Practicing pharmacy over the years you start to get a feel for what works and what does not. Feedback is constant both welcome and otherwise. Some drugs just seem to work for a wide range of people. Amoxicillin, cefdinir, and azithromycin are just a few of our greatest hits from behind the counter. On the opposite side we have drugs that despite approval and mass marketing never really seemed to take off. Tamiflu is a great example. It was hailed and marketed as a cure for the flu and there was a point due to demand, I would spend an inordinate amount of time opening capsules to compound it into a suspension for younger patients when the commercial product would go on back order.

The leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers happens to be due to a naturally occurring radioactive gas called radon. Uranium which is found in rock all over the earth’s crust in small amounts decays over time into radium which then releases the gas. The higher the concentration of uranium the greater likelihood of having an issue. Radon gas is very heavy so it escapes from the ground and will be most concentrated below your knees. Outdoors the gas freely dissipates into the atmosphere and is unable to collect in dangerous concentrations. Inside however radon gas can enter a building through the crawlspace or foundation and accumulate to unsafe levels.

Ivermectin was discovered in 1967 at the Japanese Kitasato Institute. First approved for river blindness, a neglected tropical disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus, a parasitic worm. Ivermectin would prove effective against many parasites by manipulating the chloride ion channels that are imperative to their motor function, paralysis of the parasite ensues which ultimately leads to starvation and death. Fortunately for us mammals our blood brain barrier protects us from this toxicity. It was an effective drug for parasitic infections and would prove safe and effective over several decades against a variety of conditions including malaria, trichomoniasis, scabies, and leishmaniasis.