Archive for » November, 2009 «

Wal-Mart Expands Generic Prescription Drug Discount Program Nationwide

Wal-Mart Stores on Monday announced that it choice expand its generic prescription drug ignore program — introduced earlier this year — to stores in the 11 remaining states that do not yet proffer the discount, Dow Jones reports (Goldstein, Dow Jones, 11/27). Wal-Mart in September announced that the program — high which party pharmacies promote 30-day prescriptions of certain generic medications for $4 — initially would include 65 Wal-Mart, Sam’s Consortium and Neighborhood Market pharmacies in the Tampa, Fla., close and would dilate statewide in early 2007 and possibly to other states in the following. Since September, Wal-Mart expanded the program statewide in Florida and to 37 additional states. The program provides discounts for 160 several generic medications in more than 300 dosages (Kaiser Daily Health Scheme Report, 11/16). The program now inclination be available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming. All of Wal-Mart’s 3,810 pharmacies nationwide discretion offer the discount. Since the program’s launch, 2.1 million more unique prescriptions were filled in states that offered the program compared with the same time period rhyme year earlier, Wal-Mart officials said. Officials added that the accelerated expansion of the program was the result of consumer demand (Dow Jones, 11/27).

“Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the complete Kaiser Everyday Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email confinement at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Continuously Fitness Policy Check into is published suitable kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Council Company and Kaiser Family Underpinning. All rights guarded.

Selenium Supplements May Contribute To Reduced HIV Viral Load

Taking common selenium supplements appears to increase the straightforward with of the essential mineral in the blood and may suppress the progression of viral pack in patients with HIV infection, according to an article in the January 22 issue of Archives of Internal Cure-all, everyone of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART) have affirmed HIV patients a longer life expectancy, according to background information in the article. However, strict adherence to the therapy is required to agree to HIV viral counts dismal, and there is a hazard of toxic effects and metabolic dysfunction. “Thus, intact control of HIV over time using APTITUDE is unlikely, and pharmacotherapeutic limitations leave a substantial void in the treatment arsenal,” the authors write. Selenium deficiencies participate in been observed in patients with HIV spectrum malady and evidence suggests that selenium supplements can improve exempt functioning.

Barry E. Hurwitz, Ph.D., University of Miami, and colleagues conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled checking of selenium supplements in 262 patients with HIV. Pretreatment assessment included pregnancy screening, blood tests to measure selenium levels, CD4 number (a measure of the express of the immune system; the mark down the CD4 depend on, the more tenable a tenacious with HIV/AIDS is to develop secondary infections or illnesses), HIV viral load (the figure of copies of the HIV virus in the blood) and screening in place of hepatitis C. Participants were then randomly assigned to treatment groups; 141 took a capsule containing 200 micrograms of high-selenium yeast and 121 took a alike resemble capsule containing inactive yeast and a filler figures. After nine and 18 months, woman examinations and measures of the study outcomes HIV viral load and CD4 count vwere performed.

Of the 262 patients for whom treatment was initiated, 174 (91 in the selenium group and 83 in the placebo group) completed the nine-month study assessment. “The intervention resulted in no adverse events correlated to the studio continuation,” the authors disparage. The two groups had similar selenium levels at the beginning of the inquiry, but after nine months of treatment, the average change in blood selenium level was greater in the treatment classify. Higher blood selenium levels predicted a decreased HIV viral load, which in turn predicted increased CD4 figure up.

“The faultless mechanism by which selenium exerts its effects on HIV-1 viral replication is not known, although the brochures suggests several possibilities,” the authors write. One premise holds that selenium’s antioxidant properties may revamping injury done to invulnerable cells by oxygen, which is produced at higher levels in the bodies of patients with HIV. To whatever manner, future research is needed to prove this relationship.

“Given the challenges of using conventional pharmacotherapy to gain and maintain virologic preventing in HIV-spectrum sickness, our results support the need of selenium as a simple, inexpensive and safe adjunct therapy,” the authors conclude.
(Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:148-154. Available pre-block to the media at http://www.jamamedia.org)

This on was supported by a research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a grant from the National Institutes of Health, and training grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Governmental Inaugurate of Barmy Vigour. Nutrition 21 contributed selenium and placebo material and prepared the appendix capsules. Satisfy see the article for the treatment of additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, economic disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Treating Acne with Vitamins and Supplements, New Web Site

My Vitamin Conductor (MVG), an online review of vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies and alternative panacea, announced today it has added an enhanced acne subdivision to its website.

Bring about online at http://www.MyVitaminGuide.com, MVG provides consumers democratic information on vitamins and supplements as spout as resources, advice, advice, and content from medical professionals on more than 650 health concerns and illnesses.

“Teens aren’t the no greater than stage group concerned about acne. We turn up many adults are searching respecting communication about acne treatments, acne products, acne debarment, and acne solutions.”

We’re pleased to offer information that includes easy acne treatments as well as conventional, curative approaches,” said MVG CEO Sam Elevation.

“By providing information in a clarify b tidy up and easy-to-play way, we are helping teens and adults make informed decisions about how to treat their acne effectively.”

The MVG acne section, inaugurate at http://www.myvitaminguide.com/acne.html, includes a checklist that rates the effectiveness of nutritional supplements and herbs to supporter present acne, as well as helpful dietary and lifestyle changes, and a sprinkling recommended alternative health treatments.

Holistic treatments dig acupuncture can be truly helpful repayment for treating acne. Several prodromic studies have reported that a series of eight to fifteen acupuncture treatments is markedly true belongings in 90% to 98% of patients.

Besides unwritten Chinese acupuncture using needles alone, a skilfulness called “cupping” is commonly used in the treatment of acne. Cupping refers to the use of cup-shaped instruments to apply suction to the area being needled. Two preliminary trials of cupping treatment for the sake acne reported pronounced improvement in 91% to 96% of the study participants.

My Vitamin Guide’s acne subdivision also recommends that teens and adults with acne should:

* Keep skin clean with the nick of astringent lotions, oil-removing pads, and medicated soaps

* Use acne-fighting lotions that restrain salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide gel (4%), and tea tree lubricator (5%)

* Extract 60 to 90 mg of zinc each day to improve acne

* If bewitching extra zinc, enlarge 1 to 2 mg each day of copper to keep off a copper deficiency

* Prevent new breakouts and treat existing cysts with products containing tea tree grease or salicylic acid

Apropos MyVitaminGuide.com (MVG)

MVG provides articles and reviews on vitamins, supplements, herbal remedies, and variant health therapies. MVG was founded by Sam Knoll, a vitamin determination veteran and designer of the e-book, How to Buy Vitamins. All information is available to the public at http://www.MyVitaminGuide.com

Barbara Keddy
MYVITAMINGUIDE.COM
BKeddy@BeGreatMarketing.com
703-759-7529