The importance of learning about natural therapies...

For my final blog posting of the course, I wanted to take the opportunity to express my gratitude for the instruction on the use of Natural Standard. As someone who works in a chain retail pharmacy with a fairly well-stocked herbal and natural remedies area, I can tell you that I get a lot of questions concerning the various herbal and natural products that we stock. It's important that we as pharmacists have a trusted resource we can turn to when we get these questions, since there are too many different herbal and natural products out there to expect a pharmacist to be able to keep track of. While there is still much to be desired in the field of research concerning the safety and efficacy of these products, a site like Natural Standard is probably the best we have, and is nonetheless very helpful. I particularly like the feature of "letter grading" the levels of evidence concerning the various uses of herbals, as it provides a quick and easy way to assess the efficacy of these products. I also appreciate different monographs will different levels of detail. Often times in a retail pharmacy there is not a lot of time to pore into the details of a certain herbal product, and so the quick monograph would be a lot more helpful in that situation. However, if one has time and wished to go more in-depth, that option is available as well. In addition, you can also print off handouts in layman's terms to give to patients so that they can better understand a given herbal or natural product.

In short, while there is still a lot of research that needs to be done on herbal and natural products to more fully understand their effects, in the meantime resources like this are very important for pharmacists and other clinicians to help their patients. I am glad for the opportunity to learn about this product, and look forward to using it in the future.

World AIDS Day - Test everyone over 13

In commemoration of World AIDS Day, I decided to post this article from WebMD, talking about new recommendations from the American College of Physicians (ACP) stating that physicians should offer routine HIV testing to all patients over the age of 13. Given that HIV screening has become very inexpensive and reliable, this recommendation makes a lot of sense. We have made great strides in treating HIV, but the best treatment is always prevention, and by encouraging all young people to get themselves tested, we can reduce the transmission of the disease drastically. We as health care students and professors should recognize the risks of contracting HIV, and set an example for our students and patients by getting tested ourselves and encouraging others to do so.

I also found it interesting that they chose to release these new guidelines today, on World AIDS Day. It's an important way for the medical community to do their parts to raise awareness of this disease, so that hopefully one day no one will ever become infected with the disease.

FDA opens first foreign office in China

The FDA, prompted by increasing concerns about the safety of drugs and drug products imported from other countries, has opened its first foreign office in China, with plans to open others in India, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. The FDA says they are doing this to not only keep a closer eye on potentially contaminated products that may come to the U.S., but also to work more closely with the governments of these countries to address the root causes of drug safety problems, and to help them develop ways to ensure that these kinds of problems never happen.

I welcome this move by the FDA. It shows a greater recognition that tainted drugs entering the United States is a serious problem that not only threatens patient health, it also threatens the reputation of drug manufacturers doing business in China and other foreign countries. As I've mentioned in this blog before, I have had several concerned patients at my pharmacy inquire as to the country of origin of the drugs they are receiving, and any positive steps the FDA can take to help alleviate these concerns and assure drug product quality will be welcomed by me. I also believe that establishing these offices will also help foster international cooperation to ensure drug product safety. Being simply a watchdog is not going to be enough, we need to be willing to share our expertise with other countries to ensure proper safety measures are being met, which will also help with drug product safety in the other countries as well.

Young children, old arteries

I found this article today on MSNBC.com talking about some surprising findings in obese children. To me, reading an article like this further underscores the problems we have concerning obesity in this country, and that parents of obese children need to take more responsibility for the health of their children by getting them into exercise programs. Not only will this get young people in the habit of exercising on a regular basis, but it will also dramatically improve their long-term cardiovascular health. We know that it is easiest to teach people good habits when they are younger, and so I think it is extremely important that children learn healthy habits as young as possible, and that parents take the time to educate themselves about providing proper nutrition and exercise for their kids. If we take this seriously as a nation, we can reverse the disturbing trends toward obesity that we are seeing in this country, and in the process save our health care system billions of dollars by preventing obesity-related health problems.

More contaminated heparin, will an Obama FDA help?

I found a couple articles that I wanted to share with you all today. The first is about another batch of contaminated heparin seized by the FDA, and the second speculates that the incoming Obama administration will give the FDA more oversight power. I think this is an important issue, because with more and more drugs being manufactured in China, our patients need to be assured that the drugs they are taking are going to be safe. I have had several people ask me at the pharmacy where the drugs they are taking come from. Luckily, I have not encountered any made in China, but I understand the patients' concerns. Hopefully President-elect Obama will allow the FDA to conduct stronger oversight of imported medications, to ensure the safety of our patients and to assure them that all drugs imported from other countries are pure and safe.

NRT appears to be safe for pregnant women

I found this article from MSNBC.com today, reporting on a study from Denmark which shows that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is safe for pregnant women. While more study is warranted to confirm this, this study does seem to answer a lot of the questions we have about using NRT in pregnant women. Last year, I was taught that the safety of NRT in pregnant women was unknown, and urged to use great caution when recommending NRT to a pregnant woman. However, based on the results of this study, it seems as though it would be appropriate for pharmacists to recommend NRT to a pregnant woman. This is important because it allows pregnant women to use over-the-counter methods to aid them in quitting smoking, which could save them a substantial amount of money. It also allows health care professionals more flexibility in treating pregnant women who wish to quit smoking, an absolute must for mothers-to-be. To help patients quit smoking, it's important to have as many options as possible on the table, and this study gives us more options for pregnant women.

Virginia Pharmacy adds to contraceptive debate

I found this article on MSNBC.com today about a new pharmacy in Virginia that does not dispense contraception of any kind...no condoms, no morning-after pills, and no birth-control. This issue is one that I am still really struggling with in terms of my own thoughts on the issue. I do feel as though business owners ought to be able to sell or not sell whatever they want, but I also feel that there needs to be access to these items in a given area, since many people do not share the Catholic view point on this issue. Perhaps states need to come up with rules that allow for everyone to be within 20 miles of a pharmacy that does sell contraception, I don't really know. It is a very difficult issue, and so I post this article to get everyone thinking about it, so that we as pharmacists can devise a solution to this problem that will satisfy both the pharmacist community and the patient community at large.

My first software-related post!

I realize you all must be quivering with excitement about me finally posting some software-related thoughts, so I will try my best not to disappoint.

I recently decided to download Epocrates Rx (it is free, after all) onto my Palm TX. In just a few days, I have found the software to be very valuable. I have already used it to answer a couple of family members' questions about various drugs and drug interactions, and just last night I used the calculator feature to prepare for a case study in my CPS class, using it to calculate a patient's CrCl and GFR. In addition, I have had the chance to play around with the program's features in my spare time (i.e. the time I spend avoiding studying). Granted, I do not have a whole lot to compare this software to yet, but my initial impression is that this is a going to be a useful tool for me in the future. I plan on bringing my PDA to work the next time I go in, which will make answering patient questions a lot faster, since the only drug information software I have access to at work, Clinical Pharmacology, has the tendency to run slow on the computers back in the pharmacy. The user-friendly interface also helps me find the information I want in a fairly quick manner. For answering patient questions, speed is important, and this product helps me find the information I want in a fairly speedy manner.

Hopefully, as the semester moves forward, I will have the opportunity to look at additional drug information software for the PDA, so that I can compare them and choose the ones are best for me. However, at the time being, I must say that I am impressed with the Epocrates product, and any future software I try will be judged in comparison to that.

Web 2.0 gives support to cancer patients

I found this great article on CNN.com today about social networking sites that offer resources and support to patients who are suffering from cancer and other diseases. Several weeks ago, we were shown a video in class about the impact that Web 2.0 is going to have on global society. As part of our online assignments from that week, I wrote about how Web 2.0 can impact my future patients by not only giving them access to a wealth of information, but also allowing them to interact socially with people all around the globe who may be suffering from the same ailments. Sites like the ones mentioned in the article could provide incredible amounts of social support, helping our patients cope with their illness. I believe that health professionals should be aware of sites like the ones mentioned in the article, and encourage our patients to visit them.

On a different note, hopefully within the next few weeks I will start actually publishing posts concerning different PDA products. In class we really haven't gotten into the nitty-gritty with the different PDA products, but once we do, I promise to publish some posts concerning my thoughts on those products, rather than simply search the web for interesting news articles to relay along.

Staying active even with chronic health conditions

While looking for articles for my weekly blog post, I came across this article on CNN.com. It is about health clubs across the country that are starting to design workout plans specifically for people with cancer, osteoporosis, and other chronic health conditions. This is important because I feel as though we need to do a better job of promoting exercise in people with chronic health conditions. We know that being overweight and obese plays a role in diabetes and heart disease, and that exercise can help strengthen the bones of people with osteoporosis, as well as provide extra energy to people with cancer going through treatment. Hopefully, as more and more health clubs start developing these types of programs for people with chronic disease, we as pharmacists will become aware of them and promote them to our patients. It will go a long way towards improving our patients' quality of life, which is what we should be concerned with as health care providers.

Sorry, but it's another vaccine post...

Today I found another great article concerning vaccines. Just last week I was in Des Moines working on my immunization certification, and this week I had an exam in which some of the material dealt with vaccines, so vaccines and immunizations are fresh in my mind right now.

Since we are on the cusp of flu season, I felt it was pertinent to post this article and remind everyone how important it is to get a flu shot. There are a lot of people I know who still won't get a flu shot either because they are terrified of needles or are convinced that getting the shot might actually give them the flu. As health professionals, we need to do whatever we can to dispel the myth that getting the vaccine can cause the flu, and instead educate our patients about how dangerous the flu actually can be (it kills 36,000 Americans every year - mostly the elderly and very young) and encourage them to receive a vaccination.

Kids may not want to get a flu shot because they are afraid of getting shots, but I believe parents should be more insistent that their children receive the shots anyway, because in the grand scheme of things, actually getting the flu is much, much, worse than any transient anxiety that comes with getting a shot. Health professionals should join the CDC in doing all they can to encourage children to get a flu shot!

Yet another reason to vaccinate

Today comes news that the FDA is updating the label of Gardasil, the vaccine against HPV, to include new information stating that the vaccine also protects women from two other forms of cancer.

Hopefully, this will encourage even more young women to receive the vaccine. This vaccine has garnered some controversy in the past, as some parents feel that their daughters are too young to be receiving the vaccine and are being forced to have the "sex talk" when their daughters are too young. However, this news reinforces the fact that this is an important vaccine for young women to receive, and if we can vaccinate women against HPV, less men will be contracting HPV as well, and we can go a long way to reduce the incidence of genital warts, improving our public health in this country.

Are we over-treating arthritis?

As much as I can't underestimate the problem we have in this country of people being underserved by our health care system, I feel it is important that we also recognize when certain aspects of our health care system are over-utilized.

This article on CNN.com highlights one way in which we may be seeking too much health care. I think it is important to recognize when we are over-utilizing health care because, as we all know, our system can only provide so much care, and when the system is needlessly used, it limits the amount of care it can provide to other people - people who may need it more.

I recognize that arthroscopic surgery is attractive to many people because it is very uninvasive and has a very short recovery time compared to other orthopedic surgeries, but it is still surgery, and it seems to me as if more people ought to be attracted to the less invasive option of medication and physical therapy, especially if these options are just as effective. Perhaps this study will lead us in a different direction in how we treat arthritis, while at the same time addressing, in a small way, the problem of the over-utilization of our health care resources.

Study says no link between MMR vaccine and autism

I found this article on CNN.com today, and it reports on a major study that shows no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. I have been interested in this particular topic once I started hearing that many parents are now deciding not to vaccinate their children due to fears of their child developing autism. That sort of decision seems very irresponsible to me, given that the evidence supporting a link between the vaccine and autism has always been tenuous at best, and also considering the public health risks that infectious diseases like the measles pose to this country's health care system.

Of course, this will not end the debate, as it is only one study, but hopefully more scholarship of this nature will emerge, and put people's concerns about the MMR vaccine to rest.

For those of you wondering about the blog's name...

...you can find the answer here.

Welcome/Intro

Hello everyone! This is Ben Colwell, and on this blog I am going to be posting about electronic drug information and drug information software for PDAs. I am currently a third-year pharmacy student at the University of Iowa, and I am posting on this blog as required by a course that I am currently taking at Iowa.

I really feel that electronic drug information and the use of PDAs is going to prove invaluable in my career as a pharmacist. Using drug information is efficiently and effectively is going to help me provide the best patient care, and doing so electronically is the best way to accomplish this goal.

The problem, however, is knowing which electronic sources are going to work the best for me. I have some experience working with electronic drug information, but I hardly fancy myself an expert, and I hope that this class helps me become more comfortable with different electronic drug information sources, so that I may choose which ones are going to be the best for me in my future work. I will probably only use one or two programs on my PDA once I begin practicing, and I believe that being exposed to the array of different products that are out there will help me make the best decision.

For now, I don't have a lot of actual commentary on any particular products, because the course has just begun, but in the weeks ahead, I will be commenting on various electronic drug information sources and PDA software programs. This class is going to be a learning experience for me, and hopefully through this blog it will also be a learning experience for those of you lucky enough to be reading this blog.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope to be hearing from you as well in the form of comments!