Posts Tagged ‘over-the-counter drugs dangers’

What makes kidney disease a growing menace is fact that there is no cure according to allopathic medicine. Meanwhile, the population of people undergoing dialysis is also exploding, and is projected to pass the 2 million mark worldwide by 2010, according to some studies.  

Kidney Disease

The leading cause of Kidney disease is diabetes. It accounts of 44% of new cases in 2005. The numbers are only on their way up. Nephropathy, kidney failure is a frequent complication of diabetes.

Obesity plays a role by raising blood pressure, and increasing insulin resistance. Both can stress your Kidney’s.

Stress is another factor since it raises blood pressure.

High cholesterol produces a fatty substance that can clog up your kidneys.

Urinary track infections can cause kidney problems.

Drug-Induced kidney Damage

There are prescription, and over-over-the-counter products that can cause kidney damage. This is a list of some of the medications that can cause problems.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NAIDs)

• Ibuprofen (example, Advil)
• Aspirin (example, Excedrin)
• Naproxen sodium (example, Aleve)
• Celecoxib (Celebrex)
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol, dose related)

High blood pressure medicines

• Hydralazine
• ACE inhibitors

Some Diuretics

Antibiotics

• Penicillin
• Sulfa drugs
• Cyclosporine

Preventing

Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) is the loss of kidney function. The number of people with kidney failure has doubled from 1990 to 2000. The annual cost of treating kidney failure is over $20 billion. A loss of kidney function ups the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Prevention is not what the medical field calls for. They want regular checkups to see if you have signs of impaired kidney function. It is obvious that the kidneys are part of an overall picture of health. If the leading cause of this condition is either diabetes or high blood pressure, than you are dealing with something that is lifestyle related.

On the other hand if you are on some medications that can cause kidney failure it is an indicator that you have a host of health related problems. You prevent kidney failure the same way you prevent any chronic condition. By recognizing that changing what you do, will change what is happening within.

Naturally

Naturally it is hard to sell patients the idea of taking charge of their own health. There is dissent in the medical community that creates a climate of distrust. Combating a dangerous health problem with little else then diet, exercise, faith, and determination seems counterintuitive.

It takes tenacity to go against the prevailing logic. Modern medicine offers unpalatable choices. Promising that drugs are and will be the answer leaves us adrift at sea. We wait for a rescue ship to reach us in the nick of time.   

The promised cures are in the pipelines, years away. Research has shown that weight loss helps ward off decline in kidney function. A new study has found that exercise extends the lives of people with kidney disease.

Another interesting fact is that people with kidney disease have conditions not directly related to kidney problems. They in fact usually have compromised health due to other factors.

The dangers is modern medicine doesn’t recognize its limits. They have been wrong for so long that that they have trouble shifting focus. Getting hooked to a machine is not the same as empowering yourself and taking charge of your own health.

Acetaminophen is found in a number of prescriptive medications and over-the-counter drugs. It is in over-the-counter preparations such as Tylenol and generic equivalents. Several painkillers contain a combination of acetaminophen and caffeine. A survey by the Slone Epidemiology Center of Boston University showed that acetaminophen is the most used drug in America. It is taken weekly by about one in five adults. Acetaminophen dangers come from using it according to directions as well as going above the stated guidelines.

In America, inappropriate use has been cited as the cause of acute liver failure. When you take acetaminophen medication along side either coffee, or caffeinated soft drinks, you risk liver damage. The findings were reported in the October 2007 issue of the Journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. It was taken from the preliminary laboratory study conducted at the University of Washington in Seattle. Now the brains behind the formulas that combine acetaminophen and caffeine to stop pain from either migraines, or PMS symptoms, may be killing more than the pain.

Most people know or hopefully know that consuming alcohol with acetaminophen-containing medication can cause live damage. Along with the typical American diet that puts you at risk for fatty liver syndrome, acetaminophen puts you at risk for liver damage. There is another very disturbing finding. that has come to light recently. The problem is when you do not eat much because of a stomach virus, flu, or dental work; you are at a higher risk of acetaminophen liver damage even with the recommended doses. Under regular conditions the enzymes in your liver help remove toxins produced by the drug. When you go a long period of even days without much food those enzymes do not work as well.

Fasting reduces the store of glutathione, which is needed to metabolize acetaminophen safely. Acetaminophen dangers occur even at recommended doses. There is a risk of liver damage even when you follow instructions. This drug puts children and adults at risk just from vomiting or having their calories reduced because of illness. The drug can also damage the kidneys, when used over an extended period. About 10 percent of kidney failure is linked to acetaminophen. Acetaminophen dangers are real, and reflect the problems with relying on chemical answers to health problems.