Monday, December 5, 2016

Heartburn Meds, and the risk of Strokes.

Tom's Journal. http://tomschuckmanjournal.blogspot.com/


tschuckman@aol.com












Hello Friends,
   Wouldn't we know that a large portion  of this 'cut and pasted' article that I wanted to share was truncated ... dang !!   Let my instruct you nice people about how the 'Big Pharma', the AMA, and the FDA work,  OK ?   They are positively NOT searching or wanting the "CURE" for any disease,  but they just want to "TREAT IT !"   That way they can keep inventing new drugs to TREAT the disease and milk the cow, forever !   I hope that you all know this by now.   They will hate Mr. Trump,  because he is going to slaughter their 'cash cow.'    He is going to "roast their golden goose !"    But we'll see how many restrictions the powerful elite will slow him down with 'tangle foot' and concertina...   That is the big reason I worry about his personal safety.  
       You know, dear Friends,  when I was young, full of piss and vinegar, so ignorant, in the Army, over in Vietnam....  I 'BELIEVED IN AMERICA' and was willing to die for my country.   Little did I know that the banksters, huge companies, arms factories, makers of Napalm --- were thriving and getting filthy rich on that war !    Du Pont, and other companies.   And when I came home and started having some 'problems and challenges,'  the Milwaukee  VAMC treated us combat Veterans like 'used toilet paper.'   If we came in for an appointment and ONE MINUTE LATE,  they chewed us out and told us to go home !   Ha!  It was "Hurry up and wait,"  all over again !   It actually took me 30 years to finally get my fair share of compensation  and respect !!   I still have to watch the VA like a hawk, and hold their hand, so they do what they are paid for....  duh !    It's just a sad story, folks, and the beat goes on.    So many true stories heard all the time... and when you go there and wait, you hear all these stories, but the Vet's are respectful and patient, in the face of all this sour grapes, injustice, and rotten treatment,  plus you got to watch out that they don't CROAK you !  
     They obviously don't have the right, advanced type of dental experts so far NORTH in the U.P. where I live, so I will have a 2 hour drive to the city of Green Bay,  Wisconsin, to get my teeth fixed.... I hope and pray... LOL.   I hate going to the dentist,  but it's something that I [we all] need to endure.   And I have plenty of true stories of my own, too.  
    Now, the truth of the matter is:  We Vietnam Vets paved the way and fought all the battles with the Gov't and the VA system, and won more rights.... and we tried to teach the younger, new guys, like our sons who joined the Army and Marines how to handle and deal with the VA,  but they were a bit 'head strong' and didn't learn that well, and so they are now trying to 'reinvent' the wheel, on their own, and getting screwed by the VA,  all over again !   At least we tried.   The VA likes to provoke, mess with, harass the combat Vets when they first come to the VA for help, and then many of those Vets just give up and walk away.... and that is what the VA really wants !  They figure that they are saving the Gov't lot so money,  and then they give all that extra money to the Islamic illegal aliens who sneak into this country thru the porous Southern border,  with malice and hatred in their murdering hearts !   This is Obama's real legacy ! 


There was another article talking about the connection of Mercury poisoning and Autism !  


Warm Regards,
Tommy Schuckman








Common heartburn medications are increasing the risk of strokes


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Image: Common heartburn medications are increasing the risk of strokes

(NaturalNews) Proton pump inhibitors or PPIs – a class of drugs commonly used to treat acid reflux and heartburn – may increase the risk of ischemic stroke, according to preliminary research presented at an American Heart Association conference in New Orleans earlier this month.
As reported by CNN, these drugs are among the most prescribed medicines in the United States and are widely available over the counter. Dr. Thomas Sehested, the study’s lead author and a researcher at the Danish Heart Foundation, said that PPIs have been associated with unhealthy vascular functions, including heart attacks, kidney disease, and dementia.
Given their increasing use in the general population, Dr. Thomas Sehested and his team were eager to investigate if PPIs also increase the risk of an ischemic stroke.

Overall stroke risk 21 percent higher with PPI use

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 85 percent of strokes are ischemic strokes. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks the artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain.
For their study, the researchers analyzed the records of almost 245,000 Danish adults, average age 57, who underwent endoscopy to pinpoint the causes of their stomach pain or indigestion. During six years of follow-up, nearly 9,500 patients experienced a first-time ischemic stroke.
Dr. Sehested and colleagues assessed if the stroke occurred while patients were using one of four commonly prescribed PPIs –  omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and esomeprazole (Nexium). Furthermore, they also looked at the records of people who used another class of acid-reducing medications known as H2 blockers, which include Pepcid and Zantac.
Overall, the patients who took PPIs faced a 21 percent increase in the risk of an ischemic stroke, compared with patients who did not receive any of the PPIs mentioned above. The researchers noted that there was little or no greater risk of stroke associated with H2 blockers or small doses of PPIs. However, they found that at the highest PPI dose, the stroke risk increased from 30 percent for lansoprazole (Prevacid) to a whopping 94 percent for pantoprazole (Protonix).

Study questions the safety of PPIs

Since the study is purely observational, the authors were unable to prove cause and effect between PPI use and increased stroke risk. Nonetheless, they believe that their findings, along with previous studies, suggest patients should be cautious about using PPIs, many of which are now available over the counter.
And not only should patients be more cautious, but doctors prescribing PPIs should also carefully consider whether their use is warranted and for how long.
“At one time, PPIs were thought to be safe, without major side effects,” Sehested said. “This study further questions the cardiovascular safety of these drugs.”
Furthermore, the team added that even though they did not find a clear link between H2 blockers and stroke, they could not say that this group of drugs would be better and safer than PPIs in the treatment of acid reflux or heartburn.

Are there safer alternatives?

According to medical professionals, the majority of people who suffer from heartburn or acid reflux could significantly reduce their discomfort by making a few lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes include losing weight, quitting smoking, and cutting back on spicy and fatty foods while increasing the intake of fresh, organic foods.
“As a culture, we tend to want a pill to deal with our problems, when a lot of people could reduce their heartburn by eating smaller meals, drinking less alcohol or not smoking,” Dr. Michael Katz told CNN.
Sources:
Edition.CNN.com
News.Heart.org
CDC.gov
Edition.CNN.com