#pharmacists — Public Fediverse posts

@HI_Greens Indeed - that wouldn't surprise me at all! I can very well imagine the existence of #Neanderthals with that sort of #knowledge. If there were #Neanderthal #dentists, why not Neanderthal #doctors & #pharmacists? They probably didn't divide up the roles like we do.

@HI_Greens Indeed - that wouldn't surprise me at all! I can very well imagine the existence of #Neanderthals with that sort of #knowledge. If there were #Neanderthal #dentists, why not Neanderthal #doctors & #pharmacists? They probably didn't divide up the roles like we do.

https://www.europesays.com/ie/413257/ State to continue funding phased dispensing and blister packs for patients ‘who genuinely need them’ #BlisterPacks #DepartmentOfHealth #Éire #Health #HealthMinister #hse #IE #Ireland #Medication #MinisterJenniferCarrollMacneill #pharmacies #pharmacists

https://www.europesays.com/uk/862655/ State to continue funding phased dispensing and blister packs for patients ‘who genuinely need them’ #BlisterPacks #DepartmentOfHealth #Health #HealthMinister #HSE #Medication #MinisterJenniferCarrollMacneill #pharmacies #pharmacists #UK #UnitedKingdom

This is an impossible ask, but we have to try. Ruba has just five days to pay her tuition or her almost five years of work will be wasted. She needs $3000.

Surely there are #teachers? Fellow #Pharmacists, those that understand how much this means?!

https://chuffed.org/project/153680-support-ruba-a-pharmacy-students-survival-in-gaza

https://www.europesays.com/ie/291229/ Governor proposes over-the-counter ivermectin sales in Iowa #Éire #Health #IE #Ireland #Ivermectin #KimReynolds #legislature #Medication #pharmacists #RepublicanParty

Governor proposes over-the-counter ivermectin sales in Iowa

by O. Kay Henderson | Jan 16, 2026 Governor Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference in her…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #Health #ivermectin #KimReynolds #Legislature #pharmacists #RepublicanParty
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/414354/

Governor proposes over-the-counter ivermectin sales in Iowa

by O. Kay Henderson | Jan 16, 2026 Governor Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference in her…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Medication #Health #ivermectin #KimReynolds #Legislature #pharmacists #RepublicanParty
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/414354/

The situations way more complex than just a "debate". Psilocybin clearly has benefits for mental health treatment - but taking it off class A schedule 1 creates obvious #security risks of #diversion - especially with the #NHS being on the ropes and a lot of disgruntled staff with low morale.

There have also already been quite a few private #pharmacists nicked and struck off for diversion and/or loose prescription of other #ControlledDrugs

This needs to be addressed before any change to #drugs laws (or even if they do happen, healthcare professionals are going to be too wary of prescribing the stuff anyway for fear of making a career-limiting move or even getting in legal trouble), this is already affecting #ADHD patients who could benefit from #amfetamines

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg936l88e7o

State Govt ‘exploring’ whether pharmacists should prescribe flu antivirals

The NSW Government could let pharmacists prescribe S4 antivirals for influenza, having already locked in pharmacist diagnosis and…
#NewsBeep #News #Medication #antiviral #CA #Canada #dermatology #GeneralPractice #government #Health #infectiousdiseases #influenza;flu #NSW #pharmacistprescribing #pharmacists #Pharmacology #pharmacy #PharmacyGuildofAustralia #pharmacypilot #Prescribing
https://www.newsbeep.com/ca/131781/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/409743/ State Govt ‘exploring’ whether pharmacists should prescribe flu antivirals #Antiviral #dermatology #GeneralPractice #government #Health #InfectiousDiseases #Influenza(Flu) #Medication #News #nsw #PharmacistPrescribing #pharmacists #pharmacology #pharmacy #PharmacyGuildOfAustralia #PharmacyPilot #prescribing #UK #UnitedKingdom

God I hate the #American #healthcare system so much. I have so many #chronic conditions that I will forever struggle to be financially solvent and apparently forever caught between piss fucking poor communication between #doctors and #pharmacists and pharmacy benefit managers and #insurance companies.

Fuck. This is so stupid. We don’t have to be this fucking bad at stuff.

I guess I’m the product apparently of making others richer.

All state Governors should do this

#NY governor issues order to bypass #Trump admin's #COVID #vaccine limits

New York Gov #KathyHochul signed an executive order Friday authorizing #pharmacists in the state to administer COVID-19 #vaccinations to anyone who wants a shot, becoming the latest Democratic governor to try to countermand the Trump admin’s new limits on #inoculations.

#science #medicine #PublicHealth #vaccines #RFKJr #law
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/new-york-governor-issues-order-bypass-trump-administrations-covid-vaccine-limits-2025-09-05/

In 2022, NH #Republicans tried to pass a bill allowing #pharmacists to #dispense #Ivermectin over the counter as a cure for COVID.

I remember being surprised when that chipmunk #Sununu vetoed it.

These delusional #GOP crackheads are trying again, and since they hold majorities in all NH branches it will likely pass.

That fool #Ayotte serving as governor now will probably sign it, too.

You can forget about marijuana reform.

It's horse paste for #Republican horse asses.

In 2022, NH #Republicans tried to pass a bill allowing #pharmacists to #dispense #Ivermectin over the counter as a cure for COVID.

I remember being surprised when that chipmunk #Sununu vetoed it.

These delusional #GOP crackheads are trying again, and since they hold majorities in all NH branches it will likely pass.

That fool #Ayotte serving as governor now will probably sign it, too.

You can forget about marijuana reform.

It's horse paste for #Republican horse asses.

In 2022, NH #Republicans tried to pass a bill allowing #pharmacists to #dispense #Ivermectin over the counter as a cure for COVID.

I remember being surprised when that chipmunk #Sununu vetoed it.

These delusional #GOP crackheads are trying again, and since they hold majorities in all NH branches it will likely pass.

That fool #Ayotte serving as governor now will probably sign it, too.

You can forget about marijuana reform.

It's horse paste for #Republican horse asses.

In 2022, NH #Republicans tried to pass a bill allowing #pharmacists to #dispense #Ivermectin over the counter as a cure for COVID.

I remember being surprised when that chipmunk #Sununu vetoed it.

These delusional #GOP crackheads are trying again, and since they hold majorities in all NH branches it will likely pass.

That fool #Ayotte serving as governor now will probably sign it, too.

You can forget about marijuana reform.

It's horse paste for #Republican horse asses.

How do #pharmacists think about #prescription checking?

This #thinkAloud study recorded their thoughts as they checked!

The default strategy was pattern matching, with more reflective thinking in atypical situations.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100569

#medicine #cogSci #metacognition

Dictator #DJT Revokes #Biden Exec Order ‘Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans.’

Massively shifting impact immediately affects more than 6 million Californians on #Medicare and those #diabetics who get insulin capped at $35 a month.

“I was shocked,” said #California #Pharmacist Sonya Frausto.

If gov subsidies are gone, #pharmacists can no longer provide #medications at lower govt subsidized rates and the impact of the #health industry clusterfuck is immediate on US patients relying on these rates.

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/trumps-rollback-executive-order-prescription-prices/103-2b05e680-45fd-4c2b-b70b-567cad050ac3

Dictator #DJT Revokes #Biden Exec Order ‘Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans.’

Massively shifting impact immediately affects more than 6 million Californians on #Medicare and those #diabetics who get insulin capped at $35 a month.

“I was shocked,” said #California #Pharmacist Sonya Frausto.

If gov subsidies are gone, #pharmacists can no longer provide #medications at lower govt subsidized rates and the impact of the #health industry clusterfuck is immediate on US patients relying on these rates.

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/trumps-rollback-executive-order-prescription-prices/103-2b05e680-45fd-4c2b-b70b-567cad050ac3

#AndysDailyTune

Pharmacists

"Is It Everything?"

#Pharmacists #nowPlaying #music #indieMusic #newMusic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GvVUME69I4

Man, #pharmacists have got to be the worst of all the bureaucrats I deal with in daily life.

No matter which pharmacy, it seems they're always the same, losing things, processes fail, cycling through the "we ordered it, we've got it, we've lost it" cycle.

#Louisiana #hospitals and #pharmacists prep for new #abortionpill rules

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/17/abortion-pills-louisiana-law-controlled-substances/

The problem with writing for a publication that has login access only is I often feel nobody is reading my stories. The Medical Post/Canadian Healthcare Network is free to #doctors and #pharmacists in Canada. Here are some titles of stories I've written. I'd be happy to do other versions, as a freelancer, for other more public websites, etc. - if anyone out there is interested.

1. Move over sugar? Fats and proteins can trigger bigger insulin responses than glucose .
2. Cancer research blasts off: Materials behave differently in lower gravity allowing for accelerated research.
3. Nasal spray for tachycardia: nothing to sniff at.
4. No laughing matter: Laughing gas for treating depression.
5. Patients showing up with green hair?
6. Using graffiti art to communicate public health messages.
7. An extremely effective piece of preventative medicine? Cut way down on salt.
8. Could a century old treatment be an answer to antibiotic resistance? Ottawa patient with severe joint infection showing improvement from experimental phage therapy.

#journalism #medicalwriting #medical #freelance #freelancewriting #editors @medmastodon

@moonrabbit #CovidCautious citizens outnumbered irresponsible, plague spreading #pharmacists today.

My newest story for the Medical Post/Canadian Healthcare Network -- on Cancer research in #space. Free to #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. Here is the first section.

AUGUST 2024 -- Cancer treatments could be from out of this world. Literally.

The low gravity environment of space offers various qualities that can speed up research on how cancer cells grow and behave, as well for developing new molecules for treating cancer.

Indeed, one advance already used in clinical practice is an improved version of the drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) which is used for several cancers.

Prior to work on the International Space Station (ISS), Keytruda was administered via a line or port, said Bill Nelson, an administrator at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

But “aboard the station, our astronauts were able to develop methods for protein crystal growth that made it possible to administer Keytruda in a new way, by an IV injection,” which can be administered in as little as 20 minutes, he said. Dr. Nelson was a panelist on a recent virtual event hosted by NASA on cancer research in space.

Last year, NASA got a boost in funding for space-based cancer research as part of the U.S> President Joe Biden's Moonshot #Cancer program. The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes, and since November 2000, nearly 4,000 different experiments from various disciplines representing more than 5,000 researchers from over 100 countries have been conducted. This includes commercial, academic and government users.

And, it offers a unique environment for conducting #research, with a major area of interest being medicine. Originally, a part of that was to study how space affects astronauts. #Microgravity leads to bones loss, changes in vision and eyeball shape, has cardiovascular effects and more. Plus there are the effects of radiation.

As an example, in 2009 Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk performed experiments and gathered data for the Canadian #Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Control (CCISS) project. CCISS was launched largely because of the dizziness and faintness phenomenon experienced by astronauts.

While these are topics explored in the interest of space travel, there are a huge number of applications to people on Earth.

“We explore space to explore the heavens and to improve life here on Earth—that includes attacking this dread disease (cancer),” said Dr. Nelson stated— and that’s why #NASA is involved in president’s Moonshot program.

In brief there are three categories of research that work well in space :

- protein crystal growth
- nanoparticle and tissue engineering
- stem cells.

In many ways, it’s a better place to work with and grow 3D tissue models.

In Earth’s gravity, “it’s harder to grow 3D models of certain tissues, stem cells, and many organ tissues also known as organoids. But in microgravity, we’re able to grow these kinds of tissues and use them as testing grounds for stem cell related cancer screening and cancer detection. We can also test different drugs on cancer infested organoids,” said Dr. Nelson.

According to Michael Roberts, the ISS currently has multiple experiments from various companies and academic investigators that are focused on improvements in nanoparticle drug delivery. Roberts is chief scientific officer of the ISS and the vice-president at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.

Nanoparticles can be used to improve the targeting efficiency of cancer drugs, chemotherapies or cell based therapies. And they can be used “as frameworks or structures on which you can build, for example, cartilage on which to repair tissue damage.”...

#medmastodon @medmastodon #science

https://canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/cancer-research-blasts-materials-behave-differently-lower-gravity-allowing-accelerated-research

Part of my article about new research looking at Laughing Gas and other Anesthetics for Depression.In the #Medical Post (sorry, only MD and #pharmacists in Canada can get accounts).

"JULY 2024 -- While the nickname ‘laughing gas’ sounds like something that might cheer people up, it’s only recently that it’s been taken seriously as a possible tool for treatment-resistant depression.

Indeed, nitrous oxide is one of several anesthetics generating excitement as new ways to treat depression. Nitrous oxide, ketamine, propofol, sevoflurane and isoflurane are all being investigated for possible roles in clinical depression. Ketamine is already used in many places for this purpose.

When it comes to anesthetics for #depression “right now ketamine is the rock star, but nitrous oxide is very promising,” said Dr. Beverley Orser, an anesthesiologist and professor of #medicine at the University of Toronto and coauthor of a paper in Anesthesiology discussing general anesthetic drugs for depression.

There are multiple reasons why anesthetic drugs show promise—leading to a lag in considering them for this indication. Intriguingly, they target different receptors in the brain than current antidepressants.

Generally, #antidepressants (including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) target the monoamine system. They “typically require weeks or months to take effect, and are associated with adverse effects that reduce drug adherence,” the paper said.

#Anesthetics including ketamine and nitrous oxide primarily work by blocking N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) to lead to loss of consciousness and #analgesia—though they also target additional receptors. But dysregulation of the NMDA system can contribute to mood disorders and anxiety, suggesting where possible connections between anesthesiology and psychiatry may exist.

“Currently, it remains unclear whether the antidepressant properties of general anesthetic agents result from a single common pathway or multiple different mechanisms. All anesthetic drugs generally modify the balance between excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system, and regional changes in excitation and inhibition balance have been described in the context of major depressive disorder,” the paper said.

It all started with ketamine which was discovered in 1956. Long used for sedation and pain management, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that it leapt to the fore as a possible treatment for depression. That’s when a small placebo controlled trial of seven patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were given a single dose of either placebo or a low dose of ketamine.

The results surprised everyone. The patients given ketamine not only improved quickly, but the effect lasted for several days. Since then, multiple trials have been conducted, the use of #ketamine for MDD has become relatively widespread, and in 2019 the FDA approved esketamine for depression.

Esketamine is an intranasal version of ketamine that is combined with a conventional oral antidepressant. Because of adverse side-effects, its approval requires that it be given in a restrictive clinical setting where patients are under the supervision of physicians. However, the National Health Service in Great Britain rejected its approval in that country because of concerns about possible side effects.

“What’s clear is these drugs are having rapid but sustained antidepressant properties, which persist long after the drug and the drug metabolites have been eliminated. But what’s equally interesting is that they don’t seem to have the same effect on the normal healthy brain,” Dr. Orser said. They may not be as effective in people with milder depression.

It also leads to the idea that “there is something that is dysregulated in depression and the drugs are righting a wrong. That’s very interesting because the drugs are also providing insights into the biology of the dysregulation that’s causing depression,” Dr. Orser told the Medical Post.

That there are lingering drug effects has upset some traditional ideas in anesthesiology, such as the belief that once an anesthetic drug has dissipated, it is eliminated from the brain and the brain goes back to baseline state. Recent studies are showing there are longer effects, as well possible increased risk of neurocognitive changes and possibly dementia in older patients who get general anesthesia.

Whether it’s laughing gas or ketamine, the drugs need to be treated with respect because of various risks associated with their administration. Even if the doses are substantially smaller than what’s used for anesthesia..."

#medmastodon @medmastodon #neurology #brain #health #UofT

https://canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/no-laughing-matter-laughing-gas-treating-depression

#MedicineShortages in #England ‘beyond critical’, #pharmacists warn

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of #HarmToPatients as key #drugs are unavailable

‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record #DrugShortages
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/09/medicine-shortages-in-england-beyond-critical-pharmacists-warn
#ToryPiciesInAction #BrexitBonus #Health #PublicHealth #ToryIndifference
#CommunityPharmacyEngland #CPE

#MedicineShortages in #England ‘beyond critical’, #pharmacists warn

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of #HarmToPatients as key #drugs are unavailable

‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record #DrugShortages
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/09/medicine-shortages-in-england-beyond-critical-pharmacists-warn
#ToryPiciesInAction #BrexitBonus #Health #PublicHealth #ToryIndifference
#CommunityPharmacyEngland #CPE

#MedicineShortages in #England ‘beyond critical’, #pharmacists warn

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of #HarmToPatients as key #drugs are unavailable

‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record #DrugShortages
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/09/medicine-shortages-in-england-beyond-critical-pharmacists-warn
#ToryPiciesInAction #BrexitBonus #Health #PublicHealth #ToryIndifference
#CommunityPharmacyEngland #CPE

#MedicineShortages in #England ‘beyond critical’, #pharmacists warn

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of #HarmToPatients as key #drugs are unavailable

‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record #DrugShortages
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/09/medicine-shortages-in-england-beyond-critical-pharmacists-warn
#ToryPiciesInAction #BrexitBonus #Health #PublicHealth #ToryIndifference
#CommunityPharmacyEngland #CPE

#MedicineShortages in #England ‘beyond critical’, #pharmacists warn

Survey has revealed challenges faced by pharmacists and risk of #HarmToPatients as key #drugs are unavailable

‘We’re firefighting in the background’: the pharmacists coping with record #DrugShortages
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/09/medicine-shortages-in-england-beyond-critical-pharmacists-warn
#ToryPiciesInAction #BrexitBonus #Health #PublicHealth #ToryIndifference
#CommunityPharmacyEngland #CPE

My new story for the Medical Post/Canadian Healthcare Network.
#Doctors and #pharmacists in Canada can log on for free. Here are a few paragraphs.

Could a century old treatment be an answer to antibiotic resistance?
In a first in Canada, a patient with an #antibiotic resistant artificial joint infection has received treatment with phage therapy and is showing promising early responses.

“This is cutting edge stuff, and a potentially new technology,” said Dr. Marisa Azad, the infectious diseases physician who treated the patient. She is also an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa.

The patient presented with severe periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in the summer of 2023. She had already undergone multiple surgeries and had experienced several relapses and infections with the same persistent bacteria.

“She’d been on multiple very prolonged courses of antibiotics and had a severe drug allergy to two major drug classes of antibiotics. I was extremely limited in what I could use to treat her,” Dr. Azad told the Medical Post in an interview.

That’s when the idea arose of trying an experimental treatment course with phage therapy. The team got approval for doing the experimental treatment from Health Canada, and worked with Winnipeg-based Cytophage, which supplied the phages.

“We developed a protocol and gave her therapy over two weeks while she was admitted to hospital. She’s completed her therapy. Now we’re monitoring her closely and giving her adjunctive antibiotics,” she said.

The idea didn’t come out of the blue. In the medical literature, a study from just last year in Clinical #Infectious Diseases provided a review of 33 previously published cases of patients with end-stage, refractory bone and joint infections (BJI) who underwent treatment with phage therapy. The authors found that from those case reports, “29 (87%) achieved microbiological or clinical success, two (5.9%) relapsed with the same organisms, and two (5.9%) with a different organism” with no serious adverse events.

The conclusions of that paper stated there were “important advantages, disadvantages, and barriers to the implementation of phage therapy for BJIs.” Yet, at the same time, the authors added they, “believe that if phage therapy were to be used earlier in the clinical course, fewer cumulative antibiotics may be needed in an individual treatment course.”

The word phage is short for #bacteriophage, a word coined in 1917—literally meaning bacteria-eater. They are viruses whose lifecycle depends on certain types of bacteria.

“They latch on to specific types of bacteria and inject their genetic material into the bacterial cell." Dr. Azad explained. "They take over the bacterial cells’ machinery to produce more little viruses inside and explode or burst open the bacteria,” releasing viral particles that can go and infect other cells of the same type of bacteria.

Intriguingly, each #phage targets a specific type of #bacteria...
The story of phages started over 100 years ago. They were independently discovered, first in 1915 by a British pathologist, Frederick Twort, and then again in 1917 by French-Canadian microbiologist Felix d’Herelle. And...

#MedMastodon #IDmastodon #microbiology @medmastodon
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/could-century-old-treatment-be-answer-antibiotic-resistance

US drug shortages reach record high with 323 meds now in short supply - Enlarge / Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Adderall XR brand medication arrang... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=2017093 #drugshortages #genericdrugs #cancerdrugs #pharmacists #adderall #pharmacy #science #health #ashp #dea #fda

We go a brochure in the mail from #BlueCross of #Massachusetts in the mail, telling us that in July the list of covered medicines (formulary) will shrink.

As a household with some important prescriptions, I worry we'll lose coverage. But, the brochure also tells us that the list of medications lost won't be available until end of May.

So, I'll have 45 days to worry if I'll be impacted, and then another 30 days until I'm actually impacted.

Spouse brought up a good point: Feels like if I can only buy into a service on an annual basis, the terms shouldn't significantly change within the same year.

Why is it that the #insurance company can change the plan details mid-year, but I can't change the plan we're on, or the insurance provider, until the next enrollment period?

#pharmacists #America #enshittification #law #bullshit #HealthCare

Obesity patients made to feel like 'second-class citizens' as demand for Ozempic soars | World News | Sky News
https://news.sky.com/story/obesity-patients-made-to-feel-like-second-class-citizens-as-demand-for-ozempic-soars-12908076

#Stigma
#Obesity
#Ozempic
#T2D
#Type2Diabetes
#TikTok
#MedicineShortages
#Johnson
#Nordisk
#Pharmacies
#Pharmacists

"The many #menopause myths your patients may believe
A look at the many preconceptions (and their related products) your patients may have about menopause."
This is a new story I wrote for the Medical Post/Canadian Healthcare Network which summarizes a talk at a recent #obgyn conference. The site is password protected but free for #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. Here are the first few paragraphs:

Myths, misinformation and questionable products for use in menopause abound.

So, what should doctors say when faced with patients asking about supplements, ‘estrogen imbalance,’ expensive tests, or social-media inspired treatments?

At the recent annual meeting of the Ontario regional conference for the Society for #Obstetricians and #Gynecologists of Canada (#SOGC), Dr. Alison Shea, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at McMaster University, addressed these topics.

She emphasized that while information on the internet is highly accessible, menopausal management is highly individualized.

“What somebody may say on social media that really helped them, may lead someone to ask about (it),” she said, stressing that doctors should explain that “what works for one person might not work for you.”

Myths around menopause are common, and social-media material relating to menopause can be associated with product advertising. On Instagram alone, half of the menopause hashtags are for advertisements. And, according to BNN Bloomberg, the global market for menopausal products hit US$15 billion in 2021.
The selling of products should set off alarm bells, Dr. Shea said.
High profile brands

Some high profile brands associated with menopausal products that patients might mention include GOOP, Stripes, the Galvenston Diet, and the Balance #Health App.

Actor Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, and Naomi Watts’ Stripes, both sell various products with little to no science behind them, she said. Yet, some of the Stripes products are decent, such as vaginal moisturizers which are hylaronic acid based. But its advisory board is lacking, consisting of only one ob-gyn, a dermatologist and a journalist.

The creator of the Galviston Diet has some helpful content, but their goal is to sell various products, Dr. Shea said. Some of the supplements appear to be fine for healthy aging, but they may not do much for menopausal symptoms.

The Balance Health App from the U.K. tracks menopause symptoms. This can be useful, but there are free and paid versions.
The vocabulary of menopause myths

Estrogen imbalance: This is the idea that high #estrogen or “estrogen dominance” are the underlying cause for bothersome menopause symptoms and need to be kept in check.

“We know this is not true,” Dr. Shea said. While fluctuating levels of estrogen can stimulate endometriosis, or stimulate some fibroid growth, lower estrogen levels are more responsible for bothersome menopausal symptoms

"Estrogen dominance" is sometimes used to describing an ‘imbalance’ of estrogen and progesterone. However, this is not a scientific term. Some patients may purchase progesterone cream products to help with the supposed imbalance, but progesterone does not work well through the skin. And if it were absorbed it may contribute to a worsening of mood symptoms in some. The only time estrogen may need so-called balancing is if there is an overgrowth of lining the uterus, or proliferative endometrium, she said.

Probiotics are also being sold claiming to influence estrogen metabolism in the gut, but there’s very little evidence.

Hormone testing kits and..."

#medmastdon @medmastodon

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/many-menopause-myths-your-patients-may-believe

Ontario expands pharmacist prescription powers, adding 6 more common ailments | CityNews Toronto https://bit.ly/3F3pUgl #OntarioPharmacies #Pharmacists #Prescribing #OCPInfo #onpoli @ontariogreens @onpoli

I wrote an article about Barbie after an interview with psychiatrist/cultural theorist Dr. Jeanne Randolph for the #MedicalPost/#CanadianHealthcare Network. It's free for #doctors, #pharmacists in #Canada. But here are few salient paragraphs.

"Dr. Randolph is both a #psychiatrist and a cultural theorist who uses a psychoanalytic lens when looking at icons such as Barbie. Studying #Barbie provokes questions about toys' contribution to the #health and ethics in #kids.

Indeed, back in the 1990s, she wrote a chapter for a book, Consuming Fashions: Adorning the Trans-National Body, that included details of a small study she conducted investigating how girls treated their Barbie dolls. The book itself included historical psychological and anthropological aspects of fashion.

What she found in wasn’t pretty.

Indeed, it was common for girls to cut off Barbie’s hair, paint them, poke or burn holes in them, twist their head around backwards, remove limbs, or even swap their head with other dolls.

But, she told the Medical Post, it's healthy for young kids to express aggressive or sadistic behaviours through their toys. It helps them cope with, and understand, their aggression in the long run—better than keeping it all bottled up and having it expressed in something real.

One moment, Barbie is a super model, an ideal parent or a brilliant astronaut, the next she might be beating up other toys, joining a biker gang, or holding up banks. Young kids learn about themselves and the world around them through play, she said.

For a long time, Barbie was marketed with an image of femininity that was devoid of aggression.

Barbie represented a huge cultural shift when she was first introduced in 1959. Prior to that, girls were given dolls that looked like babies, making their play limited to that as moms or caregivers—a fact the new movie points out.

Barbie was the first adult doll girls could identify with, Dr. Randolph said. They could expand the roles they played—except she was presented an exaggerated version of some idealized female form with her tall, slender proportions.

“In a way, Barbie was asking for it. It’s like the Barbie doll is so perfect, so unrealistic that she incited children to resent her or to be anxious because she’s not real,” she said. Hence some of the destructive behaviour.

Yet doing things like removing a Barbie’s head doesn’t mean a child will grow up a sociopath. Often, it’s just because the heads are easy to remove, and more of an exploration of how things work.

When she wrote about Barbie for that book chapter in the 1990s, Dr. Randolph wanted to include a picture of the doll. She looked for an advertising image that showed some aggression in Barbie, but the best she could find was an image of a fishing Barbie holding a large, plastic dead fish. The fish had a smile on it.

She wrote the toy company that produced Barbie for permission to use the image.

“I got a letter back from Mattel’s lawyers. They had read my chapter all about sadism and about how Barbie is asking for it, the doll is too perfect. They said I should seek legal council. They said they entirely rejected the negativity of this chapter and that Barbie is a valuable product which they did not want to be seen in this light,” she said.

There was always a disconnect between how Barbie was marketed and how little girls played with her.

The chapter was published, and the letter from Mattel was included in its entirety in a footnote.

However, the new Barbie movie showed a turnabout in recognition of the dichotomy Barbie represents. It acknowledged the imaginary, perfect world Barbie comes from, the cultural impact of Barbie dolls, that in real-life Barbies are mistreated, that many kids have cynical attitudes about Barbie, and also that some people love her.

“The movie is exactly what you would hope for in terms of the image and the humanity of women,” she said. The #feminist messages are strong, with powerful satirical punch towards #patriarchy."

For those with accounts, the story can be accessed here.
#medmastodon @medmastodon #psychiatry https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/its-normal-kids-abuse-their-barbie-dolls

A short news story I wrote reporting on a study that found the shape of your #heart can help predict risk for atrial fibrillation.
The first few paragraphs (most of the story):

Rounder hearts predict future heart failure, a-fib
Greater left ventricular sphericity showed 47% greater incidence of #cardiomyopathy

MAY 2023 -- Not everyone’s heart is quite the same shape and its shape changes over time – but this could help predict who’s at risk for #cardiomyopathy.

A study in CellPress, where researchers analysed cardiac MRIs of over 30,000 people, found that variations in left ventricle sphericity in normal hearts predicted risk for cardiomyopathy and related outcomes.

Researchers hypothesized that beyond size and function, the shape of hearts might carry extra details about heart health. To study this, they used data from a large biobank with cardiac imaging data to help analyze variation in cardiac morphology in normal populations.

They noted “Cardiomyopathies of different etiologies often result in a similar end-stage phenotype of a more round, spherical ventricle. Among individuals with known cardiac disease, increased sphericity of the left ventricle (LV) has been associated with adverse outcomes, including ventricular arrhythmias and death.”

It also stated that “within the spectrum of normal LV chamber size and systolic function, there exists variation in LV sphericity, and this variation may be a marker of cardiac risk with genetic underpinnings.”

The researchers turned to artificial intelligence to help analyze 38,897 cardiac MRIs from the U.K. Biobank database. The cohort had undergone cardiac MRIs and had normal LV end-diastolic volume, normal LV end-systolic volume, and normal LV ejection fraction.

The team looked at LV sphericity and whether it predicted incident cardiomyopathy as well as clinical manifestations such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and #cardiac arrest. Other factors were taken into account such as body mass index, pulse rate, #hypertension, diabetes, and prior #myocardial infarction.

“We found that individuals with spherical hearts were 31% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation and 24% more likely to develop cardiomyopathy,” said Dr. David Ouyang in a press release. He is coauthor of the study and a cardiologist at Cedars Sinai in California....

The full story is online. Sorry, its password protected. It's accessible, free to #doctors and #pharmacists #myocardial #medicine #MedicalPost #MedMastodon #cardiology @medmastodon

MY NEWS REPORT: https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/rounder-hearts-predict-future-heart-failure-fib

THE STUDY: https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2666-6340%2823%2900069-7

Gout update.
For #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. An overview I wrote for The Medical Post/Canadian #Healthcare Network.

"Refresher on #gout: the only curable arthritis
Often only seen in crisis, patients with gout can be cured with the right treatment and follow-up.
By Pippa Wysong

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and often mistreated.

Yet, according to rheumatologist Dr. Jean-Philip Deslauriers, once patients are on the right treatment, it’s the only arthritis where a cure can be achieved.

“With other arthritis conditions, the goal is remission. But with gout one can get rid of the underlying disease and attain a cure,” he said. Dr. Deslauriers is a clinical professor of #medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC).

“Gout is easy to treat, and most cases can be managed by family #doctors,” told the Medical Post in an interview. Gout is a painful #arthritis caused by elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), hyperuricaemia.

Prolonged hyperuricaemia (which is generally asymptomatic and can be present for years) leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other body tissues. Eventually, neutrophils will venture into the joint to try to destroy the crystals (partly unsuccessfully) but end up triggering an episode of painful inflammation—a gout crisis in which patients present with inflamed, painful and swollen joints. Often, but not always, the affected joint is in the foot or ankle, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Crystals can also be deposited in other tissue and sometimes break through the skin creating yellowish-white nodules called tophi.

There are several reasons why gout can be missed. One is that symptoms are intermittent and it can take years for crystals to build up inside joints. A patient may present to an outpatient clinic or ER where acute symptoms are treated with colchicine, #NSAIDs, cortisone infiltration or prednisone for their acute crisis, and then sent home and told to see their family physician for follow-up.
Crisis and oft missed opportunity

But a crisis, in the early stage of the disease, tends to last for only three or four days. By the time patients see an FP, they feel fine and may not mention it—if they even have access to an FP.

“Often there is only management for the crisis itself. If we don’t address the underlying cause which is too much uric acid in their blood, crises will happen again, more intensely and more frequently. And the disease will affect more joints. Over time this can lead to deformity and erosion, possible crystal formation in soft tissue called tophi,” Dr. Deslauriers said.

According to the 2018 recommendations for gout by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), several features need to be taken into account for a diagnosis. These are: monoarticular involvement of a foot or ankle joint; previous acute episodes; rapid onset of severe pain and swelling; erythema; being male and associated #cardiovascular diseases, plus hyperuricaemia.

For a definite diagnosis, crystals need to be seen in synovial fluid or tophus aspirates.

Both the EULAR and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines state that once gout is confirmed, treatment to lower UA levels can start even while the patient is in crisis

“This is a very important point because if not done when the patient is assessed during his acute crisis, it often isn’t done at all,’’ Dr. Deslauriers said...."

The rest of the story is on the site. Sorry, password protected for people in Canadian healthcare.

#MedMastoson #rheumatology

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/refresher-gout-only-curable-arthritis

Gout update.
For #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. An overview I wrote for The Medical Post/Canadian #Healthcare Network.

"Refresher on #gout: the only curable arthritis
Often only seen in crisis, patients with gout can be cured with the right treatment and follow-up.
By Pippa Wysong

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and often mistreated.

Yet, according to rheumatologist Dr. Jean-Philip Deslauriers, once patients are on the right treatment, it’s the only arthritis where a cure can be achieved.

“With other arthritis conditions, the goal is remission. But with gout one can get rid of the underlying disease and attain a cure,” he said. Dr. Deslauriers is a clinical professor of #medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC).

“Gout is easy to treat, and most cases can be managed by family #doctors,” told the Medical Post in an interview. Gout is a painful #arthritis caused by elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), hyperuricaemia.

Prolonged hyperuricaemia (which is generally asymptomatic and can be present for years) leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other body tissues. Eventually, neutrophils will venture into the joint to try to destroy the crystals (partly unsuccessfully) but end up triggering an episode of painful inflammation—a gout crisis in which patients present with inflamed, painful and swollen joints. Often, but not always, the affected joint is in the foot or ankle, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Crystals can also be deposited in other tissue and sometimes break through the skin creating yellowish-white nodules called tophi.

There are several reasons why gout can be missed. One is that symptoms are intermittent and it can take years for crystals to build up inside joints. A patient may present to an outpatient clinic or ER where acute symptoms are treated with colchicine, #NSAIDs, cortisone infiltration or prednisone for their acute crisis, and then sent home and told to see their family physician for follow-up.
Crisis and oft missed opportunity

But a crisis, in the early stage of the disease, tends to last for only three or four days. By the time patients see an FP, they feel fine and may not mention it—if they even have access to an FP.

“Often there is only management for the crisis itself. If we don’t address the underlying cause which is too much uric acid in their blood, crises will happen again, more intensely and more frequently. And the disease will affect more joints. Over time this can lead to deformity and erosion, possible crystal formation in soft tissue called tophi,” Dr. Deslauriers said.

According to the 2018 recommendations for gout by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), several features need to be taken into account for a diagnosis. These are: monoarticular involvement of a foot or ankle joint; previous acute episodes; rapid onset of severe pain and swelling; erythema; being male and associated #cardiovascular diseases, plus hyperuricaemia.

For a definite diagnosis, crystals need to be seen in synovial fluid or tophus aspirates.

Both the EULAR and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines state that once gout is confirmed, treatment to lower UA levels can start even while the patient is in crisis

“This is a very important point because if not done when the patient is assessed during his acute crisis, it often isn’t done at all,’’ Dr. Deslauriers said...."

The rest of the story is on the site. Sorry, password protected for people in Canadian healthcare.

#MedMastoson #rheumatology

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/refresher-gout-only-curable-arthritis

Gout update.
For #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. An overview I wrote for The Medical Post/Canadian #Healthcare Network.

"Refresher on #gout: the only curable arthritis
Often only seen in crisis, patients with gout can be cured with the right treatment and follow-up.
By Pippa Wysong

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and often mistreated.

Yet, according to rheumatologist Dr. Jean-Philip Deslauriers, once patients are on the right treatment, it’s the only arthritis where a cure can be achieved.

“With other arthritis conditions, the goal is remission. But with gout one can get rid of the underlying disease and attain a cure,” he said. Dr. Deslauriers is a clinical professor of #medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC).

“Gout is easy to treat, and most cases can be managed by family #doctors,” told the Medical Post in an interview. Gout is a painful #arthritis caused by elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), hyperuricaemia.

Prolonged hyperuricaemia (which is generally asymptomatic and can be present for years) leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other body tissues. Eventually, neutrophils will venture into the joint to try to destroy the crystals (partly unsuccessfully) but end up triggering an episode of painful inflammation—a gout crisis in which patients present with inflamed, painful and swollen joints. Often, but not always, the affected joint is in the foot or ankle, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Crystals can also be deposited in other tissue and sometimes break through the skin creating yellowish-white nodules called tophi.

There are several reasons why gout can be missed. One is that symptoms are intermittent and it can take years for crystals to build up inside joints. A patient may present to an outpatient clinic or ER where acute symptoms are treated with colchicine, #NSAIDs, cortisone infiltration or prednisone for their acute crisis, and then sent home and told to see their family physician for follow-up.
Crisis and oft missed opportunity

But a crisis, in the early stage of the disease, tends to last for only three or four days. By the time patients see an FP, they feel fine and may not mention it—if they even have access to an FP.

“Often there is only management for the crisis itself. If we don’t address the underlying cause which is too much uric acid in their blood, crises will happen again, more intensely and more frequently. And the disease will affect more joints. Over time this can lead to deformity and erosion, possible crystal formation in soft tissue called tophi,” Dr. Deslauriers said.

According to the 2018 recommendations for gout by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), several features need to be taken into account for a diagnosis. These are: monoarticular involvement of a foot or ankle joint; previous acute episodes; rapid onset of severe pain and swelling; erythema; being male and associated #cardiovascular diseases, plus hyperuricaemia.

For a definite diagnosis, crystals need to be seen in synovial fluid or tophus aspirates.

Both the EULAR and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines state that once gout is confirmed, treatment to lower UA levels can start even while the patient is in crisis

“This is a very important point because if not done when the patient is assessed during his acute crisis, it often isn’t done at all,’’ Dr. Deslauriers said...."

The rest of the story is on the site. Sorry, password protected for people in Canadian healthcare.

#MedMastoson #rheumatology

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/refresher-gout-only-curable-arthritis

Gout update.
For #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. An overview I wrote for The Medical Post/Canadian #Healthcare Network.

"Refresher on #gout: the only curable arthritis
Often only seen in crisis, patients with gout can be cured with the right treatment and follow-up.
By Pippa Wysong

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and often mistreated.

Yet, according to rheumatologist Dr. Jean-Philip Deslauriers, once patients are on the right treatment, it’s the only arthritis where a cure can be achieved.

“With other arthritis conditions, the goal is remission. But with gout one can get rid of the underlying disease and attain a cure,” he said. Dr. Deslauriers is a clinical professor of #medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC).

“Gout is easy to treat, and most cases can be managed by family #doctors,” told the Medical Post in an interview. Gout is a painful #arthritis caused by elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), hyperuricaemia.

Prolonged hyperuricaemia (which is generally asymptomatic and can be present for years) leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other body tissues. Eventually, neutrophils will venture into the joint to try to destroy the crystals (partly unsuccessfully) but end up triggering an episode of painful inflammation—a gout crisis in which patients present with inflamed, painful and swollen joints. Often, but not always, the affected joint is in the foot or ankle, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Crystals can also be deposited in other tissue and sometimes break through the skin creating yellowish-white nodules called tophi.

There are several reasons why gout can be missed. One is that symptoms are intermittent and it can take years for crystals to build up inside joints. A patient may present to an outpatient clinic or ER where acute symptoms are treated with colchicine, #NSAIDs, cortisone infiltration or prednisone for their acute crisis, and then sent home and told to see their family physician for follow-up.
Crisis and oft missed opportunity

But a crisis, in the early stage of the disease, tends to last for only three or four days. By the time patients see an FP, they feel fine and may not mention it—if they even have access to an FP.

“Often there is only management for the crisis itself. If we don’t address the underlying cause which is too much uric acid in their blood, crises will happen again, more intensely and more frequently. And the disease will affect more joints. Over time this can lead to deformity and erosion, possible crystal formation in soft tissue called tophi,” Dr. Deslauriers said.

According to the 2018 recommendations for gout by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), several features need to be taken into account for a diagnosis. These are: monoarticular involvement of a foot or ankle joint; previous acute episodes; rapid onset of severe pain and swelling; erythema; being male and associated #cardiovascular diseases, plus hyperuricaemia.

For a definite diagnosis, crystals need to be seen in synovial fluid or tophus aspirates.

Both the EULAR and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines state that once gout is confirmed, treatment to lower UA levels can start even while the patient is in crisis

“This is a very important point because if not done when the patient is assessed during his acute crisis, it often isn’t done at all,’’ Dr. Deslauriers said...."

The rest of the story is on the site. Sorry, password protected for people in Canadian healthcare.

#MedMastoson #rheumatology

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/refresher-gout-only-curable-arthritis

Gout update.
For #doctors and #pharmacists in #Canada. An overview I wrote for The Medical Post/Canadian #Healthcare Network.

"Refresher on #gout: the only curable arthritis
Often only seen in crisis, patients with gout can be cured with the right treatment and follow-up.
By Pippa Wysong

Gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed and often mistreated.

Yet, according to rheumatologist Dr. Jean-Philip Deslauriers, once patients are on the right treatment, it’s the only arthritis where a cure can be achieved.

“With other arthritis conditions, the goal is remission. But with gout one can get rid of the underlying disease and attain a cure,” he said. Dr. Deslauriers is a clinical professor of #medicine at the University of Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the Arthritis Society of Canada (ASC).

“Gout is easy to treat, and most cases can be managed by family #doctors,” told the Medical Post in an interview. Gout is a painful #arthritis caused by elevated levels of serum uric acid (UA), hyperuricaemia.

Prolonged hyperuricaemia (which is generally asymptomatic and can be present for years) leads to the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid and other body tissues. Eventually, neutrophils will venture into the joint to try to destroy the crystals (partly unsuccessfully) but end up triggering an episode of painful inflammation—a gout crisis in which patients present with inflamed, painful and swollen joints. Often, but not always, the affected joint is in the foot or ankle, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

Crystals can also be deposited in other tissue and sometimes break through the skin creating yellowish-white nodules called tophi.

There are several reasons why gout can be missed. One is that symptoms are intermittent and it can take years for crystals to build up inside joints. A patient may present to an outpatient clinic or ER where acute symptoms are treated with colchicine, #NSAIDs, cortisone infiltration or prednisone for their acute crisis, and then sent home and told to see their family physician for follow-up.
Crisis and oft missed opportunity

But a crisis, in the early stage of the disease, tends to last for only three or four days. By the time patients see an FP, they feel fine and may not mention it—if they even have access to an FP.

“Often there is only management for the crisis itself. If we don’t address the underlying cause which is too much uric acid in their blood, crises will happen again, more intensely and more frequently. And the disease will affect more joints. Over time this can lead to deformity and erosion, possible crystal formation in soft tissue called tophi,” Dr. Deslauriers said.

According to the 2018 recommendations for gout by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), several features need to be taken into account for a diagnosis. These are: monoarticular involvement of a foot or ankle joint; previous acute episodes; rapid onset of severe pain and swelling; erythema; being male and associated #cardiovascular diseases, plus hyperuricaemia.

For a definite diagnosis, crystals need to be seen in synovial fluid or tophus aspirates.

Both the EULAR and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines state that once gout is confirmed, treatment to lower UA levels can start even while the patient is in crisis

“This is a very important point because if not done when the patient is assessed during his acute crisis, it often isn’t done at all,’’ Dr. Deslauriers said...."

The rest of the story is on the site. Sorry, password protected for people in Canadian healthcare.

#MedMastoson #rheumatology

https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/refresher-gout-only-curable-arthritis

Pharmacists sound the alarm over ‘devastating’ condition of community amid medicine supply issues | The Independent
#Pharmacists
#Chemists
#MedicineSupply
#PharmaceuticalServicesNegotiatingCommittee
#PSNC
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/medicine-supply-shortages-uk-pharmacy-b2318907.html

#Parkinson’s disease drug may help teens with type 1 diabetes
Drug improves blood pressure, vessel characteristics.
My newest news story in the #MedicalPost/ #CanadianHealthcareNetwork.
Sorry --it's password protected for Canadian #doctors, #pharmacists. But here are some highlights:

DEC 2022 -- Bromocriptine, a medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease and as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D), can lower blood pressure in teens with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Increased blood pressure in teens is a concern because it raises the risk of cardiovascular events later in life. Peripheral vascular dysfunction, along with accelerated large arterial stiffness and impaired cardiac function, has already been shown in youth with T1D, according to a study in Hypertension.

A once-daily AM bromocriptine quick release (BCQR) formulation was developed and FDA approved for therapeutic use in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), the study said. Previous research showed it was associated with a reduction in major adverse #cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with T2D after one year of treatment....

#MedMastodon #diabetes #cardiovascular #cardiology
Link to the story: https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/parkinsons-disease-drug-may-help-teens-type-1-diabetes

Link to the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36472197/

Eating grapes increases UV protection in skin, reduces, melanoma risk, study finds. But some foods increase the risk of photodamage. My newest news story in the #MedicalPost/ #CanadianHealthcareNetwork.
Sorry --it's password protected for Canadian #doctors, #pharmacists. But here are some highlights:

DEC 2022 -- Does eating grapes each day help keep the melanoma away?

The answer is yes—at least in people with specific characteristics, according to a study in Antioxidants. There, researchers investigated skin changes in people who consumed grapes daily. In fact, grapes appear to reduce risk by altering some of the gut microbiome and increasing resistance to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the skin

Looking specifically at grapes was of interest for several reasons. For one, grapes are a common source of resveratrol, a cancer chemopreventive agent found in wine and grape juice, as well as having hundreds of phytochemicals. In general, studies have suggested grape consumption has an influence on atherosclerosis, inflammation, cancer, gastrointestinal health, central nervous system effects, osteoarthritis, urinary bladder function, and vision, the authors wrote.

Some studies (mostly in mice, but also some small human trials) have shown photoprotection activity of the skin from consuming grape powder. One study showed “enhanced DNA damage repair, reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and modulation of oxidative stress markers,” the paper said.
The cross-over study by Dr. John Pezzuto from Western New England University in Massachusetts and colleagues was conducted to investigate the potential of grape consumption to modulate UV-induced skin erythema...
... Other studies in the medical literature show various foods which can increase photoprotection, while some can lead to increased photodamage.

A review of plant-based foods and skin health identified several beneficial fruits and vegetables. Researchers noted “each food has a unique nutrient profile that provides an array of bioactive compounds that either alone or synergistically may afford protection for the skin,” and that “diets consisting mainly of meat, refined grains, snacks, soft drinks, coffee, and alcoholic beverages were associated with more wrinkling in women.”

“Overall, we found that the consumption of colorful fruits and vegetables abundant in vitamins, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and polyphenols is indicated for skin health and esthetics. In general, yellow, orange, and red fruits such as mangos, melons, citrus, tomatoes, and vegetables such as red bell peppers and dark-green leafy kale are good sources of carotenoids. Fruits with deep red or purple colors such as grapes, pomegranate, and passion fruit are rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols,” the paper said. ...

#MedMastodon #dermatology
https://www.canadianhealthcarenetwork.ca/eating-grapes-increases-uv-protection-skin-reduces-melanoma-risk?check_logged_in=1

Med news. Post lockdown sees a 37% jump in asthma- and COPD-related ED visits. But rebound effect varies by age with asthmatic children under 5 years seeing an 81% jump in study at Missouri hospitals.
My newest report in the #MedicalPost.
Sorry, password protected, but free for Canadian #doctors and #pharmacists. Some highlights:
DEC 2022 -- Asthma and COPD emergency department (ED) visits jumped 37% after the relaxing of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. But the impact varied depending on the age of patients, with asthmatic children being hit hardest with rebound.

Viruses may have a greater impact on these conditions than previously appreciated, according to a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Global. It investigated the effects of pre- and post-lockdowns on respiratory disease visits to the ED.

“We were surprised that the benefits of lockdown precautions in terms of asthma exacerbations were concentrated so strongly in children—and similarly that the rebound in asthma activity was so much more in children once people stopped masking,” said study coauthor Dr. Jeffrey Haspel. He is an associate professor of #medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine.

The study was a retrospective analysis of data on ED visits for asthma and #COPD exacerbations, as well as positivity rates for common respiratory viruses at several hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri. Researchers looked at all age groups and at weekly event rates occurring in the 52-week intervals before, during, and after institution of the COVID-19 lockdown...
#MedMastodon #pediatric #asthma