Well, the UK Telegraph reported that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are apparently finding their way into illicit drug factories. So, Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (similar to US FDA, I pressume) is looking into a “consulation process” to find if medicines containing pseudoephedrine need restriction, such as decreasing the pack size and making such medicines available only on prescription.

Expectedly, the Great Britain trade association for all over-the-counter medicines is against the restriction. At least 80 products contain pseudoephedrine and will likely be affected, including popular brands like Nurofen Cold and Flu tablets, Sudafed Elixir, Lemsip Max Flu Lemon, Nirolex Chesty Syrup and Actified Syrup among others.

“Pseudoephedrine has been used safely for treating colds and sinus problems in Britain for more than 40 years and we urge the Government not to take disproportionate measures to control pseudoephedrine that would affect legitimate usage and consumer needs,” she said.

As a chronic sinus sufferer and self-classified “legitimate” user, I admit it’s not that easy to get Sudafed these days. I mean, I have to request it directly from the pharmacist, present my ID and pay. Hmm. Even if it were a prescription, an added labor will be to present my doctor’s Rx and wait for maybe, 30 minutes before I get relief from my congestion. Ahem.

I say, “aye” for restrictions. I am not about to share MY Sudafed to a meth lab, excuse me.

[source: UK telegraph]

Tags: pseudoephedrine, sudafed, crystal meth, illicit drug, sinus congestion, US law

Post from: Blisstree

Flu drugs, a crystal meth problem in Britain

None, until I took pseudoephedrine, the original formulation for cold medicines, as in Sudafed.

When I read this article in the Alameda Times-Star, my suspicions were confirmed.

“The new decongestants are crap,” says Nikole Wilson-Ripsom, of Oakland. “They’re appallingly ineffective.” She’s a fellow congestion-sufferer.

In fact, Dr. Simon Lee, an internist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, says consumers are not just imagining things.

“Phenylephrine (as in Sudafed PE) is a similar type of drug to pseudoephedrine, but it’s not as effective. It’s less potent,” says Lee, adding that it doesn’t help to take higher doses of the drug in hopes that it will work better.”

HA! I knew it!

Pseudoephedrine definitely works. But because of a new law to combat the methamphetamine epidemic, sales of cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, ephedrine or phenylpropanolamine are now strictly regulated and sold only from behind pharmacy counters. Oh well. I’ll take this rather than suffer through sinus-hell again.

[source: alamedatimes-star]

Tags: sinus congestion, phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine, Sudafed, Sudafed PE, colds

Post from: Blisstree

New cold medicines are not as effective

Thank goodness there are plenty of advice. The Mayo Clinic posts this action plan here.

A professor of pediatrics also adviced that using an oral anti-inflammatory medication (oral corticosteroid)when a cough from a cold appears, is effective in preventing asthma compliations and hospitalizations.

Tags: influenza, flu, colds, viruses, diseases, illness, health, medicine, viral respiratory, pediatrics

Post from: Blisstree

How to prevent a cold from progressing to asthma

Because my child falls into this group. I stopped counting how many times in the past two years that she’s gotten the cold virus. Every few months, she gets treated with antibiotics to control recurring ear infections due to fluid buildup. She’s a candidate for an ear tube, although I swear she can hear normally.

Now this. A study found that children with rhinoviral infections who developed wheeze before age one had a threefold risk for developing asthma later on. The Childhood Origins of Asthma (COAST) investigators followed a birth cohort of 287 children for eight years and found that as the children reached age three, more than 75% who developed a wheezing illness, regardless of the viral etiology, would go on to develop asthma by their kindergarten or first-grade years.

Totally bad news. Now tell me HOW my child can get out of that group and I will love COAST researchers till death.

[source:MedPage Today]

Tags: influenza, flu, colds, viruses, rhinovirus, diseases, illness, health, medicine, viral respiratory disease

Post from: Blisstree

Babies with frequent colds at higher risk for asthma later, study

My nasal passages were so blocked that I couldn’t even take a drink long enough without gagging. Even with a full strength of pain relievers and decongestants, the facial pain and headaches were just so damn bad that touching my face hurt and my teeth felt like pulling out. I could barely function. What’s worse was for four days my mucus and nasal drips had blood mixed in them! The thing is, it actually started two weeks ago on the day I flew to the West Coast to be with family for a funeral. So I took Afrin (an OTC decongestant spray) but the warning label said to take it only for three days. I took it for four, and once when we flew back home because pressure on my ears were unbearable on the plane.

The next day, the bleeding began. I have never had this kind of sinus attack before but I thought it would just pass. I do have chronic sinusitis so a little congestion once in a while is nothing new to me. But this scared me because it was so strong and sudden and nothing seemed to relieve it.

If you think you suffer from acute/chronic sinus congestion, here are a few of what I can share:

First, the Symptoms of Sinusitis:

• nasal blockage/nasal congestion
  nasal drainage (thick and discolored)
  postnasal drip
  low-grade fever
  facial pain/headache
  cough
  ear fullness/ear clogging
  bad taste/bad breath

What causes it? Several factors:

• An upper respiratory infection, i.e., a cold. Mine probably was caused by a prolonged cold that caused bacteria to seep into my nasal cavity and cause the infection.
• Preexisting conditions on the nasal area such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps or allergies.
• Dental problems
• Asthma
• Pregnancy
• Flying and diving
• Immunosuppressed patients

How to prevent a sinus infection (my “health goal” from now on):

1. If it starts as a common cold, treat that immediately.

2. If it persists and pain develops in the sinuses, seek medical attention right away. The next day after I was prescribed antibiotics, bleeding in my sinuses stopped.

3. A balanced diet and daily vitamin intake.

4. Get a full night’s sleep. A person with chronic sinus infections can become chronically fatigued and sleep deprivation only adds to the symptoms of congestion and pain.

5. Find a good physician who can specifically diagnose and treat your condition. For years I was going to the asthma/allergist doctor and the only thing he did was prescribe nasal sprays and told me to “grit my teeth because you’ll have it your whole life”. This time I found a specialist whose first question was “did you ever have a CAT scan of your sinuses?”

6. Know more. If you want to understand more about your condition, the web (or library) is a good place to start. I learned a lot when I read this WebMD article.

7. DON’T grit your teeth. There is relief in sight. Besides, gritting your teeth only makes the facial pain worse.

Tags: sinus congestion, chronic sinusitis, common cold, symptoms, prevention

Post from: Blisstree

When sinus congestion ruins your life

Scientists have now discovered what stops the sniffles from continuing for eternity. Its called Carabin, “a protein that’s like a built-in timer to keep the immune system in check”.

All that slimy snotty mucus is a sign that your body is trying to rid itself of a virus. The white blood cells rush to the nostril area and attack the virus, and the extra slush of mucus clears the viral particles from your nasal passages. After a week or two, the virus runs its course, and the battle is over. But if there was no check and balance to our immune, the same cells that protect against invading particles will begin attacking the body itself and cause what are called autoimmune diseases.

Calcineurin is one such molecule that whips the white blood cells into an attack mode and boosts mucus production. It also ramps up the production of Carabin, which acts as as a stopper for Calcineurin itself.

The team of Jun Liu of Johns Hopkins University published their findings in the online edition of Nature. LiveScience has more on these findings:

As for stopping the sniffles, Liu said: “We do not have direct evidence that this would be directly responsible for the duration or length of people’s responses to a cold. But it is imaginable that the level of this protein could dictate that to a certain extent. If you don’t have enough [Carabin], the symptoms could last longer.”

One possible application for this discovery is using Carabin to prevent rejection of transplanted organs or grafts.

Sources:
Cold Case: How Sniffles are Stifled
Feedback inhibition of calcineurin and Ras by a dual inhibitory protein Carabin

Tags: common cold, Carabin, research, feedback, Johsn Hopkins University, Jun Liu, calcineurin

Post from: Blisstree

Why the sniffles don’t last forever – research

Read here at your own risk. Gulp down at your own risk.

At the first sign of a cold:

1) Wash down 2000 mg. of garlic and 1500 mg Vitamin C, with 2 quarts of Sunsweet “pulp” prune juice.

2) Dice 2 fresh onions and 1.5 oz. fresh jalapeno pepper. Heat 2 cans of Hormel “Turkey with Beans” chili.

As it simmers, add the onions and jalapenos. Add five dashes of Texas Pete Hot Sauce.

Cool down just until it won’t burn your mouth, then wolf that stuff down as fast as you can!

Tip: Hold your nose if you start hurling. The hurt you are feelin’ is nothing compared to what those little flu viruses are going through right now, which is a slow painful death by napalm.

3) Buy 2 four-ounce tubes of Ben Gay® from Walmart, with a half-dozen pairs of athletic socks.

Slather your feet with Ben Gay® and place them in two pairs of the athletic socks.

Your feet usually get cold when you have the flu. They won’t now!!!

Plus, make sure you don’t get odor-free Ben Gay®. Part of the “cure” (*) is breathing in the menthol.

4) Stay in bed for 72-hours, drinking plenty of fluids, and getting at least 20-minutes of fresh air a day.

5) Not only will this “cure” the common cold, I can almost guarantee that Steps 1-4 will innoculate you against the same strain of virus way up until the next flu season (*)!!

Good luck, and good health!!

[Source: Zen Wizard; and if anyone dares to drink this poison, you did not read it from me]

Tags: Texas Penicillin, Zen Wizard, cure, common cold

Post from: Blisstree

The “Texas Penicillin” – a concoction to cure the common cold (?)

January 18, 2006. That’s when Flu Patrol came live last year, wow. Between the previous writers (Adelle Tilton and Carl Vancil) and yours truly, we’ve covered almost a whole year of posts. It’s truly been a full year for Flu Patrol, and here are some of the best things that happened this year, flu- and blog-wise.

1. Rapid advance of bird flu vaccine research

In the bird flu front, the first human trial of a DNA-based bird flu vaccine is now underway. The same group also developed the first vaccine against the H1N1 Spanish flu virus , which caused the worst flu epidemic ever to hit man.

US researchers revealed that vaccine priming improves the immune response to H5N1, and a vaccine that uses an adenovirus to carry bird flu DNA was also awarded NIH grants to continue research. British researchers developed a novel “protecting” virus that can offer instant and long-lasting protection. There are now rapid diagnostic kits for detecting the bird flu – the FluChip and ID-Tag™ RVP.

2. Huge payoffs for US research grants

This year, the US granted $1 billion funds to five companies for vaccine research . GSK has produced a prototype bird flu vaccine that uses a very low dose of antigen to provoke an immune response. edImmune’s live, attenuated H5N1 vaccine was successful in animal cross-protection studies. Novartis will begin making the first cell-based flu vaccine this year. Iomai Corp got approved to start trial on the first patch-based vaccine.

3. Expanded vaccination programs for the seasonal flu – for children, elderly, and pregnant women.

This year, the CDC recommended that children 6 months to 5 years need to have routine vaccinations, and children up to 9 have them twice the first year. The UK even adviced flu shots for later stages of pregnancies. A new vaccine is also being developed that promises better protection for the elderly.

The FDA recently approved a new FluMist that doesn’t need to be frozen, making it accessible in grocery stores, schools and pharmacies.

4. The common cold that’s here to stay.

Incurable, maybe (not) but absolutely treatable with anything from Airborne, Zicam, BTA798, natural remedies, uncommon cures, country living, pepper sprays, comfort foods and the mighty chicken soup.

5. Lower human bird flu fatality in second half of ‘06

Human cases of bird flu infections have declined in the second half of 2006. There were only 26 cases reported compared with 88 prior to July. Unfortunately, countless chickens and other birds have been slaughtered this year, but in the name of protecting humans their sacrifice has not been in vain.

6. Countries declared “bird-flu free”

India and Myanmar retrieved H5N1-free status from the OIE after having no outbreaks for six months or more.

Unfortunately, the previously bird-flu free countries of Vietnam and Egypt encountered outbreaks in poultry in the fourth quarter of 2006. Good news is that with a vigilant quarantine and culling, no human infections have been reported.

7. Controlling H5N1 through international/global efforts

Global organizations of WHO and UN to pressure affected countries to get their acts together have brought tremendous success in controlling H5N1 to some degree.

Even the nomenclatures of H5N1 have been resolved via global agencies.

8. Human transmissions of bird flu = zero.

The much-feared spread of bird flu from human to human, a clear signal that the H5N1 has mutated, hasn’t happened this year, much to the relief of everyone.

9. The flu pandemic?

The flu pandemic has once again been prevented… at least for now.

10. Healthy blog, happy blogger

Happy (almost) one year anniversary to Flu Patrol! Here’s to a healthier andflu/pandemic-free 2007. Cakes are on me!

(This post was written as part of b5media’s Science and Health Channel’s Theme Day where we looked back to the best of 2006. Visit breastfeeding123 for the rest of our team’s posts.)

[image: dmhweb.com]

Tags: bird flu, common colds, seasonal flu, best of 2006, Flu Patrol, vaccine research, vaccinations, immunizations, breakthrough

Post from: Blisstree

The best of Flu Patrol 2006

That’s right, folks. Coffee. Or at least coffee at THIS house -

The Brew-Has Coffee and Tea in Long Beach, California claims that Grobaty’s Cold Buster is the perfect concoction that cures the common cold! What’s in it? A blend of orange juice and Monster energy drink.

Find out more at “What’s Hot!: Coffee-house quest“.

[Source: presstelegram.com]

Tags: Grobaty’s Cold Buster, common cold, cure, coffee, coffee house

Post from: Blisstree

This coffee cures the common cold

1. What your symptoms do include. Classic complaints of someone with a cold include a runny nose, difficulty breathing through your nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough and/or headache.

2. What your symptoms don’t include. Symptoms such as high fever, significantly swollen glands or severe sinus pain can signal a complication or more serious illness that should be evaluated by a healthcare provider.

3. Exposure lapse. You begin to feel ill 2 to 3 days after being exposed to someone else’s cold.

4. Your symptoms come on slowly. If you’re fine one minute and down for the count the next, you may have the flu.

5. You recover in about a week. If symptoms last more than two weeks or reoccur on a regular basis, you may have an allergy or sinus infection.

6. Your eyes don’t itch. Itchy eyes are very rare with a common cold, but occur often with allergies.

7. No facial pain. Sinusitis is usually to blame when there is pain around the eyes, or even dental pain. Morning headaches may also point to sinusitis as the cause.

[Source: Detroit News]

Tags: symptoms, colds, flu, sinusitis, clues

Post from: Blisstree

Seven clues to a cold, flu or sinusitis