UTI Risk Factors

In general, women are more prone to urinary tract infections than men are. This is because the urethra — the tube that runs from the bladder to the outside of the body — is much shorter in women than in men. Also, a woman’s urethra is closer to the anus, increasing the chance that bacteria from the colon can end up in the urinary tract. This doesn’t mean a man can’t have a urinary tract infection! A urinary tract infection in a man is often a sign of an underlying problem — the infection may have migrated from the prostate … Continue reading →

Pinkeye

I had too many encounters with pinkeye when I was younger. Some of it was caused by allergies; some of it came from friends at school. The worst part for me was waking up and being unable to open my eyes — because the discharge had crusted my eyes shut. Pinkeye is also known as conjunctivitis. This is a redness and swelling of the mucous membrane that lines the eyelid and eye surface. Normally, this lining is clear. When the lining becomes irritated or infected, the lining becomes red and swollen. Most cases of pinkeye are caused by infection, chemical … Continue reading →

How Does Your Medication End Up Where It Should?

Have you ever wondered how that pill you are taking for migraines really end up where it is supposed to be? Absorption of drugs into the body is a complicated process, but it is interesting to know a little bit about the different methods by which our body absorbs the medication we take. It can help us appreciate why it can take ten years or more to develop a drug when we consider that each tissue type and each condition requires a drug that responds to very specific characteristics in order for it to work. One of those being the … Continue reading →