Bluegrass Pharmacy

Heart Health - Salt

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:57:00 +0000

People don’t realize how much salt from foods and medications affects their blood pressure. The usual limit is 2300 mg/day of sodium – about one teaspoonful of salt.

People with high blood pressure should limit their sodium intake to 1500mg/day. Most people get double this amount. Many people think they don’t eat much salt because they don’t use the salt shaker, but most comes from prepared foods. One can of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup has about 2000mg of sodium, some restaurant meals contain over 5000mg.

Blood pressure is the force that is created when the heart pumps blood into the blood vessels. High blood pressure increases the workload of the heart and adds stress to blood vessels and organs thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Lifestyle modifications are helpful in reducing blood pressure as well as other cardiovascular risk factors. Modifications include the following: weight reduction, regular physical activity, sodium reduction, smoking cessation, and moderate alcohol consumption.

Is it a cold, or the flu?

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Is it a cold or the flu? While the common cold can be caused by over 200 different viruses, seasonal flu is caused by either influenza A or B. Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, followed by nasal congestion and runny nose. A cough may follow on the fourth or fifth day. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Flu symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Symptoms are similar to the common cold except more severe. A common complication of the flu is pneumonia and it is not uncommon to feel run down for over a week when you have the flu.

Heart Health - Aspirin

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Which patients should take aspirin to prevent an initial heart attack or stroke?

New recommendations recommend 81mg of aspirin for men age 45 to 79 and women age 55 to 79. The benefits of taking aspirin are different for men and for women. For men, the benefit is to prevent a heart attack. For women, the primary benefit is to prevent as ischemic stroke. There is no evidence that higher doses of aspirin work better, plus they can increase bleeding risk.

Diabetes

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, blindness and amputations, and a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes and about six million of those don’t even know they have the disease.

Obesity is directly linked to diabetes and as it rises, so do the numbers of diabetics. Type 2 diabetes (also known as adult-onset diabetes) is believed to be largely the result of an increase in obesity levels.

Prevention: Stop eating so much sugar and junk food.

Junk foods are primarily made up of sugar and simple carbohydrates (the body converts carbohydrates to sugar). These spike insulin levels and then quickly drop. When those levels nosedive, your body thinks it must have more sugar which leads to sugar cravings or a sweet tooth, starting the process all over again. This constant rising and falling of insulin levels is what causes diabetes.

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which an individual has blood glucose (sugar) levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Having prediabetes does not make developing type 2 diabetes unavoidable. It does, however, significantly increase the risk.

Recent studies have shown that people at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 – 7% of their body weight. This happens by making healthy eating choices and getting regular exercise of at least 20 minutes a day. The term “exercise” here specifically means elevating the heart rate significantly for 20 minutes with vigorous activity.

Diabetes Education and Resources

Control Your Diabetes for Life: http://www.ndep.nih.gov/i-have-diabetes

Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: http://www.ndep.nih.gov/am-i-at-risk/index.aspx

Ribbon Cutting

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Bluegrass Pharmacy / Home Medical Holds Ribbon Cutting

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.

http://isurfhopkinsco.com/local-news/4513-bluegrass-pharmacy-holds-ribbon-cutting.html

The truth about H1N1 (or the Swine Flu)

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:38:00 +0000

H1N1 (Swine Flu)

Every year different types or strains of the flu develop and are passed around. This year, H1N1 (also known as Swine Flu), is the strain that makes everyone so nervous. But the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is saying that the group at greatest risk of getting H1N1 are people under 25 years of age. So far, very few cases and deaths have been reported in people over 65, which is odd compared to the traditional seasonal flu.

However, those at risk for complications from the seasonal flu are at an even greater risk of complications from H1N1. Examples of high-risk medical conditions that increase the chances of H1N1 complications are:

Asthma
Diabetes
Suppressed immune systems
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Neurocognitive and neuromuscular disorders
Pregnancy

The CDC has recommended the 2009 H1N1 vaccine for the following groups:

Pregnant women
Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than six months of age (such as parents, siblings, and daycare providers)
Health care and emergency medical personnel
Persons from six months through 24 years of age
Persons ages 25 through 64 with medical conditions that put them at risk for flu complications

Once healthcare providers meet the demand for the H1N1 vaccine among the groups listed above, it is recommended that everyone between the ages of 25 and 64 be vaccinated. Studies show that risk of flu infection is less for persons over 65 than the younger groups. However, once the demand is also met for the younger groups, the CDC recommends that providers offer the vaccine to people ages 65 and up.

Ways to Protect Against Spreading the Flu

The first and most important step in protecting against flu infection is getting the vaccine. Washing your hands often will protect you from spreading germs. The CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use anti-bacterial wipes or hand sanitizers, such as Germ-X.

Symptoms

You may have the flu if you have some or all of the following symptoms:

Fever *

Cough

Sore throat

Runny or stuffy nose

Body aches

Headache

Chills

Fatigue

Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It is important to note that not everyone with the flu has a fever.

For more information about H1N1, visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm

Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Bluegrass Pharmacy) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Our blog is now up! Stay tuned for future posts.