It is bad enough that drugs for Alzheimer's really don't even work that well but now new evidence provides us with the not so surprising information that they actually increase the risk of dying. Federals Regulators are reviewing the safety of the Merck's Alzheimer's disease drug Reminyl (known generically as galantamine) after data from two clinical trials indicated that people taking the drug had a much higher death rate than those taking a placebo.
You may not realize it but this drug is made by the same company, Johnson & Johnson, that manufactures Splenda.
Don't you find it reprehensible that Reminyl was approved on the basis of six-month studies? These new trials that found the increased death rates lasted two years, increasing their chances of detecting side effects. How could the FDA be so negligent with respect to safety and approve a drug that will likely need to taken for many years with such a short term trial?
If you don't think this affects you, then you are not aware we are in the middle of an Alzheimer's epidemic. Some startling statistics on Alzheimer's disease:
- 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease
- Most family members feel that drugs are the only answer to slowing down the disease
- Alzheimer's patients usually take one drug
- Estimated cost of each drug: $120 a month
- The overall costs of Americans taking the drugs are $1.2 billion a year
Believe me folks drugs are not the answer, even if they appear to be natural. Reminyl is extracted from daffodil bulbs and is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which works by increasing the levels of acetylcholine, a chemical that transmits nerve signals in the brain. Others in this class include Aricept, sold by Pfizer and Eisai, and Exelon from Novartis. You and your loved ones simply need to avoid these drugs at all costs. They are not fit for human use.
The key to the treatment of Alzheimer's is prevention and to make sure you never get it. So just how do you prevent Alzheimer's?
- Follow the Nutrition Plan paying special attention to avoiding sugar.
- Eat plenty of good omega-3 fish oil.
- Avoid most fish and remove mercury.
- Avoid aluminum, such as in antiperspirants, cookware, etc.
- Exercise for three to five hours a week.
- Eat plenty of vegetables according to your nutritional type.
- Avoid flu vaccinations.
New York Times January 22, 2005