Because dietary supplements are a $40-billion-a-year business in this country, our concierge family practice doctors in Jupiter, want to make you aware of the latest research on these popular products. Numerous studies have found little benefit
If you haven’t come across CBD oil at a health food store, in your social media feed, or even at the grocery store yet, you soon will, judging by the number of questions our concierge family doctors in Jupiter have been getting from our patients.
The flu killed 80,000 Americans last year and was responsible for the hospitalization of another 960,000. Then there are those whose symptoms didn’t reach such drastic levels, but who spent many miserable days suffering the effects.
So our concierge family practice doctors in Jupiter, FL, at MD 2.0, were pleased to note that last month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time in 20 years approved a new drug designed to help alleviate the symptoms of the flu. Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) is a single-dose oral prescription drug intended for patients 12 years of age and older who have been experiencing symptoms for no more than 48 hours.
Just in time for flu season, Xofluza joins other antiviral treatments currently available, including Tamiflu and Relenza. The difference between Xofluza and other antiviral drugs is in the way it’s administered. It is the only antiviral that can be taken as a single dose to be effective. Others must be taken over several days or inhaled as a powder. While Xofluza did not work any better in clinical trials than its competitors already on the market, it’s the convenience of the single oral dose that sets it apart. The most common reported side effects of Xofluza were diarrhea and bronchitis.
“With thousands of people getting the flu every year, and many people becoming seriously ill, having safe and effective treatment alternatives is critical,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement. “This novel drug provides an important, additional treatment option.” Xofluza was expected to be available “within the next several weeks.”
“Xofluza is unique in that it acts to inhibit replication of the flu virus in the first place, at a step much earlier than the current medications available . . . which only block release of virus that has already been produced from a host cell,” Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City told CBS News.
Dr. Debra Birnkrant, director of the Division of Antiviral Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, hailed the addition of Xofluza to the arsenal of weapons against the flu.
“Having more treatment options that work in different ways to attack the virus is important because flu viruses can become resistant to antiviral drugs,” she said on the FDA’s website.
While the antiviral medications, including Xofluza, can reduce symptoms and help them recede faster than a placebo, they are not an instant curative. Nor do they prevent the flu or prevent you passing it on to others. If you contract the flu, you will still have to endure several days of misery, and you will still be contagious while exhibiting symptoms. So it’s best not to catch it all all.
“[S]easonal flu vaccine is one of the most effective and safest ways to protect yourself, your family, and your community from the flu and serious flu-related complications,” Gottlieb said. “Yearly vaccination is the primary means of preventing and controlling flu outbreaks.”
We concur. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that less than 40 percent of adults in the U.S. received flu shots last winter, the lowest rate in seven years and probably one reason that last season’s flu outbreak was the deadliest since the 1970s. Of the 183 children who died last year, 80 percent had not been vaccinated.
You can help boost your immunity by exercising, eating healthfully, washing your hands often, and getting enough sleep, but there’s still no better way to prevent the flu, or lessening symptoms and its complications, than by receiving a flu shot.
“Yearly vaccination is the primary means of preventing and controlling flu outbreaks,” said Gottlieb.
And if you or your children do come down with the flu, contact us immediately. The sooner you receive Xofluza or other antiviral medications, the better they will work.
Some four million Americans consume probiotic supplements thinking they’ll improve their health. Claims for these supplements range from improved digestion and intestinal function to better-looking skin to boosting mood and relieving anxiety. With such wide-ranging health claims, it’s no wonder that consumption of probiotics has surged in recent years.
For over 70 years, antibiotic-store.com have been a type of wonder drug that can cure a wide range of medical conditions. Unfortunately, because they have performed so well, we have come to rely on them for too many problems, and have put ourselves and our children at risk of possibly fatal consequences.
There is a Food and Drug Administration RECALL of Valsartan Tablets. The Pharmaceutical companies that are being recalled are Teva Pharmaceuticals, Solco Healthcare and Major Pharmaceuticals. Please click here to read more information on this recall from the FDA.
If any of our patients are currently taking this medication, you can either call your local pharmacy, or call our office and we can call your pharmacy for you.
In recent news, the topic of colon cancer is buzzing about and your concierge family practice doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter, Florida, are often asked how to prevent it.
There are numerous ways to avoid contracting colon cancer (third-most common cancer diagnosed among Americans) from regular colon cancer screenings to a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Now researchers possibly discovered another way.
If the new breast-cancer treatment recommendations confuse you, your concierge family practice doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter, Florida, would like to help you sort through what they mean. Across the globe, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. With about 250,000 new cases per year reported and roughly 40,000 deaths, breast cancer affects both women and men.
When your concierge family practice doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter, Florida, prescribe medication for you, we always review the instructions for taking it, and encourage any questions you may have. This is in addition to the medication information which the pharmacy includes in every prescription it dispenses.
Some women sail through menopause with little or no difficulty. For others, the cessation of menses and the accompanying wild hormone swings can be miserable.
