The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 34

Palm Beach Post, Friday, December 8, 1972-C3 He's Cool to Cold Remedy's Claims Physician Calls Vick's Nyquil 'A Witches Drew Containing Everything But the Sun' Dr. Carl E. Arbesman, professor of medicine and microbiology at the Medical School of the State of New York in Buffalo, pointed out that as recently as November 1971 these and other multi-ingredient cold remedies had been ruled "ineffective as fixed combinations" by the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to determine their efficacy. Abresman, who served on the NAS-NRC panel quoted from its report with regard to Coricidin and Contac, saying that there was no evidence that they alleviated the symptoms or shorten the duration of colds. It is only when what seems to be a cold is actually an allergy that these products are beneficial, they explained, because they contain antihistamines.

officials and that "someone in a rather high position" had agreed with him. saying that Nyquil should be available only on prescription, if at all. And just as there is no evidence that the "secret formula" that imparts aromatic properties to all Vick's products is therapeutically beneficial, he said there is no evidence to indicate that Nyquil relieves the symptoms of a cold. A statement from Richardson-Merrell, parent company of Vicks, was issued after the close of the hearing disputing LaBrecque's testimony and calling it inaccurate. During the hearing itself, other witnesses criticized a number of other popular cold and cough remedies including Coricidin.

Super-Anahist, Dristan and Contac. Although it turned out that Vaposteam offered no advantage over unadulterated steam, he said, the advertising claims of superiority continued in force. In the course of the hearing, LaBrecque was questioned closely about Nyquil, the Vicks "nightime cold medieine" heavily advertised on television as promoting both sleep and symptomatic relief. Describing it as "a witches brew containing everything but the sun," he said that he did not think it was a useful drug and that its 25 per cent alcohol content in combination with some of the other ingredients particularly antihistamines could be hazardous. He added that he had taken the matter up with company K) WaHinigtMStir-Nml WASHINGTON Being the medical director of a drug company that markets nonprescription cold remedies means spending your time trying to find scientific justification to support the advertising claims, according to a physician who has had such a job himself.

The advertising comes first and the efforts to justify it later. Dr. Donald C. LaBrecque told a Senate monopoly subcommittee Wednesday at hearings on over-the-counter medicines. LaBrecque, director of clinical research at Vicks Chemical Company in New York in 1970-71, now is in private practice on Long Island.

He said he had left Vick's employ because of "a whole gamut of things" involving general policies. LaBrecque told the subcommittee chairman, Sen. Gaylord Nelson that while he worked for Vick's tests had been run to determine whether the company's Vaposteam used in conjunction with a nebulizer was any more effective in relieving the chest discomfort of a cold than the steam such a nebulizer produces by itself. Viet Troops Use Of Heroin Drops BURDINE'S sound ideas for holiday gifting SEE OUR SELECTION OF CELEBRATED NAMES AT GREAT VALUES! save $100 FISHER COMPONENT SYSTEM WITH DELUXE TURNTABLE 95 299 ill ilJ i 9' i i Reg. 399.95.

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A fantastic component system to have or to give SOUND CENTER, BURDINE'S WEST SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE AND JUST SAY. CHARGE IT PLEASE its previously high levels to a level he termed still severe. The program, he said, was successful despite "the fact that heroin is still freely available throughout Southeast Asia." Wilbur said military doctors were caught unaware by the 1971 epidemic of heroin abuse in Vietnam. But he said an emergency program of urine tests for detecting heroin plus new group-therapy programs had succeeded in returning thousands of soldiers to duty. Wilbur said as of Oct.

1, 1972 the latest date for which complete figures were available 32.645 identified heroin users had been rehabilitated and returned to duty. Another 10,041 still are undergoing treatment. In addition, he said, 20,036 men had been separated from the services after being rehabilitated and 4,028 others had been transferred to Veterans' Administration hospitals for added treatment. In the past few months, he said, none of the patients discharged from Vietnam medical facilities after a diagnosis of drug abuse were found to be absolutely addicted. Wilbur said drug education field teams composed of "civilian ex-addicts, junior officers and enlisted men each talking to his own kind of people in that person's were a key element in the program's success.

Jaffe said heroin abuse in the United States started increasing sharply in 1964 and the number of addicts was estimated to have doubled by 1969. But recent figures from the government's new network of treatment centers suggest the increase trend "may be levelling be going down," he said. Wallace: I Could Have Won MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Gov. George C.

Wallace said yesterday he could have defeated President Nixon in last month's election if the Democrats had nominated him on the platform he advocated. He also said he looks for "the rejuvenation and reorganization" of the Democratic party as a result of the defeat of Sen. George McGovem. And he said he will remain active in the party, perhaps as a presidential candidate again, if the rejuvenation occurs. Wallace's comments came in an interview prior to Saturday's meeting of the Democratic National Committee, which is expected to focus on a demand for the ouster of Jean Westwood as chairman.

The governor said he is unsure whether he will attend, but if he does, he probably will spend most of his time talking with party leaders, rather than addressing the group. Wallace, who has said before that he may run for the Democratic nomination again in 1976, said that while his immediate goal is to get the party "oriented toward the middle," he is not ruling out the possibility of another presidential race. Wallace also stated that many leaders in the Democratic party have said privately he could have beaten Mr. Nixon. WASHINGTON (AP) The Defense Department's chief doctor said yesterday the "totally out of hand" abuse of heroin by American troops in Vietnam in early 1971 has now been brought under control.

The optimistic note by Dr. Richard S. Wilbur, assistant secretary of defense for health and environment, was echoed on the domestic front by President Nixon's chief drug adviser, Dr. Jerome Jaffe. Jaffe said there is now a 'glimmer of hope" that heroin use domestically "may be leveling off may be going down." The two men made their statements at a special conference on "Medical Complications of Drug Abuse" sponser-ed by the American Medical Association.

Wilbur said the Defense Department's drug abuse program of identification, treatment, rehabilitation and education was successful in reducing heroin abuse by GI's from Medicine Misuse Claimed WASHINGTON (UPI) A top federal drug official testified yesterday that doctors are needlessly treating millions of people with antibiotics, causing perhaps tens of thousands of deaths yearlv. Dr. Henry E. Simmons, director of the Bureau of Drugs in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), blamed doctors who prescribe antibiotics routinely, when the potent drugs are designed to treat serious bacterial diseases such as typhoid and meningitis. The inappropriate use of an antibiotic can result in the appearance of resistant strains of bacteria with an increased number of super infections infections occuring when an antibiotic kills off the set of micro-organisms thereby allowing another group to flourish SimrnQns said.

He testified before the Senate small business monopoly sub-committee's hearings on over the counter drugs. Simmons said "one of the major problems" in medicine today was the sharp rise in blood poisoning in hospitals caused bv superinfections. "There may be 100,000 to 300.000 cases each year, of which 30 per cent to 50 per cent are fatal," he said. Simmons and other doctor witnesses testified that studies show at last 60 per cent of hospital patients who receive antibiotics don't need them. Similarly, he said.

60 per cent of people who complain of cold symptoms are handed an antibiotic prescription by their doctors. Dr. Harry F. Dowling said production has jumped more that 300 per cent in the last decade, reaching 2.4 million kilograms last year. "This would amount to about 50 doses of an antibiotic for every man, woman and child in this country per year, or enough to treat two illnesses of an average duration," said Dowling, an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois.

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Individual volume controls for each ear. Stereomono switch. Airform ear cushions. There arc many medications a I physician or dentist can presenile for pain tymic arc narcotic, rnanv are available only mi prescription Hut there is one nam reliever available without irescription. doctors dispense ami again Anacin.

Kach year doctors (jive over tors recommend most than any other leadint! tablet. Headache anil dental pain is relieved incredibly list; minor pains ol arthritis arc depend-abl eased lor hours; even the iclies and pains ol colds and flu respond to Anacin So the tension and depression that can be caused by such pain will be relieved too And millions take Anacin without stomach upset. When you're in pain, why don't you follow the practice of so main doctors and take tin tablet a doctor might (jive you in Ins-own otfice Take Anacin open 'til 9:00 p.m. tonight for your christmas shopping dO. 000.

OOO Anacin lahlets to their patients in pain II doctors think enough about Anacin to dispense all these tablets, what better recommendation can vou when you are in pain'' You see. Anacin contains tlurv of the pain reliever doc.