It Might Be More Convenient to Just Keep Coughing

This is another example of a tiny number of irresponsible people imposing a lot of inconvenience on millions of others.  The Associated Press reports in this Forbes article that four East Coast supermarket chains will only sell products containing dextromethorphan (DXM) to customers over 18 years of age.  DXM is a cough suppressant and is very common in over-the-counter cough remedies.  I recommend it all the ...
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Human Papilomavirus: The Latest Celebrity Pathogen

Recently human papilomavirus (HPV) has been making a lot of news.  The story involves big business, cancer, government policy, and sex.  I'm surprised HBO hasn't made a series about it. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that causes genital warts, cervical cancer, and has recently been associated with oral cancers.  Merck recently released Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against the strains of HPV that cause most (but not all) of the cas...
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You Can Probably Stop Taking Antibiotics before Seeing Your Dentist

Many patients have been told to take antibiotics before dental procedures.  This recommendation was made to prevent an infection of the lining or valves of the heart called infective endocarditis (IE).  Patients who had leaky heart valves or other heart conditions that were thought to increase the risk of IE were told to take antibiotics before seeing the dentist. Last week the American Heart Association p...
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Book Review: A New IBS Solution

In November I wrote about an important study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that demonstrated the effectiveness of an antibiotic for the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  Dr. Mark Pimentel, the author of the study, is the director of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Gastrointestinal Motility Program.  Last year he published a book outlining his theories about the cause and treatment of IBS:  A New IBS Solu...
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Caution Urged When Giving Infants Cough and Cold Medications

I never write about children's health, since I have no training in pediatrics and my patients are adults. Nevertheless, I thought this story deserves your attention, particularly since many of my patients have young children. The Centers for Disease Control released a warning today in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report about adverse events in infants taking cough and cold medications. If you have a chil...
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CDC Advisory Committee Recommends Vaccine to Prevent Shingles

Six weeks ago I wrote about Zostavax, a vaccine that prevents shingles.  At that time I suggested waiting to see if the CDC was going to recommend it.  Last week the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that all adults over 60 who have had chicken pox receive the vaccine.  The press release about the ACIP's recommendation is ...
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The CDC Recommends Routine HIV Screening for All Teens and Adults

Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new recommendations for all physicians for HIV testing.  The new recommendations were generated in response to the fact that of the approximately 1 million Americans infected with HIV, about one quarter have not been tested and are unaware of their infection.  These patients can not take advantage of the many therapies available for HIV infect...
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A Vaccine to Prevent Shingles

Zostavax, a vaccine to prevent shingles, has recently been approved by the FDA and reviewed by The Medical Letter. Shingles (also called herpes zoster) is a very painful illness involving blisters that occur in a stripe-like pattern on one side of the body.  Shingles can only happen in people who have had chicken pox.  The virus that causes chicken pox, varicella zoster virus (VZV), stays in the in sensory nerve cells of the infect...
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