Red yeast rice
(Wikipedia)
Red yeast rice (Chinese: 紅麴米, 红曲米; pinyin: hóng qú mǐ; lit. "red yeast rice"), red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, or ang-kak, is a bright reddish purple fermented rice, which acquires its colour from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus. In Japan, it is known as beni-koji (べにこうじ, lit. "red koji") or akakoji (あかこうじ, also meaning "red koji") and in Taiwan it is sometimes also called âng-chau (紅糟) in Taiwanese. Among the Hakka, it is known as fungkiuk. In China it is widely available under the brand name XueZhiKang (血脂康), and in Singapore it is available as Hypocol.
Red yeast rice is sold in jars at Asian markets as a pasteurized wet aggregate, whole dried grains, or as a ground powder. It was a commonly used red food colouring in East Asian and Chinese cuisine prior to the discovery of chemical food colouring. It has also been used in Chinese herbal medicine.
Contents |
Production
Red yeast rice is produced by cultivating Monascus purpureus on polished rice. The rice is first soaked in water until the grains are fully saturated. The raw soaked rice can then either be directly inoculated, or steamed for the purpose of sterilizing and cooking the grains prior to inoculation. Inoculation is done by mixing M. purpureus spores or powdered red yeast rice together with the processed rice. The mix is then incubated in an environment around room temperature for 3–6 days. During this period of time, the rice should be fully cultured with M. purpureus, with each rice grain turning bright red in its core and reddish purple on the outside.
The fully cultured rice is then either sold as the dried grain, or cooked and pasteurized to be sold as a wet paste, or dried and pulverized to be sold as a fine powder. China is the world's largest producer of red yeast rice.
Due to the low cost of chemical dyes, some producers of red yeast rice have tried to adulterate their products with red dye #2 Sudan Red G [1](in Chinese).
Uses
Culinary
The dried grain can be prepared and eaten in the same manner as white rice--a common practice among Asians. It can also be added to other foods.
Red yeast rice is used to colour a wide variety of food products, including pickled tofu, red rice vinegar, char siu, Peking Duck, and Chinese pastries that require red food colouring. It is also traditionally used in the production of several types of Chinese wine, Japanese sake (akaisake), and Korean rice wine (hongju), imparting a reddish colour to these wines.[2][3]
Although used mainly for its colour in cuisine, red yeast rice imparts a subtle but pleasant taste to food and is commonly used in the cuisine of Fujian regions of China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
In addition to its culinary use, red yeast rice is also used in traditional Chinese herbology and traditional Chinese medicine. Its use has been documented as far back as the Tang Dynasty in China in 800 A.D. and taken internally to invigorate the body, aid in digestion, and remove "blood blockages".
Modern Medicine
Red yeast rice when produced using the 'Went' strain of Monascus purpureus contains significant quantites of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin which is also known as mevinolin, a naturally-occurring statin. It is sold as an over the counter dietary supplement for controlling cholesterol (See ref.: Medicine Net). There is strong scientific evidence for its effect in lowering blood levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein/LDL ("bad cholesterol"), and triglyceride levels (see below). Because an approved drug is identical to the molecule it is therefore regulated as a drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In 1998, the U.S. district court in Utah allowed a product containing red yeast rice extract known as Cholestin to be sold without restriction, but this was reversed on appeal. (Moore, 2001) (see ref.: PDRhealth). Cholestin as a product continues to be marketed but no longer contains red yeast rice (RYR). Other companies sell red yeast rice products but most of them use a different strain of yeast or different growing conditions, resulting in RYR with a negligible statin content. The labeling on these new products often says nothing about cholesterol lowering. As late as August 2007, FDA noted supplements being sold containing significant lovastatin levels.(FDA, 2007)
In 2006 Liu et al published a meta-analysis of clinical trials (Chinese Med 2006;1:4-17). The article cited 93 published, controlled clinical trials (91 published in Chinese). Total cholesterol decreased by 35 mg/dl, LDL-cholesterol by 28 mg/dl, triglycerides by 35 mg/dl, and HDL-cholesterol increased by 6 mg/dl. Zhao et al reported on a four-year trial in people with diabetes (J Cardio Pharmacol 2007;49:81-84). There was a 40-50% reduction in cardio events and cardio deaths in the treated group. Ye et al reported on a four-year trial in elderly Chinese patients with heart disease (J Am Geriatr Soc 2007;55:1015-22). Deaths were down 32%. There is at least one report in the literature of a statin-like myopathy caused by red yeast rice (Mueller PS. Ann Intern Med 2006;145:474-5).
An article in the June 15, 2008, issue of the American Journal of Cardiology found that red yeast rice may provide benefits beyond those provided by statins. The researchers reported that the benefits seemed to exceed those reported with lovastatin alone.[1]
ConsumerLab.com found large variation in the active compounds between red yeast rice supplements, and also found that some of them were contaminated with citrinin, a nephrotoxic mycotoxin.[2][3] Evidence about the side effects of red yeast rice is limited, but it may have similar side effects to the drug lovastatin, which include kidney problems and other side effects.[4] Regular medical monitoring is needed to detect such effects.Red yeast rice
(altmd)
Overview
Red yeast rice has been used for centuries in China as both a food and a medicinal product. It is made by fermenting a type of yeast called Monascus purpureus over red rice. In Chinese medicine, red yeast rice is used to promote blood circulation and aid digestive problems. The dietary supplement has also been used traditionally for bruised muscles, hangovers, indigestion, and colic in infants.
Recent research has shown that red yeast rice contains substances that are similar to prescription statin medications (such as atorvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin), which can lower cholesterol. Statins interfere with an enzyme that is responsible for cholesterol production in the body. There is also growing interest in evaluating red yeast rice for use as a natural food dye and preservative.
The use of red yeast rice in the United States today is controversial. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies red yeast as a dietary supplement. There is growing concern, however, that the supplement is actually being used as an unregulated medication. There is ongoing debate, therefore, about whether to reclassify red yeast rice as a prescription drug -- which would require much greater regulation of its use.
Therapeutic Uses
Prevention
Research has shown that red yeast Monascus purpureus inhibits the action of an enzyme in the body called HMG-CoA reductase, which is known to raise cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels increase the risk of heart disease. Because of its inhibitory action on this cholesterol-raising enzyme, the therapeutic use of red yeast rice may potentially prevent and treat high cholesterol levels, promote blood circulation, and help lower the risk of heart disease. More study, however, is needed.
Treatment
The following studies suggest that red yeast rice significantly reduces high cholesterol:
- One recent study by the UCLA School of Medicine involved 83 people with high cholesterol levels. Those who received red yeast rice over a 12-week period experienced significantly lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and triglycerides (fatty substances that can also accumulate in the blood stream and damage the blood vessels) compared to those taking placebo. HDL ("good") cholesterol levels did not change in either study group.
- Two studies presented before the American Heart Association have shown benefit. In the first study, 187 people had mild-to-moderate elevations in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The study showed that treatment with red yeast rice reduced total cholesterol by more than 16%, LDL cholesterol by 21%, and triglycerides by 24%. HDL cholesterol also increased by 14%. In the second study, elderly participants who took red yeast rice had significant reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels compared to those who received placebo. Both studies treated the participants with the supplement or placebo for 8 weeks.
- In another 8-week study of 446 people with high cholesterol, those receiving red yeast rice had a significant drop in cholesterol their levels compared to those who took placebo. Total cholesterol fell by 22.7%, LDL by 31%, and triglycerides by 34% in the red yeast rice group. HDL cholesterol increased by 20% in the red yeast rice group as well.
Dietary Sources
Red yeast rice is used in powdered form as a food coloring in Asia and in Chinese communities in North America, most commonly for coloring fish, alcoholic beverages, and cheese.
Dosage and Administration
Red yeast rice is an ingredient in several commercially available combination supplement products that are marketed to promote heart health. Red yeast rice is also available in commercial preparations, including:
- Cholestin -- each capsule has 600 mg of red yeast rice.
- Herbalin Ruby Monascus -- each capsule has 500 mg of red yeast rice.
Pediatric
Labels on all red yeast rice products should note that people younger than 20 years should not use red yeast rice supplements.
Adult
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the dosage of dietary or supplemental red yeast rice is as high as 6,000 - 9,000 mg per day, but the appropriate dosage for adults may vary, depending on the form of the supplement:
- Standardized extract: use 600 mg (oral doses), two to four times daily.
Precautions
Because there is little information about the safety of red yeast rice when used over an extended period of time, you should use red yeast rice for a short period of time if you do take the supplement.
People with liver disease and those at risk for liver disease should not take red yeast rice. Red yeast rice may affect liver function in the same way prescription cholesterol lowering medications can.
People who drink more than two alcoholic beverages a day, have a serious infection or physical disorder, or have undergone an organ transplant should also avoid using red yeast rice.
Side Effects
Side effects of red yeast rice are rare but can include:
- Headache
- Stomach ache or bloating
- Gas
- Dizziness
- Heartburn
- Muscle aches and weakness
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
The safety of red yeast rice during pregnancy and breast-feeding has not been evaluated. For this reason, until further information is available, pregnant or breast-feeding women should not use it.
Pediatric Use
Manufacturers recommend that people under age 20 should not take this supplement until further research is conducted. There is no currently available scientific information indicating whether or not children can safely take red yeast rice.
Geriatric Use
To date, studies have not specifically investigated the safety of red yeast rice in older adults. However, elderly patients who were treated with 1,200 mg per day of red yeast rice in an 8-week study had no significant side effects.
Interactions and Depletions
Cholesterol-lowering medications
Red yeast rice should not be taken with cholesterol-lowering (statin) medications unless supervised by your doctor, because the supplement may enhance their effect, therefore increasing the risk of liver damage. If you are already taking a statin, talk to your health care provider before adding red yeast rice to your regimen.
Grapefruit juice
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can enhance the effects of statins and significantly increase their blood levels, increasing the risk of side effects and liver damage. Because red yeast rice may act similarly in the body to statins, you should avoid drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit or marmalade while taking red yeast rice.
Coenzyme Q10
Statins may deplete the coenzyme called CoQ10 from the body. CoQ10 is very important in heart and muscle health and in energy production. Side effects of CoQ10 depletion include fatigue, muscle aches and pains, and muscle damage. Red yeast rice also may deplete CoQ10 from the body. It is important to supplement your diet with CoQ10, 150 - 200 mg at night, while you are taking red yeast rice products, and for 4 weeks after you stop taking red yeast rice.
Dengue Fever and It’s Management
(neeladri)
Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads Dengue fever.
THE FACT: There is no vaccine to prevent Dengue
Dengue is diagnosed only by a blood test
OVERVIEW
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone” fever because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking, hence the name. Health experts have known about dengue fever for more than 200 years.
Worldwide, more than 100 million cases of dengue infection occur each year.
CAUSE
Dengue fever can be caused by any one of four types of dengue virus: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. You can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during your lifetime, but only once by the same type.
TRANSMISSION
You can get dengue virus infections from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they bite infected humans, and later transmit infection to other people they bite. Two main species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, have been responsible for all cases of dengue transmitted in this country. Dengue is not contagious from person to person.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of typical uncomplicated (classic) dengue usually start with fever within 5 to 6 days after you have been bitten by an infected mosquito and include
- High fever, up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit
- Severe headache
- Retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain
- Severe joint and muscle pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rash
The rash may appear over most of your body 3 to 4 days after the fever begins. You may get a second rash later in the disease.
Symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever include all of the symptoms of classic dengue plus
- Marked damage to blood and lymph vessels
- Bleeding from the nose, gums, or under the skin, causing purplish bruises
This form of dengue disease can cause death.
Symptoms of dengue shock syndrome-the most severe form of dengue disease-include all of the symptoms of classic dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever, plus
- Fluids leaking outside of blood vessels
- Massive bleeding
- Shock (very low blood pressure)
This form of the disease usually occurs in children (sometimes adults) experiencing their second dengue infection. It is sometimes fatal, especially in children and young adults.
DIAGNOSIS
Your health care provider can diagnose dengue fever by doing two blood tests, 2 to 3 weeks apart. The tests can show whether a sample of your blood contains antibodies to the virus. In epidemics, a health care provider often can diagnose dengue by typical signs and symptoms.
TREATMENT
There is no specific treatment for classic dengue fever, and like most people you will recover completely within 2 weeks. To help with recovery, health care experts recommend
- Getting plenty of bed rest
- Drinking lots of fluids
- Taking medicine to reduce fever
CDC advises people with dengue fever not to take aspirin. Acetaminophen or other over-the-counter pain-reducing medicines are safe for most people.
For severe dengue symptoms, including shock and coma, early and aggressive emergency treatment with fluid and electrolyte replacement can be lifesaving.
PREVENTION
The best way to prevent dengue fever is to take special precautions to avoid contact with mosquitoes. Several dengue vaccines are being developed, but none is likely to be licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in the next few years.
When outdoors in an area where dengue fever has been found
- Use a mosquito repellant containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus
- Dress in protective clothing-long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes
Because Aedes mosquitoes usually bite during the day, be sure to use precautions especially during early morning hours before daybreak and in the late afternoon before dark.
Other precautions include
- Keeping unscreened windows and doors closed
- Keeping window and door screens repaired
- Getting rid of areas where mosquitoes breed, such as standing water in flower pots, containers, birdbaths, discarded tires, etc.
COMPLICATIONS
Most people who develop dengue fever recover completely within 2 weeks. Some, however, may go through several weeks to months of feeling tired and/or depressed.
Some more facts: FAQ’sDengue
· Dengue [DEN-ghee] is a flu-like viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of dengue.
· Dengue occurs in most tropical areas of the world. Most U.S. cases occur in travelers returning from abroad, but the Dengue risk is increasing for persons living along the Texas-Mexico border and in other parts of the southern United States.
· There is no specific treatment for Dengue.
· Prevention centers on avoiding mosquito bites in areas where Dengue occurs or might occur and eliminating breeding sites.
What is Dengue fever? What is Dengue hemorrhagic fever?
Dengue fever is a flu-like illness spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of Dengue fever.
What is the infectious agent that causes Dengue?
Dengue and Dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the Dengue family of viruses. Infection with one virus does not protect a person against infection with another.
How is Dengue spread?
Dengue is spread by the bite of an Aedes mosquito. The mosquito transmits the disease by biting an infected person and then biting someone else.
Where is Dengue found?
Dengue viruses occur in most tropical areas of the world. Dengue is common in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Australia, and the Americas. It is widespread in the Caribbean basin. Dengue is most common in cities but can be found in rural areas. It is rarely found in mountainous areas above 4,000 feet.
The mosquitoes that transmit Dengue live among humans and breed in discarded tires, flower pots, old oil drums, and water storage containers close to human dwellings. Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, Dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.
What are the signs and symptoms of Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever?
Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, rash, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain. The severity of the joint pain has given dengue the name “breakbone fever.” Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Older children and adults are usually sicker than young children.
Most Dengue infections result in relatively mild illness, but some can progress to Dengue hemorrhagic fever. With Dengue hemorrhagic fever, the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, and gums. Bruising can be a sign of bleeding inside the body. Without prompt treatment, the blood vessels can collapse, causing shock (Dengue shock syndrome). Dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal in about 5 percent of cases, mostly among children and young adults.
How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?
The time between the bite of a mosquito carrying Dengue virus and the start of symptoms averages 4 to 6 days, with a range of 3 to 14 days. An infected person cannot spread the infection to other persons but can be a source of Dengue virus for mosquitoes for about 6 days.
How is Dengue diagnosed?
Dengue is diagnosed by a blood test.
Who is at risk for Dengue?
Anyone who is bitten by an infected mosquito can get Dengue fever. Risk factors for Dengue hemorrhagic fever include a person’s age and immune status, as well as the type of infecting virus. Persons who were previously infected with one or more types of Dengue virus are thought to be at greater risk for developing Dengue hemorrhagic fever if infected again.
What is the treatment for Dengue and Dengue hemorrhagic fever?
There is no specific treatment for Dengue. Persons with Dengue fever should rest and drink plenty of fluids. They should be kept away from mosquitoes for the protection of others. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is treated by replacing lost fluids. Some patients need transfusions to control bleeding.
How common is Dengue?
In tropical countries around the world, Dengue is one of the most common viral diseases spread to humans by mosquitoes. Tens of millions of cases of Dengue fever and up to hundreds of thousands of cases of Dengue hemorrhagic fever occur each year.
In the United States, approximately 100 cases of Dengue are reported each year in travelers returning from tropical areas. Many more cases probably go unreported. A few persons have become infected with Dengue while living in the United States. Aedes mosquitoes are found in Texas, Florida, and other southern states, and locally acquired dengue has been reported three times since 1980 in southern Texas.
Is Dengue an emerging infectious disease?
Yes. All types of Dengue virus are re-emerging worldwide and causing larger and more frequent epidemics, especially in cities in the tropics. The emergence of Dengue as a major public health problem has been most dramatic in the western hemisphere. Dengue fever has reached epidemic levels in Central America and is threatening the United States.
Several factors are contributing to the resurgence of Dengue fever:
· No effective mosquito control efforts are underway in most countries with Dengue.
· Public health systems to detect and control epidemics are deteriorating around the world.
· Rapid growth of cities in tropical countries has led to overcrowding, urban decay, and substandard sanitation, allowing more mosquitoes to live closer to more people.
· The increase in non-biodegradable plastic packaging and discarded tires is creating new breeding sites for mosquitoes.
· Increased jet air travel is helping people infected with Dengue viruses to move easily from city to city.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is also on the rise. Persons who have been infected with one or more forms of Dengue virus are at greater risk for the more severe disease. With the increase in all types of virus, the occurrence of Dengue hemorrhagic fever becomes more likely.
To summarize, dengue is a rapidly expanding disease problem. Epidemics worldwide have become larger and more frequent. Incidence of the severe and fatal form of disease, DHF, has increased dramatically in Asia in recent years and has moved into the developed countries as well. Two factors are primarily responsible for this change in epidemiology: increased air travel and a total lack of effective mosquito control in tropical urban centers.
The only option we have to prevent the dengue problem from becoming progressively worse is to reduce incidence of disease, and the only way to achieve that is to control Ae. aegypti. Unfortunately, the conventional methods that have been used over the past 20 years are not very effective. Thus, we have a very real crisis on our hands.
New leaders are urgently required. Moreover, we must educate health planners, most of whom have little or no knowledge of or interest in vector-borne diseases other than malaria, but who determine where and on what diseases the health dollars are to be spent.
History has taught us that the “top down” approach to Ae. aegypti control has no lasting impact after government support is withdrawn. The “bottom up” approach, on the other hand, is very slow and may take years before results are observed. It is my opinion, therefore, that neither a “top down” nor a “bottom up” approach alone is ideal for controlling Ae. aegypti-borne diseases in the 2000s. What we urgently need today are integrated control strategies that utilize the best of both approaches in the initial phase, with more emphasis directed to the community-based approach as the program progresses. This should insure relatively rapid success, but also that the programs will be sustainable, and that the next generation will understand and, hopefully, accept its responsibility to help maintain Ae. aegypti control in the community. Citizens of each community must be given more responsibility for their own health destiny.
Aedes aegypti, What They Are ? (Wikipedia)
Contents
* 1 Systematics and name controversy
* 2 Genomics
* 3 Spread of disease and prevention
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Systematics and name controversy
The yellow fever mosquito belongs to the tribe Aedini of the dipteran family Culicidae and to the genus Aedes and subgenus Stegomyia. According to the recent analyses, some authors raised the subgenus Stegomyia to the level of genus[3], which was traditionally treated as a subgenus of the genus Aedes. Applied biologists are often resistant to changes to the scientific names of organisms with which they work. The name change has annoyed many medical dipterists[4] and the reaction of some scientific journals as the Journal of Medical Entomology has even been to encourage authors dealing with aedine mosquitoes to continue to use the traditional names[5]. Although the work of taxonomists is important and there are sound reasons to propose substantial modifications and to adopt new classifications and names, specially if they are based on clear scientific arguments[6], it is important to be consistent and no other one of the recent subgenera raised to genera in the Aedini tribe has been accepted. Even more, if we accept the name Stegomyia aegypti, we are then forced to accept Stegomyia albopicta instead of Aedes albopictus and there are very few scientists and journals that use this name, Wikipedia included.
Genomics
The genome of this species of mosquito was sequenced by a consortium including scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute and the University of Notre Dame, and published in 2007. The effort in sequencing its DNA was intended to provide new avenues for research into insecticides and possible genetic modification to prevent the spread of disease. This was the second mosquito species to have its genome sequenced in full (the first was Anopheles gambiae). The published data included the 1.38 billion base pairs containing the insect's estimated 15,419 protein encoding genes. The sequence indicates that the species diverged from Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) about 250 million years ago, and that Anopheles gambiae and this species diverged about 150 million years ago.[7][8]
Spread of disease and prevention
The CDC traveler's page on preventing dengue fever suggests using mosquito repellents that contain DEET (N, N-diethylmetatoluamide). It also explains the following:
1. Although it may feed at any time, the mosquito bites humans only between a few hours after dawn until an hour or so after sunset.
2. The mosquito's preferred breeding areas are in areas of stagnant water, such as flower vases, uncovered barrels, buckets, and discarded tires, but the most dangerous areas are wet shower floors and toilet tanks, as they allow the mosquitos to breed right in the residence. Research has shown that certain chemicals emanating from bacteria in water containers stimulate the female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. They are particularly motivated to lay eggs in water containers that have just the right amounts of specific fatty acids associated with bacteria involved in the degradation of leaves and other organic matter in water. The chemicals associated with the microbial stew are far more stimulating to discerning female mosquitoes than plain water, for example, or filtered water in which the bacteria once lived.[9]
Here The Fact:
| Aedes aegypti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) |
Treatment list for Dengue fever (wrongdiagnosis)
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Dengue fever includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.
1. Symptomatic and supportiveSymptomatic and supportive treatments: General treatment strategy of relieving
symptoms without actually treating the cause.
2. Bed rest
3. Fluids
4. Fever medications - though aspirin is not advisable according to some sources
5. Aspirin - some sources recommend aspirin (ask your doctor for current advice)
Aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) works in part by suppressing the production of
prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that have wide-ranging roles throughout
the body, such as stimulating uterine contractions, regulating body temperature
and blood vessel constriction, and helping blood clotting
6. Pain relief medications
Analgesics reduce pain without affecting other sensations. This class of drugs includes
over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin, and paracetamol. Also in this class are morphine
and other narcotics. They work by blocking pain receptors in the brain.
o Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is as effective as aspirin in relieving mild-to-moderate pain and
in reducing fever, but less so when it comes to soft tissue injuries, such as muscle
strains and sprains
or
Acetaminophen: A drug that reduces pain and fever (but not inflammation).
It belongs to the family of drugs called analgesics.
or
Acetaminophen: an analgesic for mild pain; also used as an antipyretic;
(Datril and Tylenol and Panadol and Phenaphen and Tempra and Anacin III
are trademarks of brands of acetaminophen tablets)
o Codeine
Codeine: An opioid analgesic related to MORPHINE but with less potent analgesic
properties and mild sedative effects. It also acts centrally to suppress cough.
or
Codeine : opioid analgesic related to morphine but with less potent analgesic
properties and mild sedative effects; also acts centrally to suppress cough.
o Pethidine - in severe cases
Pethidine: A narcotic analgesic that can be used for the relief of most types of
moderate to severe pain, including postoperative pain and the pain of labor.
Prolonged use may lead to dependence of the morphine type; withdrawal
symptoms appear more rapidly than with morphine and are of shorter duration.
7. Calamine lotion - for rash
Calamine lotion: a lotion consisting of a liquid preparation containing calamine; used
to treat itching or mild skin irritations
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