What's on Your Plate? 

Maybe a better question is What Should be on Your Plate and in what quantities?

Forget about using the Food Pyramid we were all told growing up to use as a guideline. The most recent guidelines now suggest emphasizing lean proteins like turkey, fish and beans, lots of veggies, some fruit and whole grains with some dairy (or calcium rich foods) and healthy fats to complete the meal in the following recommended proportions.

For more detailed information and some great resources, check out:

ChooseMyPlate.gov

November is National Diabetes Month. 

Are you Diabetic?

If so, do you know your Current Levels AND your Target Goals for these parameters:

Fasting Blood Sugar?

A1C?

Blood Pressure?

Cholesterol Levels?

BMI?

If not, you should find out. Why? Because it's extremely important to your long-term health to keep these numbers at optimal levels. If they're not at optimal levels, you are doing serious damage to your body and organs and the longer you wait to get them under control, the more irreversible damage is occuring. There's no way to get your levels under control unless you know what your current levels are. There are increasingly more convenient, alternative ways to assess your current levels, other than going to your physicians office.

More and more Clinics and Pharmacy Care Centers are getting into the Screening business and they can give you an accurate assessment of your current levels of these important parameters.

There is also an increase in availability of Diabetes Education Programs. If you are diabetic and you don't know why it's important to control your blood sugar or how to control your blood sugar, you are a prime candidate for this type of education. If you need a resource of where to go for these services, please contact me at 720-458-8191. I will be happy to hook you up with a Pharmacy Care Center that can provide Screening and Diabetes Educational Services. There can be a minimal charge for this service, but it is very minimal for the vast amount, yet easily understandable information you receive, and can be literally life-saving!

Here are the Target Goals for Diagnosed Diabetics (non-diabetic goals can vary):

Fasting Blood Sugar?  70 to 130mg/dl

A1C?  less than or equal to 6.5% to 7.0%

Blood Pressure?  less than 130/80 mm Hg 

Cholesterol Levels?   

LDL less than 100mg/dl, HDL greater than 40mg/dl (men) and greater than 50mg/dl (women), Triglycerides less than 150mg/dl

BMI?  18.5 to 24.9

GET EDUCATED!

Here's to taking personal responsibility of your own healthcare and becoming educated about it!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

 We're smack in the middle of summer.

Are you taking the proper skin care sun precautions?

Even if you think you know all there is to know about skin care and the sun, read on.

I even learned a few new skin sun care facts... 

While on vacation on the East Coast this summer, I came across the above brochure, in a local beach shop, from a sunscreen company called Sun Bum. I took a brochure and bought some of their sunscreen. I like the sunscreen and thought their brochure was very informative and more complete than any other brochure I've seen. Their website has even more information regarding sun care protection facts and information. Above is information from the brochure's Sun Care Facts, reprinted with permission. Read it and check out their website for more information:

http://www.trustthebum.com/us/ 

http://www.trustthebum.com/us/sun-care-facts/

http://www.trustthebum.com/us/faq/

Sun Bum also supports some very worthy causes:

http://www.trustthebum.com/good/

To a Skin Happy Summer!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

National Drug Take Back Initiative

Saturday, April 28th 10am to 2pm

Here's a Reminder to clean out your cabinets and drawers and dispose of any unused or expired medication. This program, set up by the DEA, will accept ANY type of drug...OTC, Prescription, Injectable, Controlled or Illicit. No questions asked. This is your chance to get rid of all of it.

This is only a Bi-Annual event, at this point in time, and won't take place again until the fall. So, take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of your drugs properly.

Saturday, April 28th 10am to 2pm

Drop off sites are numerous and there's bound to be one close to where you live. To find out where a close drop off location is, click on this link:

Collection Sites

For more information on this event, click here:

National Drug Take Back Initiative

Saturday, April 28th 10am to 2pm

To a Healthy Environment!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

Did you know that doing yoga and pilates can help strengthen your core muscles that help you become stronger on the slopes?? Having a strong core is essential to good performance when skiing or snowboarding. It helps to keep you strong, centered and forward, helping you stay in control. And staying in control is where safety begins on the mountain.

So, don't wait until ski season is over. Hit that yoga or pilates class now!

Stay strong and safe out there!

To Healthy Living!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

Still stressed from the crazed holiday stesses of shopping, wrapping, celebrating, eating, traveling, working and not getting enough exercise nor sleep? Now that the New Year has begun, you know you need to get back on track to eating better and getting some exercise, but you feel sluggish and don't know how to get started? Let me suggest starting the new year off with Yoga!

I'm a pretty fit person. I run, bike, swim, hike, ski and lift weights. I had always considered yoga to be an easy stretching session for people who were into meditation. Several years ago, I decided to give it a try. Having sustained a sports injury, I was needing to loosen up and figured yoga might do just that. I concluded I could put up with the meditation mumbo jumbo if it helped heal my injury and improved my flexibility.

After just one session, I can honestly say, I've never been so sore in my upper body or core before...EVER! It will work muscles you never even knew you had. I was sweating profusely, even though I was moving slowly or, at times, hardly at all! It's challenging physically, mentally and emotionally, though it can accomodate any level of fitness and is sure to improve even the most fit.

After doing yoga now for several years on and off, I can say with certainty, that it is my chosen way to, not only loosen up and stretch those tight muscles in my body, but to relax my mind as well. I have yet to find anything that comes close to relaxing me the way yoga does. And I found I actually enjoyed the meditative atmosphere of a yoga class. It's one of the few places I can stop all the constant chatter of my busy mind for an hour or so. When I leave a yoga class, I am completely mellowed out. There isn't much that can rattle me after yoga. I am calm, happy, relaxed and exhausted, so I sleep better too.

If you've never done yoga, I challenge you to give it a try. Take a class once to twice a week for a month and decide for yourself. You can start off the new year by decreasing your stress from the holidays and start strengthening your core muscles. That way, when you do start exercising, you will have strengthened those tiny stablizing core and joint muscles you need to prevent injuries.

What if you don't like the meditation aspect? I've learned that instructors vary widely in their instruction from movement poses to meditation styles. Some are a bit over the top for me, and that's fine for some. However, there are numerous instructors and styles to choose from these days and not all of them focus as strongly on the meditation aspect of yoga. According to the attached, downloadable file below, there are 15 million yogis and yoginis in the United States. Now that's a lot to choose from. So find one you like and start enjoying the many health benefits of yoga today:

*Increased Flexibility & Strength

*Detoxification

*Improved Posture

*Stress Reduction

*Improved Sleep

*Improved Concentration, Memory and Attention

*Decreased Depression and Anxiety

*Enhanced Mood and Sense of Well-Being

Learn more about yoga with this free downloadable file:The Health Benefits of Yoga

Download Free Payroll Stuffer here for your employees: Yoga Payroll Stuffers

Need these in Spanish? Los beneficios del yoga para la salud Y La información que se incluye con el cheque de nómina

To A Healthy New Year!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

With constantly changing Over-the-Counter Cough and Cold Products, choosing the right product is very difficult and downright confusing for the average consumer. And the last thing you feel like doing when you are sick, is standing in the cough and cold aisle, aching, sniffling, coughing and trying not to get snot on everything while trying to figure it all out.

Even as a pharmacist, it can be confusing. Twenty years ago, if we told you to get Benadryl, there was only 1 product named Benadryl. Today, there are 38 (no joke) products with Benadryl in the name. Drug companies also frequently change ingredients of a product and DO NOT change the name of the product or labeling other than listing the new ingredients. Therefore, pharmacists frequently need to come out and actually look at the ingredients (just like I'll show you below) in order to figure out which product you need.

So, here's the scoop. Below is a Chart with brief descriptions of how to spot the right ingredients to treat your symptoms. Just print and cut out the following chart, either circle or place a check mark by your symptoms and take it with you to the store. Match your symptoms with ingredients and Score! you've got the right product.

* There are also options not mentioned, for instance, saline sinus rinses and sprays for a stuffy nose, and cough drops for sore throats and cough. However, the focus of this blog is specifically on oral tablets/capsules and liquids:

* You will not find, or should not find, products with both antihistamines & expectorants in them. One dries the secretions & the other makes them runny. You can't do both at the same time. You'll need to choose which is more important! If your chest is so tight you can't breath or are worried about infection setting in in the lungs, you will want to opt for the expectorant. If your nose is so runny, you have to stuff wads of kleenex up both nostrils to keep it from running all over your pillow, you will probably want to opt for the antihistamine.

* Decongestants are stimulants. They can keep you up at night. But if you're not sleeping because you can't breathe, you may want to use a decongestant to help you breath. You may not sleep as well as usual, but will probably sleep better than without it.

These are the kind of questions you have to ask yourself in order to make a choice.

Of course, if you still have no idea, just ask your pharmacist!

CAUTION!  You must still read the warnings and precautions on all medications. If you are pregnant, check with your doctor. If you have certain medical conditions or are taking certain medications, you must make sure you can take the product. Read the package carefully. If you are not sure, ask the pharmacist. That's what we're there for! To help YOU!

I hope you learned something. Hopefully, you won't need to use any of this information and you'll stay healthy all winter.

To a Healthy Winter!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

It's That Time of Year Again... Have You Had Your Flu Shot Yet?

Did you know that getting a flu shot is the most important step you can take in preventing the flu?

The CDC now recommends everyone over 6 months of age get a flu shot. If you're a healthy adult, under the age of 65, you can get away with not getting the flu shot. If you contract the flu, you may feel like you're going to die, but chances are good that you'll recover with time. However, even if you are a healthy adult, under the age of 65, you may consider getting a flu shot for a couple of reasons:

First of all, it will decrease your chances of contracting the flu yourself. And let's be honest. If you could prevent the possibility that you will be throwing up your toes, while at the same time having diarrhea (do you sit or do you kneel?), experiencing extreme fatigue and a pounding headache, while every muscle in your body is aching. Your throat is sore and your nose is running and stuffy, while alternating between hot and cold and generally feeling like you're going to die....Wouldn't you want to decrease your risk of that lovely experience? But, like I said, chances are good that you'll live through it.

Secondly, if you are in contact with anyone at increased risk of having complications from the flu, you may potentially expose them to the flu. Complications can be serious and sometimes life-threatening. Some people at increased risk of complications would include:

- Children under the age of 5 years old, but more importantly, under the age of 2

- People over the age of 65 years old

- Anyone with medical conditions, including but not limited to: Asthma, Lung Disease, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Obesity, (complete list can be found here on the CDC website)

If you are worried about preservatives, ask for a preservative-free flu shot.

If you are worried about the pain of getting a shot, here are a few tips I've learned through my experience as a pharmacist and immunizer on:

How to increase your chances of a painless flu shot:

- RELAX! Tightening the muscles, in my opinion, will pretty much guarantee it will be more painful and will cause lingering soreness around the site of the injection. Think about this. When you contract a muscle, muscle fibers bunch up, therefore causing the needle to have to pass thru many more muscle fibers than is necessary. If you can relax to the point where the muscle is flabby, you will experience less pain and soreness. (This is easier to do if you sit straight on the chair, look straight forward and dangle the arm straight down to your side. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed too.) I realize it may be difficult to relax when someone is about to jab a needle in your arm, but if you can do it, you'll see it does make a big difference.

- Wear a short-sleeved shirt. When you wear long sleeves, you have to bunch it up right above the injection site. This can cause the muscle to bunch up tight too, therefore increasing the chance of more pain and soreness.

- Ask for a preservative-free shot, if it's available. Many flu shots are drawn up thru a multi-dose vial, which contains preservatives. It contains preservatives because multiple shots are withdrawn from the same vial and it's important that whatever minute amounts of bacteria entering the vial multiple times do not contaminate the vial. What does this means for you? It means that the needle that goes into your arm also has to puncture the stopper on the multi-dose vial. This one puncture will dull the needle just enough to cause just a little bit more pain when injecting. Not a lot, but a little. The preservative-free shots have a fresh, sterile needle added on and the first thing it will puncture is your arm. And believe it or not, the sharper that needle is, the more painless the shot will be!

- Don't let the immunizer pinch up your arm to give the shot. Some people do that to distract you, but you will most likely experience more pain and lingering soreness.

- The faster the better. You won't have control over this one, but the faster the immunizer gets that needle into your arm, the less pain you will feel. You can, however, often watch the immunizer give a shot to someone else to see if they stick it in quickly or slowly.

- Use the arm after getting the shot. This will get blood circulation moving through that muscle and will help disperse any inflammation at the site, as well as help to improve the body's exposure to the shot and therefore it's response to it.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your flu shot today!

Please be sure to read the following Flu Prevention Brochure on tips to prevent the flu, as well as, who should and should not get the flu shot. Feel free to download it too!

Flu Prevention Brochure

If you are an employer, it is in your best interest to educate your employees on Flu Prevention. Practicing Flu Prevention steps, including getting a flu shot, will result in less sick days and healthier employees. Feel free to download and pass out the following Flu Prevention Payroll Stuffers:

Employer Flu Prevention Payroll Stuffer

For Additional Information on the Flu or the Flu Vaccine, Visit the CDC Website.

All information listed is obtained from the CDC, other than my personal opinions on how to decrease the pain of receiving a flu shot, which is based on my professional experience as an active immunizer for several years now, having given hundreds of shots a year.

Have a Healthy Winter!

Terrie Stonebraker, RPh

This medication disposal program has been so successful the last 2 times, the DEA is hosting yet another collection, and will continue to do so every 6 months until a process is in place to allow people to dispose of their medications safely.

If you live in the United States and have expired or unused medications and drugs to dispose of, go to http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/ to find a disposal location near you by clicking on “Find a collection site near you“

~~~

REMEMBER, it’s this SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, 2011 from 10am to 2pm!!

Good Day All!

Welcome to the First Pharmacy Blog Post!

My name is Terrie Stonebraker and I am a licensed pharmacist. I have over 25 years of Retail Pharmacy experience including Staff Pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager, Trainer, Immunizer, and Biometric Screener. I am certified in Red Cross First Aid and CPR. I also have a unique perspective on healthcare than many other pharmacists, due to the fact that I struggled with chronic illness for about 10 years. I educated myself through reading and trial and error with alternative healing medicines and practices, as well as traditional methods.

I have joined with Talon Benefits to offer you something that no other Benefits company brings to the table and that’s your own Personal Pharmacy Consultant. In addition to providing you with answers to your pharmacy and healthcare related questions, I will also be blogging about different healthcare and pharmacy related topics.

There will be a variety of topics discussed and free downloadable files to accompany many of them. As we head into the fall and winter season, upcoming blogs will address Influenza Immunizations, the Health Benefits of Yoga, Managing Cholesterol, Exercise and Fitness and How What You Eat Affects Your Mental Status. 

At Talon Benefits we are making every effort to bring you good, up-to-date information related to your insurance needs and that includes giving you access to pharmacy healthcare as well.

Have a Fabulous Day!
Terrie Stonebraker, RPh
Your Pharmacy Consultant