Medical devices are regulated under the Medical Device Amendment Act of 1976. This act comes under the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA establishes standards for medical devices and ensures that the standards are met by...
In order for an antidepressant medication to be marketed in the United States, it must receive approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. This usually follows extensive clinical trials in which people suffering from depression take the...
Your regular cold medication has suddenly disappeared from store shelves. Before you panic, ask the pharmacist if your favorite remedy has moved to a new location. Consumers must now obtain cold remedies containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine...
High cholesterol puts you at higher risk for serious health conditions, including heart disease, heart attack and stroke. However, some people do not tolerate medications for high cholesterol very well. For these people, it may be beneficial to...
Nature Blessed Cherry Juice Concentrate is a product of Coloma Frozen Foods, located in Michigan. Coloma does not provide a nutritional label on their website. However, the company does state that its cherry juice concentrate contains "very high...
Abilify is an atypical antipsychotic first released in 2002 and prescribed under the generic name aripiprazole. Abilify is prescribed for a variety of conditions and works by altering how chemicals function within the brain. According to...
According to Medline Plus, over half of Americans, approximately 66 percent, struggle with weight loss. Using strategies for weight loss, such as tracking your food triggers and setting realistic goals, will help you with losing weight. It's also...
For ideal weight loss, combine a nutritionally balanced diet with consistent exercise, recommends MayoClinic.com. This is simple in theory but not always in practice. If you have dozens of pounds to lose and are in a constant battle with your...
If you fall into the 60 percent of Americans who are overweight, you may be considering use of a dietary supplement, such as hoodia, to boost weight loss. The herb Hoodia gordonii, or hoodia for short, is purported to have appetite suppressant...
Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories or NSAIDs, include common over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, and prescription medications, such as celecoxib (known by the trade name Celebrex). NSAIDs reduce the...
Electronic muscle stimulators temporarily strengthen and tone muscles for physical therapy purposes, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They do not produce the results necessary for weight loss or body sculpting.
Dietary supplements are taken in order to enhance the diet. In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, stipulating that supplements: are intended as an addition to a balanced diet; they contain one or more dietary...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression is commonly treated with anti-depression medications that are designed to affect the neurotransmitters in brains that control emotional and mood responses.
The thyroid gland controls the body's metabolism. When not working properly, it can cause significant health problems. Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which your body produces too much thyroid hormone; in hypothyroidism, the body does not make...
Antiviral medications can be used to treat many different health conditions that are caused by viruses. Common viral infections that can be treated with antiviral medications include influenza and herpes viruses. These medications can be used to...
Stopping smoking can cause side effects such as anxiety, difficulty concentrating and depression. The long-term benefits of quitting smoking outweigh these short-term discomforts. Although temporary, drawbacks such as weight gain and trouble...
Approximately 4 billion prescriptions are filled each year, many of which end up unused or unwanted by the patient. Often, the patient keeps these medications because they don't know what to do with them or how to properly dispose of them. But...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 5 percent of adolescents experience major depressive disorder. Medication intervention is one option for treating teen depression, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has...
Gastric bypass is a type of bariatric surgery that changes your digestive system in an attempt to help you lose weight. It is frequently performed and is effective if you eat healthfully and exercise regularly. It has its stipulations though;...
If you are looking to lose weight and dietary changes have been proven to be unsuccessful, you can speak to your doctor about other methods you can use to drop the excess weight. Keep in mind as part of the non-dietary weight loss treatments,...
A developmental disorder, autism causes children with the disorder to have social, behavioral and language-based symptoms. While treatment options are available for these symptoms, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that medications...
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, is divided into three main types, according to Kid's Health. The different types may require medications which stimulate the system in order to achieve a stable state, or they may require relaxants...
Seasonal allergies affect your entire upper respiratory system. When you feel your allergies take over, clogging your nose and causing post-nasal drip, you may begin coughing to relieve the tickle in your throat. If your coughing becomes bad...
One in five teenagers are diagnosed with depression before adulthood, according to Arthur Schoenstadt, MD, author of the eMedTV article "Teen Depression." Despite the prevalence, HelpGuide states that only 20 percent of depressed teenagers receive...
Blood pressure is the force of the blood as it circulates through the body. It is affected by blood volume, the width of the blood vessels, and how hard the heart is pumping. When any of these elements experiences a problem, blood pressure can...
Finasteride is a medication that is sold under the brand name Proscar to treat hypertrophy or enlargement of the prostate gland in men. It is also sold as Propecia to treat male pattern baldness. It works by blocking the production of a potent...
Over-the-counter sleeping pills are widely available without a prescription, but many doctors do not recommend using them except for the occasional problem sleeping, such as from jet lag. An estimated 20% of people with chronic sleep problems such...
Chantix is a medication that is used to help people quit smoking cigarettes, which contain nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive drug, and when people quit smoking, they can undergo withdrawal symptoms such as depression, irritability, moodiness and...