Daily Health and Medicine News

Swine Flu Today

Diagnosis ‘could have saved girl’

A schoolgirl who died of an infection after being told she had swine flu may have survived if different diagnoses had been made, a coroner has ruled.

But the Coroner for Mid and North Shropshire, John Ellery, said the initial diagnoses given to 16-year-old Charlotte Hartey were “reasonable ones to have made” when she was first taken ill.

A two-day inquest at Shrewsbury Magistrates’ Court was told that Charlotte, from Bronygarth, near Oswestry, Shropshire, succumbed to an “incredibly rare” bacteria which caused tonsillitis and led to bronchial pneumonia.

The inquest heard that the teenager was first triaged over the telephone during last year’s swine flu pandemic and given anti-viral drugs.

A second doctor carried out a home visit two days later and agreed with the diagnosis of swine flu, but also prescribed antibiotics after noticing that Charlotte’s throat was inflamed.

Charlotte was admitted to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on July 29 – seven days after being prescribed Tamiflu – when blood tests showed a high white blood cell count.

Mr Ellery, who heard that the hospital trust has since acted on twelve recommendations made by a report into the death, identified significant concerns in the care Charlotte received at the hospital prior to her death on July 31 last year.

Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Ellery said: “It is true that Charlotte died from natural causes, but that would not encapsulate the issues which this inquest has addressed.

“Charlotte was diagnosed with swine flu by telephone on July 22. This diagnosis was confirmed following a home visit by another doctor on July 24.

“The evidence indicated that such diagnoses were reasonable ones to have made at the time, but later investigations indicated that they were probably incorrect.”

Keeping the flu out of your office this season: 3 keys

Year-end is right around the corner for Finance, and the last thing you need is a big chunk of your staff to falling victim to the flu.

So here are some things you can do to make this year’s flu season as painless as possible:

1. Encourage them to get vaccinated … again. This year’s flu vaccine includes protection against three types of influenza – H1N1 (swine flu), H3N2 and a B strain. Many people falsely believe that if they received the H1N1 vaccine last year, they don’t have to get a shot this year. Let them know it’s still important to protect themselves against other strains of flu.

2. Make it easy. If your company offers flu shots onsite, it’s important to bombard workers with constant reminders so they don’t accidentally miss out or forget to get a shot. One way: Frequent e-mails with bold subject lines proclaiming: FRIENDLY REMINDER – FLU SHOT THIS WED.

For employers that offer free or discounted shots offsite, finding a location should be as painless as possible for employees. Best bet: Use a variety of tactics (e-mail, intranet, company bulletin board, etc.) to help people find a convenient spot to go. In addition, there are plenty of websites that will help employees find a location by simply typing in an address or zip code, like this one.

3. Give heroes incentives to stay home. The majority of employees know better than to come into the office when they’re not feeling well. But one flu-stricken worker who decides to tough it out can end up wreaking havoc on the entire office.

One way to prevent this: updating your attendance policy to allow for more sick time during flu season. Also, letting employees work from home until all symptoms subside helps ensure they don’t come back too soon – and get their co-workers sick.

Swine Flu: Are We Being Force-Fed Dangerous Vaccines?

The H1N1 vaccine is included in this years seasonal flu jab along with two other strains. Initially the government’s policy was to only offer the jab to high-risk groups, such as those with long-term illnesses. Of course, there is major concern in the public domain, and patients’ groups have expressed anger over this year’s seasonal flu jab programme because people are unable to opt out of having the swine flu vaccine. There should be a choice!

A recent newspaper article reports that the H1N1 virus killed 14 British healthy children, and caused 70 deaths in children under the age of 16.

Who did the research?

Sir Liam Donaldson, former chief medical officer in the UK, during the wake of the H1N1 scare…

When asked in September last year how dangerous he thought the Swine Flu virus was, Sir Liam answered: ‘It isn’t a killer, but it can kill people… I don’t think we need to fear it, because for many people it will be a mild illness…’

Now it seems his story has changed… The findings of his recent study were published in the journal The Lancet, and support the latest government initiative to have all children vaccinated against H1N1.

Force-feeding dangerous vaccines

The H1N1 vaccine is included in this years seasonal flu jab along with two other strains. Initially the government’s policy was to only offer the jab to high-risk groups, such as those with long-term illnesses.

However, Sir Liam’s research now seems to push the initiative in a new direction, by claiming that children are at greatest risk this winter and should be prioritised in receiving the H1N1 vaccine!

I am so passionate about this contentious topic, that last week, I took part in a radio interview on Talk Radio Europe, along with Prof John Oxford who is a world renowned virologist and very much in favour of this vaccination programme.

In the interview, Prof. Oxford said that the vaccine is perfectly safe and that none of the concerns about its safety, last year, transpired in any way!

Really?

What about the report by the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW), presented to the Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group (VRAW) in September 2010, stating that as many as 3,587 cases of either miscarriages or still births have been reported by women who received the vaccine when pregnant?

That’s not all, Australian officials were aware of children getting sick with fever, vomiting and convulsions, yet they still encouraged parents with infants, children, and teens to be vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine.

Then there’s the fact that in August this year, the Finnish Institute of Health (THL) proposed to suspend vaccinations for H1N1 after six children were reported to suffer with neurological side effects after receiving the vaccine — nine more cases are in the process of being confirmed.

In the UK, the vaccine has also been linked to fevers in young children, temporary paralysis and narcolepsy.

In November 2009, in Canada, health authorities called for a withdrawal of 170,000 doses of the vaccine after concerns were expressed about adverse reactions such as immediate anaphylactic reactions, to the vaccine.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in the UK, received nearly 8,600 suspected adverse reactions to the swine flu jab during the pandemic last winter.

Currently UK government health experts are examining a possible association between the H1N1 swine flu jab and the paralysing nerve disease Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

How then can they claim it’s safe?

Of course, there is major concern in the public domain, and patients’ groups have expressed anger over this year’s seasonal flu jab programme because people are unable to opt out of having the swine flu vaccine.

There should be a choice!

If there was one, the medical authorities would see (as they did last year) that the majority of people will use common sense and not have this fast-tracked, untested and potentially dangerous vaccine. So much so, last year, only 6 per cent of the population in France and Germany took the vaccine and in the UK hospital staff and medical personnel openly refused to take it, because of safety concerns! It doesn’t fill you with confidence when even your own doctor won’t take it!

No one in the medical mainstream has stepped forward with conclusive evidence, meaning comprehensive gold-standard medical trials, to prove the effectiveness and above all the safety of this vaccine.

Instead, we are being fobbed-off with a remark, stating that none of the concerns surrounding the safety of the vaccine transpired.

Does this mean we should risk having a second go this winter, to see if our concerns are realised?

Diabetes Treatment News

Diabetes treatment claims are false: FTC

Claims by a California company that its dietary supplements can treat diabetes and insulin resistance are false and misleading, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC has filed suit against Wellness Support Network and its principals, Robert and Robyn Held, calling on a judge to halt the claims and force the company to refund consumers and give up all ill-gotten gains.
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WSN products are promoted on a number of websites including its own realfoodnutrients.com. It continues to claim Nobel Prize-winning technology and more than 60 independent American University studies backing its Diabetes Support Pack.

The Diabetes Support Pack contains three products, which consist primarily of vitamins, minerals and plant extracts. The Insulin Resistance Pack consists of the same three products. They each sell for $76.70 for a 30-day supply.

Among the claims the FTC says are false or not supported by evidence:

The Diabetes Support Pack is proven as an effective treatment for diabetes, reduces or eliminates the need for insulin or other diabetes medications, and is proven to cause an average 31.9 per cent drop in blood glucose levels.

The Insulin Resistance Pack reverses and manages insulin resistance, is proven to be an effective treatment for insulin resistance, prevents diabetes, and is proven to cause an average 31.0 per cent drop in glucose levels.

This is not the first time WSN has run afoul of regulators.

Four years ago the company was sent a warning letter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stating its website violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by making therapeutic claims.

The warning letter also stated: “Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced conditions.”
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As of Friday afternoon, it appeared the company had not taken action on either complaint.

Study on insulin-creating cell may lead to better diabetes treatment

A new study has revealed that beta cells-responsible for making insulin in the human body-do not replicate after the age of 30, indicating that scientists are closer to advancements in diabetes treatment.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a loss of beta cells by auto-immunity while type 2 is due to a relative insufficiency of beta cells.

By using radioactive carbon-14 produced by above ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and ’60s, researchers have determined that the number of beta cells remains static after age 30.

Bruce Buchholz of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist and collaborators from the National Institutes of Health used two methods to examine adult human beta cell turnover and longevity.

Using LLNL’s Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Buchholz measured the amount of carbon 14 in DNA in beta cells and discovered that after age 30, the body does not create any new beta cells, thus decreasing the capacity to produce insulin as a person ages.

Because DNA is stable after a cell has gone through its last cell division, the concentration of carbon 14 in DNA serves as a date mark for when a cell was born and can be used to date cells in humans.

“We found that beta cells turnover up to about age 30, and there they remain throughout life. The findings have implications for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes,” said Buchholz.

Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body attacks beta cells. Both genetic predisposition and environmental triggers that are poorly understood have been implicated in the disease development.

However, in Type 2 diabetes (often called adult onset diabetes) is common in older people whose ability to secrete sufficient insulin to regulate blood sugar deteriorates as they age and is often due to increased demand in obese people.

“It could be due to loss of beta cells with age. The body doesn’t make new ones in adulthood and there might not be enough cells to control blood sugar,” he said.

Buchholz said there is active research in stem cell therapies to replace lost beta cells for both types of diabetes.

“But with these new findings, it isn’t clear how easy it will be to get the body to make more beta cells in adulthood, when it is not a natural process,” he said.

The findings appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (ANI)

Insulin jabs could banish unsightly scars

Giving injections of the hormone insulin is the latest treatment for reducing unsightly scars.

Insulin is best known for its role in controlling blood-sugar levels. However, insulin injections similar to those used for treating diabetes are now being given to stop or reduce the formation of excessive scar tissue after surgery.

It’s thought the hormone can also speed up healing and even repair old scars.

More than six million people have surgery every year in Britain, and many are left with unsightly scarring; some patients suffer from depression as a result.

The scars themselves can remain ­permanently tender and painful.

When the skin is damaged, the healing process creates scar tissue to seal the opening as quickly as possible to reduce blood and tissue loss and prevent infection.

However, this fibrous scar tissue is inferior to normal skin because quality is sacrificed for speed of creating a barrier.

It is less elastic, less resistant to ultra-violet light and has no sweat glands or hair.

It is also red because of increased blood flow; in some cases it might stay that way for many years.

Preventing or reducing scar tissue has been the focus of much research, and one of the latest approaches is to use insulin.

The hormone is produced by the pancreas and works to mop up sugar from the blood. However, some studies have shown that in small quantities it can also reduce scarring.

In one study, women having breast reduction surgery had insulin injected into the wound on one side and a placebo injected into the other. The results showed that breasts treated with insulin had significantly less scarring.

Another series of tests at the University of California showed that cuts treated with insulin healed faster. Those on arms healed 2.4 days faster than the wounds treated with saline (a salt water solution).

There have also been suggestions that insulin might have a beneficial effect on old scars.

In one study, a woman who had a deep scar on her arm was given insulin jabs into the area. Researchers say after 82 days of daily insulin injections, the there was no evidence of the scar.

It’s thought insulin reduces the amount of fibroblasts, the scar tissue-producing cells, that collect just after the wound has healed, and improves the quality of collagen they produce.

As a result, the wound is closed, but thanks to the insulin, the building up of scar tissue then stops or slows. This also encourages the growth of more normal tissue. In effect, insulin switches off the wound-healing process before it can form a scar.

It might work in other ways, too. In the treatment of old scars, for example, it is thought to trigger the production of fats and proteins which regenerate the scar tissue.

Now in a new clinical trial starting this month at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust, East Grinstead, up to 75 women will have injections of insulin after surgery.

The women, undergoing breast reduction surgery, will have a single injection of insulin or placebo along the edge of a 1in section of a scar. The effects will then be compared over the following 12 months.

‘This looks like a new and exciting application for a well-established hormone,’ says Andrew McCombe, consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at Frimley Park Hospital. ‘The potential could be immense. Poor quality wounds are a serious issue for both patients and surgeons.’

Cashews could hold the key to tackling diabetes, according to new research.

The seed of the plant contains a powerful extract that might help the body use insulin more efficiently.

Diabetes affects more than three million Britons, most of whom have type 2 diabetes, caused by poor diet and obesity (type 1 is related to immune system problems).

This makes their body less responsive to the hormone insulin, needed to mop up excess blood-sugar.

When researchers fed the cashew seed extract to rats, it boosted the cells’ ability to take up insulin, reported the Journal Of Molecular Nutrition and Food research.

Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, the researchers from Canada and Cameroon said.

Natural Remedies News

Relief From Headache In Natural Ways

Headache is a common problem, specially among the working crowd. Headache is caused due to several factors, but we can put it under three broad categories –

1.Tension – This is the most common cause of headache. Tension creates a spasm of the muscles at the back of the neck. The muscle spasm gets the tissues over the surface of the cranium and thus, the pain is felt not only on in the neck but also on the forehead.

2.Migraine – Migraine is the abnormality of the nervous system. This strain on the nervous system is caused due to eye strain, shock, stomach disorders etc. Migraine is a chronic disease which needs medical attention.

3.Cluster Headache – Cluster headaches are repetitive and gets back several times in a month. These are generally caused due to constant pressure on the nerves like alcohol consumption, chain smoking etc.

Headaches are very disturbing and restricts your attention to the pain alone. At this moment pain killer seems to be the only solution to get relief form headache. Pain killers, however, have side effects. Here are few home remedies to get relief from headache –

1.For chronic headache, eat sliced apple with salt everyday in the morning for a week.

2.Crush lemon crust into a fine powder and make it into a paste with the use of water. Apply this on the forehead. This is quick relief form headache caused due to tension.

3.Apply a small amount of Eucalyptus oil on the center of the head and cover it with a towel dipped in warm water. This is one of the most effective ways of curing pain.

4.Put 3 drops of ghee in your nostrils for a week to get rid of headache from cold.

5.Drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of honey every morning to treat chronic headache.

6.Grind watermelon seeds with poppy seeds and consume three grams of it everyday if you are suffering constant pain.

7.Application of sandalwood paste on the forehead is one of the tradition ways of curing headache.

These seven tips will surely give you quick relief from headache and does not have any side effects. They not only get you relief from headache but also treats it, so that you don’t suffer the symptoms again.

Seven natural home remedies to avoid hair loss

Despite the fact that hair loss (baldness) occurs more frequently with men, all of us lose hair every day. Hair loss in women occurs, even if only rarely, after the age of fifty. However, this should not be a reason why one (whether men or women) should slack of when it comes to hair care.

Since, more and more people are looking for natural remedies that will prevent the condition of “hair loss”; here are seven natural tips (home remedies) that will ensure that you have great hair no matter what your age is.

1. Make it a practice to eat yoghurt every day.

2. If you feel that your hair is thinning or you are losing hair, apply almond oil gently to your scalp at least two to three times a day. Another option is to apply a mixture of warm some castor oil and almond oil that you can apply to your scalp at least once a week.

3. Eating white sesame seeds every morning will ensure that large amounts of magnesium present in these seeds will nourish your scalp, and prevent hair loss.

4. Another interesting home remedy is applying a mixture of coconut milk and Aloe Vera gel to your scalp and hair three times a week. Remember to leave this mixture on your scalp and hair for at least half an hour before washing it off with warm water.

5. Another effective remedy is applying a mixture of honey and egg yolk to your scalp and hair which has to left for at least half an hour before washing it off with warm water.

6. Applying a mixture of lime seeds and black pepper (in equal amounts) in water at regular intervals can stop hair loss as well.

7. Apply and massage your hair with two drops of an essential or good vegetable oil ensuring that the oil settles into your hair well. Use a plastic wrap to cover your hair after this is done, and wrap towel around it. Leave it for two to three hours (or overnight) and then wash it off with some shampoo in the morning. Doing this regularly will rejuvenate your hair pores.

Clean Teeth For A Beautiful Smile

Do you think brushing teeth every day would be enough for a good clean teeth? Well, that’s not all. If you would like to bright and clean teeth but cannot afford expensive dental treatments, your goal is not out of reach. A few home remedies and a bit of will power will have your teeth sparkling in no time. If you lust for white, spotless, clean teeth, then you should know these natural home remedies that can give you a smile of a star in just few weeks:

1.Strawberries: Mashed strawberries or sage leaf can be applied and massaged on teeth surface.

2.Mustard oil and salt: Great whitening results can be seen if washing your teeth with a combination of mustard oil and salt.

3.Water: Food particles left in between tooth can be rinsed by gargling water.

4.Baking soda and white vinegar and salt: Cotton soaked in baking soda , vinegar & salt can be wiped to the teeth.

5.Baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide: Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixture works as a good whitening agent. It not only removes stains but also kills plaque-causing bacteria reducing acids which harm tooth enamel.

Also, some vegetables act as natural abrasives and eating them clean your teeth in a natural and harmless way, resulting in spotless clean teeth. Vegetables like Carrots, Celery and Cucumbers act like Toothbrushes.

Apart from these home remedies, quitting smoking and avoiding drinking tea and coffee will help in a long way. No matter which of these methods you want to try, remember that results can’t become visible over night and that patience is must.

Insomnia Treatment News

Treatment available for insomnia sufferers

Another sleepless night followed by a day where are you are too tired to get anything done.

This is the characteristic of insomnia, which hinders your ability to fall sleep or to stay asleep, which in turn affects your ability to function the next day.

Raed Hawa is a physician at Toronto Western Hospital who specializes in psychiatry and sleep medicine. He said what’s interesting about insomnia is it’s more a symptom of something else – sleep apnea or anxiety – rather than a standalone diagnosis.

Hawa said 90 per cent of people have this type of insomnia. However, the other 10 per cent of people have the pure form of insomnia called primary insomnia, which Hawa said is a true sleep disorder. Primary insomnia means all the other reasons you could be suffering from insomnia don’t exist.

“For example, if you’re not anxious or you’re not depressed and you don’t have apnea, leg restlessness or you’re not on medication or drugs, but you still have insomnia,” he said.

This means insomnia is bi-directional because it can cause symptoms such as apnea or anxiety or could occur as a result of those symptoms.

While there is no agreed upon definition of what insomnia is, Hawa said he defines it as a problem falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night and not being able to stay asleep (sleep fragmentation), waking up too early in the morning and an inability to fall back asleep or a combination of these symptoms.

“By the time people come to see me, they’ve had one, two or all three of these things throughout their life,” he said.

Besides sleep fragmentation, another consequence of insomnia is fatigue because people don’t get enough sleep or they have disruptive sleep. Hawa said this causes people to feel tired during the day and have low energy, which can be both detrimental and dangerous.

“People are falling asleep while driving, during a meeting or on the TTC. They are tired, feel depressed or sad, more irritable or cranky, anxiety, even physical symptoms like their stomach hurts. All this could be because of insomnia,” Hawa said.

Hawa explained there are three types of doctors who can look into sleep issues: a psychiatrist, to help with those thinking patterns and stressors that keep us awake; a respirologist or lung doctor, who deals with sleep apnea, a disorder that is brought on by breathing disruption; and a neurologist, as some sleep disorders are an indication of undiagnosed neurological issues.

Hawa said he sees people with all types of sleep issues because usually people who have one symptom or disorder also have another.

For example, people who have sleep apnea often also have insomnia and those with insomnia also have daytime sleepiness.

It’s a good idea to get treatment for insomnia, however, people must get the correct diagnosis in order to get the appropriate treatment.

The problem, Hawa said, is people rarely get treatment when they should and this could be because many people think insomnia is not harmful or that it’s just a part of getting older, because the older you get the more likely you are to suffer from insomnia, he said.

However, insomnia is classified in three ways: transient or temporary; short-term; and acute or chronic. If insomnia is chronic or persists more than a month, Hawa said it’s time to see your doctor.

“If there is no precipitant to it, stress, bad news, illness in the family, something happened that is stressful, you may not have a good sleep, but if the stress goes and the insomnia is still there this is a sign you need to get help,” he said.

Treatment options

Everyone’s insomnia is different so that means treatment also varies.

However, there are distinct approaches to treating insomnia – medication or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The latter includes altering thoughts, sleep patterns and environments, and often times a combination of the two therapies are used.

When insomnia is due to anxiety or a particularly stressful time, Hawa said the mind has trouble shutting off and is constantly thinking about things that replace sleep.

“Cognitive therapy will help to attack these thoughts and make the person deal with these thoughts and cognitions,” Hawa said, adding CBT for insomnia has three main components:

1. Talking about and dealing with the thoughts that make the patient more aroused and unable to sleep. Hawa suggested having a diary or planner to document what thoughts you have before bed. They are then discussed with the patient to try to change their thinking patterns surrounding sleep or the lack of it.

2. Sleep hygiene means the person does things such as avoid smoking, caffeine, alcohol and bright lights in the hours before bed. Essentially, they are preparing themselves and their surrounding, including make sure a room is neither to warm nor too cold.

3. Stimulus control involves things like having the same wake and go-to-sleep schedule every day and only using the bed for sleeping. This means you should wake up, be still awake in 15 minutes and get up. “You want to train your brain that the bed is equal to sleep,” he said.

Also people should avoid napping and only go to bed when they are sleepy.

Hawa said there is no sleep treatment that shouldn’t involve sleep hygiene.

Many of his patients have suffered from insomnia for years and have tried these methods with no success.

In this case, Hawa suggests trying medicine.

Technically, there is only one type of sleeping pill called zopiclone. So many doctors prescribe things such as antidepressants for the sedative quality, which is particularly good for those also suffering from anxiety and depression as a result of insomnia.

“If it’s (insomnia) so severe and you’re so dysfunctional you might need medication because any behavioural or cognitive methods take months to work (but offer more long-term benefits), whereas a medication can have an immediate effect,” Hawa said.

Hawa said there isn’t one treatment approach that fits everyone and ultimately it’s about curing their insomnia.

Insomnia is one of those things that once someone is prone to it there is the possibility of it reoccurring. There isn’t really a cure, Hawa said, but it is manageable though the right treatment.

How to stop headache pain

More than 50 percent of all people experience some form of headache in their lifetimes, as the head is the only part of the body that can experience frequent and recurrent pain unrelated to tissue pathology, said AUB’s Dr. Samir Atweh, speaking at the meeting of the Lebanese Society for the Study of Pain’s (LSSP) Update on Treatment of Headaches, held at the Rafic Hariri School of Nursing’s (HSON) Hisham Jaroudi Auditorium on October 15, 2010.

All kinds of headaches, from migraines to tension to cluster to short-lasting unilateral headaches were discussed, as well as clinical and surgical treatments for pain. Many common causes can trigger different types of headaches that vary considerably in their clinical presentation and treatment. Most common headache triggers were identified: fatigue, insomnia, anxiety and depression, stress, irregular meals, high intake or withdrawal of caffeine intake, dehydration, and reduced physical exercise.

St. Joseph University’s Dr. Joseph Maarrawi illustrated the latest surgical procedures applied to eliminate severe cases of chronic headaches such as trigeminal and occipital neuralgia.

In his paper, “Tension Type Headaches,” Lebanese University’s Dr. Jose Chidiac pointed out that alternative methods of relieving pain such as acupuncture and yoga can supplement the standard medical treatment of headaches, but he also stressed the importance of the individual patient’s belief system.

According to the World Health Organization, “Health is not only the absence of infirmity and disease, but also a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.”

HSON Director Huda Abu-Saad Huijer, also the president elect of LSSP, said similar discussions on various types of pain will be held every three months.

LSSP, an associate chapter of the International Association for the Study of Pain, plans to launch a website to make the association’s plans and expertise more accessible to the public.

Yeast Infection Treatment News

Doctors Claim Adam Lambert’s Yeast Infection Was Spread By Word Of Mouth

Word of Adam Lambert’s yeast infection has spread by word of mouth says Dr. Molrat F. Finnegan who examined the Ex-American Idol using a special bio-hazard suit and a 10-foot pole.

“Whenever the human mouth comes in contact with a bacteria like a Candida, it can spread like wildfire. In Mr. Lambert’s case it was a freakin’ hurricane!” Claims Finnegan.
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The publicist for Lambert disclaims the diagnosis as Candida, and added that, ‘Dear Adam’ merely has a sore lip from licking toilet seats as a practical joke for friends…He was just joking around!

Serious accusations popped up when Lambert was spotted wearing a surgical mask as he tried to shoo away a pack of cats that followed him into the popular night spot. Soon after, patrons began to complain of a foul odor and itching lips.

Treatment for recurrent yeast infection

How do you treat recurrent yeast infection? The patient has normal blood sugar and responds to fluconazole (Diflucan), butoconazole (Gynazole), or terconazole (Terazol), but the symptoms return. I would like a standard of care that addresses treatment using longer therapy and maintenance for prevention after symptoms are resolved.—NANCY J. YOUNG, MSN, Greensboro, N.C.

The CDC Web site lists treatment options for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. A general vaginal culture should be done to confirm the diagnosis and determine whether an atypical yeast species is responsible. Ensuring that the right species is treated can help alleviate each clinical episode and prevent recurrences. Some experts recommend a longer duration of initial therapy or repeat treatments (e.g., seven to 14 days of topical therapy or three doses of fluconazole every third day rather than single-dose therapy) to ensure full remission. Maintenance regimens are only recommended once expanded therapy has failed. Maintenance regimens, also available on the CDC Web site, include weekly oral fluconazole for six months or topical clotrimazole once or twice per week. Beyond checking blood sugar, history-taking and relevant labs should also be used to rule out other immunosuppressive conditions like HIV. Also check that your patient is not using vaginal products or other agents that can cause or exacerbate candidiasis.—Lisa Stern, APRN (143-4)

Chemistry able to prevent oral yeast infection

While studying unique chemical signaling pathways among microorganisms in the human mouth, a team of OU researchers may have discovered something much greater: a better way of treating infectious diseases, which could help lessen the risk of creating new antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Professor Robert Cichewicz of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and his collaborator Professor Felicia Qi from OU Health Sciences Center’s College of Dentistry led a team of chemists and microbiologists who discovered that a certain microorganism, Streptococcus mutans, can inhibit the growth of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans.

The inhibition of pathogenic substances is a relatively new concept. Over the years, the direct killing of pathogenic substances has led to resistant strains of bacteria, also known as superbugs.

“By inhibiting yeast this way, we can potentially inhibit the selection for resistant strains of yeast that could result in even more severe diseases,” Cichewicz said.

Traditional antibiotics could be reserved for more extreme cases.

Candida albicans exists in two stages: a relatively harmless yeast phase in which the microbe does not cause damage to the body and a pathogenic filamentous phase that has the capability of invading human tissue, Cichewicz said.

“We have discovered a molecule that inhibits a yeast cell’s morphological transformation into the latter — the filamentous phase,” Cichewicz said.

Thrush, a disease caused by human pathogenic yeast, occurs during this phase. It often appears as a white film that can be seen in the oral region, and it typically occurs in immunologically compromised individuals.

“Newborns, HIV patients, organ transplant recipients — these are all groups where thrush is likely to present itself,” Cichewicz said.

Postdoctoral fellows Matt Joyner and Trevor Ellis, graduate student Xiaoru Wang and research associate Jarrod King, all from chemistry and biochemistry, played critical roles discovering the molecule and chemically characterizing the new structure.

“Cichewicz and his team are leaders in this field,” Arthur Edison, professor of biochemistry and microbiology at the University of Florida said. “He has discovered entirely new approaches to studying the complex relationship between organisms. It’s difficult isolating and studying just one organism, but to be able to study two or more which are in entirely different kingdoms is amazing.”

This project was in collaboration with OU’s College of Dentistry.

“Dentistry will change as a field because of work like this,” Qi said. “Traditionally, we look at a problem of, say, teeth, and we come up with a mechanical solution – replacement of the teeth, etc. Now, with this work, we can attack the core issues that lead to poor dental health: the microorganisms themselves.”

The treatment is far from clinical trials, but interest is emerging quickly in this area of research.

“This could be an important tool for creating a fundamental shift in how we view the treatment of harmful microorganisms, and it has only been in the literature for a relatively short time,” Cichewicz said. “The National Institutes of Health and other medical research organizations are very interested in promoting research in areas such as this.”

Arthritis News and Treatment

For the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Surveyed European Rheumatologists Expect Well-Established TNF-Alpha Inhibitors to Lose Considerable Patient Share to Newer Agents in This Drug Class

Enbrel, Humira and Remicade Will Lose Patient Share Through 2013, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, between 2010 and 2013, surveyed European rheumatologists expect well-established TNF-alpha inhibitors to lose considerable patient share to newer agents in this drug class, most notably Centocor Ortho Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe/Janssen’s Simponi and UCB/Otsuka’s Cimzia. The increased use of newer agents such as Simponi and Cimzia will most likely occur in newly diagnosed patients and/or in patients who do not respond to initial treatment with a biologic agent.

The new European Physician & Payer Forum report entitled Rheumatoid Arthritis in Europe: How Are Physicians and Payers Responding to an Expanding Arsenal of Biologic Agents? finds that the well-entrenched TNF-alpha inhibitors that stand to lose patient share include Amgen/Pfizer/Takeda’s Enbrel, Abbott/Eisai’s Humira and Centocor Ortho Biotech/Merck/Mitsubishi Tanabe’s Remicade. Surveyed European rheumatologists expect a particularly substantial decline by 2013 in the in-class patient share of Remicade — the only currently marketed intravenous (IV) TNF-alpha inhibitor.

“However, Remicade’s lost patient share among TNF-alpha inhibitors will not be fully replaced by uptake of Simponi IV,” said Decision Resources Analyst Martin Quinn. “Additionally, considerably more physicians from France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom expect to prescribe subcutaneous Simponi than expect to prescribe Simponi IV. This trend will be least pronounced in Italy, where rheumatologists report high patient share for Remicade.”

The report findings also suggest that the opportunity to gain patient share is set to increase for recently launched and emerging biologics with alternative mechanisms of action. These agents include Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Orencia, Roche/Chugai’s RoActemra and Genmab/GlaxoSmithKline’s Arzerra. Most notably, surveyed rheumatologists from France, Italy, and Spain predict that at least 40 percent of their patients treated with TNF-alpha inhibitors will receive a subsequent biologic with an alternative mechanism of action by the end of 2013.

The report also finds that patient cost-sharing for rheumatoid arthritis drugs does not pose a significant barrier to treatment for patients in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. For example, because patients with severe progressive rheumatoid arthritis in France make no out-of-pocket payments for biologics, private insurers — most of whom cover only out-of-pocket costs — do not play a central role in determining access to rheumatoid arthritis drugs.

The report is based on a survey of 250 rheumatologists from Germany (50), France (50), Italy (51), Spain (50) and the United Kingdom (50) and interviews with 16 European payers from Germany (3), France (3), Italy (4), Spain (3) and the United Kingdom (3).

Doctors, patients eagerly await new rheumatoid arthritis medicines

At first, Maria Perez couldn’t identify the severe pain that gripped her in her mid-30s, but she knew it wasn’t routine. She wondered if she had a hand sprain, considered surgery, and then discovered she had rheumatoid arthritis, a debilitating autoimmune disease that attacks a patient’s joints and vital organs.

“There were days when I could not even lift my leg. Like if I were to get out of bed and I were to put my foot on the floor, it would be the most incredible sharp pain up my leg,” said the 40-year-old New Jersey resident. “There were some days when I was just bedridden. I couldn’t be active at all.”

Perez got her life back when she began injecting Humira into her leg once every two weeks. Humira, a drug produced by North Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories, completely eliminated her pain, allowing her to take up new activities like kickboxing and walking her dog. But Perez said she would eagerly drop the injectable drug if she could find a pill that accomplished the same thing.

In several years, a new generation of drugs might give her that option and challenge Humira’s blockbuster status. Humira is in a class of genetically engineered pharmaceuticals known as “biologics,” which have changed the face of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2002, Humira has been helping patients like Perez manage the disease and increase quality of life. In turn, the drug has evolved into a prominent cash cow for Abbott. This year alone, the drug is expected to rack up $6 billion in sales.

Now, researchers are looking to new remedies that could revolutionize treatment again. Oral drugs called JAK-inhibitors, aimed at blocking the parts of the immune system that perpetuate rheumatoid arthritis, are in the third phase of testing by Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. Rebecca Bader, a researcher with Syracuse University, said an oral medication will likely become the preferred medication for patients.

“If you can find something that’s administered easier, that’s a good thing for the customer,” said Bader. “I think anything that’s taken orally is better.”

Abbott spokeswoman DeAnna DuBose said the company also has an oral drug in preliminary development, but downplays the negative effects these new drugs might have on Humira. She noted that Humira is used by more than 500,000 patients worldwide for rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases and conditions, including Crohn’s, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis. The company also points out that Humira has undergone years of trials and patient use, and is well-positioned to remain a front-runner in rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

One percent of the U.S. population is affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Most people are diagnosed when they are middle-aged, according to researchers, but it also affects juveniles and the elderly. Several treatments exist for rheumatoid arthritis including painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and immune suppressants in addition to injectable biologics.

Dr. Nathan Wei of the Arthritis Treatment Center in Maryland, has been part of the research trials of the JAK-inhibitor drugs. He said the new drugs are as effective as the injectable ones on the market today. Wei said his biggest concerns are side effects, including decreased white blood cell count, elevated lipids levels, possible effects on kidney function and possibly elevated blood pressure. A Pfizer representative said the company’s drug has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is still several years away from the market. Still, Wei has high hopes for these drugs.

I think they will change the landscape [of rheumatoid arthritis treatment], I do strongly believe that,” said Wei. “But in what way, it’s hard to say right now.”

If the drugs hit the market, they won’t become widely used immediately. For this reason, Sara Michelmore, a financial analyst at Cowan Financial Group, thinks companies like Abbott will not be seriously affected by the new drugs for a prolonged period.

“That’s several years away before there’s any significant impact,” Michelmore said. “They [doctors] are very unlikely to substitute a drug like Humira.”

Perez said she’s more than happy to take the injections as long as she must, but she is eager to simplify her life by switching to a pill. She hopes one day she’ll be able to plan airline flights without worrying about missing her scheduled doses and be able to carry her medication in her purse rather than storing it in a refrigerator.

Asthma Treatment News

New Asthma Treatment Makes Breathing Easier

A new treatment called Bronchial Thermoplasty could help people with severe asthma breathe easier.

The process involved doctors putting a tiny catheter down breathing tubes to melt away the smooth muscle that can tighten during an asthma attack.

By increasing airflow, patients can respond better to inhalers and oral medications. Doctors warn that this in not a cure for asthma.

The treatment is only for people whose attacks are so severe, they make regular visits to the ER and use rescue inhalers constantly.

The procedure takes three outpatient treatments that last about 30 minutes each.

New Treatment Helps Asthmatics Breathe Easier

About 22 million Americans have asthma. Most are able to control it with medication, but about15-percent of asthma patients have cases so severe they require frequent trips to the hospital. Now there’s a new treatment to help those people breathe easier.

Tony Cook runs 6 to 7 miles a day. But until recently, his severe asthma made it too painful for him to work out for any length of time.

“It feels like a coil is just tightening around your lungs and you can’t get any relief whatsoever,” explained Cook.

In May, Tony underwent a new FDA approved treatment called bronchial thermoplasty. Doctors put a tiny catheter down his breathing tubes to melt away the smooth muscle that can tighten during an asthma attack. By increasing airflow, patients can respond better to inhalers and oral medications.

“We’re not curing asthma with this therapy. These patients will still have a diagnosis of asthma. What we’re hoping to do is bring them down a notch,” explained Dr. David Duhamel, Director of Pulmonary Procedures at Virginia Hospital.

Bronchial thermoplasty isn’t for people with mild or moderate asthma. It’s for people whose attacks are so severe that they make regular visits to the emergency room and need to use rescue inhalers constantly .

Bronchial thermoplasty takes three outpatient treatments that last about a half hour each.

“Right after the procedure I felt that coil loosen. To me, it was amazing,” said Cook.

Tony felt better immediately, but typically, the patients’ asthma gets worse the first few days after treatment then improves.

“I’m not coughing I’m not wheezing. It’s just the quality of life that I’ve always dreamed of having,” said Tony.

Because it’s so new, Tony’s procedure wasn’t covered by his insurance, but patients should check with their own carriers.

The FDA is requiring asthmatx, the company behind bronchial thermoplasty, to conduct a five-year study to determine the long-term effects of the treatment.

Inhaled steroids don’t help asthma flare-ups

(Reuters Health) – Doubling the dose of inhaled steroids doesn’t appear to dampen asthma attacks, despite the practice being recommended by many doctors, Canadian researchers said Thursday.

More than seven percent of adult Americans, and even more kids, have asthma, causing millions of visits to emergency rooms and doctors’ offices every year.

Until recently, national guidelines advised people to double the dose of inhaled steroids when they felt the telltale signs of an asthma flare-up coming on, such as chest tightness and coughing.

Those steroid medications, such as Pulmicort or Flovent, keep airway inflammation under control on a daily basis in asthmatics. So doctors had reasoned higher doses might work in emergencies.

“It is a reasonable thing to try,” said Dr. Andy Nish, an asthma expert at the Allergy and Asthma Care Center in Gainesville, Georgia, who was not involved in the new study, published by The Cochrane Collaboration.

“This article shows that sometimes we do things that seem reasonable and yet maybe aren’t as effective as we would like to think.”

The Canadian researchers pooled the best data available on outcomes with the higher doses, including five clinical trials that assigned 1,250 patients randomly to take either the standard dose of inhaled steroids or an increased dose.
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Overall, doubling or even quadrupling the amount of inhalant at the onset of a flare-up didn’t make patients any less likely to need rescue treatment with swallowed or injected steroids such as prednisone.

While effective, those stronger treatments may cause serious side effects like depression or bone thinning, so patients and doctors prefer to limit their use.

Except for 28 patients, all study participants were adults, so the findings may not apply to children.

“The most important strategy to reduce the rate and severity of flare-ups is to take daily preventive medications for asthma,” Dr. Francine M. Ducharme, who worked on the study, said in an e-mail to Reuters Health.

Ducharme, of the University of Montreal, said it was still common for doctors to recommend high-dose inhaled steroids to stave off attacks.

Instead, she said, patients should try rescue inhalers, which contain short-acting drugs such as albuterol that open up the airways. If that doesn’t work, swallowed or injected steroids may be necessary.

Nish said the best thing to do is try to prevent flare-ups. “Avoid cigarette smoke, stay indoors if it is a high-smog day, avoid exertion if it’s a cold or a hot day, and get your flu shot.”

And with the right medication, he said, many asthma attacks can be prevented.

“We can’t keep you from getting a cold, but hopefully we can keep that cold from causing significant exacerbations in your asthma,” he said.

Back Pain News

Report highlights chronic back pain link to unemployment

One in five Europeans with chronic back pain are unable to work at all as a result of their chronic pain, according to new research sponsored by Pfizer.

The Pain Proposal, funded by the pharmaceutical company and presented to the European Parliament today, includes a survey of 2,019 people with chronic pain across 15 European counties. It suggests that of those able to work, 61% said their condition had impacted directly on their employment status.

According the report, inefficiencies in the treatment of chronic pain are resulting in “increasing healthcare costs and prolongued patient suffering”.

Musculoskeletal problems are a major cause of claims for group income protection and group private medical insurances. Insurers have developed a number of strategies for tackling this, from open access to physiotherapy to supporting self-management of pain.

Previous studies have shown that chronic pain costs Europe billions of Euros every year, with national costs ranging from €1.1 billion to nearly €50 billion. On average, one in five adults in Europe suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain.

Causes of chronic lower back pain

What is ‘chronic lower back pain’?

Lower back pain is a condition which affects millions of Americans as well as people around the world and is not merely confined to the elderly as we assume most of the time. But, it is true that the condition is seen at a higher frequency among the elderly individuals. The chronic back pain is an entity of the spectrum of lower back pains which would last for more than 3 months and would have an effect on the patients’ day to day activities. Chronic lower back pain can be associated with certain other manifestations including sleep disturbances, depression, tiredness, irritability, morning stiffness as well as with an inability to maintain the same posture for prolonged time duration.

AAOS: Vertebroplasty Not Recommended for Back Pain

New guideline strongly recommends against surgical fix for spinal compression fractures.

Based on a lack of scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of vertebroplasty for the treatment of spinal compression fractures, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is strongly recommending against the popular procedure, which involves injecting bone cement into the spinal vertebrae.

“When you look at the science and research to-date, there is very strong Level 1 evidence to suggest that vertebroplasty does not provide the types of benefits it was previously thought to provide,” says Stephen I. Esses, MD, the Houston, Texas-based orthopedic surgeon who led the AAOS workgroup that developed a new clinical practice guideline on the treatment of symptomatic osteoporotic spinal compression fractures. In a press release, AAOS clarified that Level 1 evidence “refers to studies done under the strictest scientific guidelines, including blinding randomization.”

The work group, which began researching this issue in 2008, largely based its recommendation on 2 randomized, controlled clinical trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year, which showed no statistical difference in back pain levels among patients who underwent vertebroplasty and the control group. The work group did not find published criticisms of the 2 trials to be scientifically compelling.

“Previous studies have touted the benefits of vertebroplasty, however our scientific research suggests this surgical procedure does not offer any advantages, over the placebo control,” says Dr. Esses. He notes, however, that patients who have already undergone the procedure don’t need to worry: “There are no reported negative side effects.”

Headaches News

Watching Michael Vick Giving Redskins’ Defensive Players Headaches

While most of Washington is wondering how Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb will fare in his return to Philadelphia, his defensive teammates are trying to figure out how to cool down red-hot Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who’s even more of a two-way threat than McNabb was during his 18 starts against them.

“Donovan can throw it and also he can run, so you had to keep an eye on him (but) you could spy with one of our faster linebackers,” said cornerback Carlos Rogers. “Vick, he’s gonna need a DB on him. If you put a linebacker on him, they have no chance. He’s a real fast guy.”

Indeed, the 30-year-old Vick, the only quarterback to ever run for 1,000 yards in a season, is leading the NFL with 7.4 yards per carry since replacing McNabb’s successor, Kevin Kolb, at halftime of the season opener.

“Watching film, you see why (Eagles coach Andy Reid) made the change,” Rogers said. “Kolb, he can make the throws and some of the plays, but he don’t have the ability like Vick to get out there and make first downs and run. if we had Kolb it might change up a few things, (but) we’ve got Vick. Once a play breaks down, it’s still not over with yet so we’ll be running a lot.
“We’re gonna be jamming the receivers but also keeping an eye on him because he’s got the ability to scramble and get the yardage. A lot of quarterbacks drop back and if the first or second read is not there, they can just dump the ball to the running back. Vick is his own checkdown. He’ll take off and run.”

And Rogers said that Vick never had downfield receivers in Atlanta like Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson, whose 24.5 yards per catch leads the league for those players with at least eight receptions, or Jeremy Maclin, who has four touchdowns on just 11 catches.

“We’re gonna have guys watching (Vick) but also we’re gonna have to put our hands on these receivers to not climb up on these safeties. Every week they’re getting 40-, 50-, 60-yard touchdowns.”

Or as Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall, Vick’s teammate in Atlanta from 2004-06, said, “The offense is putting up points and he’s directing the choir out there. He’s got them singing right now.”

For the record, Vick was just 8-for-16 for 122 yards and two touchdowns while running 10 times for 59 yards the last time he started against the Redskins in a 24-14 Falcons victory in 2006. He was 1-for-2 for five yards with five carries for 13 yards in brief appearances against Washington in his return to the NFL last year following a two-year suspension.

HART Health: Headaches Cause More Than $61 Billion a Year in Lost Time

Stocking Commercial First Aid Supplies Can Save Employers Billions a Year

SEATTLE, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Headaches, back pain, arthritis and other aches distract employees and cost companies more than $61 billion a year in lost productive time, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

For individual companies, the cost is $22,000 a year for a company with 50 workers and $88,000 for a company with a staff of 200 people.

Employers can save billions of dollars in lost productive time each year by providing basic first aid supplies and over-the-counter pain medications in the workplace.

“Companies are often blind to the how much the real cost of minor pains such as headaches and back pains adds up to,” said Larry Shaw, CEO of HART Health a national manufacturer and distributor of industrial first aid supplies. “It isn’t just the hourly wage you have to pay when an employee struggles to get through the workday with back pain or a headache; it’s the value of what they could be producing.”

Using a sample of nearly 30,000 working adults, researchers found more than half reported having headache, back pain, arthritis or other muscle pain. Overall, 12.7 percent of the workforce reported lost productive time in a two-week period due to these common pains.

HART Health operates a first aid supply franchise that makes it easy for employers reduce the impact of common pain problems in the workplace.

“The cost of providing high quality commercial grade first aid supplies is very small,” said Shaw. “Larger companies get huge returns on the cost of the supplies. Our first aid van service is growing at double digit rates as more companies come to understand the true cost of employees who can’t treat common pains and aches while on the job.”

HART Health manufactures and distributes proprietary commercial grade versions of common over-the-counter medications, including BackPrin, an acetaminophen pain reducer with caffeine for faster relief, and Proprinal, an extremely popular coated ibuprofen tablet.

“We take the headaches out of the process,” said Shaw. “The majority of the $61 billion in lost time is easy for companies to recover by having the right first aid supplies available and our company is growing as a result.”

For information, please visit www.harthealthfranchise.com

Heavy Rain Causes Headaches

WNEP Stormtracker 16 meteorologists say some parts of our area have already received two inches of rain.

It has been pouring non stop for hours and it shows no signs of letting up anytime soon.

The heavy downpours are making a mess of some area roads.

Rivers, streams and creeks are definitely moving a lot faster and fuller Thursday after so much recent rain.

The wet weather is already affecting more than just roads but homes and businesses.

What’s usually a little run-off from a mountain in Lackawanna County looks more like a small river behind Advance Auto Parts near Clarks Summit. So much rain so fast caused water to pour into the back of the store.

It didn’t slow down business but it did soak some cardboard boxes on the floor. Workers put up sandbags around the back entrance to prevent any further flooding.

The road in front of the place, Routes 6 and 11, was not much better.

“It was nasty. There were streams coming down the side of it. Potholes were covered up but it was nasty out there,” said Keegan Scofield of Clarks Summit.

PennDOT crews stopped by multiple times to clear blocked storm drains.

Another nearby business waged a small weather war against mother nature using squeegees.

A swollen creek next to Kost Tire and Muffler prevented employees there from fixing cars for the morning until they could dry out the garage area.

“Because there’s a risk of shock. All of these lifts are electronic,” said Robert Fritsch of Kost Tire.

The wet weather isn’t just making a mess of some businesses, it’s also causing some trouble for a variety of outdoor events.

In Wilkes-Barre The River Common was gearing up to host an outdoor concert Thursday featuring Mike Miz. Now his act and the dozens of expected concert goers will be forced indoors.

While many outdoor events are being canceled one the biggest, the Bloomsburg Fair, is open for business.

Yeast Infection News

Yeast Infection No More – Is This True Or Just Another Scam?

Linda Allen is not just a certified nutritionist, author, member of the American Holistic Health Association and health consultant. She has a background in medical research and is also someone who knows full well the pain, frustration and sheer hell that living with a chronic yeast infection can bring.

Yeast Infection No More is an online treatment program for yeast infection. This program consists of exactly 150 pages of practical and natural methods to fully understand yeast infection and eliminate the Candida albicans virus, the one that causes the infection, from your system. Purchasing the program also includes a three-month free e-mail consultation period with Linda Allen along with lifetime updates that contain improvements on the methods of treatment.

So what makes it any different to the dozens of other books about yeast infections?

To begin with, her book isn’t just another ‘yeast infection relief’ book; it’s an actual cure for the problem. You may think, “Well, they all say that.” And you’re probably right, but the difference with this book is that it doesn’t offer just ‘relief’ from your yeast infection, it is a real cure. Yeast Infection No More™ shows you exactly how to get to the bottom of the cause and then get rid of it. It will get to the internal crux of the infection rather than just treating the symptoms and making you think the infection’s gone… until it comes back.

Click to Download Yeast Infection No More System

Yeast Infection No More™ won’t just spout a lot of facts at you and expect you to believe every word. It will explain your infection and tell you about all the lies and myths that abound regarding Candida albicans. It can be a very confusing subject but this book will put it all in plain English and explain everything step-by-step. It is a very detailed book that approaches yeast infections from a holistic point of view.

The Yeast Infection No More™ ebook is 150 pages of easy to read detail and information about yeast infections and how to treat them 100% naturally. There are no drugs to take or creams to apply; just a solid 5 Step System to rid you of your infection. The book gives an in-depth overview of every stage then discusses all the specifics of the treatment in chronological order. It contains charts, checklists and many other items that enable you to keep track of the program and where you’re up to.

The Yeast Infection No More™ program isn’t a magic potion or quick-fix; it’s a holistic approach and a holistic solution that guarantees you’ll be free of Candida if you follow the program. It doesn’t matter how severe your infection is, this program will work, unlike the quick-fixes other programs falsely offer.

The only criticism that the Yeast Infection No More™ ebook has attracted is that it’s too full of information! People who thought it would be a quick pick-it-up-and-you’re-cured book might find it somewhat overwhelming at first but with a little perseverance, the most impatient reader will find this the most invaluable yeast infection book they’ve every bought.

Survey Reveals Roughly 3 in 5 Women May be Mistreating Their Yeast Infections

The MONISTAT® Brand aims to Cure Confusion by educating women about effective treatment options

SKILLMAN, N.J., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ — For more information, please go to: http://monistat.presslift.com/yeastinfections.

Few women go through life having never suffered from the uncomfortable symptoms of a yeast infection. In fact, nearly 3 in 4 (72 percent) women will experience their first yeast infection before age 25. (1) Furthermore, the incidence of yeast infections is highest among young women ages 18-24 (2), who are new to the category and uncertain about symptoms and available treatment options. According to a recent survey of women ages 18-24 commissioned by the MONISTAT® Brand, sixty-one percent (61 percent) of young women are unsure about which, if any, over the-counter products can cure a yeast infection.

“Many women don’t realize that once they’ve identified they have a yeast infection they can easily treat it on their own terms,” said Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, a board-certified OB/GYN who practices in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Lenz, a partner in the MONISTAT® survey, reviewed the full results and offers the following advice to help cure the confusion around yeast infections:

Cure vs. Care
More than 1/3 (37 percent) of women incorrectly believe that treating the symptoms of a yeast infection is the same as curing the infection.

“I see many women who have unsuccessfully tried to treat their yeast infections,” said Dr. Lenz. “One of the biggest mistakes I see my patients make is using external symptom relief creams, such as Vagisil® (3) to treat a yeast infection. Vagisil®(4) does not cure the infection; it only temporarily masks or relieves symptoms.”

Over-the-Counter Cure
Thirty-eight percent (38 percent) of women mistakenly believe a yeast infection can only be cured by a doctor’s prescription.

“While there are prescription treatments available, they can sometimes take 24 – 48 hours to start working,” said Dr. Lenz. “If you know you have a yeast infection and you are in good health, try an over-the-counter remedy like MONISTAT® right away to cure the infection and treat the symptoms. The brand has a portfolio of products, including 1-, 3- and 7-Day treatments, to suit individual women’s needs, which are scientifically proven to be safe and effective.”

Know Before You Go
The majority of women (60 percent) have been unsure whether or not their symptoms were those of a yeast infection.

“The symptoms of a yeast infection vary greatly among individuals,” said Dr. Lenz. “The classic symptoms – thick, white and lumpy discharge, itching and burning – do not appear for all women. The important sign is always vaginal discomfort that develops out of the blue. If you are unsure, especially if you’ve never had a yeast infection, check with your doctor to make sure your symptoms aren’t actually the result of a sexually transmitted disease, bacterial infection or a combination of yeast and bacteria.”

“If your yeast infection does not clear up, contact your doctor,” adds Dr. Lenz. “Once you’ve treated the infection, long-term, preventative measures, including changes to your diet and lifestyle, can help prevent future infections.”

With 35 years of proven efficacy, MONISTAT® is the #1 Doctor Recommended over-the-counter cure that begins the cure on contact. For more information about the signs, symptoms of and treatment options for yeast infections, and to hear more from Dr. Lenz, visit www.Monistat.com.

(1) Ipsos Tracking Study, Q4 2009 [p. 94]

(2) The 2003 Gallup Study of Women’s Yeast Infection Treatment Products [p. 96]

(3) A product of Combe Incorporated. The trademarks use herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

(4) A product of Combe Incorporated. The trademarks use herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

About MONISTAT®

MONISTAT®, which means “stops yeast infections,” is an over-the-counter, antifungal yeast infection treatment that relieves symptoms and cures the infection. The Brand offers a portfolio of products, including 1-, 3- and 7-Day treatments, which are available in three forms – OVULE®, cream and suppository – and are designed to help women confidently address their vaginal health needs on their terms. The active ingredient in MONISTAT® is Miconazole Nitrate. For a complete list of MONISTAT® products, visit www.monistat.com. MONISTAT® is a brand of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.

About the Survey

This MONISTAT® Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 711 nationally representative American women aged 18 to 24, using an email invitation and an online survey between June 4th and June 9th, 2010. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population of women 18-24 year olds.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the 711 interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.68 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from McNeil Consumer Healthcare and/or Johnson & Johnson’s expectations and projections. Risks and uncertainties include general industry conditions and competition; economic conditions, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; domestic and foreign health care reforms and governmental laws and regulations; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Exhibit 99 of Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2010. Copies of this Form 10-K, as well as subsequent filings, are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither McNeil Consumer Healthcare nor Johnson & Johnson undertake to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Johnson and Johnson highlights yeast infection misconceptions

Posted on 15/09/2010 in Pharmacy Supplier News
Johnson and Johnson has published results from a new survey which reveals a lack of awareness among consumers about treatment of yeast infections.

According to research commissioned on behalf of the healthcare group’s Monistat brand among a sample group of women aged between 18 and 24, the majority of females are unable to identify a vaginal yeast infection from its symptoms.

Further findings from the survey show that around a third of women believe treating symptoms using relief cream is the same as curing the infection, while most are unaware that the condition can be remedied using over-the-counter products.

Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, a partner in the study, said this shows the importance of female patients seeking medical advice on the condition if they are uncertain.

She added: “Once you’ve treated the infection, long-term preventative measures including changes to your diet and lifestyle can help prevent future infections.”

This comes after Johnson and Johnson published a consumer study last month which illustrated the lifestyle benefits which children can experience by wearing contact lenses instead of glasses.