In new research published in the Jan. 29 issue of The Lancet, sibrafiban, a new drug that inhibits blood platelet clumping, showed no benefit over aspirin for treatment of patients who had just had a heart attack.
New Drug Can’t Beat Aspirin
December 13th, 2011New Osteoporosis Drug
September 22nd, 2011Q.Do you have any information on the new hormone therapy for osteoporosis called Evista?
–Karen
A.”Evista” is the brand name for a new drug called raloxifen. Raloxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), meaning it acts like estrogen in some parts of the body, but not others. Read the rest of this entry »
Folic Acid Supplements Don?t Increase Risk of Miscarriage
July 19th, 2011Authorities in nutrition and healthcare? recommend that women who plan to become pregnant take supplements of the B vitamin, folic acid or folate, both before becoming pregnant and through early pregnancy to prevent birth defects — especially neural tube defects (NTDs) — in their babies. Read the rest of this entry »
Cardio Training Guidelines
December 23rd, 2010Frequency: 3-5 times/week
Intensity: “Somewhat hard.” You can also use the following ACSM guidelines (but we think it’s just as easy and effective to use perceived exertion): 55% to 90% of maximum heart rate or 40-85% of maximum heart rate reserve
Time: 20 to 60 minutes continuous exercise, or two to six 10-minute bouts accumulated throughout the day.
Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to provide oxygen to working tissues in order to sustain prolonged exercise. As cardiovascular fitness increases, many favorable side effects also take place. A few of them are listed in the table on the right.
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A Smoker’s Quitting Experience With The Patch
June 21st, 2010I was a fairly heavy smoker for many years. (2 to 3 packs a day!) When I began smoking, I thought it was the “cool” thing to do
Over the last few years, I came to realize that smoking is very “UNcool” and that more and more people were quitting and there were less and less places where smokers were allowed to light up. I also realized how addicted I was and how terrible smoking was for my health. I knew it was time to quit.
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What is COMMON about the Common Cold?
June 9th, 2010When the common cold has you in its clutches, it’s not a welcome guest to say the least. Sore throat, sneezing, aching body and runny nose are the infamous signs of a cold.
We all recognize the symptoms. “Tough it out,” and “it will last just a few days,” are not particularly comforting words to us while undergoing the common cold’s punishment.
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Homocysteine and Cardiovascular Disease
May 21st, 2010Cardiovascular disease remains by far the leading cause of premature death for men and women in the U.S., the disease itself the consequence of a variety of factors, both hereditary and environmental.
Of the major risk factors, namely, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol and/or low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, old age, male gender, premature menopause in women, hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus and a family history of heart attack, three are related to diet: HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, hypertension and diabetes. Much research time has been spent exploring potential dietary intervention strategies and preventative measures.
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Exercising With Diabetes
May 11th, 2010There are three types of diabetes: type I diabetes, type II diabetes and gestational diabetes. Each form shares some defect in relation to insulin. Insulin affects the way the body uses food for fuel and is an essential hormone that regulates glucose, fat and protein metabolism.
Carbohydrate, or glucose, is the fuel most readily available for uses by the cells and is the body’s main energy source. In people with diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin or the body’s cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. Read the rest of this entry »
When the New Medicine has been Created…
April 14th, 2010Study explains the path a drug takes from its creation in a laboratory to a pharmacy.
When the new medicine has been created in the lab, it has to pass various strictly supervised tests before it will be available to society. Only following verification that it is possible to be a good medicine by showing its strengths in preclinical trials, can it be thought of as being usable for human trials.
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Top Most Frequently Prescribed Drugs
March 25th, 2010Have you ever wondered what the most widely prescribed drug was? Go ahead – take a guess. I think the answer will surprise you!
Out of thousands of drugs that are marketed in the U.S., do you know which ones top the scale as the most frequently prescribed? You may be suprised.
I would have thought maybe a drug like Lanoxin, used to treat heart problems, or perhaps even depression drugs such as Prozac or Zoloft would be the most widely used medication.
This is not the case. The drug most frequently prescribed is Vicodin! Hydrocodone, or Vicodin is a pain killer used to treat moderate to severe pain. Read the rest of this entry »