The world of health has been turned upside down over the past few decades. Doctors had been derided for not prescribing enough pain relief medicine back in the 1980s. Pain control had become so important that the world of health even saw fit to add a fifth indicator of health. The four Main Health Indicators [...]
THE FLU (influenza virus in all its mutations) has always been here and it will never go away. It is known by various names, yet it remains a common infection – sometimes of the sinuses, the stomach, the joints, and even combinations. This is not to downplay the discomfort or the possibility of disastrous outcomes, [...]
At one time or another, most of us need to deal with serious health conditions. How often do we hear our health providers tell us we are suffering from an autoimmune disease, which is commonly described as a situation where their body chemistry "...mistakes some part of their body as a pathogen and attack[s] it". [...]
Commonly, a profession is a paid occupation, one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification. Someone talented at a sport, for example, who works diligently at perfecting her skills, is a professional athlete when she gets paid for her playing her sport. Most of us could paint a house, and some paint houses for [...]
"Scott Raymond Adams is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated Dilbert comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business.” (Wikipedia). I listen to his blogs - and I’ve read several of his books. He’s entertaining and informative. In recent podcasts, Scott has been discussing [...]
A man fainted at our church. His family suggested that there might have been some issue with his medications. Too many of us intentionally take too many drugs, and I suspect many of them are unnecessary and harmful – especially when combined with other drugs. It’s alarming how many of us regularly take antidepressants, anti-anxiety [...]
“I am very careful, and hopefully humble in knowing that I don’t know everything about this disease." Dr. Anthony Fauci said these words on May 13th, 2020 during a virtual Senate hearing. After more than 50 years in the health field, a pharmacy degree, and two additional advanced degrees from reputable universities, I have come [...]
Pharmacists often talk to their customers. One refrain that seems woven throughout every conversation about prescriptions is both a question and a complaint. People ask, “Why do I have to take these medicines for the rest of my life when I feel so bad using them.” They can complain about being “in a fog” or [...]
Scott was 85 years old when he died. He had been diagnosed with cancer and had just recently begun treatment. His health rapidly declined and he was removed from life support and allowed to die, about 60 days after his diagnosis. Many factors surround Scott's death, but one has my attention - the fact that [...]
I worked in a retail pharmacy that offered regular health screenings; vision, hearing, skin cancer, and so on. During one of the events, a dermatologist was very busy examining a long line of people wanting her to look at their "spots". I overheard many of the conversations and most of the exams ended with the [...]
"We are many parts, but all one body"(from the 1986 song by Marty Haugen). The focus of that song is on how all of us, though seeming to be distinct individuals, are actually all part of a single body. Those few words housed a deep metaphor for the truths that support our bodies and very being. [...]
The Medscape* headline reads,“‘GROWING CONCERN’; INCORRECT DOSES OF COMPOUNDED LEVOTHYROXINE.” Levothyroxine is also known as T4 (Trade Name is Synthroid), used in treating thyroid issues. Liothyronine is T3 (Trade Name is Cytomel). How did the authors study the “Compounded Levothyroxine” products? "Among the 12 samples, including six from pharmacies and six from student pharmacists, the [...]
Dr. Michael Beach is the Associate Director of the CDC’s Healthy Water, National Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Infectious Diseases. He has stated, “Chlorine binds with all the things it’s trying to kill from your bodies, and it forms these chemical irritants. That’s what’s stinging your eyes, the chlorine binding to urine and sweat.” This [...]
Q: I have severely dry mouth and severely dry eyes and am looking for products that can help, thank you! A: Before discussing treatments it is important to understand that there is usually a cause for dry mouth and dry eyes. Those are unnatural conditions, especially when they persist over time. It is important to [...]
I overheard a customer talking to one of our staff this morning. He mentioned that he was having both knees replaced later this summer and that his surgeon recommended he take an iron supplement. This is a DANGEROUS suggestion. One of my friends, a pharmacist, followed that advice and ended up in the ER twice [...]
All of us operate on our beliefs. Yes, every rational person claims that he/she uses facts and lives in a Left-Brain world. We want to think we study, analyze, evaluate, and make our decisions on what we know to be true. The sad fact of the matter is that what we believe is true often [...]
Zzzzz Remember sleeping through the night? Not lately? If you’re lying awake night after night, unable to sleep, you may want to talk to your health care provider about it. He or she may prescribe insomnia medicines such as eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata) and zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar, and Zolpimist)—sometimes known as “Z-drugs”—to help [...]
My 6-week old grandson has been struggling with a severe case of GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) that actually landed him in a local hospital for six days. What was once thought to be pyloric stenosis or an anatomical obstruction of some sort, ended up being diagnosed by a pediatric GI specialist, as a powerfully projectile [...]
Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops to Slow Myopic Progression in Children Low-dose atropine (0.01%) is being prescribed to slow the development of nearsightedness (myopia) in children (children from 5 to 15 years of age). Initial research papers about the treatment focused primarily on children of Asian heritage. It wasn't long before children of other nationalities have [...]
Aspartame (NutraSweet®) is a toxic chemical that can have serious effects on our nervous system. It is a very profitable item for the drug company that makes it. You can find it in just about every kind of food - even in some so-called health foods. Many studies emphasize the toxic nature of aspartame yet [...]
