For survival purposes, all living organisms rely on an ability to transform and interconvert a diverse set of organic and inorganic compounds in order to utilize them as a source of energy and as their structural building blocks. The presence of these crucial building molecules, the “primary metabolites” (amino acids, fatty acids, nucleosides, and sugars) can be considered synonymous with “life” since they are ubiquitous among all organisms. (more…)

A “paradigm shift” in drug discovery occurred in the early 19th century, marked by the isolation of pure bioactive entities from medicinal plants, beginning with the isoquinoline alkaloid, morphine. The purification of plant drug molecules such as atropine, cocaine, codeine, digitoxin, and quinine, later in the same century, proved to be significant not only for the extensive medicinal uses of these isolates, (more…)

Get educated. Read as much information as you can on any drug before taking it. Learn the possible dangers and weigh them against the potential benefits. Ask your doctor and pharmacist about their experiences with patients who have used this medication. Find out whether to take the drug with meals or on an empty stomach, side effects to watch for, and what to do in case of an adverse reaction. (more…)

Many people have or have had experiencing several allergies symptoms at some point in their lives. Sneezing symptoms, itchiness, and runny nose are some of the most common symptoms of an allergy attack.

Taking antihistamines can be an affordable and effective alleviation of symptoms of an allergy attack. (more…)

Pharmaceuticals certainly have their place in health care. For example, drug therapy saves lives in cases of infections, certain cancers, and insulin-dependent diabetes, and it relieves suffering for those in acute and chronic pain. The fact is, we need pharmaceuticals for the proper treatment of a wide variety of illnesses. It is obvious, however, that we in the United States have put too much faith in drug therapy. (more…)

Following is a brief summary of drugs that were either withdrawn from the market or given new warnings in recent years. Although not an exhaustive list, it demonstrates the point that FDA-approved drugs can be dangerous.

• Erectile dysfunction drugs, including: Sildenafil (Viagra) Vardenafil (Levitra) Tadalafil (Cialis) Use: Treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). (more…)