Health Equipment RECALLED

Please read the following. It's scary.

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Consumer Reports taps ire over bad medical devices
Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:16pm GMT

By Debra Sherman

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Consumer Reports, the 76-year-old publication best known for its reviews of automobiles and refrigerators, is trying to galvanize the American public into protesting the way medical devices are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The past couple of years have seen a steady drumbeat of concerns by some lawmakers that health regulators are doing too little to protect consumers from hastily approved devices that can cause injury or even death.

It's a nightmare scenario," Consumer Reports President Jim Guest wrote in an email blast to 1 million Americans earlier this year. “The implant that fixed your knee or your heart may actually be a ticking time bomb that could disable or kill you.

This isn't science fiction. Millions of medical devices including artificial hips, contact lens solution, heart stents, and pacemakers are being recalled -- 700 different products a year. And the vast majority of recalled products were never safety tested in humans, because the manufacturers claimed they were 'similar' to products already on the market," he wrote.

For decades, certain devices have been cleared by the FDA without the manufacturers ever having to test them in human beings in clinical trials, which take time and money.

The fast-track approval process is known in the industry as Pre-market Notification, or 510(k), named for the numbered section of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Intended for low- and moderate-risk medical devices, such as blood pressure cuffs and hypodermic needles, too many high-risk devices, such as hip implants and heart valves, were cleared through the 510(k) process and later found to cause life-threatening incidents, according to Guest.

Consumer Reports, an independent nonprofit, publishes a monthly magazine, as well as newsletters focusing on health, money, travel, home and garden, weddings and other topics.

It has a total of 8 million subscribers to all of its publications and 800,000 for its On Health monthly newsletter, which was established in 1989. On Health maintains its own medical experts, but sometimes taps outside physicians.

Consumer Reports' advocacy arm, Consumers Union, would not disclose how much money it is spending on efforts to change the medical device approval process, but says its campaign is a top priority. The campaign was launched late last year at its annual Patient Safety Summit.

The Institute of Medicine, a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that provides medical advice to policy makers and the public, characterized the 510(k) approval process as “fatally flawed" and said it should be scrapped.

Can you hear me now?

My father celebrated his 100th birthday this year. With all the loud noises he's experienced in his life he needs a hearing aid. Actually most of his hearing loss happened while working at a sawmill.
Back in his time many people worked in factories, today this has changed through technology, but hearing loss still remains high.
With the advent if the inconspicuous earbud people walk around with them on like they're necessary for life. Problem though is that the high volume played through those earbuds is causing hearing loss.
Users of earbuds should keep the volume to 60% and at most 75%. this will limit hearing loss. The iPhone at full volume can produce some 100 decibels. Therefore keep your volume down and keep your hearing for the rest of your life!

SMOKING SUCKS

According to the 2010 statistics there are 6 million smokers in Canada. Smoking has slowly been on the decline since 1965 when anti smoking programs were put in place.
Vancouver has instituted anti smoking laws that restrict where smokers can light up. All restaurants are non smoking zones. Even outdoor bus stops are non smoking areas.
Even though cigarette packages have graphic warning signs about the perils of smoking, people still light up.
My brother whom I was very close to died of cancer caused by his smoking habit. It was a terrible painful death that even heavy doses of morphine couldn't squelch. Finally in grave pain his body succumbed. That picture alone stays with me. Smoking sucks...and Kills!

Tinnitus

Do you have ringing in the ears? I personally know people who have it occasionally and one who has it continuously for years. It's driving that person nuts!

Treating tinnitus is incredibly difficult. Often, the only symptom that the sufferer experiences is a ringing, buzzing, or high-pitched squealing in the ears. There’s often no inflammation or other signs that can tell a doctor what’s wrong, so treatments end up consisting of trying different remedies. It’s far from the best system, but, considering all of the reasons why tinnitus can present itself; it’s often the only way to go.

There are some major causes of ear tinnitus:
Ear ringing is often associated with age-related loss of hearing. Ear infections, head and neck injuries, dental and head surgeries, and disorders such as multiple sclerosis, thyroid disorder, vitamin B12 deficiency, and lyme disease are some of the causes of ringing in the ears.
Also the following can be causes of Tinnitus:
-Sinusitis and Allergies
-Repeated exposure to loud noise.
-Stress or Trauma
-Meniere's disease

How does one treat tinnitus? Well first off get professional medical advice. Your doctor is a good place to start.

In some cases the following can help with the symptoms of tinnitus.
Garlic, Gingko Biloba, Hawthorn berries, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and a diet geared towards anti inflammatory.
Since tinnitus can be debilitating do your research. Doctors often don't have the answers so check with naturopaths, homeopathy practitioners and research the Internet. Find what works for you!

Mask it!

I know this sounds weird to say mask it but it makes sense. Today I saw a lady enter the bus wearing a surgical mask over her mouth. At first I thought "man is she weird" but after some consideration I thought she was actually pretty considerate. She probably had a cold or flu and didn't want to pass it on to others. So just Mask it!

Sinusitis

Over 25 years ago I developed sinusitis. I originally thought I had a summer cold but I ended up having seasonal allergies which made my nose run like a faucet or be plugged up like Hoover Dam.
Anyone who has sinusitis knows just how debilitating it can be.

Back then I made the mistake of overusing the nasal spray called Dristan. What happened was as soon as my nose was getting clogged I sprayed Dristan. Well overuse of this type of nasal spray causes the mucus membranes to weep more mucus and the cycle continues, even gets worse. I want to be fair to Dristan nasal spray. Using it according to directions it works fine, just don't use it longer or more often than directions indicate.

Well in the summer of 2006 I had a real bad bout of allergy attacks. Pollen was everywhere. My nose ran like a faucet and my eyes swelled and teared so that I couldn't drive. I went to my doctor and begged for some prescription relief. Instead of strong antihistamine tablets I was prescribed PATANOL eye drops and NASONEX nose spray. What a God send these two were. My allergies and sinusitis came under control in less than two weeks and with no side effects!

Kidney Stones (part two)

The causes of kidney stones seems to still be allusive to the medical profession. They can determine what the content of the stone is but aren't too helpful in preventing the stone from developing. My research on the Internet along with looking into naturopathic journals had given some answers as to why kidney stones develop.Phosphoric acid which is found in Cola pops including diet Colas is a culprit in the development of some kidney stones. Also a high protein diet can be a cause in the development of kidney stones.I found in my research that drinking cranberry juice us not only good for the bladder but also good for the kidneys. Drinking lemon juice first thing in the mornings also helps get the digestive system going and helps wash out the kidneys.

Kidney Stones (part one)

My doctor described kidney stone pain as the equivalent to a woman giving birth. Well I can personally attest that it is extremely painful. In fact the pain was so great that heavy doses of Tylenol 3 didn't make a dent! I was fortunate that Vancouver General Hospital has an Acute Kidney Stone clinic. This clinic uses a Lithopriper kidney stone crusher. This machine is used to target and crush the stone(s) using sonic waves. It is less invasive and quick and i found the Lithopripsy treatment to be quite pain free. But afterwards passing the fragmented stones was extremely painful. But once this was done less than 6 hours later I was pain free and on the road to recovery.

indigestion

Are you having indigestion on a regular basis? Make sure to let your doctor know. What I do is take Apple Cider Vinegar tablets. It helps with our stomach acid to quickly digest our food. As we age our bodies produce less stomach acid. Since stomach acid is necessary to digest our food, less acid isn't good. Unfortunately doctors often recommend ant-acids when our bodies need the acid to breakdown our foods.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is finally getting its due. Doctors are recognizing that it's not just something to add to milk so we can get the sunshine vitamin during the grey winter months. Vitamin D helps us before and during a cold. Best used regularly in conjunction with vitamin C. Adding Cold FX also helps along with C and D. Happy and healthy winter to all!