141 Uptown Newsletter October 2016 a

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OCTOBER 2016

Your heart between stress and elevated blood pressure, we now know that high blood pressure is caused by a complex set of Think an aspirin will save you? genetic and environmental Or that women have less risk? interactions such as the things Heed these potentially life- we eat, lack of exercise and so saving facts. forth. Nearly 81 million people— about one in three U.S. adults—have cardiovascular disease. Of those, 73 million have high blood pressure, 16 million have coronary heart disease, 5.3 million have heart failure, and 5.8 million have had a stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Dr Daniel W Jones, president of the American Heart Association (americanheart.org), was asked to debunk some of the most commonly believed heart myths.

Stress, although it does have a temporary effect on our blood pressure, likely does not have any major long-term effect on blood pressure. That's why relaxing is not an appropriate treatment for elevated blood pressure. People need to visit their health care professional, have an evaluation and consider changing their lifestyle, including their exercise habits and the food they eat. MYTH: Heart disease common in women.

isn't

get many answers, but heart disease usually won't be one of them. The American Heart Association has been fighting this misconception for years with our "Go Red for Women" program to raise awareness of heart disease in women. It's important that women realize that their risk of dying from heart disease is higher than anything else because they could begin taking action early in their life to prevent heart disease. How early? I believe that healthful eating and exercise habits should begin in childhood. But, at any age, women need to pay attention to a healthful diet and balancing calories with physical activity to make their lives healthy and to help prevent heart disease and stroke. Even if you're middle-aged and your lifestyle hasn't been healthful for years, it's never too late to start living well.

REALITY: Heart disease is the high leading cause of death in women—more common than REALITY: That's a very common breast cancer or any other form misconception. Although the of cancer in women. Ask MYTH: If you feel like you're word "hypertension" originally women what the leading cause came from the connection of death in women is and you'll (Continued on back page) MYTH: Stress blood pressure.

causes

October has arrived and although cooler than September, this is one of my favorite months in Los Angeles due to the very pleasant temperatures. Dr. Jerry Shapiro On the 10th we observe Columbus Day (a national bank holiday) and then conclude the month when children look forward to costumes, candy and celebrations for Halloween.

Let’s Talk

Speaking of the holiday on the 31s–of ghosts, pumpkins and witches brewing up potions—what is brewing at Uptown Drug during this month? Of course we will have Halloween Cards for your perusal but we also have many exciting new gift items that keep rolling in from our recent purchases at the Atlanta summer gift show. Since the addition of this new merchandise, we have been much busier which pleases us that we did a great job in choosing and reasonably pricing these items. Last month I spoke about one of our

new jewelry lines…Lemon Vines, which is known for its medicinal purposes. Since amber was attributed with many healing properties, it came to be known that wearing amber close to the skin is a traditional global remedy for teething, arthritis, stress, anxiety, localized pain and gives a general sense of wellness. These necklaces come in both adult and child sizes: For adults…the necklaces help dramatically with neck and shoulder pain. Also, many women who have painful menstruation have found that linking two of the necklaces together and wearing them around their waist will relieve much of the pain. For teething babies…amber's healing properties will reduce inflammation and calm the baby, without resorting to over-the-counter medications. It not only helps reduce pain but also reduce drooling. This month is the busiest for flu immunizations. Did you know that we make “office calls”? In other words… we will come to your workplace to offer flu shots to you and your coworkers to enhance the health of everyone around you. If your office has not yet scheduled for us to come, have your Office Manager or Human Resources Director give us a call at

(213) 612-4300. (Please note that we are happy to report that the Nasal Flu Mist has been discontinued. This was a live virus that could actually give the recipient the flu. Be rest assured that our flu vaccine is not a live virus so you cannot get the flu from being immunized.) I feel a necessity to speak about the EpiPen® catastrophe— the recent huge jump up in its price. This is a product that can be life sustaining in an allergic emergency (anaphylaxis). When we go out to give flu shots we always carry one in our kit. The actual cost to manufacturer this product is about $4 and it has been on the market for almost 50 years. The acceleration of the price is just an egregious example of what is wrong with our drug supply chain. Everyone wants to blame the pharmaceutical manufacturers while I, and many other Pharmacists, believe that the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (the people who manage your prescription card) have responsibility as the major drivers of these price increases. The higher the price—the bigger rebates they receive, increasing their profit exponentially! Please see me at the pharmacy if you wish for further explanation of this. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

5 Things That Wreck Your Teeth Some things you may be doing every day could be damaging your teeth.

Schedule Your Flu Shots

Chlorine from swimming pool water can cause dental Uptown Drug is now abrasion—so swim in saltwater whenever possible.

Acidic beverages such as lemonade and sports drinks administering flu can weaken tooth enamel, so drink water instead—or at shots to its patrons. least have a glass of water after consuming one of these Schedule your shots now. acidic drinks. White wine is more acidic than red wine and can erode If your office has 10 or more interested in tooth enamel, so drink water or eat bread between sips getting the shots, we will come to your office. of wine. Berry juices and smoothies can discolor teeth— drink them with a straw to help liquid pass to the back of your mouth, avoiding your teeth.

Call now for an appointment: 213213-612612-4300

Sure you can buy cleaners and special tools and chemicals and repair kits. But often you don’t need to! Hints from JoAnn Here are clever ways to clean and fix things using items that you probably have at home…

requires no water or liquid, so of mayonnaise onto the marks. just crumple a piece of newspaper Leave on for 10 minutes. Wipe and rub. away residue with a clean cloth. Shine shoes and plants with - The vinegar in the mayo acts as a bananas. Banana peels contain oil natural cleaner, and the oil and and potassium, key ingredients in eggs add shine.

Remove mold in a refrigerator drip pan with white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural sanitizer and bacteria killer. Put some in a spray bottle, and apply directly to the area. Let it sit for 20 minutes before wiping with a Polish faucets and more with C l e a n c a r t i r e s w i t h clean cloth. newspaper. Newspaper ink is a mayonnaise. To rid your tires of Get rid of dishwasher gunk and terrific polishing agent that tree sap and road tar, dab a bit odors with KoolKool-Aid. Aid Fill the dishwasher dispenser with a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid or any powdery drink mix that contains citric acid. Run the empty dishwasher for a full normal cycle to remove gunk, lime and rust stains as well as odors. store-bought shoe polish. Wipe shoes with the inside of the peel (discard the stringy parts of the peel first). Then buff with a clean cloth. You also can use the peels to clean the dust and debris from leafy houseplants.

with your shower curtain along with one cup of white vinegar and your usual amount of laundry detergent. Run on the regular cycle. The ball acts as a scrub to remove scum and mildew…vinegar kills mold.

or down the arm; shortness of having a heart attack, then the b r e a t h ; o r s w e a t i n g first thing you should do is chew inappropriately—should alert a an aspirin. man or a woman to call 911 for REALITY: That should not be the help. first action you take. If you think MYTH: Drinking wine is good for you're having a heart attack, call your heart. 911 before you do anything else. REALITY: Doesn't everyone want The 911 operators should be that to be true? We do know trained to ask a certain set of there is a positive association questions that determine whether between drinking alcohol of any it's safe for the individual who is kind and HDL (the good having chest pain or other cholesterol) level. But we do not symptoms of heart attack to take know that drinking alcohol, an aspirin. including wine on a daily basis is (Continued from front page)

MYTH: It's OK to be overweight as long as you're fit.

healthful diet. The American Heart Association recommends paying attention cholesterol in food and making sure your diet is balanced in relation to cholesterol, saturated fat and total calories. Like everything else in life, balance is key.

BOTTOM LINE Eat a balanced diet that provides an adequate (not excessive) amount of calories in saturated fat and high fruits and vegetables. Get 20 minutes of exercise, such as vigorous walking, each day. going to reduce risk of heart These things are critically attack That's why the American important keeping your heart Heart Association’s advice to healthy. people who choose to drink is to limit alcohol to one drink a day for Dr. Daniel W. Jones is president of a woman or a man of low body the American Heart Association as weight, and to no more than two well as vice chancellor for health drinks for men who are average or affairs, dean of the School of average body weight. As Medicine and the Herbert G. appealing as it sounds, we cannot Langford Professor of Medicine at substitute a glass of wine (or any the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. other alcohol) for exercise.

REALITY: There's some evidence that if you are overweight, then it's better to be overweight and fit than overweight and not fit. But the ideal thing, of course, is to be fit and in a normal bodyweight range. Being fit does not overcome all the risks associated with being overweight. It is not OK to be overweight, and we to work toward getting into a MYTH: Eggs are bad for you. normal range. REALITY: An occasional MYTH: Men and women egg is fine. The experience different heart attack important thing is the symptoms. quality of your diet, REALITY: Chest pain or chest not a certain food. It's discomfort or pressure is common true that eggs have a in women just as it is in men. h i g h e r l e v e l o f Women may report or perceive cholesterol than some symptoms a little differently than foods and that can men do, but they have the same provide as much as "symptom complex" that men do. 70% recommended The basic concept is that having daily allowance dietary those telltale symptoms— cholesterol, but eggs pressure in the chest, in the jaw are a part of an overall