Do Arthritis Drugs Cause Cancer?

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Dr. Mercola
June 28 2008

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Do Arthritis Drugs Cause Cancer?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating whether four drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other immune system diseases might increase the risk of cancer in children.

The FDA has received reports of 30 cases of cancer among children and young adults treated with the drugs. The agency did not make clear how many children had taken the drugs.

The drugs involved are:

1. Enbrel, sold by Amgen and Wyeth
2. Remicade, sold by Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough
3. Humira, sold by Abbott Laboratories
4. Cimzia, sold by the Belgian company UCB

All of the drugs block a protein called tumor necrosis factor, and are therefore known as TNF-blockers. They are used to treat not only rheumatoid arthritis but also psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and other immune diseases.

Because the drugs block part of the immune system, it’s long been known that they might contribute to a higher risk of cancers and infections. The drugs’ labels contain warnings as such, including warning about a risk of lymphomas, which are cancers of immune system cells.

Among adults, meanwhile, one study found that those given Humira or Remicade to treat rheumatoid arthritis had 2.4 times the cancer rate of those in control groups.

Sources:

New York Times June 5, 2008

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Rheumatoid arthritis can be a devastating disease during which your body starts destroying itself, but there’s no need to wait for the FDA to investigate this one.

Most arthritis drugs are simply far too dangerous to use.

Studies had already linked Humira and Remicade, for instance, to:

Lymphoma
Tuberculosis
Pneumonia
Skin, gastrointestinal, breast and lung tumors

This was among adults, but the risks may be even more concerning among children, considering that the drugs suppress your immune system, and children’s immune systems are not yet mature.

It’s sad, though, because if you visit a rheumatologist most of them will prescribe these drugs right off the bat, as though they are the only option. And though they may help to ease your pain, they’re doing it at what expense? Cancer down the road? Tuberculosis? A lung tumor?

These are astronomical risks!

Not to mention that these drugs are expensive. The cost of using Remicade for one year is about $12,000. No, I did not put an extra zero in there. This explains why Remicade, Humira and Enbrel had combined sales of more than $13 billion in 2007.

If You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis, You do Have a Choice

Drugs are NOT the only option, and this is something that most doctors won’t tell you.

You have the choice to forgo arthritis drugs and their nasty side effects in favor of some lifestyle modifications. The following plan, which is based on my revision of Dr. Brown’s Antibiotic Protocol, has helped thousands of people with rheumatoid arthritis go into remission.

I have treated over 3,000 patients with this protocol since the late '80s and the success rate is well over 80%. It really is amazing how powerful the healing potential of your body is once you address causal factors and provide it with the essential healing tools and resources.

The protocol involves:

1. Improving your diet using a combination of my nutritional guidelines and nutritional typing.

2. Getting plenty of omega-3 fats by taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3 supplement, like krill oil.

3. Getting your vitamin D levels checked and, if necessary, taking a supplement if you can't get daily sun exposure. This is absolutely crucial and, in my opinion, gross medical negligence and malpractice if it is not performed on nearly every RA patient as nearly all RA patients have low vitamin D levels

4. Having an effective method of addressing the nearly universal underlying emotional distresses that are present in most all autoimmune diseases like RA.

5. Incorporating regular exercise into your daily schedule. If your joints are painful, gentle exercises like yoga and Tai Chi are recommended. You may also want to have a consultation with an exercise professional so no permanent joint damage is done as a result of joint deformities.

What About Psoriasis and Crohn’s Disease?

Many people are also given arthritis drugs to treat these conditions, but these are two more examples of conditions that can be remedied without taking drugs that increase your risk of cancer.

About 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, a skin disorder that causes scaly red patches. Carolyn Dean has written about some great natural methods to heal psoriasis, among them:

Increasing your intake of omega-3 fats
Dealing with stress in a healthy way
Eliminating sugar and refined and processed foods from your diet

I would add to that getting plenty of sun exposure to make sure your vitamin D levels stay where they need to be.

As for curing Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), naturally, the recommendations are much in the same:

Increase your intake of animal-based omega-3 fats, while decreasing your intake of omega-6 fats (found largely in vegetable oils)

Avoid sugar, as it will increase inflammation by increasing your insulin levels.

Avoid grains until symptoms are under control. Many with inflammatory bowel disease have gluten sensitivities. Additionally, the grains tend to increase insulin levels in most.

Make sure your vitamin D levels are optimized.

Get plenty of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) --which will help to heal your intestinal tract -- in your diet. Try cultured raw milk kefir for this purpose, or you can also consider a high-quality probiotic supplement.

Whatever you do, don’t let anyone suggest to you that drugs are the only way to handle immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. You can get relief from your symptoms while healing the underlying causes by following the health principles I outlined above.

Related Links:

Arthritis Can Be Managed With Diet and Exercise

RA Drugs Have New Warnings, But Will the Doctors Listen?

Arthritis Drug May Worsen Congestive Heart Failure

Community Comments (21)

Posted On Jun 09, 2008

What else is new? All these drugs come with promises to treat this and that, but in the end it causes more sickness and death in a vicious cycle.

I agree, people are just brainwashed into believing the solution to anything comes in the form of a pill.

I used to respect Johnson and Johnson. Now I see they're no better than the rest of them. They denied Ortho Evra (birth control patch) was causing harm to women when it gave out several times fold the hormones. And now this...

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All Under Heaven

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Posted On Jun 07, 2008

This information reinforces the fact that it is far safer to find dietary means to control arthritis. As per my post to another topic today, studies have shown that one way this may be able to be achieved is by eliminating meat from your diet.

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Aaltrude

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bmc

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

I agree the first thing that should be done is to look at the persons diet, and have them make the necessary changes. People are so brain washed into asking for a pill, and too many doctors are brain washed that pills are the way to go. It's time to clean house in the medical world. That means clearing out big pharma and the insurance companies.

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Posted On Jun 28, 2008

Great article!

I have found that the right adaptogens can have a huge impact on RA and IBS problems.

Good info is at: www.miracleadaptogens.com

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MarkEllins

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Posted On Jun 10, 2008

Arthritis is typically caused by either low thyroid or a constant, low-level immune response. The cure is to check and restore thyroid, along with the other hormone levels, or to find the underlying cause of the immune response.

Any drug that suppresses the immune system will help "relieve" arthritis, but at the expense of reducing immunity. Remaining cancer-free requires a healthy, active immune system. Therefore, arthritis drugs open the door to cancer, and I suppose, all sorts of other disease, colds, flu, etc.

If one wants to merely suppress their immune system in search of arthritis relief, a much cheaper approach, rather than ingesting expensive prescription drugs, would simply be increased consumption of the polyunsaturated oils (including fish oil), as these, too, will reliably suppress immune response. This alternate route is, of course, not entirely recommended. The rational approach to arthritis is to determine the root cause of the inflammation and proceed from there, not mask it with drugs.

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Bob2_203

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Posted On Jun 28, 2008

"It really is amazing how powerful the healing potential of your body is once you address causal factors and provide it with the essential healing tools and resources."

For me this was the most powerful statement in the article. Once you realize this, Wellness is unlimited!!

For more information on how to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet go to:

www.greensmoothiechallenge.org

and to read stories of people who did, go to:

www.rawcovery.org

The key to a successful eating plan is what you are not eating!. Once you eliminate toxic food and chemicals from the body, the body will sustain itself!!

www.reducetoxinsnow.net

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Jinny

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