Trumm Drug

Feb 8, 2010

Protect Your Lips During Winter Months

Protect Your Lips During Winter Months

Winter is hard on skin. Dry indoor air and harsh wind can sap moisture
from the skin, causing cracking, chapping, and irritation. Even in the
winter months, your skin is still vulnerable to damage from the sun’s
ultraviolet rays. Cold weather is especially hard on our lips. When lips are
too dry from dehydration, they begin to crack and peel.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your lips as healthy as
possible throughout the winter months. Avoid going out in dry, cold
weather without putting on lip balm or lipstick. Lip products that contain
lanolin, shea butter, cocoa butter, and even petroleum jelly are best since
many other ingredients can actually dry out the lips. When participating
in outdoor activity, use a lip balm that also contains a sun block. Be sure
to drink plenty of water and keep the air in your home humid to prevent
dehydration. For women, if the lips do become chapped, avoid wearing
lipstick as the color pigments may irritate chapped lips. Avoid licking or
biting your lips, this only makes them worse. A daily lip care routine can
go a long way in preventing chapped lips.

Feb 1, 2010

Aspirin Taken Immediately for Heart Attack

Aspirin Taken Immediately for Heart Attack

A heart attack may result when a blood clot blocks blood flow through
a coronary (heart) artery. The coronary artery brings blood to the heart. If
blood flow to the heart is disrupted due to a blood clot, a portion of the
heart itself may become damaged or destroyed. The buildup of cholesterol
over time can lead to the formation of plaques in arteries, and the
narrowing of arteries, known as atherosclerosis. Signs and symptoms of
a heart attack include a sensation of pressure or squeezing pain in the
center of the chest lasting longer than a few minutes. Shortness of breath,
sweating, and nausea also may be signs of a heart attack. Smoking, older
age, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can increase the
risk of a heart attack. Obesity and lack of physical activity can also increase
heart attack risk.
Persons who believe they are experiencing a heart attack need to seek
emergency medical attention immediately. Nitroglycerin should be taken
as soon as possible, if available, through a prescription. Aspirin is recommended
to be taken immediately. The aspirin tablet should be chewed
when taken during a heart attack. It decreases the likelihood of the blood
clotting. Beta-blocker medications, such as metoprolol (Toprol XL) relax
the heart muscle and help prevent future heart attacks.

Jan 25, 2010

The Drug That Helps Cancer Drugs Work Better

The Drug That Helps Cancer Drugs Work Better

Sorafenib (Nexavar) is medication prescribed to interfere with the
growth of cancer cells and slows their spread in the body. It is used by
oncologists to treat advanced renal (kidney) cell carcinoma, as well as
cancer of the liver. Researchers in the U.S. may have found a way to use
Nexavar to overcome resistance to hormone-blocking breast cancer drugs.
They evaluated the drug in 35 women with advanced breast cancer that
was resistant to cancer-fighting drugs known as the aromatase inhibitors.
Examples include exemestane (Aromasin) and anastrozole (Arimidex).
In 23% of women who got both Nexavar and one of these cancer fighting
drugs, tumors appeared to be sensitized to the aromatase inhibitor used,
and either remained unchanged or got smaller.
Conventional treatment of breast cancer includes surgery
(lumpectomy and different types of mastectomy); radiation therapy;
chemotherapy (use of prescription drugs); hormone therapy, such as
with the drug tamoxifen; and targeted therapy such as with antibodies
like trastuzumab (Herceptin) that block growth of the factor protein
HER2.