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What's new at Luck Pharmacy?
We are very excited to welcome Lucas Boe as our new full-time head pharmacist. Lucas is from International Falls, MN and is very excited to be in Luck. He looks forward to meeting each of you.
We continue to make changes throughout the store. Since our last newsletter we have added Russell Stover candy and Squeek Me Shoes - an adorable infant/toddler line of shoes (including WI Badger shoes) - great for gifts!
Coming in November we will be adding a new line to our diabetes care - Dr. Comfort shoes. These shoes are geared toward the diabetic patient, but are great for anyone who wants an extremely comfortable shoe. There are many styles of shoes - there is definitely something for everyone - so make sure you check them out! Also, for those diabetic patients with Medicare Part B, the cost of these shoes may be covered 100%! If you, or someone you know is diabetic and has Medicare Part B, make sure they know about these great shoes and have them set up an appointment to get fitted with us today.
We are also very excited to start providing monthly specials. September is our first month doing so. Each month there will be a flyer with articles and a list of our specials for that month. The sales items noted will be tagged throughout the store so you can find them easily.
THIS ISSUES TOPICS:
High Cholesterol Facts
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that the body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines and heart.
The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If a person has too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries of the brain and the arteries that supply blood to the legs. Cholesterol deposits are a component of the plaques that cause narrowing and blockage of the arteries, producing signs and symptoms originating from the particular part of the body that has decreased blood supply.
High Cholesterol Causes
Heredity: Genes may influence how the body metabolizes LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Weight: Excess weight my modestly increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. Losing weight may lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Physical activity/exercise: Regular physical activity may lower triglycerides and raise HDL cholesterol levels.
Age and sex: Before menopause, women usually have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. As women and men age, their blood cholesterol levels rise until about 60-65 years of age. After about age 50 years, women often have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.
Alcohol use: Moderate (1-2 drinks daily) alcohol intake increases HDL (good) cholesterol but does not lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Doctors don't know for certain whether alcohol also reduces the risk of heart disease. Drinking too much alcohol can damage the liver and heart muscle, lead to high blood pressure, and raise triglyceride levels. Because of the risks, alcoholic beverages should not be used as a way to prevent heart disease.
Mental stress: Several studies have shown that stress raises blood cholesterol levels over the long term. One way that stress may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some people are under stress, they console themselves by eating fatty foods. The saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods contribute to higher levels of blood cholesterol.
High Cholesterol Symptoms
High cholesterol is a risk factor for other illnesses and by itself does not cause symptoms. Routine screening blood tests may reveal elevate cholesterol levels in the blood. The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines suggest that everyone aged 20 years and older should have their blood cholesterol level measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a lipoprotein profile to find out your cholesterol numbers.
High Cholesterol Treatment
Self-Care at Home
Diet: Total fat less than 30% of daily caloric intake. Saturated fat less than 7% of daily caloric intake. Polyunsaturated fat less than or equal to 10% of daily caloric intake. Monounsaturated fat about 10%-15% of daily caloric intake. Cholesterol less than 200 milligrams per day. Carbohydrates 50%-60% of daily caloric intake.
Activity: Although exercise has little effect on LDL, aerobic exercise may improve insulin sensitivity, HDL, and triglyceride levels and may thus reduce the risk of heart disease. People who exercise and control their diet appear to be more successful with long-term lifestyle modifications that improve their heart risk profile.
Medical Treatment
If following a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet, increasing physical activity and losing weight have not lowered the risk for developing coronary heart disease after about 3 months, your doctor may consider prescribing a cholesterol-lowering medication. If your doctor prescribes medicine, you must still follow your cholesterol-lowering diet, be more physically active, lose weight if you are overweight and control or stop all of your other coronary heart disease risk factors (including controlling high blood pressure and diabetes, and quit smoking).
Tips for Healthy Sleep
You should wake up refreshed in the morning without the use of an alarm clock and feel energetic all day. If not, you may find some good tips below.
A large proportion of sleep deprivation is due to the high paced lifestyle causing the lack of time to get the sleep we need. When we do not get the amount of sleep we need we accumulate a sleep debt. This sleep debt has to be paid back or sleepiness will continue to worsen. Many people try to pay back the debt on the weekends resulting in the disruption of their circadian rhythm.
Tips that may help
- Sleep is as important as food and air. Quantity and quality are very important. Most adults need between 7.5 and 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you press the snooze button on the alarm in the morning you are not getting enough sleep. This could be due to not enough time in bed, external disturbances or a sleep disorder.
- Keep regular hours. Try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. Getting up at the same time is most important. Getting bright light, like the sun, when you get up will also help. Try to go to bed only when you are sleepy. Bright light in the morning at a regular time should help you feel sleepy at the same time every night.
- Stay away from stimulants like caffeine. This will help you get deep sleep which is most refreshing. If you take any caffeine, take it in the morning. Avoid all stimulants in the evening, including chocolate, caffeinated sodas and caffeinated teas. They will delay sleep and increase arousals during the night.
- Use the bed for sleeping. Avoid watching TV or using laptop computers. Know that reading in bed can be a problem if the material is very stimulating and you read with a bright light.
- Avoid bright light around the house before bed. Using dimmer switches in living rooms and bathrooms before bed can be helpful.
- Don't stress if you feel you are not getting enough sleep. It will just make matters worse. Know you will sleep eventually.
- Avoid exercise near bedtime. No exercise at least 3 hours before bed.
- Don't go to bed hungry. Have a light snack, avoid a heavy meal before bed.
- Bedtime routines are helpful for good sleep. Keep routines on your normal schedule. A cup of herbal tea an hour before bed can begin a routine.
- Avoid looking at the clock. If you wake up in the middle of the night, aviod looking at the clock as it can cause anxiety.
- If you can't get to sleep for over 30 minutes, get out of bed and do something boring in dim light till you are sleepy.
- Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature. Not too warm and not too cold. Cooler is better than warmer.
- If you have problems with noise in your environment you can use a white noise generator. An old fan will work for this.
- Know that the "night cap" has a price. Alcohol may help you to get to sleep but it will cause you to wake up throughout the night.
- If you have a sleep partner ask them if they notice any snoring, leg movements and/or pauses in your breathing. Take this information and try the sleep test. You may have a sleep disorder or you may just need to increase your awareness about your own sleep need. If you have any concerns see your doctor.
Remember to stop in to get our flyer and see our monthly specials! |
