Personally, I'm not a fan of miracle weight loss products. But by the "evidence-based medicine" standards that eric demands of everything, we cannot make any definitive statements about Hydroxycut. Without multiple double-blind, placebo controlled studies that document that Hydroxycut causes liver damage, this is merely speculation on the part of the FDA. Liver enzymes are sometimes elevated in normal people for no apparent reason, and a high reading is not proof of any type of damage ... "Elevated liver enzymes may be detected during liver function tests. In most cases, liver enzyme levels are elevated mildly and temporarily. Most of the time, elevated liver enzymes don't signal a chronic, serious liver problem." (source) How many of these 23 cases were truly serious? How many are unrelated to the supplement? We know that if millions of people were taking some placebo (something that doesn't cause liver disease), some people in that group would develop liver disease just by chance each year ... a placebo controlled trial would allow us to filter out the natural rate of liver disease. But we don't have such a study - only a group of correlational observations that is somewhat interesting and may merit further study in the future. ...In all seriousness, if someone I knew were taking that product, I would advise them to stop until more is known. The above post was intended to point out the limits of the so called "evidence-based" approach that eric uses to smash discussion of herbs (and which he conveniently abandoned in this post when he saw a chance to further scare people about supplements). At this point, we don't really know if there is a risk (according to eric's terminology, we should say that concerns regarding the product are currently 'unproven') ... but EBM is not a universal methodology that is applicable to every situation ... my operating assumption is that we don't always need 100% certainty to make a reasonable decision; in this case I think caution is in order.

Sue, I am so glad you are OK! I was at the doc yesterday and happened to be reading about signs of a heart attack. I never knew until yesterday that a jaw tightening up was a sign. So glad you went to the ER, too. Don't be afraid of 911! My dad died when I was 13 due to heart problems. In retrospect, I CANNOT believe nothing was really done for him. I remember walking home from the train w/him, and he would have to stop because of the pain in his chest. He was thin and had textbook perfect blood pressure. I remember him having some medicine (patches?) for angina, but that is about it. My dad may have survived IF someone would have called 911. He thought he had indigestion, and his co-workers called my house. My sis (15 then) answered and told them they should call 911. They drove him to the ER instead, and he died at the hospital. We never got to see him again. They apologized at the wake. Too little, too late. So relieved everyone else who has posted is OK, too. No one really talks about heart disease for women, and isn't it the most common cause of death among women? Trail, I had no idea you were a cardio RN. I will remember you rules!

Cindy, I was actually too anxiety ridden to eat much but basically followed a low acid diet. I recall that I ate lots of fresh baby spinach - uncooked, in salads with just olive oil and lemon juice (yes you head that right...lemons are one of the most alkaline things on the planet) and wild salmon patties that I get at Costco. I had a hard time eating and drinking initially because I was so afraid. everything went down crooked and felt dry. Even water caused odd feelings in my esophagus. That did go away once my anxiety lessed, though. I must have gone to the ENT 3 times in two months (after the FEES test that diagnosed the LPR)just so he could scope my throat and assure me nothing was wrong. He understood. the sensation makes one crazy. Cindy, this was a very, very troubling time for me. I got help from a number of professionals, including a therapist specializing in anxiety and panic attacks. I also had good friends and family who understood my pain and helped me with their support. They were very concerned because this wasnt me. I was absolutely against any medications, having been on an AD once before for 4 years following a death in the family and it was very difficult coming off it. I actually should never have been on it. we learn so much in retrospect, but hopefully it makes us wiser. that's part of the reason for my opposition. It wasnt until I realized that diet and relaxation techniques, even several trips to the naturopathic doctor for supplements to help my body help itself, wasnt going to rid me of the anxiety...oh and the depression that started setting in. I remember the visit to the psychiatrist, I think it was the third visit, where I realized that I couldn't do it myself...and needed to try the meds. I had been so opposed to it, feeling that I just couldnt take that step. He didn't push it, but rather brought me to the decision myself. I was so sick with the thought of it, but knew I had no other options. It was that or lose myself in this. I cannot tell you the relief I felt when the health anxiety disappeared...overnight. Some say it was mind over matter because the drugs dont work that fast, but I know what I know...and only 5mg, my starting dose, brought me instant relief. And the constant state of anxiety dissipated too. that was the toughest part as I said in my earlier email. Mind you, I had every test imaginable, blood work up the ying yang that my doctor ordered at the request of the naturopath (they arent licensed as primary care physicians in NY State). They took 8 vials of blood for those tests! One thing I forgot to mention was that I developed severe hives during this time. One day they just started on my chest...that was just the beginning. My sister happened to be over, and she gave me a benedryl. I went for allergy tests...no allergies. I had every blood test imaginable (see above)...nothing unusual. One day I got hives over my entire body...the hives had hives. I called the allergist and went right away and he watched as they popped up on my back, chest, arms, you name it. Dont struggle needlessly. There is nothing wrong with trying the meds. It doesn't mean youve failed. Its a tool to help you get back your life. I tried everything I could, but I knew when it was time to give my body a break. Start slow...5mg and give it a couple of weeks (as longas the Dr. advises that too). I felt I needed something that would take off the edge just enough so that I could function. Going to work was difficult but I did it every day. Once I started the meds, I continued with my therapy, learning how to respond to the panic attacks and arming myself for the future. I didn't just let the meds do the work, i worked at it too. I did go up to 10mg, but now, a year later, I no longer have fear of reverting back plus the 10mg just started making me very tired, so I dialed it back and that went away. I guess my body accepted the meds when I really needed them, and started telling me when it no longer was necessary. I hope some of this helps. Sue

JJ, Renal failure is extremely common in elderly cats (and often in not-so-elderly cats). Unfortunately, it is as variable a disease as are the number of cats who endure it. There really are no "norms" where renal failure is concerned. There are cats who live for years after diagnosis, and there are cats who fail very quickly. The only thing you can "expect" with renal failure is the inevitable end. It is a terminal diagnosis. As lf mentioned, many of the symptoms of CRF are manageable. The keys to management of CRF are education and vigilant caretaking. You have already been given the URL to one CRF website, but the website which I consider to be the "CRF Bible" is linked below. If you spend as much time as possible reading through these sites, you will learn a tremendous amount about this disease, its associated ailments, and its management. There is nothing more important you can do for your cat right now than to educate yourself about CRF. To answer your questions, at-home subQ fluid administration is a critically important skill to acquire and practice. Your vet can and should teach you how to do the fluid administration, and the websites offer pictorial tutorials to reinforce the procedure and offer helpful tips that your vet might not mention. You'll probably find it a bit nerve-wracking at first, but you'll get the hang of it, and your cat will become more and more cooperative as you become more proficient. It really is a life-saving procedure that provides considerable health benefits to the CRF cat with negligible (if any) discomfort. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of CRF is that a cat's condition can change from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. A cat who is critically ill one day may rally to relative health the next ... or not. We CRF caretakers tend to hold out for the next rally because it's so difficult to tell when a bad day will turn around or when it really does mark the end. If your cat does require hospitalization at some point, you will just need to trust your instincts and your knowledge of your own cat to help you decide whether to give him a chance to rally or to let him go. I, too, have a cat who is in the early stages of CRF with slightly elevated BUN and CREA values. He's my fourth CRF cat, and I know that he could become critical at any moment, or he could live in reasonable health for years. I've been down this road before, so I know what to watch for. I'll be having bloodwork run on him every 3 mos or more frequently if he becomes symptomatic. When his brother developed renal failure a year ago, I couldn't get his condition stabilized and was having to run bloodwork every couple of weeks to keep up with his changing blood values and symptoms. Unfortunately, I lost Bitsy just 3 mos after diagnosis. My first CRF cat, though, lived quite happily for 4 yrs after diagnosis. That's how variable this disease can be. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed right now, and you'll probably feel even moreso once you start reading the CRF websites. Don't let all the info make you crazy. I had to read the same info many, many times before it sank in and stuck. Just remember that the more you know about this disease, the better you'll be able to manage your boy and keep him comfortable and reasonably healthy for as long as possible. I wish you and your cat the best, Laurie Here is a link that might be useful: Tanya's CRF Information website