Since the late 19th century, doctors and patients have taken one-pill-fit-all model for grant. Many patients blindly trust their doctors and swallow all prescription medicines. Unfortunately, drug side effect is a leading cause of death today. There is a saying that a great doctor kills more people than a great general.

Now we should know the bottom-lines of prescription medicines:

1. Most prescription medicines are effective for fewer than half of the patients. In fact, your doctor does

not know whether this drug works for you or not.

2. Side effects can be worse than the illnesses. More than 100,000 Americans die from drug side effects each year (Business Week September 5, 2005).

3. Most blockbuster drugs are prescribed too broadly and doses are too high.

A CEO of a big drug company admitted that from a strategic standpoint of meeting the needs of our customers, the current blockbuster drug model doesn’t work. A study reported that nearly all of the prescribed cough medications for acute bronchitis are of little help.

A patient has used 18 prescription drugs for a decade, and figured out that she was being poisoned by the drugs for 10 years. Finally she has her life back by taking tiny amount of three drugs and using homeopathic remedies together. So, you should know that your health is your responsibility. Listen to your body and feel what is good for you. After taking a drug, you feel better without high side effects, and then it is a right medicine. Otherwise, you should find alternatives. Doctors are advisers only, and it is very necessary to get second opinions and try alternatives.

Can you imagine living the rest of your life with a constant ringing in your ears? If you currently have no hearing problems of any kind, it may difficult for you to imagine such a life. Unfortunately for millions of others, this situation is a sad reality that they have to deal with. These people are desperate for news of a medical breakthrough that can effectively cure ringing ears, otherwise known as tinnitus. Currently, there is no known cure for the condition, but there are several treatment options that help prevent or minimize the distracting sound.

Although it is called ringing ears, the sound associated with tinnitus is not limited to constant ringing. You may also experience a humming, swishing, or buzzing sound, or any other unusual sound that seems to originate from inside your ears for that matter. While the condition is very seldom a cause for serious concern, it can be very annoying. You should also take the necessary steps to have your tinnitus evaluated properly, considering the possibility – no matter how remote – that the condition is a sign of a more serious health problem such as a brain tumor.

It is very unfortunate that there is no known method to cure ringing ears because millions of individuals, children and adults alike, have to cope with the annoying condition everyday and are struggling to lead normal lives. It would make these people very happy indeed if a cure for tinnitus were to be identified anytime soon. A bit of good news is that there are ways to reduce the intensity of the condition and lessen the volume of the noise that it involves.

Careful removal of excess ear wax is one of the most effective ways to lessen the intensity of tinnitus because this condition is often brought about by wax irritating the eardrums. The excess wax, or whatever foreign object that enters the ear, irritates the eardrums or blocks the inner ear, it prevents external sound from entering and results in tinnitus. If you are already suffering from ringing ears then it is best to have a physician remove the excess wax for you. Removing it yourself using an ear swab could push the wax deeper into the ear and make matters worse. While wax removal is technically not expected to totally cure ringing ears, it is very advisable and is in fact a practice of good hygiene.

Some people also turn to cochlear implants to address the problem of tinnitus. These implants are normally performed to make people hear the sounds around them more easily. When you are more able to hear the sounds around you, you will be less likely to notice the sounds that are coming from inside your ears, thereby making it easier to live with tinnitus. As with wax removal, cochlear implants are not meant to cure ringing ears but it can definitely make your life a lot more pleasant.

Although a cure has not yet been found for this condition, medical experts and researchers are continuing the search for effective techniques and treatments to help sufferers cope with tinnitus. Right now the most effective treatment is said to be the identification and treatment of the underlying cause of ringing ears. Hopefully, with continued research, a permanent cure will soon be found.

I had a young couple come to the pharmacy the other day. The man looked miserable - with itchy, puffy, watery eyes, stuffy nose and a horrible cough. His girlfriend came to the pharmacy and said, “My boyfriend is sick and has been a baby about it and snoring at night! What can I give him?”

All of his symptoms were caused by histamines (which are released when we have a cold or allergies). Histamine can also cause hives (itchy, red, raised bumpy rash). So, we treat them by taking an ANTIhistamine. The antihistamine neutralizes some or all of the histamines so that our symptoms are lessened. Antihistamines come in many forms -oral, topical, nasal spray and eye drops.

These oral antihistamines can help with cold/allergy symptoms and hives…

The following are available OTC:

1. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) -Best for rashes and to take at bedtime if the patient can’t sleep due to cold/allergy symptoms (it will help symptoms and cause drowsiness).

2. Dimetapp allergy (brompheniramine)

3. Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine)

4. Tavist (clemastine) The above antihistamines work well but can cause a lot of sedation for most people (although some young kids may become hyperactive). It has been estimated that up to 90% of the Benadryl sold is used as a sleeping aid.

Helpful hint: Diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) is used in most OTC sleeping pills and can be used to treat motion sickness.

5. Claritin and Alavert (loratadine)

6. Zyrtec (cetirizine) The two above do not usually cause drowsiness. They are available in generics, combo products with pseudophedrine (decongestants) and come in formulations for kids 2 years old to adult.

The following antihistamines are available with a prescription…

7. Xyzal (levocetirizine) -Great for rashes and itchy skin due to allergies. It often causes drowsiness.

8. Allegra (fexofenadine) -Option for those that an OTC antihistamines does not work or causes too much drowsiness. It is available in a generic!

9. Clarinex (desloratadine) -It does not come in a generic and hasn’t really been proven to help more than the generic OTC Claritin.

If you have questions about how to treat other symptoms from allergies/cold, come check out this other article.

Although all the drugs are antihistamines they work differently for each person. You may need to try out a few to see which one works for you.

Oral antihistamines are also used to treat acid reflux, motion sickness and dizziness…but that is a story for a different time.