HOPKINS COUNTY, KY – At 11:30 AM on Monday iSurf News was on the scene as Bluegrass Pharmacy / Home Medical held a public ribbon cutting ceremony in honor of the business reopening in a new building.

Owned by Gary Russell, Bluegrass Pharmacy has been a very prominent business in Madisonville for almost three decades. Earlier this year the initial building that the pharmacy was originally housed in was torn down and rebuilt. The new building was officially open for business in July with a $3 million dollar investment by Bluegrass Pharmacy who has 40 employees.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was a great success with over thirty prominent local individuals showing up, such as the Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce and Old National Bank representatives. The ceremony opened with Chamber spokesperson Harriett Whittaker speaking about the business itself. Afterwards, Russell himself shared a little information regarding the Pharmacy’s history.

Russell and his Wife performed the actual cutting of the ribbon to a huge round of applause. Directly afterward the ceremony ended with an invitation for the public to come in and look around the store.

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This is the time to reflect on those who have fought against this disease and lost and those that have triumphed.  It is estimated that more than 190,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,000 will die of the disease . There are several steps you can take to help protect yourself.

Click here to download a PDF outlining breast cancer awareness and steps you can take to prevent and screen for it.

The flu season is quickly approaching, and we want our customers to be informed so that they may be best protected against the virus.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the flu vaccine on a yearly basis to anyone 6 months of age or older.  Higher risk populations may experience an increased risk of serious flu-related complications and are especially encouraged to talk to their healthcare providers about the vaccine.  Some high risk populations include but are not limited to:

• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5 (especially children younger than 2 years old)
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (i.e. COPD, diabetes)
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
  • Health care workers
  • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
  • Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

Flu season commonly falls between October to May with the highest incidence occurring during January and February.  Patients are encouraged to get the vaccination as soon as resources become available in their communities, usually around September.

Our pharmacists are qualified to provide immunization services to patients age 14 and up without prescription authorization by their doctor and to children ages 9 to 14 with a valid prescription. Please stop by our store or contact us with any flu vaccination questions at 270-825-2775.

For more information, visit the CDC website at

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/fluvaccine.htm#who-vaccinated

Although school may be out now is the time to enroll your child in the summer session of healthy eating. According to health.com here are 6 tips to help you maintain what your kids eat.

• Keep kids on an eating and snacking schedule: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks.
• Plan family vacations that focus on physical activity rather than just relaxation.
• Enroll your children in organized sports camps for swimming, soccer, or tennis.
• Limit “screen time” to no more than one to two hours a day.
• Make summer’s perfect produce the centerpiece of your meals. Visit a farmers market with your children and prepare meals together using fresh, wholesome ingredients. Better yet, designate a section of your yard as a place where your child can plant his or her own vegetables. Then let your child harvest the veggies and help decide how to eat them.
• Limit calorie-rich juices, sodas, and other liquids.

As the summer is starting to get underway many families are going on vacations or simply spending more time out side in the hot sun. Here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics on how to keep your little ones safe while they play in the sun.

For children the age of 6 months or younger the two main recommendations from the AAP to prevent sunburn are to avoid sun exposure, and to dress your children in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck to prevent sunburn.

However, when adequate clothing and shade are not available, you can apply a small amount of SPF 15 sunscreen to the small areas of your infant’s face and hands. If your infant does get sunburn simply apply cold compresses to the affected area.

For All Other Children:

• The first, and best, line of defense against too much sun is covering up.
• Stay in the shade whenever possible, and limit sun exposure during the peak intensity hours.
• On both sunny and cloudy days use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater that protects against UVA and UVB rays.
• Be sure to apply enough sunscreen (about one ounce per sitting for a young adult).
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours, or after swimming or sweating.
• Use extra caution near water and sand as they reflect UV rays and may result in sunburn more quickly.

About 1.5 million people in the U.S. alone die from strokes each year. To reduce this number, the American Heart Association is doing all it can to bring more light to this sudden and devastatingly fatal heart concern. The best thing that citizens can do is to be aware of the symptoms of a stroke to ensure quick action. The most common symptoms of a stroke are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you notice someone experiencing any of these symptoms, immediately dial 9-1-1 for assistance.

It’s May already, and that means, the kids are getting out of school, parents are taking weeks off at work and vacation time is here! But nothing ruins a vacation faster than a cold. Keep yourself protected so you can enjoy every second of your vacation by keeping these suggestions in mind:

• Avoid buffets or food bars where a lot of people gather to eat.
• Pack hand-sanitizer for those grungy-feeling moments.
• Get plenty of sleep. A weak body is a sick body.
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Water keeps the body healthy naturally, so keep as much pure H2O running through your body as you can. And avoid the alcohol, which slows down your immune system and weakens your body (not to mention, your mind as well).
• Avoid bars and stuffy, overcrowded places.
• Avoid attractions, such as arcades, where you handle the same objects as others. Not even Purell can save you then.

And of course, if all else fails, and you find yourself in one of the situations, like you’ve touched the same joystick at an arcade as the kid before you who kept rubbing his nose into the sleeve of his shirt, then try to at least avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and any other open areas on your body  with your hands until you’ve had a chance to wash them. This means no potty breaks either until you’ve got clean, sanitized hands.

Q: How can I tell if someone is in shock?

A: Shock means that the body’s vital organs  are not getting enough blood. This life-  threatening condition can be triggered by  bleeding, severe burns and other serious  problems.

Symptoms of shock may include:

• Pale, bluish, cold, clammy skin
• Weakness and decreasing alertness
• Extreme thirst
• Dull eyes with dilated pupils
• A weak or rapid pulse

If you suspect that someone is in shock,  follow these precautions:

• If necessary, begin rescue breathing or CPR.
• Place the person on his or her back, with legs elevated 8 to 12 inches. Never move anyone who may have a head, neck or back injury. Signs of head injury include loss of  consciousness, stiff neck or headache.
• Give basic first aid, if necessary. For instance, control a bleeding arm by applying pressure to the wound.
• Keep the person warm and comfortable.

Do you have more questions?  Our Web site has the answers.  Visit www.goodneighborpharmacy.com to read the latest health news, search our online  encyclopedia and take health quizzes.

Know when to see a doctor

How much do you know about first aid? Bruises usually heal on their own and are nothing to worry about. As you age, you may bruise more easily from minor falls and injuries. Some medications and supplements can also cause bruising.

Learning how to self-treat a bruise and when to seek medical attention can help you respond the right way to bruises when they appear.

First Aid

If you have an injury that’s starting to bruise, these steps will help it heal faster:

• Place an ice pack on the injured area and apply light pressure. If you’re using loose ice, wrap it in a cloth rather than placing it directly on the skin. Apply the ice for 20 minutes every hour that you’re awake for the first 24 hours.
• Apply heat for 20 minutes out of every hour you’re awake for the next 48 hours. When to Call the Doctor

Although most bruises can be self-treated, you should call your doctor if you:

• Have unexplained bruising, or an increase in the amount of bruising
• Have a bruise following a recent procedure or surgery
• Have a bruise as a result of severe trauma
• Have bruises that don’t go away
• Have severe pain, redness or swelling in a bruised area
• Have bruising along with a fever over 100.8 degrees

Your doctor can make sure you don’t have an illness, such as a bleeding or clotting disorder.

A Medical Emergency?

Call 911 or your doctor at once if you feel strong pressure in a bruised area of the body, especially if the area is large. You could have “compartment syndrome,” a condition that occurs when there is increased pressure on the soft tissues beneath the bruise that can reduce the supply of blood and oxygen to your tissues. This condition is potentially life-threatening and requires emergency care.

Visit www.goodneighborpharmacy.com and type “first aid” in the search bar to read about first aid kit essentials and other first aid tips.

Q: What is the proper way to care for a bee sting?

A: Bee stings are common and painful, but  rarely serious unless you’re allergic to them.  When stung by a bee, first remove the stinger  as quickly as possible. One of the best ways  to do this is to simply flick it off with your  fingernail. The stinger will continue to release  venom for several seconds after the bee has  pulled away, so the faster you remove the  stinger, the less venom you’ll absorb. Put a cold compress, such as ice wrapped in  a towel, on the sting to reduce pain, redness  and swelling. You may want to take an over-  the-counter antihistamine or pain reliever  for symptoms that continue over a period of  several days.

Get medical help immediately if you  experience the following symptoms of an  allergic reaction:

• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling on the face or neck
• Wheezing, coughing or choking
• Lightheadedness or faintness
• Itching or flushing