FitSugar

What Do You Use For Birth Control?

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:30:19 -0700

It might seem like I have ~~sex~~ birth control on the brain. Last week I asked you about your experience or lack thereof with the female condom. Although it's most often talked about in intimate settings, birth control is in the news.

Concerns are being raised about the safety of the Yaz birth control pill, the top selling pill in the US, according to the New York Times. Women taking Yaz might have a higher chance of developing blood clots compared to other birth control pills, a claim that drug maker Bayer disputes. Investigation is ongoing, as are 74 lawsuits charging that Yaz and Yasmin, a similar product by Bayer, created health problems in women taking these pills. The lawsuits are tricky business though, since warnings about clots are presented in the pharmaceuticals' literature. Bayer strongly stands behind its product.

These new fears about the most commonly used contraceptive pill in America emphasize that avoiding pregnancy can be a difficult task, sometimes with medical consequences. I am curious about you . . .

FDA Takes a Closer Look at Tylenol

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:16:06 -0700

I've never been able to get a clear answer on whether Tylenol plus alcohol can harm your liver. Though acetaminophen can lead to liver damage when taken in large doses, many questions remain about its short-term dangers, particularly when combined with recreational drinking. Now, the FDA wants some answers.

The agency is meeting to determine if and how it should revise its guidelines on acetaminophen, including recommended dosage and the possibility of pulling "combination drugs" like NyQuil from shelves. Here's why:

. . . overdoses of acetaminophen have been linked to 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths during the 1990s, according to the FDA, citing one study.

The agency cited another study, a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention population-based report, that estimated that acetaminophen was the likely cause of most of the estimated 1,600 acute liver failures each year.

Especially troubling are products such as NyQuil and Pamprin that aren't expressly sold as pain relievers but which contain acetaminophen. With those scary statistics, it sounds like it's high time the FDA addressed this issue. Do you worry about your acetaminophen intake?

Do You Share Prescription Drugs?

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0700

If you pass the occasional pill to your friends, you are not alone. According to a recent study published in The Journal of Women’s Health, sharing prescription drugs is common among young adults, especially 18- to 44-year-old women. The recent survey of 25,000 people found that more than one-third of the women polled shared prescription drugs with friends or took pills from their pals. The drugs included everything from allergy meds to pain pills. I'm definitely guilty of offering the occasional Allegra to friends who also take the drug, but how about you?

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Do You Pay Attention to Drug Interactions?

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I'm always surprised when I read the labels on my prescription medications that they can often interact with seemingly innocent over-the-counter drugs. So I'm very careful to read the texts that come with my prescriptions, to make sure that they don't create a harmful combination with something else. Do you pay attention to the interactions spelled out on your drug labels?

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Speak Up: Do You Take Medicine You Can't Live Without?

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:15:00 -0800

Depending on your health history or medical conditions, some people rely on prescription medication in order to remain healthy, active, an in some cases to live. I am thinking of medications like asthma inhalers, insulin, and heart medication. I really don't like having to rely on taking medication every day in order to breathe, but I couldn't do everything I wanted to without it; and I'm so grateful that it's available.

So I was wondering, do you take medication that you can't live without? Please share in the comment section below.

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Are Remote-Controlled Pills in Our Future?

FitSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

Yes they are!

Philips, the electronics company, has designed a remote-controlled pill to help solve the problem of faulty time released medications already in use. Basically, it will be a little capsule that has a reservoir inside it (see 144 in the diagram) that holds the medicine. You can control a valve in the capsule with an external remote control, so it releases the medicine when you want to. External factors such as a rise in pollen count, or a rise in a patient's blood pressure will also be able to trigger the medicine's release too. What's more? The pills will also be able to hold several kinds of medications, so you only have to take one pill a day.

Phillips plans that the remote-controlled pills will be inexpensive and disposable, so they won't need to be collected and recycled after each use.

Very cool, but is this sounding a lot like a plot from the movie Innerspace to anyone else?

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Taking Allergy and Asthma Meds - Timing is Everything

FitSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 03:00:00 -0700

For some people, seasonal allergies are all about itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, a runny nose, and heightened asthma symptoms. If you are one of those people, prescription and over-the-counter drugs might be a necessity. I just found out that when you take your drugs can greatly affect how well they'll work.

For allergy symptoms, if you take meds like Allegra, Clarinex, Claritin, Zyrtec, Singulair, or nasal sprays like Astelin, Flonase, Rhinocort: Take your pills at bedtime to ensure that it will be in your blood stream in the early morning, when symptoms are at their worst
For asthma symptoms, if you take inhaled steroids like Advair or Flovent: Take your meds in the late afternoon (3 pm) so that they'll be in your system by 4pm when symptoms are often at their worst.

Chewable Birth Control Pill, Is This For Real?

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:30:00 -0800

Always forget to take your birth control pill? Or maybe you're one of those people who just can't swallow a pill?

Introducing Femcon Fe ($44 wholesale but who knows how much the pharmacies will actually sell it for), which is an option for women who would rather chew their birth control. The chewable tablet, which is aimed at women who occasionally forget to take their pills, contains the same hormones as standard oral contraceptives. The only difference is that you need to drink 8 ounces of water with it. The spearmint-flavored tablet can also be swallowed without chewing.

I am not sure as to why exactly chewing instead of swallowing would help us remember to take our pills, but maybe it will work for some women.

This sounds like a commercial but ask your doctor if Femcon Fe is right for you.

What a Pain!

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:30:00 -0800

CNN reported that there has been a recall of the pain reliever acetaminophen. The recall affects 11 million bottles containing varying quantities of 500-milligram acetaminophen caplets made by the Perrigo Co.

If you took a pain reliever today and want to know if you should head to the doctor, read more

Acetaminophen is best known as the drug in products sold under the Tylenol brand, but is widely available in typically less expensive generic versions. The drug, along with aspirin and ibuprofen, is one of the most widely used pain relievers available without a doctor's note.

Tylenol however, has been reported to not be affected.

The FDA has said that the contaminated pills have metal fragments ranging in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long.

The FDA reassures us by letting us know that those who take any of the contaminated pills could suffer minor stomach discomfort or possible cuts to the mouth and throat, but serious injury is unlikely. Thanks for the heads up FDA but I'm still going check my cabinets.

You can check the FDA's Batch List (if you can figure it out) or the store list for a list of stores that possibly carried the recalled pain reliever.

Nothing cures a headache like ingesting a one-third of an inch portion of a wire.

Doctor of medicine profession (MD)

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:49:37 -0700

Illustrations

Types of health care providers

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Alternative Names

M.D. profession

Information

The practice of medicine in the United States dates back to colonial times (early 1600s). At the beginning of the 17th century, medical practice in England was divided into 3 distinct groups: the physicians, the surgeons, and the apothecaries.

Physicians were viewed as elite and usually held a university degree. Surgeons, in contrast, were typically apprenticed and hospital-trained, and often served the dual role of barber-surgeon. Apothecaries also learned their roles (prescribing, making, and selling medicines) through apprenticeships, sometimes within hospitals.

This distinction between medicine, surgery, and pharmacy did not survive in colonial America. University-prepared MDs from England, upon their arrival in America, were expected to also perform surgery and prepare medicines. The class distinctions and snobbishness associated with physicians over surgeons quickly became diluted.

The New Jersey Medical Society, chartered July 23, 1766, was the first organization of medical professionals in the colonies. It was developed to "form a program embracing all the matters of highest concern to the profession: regulation of practice; educational standards for apprentices; fee schedules; and a code of ethics." Later this organization became the Medical Society of New Jersey and, having survived numerous obstacles, remains the oldest medical society in the United States.

The regulation of medical practice, by examining and licensing practitioners, was initiated by professional societies through provincial legislatures as early as 1760. By the early 1800s, the establishment of regulations, standards of practice, and certification of doctors was firmly in the hands of the medical societies.

A natural next step was for such societies to develop their own training programs for doctors. These society-affiliated programs were called "proprietary" medical colleges.

The first of these proprietary programs was the medical school of the Medical Society of the County of New York, founded March 12, 1807. Proprietary programs began to spring up everywhere and attracted a large number of students because they eliminated 2 features of university-affiliated medical schools: a long general education and a long lecture term.

To address numerous abuses within medical education, a national convention was held in May 1846. Proposals from that convention included the following:

The creation of a national medical association
The adoption of uniform higher educational standards for MDs, including suitable courses of premedical education
A standard code of ethics for the profession

On May 5, 1847, nearly 200 delegates representing 40 medical societies and 28 colleges within 22 states and the District of Columbia convened and resolved themselves into the first session of the American Medical Association (AMA). Nathaniel Chapman (1780-1853) was elected as the first president of the association. The AMA was maintained and has grown to become a formidable organization capable of exerting a great deal of influence on issues related to health care within the United States.

Initial educational standards for MDs, set by the AMA, included the following:

A liberal education in the arts and sciences
A certificate of training completion from the preceptor over apprenticeship prior to medical-college entrance
An MD degree that encompassed 3 years of study, including two 6-month lecture sessions, 3 months devoted to dissection, and a minimum of one 6-month session of hospital attendance

In 1852 the standards were revised to incorporate additional requirements:

Medical schools had to provide a 16-week course of instruction that included anatomy, medicine, surgery, midwifery, and chemistry.
Graduates had to be at least 21 years of age.
Students had to complete a minimum of 3 years of study, 2 of which were under an acceptable practitioner.

Between 1802 and 1876, 62 fairly stable medical schools were established. In 1810, there were 650 students enrolled and 100 graduates from medical schools in the United States. By 1900, these numbers had risen to 25,000 students and 5,200 graduates. Nearly all of these graduates were white males.

Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931) was one of the first black MDs. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1883, Dr. Williams practiced in Chicago and was later a primary force in establishing Provident Hospital, which still serves Chicago's South Side.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1920), upon graduating from Geneva College of Medicine in upstate New York, became the first woman granted an MD degree in the United States.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine opened in 1893. It is cited as being the first medical school in America of "genuine university-type, with adequate endowment, well-equipped laboratories, modern teachers devoted to medical investigation and instruction, and its own hospital in which the training of physicians and healing of sick persons combined to the optimal advantage of both." Johns Hopkins Medical School served as a model for the reorganization of medical education. After this, many sub-standard medical schools closed.

By 1930, nearly all medical schools required a liberal arts degree for admission and provided a 3- to 4-year graded curriculum in medicine and surgery. In addition, many states also required candidates for medical licensure to have completed a 1-year internship in a hospital setting in addition to possessing a degree from a recognized medical school.

The emergence of specialization within American medicine did not take root until the middle of the 19th century. People who objected to specialization said that "specialties operated unfairly toward the general practitioner, implying that he is incompetent to properly treat certain classes of diseases" and that specialization tended "to degrade the general practitioner in the view of the public." However, as the base of knowledge within medicine continued to grow and many doctors chose to do more of what they were interested in and good at, specialization became inevitable.

Economics may have also played an important role as the specialists typically enjoyed higher incomes than did the generalist physicians. The debates between specialists and generalists continue and have recently been fueled by issues related to modern health care reform.

Medicine was the first of the professions to require licensure. State laws specific to the licensure of medicine outlined the activities of "diagnosis" and "treatment" of human conditions strictly within the domain of medicine. Any individual who professed to diagnose or treat as part of the profession could therefore be charged with "practicing medicine without a license." As a result of strict licensure laws that were issued by the various medical societies, conventional Western medicine was able to establish itself as a monopoly over the health care of the American populace.

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

The practice of medicine includes the diagnosis, treatment, correction, advisement, or prescription for any human disease, ailment, injury, infirmity, deformity, pain or other condition, physical or mental, real or imaginary.

PRACTICE SETTINGS

MDs may be found within a wide range of practice settings, including private practices, group practices, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, teaching facilities, and public health organizations.

REGULATION OF THE PROFESSION

Medicine, like many other professions, is regulated at 2 different levels:

Licensure is a process that takes place at the state level in accordance with specific state laws.
Certification is established through national organizations with requirements for minimal professional practice standards being consistent nationally.

Licensure: All states require applicants for MD licensure to be graduates of an approved medical school and complete the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) Steps 1 - 3. Steps 1 and 2 are completed while in medical school and step 3 is completed after some medical training (usually between 12 - 18 months, depending on the state). People who obtained their medical degrees in other countries also must satisfy these requirements before practicing medicine in the United States.

With the inception of telemedicine, there has been concern as to how to handle state licensure issues when medicine is being shared between states through telecommunications. Laws and guidelines are being addressed.

Certification: MDs who wish to specialize must complete an additional 3 - 4 years of postgraduate work within their area of specialty, then pass board certification examinations. Doctors who claim to practice within one of the specialties should therefore be board-certified within that specific area of practice.

Review Date: 1/22/2007

Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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