Dear Healthy Friend,

Sooner isn't always better... especially when it comes to drug research.

In fact, drug studies that end early - something that happens more often than you might think - tend to exaggerate the medication's effectiveness and miss dangerous side effects and complications, according to a new report.

Edward Martin explains...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. I know that a misaligned back could cause all sorts of issues... back pain, strain on your neck, general discomfort... but there's something I didn't know it could cause... Keep reading to see what another symptom could be...

Outrage: Drugs released without proper testing
Edward Martin
Editor, House Calls

Researchers recently compared 91 studies that were cut short in their testing phases, to 424 comparable studies that went the distance and found that the truncated trials overestimated the study drug's effectiveness by an average of 30%.

In some cases, these shortened studies didn't just make a drug look more effective than it really was... but also magically turned completely ineffective meds into working drugs, according to the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

That's some trick... but it's just the research equivalent of smoke and mirrors. Studies are supposedly cut short only when patients are in danger or researchers get overwhelmingly convincing evidence of a drug's effectiveness... but in reality, those latter cases are usually just an early spike in the data.

They know this, by the way. They know it - but still end the study early. After all, that's how the drug companies that fund most of these researchers like it: Get in, get the result you want and get out - fast. Shorter trials are cheaper, the drug gets to market faster and they can even switch the placebo patients onto the pricey new med.

And, as an extra bonus, a shortened study is also less likely to reveal any potential problems with the drug.

That's the kind of stock-boosting side effect big pharmaceutical manufacturers really like.

Dr Victor Montori, author of the new study, called this practise misleading... but he's being kind. Let's call this what it really is: A dangerous lie.

These lies can have fatal consequences. For example, a study on beta-blockers was cut short when it found seemingly conclusive evidence that these meds can prevent heart attacks during surgery.

So docs began using them based on that conclusion - and who knows how many lives were lost... because a larger trial later on found that some patients on these meds had significantly higher death rates.

When that happens, they're well beyond "misleading". These trials aren't cut short by a couple of hours, days or weeks... in some cases, they end years ahead of time. The JUPITER trial on one particular statin drug was cut short by two years.

Two whole years!

It's like walking out on a movie before the end... and missing the part where the villain rises up and kills the main character.

But this tragic ending wasn't made by Hollywood. As the new study shows, it was brought to you by large pharmaceutical companies. So think twice before popping your next prescription pill!

Misalignment worries...

Q: I'm a little worried and I'm hoping you can calm my nerves. When I was drying off after my shower the other morning I noticed a sore spot next to my breast, at the bottom of my breastbone. When I felt around I found that it was a bit sore above and below that too. Is this anything to be concerned about?

Dr. Wright: While I can't say for certain, it sounds like a condition known as "costochondritis". Sometimes vitamin B6 helps, especially for women, but more often it's caused by a strain on this joint stemming from a misalignment in your back.

You can check to see if your back might be misaligned by using a finger to press firmly on each of the vertebral spines - the row of bony bumps down the middle of your back. If one or more of them hurt when you press them, you should make an appointment with a chiropractor to correct the misalignment. If you have back pain, it'll likely take care of that, and it may very well also eliminate the misalignment that could be the root cause of the pain you noticed around your breastbone.