Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disease that is the most common cause of dementia. It causes progressive destructive and irreversible changes in the brain. A common feature is the accumulation of a protein called amyloid-β in the form of plaques and tau tangles. Both are thought to cause brain cell death. Although among the most likely candidates, they have not yet been shown to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. In a blog from 2 years ago a newly approved drug for Alzheimer’s disease named aducanumab was discussed. At the time I thought the medication had not been proven to […]
Category: Prescription Drugs
Mifepristone: Science vs Politics
The overruling of Roe v. Wade made a personal medical decision even more of a contentious political battle. Despite the majority of the population being in favor of abortion rights, far-right politicians and judges are intent on passing legislation and making rulings to empower state and federal governments to make these decisions for their citizens. The usurpation of the right of people who can become pregnant to make their own decisions about their healthcare and well-being has gotten even more political with a new ruling from an extremist federal judge in Texas. While the original focus of the abortion […]
Antibiotic Resistance – Dangerous and Expensive
Antibiotic resistance is a problem most healthcare providers are aware of, but many patients are not. While I learned about MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) in medical school over 40 years ago, as a pediatrician antibiotic resistance was most evident when my patients returned with persistent ear infections. In retrospect, it was more complicated than I knew at the time. While some of the resistant ear infections appeared to respond to a different antibiotic — many of which were likely caused by bacteria resistant to the initial antibiotic chosen — others did not. It is now known that a lot of […]
New Alzheimer’s Disease Treatments — The Eye of the Beholder
There has been a lot in the news lately about aducanumab (Aduhelm), a new monoclonal antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disease and is the most common cause of dementia. It causes destructive, progressive, and irreversible changes in the brain. A common feature is the accumulation of a protein called amyloid-β in the form of plaques and tau tangles. Both are thought to cause cell death, but they have not yet been shown to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Aducanumab (Aduhelm), a drug that reduces amyloid-β plaques, was approved by the FDA on […]
Seven Secrets to Medication Savings
Anyone looking to save on medication costs, and that is probably you if you are reading this article, has seen the same methods listed in article after article. They include shopping around for the best price, switching to generics, splitting pills, applying to assistance programs, using a drug discount card or copay cards, etc. I’ll explain some different ways to save you may not have seen before. They may be a little more complex than the methods listed above – and may require some conversations with your prescriber or pharmacist. In addition to the cost savings these methods will provide, […]