Shoppe.MD Network Blog

Update: Linkpop and Forum

2005-05-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

My collection of original health articles at EzineArticles.com is really paying off. Shoppe.MD is receiving a couple new inbound links every day now! The best part of that is that they're one-way links, not requiring a link back from Shoppe.MD, and that kind of linking is looked upon favorably by big search engines like Google.

Anyway, I'm just beginning to promote a forum atmosphere on Shoppe.MD, with a homepage
link to the tiny forum I've created. I will devote the rest of today to making it worth one's while to click on the forum button. Right now, they click expecting a community, but get nothing but a few posts by me.

Today I just added a nice flash banner near the top of the homepage at Shoppe.MD. Doing so was recommended by a very helpful member in my other forum, PhenForum.com. It's great to have communication with potential customers, or people who know them.

I'm pretty much famished right now. My stomach is killing me, so I'm going to go see if I can scrape together a medium sized lunch. Have a great evening!

Big Progress for Online Pharmacy Industry & PhenForum

2005-04-25T01:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted here in a while since nothing much has been going on. But recently some new developments have come into the light. All the articles I've been writing have paid off, and are moreso every day! Every day that I check the link popularity of Shoppe.MD and PhenForum, there are a couple new sites linking to mine. Traffic is up about 20 more unique daily visitors than last month at Shoppe.MD, and down at PhenForum.

PhenForum just received its first PR (PageRank) of 1 out of 10. Since I did that project with no help of a search engine optimization expert, I feel a good sense of accomplishment for overcoming that first hurdle of getting a PR from Google.com.

In addition to these search engine optimization developments, a new step has been made in the industry in general. Over 20 arrests were made on the 19th of April (this month) in the DEA's "Operation Cyber Chase." The people who are to be convicted own businesses which operate illegally, selling prescription medications online; usually without requiring a prescription or an online consultation in any form or fashion.

We are approaching a revolution of internet medicine, and most specifically internet pharmacies. New technologies are emerging, and we are looking to line a few up to make sure this industry booms again, but this time with more emphasis on the safety of everyone involved, ESPECIALLY the customers or patients who use our services.

Look for major changes in the coming months. We are so excited to be on the forefront!

Drug Safety Reports

2005-03-24T20:26:00.000-06:00

During the past few days I've been working on a new and exciting project!

The site is called DrugSafetyReports.com, and as the name suggests, I will be providing the latest news related to FDA drug approval/disapprovals, medication development, drug safety warnings, a drug information database, and other pertinent subjects.

I figure it will be relatively easy to get links and traffic to the site because I'll be offering free information and newsletters, etc. Also, I hope to help out many webmasters while gaining free inbound links by offering my content in RSS or HTML format for easy syndication.

Anyway, my designers are almost finished creating a template design, and then I'll build the pages in the next week or so. Check back soon!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any suggestions, just make a comment.

Difficult Times

2005-03-19T21:58:00.000-06:00

I'm concerned about the current situation here at Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy. We are in competition with many other sites that are using spamming techniques to get high rankings in the search engines like Google. Not only that, but some of them send spam email to people who have never ordered prescription medications online.

Our policy at Shoppe.MD is zero tolerance for spam. We refuse to do things such as post links to our site all over personal homepages, business forums, and other sites irrelevant to ours.

As a result of our unusually ethical approach, we cannot achieve the level of quick development that other pharmacies have seen. However, as we continue to provide and distribute as much useful health information as possible, our rankings in the search engines should improve. We hope to see some development within the next few months due to other websites linking to Shoppe.MD.

The number of visitors coming to Shoppe.MD every day has decreased from around 60 to around 35 people. Maybe things will move up in April. For now, I'll just keep researching.

Avastin Anti-Cancer Treatment

2005-03-15T13:45:00.000-06:00

Ok... I know this has nothing to do with online pharmacies, but I'm actually pretty excited about this new treatment. Avastin, the new combination anti-cancer treatment, actually bonds to the messenger molecules that tumors send out to cause nearby veins and capillaries to grow into them, providing oxygen and nutrients for growth.

Essentially, Avastin stops tumor growth by starving it. You can see the interactive guide to this treatment on the official site:

http://www.avastin.com/avastin/homePro.m

Why am I excited? Finally there is some really good news! :)

Introducting Free Shipping

2005-03-13T21:48:00.000-06:00

With tax-time approaching, I felt that it would be good to offer free shipping on some of the prescription medications we offer.

Visit our online pharmacy at Shoppe.MD for free shipping on select medications.

Okay, Okay, I'll Buy The Viagra!

2005-03-11T19:52:00.000-06:00

This guy was tired of all the buy Viagra spam in his email inbox, so he decided to investigate Viagra even though he didn't need it! Lol... He started by prank calling one of the online pharmacies that emailed him.

"So I did it. I took the bait. I spent a day surfing the Viagra sites, and I was shocked by what I found. I had expected unethical, quasi-legal Web sites dispensing dangerously inaccurate medical advice. Instead, I found unethical, quasi-legal Web sites dispensing dangerously inaccurate medical advice from people dressed up to look like doctors."

http://www.zug.com/pranks/viagra/

Let me know what you think! :)

My Problem With Online Pharmacy

2005-03-11T02:54:00.000-06:00

Ok, the problem I have with Online Pharmacy is that the industry has been hurt severely by spammers and unethical opportunists who sold millions of dollars worth of prescription medications online.

And..... I have a problem with this because some people were allowed to abuse prescription drugs, and others got prescriptions when they shouldn't have for medical reasons. Finally, I'm mad because while other online pharmacies are spamming the search engines to get quick and temporary rankings, I'm trying to provide information here at Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy and get people to voluntarily link to me.

Unfortunately, nobody wants to be associated with an online pharmacy. SO, my current strategy is to develop a small network of informational sites that will be about general health concerns, such as drug safety reports/news. Many site owners will link to those, and I will in turn link to Shoppe.MD through them. It's too bad it has to be so complicated, huh? Well, at least I get to deal with a better venue for providing drug and health information online.

Traffic Up, But FDA News Brings Industry Down

2005-03-07T01:27:00.000-06:00

Hey! I haven't written here in about a week and a half, and I guess that's good because all I had was bad news! Well, now I have both good AND bad news.

The Bad: Every day now the headlines seem to crack down on the pharmacy industry. It used to be just in the subindustry of online pharmacies selling illegal painkillers, etc., but now even the big manufacturers are being investigated. Recently, the FDA sent armed marshalls to seize over 50 million dollars in prescription medications from two of GlaxoSmithKline's manufacturing plants in Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Why? Quality control issues! Apparently, the FDA has been after GSK about those specific plants for almost 2 years.

It's terrible that the oh-so-caring and ethical drug companies (hah!) are showing bad signs such as sub-par quality control and even possible intentional inflation of drug prices. On the other hand, I'm glad to see the spotlight taken off of even legitimate online pharmacies like Shoppe.MD and many others that use Pill Network. Because of the fact that most of the illegitimate online pharmacies use spamming techniques to acquire customers, that makes them even easier to destroy. It's scary, but satisfying to read about another of those guys getting jailed every few weeks! How long did they think it was going to work...spamming people and putting up another red flag by charging an unnecessary doctor's fee when they don't employ doctors! My advice is to avoid sites which require membership or charge a doctor's fee.

Finally, the good news! The number of people who visit Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy daily has increased ever since the first of this month (March). I think it's due to the fact that I've been writing so many articles, and even talking to doctors to see if they have any advice or revealing information. If I hadn't saved well, I'd be facing poverty right now due to the lack of income from Shoppe.MD, but along with exercise and practicing martial arts, I am very happy to be working to provide the best information and news that I can. I want to say a big thanks to everyone at the Phentermine Forum (PhenForum) for your support and help getting the site started. Plus you've inspired me to eat more healthily!

Thanks for reading, and have a good day!

Ian Mason of Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy

Cox-2 Painkillers Return

2005-02-20T18:15:00.000-06:00

This past week, the FDA held a meeting in order to decide what should be done about Merck’s Vioxx and Pfizer’s Bextra and Celebrex. The Food and Drug Administration originally intended to ban these pain medications. However, this was challenged by a series of obstacles.

The Cox-2 painkiller prescription medications are back due to popular demand! In spite of the life-threatening side-effects such as heart attacks, many patients feel that the medications have changed their lives for the good.

Many patients claim that drugs such as Vioxx have brought them from living in a wheelchair (practically paralyzed by chronic pain) to living something close to a normal life. These people have been counting down the number of pills (days) they have left until life as they know it is over; and some decided to stand up and make their point at the FDA meeting. One woman even stated that she’d sign any waivers or consent agreements she needed to in order to keep the life she has. No other known medications can help these people. Currently, without the Cox-2 drugs, a life of paralyzing pain is the only other option. For some patients, the benefits outweigh the risks by a longshot.

The FDA has decided against the ban on Cox-2 prescription medications, but has prohibited the advertising of these drugs directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising consists of methods such as television and radio commercials, etc.

The reintroduction of Vioxx and acceptance of Celebrex/Bextra back into the health industry are both possibly great decisions. However, in order to make it work, a decent amount of reform is necessary to ensure patient safety and understanding. We’ll see what happens.

Although the Cox-2 drugs have been reintroduced or accepted into the market, we at Shoppe.MD will stand by its 2004 decision to discontinue the sale of prescriptions for Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra. Shoppe.MD online pharmacy does not plan on reintroducing these medications in the future. If you have a difficulty with pain, please talk to your doctor in person.

Will FDA Ban All Cox-2 Painkillers?

2005-02-17T22:01:00.000-06:00

As you probably know, the FDA is holding a meeting in order to make the decision that will affect a huge number of people with chronic pain.

Prescription painkillers such as Vioxx and Celebrex have been shown in many reports to have probable causes of many hear failures. Since the removal of Vioxx from the market in late 2004, many cases have been brought into public attention, not to mention studies that appear to
have been shoved into filing cabinets at the FDA. Some employees were made to be afraid of termination if they fought the approval of certain drugs, so some relevant but unpublished clinical studies appear to have been made worthless by politics.

I am partially happy because the FDA may ban the whole Cox-2 class of prescription painkillers. However, many users of these drugs have gone as far as to step up to the podium at the FDA, pleading for access to the drugs. One woman even said she was willing to sign an agreement
saying that she was aware of the potentially fatal risks.

So, in addition to the Cox-2 ban being a good move, it will also leave many patients crippled; unable to live their lives as they could with medications like Vioxx and Celebrex.

I hope the FDA can arrange it so people will have access to these dangerous prescription painkillers, but they must have doctor approval and must sign an agreement that puts all responsibility for risk on themselves.

...just my two cents.

What do the experts think? hint: post a comment :)

Pfizer and Microsoft Kill a Spam Ring

2005-02-10T18:33:00.000-06:00

The grand total is up:

Microsoft and Pfizer have filed 17 lawsuits against a group of interconnected online pharmacies and the websites of their affiliates because they allegedly (and believably) sold clones or generic versions of the hit medication among men with erectile dysfunction... Viagra.

After about seven months of investigation by both companies, the ring of pharmacies and spammer affiliates was uncovered and found to have trashed Microsoft's hotmail users' accounts with hundreds of millions of spam emails.

The defendants include CanadianPharmacy, E-Pharmacy Direct, and spammer's sites under the names such as "Discount Rx," "EzyDrugstore" and "Virtual Rx."

I agree with this group of lawsuits because pharmacy spam is one of the worst plagues ever to hit email inboxes, besides usually being connected with fraudulent pharmacies who ship improperly manufactured, impure generic medications; not to mention those who charge a membership fee or $20 doctor's fee and don't even ship medications!

I'm just entering the legal news world, and I'm naive and inexperienced.

Please enlighten me with your comments!

Visitors at an All-Time Low

2005-02-10T17:51:00.000-06:00

As the days go by, the number of people who visit my online pharmacy sinks lower and lower. For a while there my site enjoyed 150+ visitors per day, but now I'm lucky to see a pathetic 50.

This drop in traffic has translated to about 1 sale every 3 days. Miminum wage is kicking my income's a*s!

I'm working very hard every day (this is my only job) trying to get some search engine rankings, but that is a process which will take years if done correctly. After all, I'm not going to do the usual grey area "spamming" of the search engines... I mean, I don't even know how to do that. So, I'm thinking in terms of the future, and simply trying to provide as much information about prescription medications as possible.

In my blog I'm working to provide the latest updates on not only my website, but the health industry as a whole. I know it will be advantageous someday. Well, it's 6:07 here and I'm going to do yoga and try to clear my mind.

Iowa Seizes $4.6M From BuyMeds.com

2005-02-10T02:06:00.000-06:00

What an immense amount of money that is! The state of Iowa apparently has found a brick-and-mortar pharmacy in-state which was working by contract for the online pharmacy called buymeds.com.

After interviewing many customers who admitted that they did not get their prescriptions through a doctors' appointment, the prosecutors went after buymeds.com and seized what appear to be profits stored away in various bank accounts and certificates of deposit....4.6 Million Dollars in profits from selling prescription medications online; 95% of which were controlled meds.

This is nothing new, as a few other states such as Kentucky and Florida have taken measures against the online pharmacy industry. Countless numbers of offshore pharmacies have tried to sell and export generic versions of prescription drugs into the U.S. regardless of state, but that seems to be in the process of elimination also.

Anyway, one of the platforms used by the prosecutors in this Iowa case is a frightening proposition. They suggest that the U.S. government involve itself by force of law in such a way that it receives profit from every sale of a controlled medication!

Who is the U.S government REALLY fighting for? All this time it was supposed to be about protecting online pharmacy customers from themselves and lately from impurely manufactured prescriptions. However, could we see some more action based on the greed of the government?

Because it is so easily scalable and can reach billions of people if marketed correctly, online business is not on its way out; and the online pharmacy industry has yielded profits next to none but those of the online casinos!

It was only a matter of time before the U.S. government found a way to make money off of online pharmacies! I guess it's almost fair play, except for the force of law issue.

Anyway, please let me know what you think! I'd like to start getting some comments.

I predict the death of this industry as non-government by the second half of 2006!

Drug Companies In Trouble

2005-02-09T16:36:00.000-06:00

Fresh off the press is the news that leading drug companies including Pfizer, Merck, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, and Johnson & Johnson are stepping up to defend their reputations against recent accusations concerning artificial inflation of prices of prescription medications.

I found this information in an article posted on the Reuters website.

About 20 state attourneys have now filed suits against the companies mentioned above, claiming that they are guilty of unneccesarily forcing the gradual increase of prescription drug costs in the past years.

I thought you might be interested. I know I'm interested in any story of a justly caused uprising against drug companies!

Legal Adventure #1

2005-02-09T15:03:00.000-06:00

It appears that I have a have a potential legal problem on my hands. Well, it wouldn't exactly be my problem, but it will scare me until it becomes sorted out. Someone I do not know has email me telling me they wish I was dead because I supposedly "pulled a fast one" and called their workplace to trick people into placing an order for this person.

I have nothing to do with this, so I am safe as far as I know, but the offended person is obviously very angry with me (they had my email address as the result of signing up for my newsletter a few months ago, and then unsubscribing), and I'm doing everything in my power to try to get the problem solved.

I've replied with two slightly defensive yet helpful emails containing any methods I knew might open a window to solve the problem.

This calling problem seems to be nothing new with some online pharmacies; particularly those who are located offshore (outside the United States) and are selling drugs such as "hydro" and "vico..." (I'm afraid to type the full name of the medication here because it has such bad publicity). I've even seen affiliates complaining in a forum about how the company they are not affiliated with and never placed an order from have called them to try to get them to place an order, or even worse a "REFILL." It's almost hilarious that some people go to this length. I suppose that's what happens when people don't put in the effort to come up with good content, and if they are generally uninterested in their industry, with the exception of the money.

I am awaiting a response from this angered person who is not my customer and whom I have never contacted by phone. We'll see how this turns out, and I'll keep you updated.

Wish me luck.

Stopping Prescription Smuggling Into Florida

2005-02-09T13:04:00.000-06:00

With the combination of human ingenuity and numerous pieces of legislation which were passed in several states to stop the online sales of prescription drugs, there has come a new problem...

Some investigation has shown that a small number of people who preferred to buy prescriptions online were trying to cheat the no-Florida rules by filling in an address that was located in a state where their family or friends could pick up the package and mail it to them in Florida.

Pill Network, as I'm proud to say, has reacted quickly to this and added a new feature to their system. As they wrote in a recent newsletter,

"From now on, when we find orders that were previously shipped into Florida but are now going into the above mentioned states but billing information is still in Florida, we will be canceling these orders and placing customers in our abuse database. We are asking everyone to please take notice when submitting these orders to us also. If you notice this, please inform the customer of the laws and we cannot take the order."

How's that for compiance?! I have to say I feel very secure becoming involved with such an outstanding company.

Alright: Time for lunch...

Pill Network: The Right Direction

2005-02-08T22:44:00.000-06:00

As an affiliate of an online pharmacy company called Pill Network, I promote a site which links to the order forms in their system. I could change my site easily to link to other systems which would bring me more money, but I stand firm on my decision not to do this.

The other online pharmacy systems available for affiliates to promote have definitely shown evidence of putting less effort towards creating a system which is safe for customers. When one promotes these networks, he will usually convert a higher percentage of potential sales to approved online prescription orders.

At Pill Network, an incredible amount of time and brainpower has gone into creating the most advanced system available. It detects and denies the orders from potential abusers of prescription drugs; and it uses the most technologically advanced brick-and-mortar pharmacies in the United States. Communication is quick and detailed, and medical histories are reviewed carefully by truly licensed physicians located within the United States.

I'm proud to promote the one company that works to provide the greatest level of customer safety, as well as affiliate safety as the result of meticulous attention given to staying within government regulations.

If you have any questions of about Pill Network, please email ian@shoppe.md, and I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge. Otherwise, I'll put you in touch with a representative who will be glad to answer all of your questions.

Have a great day!

No More Spam

2005-02-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

Well, as someone in the online pharmacy business, I suppose I could have been expected to spam for business. After all, who can resist sending out emails in return for money?

I learned my lesson. In addition to endangering the reputation and delivery ability of an autoresponder provider named GetReponse.com, I surely damaged my site's reputation as well, along with receiving an account suspension notice from GetReponse due to spam complaints!

I have to admit, I did have good intentions. My spam sent out to a list of pharmacy customers was simply an offer for a free newsletter, for which the contents were researched every week. I tried hard, looking through many news sites to find worthy and useful news articles to discuss in my newsletter. Besides this effort, all avenues for advertising my products were left to collect dust. The newsletter was purely an information source. Customers even sent in emails, asking me how to get to my site!

I've ceased any grey area or black area actions that promote my business, and instead, I'm devoting my time to WRITING. Yes, writing should help alot. After all, people are looking for information far more often than they do for products to buy. So, as long as my site provides very useful information regarding the latest health developments and online pharmacy news, I can count on a growing number of new visitors.

Anyway, I've just spilled my thoughts here tonight, and I must go to bed now. I hope something was found useful.

My Take On Phentermine Tolerance

2005-02-08T21:50:00.000-06:00

Which diet pill are you currently taking for your weight loss needs? Recently, many people have been switching to brand names as opposed to generics. This is because generic manufacturing is put under far less strict rules and conditions. For example, the purity of the prescription drug you are taking is allowed to be far less when manufactured as a generic.

If you are taking a generic prescription medication, another factor to consider is that there are several generic versions of Phentermine available online and from brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Depending on which pharmacy you use, you may receive a different version of generic Phentermine each time you refill your prescription. This may affect your ability to lose weight.

It is recommended that you choose a brand name version of Phentermine, such as Adipex-P, and continue using that brand exclusively to avoid getting medication containing a dissatisfactory purity of Phentermine.

In many cases, the generic versions of Phentermine use differing mechanisms of action, and, therefore have differing efficiencies. This inconsistency can affect your program for weight loss. You may want to stick with a single brand that is proven to yield consistent results.

Adipex (Adipex-P) is a weight loss medication that is indicated for short-term use. This is because long term use will cause you to build tolerance and, therefore, all Phentermine diet medications will lose their effectiveness.

If you are enjoying refreshing bursts of energy in the morning, but then are becoming hungry during the night hours, have a chat with your doctor about using Adipex-P 37.5mg tablets. Many doctors prescribe this medication for their patients because the 37.5mg tablet can be broken in half. As a result, you can take half (18.75mg) in the morning and the other half at night to extend your medication’s effectiveness through the whole day. If you then have trouble sleeping at night, talk to your doctor, who will probably tell you to take half (18.75) a tablet per day, until you can tolerate Adipex.

Adipex-P is, so far, the only version of Phentermine which lasts over 12 hours. However, please remember to diet and exercise along with taking your medication in order to maximize weight loss and your health.

Note that I am not a physician. You should talk to your doctor before taking any advice found in this article. I do not speak on behalf of the manufacturer of Adipex-P, Gate Pharma. I simply do a great deal of research in the health field. I just love to do it, so you can expect good information from my newsletter! Visit my site and subscribe for free.

Happy losing! (weight, of course)

Join our online community and discuss weight loss at the Phentermine Forum

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD Online Pharmacy