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With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers – Advil, Tylenol, aspirin – at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system. Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D., professor of Environmental Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and of Pediatrics, has been studying this issue for years and recently presented his latest findings to an international conference on inflammatory diseases. (http://bioactivelipidsconf.wayne.edu/) “What we’ve been saying all along, and continue to stress, is that it’s probably not a...

Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil unit is voluntarily recalling 57 lots of infants’ and children’s liquid Tylenol products because of possible bacterial contamination. The products being recalled were made between April and June and include nearly two dozen varieties, including Children’s Tylenol Suspension 4 oz. Grape, Infants’ Tylenol Grape Suspension Drops 1/4 oz. and Children’s Tylenol Plus Cold/Allergy 4 oz. Bubble Gum.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Federal agents on Wednesday searched the home of a man linked to the fatal 1982 Tylenol poisonings in the Chicago area that triggered a nationwide scare and prompted dramatic changes in the way food and medical products are packaged. No one was ever charged with the deaths of seven people who took the cyanide-laced drugs. The FBI would not immediately confirm that the search at the home of James W. Lewis was related to the Tylenol case, only that it was part of an ongoing investigation. Lewis served more than 12 years in prison for sending an...

It’s a Chicago area cold case that frightened the entire nation -- seven people died from taking Tylenol. This week, we mark the 25th anniversary of the Tylenol murders. Someone replaced the medicine in that popular pain reliever with poison. The incident sparked a massive investigation that brought together a city, state and suburban police departments and the FBI. The killer has never been found. One the morning of Sept. 29, 1982, an emergency call was made to the Arlington Heights Fire Department. There was nothing paramedics could do when they got to Adam Janus’ home. "The fellas came back...

Vital Signs People who take Tylenol and other medicines that contain acetaminophen are largely ignorant of the safe dosages, a new study has found, and unaware that an overdose can cause severe liver damage. Of 104 consecutive patients at a Michigan clinic, almost 80 percent reported using acetaminophen in the previous six months, but about 63 percent were unsure whether they had been told about the dangers of high doses, and only 43 percent knew that the medicine could affect liver function. The survey results appear in the January/February issue of The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. The maximum...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects. The over-the-counter drugs remain safe and effective when used as directed, the Food and Drug Administration said. However, overdoses of acetaminophen can cause serious liver damage, even death, the FDA said. For aspirin, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and kidney injury even when patients take the correct dose. The drugs are linked to thousands of deaths a year....

Metal fragments found in generic 500-milligram caplets, maker says A major manufacturer of acetaminophen sold by Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway and more than 100 other retailers found metal fragments in caplets during quality-control checks. The recall does not affect Tylenol brand pills. • Massive pill recall Nov. 9: More than 11 million bottles of the painkiller acetaminophen are being recalled by Perrigo. The maker of generic non-prescription drugs says they found metal bits during quality-control checks. MSNBC.com's Dara Brown reports. Updated: 9 minutes ago WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of acetaminophen sold by Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway and more than 100 other...

Healthy adults taking maximum doses of Tylenol for two weeks had abnormal liver test results in a small study, researchers found, raising concerns that even recommended amounts of the popular painkiller might lead to liver damage. In the study, 106 participants took four grams of Tylenol _ equivalent to eight extra-strength Tylenol tablets _ each day for two weeks. Some took Tylenol alone and some took it with an opioid painkiller. Dummy pills were given to 39 others. There were no alarming liver test results among the people who took the placebos. But nearly 40 percent of people in all...

Bad memory... Part 1 On September 29, 1982, 12-year-old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, woke up at dawn and went into her parents' bedroom. She did not feel well and complained of having a sore throat and a runny nose. To ease her discomfort, her parents gave her one Extra-Strength Tylenol capsule. At 7 a.m. they found Mary on the bathroom floor. She was immediately taken to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Doctors initially suspected that Mary died from a stroke, but evidence later pointed to a more sinister diagnosis. That same day, paramedics were...

<p>CINCINNATI -- A local money-laundering operation that allegedly shipped millions of dollars to the Middle East has been stopped with the arrest of the group's alleged ringleader and more than 20 other people, officials announced Thursday.</p> <p>Omran Saleh (pictured, below) was among 23 people arrested, most of whom are of Palestinian descent, Thursday, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Brian Hamrick reported.</p>

Despite more than a decade's worth of research showing that taking too much of a popular pain reliever can ruin the liver, the number of severe, unintentional poisonings from the drug is on the rise, a new study reports. The drug, acetaminophen, is best known under the brand name Tylenol. But many consumers don't realize that it is also found in widely varying doses in several hundred common cold remedies and combination pain relievers. These compounds include Excedrin, Midol Teen Formula, Theraflu, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine, and NyQuil Cold and Flu, as well as other over-the-counter drugs and many prescription...

Women taking daily amounts of non-aspirin painkillers -- such as extra-strength Tylenol -- should monitor their blood pressure, doctors say following a new study suggesting a link between the drugs and hypertension. "If you're taking these over-the-counter medications at high dosages on a regular basis, make sure that you report it to your doctor and you're checking your blood pressure," said Dr. Christie Ballantyne, a cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston who had no role in the study. While many popular over-the-counter painkillers have been linked before to high blood pressure, acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol, has generally...

You will not believe this ad by Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson has placed an ad for its Tylenol PM product in the July 19 issue of The Advocate, the nation's leading homosexual magazine. The ad shows two shirtless men in bed side by side. The text over one reads: "His backache is keeping him up." Over the other: "His boyfriend's backache is keeping him up." Click here to see a copy of the ad. (Be warned, it is offensive) You probably aren't aware that Johnson & Johnson is also a charter advertiser on the homosexual network LOGO. Thanks...

It baffles me how some major corporations, whose success depends on the support of American families, show contempt for the values of such families. I am currently awaiting responses from two major corporations to letters I sent pointing out such inconsistencies. Wal-Mart, which has historically been responsive to pro-family concerns, continues to sell a Carmen Electra video promising a "striptease-inspired workout" that "introduces you to the striptease basics." Meanwhile, Kraft Foods has paid $25,000 to sponsor the "Gay Games" in Chicago this summer--an event known as much for after-hours sexual activity as for on-field athletic competition. And now, FRC has...

June 3, 2005 -- The maker of Tylenol has issued a voluntary recall for three of its products: - Children's Tylenol Meltaways (80 milligrams) - Children's Tylenol SoftChews (80 milligrams) - Jr. Tylenol Meltaways All lots and flavors of those items packaged in bottles and blisters are included in the recall. However, no liquid versions of those products are involved, says Kathy Fallon, director of communications for McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals. The recall stems from design and labeling issues, Fallon tells WebMD. "There is nothing wrong with the product. "Some users may become confused by the 'blister' package design...

Can a dietary supplement pick up the pieces? Glucosamine, often recommended for joint pain, is one of the most popular supplements on the market. And considering the health concerns recently associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, I thought it would be worth looking into whether glucosamine lives up to the hype.Background: Glucosamine and chondroitin are often combined together and used to treat osteoarthritis (OA), which occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bone near the joint breaks down. OA affects the knees, backs, hips, hands and feet of more than 21 million people over age 45. And, according to...

Big companies are hoping to marry their brands to gays and lesbians this weekend — about 20,000 of them. In the first days after the presidential election — in which gay marriage proved to be a pivotal issue — the nation's biggest exposition on homosexual life is setting attendance records. Booths for exhibitors are also sold out for the first time at the Javits Center, which since 1999 has hosted Gay Life Expo, one of the center's liveliest trade shows. Companies ranging from Citigroup and American Express to Jet Blue and J.P. Morgan Chase are hawking their offerings to the...

PARIS (Reuters) - Two Frenchmen described as hell Friday their more than two years of detention in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, their lawyer said after meeting them for the first time. Mourad Benchellali and Nizar Sassi had concerns "about the interrogation techniques and medical experiments" at Guantanamo, Jacques Debray said outside the headquarters of the DST domestic intelligence service where the two men were being questioned. A letter from Sassi said "bizarre" medicines had been given to inmates at night and that one caused some prisoners to break out in spots, Debray told reporters. He gave no...