Off-label prescribing—the practice of prescribing medication for a condition for which it is not indicated or approved—is very common in America, particularly in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. In 2001, an estimated 21% of prescriptions for the 160 of the most commonly-used drugs were off-label.  And 75% of those off-label prescriptions were written for conditions for which there is absolutely no scientific evidence to prove they work!

The law doesn’t prevent this practice, although it does prevent pharmaceutical companies from promoting off-label prescribing. Often, there’s no real harm in off-labeling, but equally so, there’s even more often no scientific proof that those off-label drugs are doing you any good. The only evidence is what’s called anecdotal – evidence that has been noted by doctors, but there has been no scientific study carried out to provide hard proof.

Doctors and law-makers know it’s a problem, but they say it’s such an extensive issue that they just don’t know how to even begin solving it. This December, however, that might be about to change, as a group of physicians will publish a paper in scientific journal Pharmacotherapy, about ways in which solutions to the off-labeling problem might be approached.

The researchers who studied the issue have identified a list of fourteen medications that are often prescribed for off-label uses. Many of the drugs on the list are antidepressants and anti-psychotics – drugs used to treat psychological problems. Six of the drugs on the list are used to treat bipolar disorder. All three of these represent categories of illness where both physicians and their patients are eager to try new solutions and off-label prescriptions.

Often, this can provide an effective means of treatment for people with psychological disorders – but the problem is, these drugs haven’t been FDA tested and approved for the uses to which they are put. That means a serious risk of unintended and unanticipated side effects, which in turn can endanger the life and safety of the patient.

An additional problem is that drug companies are reluctant to put their products through the testing required for off-label uses, not only due to the expense, but also because testing might prove the existence of undesirable side effects that might make the drugs less popular for off-label use.

The solution? The researchers and physicians who have studied the off-label issue have proposed that an extensive round of testing and surveying be conducted on the fourteen drugs identified as being most commonly used for off-label purposes. They also say that patients should be proactive and ask their doctors for more information about the medications they are prescribed.

photo credit: ragesoss

Why Sausage Could Lead to Cancer

Much of the processed meat is cured using preservation methods that have been in practice for years. Such methods include smoking, salting, and placing additives into the meat. As little as one sausage a day could lead you to an early demise, research shows. Experts are recommending that people should try to eliminate processed meats completely out of their diets, but if it is difficult, try to at least lower the amount consumed.

What Kinds of Cancer Could Sausage Cause?

The negative effects that these meats can have on our health include cancer in the bowels, stomach, breast, colon, pancreas and prostate. Red meat too has shown signs of being linked to such cancerous growths and should also be consumed much less (pork, beef and lamb). In the United Kingdom, there are about 100 new cases of bowel cancer reported every day.

So how does processed meat cause so much harm? Well, the substances that are used to preserve the meats have N-nitroso compounds (a product of nitrates); this increases the chances of consumers getting cancer. So if you are looking to keep red meat in your diet, you should try to stick with fresh meat. It is recommended that people consume less than 17.6 oz of red meat each week (since it is a valuable nutrient we need and can’t be eliminated) and to cross out processed meat out of our diets completely.

• Beef, when in its natural form, can be very healthy to consume. The cow has a non-pollutant diet consisting of lots and lots of grass. However, with beef that is non-organic, you will sometimes find traces of harmful products, including mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals. Even pesticides can be found in cow meat.

• Hot dogs are known to have nitrites contained in them to help for preservation, so it too has been linked to cancerous growth. It was even said to cause leukemia in children.

• Just 50g of processed meat being eaten each day can cause your risk of getting bowel cancer to go up by a fifth! This is about one sausage or three rashers of bacon per day. Not much at all.

• You may have found comfort in smoked or cured ham, but this is definitely a no-no and can lead to cancer. It is known to have nitrosamines, a class of chemical compounds produced at high temperatures (like in the stomach or stove).

photo credit: Gaetan Lee