Cough suppressant may ease fibromyalgia pain
A medication normally used to quiet a stubborn cough may also help ease the chronic pain of fibromyalgia, a small study suggests.
Researchers found that the cough suppressant, dextromethorphan, temporarily diminished pain perception in both fibromyalgia patients and healthy adults. The benefit appears to stem from the fact that dextromethorphan blocks the action of a chemical messenger known as NMDA, which helps relay pain signals to the brain.
Amylin says diabetes drug helps obese shed weight
Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. said on Friday that a high dose of its diabetes drug Symlin, given three times a day by injection, helped obese patients shed weight in a mid-stage clinical trial.
A phase II trial of 204 obese subjects found they lost 3.6 percent of their weight after 16 weeks of treatment, the company said.
The results, to be presented at medical meetings in Athens, Greece and San Diego, also showed that the weight loss was progressive and did not show signs of a plateau, said Dan Bradbury, chief operating officer, at San Diego-based Amylin.
Low zinc intake may sap exercisers’ energy
Active people who get too little zinc in their diets may run out of juice sooner than they should, new research suggests.
The study found that when 14 active young men followed a 9-week diet low in zinc, their cardiovascular fitness dipped in comparison to their performance during 9 weeks on a zinc-fortified diet.
