For the Olympic games starting in London later this month, the British team has been told to avoid handshaking with fellow participants and others. Since keeping healthy is of prime importance, they are just trying to minimize the chances of their athletes getting sick. Hand-sanitizers will certainly be much in use.
One of the myths concerning sun exposure is that dark-skinned people don’t need sunscreen protection. In the U.S., rates of skin cancers are on the rise in African American and Hispanics so skin of all colours needs protection from the sun.
The word steroid often conjures up a negative image. But this class of chemicals is flowing through our bodies naturally. Cholesterol is a building block for hormones.Cortisol comes from the kidneys and regulates energy and immune function. Sex hormones like testosterone and estrogens regulate sexual function.
Steroids are also found in medications that help many conditions. Prednisone is a powerful oral steroid which is an anti-inflammatory to treat many conditions like severe rheumatoid arthritis. Steroids are also found in inhalers, enemas and skin creams. These products are very helpful in patients with asthma, inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s disease, and severe skin rashes.
Prescribed steroids can be extremely effective. Part of our job as your pharmacist is to ensure you know about the drugs you are taking....what they will do for you and any side effects to watch out for. Make our pharmacist, your pharmacist.
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