Homeopathic remedy approved to treat sprains

Much to the anger of conventional medicine, the homeopathic remedy Arnica has been officially recognised as a successful remedy for treating sprains and bruises in the United Kingdom.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHPRA) has registered the product, which means that the manufacturer can now make claims for its effectiveness.

Arnica 30c, manufactured by Nelsons, is the first homeopathic remedy to be recognised without going through clinical trials. Since 1971, homeopathic products have not been allowed to make any health claim without proper evidence.

But new rules, introduced in 2006, allow a manufacturer to make health claims for a product provided there is a tradition for its use in the UK, and it is for the treatment only of minor problems.

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Fake journal created to sell Vioxx, court hears

Ever heard of a medical journal called the Australasian Journal of Bone & Joint Medicine? Thought not – because it was invented by pharmaceutical giant Merck in order to sell its discredited drug Vioxx.

Merck invented the journal and fake research that was published in it to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of its painkiller, an Australian court has heard.

Merck made a $4.85bn out of court settlement in the US to the 50,000 victims or families who had taken the drug, and had either died or suffered long-lasting heart problems.

While Merck hid vital data from the regulators in America, they took another tack in Australia, a court there has been hearing. There they created the medical journal which was used as a vehicle to publish supposed medical trials, the court was told.

Vioxx was taken off the market in 80 countries in 2004 after a trial, published in an independent medical journal, found the drug increased the risk of stroke and heart attack.

If the current case against Merck is proved, the drug company is expected to make a multi-million dollar payout to around 3,000 Vioxx victims in Australia.

(Source: New York Times)

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Do you have insomnia if you have a bad night's sleep?

Are you suffering from insomnia if you have the occasional night when you don’t sleep well? Latest research reckons the odd night’s bad sleep doesn’t add up to insomnia – that’s reserved for those who have a poor sleeping pattern lasting for one year, and sometimes three.

Researchers were surprised by the extent of poor sleep that a group of 388 insomniacs suffered. For 74 per cent of them, regular poor sleep had lasted for a year, and for 46 per cent of them, for three years.

While more than half – 54 per cent – experienced ‘remissions’ from insomnia when normal sleep was re-established, half of those saw their insomnia come back.

(Source: Archives of Internal Medicine)

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