Related topics: patients
Drug
hideA drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.
In pharmacology, Dictionary.com defines a drug as "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being." Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.
Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system, such as opioids or hallucinogens. They may be used for perceived beneficial effects on perception, consciousness, personality, and behavior. Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.
Drugs are usually distinguished from endogenous biochemicals by being introduced from outside the organism.[citation needed] For example, insulin is a hormone that is synthesized in the body; it is called a hormone when it is synthesized by the pancreas inside the body, but if it is introduced into the body from outside, it is called a drug.[citation needed]
Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.
For more information about Drug, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with drug
The hidden lives of proteins
Dec 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
An important Brandeis study appearing in the December 3 issue of Nature raises the curtain on the hidden lives of proteins at the atomic level. The study reports that for the first time, researchers used x ...
Brain Scan Study Shows Cocaine Abusers Can Control Cravings
Nov 30, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- When asked to inhibit their response to a "cocaine-cues" video, active cocaine abusers were, on average, able to suppress activity in brain regions linked to drug craving, according to a new ...
2 heads better than 1 in new antibiotic method
Dec 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
An antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs.
The buzz on fruit flies: New role in the search for addiction treatments
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Fruit flies may seem like unlikely heroes in the battle against drug abuse, but new research suggests that these insects — already used to study dozens of human disease — could claim that role. Scientists ...
Epilepsy Drug Shows Promise in Treating Kidney Disease
Medicine & Health / Medications
Dec 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- An anti-convulsant drug commonly used to treat epilepsy reduces cysts in mice that are associated with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a difficult to treat ailment that afflicts 600,000 people in the United ...
Multiple myeloma patients experience high response rate with new 3-drug combination
22 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
A new three-drug combination has shown in a phase 1/2 clinical trial that it is a "highly effective regimen" in the treatment of patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of white blood cells in bone marrow, ...
New study finds barriers to pain treatment in children with sickle cell disease
22 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
A new study by researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, found a substantial variation in hydroxyurea utilization for pain and other sickle cell disease complications in children. Barriers to its use ...
'Doughnut hole' unites seniors wary of health bill
Dec 04, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
(AP) -- Lawmakers have wooed seniors skeptical of the health care overhaul by emphasizing the plan would close the "doughnut hole" - a gap in Medicare drug coverage that can cost thousands of dollars a year.
MSU researcher studies effects of experimental depression medication
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Michigan State University researcher is leading a clinical trial on an experimental medication he hopes will give doctors another weapon in the fight against depression and prove to be more effective among ...
Is it right for drug companies to carry out their own clinical trials?
Nov 30, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
In BMJ today two experts debate whether the conflict of interest is unacceptable when drug companies carry out clinical trials on their own medicines.
