That's true even when the two are combined in some migraine medications, which also can be used to relieve menstrual discomfort and arthritis pain.
Caffeine actually improves the pain relieving effects of acetaminophen, says Sid Nelson, Ph.D., dean of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle.
But now, lab studies reported in the American Chemical Society's journal Chemical Research in Toxicology show the interaction between caffeine and acetaminophen could harm the liver.
Caffeine triples the amount of a liver damaging toxin called NAPQI that occurs when acetaminophen is broken down by the liver, which helps the body use the drug .
That same toxin occurs when acetaminophen is taken in conjunction with chronic alcohol use; that combination also can cause liver damage.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends consulting your doctor about taking acetaminophen if you drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day.
The good news is that "for almost everyone, drinking caffeinated beverages or taking caffeinated products shouldn't be a concern," Nelson says. Chronic alcohol users and people with liver disease should avoid overuse of acetaminophen alone or with caffeine.
Caffeine, tricky to track
Starbucks Coffee Grande 16oz.
330mg Caffeine
Strong coffee 8oz.
95mg Caffeine
Red Bull 8.3oz
75mg Caffeine
Mountain Dew, regular/diet 12oz.
55mg Caffeine
Brewed black tea 8oz.
47mg Caffeine
Diet Coke 12oz.
47mg Caffeine
Source: MayoClinic.com
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Self-help online
As more and more ill people connect through online support groups, the founder of one big website gives savvy tips -- and warnings.
By Peter Waite...USA Weekend •June 1-3, 2007
---------------------
Try sharing information, opinions and feelings with others who are hurting.
----------------------
More than 10 years ago, I was dealing with a medical situation. I went online and was surprised by the lack of an outlet in which ordinary people like me could share information or find an empathetic ear.
For those who are hurting, the Internet offers more than the presentation of medical facts; it is an outlet for personal connection.
That's when I launched my site, HealWell.com which contains 30-plus forums -- also known as online discussion groups or bulletin boards -- in which hundreds of thousands of people exchange information, opinions and feelings every month.
Today, there are many other outlets online that host similar health related forums.
If you're seeking a discussion forum, keep in mind these simple, useful guidelines to ensure that your online pursuits are heading in the right direction:
• Approach with both eyes open. Not all health support sites are created equal. Some sites are more interested in harvesting personal information, such as your e-mail address, to send to mass marketers (spammers). So research sites you intend to use.
• Read privacy disclosure statements carefully.
• Look for sites that are moderated, meaning the conversations are reviewed with respect to &
appropriateness and tone.
At HealingWell.com, for example, we use volunteer moderators who often suffer from the same ailment as the topic they oversee on our boards. These moderators also can sniff out "regular folks" who actually are promoting a product.
• It also helps to make sure that a site has been reviewed or accredited by independent authorities, such as the Health on the Net Foundation www.hon.ch which verifies that health sites abide by certain principles of ethical and responsible behavior.
• You also should find out how a site is funded. If it's bankrolled by a drug company, it should be upfront about that.
• Find a board that will help you.
Every health related category may have subcategories or highly specialized boards. You need to find the discussion board that deals with your situation specifically;
a topic such as heart disease may have subtopics related to diagnosis, surgery, smoking and exercise.
Also, make sure that the discussion board is active. Look for daily postings as you scroll down through the contents. If the last posting was a month ago, you may not get prompt answers.
• Check your emotions.
When you're posting on a discussion board because you're sick or a loved one is suffering, your emotional state is fragile.
Most people taking part realize this and are sympathetic. But still, it's best to use a detached, information-seeking "voice." Making liberal, unnecessary use of fuming ALL CAPS letters and exclamation points may keep you from accomplishing your goals -- and alienate you from other users.
(*) Use of "All Caps " when posting on the web, is considered as "Shouting" and is a No, No
• Sharing is good.
Some people struggling with a disease may receive news that they're making a great recovery, yet they are reluctant to share this because it sounds like "gloating" in a forum used by fellow sufferers of the ailment. They shouldn't. The reason people flock to these chats is because they want to hear from those who are doing well -- and how they did it.
Similarly, some are reluctant to talk about their setbacks because they don't want to dole out bad news to the group or are afraid of being discouraging. Again, the whole point is to share. If you're alone and hurting, don't be afraid to seek out shoulders to lean on. Someone even may have something practical to offer, like a new remedy or just-released study.
• Concise is nice.
Users should seek to share, but they also should be respectful of everyone's time. So ask direct questions and avoid long personal histories or biographies. Do keep your messages as streamlined and relevant to the group as possible.•: .
• Maintain discretion and anonymity.
What you post will be online for perhaps years, even decades, to come.
Anyone who goes online will be able to call it up. So be sure that what you're writing won't identify or embarrass anyone you know. Never give out information that's private or reveals who you are.
Before posting, take a look and ask yourself if you'd be comfortable posting this on a bulletin board at work or at church. Getting information from strangers in a public forum doesn't require you to reveal personal details.
(*) As stated by Mr.Waite Postings, E-mails may be available forever. When page author utilizes a forum he "Munge" his E-Mail address to hinder Hackers and other from "Harvesting" his E-Mail address. Visitors can learn about Munging by visiting munge.htm
• Participate regularly.
Make the bulletin board part of the recovery routine by checking in every day. You'll feel more empowered to take control over your own health care and less afraid to consult with your doctor about possible treatments. Which brings up: ...
Check out everything with the doctor. Most people on the boards are well meaning folks who want to help. But such users may offer advice that's not right for you.
The forum is never a substitute for sound medical advice. An exercise that helped someone build bone strength may be too strenuous for you, and a new drug may not agree with other drugs you're taking.
Peter Waite launched HealingWell.com in 1996, and the site that now (Per Mr. Waite) averages more than 350,000 unique visitors a month.
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Many uninsured people are unaware of safety net providers, study finds (November 17, 2004) For details and specifics
Access Here
Five plus years after this page/site was entered into my Home Page ,The Chicago Tribune's (7/21/2002) three (3) part Expose'
ON " INVESTIGATION: UNHEALTHY HOSPITALS " says they are still killing us and our children with Dirty Hands and Unsafe Sanitation.
Now!! three years later, the AARP Bulletin ...June 2005... has article "The Most Dangerous Place To Be If You'r Sick Is A Hospital and repeats that 98,000+ Americans die , each year from infections they contact while in the hospital
It's been five plus years and hospitals are still killing people ( about 500,000 ) when will the government step in to force the hospitals that have not taken action to correcting the abuse, and stop the carnage!!!...See the article below>
With the Release ( Sale ) Of "Non-Water" Hand Cleaners, It Is Now Possible For Doctor.Nurses and others who administer To patients, to keep their Hands Clean without experiencing the painfull "Chapped Hands" that resulted when soap was the only media for keeping the hands clean...According to the CDC & Prevention Using the chemical Hand Washer for ten (10) to fifteen (15) seconds is more effective than using soap and water
September 9, 2002 issue of Chicago Tribune contains article on Hospital Drug Errors, which relates to the " Institute Of Medicine's " report that Medical Errors contribute to more than one million (1,000,000 ) Injuries and Ninety Eight thousand ( 98,000 ) deaths annually !!!
Health care workers trained for the new study were sent on-site and recorded errors during 81 days of observation. Potentially harmful errors included overdoses and instances when nurses failed to give patients prescribed medication ..(For verification of summery on Hospital Drug Errors, visit the Chicago Tribune's Archives )...Type "Hospital Drug Errors" in search box
In the April 11,2005 issue of the Chicago Tribune...on Drug Errors...Hospitals and Doctors are "Finally " admitting that someone or thing, a lack of a system/control has been killing us.
As noted in The AARP article below, " Five (5)States have taken action to having hospitals adopting more effective anti-infection measures.
Why!! only five (5) states? What about the other states where our sons and relatives reside!!
The Most Dangerous Place To Be If You're Sick
First the bad news: About 98,000 plus Americans die each year from infections they contract while in the hospital.
AARP BULLETIN / JUNE 2005 / Patrick J. Kiger
When Leroy Rickabaugh had surgery to remove a bladder tumor at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, last October,(* 2004) he expected to be in the hospital for just a few days.
Instead, he ended up staying for nearly three weeks after he contracted a bacterial infection that also hit several other patients on his ward "I didn't get more seriously sick," Rickabaugh, 74, says, "but they wouldn't let me out until it cleared up!'
In a way, Rickabaugh was lucky.Of the 2 million or so Americans each year who contract infections while in the hospital, about 90,000 die because of them. Hospital infections, in fact, are the nation's sixth leading cause of death.
Health care and consumer activists have been pushing for laws that would require hospitals to publicly disclose their infection statistics, in the hope of pressuring them into adopting more effective anti-infection measures.
So far they've scored victories in five states: Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia. About 30 other states are considering similar legislation.
"It's a problem begging for attention, one that costs a lot of lives and money;' says Lisa McGiffert, director of the Stop Hospital Infection Project for Consumers Union. "Clearly, hospitals aren't doing all that they can!
Now, with efforts in the states accelerating, comes a push for a nationwide standard.
We have an information shortage about hospital infections,says Kenneth W. Kizer, MD president of the National Quality Forum, a Washington based nonprofit organization. "But if we have 50 different standards for measuring the problem, we'll have information chaos."
Most infection fighting measures aren't new, but experts say they're not consistently followed. Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis proved in 1847 that the transmission of infections in hospitals could be reduced by hand washing. But many doctors, nurses and other staff members still do not wash their hands between patients.
Another simple but often overlooked precaution: Ensuring that surgery patients receive the correct antibiotic up to one hour before incisions are made.
"Doctors and nurses get so caught up in their work that they don't even realize how far their own practices fall short, until they see the data out there," says David Schulke of the Washington-based American Health Quality Association. We need to get that data to them"
Read The Reader's Digest, February Issue (2003)on Fatal Hospital Mistakes..."Death Beds"...Dirty Hospitals kill 75,00+ patients a year."Unnecessarily". You must purchase the magazine...Since Magazine was published two (5) years agao and they still are killing us!!!
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More recently, it had been given federal approval to treat leprosy, but was also widely used to treat multiplel Myeloma.
Celgene Cotp. Won U.S. approval to promote its brand of thalidomide, known as Thalomid, for treating patients newly diagnosed with the blood cancer multiple myeloma.
Distribution of the drug is tightly controlled to prevent pregnant women from taking the drug and risking birth defects, but doctors are free to prescribe it as they see fit.
