march newsletter kovacs-frey pharmacy

GOOD NEIGHBOR PHARMACY

Issue 3 • Colorectal CancerHealthConnection

THIS MONTH’SFeatured Article

COLONOSCOPYAN OUNCE OF PREVENTION

PG. 3

March 2016

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Senior Health Update

Here’s Help for Dry EyesDry eyes is a common condition that occurs when your tears aren’t able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes. Tears can be inadequate for many reasons. For example, dry eyes may occur if you don’t produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears.

Dry eyes feel uncomfortable. If you have dry eyes, your eyes may sting or burn. You may experience dry eyes in certain situations, such as on an airplane, in an air-conditioned room, while riding a bike or after looking at a computer screen for a few hours.

For most people with occasional or mild dry-eye symptoms, it’s enough to regularly use over-the-counter eye drops (artificial tears). If your symptoms are persistent and more serious, you have other options. What your doctor will recommend (which can include drugs to reduce eyelid inflammation, tear-stimulating medications and other alternatives) depends on what’s causing your dry eyes.—Sources: Mayo Clinic

Colorectal Cancer

Healthy EatingTop Snacks for a

Quick Energy Boost

Your energy is sagging. It’s mid-afternoon. You want a snack and the not-so-good-for-you goodies are calling. Before you grab that soda or candy bar, may we suggest these healthy — and yummy — snack alternatives?

• An apple cut into wedges and served with one tablespoon of peanut butter

• Banana

• Raisins, ¼ cup

• Fruit leather (dried fruit puree) without added sugar

• Nuts (but not too many; 1 oz. equals about 23 almonds)

• Whole-grain dry cereal (if sugar is not listed as one of the first 2 ingredients), ¾ cup

• Pretzels, 1 oz.

• String cheese, 1.5 oz.

• Low-fat or non-fat yogurt, 8 oz.

• Toasted English muffin with jelly

• Baked potato chips, 12

• Air popped popcorn, 3 cups

• Hummus, ½ cups with 3 carrot sticks—Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy Lifestyle


Healthy Lifestyle

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MARCH - Featured Article

MyGNP.com

Colonoscopy: An Ounce of PreventionThe purpose of a colonoscopy is to look inside your colon for polyps, cancers, ulcers and other conditions. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, it is important to get a colonoscopy to test for colon cancer once you are 50 years of age and continuing until age 75, since the disease usually has no symptoms. (Depending on your health history and family history, your doctor may want to start before age 50.)

Just before the procedure starts, you will receive some medicine to make you sleepy. This medicine (a sedative) will help you avoid discomfort from the procedure. Most people do not remember having the procedure. (Some doctors prefer to use general anesthesia, which requires an anesthesiologist.) The doctor will begin the colonoscopy with a rectal examination. The doctor will then insert the scope into the anus and as it’s advanced, he or she will inflate the bowel with a stream of air to allow better visualization of the surface

The a is a thin, flexible tube that has a light and a camera at the tip. Images from the camera go to a TV monitor in the procedure room, allowing the doctor to see the inside of your colon on screen. The doctor will look for polyps, cancer or

other abnormalities throughout your colon. Your doctor will also remove any polyps that are found. A colonoscopy usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes to complete. You may feel some gas during your recovery. It’s caused by the air used to inflate your colon. Most facilities will require someone to help you get home afterward.

Preparing for your colonoscopy is a process. You will need to restrict your diet and take your bowel-prep medicine to clean out your colon. You may also need to change your medication routine if you take certain medications. (Share your medication list with your doctor during your pre-colonoscopy appointment.) Make sure to speak with your doctor to find out if there are any other instructions you may need to follow.

Take care of your health by getting a colonoscopy when recommended. While the prep is inconvenient, most patients say the colonoscopy itself is easy. And you will have peace of mind knowing you have taken this important step to help protect your health.—Source: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; UCLA Health System

To Do ListSimple Tips for

Healthy Eyes

Eye care is an important part of taking care of your overall health. There are things you can do to help ensure you are seeing your best.

• Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye-care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure.

• Know your family’s eye-health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, as many are hereditary. This will help determine if you are at higher risk for developing a particular disease or condition.

• Wear protective eyewear. Choose protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home. Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields and eye guards specially designed to provide the correct protection for a certain activity. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics.

• Wear sunglasses with UV protection. This is one of the best ways to help prevent the formation of cataracts.

—Source: National Eye Institute


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What’s Happening at the Pharmacy?

What Your Pharmacist Should Know About You

“Help your pharmacist to know you and understand any limitations to your care,” says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Mary E. Kremzner, Pharm.D., M.P.H. “Pharmacists really want to help people get the maximum benefit from what’s prescribed with the least amount of risk.”

For example, some large pills are hard to swallow. “The pharmacist will know the drug’s makeup and whether you can crush it without altering its effectiveness or release rate,” Kremzner says. Another risk is interactions — food-drug or drug-drug. “For example, if you take a certain blood thinner, don’t eat too many dark leafy greens, because the vitamin K can decrease the drug’s effect,” says the FDA’s Lindsay Wagner, Pharm. D. “The interaction can depend on the patient, the drug or how often you eat certain foods.”

Your pharmacist should know:

• Everything you take for your health: all medications, dietary supplements, herbal supplements and vitamins

• Your medical history and experience with medications, including allergic reactions and side effects

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding

• If you have trouble swallowing pills, opening bottles, reading labels or remembering when to take your medicine

—Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Kids’ Corner

Let’s Go Play Games Outside!What’s your favorite game to play outside? Maybe you like to play tag or “Mother May I?”

Here are two games you may not have tried. Grab some friends and head outside!

• Tree tag. Grab the neighborhood kids for this one. Tree tag is a game that needs to be played in an area that has at least six large trees, such as a park. (Got more or fewer kids? You can change the number to match the number of players.) Each tree is given a number from one to six. The person who is “in” stands with their back to the trees and counts to 20. Each of the other players hides behind a tree so that they can’t be seen. The player who is “in” turns around and shouts out the number of a tree. Anyone hiding behind that tree is then “out.” Everyone else is safe. Then the player who is “in” turns around and counts to 20 again, while those still playing run and hide behind a different tree. Eventually, there is only one hider — the winner — left!

• Bean Bag Toss. Take a ladder from the garage (with permission, and a parent’s help). Take “Stickies” and write different point values on them. The higher the lad-der rung (and the smaller the “hole” in the ladder between the steps), the more points. Attach the Stickies, one on each step on the ladder. Then take bean bags, draw a line to stand behind, and toss them through the different rungs to earn points. For older kids, move the line back to make the game more challenging.

Colorectal Cancer

Drug Facts Q&A


Health Q&A

How Do Allergy Shots Work?Q: My allergy medications aren’t working

as well as I would like and my doctor suggested allergy shots. Can you tell me how they work?

A: Allergy shots work like a vaccine. Your body responds to injected amounts of a particular allergen, given in gradually increasing doses, by developing immunity or tolerance to the allergen. There are two phases:

• Build-up phase. This involves receiving injections with increasing amounts of the allergens about one to two times per week. The length of this phase depends upon how often the injections are received, but generally ranges from three to six months.

• Maintenance phase. This begins once the effective dose is reached. The effective maintenance dose

depends on your level of allergen sensitivity and your response to the build-up phase. During the maintenance phase, there will be longer periods of time between treatments, ranging from two to four weeks. Your allergist/immunologist will decide what range is best for you.

You may notice a decrease in symptoms during the build-up phase, but it may take as long as 12 months on the maintenance dose to notice a lasting improvement. If allergy shots are successful, maintenance treatment is generally continued for three to five years. Any decision to stop allergy shots should be discussed with your allergist/immunologist.—Source: Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

5MyGNP.com

Do you have more questions? Our website has the answers.

Visit www.MyGNP.com for more information.

Did You Know...?

Rotavirus disease is common among infants and young children. It can cause severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. Some children with rotavirus disease lose a lot of fluids, become very dehydrated and require hospitalization.

The virus passes through a sick person’s stool and spreads when a child puts something with rotavirus on it, such as their hand or a toy, in their mouth. Children can also get infected by consuming food and liquids containing rotavirus.

Vaccination is the best way to protect your child. Almost all children who get the rotavirus vaccine (85 to 98 percent) will be protected from severe rotavirus disease. Most vaccinated children will not get it at all.

There are two different vaccines. Both are given by putting drops in an infant’s mouth.

• Rotateq – Three doses given at 2, 4 and 6 months of age.

• Rotarix - Two doses given at 2 and 4 months of age.

The first dose of either vaccine is most effective if given before a child is 15 weeks old. Children should receive all doses before they turn 8 months old.—Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Drug Facts Q&A


Diabetes and KidsHandling

Birthday Parties

Your child has been invited to a friend’s birthday party. Great! Here are some tips to help things go smoothly.

• Share information. Tell the host parents that your child has diabetes. Provide emergency phone numbers for both you and your child’s doctor in case of an emergency. Help your hosts to understand what it means to manage diabetes so that they aren’t shocked when your child takes out his meter or insulin pen.

• Offer to help with food. Help your child and your hosts by sharing a healthy treat that your child enjoys and that fits within his meal plan.

• Volunteer. If your child is young, ask your hosts if they would like your help. They will appreciate the extra hands and you’ll be there to monitor your child’s diabetes. Just remember, it’s your child’s fun time with friends, so try not to hover.

—Source: American Diabetes Association

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Get Fit

Exercise and Blood-Glucose LevelsDoing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can help you take care of your diabetes and prevent diabetes-related problems. Physical activity helps your blood glucose stay in your target range.

Exercise also helps the hormone insulin absorb glucose into all your body’s cells, including your muscles, for energy. Muscles use glucose better than fat does. Building and using muscle through physical activity can help prevent high blood glucose. If your body doesn’t make enough insulin, or if the insulin doesn’t work the way it should, the body’s cells don’t use glucose. Your blood glucose levels then get too high, causing diabetes.

Starting a physical activity program can help you lose weight or keep a healthy weight and can help keep your blood-glucose levels on target. Even without reaching a healthy weight, just a 10- or 15-pound weight loss makes a difference in reducing the risk of diabetes problems.

Before you start a physical-activity program, talk with your doctor, plan ahead, find an exercise buddy (if desired), decide how you’ll track your physical activity and decide how you’ll reward yourself.

Your healthcare team may include a doctor, nurse, dietitian, diabetes educator and others. Always talk with your team before you start a new physical-activity program. Your healthcare team will give you a target range for your blood-glucose levels.

People with diabetes who take insulin or certain diabetes medicines are more likely to have low blood glucose, also called hypoglycemia. If your blood-glucose levels drop too low, you could pass out, have a seizure or go into a coma. Physical activity can make hypoglycemia more likely or worse in people who take insulin or certain diabetes medicines, so planning ahead is key. It’s important to stay active. Ask your healthcare team how to do it safely. —Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Colorectal Cancer

Diabetes Health


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“This newsletter is not intended to replace or substitute for the medical advice provided by a healthcare provider. The content of the newsletter is

to be used as a reference tool. While Good Neighbor Pharmacy uses commercially reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy of the content, it does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the content and

specifically disclaims all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or

indirectly, of the use and application of any of the material contained in the newsletter unless such liability is due to the gross negligence or willful misconduct of Good Neighbor Pharmacy. The content is not intended to be relied upon by any person or entity for purposes of

medical diagnosis or treatment.”

Your Diet

Tomato Basil BruschettaThe Mayo Clinic recommends this recipe for those who are trying

to eat healthfully — and deliciously!

• 1/2 whole-grain baguette, cut into six 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices

• 2 tablespoons chopped basil

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 cup diced fennel

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Toast baguette slices in 400 F oven until lightly browned. Mix all other ingredients together. Spoon mixture evenly over toasted bread. Serve immediately. (Tip: If you want

a drier topping, remove the seeds from the tomato before dicing. Cut tomato in half and scoop out seeds with your finger or a spoon.)

Nutritional analysis per serving Serving size: 1 slice Total carbohydrate: 20g Dietary fiber: 4g Sodium: 123mg Saturated fat: < 0.5g Total fat: 2g Trans fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Protein: 3g Monounsaturated fat: 1g Calories: 110 Sugars: 0g

—Source: Mayo Clinic

Diabetes in the News

Can Red Wine Help Prevent Heart Disease in People with Type 2 Diabetes?

A recent two-year study, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that drinking moderate amounts of red wine with dinner could improve cholesterol in people with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. The same effects were not seen for those drinking white wine or water.

In the study, 224 people with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to drink 150 mL (a little more than half a cup) of mineral water, white wine or red wine with dinner for two years. All were non-alcohol drinkers before the study. They were asked to follow a Mediterranean diet (primarily plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits and

vegetables, and healthy fats such as olive oil), but were not told to limit their daily calorie intake.

After two years, drinking red wine led to sig-nificant increases in “good” cholesterol (HDL) compared with drinking water; those drinking red wine saw an average of 9.8 percent increase in HDL. (Statins increase HDL levels by up to 15 percent.) The white-wine group’s HDL levels weren’t significantly different than those in the water group. The authors stress that more research is needed in this area. Stay tuned for updates.

—Source: The Annals of Internal Medicine

MyGNP.com

Living with DiabetesInsulin Injections: Location Matters

The place on your body where you inject insulin affects your blood-glucose level. Insulin enters the blood at different speeds when injected at different sites. Insulin shots work fastest when given in the abdomen. Insulin arrives in the blood a little more slowly from the upper arms and even more slowly from the thighs and buttocks.

Injecting insulin in the same general area (for example, your abdomen) will give you the best results from your insulin. This is because the insulin will reach the blood with about the same speed with each shot.

Don’t inject the insulin in exactly the same place each time, but move around the same area. Each mealtime injection of insulin should be given in the same general area for best results. For example, giving your before-breakfast insulin injection in the abdomen and your before-supper insulin injection in the leg each day give more-similar blood-glucose results. If you inject near the same place each time, hard lumps or extra fatty deposits may develop. Both are unsightly and make the insulin action less reliable. Ask your doctor if you aren’t sure where to inject your insulin.—Source: American Diabetes Association

Diabetes Health


Good Neighbor Pharmacy features affordable, high-quality products with many of the same ingredients found in the top name brands.

All items may not be available in every Good Neighbor Pharmacy location.

A Healthier You Starts at Good Neighbor PharmacyYour local Good Neighbor Pharmacy location has the products you need to look and feel your best. Talk to your pharmacist today about what products are right for you or visit MyGNP.com.


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