Face it: facial hair on women is out.
A mustache isn’t cool on a beautiful brunette.
Even your favorite granny could do without the chin whiskers.
Though granny would probably pass on treatment, there is a medication for this condition: Vaniqa. Vaniqa is thought to work by blocking an enzyme in the hair follicle that is necessary for hair growth. The cream is applied twice daily to areas of unwanted facial hair growth.
Does this mean an end to plucking, waxing, and shaving? Continue reading
If I moved to a desert island, what medicine would I take with me? It’s something I’ve pondered over the years. It’s easy to say what I wouldn’t bring – no cholesterol medicine, no diet drugs, no wrinkle cream.
What’s really necessary? What’s really useful?
For this blog I’ll stick with medicine available inexpensively over-the-counter. That’s another way of saying, what should you keep in your medicine cabinet? Or take on a cruise? Continue reading
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One problem with healthcare is that patients – and often doctors – don’t know what medical testing costs.
But this trend is changing, especially where screening tests are offered at retail outlets
Take Winn-Dixie, for example. After you read this blog entry, surf on over to http://www.winndixie.com/Health/Health_Wellness.asp for a list of screening blood tests with prices available through their pharmacies. Continue reading
You’ve seen the commercials, haven’t you? Low T (low testosterone).
Would you spend $275 a month on a prescription cream to make you feel like a man again?
Good question. Continue reading
Is a good night’s sleep worth $5,010?
According to a 2009 study, that’s the annual per-person cost of insomnia syndrome (in Quebec).
Of this, $4,717 is considered indirect cost, primarily loss of productivity, including job absenteeism. Only $293 is spent directly on health care and medication related to insomnia.
(see www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090101083258.htm) Continue reading
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Many asthma and COPD patients could be breathing better if they used a long-acting controller medication on a daily basis.
Of course, many of these patients could also breathe better if they stopped smoking or avoided exposure to animals, but I’ll leave that for another day.
Today I’ll address one issue only. Perhaps your doctor has advised you to try a controller drug but so far you’ve avoided doing so due to the cost. You really don’t know how much better you’d feel. But you can find out - and for free. Continue reading
If you’re reading this you probably already know Flomax® is a drug for the prostate.
Word is out, the drug has gone generic and is now available at retail pharmacies.
Checking local pharmacies today, I found the retail price for a 30-day prescription of brand name drug running about $145 to $151. Continue reading
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Do you have adult children who lack health insurance?
One provision of the 2010 health reform bill requires insurance companies to allow young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan up to their 26th birthday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released details of the new law at: www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/adult_child_fact_sheet.html.
Although the required implementation date is Sept. 23, 2010 some companies have volunteered to make this coverage available now. If you have a child Continue reading
Quit Medicare – here’s how.
Recently I received a medical journal informing doctors how to opt-out of Medicare. At least for now, doctors are permitted to make this decision.
What is opting-out anyway?
To receive payment through Medicare, doctors must sign a contract agreeing to Medicare regulations, including a fee schedule. There is no negotiating these fees – it’s take it or leave it. With the vast majority of individuals over 65 covered through Medicare, there has been a great incentive to participate in the program. In return for agreeing to discounted fees, doctors have ready access to a large patient base. Continue reading
By popular demand I have imported this article from my other blog, www.armageddonmedicine.net. It is excerpted from my upcoming book, Armageddon Medicine.
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The American medical establishment is beginning to examine the role of herbal therapies in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, primarily Type 2 (adult onset, non-insulin dependent). Unfortunately, without pharmaceutical companies to fund the research, comprehensive studies are not likely to be performed. To date, there are no official recommendations for using herbal preparations in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.
However, in the event no medication is available, what treatments might diabetics consider for themselves? Is there any scientific evidence for effectiveness of herbal therapy?
Chromium picolinate is known to lower blood glucose levels in both humans and animals, probably by lowering insulin resistance. Limited medical literature reports improvements in long-term blood sugar control in patients taking 100 to 500 micrograms twice daily. There have been a few reports of renal (kidney) failure with high dosages. Continue reading
Swollen legs. They just make a person want to sit down and rest.
Why do legs swell anyway?
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Normally the arterial circulation and venous circulation are in balance. The same amount of fluid that reaches the legs via the arteries is removed on the return trip, through the venous (and lymphatic) circulation. Proper circulation is also a matter of pressure: the external pressure (air pressure) should be counter-balanced by the internal pressure (pressure in the circulation).
When these things get out of balance, legs swell.
Common causes of leg swelling include: Continue reading
It’s summertime . . . somewhere! Hurray!
Time for bee stings, poison ivy, cuts and scrapes, sunburn, spider bites, sprains and strains.
Before you leave for your holiday picnic, listen as Big Bob interviews Dr. Koelker on how to protect yourself AND save money on summertime woes.
Click to listen at EZHelp.org.
http://ezhelp.org/tape/interview_koelker2.m3u
