May 2023 Archive — Practical pieces on meds, treatments and supplements

May 2023 brought a tight collection of posts that cut straight to useful facts about medicines and everyday health issues. You’ll find updates on drugs being tested for infections, clear guides on common meds, and hands-on notes about supplements and side effects. If you want quick takeaways before digging into full posts, keep reading.

Top themes from this month

We covered COVID-19 treatment options like baricitinib and antiviral use such as oseltamivir. Both articles weigh potential benefits against risks — for baricitinib, watch infection and clot risks; for oseltamivir, the focus is on early treatment and strain coverage. There’s also a post on cycloserine’s possible role in leprosy, showing how older antibiotics can find new uses.

Side-effect management and safety popped up a lot. Posts on ticlopidine-induced headaches and Allopurinol’s liver effects give simple steps you can take: track symptoms, get baseline labs when starting therapy, and call your prescriber if something changes. Everolimus got a straight-to-point dosage and administration overview aimed at patients and caregivers who need clear guidance.

For everyday meds and supplements, you’ll find a plain-language guide to loratadine and two supplement pieces — lemon balm for focus and EDTA as a chelating supplement. The lemon balm article explains what people report for mood and concentration, while the EDTA guide focuses on claimed detox and cardiovascular support, and stresses talking to a clinician before use.

We also looked at longer-term health connections. There’s a post on recurrent UTIs and bladder cancer risk that explains why chronic inflammation matters and why timely UTI care is sensible. Diabetes and sleep disorders got a practical piece linking blood sugar control to sleep quality, with tips to raise sleep priority for better glucose control. Thyroid cancer treatment effects on muscles and the challenges people with cerebral palsy face when becoming adults were written for readers living these experiences.

How to use these posts right now

Start by scanning titles that match your immediate concerns. If you’re on a new prescription, read the side-effect and monitoring posts first. If you’re exploring supplements, read the EDTA and lemon balm posts and then talk to your clinician. For infection or antiviral questions, the baricitinib and oseltamivir articles explain current thinking and the limits of available evidence.

Want one quick tip: keep a simple health log for any new drug or supplement — note start date, doses, and any new symptoms. That makes conversations with your provider faster and safer. Browse the full posts for details, and use these summaries to pick what to read next.