Heart Attack Prevention Tips

Heart Attack Prevention Tips
Heart Attack Prevention Tips

While some have to fight the battle of the bulge for mere shallow reasons, there are those who do all the dieting and exercising to reduce their cholesterol levels just to stay alive. And while cholesterol is an important component of the membranes of cells, playing an important part in maintaining brain synapses as well as in the immune system, it is also the largest cause of heart attack and stroke.

While it is great that most people who are suffering from high levels of cholesterol go to their dieticians to have their daily eating habits tweaked by following a strict meal plan in order to help them lower their cholesterol levels (hopefully back to normal levels), some people have really gone overboard, but if you feel compelled to lower your cholestorol, consult with your doctor, most doctors are fine with prescribing cholesterol reducing drugs.

When coupled with a healthy diet and regular exercise, the drugs can make quite a difference in your cholesterol levels, at least enough that your levels can be considered safe.

There are four kinds of cholesterol reducing drugs:

1. Bile acid

Sequesterants are cholesterol reducing drugs that aim to bind with the bile that is being produced by one’s liver. The bile helps out in our digestion as well as in the absorption of fats from the intestine. This cholesterol reducing drug blocks out the digestion of fats from the bile to help prevent the formation of cholesterol. Various cholesterol reducing drugs in this category are the following:

• Colestipol
• Colestid
• Coleseyalam
• Welchol
• Cholestyramine
• Questran

2. Statins

Popularly known as statins, the HMG-CoA inhibitors are cholesterol reducing drugs that prevent the enzyme called 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-conenzyme, a reductase, from converting fat into cholesterol. This cholesterol reducing drug is seen as the most effective one in the market today and does some added good to one’s body as 2003 reports claim that people with heart failure but no coronary artery diseases receive great benefits from this in as early as 14 weeks.

Popular drugs from this cholesterol reducing drug group include:

• Simvastatin
• Zocor
• Cerivastatin
• Baycol 
• Fluvastatin
• Lescol
• Lovastatin
• Mevacor
• Prevastatin
• Pravachol
• Atorvastatin
• Lipitor

3. Fibric Acid

The cholesterol reducing drug called fibric acid and its derivaties are less effective than the statins when in comes to lowering one’s cholesterol level.

Popular drugs under this kind of cholesterol reducing drugs are:

• Clofibrate
• Atormid-S
• Gemfibrozil
• Lopid
• Fenofribrate
• Tricor

Niacin, or vitamin B-3, also is effective in lowering cholesterol levels. Although the normal vitamin dose of niacin is only set at 20 mg for each day, the dose required to reduce cholesterol levels is at least 500 mg each day. Niacin helps reduce cholesterol by inhibiting very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion in the bloodstream.

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Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs As A Serious Risk Factor For Ulcer

Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs As A Serious Risk Factor For Ulcer
Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs As A Serious Risk Factor For Ulcer

Ulcer is a common type of digestive disorder that can affect different levels of the gastrointestinal system. Ulcer generally causes inflammation and open lesions to the soft tissues and organs of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common types of ulcer are duodenal and stomach ulcer. While most duodenal ulcers are mild, stomach ulcers can lead to serious complications such as perforation of the stomach wall and internal bleeding. In some cases, stomach ulcer can eventually lead to gastric cancer, a life-threatening disease.

There are various causes and risk factors of stomach ulcer. The major causes of stomach ulcer are infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria and the stomach’s overproduction of digestive fluids. The categories at risk of developing stomach ulcer are: people with ages over 50, smokers, people who have suffered abdominal surgery, people who have acquired abdominal injuries and people who follow ongoing treatments with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

Recent studies have revealed that certain medications have a great contribution in the occurrence of stomach ulcer. Commonly prescribed in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs greatly increase the risk of developing stomach ulcer. These drugs affect the digestive system on multiple levels: they weaken the mucosal protective cover of the internal organs; they stimulate an overproduction of gastric acid and pepsin; they perturb the blood circulation at the level of the stomach.

Diclofenac is a common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescribed in the treatment of arthritis. This medication is known to block the body’s production of cox enzymes, chemicals that have a very important role in renewing the stomach’s protective mucosal cover, considerably increasing the risk of developing stomach ulcer. Statistics indicate that ongoing treatment with Diclofenac is responsible for causing more than 150.000 new annual cases of ulcer in the United States. Furthermore, an annual number of 10.000 patients who follow prolonged treatments with this drug are expected to die as a consequence of ulcer complications.

Although new generation non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Celebrex are considered to be safe, most patients who follow prolonged treatments with these medications also develop ulcer or other gastrointestinal disorders. Recent studies indicate that more than 10 percent of patients who receive ongoing treatment for arthritis develop recurrent ulcers. In time, some of these patients also develop serious complications such as perforated or bleeding ulcers.

In present, medical science is unable to replace non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with other safer medications. Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have many side-effects, they are also the primary option in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. In order to prevent the occurrence of ulcer in patients who receive such medication treatments, this category of people should benefit from frequent medical examinations.

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How Drug And Alcohol Testing Are Carried Out On Drivers

How Drug And Alcohol Testing Are Carried Out On Drivers

Drug and alcohol tests vary -testing is required for most driver’s license applicants and before a driver’s license renewal. Nevertheless, it depends on the state a driver resides in really.

Some states have passed laws that empower the police to randomly test drivers for the presence of cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol), commonly known as marijuana, and methamphetamines, commonly known as speed ice or crystal meth. Even a driver’s saliva can be tested with an “absorbent collector” – whereby an individual presses their tongue to a “collector” and then chews on it. If a driver tests positive for any of these drugs, their license is immediately cancelled.

“Drug driving” is the term used for those who operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. There are different consequences for those guilty of “drug driving” that depend on precisely what substances were in their system at the time.

Also, “drugs” has a different connotation to authorities than they would to let’s say, a pharmacist. When a police officer thinks of drugs, he means depressants like cannabis, methadone and heroin, stimulants like speed, cocaine and ecstasy, and hallucinogens such as LSD. Even so, there are some prescription drugs that affect driving, like tranquilizing drugs (rohypnol and oxazepam), which cause drowsiness and render a person unfit to operate a vehicle.

Surveys show that the number of road accidents is directly related to the amount of drivers under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol on the road. And sadly, a large number of those who are involved in accidents due to “drug driving,” die. Some studies show that because the prevalence of different drugs has increased over the decade, so has the number of car accident casualties.

While it is easy to correlate drug use with motorist deaths, there is not a cause-effect relationship that can be proven as of yet but it is still interesting to note. And clearly, a diver who is free of drugs and alcohol is a safer driver than a driver under the influence. Legislators have the responsibility of carefully designing laws that limit “drug driving” and ultimately, the number of dangerous and fatal car accidents.

A person’s capacity to handle the effects of drugs and alcohol certainly play a role in determining the degree of impairment they will experience while on the road. But this is very difficult to determine, as a person’s tolerance of various substances is based on many different factors, like genes, past exposure, and even their diet that day. Likewise, the specific combination of drugs and alcohol can have unpredictable effects on a person. Essentially, it’s all a precariously inexact science.

Hence, police officers must make general observations in order to determine if a driver is a potential threat on the road. Those abusing depressants tend to have slow reactions and reduced concentration – for example, cannabis users usually have trouble keeping their car in the correct lane and encounter difficulty maneuvering on busy roads and intersections.

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Cutting Prescription Drug Costs

There are a number of ways to cut prescription drug costs-without sacrificing safety or effectiveness. Try these tips:

• What’s In A Name?-Finding generic versions of name-brand drugs can cut costs by a significant percentage. For instance, people who take one of the more popular cholesterol-lowering drugs could save about $175 per prescription if they stuck to the generic versions.

• Finding Generics-Your pharmacist or doctor can tell you if the generic version of a drug is readily available in the U.S. You can also check with groups such as 1-800-USAVERX. The company gets drugs from FDA and World Health Organization (WHO)-approved facilities overseas. These markets do not have the same pricing regulations and patent laws as those found in the U.S. As a result, the company can offer generic versions of name-brand drugs-even if those generic versions are not available in U.S. pharmacies-at lower prices. Additionally, it offers name-brand drugs at significant discounts (about 60 percent) compared to U.S. prices.

For instance, Nexium is sold in the U.S. at a price of about $420 per 100 pills. The company offers the same pills for about $320. The generic version of the drug sells for about $200. Similarly, those taking a name-brand arthritis drug that sells for about $260 in the U.S. could get the same drug for about $180 from the company. The generic version would cost about $105. In addition, people can visit the site for discounts on Lipitor, Plavix and Fosamax.

The site also carries lower-priced versions of brand-name HIV/AIDS drugs as well as generic versions of the drugs that are not available in the U.S. The site gets its HIV/AIDS drugs from the same companies that sell the drugs to the Clinton Foundation’s AIDS project.

All the drugs offered on the site are priced lower than they are on the Medicare prescription drug plan and it offers the most popular medications for your pets as well.

• Safe Alternatives-The company deals only with drug facilities that are approved by the FDA and the WHO, meaning the safety and efficacy of its drugs are strictly regulated. Additionally, the brand names it offers are identical to the brand names available in the U.S. Also, the company only deals with people who have prescriptions from doctors.

• An Ounce Of Prevention-Taking steps to control your health may also help control your drug costs. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage your condition or to prevent health problems from happening in the first place. Simple things, such as exercising regularly and eating a balanced, lower-fat diet, could help keep you and your wallet in shape.

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Buying Prescription Drugs In Canada

For a long time, Americans who are increasingly facing low supplies and high costs have been heading north to purchase their prescription drugs at stores in Canada. The volume of business is expected to be millions of prescriptions filled every year. And during recent elections, many candidates ran on platforms seeking to legalize the practice that many citizens are engaging in whether it is illegal or not.

To combat both the election hopefuls and the United States citizens who are currently ignoring the pricy prescription drugs on American shelves, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is claiming that many imported drugs are unsafe. There is more evidence to the contrary, however.

Many of the prescription drugs that are available on American pharmacy shelves quite legally, are already manufactured in and shipped from foreign countries. This is counter to the PRMA’s assertions that imported drugs are unfit or dangerous. Many industry insiders agree that the association is representing solely the interests of American pharmaceutical companies, who directly benefit from inflated drug prices. Like many other countries, Canada’s prescription drugs, like the prescription drugs of every industrialized nation with the exception of the United States, are kept relatively inexpensive due to price controls.

The FDA is in step with the PRMA, although it is similarly vague in assertions that buying prescription drugs in Canada is dangerous. In an interview with Kiplinger’s, William Hubbard, the FDA’s associate commissioner for policy and learning, stated “We know there are good drugs and bad drugs in Canada, but we can’t tell you which ones are which.”

The fact is, most Canadian prescription drugs are not FDA approved, however Canadian food and drug standards are comparable to those of the United States’, and the argument that Canadian prescription drugs are unsafe, remains fairly unsupported. So far, the stream of American buyers seems to indicate the belief that buying prescription drugs from a reputable Canadian drug store is only dangerous to the large American pharmaceutical companies who have a vested interest in keeping drug prices high.

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