Many years ago, all pharmacies engaged in compounding medications. Over time, with the increase in manufacturing of prescription medications and the oversight of the FDA, compounding became more of a “niche” service for particular patient populations. A modern compounding pharmacy now makes formulations that help fill the gaps in treatment where a suitable commercially available medication is not available. These formulations often complement FDA-approved medications and do not just replace…

When certain types of infections are treated it can result in a reaction as the toxins are cleared from the body. This is referred to as a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which is a combination of the names of the dermatologists who first described it. As an antibiotic destroys the cell membranes of bacteria, the dead bacteria are cleared from the body through the blood stream. This release of toxins into the…

Cholestyramine (CSM) is has been used for many years and has a variety of possible applications. It is FDA-approved to lower cholesterol levels but has numerous off-label uses. Cholestyramine’s ability to bind to toxins makes it an especially useful treatment for biotoxin illness. It is used to treat many conditions including diabetes, Crohn’s, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), and hyperthyroidism. Cholestyramine itself is not absorbed by the body, but binds…