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Two new FDA Web sites offer valuable information for consumers about how to get heart-healthy and what drugs are approved for various medical conditions.
One new site, FDA Heart Health Online, contains reliable information about products used to prevent, diagnose, and treat heart disease. The site includes:
Another site, Drugs@FDA, is designed to help consumers and health professionals find information about approved drugs more quickly and efficiently. It is an exhaustive, searchable catalog of approved prescription and over-the-counter drugs and some discontinued drugs.
The site consolidates information that previously was spread over several other sites. For example, Drugs@FDA includes drug approval letters, medication guides, labeling, and other patient information. Users can search by drug name or active ingredient. In the future, the site will include background on recalls, warnings, and drug shortages.
It's been around more than 2,000 years, but it didn't become well known in this country until 1971 when The New York Times ran an article about how doctors in China had used the technique to ease abdominal pain after surgery. Acupuncture is now "widely" practiced by thousands of American doctors, dentists, and other practitioners, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Want to learn more? The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's acupuncture Web site is loaded with authoritative information about all aspects of this practice of treating various conditions by using long, thin needles to stimulate "acupuncture points" on the body.
The site explains the theory behind acupuncture, how the practice is regulated, and tips on how to find an acupuncturist.
Tattoos have come a long way since the days when sailors used to have "Mom" imprinted within a heart on their arms. A quick scan of any public place reveals that tattoos are now widespread in the U.S. population.
But how are tattoos regulated? In two ways: State and local authorities oversee the practice of tattooing, but inks used in tattoos and the pigments in them are subject to FDA regulation as cosmetics and color additives.
A new FDA Web site gives a good overview of all types of tattoos and possible risks from having one applied.
For example, the FDA is presently monitoring the adverse reactions that have occurred in users of several types of foreign-made temporary tattoos. The agency also is examining complications that can result from permanent tattoos, including:
The site also has a section on novelty makeup, and it answers questions about the possibility of getting hepatitis C or HIV from a tattoo.
No doubt sometime in your life you've either been bullied, witnessed bullying, or maybe even bullied someone yourself. But just what is bullying? And when does good-natured kidding cross the line into something more sinister?
A Web site called Take a Stand. Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now! is the place to learn all about bullying. The site uses cool games not only to describe what bullying is, but also to explain how to prevent it. Using "webisodes," the site takes users through on-screen adventures that tell about bullying in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always entertaining.
Though the site is perfect for kids, it also contains a section on "What Adults Can Do." The first piece of advice for grownups: Be educated about and sensitive to the subject of bullying.
The Health Resources and Services Administration created the site to help reduce and prevent bullying.
FDA.gov is written by John Henkel, a member of the FDA's Website Management Staff.