In everyday language depression refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. This is differentiated from Clinical depression which is marked by symptoms that last two weeks or more and are so severe that they interfere with daily living. Read more here be depressed
Bipolar affective disorder has been a mystery to scientists and
physicians since the sixteenth century. The artist Vincent Van Gogh is
the first documented case of the disorder, but since then, we have not
learned much more about what causes the disease or even a cure for
sufferers. The biggest hindrance to scientists is that there are so
many symptoms, and they aren’t sure what the source is. Right now,
approximately one percent of the population (three million people) in
the United States is victim of the Bipolar disorder. As of now,
scientists have learned almost all that they know just from watching
and interviewing their patients, and although a cure is needed for
sufferers to lead normal lives, no true cure has come along yet.
(Read the article)
So you’re finding yourself thirsty all the time — a lot more than usual. Or you’ve been really, really tired lately. Can’t seem to get
enough sleep.
Maybe you’ve dropped a bunch of weight — without even trying. Funny, but these days, it seems you always have to go pee, even when you’ve just gone.
You dismiss it all as just something you’re going through. Somethingthat will pass.
Well, it could be that you’ve developed something that’s going tostick around for the rest of your life.
You could be one of the almost 250 million people around the world who has diabetes. A third of those people aren’t even aware they have the condition. Forty-six per cent of them are between 40 and 59 years old.
Quick facts 2007 2025
World population (billions) 6.6 7.9
Number of people aged 20-79 years with diabetes (millions) 246 380
World diabetes prevalence (%) 7.5 8.0
Source: Diabetes Atlas: International Diabetes Federation
Two million of them are Canadian.
Diabetes — or complications from the disease — now kills 3.8 million people a year or about the same number as HIV/AIDS.
(Read the article)
Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than plain soap and water
for killing disease-causing germs, but the jury is still out on
whether they promote antibiotic resistance in users, a newly published
research analysis shows.
Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health
reviewed 27 studies examining the safety and effectiveness of
antibacterial products containing the active ingredient triclosan.
That includes most commercially available soaps, detergents and other
products with the word ‘antibacterial’ on their labels, with the
notable exception of alcohol-based hand gels.
Soaps containing triclosan at concentrations commonly seen in products
sold to the public were found to be no better for killing bacteria and
preventing infectious illness than soaps that did not contain triclosan.
“Antibacterial soaps do not provide a benefit above and beyond plain
soaps for generally healthy people living in the community,”
researcher Allison Aiello, PhD, tells WebMD.
“Washing your hands is extremely important for preventing the spread
of infectious illness, especially at critical points like after using
the toilet, changing the baby, or handling raw foods. But consumers
can’t assume that antibacterial soaps are better for this than other
soaps.”
Antibacterial Soap, Antibiotic Resistance
Along with University of Michigan colleagues Elaine Larson, RN, PhD,
and Stuart Levy, MD, Aiello has conducted some of the largest and most
rigorously designed studies examining the safety and effectiveness of
antibacterial products.
Studies in their own laboratory first showed that triclosan can cause
some bacteria to become resistant to widely used antibiotics like
amoxicillin, but this has not been shown outside the lab.
In another of their studies, 238 families were told to either use
triclosan-containing cleaning and hygiene products for a year or
similar products without the antibacterial agent. Skin testing
conducted before, during, and after the intervention suggested that
both cleansing regimens were equally effective for killing germs.
There was also no evidence of an increase in antibiotic-resistant
bacteria on the hands of people who washed with the antibacterial
products.
A spokesman for the soap industry tells WebMD that no evidence exists
outside the laboratory linking the use of antibacterial soaps and
cleansers to the promotion of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
“It is egregious to continually hype the hypothesis that these
products are contributing to antibiotic resistance,” Brian Sansoni of
the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) tells WebMD. “These
researchers keep raising the specter of what could happen, but it is a
ghost story without a ghost.”
FDA: Antibacterial Soaps Not Better
Sansoni called the review “predictable repackaging of old studies and
old opinions,” adding that the issue of whether antibacterial soaps
and cleansers promote antibiotic resistance has been put to rest by
“study after study.”
Aiello disagrees. While antibiotic resistance is routinely tracked in
hospitals and other health care settings, tracking resistance trends
in the community remains a huge challenge, she says.
“These [community-based] studies are very hard to do,” she tells
WebMD. “We haven’t been able to study this in the way we would like,
and I don’t know if we will be able to in the future.”
An FDA advisory panel considered the question of the effectiveness of
antibacterial products in the fall of 2005; the panel overwhelmingly
concluded that there was no evidence proving that antibacterial soaps
were more effective than regular soaps for preventing infection.
There was talk at the time of restricting the labeling or advertising
of new antibacterial products, but the agency has taken no formal action.
t starts at 8:00 AM with the clinging of a bell and the turning on of
lights. Before the first cup of coffee can be put in its place,
customers start streaming in and the last one won’t leave the floor
until sometime after 6:00 PM, which is closing time. The
hustle-and-bustle never stops and the people never seem to stop
streaming in. Callers want to know when their “reflex” medicine will
be filled, only to hear the friendly clerk who knows them by name
correct them gently and tell them that their “reflux” medicine is
indeed ready.
The life of a small-town pharmacy is anything but ordinary. The days
of soda fountains and bicycle delivery boys are long gone and have
been replaced with bulky neon Coke machines and UPS. For one
small-town pharmacy in Hazlehurst, Miss., the old way of life is
exactly what this family wants to keep in place.
Allred’s Pharmacy and Gifts was established 80 years ago by Cecil
Allred. Jackie and Nancy Thompson found their way to Hazlehurst 45
years later, bought the business, and are still the owners and
operators today. Allred’s competes with three other pharmacies in the
area, yet its parking lot remains filled from the moment the bell
clangs until closing time, Monday through Saturday.
So what are the positives to a dying breed of small-town pharmacies
that allow them to stay afloat? Pharmacist Jackie Thompson said it’s
their flexibility and convenience. “I think that the flexibility to do
anything at any moment in time and to be able to do anything you need
to do to improve your business keeps us open. You are your own CEO and
CFO, and it works out great.”
Many big businesses envy the freedom and flexibility of small-town
pharmacies. Thompson said, “We can change and do anything we want as
long as it complies with the state board regulations and, well, the
government’s regulations as well.”
While Thompson sees his life’s business as a positive thing, he said
he still can also spot a few cons. “Inside my business, I have the
flexibility to do what I want to do. But outside of that, I am
restricted. Because I am my own CEO and I make all the decisions, I
always have to be there and I don’t get a lot of time off. This can
sometimes seem like confinement because I don’t have a lot of time for
vacations and things like that.”
His wife, Nancy, sang the same tune. “We are typically confined to the
store because we are the only ones that really know how to run it. But
the pros outnumber the cons by far,” she said.
Getting to know you
While Jackie sees the flexibility of his business as the main
attraction, Nancy said that the personal basis on which you get to
know your customers is the best thing to her. “You really get to know
your customers, and they become like family to you. It becomes a
one-on-one type of relationship. Regardless of race, age, or gender,
you get to know them and their families and they become like your own.
They truly care about us and we truly care about them and all that
goes on with their loved ones.” She also said that one good thing
about a small-town pharmacy is all of the goodies the customers bring
in. “They bring you lots of fresh vegetables in the summer from their
gardens and other things that they have made. That is always fun!”
Andrea Ashley, long-time employee of Jackie and Nancy Thompson, said
she feels that small-town pharmacies work because they actually are
able to care for their customers. “One of the things everyone likes is
that we deliver. Whether it’s medicine to someone that’s sick at home
or to people in the nursing home, we deliver medicine and medical
supplies every day. We still have charge accounts, and even though
it’s frustrating to the owners sometimes when the promises to make
payments aren’t kept, we keep them because our store loves people.
Customers can call small-town pharmacists like Jackie in the middle of
the night if they need medicine. We are in the business of not only
medicine but taking care of people.”
Another long-time employee, Pam Thompson, enjoys the friendly
atmosphere of Allred’s. “If you were a customer, wouldn’t you rather
go to a pharmacy where the clerks—and especially the pharmacist—at
least knew your name?” she asked. “Most of the time our pharmacist
knows not only your name but you, your family, and most of your
medical history. He also works very closely alongside the local
doctors and many that are out of town.” She continued, “You can
actually go behind the counter and speak to the pharmacist about
things that are going on in your life, and you feel as if you are
their only customer. Why would anyone want to go anyplace else? Maybe
you can go through an automated system in the corporate world, but in
our small-town pharmacy, you are anything but just another Rx number.”
While it’s easy to see all of the good in this 80-year-old business,
at times it can become a chore trying to keep up with corporate
America. Ashley said, “Small-town pharmacies are indicative of
small-town America in general. All small businesses are in a struggle
against the mega-this and the mega-that. In the short run, it may be
attractive to people because of the ability of giant retailers to
undercut the little guy, but in the long run a town loses its sense of
identity and community.”
The hours can be extremely trying for the pharmacists as well. Pam
Thompson said, “They tend to work long, hard hours on their feet all
day long rarely with a break. Jackie doesn’t have much time off at
all, but the reward for helping people, I hope, makes it worth it.”
Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D has presented a problem for many small pharmacies.
Several elders in the pharmacy field have even had to close down their
businesses because they could not afford to keep them open with this
new government program. Jackie said, “I think Medicare Part D is the
most ill-conceived and totally unresearched program the federal
government has ever given to the American people. It is so hidden in a
cloak of deceit that it helped absolutely no one but corporate
America. I think the President sold small-town America out.” Jackie
believes it is a conspiracy by the drug companies because all of the
Medicare Part D providers are owned by drug companies. He said, “I
think it’s a ploy by certain power mongers in this country to get rid
of independent drugstores.”
Nancy added, “It has been very confusing and has taken a lot of time
to educate our customers. The program and the government took zero
time to teach the people and left it up to the pharmacists to educate
their public. This took time away from what the pharmacist’s job
really is.”
Ashley has seen a lot of strife due to the new plan. Jackie, she said,
“spent a lot of time on the phone trying to straighten out the messes,
talking to customers and helping them get on the right plan. He could
have just shrugged them off left them to figure it out on their own.
But he cared for his customers because he is a genuine small-town
pharmacist!”
A blessing
Jackie Thompson feels blessed by his business, and his family does as
well. Much can be said about a small-town business and its owner. One
of Thompson’s two daughters, Jennifer Walker, has learned much by
growing up in her father’s drugstore. She said, “I have a strong work
ethic because of growing up around my dad and his business. I am
seeing this more and more as I grow into my career. There are days I
remember dad getting up at 2:00 AM to meet someone to get something as
simple as Tylenol. You will never find this in a chain store.
Sometimes we had to wait for him to get back from helping others to
have family dinners, but other than that, nothing at all was bad about
his business and his spending time with our family. I completely
respect him for what he does—not only for our family but for our
community. Anyone in town who needs anything knows that he or she can
call Mr. Jackie and, if necessary, can even charge it!”
As with many small-town businesses, Allred’s has many funny stories to
report about its customers. Recently, a man came in and looked over
the blood glucose monitors for some time and asked the clerk if he
could activate them. With a look of confusion on her face, she asked
him what he meant. He thought they were cell phones.
Early one December a man came in to charge some medicine. When asked
what the name was on the account, he said, “Murry Christmas.” Nancy
responded with a very cheerful, “Merry Christmas to you too, sir.”
When he was asked again the name on the account, he said, a little
more irritated this time, “I told you my name is Murry Christmas!”
The humor definitely makes this job worthwhile, but the most rewarding
part of working in a small-town pharmacy for the owners is the people.
Jackie Thompson said, “The best thing about my job is helping people.
The reward of knowing you are helping them in an area that they really
know nothing about is amazing. I feel that without question my wife
and I are doing exactly what God wanted us to do and that’s why we are
at such peace with where we are and what we do. Why else would we be
in Hazlehurst, Miss.? We had to get a map out to find this place!”
Small-town pharmacies may be a dying breed, but they are undoubtedly
among the most amazing places to visit. You can be entertained and
informed all in a single visit while stepping foot in a place where
everyone knows your name.
You’ve just returned to your table from your third trip to the buffet
line. You’ve had more than your fill of meat, pasta, vegetables and
salads.
The load of food is sitting a little heavy in your stomach and you’re
feeling just a touch guilty for gorging.
Yet you’re still contemplating going back because that lemon meringue
pie looks too good to pass up — and you’d like just a taste or two of
the chocolate cake, maybe with a small scoop of ice cream.
You think for a minute that maybe you have a problem. Then you loosen
your pants and feel a little better.
You may have gone overboard — binged, if you will. But does that make
you a binge eater?
Probably not.
Binge eating is one thing — binge eating disorder is another.
“Everyone overeats at Thanksgiving. It’s nothing to be alarmed about,”
says Ron Saxen, who suffered from binge eating disorder for most of
his adult life. “But when it starts to become a big issue in your
life, you can tell it kind of takes you over — it’s what you think
about when you wake up, what you think about before you go to bed at
night. Especially when you start doing the bingeing and you’re hiding it.”
Saxen — author of The Good Eater, a book that chronicles his battle
with binge eating — used food to deal with anxiety. It was not unusual
for him to put down a couple of hamburgers, a large order of fries and
a chocolate shake, then go to another fast food restaurant and order
half a dozen burritos before finishing the first meal.
“Then I would go to a place where I could get three king-sized candy
bars. Usually the coup-de-grace would be to finish it off with a
sundae — like a half-gallon of ice cream, a pound of M&M’s and a pint
of hot fudge. You couldn’t always finish that because you can only put
so much into your stomach.”
Saxen’s first bout with binge eating happened when he was 11. His
parents were members of a fundamentalist Christian denomination. His
father — who would return home from work late at night — frequently
beat him and his two brothers.
“My mom would leave a notepad [for my father] with all the things we
had done wrong. And she said ‘I’m going to give this to your dad and
he’s going to wake you up and whip you guys.’ One night, I got sweaty
palms and sweaty feet. There happened to be a candy sale [at our
school]. I had 20 pounds of chocolate in my closet and I got up during
the night and ate one five-ounce chocolate candy bar and it took me
away. But as soon as the candy bar’s gone reality comes back. So I
kept doing that.”
By the time he stopped, he had eaten three pounds of chocolate. Saxen
learned that food could cure his fears, at least temporarily.
Binge eating disorder affects 3.5 per cent of women and 2 per cent of
men at some point in their lives, according to a study published in
February 2007 by researchers at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric
hospital in Massachusetts affiliated with Harvard University. Or to
put the statistics another way, 40 per cent of people who suffer from
binge eating are men.
The survey on eating disorders found that binge eating disorder is far
more common than either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Anorexics
starve themselves, while bulimics eat to excess but then try to purge
their systems by vomiting. People with binge eating disorder don’t
normally try to rid themselves of the extra calories they take in,
although some over-exercise.
Saxen’s cycle was generally characterized by starving himself during
the day, followed by hours of working out and then bingeing at night.
By the age of 21, he had trimmed down to 179 pounds and landed himself
a one-year modelling contract. But when he was told to lose five
pounds two weeks before an underwear shoot, he responded by going on
an extended binge and putting on weight. He ate his way out of a
modelling career.
According to the Toronto-based National Eating Disorder Information
Centre, you may be suffering from binge eating disorder if you:
* Eat large amounts of food frequently and in one sitting.
* Feel out of control when you eat and can’t stop eating.
* Eat quickly and in secret.
* Eat to the point where you are frequently uncomfortably full.
* Feel guilty and ashamed of your binges.
Many binge eaters may also have a history of going on diets and
failing. An estimated 20 per cent of obese people are also believed to
be binge eaters.
The Harvard study labelled binge eating disorder a “major public
health burden.”
“Everybody knows about anorexia and bulimia; however, binge eating
disorder affects more people, is often associated with severe obesity
and tends to persist longer,” lead author James Hudson said.
“The consequences of binge eating disorder can be serious, including
obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. It
is imperative that health experts take notice of these findings.”
Saxen got over his binge eating, but it took him more than 20 years to
do it.
“In the book, I would have loved to have said ‘here are the seven
things I did to get it under control.’ But it wasn’t like that. For
me, it was a traumatic event — my sister getting into an automobile
accident and almost dying. She was my one amigo — it got me. And then,
a person who I ran into about 10 years ago became my friend and later
my wife. It was that support and wanting to be a better man and
getting sick and tired of this endless cycle that said I need to do
something about it for myself and for those around me.”
He also got professional help, but that came late in the process.
“Nobody wants to get help, nobody wants to admit they have a problem.
But trying to do it on your own is impossible. When I finally went
down that path to getting better, it was like, I wondered what I was
waiting for because I knew there was something wrong, and I probably
should talk to somebody.”
Today Saxen’s down to a healthy weight and he’s learned to deal with
his anxieties in ways that don’t involve huge quantities of food.
“Most schools in the medical fields say you always have to be vigilant
like with alcoholism. There are others who say you can be recovered
forever. For me, I feel that if you’ve crossed this line of behaviour
a thousand times and you think that you will never do it again, that
seems kind of bold. I’m the best I’ve ever been and do I think I will
go back to those dark days? Never.”
“It gets way, way, way easier as time goes on. It feels pretty close
to effortless now.”
Only one in every four women who seeks treatment for persistent yeast
infections actually has one, a new study suggests.
Women will frequently treat suspected yeast infections themselves with
over-the-counter (OTC) products, but the findings show that most of
the time this won’t help. In fact, using such medications repeatedly
may even cause harm, Dr. Susan Hoffstetter, the co-director of the
SLUCare Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic at Saint Louis University,
told Reuters Health.
“We treat ourselves because we want our problems to go away quickly,”
Hoffstetter pointed out, adding that this isn’t only the fault of
patients. “We in medicine also do a lot of treating over the phone
just to keep women from having to come in.”
Hoffstetter and her colleagues looked at the medical records for 150
women visiting the clinic for the first time who reported persistent
yeast infections.
Lab tests showed that only 26 percent of the women were infected with
Candida — the fungus responsible for yeast infections. Other causes
of vaginal itching can include sexually transmitted infections, dry
skin, or inflammation, Hoffstetter noted, which won’t respond to OTC
antifungals and could even be aggravated by these products.
Overuse of OTC yeast infection remedies can alter the normal flora of
the vagina, which can lead to other health problems, the researcher
pointed out. And, she added, drug-resistant strains of Candida are
becoming increasingly common.
If a woman experiences pain during sex, burning sensations in the
vaginal area, a thick white discharge, and pain during urination, she
may indeed have a yeast infection, Hoffstetter said. And it’s probably
okay for women to self-treat if they experience these symptoms rarely,
and they get better with OTC medication, she added.
But women who think they are suffering from yeast infections that
never go away are likely to have some other problem, Hoffstetter said.
In such cases, she advised, it’s important for a woman to actually see
a doctor or nurse practitioner and have a pelvic exam and lab tests,
if necessary, rather than just getting medical advice over the phone.
I am back in the market for a Tech job since leaving Wal-Mart and
taking a scholarship for a semester. My license expired in May and I
did not renew it because here is what it says: (copied from website)
2007-2008 Pharmacy Technician Permit Renewal
IMPORTANT! - Unless you are currently employed in a licensed Oklahoma
pharmacy and under the immediate and direct supervision of a licensed
Oklahoma pharmacist, the Board will not renew your technician permit.
You may apply for reinstatement of your technician permit upon re-
employment in a licensed Oklahoma pharmacy
SO MY PROBELM IS THIS:
I was passed up for a job because my license was not “current” they
require you to already obtain a license. The catch is that I had a
license but let it lapse since I was not working as a tech. So, since
I am not under the immediate and direct supervision of a pharmacist,
how do I go about getting job that requires me to have a license?
Doesn’t make any sense to me. I tried explaining this to the hiring
supervisor and he didn’t catch on.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning U.S. consumers
about dangers associated with buying prescription drugs over the
Internet. This alert is being issued based on information the agency
received showing that 24 apparently related Web sites may be involved
in the distribution of counterfeit prescription drugs.
On three occasions during recent months, FDA received information that
counterfeit versions of Xenical 120 mg capsules, a drug manufactured
by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche), were obtained by three consumers
from two different Web sites. Xenical is an FDA-approved drug used to
help obese individuals who meet certain weight and height requirements
lose weight and maintain weight loss.
None of the capsules ordered off the Web sites contained orlistat, the
active ingredient in authentic Xenical. In fact, laboratory analysis
conducted by Roche and submitted to the FDA confirmed that one capsule
contained sibutramine, which is the active ingredient in Meridia, an
FDA-approved prescription drug manufactured by Abbott Laboratories.
While this product is also used to help people lose weight and
maintain that loss, it should not be used in certain patient
populations and therefore is not a substitute for other weight loss
products. In addition the drug interactions profile is different
between Xenical and sibutramine, as is the dosing frequency;
sibutramine is administered once daily while Xenical is dosed three
times a day.
Other samples of drug product obtained from two of the Internet orders
were composed of only talc and starch. According to Roche, these two
samples displayed a valid Roche lot number of B2306 and were labeled
with an expiration date of April 2007. The correct expiration date for
this lot number is actually March 2005. Pictures of the counterfeit
Xenical capsules provided by Roche can be viewed at
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/photos/xenical.html.
Roche identified the two Web sites involved in this incident as
brandpills.com and pillspharm.com. Further investigation by FDA
disclosed that these Web sites are two of 24 Web sites that appear on
the pharmacycall365.com home page under the “Our Websites” heading.
Four of these Web sites previously have been identified by FDA’s
Office of Criminal Investigations as being associated with the
distribution of counterfeit Tamiflu and counterfeit Cialis.
At this point, it appears that these Web sites are operated from
outside of the United States. Consumers should be wary, if there is no
way to contact the Web site pharmacy by phone, if prices are
dramatically lower than the competition, or if no prescription from
your doctor is required. As a result, FDA strongly cautions consumers
about purchasing drugs from any of these Web sites which may be
involved in the distribution of counterfeit drugs and reiterates
previous public warnings about buying prescription drugs online.
So you’re finding yourself thirsty all the time — a lot more than
usual. Or you’ve been really, really tired lately. Can’t seem to get
enough sleep.
Maybe you’ve dropped a bunch of weight — without even trying. Funny,
but these days, it seems you always have to go pee, even when you’ve
just gone.
You dismiss it all as just something you’re going through. Something
that will pass.
Well, it could be that you’ve developed something that’s going to
stick around for the rest of your life.
You could be one of the almost 250 million people around the world who
has diabetes. A third of those people aren’t even aware they have the
condition. Forty-six per cent of them are between 40 and 59 years old.
Quick facts 2007 2025
World population (billions) 6.6 7.9
Number of people aged 20-79 years with diabetes (millions) 246 380
World diabetes prevalence (%) 7.5 8.0
Source: Diabetes Atlas: International Diabetes Federation
(Read the article)