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| 14 October 2010
UK Edition |
 Dear Reader,
When someone has Alzheimer's, there aren't a whole lot of mainstream options for managing the disease. One favourite has been the drug donepezil (you might know it as Aricept). Before this month, patients would be given either 5 mg or 10 mg doses of the drug.
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just gave the okay to more than double the maximum dose, approving a 23 mg dose for patients who aren't responding to those previously given.
Now, there are a few reasons this gets me a little fired up...
Ten years ago, the Nutrition & Healing team wrote about natural alternatives to donepezil, including that classic of herbal medicine, Ginkgo biloba. Imagine if, all this time, more energy had been put into exploring those options instead of churning out drug after drug...and new versions of the same old drugs!
Even worse — back then, we also revealed that some experts think donepezil is just plain ineffective.
So... here we have a drug, the effectiveness of which has been questioned for a full decade, and they want to give people MORE of it!
The issue is not just the drug's ineffectiveness. We haven't even talked about the side effects yet.
Most of the usual suspects are there, and they appeared (not surprisingly) at higher rates in those taking the higher dose of donepezil. There's nausea (11.8% versus 3.4% with the 10 mg dose), vomiting (9.2% with the 23 mg dose compared with 2.5% on 10 mg), and diarrhoea (8.3% versus 5.3%).
With numbers like that — it sounds like these people's bodies are trying to tell them something...
Then there's anorexia (5.3% of patients on the 23 mg dose, when 1.7% on 10 mg suffered from the disorder). Weight loss beyond anorexia was also an issue — 8.4% of patients taking 23 mg of donepezil lost 7% or more of their body weight by the end of the 24-week study.
Risk of peptic ulcer and gastrointestinal bleeding just about doubled with the higher dose.
To round it all out, the drug can lead to heart block — even in people who have no underlying heart problems. There wasn't any study data on how many people were affected in this way on the 23-mg dose. My guess is that it's too early to tell. But if it's already a problem with the lower doses and the other side effects skyrocketed...well, I'm not feeling too optimistic.
When patients were given the previously approved 5- and 10- mg doses of donepezil, 7.9% of them stopped taking it. The number more than doubled when people were given the new megadose. Almost one-fifth (18.6%) of patients taking 23 mg of donepezil couldn't go on with the medication and discontinued.
Continues below...
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No more excess earwax
Q: My ears get clogged up occasionally, but I never thought it was a big deal until my doctor told me I have excessive earwax build up. Should I be concerned? It's not a disease, right?
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright: You're right to think that excess earwax is not in itself a disease. But it's a nuisance that signals a much greater problem, one that if left untreated could cause disease: Essential fatty acid insufficiency.
Essential fatty acids have many, many important functions, including (but certainly not limited to) preventing cardiovascular disease, preventing an enlarged prostate, maintaining normal brain cell membranes, regulating inflammation, and maintaining soft skin.
First, you should have any earwax (or clogs caused by dried ear wax) removed for what's likely to be the very last time. Then start taking 1 tablespoon of cod liver oil and 1 tablespoon of flax oil at different times of the day. (This combination contains much more omega-3 fatty acid than omega-6, but since most people have much more omega-6 before supplementation, it should balance out.) Do this for two to four months, and it's extremely likely that your earwax problems will be gone for good... as long as you continue to optimize your acid intake of essential fatty acids.
After two to four months, it's usually possible to cut back the essential fatty acid supplement to 1 tablespoon of flax oil daily. (Flax oil is approximately 50 per cent omega-3, 30 per cent omega-6, and 20 per cent omega-9 fatty acids, which is a good balance for the long run.)
Remember, whenever you supplement with fatty acids, you also need to take extra quantities of vitamin E, preferably as "mixed tocopherols." For the first two to four months, it's best to take 800 IU daily. After that, you can lower your dose to 400 IU daily.
Bear in mind we are not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this for informational purposes only. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Miller
UK Editor
In the latest issue of Nutrition & Healing, Dr Jonathan V. Wright will tell you how to build stronger bones with the power of herbs. Also, learn about his clot-prevention programme and the natural compound that will give you extra insurance against too-sticky blood.
All new members who sign up will receive important updates like these in addition to receiving Dr. Wright's 7 Volume Library of Natural Healing.
Click here for full details.
Sources:
"FDA Approves High-Dose Donepezil for Advanced Alzheimer's Disease," Medscape Today (medscapetoday.com)
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