WADA changes its mind on baldness

November 21st, 2008

Perhaps I don’t watch enough television these days, but I have not noticed any sudden increase in the number of bald athletes or sports persons. For the most part, all these fit specimens of humanity seem to thump the ball or run around energetically while affecting the usual flowing locks. Wait, you don’t mean that these poor people have been forced to wear wigs all this time? Imagine all that sweat under a heavy crown of artificial hair. Or is that why many people wear these caps - I always thought that was to help keep the sun out of their eyes.

It gives them an unfair advantage. But just as WADA devises a new test, so the cheats develop new ways of hiding their steroids. One of the substances thought to mask the use of steroids was finasteride which is sold under the name of propecia. This is a perfectly legitimate drug used to treat male pattern baldness. It has an excellent track record for effectiveness and safety only requiring that the man takes one tablet per day for as long as he wishes to retain his hair.

Over time, a number of athletes were banned for using propecia. Without exception, they all protested their innocence of any use of steroids or other banned performance enhancer. This does not help the athletes who were banned for its use nor the unfortunate publicity that was given to their baldness. But one thing is undeniable.

Propecia was clearly identified on it as a banned substance and these athletes broke the rule. Whether the rule was a good one or not cannot change the wrongfulness of the athletes’ decision. As to those of you athletes who are threatened with hair loss. Propecia is a great product and you can use it without breaking the rules as from January 1, 2009.

No-one takes any notice of adverts, do they?

October 21st, 2008

It is easy to dismiss advertising as having little effect on consumer behaviour which is, of course, why companies spend so much on advertising campaigns. In the medical field, the adverts are intended to achieve specific goals:

  • to extend brand name awareness;
  • to understand links between everyday experiences and medical causes; and
  • to believe that the branded medications will remove the causes and return you to normal.

Every year, the pharmaceutical industry in the USA spends billions of dollars on direct-to-consumer advertisements for medications that are only available on prescription. In other countries, such advertising is often banned. Advertising to the medical profession is, however, universal - companies need to inform doctors of the products and their use.

The first adverts appeared in 1981 but, in 1983, the FDA imposed a moratorium to research the effect of the adverts on the public. In 1985, the moratorium was lifted because of fears that it was interfering with freedom of speech. Now adverts are permitted so long as they provide a “true” and “balanced” view of the product and its effectiveness. The FDA monitors compliance and can instruct a company to withdraw any advertisement it feels does not comply. Interestingly, some pharmaceutical companies now spend more on direct-to-consumer advertising than doctor advertising.

In the area of erectile dysfunction, the advertising for cialis runs through a number of different forms. Like any prescription medication, it is aimed at relieving the symptoms of a medical condition. The wording proclaims, “It works!” as if that explains all the benefits of the medication.

These simple statements are often combined with personal testimonials and confirmation that use of the medication avoids the feared outcome, in this case, a failure to penetrate or maintain the erection after penetration. This tends to be the core appeal. If erectile dysfunction is the problem, cialis helps you to function normally again. The medication is packaged as a means of emotional security. Trust the pills to get you back to normal. People are praised because they cared about themselves and the effect their condition was having on their partners. By introducing others as victims, guilt at not getting the “cure” is increased - cialis is life-enhancement for both partners. To support this, people are encouraged to begin the art of self-diagnosis and health management. The adverts give a few symptoms and suggest that those symptoms represent a disorder that can then be “cured”. It is uncommon to find the price of the medication mentioned, or any information about whether it is available on health insurance plans.

There is no doubt that this advertising educates the public about their options when faced by health problems and teaches them to believe that taking a pill is the best solution. When that medication is only available on prescription, it promotes business to the doctors. In the case of cialis, it is interesting to note that the FDA has never queried any of the adverts whereas there has been litigation alleging misleading advertising for competing medications. Add to this the fact that the word-of-mouth advertising for cialis has been and remains very strong, and it is easy to understand why this medication has taken so big a slice of the market so quickly.

Massage is good for you

October 13th, 2008

On its site, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) reports that more people are turning to massage therapy for medical purposes rather than for relaxation. But the baby boomers are more committed to massage than the young with an average seven session in the last year. This does not deny the importance of tramadol or other painkillers. They are complementary. This reflects a general trend. More people now use massage as a component in their wellness programs or pain management strategies.

Almost one-third of those surveyed used massage for pain relief, injury rehabilitation or the control of migraines, and just over 85% agreed that massage improves health and promotes wellness. This is echoed in figures from the registered AMTA members. Almost three-fifths reported an increase in referrals from healthcare professionals. Curiously, 70% also make the service open to their own staff. Massage with a judicious use of tramadol is good for you.

More than half those surveyed wanted their medical insurers to include massage therapy. If it was better integrated into healthcare, the AMTA believes there would be a significant improvement in quality of treatment for chronic pain and stress.

Sleep yourself better

October 11th, 2008

Effective pain management is really the management of your feelings about the pain. To make the best recovery, you have to remain as positive as possible no matter what the world throws at you. Sleep is essential in this. If you’re walking around feeling like one of the living dead, you’ll feel less positive. That means taking drugs on top of the painkillers to help you sleep properly. Get proper medical advice. Some drugs interact when you mix them.

Although the first thought when the pain starts is to take Ultram, an equally urgent problem is the need to get a good night’s sleep. When you have a fairly constant level of pain, sleep is the first thing to suffer. Sleep does not come until you are too exhausted to care any more. Then, when it seems as though only an hour or so has passed, you’re awake again.

Once you’ve established a better sleep routine, you can move on to the next step which is learning how to live your life within the new limits imposed by the pain. There will be a short-term role for sleeping pills to restore your strength of purpose. Now, with Ultram to help you through the first steps, it’s back to the drawing board to relearn how to move around with the least pain.

Killing is the only way to measure weight loss

September 25th, 2008

We must warn all the women who wants to lose weight. The Japanese have just published a scientific report in Polar Biology - another of those must-read journals. So if you’re holidaying in the polar regions this Fall and see a Japanese researcher coming towards you with one of those big samurai swords, you may decide that you don’t want to be a part of the research. Except that he’s talking about Antarctic minke whales. OK, so when did you last see a minke whale on your bathroom weighing scales? He’s got a point. Where would you get pinchers big enough? Seems hard to have to kill them to find out whether their diets are working. How would you like it in a clinical trial? Take these Acomplia tablets for six months and then we’ll kill you to find out how much adipose fat you’ve lost.

Can’t they just guess? Actually, when it comes to human clinical trials, they use advanced science like tape measures for waists. Acomplia has done well. Participants lose an average 10% of their body weight and an average 3 inches (8 cm) from their waists. Perhaps the minke whales are buying Acomplia online. Let’s not kill them to find out.

Cat almost kills her owner

September 19th, 2008

Headlines are the blood and milk of newspapers. Ever since the story about man who bited the dog, we’ve had every kind of animal story. Now this is the ultimate cat story because the headline misses out the vital reference to squirrels. Yes this was the double strike. The cat and the killer squirrels would have been more accurate. But we don’t do sensationalism for its own sake here. We kept it as simple as we could. So you have to travel over to Smith Valley in Nevada. Richie Simmons’ cat was sick a little. She had visited with the local veterinarian to get drugs. One day, Richie cut her finger but thought nothing of it as she tended to the cat. Five days later she was in terribly fever. It took a month for the lab to identify the problem. She had tularemia. One thing - it was highly contagious between humans and animals. How did the cat come to be infected? It’s going to remain a mystery. Did the cat travel back in time or just visit with some squirrel cousins in California? It died before we could ask. The good news Doxy was an almost instant cure. Once you know which bacteria or virus are making you sick, you get the right antibiotic or vaccine and get better fast.

The ways of obtaining the proper sleep

September 12th, 2008

Long years all-around-the-world-folks are suffering from different types of anxiety and depressions. Much of it has been thought to be something that an individual can just “get over”. The reality is that sleep disorders are terribly difficult to get over on your own, once you’ve tried everything else. Well now that there is Ambien, those who suffer from the countless nights of no sleep can finally find relief. After you’ve experienced trying everything else, Ambien is the best bet.

Ambien is a sleep medication that can only be prescribed by your healthcare provider. Talking to your doctor may be the best way to determine the disease. Whether you are trying to regain your sleep pattern after extended traveling or you simply cannot get the sleep you know your body needs, having the right sleep aide will allow you to get yourself back on track.

You should know that you should have at least 8 hours of sleep to give to your medication as this will give you the solid sleep you want. Also, you may feel groggy during the day after the first few times you use it. For those who believe that they can regain their sleep pattern all on their own, they may be fighting an uphill battle. For the most part, having a sleep aide like Ambien and the guidelines that your physician provides you when using Ambien is the best way to get your sleep. Now is the time to take control of your life and you can do so with the help of Ambien. Start sleeping today!

What’s with the spam filter these days?

September 10th, 2008

My mailbox is daily worried by thousands of spam messages. Gone are the days when I could just tweak the filter to include the latest permutation on Viagra. Now these clever spammers are into jpgs and all kinds of other tricks to get through the mail servers. Images are hard to filter out. It’s not that I mind being reminded every now and then what the wonderful little blue pill can do. Why this post? In the end every day I have a strong feeling of dejavu. When I was just starting out in IT back in the 70s, one of the standard tools was ASCII - a code for characters, numbers, symbols, etc. And what did we clever people do when we got bored? We made pictures out of all those characters. After all, there was that time a year or so back when I had a bad patch and found out how good Viagra is. But to have something every few minutes is just egregiously bad. So it made me sit up and take notice - just like taking Viagra really. Those clever spammers have found a new way to beat the filters.

What do you know about the hot spots?

September 10th, 2008

Your spots have already made you the professional in hot spots all around the world. That acne is just crowding out all your good features and leaving a red, spotty mess. You’re lining up to take the Accutane - signing up for the iPledge is a real pain but it will all be worth it when the acne’s gone. Foreigners are really weird. But you are the best exprert in hot spots, just like all these men in UN. Indonesia is just so way out there. Actually, you probably don’t know where Indonesia is, but, hey, it’s weird that anyone should talk about spots like that. So you stop and then smile. It is not very similar to what you think. You’ve just got acne on your mind. It seems those Indonesians burn their forests and our great network of spy satellites can see the hot spots where the fires are burning most fiercely. That’s why you’ve signed the iPledge and your parents are going to buy Accutane online. With a little luck, it will all be gone in six months time.

Pesky ticks on the march

September 9th, 2008

That means we have to get interested in Lyme disease all over again. So let’s get the bad news out of the way first. The number of cases has been increasing drastically and the infections are getting more virulent. Because more people are building their houses out in the countryside where there are deer and other animals that carry the ticks. Now add in climate change. It’s influencing tick feeding behavior. The result is a surge in the number of serious cases of infection. The good news is that Doxy continues to be a steady performer. You pop the pills for two to four weeks, and the infection clears up. So this year, more people are getting the chance to see this antibiotic at work. But over the next two years, there likely to be a change. The Center for Disease Control has begun development of a slow release version of Doxycycline-like drug. This may be by injection or by patch for those who are needle-shy. Final aim is to replace therapy by the single procedure. Until this comes out of the lab, you’ll just have to pop the tablets, but life may soon improve.