Imagine you develop an infection — anything from a typical urinary tract infection to tuberculosis. Now imagine there's nothing doctors can do.

The discovery of antibiotics changed medicine in the 20th century. Today, they're widely used to treat infections caused by bacteria.

But bacteria are starting to adapt to the drugs and are becoming harder to kill. That's called antibiotic resistance. The longer and more often antibiotics are used, the less effective they are against those bacteria.

Because of antibiotic resistance, some common diseases such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection are becoming more difficult to treat. You might need stronger, more expensive drugs. Or you might need to take them longer. You also might not get well as quickly, or you could develop other health issues. In some cases, these infections result in death.

Resistance also makes it more difficult to care for people with chronic diseases. Some people need medical treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, or dialysis, and they sometimes take antibiotics to help reduce the risk of infection.

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Steps that you can take to help lower the risk of AMR include the following:

Only use antimicrobial drugs when a doctor prescribes them.

Always complete the full prescribed course, even if the symptoms have subsided. If not, the drug may only kill off the most vulnerable microbes, leaving others to survive and develop resistance.

Never share antimicrobials with others or use leftover drugs from previous prescriptions. These medications may not be suitable for different forms of infection.

Do not pressurize doctors into prescribing antimicrobials when they are not necessary.

Follow good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of microbes, including washing hands thoroughly and ensuring that food preparation areas are clean.

Get recommended vaccinations, as this will reduce the risk of needing to take medication.

Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for 700,000 deaths per year. It is estimated that 10 million deaths due to AMR will occur every year after 2050. Resistance can occur to any medicine used to treat viral infection e.g HIV, fungi infection e.g ringworm, and parasitic infection e.g malaria.

Why Should You Care?

Antibiotic resistance has led to a rapid increase in drug-resistant infections and is changing the practice of modern medicine. If current trends continue, doctors will be unable to treat common ailments such as urinary tract infections. Without effective antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of infections, the success of organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, and major surgery will be compromised. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria could turn even a simple cut or scrape into a life-threatening or deadly infection. With adequate knowledge, you will be able to make informed health decisions to protect yourself and your family.

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What You Can Do to Help in fighting AMR

Ask your healthcare provider if a diagnostic test is available to determine whether you need an antibiotic or not.
Never demand an antibiotic from your healthcare provider.
Only take an antibiotic when you need it and finish the full course as directed by your doctor and pharmacist.
Learn about antibiotic resistance and urge your friends and family to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

What Is Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infection caused by bacteria. However, these drugs have been overused in people and animals for so long that they are becoming less effective. Antibiotic resistance means that an antibiotic is no longer effective against a certain type of bacteria. When this happens, doctors have to try other antibiotics to treat an infection.

Download the app with the link:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardium.app[color=#000099][/color] and help yourself.

A new mother mostly has the need to use multiple medicines after delivery both for the baby and the mother. Giving or taking these medicines properly and at the right time can be very challenging which is why you need a cardium mobile app as a mother to manage your medication.

Download the app from play store through this link:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardium.app

Do you take or use medicines?

Do you have any condition that demand you keep track of your medications or medicinal product?

Do you always want to know more about your medication without being disturbing to your healthcare providers?

Cardium mobile app is your answer!

Cardium mobile app is an interactive consumer guide design to protect you against the harmful effects of your medicines and reminds you of the advise given by your healthcare professional on how to use them.

We have innovatively merge your medication management tools with your drug-information and disease-information guide in one place.

At cardium, we give you new experience in drug therapy and improve your health literacy status to empower you to always make the right decision regarding your health. Your health is important to us.
Know more, stay healthy.

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What happens when medication doesn’t bring your condition under control? Usually, it’s not just one single issue but various factors that contribute to the problem. Some reasons why your medications may not work at their best could include the following:

[b]1. Wrong dose: [/b]A dose is the amount of your medication you take at a time such as two tablets of paracetamol taking at 2 pm. Taking a dose below the recommended dose for your age, body weight or medical condition can lead to underdosing which means you will have an insufficient amount of the medicine in the blood system to bring your condition under control. For medicine like antibiotics, underdosing can cause drug resistance and can also lead to serious complication for diabetic patient. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider to make sure you are taking the right dose of your medications.

2. Wrong frequency of dosing: [/b]The frequency of dosing is the number of time you are taking a mediation in a day such as two times in a day or every 12 hours. Even when you are taking your medicine at the right dose, the frequency has to be right to be effective. Because your kidney and liver majorly remove the medicine from your body which makes the concentration of the medicine to fall over time. Taking the next dose at the right time will keep the concentration of your medicine at an effective level.
Some medications work best when taken at certain times of the day. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider to make sure you are taking the medicine at the right dose in the right frequency and obey their instruction.

[b]3. Wrong diagnosis: If your medical condition is not properly identified & diagnosed, chances are that you will be taking a wrong medications such as taking antimalarial for typhoid infection. You or your doctor’s office could be making mistakes in testing. Misreadings can also happen at your doctor’s office or even in a lab. Make sure your results make sense and discuss results with your doctor since this can affect how your medications work. Also, avoid self-diagnosis and always explain your symptoms to healthcare providers as detailed as possible.

4. Drug and food interaction: Some drugs can affect the function of another drug when taking together. It is called interaction and if you are not aware, you could be taking other drugs that interfere with your medications. Your medication can interact with other items besides prescription drugs, such as vitamins, herbal products, or dietary supplements. Keeping your doctor or pharmacist informed about everything you are taking can help to avoid these problems.

5. Drug-Food interaction: You may be eating an improper diet. You may not know this but certain foods and drinks can interact with your medications. These foods can impact how your body takes in medication or how the medication works to control your condition. Parts of your diet may also interact with your condition to reduce the effect of your medication. Some medications work best when taken with special regard to meals. Your healthcare providers will inform you of this interaction when it can adversely affect your medications.


6. Lifestyle: You may have lifestyle factors that impact your health. Being overweight, being physically inactive, or smoking can impact many medical conditions and the way your medications work. Working to lose weight, increasing your physical activity, and moderating your alcohol consumption as needed can help to improve your health in many ways. If you smoke and can quit, it will lower your overall health risk for heart, lung, and other diseases. Making changes to your lifestyle and lowering your risk for the disease may help to control your medical condition and improve the effects of your medication.

7. Associated medical condition: You could have other medical conditions that are affecting the way your medications work. Hormonal issues, poor metabolism, poor sleep, high blood pressure, or stomach conditions could change the effect of your medications. It is important to inform all of your doctors about any other conditions you may have to help avoid these problems. Some of these conditions could change how effective a medication is, and knowing about your other conditions will help your doctor make a plan that is best for you.


PS: Cardium mobile application is a consumer guide that makes sure you are getting the best from medications (drug therapy) as it enables you to take your medication at the right in the right frequency and also counsel you on food interaction and more…
Download the app today at
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BREASTFEEDING is the normal way of providing young infants with the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information, and the support of their family, the health care system and society at large.

Colostrum, the yellowish, sticky breast milk produced at the end of pregnancy, is recommended by WHO as the perfect food for the newborn, and feeding should be initiated within the first hour after birth.

ADVANTAGE OF BREASTFEEDING

Breastfeeding protects your baby from infections and diseases.
Breastfeeding provides health benefits for mother.
It’s free.
It’s available whenever and wherever your baby needs a feed.
It’s the right temperature.
It can build a strong physical and emotional bond between mother and baby.
It can give you a great sense of achievement.

Health benefits of breastfeeding for your baby:
Less chance of diarrhoea and vomiting.
Fewer chest and ear infections and fewer visits to hospital.
Less chance of being constipated.
Less likelihood of becoming obese and therefore developing type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses later in life.
Any amount of breastfeeding has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.

Health benefits of breastfeeding for mother:
Breastfeeding doesn’t only benefit your baby. It benefits your health too. Breastfeeding is good for mother as it:

Lowers your risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer.
Naturally uses up to 5 calories a day.
Saves money – infant formula, the sterilising equipment and feeding equipment can be costly.
Can help to build a strong bond between you and your baby.
Exclusive breastfeeding can also delay the return of your periods.

Proper positioning techniques for breastfeeding
The mother must:

Hold the baby so that he/she is facing the nipple.
Keep your fingers away from the area to be drawn into the baby’s mouth, allowing the baby to draw in the entire nipple and as much of the areola as possible.
Press your fingers slightly towards your ribs to keep the nipple extended as much as possible.
Guide and insert the areola by centering the nipple in the baby’s mouth and pointing it toward the top back section of the baby’s mouth.
Hold the baby in close to your body.

The baby must:

Face the mother’s body.
Open his/her mouth wide (like a big yawn.)
Draw the nipple in to the upper back part of his mouth.
Place his gums beyond the nipple, taking in as much of the areola as possible.
Have his tongue out, over his lower gum, ̶cradling” the nipple and areola.

WHO Recommendation
Infant should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development, and health.

Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirement, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods, while continue to breastfeed for up to two years and beyond.

Note: Exclusive breastfeeding means that infant receives only breast milk. No other liquid or solid are given - not even water - with the exception of oral rehydration solutions, or drops/syrup of vitamins, minerals or medicines.

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WHAT IS HEALTH LITERACY?
Health literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand, and use healthcare information in order to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.
Health literacy is closely link to literacy and include people’ knowledge, motivation, and competencies, to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information to promote their health and the health of those they love in their communities.
To be health literate, one must possess the reading, listening, reasoning, and problem solving skills necessary to make inform choices about healthcare and health.

WHY IS HEALTH LITERACY IMPORTANT?
Patients with low health literacy understand less about their medical conditions, treatments and overall report worse health status. Health literacy is relevant for making decisions in everyday life in terms of healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion. It is essential for maintaining and improving quality of life during the life course.
However, research shows that people with limited health literacy have hard time comprehending health information; for example, understanding and utilizing appointment slips, medication labels, vaccination guidelines, health education material, insurance applications and general health information provided by health professionals, the media or the internet.
According to an Institute of Medicine (2004) report, low health literacy negatively affects the treatment outcome and safety of care delivery. People with low health literacy understand less about their medical conditions, treatments and overall report worse health status.

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE HEALTH LITERACY?
Several factors may influence health literacy. However, the following factors have been shown to strongly increase this risk: age (especially patients 65 years and older), limited English language proficiency or English as a second language, less education, and lower socioeconomic status.
The risk of limited health literacy is even higher and disproportionate in certain demographic group, for example, among people with long term illness, low education or general literacy, financial difficulties, ethnic minorities, and individual facing homelessness.
These populations have a higher risk of hospitalization, longer hospital stays, are less likely to comply with treatment, and more likely to make errors with medication.

CARDIUM AS A TOOL FOR INTERVENTION
We believe that health literacy is a big challenge in Nigeria and across Africa. We understand that one of the measures to improve health literacy is to ensure that quality health information is easily accessible in an easy-to-comprehend format by the citizens.
That is why we built our solution to deliver health information in a streamlined, bit sizes, jargon-free text, coupled with images, video to educate the population on diseases, medications, prevention, and other health information so as to complement the effort of the healthcare providers.

PS: Be the first to know when we launch by enter your email address through the link below�
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What is Rhesus factor?
Rh factor, also called Rhesus factor, is a type of protein found on the outside of red blood cells. The protein is genetically inherited (passed down from your parents). If you have the protein, you are Rh-positive. If you did not inherit the protein, you are Rh-negative. The majority of people, about 85%, are Rh-positive.

Why is Rhesus factor important?
This protein does not affect your overall health, but it is important to know your Rh status if you are pregnant. Rh factor can cause complications during pregnancy if you are Rh-negative and your child is Rh-positive.

How to know your Rhesus factor?
To know your rhesus factor, you simply run a blood group and rhesus factor test.
If a woman is Rhesus negative (her blood group has a negative sign, eg O-, or AB – or A- or B -) and if a woman is Rhesus positive, her blood group has a positive sign, e.g. O+, or AB+, or A+ or B+) in the test result.

What is Rhesus incompatibility?
Rh incompatibility occurs when a woman who is Rh-negative becomes pregnant with a baby with Rh-positive blood. With Rh incompatibility, the woman’s immune system reacts and creates Rh antibodies. These antibodies help drive an immune system attack against the baby, which the mother’s body views as a foreign object.
Antibody formation can happen after blood transfusions or when fetal blood enters the mother’s circulation:
Early pregnancy complications such as
miscarriages , ectopic pregnancies , or terminations
Injury to the stomach area during pregnancy
Bleeding during pregnancy
Tests that require cells or fluids to be withdrawn from a pregnant woman (like amniocentesis and
chorus villus sampling )
Delivery of a baby (either vaginal or cesarean )

Who is at risk for Rhesus incompatibility?
A woman who is Rh-negative is at risk for Rh incompatibility when she becomes pregnant. Rh incompatibility happens only when the father of the baby is Rh-positive. Doctors do not routinely test men’s Rh status. Instead, expectant parents discuss their individual status with their doctor.

What causes Rhesus incompatibility?
A difference in blood type between a pregnant woman and her child causes Rh incompatibility. Children may be Rh-positive if they inherit the protein from their father, even if their mother is Rh-negative.

Improve your level of health literacy by pre-signup for our new app, cardium to manage your medications and provide you with drug/disease counseling information.

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The medicine I reacted to is CHLOROQUINE. It will itch my body for three days after ingestion or injection. Thank God to the discovery of ACTs to treat malaria. I no longer have to take chloroquine.

WHAT IS ADVERSE DRUG REACTION?
An adverse drug reaction(ADR) is an unwanted, harmful effect of a medication that occurs during usual clinical dose.

HOW DOES IT HAPPENS?
ADRs may occur following a single dose or prolonged administration of a drug or result from the combination of two or more drugs.

LOCATION
Adverse effects may be local, i.e. limited to a certain location, or systemic, where medication has caused adverse effects throughout the systemic circulation.

MECHANISM
Common mechanisms are: Abnormal drug- processing system in the body due to genetic factors, comorbid (occurence of two or more disease at the same time) disease states, synergistic effects between either a drug and a disease two drugs.

HOW SEVERE OR HARMFUL CAN IT BE?
The severity can be mild or involve any of the following outcome: Death,
Life-threatening
Hospitalization (initial or prolonged), Disability - significant, persistent, or permanent change, impairment, damage or disruption in the patient's body function/structure, physical activities or quality of life.

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT ADRs?
It cannot be prevented until you experience it. However, having knowledge of the medication that cause it and knowing the signs can help in early management and prevent morbidity.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE ADRs IF YOU EXPERIENCE IT?
As soon as you realize you are having common sign of ADR( rashes, itching, swelling, difficulty breathing ...), after ingesting or applying a particular medication, discontinue the medicine and consult a pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible. Go along with the remaining drug or its package.

Share your experience on this thread for others to learn if you have experience ADR or reacted to any drug before.

Hello everyone!

Drug therapy also called pharmacotherapy is a general term for using medication to treat disease. It is the widest of therapy use globally.

The method of administration for drug therapy varies depending on the patient and the condition being treated. Medications may be taken orally in pill, capsule or liquid form, or may be injected into the tissues or muscles.

Medications are heavily researched and tested before being prescribed to patients, but may have unanticipated effects when combined with certain foods, herbal remedies, other drugs on even when use properly.

Drugs usually have single beneficial effects (e.g. the reduction of blood pressure(BP) by an ACE inhibitor in a patient with hypertension), but can have several adverse effects (e.g. hypotension, cough, hyperkalaemia, angio-oedema), each with a lower individual incidence than the beneficial effect.

As a function of eradicating disease, many drugs carry side effects which can be minor or at times severe. Here goes the saying “All drugs are poison, the benefit depends on the dosage.”

For optimal treatment outcome and to achieve the desired treatment goals with drug therapy, the healthcare providers need to inform the patient with at least a bare drug information which is referred to as counseling. The counseling information could be in written, verbal or combination of both.

I hope this piece will elevate you one step ahead in a journey to become health literate.