For anyone who has ever struggled with addiction, this bit of news may be of interest. The doctor who oversees research at the National Institute on Alcoholism says, “alcoholism has reached a point similar to one depression reached 30 years ago — when the development of Prozac and other antidepressants took mental health care out of the asylum and put it in homes and doctors’ offices.” In other words, there might be drugs available now that can help.

One drug, Topamax, reportedly “reduced the number of days on which alcoholics drank heavily” more than with just therapy alone. …read more

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’d rather get my teeth drilled than go to the gynecologist, but they’re pretty close together on my list of least favorite things to do. However, I did take my own advice and suck it up this month as I do every July, because it was time for my annual exam. This may be one of those too-much-information posts, so if you’re not interested in commiserating with me over the details of my visit, or if you happen to be a male relative or former or current client and find knowing …read more

This article has a correction posted May 15, 2008.

In response to yesterday’s post about the new FDA-approved, no-period birth control pill Lybrel, Alicia asked this question in the comment trail:
What exactly happens to your egg(s) when birth control pills prevent ovulation?
That’s a great question. First of all, let’s be clear on two important facts about the female body:

You’re born with all of the eggs you’ll ever need–millions of them, just chilling in your ovaries until menarche.
Ovulation refers to the actual release of the egg from the ovary into the fallopian tube, not the production of the egg.

Second, let’s be …read more

This week the US Food and Drug Administration approved an oral contraceptive that, when taken as directed, effectively stops menstruation for the duration of its use. Although the regular monthly cycle will be stopped as long as a woman takes the pill as directed, breakthrough bleeding and spotting are possible (and, if you ask me, likely).
Although many women are very excited about the idea of a pill that will stop their “little friend” from visiting every 28 days, the long-term effects of the drug and, more importantly, its effects, are not known. According to a WebMD report,
Side effects of …read more

Lately it seems like there are literally dozens if not hundreds of options when it comes to contraception. There are injections, implants, patches, pills, surgical procedures…
How do you know which is the right choice for you?