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REUTERS NEWS
Parathyroid hormone may help battle osteoporosis

Doctors control spread of antibiotic-resistant bug

Healthier cattle feed benefits animals and people

Younger than 55? Alcohol risks outweigh benefits

Women have poorer body image than men

Finding disease genes may not be so difficult

Drug users need regular medical, drug abuse care

Study links child's depression with later obesity

RAND: US faces healthcare 'quality deficit'

Exercise keeps women's minds in shape

 
 
 
final update May 10, 2001
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome to Rx.Magazine, the health interest publication of Rx.com. Rx.com is a pharmacy first and foremost, and in order to develop the trust in us that we think people should require of their pharmacy, we want to give you something: a wealth of information. We¹re really excited to grow the best health content on the Web, and to help readers manage their health by providing sharp, reliable, and entertaining articles. We also eventually hope to put you in contact with other people who might have similar health concerns, and to distill the many sources of health information out there, so that you can feel confident that what you are reading online is accurate. Nowadays people are coming to the Internet in droves to learn about their health, but a few years ago I had an experience that opened my eyes to what this newfound access to health information could do for the quality of life.

For months during 1995 I was training for a marathon. I had been a runner for years, but this was the first time I¹d gotten my mileage up into the double digits. I was following the training guidelines and schedule of a respected guidebook, one that I assumed covered all the bases: form, nutrition, injury. My first over ten-mile run was genuine cause for celebration, but almost immediately after stopping I developed stomach cramps that doubled me over. Indigestion, I thought, after all my stomach had just been jostled for over an hour. A few weeks later, after a 15 mile run, the same thing happened, only this time the pain sent me to bed and didn¹t reside until morning. The next day I felt fine again, but I was worried about what would happen during the race. And the pain was a lot to endure even after the elation of crossing the finish line.

The next day I got online and did a search for sports medicine. I found the site of the physician/director of a reputable university¹s sports medicine program, and his email address was listed. Now probably, if I had contacted this doctor via telephone, he wouldn¹t have called me back. But when I sent him an email outlining my symptoms and concerns he wrote me back almost immediately. The simple diagnosis: I was dehydrated. I learned that when your body gets dehydrated to a certain point, drinking all the water in the world won¹t suffice. I wasn¹t drinking enough before or during my runs, something I could change.

Not everyone¹s health problems are so simple, or so easily solved. But no matter what our current state of health we can always learn more about our bodies. Being informed can make a big difference in the way we manage our healthcare, and allow us to get the most out of our doctor visits when we do discover a problem.

In Rx.Magazine we want to feature a range of perspectives and voices, from newsy reports on breakthrough medical treatments to first person essays and stories of inspiration concerning individuals who dealt nobly with or have surmounted health conditions to a positive end. We¹ll also be publishing regularly a column written by our own Dr. Kevin, Rx.com¹s Chief Medical Officer who will share his experiences as a physician, a family member, and a patient suffering from diabetes. And you can be sure our information is substantiated, a healthcare advisory board of Doctors who are specialists in their fields presides over Rx.Magazine to ensure our information is current and correct.

Feature stories will populate our eight departments, and eventually a new Rx.Magazine story will be posted to the site daily, so come back often to see what¹s new. We are also looking to develop regular columns written by health professionals when a subject is worthy of ongoing attention. Ultimately we¹ll be looking for feedback from you, the reader, to tell us what you¹d really like to see in Rx.Magazine, so be sure to drop us a line and tell us what you think.

Sincerely,

Jen Scoville
Editor, Rx.com