In recent years, the introduction of new medicines and treatments has exponentially increased the ability to handle and treat major diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 1975 and 2000, the world consumption of pharmaceutical products increased drastically from US$ 70 billion to US$ 317 billion, with a consumption of medicines per capita […]
Thousands of years after humans discovered the pain-relieving effects of resin from opium poppies, clinicians still rely on opioids, which are drugs derived from poppies or synthetic versions, to treat severe pain, which reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the brain. Opioids bind to specific receptors in the nerve system, mimicking a natural neurotransmitter […]
The problem of antibiotic resistance is real and it has to be tackled on many fronts. The scale of the problem should not be underestimated. It is no longer a worry for the future, it is happening right now in many parts of the world including the UK. We are already seeing bacteria becoming resistant […]
Glucosamine is a popular supplement taken by many people to ease the pain of joint complaints including arthritis. However, the evidence that it actually works has always been a little flimsy, although a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine did suggest that 80 per cent of osteoarthritis sufferers with moderate or worse knee pain, showed […]
Popping a vitamin pill is something we do to try and stay healthy. It is no surprise that the over-65s are around twice as likely as the under-24s to take supplements. But do they actually work? In the case of antioxidants, including Vitamin C, A, and E, there is conflicting evidence about their health benefits. A number of […]
Increasing antibiotic resistance is a global health emergency. According to the World Health Organisation, without urgent, coordinated action, the world is heading towards a ‘post-antibiotic era’ when drugs used routinely to treat infection will be useless. There are already antibiotic resistant strains of the sexually transmitted disease Gonorrhoea and syphilis, which are both caused by […]
Drugs to alleviate symptoms; drugs to prolong life; drugs to counteract side effects of other drugs. Doctors’ prescribing powers in the face of illness have never been greater, and patients’ lists of medicines to take have never been longer. By the time you are receiving care in a nursing home, it is quite likely that […]
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