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 Dear Reader,
Five years ago, researchers at the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) released a study on the abuse of narcotic painkillers like OxyContin. Their conclusion? The deaths from such abuse were absolutely linked to an increase in the number of prescriptions written for those drugs.
How big an increase? Up to 500 per cent.
That's a lot of paper — in both prescription pads and money.
In the same journal, a couple of US researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health shared conclusions of their own — including a warning against the increased regulation recommended by the CDC.
What they didn't share was this — the university's Pain & Policy Studies Group were receiving what has amounted to a cool $2.5 million from the makers of the very drugs in question. Add more rules and regulations, and those drug makers wouldn't have quite as much money to throw around.
Since then, the research group has pumped out research supporting less regulation on the way narcotic painkillers are prescribed and used in the US — not always mentioning that the researchers have received payment from... yep, those same drug companies.
In fact, one of the researchers helped a Big Pharma giant get a new narcotic painkiller approved by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They also work as consultants, helping to change the face of what we all know are bad news drugs.
Angry yet? It gets worse. You'd think, at least, that these researchers would be doctors or in the lab actually testing the effects of these drugs, right? That they at least know what they're doing and have some background that makes their standing as authorities make some kind of sense, right?
Wrong. Though they do call themselves scientists, they're not performing research in a lab. Oh, yes, one of the officials is a doctor — of social welfare. The other? He has a master's in social work. Interesting backgrounds for people who seem to have no interest in the well-being of others.
And yet, their shady "research" is used to change policy and colour public opinion — after all, it's research from a university, right? Why wouldn't you trust that? Especially when they talk such a good game about improving pain care and "balancing" policies to minimize abuse.
But it just doesn't hold water. Experts in addiction and pain have said that this research group pushes a Big Pharma agenda that isn't at all supported by rigorous science. These critics allege they push policies that benefit one group only — pharmaceutical companies — and might've even helped put people in harm's way by advocating for the expanded medical use of drugs that may cause dependence and addiction.
Some people say this is why financial conflicts of interest are disclosed in articles and research reports. Well... yeah. But there are several cases in which those disclosures weren't included.
The group's founder co-authored a consensus statement asserting that opioids (chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system) carried low risk of addiction and were safe and effective for chronic, non-cancer pain — claims that had absolutely no proof. These are similar to the claims that got the US Department of Justice to throw a few accusations the way of OxyContin's manufacturers, but it didn't stop these two researchers.
Even after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal recently uncovered all of these sordid details, the university remained protective of its Pain Group, saying it's their mission to improve pain care.
You know, every time someone says to me, "Oh, come on, why are you so down on these drugs? They're safe! There's research," I can't help but think of stories like these. How can I be expected to trust research that is basically paid advertising for Big Pharma? I'll stick with my cynicism and mistrust, thanks.
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Q: I'm almost 40, and I still have acne. I thought this was a teenage problem, but it has just stuck around. Is there anything I can do?
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright: Acne is an embarrassing problem that, for many people, persists long after adolescence. The good news is that a form of vitamin B3 called niacinamide and a naturally occurring substance called azaleic acid are both effective against the most common form of acne, called acne vulgaris.
In 1987, the British Journal of Dermatology reported two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on using azaleic acid cream to treat acne. One of the studies, which involved 40 patients, showed that azaleic acid was significantly more effective than the placebo in reducing the degree of acne and the number of inflamed lesions after one, two, and three months of observation. Side effects were reported to be minimal.
And in an eight-month study involving 859 individuals, researchers found that topical azaleic acid was as effective as commonly used topical benzoyl peroxide and retinoic acid (a form of vitamin A). As an added benefit, it caused significantly fewer side effects than those agents. Topical azaleic acid was also found to be as effective as orally administered tetracycline.
In 1995, the International Journal of Dermatology reported on a study comparing the topical use of a 4 per cent niacinamide gel with a 1 per cent clindamycin gel (a commonly used antibiotic) in 76 individuals with acne. After eight weeks, 82 per cent of those using niacinamide showed improvement, as compared with 69 per cent of those using clindamycin.
At present, topical niacinamide gel and azaleic acid are readily available through online resources and specialist pharmacies.
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 doctor before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Miller
UK Editor
Nutrition and Healing
P.S. In the latest issue of Nutrition & Healing, Dr. Wright will tell you about the Mayo Clinic 'advancement' that's kept hypothyroid treatment stuck in the dark ages! Plus you will learn about the accidental discovery that could provide answers to some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. And since summer is here, we'll give you handy tips on how to get a safe and healthy sun tan... plus much, much more...
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:
"UW a force in pain drug growth," Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel (jsonline.com)
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