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The Truth About Compounded GLP-1 Drugs
Read More: The Truth About Compounded GLP-1 DrugsGLP-1 medications are everywhere these days — especially online. A quick scroll through social media can bring up a wide range of companies and influencers touting the benefits of GLP-1 drugs, and women tend to be the target audience. A recent study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found most of the posts about…
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Testosterone 101: A Guide for Women in Menopause
Read More: Testosterone 101: A Guide for Women in MenopauseTestosterone isn’t only a “men’s hormone” — women make it too, just in much smaller amounts. In women, testosterone helps with sexual desire and arousal and plays a role in bone, muscle and brain health. Many experts agree the evidence points to using testosterone therapy in women to treat low sexual desire that is upsetting…
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Antimicrobial Resistance and Women: The Time to Act Is Now
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance and Women: The Time to Act Is Now+ Flipbook text 1: Why is AMR a dangerous public health crisis? When you take medication for an infection, sometimes whatever is making you sick has been exposed to the medication enough that it has found a way to survive the drug. That process is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Some parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi are…
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What You Need to Know: Compounded Medications
Read More: What You Need to Know: Compounded MedicationsFor most people, getting prescription medication is fairly simple. Your healthcare provider (HCP) calls your local pharmacy, you pick up your medication when it’s ready and life goes on. But sometimes people can’t take the standard, mass-produced brand name and generic prescription drugs for a variety of reasons. That’s where compounded medications come in. What…
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Biosimilars, Explained
Read More: Biosimilars, Explained+ Infographic text Slide 2: Biologics in Brief Biologics are medicines made from living cells. They’re made of large, complex proteins that can target disease in ways other drugs can’t. Because they’re so complex, they cannot be copied exactly. But medicines that work in a similar way — called biosimilars — can be made based on biologics.…
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6 Medications You Should Never Stop Abruptly
Read More: 6 Medications You Should Never Stop AbruptlyIf you take medication for any reason, you know how much effort and money it takes to never miss a dose. For starters, medication isn’t cheap. And it can also have unwanted side effects and very specific usage instructions. That’s why it’s so important to use prescription medicine under the supervision of a healthcare provider…
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10 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin D
Read More: 10 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin DWe need enough Vitamin D to stay well and have healthy bones. There’s even some evidence that getting enough vitamin D can lower your risk of dying from cancer or getting Type 2 diabetes. But have you ever heard the saying, “too much of a good thing?” When a British man’s overdose on vitamin D…
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Biosimilars Basics
Read More: Biosimilars Basics+ Infographic text What is a biosimilar? Biosimilars are drugs made from living material, such as bacteria or plant cells. They are modeled after another type of drug called a biologic that is also made from living material. The biologic that a biosimilar is modeled after is called the reference product. Why do people use…
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How Are Biosimilars Made?
Read More: How Are Biosimilars Made?Many people struggling with chronic, hard-to-manage health conditions have found relief with a type of drug called a biologic. You may be taking a biologic and don’t even know it. Some common biologics you may have heard of are adalimumab (brand name: Humira), infliximab (brand name: Remicade) and trastuzumab (brand name: Herceptin). Biologics can be…
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Biologics, Biosimilars and Generics: What’s the Difference?
Read More: Biologics, Biosimilars and Generics: What’s the Difference?+ Infographic text What are biologics? A biologic is a medication made from living materials. These sources include: Plant cells Animal cells Microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast Biologics are used to treat many different health problems, including: Diabetes Arthritis Multiple sclerosis Psoriasis and other chronic skin diseases Crohn’s disease, colitis and other chronic bowel…
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Barriers to Biosimilars in the US
Read More: Barriers to Biosimilars in the USWomen in the United States can expect to spend nearly 50 years of their lives taking prescription drugs. And the cost of those drugs can be painful. In fact, 4 in 10 (43%) women haven’t been able to fill a prescription and nearly 1 in 10 haven’t taken their medicine as prescribed because of cost…
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Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider About Biosimilars
Read More: Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider About BiosimilarsBiosimilars are drugs modeled after another type of drug called biologics. Both can be used to treat a variety of health issues, including autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and some types of cancer. Biologics are made from a natural source, such as plant or human cells, and biosimilars are made in the same…
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Sharps Disposal 101
Read More: Sharps Disposal 101Many people in the United States use medical sharps, which are any device that punctures the skin to deliver medication, to manage different health conditions. Sharps include: Needles Lancets Syringes Infusion systems Injection pens Some sharps come as “all-in-one” devices, while others will detach for disposal. What health conditions require sharps? Some of the health…
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Adolescent, caregiving, Childcare, Healthy home, Medication safety, Otc medication safety, Otc medicine safety, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prescrption drugs
Wondering How to Safely Dispose of Old Prescription Medicines?
Read More: Wondering How to Safely Dispose of Old Prescription Medicines?April 22 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Not sure what to do with all the medicine cluttering up your medicine cabinet? Old painkillers. Expired antibiotics. Piles of prescriptions or over-the-counter medicines you never finished for one reason or another. You know you have to keep them out of the hands of other people,…
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9 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin D
Read More: 9 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin DWe need enough Vitamin D to stay well and have healthy bones. There’s even some evidence that getting enough vitamin D can lower your risk of dying from cancer or getting Type 2 diabetes. But have you ever heard the saying, “too much of a good thing?” When a British man’s overdose on vitamin D…
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Expert perspectives, healthy aging, Hormone health, Hormones, Medication safety, Menopause, Menopause and hrt, Perimenopause
JoAnn Pinkerton, M.D., Speaks With HealthyWomen About Hormone Therapy for Menopause
Read More: JoAnn Pinkerton, M.D., Speaks With HealthyWomen About Hormone Therapy for MenopauseJoAnn Pinkerton, M.D. is an OB-GYN who is on the board of trustees for the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). She completed time as president and vice president of NAMS in 2009 and 2010. In 2000, she took on the role of executive director, during which time she chaired the 2017 advisory panels for hormone…
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Botox and Migraine: What You Need to Know
Read More: Botox and Migraine: What You Need to KnowJune is National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month.Medically reviewed by Dr. Rashmi B. Halker Singh You’ve heard of Botox as a cosmetic procedure — but did you know that Botox is also used as a treatment for several medical conditions, including migraine disease? We wanted to learn more about how Botox can help with this…
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Medication safety, Online pharmacy, Opioids, Otc medication safety, Otc medicine safety, Prescription drugs, Research, Science
Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions of US Consumers at Risk, According to a New Study
Read More: Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions of US Consumers at Risk, According to a New StudyBy C. Michael White, University of Connecticut The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea The Food and Drug Administration took 130 enforcement actions against counterfeit medication rings from 2016 through 2021, according to my new study published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Such actions might involve arrests,…
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Access, Access to health care, Amr, Antimicrobial resistance, Health disparities, Medication safety, Preventive health, Science
Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than Others
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than OthersWhen Terry Bravo had a urinary tract infection in 2018, she took her mother’s unused antibiotics, left over from a prescription her mom had never finished four years before. Bravo said it was the only antibiotic she could get. Although Bravo has health insurance, she said it costs a lot and barely covers anything. “I…
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Alternative therapies, Medication safety, mental health, Otc medication safety, Self-Care, Stress, Supplements
Answers About Ashwagandha
Read More: Answers About AshwagandhaMedically reviewed by Dr. Melanie Fiorella Have you seen ashwagandha’s benefits touted on social media? It’s an herbal remedy used for treating symptoms of stress, anxiety and insomnia — but is it worthy of the attention? We reached out to Dr. Melanie Fiorella, a primary care physician and director of the Center for Integrative Education…
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The Dietary Supplement You’re Taking Could Be Tainted With Prescription Medications and Dangerous Hidden Ingredients, According to a New Study
Read More: The Dietary Supplement You’re Taking Could Be Tainted With Prescription Medications and Dangerous Hidden Ingredients, According to a New StudyBy C. Michael White, University of Connecticut The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Many over-the-counter dietary supplement products – particularly those used for sexual enhancement and weight loss – are tainted with undisclosed pharmaceutical ingredients. That is the key finding of my recently published review in the…
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Adolescent, caregiving, Childcare, Healthy home, Medication safety, Otc medication safety, Otc medicine safety, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prescrption drugs
Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet for National Prescription Drug Takeback Day
Read More: Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet for National Prescription Drug Takeback DayApril 30 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Not sure what to do with all the medicine cluttering up your medicine cabinet? Old painkillers. Expired antibiotics. Piles of prescriptions or over-the-counter medicines you never finished for one reason or another. You know you have to keep them out of the hands of other people,…
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In Research Studies and in Real Life, Placebos Have a Powerful Healing Effect on the Body and Mind
Read More: In Research Studies and in Real Life, Placebos Have a Powerful Healing Effect on the Body and MindBy Elissa H. Patterson, University of Michigan and Hans Schroder, University of Michigan Did you ever feel your own shoulders relax when you saw a friend receive a shoulder massage? For those of you who said “yes,” congratulations, your brain is using its power to create a “placebo effect.” For those who said “no,” you’re…
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Cómo los proveedores de atención médica y los pacientes pueden limitar la propagación de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos
Read More: Cómo los proveedores de atención médica y los pacientes pueden limitar la propagación de la resistencia a los antimicrobianosKorin Reid sabía sobre la resistencia a los antibióticos desde que era pequeña. Desde los siete años, recuerda haber leído sobre eso en uno de los libros de sus padres, así que cuando contrajo su primera infección resistente a los antibióticos (una infección bacteriana que algunos antibióticos no pueden tratar), “estaba un poco molesta”, dijo…
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Health care professionals, Medication safety, Prescription drugs, Prevention, Preventive health, Research, Science
How Healthcare Providers and Patients Can Limit the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance
Read More: How Healthcare Providers and Patients Can Limit the Spread of Antimicrobial ResistanceKorin Reid had known about antibiotic resistance since early childhood. From as young as age seven, she recalls reading about it in one of her parents’ books, so when she got her first antibiotic-resistant infection (a bacterial infection that some antibiotics can’t treat), “I was kind of annoyed,” said Reid, a data scientist and CEO…
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Fast Facts: What You Need to Know About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
Read More: Fast Facts: What You Need to Know About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Asiago-Reddy Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites found in humans, animals and plants. Antimicrobials include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics. They have saved millions of lives and are one of history’s most important medical breakthroughs. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes…
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Antimicrobial Resistance: An Emerging Public Health Threat
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance: An Emerging Public Health ThreatMedically reviewed by Dr. Maria Isabel Roas Garcia
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Why Antimicrobial Resistance Is a Threat We Need to Take Seriously
Read More: Why Antimicrobial Resistance Is a Threat We Need to Take SeriouslyAccording to the CDC, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, resulting in 35,000 deaths. Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is a threat we need to take seriously, said Phyllis Arthur, vice president of Infectious Diseases & Emerging Science Policy at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). We spoke to Arthur, who…
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Antibiotic Resistance Is at a Crisis Point – Government Support for Academia and Big Pharma to Find New Drugs Could Help Defeat Superbugs
Read More: Antibiotic Resistance Is at a Crisis Point – Government Support for Academia and Big Pharma to Find New Drugs Could Help Defeat SuperbugsBacteria can gain resistance via infection from a virus (transduction), picking it up from the environment (transformation) or direct transfer from other bacteria (conjugation). 2013MMG320B/Wikimedia Commons But the antibiotic resistance crisis is largely anthropogenic, or human-made. Factors include the overuse and abuse of antibiotics, as well as a lack of regulations and enforcement pertaining to…
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Adhd, Medication safety, Otc medication safety, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Prescription drugs
Tylenol Could Be Risky for Pregnant Women – a New Review of 25 Years of Research Finds Acetaminophen May Contribute to ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders in Children
Read More: Tylenol Could Be Risky for Pregnant Women – a New Review of 25 Years of Research Finds Acetaminophen May Contribute to ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders in ChildrenBy Ann Z. Bauer, University of Massachusetts Lowell The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea A mounting body of evidence shows that the use of acetaminophen – widely known by its brand name Tylenol – during pregnancy may pose risks to the fetus and to early childhood development.…
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Adhd, Adolescent, Anxiety, Depression, Drinks, Medication safety, mental health, Parenting teens, Prescription drugs, sleep, Stress, Teen
Should Teens Taking ADHD, Anxiety and Depression Drugs Consume Energy Drinks and Coffee?
Read More: Should Teens Taking ADHD, Anxiety and Depression Drugs Consume Energy Drinks and Coffee?By Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Should teens taking ADHD, anxiety or depression drugs consume energy drinks or coffee? – Angela S. About 6.1 million children…
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How Religious Fervor and Anti-Regulation Zealotry Laid the Groundwork for America’s $36 Billion Supplement Industry
Read More: How Religious Fervor and Anti-Regulation Zealotry Laid the Groundwork for America’s $36 Billion Supplement IndustryBy Conor Heffernan, University of Texas at Austin Spend any time watching television or scrolling through social media, and you’ll inevitably see advertisements for pills, powders and potions that promise to grow muscle, shed body fat, improve your focus and resurrect your youth. Most of us have used them. At last count, the National Center…
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New Technology Can Create Treatment Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria in Under a Week and Adapt to Antibiotic Resistance
Read More: New Technology Can Create Treatment Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria in Under a Week and Adapt to Antibiotic ResistanceBy PNAs can be introduced to interrupt the process in which DNA is converted into protein or other useful biological molecules necessary for life. Kristen Eller, The Facile Accelerated Specific Therapeutic (FAST) platform can produce therapies against multidrug-resistant bacteria in under a week. Kristen Eller, CC BY-ND Why it matters Bacteria’s adaptation to survive current…
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Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Depression, Medication safety, mental health, Newborn, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Prescription drugs, Real women real stories, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told Me
Read More: When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told MeAs told to Erica Rimlinger After trying to conceive for over a year, my husband and I were thrilled when we learned I was pregnant with my daughter. I was so excited I read about natural ways to support my changing body, hired a doula and prepared for the birth. My pregnancy was a smooth…
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Medication safety, Opioid use disorder, Opioids, Otc medication safety, Pregnancy, Prescription drugs, Substance abuse
Using for Two
Read More: Using for TwoJen Simon tried many times to quit using the opioids she first started taking to help with painful periods, and then, to ease her anxiety and depression. But, she just couldn’t seem to stop — until she found out she was pregnant with her second son. “It was much easier to quit for someone else,”…
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chronic pain, Medication safety, Opioid use disorder, Opioids, Otc medication safety, Pain, Pain management, Prescription drugs, Research, Science, Substance abuse
Designing Less Addictive Opioids, Through Chemistry
Read More: Designing Less Addictive Opioids, Through ChemistryBy Aaron W. Harrison, Austin College What if there was a way for pain patients to get all the pain-relieving power of opioids with none of the addicting side effects? Opioids are one of the most powerful pain medications available, but millions of Americans have struggled with prescription opioid misuse after getting hooked on the…
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Access, Affordability, caregiving, Chronic conditions, Clinical trials, Health care, Health policy, Medical research and clinical trials, Medication safety, Parenting, Real women real stories, Research, Science, Skin, Skin health
What It’s Like to Care for a Child With Severe Eczema
Read More: What It’s Like to Care for a Child With Severe EczemaWhen our daughter Tilly was 5 months old, my husband and I noticed a rash on her face and neck. She was obviously itchy and pretty cranky about it, so we took her to her pediatrician. After a long process that involved changing everything from detergents to my diet (because I was breastfeeding), as well…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Medicare, Medication safety, Opioid use disorder, Opioids, Otc medication safety, Preventive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
15 Minutes With Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
Read More: 15 Minutes With Congresswoman Debbie DingellCongresswoman Debbie Dingell has long been an advocate for women and children. She is a founder and past chair of the National Women’s Health Resource Center and the Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH); successfully fought to have women included in federally funded health research; and advocated for greater awareness of issues…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Body image, Depression, Gender, Hormone health, Lgbtq, Medication safety, Parenting, Transgender
Trans Kids in the US Were Seeking Treatment Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access to Health Care
Read More: Trans Kids in the US Were Seeking Treatment Decades Before Today’s Political Battles Over Access to Health CareBy Jules Gill-Peterson, University of Pittsburgh In 1942, a 17-year-old transgender girl named Lane visited a doctor in her Missouri hometown with her parents. Lane had known that she was a girl from a very young age, but fights with her parents over her transness had made it difficult for her to live comfortably and…
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Adolescent, caregiving, Healthy home, Medication safety, Otc medication safety, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prescription drugs
Responsible Medicine Cabinet Cleanup
Read More: Responsible Medicine Cabinet CleanupNot sure what to do with all the medicine cluttering up your medicine cabinet? Old painkillers. Expired Antibiotics. Piles of prescriptions or over the counter medicines you never finished for one reason or another. You know you have to keep them out of the hands of other people, especially if you have children or teenagers…
