Drugs, Safe and Otherwise
In Tuesday’s San Francisco Chronicle, columnist Jon Carroll went off on an ad that’s run lately in his paper and others promoting a drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The drug is called Humira, and Carroll is aghast at warnings in the ad, which advise that people taking this drug might be at risk for fatal infections, heart failure, and “certain types of cancers.”
“I look at the risk-benefit ratio, and I worry,” Carroll concludes, and understandably so.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, characterized by inflammation of the lining of the joints. It can be painful and even disabling.
Of course, there’s a drug that’s a well-documented pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, and there is already some evidence that it may work for rheumatoid arthritis. It doesn’t cause fatal infections, cancer, or heart failure. But you won’t see major drug companies advertising it. Can you name this drug?
Tagged with: arthritis and drugs and marijuana and pain and pharmaceuticals by the author
34 comments
Acetometaphine/ Ibuprophen/ Tylenol. They won’t advertise it because its cheap.
Actually, acetaminophen (aka Tylenol) causes about 450 fatalities a year from acute liver failure in the U.S. alone, mostly from accidental overdoses.
I think he means the one Mary gave to Jane and they lived happily ever after
The healing of the nations!
Your right Bruce. Acetaminophen is really bad for you period.
Its a shame this wonderous plant has been demonized and stigmatized for so long. The side effects of that drug (above) and many others like it sound a whole lot worse than even the lies of what the prohibitionists stake claim against MJ. So sad that I can’t grow a non-toxic plant and smoke whatever I please of it. “Land of the Free” my ass. One day we will all smoke in peace thanks to people like you though Bruce!
My favorite has always been the disclaimer..” May cause anal leakage ” …many times this being a warning on medication used to treat that exact symptom!.. Or better yet…FDA/ USDA (?) approved O’LEAN a supposed fat substitute that could (and did for many, evidently) cause…dare I say…anal leakage!…
We drink out of cancer causing plastics made from petroleum by-products ( or at the very least cause deforming of genitalia in still developing male children in the womb) feed our kids chicken with enough hormones to doom our boys to “man boobs”, devistate our forested regions to the point that only 4% of them remains (though we could could convert to Hemp and solve that problem)…all of these perversions are permitted and even condoned in this country…I sure wish we’d hurry and colonize other planets…I’d sure like to get the hell off of this rock before the idiots take over…oh wait, too late
Cannabis sativa
At fifty-six yr old with a three day a week budo habit, Smoking helps in joint pain relief.
Is it Marijuana?? What do I win????
all we can do is educate, educate, educate. MSM is starting to catch on a little bit but they still word their headlines and articles to make it seem like we still dont know much about cannabis. Oh well, Nov. 2010 will come faster than we think. It would be great to have a chart saying who is for and against legalization. Forget decriminalization, thats equivilent to having your leg cut off and just putting a small bandaid on it. We need full legalization!
When the risks outweigh the symptoms, what’s the point?
Other ancient Indian names for marijuana were “sacred grass”, “hero leaved”, “joy”, “rejoicer”, “desired in the three worlds”‘ “gods’ food”, “fountain of pleasures”‘ and “Shiva’s plant”.
Early Indian legends maintained that the angel of mankind lived in the leaves of the marijuana plant. It was so sacred that it was reputed to deter evil and cleanse its user of sin. In Hindu mythology hemp is a holy plant given to man for the “welfare of mankind” and is considered to be one of the divine nectars able to give man anything from good health, to long life, to visions of the gods. Nectar is defined as the fabled drink of the gods.
Also, I take Nordic Naturals Fish Oil which is a natural anti-inflammatory. It helps me out tremendously with all kinds of things: joints, energy, overall health. If you care to try it, go to a health food store. I use Omega 3,6,9…works wonders.
Alternative Medicine / Herbal Medicine is not accepted by Western Medicine, despite the fact it has been widely used for thousands of years, yet western Medicine is less than 100 years old.
Much of these ideologies are bourne out of religion as they tried to label those who used herbal medicine to heal themselves as sorcerers, witches, black magic etc.
For example, in Hawaii, upon arrival of the foreigners they brought with them missionaries in order to “so-call” save the Hawaiian’s from their evil culture.
In this aspect they outlawed any form of healing which used herbal medicine and spirituality, and labeled it as sorcery. Can you imagine giving your child a cup of herbal tea and praying that the tea would make them feel better, this would actually be considered sorcery or black magic.
The Hawaiians were forced to keep their healing secrets within their family in order to avoid persecution and continue their healing arts.
This is the same thing That happened in many countries that had alternative medicine thru Shamans. They have taught the people through missionaries that what they were doing was evil. If you did not follow their religion you were labeled as a witch or sorcerer which would lead ultimately to death, of which was justified by their religion.
Although you will not read this or be taught this in any Hawaiian history class taught in schools in Hawaii because they wish to omit these events from being taught. Hawaii has two histories, the real history and the official version brought to you by the school systems.
The system has done his best to keep us uninformed of the historical facts in order for us not to realize that history is repeating itself.
There are World Organizations and Governments that seek to industrialize and control the world through legislation to manipulate our health and our food. Once they control those two aspects, only then will we realize what we have allowed these evil people to do.
Soon they will redefine freedom as meaning not being locked up in a cage like an animal, despite controlling our lives through food and medicine. It will be modern day slavey since you will have to work in order to eat.
Need facts :
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/index_en.jsp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmrF9KjlGsc
Sorry if this was a bit off subject but I felt it necessary to address all herbal medicine, not just cannabis. Although the latter is my favorite of all herbal remedies.
Only only when the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power will we see Peace on Earth- Jimi Hendrix
Sounds like they need to rewrite the book on home remedies and include marijuana in one of its chapters.
I’m thinking that perhaps the Codex Aleminatarius maybe one of the many reasons why politicians aren’t favoring marijuana legalization, as worldwide legislation is suppose to come into effect December 31, 2009.
I recently watched a documentary titled Food, Inc. it’s scary to realize that are food industry is controlled by a few companies. Monsanto, a bio-chem warfare producer, is one of the biggest producers of food.
This is really scary……… perhaps it’s time to grow our own food and medicine in order for survival of mankind.
This evil must be stopped for the sake of our children.
Sorry, don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theory, but that facts are evident.
So who’s ready to start a diet on bread and water and a hand full of pharmaceutical poison!?!?!
Let’s get off our asses people and do something before it’s too late!!!
Point well made, #11. Decriminilization leaves the cartels intact and prevents ordinary Americans from safely producing their own product at home. A Personal Use and Cultivation Permit at $100 per year for a dozen plants would pump a billion dollars or more per year into the public treasury, giving a boost to education, health care, border security, whatever the politicians would like to promote.
It’s time to put the cartels out of business.
It’s time to let ordinary Americans grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.
You get an “A” for persistance, Christian, but paying for a cultivation permit is unfair when no such permit is required for home alcohol or tobacco production, and it means some kind of monitoring of our homes by the government to enforce the rules of the permit–a nightmare I don’t want to invite. And, why give politicians extra money for whatever they want to promote…that is asking for waste and corruption, is it not? We should and will be allowed to freely grow personal amounts for non-commercial use when cannabis is legalized.
now although paying for a cultivation permit is unfair, if thats what it takes to be able to grow legally, im all for it! if it was just $100, it would pay for itself on the first harvest. i would pay $500 a year to grow my own! almost all cannabis users are very responsible people and will follow the laws that are made just to get johnny law off their backs. If you make the permits, people will pay for them. that is how you will make money from home cultivators and it will take care of that argument from the prohibitionists. Beggers cant be choosers.
ElisaG #7:
Hold that boat, I want off this rock too!
You know, the funny thing is, If/when we get this thing legal, our leaders will find a way to through away the extra revenue from cannabis. They will do as they always do. The more they get the more they throw down the shit hole.
While we figure out how to get cannabis legal, we also need to figure out how to STOP our leaders from throwing our taxes down the shit hole. I still like the Idea of being able to pick what my taxes go for. If we can choose where ours taxes go, this would give the people a great amount of power over government.
Its time to take back freedom and power. Its time from the age of WE The People. Time to show the world what REAL freedom is.
Time to end this government controlled illusion.
good old cannabis
Just Legalize it….u just brought a good point the permit to grow at home is genius! I would go for that.
Heck, if i don’t want to buy it from the store ill pay the permit to grow it at home.
#19
From a civil rights standpoint, I agree with you. However, public health care changes the frame of this topic. The tax on growing it at home would be targeted at this. If you support socialized health care, you should support taxes on all things that will increase the cost of health care. Even though it shouldn’t be, socialized health care is going to be a large hurdle for legalization.
Interesting read. Something that struck me today was the numerous television ads from Law Firms asking people if they’ve used a certain medication, medical device, and so on to please contant them so they can help you sue these dags.
The drug is CANNABIS. I use it for the pain in my bolted and screwed together leg. I have been using cannabis for my pain for 24 years. Now that I am getting close to fifty my finger joints are getting stiff from being broken over the years and now artherites have began to set in. I will not die from their drugs because I refuse to purchase any. Tylenol will destroy your liver over time. I am no doctor and I do not tell anyone what to use. I think all gustapo are sent to the nazi school of medicine. Why else do they jail and fine every one of us that use cannabis? As for a permit tyo grow my own, they can wipe their asses with it. I will never pay anyone a fucking cent to grow my meds. Every one who smokes cannabis should just grow what they smoke and fuck the NAZI’s who run this country.
Bradson ; 19 Excellent point we all need to lose the mind set of thinking that our government should profit from everything we do.If they stopped wasting money on pointless wars (drug war include) and stop giving it to our neighbor countries for drug wars or whatever, they would have money .Instead they continue to squeeze our pockets so instead of us worrying about giving them more money they should learn to manage what they have.
ALL government in itself is a failed entity
Hi, Bradson #19 and others commenting on the lack of fairness inherent in a paying for a permit to grow cannabis at home. My point isn’t to describe an ideal situation; I’m hoping to promote a practical solution that will strike a positive chord with a broader range of the public and the politicians. Let’s come together around a plan that will have as broad base of support as possible, and money for the public treasure is a great way to build political support. To put a question on it, would Americans be better off ten years from now if, by 2020, we’ve had a decade of practice with a personal use and cultivation permit and put $10 Billion dollars into roads, bridges, schools, health care, whatever and permitted people to grow their own cannabis, OR will Americans be better off with ten more years of the status quo (meaning another 8 Million of so cannabis arrests and still illegal)?
Let’s get together around a positive, practical message and get it DONE.
Getting full out legalization is going to be tough based on the politics involved. Currently the best shot we have is to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes. This will allow for greater research and eventually the science behind the lack of addiction and harm to society can be shown. By also have a large portion of the population that chooses to use marijuana for their symptoms, studies wil be available to show that these members of society do not become unmotivated, lazy, and unproductive. The stereotypes will fall!
MMJ Legalization is within our grasp. We just need to be smart about our message and the manner in which we fight for it. I’ve posted this a few times lately, but the current Health Care Debate allows us this opportunity. Democrats seem to be for a Government Run plan. The Republicans keep saying they want to keep the Government from making decisions that a patient and doctor should make on their course of treatment.
Why is the decision to treat an illness with Medical Marijuana any different???? Why do the Republicans continue to block bills like HR2835 if they believe that medical decisions should be made between a doctor and a patient??? Where are you MPP on this? What are our Republican leaders telling you is their rationale for this hypocritical point of view?
Christian, you assume that your proposed permit money will go to those wonderful projects. I’m not at all convinced that ten years from now this kind of “bribe the politicians” strategy would leave us better off. They could just as easily waste it away as they do with so much of our money now, or even want more and more from us. Better to start with a clear principle of fairness and justice for all rather than make this beneficial, non-toxic plant and it’s users financial scapegoats to line the pockets of politicians. To me, the principles of responsible personal liberty and fairness for all come first. If we sacrifice those basic God-given rights for some short-term gain, we open the door to losing much more in the long run. Let’s support legislation to regulate and tax as already proposed in Cali and a few other states. Those plans allow personal cultivation because they take into account that permits as you suggest are unenforceable. Eventually, in a legal environment, market forces will allow prices and taxes to plummet to levels much more reasonable than even these proposals call for because they’re based on highly inflated black market prices.
I have witnessed patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chron’s Disease die from Lymphoma caused by Humira. I have been disgusted by these poisons for years ! Let us not forget that Humira is extremely profitable and paid for by most insurances.
I unfortunately needed to go on one of these immune-suppressing drugs. The side effects scared me so bad I tried to go without for a year and almost wound up hospitalized. I finally got to the point that I said, “this ain’t living, so what the hell? If it kills me, I was on the way out anyway. Well, so far, so good. I use cannabis in combination and it greatly stimulates my appetite, and calms intestinal cramping for me. Cannabis wasn’t enough on its own, but it most certainly fits in well with my treatment regimen. Pharms are scary, and anyone that wants to try something natural has a God-given right to do so. How can that even be argued by our wonderful Government? If I have to break the law to be healthy, so be it. Dissent is the greatest form of patriotism!
Please visit our website to sign up or participate in California’s initiative to Legalize, Tax and Regulate Marijuana.
This initiative may set the political momentum for the rest of the states do the same.
Please tell your friends and family to get involved.
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