Many folks have been asking - “Is it safe for me to order drugs online?”

Well, the quick answer is yes AND no.

Let me explain...

You should always be judicious when giving out your personal information over the Internet. Names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, and your medical history are all important pieces of data that could easily be used for illegal reasons by identity thieves.

Most online drug stores nowadays offer many layers of protection when you’re ordering through their websites. Some of the more popular security services include: Hacker Safe, Geo Trust, VeriPay, and Safe Shopping Network. It’s a great idea to verify ahead of time that the site you’re ordering is protected by one or more of these services.

Also, you should be aware that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cautioned consumers about ordering medication online, especially about ordering prescription drugs without a valid prescription.

There are a few different kinds of Internet pharmacy portals, and some of them do practice safe medication practices. In the best-case scenario, a valid, legal prescription from a licensed prescriber is transmitted to the Internet pharmacy, which then fills the prescription and mails it to the patient.

In contrast, legitimate prescriptions may be transmitted to pharmacies outside the USA, and may be filled with counterfeit drugs, expired drugs, illegally diverted pills, or adulterated drugs. Even more frightening, consumers may order prescription medications online without first acquiring a legitimate prescription, giving them access to potentially dangerous or addictive medications without seeing a healthcare provider.

Occasionally, packages are confiscated by US Customs if officials suspect they contain medications. While this may protect the consumer from harm, they probably will not recover their prepaid charges.

The dangers of bypassing a licensed US prescriber and obtaining medications overseas are myriad. Perhaps the most troubling is the lack of a valid prescription, because the consumer may be self-diagnosing and self-treating. Purchased medications may be addictive, be potentially toxic, or require special monitoring. There is often no validity that the dosage is correct, nor is there screening for drug-drug or drug-disease interactions.

It must be obvious to healthcare providers though, that most consumers are using online pharmacies simply to bypass the prescription process and save money. We all know that the United States has the highest priced prescription drugs in the world.

In conclusion, although ordering medication online will never be 100% secure (case in point - Microsoft Windows releases security patches almost daily!), you can reduce the risk of having your personal information compromised by checking that the site you’re ordering from has made steps to ensure its safety and security. You should also make sure that the drugs you are ordering are safe and have been prescribed by a physician.

The Gender specific knee replacement is meant to improve overall function after a knee replacement in Indian women. In India, women constitute 60 percent of patients undergoing a total knee replacement. Until now Indian surgeons used knee implants that were designed on the average measurements of knee sizes of men & women. The Gender specific or Woman special knee is the only knee implant specifically designed for women.

It is based upon findings presented at the meeting of biomedical and biomechanical engineers in the US. It was first introduced in the US in 2006. It was launched in India in April 2007 and most women preferring a high flexion knee replacement opt for the Gender specific knee. Patients have reported rapid relief from pain and earlier return of function in comparison to non gender knees. They needed hospital shorter hospital stay.

Anatomic differences between the two sexes have been acknowledged for long but only recently applied to design of orthopedic implants. The Gender specific knee is based on the anatomical facts that the thigh bone or femur in Indian women is narrower from side to side, the knee cap rides on a more oblique line and the lower end of the front of the thigh bone is less prominent.

The surgical technique is not significantly different.

The new knee prosthesis can be implanted through the highly successful technique of minimally invasive or less invasive surgery in which the incision is only 4- 5 inches long. This woman knee prosthesis also allows high flexion. Post operative pain is significantly reduced and hence patients can be discharged from hospital within a week.

Women who have undergone this gender knee replacement in India are very satisfied with the result at two years of follow up.

Tea Tree Oil has been used for acne treatments as well as ultraviolet - C- range light to eradicate systemic infections. Arguments have been made that since acne vulgaris was from a bacterial source, below the surface of the skin, that a topical anti-bacterial, such as Tea Tree could not kill the bacteria since it did not touch the bacteria. The same arguments made are typical of similar arguments originally made about C-range ultraviolet energy being incapable of destroying pathogens of a systemically infected patient.

What is overlooked in that simplification is that all bacteria tends to colonize, ie.forms “pockets” or comes together as a group. This is most common where we use ultraviolet energy, C- range, on bedsores (decubitus ulcers), and the patient has a systemic infection versus a local infection. Systemic simply meaning the bacteria is within the patient’s body and not centralized in the bed sore itself.

With ultraviolet one simply shines the light into the wound bed killing all known pathogens. One would then culture the wound and find there were no detectable traces of bacteria after the treatment. That area just “zapped” is also a great place for bacteria to re-colonize, as there is little competition for the bacteria to live and replicate, so several hours later the bacteria has left the safety of being “under the skin” and emerges into the treated area. It literally is attracted from inside the body, to the bed sore, and exposes so we can use ultraviolet energy to kill it.

Over the course of several treatments the bacterial load is reduced, the immune system takes over, and overwhelms the remaining bacteria and the wound now heals. It’s this migratory process of bacteria that makes systemic infections treatable by ultraviolet light. One literally entices the bacteria to do what it does naturally, which is colonize. The process of colonization is not unique to bacteria treated by c-range ( 254 nanometer) ultraviolet light but is the natural order of things with all bacteria. Tea Tree oil is simply another treatment option which can take advantage of the natural order of bacteria to colonize.

It is highly likely that when Tea Tree Oil is used it immediately kills the surface bacteria and upon killing, the bacteria under the skin’s surface, migrates to the surface. Each subsequent treatment with the Tea Tree oil reduces the bacterial load until the bacteria has been destroyed and acne is no longer a problem.

The issue is not the efficacy of the treatment but an understanding of how treatments by numerous agents can be successfully applied due to bacterial colonization.