Until recently, acetaminophen (also known as APAP) was considered to be a fairly harmless painkiller. After all, it’s found in commonly used over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol, as well as stronger prescription medications like Vicodin and Oxycodone. Acetaminophen has been sold in modest quantities all across the world, and has been used to treat everything from mild headaches to more severe forms of pain. But is it really a good idea to ingest this drug?

In 2011 an FDA advisory panel asked drug manufacturers to consider lowering the suggested dose and maximum daily dose of acetaminophen.  This request was followed by a recommendation by an FDA advisory panel in 2009, made up of 37 expert doctors, to implement a total ban of certain acetaminophen-containing prescription drugs such as Vicodin. 

People in the U.S. take too many prescription drugs. That’s not a distortion of the truth – that’s a fact.  Let’s look at the statistics:

According to an IMS Institute report titled The Use of Medicines in the United States: Review of 2010 (published April 2011), Americans spent more than $307 billion on medicines in 2010.

This is out of control. That’s a ton of money to throw down the drain, especially considering that many medications merely mask symptoms instead of resolving the real issue.

If we’re going to spend that much money, I think we should spend it on something that will bring us real health - lasting changes, less side effects, less invasiveness.

Fortunately, there are plenty of natural alternative remedies to prescription drugs.

A fairly controversial discussion revolves around holistic medicine vs. traditional therapy. What are the differences between the two? What are the similarities? Is one approach better than the other?

As we see it, the only similarity between holistic and traditional therapies is that they’re both intended to fix problems related to health. However, they’re vastly different in terms of how they solve problems, and their level of effectiveness in doing so.

To understand the underlying issues at stake, it’s important to first know that vitamin and mineral deficiencies lie at the heart of many health problems. Beyond that, toxicity and high sugar intake are also key contributors to people feeling tired, cranky, or generally in poor health.

Billions of people have made cell phones a non-negotiable part of their daily lives. Cell phone carriers are excitedly rushing to expand 4G LTE networks (the next step up from 3G and 2G “EDGE” technologies), which are capable of performing extremely powerful wireless data transfers. Fancy smart phones are impressing everyone with their ability to make life more convenient and fun.

But is anybody questioning the health costs of all this technology?

Today it’s common for senior citizens and retirees to take 5-10 or more different prescription medicines for various health conditions. One pill for high blood pressure, one for arthritis, one for high cholesterol, one for heart health... the list goes on.

In fact, you might be one of these people who is burdened by endless medications. Perhaps you spend hundreds of dollars per month, or thousands per year on pills that act largely as a band-aid instead of as a true solution to your health ailments.

Well, there’s good news and bad news.