Category: Specialized Medications
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What Is the Gut Microbiome and Why Is it So Important?
Within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract lives a community of microorganisms called the gut microbiome, also called the gut flora and gut microbiota. The gut microbiome not only plays a crucial role in digestion and metabolism, but forms part of an important relationship between the gut and the rest of the body. The Gut Microbiome Helps…
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How to Keep Your Bones Healthy and Prevent Osteoporosis
Loss of bone mass is a common occurrence of aging. Around the age of 40, the body starts to lose bone density and the risk of developing osteoporosis increases. Osteoporosis occurs when enough bone mass has been lost, that the bones become fragile and can be easily fractured from falls or even minor bumps. Bones…
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Allergy Immunotherapy: How it Works and Why It’s Changing the Way We Treat Allergies
Allergy immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment that can provide long-term relief from allergies for both children and adults. Although immunotherapy was first used to treat a pollen allergy in 1911, it is now widely used to treat a variety of allergic complications, such as asthma. An allergic reaction occurs when the body identifies a…
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Summit Health Pharmacy’s Medication Take-Back Service
Oftentimes, unused, unwanted, and expired medications get stored in the medicine cabinet, flushed down the toilet, or thrown in the trash. These may seem like simple solutions, but they can be unsafe for children, pets, and the environment. If you’re part of the one-third of Americans who have not emptied out their medicine cabinets this…
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How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off: Addressing the Global Obesity Epidemic, a Major Risk Factor for Serious Chronic Illness
Obesity affects nearly 2 billion adults, 340 million children and adolescents, and 41 million children under the age of five worldwide. It affects both children and adults, men and women, and individuals in both developed and third-world countries. In other words, obesity does not discriminate. The reasons why an individual becomes obese are complex and…
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What Really Causes Autoimmune Disease?
The immune system, when functioning properly, protects the body from infectious diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Infectious diseases can range from more common illnesses, like a cold or the flu, to less common and even fatal illnesses, like HIV. The immune system is a complex and vital system that works to maintain…