Intuitively, we all know that we can’t get health from a bottle. In our rushed lifestyles, increasing societal pressures, and stressed-out work lives, we seek out quick fixes for a poor, hurried diet, lack of exercise, and moments of “me” time to center ourselves. We consume far too many empty calories for quick energy, take […]
Medication Maven’s Blog
Making Choices
Many times patients get tired of taking their medications and stop doing so. Some patients decide to abstain from taking medication altogether, and instead, choose to go the route of alternative therapies to cure their illnesses, while others simply cannot afford to continue taking their medications due to financial hardship. For those who are tired […]
The Pharmacist’s Real Skills
It amazes me that there are people still thinking that ALL the community pharmacists do is count and sell pills. Briefly, when a prescription is handed in, the pharmacy technician screens the patient and enters the prescription information. A pharmacist then reviews the information for accuracy and then, in conjunction with your other medications, decides […]
Sticker Shock
Patients are being surprised about prescription prices at the pharmacy counters. Even with insurance, their copayment (the price the insurance tells the pharmacy to charge them) can be in the high double or low triple digit dollars. This financial burden is forcing patients to start asking for alternatives, generics, or even go without their medication […]
On the Horizon
I don’t know if you have noticed, but employers are shifting their focus on how their employees receive healthcare benefits. Most, if not all employees are being asked to be more proactive in monitoring their own healthcare. Preventive measures are being introduced and employers are rewarding those employees who take advantage of those measures with […]
Pay Yourself First
It should be common knowledge by now that in order to effectively save money, after paying the government their share, you pay yourself next. When I say pay yourself, I mean to set aside some of your money in a savings or investment account BEFORE you spend your earned dollars on bills, needs and wants. […]
New Year – New Habits
Happy New year everyone! The New Year brings resolutions – good intentions to change our lives for the better. Like so many resolutions, they usually don’t make it past January, and some linger through mid-March before old habits and behaviors triumph over them. This doesn’t mean we should give up on our resolutions, but instead […]
It’s Not a Lifestyle Change, It’s a Job
So often when counseling patients, I bring up non-medication alternatives to assist patients in achieving their health goals. Diet, exercise and social activity changes are generically referred to as lifestyle changes. As a patient, hearing these activities brings up images of putting oneself on a diet, starting an exercise routine, or changing a negative behavior […]
Put Some Bacon On It
A recently aired commercial from a fast-food restaurant asked, “How do we make our cheesy bowl better?” And the answer was, “We put some bacon on it!” Never mind that the bowl WITHOUT the cheese has 680 total calories, 280 calories from fat, 2180mg of Sodium, 45mg of Cholesterol, 74gm of Carbohydrates and 26 gm […]
A Tribute to Steve Jobs
I am sure you are probably wondering why a tribute to Steve Jobs is appearing on a medication-related blog. I never met him, but I use his products. As I sit here typing on my MacBook Pro using WordPad in Windows XP to communicate my thoughts, it became quite obvious: Steve Jobs changed how we […]