A study published in September 2010 in the scientific journal Cell provides more information on how fish oil can help reduce the risk of getting diabetes. The researchers involved in this study fed obese mice omega-3 fatty acids (Fish Oil contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids) and noted that these mice had a reduction in inflammation. A reduction in inflammation is important as previous research has indicated that chronic inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance,...

Anabolic-androgenic steroids, often just called ???anabolic steroids,” are pharmacological agents that are synthetic versions of the male sex hormone known as testosterone. The word ???anabolic??? refers to drug’s aspect of muscle building while the ???androgenic??? refers to sex characteristics of men. As noted by the website for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, steroids can be legally prescribed to patients that present with conditions that result from steroid hormone deficiency...

There are millions of people that are at a higher than average risk for developing blood clot related problems, or worse, a stroke. These patients may be undergoing operations, such as a hip replacement, or have a predisposing heart problem, such as atrial fibrillation. The standard treatment for patients like this is a drug called warfarin (sold generically under the name Coumadin). Warfarin has been available for about 60 years and was originally derived from rat poison. Warfarin is effective,...

Whenever a pharmaceutical company has a new drug in development, clinical trials are run during which patients receive the drug as part of a closely monitored therapy. However, before registering for an experiment, the patients (and often their caregivers) undergo a process that is referred to as ???informed consent.??? Generally speaking, this process involves informing the patient about the procedure, or experimental drug, so that the patient is in a position to decide whether he or she wants to...

There are many articles in the ???lay press??? that tout the health benefits of chocolate. Chocolate, itself, is made from plants although it would be a stretch to say that eating a chocolate bar is equivalent to eating a helping of vegetables. However, there are some health benefits that can be had from eating chocolate. The reason? Chocolate contains flavonoids, which are pigments that are found in plants. Flavonoids act as antioxidants, which can reduce cell damage, reduce the clogging of arteries...

“Contact dermatitis??? can be defined as an inflammation of the skin that results from direct contact with a particular substance such as soap, jewelry, plants (such as poison oak or poison ivy), or cosmetic products. The resulting symptoms are uncomfortable, a reddish rash that is very itchy, but not contagious.The reason these items sometimes result in contact dermatitis is that the chemicals that comprise the ingredients may bond to proteins present in the skin. This bonding results in an...

An article published on ScienceDaily.com in September 2010 described a new technique that will allow customs officers, or pharmaceutical agents, to detect whether a given packet of tablets is counterfeit. These counterfeit or ???fake??? medicines are a huge business, however, many people suffer as a result. In developing countries, such as India, or countries that require large amounts of a particular medication, such as Africa, it is an extremely serious issue. For example, consider the amount of...

An article published online in August 2010 described a new technology for delivering pharmaceutical products that may be on the horizon. It is being called ???stapled peptides.??? Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical giant, has entered into a contract with Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to develop this technology, which involves a small protein, referred to as a stabilized form of a peptide, to deliver medicine directly into cells. It is thought that this...

TimeOut is a product that is marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement. These capsules are available in doses of 2500 mg/capsule. TimeOut has been distributed by websites that describe the product as 100% natural. Because these dietary supplements come with labels that resemble labels from legitimate products, and because the websites saythat they are made from ???100% natural??? ingredients, people may mistakenly believe that TimeOut, and otherproducts like it, are harmless. The U.S....

Richard Evan Schultes is thought to be the father of ethnobotany. He is renowned for his studies on the use of plants by indigenous people, particularly those plants that have hallucinogenic properties. Most of his work was done in the Amazon and Mexico, where he worked with chemists to discern the biochemical and pharmacological properties of the plants he discovered. His most popular book, co-authored with Albert Hofmann (the famous chemist who discovered the hallucinogen LSD), is “The Plants...