DEA launches Drug Take-Back Day for expired or unused prescription meds.
Unused prescription drugs can end up in landfills, water supplies, and into the hands of thieves as well. It is safe and responsible to dispose these potentially hazardous substances by handing them over to the proper authorities.
The state of Alabama is about to run the 14th Drug Take-Back Day in seven years. These programs have successfully collected over 450 tons of medication nationwide, according to the D.E.A.
These type of programs are the front lines in preventing prescription drug abuse and opioid overdose related deaths. “Two years ago, we lost more than 52,000 Americans to drug overdose, more than 33,000 of those from opioids. We urge you to do your part to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets and help end this national epidemic.”said DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam in a statement
All drop-offs are completely anonymous and no private information is collected. States such as Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi have participated in this program so far, with new collection sites being added daily.
How to Make Halloween Enjoyable for Children Living with Diabetes.
As Halloween approaches, it can prove to be a difficult time of the year for the parents of diabetic children.
It can be easy for them to feel left out when faced with limitations to the treats they may consume. Consulting with a healthcare professional to determine safe alternatives is key.
Focusing on other aspects of the holiday helps these kids avoid alienation from participation. Letting them decide their costume, help with decorations, and planning an eventful party are just a few examples.
Toys and other activities such as pumpkin carving are great alternatives to high-sugar sweets and edibles. But if the child is to have some, it’s best to combine it with a healthy meal to reduce the amount of insulin needed.
Keep a lookout for treats being sneaked by you. Communication is critical, as some younger ones might not understand why others can have more candy than them. Emphasizing discipline while expressing empathy will go a long way in mutual understanding and gaining trust.
Having a plan to mitigate candy consumption and being creative in the alternatives makes all the difference. This holiday goes beyond sweets & treats and making your children aware of this will open their minds to other healthier activities..
If you suffer from chronic low back pain, you might be desperate for some sort of solution to the debilitating condition.
Chronic low back pain is a widespread problem. According to WebMD, Americans spend over $50 billion each year on back pain. About 80 percent of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives.
There has been a lot of publicity touting the benefits of yoga and physical therapy for back pain relief, especially as doctors move away from painkillers as a solution.
But a recent study suggests aching consumers shouldn’t expect complete relief.
The study results showed that both yoga and physical therapy help some people some of the time, but they don’t work for everyone and the pain relief was not perfect.
According to the June 2017 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 320 patients with persistent back pain were assigned either yoga, physical therapy or educational instruction on managing back pain.
After 12 weeks, about 48 percent of the yoga group had a ‘clinically meaningful’ improvement in their pain. The same was true for 37 percent of physical therapy patients. The study’s authors said the difference between the yoga and physical therapy results were not statistically significant and both therapies appeared to make some difference during a year’s time.
In an editorial accompanying the study, one of the authors, Dr. Stefan Kertesz of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, cautioned on overselling yoga as a solution. “The reality is, yoga was not a panacea for most of these patients.”
If you want to try yoga for your back, be sure you take a beginner’s class with gentle poses aided with chairs..
It’s nearly impossible to go to a restaurant or a supermarket now and not be bombarded with labels touting “gluten free” ingredients and recipes. Today people are acutely aware of an allergy to a protein in wheat, barley and rye. This allergy is called celiac disease.
With all of the sudden attention to this disease, it almost seems like a recent discovery. But, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation, it has been acknowledged for nearly 2,000 years.
It was ancient Greece, in fact, where a physician first noticed patients that presented with diarrhea and malabsorption. They used the term “coeliac,” from the Greek word for abdominal, to describe the condition and the modern name evolved from there. Much later, during the food supply shortages of World War II, European doctors noticed that fewer children were dying from this disease as wheat became a rare commodity. This link started the decades-long research of wheat, gluten, and celiac disease.
The Mayo Clinic explains that when those with celiac disease eat gluten, it creates an immune reaction in the small intestine. With continued exposure, this response will damage the lining of the intestine and affect the way the body digests food and absorbs nutrients from it. Side effects from this malabsorption can include chronic diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and more. At this time, there is no reliable cure for this disease but abstaining from gluten entirely can prevent nearly all of the complications from the disease.
Despite the widespread coverage of celiac disease recently, Stefano Guandalini, a doctor at the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, points out that gluten has been around since wheat was cultivated over 10,000 years ago and has remained largely unchanged over the years. It is estimated that about 1 percent of the population has celiac disease and many of those people are currently undiagnosed. More alarming is that celiac disease does seem to be becoming more common as only about .2 percent of the population were estimated to have it in the 1950s. Although many people probably don’t have to worry about this affliction, greater awareness of any illness is always helpful with prevention and finding a cure.
Gluten-free lifestyle may not boost heart health
If you don’t have celiac disease, your heart won’t get a boost from going gluten free, according to a new study.
The gluten-free lifestyle is crucial for people with celiac disease. For them eating wheat, barley, and rye triggers the body to attack the small intestine, causing inflammation and leading to malnutrition and gastrointestinal distress. The inflammation then increases heart disease risk. Eliminating gluten stops the attack on the small intestine and reduces inflammation.
What the May study in The BMJ asked is whether people without celiac disease would benefit from going gluten free.
The Harvard research team did not find much of a difference in heart attacks between people who ate the most gluten and those who ate the least.
On the other hand, people who avoided nutritional whole grains had an increased risk of heart disease.
The lesson: If you don’t have celiac disease, don’t cut whole grains out of your diet and don’t worry about going gluten free, according to the Harvard Heath Letter.
