STAY WITH ME. A few years ago, a patient was referred to me because he was diagnosed with complicated cirrhosis. He had an infection which led to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy (brain failure due to high ammonia levels). The treatment largely involved ammonia reducing therapies. One drug was central to this - Rifaximin - a non-absorbable antibiotic that reduced ammonia in the body. I prescribed him Rifaximin for 6 weeks and advised him follow-up. He came back to me, not after six weeks, but in 4 weeks, this time, in liver coma (worst stage of brain failure - due to very high ammonia). He spent two days in the ICU and six days in total in the hospital. His hospital bill was close to INR 80,000. He had no insurance and his wife borrowed the money from neighbors and friends to clear hospital dues. Upon questioning, I found that he was not taking the Rifaximin drug I had prescribed. He was only on the other two drugs (one, a syrup called lactulose for improving ammonia clearance in gut). I was furious, because the patient spent a whole week unecessarily in the ICU and wasted so much money that he never had - just because he was "not compliant" to my orders. I decided it was time for me to school him a bit. But I was wrong. He was compliant. He had purchased Rifaximin and was on it. For 15 days. Thereafter, he could not afford it. He was an autorickshaw driver who shuttled school children every morning and evening. He could hardly make ends meet. He had two children of his own. The Rifaximin brand I prescribed him was 42 rupees per tablet. He had to consume two a day - which would mean 2520 rupees a month. He just did not have that money - so he skipped it - to not compromise on other important matters - childrens education and food. He was confused and scared about opting for a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, he was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not prescribed by me and two, he was "scared" that I would scold him for buying a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble. I was confused and scared about prescribing a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, I was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not "a good promoted brand" and two, I was "scared" that his family would scold me for prescribing a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble. It is heartbreaking that many doctors still simply don’t trust generic medicines. Too often, they worry that these cheaper options are lower quality or might cause more problems than the big, famous brands. This fear leads them to prescribe expensive drugs instead, and the real tragedy is that it pushes vital healthcare out of reach for the ordinary people who need it most - like my patient. This narrative, that generic drugs 'are never good' and that only big pharmaceutical marketed drugs are what works has been deeply ingrained into doctors and patients alike - I do not know by whom and since when. Looking back, these strong emotions were based on either opinions, testimonials or second- and third-hand information. Not evidence. Like I said. Stay with me. This is life changing and will disrupt the drug market in India. Here are the results of The Citizens Generic vs. Brand Drugs Quality Project. 1/11

PS: The original reports and full study summary of all 131 drugs analysis will be available on meshindia.org within a week for you to download, review, check and share. Thanks again and take care. We will be back with new public health projects soon.

Hello, Sidhuji, I am happy that your wife is now in remission from cancer, and my best wishes to you and a healthy future for your family. But please stop behaving like a science and health illiterate. I know you are emotional and emotions make people's thoughts go blind. But there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE that any specific diet or herb or Ayurvedic balderdash can prevent, control or cure cancer. And please stop sharing such nonsensical diets to mislead people from taking realistic healthcare. Doctors always give the worst prognosis to prepare and sensitize patients and families. That does not mean that they have let go. Doctors always do their best to help them heal. This is exactly what all the doctors you spoke to told you. They were rational in their discussions with you, but practical and logical in their actions when it came to treatment. You should have known better. You should be ashamed of not mentioning the real reason for your wife going into remission from a terrible cancer. Dr. Rupinder Batra (Former Tata Memorial Oncologist) at Waryam Singh Hospital, Yamunanagar was a key person who treated your wife with the best that medical science can offer for that stage of disease....but you and all the other health-illiterates and the YouTube videos you watched made you do all those nonsense diet and neem leaves and turmeric and what not on the side, and without thinking critically, you decided that it was what helped your wife. You are firing on all the wrong cylinders here. Embrace the value of science in promoting healthcare and improving lives of cancer patients instead of appealing to tradition, culture and nationalism. And stop using your wife's strong journey in fighting cancer to shamelessly promote Ayurveda and diet. Studies have shown that complementary and alternative medicines and practices KILL CANCER PATIENTS MORE than it can delusionally save. Educate yourself. Cancer patients who opt for alternative treatment at greater risk of death, study finds: bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j400… Alternative' cancer treatments linked with 250% higher risk of death, study finds: advisory.com/daily-briefing/…

Designed in USA, Made in India, Kills in Europe In 2009, five people died, during strangely the same time period, that baffled doctors. They all had one thing in common. All of them suffered from arthritis and joint-related problems and were looking for safe pain-killers. In 2009, five people died, during strangely the same time period, due to severe hepatitis and progressive liver failure. The liver failure was rapid and relentless, that doctors were baffled at the speed at which Death took them away. Three died in Ireland Two died in Norway and Sweden But there were more affected. Eleven other patients with similar liver failure were getting treated at public hospitals in Sweden and Norway. None of them were taking modern medicine pain-killers and repeated questioning did not yield details on any specific drug use. Not even recreational drugs. No, they were not lying. They were telling the truth. They were not taking drugs, but supplements. And all of them found the same well-marketed "safest" pain-killer supplement that was readily available in stores, without a prescription. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland and The Norwegian Medical Products Agency started an intense hunt to find the culprit. And they found that the supplement was made in India. But it was not for an Indian company. It was for an herbal pharma company based in the California, USA. Indian manufacturing was cheap and the company found its cost-effective solutions in India. It did not market the supplement in India, instead, they marketed it in Europe as a "mild pain-killer" that could be taken for long period. But it was not a mild pain-killer after all. Because every single person who took it for the pain found that their joint pain had vanished within hours. And they found relief that they never experienced before. But with that relief came Death's call and 5 people with their arthritis in control, died of liver failure. The supplement contained turmeric. But the Drug Regulators were not convinced. Turmeric at the time, was not known to cause such gruesome liver failure deaths and turmeric was never shown to improve pain so effectively as this supplement did. So they sent it out for testing and an unexpected monster entered into the surprising medical mystery. The company that marketed the product was called Donsbach, associated with Kurt Donsbach an unlicensed chiropractor, naturopath and controversial alternative medicine figure who was twice convicted of practicing medicine without a license. At other times he also faced charges of misbranding drugs for sale, unlawfully dispensing drugs as a cure for cancer, tax evasion and falsely representing a cure for cancer. The herbal turmeric-based drug that Donsbach marketed in Europe was called Fortodol. But it was not the turmeric that killed the people consuming it. In 1995, a powerful pain-killer was licensed in Ireland. Shortly thereafter, 53 liver-related adverse reactions had been reported to the Irish Medicines Board. The drug was blamed for nine cases of liver failure and at least three deaths before being banned. By 2007, the drug was taken off the market by the Drug Regulation in Ireland. The drug was so powerful in killing pain, but was also dreadfully damaging to the liver, that it was never authorized as a medicine in the UK. What the Drug Regulators found in Fortodol was a well known anti-inflammatory drug called Nimesulide. Nimesulide will ease your pain like no other, but it is potently dangerous and one of the most toxic drugs known to the liver. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54… The drug was banned in 2000, in various countries like Switzerland, Spain and United States whereas in India it was banned in 2011, BUT is still available for adult use despite of its very high liver toxicity 1mg.com/brands/nise-bmlzZQ==. It is a shame that some Indian doctors still use this perfect little killer even now and pharmacists in India give it as an over-the-counter pain-killer in many suburban/rural areas in India. What started off as a potential turmeric-related series of liver deaths, went all the way across to India and then to the United States and finally rested on the shoulders of one of the biggest herbalist conmen who killed more people than he ever treated. Kurt Donsbach died in 2021. But his quackery lives forever. Herbal and dietary supplements are unregulated and untested. They can kill due to direct toxicity of herbs or intentional adulteration with organ damaging compounds or other contaminants. Stay away from herbal and dietary supplements. It is an industry born out of people's desperation, driven by unethical standards, evolving on deception and ultimately growing because of health-illiteracy among the public. Do not become the lamb inside a well planned normalized slaughter. Sources: [1] irishtimes.com/news/warning-… [2] newhope.com/industry-insight… [3] nutraingredients.com/Article… [4] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_D…