07Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Experts Debunk Myths About Alternative Medicine for Heart Disease, Heart Failure

Experts Debunk Myths About Alternative Medicine for Heart Disease, Heart Failure

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Now more than ever, people are turning to home remedies like herbal medicines, dietary supplements, and homeopathic products, and activities such as yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture to treat what ails them. The alternative medicine market reached $100 billion in 2021 and projections show that value more than tripling in the next five years, according to a 2022 report from Research and Markets.The use of alternative medicines was a topic of discussion at a panel held on Sunday, November 6 at the AHA Scientific Sessions 2022. Experts addressed myths related to alternative medicines in people with heart disease, such as heart failure. Want to know what the experts think about alternative medicine? Here’s a rundown of what they discussed.Don’t Place Alternative Therapy Above Traditional Medicine“It's critical for us to educate…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Gives First-Ever Approval for Fecal Transplant Therapy

FDA Gives First-Ever Approval for Fecal Transplant Therapy

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a fecal transplant therapy to prevent recurrence of a bacterial infection that kills up to 30,000 people a year.The therapy, Rebyota, is the first fecal transplant product approved in the United States, the FDA said in a statement. It’s cleared to combat Clostridioides difficile, or C. difficile, a bacteria that can flourish in the gut and cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever, and in rare cases leads to organ failure and death.“Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection impacts an individual’s quality of life and can also potentially be life-threatening,” said Peter Marks, MD, PhD, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a statement. The approval of Rebyota “represents an important milestone, as it provides an additional approved option to…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
High Blood Pressure Medicine Recalled Again Due to Possible Cancer Risk

High Blood Pressure Medicine Recalled Again Due to Possible Cancer Risk

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Four lots of the generic high blood pressure medication quinapril tablets have been recalled by its manufacturer, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, because of abnormally high amounts of a probable cancer-causing impurity.Recent testing revealed levels of a nitrosamine impurity (N-nitroso-quinapril) were above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) acceptable daily intake level.While long-term ingestion of this suspected carcinogen may increase cancer risk, there is no immediate danger to patients taking this medication.According to an announcement from the FDA issued on December 21, the quinapril products in question are:20 mg tablets, lot number G102929, expiration date 04/202340 mg tablets, lot number G100533, expiration date 12/202240 mg tablets, lot number G100534, expiration date 12/202240 mg tablets, lot number G203071, expiration date 03/2024The pills were packaged in 90-count bottles and distributed nationwide to wholesalers, drug chains, mail…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Says Morning-After Pill Isn’t Abortion

FDA Says Morning-After Pill Isn’t Abortion

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing the packaging information for the emergency contraception pill Plan B to explicitly state a fact that has long been well understood in the medical community: This drug can prevent pregnancy but can’t cause an abortion.Plan B is approved for women to take within 72 hours of sex to prevent pregnancy, and is available over the counter without a prescription or medical exam. The FDA is revising labels inside the package for Plan B to remove a statement unsupported by scientific evidence: that this drug might stop a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.Changes to the packaging labels for Plan B clearly distinguish this form of contraception from medication abortion pills, which can stop a pregnancy after a fertilized egg is…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
FDA Approves Briumvi to Treat Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

FDA Approves Briumvi to Treat Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

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On December 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Briumvi (ublituximab), a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) in adults, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, and active secondary-progressive MS.An estimated one million people in the United States live with MS, with about 25,000 new people diagnosed each year, according to the National MS Society.Briumvi, manufactured by TG Therapeutics, is a glycoengineered monoclonal antibody designed to target B cells — a type of white blood cell — and reduce their numbers. These cells are thought to be one of the immune cells that attacks myelin — the protective coating that insulates nerve cells — in people with MS.Glycoengineered means removing certain sugar molecules normally expressed on the antibody, which is thought to…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Overconsumption of Common Red Food Dye May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Overconsumption of Common Red Food Dye May Lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Skittles, Doritos, Gatorade, Jell-O, Fruit Loops, and many other top-selling food products contain a synthetic dye called Allura Red AC that, consumed too frequently, may increase the likelihood of developing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.A small study involving laboratory mice suggests that frequent and long-term exposure to the dye (also called FD&C Red 40 and Food Red 17) harms gut health and promotes inflammation.Recently published in Nature Communications, the research found that the additive directly disrupts the gut barrier (which helps prevent bacterial intrusion) and increases the production of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter found in the gut. This reaction changes the gut microbiome, leading to increased susceptibility to inflammatory bowel conditions, according to the report.“What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common…
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06Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Some COVID-19 Patients Don’t Recover Their Sense of Smell — Scientists May Know Why

Some COVID-19 Patients Don’t Recover Their Sense of Smell — Scientists May Know Why

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New research suggests that the presence of ongoing inflammation that damages and destroys cells in the nose may be the reason that some people fail to recover their sense of smell after COVID-19.The study, a collaboration between researchers at Duke, Harvard, and the University of California in San Diego, adds an important insight into a problem that has affected millions of people who have not fully recovered their sense of smell after COVID-19. The findings were published online December 21, 2022, in the journal Science Translational Medicine.Millions Have Not Fully Recovered Their Sense of Smell After COVID-19One symptom long associated with COVID-19 infection is loss of smell, says the senior author of the study, Bradley Goldstein, MD, PhD, associate professor in head and neck surgery and communication sciences and neurobiology at…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Cluster Headache More Likely to Be Chronic in Women, Study Finds

Cluster Headache More Likely to Be Chronic in Women, Study Finds

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Compared with other types of headache, cluster headache is rare. Defined by short but extremely painful episodes that can occur for many days or even weeks in a row, the condition can be excruciating. In fact, the pain can be so unbearable that these attacks have been given the name “suicide headaches.”“Historically, about half the patients who had them would kill themselves [because] the pain was so bad,” says Merle Diamond, MD, the managing director of the Diamond Headache Clinic and the director of the Diamond Inpatient Headache Unit at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. “It’s a knife-searing pain. People have described it as having a hot poker through their eye or somebody stabbing them through their skull.”Although this debilitating condition has been more frequently reported among men, a new…
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05Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Good Hydration May Slow Aging and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk, Study Says

Good Hydration May Slow Aging and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk, Study Says

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Looking to make a low-effort, high-payoff change to your everyday health habits? A new study found that people who stay well hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions (including stroke, diabetes, and dementia), and live longer compared with people who may not be drinking enough fluids.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) study was published on January 2, 2022, in the journal eBioMedicine.“The results suggest that proper hydration may slow down aging and prolong a disease-free life,” said study author Natalia Dmitrieva, PhD, a researcher at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, in a press release.Staying Hydrated Can Help You Stay HealthyIn the short term, getting enough water can help prevent dehydration, a health issue that can cause your body to overheat, cloud your thinking and…
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