Archive for April, 2009
« Previous EntriesNo cure for heartburn, but medicines can help
Thursday, April 30th, 2009DEAR DR. DONOHUE: In 2004, I had a scope put down my throat and into my stomach. The doctor said I had a hiatal hernia and signs of acid reflux. He put me on Prilosec. It stops my heartburn very well. I have been on it ever since. If I miss two doses, the heartburn [...]
Pfizer’s Lipitor Cuts Risk of a Second Stroke in Patients
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Patients who reduced their cholesterol and blood pressure by taking Pfizer Inc.’s Lipitor after suffering a stroke were less likely to have a second attack, researchers reported today.
People who lowered their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides to recommended levels with the drug cut their risk of a second stroke by 65 percent, [...]
How Antivirals Can Save Lives
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009Source: Time.com
As health officials across the globe prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic of swine flu, they have a relatively new weapon in the fight against influenza; antiviral drugs, first developed in the 1990s, have been shown to help treat and prevent influenza. But such drugs have never been used to tackle a [...]
Acne Therapy: A Clearer Path to Healthier-Looking Skin
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Source: MSN Health by Dr. Rob Danoff
Q: My 15-year-old daughter’s dermatologist prescribed minocycline and peroxide gel to help clear her acne. How long will it take to see an improvement? Also, what’s the best treatment for acne? Is there a new approach to consider?
A: Whether it’s the traditional combination of minocycline and benzoyl peroxide or [...]
High Co-Pays Keeping Chronically Ill From Their Meds
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Many are waiting years after a diagnosis to fill a first prescription, study finds
Rising co-pays may be keeping Americans with chronic illnesses from get the potentially lifesaving medications they need, a new study finds.
The problem may be symptomatic of rising health care costs in general and, according to Dr. Matthew D. Solomon, lead author of a [...]
What You Should Know About Swine Flu
Monday, April 27th, 2009Two experts weigh in on travel, preventive measures and how to maintain a healthy skepticism of the outbreak.
By now you’ve seen the swine flu headlines. Some are restrained, while others seem designed to foster panic.
The outbreak, which began in Mexico last week and has since caused at least 100 deaths there, has now been [...]
U.S. states face off with the swine flu
Monday, April 27th, 2009Source: USA Today
What some states are doing about the swine flu outbreak:
MINNESOTA: Lab tests on 12 Minnesota patients with flu-like symptoms found no confirmed or probable cases of swine flu, State Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield said Monday.
Since Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Health has been asking hospitals and doctors to submit specimens if they have patients [...]
Study suggests nearly half of those who should use statins are not using them.
Monday, April 27th, 2009HealthDay (4/25, Edelson) reported that researchers in the Yale University Robert Wood Johnson Medical Scholar Program used data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that almost “half of the Americans who meet the criteria for taking cholesterol-lowering statins aren’t taking the drug.” The researchers used the data “to identify 777 [...]
Herpes drug may help control AIDS virus
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009A cheap, generic drug long used to treat herpes may also help control the AIDS virus, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
They found that acyclovir can work against HIV, but only in tissues that are also infected with herpes.
The findings, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, help explain why some studies have shown that [...]
Statin cuts risk of thromboembolism by 43%
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009A drug licensed for use in reducing blood cholesterol has been shown to almost half the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a new analysis of a randomized control trial has found.
Findings from a prospective analysis of the JUPITER study, which looked at the effects of rosuvastatin compared to placebo in 9,000 healthy patients, show the [...]
