Preventive Care

• Nutritional Counseling
  Symptoms of hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormone) include fatigue, cold and heat intolerance, hypotension, fluid retention, dry skin and/or hair, constipation, headaches, low sexual desire, infertility, irregular menstrual periods, aching muscles and joints, depression, anxiety, slowed metabolism and decreased heart rate, memory impairment, enlarged tongue, deep voice, swollen neck, PMS, weight gain, hypoglycemia, and high cholesterol and triglycerides. Yet, more than half of all people with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition.
• Comprehensive Examination
  Topical application of tretinoin (retinoic acid) has been shown to significantly improve the appearance of pregnancy-related stretch marks. In a double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled study, 22 women with early, clinically active stretch marks applied either 0.1% tretinoin or vehicle daily for 6 months to the affected areas. Patients were evaluated by physical exam monthly and by analysis of biopsy specimens of stretch marks obtained before and at the end of therapy in comparison with untreated normal skin. After 2 months, patients treated with tretinoin had significant improvements in severity scores of stretch marks compared with patients who received vehicle. After 6 months, 8 of the 10 tretinoin-treated patients had definite or marked improvement compared with one of the 12 vehicle-treated patients. An open-label, multicenter, prospective study of 20 women found that tretinoin cream 0.1% applied daily for 3 months to pregnancy-related stretch marks in the abdominal area resulted in significantly improved clinical appearance.

Illness Treatment

• Pain Management
  Here at COCP, in addition to filling prescriptions, we offer a wide variety of services to match individual patient’s needs.  Some of these services include, pain management, specific compounded formulations, veterinary medication, and hormone supplementation.  Due to being a compounding pharmacy, many prescriptions can be filled in an array of forms such as capsules, topical creams, gels, suspensions, tablets, and even lollipops.
• Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
  Decreased gastrointestinal transit time can mean less time for bile acid resorption in the distal ileum, and high concentrations of bile acids in the stool can irritate the anus and buttocks in a manner similar to the skin irritation associated with ostomies. When applied topically, cholestyramine, a bile acid sequestrant, can irreversibly bind the bile and bring relief to the patient.

Chronic Condition Treatment

• Thyroid Disease Treatment
  A randomized, double-blind, crossover study found inclusion of T3 in thyroid hormone replacement improved cognitive performance, mood, physical status, and neuropsychological function in hypothyroid patients. Two-thirds of patients preferred T4 plus T3, and tended to be less depressed than after treatment with T4 alone. Patients and their physicians may wish to consider the use of sustained-release T3 in the treatment of hypothyroidism, particularly when the response to levothyroxine (T4) has not been complete.
• Heart Disease Treatment
  (now includes total and LDL cholesterol). Cardiometabolic risk includes disorders related to obesity and insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes and/or heart disease.

Lab and X-Rays

• Laboratory Services
  The medical literature is now clear that these are legitimate diseases and individuals with CFIDS/FM have measurable hypothalamic, pituitary, immune and often thyroid dysfunction. The hormonal dysfunction results in multiple deficiencies that are often not detected with standard blood tests. Neurotransmitter abnormalities and nutrient deficiencies have also been shown to occur with CFIDS/FM.