Get To Know Your Pharmacist

Posted on February 7, 2009
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The two very important health care professionals you have are your doctor and your pharmacist. Unless you are hospitalized, or undergoing surgery, a large portion of your health care needs are going to come from the local pharmacist. You probably know your doctor’s name, but do you know the name of your pharmacist? Those who do most likely do business with an individually owned pharmacy, an under-utilized resource for excellent health care.

While all pharmacists have roughly the same training, a pharmacist in a huge chain pharmacy or drug store often is supervising the work of technicians. While this is an efficient means of dispensing medications, most patients do not interact with the pharmacist and are not able to utilize their knowledge and experience. In some franchises, it is easier to get the store manager to aid in assisting you with a cold remedy than the pharmacist or pharmacist technician, and a patient would be lucky if the pharmacy staff offered to check and confirm there were not any adverse reactions between the over the counter medicine and any prescribed medicines they are taking.

Mom and Pop pharmacies are usually owned and operated by the same person. Running a non franchise drug store is extremely challenging, but a lot of them would tell you that they got into the business to care for people, not just hand out pills. Mom and Pop pharmacists take on the extra trouble because they truly want to give an added measure of care than what they can do as a supervising pharmacist in a large chain.

I do know the name of my pharmacist, by the way, and like my doctor he knows I am married, work as a webmaster and go to church on a regular basis. I know that if I have a medication related question I can contact him and ask, and he truly cares enough to listen carefully. My pharmacist knows everything you need to know about medicine, as well as being a extremely well educated health care provider he is familiar with a wide variety of helpful remedies for illnesses or injuries that may not need a visit to a doctor. A good pharmacist can help with bruises and sprains, with bandages and braces. Inquire about fevers that are unexpected or unfamiliar skin irritations with your pharmacist and they will likely know what to do. Many pharmacies carry items that make life more managable when taking care of an elderly parent, or can offer counsel on managing chronic illnesses like Diabetes.

Mom and Pop pharmacies run by an owner often do specialty work such as compounding. A compounding pharmacist can customize the dosage or delivery method of medications for customers. Women who are getting hormone replacement therapy sometimes greatly benefit from tailored dosages made possible by compounding pharmacists. Other services include counseling to find better medications for patients who look for a more effective remedy or seek a cheaper alternative to their prescription. In many states, a pharmacist can provide flu and pneumonia injections as well as travel vaccinations for your out of the country trip. Your community pharmacist is often a great resource for vitamins, minerals and herbal preparations.

To take full advantage of your pharmacist as a member of your health care group, visit and ask to meet him or her. Convey to them about your health concerns. Pharmacists, like doctors, are lawfully bound to treat your personal health information with complete confidence. You can find a non franchise drug store in your neighborhood by running an internet search for drug store and your city name.

It is one thing to have a whole bunch of doctors practicing in a number of specialties, but having many pharmacies can be quite dangerous, as medication interactions are a real danger. Having all your medications with one pharmacy adds an extra measure of safety. After you have found a pharmacist you are comfortable with, bring in your medications so he or she can review them.

Hybrid Biking Commuting

Posted on January 25, 2009
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Many people, myself included, are stressed out more by their commute to work or school than their actual occupation. The average American spends countless hours each week driving to work whether in their own car, a carpool, bus, metro, or train usually congested with vehicles and people. If you live within 20 minutes of your place of work, I have a solution for you that will not only make you healthier, but transform your stress-filled commute to a stress busting workout.

If you have not figured it out by now, you should be biking to work. Take your 8 mile commute in rush hour traffic – you average 15 miles per hour because of bumper- to- bumper traffic and a 10 minute drive winds up taking almost a half hour. This can be incredibly frustrating especially when you calculate the money spent on parking and gas while sitting gridlocked on a beltway. Instead, you could be pedaling steadily in the designated bike lane or shoulder and taking about the same amount of time to get to work. While your car-driving brethren are stuck trying to get around that pesky truck that is double parked in the curb lane, you carefully check your blind spots and ride right by while burning up to 700 calories per hour. Imagine that, you get your daily exercise needs while performing a regular daily task.

Hybrid bike commuting is ideal for urban and town settings where traffic is overwhelming and prohibitive. I have been an urban cyclist for almost ten years and have no regrets. It began when I was going to college in Washington DC and could not afford a car but I hated the amount of time it took to walk different places. I quickly rediscovered my childhood love of cycling and bought a new mountain bike. I took the bike to class, to work, or even to the grocery store and my trips took about 1/4 of the time because I was able to move so quickly through traffic. I still continue to bike regularly through the city, although now it is for fitness and leisure but I still get a kick out of being able to get from Union Station to Foggy Bottom in less than 20 minutes during rush hour while that may take over twice as long in a car. Just please remember to be safe and use proper safety equipment since automobiles generally are not on the lookout for cyclists.

Hybrid bicycling is ideal for commuting because they are typically more comfortable and have the best features from both mountain bikes and road bikes. There are different types of Hybrid bike ranging from the most comfortable cruiser, a vacation spot favorite, to the fast and agile touring bike. There are also recumbent and fold-up bikes for maximum convenience.

The best part is that you can also use your bike on the weekends to take a stroll through a park with friends or family or on your vacation. It can also be used for low impact fitness, without all of the wear and tear on your knees, legs, and back that can be caused by running or other fitness activities.

Tips To Prepare Yourself For Boot Camp

Posted on January 15, 2009
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Boot camp refers to military recruit training, the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel. It specifically refers to United States Marine Corps Recruit Training or United States Navy Recruit Training.

Why show up at your boot camp or a service academy unprepared for the physical fitness test? You would be surprised, but many people are physically unprepared for life in the military when they arrive. Why make life your first time away from home any more stressful than it already is?

If you show up fit and able to pass your respective Personal Fitness Test (PFT) easily, the fitness part of boot camp will be a stress releaser — not a stress increaser! If you prepare yourself properly, you can go into the military able to compete instead of having the mentality of just surviving. This makes all the difference in the world between those who graduate and those who quit.

Boot Camp excercise preperation:

All branches of the military focus around these excercises: Pushups, situps, and running. Marines also do Pullups.

Every military branch, has slightly different requirements for how much you do of each one. Pushups will be done as one long 2 minute set, usually somewhere around 40 reps to pass boot camp.

Situps will be similiar in time and rep requirements. Running will depend on the branch anywhere from 1.5 to 3 miles in a certain amount of time.

The best way to train for endurance excercises is to do them more than once a week. If you run only once a week you will never get your running time shortened significantly if it is poor to begin with. You should start doing sets of pushups once a week to get used to them.

Once you stop getting sore from doing them, increase it to two times a week. Eventually you should be doing pushups, situps and running 3 times a week. You will need at least 6 months to prepare your body for boot camp.

Are you ready to prepare yourself, if not then visit boot camp wrokouts work review for your full packed information.

Help With Insomnia

Posted on January 5, 2009
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If you suffer from sleep problems but don’t want to run the risk of becoming addicted to drug-based sleeping pills, then consider natural sleeping aids. To learn more about insomnia and how you can beat it the natural way, keep reading.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is in almost everything these days – from coffee to chocolate to cold medications to energy drinks. It’s hard to escape caffeine in this fast paced world, but it’s critical to do so to overcome insomnia and other sleeping problems. Until your sleeping patterns are back on track, you may want to drop the Starbucks.

And don’t assume that because you had your last cup of coffee at lunch it’s totally out of your system either. In fact, a full cup of coffee will typically continue to affect your body all the way until 10 o’clock at night.

Exercise

While exercise will give you energy, it can also help you fall asleep at night. By regularly getting physical activity, you can easily get yourself into regular and healthy sleeping patterns. You don’t even need to run a marathon – a simple walk after lunch or dinner could be all you require to fall asleep easily tonight.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is one of the best natural sleeping aids. Not only is it warm and soothing, but chamomile actually works to soothe the nerves, stomach and body. It relaxes the system and literally forces you to come down after a long and hard day. Additionally, it fights anxiety, kills worry and just helps you to relax.

Valerian

Valerian may not smell pleasant, but it’s a fantastic sleep aid. Essentially, it’s a minor tranquilizer that binds to benzodiazepine receptors in the brain, the same receptors that respond to Dalmane, Valium, Xanax and other sedating drugs.

The other difference is that taking Valerian doesn’t lead to morning grogginess or trouble waking up. Instead, people report waking up feeling great and ready to take on the day. Remember, though, Valerian is a sedative and should only be taken before bed.

Hops

When you start talking about hops, you think of beer. And while beer may be a great sleep aid, it’s not always a good idea for daily use. However, hops isn’t just used for beer – it’s also used to relieve anxiety and insomnia.

Because hops does contain estrogen and can increase estrogen levels, long term use is not recommended. In addition, pregnant or nursing women shouldn’t take it.

Kava-kava

Kava-kava is one of several natural sleeping aids that come from the South Pacific islands. Multiple studies have been done that deem it as effective as pharmaceutical counterparts when it comes to reducing anxiety. However, it’s often recommended as a sleep aid that’s not habit-forming.

Super Foods – What’s The Truth? The Simple Answer.

Posted on December 19, 2008
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What are “super foods”…and why should I care? You might as well ask a similar question: “What is clean air…and is it really important”? The answers to both questions are the same.

Most often referred to as “quality of life”; and if by taking a few simple steps you could dramatically improve that quality, wouldn’t it be kind of silly to ignore those very steps?

If you live in an area that frequently announces the daily “air quality index” and frequently advises “staying indoors—in a ‘hepa filtered environment’” your options there may already be limited. You can uproot your family and “head for the hills” or a more rural environment; or, you can accept the prospect of ongoing respiratory problems.

If breathing is not your problem, but diet is, the answers there may be a simple as a trip to the farmer’s market. (With Google’s help, of course) Do a quick search for “super foods”.

Do several searches as I did, and you will eventually end up with the “basic lists of 14″ plus the one that includes CHOCOLATE–dark chocolate, but chocolate none-the-less.

Recent dietary research recommends 14 different, nutrient-dense foods, that very strongly promote good overall health. Coined “superfoods,” they tend to be lower in calories, higher in levels of vitamins and minerals, and to contain many disease-fighting antioxidants.

A diet built primarily, though not necessarily exclusively, around these super foods virtually guarantees a rapid improvement in your quality of life…improved digestion, higher energy levels, lowered blood pressure, the list goes on; but you get the idea.

And just what are these “mysterious, exotic” super foods, you ask?

(1) Beans—Practically any legume fits the bill.
(2) Berries—All are good; blueberries are best.
(3) Broccoli—No surprise here.
(4) Green Tea—Would Oprah lie to you?
(5) Nuts—Walnuts leading the list.
(6) Oranges—And almost all citrus fruits.
(7) Pumpkin—Pie anyone?
(8) Salmon—The wilder the better. Farms are for cows.
(9) Soy—May need to re-think this one; but I may be the only “tofu-phobe” on the planet.
(10) Spinach—Mom and Popeye were right all along.
(11) Tomatoes—You say tomahto…I say tomato.
(12) Turkey—It’s not just for Thanksgiving any more.
(13) Whole grains and oats—The more grains the better.
(14) Yogurt—An acquired taste. Personally, I’m still acquiring.
(15) CHOCOLATE—Dark, but still CHOCOLATE!

Did I mention CHOCOLATE?
And just what improvements to my quality of life can I expect from such “super foods”?
They warrant a list of their own:

(A) Lowered blood pressure.
(B) Diabetes—Reversed and/or controlled
(C) Alzheimer’s—Reduced or eliminated.
(D) Energy levels—Increased.
(E) Mood Swings—A thing of the past.
(F) Fatigue—Delayed till bedtime
(G) Bone and muscles—Improved tone and function
(H) Immune System—Strengthened
(I) Spirits—Watch thenm soar when you fit into your clothes again.

Superfoods can be the basis of a sound, healthy, nutritious lifestyle. Two weeks, or less, will be all the proof you need.

Health & Fitness Benefits

Posted on December 17, 2008
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Fitness basically refers to the state of being healthy. Hence, it will really be great if people will spend more time on fitness throughout their lives.

It is stated in the Bible that our body is our temple. Therefore, it is our obligation to preserve it. For this reason, maintaining the health of both the mind and the body is a noble act.

But of course, this involves a great amount of effort as well as applying yourself to doing something . Anyhow, no matter how tough it will be, the results are very rewarding. If you want a happy and healthy life, not all are privileged to have it, only the diligent few.

Fitness exercise is very important on one’s routine. Through fitness exercise, people are able to fight several diseases. One of the main diseases the immune system needs to fight is that killer disease, heart disease.

Sadly, more and more people nowadays tend to ignore good physical fitness . Hence, more and more people too are succumbing to different diseases. No wonder hospital businesses are prospering by gaining more and more , even it is against the will of these patients.

In fact, the suggested activities for physical fitness by the Council of the President on Physical Fitness and the Surgeon General are not generally followed by young people nowadays. These young people account for 33 percent of the population of the United States.

The attitude of neglecting physical fitness of these youths is usually carried by them into their adult lives . Of course, there will be an increase on the number of sufferers from various diseases caused by weak resistance.

The National Institute on Aging took a survey in America and found only 58 percent of its people are engaging in a program of lifetime fitness. This fitness program is done only in their free time. Only about 26 percent are regularly performing the lifetime fitness program, and then, only about three times a week.

The importance of a commitment to lifetime exercise is always being stressed in society. However, more often then not, people neglect it. Too frequently people disregard the fact that exercise can really be an enhancement on the value of their life.

You have probably heard that the most common causes of death are heart disease, stroke, accidents, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory ailments. These are the five most common causes of deaths yearly as reported by the Center for Disease Control.

Think about it. Most of the most commonly causes of deaths can easily be avoided. But only if people will give enough attention on fitness exercise. There is no telling how much longer a person’s life can be extended if they are more physically fit. Bergen County Adult Fitness is a goal of the Ridgewood YMCA as well as many other YMCAs across the county.

When referring to lifetime fitness program, we are not only dealing with physical exercise. Also, this program includes a diet that needs to be strictly followed .

It is very certain that with a lifetime commitment to physical fitness, life will be lengthened. With a healthy mind and body you can enjoy life more.

Comfortable Shoes Are Better Than Good Looking Shoes

Posted on December 15, 2008
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A good shoe means a lot more than just looks and style. It is also about the fit. Style becomes secondary and even insignificant when it is not accompanied by comfort. Thus, when you are looking for footwear, make sure that they are comfortable on your feet. After all, your foot bears the whole weight of your body, so wearing comfortable shoes is essential. You should never compromise with your shoes, no matter how fantastic they might look.

Here are some tips for finding comfortable shoes when you’re in the market. Before purchasing, hold your chosen shoe at the toe and the heel. The sole should not only be flexible but also bend in the front. At the same time, it should possess quite a stiff bottom along the arch. The sole should always be flexible. Obviously, bending them is the only way to test this. Rigid soles are equal to uncomfortable shoes. They will remain stiff and will not move with you. So say goodbye to these types of shoes or you will be faced with discomfort and even long-term difficulty in terms of your feet and legs.

Wear high heels for special occasions and when you don’t have to stand for a long time. Long-term use of high heels can result in back pain. This does not mean that any heel is bad. Dansko clogs, for example, have a significant heel height, but Dansko’s superior arch support and high-quality footwear provides all-day comfort, despite their clumsy appearance.

Look for shoes with false fronts. This is good rule. If a shoe has a pointed toe, then it very likely means you’re in for some painful days and nights. This feature prevents your toes from spreading out which is a major cause for foot pain. Don’t buy pointed toes if you are in need of comfortable shoes. Another thing that you have to remember is that the heel area should be sufficiently wide to fit the ball of your foot, but not too wide as to allow your heel to move significantly. For example, ECCO shoes have a very narrow heel and cause problems for some people. In general, for women’s shoes, the width ranges from AA or narrow to EE or extra wide. For men it is BB to EEEE.

You will definitely make a sensible choice if you opt for wedge shoes as they generally evenly distribute your body weight and thus offer good support all the way to the foot. However, be careful, that the limited sole flexibility of any wedge sole increases the chance of rolling your ankle over to one side. In order to check a shoe for cushioning, press a finger into the ball region. It should have a slightly padded feel.

Stay away from synthetic materials as much as possible. Try to wear shoes made of materials like suede and leather, or with fabric uppers. These materials let your feet breathe and even reduce the chance of blistering. You feet are precious – wear comfortable shoes and take care of them.

Aromatherapy Your Natural Healing Remedy.

Posted on November 24, 2008
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Reduceing Stress Through Natural Healing. meditation

Meditation is the practice of concentrating one’s thoughts and awareness on a specific thought. This concentration may not seem like something that could in any way have a beneficial affect on a person’s health, but in fact studies and thorough research has shown that in fact practicing meditation can help improve a person’s overall health.

The most interesting physical benefit of meditation yoga is a improved cardiovascular health. There are many theories about why meditation yoga helps the cardiovascular system, but one dominant theory is that the calming effect of meditation not only relaxes the mind, but it also relaxes the entire body. Meditation has been shown to be an effective in reduceing stress. Over time, regular meditation and yoga can help a person’s heart to be healthier. Since heart disease is prevalent in both men and women, meditation yoga is helpful for everyone. Of course, meditation yoga also helps a myriad of other ailments like anxiety, stress, and depression by the same relaxation method. Some people who practice meditation feel that it’s a type of alternative medicine.

Rolfing Is More Than An Exercise Regime. yoga meditation

Yoga is one of the oldest systems of self-improvment and its gentle approach can help even the most inflexible of muscles to gently yield and limber up. The key to yoga is that you begin slowly in a non-competitive enviroment and your progress will come through practice rather than forcing the body into extreme positions when it’s not ready. Yoga is more than an exercise regime; those who study this discipline say that it simply becomes a healther way of life.

The effects of yoga are noticeable too. Stronger muscles, greater flexibility and an inner calm that cannot help but be projected outwards. Family and friends may not be able to pinpoint the difference but they will gradually notice that there is something different about you.

As the daily benefits of meditation and yoga begin to take effect you may want to turn your attention to some of the other holistic practices that are available such as Rolfing and Aromatherapy.

Herbal Medicine Your Natural Healing Remedy. holistic medicine

There are also natural healing remedies such as acupuncture that are made to heal not just the body but the mind as well. These are usually referred to as stress reducers and the soothing effect that a lot of herbal remedies have on a person usually leads to a better life. The connection between illness and stress has been cited a lot of times, and it has been proven that a person who is stressed will suffer from illnesses that he normally wouldn’t have.

If you are suffering from a cough , some of the natural healing remedies that you can use include natural herbs and teas and spices that can be combined to help ease the cough and loosen the phlegm in your body. A few of the cough remedies that you can try are recipes that use clove oil and cloves to get relief from coughs . These recipes often include the use of honey and other spices to help soothe the throat as well as get rid of the bothersome cough. These natural healing remedies are often made of liquid substances that have to be ingested or drank at certain intervals during the day in order for them to be effective.

Reasons for Aging and Protecting Your Health

Posted on November 23, 2008
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Aging, aging, aging – people talk about this problem, lots of solutions offered and still most of the highly developed countries, like USA, suffer from longevity deficit.

Any solution or clue?

It seems to be pointless to try fight aging. Well, you cannot reach immortality of your body, but this very body can function a lot longer and better, if you know that most typical reasons of aging today – and acidic waste is one of the major reasons for junking your organism.

WHAT CAUSES ACID WASTES BUILD-UP

Bad diet can cause acid wastes to be stored in the body.

When acid waste enter the bloodstream, the blood, in order to maintain that narrow pH range (7.35 pH to 7.45 pH), must store these wastes somewhere. These wastes, lodged in the body over decades, will overburden the whole system.

WHAT CAUSES ACID WASTES

Bad diets includes meat and potatoes, fried food, soft drink colas, sucrose and other sugars build up acid salts in the body. Often these deposits by having to be stored away from blood flow, can remain in the body for decades. Stress, both mental and physical, can also form acid deposits in the body.

While the physiology, scientific connection to stress in the body has not been completely established, there exists a school of thought in psychology, called psychosomatics, which maintains that your mental state will influence health. Doctors in Japan, following more than forty years of research and testing, believe that daily drinking of alkaline water can lift depression.

As we have said before, the body uses the bloodstream system to dispose of wastes; these are removed in liquid form, and are often deposited in the lungs and kidneys.

If there are too many wastes to handle, they are deposited in various organ systems, like the heart, or the pancreas, or the liver, or the colon, or in other locations.

Sometimes these wastes are left on the walls of arteries, and over the years can spread throughout the body.

The break-down of this disposal process, especially of acid wastes, is how we define the aging process.To slow down and reverse this direction, one must begin removing acid wastes from the body.

IT is very easy to cure these many problems by introducing your body to an alkaline water. A person must be drinking a water with a pH level of 9.5. Just think of it like this. By drinking a 9.5 water, we are able to assist the body against all the many liquids we drink which are below the 7.0. By drinking this 9.5 water, our children have a fighting chance whereas right now they just don’t.

Read more about healthy water and how to improve your immune system.

Eye Care Today

Posted on November 22, 2008
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Although the benefits of undergoing LASIK eye surgery are tremendous and life changing, the recovery process can be trying. The fact is that LASIK eye surgery requires a recovery period just like any other surgery, but the effects you’re recovering from are a little different.

Realize that there are risk factors to LASIK eye surgery too, although through research and development, the chances if something going wrong has dropped to less than 1%.

The after effects are a lot like being pestered by a fly on a summer’s day that you can’t do anything about. You will experience some burning and itching of the eyes, but you simply can’t scratch, rub or cool the eyes, since any touching could undo all the good of the LASIK eye surgery.

Your eyes might get very watery and tear up a lot, which can cause blurry vision, but once again, you should not touch your eyes under any circumstances. On the flipside, your eyes may become dry and bloodshot, and taking some time off to let your eyes rest will probably be advisable. While all these effects might seem uncomfortable and even annoying, if you experience severe pain after the LASIK eye surgery, consult your eye Care Information specialist immediately.

You won’t be able to wear contact lenses for a period of time after the LASIK eye surgery, since the contacts might cause additional irritation. Strong perfumes and lotions could also cause your eye to get irritated. It’s also a good idea to avoid contact sports or extreme physical activities for several days.

After the LASIK eye surgery, you might have to use eye drops or artificial tears for a while to help with lubrication. Your doctor might also advise you to wash your eyes with water regularly to help prevent infection.

Your eye Care specialist would want to schedule several visits after the LASIK eye surgery, for up to 6 months. Within the first 2 days you should see your doctor for a post-operative exam, where he’ll remove the shield and check that everything is healing the way it should.

After the LASIK eye surgery your vision may take several months to stabilize. During the recovery period some small visual impairment may occur. These symptoms can include halos or glare due to the healing process, but if it persists after several months, you should contact your doctor.

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