In the literature, a lot of space is dedicated to listing health-related numbers. These can be mortality statistics, incidence percentages, and side effect probability with medications just to name a few. These health-related numbers “mute” many health topics. It impersonalizes the topic and the numbers make the disease easier to understand and relate to mentally. […]

A few nights ago, there was an episode of “TeenTalk” on a local television channel. The moderator was surrounded by eight teenagers whose ages ranged from 14 – 18 years and who had recently completed drug rehabilitation. At first, I thought it was a little “hokey” and planned to flip to another channel; however, as […]

The September issue of Consumer Reports has as the cover story: “The 12 Most Dangerous Supplements”. The cover story is loaded with lots of good consumer information on the topic of vitamin supplements. One article that caught my eye was the one on multivitamins on page 21. At the bottom right of the page, there […]

The lawyers are out to feed on the Avandia fiasco. It never fails. When a drug’s properties are revealed in phase 4 studies, or the manufacturer covered up some important information, the adverse effects become too visible to be “swept under the rug”. The thing that amazes me is the motive behind it all. I’ve […]

I recently read an article from the Wall Street Journal titled “How to Care for 30 Million More Patients“. In the article, the author attempted to provide a solution to the coming shortage of physicians to care for the estimated 30 million more patients who will be insured under the recently passed health law. His […]

 The future of community pharmacy is in question. With cost-cutting measures being implemented in virtually all aspects of the dispensing process, the community pharmacist is slowly being forced out of their traditional role.  Need proof? How about these changes: Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) organizations are promoting cost-savings by using their own mail-order fulfillment centers. This […]

I touched on this at the end of the blog on 6/8. I hope to expand on that to show you a “roadmap” on how to go about losing weight the smart way. Food provides us energy which is measured in calories. The three food groups are: Protein (provides 4 calories per gram), Carbohydrate (provides […]

Time and again patients get sticker shock when they arrive to pay for their medications. The first question is usually: “Is there a generic?” and this is quickly followed by: “Did my insurance cover any of it?” It’s no secret that drug prices are astronomically high in the US. Across the border in Canada, the […]

A few weeks ago, a patient brought in three prescriptions to be filled. The medications complemented each other to treat his medical condition. At the counter, he asked some questions regarding availability and cost to obtain the meds. After about 5 minutes of discussion, the patient decided to get one out of the three prescriptions […]

There are certain initials for services floating around the pharmacy industry. The latest one that is now a battle-cry for the pharmacy profession is “MTM”. To a pharmacist, this is no secret code; however, to the patient, it is totally unfamiliar and can be confusing. MTM are the initials for “M”edication “T”herapy “M”anagement. This professional […]