Did you know that when Viagra was launched back in 1998 (it is ten years old now!), it became the quickest selling drug in history. Pfizer can claim to have sold 37 million Viagra tablets in the UK alone. Viagra despite competition from other similar erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis and Levitra is still the best selling impotence medication worldwide and its name is the best known drug brand name in the world.
For every properly made Viagra tablet it is estimated that at least two counterfeit ones are made in illegal factories around the world. Most of these factories are in China and India and it is reckoned that around 50 percent of what they produce is substandard and possibly dangerous. Contrary to what many people think, you will not get an erection only by taking a Viagra tablet. Unless you are actually sexually aroused you could take a Viagra tablet and not get a single erection in the four hour time window for it to work.
Despite the fact that impotence has become a topic that people are not embarrassed to talk about any more many men are still too shy to go to a doctor and get help. Legal online websites such as Ukmedix help hundreds of men every year by allowing them to have online consultations with a doctor for their erection problems. (more…)
It’s worth taking a look at the Mediterranean Diet – not just for its health benefits, but for the economic advantages as well. A recent report in BMJ (that’s what they call themselves. They used to be the British Medical Journal, but they got modern) seems to confirm that this type of diet, heavy on fruits, vegetables, fish and with lots of olive oil, beans and whole grain cereals, reduces the risk of heart disease, Parkinsons and Alezheimer’s Diseases and cancer, certainly as compared with the American diet of red meat and saturated fat.
What seems important is that the Mediterranean Diet not only keep you healthy, which reduces drug costs, but it’s relatively inexpensive, so that it reduces food costs as well. Lots of people, when they try to economize, opt for low cost foods, which means more starch and saturated fats. Yes, fish can cost more than beef, but that’s a matter of shopping – and there are plenty of low cost fish available. Vegetables and beans are relatively inexpensive, and cheap olive oil has the same health benefits as the expensive stuff. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Diet can reduce cholesterol and blood sugars, and may lead to weight loss, which is also very beneficial for type 2 diabetes. One of the best ways to cut back on drug costs is simply to stay healthy, and the proper diet can do that. But – keep in mind that in this context “diet” doesn’t mean “lose a size by Christmas” – it’s a lifelong commitment. It might be a good idea to check some cookbooks out of the library.
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/337/sep11_2/a1344?fmr
Sometimes, when medical costs get too high, people turn to complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM). The trouble is, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between CAM and quackery, and lots of quacks do hide themselves behind the mantle of a traditional form of care. Finding a reliable source of information can be difficult. For those people who are interested in herbalism, the American Botanical Council has an English Language edition of The Cimplete German Commission E Monographs and a companion volume entitled Herbal Medicine. Commission E is the German equivalent of the United States Food and Drug Administration, and they’ve done a thorough review of a lot of herbal remedies in common use. The reports are objective – some work, others don’t. The monographs also report on appropriate doses and dosage forms. What’s important is that the Commission wasn’t carrying an ax for either side. Some natural product advocates reject anything that’s made by a pharmaceutical manufacturer, and some physicians reject anything that isn’t from a company traded in one of thr major stock exchanges.
If your library doesn’t have a copy, ask your librarian if it’s possible to get one on interlibrary loan. This is one source you can trust.
There’s more reason to talk to your pharmacist. Back in 2006, the Journal of the American College of Physicians published a study on how well people understand prescription labels. It turns out that a lot of people don’t – at least not well enough to take their medication properly. Predictably, people with the lowest literacy had the most trouble, but even people who seemed to understand the proper way to take medication, people with high literacy levels, didn’t really understand. As many as 27% of college graduates didn’t understand how to take their medications, and how you take your medication can make a difference in how well it works, or if it works at all.
Whatever pharmacy you go to, you’re going to get the same drug, That’s why it pays to shop around. Go to two different restaurants and there can be big differences between two dishes with the same name, but drugs are going to be the same regardless of whether you go to a chain store or an independent, a high or low volume store. But, if you do choose to use several pharmacies to fill your prescriptions, be sure you speak to the pharmacist at every single one of them, and let them know all the drugs you’re taking – all of them. That includes over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements. It includes stuff you’re buying at the pharmacy, the discount store, supermarket, and on-line.
The reason for having pharmacists and not just technicians counting and pouring pills is because drug therapy has become increasingly complicated, and as people take more and more drugs, it’s more important to keep track of doses and interactions. Physicians usually know a lot about a small number of drugs, but don’t know all that much about the drugs they don’t routinely prescribe – that’s why pharmacists are essential. But, if they only see one prescription, they can’t do a proper evaluation.
And don’t be embarrassed to let them know you’re shopping for the best price. It may not be the best way to make friends, but the pharmacist is providing a professional service that’s included in the price of the drug. Feel free to ask.
The State of Michigan has a web site devoted to drug price comparisons, and here’s how they put it:
A Word To Safety
It is wise for consumers to keep track of the medications they are taking in order to avoid potentially harmful drug interactions, prevent possible drug duplication, and allergic reactions. If you do decide to shop at more than one pharmacy, make sure that you inform all of your pharmacists of all of the drugs you are taking.
If anybody asks, you don’t want fried with that. Have an apple instead.
It’s never a good idea to jump to conclusions from a single study, no matter how well designed it was. Still, a study from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain, published in the journal Gerontology in May 2008 had interesting results. The researchers looked at the diet habits of 288 people between the ages of 60 and 85 to see if any patterns of food intake could be associated with long life. They adjusted for age, gender, energy intake, chewing ability, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, physical activity, smoking habit, self-perceived health, education level and the institution from which participants were recruited. When they got done, they found that long life was directly associated with higher fruit intake, while people who ate more potatoes died earlier.
The authors of the paper aren’t convinced that eating potatoes is bad for your health – this type of result sometimes turns up by chance, and that’s why studies should be repeated a few times until there’s an obvious pattern, but if your goal in life is to make it to 100, you may want to take a look at your shopping list.
In the September-October 2008 issue of Mother Jones magazine, there’s an article by James Ridgeway about Medicare part D, the prescription drug benefit. Mr. Ridgeway is a respected journalist and author, with book and movie credits. Although his article has no new information, it does describe his own tribulations both in selecting the best plan for himself, and the way in which part D was devised, which led him into the dreaded “donut hole” where the benefit stopped offering any benefits.
While the article doesn’t offer much in the way of useful advice, it’s wonderfully reassuring. If Mr. Ridgeway could have these problems, then anybody can.