The Drug Info

Macrolides are a class of antibiotics known as broad-spectrum antibiotics that are used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections. Macrolides are derived from Streptomyces species. They have a common macrolytic lactone ring to which one or more sugars are attached. They are different from one another in their chemical substitutions on structures of various carbon atoms and the amino and neutral sugars.

Macrolides are one of the oldest classes of antibiotics. Macrolide antibiotics have been regarded among the best-tolerated antibiotics for almost 50 years. The first member of the class, Erythromycin was discovered in 1952. Newer macrolides, azithromycin, clarithromycin and dithromycin are semi-synthetic macrolides similar in structure to erythromycin. These agents have been developed to overcome the

problems associated with erythromycin. The newer macrolide antibiotics offer the advantage of fewer adverse gastrointestinal effects than erythromycin and dosing regimens of only once or twice a day. The newer macrolides also have a broader spectrum of antibacterial activity than erythromycin. The newest generation of macrolides, the ketolides, whose clinical use is in its early stage, are characterized by improved activity against some of the resistant strains.

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Herbs and other alternative therapies were the original medicine. Ancient cultures used herbs and plants to stay healthy and cure illness. But, for years after the pharmaceutical world took over treatment, the Western world lost interest in alternative therapies.

Today, however, interest in alternative therapies is renewed. Many people are choosing to treat some conditions naturally before trying medicines. For example, many people recently diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol are choosing to increase their exercise, change their diet and lose excess weight before resorting to high blood pressure and cholesterol medications. In many cases, patients can reverse their blood pressure and cholesterol problems without ever needing medication.

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Internet pharmacy refers to a drug store that provides pharmaceutical services to people over the Internet. These services include filling of prescriptions, sale of drugs, expert consultation and various drug related information over the web. The growing demand of drugs coupled with good services has led to a rapid growth of the online pharmacy industry. Over the past few years, this industry has become extremely competitive and thus in order to survive, many online pharmacies have resorted to improper means to fulfill their business targets. These unethical online pharmacies get away with good profit margins and leave the patients suffering and paying up for inferior drugs and poor service. Therefore the onus lies with the patients to carefully scrutinize

and check before placing an order with an Internet pharmacy.

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Grapefruit juice is one of the healthiest foods around, right?

A cup of unsweetened white grapefruit juice has only 100 calories, no fat, more than 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, and it s got a zingy taste that can really get you moving in the morning.

However, grapefruit juice (including the juice found in your morning grapefruit half) can interact with certain medications, leading to potentially serious consequences.

Which medications does grapefruit juice interact with?

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As I have become more involved in using functional nutritional therapy in my practice, I have come to realize that many people are still confused about the safety and effectiveness of various dietary supplements. Because these products are natural , many feel they are always safe to use. Although supplements and herbs can be safer than pharmaceutical drugs, they can still function as drugs in the body and should be used with caution and respect.

It is estimated that over 80% of the world s population and 60 million Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). However, although many believe CAM compliments their current traditional healthcare, most do not inform their physicians that they

are taking these products. And, many providers don t ask or discuss CAM use with their patients, although one survey of 181 cardiologists found that half of them took antioxidant vitamins, themselves.

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