It is absolutely amazing to me how much people spend on herbal remedies and supplements over the counter, when they can barely meet their bills. Some folks cannot afford prescription medications even at Wal-Mart prices of $4 a month for most generics, but will pay good money for moderate- to high-priced supplements. Maybe it’s the idea of making one’s own decisions about what to take for each ailment, but sometimes... by JoAnn Lister    more »

Although there are many products that can be sold through the Fair Trade program, coffee has the biggest impact on world poverty. Coffee is actually the most heavily traded commodity in the world after oil. There are 25 million coffee farmers, translating into 100 million family members. by JoAnn Lister    more »

Good anxiety also makes us be careful to avoid accidents and stay out of dangerous situations. But if anxiety becomes too strong, it becomes a dysfunction, making us unable to adjust to change and warning us to become so overly cautious we cannot even act at all. At this point anxiety becomes a disorder. If the anxiety disorder is not treated, it can even contribute to, or interfere with, treatment of some physical disorders. by JoAnn Lister    more »

I am always conscious of the fact that once an injection is given, it can’t be taken back. If there is a reaction, you are stuck with it for the duration and I should have a good reason for giving the injectable drug; certainly better than just for the sake of convenience. But what other considerations are there when deciding to order an antibiotic for someone who is feeling just rotten? by JoAnn Lister    more »

We went to see the pediatrician when Ricky was 2 weeks old. He was re-gaining back that weight that babies usually lose right after birth. The doctor advised Karen that when she is breastfeeding, at about 3 months, she needed to add vitamin drops that contained vitamin D, as currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Formula contains enough extra vitamin D but apparently breast milk does not. I wondered if she considered the fact that infants that breastfeed tend to absorb a lot more of their nutrients than bottle fed babies. But when I got back home and resumed my professional reading, there was much new material on vitamin D and how it is so much more important than once thought. by JoAnn Lister    more »

Up to this time in my life I just went to a hospital to have babies; that is a happy event so everything was generally rosey. But this time was different. I had severe pain and bleeding in the middle of the night and there was no way to wait ‘til morning. Thank goodness for an emergency room just 2 miles from my home, open 24 hours a day just for things like this and worse. by JoAnn Lister    more »

I didn’t have to think twice. As soon as I saw that a shingles vaccine was on the market. I signed up my husband and myself up immediately. I’ve seen too many patients, and known too many people, who suffered through shingles itself , and then a year or more of pain after the clearing of the rash. by JoAnn Lister    more »

Nothing can lay you lower faster than common food poisoning, and sometimes it can be deadly. One of my first experiences working as a college student in a large San Antonio hospital was with a couple who spent their honeymoon in Mexico. The husband had contracted a severe case of typhoid fever...within a week he died of complications. That made a deep impression on a 19-year-old student nurse. by JoAnn Lister    more »

You may know the feeling: you have to empty your bladder and are afraid you can’t wait til you find a bathroom. That’s called urinary urgency. How about when you cough or sneeze or laugh and urine leaks out onto your underwear? by JoAnn Lister    more »

If we could help our children and grandchildren to take to heart all these ideals, it would be a Happy New Year in 2006 for families everywhere. by JoAnn Lister    more »

Everyone should at least consider joining the Medicare Prescription Drug plan, even if they are not on many prescriptions now, just to avoid higher premiums if joining later on. Of course, if you plan to stay healthy and are blessed to never need such a plan, that is something else to think carefully about until next May. by JoAnn Lister    more »

The good news is the research makes clear – and teens themselves underscore – that parents can do much to help. Here are five things that parents should know about how they can help their children avoid too-early pregnancy and parenthood (and STDs). by JoAnn Lister    more »

Plastic wrap, Lemon Fresh Joy, fishy supplements, and you
Our regular health columnist addresses some urban legends. by JoAnn Lister    more »

We are reassured that “the chance of a problem is very low...(and) many millions of people have used and benefitted from these medicines; (they) are still using them.” But because of the questions being raised in small studies that are utilizing some of these drugs for specific therapies, researchers must step up studies to learn the truth. by JoAnn Lister    more »