Medical and Natural Herbal Products

FDA regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering drugs. In general, the regulations for dietary supplements are less strict.

Herbal products are one type of dietary supplement. Herbal remedy may contain a single herb or mixture of herbs. Scientific studies have shown that some herbs and dietary supplements are effective in preventing or treating diseases.

• Neo Healar, available as ointment and suppositoriesis, is a herbal remedy for the relief of hemorrhoids symptoms.

Antibiotics (anti-bacterials) are "life-savers" and have saved countless lives worldwide. These are powerful medicines that cure bacterial infections. They either kill bacteria or keep them from reproducing.

• Azithromycin (Zithromax Z-pack) is a very popular broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic used most often to treat respiratory tract and skin infections, and sexually transmitted disease chlamydia.
• Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), a powerful fluoroquinolone, is frequently used to treat urinary tract, lower respiratory tract, and bones and joints infections.
• Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic, effective against a broad range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It is often used to treat acne and chlamydia.
• Metronidazole (Flagyl) is an anti-infective, antiprotozoal medication used mainly in the treatment of infections caused by anaerobic bacteria and parasites like giardia and ameba.
• Minocycline has a broader spectrum than the other tetracyclines. It is a popular treatment for severe acne.

Antidepressants help relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), manic-depressive disorders, and other conditions.

There are several classes of antidepressants and each class works differently and causes different side effects.

• Trazodone is a tetracyclic antidepressant with anxiolytic and hypnotic properties.
• Wellbutrin XL, a norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), is an effective and generally well tolerated antidepressant. It is used for the management of depression, seasonal affective disorder, smoking cessation.

The effects of pain medicines are different for different people. Specific types of pain may respond better to one kind of drug than to another. Also, the tolerance of pain varies greatly from one person to another.

• Carisoprodol (Soma) is a centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant, commonly used for the management of back pain and fibromyalgia.
• Gabapentin (Neurontin), an anticonvulsant, was originally developed to prevent seizures. This drug is widely used to treat nerve pain such as postherpetic neuralgia.

• Retin-A (Tretinoin cream), a topical retinoid, is a very effective treatment for many dermatologic disorders such as acne, blackheads, whiteheads, and wrinkles.