Is Rat Poison in Your Medication?
March 24th, 2007 by Cindy Hebbard
The astounding news broke Friday showing that rat poison has been found in several pet foods which are believed to be responsible for the numerous deaths of pets that we’ve all been hearing about. This particular rat poison is not legally used for killing rodents in the US, but it is approved here as a chemotherapy drug. It makes me thankful that if I ever have to hear the diagnosis that I have cancer, I won’t be using drugs to treat it.
Menu Foods, manufacturers of more than 40 brands of cat and dog foods, is believed to have caused kidney failure in hundreds of beloved pets across the country. Sixty million cans of these pet foods have been found to contain the poison thus far. There are likely many, many more pets whose health has been put in jeopardy from the consumption of these tainted pet foods.
This news makes me feel even more thankful that I make my dog’s wholesome organic food and purchase an organic brand of pet food for use when I travel. My little old lady pup is not in jeopardy from this tragic national scare, and my heart goes out to all those pet people who have lost their precious loved ones and those now living with the fear that their beloved four-legged may be next.
But do you know that rat poison is the key ingredient in some of the most popular cholesterol and blood thinning medications, too? Welcome to just one of the frightening realities of the pharmaceutical industry.
Warfarin was developed as a rat poison in 1948. In 1951, a man attempted suicide by consuming this rodent killing toxic chemical. Instead of dying, he became healthier, according to doctors. This prompted research into whether this chemical compound could be marketed as a medication. In 1954, Warfarin was approved as a blood thinning medication. Also used for cholesterol reduction, it has been marketed under the names; Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan and Waran.
The side effects of these medications are numerous. They can weaken muscles, and since the heart happens to be a very important muscle, the one that these medications are supposedly there to protect, it may be more prudent to learn to detoxify the liver, blood, colon and other organs and tissues regularly so that we won’t need to be given a prescription for a questionable drug the next time we visit the doctor’s office.
