Here, from experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are some tips on managing your medications: Whether you’re settling into your sixties or heading into your ninth decade, be careful when taking prescription and over-the-counter medicines, herbal preparations, and supplements. And if you’re caring for older loved ones, help them stay safe, too. Why… Continue reading 4 Medication Safety Tips for Older Adults
Tag: medication
Vacation Advice for Caregivers
Summer vacation season is in full swing, and many people are making plans to get away. For some, the most difficult decisions are choosing where to go and when. For caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, there are a host of other things to consider. “Vacations provide a chance to recharge one’s… Continue reading Vacation Advice for Caregivers
Exploring Options for Relieving Chronic Pain
Maybe your knees aren’t what they once were, and a leisurely walk around the block has become a painful ordeal. Perhaps too much time hunched in front of the computer has left your shoulders an aching mess. Young or old, you’re in good company. More than 11 percent of Americans suffer from chronic pain, according… Continue reading Exploring Options for Relieving Chronic Pain
Fibromyalgia: What You Need to Know
Fibromyalgia is a long-term (chronic) pain condition that affects 5 million or more Americans ages 18 and older. Most people diagnosed with it are women, though men and children may also have it. And some disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, may also occur simultaneously with fibromyalgia. Here, from the experts at the National… Continue reading Fibromyalgia: What You Need to Know
Arthritis: What You Need to Know
The word “arthritis” makes many people think of painful, stiff joints. But, there are many kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments. Most types of arthritis are chronic. That means they can go on for a long period of time. Arthritis can attack joints in almost any part of the body. Some types… Continue reading Arthritis: What You Need to Know
When Unwanted Thoughts Take Over: Recognizing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Do you feel the need to check and re-check things over and over? Do you have the same thoughts constantly? Do you feel a very strong need to perform certain rituals repeatedly and feel like you have no control over what you are doing? If so, you may have a type of anxiety disorder called… Continue reading When Unwanted Thoughts Take Over: Recognizing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Hypertension Patients Benefit from Pharmacist Care
Patients with high blood pressure fare better when a pharmacist is part of their health-care team, according to new research from the University of Iowa. The investigators, who published their findings in the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension, showed that teams that included pharmacists gave more hands-on and tailored medication regimens to patients.… Continue reading Hypertension Patients Benefit from Pharmacist Care
When Hospitalization Happens to Dementia Patients
From the National Institute on Aging A trip to the hospital with a person who has memory loss or dementia can be stressful for both of you. This outline, from experts at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), can relieve some of that stress by helping you prepare for both unexpected and planned hospital visits.… Continue reading When Hospitalization Happens to Dementia Patients
4 Ways to Manage Diabetes for Life
Editor’s note: It can be frightening to get a diabetes diagnosis. You may feel overwhelmed or hopeless. But diabetes, while a serious condition, can be managed. Here, experts from the National Diabetes Education Program suggest strategies that will help you: Step 1: Learn about diabetes. There are three types: Type 1 diabetes – Your body… Continue reading 4 Ways to Manage Diabetes for Life
Positive Expectations and Depression
Positive thinking may help some depressed patients after all, according to a new study on the placebo effect in medical research. Over the past three decades, researchers say, there’s been a sharp rise in patients’ positive response to placebos – the fake medication given to some study participants who think it’s actual medicine. The latest… Continue reading Positive Expectations and Depression
Cheaper & Better Drug for Heart Attack Procedure
A study done in the UK and published in The Lancet on July 4th 2014 compares outcomes for two drugs used to prevent blood clot formation during emergency heart attack treatment. The study suggests that use of one of the drugs, heparin, could result in improved outcomes such as a reduced rate of repeat heart attacks, compared to the other drug tested, bivalirudin, which is in widespread use in high-income countries and is around 400 times more expensive than heparin.