Posted today in Medical

Health Tip: Too Much Alcohol Can Affect Muscle Mass

-- If you're working out regularly and trying to bulk up, drinking too much alcohol may hinder your efforts. The American Council on Exercise says excessive drinking can: Cause muscles to weaken because of reduced blood flow. Affect hormone levels, particularly testosterone, which can lead to retaining fluids and fat. Affect the liver, resulting...

Posted today in Medical

Health Tip: Measure Your Child's Height and Weight Correctly

-- To correctly calculate your child's body-mass index (BMI), you'll need accurate height and weight measurements. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these guidelines: Remove shoes, hair accessories and any heavy clothing that could affect the measurement. Have the child stand on a flat, uncarpeted floor against a flat wall. Have...

Posted yesterday in New Drug Approvals

FDA Approves Corlanor (ivabradine) to Treat Heart Failure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Corlanor (ivabradine) to reduce hospitalization from worsening heart failure. Corlanor is approved for use in certain people who have long-lasting (chronic) heart failure caused by the lower-left part of their heart not contracting well. The drug is indicated for patients who have symptoms of heart...

Posted today in Medical

Health Highlights: April 16, 2015

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay: USDA to Release Proposed Standards for Organic Fish Proposed standards for U.S.-raised organic fish and shellfish are expected to be introduced this year by the Agriculture Department, but it could be years before such products are available in...

Posted today in Medical

New Synthetic Drug 'Flakka' Triggers Crazed Behaviors

A potent new designer drug called "flakka" is making headlines across the United States, driving many users into fits of screaming, naked rage accompanied by vivid hallucinations. Why naked? Because the drug sends body temperatures skyrocketing to as high as 106 degrees, which prompts users who have taken too much to rip away their clothes during sweating,...

Posted today in Medical

Humans Can't Resist Those Puppy-Dog Eyes

When humans and their four-legged, furry best friends look into one another's eyes, there is biological evidence that their bond strengthens, researchers report. Oxytocin -- the same hormone responsible for helping mothers bond to their infants -- increases in both dogs and their owners when they maintain eye contact, the Japanese scientists found. "Certainly,...

Posted today in Medical

Dog-Transmitted Rabies Kills 160 People a Day Worldwide: Study

Rabies transmitted by dogs kills 160 people a day worldwide and about 59,000 a year, a new study finds. While rabies is nearly always fatal, it is also nearly 100 percent preventable, researchers noted. They said the best, most cost-effective way of preventing canine rabies in people is by vaccinating dogs. Protection also can be improved by increasing...

Posted today in Medical

Americans' Gut Bacteria Lack Diversity, Researchers Find

Americans have fewer types of intestinal bacteria than people in less-developed countries, according to a new study. The likely cause? Bacteria are less likely to be passed from person to person due to better sanitation and cleaner drinking water in the United States, the researchers reported in the journal Cell Reports. "These findings suggest that...

Posted today in Medical

Substance Abuse Reported by About 1 in 10 American Workers

Nearly one in 10 full-time workers in the United States has had a recent substance abuse problem, a new government study reveals. Analysis of data gathered between 2008 and 2012 from more than 111,500 adults with full-time jobs revealed that 9.5 percent of them had an alcohol or illicit-drug disorder in the previous year. "Substance use issues pose...

Posted today in Medical

Obesity Linked to Greater Risk of Prostate Cancer in Blacks, Study Says

Blacks have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than whites, and for obese black men, their risk can quadruple as their weight goes up, a new study indicates. The findings from this large study should lead to a redoubling of efforts to encourage obesity prevention among black men, said study lead author Wendy Barrington, an assistant professor...

Recently added consumer and prescribing information: Cresemba, Zarxio, Farydak, Lenvima, Ibrance, Glyxambi, Evotaz, Prezcobix, Natpara, Prestalia

Posted in Blog

Harnessing the Power of the Poliovirus as a Cancer Cure

Polio, a highly infectious and crippling disease, was certainly one of the most feared viruses in the 20th century. Each year, thousands of children were left paralyzed. Polio has been successfully eliminated in the U.S. for decades due to a widespread vaccine program. So why would a group of researchers be interested in injecting the […]

Posted in Blog

Biosimilars in 2015: What Can We Expect?

On Friday, March 6th, 2015 the FDA approved Sandoz’s Zarxio, the first official biosimilar that will be made available in the U.S. Zarxio, a recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor used to boost white blood cells after cancer treatments, is the long-awaited biosimilar for filgrastim (Amgen’s Neupogen). The FDA noted in their briefs that Zarxio was “highly […]

Posted in Blog

Drugs.com Adds Mayo Clinic Disease Reference

Drugs.com is pleased to announce it has licensed select content from Mayo Clinic to provide more timely and trustworthy medical condition and disease information. The articles include detailed information about medical diseases such as allergies, back pain, depression, erectile dysfunction, and type 2 diabetes. Each article includes informative sections which may include an overview, symptoms, when […]