Your independent, respected source for information about medications and natural therapies.
Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually (JAMA 1998). Yet, few people receive adequate information when medication is prescribed. This website is dedicated to providing information to help you and your doctor make informed, intelligent choices about medications and natural alternatives to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of treatment. Note: This website is free of drug company or government influence. Jay S. Cohen M.D.
Respected Physicians Call for End of Conflicts of Interest with the Drug Industry There have been many calls for reform of the broad influence of pharmaceutical industry money on doctors and other health professionals, hospitals, and medical centers, but few have been so sweeping as the recent article in the Journal of the American […]
Sensationalistic Newspaper Headlines Misrepresent Three Major, Yet Flawed Studies. Here is What the Studies Actually Found. Talk about bingeing! The opportunity for sensationalistic, yet misleading headlines proved irresistible to editors across the land as their newspapers proclaimed: “Eating Lean Doesn’t Cut Risk (LA Times);1” “Low-Fat Diet Cuts Health Risks? Fat Chance (San Diego Union-Tribune);2” “Low-Fat […]
A New Study Shows the Maximum-Dose Lipitor Reduces Heart Attacks, but Other Findings Raise Serious Safety Concerns. Dr. Cohen Explains Who Should Use High-Dose Lipitor — and Who Should Not. Positive Results Lipitor, the top-selling drug in America, is one of the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs known as the “statins” (others: Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, Lescol, Crestor). […]
Serious Reactions Continue to Be Reported. This article is an updated version of my original article on reactions with fluoroquinolone antibiotics I posted in the July-Sept.2003 newsletter. Since the Annals of Pharmacotherapy published my article1 on neuropathies with quinolone antibiotics in December 2001, I continue to receive frequent reports from people who have developed severe, […]
A New Study Shows Higher Rates of Adverse Reactions with Crestor Than with Other Statins Here’s the Real Story on Super-Strong Crestor and What to Do About It According to a new study, serious side effects with the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor (rosuvastatin) have been reported to the FDA at a much higher rate than with […]
FDA Advisory Committee Finds COX-2 Drugs Increase Risks of Heart Attacks and Strokes, Advises Stronger Warnings — But Does Not Require Manufacturer to Market Lower, Safer, Proven-Effective Doses. On February 16-18, 2005, a FDA Advisory Committee composed of 32 experts found that the top-selling anti-inflammatory drugs Celebrex, Bextra, and Vioxx — known as COX-2 […]
An Open Letter to Pfizer Inc. on the Underlying Reasons That Bextra Failed, on Why Pfizer Made Bextra Unnecessarily Risky — and on How Pfizer Might Still Save Celebrex. Dear Pfizer: You weren’t happy when the FDA ordered the withdrawal of Bextra (valdecoxib), one of your top-selling COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs, on April 7, but you […]
How to Use Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) More Safely — and Natural Alternatives That Work. Vioxx is now history. Bextra, another “COX-2 inhibitor” anti-inflammatory drug, is under suspicion after Pfizer issued a new warning on October 13, 2004. Celebrex is the third and last COX-2 inhibitor that remains untarnished, but many experts and the FDA are […]
An Interview with Dr. Richard Lippin, an Expert on Occupational and Environmental Medicine Dr. Cohen: Dr. Lippin, for many years you have been concerned about stress and depression in the workplace and the use of antidepressants medications. Why? Dr. Lippin: As an administrator and doctor in occupational health settings for over 30 years, I’ve seen […]
A FDA Advisory Committee Recommendation for Stronger Warnings Is a Step Forward, but Not a Solution. What We Must Do. On September 14, 2004, a closely watched FDA Advisory Committee on antidepressant medications recommended black-box warnings in package inserts and other product information about antidepressant medications. These warnings will alert patients and doctors that these […]