Healthcare blog

Waking up in the middle of the night to numb hands is never a fun feeling, but it's certainly not an uncommon one. 

It's a feeling that most people have felt in their life at some point or another, (via Healthline). When your hands are asleep, or the feeling of "pins and needles," it's usually pretty simple to get the sensation flowing back with some quick movements and some relocating of limbs. But what causes this feeling in the first place? 

When a person unfocuses their eyes, they do so by relaxing the ciliary muscles in their eyes, which in turn causes them to lose focus. In general, people tend to unfocus their eyes when looking at an object from a close range, when looking at hidden images — such as Magic Eye Images — and when admiring 3D imagery or artworks. A lot of people first learn the ability to unfocus their eyes during their childhood, while others simply pick up the skill while daydreaming or staring into space. 

Cold and flu season, allergies, and even inhaling an irritant like smoke or perfume can cause an unpleasant coughing fit. Coughing is the body's way of getting rid of anything that's irritating the throat or lungs. It's estimated that coughs can be expelled from the mouth at speeds of up to 100 mph (via Penn Medicine)

Mastitis can quickly ramp up the stress of post-partum life and having a new baby. As a new mom, you're dealing with post-labor body, latching your baby, and potentially mastitis, a condition that you might not even know you have it. You may chalk up your symptoms to fatigue and the post-partum journey.

Having a stye in the eye can be really annoying as the symptoms are uncomfortable. It may look like a pimple, but it's a lot more painful than regular acne, and no, you can't just pop it.

Cigarette smoking is a difficult problem that pharmacists and other healthcare professionals can play an important role in. Varenicline is one of the main medications that can be used to help curb this addiction. In this post, I will lay out my most important varenicline clinical pearls that I have learned from my practice as a pharmacist.

A 62-year-old male had a heart attack about 9 months ago. He was stented and placed on both aspirin 81 mg daily and clopidogrel 75 mg daily. He presents today to the emergency department and is diagnosed with a STEMI. 

I just wanted to cover a question that I get asked from time to time. My real world thoughts on vaccines:

It certainly is a controversial topic and people have seriously strong opinions about this issue, so I approach it with that in mind. I personally see the impact of influenza outbreaks in nursing homes…

Many patients will take acetaminophen for their pain management. It is cheap, somewhat effective, and typically pretty safe at normal dosages. There are potential downsides when it comes to acetaminophen. Let me outline a couple of common mistakes with acetaminophen.

Mirtazapine is commonly used in elderly patients with depression who are also suffering from insomnia. Mirtazapine is often chosen because it is much safer than benzodiazepines, “z-drugs”, and antipsychotics. The mechanisms of mirtazapine (podcast episode on the pharmacology) include the release of norepinephrine via presynaptic adrenergic auto-receptor blockade, increased serotonin production through stimulation of adrenoreceptors on serotonergic cell bodies, and the direct blockade of 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. Mirtazapine has a high H1 receptor affinity, leading to antihistamine effects. So what does this mean as far as dosing of mirtazapine for insomnia?

Diet. The impact, if any, of diet on hair loss, and what foods you can eat to maximise your hair growth

Hair Care. The role of looking after your hair with good washing routines. Medication. How medication can help slow or stop your hair loss and, in some cases, help regrow the hair you’ve lost.

Hay fever is a very common problem that affects up to 26% of adults in the UK. For some people it can be a minor inconvenience but for others, it can seriously impact their quality of life at different times of the year. You can use a combination of lifestyle tips and medication to get relief from hay fever symptoms.

Migraine is a very common condition that is thought to affect around 1 in 7 people. People who experience migraine usually suffer from a severe headache but it can be accompanied by other symptoms. In this article, we explore the different types of migraine that people can experience. Migraine Without Aura

This type of migraine is the most common type and accounts for between 70% - 90% of all migraines. A migraine without aura is when a migraine attack happens with no warnings signs.

Even the most vocal critic of the American health care system cannot watch coverage of the current Covid-19 crisis without appreciating the heroism of each caregiver and patient fighting its most-severe consequences. Hospitals are being built in parks and convention centers, new approaches to sterilizing personal protective equipment (PPE) for reuse are being implemented, and new protocols for placing multiple patients on a single ventilator have been developed. Most dramatically, caregivers have routinely become the only people who can hold the hand of a sick or dying patient since family members are forced to remain separate from their loved ones at their time of greatest need.

Neonatal acne is usually mild and does not require treatment since its symptoms resolve on their own. However, it should be approached with care. The situation is similar when it comes to acne occurring in infants. Only very severe infantile acne may actually require treatment. 

Nasal aspirators are very convenient and widely used to help newborns and infants to clear their nose. However, older children should be taught how to blow their nose as early as possible. Exercising in front of a mirror and blowing bubbles, candles, or feathers may be helpful with that

Shortness of breath, also known as dyspnea, is an unpleasant, subjective feeling of not being able to breathe well enough and not getting enough air. In healthy persons, it usually occurs after intense physical activity. When it is a symptom of a disease, it may take the form of effort dyspnea (occurring during activities of varying intensity) or dyspnea at rest (occurring while being idle).

Bacterial lysates are immunizing vaccines that can protect the body against recurrent respiratory diseases. They are administered orally, in the form of tablets, granules, capsules, or aerosols. They are available only by prescription and can usually be used by children over 3 years of age. 

In medicine, oxygen saturation is a term used to describe the ratio of hemoglobin bound with molecular oxygen in the blood to the total amount of hemoglobin in the body. Every human needs an adequate amount of oxygen in the blood to live. Oxygen saturation is one of the five vital parameters, next to heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.