Author Archives: Sarah

About Sarah

Dr. Sarah Khan is a graduate of Albany College of Pharmacy and a retail pharmacist. She has close relationships with her patients, and specializes in diabetes management. She's also a proud wife and mother who can't get enough top 40 music!

Gardasil HPV Vaccine Now Approved for Boys

Gardasil, the vaccine used for preventing HPV that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts is now approved for boys.

Gardasil was initially marketed for girls age 9 to 26 to protect against 4 strains of HPV, or the human papillomavirus. HPV is contracted by engaging in any sort of sexual activity. There are currently at least 100 known HPV viruses but this vaccine targets types 6, 11, 16 and 18: 16 and 18 are targeted against cervical cancer, and 6 and 11 aganist genital warts. The vaccine was originally approved in June of 2006 and since has been approved for additional indications including vaccination against vaginal and anal cancers.

Gardasil received approval for prevention of genital warts for boys and men in October of 2024 and approval against anal warts and prevention of anal cancer in October of 2024. The vaccine does give boys and men immunity to HPV type 16 and 18 that cause cervical cancer. Obviously, men cannot contract cervical cancer, but they can pass the strains of HPV to their female partners unwittingly. Men and women can both be carriers of these viruses so having both genders vaccinated is essential to reduce the virus from spreading.

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Posted on November 22, 2023 by Sarah

Adipotide is a Promising Experimental Drug for Weight Loss

With the help of a new medication, fat may be getting its eviction notice from your body very soon. A new experimental drug called Adipotide cuts off blood supply to fat cells causing them to die. A very innovative idea compared to the current weight loss drug options.

Current weight loss drugs that are available control the appetite, increase the body’s temperature, and decrease the amount of fat absorbed from the diet. Adipotide is targeted to a specific protein called prohibitin that is highly populated on blood vessels that lead to fat cells. Without blood supporting the growth of these fat cells they cannot sustain themselves. The dead cells are reabsorbed into the body.

Currently Adipotide is in the beginning stages of testing. The concept came from a scientist developing a cancer drug trying to cut off the blood supply to cancerous cells so they would not continue to grow. Most clinical trials begin with rats and if considered safe usually move on to healthy male subjects. Adipotide was initially tested in rats and the results showed a 30 percent decrease in body weight. The next step was to test in monkeys, being that they are the species that most closely resembles humans. Adipotide was administered to the monkeys by injection and the dosage was based on their weight. It was given to them for 28 days and then they had a 28-day rest period. What they discovered was that obese monkeys lost about 11 percent of their body weight. (more…)

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Sarah

2 Supplements That Ease Menopause Symptoms

Hot flashes. Night sweats. Mood swings. With recent studies showing the dangers of hormone replacement therapy, women are looking to natural remedies for relief from symptoms of menopause.

Menopause is a natural, gradual process that ends ovulation. This means no more Aunt Flo visits once a month. The average woman begins menopause around age 51, but this can vary. Procedures like radiation can cause menopause to occur sooner and smokers are also more likely to begin menopause early.

Menopause has officially begun when your periods stop for 12 consecutive months with no other possible explanation. Here are some of the most common herbal supplements used for relief of symptoms during perimenopause, which is the gradual transition to menopause.

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Posted on November 3, 2023 by Sarah

Juvisync is the First Combination Drug for Cholesterol and Diabetes

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and with it comes the announcement of a new combination drug to help battle the growing disease. It’s called Juvisync, and it’s the first cholesterol and diabetes combination drug of its kind. Being that high cholesterol and diabetes tend to go hand in hand for those with Type 2 diabetes, this drug promises to eliminate two birds with one stone.

Type 2 diabetics often have many other conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is important that these areas are as closely managed as their blood sugar to prevent complications like stroke and heart attack.

Healthy goals for diabetic patients for blood pressure should be less than 130/80 and LDL cholesterol levels, a.k.a.  “bad cholesterol,” is less than 100 mg/dL and sometimes even less than 70 mg/dL. Juvisync’s aim is to help patients reach their goal and cut down on their daily pill count.

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Posted on November 1, 2023 by Sarah

3 Supplements to Help Kick the Common Cold

Getting the sniffles? Fall and winter are the time of year when people seem to be more susceptible to colds. It might be the change in temperature or it may be all the bugs that your kids are bringing home from school, but most come down with at least one cold when the temps drop. Regardless of feeling under the weather, most of us can not drop everything we are doing to rest and recuperate like we should. The average cold can take seven days to almost two weeks to recover from, but there is hope. There are many over the counter products and herbal supplements that may shorten the duration of a cold and help you get back to feeling a hundred percent.

Echinacea

Echinacea is an herbal supplement that is often used to prevent a cold or shorten the time you have one once it starts. It is believed that echinacea works by reducing inflammation to help deal with cold symptoms. The most common side effects from echinacea supplements are fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and muscle aches, but I do, however, think that many of these symptoms could be caused by the cold itself. If you are allergic to certain flowers like mums, ragweed or marigolds you may become allergic to echinacea.

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Posted on October 19, 2023 by Sarah

Doctors Prescribe Patients Medications for Their Weight Loss Side Effects

People are now looking behind the pharmacy counter for help losing weight. A recent article published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) discussed doctors prescribing medications that are not typically used for weight loss and not currently FDA approved for it. Let’s take a look at some of the controversial weight loss prescriptions and how effective, and dangerous, they can really be.

Medications for Diabetes: Byetta and Metformin

Most diabetes medications cause weight loss because blood sugar levels are more properly managed. Byetta works by slowing the rate at which food empties from the stomach. Many of my diabetic patients tell me they feel more full and do not eat as frequently when on the medication. The biggest side effect with Byetta is nausea which is why the dose starts lower and increases from once to twice daily. This is a self administered injection into the fat of the abdomen, upper arm or thigh. If you are willing to give yourself a possibly painful injection to lose weight, you probably could stick to a healthy and natural nutrition and exercise plan just as easily.

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Posted on October 11, 2023 by Sarah

Supplements for Better Blood Sugar Control

You’re sweating like crazy, nauseous, dizzy, and feel weak. Sounds like how you might feel after an intense workout, but it may also be the sign of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. It can happen when your body uses up the sugar in your blood that we get from our food and if gone untreated can lead to diabetes. If you are concerned this could be you, you may want to look into using supplements to keep blood sugar levels more stable.

High blood sugar can do a lot of damage to the body over time and can lead to nerve damage, vision problems, and kidney damage that can lead to eventual kidney failure. Many other disorders go hand in hand with diabetes such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.

The best way to control blood sugar naturally is by exercising consistently and following a diabetic diet. The diet consists of counting carbohydrates (less than 130 grams a day), limiting fat calories to less than 30% of all calories, and increased amounts of protein and fiber. Carbohydrates should be of the whole grain variety as they are shown to cause less of an increase in blood sugar than white flours. However, sometimes diet just isn’t enough.

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Posted on October 11, 2023 by Sarah

Conjugated Linoleic Acid: A Helpful Supplement for Vegans

Being a vegan certainly isn’t easy. Just ask Bob Harper, veteran trainer from The Biggest Loser. Bob himself follows a vegan diet, and with his contestants often discovering they have obesity related diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol, it’s not hard to see why Bob pushes a diet that eliminates red meat, eggs and dairy.

The first concern that comes to my mind when I think of a vegan diet, however, is where the protein and calcium will come from. The substitutes for protein in meat, eggs and dairy in a vegan diet can come from legumes, nuts and beans. The calcium that normally could be obtained from milk and cheese would require a calcium and vitamin D supplement, but what about your conjugated linoleic acid?

Never heard of it? Most haven’t, but it is an important concern if you go vegan. Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, are a group of fatty acids that are found in dairy products and red meat. Conjugated linoleic acid is a fatty acid that our body can not make on its own, so supplementation for vegans is essential.

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Posted on October 4, 2023 by Sarah

Yogurt and Turmeric Found to Have Medicinal Properties

A recently aired special on CNN by famous doctor Sanjay Gupta discussed the possibility of using food as medicine. I was intrigued by this idea and thought I would look into the foods and flavor ingredients that have dual purposes mentioned in the special: yogurt and turmeric.

Turmeric is a spice mainly found in Indian and Pakistani dishes often used in making curry with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and possibly anti-cancer properties. Curcumin is a component in turmeric that some studies have found can stop the growth of different kinds of tumors.

It couldn’t hurt to add this spice to some of your cooking, especially if you’re into hot and spicy foods. Some stomachs may not be able to handle turmeric. You’ve probably seen movies spoof people having diarrhea after going to an Indian restaurant- turmeric is spice to blame. Most girls will remember a certain episode of Sex and the City when Miranda goes on a date and udders the phrase “You’re just not that into me” after her dates cuts things short after dining on Indian cuisine.

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Posted on September 27, 2023 by Sarah

Keep Your Joints Healthy with Effective Supplements

There are two things I’ve learned since moving into my new home.

1. I had no problem meeting my step goal from Miss Courtney Crozier’s summer challenge since I now have 3 sets of stairs to go up and down all day.

2. The creaking noise I’m hearing is not from my stairs, it’s from my knees.


I’m not sure what caused it: whether it’s my years of sports playing goalie and catcher in high school or rugby in college. It could be the stress on my body from the extra 120 pounds of weight that I had less than a year ago. Maybe I’m just getting, dare I say it, … getting old??

The good news is I’m not in pain…yet. However, this could be the warning signs of something greater and as a health care professional I should not be ignoring things. I am considering taking some supplements to help lubricate my joints like I’m the tin man in the Wizard of Oz.

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Posted on September 10, 2023 by Sarah

Acai Berry Supplements for Weight Loss May be a Waste

There comes a certain point in some people’s weight loss journey where they start to get frustrated and desperate. They may turn to options other than diet and exercise to kick start results and if it’s something quick and easy, they’ll take it. One of those options most frequently includes diet pills and supplements. One particular little fruit has become increasingly popular for fast and easy weight loss: the acai berry. But, does it live up to the hype?

Acai berry came onto the American market when it was promoted as a superfood for age-defying beauty by Dr. Nicholas Perricone on the Oprah Winfrey show. The fruit is grown in Brazil and tastes like a cross between wild berries and chocolate. Acai in berry form contains significant amounts of healthy fats and fiber and the juice contains antioxidants making it a smart addition to any diet.

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Posted on September 4, 2023 by Sarah