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Dangers of antibiotics are well known and recent research brings to light new dangers of commonly used medications. Five days of azithromycin results in 47 additional deaths from cardiovascular disease compared with amoxicillin and no antibiotic. One out of 2500 patients treated with a fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and norfloxacin) suffer a retinal detachment. These antibiotics should be used only when there is a clear clinical need and with caution.
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Unless a dramatic demographic shift occurs, approximately one in four of us will reside in a long-term care facility (LTCF) during our lifetime. Among LTCF residents, 30-50% of antibiotic utilization is for urinary tract infections (UTIs), resulting in substantial expense, adverse drug reactions, and ever-growing populations of resistant bacteria.
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An 8-week yoga training program improved balance performance measures and reduced fear of falling in adult patients with a history of stroke.
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It is proverbial in modern life that the health benefits claimed initially for foods and natural products will eventually prove to be overly optimistic (for example, oat bran and dark chocolate), or at least subject to balancing against potential harms (for example, bacterial contamination of fresh produce and unpasteurized juices). Such cautionary examples should not and usually do not prevent appropriate use of such items, provided that we have a realistic idea of what they can do and what their attendant harms may be.
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Observational studies suggest that dietary flavonoids (catechins, epicatechins, and oligomeric proanthocyanadins) reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.1 Among the often delicious flavonoid options of red wine, teas, fruits, and vegetables, chocolate has a special place in the hearts of many.
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Coffee is widely consumed throughout the United States. Some prior studies have associated coffee consumption with increased rates of heart disease, whereas other studies have shown less heart disease in coffee drinkers. The data associating coffee consumption and total mortality have also been conflicting.
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Treatment for headache, including the migraine headache, has significantly changed in the past decade. Causes for headaches, specifically of the migraine type, are still the subject of much debate. Headaches are currently divided simply as primary and secondary. Primary headaches are described as being "idiopathic," or not due to an actual disease process or external stimulus. Secondary headaches are classified as being due to an underlying disease/illness, such as sinusitis, or due to an external stressor, for example, trauma resulting in a closed head injury.
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Your neighborhood pharmacy now offers checks for high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and diabetes; testing for HIV might be the next addition in service.
