A research funded by Cancer Research UK has estimated that a third of cancer cases in the UK are linked to smoking, alcohol, diet, or being overweight. For instance, studies suggest that people whose diet is high in fat have an increased risk of cancers of the colon, uterus, and prostate. Lack of physical activity and being overweight are risk factors for cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, and uterus.

• medicinenet.com/cancer_causes/page5.htm#family
• cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/cancer/page3
• cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-symptoms/causes/what-causes-cancer#immune

A regular exercise is one of the best ways to develop your sense of well-being, put off health problems, and improve your chances of staying healthy as you age. When you exercise, you increase your oxygen intake. This does not only bring flexibility to your lungs, but also supports every function in your body. Thus, the respiratory system may greatly benefit from exercise. Through time, it has been known that exercise benefits several aspects of our health. A study was even reported that it may delay the possibility of the controversial hip replacement surgery. Hip replacement surgeries are criticized by some because of the defective hip devices like the ones manufactured by Johnson and Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Recently, Johnson and Johnson released its first quarter financial information, and it appears that the DePuy hip replacement recall costs increased by $276 million.

The function of your respiratory system is bringing in the needed oxygen of the working muscles and removing carbon dioxide that is eventually produced. Your rate of respiration changes as aresponse to different factors, one of which is exercise. The system may become stronger and operate with greater ease over the course of time.

Exercise improves your lung capacity and function. Engaging in regular physical activity increases your heart rate and drives your lungs to work harder to provide the extra oxygen that your body needs during physical exertion.

Exercise also increases blood flow to your lungs by allowing the lungs to carry more oxygen into the blood.

Exercise may improve the way your immune system functions and may change your risk of developing upper respiratory tract infections. It helps by flushing bacteria out from the lungs; thus, decreasing the chance of a cold, flu, or other airborne illnesses. It may also flush out cancer-causing cells or carcinogens by increasing output of wastes, such as urine and sweat. According to a study among 547 adults, those who participated in regular moderate to vigorous physical activity had a 23 percent lower risk of upper respiratory tract infections than those who exercised irregularly. This was published in the August 2002 issue of "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise."

Truly, exercise may help you feel better, just by making you feel more energetic and healthier. However, it is necessary to consult your doctor before commencing on any exercise program, especially if you suffer from a health condition that concerns your respiratory system. The effects of exercise on the respiratory system and body oxygen content among sick people are generally negative due to mouth breathing, experts say. Chronic or acute medical conditions may affect your lung function, making it harder for your respiratory system to work properly when exercising. Click here for more information on the above-mentioned DePuy hip replacement system.

References:

• livestrong.com/article/412972-benefit-of-exercise-on-respiratory-system/
• normalbreathing.com/c-effects-of-exercise-on-the-respiratory-system.php
• livestrong.com/article/341113-effects-of-exercise-on-cardiovascular-and-respiratory-system/

DePuy hip replacement recalls forced Johnson & Johnson’s CEO to step down in April 2011. William Weldon, who has led the company for almost ten years, relinquished the top post in the wake of mounting consumer protests. However, he will remain chairman of the board of directors. A few months later in November 2011, a new analysis found that hip device manufacturers, including DePuy, paid millions of dollars as kickbacks to surgeons, according to Bloomberg.

Johnson & Johnson, the maker of the DePuy ASR hip replacement models, is one of the five manufacturers who gave payouts to surgeons in exchange for endorsement and exclusive use of their products, Bloomberg reports. The other manufacturers include Zimmer Holdings Inc., Stryker Corporation, Smith & Nephew PLC and Biomet Inc.

These five companies agreed to pay $311 million to settle the 2007 lawsuit on the kickback issue, instead of facing criminal charges. They also agreed to disclose the consulting agreements with doctors, allowing federal monitors to oversee their actions. Based on data from the Archives of Internal Medicine, the following compensations were made:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken notice of negative feedback from DePuy clients between 2008 and the time of its recall announcement. Many of these clients need a second hip replacement surgery.

References:

• newsinferno.com/defective-medical-devices/before-depuy-hip-implant-recall-device-maker-paid-doctors-millions/26404
• cchrint.org/2011/09/29/doctors-paid-millions-to-promote-drugs-and-medical-devices/
• bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-11/new-hips-gone-awry-expose-u-s-kickbacks-in-doctors-conflicts-of-interest.html

DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. is recently facing various lawsuits filed by law firms in UK, US and Australia, in behalf of patients who underwent hip replacement operations. Johnson and Johnson, through its DePuy Orthopaedics subsidiary, recalled its hip implant devices from different countries.
 
After information saying that the devices have defectsin one out of eight clients, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System were withdrawn. There are about 93,000 recipients of these products worldwide.  These two implant designs have been manufactured and marketed since 2003.
 

In December 2009, DePuy pulled the devices off of the Australian market. It also announced the recall of these devices in August 2010, approximately eight months after recalling them in Australia. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have taken notice of negative feedback from DePuy clients between 2008 and the time of its recall announcement. Many of these clients need a second hip replacement surgery.
 
Dr. Stephen Graves says “It is a complete untruth that DePuy did not have reason to withdraw the ASR before now; we have been telling them since 2007, but they allowed it to be used on thousands of people.” He is the director of the National Joint Replacement Registry in Australia.
 
Legal professionals say that several clients have initiated court actions against Johnson and Johnson. They were among those affected by the failures and defects (e.g. fractures, displacements, loosening) of DePuy devices.
 
Below are some symptoms of a defective hip device:

· Swelling
· Pain bearing weight
· Pain when rising from a seated position
· Pain while walking
· Pain on the thigh or groin area
· Pain on the hip area

Extreme cases happen wherein the hip products completely fail, resulting in more critical heath issues. This happens when:

· the device is not attached to the bone correctly;
· the unit is dislocated and misaligned;
· the bone around the implant is fractured.

Furthermore, flawed hip implants may set down small pieces of toxic metal into the client’s circulatory system. The body tissues may possibly develop pseudotumors.

With lawsuits piling up worldwide, DePuy should duly address the hip replacement problems encountered by its clients.
 
References:
bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-03/johnson-johnson-sued-over-recalled-implanted-hip-replacement-devices.html
arthritistoday.org/news/asr-depuy-hip-replacement-recall078.php
nursinghomesabuseblog.com/defective-products/defects-with-depuy-hip-replacement-hardware-may-be-responsible-for-complications-following-hip-surgury/
 

In the wake of the current DePuy hip replacement recall, the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary has been making an all-out effort in convincing patients to accept inadequate compensatory damages in exchange for access to their private medical records and for the return of defective hip implants after being surgically removed. Patients should know the risk they are taking if they sign any agreement with DePuy before consulting with a lawyer that handles hip recall cases. Recently, Johnson & Johnson is still under fire with lawsuits filed against it over other untested products.
     

                    
DePuy has already initiated contact with patients who received defective implants, offering them reimbursements for any losses incurred due to these products. However, the company utilizes vague and ambiguous terms in their agreements, claiming that it will reimburse “certain out-of-pocket expenses” in exchange for “simply” signing medical releases that give DePuy access to private medical records and force the patient to return the defective implant after corrective surgery.  The harsh truth is that DePuy will only reimburse patients for “limited and reasonable” costs.What the company considers “reasonable” will most likely be equivalent to an amount significantly less than what the patient deserves to be compensated.
 
What this means to the patient is that they will be signing over their right to privacy and other significant legal rights in exchange for minimal to no financial compensation.  There is no turning back once a patient has signed an agreement with DePuy since it becomes difficult to file any future hip replacement lawsuits with the company in order to be properly compensated.
 
DePuy may confront patients with reimbursement agreements directly through a company employee or indirectly through a licensed physician.  By the request of the company, doctors may present their patients affected by the hip recall with paperwork regarding reimbursements which is a practice that is ethically questionable.  It is not difficult to see why this practice is being challenged since most patients are more likely to sign over their legal rights if the paperwork comes from a trusted physician. With either circumstance, it is imperative that patients affected by this recall seek legal advice of an attorney handling hip replacement recall cases before signing any paperwork that is presented to them.
 
Patients may already have accumulated additional expenses due to a defective implant from necessary medical tests, suffered physical and emotion pain and reduced mobility, or needed corrective surgery of the original implant.  They may also have obtained other damages such as loss of income, or have become at risk for these types of damages due to the hip implant recall. Patients should know the risks of signing any agreement associated with the DePuy hip replacement recall.

Information about metal toxicity or metallosis has been added by the Hip Recall Help Team to its free hip replacement recall report. Abrasion of metal components causes metallosis, typically after failure of interposed polyethylene-bearing surfaces such as the ones used in the DePuy hip replacement systems. Last August, a worldwide recall was announced by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a division of Johnson & Johnson, of two of its hip replacement systems, the Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) XL Acetabular System and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing Platform. Outsourcing the recall has put DePuy under fire again after it hired the Broadspire Services to handle it.

Some patients implanted with the DePuy hip devices have reportedly been experiencing pain, swelling and difficulty walking. A blood test will be done by a doctor to determine whether or not they are suffering from metallosis. A patient who has metallosis will experience an elevated rate of cobalt and chromium in the blood stream as well as pseudo tumors and black tissue around the implant area.

Metal Toxicity, specifically involving Cobalt and Chromium, is one of the easily missed dangers of the recently recalled metal-on-metal hip replacement implants, according to the Hip Recall Help Team. High levels of heavy metals, specifically cobalt and chromium, can lead to major health problems but they do not always lead to easily recognizable symptoms right away. Not only are symptoms non-specific when they do appear, but they also rarely announce themselves as being caused by the recalled hip implants which means that unless recipients of those implants have their blood levels regularly checked, they might find out that they have high levels only after the heavy metals have caused damage to their system.

“Damage can occur long before patients become aware of any kind of symptoms,” according to the Hip Recall Help Team's spokesperson Robert M. Clarke, who added “It's extremely important that anyone who has received a metal-on-metal implant get their metal levels checked regularly.” Clarke also pointed out that patients should also seek legal advice to be sure they get compensated for their pain, expense, and losses since the primary way to remedy the situation is additional surgery. According to Clarke’s report, DePuy recalled the metal ASR hip system after it failed at a higher-than-expected rate.

This product has a five-year failure rate at approximately 13 percent as suggested by a study by the National Joint Registry (NJR) of England and Wales, or one in every eight patients receiving one of the hip implants, according to DePuy’s website. The recall prompted the filing of more than 2,000 lawsuits in U.S. state and federal courts and the number continues to rise with 700 lawsuits filed in the last two months alone. Since January this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received about 5,000 complaints involving hip replacement recall.

In mid-summer of 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics, which has Johnson & Johnson as parent company, recalled from the international market their ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System. These two hip replacement devices have a defect in their design that caused pain, inflammation and dislocation among recipients. The design flaw resulted in the ASRs components rubbing together and flakes of cobalt and chromium get absorbed by the bloodstream. This event is known to cause metallosis or simply, metal poisoning among individuals who have been implanted with the DePuy device.

The general side effects sufferes of metal toxicity usually are:

• Brain fog

• Persistent pain

• Persistent feelings of malaise

• Gastrointestinal problems

• Emotional disturbance

• Recurring infections

• Dizziness

• Headaches

• Allergies to certain foods

• Problems with the nervous system

• Cardiomyopathy

• Problems with hearing, sight or cognition

• Peripheral neuropathy

People who experience these symptoms often are diagnosed with metallosis. Individuals who have been implanted a hip replacement unit after July 2003 has a chance of having received a DePuy ASR. If you do not know this information, you could ask your orthopedist or the participating hospital where your surgery took place. It is also important that you have your hip and overall health assessed by your physicain to determine whether you have underlying health problems that the hip replacement device have caused.

Nevertheless, it is essential that you are armed with the help of a lawyer with ample background on product liability law. Having a lawyer would increase your chances of recovering compensation and avoid taking action that would hurt those chances. Visit the DePuy hip replacement recall site for more updates and information regarding th current DePuy case.