Factory “Farmaceuticals”

Jessica Morowitz

Premarin® is a hormone replacement therapy drug manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals.  The drug is widely prescribed to an estimated nine million women to help them cope with the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.  Premarin® gets its name by virtue of what it is made from—PREgnant MARes’ urINe (PMU).  That means that in order to manufacture this drug, Wyeth needs a constant supply of pregnant mares.

It is not surprising that the conditions these mares experience are not unlike those experienced by animals raised for food in factory farms.  According to the Humane Society of the United States, the mares enter the barns in September, and remain tethered in their stalls until March or April.  The stalls are very narrow, and do not allow the mares to turn around or move more than a step or two in any direction.  While inside they are constantly hooked up to a collection system that even further restricts their movements, and can make it uncomfortable to even lie down.  Moreover, the mares are often denied access to an adequate supply of water in an effort to concentrate the hormones in their urine and increase profits.  Typically, the mares will be ‘in production’ for about eight or nine years consecutively, getting pregnant and giving birth year after year.

What is just as bad if not worse than the way these mares are treated, is the inevitable by-product of all these pregnant mares—the foals.  Sadly, they are usually weaned from their mothers too early, at around three or four months of age instead of six months.  This is due to the nature of the production system.  The mares are usually bred-back right after giving birth (within a few weeks), and need to move back into the barns in September to begin urine collection.  Like the fate of many of the mares when they are no longer able to produce, these foals are often sent to auction.  From auction these horses often find their way to into feedlots, and eventually slaughterhouses.    While there are a few rescue organizations out there dedicated to the adoption of PMU mares and foals, there are not nearly enough of them to keep up with the estimated 40,000 PMU foals born each year.

An alarming New York Times article written in early August revealed that ghostwriters paid by Wyeth “played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement therapy in women.”  The articles were published between 1998 and 2005 and of course emphasized the benefits and down-played the risks associated with hormone replacement therapy.  These articles most likely played a role in the nearly $2 billion in sales experienced by Wyeth in 2001.  But shortly after in 2002, a “federal study on hormone therapy was stopped after researchers found that menopausal women who took certain hormones had an increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.”  When a story like this comes out that shows how a pharmaceutical company, like Wyeth, is willing to put human lives at risk to turn a profit, should we even be surprised that the welfare of the tens of thousands of horses they rely on and exploit each day does not factor into that equation?  Of course not.

[Via http://animalblawg.wordpress.com]

10 Ways To Know You Are Becoming Your Mother

When I was about 16, I distinctly remember watching my mother try on a pair of pants, elastic waisted, with total disdain.  I will never wear “granny” pants like that, I will always wear pants with a zipper, I told her!  How can you were those things?My how things have changed!

Help, I am becoming my mother.  How do I know?  Check these tips:)

10 Ways To Know You Are Becoming Your Mother!

1. You find elastic waisted pants comfortable and wear them daily to work.  You do save a little face by NOT tucking in your shirt.
2. You talk to anybody that will listen at the grocery store, or any other public place while you are shopping.  You talk without shame and even enjoy talking to total strangers about anything that comes to mind.  The filter between your brain and mouth has disappeared.
3. You try on clothes over your clothes in the aisles at stores, again with no shame or embarrassment.  After all, it does save time doesn’t it?
4. You complain often about small print.  How can they expect a person to read this!  This small print is just ridiculous and rather thoughtless of the goof balls that print it this small. 
5. You actually worry and listen to all the news reports about Social Security, Medicare, and what the government is doing.
6. You carry your own personal fan, year-round, and love it!, feeling sorry your mother didn’t have one herself when she just used anything handy as a “fan”, like your homework, checkbook, or napkins.
7. You read the obituaries, daily, relieved when there is no one you know, and you don’t see your own name as well.
8. You find that you would rather take a nap above doing almost anything else.  Besides, you just fall asleep without even knowing it.  You just can’t help it.
9. You have found new hobbies, like putting together puzzles of pretty scenes, falling asleep while reading the paper,  and buy and do those word puzzle books.  And you really love those puzzles!
10. You look in the mirror one morning, scream with shock, then realize that it is you, not a surprise visit from your mom, hiding in your bathroom.

Let’s Talk About Sex…

Love is by far one of the most powerful emotions one can experience in life. Love has the absolute power to manifest the lowest of lows and the highest of highs within all of us. So why is it that so many relationships start off with a bang and end with a thud? At first, our relationships seem to take on the often clichéd “honeymoon phase,” where both man and woman are overcome by the boundless energies of love, falling helplessly head over heels for one another. Be it 2 months or 2 years, the once radiant glow begins to fade and the relationship has begun to plateau. When things “level out” like this, it’s important to know what you and your partner can do to spice things up a bit. Here’s five great ways to rekindle that lovin’ feelin’!

• Take it beyond the bedroom – By now the bedroom has become a comfort zone for both you and your partner. So step outside the box and shake things up a bit! Take it to the streets! Go Public! Now I wouldn’t recommend putting yourself in a situation where you could get in serious legal trouble, but the idea of getting caught can be riveting! The paranoia adds a whole new dimension to sex. For starters, try it in a different room of the house – perhaps the kitchen or laundry room. Once you and your partner are comfortable, you can graduate to more exotic settings like an elevator or the beach. Now I agree that this may not sound like a scene from “The Notebook,” but sex in public places really is a great way to dust those cobwebs off your sex life.
• Trash the haggard clothing – I know that when you’re at home alone as a couple, there’s little reason to “dress to impress.” But nothing says turn-off like tattered, oversized t-shirts, maternity sweatpants and a limp ponytail pushed off to the side with a cumbersome scrunchee. A great way to refresh your sex life is to make yourself more desirable for your partner. As a relationship matures, a man and woman become much more comfortable with one another and as a result they aren’t so much concerned about their physical appearance at home, as they once were. Wear something that’s comfortable, but something that doesn’t scream “I’m a hot mess.”
• Take dinner to the next level – Even if you and your partner are sharing an extra large pepperoni pizza on a Friday evening, spice it up a bit with some candles, a table cloth and some music to set the mood. The romantic lighting and subtle music can make for an intimate dining experience. Maybe incorporate some aphrodisiacs to the meal for little kick-start. Finger food also gives you a great excuse to feed one another.
• Take a vacation – Escape the ordinary. Sometimes work schedules and personal commitments make it difficult for a couple to share intimacy. One of the first things a relationship coach will recommend is a romantic getaway. You don’t have to go far. In fact, a trip down the street to a local Marriott will do just fine. The feeling of detachment makes it easier to let go and get lost within the moment. Find a quiet hotel suite, grab a bottle of champagne and bucket of ice and have peace of mind knowing that the only thing you’re waking up for the next day is breakfast in bed.
• Balance your hormones – As we age, our hormones naturally begin to decline. The result is a hormonal imbalance, usually identified as perimenopause or menopause in women and andropause in men. Although there are many unpleasant side-effects of hormonal imbalance such as weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, depression and loss of muscle mass, the chief complaint from both men and women alike is low libido. Hormonal imbalance affects millions of men and women each year. The good news is, there’s something you can do about it. Comprehensive hormone testing is available to determine if indeed a hormonal imbalance is present. Once the imbalance has been identified, physicians can use bioidentical hormones to restore the balance and in turn relieve the associated symptoms.