Improved Safety Practices Can Help Reduce Adverse Drug Reactions

Posted by Pharmacist on September 17, 2011
Improved Safety Practices Can Help Reduce Adverse Drug Reactions

The International Pharmaceutical Federation 71st Annual Congress held in September 2011 featured a report from Katja Hakkarainen, MSc Pharm, PhD candidate, from the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg, Sweden that finds approximately half of all adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can be prevented. This includes ADRs that happen in and outside hospitals. When a [...]

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New Genetics Based Melanoma Therapy

Posted by Pharmacist on August 30, 2011
New Genetics Based Melanoma Therapy

Zelboraf Approved for Late-State Melanoma Patients with Mutation V600E According to Roche Diagnostics, nearly half of all patients with late-stage melanoma have a mutation in BRAF. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists notes on its website that U.K. researchers found 80% of the BRAF mutations in malignant melanomas were caused by Mutation V600E. This is [...]

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New Drinkable Diabetes Medication Also Helps Lower Bad Cholesterol

Posted by Pharmacist on August 20, 2011
New Drinkable Diabetes Medication Also Helps Lower Bad Cholesterol

More than 25 million Americans have diabetes, the Associated Press reports. The disease can cause risky fluctuations in blood sugar because it interferes with carbohydrate metabolization. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin because their bodies do not produce insulin, while people with type 2 diabetes do not use effectively use insulin. In addition to [...]

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An End to Chickenpox?

Posted by Pharmacist on July 12, 2011
An End to Chickenpox?

Two-Dose Varicella Vaccine May Help Eradicate Chickenpox The February 2011 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases published a study that found two doses of the varicella vaccine prevented chickenpox 98.3 percent of the time, compared to just 86 percent of the time in those who received only one dose. One dose has been the [...]

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OTC Risks & Children

Posted by Pharmacist on July 09, 2011
OTC Risks & Children

Despite Warnings, Doctors Are Still Not Consistent About OTC Risks for Children In 2008, the FDA released a formal recommendation advising against using of over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicine to treat children under the age of two. This recommendation was released for two reasons: lack of actual clinical benefit and serious health risks to [...]

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Understanding Diabetes Refresh

Posted by Pharmacist on April 03, 2011
Understanding Diabetes Refresh

Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease that is marked by high levels of sugar in the blood.  25.8 million children and adults in the United States -8.3% of the population- have diabetes.  7 million people in the U.S. have undiagnosed diabetes, and 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people 20 years and [...]

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Vitamin D

Posted by Pharmacist on August 12, 2010
Vitamin D

Many doctors are now checking vitamin D levels at routine physicals.  Why?  Well, new research has shown that vitamin D plays a major role in 17 different types of cancer along with stroke, heart disease, diabetes, depression, hypertension, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, autoimmune disease, birth defects and more. How do you obtain enough [...]

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First Defense for GI Ailments

Posted by Pharmacist on July 31, 2010
First Defense for GI Ailments

If you suffer from lactose intolerance, heartburn, acid reflux or other stomach problems, your physician or pharmacist can recommend a variety of medications to treat these problems.  As a first defense, you may want to try some natural remedies before you initiate a drug.  Here is a list of some of the best: Tea: A [...]

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Prescription Errors & Decimal Points

Posted by Pharmacist on July 23, 2010
Prescription Errors & Decimal Points

The small decimal point has the power of providing the precise medication for someone or wreaking havoc by providing too much or too little medication to patients.  Proper decimal point placement cannot be overstated.  Prescriptions that are faxed, written or typed on no carbon-required forms, or written on lined paper all carry the risk of [...]

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Ten Tips for Weight Loss

Posted by Pharmacist on July 13, 2010
Ten Tips for Weight Loss

Be realistic. Healthy weight loss is around 1-2 pounds per week.  Much more than that is going to be water weight.  One pound is equal to 3,500 calories.  So, you need to eat 500-1000 calories less a day or exercise to equal that amount.  The best way is a combination of both diet and exercise [...]

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