MiraFlex

Cool Link

Bob Bray — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:10:26 +0000

This was posted on our Facebook page by the Arthritis Foundation. It’s a link from the online version of Arthritis Today that allows you to look up arthritis symptoms by body part. Check it out and be prepared … there’s a lot of good information here.

http://www.arthritistoday.org/symptoms/by-body-part/index.php?WT.mc_id=BPLmain

Another Free Tube

Bob Bray — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:47:51 +0000

“I was told about this product a number of years ago by a friend and purchased it in Grove, OK at a little pharmacy. So, I have used it for about five (?) years. I am so glad it is still available because it works so well.

When my back injections do not work and my hip and upper leg hurt, MiraFlex® takes care of the pain.I have given samples of this to friends and recommend it when I can.”

We reward people that say nice things about us … wouldn’t you!

Carolyn T., Kansas

For her kind words, we’re sending Carolyn a fresh tube of miraFlex for FREE!

Long Day in the Saddle?

Bob Bray — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:19:08 +0000

I knew miraFlex was making its way across the country but I didn’t think “country” really meant COUNTRY, as in, out in it!

Nevertheless, this is Lauren and her trail horse outside Cody, Wyoming.

The pic suggests the miraFlex is for Lauren after a long days ride. But you never know … it was the horse that was totin the load, eh.

MiraFlex will work equally as well on both.

Incidentally, this little snapshot earned Lauren a FREE TUBE of miraFlex®! I can actually hear, “Waahooooo!”, can’t you! Send yours to pics@longevalabs.com … there’s free stuff in it for you.

FDA Upgrades Warning for an Arthritis Drug

Bob Bray — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:48:27 +0000

Rare, but severe, liver injuries seen with leflunomide (Arava).

By Brenda Goodman

7/14/2010 Federal regulators are again putting doctors and patients on notice about the risk of severe liver damage connected with the use of the rheumatoid arthritis drug leflunomide (Arava).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first ordered that a bolded warning about the risk of liver injury be added to leflunomide’s label in 2003.

That caution came after at least 130 cases of severe liver damage, including 56 hospitalizations and 12 deaths, were connected to its use, according to FDA data reported by Public Citizen, a non-profit, consumer watchdog organization.

But after continued reports of hospitalizations and deaths, the agency updated that review and identified 49 more cases of severe liver injury associated with the medication, which led to hospitalization in 36 cases and 14 deaths between August 2002 and May 2009.

As a result, regulators have ordered that the liver injury warning be boxed and placed more prominently at the top of the label; and they have issued new alerts for doctors and patients, warning that leflunomide is not safe for people who have preexisting liver disease like hepatitis, those who have elevated levels of liver enzymes or a history of alcohol abuse.

Also, people who take other drugs associated with liver injury like acetaminophen (Tylenol), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – including ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and naproxen (Alleve), hydroxychloroquine and statins should use leflunomide with caution.

The FDA says patients taking leflunomide need to have blood tests to check their liver enzyme levels every month for the first three months of use and every three months thereafter.

Doctors prescribe leflunomide, a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been on the market since 1998, to help stop rheumatoid arthritis, a disease caused by an autoimmune attack on the joints and organs.

And many rheumatologists say that though this enhanced caution is an important reminder, they have long known that leflunomide is not a drug to use when liver injury is a concern.

“With proper monitoring, Arava is an effective drug which I do not hesitate to use,” says Robert Shaw, MD, a rheumatologist at the Carroll County Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center in Baltimore, Md., and member of Arthritis Today’s Medical Advisory Board.

Others, however, think the drug is too risky.

In 2002, Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to remove the drug from the market, noting that in the three-year period after the drug’s approval, there were six times as many cases of fatal liver toxicity and 13 times more reports of hypertension linked to the use of leflunomide as were connected to a similar medication, methotrexate, though there were 6.8 million more prescriptions filled for methotrexate than leflunomide during that time.

I get the best phone calls …

Bob Bray — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:01:48 +0000

fixing things makes me happy

The voice mail message started out, ” I have a question about the 12 ounce bottle we ordered … please call me back …”

When people call us with questions about miraFlex, those are the calls I like to take myself. I don’t often see many customers face-to-face so this is when I get to hear the down and dirty first hand. Many callers are suffering from chronic conditions that they just have to live with. Arthritis is like that. Injuries often require months and even years of rehabilitation but that is also accompanied with a lot of pain and stiffness along the way.

This particular call was different because it was a question about the container we use to dispense the product. Thinking, “from this call, I’m about to get a snoot full about a malfunctioning pump or something,” I’m totally caught off guard when the caller says, “My husband loooves miraFlex and thinks it’s the best thing on the planet. He recently had back surgery ….” and she went on.

As it turns out, it was just a manufacturing malfunction that was easily solved with a replacement. But for me, it was therapeutic to hear how much miraFlex was helping with her husband’s rehab.

Am I just lucky, smart or blessed to have this formulation? …. I chose blessed because luck only occurs in soccer and I’ve never been accused of being the brightest light bulb on the tree … plus, I know from whence I come.

I have dozens of these stories … but as a popular TV host used to say in closing his show, “Keep those cards and letters coming it!” Write me: bob@longevalabs.com

Problemo Solved …

Bob Bray — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 23:08:42 +0000

fixing things makes me happy

Sometimes things are the darkest before the light. Got our cart back up and running … could have taken a week or more … thank God for cached links!!!

I don’t recommend launching projects on a large scale to anyone except the naive, foolhardy, gamblers or the passionate. Sometimes I wonder which category I fall in … but it is nice to have good help.

Boy Did I Mess Up

Bob Bray — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 12:45:03 +0000

This is what I look like when I screw up.

Thinking I was doing us a service by updating our Word Press software, I did exactly the opposite. By doing so I disabled our shopping cart, iPhone app and who knows what else. Arrrgh.

You’ll need to call us for a few days if you need anything – 1-800-299-1150. Video download still works.

Misinformation … GRRRRRR

Bob Bray — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:46:11 +0000

This is what I look like when something gets under my skin.

I was going to save this topic for later but I was browsing through FaceBook tonight and came across an ad with the following headline:

“Organic Solution for Pain Management”

At first glance it may not seem like such a big deal but legit companies invest a great deal of money and time validating over-the-counter (OTC) medications via FDA protocols. I can tell you emphatically that there are NO protocols in the FDA Code that allows for “organic anything” as a therapy for pain (which is different from a certified pain management therapist.)

Officially, we are not opposed to (actually prefer) natural/organic products whether as a dietary supplement or other form, i.e., lotions, oils, etc. The problem I have is the same as the FDA – natural/organic products are not subject to any type of testing or validation procedure that assures the public that the product will perform as advertised. That’s not to say that any given product may or may not provide some benefit … but how do you know until you BUY it and it may not provide the intended benefit.

Now, I’m not a big fan of the Feds but the law is the law. If I’ve got to spend the time and money to validate my OTC products, then so should everyone else that claims their product has similar therapeutic value. Otherwise, rogue companies will exploit the system and the internet. There are enough challenges gaining the trust of consumers on the net without rascals operating under the radar, breaking the rules and confusing the public.

Over the next several days I’ll show you a very simple way to spot the pretenders … maybe even save you a few bucks along the way. In the meantime, I’ll work on removing the scowl on my face.

Bob

Making our Infomercial

Bob Bray — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:02:26 +0000

Dr. Uhland during diagnosis

Click Link To View Video miraFlex infomercial

Video, Video, Video

Bob Bray — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:13:11 +0000

We’ve just posted a bunch video on our newly designed website. They’re short clips of people from all over .. mostly footage from our infomercials. Some made it on the air, some not. Some we captured at State Fairs – just setting up a booth with a camera and a sampling table. But they’re interesting looks into the progress we’ve made branding miraFlex and the myriad of people that this little product of ours has helped. The best part is when they look at you in the eye and say, “Hey this S*** really works!” Crude, but I’ll bet I’ve heard that a thousand times … and it does make the point!

Check them out on the “Watch Videos” tab on our site or go directly to to youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MiraFlexWorks#p/u/11/ltLx_RZil9Q