Merck plead guilty to having illegally promoted Vioxx for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis before it was approved for that use in 2002. In 2004, Vioxx was withdrawn from the market after it was found to cause heart attacks, strokes and death. Additionally, Merck agreed to pay more than $600 million to the federal government, 43 states and the District of Columbia for other improprieties.

Merck & Co. has been fined about $1 billion dollars for criminal activity. Vioxx generated nearly $2.5 billion dollars in sales each year it was able to be sold. Merck may think of this as the cost of doing business. But there were many thousands of patients that died.

The FDA estimates that between 1999 and 2003 Vioxx may have contributed to 27,785 deaths. Other studies estimate the number of deaths from Vioxx at 55,000. It is believed that over 100,000 patients suffered strokes or heart attacks after taking Vioxx.

So why couldn’t the FDA look at this information, and why did it take so long for the FDA to order the removal Vioxx from the marketplace? There is a funding relationship between the FDA and companies such as Merck, and there is a pattern of some who had worked for the FDA to then work for pharmaceutical companies. There appears there could be a back door relationship between pharmaceutical companies and the FDA.

If you have to take a prescription medication, it is important to research how the drug works and the potential adverse effects. Do your research and have your questions ready for a good conversation with your doctor. There are often options other than drugs.

Really look into your diet – try to keep your foods as healthful as possible, stay hydrated and drink a lot more water, and of course, exercise. It is a great time to plant a garden.

Busch Chiropractic Pain Center offers the drug-free DRS Protocol ™treatment for back and neck conditions and offers nutritional evaluation and anti-inflammation diets for our patients.

DRS Protocol is drug-free & pain-free!

The FDA has recently announced an alert about the safety of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).  The following is a list of common products warned about. 

• AcipHex (rabeprazole sodium)
• Dexilant (dexlansoprazole)
• Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium)
• Omeprazole (omeprazole) Over-the-Counter (OTC)
• Prevacid (lansoprazole) and OTC Prevacid 24hr
• Prilosec (omeprazole) and OTC
• Protonix (pantoprazole sodium)
• Vimovo (esomeprazole magnesium and naproxen)
• Zegerid (omeprazole and Sodium bicarbonate) and OTC

These are medications are for treatment of Gerd/reflux esophagitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers and other gastric problems.

The FDA warns that using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be associated with an increased risk of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea – this is a diagnosis for patients who may have an onset of diarrhea that won’t improve.

The bacteria C. difficile can infect the colon and cause severe, life-threatening diarrhea. Out of over three million cases of diarrhea in the US annually, approximately 1-4% of patients with C. difficile die from the illness. There is a rise in the cases of infection as there is a rise in the use of PPIs. 

There are many medications, both over-the-counter and prescriptions that can cause acid reflux and Gerd. NSAIDS such as Motrin, Advil, Nuprin and Aleve can contribute.  The following are others:

• Calcium channel blockers – used to treat high blood pressure and angina.
• Anticholinergics – used in drugs that treat urinary tract disorders, allergies and glaucoma.
• Beta adrenergic agonists – used for asthma and obstructive lung diseases.
• Dopamine – used in Parkinson’s disease.
• Bisphosphonates – used to treat osteoporosis.
• Sedatives
• Antibiotics
• Potassium
• Iron pills

For those who are attempting to stop smoking by taking Chantix – just know that this drug is also known for causing Gerd.  Then a PPI is prescribed for this side-effect.

When a patient is prescribed a PPI, long-term use should be avoided and taking a good probiotic may help with the problems D.difficile.

 Busch Chiropractic offers the DRS Protocol, a successful drug-free, pain-free treatment for herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, sciatic pain and other back and neck conditions.

Back or Neck Pain? Treat with the DRS Protocol. Drug-free, Pain-free and safe for Seniors!

Pain pills, antihistamines such Benadryl and many antidepressants and other mood altering drugs can affect the way our brain functions.  It is reported that even statins can affect memory. Many people buy over-the-counter products from the drugstore and some of the products with regular use can impair thinking and cause loss of memory. Elderly people can be most affected. 

Certain drugs will block a vital neurotransmitter that affects functions in the body, memory and cognitive functions are some. The drugs are called anticholinergic, and the effects will build up. Anticholinergic means an inhibition of cholinergic neurotransmission at muscarinic receptor sites.)

 Some of the symptoms are as follows:

 -Blurred vision

- Confusion, disorientation, memory impairment

- Dizziness when standing

- Drowsiness or sedation

- Nervousness, agitation or anxiety

- Hallucinations and delirium

- Reddening of the face (flushing)

- Fever

- Dry lips, mouth, and throat, speech difficulties, trouble with dentures, chewing and swallowing

- Nausea

- Constipation

- Rapid heart rate

- Weakness

- Trouble urinating or emptying bladder

 Senior patients are most vulnerable because they tend to take more medications, in general.

There are now many new research studies about the affects of ant cholinergic medicine because of the finding of British study on men and women 65 years or older.  The study followed 13,000 patients who were taking more than one anticholineric drug.  These patients scored lower on cognitive function test than those who did not take this type of drug.  Also it was found that the death rate of those who were taking many anticholineric drugs was 68 percent higher.

So far it can’t be determined why the death rate is higher except the commonality of anticholineric drugs. Some professionals suspect the drugs affect organs and the cardiovascular system.  Yet there are no studies to prove it.

Twenty percent of patients over 65 are taking at least one anticholinergic drug.  A study of 4000 seniors was performed in Indianapolis IN, and it found those that were taking three or more anticholinergic drugs for 90 days were three times more likely to be diagnosed with cognitive impairment as compared to those in the study who did not taken type of drug.

Still, there is already a consensus in the scientific community that anticholinergic compounds should be prescribed with caution, especially for the elderly

It is shown in studies that 25% of patients treating for memory disorders have reversible problems.  Those patients taking a combination of medications may become better once their medications are assessed and replaced with those that are not anticholinergic.

This is why it is vital to tell your doctors about all the drugs you take and about all over-the-counter products.  There may be no adequate substitutes for some essential anticholinergic drugs. However, taking multiple drugs that have the potential for these side effects should be assessed: especially, when it comes to treating problems such as the common cold or taking other over-the-counter remedies.  Do not stop medications on your own without consulting with your doctor.

When patients treat at Busch Chiropractic Pain Center with the DRS Protocol for painful spinal conditions such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, sciatica, spinal stenosisand other back or neck conditions they do not have to worry about taking addictive or impairing medications.  The DRS Protocol is nonsurgical and pain-free and there is no worry of drug interactions. 

Originally, Greg had been getting by on NSAIDS and muscle relaxers, however now he was facing surgery based on what his surgeon recommended. Greg wanted no part of surgery and was looking for alternatives.

When he went to see Dr. Richard Busch, his pain was sharp and shooting.  Normal activity just increased the pain level.  He would greatly set himself back, if he really worked normally. After treating with the DRS Protocol™, Greg is back to all activities and goes days and weeks with absolutely no pain.  He is no longer taking medications and is thrilled with his great outcome.  He is so happy he treated with the non-surgical, drug-free DRS Protocol.  He tells everyone surgery is not the only option.

DRS Protocol is drug-free & pain-free

Prescription drugs according a former drug czar is the biggest and fastest-growing part of America’s drug problem. According to the CDC the misuse of prescription medication causing fatal overdoses has shown a drastic increase.  It is a good thing gone awry and now is an unrecognized epidemic.  And is the 10^th leading cause of death in the US.

The number of deaths from opioid painkiller – such as morphine and codeine – have more than tripled from 1999 through 2006. To put it into perspective, it could be a yearly death toll of a hundred 757s crashing and killing everyone.  That would really make the news.

About 120,000 people a year have to go to the ER because they overdosed. In past years, most cases of overdose were to illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine, but now prescription opioid painkillers have taken the lead.

The DRS Protocol which can successfully treat herniated and degenerative discs at the Busch Chiropractic Pain Center is pain-free and DRUG-FREE.  Prescriptions pain pills are addictive and can kill.

Busch Chiropractic Makes Pain Go Away!

When you do something well, word travels fast and that is exactly how Joe heard about the Busch Chiropractic Center.  Joe had definitely heard about Busch Chiropractic Pain Center, and even though he lived 2.5 hours away, he was willing to make the drive, if Dr. Busch thought he could help Joe. 

Joe had suffered from a low back condition (degenerative disc disease) and had tried conservative care such as chiropractic, physical therapy and pain medications.  When that didn’t work, he gave up and had a spinal fusion.  For the last two years, he continually suffered from moderate to severe low back pain, left hip and thigh pain. 

Joe absolutely did not want to have another surgery, because his recovery was so difficult and he ended up right back where he started.  So he decided to use the internet to research options other than surgery.  When Joe got to Dr. Busch he was miserable with constant pain and was having difficulty standing, sitting and walking.  He was also having cramping in his leg.  He was constantly taking one prescription or another trying to get some relief.  He took Norflex, muscle relaxers, Tylenol or whatever was available at the time.  Joe was relieved when Dr. Busch said he was confident – after a thorough examination and a review of Joe’s films – that the DRS Protocol™ would help him. 

With a willingness to stay in a hotel during the week, Joe began treating and today he is walking and moving much, much better. The 2.5 hour car ride was not an issue.  Joe is doing better than he ever expected.  And he is so happy he didn’t have to have another surgery.  His wife is also very happy to have him back to being able to walk and be active, because she was getting bored shopping by herself while they were in town!

DRS Protocol at Busch Chiropractic Pain Center treats sciatic pain

Sciatica or sciatic pain is symptom of a back problem, and it is not a diagnosis of the actual problem itself. Sciatic pain refers to pain along the length of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body. The sciatic nerve branches off your spine at the pelvis and travels down each leg. A problem at the root of this nerve, where the nerve exits the spine, may be felt along the entire length of the leg and can cause leg weakness. Sciatic pain can be severe and debilitating.

Patients often misinterpret this as a problem with their legs, when the primary cause is the result of a bulging disc compressing a nerve at the base of their spine. Sometimes, with severe inflammation, pain will also be felt in the hips and buttocks.

Here is a general list of symptoms

• Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg  – generally does not occur in both legs
• Pain may be worse when sitting
• Burning or tingling down the leg is more like that a dull ache
• Hard to move your leg or foot, you can also have weakness and numbness
• Constant pain on one side of the buttocks
• Difficult to stand up or to walk

Sciatic pain is successfully treated at the Busch Chiropractic Pain Center, Fort Wayne IN, with DRS Protocol™ when the underlying cause or diagnosis is a disc condition such as herniated and degenerative disc (s). 

The new pain medication contains the painkiller hydrocodone – which is highly addictive – and the new pain medication can have 10 times the amount of hydrocodone in pain pills such as Vicodin.  The product is awaiting approval, and if that happens, it will be the first time patients can legally have pure hydrocodone. Now most pain pills add the non-addictive painkillers like acetaminophen.

According to the co-founder of Advocates for the – Reform of Prescription Opioids,  ”It’s like the wild west.” Peter Jackson states, “The whole supply-side system is set up to perpetuate this massive unloading of opioid narcotics on the American  public.”

The pharmaceutical companies say the new pain medication will offer another tool for those who are legitimately in pain.  The companies say the pure hydrocodone will avoid potential liver problems that are linked to high doses of acetaminophen – an ingredient in products like Vicodin. Patients will be closely supervised by law, and each time the patient needs a refill, it would require another office visit. Weaker prescriptions such as hydrocodone -acetaminophen products can be refilled up to five times.

One manufacturer has had a final meeting with the FDA and plans to have the product on the market by 2013.

“You’ve got a person on your product for life, and a doctor’s got a patient who’s never going to miss an appointment, because if they did and they didn’t get their prescription, they would feel very sick,” said Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. “It’s a terrific business model, and that’s what these companies want to get in on.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration, which enforces controls on medicines along with the FDA, said it could not comment on drugs that have not yet been approved for sale.

What do you think about this type of pain medication being developed?  Let us know.

To read the complete release http://tinyurl.com/7ezj5nz

Busch Chiropractic Pain Center, Fort Wayne  IN, can help you with pain from degenerative disc, herniated discs, sciatic pain and more.

DRS PROTOCOL can treat Radiculopathy

Cervical Radiculopathy is a term that describes radiating nerve pain that can start with a disc problem such as herniated or degenerative discs in your neck (cervical) area.  Your pain can run down into your shoulder, into your arm and on into your hands and fingers.  Along with the pain, you can also experience numbness, tingling and weakness.  Certain of your muscle groups can have weakness, and your range-of-motion can be impaired and you could even have a problem simply looking from side to side.

Your neck is your “cervical” area of the spine.  Each level of your cervical area is referred to as C-1 through C-8.  Each level affects other parts of your body.   A general description of what can be affected is as follows:

 C1 through C3 can cause headaches and very possibly dizziness.  You may also have numbness and tingling in the neck and upper back.  This can also affects shoulder and upper chest muscles.

C4 and C5 affects the muscles of your shoulder, upper chest and surface area of your shoulder, upper arm and can cause you have to have loss of sensation and cause numbness.  This can be a cause of referred pain into areas of your upper back

C6 affects the outside part of your elbow, forearm, your thumb, index finger and flexors of  your elbow;  this can cause referred pain into areas of your upper back

C7 and C8 affects the inside part of your elbow, your forearm including the small ring and long fingers, and the intrinsic muscles in your hand, and can cause referred pain into areas of your upper back

Above is a diagram illustrating many areas that can be affected by problems from your neck.  Conditions such herniated and degenerative disc disease can be successfully treated with the DRS Protocol™.  This treatment was developed by Dr. Richard Busch at Busch Chiropractic Pain Center in Fort Wayne IN. 

Do you have any of these symptoms?  Feel free to go to www.buschchiropractic.comor give us a call 1-888-471-4090.

The authors used database information from 2005 to 2008 of the American College of Surgeons.  The database records preoperative information and postoperative complications and death of patients who had surgery in participating facilities in the United States.  The data includes a variety of types of surgery.

The study included factors of existing medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems, age, body mass, and gender.

The study covered 3,475 patients who had received one or more spine operations.

• The age range was from 16 to 90 and the average age was 55.5 year
• 54 percent were men, and 76 percent were Caucasian

The main conditions of the study treated by back surgery were herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease (DDD). The study focused on complications and death within 30 days after surgery.  So anything that happened after 30 days was not part of the study.

Some of the major complications were blood clots deep in the legs (deep vein thrombosis); life-threatening bacterial infections and deep wound infections; and addition surgeries.  Considered by the study to be more minor complications were pneumonia, nonlife-threatening wound infections, and urinary tract infections.

Within 30 days of surgery, 7.6 percent of the patients had developed complications and 10 had died. The study also identified risk factors for developing one or more complications, including death, within the 30-day post surgery:

• Patient’s age;
• Congestive heart failure and/or a history of heart attack;
• Preoperative neurological problems;
• History of spinal wound infection;
• Use of corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone);
• Prolonged surgery times, and other risks

Dr. Richard Busch of the Busch Chiropractic Pain Center, Fort Wayne IN, states, “What we are doing with the DRS Protocol™ is a very successful, noninvasive alternative for treating degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome and failed back and neck surgeries.  There are no risks such a MRSA, blood clots, recovery time, and the patient can stay on the job.  It is definitely safe for senior patients.”

To read full news release go to http://tinyurl.com/cv5w6o2