A new independent study, conducted at the University of Birmingham, UK,

reveals that a popular prescription drug for Alzheimer's disease,
Aricept, offers no real benefit to Alzheimer's patients compared to
placebo.
And yet, the drug has been approved and heavily marketed based on
findings from drug trials funded by its maker who claims the drug
benefits Alzheimer's patients in scientifically proven ways.
As it turns out, the drug does seem to help Alzheimer's patients score

slightly higher on cognitive tests, but it has no real benefit in
delaying the institutionalization of Alzheimer's patients.

In the study, 42% of candidates taking the drug ended up in
institutions
within 3 years, compared to 44% who ended up in institutions after
taking placebo.

The author of this study, Richard Gray, said, "Doctors and health care

funders need to question whether it would be better to invest in more
doctors and nurses and more social support rather than spending huge
sums of money prescribing these expensive drugs."

The findings presented here certainly don't surprise me. When
independent studies are conducted on high-profit, brand-name
prescription drugs, they typically come to a very different conclusion
than the one offered by the manufacturer of that drug.

As we know, drug trials are frequently distorted and selected to show
only the positive results. These findings are then forwarded to the
FDA,
where the drugs are approved for widespread use.

But during this process, studies showing negative effects of the drug
are ignored or buried and are almost never made public unless they have

to be revealed in lawsuits. What we see in this case is a very
expensive
Alzheimer's drug that, from a scientific standpoint, has little or no
benefit to patients, but yet is right now being marketed and prescribed

as something that offers a tremendous benefit to patients.

If you look at the marketing materials offered by the manufacturer of
Aricept, you will find a large number of statements that imply this
drug
enhances the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients (and especially
boosts their mental performance in significant ways).

But as this independent study seems to indicate, those claims are
distorted, or, you could say they are accurate but they are highly
selective statements, designed to get physicians and patients to focus
on the few things the drug does improve, while ignoring the overall
quality of life to the patient (which is not improved by the drug).

All of this is yet more evidence that prescription drugs largely do not

work. They are over-hyped, over-sold, and approved for widespread use
under rather dubious conditions. In an astounding number of cases, when

FDA-approved prescription drugs are held up to the scrutiny of
independent tests, they are found to be all but worthless.

As Americans, we are being sold empty promises in the form of extremely

expensive prescription drugs marketed by companies that seem to be far
more interested in profits than in improving the quality of life of
people around the world.

Alzheimer's drugs in particular are extremely profitable due to the
growing epidemic of Alzheimer's in the United States and around the
world. In the decades ahead, Alzheimer's disease is expected to
skyrocket, creating potentially a multi-billion dollar market for
prescription drugs to treat the symptoms of the disease.
You can bet that more and more of these prescription drugs will be
approved and marketed with dubious claims that exaggerate the benefits
of the drug and minimize the drug's risks.

If you really want to prevent Alzheimer's, you can do that by making
lifestyle changes. You can change your diet, give yourself outstanding
nutrition (see related ebook on nutrition) (search this site for
"Alzheimer's" to learn more), and avoid the "metabolic disruptors" that

disrupt normal nervous system function in the human body.

Those include ingredients such as MSG, aspartame, and artificial
colors. You can also engage in mentally challenging activities such as
doing crossword puzzles, playing card games with friends, giving
speeches, or playing strategy games. Learning a new language also
engages the brain and helps prevent Alzheimer's.

Sitting in front of the TV, on the other hand, promotes the onset of
Alzheimer's.
http://www.newstarget.com/001692.html