Medications Archive

NSAIDs can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation from arthritis and other chronic aches and pains. However, you want to use the lowest dose for the shortest time.

Noticeable bruises as a person ages are related to the tiny blood vessels in the outer layer of skin becoming more fragile. There is not much people can do about this, but they should see their doctors if bruises resemble red or purple spots, appear only on the lower legs, or become painful.

If you're among the nearly 17 million adults in this country who's had cancer, pay extra attention to your heart health.

Thanks to advances in early detection and treatment, people with cancer are living far longer than in past decades. But cancer survivors should be aware that cancer and its treatments can compromise cardiovascular health, according to a recent study from the CDC.

Researchers studied more than 840,000 adults, including about 69,000 cancer survivors, to see how much cancer "ages" the heart. They found that adult men treated for cancer had hearts that appeared to be 8.5 years older than their actual age, while the hearts of women who survived cancer appeared to be 6.5 years older.

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Regular aspirin use is associated with a reduced risk for developing colorectal cancer in older age — but you won't get the benefit if you start the therapy too late in life, according to a Harvard study published online Jan. 21, 2021, by JAMA Oncology. Researchers combined the results of two large studies involving a total of more than 94,000 people who answered health questionnaires regularly and were followed for three decades. Compared with people who didn't take aspirin, people ages 70 or older who took either 325 milligrams (mg) or 81 mg of aspirin at least twice per week had a 20% lower risk for developing colorectal cancer — but only if they had started the therapy by age 65. Starting aspirin therapy at or after age 70 was not associated with significant protection against colorectal cancer. The study was observational and does not prove whether aspirin can or cannot ward off colorectal cancer. But other observational studies have also shown an association between aspirin use and lower colorectal cancer risk. Like any medicine, aspirin isn't risk-free: regular use increases the risk for gastrointestinal bleeding. If you happen to be taking aspirin regularly for other reasons, this might be an added benefit.

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A ringing sound in one or both ears is usually a form of an annoying condition called tinnitus. When tinnitus persists, treatment  such as cognitive behavioral therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy or biofeedback, can ease symptoms.

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Q. My breasts have begun to feel swollen and seem larger. What could cause this, and should I be worried about any potential health issues?

A. Swollen breasts in men are almost always caused by either one or both of two conditions: excess fat deposition in the breasts, or growth of actual glandular breast tissue (gynecomastia). Fatty deposition occurs in overweight men and is always present in both breasts. With gynecomastia, the breasts have a firm or rubbery consistency. While it usually affects both breasts, it can affect one breast much more than the other.

Medication errors and communication problems may put people at risk.

It's been 20 years since the Institute of Medicine published its landmark report To Err is Human. It found that as many as 98,000 people were dying each year from preventable medical errors, prompting an industrywide patient safety effort that has spanned the past two decades.

An editorial published in JAMA Dec. 29, 2020, notes that in the years since that report came out, hospitals and doctors have made numerous changes that have succeeded in reducing preventable problems, such as hospital-acquired infections, falls, and medication-related errors. But more work remains to be done. Mistakes still happen.