Fw: M.S. ABCR drugs and depression; ratings of Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)

[Guest guest]

In case anyone has not yet heard of RemedyFind... just got this newsletter.

http://remedyfind.com/hc-Multiple-Sclerosis.asp is the MS page

http://remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=4393 is the page for LDN

You can rate others from the links at the bottom of this article or by going to the site with one of the above links.

----- Original Message ----- From: newsletters@...

Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 14:39

Subject: M.S. ABCR drugs and depression; ratings of Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)

April 2004

Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it at Remedyfind. (See bottom right for unsubscribe directions.)

In this issue: 1 - General Multiple Sclerosis Research: ABCR drugs do not cause extra depressive symptoms 2 - Prescription Medications: Novantrone (Mitoxantrone) 3 - Need Your Help: Please rate some of these treatments you have tried

1: General Multiple Sclerosis Research: ABCR drugs do not cause extra depressive symptoms December 2003. This study of 163 patients with MS who were currently taking one of the four ABCR drugs (Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone or Rebif) investigated whether the patients depression scores (on a standardized depression rating scale) in the prevalence or incidence of depression between the treatment groups. The study authors conclude, The failure to identify higher rates of depression both in previous intervention studies and in the current observational study provides confirmation that these drugs are not substantially associated with the occurrence of depression. Read this article

2. Prescription Medications: Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)

Novantrone (Mitoxantrone) is an immunosuppressive (chemotherapy) drug often used in treating different cancers. After studies showed that Mitoxantrone was effective on relapse rate and progression of disability in patients with severe Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS), the U.S. FDA approved the use of Mitoxantrone in 2000 for these types of MS.

The safest and most effective administration of Mitoxantrone appears to be an induction phase with monthly intravenous administration of 12 mg/m2, followed by a maintenance phase with 12 mg/m2 every 3 months for 2 years. Cardiotoxicity, the major long-term toxicity, is clearly dose-dependent and for this reason, a lifetime cumulative dose of Mitoxantrone should not exceed 140 mg/m2. To reduce the risk of cardiac events, the drug should be administered by slow infusion (over 30 mins.) and patients should undergo strict cardiac monitoring.

AVERAGE REMEDYFIND MEMBER RATINGSbased on 14 ratings (0 = poorest; 10 = best)

Overall

6.2

Effectiveness

6.7

Lack of Side Effects

5.1

Ease of Use

5.9

Effective After Long Term Use

6.9

Cost Effectiveness

5.5

Mitoxantrone in progressive multiple sclerosis February 2003. "Mitoxantrone (MX) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with worsening relapsing-remitting (RR) or secondary progressive (SP) multiple sclerosis (MS). However, indications should be refined and mitoxantrone reserved as a rescue therapy to: (1) patients in the relapsing-remitting phase with frequent and disabling exacerbations likely leading to permanent severe disability and (2) to patients in the secondary progressive phase whose disability progression rate increases by one EDSS point or more per year and who do not respond to other current therapies. An induction phase with the monthly intravenous administration of 12 mg/m(2) followed by a maintenance phase with 12 mg/m(2) every 3 months for 2 years seems the most effective and safe treatment regimen, not exceeding the maximum cumulative dose of 140 mg/m(2)." Read this article FEATURED RATING:

msliaBoynton Beach, United States

Helpful Rating: 9

Personal Bio: Hi, I completed the entire course of Novantrone. I had 11 infusions and then hit my life maximum. When I started, I walked with a walker and used a wheel chair outside of the house. My entire right side of my body, from my waist down was "dead", totally numb, no movement. I had other numbness and problems but the right side was the most disabling. I had tried Avonex, couldn't handle it, got very sick, so stopped. Never was on any other CRABs. I was on 4 AP, amantadine, and lots more to help with the problems of MS. My neuro thought it would be good for me to try the Novantrone, so I did.

I am a huge success story. I went for infusions every 3 months at the hospital, each time they checked my blood and watched my counts. My counts did go down, so I would have to go back to the hospital daily for a shot of Nuprogen. Just so you know, the first time I needed the Nuprogen I needed 3 days of shots, by the end I needed 8 days of shots. It took longer to get my blood counts up the longer I was on the chemo. I also had an echocardiogram every 6 months and again at the end. Everything was terrific. Now for the good news: Around the 9 month mark I suddenly felt the three middle toes on my right foot. I was able to wriggle them! People were astounded. Within a week, I was able to wriggle my little toe and then my big toe. Unbelievable! Well, at that point a friend suggested that I try a massage therapist to possibly get the muscles to wake up, it had been 7 years since they did anything. Before the therapist even got here my leg was waking up, I could lift my foot (by myself), and in another week I bent my knee. We were dancing in the streets. Now I can lift my leg and kick my kids again- hehehe- This is (I can't believe it) a year after my last infusion and I have not relapsed at all. My leg still feels like it is in a light cast, but it works. Last January when I would have had another infusion if I hadn't hit my maximum, I looked into copaxone because I didn't want to lose anything I had gained with the Novantrone. I wasn't able to get any help with funding so I needed to find something else. That is when I found LDN. I have been on 3 mg every night since March and am not regressing at all. I now walk with a cane, no more walker, (I do need the wheel chair in malls and Costco...I get too tired). I still don't drive (my cognitive skills still aren't wonderful, but weren't before Novantrone either) and with the LDN I feel stronger. I really don't know if the LDN is working, like the rest of us, no regression is terrific. In any case, I am thrilled with the results of my Novantrone experience and am truly grateful for the LDN keeping me going. Wishing you all Happy Trails....Lynn

Novantrone

Date Rated: 11/3/2003 I went on Novantrone and finished with 11 infusions. That was my life max. When I started, my right side from my waist down was paralized from ms. After about 5 infusions I suddenly was able to wiggle my toes, then I got my foot back and it went up from there. I am able to use my leg like any other again, although it still feels like a light cast is on it. I have gone from a wheel chair to a walker to a cane. Fabulous news for me. The nausea is very mild, an over the counter ginger pill works great (do not let them give you compazine with the novantrone, they tend to do that automatically- alot of people have bad reactions to the compazine- take a ginger pill instead) The only other side effect was the neccesity for me to get shots of nuprigen, in order to bring my blood count up. It was an inconvience, nothing more.

I finished last Nov and was worried about backsliding. When I would have been getting another infusion, I did feel a little weaker (I might have been looking for it too hard), anyway, I wanted to go to copaxone but couldn't get help financially so researched for my next "fix". Now I am on LDN and am still fine. This is now a year later. Also, let me say that I really do not know what the dose was, but this site requires me to pick something, so please don't go according to that.... good luck everyone....

This Member's Usage:

Dosage: 5mg/m2

Total Length :several years

Total Duration: several years

Frequency: intravenous infusion every three months

Brand: Novantrone

This Member's Ratings:

Weighted(9.3):

Effectiveness(10):

Lack of Side Effects(8):

Ease of Use(8):

Remains Effective(10):

Cost Effectiveness(NA):

FEATURED RATING:

ReanyCarey, OH, United States

Helpful Rating: 2

Personal Bio: I am 25 and was diagnosed with MS in October 1999. Started Copaxone in December 1999 but stopped one month later. Had exacerbations monthly, 2 hospital stays until starting Novantrone in May 2001. I will have dose #9 soon. We are stretching the time between to try and get as much time out of the drug as possible. Added Zinecard to reduce risk of heart side effects with dose #7 as per my oncologist. I would like to take Novantrone forever. No major side effects.

Novantrone saved my life

Date Rated: 4/10/2004 Novantrone saved my life. I had just spent 5 days in the hospital, and been told they would have to cauterize my bladder. I was unable to walk without holding onto the walls. Novantrone has left me exacerbation free for 2.5 years. I have begun a very rigorous exercise program that I know has also helped me. I have taken 9 doses and started Rebif 3 weeks ago. My neuro wants me to hold off on the remainder of the Novantrone and hope the Rebif works. My oncologist suggested I add a drug called Zinecard to help protect my heart. We did that at dose #7. I would take more if I have to later.

This Member's Usage:

Dosage: 12mg/m2

Total Length :several years

Total Duration: several years

Frequency: intravenous infusion every three months

Brand: Novantrone

This Member's Ratings:

Weighted(9.9):

Effectiveness(10):

Lack of Side Effects(10):

Ease of Use(10):

Remains Effective(10):

Cost Effectiveness(9):

3: Need Your Help:Please take a couple of minutes to help others with Multiple Sclerosis. Click RATE IT next to any of these that you have tried.

Have any of these helped you?

Aminopyridine (4-AP)

Betaseron etc. (Interferon beta-1b)

Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate)

Diet: Swank MS Diet (Low Fat Diet)

Exercise: Strengthening

Lioresal etc. (Baclofen)

Provigil etc. (Modafinil)

ReVia etc. (Naltrexone)

Symmetrel etc. (Amantadine)

To see how these treatments have been rated go here - Remedyfind: Multiple Sclerosis.

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions with respect to your symptoms or medical condition. Information on this site is also provided subject to and contingent upon your assent to the Remedyfind User Agreement. Copyright 2004 Remedyfind Inc. All rights reserved.

REMEDY fIND Founder/EditorBrett HodgesThe New York Times recently published a fascinating article entitled The Altered Human is Already Here (April 6, 2004). The premise of the article is that over the past half-century a social change as important as the advent of computers has taken place, the willingness of individuals in the wealthy countries of the world to pursue better living through the use of chemistry like medications, nutritional supplements etc.. The scale of this change is dramatic. Just 50 years ago the worldwide prescription drug business was tiny and the two biggest selling over-the-counter products in the U.S. were Bufferin and Geritol (remember that one?). In contrast, in 2003 retail drug sales worldwide were US$317 billion. Critics of this trend say that behaviors and physiological changes that were once considered normal aspects of life menopause, baldness, decreasing sexual potency in old men, the inability of children to keep still have now become medicalized and even considered as diseases or syndromes. This may indeed be true, but is it necessarily a bad thing? Just think of all the other aspects of life that until recently the healthcare world had little to do with: infertility, alcoholism, morbid obesity, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, dementia etc.. Individuals with these problems may have been pitied (or shunned), and had no choice but to turn to other social institutions for help as there was little the medical world could do for them. My opinion is that this shift to becoming more medicalized is largely a good change, and reflects both a greater scientific understanding of the physiological and behavioral realities of the body / mind, and a desire to enhance our performance and to increase well-being and prolong our lives.

One problem though is that this paradigm shift has occurred almost exclusively for the worlds wealthy and educated. For every one of us who is fortunate enough to have access to medications for treating chronic illness, drugs like antidepressants for mood and anxiety disorders, or genetically modified interferons for treating auto-immune diseases, there are 10 who have a hard time acquiring even the most basic treatments for acute health problems, like antibiotics to treat infections. And when it comes to pharmaceuticals (and nutritional supplements etc.) for preventive or performance enhancing purposes, for example statin medications for treating high cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and stroke, the discrepancies between haves and have nots is even more dramatic.

Of course it is ironic that many of us who are educated and wealthy enough to have access to these treatments live lifestyles that help to induce the very conditions that we now so actively treat. Do rural, third-world farmers suffer from the same degree of insomnia as individuals who put in high-pressure days working in big cities like Tokyo or New York? Are these farmers really missing out because they dont have access to the new generation of sedatives like Ambien (Zolpidem)? What need would an impoverished resident of Somalia have for an appetite suppressant like Adipex (Phentermine)? Isnt this a drug that is designed for those with access to plentiful, cheap (and unhealthy) food like that to be found at any fast-food restaurant in the first-world? Still, I think we have to consider ourselves lucky to live in a time when scientific advances have made it possible for us to even consider treating health conditions that have plagued humanity for millennia. And if we can use these medical products to take our health one step further, proactively working to increase our physical and mental well-being and longevity, I cant imagine anyone who wouldnt be grateful for the opportunity. Medicalized, I say why not?

NEW HEALTH CONDITIONS / CONCERNS ADDEDWe have just added a few new sections to RemedyFind that I thought readers might be interested in. Your ratings would be most appreciated. Also, please let us know if there are any treatments that we are missing or have not described accurately.

AUTISMAutism has been one of the most requested conditions and we are proud to announce its grand opening! We will also be adding the related Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) Asperger's Disorder shortly.

SMOKING CESSATIONWeve gotten a lot of requests for this subject over the past few months and have just now added it to the site. SLEEP APNEASleep Apnea was previously included in the Sleep Disorders section, but obviously deserves a section on its own. Well, now it has one!

NARCOLEPSYLike Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy used to be included in the Sleep Disorders section, and again it seemed best to give it its own section.

Subscribe to the Remedyfind Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter.If this newsletter was forwarded to you, enter your email address to receive your own subscription.

Enter your email address: (Your email address will ONLY be used for the purpose of sending you this newsletter, and you'll be free to unsubscribe at any time.)

Join RemedyfindEnjoy the benefits of a free Remedyfind membership.

rate and review the treatments you have tried track remedies through your "My Remedyfind" page create a member profile so that other members can get to know you

Join Now

Click Here to unsubscribe or to change the way you want to receive this newsletter.

Is this newsletter too long, too short? Do you find the content interesting? How can we make it better?Please send us your feedback at newsletters@...

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message ----- From: Remedyfind

chtucker@...

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 8:29 PM

Subject: M.S. ABCR drugs and depression; ratings of Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)

April 2004

Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it at Remedyfind. (See bottom right for unsubscribe directions.)

In this issue: 1 - General Multiple Sclerosis Research: ABCR drugs do not cause extra depressive symptoms 2 - Prescription Medications: Novantrone (Mitoxantrone) 3 - Need Your Help: Please rate some of these treatments you have tried

1: General Multiple Sclerosis Research: ABCR drugs do not cause extra depressive symptoms December 2003. This study of 163 patients with MS who were currently taking one of the four ABCR drugs (Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone or Rebif) investigated whether the patients’ depression scores (on a standardized depression rating scale) in the prevalence or incidence of depression between the treatment groups. The study authors conclude, “The failure to identify higher rates of depression both in previous intervention studies and in the current observational study provides confirmation that these drugs are not substantially associated with the occurrence of depression.” Read this article

2. Prescription Medications: Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)

Novantrone (Mitoxantrone) is an immunosuppressive (chemotherapy) drug often used in treating different cancers. After studies showed that Mitoxantrone was effective on relapse rate and progression of disability in patients with severe Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS), the U.S. FDA approved the use of Mitoxantrone in 2000 for these types of MS.

The safest and most effective administration of Mitoxantrone appears to be an induction phase with monthly intravenous administration of 12 mg/m2, followed by a maintenance phase with 12 mg/m2 every 3 months for 2 years. Cardiotoxicity, the major long-term toxicity, is clearly dose-dependent and for this reason, a lifetime cumulative dose of Mitoxantrone should not exceed 140 mg/m2. To reduce the risk of cardiac events, the drug should be administered by slow infusion (over 30 mins.) and patients should undergo strict cardiac monitoring.

AVERAGE REMEDYFIND MEMBER RATINGSbased on 14 ratings (0 = poorest; 10 = best)

Overall

6.2

Effectiveness

6.7

Lack of Side Effects

5.1

Ease of Use

5.9

Effective After Long Term Use

6.9

Cost Effectiveness

5.5

Mitoxantrone in progressive multiple sclerosis February 2003. "Mitoxantrone (MX) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with worsening relapsing-remitting (RR) or secondary progressive (SP) multiple sclerosis (MS). However, indications should be refined and mitoxantrone reserved as a rescue therapy to: (1) patients in the relapsing-remitting phase with frequent and disabling exacerbations likely leading to permanent severe disability and (2) to patients in the secondary progressive phase whose disability progression rate increases by one EDSS point or more per year and who do not respond to other current therapies. An induction phase with the monthly intravenous administration of 12 mg/m(2) followed by a maintenance phase with 12 mg/m(2) every 3 months for 2 years seems the most effective and safe treatment regimen, not exceeding the maximum cumulative dose of 140 mg/m(2)." Read this article FEATURED RATING:

msliaBoynton Beach, United States

Helpful Rating: 9

Personal Bio: Hi, I completed the entire course of Novantrone. I had 11 infusions and then hit my life maximum. When I started, I walked with a walker and used a wheel chair outside of the house. My entire right side of my body, from my waist down was "dead", totally numb, no movement. I had other numbness and problems but the right side was the most disabling. I had tried Avonex, couldn't handle it, got very sick, so stopped. Never was on any other CRABs. I was on 4 AP, amantadine, and lots more to help with the problems of MS. My neuro thought it would be good for me to try the Novantrone, so I did.

I am a huge success story. I went for infusions every 3 months at the hospital, each time they checked my blood and watched my counts. My counts did go down, so I would have to go back to the hospital daily for a shot of Nuprogen. Just so you know, the first time I needed the Nuprogen I needed 3 days of shots, by the end I needed 8 days of shots. It took longer to get my blood counts up the longer I was on the chemo. I also had an echocardiogram every 6 months and again at the end. Everything was terrific. Now for the good news: Around the 9 month mark I suddenly felt the three middle toes on my right foot. I was able to wriggle them! People were astounded. Within a week, I was able to wriggle my little toe and then my big toe. Unbelievable! Well, at that point a friend suggested that I try a massage therapist to possibly get the muscles to wake up, it had been 7 years since they did anything. Before the therapist even got here my leg was waking up, I could lift my foot (by myself), and in another week I bent my knee. We were dancing in the streets. Now I can lift my leg and kick my kids again- hehehe- This is (I can't believe it) a year after my last infusion and I have not relapsed at all. My leg still feels like it is in a light cast, but it works. Last January when I would have had another infusion if I hadn't hit my maximum, I looked into copaxone because I didn't want to lose anything I had gained with the Novantrone. I wasn't able to get any help with funding so I needed to find something else. That is when I found LDN. I have been on 3 mg every night since March and am not regressing at all. I now walk with a cane, no more walker, (I do need the wheel chair in malls and Costco...I get too tired). I still don't drive (my cognitive skills still aren't wonderful, but weren't before Novantrone either) and with the LDN I feel stronger. I really don't know if the LDN is working, like the rest of us, no regression is terrific. In any case, I am thrilled with the results of my Novantrone experience and am truly grateful for the LDN keeping me going. Wishing you all Happy Trails....Lynn

Novantrone

Date Rated: 11/3/2003 I went on Novantrone and finished with 11 infusions. That was my life max. When I started, my right side from my waist down was paralized from ms. After about 5 infusions I suddenly was able to wiggle my toes, then I got my foot back and it went up from there. I am able to use my leg like any other again, although it still feels like a light cast is on it. I have gone from a wheel chair to a walker to a cane. Fabulous news for me. The nausea is very mild, an over the counter ginger pill works great (do not let them give you compazine with the novantrone, they tend to do that automatically- alot of people have bad reactions to the compazine- take a ginger pill instead) The only other side effect was the neccesity for me to get shots of nuprigen, in order to bring my blood count up. It was an inconvience, nothing more.

I finished last Nov and was worried about backsliding. When I would have been getting another infusion, I did feel a little weaker (I might have been looking for it too hard), anyway, I wanted to go to copaxone but couldn't get help financially so researched for my next "fix". Now I am on LDN and am still fine. This is now a year later. Also, let me say that I really do not know what the dose was, but this site requires me to pick something, so please don't go according to that.... good luck everyone....

This Member's Usage:

Dosage: 5mg/m2

Total Length :several years

Total Duration: several years

Frequency: intravenous infusion every three months

Brand: Novantrone

This Member's Ratings:

Weighted(9.3):

Effectiveness(10):

Lack of Side Effects(8):

Ease of Use(8):

Remains Effective(10):

Cost Effectiveness(NA):

FEATURED RATING:

ReanyCarey, OH, United States

Helpful Rating: 2

Personal Bio: I am 25 and was diagnosed with MS in October 1999. Started Copaxone in December 1999 but stopped one month later. Had exacerbations monthly, 2 hospital stays until starting Novantrone in May 2001. I will have dose #9 soon. We are stretching the time between to try and get as much time out of the drug as possible. Added Zinecard to reduce risk of heart side effects with dose #7 as per my oncologist. I would like to take Novantrone forever. No major side effects.

Novantrone saved my life

Date Rated: 4/10/2004 Novantrone saved my life. I had just spent 5 days in the hospital, and been told they would have to cauterize my bladder. I was unable to walk without holding onto the walls. Novantrone has left me exacerbation free for 2.5 years. I have begun a very rigorous exercise program that I know has also helped me. I have taken 9 doses and started Rebif 3 weeks ago. My neuro wants me to hold off on the remainder of the Novantrone and hope the Rebif works. My oncologist suggested I add a drug called Zinecard to help protect my heart. We did that at dose #7. I would take more if I have to later.

This Member's Usage:

Dosage: 12mg/m2

Total Length :several years

Total Duration: several years

Frequency: intravenous infusion every three months

Brand: Novantrone

This Member's Ratings:

Weighted(9.9):

Effectiveness(10):

Lack of Side Effects(10):

Ease of Use(10):

Remains Effective(10):

Cost Effectiveness(9):

3: Need Your Help:Please take a couple of minutes to help others with Multiple Sclerosis. Click RATE IT next to any of these that you have tried.

Have any of these helped you?

Aminopyridine (4-AP)

Betaseron etc. (Interferon beta-1b)

Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate)

Diet: Swank MS Diet (Low Fat Diet)

Exercise: Strengthening

Lioresal etc. (Baclofen)

Provigil etc. (Modafinil)

ReVia etc. (Naltrexone)

Symmetrel etc. (Amantadine)

To see how these treatments have been rated go here - Remedyfind: Multiple Sclerosis.

Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Consult your own physician regarding the applicability of any opinions with respect to your symptoms or medical condition. Information on this site is also provided subject to and contingent upon your assent to the Remedyfind User Agreement. Copyright © 2004 Remedyfind Inc. All rights reserved.

REMEDY fIND Founder/EditorBrett HodgesThe New York Times recently published a fascinating article entitled “The Altered Human is Already Here” (April 6, 2004). The premise of the article is that over the past half-century a social change as important as the advent of computers has taken place, the willingness of individuals in the wealthy countries of the world to pursue better living through the use of chemistry like medications, nutritional supplements etc.. The scale of this change is dramatic. Just 50 years ago the worldwide prescription drug business was tiny and the two biggest selling over-the-counter products in the U.S. were Bufferin and Geritol (remember that one?). In contrast, in 2003 retail drug sales worldwide were US$317 billion. Critics of this trend say that behaviors and physiological changes that were once considered normal aspects of life – menopause, baldness, decreasing sexual potency in old men, the inability of children to keep still – have now become “medicalized” and even considered as diseases or syndromes. This may indeed be true, but is it necessarily a bad thing? Just think of all the other aspects of life that until recently the healthcare world had little to do with: infertility, alcoholism, morbid obesity, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, dementia etc.. Individuals with these problems may have been pitied (or shunned), and had no choice but to turn to other social institutions for help as there was little the medical world could do for them. My opinion is that this shift to becoming more “medicalized” is largely a good change, and reflects both a greater scientific understanding of the physiological and behavioral realities of the body / mind, and a desire to enhance our performance and to increase well-being and prolong our lives.

One problem though is that this paradigm shift has occurred almost exclusively for the world’s wealthy and educated. For every one of us who is fortunate enough to have access to medications for treating chronic illness, drugs like antidepressants for mood and anxiety disorders, or genetically modified interferons for treating auto-immune diseases, there are 10 who have a hard time acquiring even the most basic treatments for acute health problems, like antibiotics to treat infections. And when it comes to pharmaceuticals (and nutritional supplements etc.) for preventive or performance enhancing purposes, for example statin medications for treating high cholesterol to prevent heart attacks and stroke, the discrepancies between “haves” and “have nots” is even more dramatic.

Of course it is ironic that many of us who are educated and wealthy enough to have access to these treatments live lifestyles that help to induce the very conditions that we now so actively treat. Do rural, third-world farmers suffer from the same degree of insomnia as individuals who put in high-pressure days working in big cities like Tokyo or New York? Are these farmers really missing out because they don’t have access to the new generation of sedatives like Ambien (Zolpidem)? What need would an impoverished resident of Somalia have for an appetite suppressant like Adipex (Phentermine)? Isn’t this a drug that is designed for those with access to plentiful, cheap (and unhealthy) food like that to be found at any fast-food restaurant in the first-world? Still, I think we have to consider ourselves lucky to live in a time when scientific advances have made it possible for us to even consider treating health conditions that have plagued humanity for millennia. And if we can use these medical products to take our health one step further, proactively working to increase our physical and mental well-being and longevity, I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be grateful for the opportunity. “Medicalized”, I say “why not?”

NEW HEALTH CONDITIONS / CONCERNS ADDEDWe have just added a few new sections to RemedyFind that I thought readers might be interested in. Your ratings would be most appreciated. Also, please let us know if there are any treatments that we are missing or have not described accurately.

AUTISMAutism has been one of the most requested conditions and we are proud to announce its grand opening! We will also be adding the related Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) Asperger's Disorder shortly.

SMOKING CESSATIONWe’ve gotten a lot of requests for this subject over the past few months and have just now added it to the site. SLEEP APNEASleep Apnea was previously included in the “Sleep Disorders” section, but obviously deserves a section on its own. Well, now it has one!

NARCOLEPSYLike Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy used to be included in the “Sleep Disorders” section, and again it seemed best to give it its own section.

Subscribe to the Remedyfind Multiple Sclerosis Newsletter.If this newsletter was forwarded to you, enter your email address to receive your own subscription.

Enter your email address: (Your email address will ONLY be used for the purpose of sending you this newsletter, and you'll be free to unsubscribe at any time.)

Join RemedyfindEnjoy the benefits of a free Remedyfind membership.

rate and review the treatments you have tried track remedies through your "My Remedyfind" page create a member profile so that other members can get to know you

Join Now

Click Here to unsubscribe or to change the way you want to receive this newsletter.

Is this newsletter too long, too short? Do you find the content interesting? How can we make it better?Please send us your feedback at newsletters@...