143 Uptown Newsletter December 2016

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December 2016

Reducing DeskDesk-Job Ailments People who sit most of the day and work at a computer are at high risk of accidental back injury. Back pain, in fact, is a one of the most common work-related injuries. The problem may be compounded for sufferers of arthritis or chronic back pain, and special accommodations may be required. A few basic principles of ergonomics (the study of how your environment affects your body) can prevent aggravation of your existing arthritis or chronic pain, and prevent further injuries.

The workspace Sit up straight, keeping your back slightly arched. Make sure you have a chair that supports your lower back and that your chair and desk are at the correct height. Your thighs and forearms should be level with the floor when you sit. If you spend a great deal of time typing in front of a computer, you may want to think about a height-adjustable workstation that allows you to stand for a time. When writing by hand, save your neck by angling your work surface. Think about specific ergonomic tools—phone headsets or

special grips for pens—that make the tasks you perform regularly more comfortable and reduce the load you put on your joints.

Take a break The body can tolerate the same position for only about twenty minutes. Take at least a short break every half-hour, and add a longer break, 10 minutes or so, every several hours. When you take these breaks, leave your chair. Walk. Stretch. Move. Alternate sitting and standing tasks, or think about what traditionally "sitting" tasks you can do standing (phone calls, for example). Create breaks for yourself; stretch in your chair while waiting for larger documents to open on your computer, or print out your emails and deliver them in person.

Make a smart commute Your commute probably contains many of the elements—static posture, stress, repetitive motion— that can add to pain at work, and in some cities the commute can eat up 2 hours a day. Consider public transportation to relieve some of the stress of stop and go, or carpool to stagger the load. As with your workspace, look into ergonomics— back support, steering wheels, mirrors—that ease the strain on your joints and back.

Relax! There is evidence that stress increases the rate of back injury. So think about what you can do to avoid or decrease stress. It's a pretty healthy idea anyway. Talk to a doctor or therapist about relaxation techniques you can use on the job.

Happy Holidays to everyone! Whether you o b s e r v e Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or not any specific holiday, the spirit and signs of festivity this Dr. Jerry Shapiro time of year are all around. Our store is fully decorated so you can certainly feel the joy of the season here at Uptown Drug & Gift Shop.

Let’s Talk

From our Gift Department… As always our boxed Christmas Cards are all 50% off until the holiday. Plus, no matter what your budget is, we have a wide selection of gifts to choose from in a various of price ranges. Special: Special: Once you reach a total purchase of $75 worth of gifts, cumulatively, you can pick out a complimentary stuffed animal (with a retail value of $20). We gladly gift wrap any purchase you make at our store. • One of our most popular gift items, purchased in large volumes year after year are the Cashmere Scarfs. We made sure to stock up with an

abundant supply to meet this year’s demand. The price for one is $28 and the discounted price for sets of two is just $50. For many more gift ideas we hope that you go to (and “like”) our Facebook page or visit our website at www. uptowndrugs.com.

For your Health… We have just received two very exciting products to improve your health. My team and I sought these products out as an alternative to some prescription medications, which can have some negative side effects. Both of the products below have undergone rigorous clinical trials with great results. The first one is NoctoPlex and NoctoPlex for Kids to help you fall 1.

asleep, stay asleep and wake up rested and alert. These are drug-free, safe, and non-habit-forming sleep formulas comprised of a proprietary blend of natural ingredients that were formulated to enhance the duration and quality of sleep. They were designed to aid in natural relaxation, diminishing stress, quieting the digestive process, restoring a normal sleep cycle and reducing minor aches and pains—all associated with producing a quality night’s sleep.

Smartphones Might Sabotage Your Sleep Smartphone screen time might negatively affect sleep quality and duration.

NoctoPlex for Kids is a first-of-its-kind sleep formula designed specifically for children 5-17 years of age. Unlike most other over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids that come at the expense of negative side effects, to date there have been no reported side effects or adverse reactions to the product. From my own personal experience of usage, to help ease my constantly running mind, the NoctoPlex has helped me immeasurably. 2. The second new product I would like to highlight is LuciPlex to help reduce forgetfulness and increase calm. It is a comprehensive brain health formula comprised of a pr opr i e t a r y bl e n d o f n a t u r al ingredients formulated and clinically validated to improve memory, focus and cognition. In clinical trials, components of LuciPlex were shown to slow the onset of brain atrophy, dementia as well as other neurodegenerative disorders. Before this article gets published, we anticipate receiving a new line of Healing Tree products for you as well as a new line of health products for your pets. There will be more information about these in the next issue.

measured participants' sleep time and quality. Study participants averaged 38.4 hours of smartphone screen time over the 30-day period and 3.7 minutes each hour.

People who used their smartphones more were more likely to have problems with sleep, according to this University of California, San Francisco, study.

Those who used their smartphones more on average reported in a survey that they had less sleep and reduced sleep efficiency than those who used their smartphones less. The study also revealed those participants who used their phones closer to bedtime had reduced sleep efficiency and difficulty falling asleep.

The researchers behind this study looked at 653 people's smartphone use by having them install an app that measured how many minutes the phone was in use each hour over a 30-day period. They also

These researchers concluded that smartphone use could have negative effects on sleep, but they warned that their findings don't necessarily establish cause and effect.

Your smartphone may keep you up to date with your friends and the latest news, but it may also just keep you up at night, a new study found.

Did you run out of paper towels? Or misplace an item you use on a regular basis? No problem! Emergency replacements from JoAnn can easily be found. You might even like the replacement better than the original! Here are some suggested fill-ins…

Hints

No paper towels? Use this: Grab a paper coffee filter for that spill. Coffee filters are absorbent and surprisingly strong—and although they’re more expensive than paper towels, when you have a potentially staining spill that needs action fast, it’s worth it. No dustpan? Do this: If you need to sweep up some dirt but don’t have a dustpan, cut a paper or plastic

plate in half. POOF! There’s your dustpan. No ice scraper? Use this: Frosty nights are just around the corner! If Jack Frost visits your car windshield during the night and you don’t have a proper ice scraper, use a plastic dustpan—it will do the scraping job without scratching the windshield. No jar opener? Try this: Use the grippy underside of a mouse pad to open stubborn jar lids. No funnel? Do this: Cut a 20-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, fold it in half and then roll the double thickness into a cone shape. Cut off the pointed end, and it’s ready to be used as a funnel. Or do this: Water, milk and orange juice often come in plastic gallon jugs. Turn one of these cleaned, empty jugs upside down, cut it in half horizontally and use it as a funnel for liquids or dry material, such as dog food or birdseed.

BEWARE OF SCAM A letter requesting your Social Security number might be sent to you by your credit card company if the Social Security number is missing on your account, even if you have had the credit card for years. But don't answer the letter until you are sure that it is legitimate. Call the credit card issuer using the phone number on the back of your card—not any number in the letter itself—to be sure the letter is not a scam.

USE FACEBOOK? Did you know that Facebook

labels you politically? It may use your expressed opinions or base its categorization on pages you visit. Facebook does this to help advertisers target specific demographic groups. To check how Facebook classifies you, go to Facebook.com/ads/preferences. Then under "Interests," click the "Lifestyle and Culture" tab. Look for a box labeled "US Politics." If you don't see it, click the "See more" button.

How about a low cost window cleaner: Add just a drop of Dawn dish liquid to 3 cups of water. Pet Urine: Dab area with toweling, wash with suds of liquid dish detergent, and rinse with 1/2 cup vinegar diluted in 1 qt warm water. Lay towels or paper towels over the spot and weight down to absorb excess moisture. Let stand 4 to 6 hours, then remove toweling, brush up nap and allow to dry completely. To speed drying, use an electric fan. Concrete Grease Spot Remover: To remove grease from concrete flooring sprinkle dry cement over grease. Allow it to absorb the grease, then sweep up. If you have stubborn grease stains on your work clothes: Add a bottle of Coke with detergent. It'll help loosen the grease.

It’s Your Money… Did you know people spend 8% more at restaurants when the menu omits the word "dollar" or the $ symbol? The word or symbol reminds customers they are spending money and triggers negative feelings linked to paying.

Habits of Happy Couples Happy couples know that the real relationship begins when the honeymoon is over. Here are the habits of highly happy couples… 1. Go to bed at the same time. Remember the beginning of your relationship, when you couldn’t wait to go to bed with each other to make love? Happy couples resist the temptation to go to bed at different times even if one partner wakes up later to do things while his/her partner sleeps. 2. Cultivate common interests. Don’t minimize the importance of activities you can do together that you both enjoy. If you don’t have common interests, develop them. At the same time, be sure to cultivate interests of your own. This will make you more interesting to your mate and prevent you from appearing too dependent.

3. Make trust and forgiveness your default mode. When happy couples have a disagreement or an argument that they can’t resolve, they default to trusting and forgiving rather than distrusting and begrudging. 4. Focus on accentuating the positive. If you look for things that your partner does wrong, you can always find something. If you look for what he/she does right, you can always find something, too. 5. Hug each other as soon as you see each other after being apart for the day. Couples who say hello with a hug reaffirm their love for each other. 6. Say “I love you” and “Have a good day” every morning. This is a great way to buy some patience and tolerance as each partner sets out each day to battle traffic jams, long lines and other annoyances. 7. Say “good night” night” every night, regardless of how you feel. This tells your partner that regardless of how upset you are with him, you still want to be in the relationship. It says that what you and your partner have is bigger than any single upsetting

incident. 8. Do a “weather” “weather” check during the day. Call your partner at home or at work to see how his day is going. This is a great way to adjust expectations so that you’re more in sync later in the day. For instance, if your partner is having an awful day, it might be unreasonable to expect him to be enthusiastic about something good that happened to you. 9. Walk hand in hand. Happy couples are pleased to be seen together and often are in some kind of affectionate contact—hand in hand or hand on shoulder, for example. They are saying that they belong with each other. 10. Stick with it. Even if these actions don’t come naturally, happy couples stick with them until they do become a part of their relationship. It takes 30 days for a change in behavior to become a habit and a minimum of six months for a habit to become a way of life—and love. Source: Mark Goulston, MD, a Los Angeles–based psychologist and consultant.