How does medicine help

For example, if your cough syrup contains acetaminophen, don't take it at the same time as a pain reliever that contains acetaminophen. Taking more than one medicine with the same active ingredient could result in getting too much of that ingredient, which could damage your liver or lead to other serious health problems. Doctors and pharmacists often use abbreviations or terms that may not be familiar.

Here is an explanation of some of the most common abbreviations you will see on the labels of your prescription medications:. Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings, such as upset stomach, sleepiness, and dizziness, that happen when you take a medicine are called side effects. Some side effects happen just when you start taking a medicine. Some happen only once in a while. But other side effects may make you want to stop taking the medicine.

Tell your doctor if this happens. He or she may be able to prescribe a different medicine or help you deal with side effects in other ways. Talk to your doctor about any side effects before you stop taking any medicines.

Your doctor may have tips that can help, such as eating a light snack with your pills. You may want to talk to your doctor about switching to a new medicine. Check the label to ensure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about the written information that comes with your prescription. Unwanted or unexpected symptoms or feelings that occur when you take medicine are called side effects.

Side effects can be relatively minor, such as a headache or a dry mouth. They can also be life-threatening, such as severe bleeding or irreversible damage to the liver or kidneys. Medications' side effects also can affect your driving. If you experience side effects, write them down so you can report them to your doctor accurately.

Call your doctor right away if you have any problems with your medicines or if you are worried that the medicine might be doing more harm than good. Taking medicines may feel like a hassle sometimes.

But medicines are the most effective treatments available for many illnesses. If you ever have any questions about what a medicine does or how you should take it, talk with your doctor or a pharmacist. Understanding Medicines and What They Do.

Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Are Medicines? But medicines can be delivered in many ways, such as: liquids that are swallowed drops that are put into ears or eyes creams, gels, or ointments that are rubbed onto the skin inhalers like nasal sprays or asthma inhalers patches that are stuck to skin called transdermal patches tablets that are placed under the tongue called sublingual medicines; the medicine is absorbed into blood vessels and enters the bloodstream injections shots or intravenous inserted into a vein medicines No medicine can be sold unless it has first been approved by the U.

Double-check that you have the right medicine. If you get the same prescription filled more than once, check that it's the same shape, size, and color as the last time. If not, be sure to ask the pharmacist about it. Read the label and follow directions. Ask if you have questions. Take medicines exactly as prescribed.

If the instructions say take one tablet four times a day, don't take two tablets twice a day. It's not the same. Ask if the medicine is likely to affect everyday tasks such as driving or concentrating in school. Don't take more medicine than is recommended. It won't make you heal faster or feel better quicker. In fact, an overdose of medicine can make you sick. Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. For instance, he or she may tell you to take a medicine with food to help lessen the stomach upset it can cause or instead to take the medicine on an empty stomach so as not to interfere with the medicine's absorption into your body.

Never share prescription medicine with anyone else, even if that person has the same thing as you do. Today's medicines are very complex, and the dosages tend to be precisely prescribed for each person's needs.

Either under-dosing or overdosing can be harmful. Additionally, someone else's body may react differently to the same medicine for example, if the person has an allergy to one of the components of the medicine. This includes any practice that aims to heal but is not part of conventional medicine. Techniques range widely. Alternative medicine : People use a different option from the conventional one, such as using relaxation measures to improve headaches , rather than pain relief medication.

Complementary medicine : People add another treatment option to a main treatment. For example, they may use relaxation as well as pain relief medication for a headache. Alternative and complementary therapies are often based on traditional knowledge, rather than scientific evidence or clinical trials.

Examples include homeopathy, acupuncture, ayurveda, naturopathic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. Researchers carry out investigations to find out which diseases are present, why they occur, what can treat or prevent them, what makes them more likely to happen, and many other aspects of health.

Clinical trials are one aspect of clinical research. They aim to find out if a therapy — often a drug — is safe and effective to use when treating a specific condition. The most effective way to demonstrate the effectiveness of a drug or technique is to carry out a double-blind, random, long-term, large clinical human study. In this type of study, researchers compare the effect of a therapy or drug in with either a placebo , no treatment, or another therapy or drug.

Physical therapy can help improve strength and flexibility in people who have a condition that affects their musculoskeletal system. Occupational therapy can teach people new and better ways to do things physically. A person who has had a stroke , for example, may benefit from learning again how to walk, using techniques that perhaps they did not use before.

Other fields of medicine include pharmacology and pharmacy, nursing, speech therapy, medical practice management, and many more. Biochemistry : A biochemist studies chemical components and how they affect the body. Biomechanics : This focuses on the structure of biological systems in the body and how they work, using a mechanical approach. Biostatistics : Researchers apply statistics to biological fields.

This is crucial for successful medical research and many areas of medical practice. Biophysics : This uses physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology to model and understand the workings of biological systems.