What if we shopped for medicine like we shop for a new car? Think about it…before we buy a new car, most of us do some research first. We may research to see which car has the best mileage, has the most horsepower or which has been shown to require the least amount of repairs.

Now think what would happen if we took the time to research our medications like we research a new car. When treating high blood pressure, for example, we might look to see which drug has been shown to have the least amount of side effects, be the most effective or be the least expensive.

Luckily for us and our doctors, there are tools available to help us find this kind of information on the medications we take. In fact, there are reputable organizations that have put forth treatment guidelines for most health conditions. These guidelines tell us which medications have been shown to be the most cost-effective for treating our conditions. These guidelines are published in medical journals. Examples of these guidelines include the ‘ATP III' guidelines for high cholesterol and the ‘ JNC  VII ’ guidelines for high blood pressure. The problem is, to have access to these guidelines, you would need to subscribe to these journals and be able to read medical jargon.

These guidelines are considered to be the ‘standard of practice’ for physicians. When doctors reference these guidelines, they are using what is called ‘evidence-based medicine’ (EBM).  EBM means utilizing scientific evidence, like that presented in the official guidelines, to make sound medical decisions.  It does not mean prescribing medications solely because the drug company representative dropped off some free samples at the office.

The main purpose of this site is to take the information presented in the guidelines for the chronic conditions that plague us, and present them in a way that we can all understand. No medical jargon here.

Our hope is that by utilizing our website, you will feel more comfortable talking to your doctor about your medications. Our hope is that you will be empowered with knowledge and will be able to take a more active role in your health care. We suggest you take a look at the health topics page next for infomation on a variety of heatlh conditions

Please enjoy the information that we have put together for you and remember to get informed, stay current and be empowered.

Author: Christi Larson, Pharm. D.

Dr. Larson is a Clinical Infusion Pharmacist, author of Empowered Medicine; A Guide for Consumers and creator of www.empoweredmedicine.com. You can read more about her by visiting www.EmpoweredMedicine.com and clicking on the 'About Us' tab.  EmpoweredMedicine.com is committed to providing evidence-based medical information.