Medicine

With the recent front-page news about the possible hazards of pain medications, you may be taking a look at your over-the-counter (or OTC) pain medications with a wary eye. While all drugs, including those you don't need a prescription for, can be dangerous, some basic knowledge can help you avoid the pitfalls for the pain relief you need. Types of OTC pain medication: The pain-relief aisle of any drug store can make it seem like there's an infinite number of pain-relief medications. But there are really only three types. Each type works in a different way and can cause different types of problems. Aspirin: Aspirin blocks the activity of pain hormones called prostaglandins, which would otherwise send pain information to the brain....

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(NC)-In most cases insect bites are harmless and if left alone, the irritation will subside within 48 hours. However, for some people, particularly children, scratching bites may lead to a highly contagious bacterial skin infection called impetigo. Left unchecked, impetigo can spread to other parts of the body and even from person to person. As a family physician, I recommend the following tips to ensure you and your family maximize your summer fun and avoid this irritating skin disease: Apply an effective insect repellent as directed. As an alternative to chemical-based repellents, I recommend citronella-based products such as Natrapel®, particularly for young children. Avoid scratching....

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Our modern preservatives and other pollutants like yellow dye no. 5 have caused bodily responses which detract or impair the natural process of our system. It is a serious issue that science may argue about while we all suffer major impacts. One of the hardest things to measure or gauge is the impact on the soul and brain through hormonal and thalami responses which we touched upon in the Third Eye/Thalami research. Some competent doctors claim a correlation with mental illnesses as the histamines generated to respond to foreign agents cause inflammations in body tissues. Does this chemical interplay between the body and the environment affect all of our 'temple' in the physical body? We think it does and we are concerned about genetic transference and mutational activity as well....

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There has definitely been a good deal of controversy over Viagra®, it's use and more recently, it's side effects among some unfortunate patients however, apart from the specific drug itself and the effects, reasons and results of it's use, there has been another controversy of which only those involved would probably be aware. I am referring to the purchase and use of Generic Brands of Sildenafil Citrate. Those involved being those who operate online generic Pharmacies, those who purchase through them and, by no means least, the thousands of Affiliates who market these. Did you notice a moment ago when I called it Sildenafil Citrate and not Viagra®? It is, and has been referred to as Viagra®, regardless of whether Pfizer's?...

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The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for overseeing the testing, manufacturing, and distribution of prescription drugs in the United States. Drug companies in the United States operate in a free market and can charge whatever they want for their medications. The United States remains one of the few nations that do not regulate drug companies to help control costs. As a result, Americans are forced to pay exorbitant amounts of money for prescription medications. The FDA has stated major concerns that people choosing to use an online pharmacy should be aware of. Among the most important is the need for a one-on-one physical exam by your doctor prior to taking any medication. Though a visit to your doctor is not always required by law, it is the smartest way to insure your safety, especially if you are taking a prescription drug for the first time....

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Results of a new study comparing the effectiveness of Pfizer Inc.,'s Lipitor with Pravachol, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, was recently published in the New York Times. The study details the clinical observation that Lipitor was significantly more effective than Pravachol in lowering patient's LDL cholesterol levels. However, the study did not comment on the overall effect that Statin drugs have on patient health, or the research that indicates Statins may actually increase your risk of heart disease and heart attack. Statin drugs have been proven effective in the reduction of LDL cholesterol in most patients. However, the bio-chemical reactions that the drugs use to decease cholesterol also inhibit the production of an important nutrient that is essential for good heart health;...

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Bextra is used to take care of an assortment of different conditions, including arthritis, menstrual cramps, and other types of chronic inflammation or low level pain. Pfizer discovered in 2002 that Bextra offered an elevated risk of serious skin irritation during the beginning stages of treatment. Also, during a complicated heart procedure called coronary artery bypass graft, certain patients who had also taken Bextra developed serious heart problems. Bextra also created a heightened risk of Steven-Johnsons's Syndrome, a potentially fatal skin condition resulting in infection and inflammation, and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, which creates infected skin to flake off and die. In addition, it was originally believed that Bextra, like its sister drug Celebrex, might pose the same heightened risk of stroke and heart attack, and the FDA ordered more examinations to investigate this possibility....

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For those who take Bextra, there are many warnings out that are telling people to stop. It is wise to do this and to do it right away. Of course, you should talk to your doctor about it as well. But, what is Bextra and what does it do? Are their good effects and bad for this drug? Yes, and that is what keeps doctors wanting to prescribe it. But, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) have deemed the bad effects to outweigh the good enough to stop production and distribution until a true answer can be found. Bextra is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. It reduces substances in the body that cause pain and inflammation. It has been used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, mainly....

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A great place to begin taking charge of you arthritis pain relief and prevention planning is by making an appointment with your healthcare provider and finding out more about your condition and treatment options. Make sure to jot down questions ahead of time, and take them along in your journal or notebook, armed with a pencil to fill in his or her replies. Some questions to begin with may be centered around these: 1. Do I have a form of arthritis? If not, what is wrong & what do I do next? 2. If so, which type is it? And what can I expect short-term and long-term? 3. What pain relief treatments are available? Which have side affects & what are they? 4. What self-care solutions do you advise?...

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Your Remedy No. 1============== Stretch Gently for Strength and Mobility. When it comes to arthritis, moving hurts, but not moving destroys. Incorrect moving harms, but intelligent moving heals. Yoga teaches movement with proper joint alignment which helps bring deformed joints back to normal position as appropriate muscles are lengthened and strengthened. Consider a private session with an Experienced teacher or buying a book to leam the correct poses. But remember, Smart Yoga Exercise is the key to restoring health to arthritic joints. Work within the limits imposed by the disease, but don't let yourself be immobilized by it. Your Remedy No. 2============ Find Relief Through Less Stress....

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What is R. I. C. E. and why do you need it? One of the most recommended icing techniques for reducing inflammation and treating minor injuries is R. I. C. E., an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation. It is best used for pulled muscles, sprained ligaments, soft tissue injury, and joint aches. Applying R. I. C. E. treatments will decrease pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, swelling and tissue damage. It achieves this by reducing blood flow from local vessels near the injury and decreasing fluid hemorrhaging as a result of cell damage. To administer R. I. C. E. use the following guidelines suggested by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Rest: Stop using the injured body part immediately....

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RA is a condition that forces half of patients to become disabled from the work force within five to ten years? and reduces life expectancy by as much as 18 years. RA affects about one per cent of the world's adult population, most commonly women between the ages of 30 and 50. The good news is that a tremendous amount of progress has been made within the last ten years in identifying patients earlier and treating the disease more aggressively. Patients with RA, if treated appropriately, can lead a relatively normal life. This is in stark contrast to the wheel-chair bound existence common as recently as 20 years ago! Experts in the field consider early rheumatoid arthritis to be a medical emergency with mortality and morbidity equal to that for diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and other life-threatening conditions....

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Do you suffer from ulcers? If yes, what kind is it and how do you cope? In American society where most people depend on junk food, ulcers can become a familiar and persistent health problem. Some of these foods contain additives and chemicals that can become toxic in our bodies and so cause various health ailments including ulcers. It is not surprising that most people depend on junk food. Most people must have two or more jobs in order to survive. So, they hardly have time to cook. They have no choice but to eat fast and junk foods most of the time. One type of ulcer that some people suffer from is peptic ulcer. Peptic ulcers, which are in the stomach and the duodenum (the first part of the intestine leading from the stomach) can occur at any age and affect both men and women....

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