Today we have a different mission: Looking Bella and Young at Any Age, no matter what it takes.  Modern health care pros did not hesitate and  jumped fast into the opportunity to fulfill consumer’s demand. An obsession to look younger grows by hours and consumed lots of even sane-minded people. So, every day medical pros design hundreds of thousands of human “masks.” There’s only a small difference in creation of human “masks” and the famous Venetian masks.                             

In creation of the famous Venetian masks masters use a natural product, papier mache. On contrary, a chemical, dangerous to your brain and whole body is used in creation of himan “masks.” Is it  a Modern Comedy of Looking Young and Bella?  Now at all, say promoters of Botox. ”It’s all about freedom of expression…” as stated at the site http://www.botoxcosmetic.com

Everything is simple. All it takes, just an expensive injection of a miraculous anti-wrinkle drug, Botox,  and you look again at least ten years younger. Do you?  Do your doctors tell you about 46 possible side-effects to the Botulinum Type A toxin in Botox every time they give you your Botox injections? Probably not. Statistics tell that in 2005 alone, almost 3.3 million Botox Cosmetic procedures were performed. And not just movie stars and models got these magic injections,  but people from all walks of life.

 U.S. health officials issued warnings to doctors and patients about potentially deadly risks of using Botox, the anti-wrinkle drug, and similar drugs to treat muscle spasms. The FDA funally declared that Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms. It is especially dangerous if given to children  to help in relaxation of uncontrollable muscle movements. Treatment of spasticity is not an FDA-approved use of botulism toxins in children or adults. Earlier, In February, 2008 FDA notified public that Botox and Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum toxin Type A) and Myobloc (Botulinum toxin Type B0 have been linked in some cases to adverse reactions, including respiratory failure and death, following treatment of a varuety of conditions using a wide range odf doses.

In spite of these warnings, Botox is still popular. What does this so desirable “Elixir of Youth?”  It ”removes” wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. No wonder faces of many women who injected Botox look like Venetian masks you can recognize from a mile! In addition, this botulin-based drug also is widely used for muscle-spasm conditions. Nobody thinks that the toxin (Yes! Botox is toxin vs poison!) can spread beyond the injection area to other parts of the body, paralyzing and weakening your muscles used for such life-important functions as breathing and swallowing. Why some people want to paralyze or weaken their muscles? It is a potentially fatal side effect.

There are reported cases about signs of botulism appearing just hours after injection; and muscle weakness, slurred speech, and complaints of difficulty swallowing or breathing. So far, most of the hospitalizations and deaths related to Botox have been children with celebral palsy who took the drugs for spasticity in their legs. 

Are you still going to play the Botox game? There are numerous natural cosmetics that you can make yourself or buy, and avoid any harm of the product, potentially dangerous to your health and well being.

Text by Svetlana Konnikova

Source: “Botulinum Toxin as a Biological Weapon” by Arnon Stephen S. et al JAMA vol.285. pp.1059-1070; “Risks of Erasing Wrinkles: Buyer Beware” by Richard Barbano, MD, PhD, FAAN (2006)

“Botulinum Toxin Type A Injections: Adverse Effects Reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Threpeutic and CosmeticCases” by Cote TR, Mohan AK, Polder JA, Walton MK, Brown MM (Sept. 2005), J Am. Acad. Dermatol. 53(3):407-15, doi:10. 1016/j.jaad. 2005; FDA Notifies Public of Adverse Reactions Linked to Botox Use, February 8, 2008, http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/13/botox.html

FDA Orders Stronger Warnings for Botox, ABC News April 30, 2009; Free Botox Alternative Report by Dr. Jacque Russo, “Botox on the Brain – 46 Potential Effects and A Safe Alternative to Botox” at http://www.howtolooktenyearsyounger.com/botoxonthebrain.html

 Photo: Walk by Vojko Kalan; photo at http://innovation.freedombloggong.com/2008/03/01/ucla_doctor_accuses_allergan-in-using-deceptive-botox-data & read the article about how UCLA dermatology professor Dt Arnold Klein says that Allergan has misinterpreted data about the effects of its Botox wrinkle-fighting injections; Photo courtesy of http://www.lilsugar.com

 

 

 

Copyright 2009.