154 Uptown Newsletter November 2017

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November 2017

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.

that they can’t resolve, they default This is a great way to adjust to trusting and forgiving rather than expectations so that you’re more in sync later in the day. For instance, if distrusting and begrudging. your partner is having an awful day, 4. Focus on accentuating the it might be unreasonable to expect positive. If you look for things that him to be enthusiastic about your partner does wrong, you can something good that happened to always find something. If you look you. for what he/she does right, you can 9. Walk hand in hand. Happy always find something, too. couples are pleased to be seen 5. Hug each each other as soon as you together and often are in some kind see each other after being apart for of affectionate contact — hand in the day. Couples who say hello with hand or hand on shoulder, for a hug reaffirm their love for each example. They are saying that they other. belong with 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.

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 7. Say “good night” every night, minimum of six months for a habit to regardless regardless of how you feel. This tells become a way of life — and love. your partner that regardless of how upset you are with him, you still want to be in the relationship. It says Source: Mark Goulston, MD, a Los that what you and your partner have Angeles–based psychologist and is bigger than any single upsetting consultant. He is coauthor of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship incident.

3. Make trust and forgiveness your your 8. Do a “weather” check during the default mode. When happy couples day. Call your partner at home or at have a disagreement or an argument work to see how his day is going.

(Perigee).

Greetings to the month of November…a month when we observe and celebrate the major holiday, Thanksgiving. It is the best loved holiday for many as we Dr. Jerry Shapiro c h e r i s h memories of a favorite meal and a traditional family gathering. Just as important is the significance of the day that, together as a country, we express gratitude. Let us all take a moment to be thankful for what we have and the loving relationships in our lives.

Let’s Talk

Thanksgiving also marks the beginning of the annual holiday season and here at Uptown we already have on display the bulk of our unique holiday gift items. We invite you to come in and peruse the selection. Please note that our sales continue to increase so we encourage you to visit us soon to have the greatest variety to choose from!

This year our boxed cards, which are always 50% off before the holidays, are now available to you for an additional 10% off with a coupon for the first 3 boxes you buy.

products. Two such items we have carried for some time are a tablet that stops hair loss in women by building up the roots and another is a cuticle cream for healthy cuticles.

Once again my wife, JoAnn, has outdone her sel f in the gift department. Whether you want to honor a special person or you are interested in corporate gifts for a large number of people, Uptown Drug and Gift Shop is the place that can handle your needs.

Please come in and browse. You will be amazed as to what we stock throughout the store. As an additional note, if we don’t have it or are out of stock, we are always happy to place a special order for you.

We always offer free gift wrapping for gifts purchased at our store. We will also ship to anywhere in the continental US for just what it costs us. (In other words there is no up charge.) Or, at no charge at all, our drivers would be happy to personally deliver within our delivery area (which is rather large). Please remember that we have balloons that can be added for any occasion gift.

Lastly, I would feel remiss if I didn’t remind you to please remember to vaccinate to minimize the impact of this year’s flu outbreak. 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)6124300.

Our gift selection (for yourself or for someone else) also extends into our health department. For your My entire team wishes you a great wellness, we are continually November! searching for and purchasing unique

What You May Not Know About Grapefruit and Drugs Most people know that grapefruit and grapefruit juice can interfere with medications, but did you know that you might have to wait as long as 24 to 48 hours before taking a drug after having the fruit? Grapefruit inhibits the important intestinal enzyme CYP3A4, which is needed to break down many medicines properly. Different people have differing amounts of the enzyme and so are affected to a greater or lesser degree. Medicines known to be affected by grapefruit include ... • Calcium channel blockers, including nifedipine

(Adalat or Procardia), verapamil (Calan, CoveraHS, Isoptin, Verelan) and others. • Cholesterol-lowering drugs, including atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor) and simvastatin (Zocor)—but not pravastatin (Pravachol). • Sleeping pills and antianxiety drugs, such as buspirone (Buspar), diazepam (Valium) and others. • Heart medicines, such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone) and quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex). Transplant drugs, such as cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune) and tacrolimus (Prograf). • Estrogen, including birth-control pills. • HIV/AIDS drugs. • Epilepsy drug carbamazepine (Tegretol). Studies of grapefruit's effects on medicines are continuing. Many other drugs may be affected to a greater or lesser degree.

Dirty marks on your white court shoes: Just drop some medicated oil on a piece of cloth and clean off t ho s e dirty marks on your white court shoes. They'll be looking as good as new again. •

Hints from

JoAnn

• To keep lint and dust off glass-top

tables, wash them in a solution of warm water and fabric softener. Add one tablespoon of liquid fabric softener to one quart of warm water. The fabric softener will clean the glass inexpensively and will help keep lint from gathering on the glass. Also great for computer screens and TV's. • Good weather sealing around doors

and windows not only saves money on

heating and cooling, but also cuts Apply oil to leather product and buff down dusting dramatically. with a chamois cloth to a shine. Lemon Juice. Lemon juice is good • Don't throw away odd socks or polish for black or tan leather shoes. socks with holes in them, use them to Follow by buffing with a soft cloth. make a mop. Tie several socks (10-12 Vinegar. Remove water stains on works best) to a mop or broom handle leather by rubbing with a cloth dipped and use just like you would a regular in a vinegar and water solution. To mop. White cotton socks work best shine patent leather, moisten a soft for this project and by the time the cloth with white vinegar and wipe "sock mop" wears out, you'll probably clean all patent leather articles. The have plenty more socks to make a color of the leather may be slightly new one. changed. Petroleum Jelly. A dab of petroleum jelly rubbed into patent • To help new or just cleaned drapes stay fresh and crisp looking, spray leather gives a glistening shine and them with a few coats of unscented prevents cracking in the winter. Arthair spray before hanging them up. Gum Eraser and Sandpaper or Emery Allow the hair spray to dry between Board. Dirt marks on suede can be rubbed out with an art-gum eraser. applications. Then buff lightly with sandpaper or an • When you leave the house put any emery board. cut flowers into the refrigerator, making the flowers last much longer. • Put an old spatula to good use: An old metal kitchen spatula makes a • Shoe Polish: Cold-Pressed Nut Oil, great scraper when you're trying to Olive Oil, Walnut Oil, or Beeswax. remove dried paint spills

Christmas gifts at Uptown Drugs Remember... 1/2 Off all Boxed Christmas Cards

Free Gift Wrap with Purchase & Layaway We will mail your gifts for you via UPS UPS

If your office has 10 or more interested in getting the shot, we will come to your office. Call now for an appointment:

213-612-4300

This coupon entitles you to an additional 10% off of boxed Christmas cards (limit of 3 boxes) This offer expires 11/30/17

How to Lend a Helping Hand

How you can help.

It's no fun watching other people suffer. And when it's someone close to you — a spouse, sibling, parent or friend — it's even more difficult. The key to helping others with a health condition is to avoid doing more than they need or want you to do. Everyone is different, so it's not always easy to identify limits. When you offer to track blood sugar levels for a loved one who has diabetes, he or she may see it as valued support. For others, it's an intrusion. How can you know?

As a caregiver, your role is that of helper and cheerleader. Don't yell, nag, dictate or criticize. Try to communicate openly. Be available to listen to your loved one's concerns. Be sensitive to his or her challenges, and work with friends or support groups to find solutions.

The importance of communication. Say your father has developed a medical condition, for instance. Start a dialogue with him to determine his needs. Talking openly is always a good idea. You might feel shy about bringing up his needs, but researchers have found that open communication works well. You might show that you understand his fear of losing independence by saying directly, "I k no w t ha t y o u v a l ue y o ur independence. But I don't want you to feel as if you're imposing on me by asking for help. We all need help sometimes and I'm here to help you as much as you need me to." Part of helping is figuring out when to stop and when to push forward. How can you decide whether to persevere or back off? If someone's health or safety is at risk, you need to intervene. On the other hand, even if you don't agree with a particular decision (assuming neither health or safety is at issue), you still may need to back off. Unless your loved one has a problem like Alzheimer's, a disease that interferes with their decision making, what they do is their call.

You can be a valuable caregiver just by asking your loved one for their input. Try some of these strategies: * If organization is an issue for your loved one, you could help them by setting out pills or medicine for the day. Color-code a pillbox to indicate what time of day they should be taken and if they should be taken with food. * Sometimes physical support is what they need. If physical therapy is a part of their treatment, join them in stretches and exercises. It'll help you sneak in some exercise, too. * Another way to help your loved one get organized is to keep a running list of questions to ask the doctor on the next visit. If there's more than one doctor, bring your notes and a list of m e d i c i n e s prescribed by other doctors. Request their medical files from the doctor's office. This may require a "Releases of Medical Information" form signed by the patient. * You may need to speak up on their behalf. If there is confusion over the doctor's

instructions or treatment plan, contact the doctor's office and ask for help. * Good communication with your loved one's pharmacist can help avoid medicine conflicts. If they see more than one doctor, try to stick with one pharmacy, it'll be easier to keep track of the dose, strength and purpose of each medicine. Remember, a regular routine and a little planning can go a long way toward keeping you upbeat and focused. Your loved one's doctor or nurse may have additional recommendations for you as well — especially if the patient has a specific medical condition. When in doubt, ask for help. Adjusting and renegotiating. Adjusting to life as a caregiver can be tough, but there's a lot you can do to make it easier on you and your loved one. Keep the lines of communication open and renegotiate your daily routine as your loved one's needs — or your needs — change.