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The FDA recommended (January, 2006) that two drugs used for eczema, Elidel cream and Protopic ointment have black box warnings placed on their labels. A black box warning is the FDA’s most serious warning and the drugs will be recommended only after other prescription medication has been tried. Between October, 2005 and January, 2006 the […]

When someone takes a sugar pill, believing it is medicine and experiences results similar to a patient taking actual medicine, that is the placebo effect. A study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 299 No. 9, March 5, 2008) shows that the cost of the sugar pill may make a difference

According to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine (February 7, 2002; 346:393-403), shows that diet and exercise can reduce the risk of getting type 2 diabetes. About one adult in 12 in the United States has the disease. Type 2 diabetes is the result of the body becoming insensitive to insulin. Excess

According to research appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine (August 1, 2000; 133:165-175, 227-229), 10% of esophageal cancer cases may be due to drugs that cause stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus. The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been increasing in recent years. It is a condition that is more common in

Last year (2003) British health authorities declared that most popular anti-depressants might sometimes increase the risk of suicidal behavior in children and teenagers. They declared all but one — Prozac — unsuitable for young people diagnosed with depression, but stopped short of a pediatric ban. In March, the FDA urged close monitoring of patients for

In a study of children diagnosed with acute sinusitis of ten or more days duration, some were given a placebo and others were given antibiotics (amoxicillinor Augmentin). Those given the placebo were as likely to get better as the children who were prescribed antibiotics. Symptoms improved within seven days in 81% of children in both

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 19, 2002;287:3096-3102, 3103-3109, 3133-3135), fewer doctors are prescribing antibiotics to children and teens than in 1990. This is an attempt to halt the rise in antibiotic resistant infections. Over use of antibiotics in the past has created antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Doctors gave only

According to research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (September 17, 1997;278:901-904;944-945), doctors in the United Statesfrequently prescribe unnecessary antibiotics for viral conditions such as colds. When antibiotics are used too frequently, it creates strains of bacteria that are resistant to the drugs. In 1992 a survey showed that 51% of patients

Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School found that, in mice, antibiotics may be responsible for changing the makeup of the bowel flora. A change in bowel flora could affect the way the immune system responds to common allergens in the lungs. According to one of the researchers, antibiotics eliminate bacteria in the GI

Certain Migraine Medications may not be Good for Heart Patients Researchers in the Netherlands found that some migraine medications cause the coronary arteries (the blood vessels feeding the heart) to contract. Narrowing of the coronary arteries caused by heart disease may result in chest pain or even heart attacks in an individual taking certain migraine