Are you one of the 10 percent of Americans who report being allergic to penicillin? Did you know that less than 1 percent of the population are truly allergic? Did you know that 80 percent of people with true IgE-mediated penicillin allergy lose their sensitivity after ten years? Did you realize that “the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics
The polypill is effective for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. By combining drugs in a single pill, it improves convenience and compliance. The polypill, not polypharmacy. Polypharmacy is the use of multiple medications by a single patient, which is sometimes appropriate and necessary, but can be ill-advised and result in medication interactions and complications. The
Two pills and an injection are FDA-approved to prevent HIV infection. Not enough patients and providers know about them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes guidelines and updates for preventing HIV infection. They call it Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or PrEP. People at risk for HIV infection can be “PrEP-ared” to avoid infection. FDA-approved medications for
For years, we have been told that most adults should take a baby aspirin every day to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. Now we are told not to do that because it doesn’t work. What is going on? Why can’t science make up its mind? The recommendations are not exactly simple and straightforward; the
An experimental cancer drug made 100% of rectal cancers disappear in a small trial, allowing subjects to avoid the standard treatment of chemotherapy and surgery . “Some scientists say these kinds of results have never been seen in the history of cancer research.” 100% is hard to believe; the 95% confidence interval was 74 to 100. Whatever the true
Will an expensive, new, injectable, untested medication help people lose weight? Maybe! But right now, we don’t know if it’s safety and efficacy profiles make it worth the price. When I saw this headline on an article in The Week magazine, I was impressed. Diet and exercise, when combined with existing obesity drugs, typically result in only
Plenity is a new weight loss pill designed to create a sense of fullness. It is backed by a single study where users had an average weight loss of 22 pounds. Not an effective way to achieve ideal weight, but may help some people when combined with diet and exercise. I’ve been seeing TV commercials
Nugenix Total T is one of many so-called testosterone boosters on the market. Vague claims, insufficient evidence. The commercials insult my intelligence. They show men on a golf course commiserating with each other about how their performance had gone downhill since the good old days of their youthful manhood, and some telling others how Nugenix
[Este artículo está disponible en español. La traducción al español apareció por primera vez en la revista Pensar.] The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet. Despite the success of vaccines, people continue to get the disease. Most cases are in the unvaccinated, but even those who have been fully vaccinated can have “breakthrough” infections. Relief appears to
[This article is also available in English. Thanks to Pensar for the Spanish translation.] La pandemia del COVID-19 aún no ha terminado. A pesar del éxito de las vacunas, las personas continúan contrayendo la enfermedad. La mayoría de los casos corresponden a personas no vacunadas, pero incluso aquellas que han sido vacunadas por completo pueden
