The Pharmacy Mart

National Salt Awareness Week 2012 takes place between 26 March and 1 April, and will focus on the importance of reducing our salt intake in order to prevent a stroke.

The initiative, from Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH), will highlight ways in which to reduce our intake of salt and illustrate the importance of doing so. Taking less salt can result in lower blood pressure which greatly decreases our risk of suffering a stroke.

It is possible to apply the CASH initiative on Salt to our everyday lives, by making just a few simple changes to our diet and routine. This Salt Awareness Week, choose lower salt foods and ingredients. Modern day food packaging offers plenty of information which can help us to manage our daily salt intake and it is important to always read the label when purchasing food.

When a food label is red, the food contents are high in salt and should not be made a regular part of your diet. Food labels which are green signify that the salt content of the meal is low and can be enjoyed as a regular part of your diet, without increasing your blood pressure.

During Salt Awareness Week 2012 why not take a health screening? If you have high blood pressure or suspect that you might and health screening can assess the potential of future heart and circulatory problems; providing you with the all-clear or discovering any issues before it is too late.

With a Health Cash Plan from UK Healthcare, you could reclaim the cost of your health screening; along with the cost of many other therapies, consultations and medical treatments.

With just a small weekly or monthly payment to a Health Cash Plan from UK Healthcare you could be covered against medical expenditures large and small. You could enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you and your family will be looked after when illness or injury strikes.

Test your blood pressure today, and observe National Salt Awareness Week to take the first steps to reducing your Salt intake and combating the risk of a stroke.

It is common among modern men to have a skin routine that ensures that they will have healthy and strong skin that can withstand the elements and stresses of everyday life. Rather than a focus on anti-ageing techniques, the male market for skincare products in the UK is concerned wit protection and repair of dry or damaged skin. Your skin should not ever have to hold you back or avoid certain situations because you know that it will get damaged. A daily skincare routine will ensure that you are prepared for any eventuality as well as help to prevent blemishes and spots.

The key to healthy and resilient skin is hydration, followed by a protective barrier. A new product on the market, Restylane skincare, provides everything that you’ll need in one complete collection. Because these products are designed to work together, the strongest and most effective routine you can develop need only rely on this range of skincare products to meet your needs.

A quick and easy once a day solution to flawless skin, it will make the subtle difference that will greatly improve your complexion and your looks. Men’s health, the leading magazine for male lifestyle tips today recommends that skincare becomes part of your everyday grooming routine. It is particularly important for men because the stresses of daily shaving and many other moments of wear on the skin require men to have very resilient strong and healthy skin

For various women, breast size is a majorfactor of how self assured they feel. Breast enhancement is a cosmetic surgical procedure performed to increase the size of a woman’s breasts. usually women opt to receive breast implants when they would like to have fuller breasts than they have on their own or they would like to return to a size they had prior to the loss of weight. Breast enhancement can also be performed to repair breast lost in the aftermath of an injury or mastectomy. Whatever the reason, breast implants give women the chance to achieve fuller, natural appearing breasts.

After you have come to the conclusion that a breast enhancement is the correct procedure for you, your physician will thoroughly explain surgery to you in its entirety. Usually, there will be pre-surgical considerations, diagnostic testing, and medications. Your cosmetic surgeon may have personal instructions for you to complete the day of the procedure including medications that you will need to take. They will supply you with specific information on the anesthesia to be utilizedand the effects it might have. You will also be provided with directions regardingafter surgery care as well as follow-up.

Breast augmentation is a surgical process in which breast implants are implantedinside a woman’s natural breast as to increase the size or increase evenness of breasts. Those wanting to receive breast implants generally have a wish to enlarge naturally small breasts, have evenness in disproportionate breasts, or restore breast volume post pregnancy or loss of weight.
It’s crucial to know how to choose plastic surgeon for a breast implant surgery. It can be done in your cosmetic surgeon’s accredited office-based surgical facility, an ambulatory surgical facility, or a hospital. An anesthetic may be suggested depending on your case. Your cosmetic surgeon and his/ her team will be there each step of the process to make sure you have a comfortable and safe procedure. After the surgery, you will be required to follow up so your healing can be properly checked.

Ladies of any age can gain something from breast enhancement as long as the breasts are completely developed prior toundergoing surgery. Generally speaking, breast implants do notimpact a woman’s ability to breastfeed. Women who are likely to be happy with the results from a breast enhancement are:

• Inspired through their own want to improve breast size and shape
• Healthy, don’t have a medical conditions or life-threatening illnesses
• Women who don’t smoke
• Completely sure about the procedure and have reasonable and clear goals for improving the look of the breasts

Post breast enhancement, bandages will undoubtedly be placed on your surgery site. A support bra or elastic bandage will be needed to support the breasts and reduce swelling during the healing process. Prior to being released, you will be supplied withinstructions on how to care for the incisions for correct healing. You will also be instructed on how to care for the surgical site, what medications to take via the mouth or to put directly on the site in order to assist with the healing process and minimize any risks of infection. Because the surgery isn’t a normal process for the body, you will need to examine yourself for certain changes in your surgical site or overall health. These changes may be signes you aren’t healing properly. Be positive to follow up with every scheduled appointment so healing can be properly evaluated.

What To Look For When Evaluating Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Options: The Three “C’s” of Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

People with Medicare can start saving money by enrolling in the government’s prescription drug plan, and with open enrollment running through May 15, 2006, there is still time to save.

“This is the most significant change to Medicare since the program’s inception, and it will offer people with Medicare more choices than ever before,” said Scott Latimer, M.D., Central and North Florida Market President for Senior Products at Humana, one of the nation’s leading private sector Medicare insurers. “In order to select the plan that best meets their needs, beneficiaries will need to carefully evaluate their options prior to enrolling.”

When choosing a plan, people with Medicare and their family members and friends involved in the process need to factor three areas into their decision: affordable cost, plan coverage of required drugs and services and ease of obtaining medications.

Cost

While some plans have a monthly premium, there are Medicare Advantage plans that provide Parts A and B medical coverage and include Part D drug coverage as a built-in benefit without an additional monthly premium cost.

Plans also have varying coverage of the coverage gap, which is commonly referred to as the “doughnut hole.” Some plans offer more choices than others, including $0 deductible options, varying co-payment levels and possibly generic drug coverage through the gap.

Additionally, people with Medicare will also pay part of the cost for prescriptions, which varies depending on the drug plan chosen.

Coverage

Each Medicare drug plan has a list of the prescription drugs it covers. When comparing plans, beneficiaries need to find plans that cover all or most of the drugs they take. Many plans may also offer lower-cost generics.

Of course, insurance plans can change the list of drugs they cover. Companies must provide at least 60 days’ notice before making a coverage change. Beneficiaries can then evaluate other options and speak to their doctors about the possibility of switching to an alternate drug that is on the plan or to a generic medication.

Convenience

All private insurers offering prescription drug coverage have pharmacy networks. These include both national pharmacies such as Wal-Mart, Rite Aid and CVS and non-chain independent pharmacies. Mail-order drug delivery services may also be an option, and may be particularly beneficial for people who take multiple medications daily.

People should speak with their pharmacist about the plan they are considering. It is important to know if that pharmacy will be part of that preferred network.

Web-based tools can help calculate prescription drug costs by plan, determine all out-of-pocket costs and even allow online enrollment.

The Internet has revolutionized a consumer’s ability to research personal health issues and independently discover the available options of finding more affordable ways of obtaining his or her medications.

For the millions of Americans who have prescription drug plans as part of their health insurance, the actual cost of medications is somewhat obscured by the co-payment–usually a nominal fee compared to the actual cost of the drug.

But for the millions of Americans who don’t have access to prescription coverage, who must pay for their medications out of pocket, there is a crucial piece of knowledge that can save them a lot of money: The cost of prescription drugs varies from pharmacy to pharmacy. And in many cases, Internet-based pharmacies can offer even lower costs. For example, a recent survey showed that Walgreens was selling Plavix (75 mg, 90 tablets) for $405.09. SmartChoiceDrugstore.com sold the exact same drug and quantity for $353.49.

According to data collected by SmartChoice, Americans pay more for their prescription drugs than people in other countries. The reason is that pharmaceutical manufacturers sell at much higher prices to U.S. wholesale companies because they have no restrictions on pricing. Higher costs are also attributed to pharmaceutical companies spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year in sales and marketing people to push their medications on the U.S. public and doctors who prescribe the medications.

Just like online retailers from whom you’d buy books, appliances or even a car, Internet pharmacies are able to offer lower prices because of lower overhead. With no storefront (and accordant costs) to maintain, there’s less of a markup on the merchandise. The medication you receive from Internet pharmacies such as SmartChoice is identical to the medicines found at a neighborhood or chain drugstore. The only difference is what you pay. And if you take several different medications, the savings can be substantial.

At SmartChoiceDrugstore.com, each and every order is filled by a registered and licensed pharmacist. Like any U.S. pharmacy, SmartChoiceDrugstore.com undergoes rigorous governmental inspections regularly. The site is a full-service pharmacy that has access to all medications that any other pharmacy would have. And like traditional pharmacies, there are policies and procedures in place to validate prescriptions.

You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors. Granted that you cannot control every risk factor for heart disease such as family history but you can definitely do something about your behavior. Age and gender also influence your risk of heart disease. Oral chelation can have a very beneficial effect on reducing your risk of heart disease.

Major Risk Factors of Heart Disease

Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a type of a lipid, a soft, fat-like substance that serves as a source of fuel. Excessive cholesterol can cause build-up of atherosclerotic plaque. Accumulation of plaque in arteries can block blood flow and lead to a heart attack. LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, is transported to sites throughout the body, where it’s used to repair cell membranes or to make hormones. LDL cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of your arteries. HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” cholesterol, transports cholesterol to the liver, where it’s altered and removed from the body.

Blood Pressure

Normal blood pressure level is defined as less than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure and less than 85 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. The higher the blood pressure, the more likely it is to take a toll on the heart and on the brain. Blood pressure should be checked whether or not your levels are high. For normal, check once every two years. For high-normal, check once a year. If extremely high, you should get immediate care. Then get multiple measurements to know if a high level is sustained over time.

Diabetes

Another risk factor for heart disease is diabetes, a chronic disease of insulin deficiency or resistance. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type, is associated with obesity and may be prevented by maintaining ideal body weight through exercise and balanced nutrition.

Tips For Controlling Risk of Heart Disease

Stop Smoking

The effect of smoking on your lungs can cause almost every other medical condition.

Get Active

Routine physical activity is highly recommended and helpful in controlling obesity. Try to perform 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. Fast walking is one of the best way to prevent heart disease. If you can lose even a small amount of weight, five pounds for example, it may have a positive effect on lipid levels and blood pressure preventing heart disease.

Limit Alcohol Consumption

Limit daily alcohol intake to three ounces or fewer to prevent heart disease. People who drink large amounts of alcohol (six to eight ounces a day) tend to have higher blood pressure.

Watch What You Eat

Eat five helpings of fruits and vegetables daily to prevent heart disease.
Maintain adequate dietary potassium, calcium and magnesium intake.
Reduce saturated fats and cholesterol to stay away from heart disease.

Consider using a quality edta or oral chelation product in your diet.

Resources:

http://www.edta-oral-chelation-product-reviews.com

http://www.oral-chelation-products-reviewed.com

Are you aware that arthritis has become one of the most invasive diseases in the United States today, afflicting one of every seven Americans? People who are already fifty years of age or more are the ones usually afflicted with arthritis but there are plenty of younger people who have the disease.

While arthritis is a disease related to aging due to the deterioration of a persons joints as he ages, it is generally a manageable disease. Arthritis can affect almost anyone but it can be avoided or the pain lessened through proper diet, exercise and even surgery. The presence of arthritis can be diagnosed by undergoing x-rays to show the quality of your bones and also by having blood tests.

Once arthritis has set in, there is a great possibility that it will be a disease you have to live with for a long time. Resorting to proper treatments and medication can however help you live with arthritis.

You probably have arthritis if you experience pain excruciating pain in your joints. An inflamed joint can be very sensitive and painful to touch or even with light movements. Arthritis can start with joint or muscle pains which last for a few days.

Arthritis can be debilitating because it can inhibit your movements and your regular functions. This disease can be very painful even for those who are just lying or sitting down. Once arthritis sets in, the ordinary actions like writing, seating or buttoning your shirt can be very painful. People who have arthritis tend to have a limited mobility so they tend to be more irritable and depressed.

There are ways to keep arthritis pain manageable such as proper treatment or weight management plans. There are different kinds of arthritis and knowing which kind you have can help you manage tour pain properly. It also helps to be more vigilant of your daily tasks and to stop putting stress on your joints.

The pain you experience is actually a sign that some parts of your body is not doing fine. However, fibromyalgia or the pain that comes with arthritis is a different kind of pain and harder to manage than ordinary pain. The secret to living with arthritis is managing the pain that it gives you.

Arthritis pain can get worse with fatigue, stress and too much physical work that encourages arthritis attack. A person who have arthritis pain attacks can learn to minimize his pain by not focusing too much on the pain and by resorting to proper exercises, relaxation techniques and appropriate medicine. Others resort to topical relievers that can stop the pain for a few moments, hot and cold sponges and other things to divert their attention off the pain.

While strenuous exercises can worsen arthritis pain, there are activities that can minimize pain and even prevent it like swimming and biking. However, you have to consult your doctor before doing any physical activity as it can worsen your pain when done the wrong way.

The Best Help With The Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Could Be Online

No one missed the recent launch of the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

Countless newspaper and TV stories have chronicled the complex programs and the difficulties that many people have had finding the best plan to help them get the drugs they need.

However, many older Americans aren’t using the detailed medical information available on the Internet. A recent study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that only 21 percent of American senior citizens have gone online to research health information, confirming that most elderly Americans are not using the Internet to become better informed about their health and health care options.

The TV Services division of Microsoft Corp. has compiled a list of third-party online resources that seniors can use to find answers to their questions about the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, including these sites:

• Medicare. The official government Medicare Web site now has answers to the many questions seniors have about the new Prescription Drug Plan. The site includes a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, an interactive tool that enables you to narrow your search for a Medicare prescription drug plan based on your personal preferences such as cost, coverage and convenience. Go to http://www.medicare.gov/pdphome.asp.

• AARP. AARP, the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over in the United States, has designed a site with many articles and detailed information to answer your Medicare questions. Visit http://www.aarp.org/ health/medicare.

• WebMD Inc. WebMD, the popular health information Web site, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation created a Medicare Drug Benefit Calculator to help seniors figure out what they will pay for prescriptions under the standard Medicare prescription drug plan. Visit http://www.webmd.com/content/article/113/110712.htm.

If you are a senior or you have an older family member who doesn’t use the Internet because it seems too complicated, did you know there are easy-to-use and affordable devices designed to help you get online? With the MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player (http://www.msntv.com), you simply connect it to a regular television, plug in your phone line (for a dial-up connection) or broadband cable, sign up for MSN TV service, and you can be online within minutes, sending e-mail and researching valuable health and wellness information.

“Some Americans are still intimidated by technology and the Internet,” said Kevin Mizuhara, director of marketing for the TV Services division at Microsoft. “Our customers love MSN TV 2 because it’s easy to set up and doesn’t require computer skills to use.”

More important, the MSN TV 2 player is affordable for just about any budget. The MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player sells for about $200 MSRP (U.S., plus monthly subscription fee). And, if you order directly from Microsoft (1-866-901-4882), monthly payment plans are available. In addition, the MSN TV 2 player is available at many retailers including Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon.com.

“With MSN TV 2, you can check e-mail and surf the Web via a regular television from the comfort of your living room,” Mizuhara said. “And you can stay in touch with family and friends by sharing digital photos. With the rich resources available online, you can not only use the Web to research hobbies such as gardening, travel or genealogy, you can also find answers to almost any questions you may have about vital subjects such as Medicare, health, retirement and finances.”

Note to editors: The MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player requires a subscription fee to MSN TV service and is subject to acceptance of the terms of service upon registration. A credit or debit card is required to pay for MSN TV service. MSN TV services are available as a local call in most areas. In some areas, long-distance telephone toll charges may apply.

Support Needed For People With Breathing Problems. Emotional Burden Of Chronic Bronchitis And Emphysema May Make Some Patients Reluctant To Seek Treat

Imagine how you’d feel if walking up even a few stairs made you so winded that you gasped for air and had to sit down to catch your breath. For millions of Americans with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, that scenario is part of their everyday lives, and the simple act of breathing can be a constant struggle.

COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a progressive respiratory disease characterized by a loss of lung function over time. Primarily triggered by cigarette smoking, COPD is the second-leading cause of disability and the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. Beyond COPD’s physical symptoms lies a range of troubling emotions-frustration, anxiety and depression-which, according to a national survey conducted by Efforts (Emphysema Foundation For Our Right to Survive), may affect the way patients manage their disease. Efforts is a nonprofit patient organization dedicated to supporting and educating COPD patients.

“I’d wake up in the middle of the night scared and anxious because I couldn’t breathe,” says COPD sufferer Jacquie Bossert, 72, from San Diego. “To me, this disease meant I would have to give up all the important things in my life. But with the right resources, I’ve learned to manage my disease, so instead of feeling frustrated, I now feel empowered to get back to doing some of the things I enjoy.”

Overall, the 649 COPD patients in the survey, which was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer Inc., said that they most frequently felt uncomfortable, tired and frustrated. More than half reported more extreme emotions, saying that they “always” or “very frequently” felt troubling emotions. These included feeling burdened, overwhelmed, depressed, isolated, defeated, embarrassed or ashamed because of their disease. Nearly all said that they think about their condition at least once a day; are concerned about experiencing an exacerbation, a worsening of symptoms; and believe that other people think that they caused their condition themselves.

Importantly, patients who experienced extreme emotions were more likely to be very concerned about their condition worsening, think that there is nothing they can do to control it or were uncomfortable or reluctant to seek treatment. This group was also more likely to consider immediate symptom relief important and use short-term medications, often called rescue medications, at least once a day.

“These findings illustrate the fear and hopelessness that many patients feel, along with a possible emotional attachment to rescue medications,” says Dennis E. Doherty, M.D., Professor of Medicine and head of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center and Chairman of the National Lung Health Education Program, which is dedicated to the identification and treatment of patients in the early stages of emphysema and related chronic bronchitis. “Maintenance therapies are more effective in managing COPD over time, but many patients are confused about the role of short- and long-term treatments in managing symptoms. Physicians need to recognize the emotional aspect of this disease and better educate patients on the value of maintenance therapy so they can get the treatment they want and need.”

To help address the issues found in this survey and the need for better disease education, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pfizer Inc., in conjunction with COPD Foundation, NLHEP (National Lung Health Education Program) and Efforts, have launched The Breathing Room, a nationwide COPD education program. The Breathing Room gives patients and the public the opportunity to learn more about COPD through innovative tools such as interactive disease animation. The program will also offer information about COPD from medical experts and will provide lifestyle and disease management tools and treatment options to help patients manage their disease more effectively.

Sinusitis in children and adults are different. Oftentimes, sinusitis in children is over diagnosed because the symptoms are minor and the causes are complicated. Parents and doctors think that children suffer from sinusitis when what they experience is only a runny nose. But this is often not the case. Your child may not simply be suffering from common cold and they would require treatment. So if a yellow or green runny nose does not mean a sinus infection, how could a parent know if his or her child is actually suffering from sinusitis?

If your child has the following symptoms, it can indicate that a sinus infection is present: chronic cough; cold that lasts for more than ten to fourteen days; low-grade fever; thick yellow or green drainage; irritability; fatigue; swelling in the eye area and post nasal drip. Remember though that even if symptoms last for two weeks it does not necessarily mean that there is sinus infection. If the symptoms are improving, then it may just be a cold. But if your child remains sick beyond two weeks, a visit to a doctor is recommended.

Although most children respond well to antibiotic, it still wont help your child get better faster. When antibiotics are used unnecessarily it can cause secondary infections to your child with bacteria that has become immune to the medicine. Nasal sprays may be prescribed to relieve short term stuffiness and nasal saline can help in improving mucous membrane function. If your child is suffering only from acute sinusitis, it should get better in the first few days. But for chronic sufferers, it is important to get the help of doctors to avoid any further infections in your child.

A correct diagnosis of sinusitis is often done upon careful examination of a childs nose, throat and ears and making a careful study of the symptoms that the child is having. Getting a sinus x-ray is not really necessary especially if your child is six years old or younger. Nevertheless, the use of an x-ray cannot be underestimated as it can help know where the blockage has occurred and it can help check the reliability of a sinusitis diagnosis.

If left untreated sinus infection can lead to serious complications, including brain damage. So, as a parent you have to be always concerned about your childs health. But you have to also keep in mind that sinus infection is not diagnosed by a mere yellow or green runny nose. It is detected by analyzing the symptoms and looking at how bad they are.