Medicine is important to living a long life. Doctors are responsible for diagnosing and recommending courses of treatment, but they can’t be expected to make the medicine themselves. That would be too much to remember and do. This is where pharmacists come in.

In olden times the doctor was also the pharmacist, or more correctly the apothecary. This was from a time when few illnesses were understood, so there was still the time to for medical practitioners perform both medical and pharmacological duties. As knowledge of the living organism and materia medica expanded, it became increasingly difficult for medical practitioners to learn and remember everything. Soon afterward, specialists in concocting medicines came to be. The tasks of the modern pharmacist are based on ancient roles, but these are no less important today.

A pharmacist is first a sage of medicinal substances. A pharmacist needs to know many medicinal substances - from herbs to metals to synthetic compounds - in order to know what sickness is treated with which. Additionally, these medical materials can react and interact with each other in different ways. Some may counter the effects of another, or they could react and cause harm to the patient. As it is, a pharmacist stays on guard by analyzing medicines to prevent deleterious effects. This can save lives by preventing bad reactions, and save money by maximizing effects.

A pharmacist is a precision-oriented artisan. The production of syrups, tinctures, balms, powders, pills, capsules, and other medical preparations requires strict control of many factors. Pharmacists are responsible for adding the exact right amount of any given substance, and then prepare the product in a consistent manner. No bottle must be under-filled and no capsule must be over-packed. The preparation of these also requires conditions like temperature and sterility to be observed. A pharmacist prepares medicines for the masses, and he or she does it with precision, consistency, and conscientiousness. These prevent overdoses as well as under-doses, and improve the health of those concerned.

A pharmacist is an explorer of the exotic and strange. Medicine advances based on research and discovery; the state of medicinal substances is made to progress by pharmacologists who pass the knowledge on to pharmacists. By working together, they discover new medicines, their uses, dosages, and any ill effects. With this new knowledge more lives can be saved, with less expensive and more readily-available drugs.

The last, and perhaps the most familiar of the pharmacist’s duties is their purveyance of panaceas - or medicines, since a cure-all does not actually exist. It’s not simply selling the medicines, though. A pharmacist does what they can to prevent the incorrect dispensation of drugs. They will not sell drugs to a buyer without a reason to need it. They are also the last line of defense for spotting any conflicts in prescriptions presented to them; prescriptions may contain many different drugs that could react adversely with each other. This could happen when a patient has many different doctors who are not in communication with each other. By staying vigilant, a pharmacist prevents harmful drug inter-reactions and ensures the availability of medicines for those that need them.

Current Herpes Vaccines

The odd thing is that there has been a vaccine around for the herpes virus for a while now: it’s called Zostavax. The thing is, though, that it’s a vaccine designed to prevent shingles, also known as “herpes zoster”–yes, the herpes virus causes the disease normally found in people over 60 usually known as shingles. In a 2005 study of 38,000 elderly adults, Zostavax prevented 1/2 the cases of shingles and reduced the number of cases of postherpetic neuralgia by 2/3. In October 2007 the vaccine was officially recommended in the U.S. for healthy adults aged 60 and over. Now, obviously, the problem with this is that it’s only effective against herpes zoster (shingles), and not cold sores or genital herpes, but don’t lose hope: the point of me telling you this is that herpes vaccines are in the works, and when one is successfully developed then another one for a different version of the virus, cold sores for example, is just one step away.

Vaccines Yet To Be Released

A much more promising vaccine that has been specifically said to potentially end up becoming a vaccine against HSV-1 (Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1, the strain of the virus that causes cold sores), is a vaccine currently in Phase III trials that’s designed to be a vaccine to prevent genital herpes in women. Herpes Simplex Type 2 (HSV-2) is typically the strain of herpes that causes genital herpes, but HSV-1 and HSV-2 are over 99% genetically identical and the scientists developing the vaccine are saying that they’ve found that those persons who: 1) Have never been exposed to either HSV-1 or HSV-2 and, 2) Receive the Herpevac vaccine, show immunity to both strains of the virus.

This means that the Herpevac vaccine, which is due to be approved by the FDA sometime in the very near future (probably less than a year), could potentially provide protection against HSV-1 IF you’ve never been exposed to herpes (either strain), thereby keeping you from ever developing a cold sore, or getting genital herpes for that matter (nice bonus isn’t it?).

If you’d like to get more information about the Herpevac trial OR you’d actually like to possibly participate in it (you must be a woman), then you can go to the official National Institute of Health Herpevac Trial for Women website at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/stds/herpevac/default.htm.

When there is a plastic surgery in every nook and corner how can one decide which is the best one?
Clearly, the interview is the best way to go if possible, as a former patient will generally reveal all of the nitty gritty details about a plastic surgeon- right down to his or her bedside manner and their professionalism during the procedure.

They can also talk firsthand about their experience with cosmetic surgery as well as the pros and cons of the procedure that you are thinking to undergo.

References to former patients may be given by the doctor’s office themselves or might be better obtained by asking around to trusted friends and family that may have also undergone treatment at that facility. A simple Google search of the doctor’s name may also help you encounter positive or negative feedback from former patients or employees.

Admittedly, running a Google search is great in general when trying to find the best plastic surgeon in your area. It’s typically online that a patient is able to learn of medical citations or malpractice suits surrounding the particular doctor via old news articles or medical review sites.

As a word of caution though, even if the doctor comes up squeaky clean in the area of malpractice suits, bad press or patient feedback, it’s always advisable to ask the plastic surgeons exactly how many procedures like yours they have done prior to that particular date.

The doctor may only have limited exposure with your particular procedure, thus making you a guinea pig going forward. In case you find yourself uncomfortable with the doctor’s lack of experience in that area, its best to find someone with a bit more expertise.

Finally, listen to your gut when choosing a plastic surgeon. After all, this is the person that will be cutting you with a knife in very visible places (especially when dealing with the face) and you must be sure that you are comfortable before signing off on cosmetic surgery.

Some possible things to consider when determining whether or not to use a particular plastic surgeon may be how well you have been treated during the few office visits leading up to surgery. Did the doctor rush the visit? Did the plastic surgeon cut you off and make you feel as though he or she did not value your feedback regarding the look of your own body? Did he or she adequately explain the procedure in question and the risks and complications that may follow cosmetic surgery?

If you are not satisfied with the answer to any of these questions, is best to trust your instinct and go somewhere else. The renowned plastic surgeon with his face in all of the magazines and local billboards may seem like the best bet because of his fame. However if he rushes through your office visit and barely listens to you speak, you can count on the fact that the doctor will be very little help should the procedure go wrong or you suffer unexpected complications following the surgery.

Therefore, it’s best to follow your heart and choose a plastic surgeon that you feel comfortable with when considering cosmetic surgery.