Dr. Mercola July 16 2007 15,411 views
In the month after the health risks of Avandia were exposed in the New England Journal of Medicine, the reports of side effects being made to federal regulators tripled. Avandia, also sold under the name Avandamet, was found to increase the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent. It‘s used to control blood sugar and is prescribed to more than 6 million people worldwide who suffer from Type 2 diabetes. Since diabetics are already in the elevated-risk category for heart attacks, the idea of a diabetes medication increasing that risk to such an extent was disturbing news.In the 35 days prior to the release of the study, five heart attacks had been reported, compared with 90 cases in the same period afterward. Heart related hospitalizations went from 11 to 126, and deaths attributed to the medication rose from 11 to 38.It is believed that the spike in post-market side effect reports is due to a lack of knowledge about the potential side effects by doctors. They simply did not correlate their patients’ heart problems with the medication.It also highlights the ineffectiveness and inadequacy of the current reporting system, which is the only thing the FDA relies on to measure a drug‘s safety once it‘s on the market. Reporting suspected side effects of a drug is voluntary and completely unenforced, which leads to a rather haphazard, incomplete and incorrect evaluation of the real damage being inflicted.Yahoo News July 13, 2007
Avandia has been on the market for eight years, even though GlaxoSmithKline's own analysis indicated heightened cardiac risks at least a year before the New England Journal study was published.
All the way back in 2000, there were also published reports about Avandia's role in causing liver failure. Yet the FDA stood idly by, allowing an untold number of individuals to put their lives at risk. No doubt thousands have already lost their lives unnecessarily.Not only is type 2 diabetes completely preventable, but it is virtually 100% curable for anyone who is willing to put in the hard time and work and recovering their insulin and leptin sensitivity. There's no need to put your life on the line by taking drugs that will hasten your departure.
If you are a diabetic, and don’t fully understand the underlying causes of your disease and how it works, you’re putting yourself at greater risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Unfortunately, a vast majority of doctors are also misinformed (by large medical corporations and, of course, pharmaceutical companies), thereby giving out misleading information about proper self-management.
Conventional medicine still insists on treating diabetes as a disease of blood sugar. Why? Because that problem can be modified and tinkered with through drugs. However, type two diabetes is not merely a disease of elevated blood sugar. It’s a disease of insulin and leptin (a hormone) signaling. These are deeper roots that CAN be treated and corrected—through your diet.This is not an insignificant problem, as one in three Americans have either pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Most diabetic diets focus on the amounts and types of carbohydrates and fats to be consumed. Unfortunately, the type and amount of protein in the diet has largely been ignored. It’s true that almost all diabetics should swap out their grain-carbs for other foods, whereas some people will do well substituting with protein, others are better off eating more vegetable-only carbs.
The related articles below are a great place to start educating yourself about the root causes of diabetes, and my book Take Control of Your Health will guide you through the process of determining your unique nutritional type, which is completely overlooked by conventional nutritionists. If you have diabetes, then medication is not the answer you’re looking for. Knowing which foods to eat and what exercise to perform is the key.
Doctor cannot teach they can only cure. Right? I mean I am right, am I not?
Careful you are using comonsense. That is a no no. Just like Congress few Doctors actually read the information that comes with the free drug samples they are given, and congress does not read any proposed laws anymore.
We are at the mercy of "Big Pharma" and doctors who say they will not treat you unless you agree with their orders, or suggestions. So we as patients need to be pro-active when it comes to our health.