Celebrex: good or evil?; Nail polish: you can breathe easier now

Many of you may have read this article already but we thought it is worth bringing to your attention in the event you hadn't. The NY Times article When Hopes for a Drug are dashed, what then? by Denise Grady poses a very interesting dilemma many may be facing—taking a prescription drug to treat a medical condition other than the condition it was intended to treat. For example, this article states that several doctors recommend Celebrex to cancer patients because studies have suggested it could “shrink or prevent precancerous intestinal polyps, and some doctors reasoned that it could help patients who already had colorectal cancer.”

However, this is not fully tested yet. The article describes some research studies conducted (paid for partially by Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex) that the drug did prevent the types of polyps most likely to turn cancerous from forming; however, it also showed an increase number of heart problems. So this begs the question, would you be willing to risk the possibility of a heart attack in exchange for cancer prevention?

We’re not sure we can answer that ourselves.

On a lighter note, you can breathe easier now (literally)…your nail polish is now safer for you. No, we’re not crazy (yet). The NY Times reported in the article Nail Polish Makers Yield on Disputed Chemical that cosmetic makers have agreed to remove a certain chemical used to increase nail polishes’ flexibility but which is suspected of interfering with the endocrine system.

Who would have guessed?