from chicken and beef may lead to increased flame retardant exposure. Avoiding these meats would be wise, but if they are to be consumed, choosing lean cuts of meat and removing skin from chicken may be helpful.

An ounce of prevention is as true now as ever, and the benefits of total body cleansing twice a year is a great way to maintain your health. Cleansing supports the body’s seven channels of elimination, by which toxins leave the body, and ReNew Life’s advanced CleanseSMART total body cleanse can be a solid step on the road to good health. A cleansing program like ReNew Life’s Liver Detox specifically targets the natural detoxification that occurs in the liver, the body’s main “toxin filter,” and is also another great step.

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Brenda Watson, endocrine system, flame retardants, liver damage, national institute of environmental health sciences, nervous system, PBDE, polybromated diphenyl ehters, toxins

Summary:
In this video blog I discuss an article posted on Science Daily about herbicides that are used on corn. What are herbicides? Do herbicides pose a risk to your health? Tune in and find out the answers…

Full Script:
Yesterday I read an article posted on Science Daily website I found frightening and frankly downright stupid. The article was citing a recent study which found that the herbicides mesotrione and atrazine, when applied to sweet corn, increased the corn’s nutritional value.

Specifically, they stated that these herbicides increased the carotenoids called lutein and zea-zan-thin which are linked to health benefits.

How stupid do they really think we are? Should we now be making sure our corn has these herbicides on it? Obviously this study was funded by either the American Chemical Society or the biggest herbicide manufacturer Monsanto.

And what about the “benefits” of these herbicides? How about birth defects, ocular lesions, liver, kidney and heart damage! These herbicides are even more harmful to our children.

My response to this type of scientific reporting? “Give Me A Break!”

And don’t forget to visit DetoxStrategy.com, the website of my book, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps.

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birth defects, Brenda Watson, carotenoids, detox strategy, heart damage, herbicides, kidney damage, liver damage, lutein, monsanto, ocular lesions, zea-zan-thin