Cranberry juice sucks for urinary tract infections

Millions of women faithfully drink cranberry juice and swear that it does wonders for their urinary tract infections (UTI). Cranberry juice is sold in many pharmacies, health food and grocery stores. For decades, women have consumed millions of gallons of this juice in the hope of preventing a urinary tract infection and this advice had been passed down many generations. Urinary tract infections affect nearly 10-15 percent of young women each year. The traditional method of treatment is antibiotics and the sale of these drugs alone is worth billions of dollars to the drug industry. Now, there is evidence that cranberry juice does jack shit.

For many years researchers have been looking at ways to prevent urinary tract infections. This is because antibiotics are expensive, have many side effects and over time, the bacteria develop resistance to the drugs. This was the prime reason why cranberry juice caught on very fast. Thirty years ago, a few reports revealed that perhaps cranberry juice was an excellent product in preventing urinary tract infections and this myth held until the latest study. All these years, no one had actually done a decent study to determine the efficacy of cranberry juice.

This double blind study included 319 healthy college women who were diagnosed with a UTI. The women were followed for many months. Some women were administered a sugar pill and others were given cranberry juice. The study revealed that women who drank cranberry juice had higher recurrence rates then those who took the sugar pill. Cranberry juice had no impact on symptoms either.

So what should women do to prevent urinary tract infections? Experts say that the best way to prevent UTI is to maintain good genital hygiene, drink lots of water and urinating soon after intercourse- or better still abstain from sex altogether.

Echinacea sucks for the common cold

Many people swear that Echinacea is the best treatment to fight a common cold.  To fight the cold one must take 10 grs of Echinacea on the first day and then 5 gr the day after for 7-10 days. However, the latest study shows that Echinacea sucks.

In the latest study, more than 700 people who took the Echinacea pills did not do better than who took the sugar pill when it came to fighting the cold. This is not the first time Echinacea has flunked the test. Many other high quality studies in the past have revealed the same thing. The plant did not improve the symptoms nor did it decrease the duration of the cold. It did ZILCH.

Echinacea is an American plant and widely used by the native Indians to treat a variety of ailments. The plant is sold in many health food stores as a liquid, pill, powder and even a tincture.The cost of Echinacea are not trivial either. The pills depending on where one buys them from can cost anywhere from $10-$22 for a 2 weeks supply.

While Echinacea is a harmless herb, it is useless when it comes to fighting the common cold. With today’s difficult economy, that money is better put towards gas in your car. 

Bone Drug "Zometa" Sucks in Breast Cancer Study

There has been a lot of hype made about the novel osteoporosis fighting drugs (bisphosphonates) used in post menopausal women. It was shown in an earlier study that some of these bone strengthening drugs could also prevent breast cancer. This excitement grew even more when it was actually observed that women who took these drugs were 33% less likely to develop breast cancer.

However, the latest study on the drug zometa shows that it did diddly squat. The drug did not prevent the breast cancer from returning nor did it extend life of women suffering from this cancer.  In the present study done on 3,360 women in 7 countries with a follow-up of 5 years, zometa did not prevent extension of life nor did it prevent the cancer from occurring.  The only positive finding was that zometa did cut down the of recurrence in a few patients. However, zometa also had a fair number of side effects which ranged from serious ulcers, jawbone decay and blood clots in the lung.

Based on this study it is now clear that these drugs should not be prescribed without a clear indication as they are not totally harmless.

Moreover, what is of  even more importance (considering today's health crises) is that zometa costs more than $,1000 per infusion.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and there are roughly 200,000 new cases each year with 40,000 deaths in the USA. No significant break throughs have been made in breast cancer prevention. As far as the bisphosphonates are concerned, consumers should be aware that these drugs may prevent osteoporosis but there is no evidence that they can also reduce bone fractures.

So does the Pink Patch work?

Of course, it does not. 

Consumers should know several things about the pink patch. First, the FDA  has not approved it 2) there is not a single study on the pink patch and its efficacy, 3) there are no guidelines and no exercises recommended and 4) the ingredients in the formula have never been shown to induce weight loss in any living creature. By the way, the pink patch costs nearly $ 50 a month. Even though the pink patch site mentions of a refund, many people online complain that they have never received their money back. Almost every review on cyberspace indicates that pink patch is an ineffective method for weight loss.

Final point

The bottom line is that the pink patch is just another swindle. There is no scientific data that indicate effectiveness of the pink patch as a weight loss aid. Moreover, any weight loss product that does not recommend exercise or mentions what you can/cannot eat is always CRAP. 

Therefore, all you young women who want to lose weight, save your hard earn money and stop falling for such B.S. weight loss gimmicks. The only think you will ever get from the pink patch are the “blues.” If you really want to lose weight, start by walking more and eating less. Walking is safe, free and of course, you also get to enjoy nature.

Pink Patch- Another Weight loss Scam!

One thing that should be said about the weight loss industry-it does come up with very exotic products to help people lose weight. 

Most of the previous weight loss treatments have focused on pills, tablets, lotions and potions. Now we have patches – just like birth control patches. You simple apply the pink patch to your skin and easily lose 3-5 pounds.

The pink patch is applied to your arm once day and the manufacturers claim that it inhibits the appetite center so you never feel hungry. The substances released from the patch work 24 hours, burn of your excess fat and keep your mood upbeat. The pink patch follows along the same lines as the hoodia patch and is intended for young women who quickly want to shed a few pounds every week. You simply apply the patch every morning, drink a gallon of water and avoid caffeine-containing beverages.

So what are the magical ingredients in the pink patch?

The pink patch contains some exotic seaweed, focus vesiculosis, which has been touted to decrease fat by increasing your metabolism. There is also yerba mate, 5-HTP, zinc, flaxseed oil, lecithin and carnitine (PS-None of these ingredients have ever been shown to help anyone lose weight). The manufacturers do not even recommend exercise with this patch, nor is there a limit on your calorie intake.

Vitamin E can increase risk of Stroke- That sucks

Says one recent study, too much of vitamin E can increase the risk of a stroke. Researchers from Europe and USA looked at nearly 119,000 individuals who took vitamin E. The study found that hemorrhagic strokes occurred more frequently in patients who took vitamin E. Hemorrhagic strokes, by the way, are the least common type of stroke. The study observed that for every 1,250 individuals there was a chance of bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). 

On the other hand, the investigators observed that vitamin E cut the risk of ischemic stroke by 10%. Ischemic strokes account for the majority of strokes and occur when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted.

Strokes are common in elderly people and account for a high number of deaths each year. Even those who survive are left with severe disability. Previous studies have shown that vitamin E can protect from heart disease but there are some studies that have shown that the vitamin can even increase risk of death.

So what does this mean for the consumer?

Everyone who wants to prevent stroke should maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly. The blood pressure should be under control and the cholesterol should be on the low side. Moreover, one should discontinue smoking. These lifestyle changes have a much bigger effect on reduction of stroke than any vitamin.

To date it is not known what level of vitamin E is toxic, but in any case, indiscriminate use of this supplement should be avoided.

Pomegranate Juice Sucks says FTC

Almost on a weekly basis, exotic juices are hyped up to cure every medical disease underneath the sun. For the past few years, people have been drinking gallons of pomegranate juice in the hope of curing arthritis, getting rid of the wrinkles and or preventing the common cold. In fact, most health food stores have been selling pomegranate juices with labels that it can cure heart disease, prevent prostate cancer and even potentiate erections. 

So is pomegranate juice the magic bullet for all of our health problems?

The federal trade commission says pomegranate juice is tasty but it is not buying all the B.S. medical claims made by the manufacturers of this exotic colorful juice.

"Contrary to POM Wonderful advertising, the available scientific information does not prove that POM Juice or POMx effectively treats or prevents these illnesses, When a company touts scientific research in its advertising, the research must squarely support the claims made." said David Vladeck, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The FTC has filed a complaint against POM Wonderful alleging that the juice maker has been making "false and unsubstantiated claims" about their pomegranate-based products, which also includes other pomegranate products like iced teas, POMx pills and nutrition/energy bars. Pomegranate products are heavily marketed and can be purchased online and in retail stores.

In its complaint, the FTC has mentioned that there is no scientific study that backs the claims made by POM. In fact, one of the studies presented by POM even showed that the health benefits of pomegranate were no better than a sugar pill.

This is not the only encounter FTC has had with POM wonderful. In Feb. 2010, The FDA sent an unsympathetic word of warning to the company for serious abuse of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, stating that, "The therapeutic claims on your website establish that the product is a drug because it is intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. The marketing of this product with these claims violates the Act."

So for all you juice fanatics, there is nothing wrong in drinking pomegranate juice. However, if you are consuming this juice for prevention or cure of any medical disease, think again. You may just as well drink urine- because the medical benefits from both “juices” are the same-but the urine is free.