In the past ten years, the U.S. has seen an explosion in over the counter (OTC) remedies. Those are medications you can buy at any drug store or grocery store without a doctor’s prescription. Many medications previously available by prescription only can now be purchased over the counter, eliminating the need for doctor visits for dozens of low-risk medical conditions such as yeast infections, allergies, heartburn, some types of rash, constipation and hemorrhoids. Unfortunately, public knowledge regarding self-treatment of these and other minor conditions has lagged behind the flood of newly available medications.

Escaping the "Self-Care Information Void"

So, safe and effective treatments are available without a doctor visit, but when and exactly how do we use the medications? The Self-Care Advisory is the answer to this "information void."

• Home health books or brochures are outdated almost as soon as they are printed, due to publishing lag time. Quick Care constantly updates the Self-Care Advisory web site, so you'll have the latest information and newest product recommendations possible.
• Physicians generally focus on prescription treatments and may be less able to inform you about over the counter products that can be just as effective. The Self-Care Advisory focuses on readily available, OTC medications, and also advises you about when to see your doctor for further care.
• Even though pharmacists are well-informed about availability and appropriate use of OTC products, they aren't trained to diagnose or treat even minor ailments. The Self-Care Advisory is written and updated by physicians and other experts that can address both the diagnosis and treatment of common health problems.
• Companies which manufacture and promote non-prescription drugs traditionally concentrate on advertising their products, not educating the consumer about an illness, its causes or how to gain relief. Use the Self-Care Advisory as your source for this essential information.

The information contained in Quick Care's Self-Care Advisory is written by health care providers and self-care experts, but designed for consumers. Most topics are organized into five components:

The Basics: This section describes the "nuts and bolts" of the illness or condition, how and why it occurs, basic anatomy and physiology, and of course how to identify whether or not one has the ailment.

Prevention: If the adverse health condition can be avoided, this section outlines the necessary steps.

Treatment: Here the array of OTC medicine choices is reviewed, as well as advice on non-medical treatment methods. Surprisingly, not all medications on drug store shelves have been proven safe and effective to the satisfaction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the Self-Care Advisory explains how the effective medications work and when to use them.

Recommended Products: Here you’ll find our recommendations for products you can use at home to treat various ailments. We carefully review all products with the goal of providing suggestions for remedies that are safe, effective and readily available.;

When to Seek Professional Care: For most of the topics discussed in Quick Care's Self-Care Advisory, home treatment and time alone resolve the ailment. But occasionally, simple conditions progress to complicated ones despite treatment. It's important to know when to see a doctor or other health professional, and you'll find the guidelines in this last section of each topic.

Quick Care's Self-Care Advisory Medication Review Process

The purpose of Quick Care's Self-Care Advisory is to educate the public about minor ailments and products available for self treatment. Readers must understand what the products are used for and when they should be used. But they also must be confident that the treatment has been shown to work as intended, and is considered safe.