Why Are People Scared of Pills?

I was recently looking at the news online and came across an article that talked about pills that have a positive effect on cancer prevention and/or treatment and why people don't use them.

I don't know about you but I've been taking multivitamins for years now and I'm all for taking medications that help prevent diseases as well. With such tremendous breakthroughs in technology over the past several years I personally have a lot of faith in most medications that the FDA approves and that companies market to help prevent diseases. I think the reason I'm so confident in these medications is because they have gone through rigorous testing prior to being approved. If a doctor suggested that I take a pill in order to prevent a disease I would do my own research before saying yes but most likely I would take the pill.

According to an article I was reading it appears that most people who are at high risk of certain cancers would rather not take a pill because they are afraid of side effects. And this is even after their doctor has explained that the benefits far outweigh the risks. This just doesn't make any sense to me since the only other alternative might be a painful and agonizing death brought on by the disease. I must say the human psyche is very interesting in this regard. This is known as Omission Bias which means people tend to worry more about a low risk of harm from something they do than about a higher risk of harm from doing nothing.

I must say I'm truly amazed by this finding. I can't say I have this bias since I have too much faith in technology nowadays. I think the media plays a big role in why people are so scared of side effects to be honest with you. I have to admit that I don't watch the news very much because 99% of it is just negative. A common theme I see on the news is people dying from taking medications that were supposed to help them. Of course they usually fail to explain that of the 100,000 people taking a drug that only 5 have died from it. I do realize there are side effects to taking these kinds of medications but in all reality your risk of developing serious side effects are very low. I would rather take a pill knowing that there is a 95% chance I will benefit from it than a 5% chance I will have serious side effects from it. I think these are better odds than doing nothing and having a 99% chance that I will die from a particular disease because I was too worried about possible side effects.

Pharmaceuticals Biggest Breakthrough to Date - Erectile and Social Dysfunction?

Most people believe that we need to spend more money in research and development to cure all the diseases, viruses, and health problems of our population. This is an interesting belief however I'd like to point out a little bit of the hypocrisy that goes on when it comes to pharmaceutical research. First, do you know what to the very largest selling drugs ever produced by the pharmaceutical companies have been? Viagra and Prozac. So I ask you, what's really wrong with America and our pharmaceutical technological advances?

Is it really important that we give drugs to people who have ADHD, so they can sit in a classroom, without misbehaving? Do we really need to create a drug to help us with this? And is America's biggest problem really the fact that some men can't get it up? I mean that's ridiculous when you think about it, in fact, if they would just do a little bit of exercise, perhaps go to the gym and work out a little bit, their blood would be flowing and they would never have this problem.

Nevertheless, they can solve all of their impotence issues by taking a little pill. What a major breakthrough in science? It's utterly ridiculous if you ask me.

Some would say that this is an unfair assessment of the pharmaceutical companies and their incredible research, because they have produced lots of drugs which have actually allowed people to live with diseases, ailments, and issues which might have killed them. Nevertheless most of the drugs created do not cure anybody, they wouldn't want to do that, they only help treat them.

Indeed, I hope someday we get real serious, and start curing some of these diseases, and overcoming things like old age which kills everybody, who doesn't die of something else someday. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes in good health.

Is Diet a Main ADHD Cause? - Recent Research on Other Causes

Just imagine if there was one main ADHD cause! That would make life simpler if it were due to genetic factors, or diet, or the environment or conditions during pregnancy. It could have something to do with the structure of the brain and the chemical imbalances involved in the neurotransmitters. Actually, it is a combination of all the above, just to make life more complicated and no main ADHD cause has ever been identified.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has done research on diet and it seems that certain dietary supplements can be a help in lessening the symptoms of ADHD. Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin B, plus fewer processed foods all seems to help although the NIH estimate that only about 5% of ADHD children are actually helped by diet and they seem to fall into the food allergy category. One study actually showed that certain dietary supplements were just as effective as Ritalin in easing ADHD symptoms. Diet cannot therefore be a main ADHD cause but it can and does affect a child and can exacerbate or alleviate symptoms. Too much sugar can cause a 'crash' and that can lead to temper tantrums or irritability and restlessness.

Recent research shows that the main ADHD cause is more than likely to be an imbalance in the neurotransmitters such as dopamine which are closely connected to the feelings of reward and motivation. This research was carried out at the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island and it is certainly very interesting to note that this could be the reason why ADHD children can never finish a task as they cannot see the long term benefits or rewards. Yet,when they are involved in computer games or video games, they do much better as the rewards are evident and immediate. There are lessons here for both parents and teachers in that they can try to make tasks at home and at school much more appealing and rewarding. It may be as simple as breaking down tasks into smaller units. It could also explain why ADHD kids are more likely to suffer from being overweight and also drug abuse as these are directly linked to reward and motivation.

There are other ways in which a child can be calmed and helped to focus without subjecting him or her to very doubtful amphetamine like drugs which are losing credibility as the major health authorities are worried about the long term effects and the paucity of complementary treatments for ADHD. That is why ADHD homeopathic remedies rarely get enough attention and yet they can help a ADHD child to remain calm and to suffer less from fidgeting. Looking at these remedies and trying to find a reputable supplier can be quite a task. If the facility is FDA approved, the purity of the ingredients are guaranteed and the manufacture is under the supervision of qualified homeopaths, then there is an excellent chance that you can find a product of superior quality.

Discover other research and treatment for the main ADHD cause available. Experts now tell us that child behavior programs combined with a natural treatment for ADHD is by far the most effective ADHD treatment. Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children's Health. He has written extensively on ADHD.

Side Effects of Psychoactive Drugs

Like most other drugs, Lorazepam has its set of side effects and while some of these can be quite common and can be observed in most users, some are rare and need to be brought to the notice of a medical practitioner so that immediate action can be taken.

Common Side Effects of Lorazepam

Before we start talking about the specific side-effects of Lorazepam it might be of interest to know how exactly side effects of a drug are tested. The process though might be complicated depending on the drug being tested; the fundamental system is pretty straight forward. The clinical trials to test the side-effects involve two groups of people. While one group is exposed to the effects of the drug the other group is not administered any such drug. Over a period of time, the former group will show effects on their body, both physical and psychological, that will not be evident on the latter group. Any of these effects that were not initially desired when designing the drug will be termed as a side-effect. This is how researchers and pharmaceutical companies gather the knowledge of the side effects. Of course both the groups are made up of volunteers who have willingly joined to allow the test being carried out on their body.

In such clinical trials, the most frequently observed side effects of Lorazepam have been found to be sedation where the person under the drug feels a calming effect, often hampering his working abilities (this side-effect has been observed in about 16 percent of all the people clinically tested) , a certain dizziness (again found in high proportion of users of almost 7 percent), unsteadiness and weakness has been complained by around 4 percent of users.

There is a whole list of other side effects in using Lorazepam. These would include drowsiness and a general feeling of lethargy, fatigue and getting easily tired from minor exertion, a short term memory loss (especially of events that have happened recently), a lack of ability to decide and focus and a general sense of confusion, a feeling of disorientation, hallucinations including visual and auditory ones, severe headaches, slurred speech resulting from an impairment of motor activities, nausea, constipation, vertigo (not just fear of heights but the sense of the head spinning continuously), a loss of libido or other changes in sex drive, erectile dysfunction or impotence, minor levels of low blood pressure and hair loss in some cases.

Serious Side Effects of Lorazepam

While the common side-effects of Lorazepam can be ignored for a few days and most of them are not that serious, the rarer side-effects of Lorazepam must be informed to the doctor who has prescribed the drug so that the issue is settled before it gets out of hand. Most of these side effects are sorted out by changing the dosage of the drug. Some of these side effects are extreme depression, suicidal tendencies, seizures, breathing difficulty, allergies, aggression or violent behavior and insomnia.

To know more about Side Effects of Lorazepam, please visit - Lorazepam and its Side Effects.

While Most People Have Heard of Hemorrhoids, Not Everyone Knows Exactly What They Are

Hemorrhoids, which are also called "piles" are inflamed, irritated veins in the rectum and the anus. Strictly anatomically speaking, hemorrhoids are "cushions" of tissues filled with blood vessels located at the place where the anus and the rectum connect. Hemorrhoids are generally agreed to refer to varicose veins of the anus and rectum.

Poor diet that does not include adequate levels of fiber contributes to the development of hemorrhoids. People who consume too many dairy products can experience excessive levels of lactic acid in the stool which can result in hemorrhoids. Fortunatly, reduction of dairy consumption often relieves this problem. Inadequate vitamin E and inadequate water intake can also contribute to development of hemorrhoids.

Other causes of hemorrhoids include prolonged periods of sitting, constipation, and straining during bowel movements. There are certain types of hypertension that contribute to development of hemorrhoids. For example, people with hypertension of the hepatic portal vein (the vein that drains blood from the gastrointestinal tract and the spleen) are prone to hemorrhoids because of the connection between the capillaries of the hepatic portal vein and the vena cava in the wall of the rectum.

Lifestyle factors like obesity, poor muscle tone, and poor posture can put extra pressure on the rectal veins and can predispose a person to development of hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids may be internal or external. Internal hemorrhoids are usually not painful because of the lack of nerve receptors in the internal part of the rectum where internal hemorrhoids occur. But they can bleed, which can be alarming, and can become complicated, becoming prolapsed, or even strangulated (a condition in which prolapsed hemorrhoids are strangulated by spasms of the anal sphincter).

External hemorrhoids are often painful, and are accompanied by swelling and irritation. Itching associated with external hemorrhoids is usually associated with skin irritation. External hemorrhoids are in addition prone to thrombosis, or development of blood clots.

To prevent hemorrhoids, basic healthy lifestyle practices can go a long way. Drinking adequate water, consuming enough fiber, better posture, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and avoidance of constipation can help. Some experts advise avoidance of tight clothing or underwear to prevent irritation. Adequate hygiene can also relieve some of the swelling caused by hemorrhoids.

Depending on the severity of hemorrhoids, there are a number of treatment options, some simple, some invasive. Hydrotherapy and cold compresses are often used, as are over-the-counter pain relievers. Vasoconstrictors like phenylephrine and topical ointments and astringents like witch hazel are common treatments. Unfortunately, severe cases of hemorrhoids sometimes require surgical intervention for relief.

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The New Facet of Medical Services

With advanced technology and medical treatment, India is heading towards providing excellent medical services compare to other countries. There are various healthcare services and medical treatments available in the country. Medical treatments in India possess many positive aspects along with budget which is the main factor. As compared to western countries, India provides the same medical services and facilities just at a fraction of the cost spend in those countries.

The medical centers or top medical hospitals in India provide guidelines to patients not only in India and but also to the patients world over with the best available medical facilities and services. These centers take overall care starting from taking various appointments, accommodations, medical treatments and other escort services as required. Medical treatment in India is also becoming more advanced with the latest trends along with developed countries medical services.

Not only this, India is also advancing in providing effective emergency healthcare services that handle patients across the countries and suggest them the best medical treatment hospitals in India. These hospitals deliver excellent medical treatments and hospitality services to any kind of emergency conditions.

Many of the super specialty hospitals in India like Sanjivani, Apollo, Krishna heart institute, Sterling, etc. renders effective medical treatments along with rich experience of Indian hospitality. These hospitals provide a vast range of medical services to global patients and some of them even provide free consultation. Medical processes in these medical firms are easier and less time consuming.

The medical staff in these hospitals is well-trained and experienced. Expert doctors being trained from various foreign medical universities provide efficient medical support and treatment. Thus, the patient is treated well and it feels like at home.

Vinay B is an expert doctor and provides excellent medical facilities. He mostly writes about healthcare and guidelines about achieving good health. He even give his views about medical tourism in India

The Quickest Way to Grow Your Practice is to Retain the Patients You Already Have

In light of the recent news about the economic downturn, many physicians are re-focusing their sites on best ways to advertise aesthetic procedures to prospective patients. Much of the time, practices tend to concentrate on external advertising in outreach mediums such as local magazines or newspapers without much success. When spending advertising dollars externally rather than internally, most practice managers are doing nothing to utilize the patient base that they have already worked very hard to build.

Statistics show that it costs somewhere between 5-8 times more to attract a new patient than to keep an existing one. Additionally, recent market research contends that aesthetic practices lose approximately 2/3rds of their first-time patients due to lack of follow-up and loss of communication.

Retention of a practice's patients can be the easiest way to grow an aesthetic practice without the high and less effective cost of external advertising dollars. Further, by merely raising patient retention by just 5%, a practice may be able to increase the value of an average patient (in lifetime profits) from 25-100%.

The following eight categories highlight the top things that aesthetic practices should be doing to retain every patient that has already visited their facility:

1) Consistent Message in Brochures, Advertising, and Promotional Materials-

It is important to carefully judge your current "brand" of communication. Evaluate your current brochures, magazine advertising, and promotional materials. Is there an objective to the message that you are sending to your patients? The information projected in every form of communication in your practice should be consistent with your overall goals and objectives. Consider what message is being received both from current patients, as well as new patients, who may be reluctant on their first visit to the practice.

Although a practice brochure can be an investment, it can help to convey the practice's image and values to the patients Your brochures should be educational, should contain your logo or a designer graphic, and possibly a bio of the physician to create a sense of friendliness and personal touch.

2) Business Cards. Letterhead, and Stationary-

Business cards, letterhead, and stationary are great tools for inexpensive advertising to your patient base as well as to potential new patients. These items should reflect the practice's image and culture, and should have your logo and address information, as well as a place for follow up appointment times. If you have a motto or tag line, it is important to get it onto your business card and letterhead. This may be the first and only item that a potential patient sees prior to deciding whether to become a customer at your facility.

On the front of your card, you should place a graphic design and a message that will grab attention. A business card and letterhead should create awareness about your brand in the medical marketplace. To do that, you must convey your practice's personality through design, type font, logo, graphics, and verbal messages or a slogan.
These items are important in creating the initial brand awareness about your facility, physicians, and staff. They can make a real statement about the type of business that you run, when used effectively in a professional manner.

3) Follow-Up With Patients Who Have Not Booked A Procedure

Have a system in place either on your charts or in your computer system to track and follow up with patients on a regular basis. Whether using people or a computer system to confirm future appointments, try to get a commitment from a patient regarding a set date that he or she is coming back. It is critical to stay in touch with patients who may have come in for an initial consultation or diagnosis, but did not follow through with their surgery or other elective procedure.

Many patients may still be weighing their options for the procedure and may book if given an extra phone call or appointment reminder.

Is your patient coordinator detail-oriented and focused on getting patients to book?

Your coordinator can serve as a vital link and liaison between the physician and the patient. Even after a patient consultation visit with you, patients will often tell the coordinator information that provides the staff added insight into their personality. With the right coordinator dedicated to follow up with every patient in your practice, you will have a better chance of having consultations convert to procedures.

4) Team Approach to Patient Care and Follow-up-Staff Communication

Verbal and non-verbal communication are two of the most powerful internal marketing tools available. Your receptionist and staff should consider it a "job description" to add personal touch when dealing with patients during day-to-day operations. They should also be encouraged to think about their verbal communications and messages given to patients, whether VIPs of the practice, or reluctant potential ones.

Additionally, the staff should be aware of all new patients in the practice. There should be a special attention policy in place for a patient's first visit to your facility. If possible more time, pre and post consultation, should be given to the new individual and a staff member should make a follow up call or send a thank you note to the patient in a timely manner.

Lastly, telephone and on-hold messaging can work to turn a negative situation into an educational one by perhaps credentialing the physicians in the practice or raising awareness about new, innovative procedures. The telephone is the most-useful tool in the practice for new patients. Proper phone skills, training, and follow up in this area will help to insure retention success.

Your overall team approach to patient care should ideally include a high degree of hand-holding and personalized attention to the details of the entire patient experience.

5) Monitoring The Retention Rate Of Patients Within Your Practice .

A quick patient satisfaction questionnaire after treatment can be a good barometer as to how your practice is doing on your retention rates. Additionally it can offer patient communication and insight. Patient satisfaction can be measured at the end of each visit by asking 10-12 well-directed questions around service and staff perception. When instituted correctly, the patient satisfaction survey can offer good feedback on what the practice is doing well and what may be areas of opportunity for growth. These surveys should be reviewed and compared against the objectives which the practice has set regarding retention and follow-up.

6) Have a System for Converting Patients from One Procedure to Another

A cosmetic interest questionnaire is an internal marketing tool that can help uncover a patient's interests and serve to educate them on other procedures within your practice. This tool can assist staff in communicating with the patient upon arrival regarding their present and future needs. Additionally the cosmetic interest questionnaire can serve as a great time saver as it can assist the patient in discussing his or her needs with the staff.

When used properly, the CIQ should afford staff members the opportunity to "sell" the patient on things that they may be interested in, with little effort. The tool is most effective in introducing patients to additional procedures and products within your practice that may complement their current needs.

Lastly, the CIQ should create more awareness around the other procedures in your practice. This tool, coupled with an educated staff, can offer the patient more of a reason to visit your practice on a regular basis.

7) Website

Websites are the ultimate branding in today's medical marketplace. According to the ASPS, over 50% of patients will go to your website prior to paying a visit to your facility. As a result, websites are becoming a critical aspect of short and long-term marketing plans for most physicians. A website can allow you to stay up to date and current with patients who may not have visited you in a few years. Additionally, your website can be a great educational tool for your patients pre and post visit.

The two most important qualities in developing a good, patient-centric website in the current marketplace is to have clear goals and to have a distinctive look.

View your home page as an advertisement for what you want your practice to stand for in the patient's mind. Get with your web designer and be sure to choose the right meta-tags and keywords for your industry. With the right words and text in place, you will be able to insure that your site will turn up on Google and Yahoo for relevant web searches.
You have just 15 seconds, on average, to make a good first impression, so make sure that your site has something to hold the patient's attention. Educational video, catchy graphics, and good before and afters can all assist in keeping the patient on your website, as well as coming back for more.

8) E-marketing Strategies

E-marketing is the easiest and most cost-effective way to communicate with your patients to date. Additionally E-mail marketing and e-marketing strategies are becoming a mandatory staple in the marketing arena. In today's competitive environment, it is critical that you keep in touch with your patients on a regular basis. This will insure patient loyalty when they are in need of a follow up procedure or need an aesthetic consultation.

E-mail marketing strategies have been shown to have a 12-15 percent return, versus single digits for direct mail and magazine ads. Further, marketing through "educational strategies" (i.e. newsletters, product information, and procedure updates) have been shown to be more effective than traditional advertising models.

Asking patients for their e-mail may sound daunting at first, but can be easily introduced if mentioned in the correct manner. Simply asking patients if they would like to receive your exclusive web offers, events, and seasonal promotions usually will address any concerns they may have. Your e-mail promotions should be done on a regular basis, and should offer catchy promos, graphics, and education of benefit to the patient. Without something that the patient deems useful on your e-mail, you run the risk of losing your readership.

Make sure that your staff is getting e-mail addresses at the front end of any patient visit to insure good follow up with patients that you want to see again and again.

As with all strategies within the practice, retaining your patient database should have a solid follow-up procedure in place to measure its effectiveness. The results should be monitored on a quarterly basis as a part of your internal business plan. Additionally, all of your aesthetic team members (from physician to receptionist) should be made aware of your goals and retention rate successes on a regular basis.

Ms. Jacoby is an Allergan Practice Consultant with Allergan Medical. She has over a decade of experience in healthcare, sales, and management with a focus on specialties of medicine including Cardiology, Plastic Surgery, Neurology, Orthopedics, Dermatology, Oncology, and Internal Medicine.

Ms. Jacoby has been involved in change management, marketing campaigns, equipment sales, and product positioning in 30 of the 35 major medical markets in the United States. Additionally she has been responsible for sales relationships and business planning strategies with management, medical staff, and physicians at 17 top tier hospitals as ranked by U.S. News and World Report.

Ms. Jacoby is a graduate of Louisiana State University and holds a Masters of Management from Tulane University School of Business. She is a Certified Medical Professional through the CMR institute, and has a Master of Health Systems from the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey.

Drugs and Your Doctor - Taking Charge

Doctors talk amongst themselves about patients' unrealistic expectations about the effectiveness of drugs. Quite often this conversation is done with shaking of heads and often sarcasm in their voices. However it is time that we ask the question: Just who is being unrealistic? Why should the patient (or the country where socialized medicine pays or subsidizes the cost) pay for a drug that has a very low level of effectiveness?

When you go to the doctor and the doctor prescribes a drug, what level of effectiveness do you expect this drug to have? Do you expect it to be 100% effective? Or 98% or 90%, or 80%? Or would you take the drug if the doctor told you that it might reduce your chances of a bad outcome by 4%? Or what about 1% or even less?

This is a question I have been asking for the last couple of months. I ask anyone I come across - people in the bus queue, shop assistants, colleagues in the staff room at work, and even medical students. The consistent response has been that most people expect drugs to be 90% effective, with a few dropping as low as 80%. Even one of the medical students said, very honestly, "Well I'm a trained pharmacist, so I know how effective they are but when my doctor gives it to me I expect it to be 90% effective."

I am a health researcher and one of the things I do is to go and search the medical literature to find out what works to improve health. I bury myself deep in the literature. When I went searching deep into the literature about the use of cholesterol lowering drugs, statins, I was staggered to find out just how low the effect was.

When I looked at the actual results of the drug trials I found that the results often didn't match what was conveyed by the title of the journal article and certainly not in the drug company advertising. For example, women had no improvement in overall survival when taking statins. For men who had no history of heart problems only one life was saved out of 250 men when taking the drugs for five years. That is a 0.4% effectiveness. For those who had had a previous heart attack the figures were 1 in 25. That is 25 men had to take the drug for 5 years to save one life - that is a 4% effectiveness - a long, long way away from the 90'100% effectiveness that most people look for.

Some time later I came across a paper looking at the effectiveness of chemotherapy on cancer. Now I don't know about you, but I have always had the assumption that with the horrendous side effects of the treatment one could at expect a 90% increase in survival times, or at least 50%. That is, I would expect that it would cut my risk of dying at least by half, and that I could then go and live a full length of life.

A paper published in 2004 in the cancer journal Clinical Oncology paints an altogether different picture. Morgan and colleagues found the contribution of chemotherapy to the five year survival in adults was only 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA. As the five year survival rate for cancer is now 60% you can see how little impact chemo has on the overall outcomes. For breast cancer the rates are 1.4% and for prostate cancer the rate is 0%, that is zero effect.

How can this be? Surely that can't be right? I couldn't believe it and so I started asking the doctors I work with. They all agreed the effectiveness was much lower than almost everyone expected but they didn't realize that the rates were as low as mentioned in the article. One oncologist just wouldn't answer me, but also didn't say the paper was wrong. She just kept saying, "We must ask the patients' what they want."

But how can patients make an informed decision if the doctors aren't honest about the effectiveness of the drugs? Now there will be the occasional person who wants to use every drug available in the hope of gaining a few extra days or weeks to be with their family. But I believe there would be many, many more who would forgo the months of agony from side effects if they realized just how poor the results were. If instead of being told you were at grave risk of dying you were told that the average survival time was 20 years (as in women with breast cancer), and that the chemotherapy would add an average of 5 months to survival time, then would you take it?

I would suggest that a great many people would be interested in the research which shows that in many cancers people who exercise at least three hours a week have much better cancer outcomes than those who don't. It seems that those with breast cancer have an improved survival of 7-10% which is six times better than chemo but I have never heard of a doctor who prescribes exercise for cancer. Other possible improvements could be had through eating lots of bright green, yellow, orange, red and purple vegetables several times a day and cutting back on sugar consumption.

The big problem is that doctors have been brainwashed to only accept treatments proven by randomized controlled trials. We can never prove that exercise or vegetables can improve life expectancy to the same level of proof because we can never use the same research methods. We cannot stop people from exercising or eating fresh vegetables to do the research as that would be unethical when we already know how good they are. So as we can never prove exercise and vegetables are better than the chemo using exactly the same research methods; the drug companies win, and the patients suffer from side effects. It is time we became a bit more discriminating and started to learn to ask better questions about the research assumptions that underpin the methods they use. Or alternatively, just go natural - do what your body intended: eat as close to nature as possible, move regularly throughout the day and have an enjoyable family and social life.

Dr Harriet Denz-Penhey is an internationally recognized health researcher who has done groundbreaking research into patient self care in serious illness. Want to learn more about unexpected recovery from terminal illness? Claim Harriet's popular free e-course, available at http://www.beatthemedicalodds.com.

Protect Yourself From Rogue Internet Pharmacies

More and more people are turning to the Internet to obtain their prescription medicines. Unfortunately, though there are some very good Internet pharmacies, anyone can set one up. There are no regulations or controls to prevent a criminal in say, Beijing, Laos or anywhere else from claiming to be a pharmacist and setting up an Internet pharmacy.

The criminals don't care about your health and may try to sell you medicine that is:

Fake,
Out of date,
Re-labeled to a higher dosage,
Stored in conditions that render the medicine useless, or
Subject to a recall by the manufacturer.

Also, when you buy medicines without a prescription you run the risk of the medicine interacting with foods, vitamins or other medicines you may be taking. Some of the rogue Internet pharmacies claim to offer online consultations with a doctor. Even if the Internet pharmacy has a properly licensed and trained doctor available, this is not a substitute for consulting a doctor who knows you and has access to your full medical history.

A further danger with buying drugs on-line is that a rogue pharmacy may not inform you if the drug is recalled by the manufacturer after it has been shipped to you.

Here are some tips on how to tell the good Internet pharmacies from the rogues.

Before you buy, check the following

Is the pharmacy regulated by either Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) in North America or the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in the UK? (If a pharmacy is registered it will have a logo on its website that will take you to either the VIPPS or the RPS website. To date, only twenty pharmacies have registered with the VIPPS scheme).

Is the Internet pharmacy prepared to sell you prescription medicines without a prescription? You should not buy from such a pharmacy.

Does the Internet pharmacy provide contact details and a phone number on its website? If yes, then you should google the address and phone number to make sure they are not merely a PO Box or virtual phone number that can be set up from anywhere in the world. You should not buy from a website whose contact or address details do not appear to be genuine.

If you do decide to buy from an Internet pharmacy, here are some further checks you can perform to give yourself some comfort that you have purchased the medicine from a reputable company:

Check the envelope in which the medicine arrives to see where it was sent from.
Check if the medicine's packaging is similar to what you have purchased in the past.
If the medicine is in pill form, check if the pills look similar to what you have purchased in the past.
When taking the medicine, watch out for different sensations/taste/feeling than expected.
Check your credit card statement to see if the merchant's name is the same as that shown on pharmacy's website.

If you have any concerns about a medicine you have purchased, or are thinking of purchasing, from an Internet pharmacy you should discuss them with your doctor.

http://www.checkdrugs.com - to search for alerts and recalled medicines.

http://www.checkpharma.com - to register a complaint about an Internet pharmacy.

Jack(John) Conway MSc, FAIA is a Co-Founder of Cardan Technologies Inc. Jack(John) was a member of the HDMA product safety task force and has spoken at several conferences about consumer safety.

Cardan Technologies Inc is a management consulting firm based in Canada focusing on RFID and consumer safety and privacy. Cardan owns both checkdrugs.com and checkpharma.com

Best Yeast Infection Treatment - A Simple Way to Get Rid of a Yeast Infection

Having to find information about the best yeast infection treatment available is no laughing matter.

For one, you feel terrible, embarrassed and you have all the physical discomfort that the symptoms of such infection produce. Secondly, you know that going to see a doctor and having to undress to show this person your private and most intimate areas is really embarrassing and difficult. Regardless whether it is a doctor or a nurse. And thirdly, you know that this is going to cost you some serious money if you don't have insurance.

There are of course over the counter remedies and medications that you can purchase at your local pharmacy and in many cases, at your local grocery store. The main problem with these drugs and remedies is that they only focus on treating and alleviating the symptoms like itchiness, redness and swelling. However, most of the time they do not really attack and address the infection and its causes, leaving you feeling better momentarily just to find that nasty infection reappear in a short amount of time putting you back where you are now.

It is also crucial to treat the root of the problem, otherwise you may end up spreading the infection to a lot of people that may use the same restroom that you do or if you have multiple sexual partners. Even if you are in a serious, monogamous relationship, you don't want to have to tell your partner that you have an infection in your private parts. That is embarrassing to say the least.

That is why it is crucial to find the best yeast infection treatment immediately.

Avoid the embarrassment of dropping your pants in front of the doctor and find the Best yeast infection treatment for men that you can do in private. Discover the secret here!

When Should I Get a Tetanus Shot?

The infection that used to be called lockjaw, and now referred to as tetanus, is a disabling and life threatening illness. It is caused by a bacterium, Clostridium tetani, which inhabits soil and manure. It is common throughout the environment, and the illness is caused when the bacteria or its spores enter an open wound.

Bacterial spores are bacteria in a state of almost suspended animation, and they can persist in soil and dust for many years.They will become active again and start to multiply when they are given the right conditions of moisture, temperature and nutrients, and they get these in abundance in an open wound.

Almost any type of wound can be infected, but deep puncture wounds are most at risk. When the bacteria or spores enter a wound and start to multiply, the create a toxin, which is the actual cause of the illness. Tetanus affects the muscular and nervous systems and the first symptoms of the illness are usually muscle spasms in the muscles nearest to the wound site. These soon spread, usually to the face primarily, then to other areas. Left untreated, tetanus has a fatality rate of about 60%.

Tetanus usually takes between two days and 21 days (or sometimes even more) to become apparent, so when you get a cut that might be a problem, it is worth having it dealt with at once, or else you are liable to forget while tetanus is incubating in your system.

In most of the developed world, there are well established and extremely effective immunization programs that start in childhood, and continue routinely throughout adult life, and most people who are now adults will probably be well protected. It is possible, however, that some of the elderly may not.

The vaccines used are normally multiple vaccines, protecting against tetanus, pertussis and diphtheria, but several variants are available. After the primary series is given, booster shots are given every ten years.

So when should you get a tetanus shot?. If you do not no for sure of your protection status, any penetrating wound, including animal bites should be followed to a visit to the Doctor to get your protection up to date. Even if you know that you have had a full program of immunizations, any deep or dirty wounds, especially those that may be contaminated with manure or soil may require an additional injection of human tetanus immunoglobulin may be given as an additional safeguard.

If your work brings you into frequent contact with soil, or with horses, you must make sure your protection is kept up to date, as is the case if you are travelling to some of the poorer parts of the world outside Europe or the U.S.

Are you sure you are protected? If not, take heed!

Norman is a partner in a counselling, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and life coaching practice in Spain. He is a regular newspaper contributor on mental health issues, and a Mental Health Expert on http://www.justanswer.com/.

He also runs an online counselling/psychotherapy service at http://www.lifechangeonline.co.uk. Why not visit and see what's on offer?

Chinese Medicine & America

Chinese Medicine or any kind medicine in any part of the world reflects the ethos of that particular region. With increased globalization and exchange of views and other parameters, the system of medicine also attempts to enter into the others' territories. It's an ongoing process, which results in giving world class treating mechanisms and ultimately results in better way of healing.

As there are many cases that represent the audacity of the claim of treating by one system of medicine establishing itself as superior, yet there are no guarantees that a particular medicine system will eventually succeed in giving relief to the patient. However, there are attempts that go on in justifying the superiority of a particular medicine system and it applies to all the healing systems of the world. In fact, it is primarily the result of enhanced globalization.

As far as Chinese Medicine is concerned, it has been claimed that it is actually trying to make through the boundaries of America. In its attempt to stake its claim, you can witness many traditional healers offering traditional healing practices in the vicinities of America. Nevertheless, the fact is that it is actually difficult in making space for a particular healing system. However, it isn't a thing of controversy when we say that Chinese way of healing is trying hard to enter into the premises of America. The fact of the matter is that it is the superiority of the healing system that compels the American people to resort to it. In fact, they are happy with its positive results and that is what makes it ever more popular in the American context.

However, there is significant chunk of people in America who believes that there isn't much in the claim where Chinese system of medicine is trying its claim over its counterparts. Their claim is that the Chinese have suffered immensely at the hands of many Chinese physicians. However, it is not true as the system of medicine is traditional and on that basis it is attacked by the fundamentalists who believe that there is no other way combat disease in the human body other than modern day treating methods. However, it is not true and not seems to be convincing enough. Chinese Medicine is here to stay and reign supreme amidst all the problems it faces in the present context.

The author is associated to the website - http://www.yourhealthandlongevity.com/ - Holi Balance is one of the leading Asian companies specialised in Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine Boston, Acupuncturist in Boston, Healing, Tai Chi, Yoga Classes Boston, etc.

Why Do We Practice? A Quick Look at the History of Sports Medicine

Do you wonder why a doctor practices medicine even after all that training? Medicine in context of sports, movements, and exercise is a very new concept. The field of sports medicine is defined as a medical subspecialty responsible for continuous care, enhancement of health and fitness, and prevention of injury and illness to an individual engaged in physical exercise and sports. In the spectrum of science, sports medicine was never a prime concern. It was not until the last couple of generations that exercise was looked to prolong life and can improve your body's day to day function. Gears of concern changed and Sports Medicine became into mainstream media. You are active and take this science for granted. But years ago exercise was looked down upon and the body's signs of physical work offered only signs of serfdom and lower class citizens. To follow, you will have a brief history of the movement science we now refer to as sports medicine.

At the beginning of recorded time, humans have been doing the right things. As far back as the Primitive Era (2500 B.C), the Chinese were using exercise to overcome and prevent disease in efforts of prolonging life. In the days of the Greek Era 9500 B.C. athletics were a large part of life and entertainment. Greek physicians began involving themselves with athletics. Herodicus (480 B.C.) is recognized as the first "Teacher of Athletic Medicine". Hippocrates (460 B.C.) is responsible for the development of medicine. He spent much time preparing athletes for competition and treating their injuries. Aristotle (340 B.C.) was another popular physician. Athletics were more than a sport, the Greeks built physical activity and training into their daily lives and education systems as a tool to thwart invasion from other countries.

The science briefly took off during the Roman Era (150 A.D). A Greek physician, named Clautius Galen moved to Rome and became the team physician to the gladiators! This may have been the first team coach of sorts in time. He optimized his unique position and gave four great contributions. The first was that muscles contract and shorten. Second, nerves carry a stimulus from the brain to the muscles. Thirdly, he noted that arteries take a substance (found to be Oxygen) from the lungs outwards to the tissues. Galen inevitably developed therapeutic rehabilitation exercises for his gladiators after injury. The Dark Era (1500 A.D.) offered little scientific developments. Humans heavily concerned themselves with warfare in those days. Supposedly many physicians were turning society off of exercise habits and routines. Ironically the physicians of the time mistranslated the Greek texts to mean that vigorous exercise and sports were not advisable.

When science began looking at exercise again, it became known as the Modern Era (1600-Present Day). During the 1600's William Harvey discovered and described the flow and circulation of blood. Other medical writers of the day claimed that exercise could "preserve health". In the 1800's, the science finally became quantified. An English physiologist, Edward Smith, was the first to quantify the amount of work output. He actually built a large treadmill to hold 10 prisoners for work force and then used wind resistance to adjust the power levels. In Scandinavia, a large movement began and separated itself from conventional medical fields. It was named Gymnastics. The new field organized the use of exercise to improve and develop physical and mental attributes.

America in the 1900-2000 years showed many improvements and discoveries. From 1900-1920, A.V. Hill, an English physiologist, won the Noble Prize for work in muscle physiology. He is considered to be the "First Exercise Physiologist." Two pioneer men studied under Hill. These two men established the Harvard Fatigue Lab. This is where it all started to boom. This is the very first exercise physiology lab in the US and it was literally in the basement of the Harvard Business School. Bruce Dill was one of the two founders and acclaimed as the first American Exercise Physiologist. He is highly published on exercise and physical chemistry, mainly on hemoglobin. The second founder, Joseph Wolfe, went on to create the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 1954.

The Harvard Fatigue Lab truly set a new science in motion. During the 1940-1960's, the Army Research Lab in Natick, Massachusetts began tests. They eventually established progressive research on body composition, the body's response to heat and cold during exercise, and much more. The 1960- 1980 years became the beginning of a fitness boom within mainstream media and society. This sudden resurgence of fitness and exercise lead Ken Cooper to coin the term and popular group training style, Aerobics. Research began into exercise effects from altitude, heart disease, nutrition, and surgical techniques and materials. All of which play vital roles in athletics and rehabilitation.

The present day is anyone's guess. Things may be discovered that will shake the foundations of exercise science. Just these last few years, the food pyramid was completely redesigned to include different aspects of activity levels and body types within society. Recent advances with laptop computers and processing speeds, biochemical analyzers, and gas analyzers that sense your breathing exchange while moving. If your athletic curiosity demanded, you can now find out the ratio of muscle fiber types by essentially using a thick needle and pulling out a small cylinder of muscle tissue. Surprisingly it is a painful and invasive quick prick. This is named NMR spectroscopy and imaging. We, in the industry are always practicing. We always adapt routine not only to maximize results but also to adapt to the ever-changing new science. The future is limitless with the human body.

Author : ROB NIX, Sport Skills Specialist

History of sport, exercise, sport medicine

Motion Sickness Medication

Often motion sickness medication can cause drowsiness. It must be taken prior to travel, usually at least 30 minutes before. In most cases the medication is not effective. Motion sickness bands or otherwise known as a motion sickness bracelet can be effective. You can use these time and time again and they work with acupressure. There are also some herbal remedies available, such as ginger. This can be taken in the raw form or in tea or even ginger biscuits (with a quite high ginger strength in them).

The sickness can make travelling extremely hard and not an enjoyable experience at all. There are some things that will make the risk factor higher than others, these include,

being prone to nausea
anxious
travelling in a boat, airplane, car, train
going on fair rides
bad ventilation
not seeing out of the window when travelling

Approximately 30% of the population suffer with motion sickness. 5% will suffer to an extreme level including vomiting. Once children are able to put together the pieces visually, meaning they are aware that they are moving and able to see where they are going, then they become susceptible to the condition. Prior to this they will not suffer. This is why it is said that children over 2 are prone to suffer. Children of the age 2 up to 12 are the highest at risk.

Below are just a few tips for helping to reduce the sickness:

Drink lots of water
aviod greasy, fatty or spicy meals
dont eat too much
avoid alcohol the day before travelling
try to get some fresh air whilst travelling

A motion sickness remedy I had recommended to me can be found at http://www.motionsicknesscure.info .When you have experienced motion sickness once, you will not want to have to bear it again. Most people visit there doctor or pharmacist to inquire about motion sickness medication before travelling for the second time, in a hope of preventing it returning. To find some motion sickness tips visit my squidoo lens

Hayley Lou

Review of Laboratory Procedures in Insurance Medicine

While an investigation was being made into the mortality rates, there was also a review of the laboratory procedures being carried out. For this purpose the medical division called in the foremost experts in the field, Dr. Otto Folin and Dr. Stanley Benedict. These men devised new quantitative tests for glycosuria and albuminuria, which became standard procedure in medicine. In addition, the laboratory refined and improved methods of analysis of various substances in the blood. Dr. Folin developed a method of determining accurately the amount of sugar in a very small quantity of blood.

This method was eventually used in medical laboratories all over the world. Another interesting development was the use of x-ray procedures in solving medical problems of policies such as "life insurance quote without medical." This revolved primarily around the use of the fluoroscope, an x-ray device through which the physician can "see" instantly the internal structures of the body. Fluoroscopy was first taken up by the medical division as an efficient and inexpensive method of detecting early tuberculosis in applicants for employment and in company employees at the home office.

Studies of various abnormalities of the lungs disclosed in these examinations helped the company's doctors to determine their significance, and as a result some abnormalities, such as healed childhood tuberculosis, were proved to have no adverse effect on longevity. Insurance practices were consequently revised in the light of these findings. X-ray films were also extensively used in examinations of the heart and lungs. The determination of the nature and extent of cardiac enlargement by the usual methods of examination was, in some respects, a "rule of thumb" affair.

An x-ray film of the chest, however, yielded more accurate information on the size of the heart and often disclosed other valuable details regarding that organ. Consequently its use, when a heart abnormality was present or suspected, resulted in providing a more accurate and fairer judgment than would otherwise have been possible. Here again observations on home office employees giving different types of life insurance quotes expedited the development of standards for insurance and general use. The investigation of heart impairments had special interest for those concerned with medical selection in the Metropolitan.

In 1899 the company began to insure persons with certain types of heart murmurs, issuing policies in the special class branch to these applicants. As there was no mortality experience to go by, the decision to accept such risks was made on the basis of clinical judgment. In the aggregate, the mortality experience on these heart cases proved to be within the expected limits. Periodic studies proved, however, that some types of heart murmurs were insignificant abnormalities, while others were of such seriousness that persons so impaired were not insurable at all. New procedures that followed for diagnosing heart disease were also useful in insurance medicine.

One of the most important of these was electrocardiography, which was of prime value in detecting diseases of the heart muscle. Prior to the use of this technique in insurance examinations (for life insurance rates and quotes) little distinction could be made with respect to applicants with such disorders. The development of electrocardiography, however, made it possible to identify some cases of serious heart disease that would not ordinarily be picked up by the usual physical examination.

While the normal pattern of the electrocardiogram was defined in broad outlines, there were numerous deviations the nature and significance of which were obscure for many years to follow. In the accumulation of data for the solution of these problems the insurance companies, and particularly the Metropolitan, laid foundations for future scientific advances which would prove of great value not only in insurance medicine but also in general practice.

Allison Ryan is a freelance writer specializing in life insurance rates and types of life insurance, as well as the history of the insurance industry. For a free life insurance quote without medical, check out http://www.equote.com/.

Mile High Warnings of Counterfeit Drugs

It's happening all the time. Nearly every day, there are new reports of counterfeit drugs flooding the world's prescription drug market. Just last week, the Partnership for Safe Medicines posted a link about how counterfeit drugs are hastening drug-resistant strains of malaria. And the week before, we shared the news reports out of the United Kingdom about a raid on an Irish counterfeit drug distribution operation and the MHRA's recall due to possible counterfeit inhalers found in the U.K. supply system.

There is documented proof that counterfeit drugs are a global problem that affects consumers right here in the United States. My colleague Marv Shepherd spoke about this very topic last month with 21st Century Healthcare Forum, a program that airs on Northwest and American Airlines.

Dr. Shepherd reiterates that if you are going to purchase a medication online, it should only be purchased through an online pharmacy that bears a seal from the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS), a program of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy that presents pharmacies with a accreditation only when they have complied with the licensing and inspection requirements of their state and each state to which they dispense pharmaceuticals.

The Partnership for Safe Medicines warns against the dangers of importing drugs from countries, such as Mexico, that do not enforce the same stringent regulatory procedures amongst their pharmacies as in countries such as the United States.

Counterfeit drugs are a serious patient safety problem. The Partnership for Safe Medicines is working together to protect the safety of your prescription drugs. The Partnership for Safe Medicines is a group of organizations and individuals that have policies, procedures, or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit or contraband medicines.

Thomas T. Kubic is the President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI), a non-profit association dedicated to protecting the public health by insuring the distribution of pharmaceuticals that are safe, effective, and not counterfeit drugs.

Expat Survival Guide - Self Medicating a Staph Infection in a Third World Country

Ask any well traveled expat about health care, during his or her travels, and most will tell you essentially the same thing - Some countries provide excellent or adequate medical services, while others are completely inadequate or nearly nonexistent. Today's Expat Survival Guide will concentrate on the countries where medical care is, in many cases, sub par or not readily available.

Before we get too far into this, I should tell you that the information contained in this article should never substitute for the advice and care of a qualified doctor or health care professional. However, should you find yourself in an area where such an individual is not readily available, then the information contained herein will be of good use to you. Just make sure that you visit a qualified doctor as soon as possible, as only he or she will be able to completely and accurately diagnose and treat an infectious condition.

First off. We should go over exactly what a Staph Infection is, and the symptoms of such an infection.

A Staph Infection is an infection caused by Staphylococcus (or "Staph" bacteria). It is a very common bacterium and is generally believed to be present in about 25% of all people. In many cases, it lives upon the skin in the nose, mouth, genital, and anal areas without causing an infection. However, once a cut or puncture occurs, in an area where the bacteria are residing, chances of an infection increase dramatically. The foot is also susceptible to picking up the bacteria from the floor. Staph infections normally begin with a minor cut that becomes infected with the bacteria.

Staph infections can range from a simple boil or enlarged pimple type occurrence to dangerous flesh-eating conditions which can be highly resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria are prevalent in North America, due to an ever growing dependence on antibiotics to treat bacteria related conditions and illnesses. The severity of a Staph Infection normally depends on the depth of the infection and how fast it is spread. Of course strains of the bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can become more dangerous and may even be life threatening if left untreated or unchecked.

Staph infections normally begin with a small area of redness. The area may be very tender and swollen. It may or may not begin with a break in the skin. The affected area may become quite warm and painful. If this occurs, then chances are good you have been infected by the Staph Cellulitis strain of the bacteria. This seems to be the most common strain of the bacteria; however, it will be hard to determine whether the strain is resistant or not to antibiotics, unless a culture sample is tested. Therefore, you should visit a qualified doctor as soon as you can. But this guide is for expats with no qualified doctor readily available to him, and until you can actually visit a doctor you have to do something.

I have known many expats that suffered from Staph Infections, while in third world countries. Though I don't recommend self medicating, there are times when there is no choice. If you find yourself in this position, here are some things you can do to help.

First, keep the infected area very clean. This is the most important thing you can do to help minimize or prevent spread of the bacterial infection. When cleaning the affected area, use a good quality soap and warm water. Allow the soap to remain on the infected area of the skin for two or three minutes before rinsing.

Once the affected area is cleaned, wipe the affected area with cotton and hydrogen peroxide or betadine to further help kill the surface bacteria. If the wound is an open wound then saturate the wound with hydrogen peroxide and allow it to thoroughly clean the wound. Cover the affected area with a clean gauze bandage. Clean the affected area and change the bandage at least three or four times daily.

If you have access to a pharmacy or drug store (In many developing countries there are pharmacies available but not trained doctors) you will most likely be able to acquire most common antibiotics and antibacterial medications without a prescription. Many western countries restrict sale of these medications; however, most developing nations do not. Therefore, if you have access to a pharmacy then the following medications are the most commonly prescribed for Staph Infections:

Good 'ole Penicillin (if you're not allergic) can fight many nonresistant strains of the bacteria, and is usually available in most countries of the world. Actually, many doctors will usually prescribe two derivatives of penicillin to treat Staph infections. Penicillin or Amoxicillin which are broad spectrum antibiotics and Cloxacillin, Cloxacillin Sodium or Flucloxacillin which are narrow spectrum derivatives that more actively attack the Staph Bacteria itself. Taking both at the same time is quite common. Both are normally prescribed in 500mg capsules and should be taken 3 - 4 times daily. Penicillin and its derivatives work best on an empty stomach.

If you are allergic to Penicillin, you can substitute Erythromycin for the Penicillin or Amoxicillin and Doxycycline for the Cloxacillin-based drug. Erythromycin dosage is 500mg twice daily, and Doxycycline dosage is 100mg once daily. Erythromycin and Doxycycline may be taken with or without food.

All antibiotics mentioned above will require 3 - 4 days before signs of improvement, if any, are noticed. Typical periods of treatment are 10 - 14 days. However, in more serious cases, the need to take the antibiotics for up to 45 days is not uncommon.

In addition, many studies and tests have shown that applying a good anti bacterial ointment or salve to the wound or infected area can help prevent the spread of the Staph Bacteria and allow the affected area to more quickly heal.

Many expats have used more natural remedies when neither a doctor nor pharmacy is available, and I have also used a few to treat minor staph infections. However, natural remedies should only be used when no other resources are available. I guess that is a topic for another issue of the Expat Survival Guide. Again, if you believe you have a Staph Infection, see a qualified doctor as soon as possible. The information here has helped many expats, but it may not be the best advice for you.

Stay Away From Doctors and Don't Take Pills

Let's fly in the face of conventional wisdom right from the start. Are you wondering why a doctor would make such a statement as "Stay away from doctors and don't take pills?"

I have been an emergency room doctor for fifteen years and I used to see nothing wrong with people going to doctors. I also used to believe that pills had overall beneficial effects and that folks would be prescribed medications only when it was in their best interest.

I have changed my mind.

Over the years I have seen a constant parade of people whom I believe are worse off because they went to doctors and took pills.

Oh, sure, if your appendix is ready to burst go to a doctor. If you fall and you can't walk because the bone is sticking out of your leg, oh, all right, go see a doctor. If you have chest pain, can't breathe and feel like you're dying of a heart attack and would rather not let nature take its course, by all means, come see me in the ER!

Of course there are legitimate reasons for seeking the advice of a doctor, a practitioner of traditional western medicine, but, in so many cases not only is it not necessary, the plain truth is you would probably be better off to stay home and read a book. Really.

Let me explain.

Say, for example, you have a cough and your nose is plugged and when it does work there's green snot pouring out of it. You think, "Oh, I'd better go to the doctor and get some antibiotics. The last time I had this the doctor gave me a prescription for....... (fill in your own favorite antibiotic). Yes, the medical profession has trained you well. Job security, you know.

Are you aware that most cases of bronchitis and sinusitis are viral illnesses or related to allergies. Antibiotics do not kill viruses nor do they treat allergies. They kill only bacteria. Ergo, an antibiotic will not cure your illness. Oh, sure, you'll get better and you'll think the antibiotic pills did it, but, in truth, time and your immune system are what did it.

Also, antibiotics have been known to have adverse effects on the body. They can kill off the good bacteria that live happily and harmlessly on your skin, in your mouth, in your gut and in other unmentionable places, and, in so doing, allow more virulent bacteria or yeast to prosper and make you sick. They also can cause allergic reactions, sometimes life-threatening ones.

What! Antibiotics can make you sick? You bet.

So why in the world would you ever want to take one for a viral illness? Probably because you've been lead to believe that every ache and pain needs a pill and that every infection needs an antibiotic.

But you understand what I told you, right? This ain't rocket science. Would you like an example or two?

There is a diarrheal illness called pseudomembranous colitis, a fancy name for the diarrhea from hell. It is a condition caused by a toxin produced by clostridium difficile (c. diff for short), a bacterium that lives harmoniously in everyone's bowel. "C. diff. colitis", as we doctors lovingly call this condition that causes you to defecate uncontrollably, is caused by taking antibiotics: and just about any antibiotic can do it. C.diff can kill you.

You see, the good bacteria in you gut keep the c.diff bacteria under control. If the good guys get killed off by that antibiotic you took for your bronchitis then c. diff can grow in large numbers and produce its toxin. Believe me, after you have spent a day or two on the crapper, with a potentially life-threatening illness you will see the wisdom of avoiding unnecessary antibiotics.

Another problem with antibiotics is that over the years, since the successful introduction of penicillin, antibiotics have been prescribed so much that bacteria, the little bugs we are trying to kill, have become resistant to them, necessitating the development of more and more powerful drugs to kill the stronger bacteria. You might have heard of one of these bacteria, MRSA (methecillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus). MRSA seems to be everywhere now and is just one example of the fact that bacteria will continue to outsmart us. The unnecessary use of antibiotics has been a major factor in the development of resistant bacteria.

Another example of the ability of medications to cause harm is a condition called Steven Johnson's Syndrome and its ultimately lethal cousin, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). These conditions can develop as drug reactions to certain antibiotics and unless the patient has a previous history of such a condition, the doctor has no way of knowing that it will happen. TEN causes huge blisters to form everywhere, with subsequent sloughing of the skin. It's the equivalent of having second degree burns over your entire body.

What a shame if you die a slow painful death after taking a medication you did not need in the first place.

Now that's what I call having a bad day.

Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP
http://www.StayOutOfMyER.com
A Doctor's Guide To Avoiding The Emergency Room

Dr Buckler is an emergency room doctor and a Fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). She has been practicing emergency medicine for more than fifteen years.

Learn more about a healthy life style and how to keep yourself out of the emergency room at http://www.StayOutOfMyER.com

Health and Responsibility

I am usually known for my general oddness, my willingness to partake in a bit of tomfoolery and my strange ways but I have recently been trying to educate myself on issues that are currently going on in the world that are a huge cause for concern and an infringement on our human rights, and when trying to share this information with people have discovered that a majority of them refuse to even listen let alone accept it even when faced with hard facts.

For example, ID cards, micro chipping, constant surveillance from ridiculous numbers of CCTV cameras, the truth about 9/11 and 7/7, oil consumption, the myth of global warming and (and I believe this is the current biggest threat to our human rights) CODEX ALIMENTARIUS - the enforcement by governments around the world of controls set by the WHO and FAO to control our food and particularly our intake of vitamin and mineral supplements. Articles have already been splashed all over the headlines recently claiming that Vitamin supplements cause early death.

I urge anybody with half a brain to realise that the media is a really unreliable source of information due to selective editing and anything you read/hear/watch that has an impact on your lifestyle should be fully researched before stopping taking those high dose vitamin C tablets or the echinacea tincture you've been taking after reading an article in the Daily Mail.

Whether or not you believe the flawed and false results found in the studies that were quoted in the articles or not is actually irrelevant because as human beings and residents of the planet earth, surely we have the right to put whatever we want into our bodies especially when societies of people throughout the world have been successfully using natural therapies and herbs and plants for thousands of years before the WHO/FAO/NHS was invented.

What this is all saying is that it's fine to fill yourselves and your children with MSG, GM foods, hydrogenated fats, aspartame, fluoride, refined sugars, meat injected with sub-standard anti-biotics, coke.(do I need to continue?) But it's not OK to take vitamin supplements to help counteract the effects of our hydroponically grown, pesticide covered, nutrient depleted fruit and vegetables???

And to be quite honest, if there was any truth in it (which I absolutely do not believe that there is) I'd rather die a few years earlier and have had a good quality of life than spend years being pumped with all manner of medications (the third biggest killer in the UK after heart disease and cancer) to no ones benefit but pharmaceutical companies. And all this is being done under the pretense that it is for our own good. It's insane!

Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are all sorts of horrible things going on in the world and you don't have to look very hard to find them. The problem with people generally is that they don't want to know what's going on because with knowledge comes responsibility and nobody wants that do they??

But, if you have any interest in protecting your human rights don't take my word for it, look for yourself, there is any amount of information on the Internet. Gather it all, absorb it and decide for yourself.

Although I am far from being an expert on the subject, I feel it is irresponsible not to share this information with people, and you can judge me in whatever way you like if you read this, I don't care but please just have a look and (in the words of Old Gregg) make an assessment.

Rant over for now.

I have been slowly becoming aware of the global erosion of peoples rights and freedoms and attacks on their well being from their very own governments. So i have decided to try and highlight these shameful realities in the best way I can, through some short articles. I hope you find them informative and enlightening.

http://theanimamundi-yokaboo-com.blogspot.com/

http://theanimamundi.com/

The Value of Homemade Medicine

Did you know the number one export from Japan is insurance policies? At the same time, are you aware that state government underwriters determine how much your insurance policies will cost? In exchange for this "service", a significant percentage of the money you pay each month is collected by the state in the form of "underwriting" fees. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that governing bodies also license doctors in order to propagate an enormous money making system that generates millions of tax dollars. On the other hand, horror stories emerge on a daily basis about all kinds of malpractice, and drugs that are about as useful as leeches and spell casting. Why not try homemade medicine instead?

As the economy continues to collapse under all kinds of foolish decisions made by consumers and governing bodies alike, there is no question that healthcare systems around the world are in serious trouble. In particular, there is an urgent need to begin ending reliance on harmful drugs when diet and lifestyle changes are the best and safest cures available. Regardless of whether you are talking about gastritis or hypertension, there is no substitute for a healthy diet and proper exercise. You may even be surprised to find that homemade medicine can help prevent these conditions.

When you make use of homemade medicine, you can free your wallet and the medical profession of an enormous burden. At the same time, you will also be able to enjoy good health and lifestyle that will help you stay fit well into your advanced years. While you may still need a conventional doctor to treat ailments like diabetes and infectious diseases, you will find that many other things can and should be managed on your own. Without a question, if you are sick of all your money going on health care and taxes, the best thing you can do for yourself and the economy is to resist the urge to live in a way that does not truly promote good health.

Looking for natural cures revealed? Vera Baylor can help! Vera runs the informational website BetterFamilyToday.Com as an online resource for all things family-related. Get free tips when you check out the site today!

When the Search For Cure Ceases - Pallative Care

Families often struggle with the need to be sure everything has been done that can be done their terminally ill loved one. It can be very difficult for the patient and family members as they transition from making decisions toward cure to making decisions that will help to allow for a comfortable and peaceful death.

When a terminally ill person and/or their loved ones make the decision to discontinue curative treatments and move instead into comfort care in preparation for approaching death, there are several matters which must be considered.

What is Palliative Care

Palliative is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of symptoms rather than curing the disease. The goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life for those who are experiencing serious, complex and terminal illness.

This can include alternative or energy work such as massage or aromatherapy which may alleviate the side effects of the curative treatments. One example is methods of relieving the nausea associated with chemotherapy.

Over the past twenty years, the focus on a patient's quality of life has gained substantial ground. Today in the United States, 55% of U.S. hospitals with over 100 beds offer a palliative care programand nearly one-fifth of community hospitals have palliative care programs.A relatively recent development is the concept of a dedicated health care team that is entirely geared toward palliative treatment, called a palliative care team.

There is often confusion between the terms hospice and palliative care. In the United States, hospice services and palliative care programs share similar goals of providing symptom relief and pain management.

However, the most important distinction between hospice and palliative care programs in the United States is that hospice is a Medicare Part A benefit, thus requiring many aspects of hospice care such as enrollment to be regulated by the United States federal government.

Non-hospice palliative care, however, is appropriate for anyone with a serious, complex illness, whether they are expected to recover fully, to live with chronic illness for an extended time, or to experience disease progression.

As death becomes more imminent, attempts to cure the disease taper off, while palliative care measures increase.

(c) Judy H. Wright http://www.ArtichokePress.com You have permission to reprint this article in your blog, ezine or offline magazine as long as you keep the content and contact information intact. Thank You.

Artichoke Press is the home site of Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author of over 20 books on family relationships. If your organization would like to schedule Auntie Artichoke, the storytelling trainer, for a workshop please call 406.549.9813.

You are also invited to visit our blog at http://www.AskAuntieArtichoke.com for answers and suggestions which will enhance your relationships. You will also find a full listing of free tele-classes and radio shows held each Thursday just for you.

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Non-Stimulating ADHD Medications - What's on Offer ?

Did you know that the ADHD psychostimulant drug Cylert was withdrawn from the market in 2005 after reports that it had been linked to liver disease and even liver failure? Are you aware that up to 16% of children on the ADHD psychostimulant drugs are under pressure from their peers to either get them the drugs or sell them ? There is also a risk that an ADHD child when taking these psychostimulant medications may mix them with another drug or alcohol and the side effects here are much more serious and dangerous. Time to consider the non-stimulating ADHD medications.

So, what are the non-stimulating ADHD meds and are the risks less, greater or is it just the same old story ? One of the most popular ones at the moment is called Strattera (made with atomexatine) and it seems to help with some ADHD symptoms. The child will pay a high price though in that the side effects can be quite serious and the moment the child has a suicidal thought, the doctor should be told ! Add to that, loss of appetite and the fact that nobody knows about the long term effects on growth, moodiness and other problems. I thought childhood was supposed to be carefree and happy ? Any sensible parent will look for alternatives and an ADHD homeopathic cure is one the safest and will beat any of the non-stimulant ADHD medications hands down on side effects (there are none) and effectiveness.

Believe it or not, anti-depressants for ADHD treatment in children are not banned in the USA, whereas in the UK, they are ! Even doctors now are very wary about putting children on anti-depressants and say that psychotherapy or ADHD behaviour therapy should be tried first. Well known anti-depressants still used in the USA extensively are Welbutrin and Bupropion. The side effects are insomnia, headaches, stomach pains and a general state of agitation. One of these anti-depressant drugs called Desipramine has been linked to sudden death in a few adolescents.

The heart risks associated with other non-stimulating ADHD medications are linked to the blood pressure drugs such as Clonidine and Tenex. Even if a child misses his medication here, or stops taking the drug, there is a distinct risk of very irregular heartbeat and also liver, kidney and blood circulation problems. Apart from that, drowsiness is a big problem associated with these drugs.

The non-stimulating ADHD medications on offer then are quite numerous and fall into the main three types I have outlined above. The risks and the side effects , in my opinion, outweigh the advantages and many parents will have to decide what to give their children. The worry and the cost of monitoring these drugs on their children is considerable and any wise parent would do well to investigate an ADHD homeopathic remedy which has no side effects and no risk of drug abuse.

Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children's Health. He has written extensively on ADHD.
Discover what ADHD Alternative Therapy is available. Find out how ADHD behavior therapy can save your sanity.

Medications For ADHD - Exploring Current Treatment Options

When evaluating meds for ADHD more than likely one name comes to mind, that would be the prescription medication Ritalin. Ritalin is currently one of the most widely recognized and widely prescribed prescription meds for ADHD with over 2,000,000 prescriptions written annually. But since the introduction of Ritalin there have been a long list of additional meds for ADHD to enter the arena. These would fall into three categories: long acting stimulants, short/intermediate acting stimulants, and non-stimulants.

Meds for ADHD of the long lasting stimulant variety (8 to 12 hours) include such names as Vyvanse, Adderal XR, Concerta, Daytrana, Focalin XR, Metadate CD, and Ritalin LA. These next generation ADHD meds have the advantage of convenience; only having to be taken once a day. Another advantage is Adderall XR and Ritalin LA capsules can be opened and sprinkled onto food if your child cannot swallow them.

Meds for ADHD of the short and intermediate acting variety include many of the old familiar names including Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, Dextrostat, and Methylin ER, and the list goes on. The statistics show that the short and intermediate varieties have been losing market share due to the once a day dosage guideline. But even with the convenience factor strongly in favor of the longer lasting Ritalin and Adderall have been stubbornly hanging on due to inexpensive generic options, which are much more affordable than their non-generic cousins.

And lastly we have the non-stimulant meds for ADHD. This form of treatment is not as popular as the two other types of meds for ADHD. Strattera is currently the most prescribed of this classification type and is reserved mainly for children, who struggle with anxiety, have shown unfavorable results to ADHD treatments (of the stimulant variety), or failed to benefit from any other treatments.

You may or may not realize that there is a fourth choice that seems to be growing in popularity; homeopathy. Part of the reason for this is the potential worrisome side effects associated with prescription meds for ADHD. These side effects would include: decreased appetite, upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tiredness, mood swings, and even allergic reactions. But perhaps the most troubling involves a recently released study which links prescription meds for ADHD to a longer term problem, depression in adulthood.

So there it is just some simple facts. The harmful short-term and long-term side effects of prescription meds for ADHD should be reason enough to seek out information about alternative treatment options for your child. Arm yourself with information, consisting of both prescription meds for ADHD and alternative treatment options like homeopathy. These facts will ultimately give you the information needed to make the best choice in treating your child's ADHD, both for safety and overall results.

R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate of alternative natural health products and supplements with over 10 years experience. To learn more about homeopathic natural health visit Purchase Remedies.com

Onychomycosis - Fungal Nail Infection - Possible Causes and Treatments

The fungus that is responsible for fungal infection of the nail can be picked up almost anywhere, but walking barefoot in public places (saunas, swimming pools, etc) is most often responsible. Seasoned citizens, people facing the challenges of diabetes and those with circulatory problems in the feet are at the greatest risk of contacting a fungal nail infection.

Mild infections may produce few or no symptoms; in more severe infections, the nails turn white to yellow-brown in color, thicken, and detach from the nail bed. Usually, debris from the infected nail collects under its free edge. A doctor may confirm the diagnosis by examining a sample of the nail debris under a microscope and culturing it to determine which fungus is causing the infection.

Fungal infections are resilient and difficult to cure, so treatment is dependent on the severity of the infection as well as the symptoms. If you have fallen victim to a fungal nail infection your doctor will likely suggest trimming your nails very short, to minimize discomfort. For mild to moderate infections of the nails, ciclopirox, and antifungal drug that is placed in a nail lacquer, may be effective. The person applies the lacquer directly to the nail; the drug penetrates the nail plate to reach the infected nail bed below. Because ciclopirox has minimal side effects, it may be preferred to antifungal drugs that are given by mouth.

Other antifungal drugs, such as griseofulvin or terbinafine, are taken by mouth and may improve nail fungal infections occasionally, these drugs, if effective, will completely cure it. Terbinafine acts more quickly than griseofulvin, is more effective, and causes fewer side effects. Alternative antifungal drugs include triaconazole and fluconazole.

Millions of people annually face the challenges and the embarrassment associated with fungal nail infections. Many of these people are opting for a natural alternative treatment for nail infections.The most effective natural nail fungus treatments contain a combination of natural oils. These products have been shown to be safe and effective, while producing results in a matter of weeks.

R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate of alternative natural health products and supplements with over 10 years experience. To learn more about homeopathic natural health visit Purchase Remedies.com

Three Common Treatments For A Hemorrhoid Cure

If you are suffering from hemorrhoids, also called the piles, you are most likely be trying to find a hemorrhoids cure. Hemorrhoids are a very uncomfortable and oftentimes painful ailment, but despite the fact that it is an ailment that afflicts one out of ten people all over the world, no one really talks about it as the piles are considered a truly embarrassing topic.

But clinging to embarrassment will not save you from the pain and discomfort of the piles. If you want hemorrhoid cure, you should seek treatment for it. There are three common treatments that you can turn to when it comes to the piles.

One form of hemorrhoid cure is the application of creams and ointments to the outer skin of your anus. These topical creams and ointments are meant to ease away the itching and the pain of hemorrhoids. They are also supposed to soothe the hemorrhoid veins so that their swelling would ebb. This should make the passing of stools out of your system a lot less traumatic.

Another method you can use for hemorrhoid cure is the use of suppositories. Suppositories are inserted into the anal canal. Their function is to coat the hemorrhoid veins with added moisture. Lubricating the rectum with suppositories is meant to make stools ease more gently out of the body without irritating the hemorrhoid veins. Reducing the chance for irritation in turn helps stop the bleeding.

The third form of common hemorrhoids treatment is hemorrhoid pills. Hemorrhoid pills work by regulating blood pressure in the body and tone the tissues making up the blood vessels. These pills help because they also alleviate the swelling and the irritation.

There are other means of dealing with the piles. Most extreme cases involve cryotherapy as well as the surgical removal of the swollen hemorrhoid veins. But whatever form of treatment you follow, it is always best for you to seek the expert advice of a physician. Not only will a physician tell you how to go about your piles treatment, but the hemorrhoid cure he or she will prescribe is sure to be safe.

The thing with these common hemorrhoid treatments is that they only deal with the symptoms of the piles and not the actual cause of the problem. Eventually, the body develops immunity to their effects and these treatments can also cause serious side effects. Always consult a doctor before subjecting yourself to a hemorrhoid treatment.

Don't suffer in silence with your embarrassing problem and act now. Visit this website for help and advice on treating hemorrhoids:- hemorrhoid cure

New ADHD Drug - Advantages and Drawbacks

What have Hitler's troops and ADHD children got in common? Well, they were/are both on amphetamines! The troops had to have energy to perform their 'blitzkrieg' and the ADHD kids need them to focus. It is no secret that GIs in WWII were given amphetamines to combat fatigue. The ADHD psychostimulant drugs which contain amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are now getting a bad press because of their nasty side effects, especially as they can become addictive and lead to drug abuse. A new non-stimulant drug Tenex used for ADHD has now hit the scene.

Tenex and ADHD
Tenex is a drug for high blood pressure which helps the arteries to relax allowing the heart to beat more easily. Basically the drug acts on the prefrontal cortex of the brain and lessens the impact of incoming stimuli, thus helping the patient to focus much better. It has been estimated that up to 30% of children on ADHD psychostimulants have problems with their side effects and therefore Tenex used for ADHD seems to be a valid alternative. . You may see it advertised as Guanfacine or Dipresan in countries outside the USA.

Side Effects of Tenex
Of course Tenex has side effects which range from drowsiness, headache, constipation, feelings of weakness, dry mouth and feeling dizzy. There are also reports of heart rate slowing down (even below 60 beats a minute) which can be quite alarming for a child. Sometimes blood pressure can oscillate between very high and very low. In addition, children have reported the sensation of their throat closing and a swelling of the tongue and lips. Hives, depression and a feeling of fatigue complete the picture! This drug has been used also to rehabilitate drug users who find that the slowing of the heart rate helps them in their withdrawal symptoms. Tenex used for ADHD could be the usual two edged sword.

The jury is still out on Tenex and ADHD and understandably so ! It seems that we are replacing one set of side effects with another. The fact that it is a non-stimulant drug does not matter. What matters is that the side effects may cause more problems than it solves. Because of this, many parents refuse to go down the ADHD medication road and especially that of Tenex used for ADHD as it is a relatively new drug and the long term effects are uncharted waters. They are looking for alternative ADHD remedies which are non-addictive, safe and above all free from side effects. The link below will answer all your questions about this treatment so that you can make an informed choice.

Robert Locke is a Health enthusiast who specializes in Children's Health. He has written extensively on ADHD. Discover what ADHD Alternative Therapy is available.

Preventative Medicine - Using a Preventative Scan to Diagnose Disease

Having CT scans, MRIs and other tests done to diagnose and treat diseases and conditions is common practice in the medical world. In most cases, these tests are covered by the medical insurance or Medicare of the patient, if they have either. More recently, doctors are discovering the use of these tests to aid in prevention and healthy living. However, insurance companies will not usually cover these tests, so few people are able to actually get them.

A preventative scan can be done on a regular basis, such as yearly, to help make sure that you are in good health and not susceptible to various diseases and conditions. These scans can be done on any part of the body. You can have a heart scan, a full MRI, a CT scan, or even a bone density scan as a preventative measure.

Preventative scan procedures are the same as diagnostic scan procedures. The reason for the test is the only difference in the two. Since a lot of insurance companies don't cover preventative care, it is difficult to have these tests done for many people. However, insurance companies are realizing that paying for preventative care can save them money in the long run, so more and more are accepting charges for wellness visits and treatments as time goes on.

Preventative scan candidates are those who are likely to develop certain conditions, either as a result of environmental factors or genetics. By doing regular scans, many diseases and medical issues can be prevented or treated early to speed up the healing process.

More information on CT Lung Biopsy in Irvine CA and an Irvine CT scan clinic of California in your area is just a click away.