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Puralin Press Release
DANGERS AT THE DRUGSTORE - WHAT TO LOOK FOR
A Prescription For Safe Health
Avoid
Danger At The Drugstore
When Shopping
For Non-Prescription Health Aides
In an age in which so much of medical science is utterly incomprehensible--even to other scientists--it's comforting to remind ourselves from time to time that a lot of what passes for modern medicine is simply the refinement and repackaging of ancient remedies. Digitalis from foxglove. Opiates from poppies. Aspirin from the bark of willow trees. Even now, nearly 60% of the best-selling prescription drugs in America's pharmacies are based on compounds taken directly from Mother Nature's well-stocked armamentarium. It's as if there were a bright, healing thread running from the medicine bags of shamans and witch doctors to today's drugs for cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease.
TIME Magazine
Advancements
in medical research, as a casual visit to any local drugstore
will reveal, have resulted in a proliferation of drugs and medications
for countless disorders of the human body. Many are available
only with a doctor's prescription, but many more are available
over-the-counter (OTC) with no prescription needed. The result
is that drugstores have become giant, do-it-yourself emporiums
for self-medication.
Consequently, most home medicine cabinets contain both prescription drugs and non-prescription "medicines," the salves, balms, tablets, pills, powders, ointments, lotions, remedies, health aides, and cure-alls that are designed to treat a range of ailments.
This virtually
unfettered access to OTC medicines is an especially important
issue for our maturing population. Four out of five older Americans
report having at least one chronic health condition. And, because
of the easy accessibility to the huge number of OTC products,
most people think they can take control of their own health, even
if they're being treated by a doctor. But the reality is
that this unbridled ability to self-medicate is laced with potentially
dire consequences.
Major Health Problem
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determines whether medicines are prescription or non-prescription. The term "prescription" (Rx) refers to medicines that are safe and effective only when used under a doctor's order. Non-prescription, OTC drugs are medicines the FDA decides are safe and effective for use without a doctor's prescription.
As a result of the regulatory process allowing Americans to take a more active role in their health care, known as the Rx-to-OTC switch, more than 600 products sold over the counter today use ingredients or dosage strengths that were available only by prescription 20 years ago. And therein lies a major health problem:
What many people don't realize is that many OTC health aides, herbs and supplements, even the common aspirin, can interact badly with prescription medications.
Continue
Puralin Says Millions Are at Risk
Puralin Offers Safe Alternative
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Fax: 516-624-8201