There are five foods that can be consumed for appetite suppressing and weight loss assistance:

Pine Nuts

The seed that has the most protein is pine nuts. When we consume protein laden foods for reducing weight, they tell our hormones to let our brains know that we are satisfied. Eating a healthy portion of pine nuts during the day will assist with appetite suppression when attempting to lose weight. Additionally, pine nuts have pinolenic acid, which is a polyunsaturated oil that tells the hormones that you are satisfied.

Oatmeal

Your ability to achieve the goals of appetite reduction and weight loss can be helped by eating oatmeal. Eating some oatmeal, which is high in fiber content, is a good idea while you are working through a weight loss plan. Foods that have a lot of fiber, such as oatmeal, support a full feeling quicker and you stay full for a longer time than is the case with other foods. Also, the appetite is suppressed with oatmeal and this helps you reduce your weight, since the glycemic index is lower. Foods with a reduced glycemic index enter the blood stream gradually and this causes you to feel less hunger.

Bananas

Bananas are wonderful fruits that assist with weight reduction because they suppress your appetite. Bananas are a very good food with appetite suppressing fiber and necessary vitamins as well as minerals that support weight loss and maintain health. So attempt to include bananas in your weight loss goals and achieve your ideal weight easier.

Whey Protein

If you require strong appetite suppressants to assist with weight loss then don’t look any place else besides whey proteins. Whey proteins work better than other proteins. Additionally, proteins are powerful weapons that battle hunger pangs that stand in the way of your weight loss plans. When you are dieting for weight loss, try to mix protein shakes with whey protein along with soy or reduced fat milk. You will be surprised with your appetite suppressant and weight loss outcome.

Apples

Apples are very good sources that contain fiber to suppress your appetite, which is beneficial for your weight loss goals. Apples have limited fat and calories, which support weight loss when you are dieting. Additionally, apples are wonderful foods that suppress your appetite and support weight loss, since they have organic liquids that cause you to feel more satisfied, causing weight loss.

You don’t have to feel like you are starving to lose weight. You can receive assistance in curtailing your food cravings and reaching your weight loss goals by incorporating natural foods that have the appetite-suppressant qualities of high protein and fiber content. Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are excellent choices for fiber but poultry, fish and lean meats have protein. Use these appetite suppressing supplements with your weight loss diet as well as water to have the ideal weight loss outcome.

Originally from Central Asia, garlic is now grown around the world. A member of the lily family, garlic is closely related to onions, chives and shallots.

Garlic has been recognized for its healing constituents for thousands of years. These constituents include volatile oils, which contain potent sulfur compounds, vitamins, selenium and scordinins. As a medicinal food, garlic has been shown to have antibiotic, lipid lowering and other health promoting properties. It is especially effective for chronic circulatory problems, infections and toxicity.

Garlic has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. It also is effective against some parasites. Louis Pasteur confirmed the antibacterial action of garlic in 1858. Studies have shown garlic to be powerful against bad bacteria. With antibiotic resistance a major concern, natural alternatives can provide great benefit. Garlic has been shown to be more potent against candida than traditional pharmaceutical treatment. Garlic is also beneficial for mild, chronic, recurring infections.

Garlic is effective in colds, flu, ear infections and helps reduce mucous. At least one component of garlic, alliin, is an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals that would otherwise cause cell damage.

Garlic may help lower your risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. Garlic has been shown to lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) while improving your HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). Even greater improvement is achieved when combined with a healthy diet. Garlic also protects the LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage through detoxification and protects levels of glutathione, an important nutrient in the body. Studies have shown eating garlic with a fatty meal, significantly reduces cholesterol and fats in the blood. Garlic also thins blood and dilates blood vessels thus increasing blood flow to the heart and brain. This makes clotting less likely and can also can help keep blood pressure down.

Eating garlic regularly can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. The emphasis here is on prevention, not the treatment of cancer. Garlic reduces the formation of carcinogens (cancer causers) in the body. Garlic can prevent the transformation of normal cells into cancer cells and also prevent cancer cells already formed from multiplying.

Typical dosage is at least 4,000 mcg of allicin daily. This equates to approximately 1-4 cloves of fresh garlic. Anything over this may cause a strong odor of garlic. Immune support can require 4,000 mcg 3 times daily. If supplementing, enteric coating is preferred. This ensures that allicin, the active component of garlic, is not formed until it arrives in the small and large intestine. Allicin is produced only when the product is dissolved or digested.

Garlic is very safe in the amounts mentioned. It is best used as an addition to, rather than a substitute for a healthy diet. People taking anticoagulants or high blood pressure medications should consult with their physicians first due to its effects on blood thinning and blood pressure.

Some seniors are living life to the hilt. What do you enjoy in life? If you had your druthers, what’s your ideal activity in your spare time? If you keep yourself in good, fit shape — under the eye of your physician, of course — and want to continue skiing into your 80’s, why not? Just because age is catching up with you, your spirit and wellness can still be the key to staying fit and able to do sports you’ve always relished.

We used to ski in Montana at Big Mountain near Whitefish. Every year we’d see a couple of guys in their 70’s and 80’s. As 40-something boomers, we were always in awe. But why is that?
Frame of mind is one reason. Excellent health is another. And joy of life, nurturing your spirit, has a lot to do with it, too.

Let me give you two examples.

Senior One

This 81-year-old senior lost her husband four years ago and made a choice then she would never be the same. She spent most of her married years living in one house. Her choice after his death was to sit in a “lift” recliner, watch TV, read, cook and do not much else. She hasn’t ventured out of her house much in all that time. She decided then, her house and possessions were her life.

Now her muscles have atrophied, her arthritis has worsened and she is pretty well in a rut. She can’t reach upper cupboards, can’t clean (does have a housekeeper) and can’t walk too quickly. She still chooses to sit. She was offered physical therapy, but found it too “hard.”

Her children are wondering how long she’ll be able to live by herself. She doesn’t want to go into assisted living or live with her kids, so that’s another matter her family will have to deal with. She seems lonely and unhappy.

Senior Two

At 76-years-old, this senior lost his wife five years ago. He had a tough two years before he could finally figure out what to do with himself. He has always liked to travel, so he spent the majority of his time on the road or in the air visiting family and seeing sights until he could get his feet back on the ground and start living alone and liking it.

A year or so ago he decided to get an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and join his now 79-year-old friend in riding logging roads and looking over the country. They try to get out at least once a week and have a great time. He’s showing his age, but keeping his muscles working and has no intention of giving up his hobby. He looks forward to his days.

So which senior would you aspire to imitate? Senior One or Senior Two?

Well, there’s no correct answer, because we’re all different. Senior One may be just as content where she is with her life. Who knows? But she didn’t prepare herself for good health. Senior Two’s life is certainly not for Senior One. Nor is the 80’s skier. However, they are keeping fit to make sure they do have other choices when they get up in the morning so they can keep on doing what they like to do.

What are you doing to ensure a healthy, fun life?

If you answered nothing, do know you’re never too old to change things. It is a choice. Whatever it is, be sure it’s the right choice for you when you make it.

The healing properties of the noni plant have been utilized for more than 2,000 years by the people of French Polynesia. Believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, the plant was taken by ancient migration to Micronesia, then to Polynesia. Ralph Heinicke, who has a doctorate in biochemistry, pioneered the research for the active ingredient in noni fruit, which he called xeronine. In 1957, he discovered that healthy human cells contained the precursor of xeronine – proxeronine – and found that an insufficient amount of the alkaloid, or chemical substance, led to major health problems.

According to scientific study conducted throughout the world, noni targets several systems in the body on a cellular level. Based on more than 2,000 years of historical evidence of noni use, there have been virtually no drug interactions or side effects. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the use of supplements, but has placed noni juice on the list of generally regarded as safe nutrients by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. July 1 marked the fifth anniversary that Heinicke brought noni juice to the United States. Today, distributors claim sales of the substance have made for one of the fastest growing home-based businesses and, during June, outsold orange juice nationwide.

Noni Juice is touted as improving the symptoms resulting from a long list of ailments including cancer, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, stroke, post menstrual syndrome, AIDS, lupus, allergies, sinusitis, fibromyalgia, Chrohn’ s disease, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It has also been credited with alleviating pain and acne. Yet, two years ago, Dellaverson had never heard of noni and refused to try the bottle her husband brought home to her. Finally, after he begged her for four months, she agreed and began taking small doses. “After the third day, I was sitting up in bed. So I kept taking it,” Dellaverson said. “Then one day, I said I can feel my arms with no pain. Within about a week or two, my energy was coming back. As time went on, two weeks, three weeks, every day I felt better.”

On Feb. 8,2000, she realized how much her life had changed. “I went to a church dance and danced for almost three hours in stiletto heels and nobody could believe it. That night I decided to start distributing noni juice and made a promise to Jesus that if I could feel better and build up my immune system and not have all the pain, I would sell this at cost. I promised to never make a dime off the people. That’s the way it’s going to be for the rest of my life. I’m never going to raise the price.” Although she still has three herniated disks in her spine, the pain and her other ailments have subsided. She underwent medical testing three months ago to find no sign of lupus, arthritis, Epstein-Barr or fibromyalgia. Today, as an independent distributor for Morinda, Inc., Dellaverson keeps in touch with Heinicke and with Gary Tran, another scientist involved in noni plant research. She also speaks at noni juice conventions nationwide.

Dr. Nielson C. Herrick, a local family physician, said that after researching noni juice, he is beginning to do trials on certain patients with it. “It seems to be safe and to have a pretty incredible effect on people I have met. I’ve read all the literature and research on it and it actually does make sense,” he said. “I used to pass these so-called miracle cures off, but I finally learned to look at them.” Herrick said he has discounted most of what he’s seen, but noni is one thing he considers safe and cost effective. “Now I’m beginning to tell some of my patients that they should try noni juice on top of current medical treatment,” he said. “Fortunately with this, we don’t have to worry about interactions with drugs, because noni is not a drug. The active ingredients in noni are not classified as herbs or medicine. Primarily, it’s an alkaloid that probably helps the proteins and enzymes work more efficiently on the cellular level. The rest of the ingredients are important antioxidants.” However, he warned, anyone taking coumadin, a commonly prescribed blood thinner, needs to have his or her physician monitor blood levels while taking noni juice. As with any type of treatment, it is important for everyone to first discuss its use with their health care professional, Herrick said. He suggested patients take literature on noni juice to their physicians, as this helps them understand the concept. He added the only side effect he knows of is that if noni juice is taken in too large doses, it may cause diarrhea. Herrick has been drinking the juice for about a week and said that at first, the aching in his back and shoulders got worse. But it soon was alleviated and left him feeling much better than before taking it.

“We’re excited and hoping that it will work on the disease of the ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, chronic fatigue,” he said. “It has a lot of promise there and we don’t have a lot in our current medicines that works for that disorder.” West Side resident Shirl Jones had the juice recommended to him by his doctor, Elbert Acosta. “At this point, I don’t feel that much difference in my knees,” said Jones who had a football injury in which cartilage was torn. “Juice is not going to replace cartilage,” he noted. “But I’m still taking it because it’s supposed to help high blood pressure. I don’t know if it’s helping that or not.”

Dan Adams, 59, of Neshannock Township, is another independent distributor for Morinda. He began selling the supplement about a year ago after it helped him to combat digestive problems, acid reflux and high blood pressure. “I’m off all the stomach medications and I take half a dose of my blood pressure medication,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research on the health industry, so to speak. I found the health care industry has nothing to do with health, but everything to do with sickness. “The amount of money we are spending, almost a trillion and a half dollars a year, is all on sickness. I’ve always been a believer in supplements and I would rather put something in my body on purpose that’s going to help me rather than put stuff in my body every day by accident through processed food, fats, sugars, you name it.” Adams added he became a distributor to help get the word out that supplements really can help people with health problems.

Liz Bertone, 52, of the North Hill, discovered noni juice while battling rheumatoid arthritis. “I was to the point when I could do very little around the house. I was taking medications and seeing a rheumatoidologist, but about once a month, I’d have really bad flare ups. My hands used to swell so big that they looked fake. “When I started taking noni, the swelling went down within the first week. For me it’s been a complete miracle,” said Bertone, who has been an independent distributor for more than a year.

Cheryl Somma, 48, of Shenango Township, began distributing noni juice after hearing the good it had done for others. “Thank God I haven’t had any bad health problems, but I’m taking it for prevention. It’s helped give me energy,” said Somma, who runs Master Tan and waitresses at a banquet hall. “I used to feel like a truck hit me when I was done each day,” she said. “Now I’m just tired.”

Debbie Sunseri, another 48 year-old Shenango Township resident, has been using the juice for about a year and a half, but is not a distributor. “My mom died of colon cancer, so I decided to start taking the juice to boost my immune system. It’s also helped with female problems and I only take two ounces a day.”

In 2007, the cost of treating arthritis was more than 15 billion dollars; the overall cost in lost productivity was 150 billion. It is estimated that in an average family, a diagnosis of arthritis in the primary wage-earner will lead to a 50% drop in income over the first 10 years.

Source:Arthritis Insight

The Level of Inflammation in RA Remains Stable

A study conducted by the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Disease-Arthritis Research Center Foundation, has determined that the level of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis is determined early and remains stable over the longterm course of the illness.

Over ten years, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was analyzed to measure inflammatory activity in 1,897 patients with RA. Scientists found that the ESR decreased by 4 mm/h over the first 10 years of disease, remained stable over the next 25 years, and increased slightly thereafter.

This is disappointing since earlier theories suggested that RA tended to “burn out” or lessen in severity over the years. However, the good new is that the very recently diagnosed who were receiving combination therapies did show marked improvement in symptoms, rather than remaining stable.

RA is a “New” Disease

Contrary to earlier reports, rheumatoid arthritis is a “new” disease, not described until the mid-1700’s. There have been many reports that RA existed in ancient times, but there is no scientific evidence that the disease existed in ancient Europe, Asia or Africa.

However, in Alabama, six skeletons of Native Americans–3,000 to 5,000 years old–show changes typical of RA. Scientists believe that some infectious agent was introduced and confined to a small geographic area before 1700’s.

Why is this important? If RA did appear recently, that suggests some environmental change could have triggered RA because the human gene structure has not changed in the last 250 years.

In November 1993, my husband, Bob, and I had come down with a really nasty case of the flu. Flu season was bad that year. We were supposed to go down to Kennewick, Washington for Thanksgiving to see my sister and her family. We didn’t make it.

Bob and I got over the flu. Or so I thought. Well, the good news is that at least Bob got well. But I was not so lucky. I kept getting sick.

At the time I was working as a janitor with a large janitorial firm here in Spokane. It was a union job and I was fortunate enough to have health insurance, which was with Group Health Northwest. Yes, a large HMO.

I wasn’t just having flu like symptoms. I had severe breathing difficulty. Fortunately, it wasn’t bad enough to require oxygen. There was also excess mucous from my lungs. It had gotten to the point that I’d be in the bathroom, violently heaving this stuff up from my lungs. My lungs were a little sore afterwards but I was breathing easier. What was hard for me was going to bed and waking up the next morning to find it covering my face and even some in my hair. I literally had to wash my hair daily, which wasn’t easy. You see, I had a bathtub, no shower, and thick curly black hair that was and still is shoulder length. Being sick my tail dragged all the time always fatigued. I had this feeling that I was really ill. This wasn’t going to just ‘go away quietly’. I just knew something was seriously wrong. There was an eerie uncommon feel to it.

I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired. I made an appointment with Dr. Sayers, who was my primary care physician, after two months of the on again off again illness. I told him exactly what was going. I told him everything. After a blood test and a chest x-ray, I was informed that it was bronchitis. I never had bronchitis before so this was a first for me. He prescribed an antibiotic for me.

Well, the bronchitis continued to reoccur. And everything time it did, I would go back to Dr. Sayers, only to get the same prognosis. One occasion, Dr. Sayers informs that I have the bronchitis but my asthma was flaring up as well. He continues very rudely with “You really should have told us about that asthma thing.” Naturally, my response was “I don’t have asthma and I’ve never had asthma. Are you sure?” I was really getting scared at this point. I had been dealing with this for almost two years at this point.

Dr. Sayers lit into me about it. Some of you have probably been subjected to the song and dance routine that a small minority of doctors dish out about how they’re the doctors and had the eight year of college. “Doctor knows best.”

Needless to say, I went off on him. I lit into with both barrels blazing. My response was that I wanted a second opinion like now, if I didn’t get it I’d go over his head and he had better not talk to me in that manner ever again because I absolutely did not have any qualms about turning his butt in to the administration and escorting him out of the building via the third floor window in the exam room I just so happened to be in. Evidently he believed me because by the end of the week Dr. Noble’s nurse called me to schedule for an appointment.

Well, she (Dr. Noble) was a major improvement. She’s a doctor in internal medicine at Group Health. Really nice lady and seemed to know what she was talking about. She had reviewed my file and we had talked about what was going.

Some of the things that we had talked about included anything that might run in the family, Cystic Fibrosis, and other possibilities like Tuberculosis and Cancer. She had ordered another chest x-ray and blood work, including an A.C.E. level. The test for the A.C.E. level is to find out if it is present and how high that level is, because it’s present, from what I understand, shouldn’t be higher than 50. Dr. Noble called me with the results. Mine was over 100. She suspected a disease called sarcoidosis. That’s pronounced the way it looks. (Sar coy DOH sis.)

Dr. Noble set me up with a referral to a doctor in pulmonology at Rockwood Clinic. I met with Dr. Byrd in December of 1995 for the first time. He’s a sweet, older man who looks like someone’s grandfather as well as a doctor. I like him a lot, even though he shoved a tube down my nose. We setup a time for me to go the hospital as an outpatient for a bronchoscope. What they did was gave the medication in a nebulizer, which is one of those long blue tubes that are used for breathing treatments. This medication was to freeze up my throat. It caused me to cough badly, though. I was also given an anesthetic to put me to sleep. While I was out cold, they put a tube in my nose and put in to my lungs so they could tissue to biopsy.

The next thing that I remember is starting to wake up while the orderly was wheeling me on the gurney to the recovery area. When I fully came out of the anesthesia, I was allowed to go home. I got home via Spokane Transit Authority. I took a bus.

My next doctor’s appointment with Dr. Byrd was in January 1996. I was told at that point that I did have sarcoidosis. He started me on 40-mg prednisone daily. We’ve been gradually decreasing over the years. Currently I take 1 (10-mg) tablet daily. I am also taking other medications for asthma and high blood pressure. But I guess that other than that, I am okay. At least I am still among the living.

Quite a bit of time has passed since I was diagnosed. And a lot has happened since. I am thankful for the support I’ve had. Some people aren’t so lucky.

I keep trying to have a positive and most ofthe time it isn’t hard. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t down moments. It is possible to live with this.

Weight training is healthful, fun, and productive. You don’t have to be a gym member to gain the benefits of this great activity. How much space you have, how much time you want to put into it, your training experience, and your goals influence how you set up your home workout area.

Let’s take a look at some options.

Do you have limited space? The easiest thing is to use your body weight for resistance. These exercises are called calisthenics. Calisthenics are great for beginners and can be used, to some extent, by advanced trainees. The problem is that there will always be a limit to how far you can go, unless you do something to increase the resistance beyond your weight by wearing weighted vests, hanging weights from your waist for pull-ups, or other devices. Special elastic bands can be used for resistance, and there are some available that can be used for, say, heavy squats. The force applied from elastic bands is not the same as with free weights; the force is always greatest when the band is stretched the most, which does not often match the normal strength curve. You may have to do the exercise from several positions to get the muscle worked evenly. And for some of us, bands are unsatisfactory because we like to be able to quantify how much we are lifting more precisely. It is usually more satisfying to progress from 15 to 20 lb dumbbells than to go from, say, a green band to a purple one.

Most people eventually will want to set up their own workout space and purchase some equipment. Free weights, which are dumbbells and barbells, can comprise all of the equipment you use, or can be used to complement weight training machines.

Dumbbells are inexpensive and don’t take up much room. They are easy to control and less likely than a barbell to knock a hole in your wall if you live in a small apartment. You may see recommendations to use something like a plastic milk jug filled with water or sand as a do-it-yourself alternative, but dumbbells are more comfortable to work with. You can get the inexpensive kind for home use. The fancy chrome ones hold up better to gym use, but you don’t need them. Get at least two sets to start with. Sedentary women may want to get 5 and 8 pounds, while older or out-of-shape males can start with maybe 12 and 15. Try them out on a bicep curl. Find a weight that fatigues you at about 10 repetitions, then get a pair of those and a pair of the next lightest ones. There is no maximum weight.

As you get stronger, you will want to get heavier dumbbells. You may want to get some weight plates and adjustable dumbbells, which consist of a handle that you load with weights of different sizes. This is cheaper and takes less space than getting a lot of dumbbells, especially when you are ready for the heavy ones. Another approach is to get a set of stacking dumbbells, such as PowerBlocks. These are more expensive, but are worth it, if you can afford it. I urge you to get a workout bench. If you are just going to use dumbbells, you can get one without barbell supports. There are many exercises you can do without a bench, but when you start doing heavier workouts, a workout bench allows you more comfort and versatility, and will be safer than that wobbly piano bench you may think you want to start out on.

Barbells are a nice addition. They allow you to do some heavier exercises, call for a different sort of muscular coordination than dumbbells, and have a certain mystique. Many advanced weight trainees have started with the inexpensive 110-pound weight set. If your space is really tight, you can get by with just dumbbells.

You may want to get your own weight training machine. Most home trainees who get machines get one multi-purpose piece of equipment, but if you have the space you can get more. There are too many choices to describe in detail, but a few generalities are in order. This is one case where you get what you pay for. A more expensive piece will give you more options, work more smoothly and comfortably, and hold up better. You may be able to get by with a less expensive option if you are not going to use it much, but if it is going to get much use, or be used by an advanced exerciser or a heavier person, it will be worth spending more. Conventional weight machines use stacks of weights, with the resistance usually controlled by a pin inserted in the stack. These are tried and true and feel most like gym machines, but are quite heavy. Some of the expensive ones are very well made and versatile, and some of the cheap ones are rough and require constant maintenance. Make sure you try out all the exercises while you’re in the store comparing models. Have the salesperson show you the adjustments and try them out yourself to make sure the machine fits you. If it is uncomfortable or causes pain when you use it, try another model. Ideally, you will be able to try out the machine before you buy it, but at least try one from the same manufacturer. Make sure you can return it within a reasonable time period if it is not satisfactory. Measure out the space you have set aside for it before you go shopping for a machine, or you may have an unpleasant surprise when it is delivered.

Some newer types of machines use different types of resistance. Bowflex uses special rods, Soloflex uses rubber straps, and Total Gym uses your own body weight in a clever way. These, while not cheap, have the advantage of being much lighter and more portable than weight stack machines. You can store your Bowflex in a closet and wheel it out to the patio to work out outdoors, for instance. These machines are sold mostly through mail order, so may be difficult to try out before buying, although you should be able to return them if they are not satisfactory. Get the manufacturer to send you all the relevant information before deciding on one of these.

On the top end, if you are a very advanced weight trainee or bodybuilder who wants to work out at home, your best bet is to get a power rack and Olympic bar and plates, plus dumbbells. This may require you to set aside a room or garage for your home gym. (A power rack is a rectangular “cage”device with pins and supports that will catch the bar if you cannot complete your lift. This, or something similar, is necessary for safety if you are going to do heavy lifting without a spotter. You also have to learn how to set the pins and dump the bar safely.)

If you have the space, it’s nice to have a rack or tree for your dumbbells and plates. Get a piece of cardio equipment that you like. If you want to do cardio elsewhere, you can warm up for weight training by walking or jogging a bit, going up and down stairs, or jumping rope. A mat for your stretching gives you the extra comfort you deserve at the end of a hard workout.

If this seems subjective, it’s because it is. Fibromyalgia is a collection of symptoms, not a specific disease. This has led some skeptics to wonder if it really exists. This is a significant question, because an estimated two percent of the U.S. population is thought to suffer from fibromyalgia, with women seven times more likely than men to have it.

Common complaints of “fibros” (people with fibromyalgia) are chronic achiness, morning stiffness and sleep disturbance. But those are common complaints of a lot of people.

Exercise helps improve the symptoms, but fibros are reluctant to exercise because of the pain. However, pain typically shows up one to three days later, not during exercise. This is also common in people starting exercise programs, especially if they are out of shape, and most fibros are in rotten shape.

Weighing in on the side of organic problems are recent studies indicating fibros are deficient in growth hormone or insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1, indicating hormonal dysfunction. This seems to be tied into the problem of sleep disturbance and non-restorative sleep. So far this knowledge has not led to effective treatment. Most fibros use some sort of alternative medicine, which indicates that conventional treatments don’t work.

And what about the most popular type of conventional medicine — drugs? Some fibros are helped by antidepressants, but just as many respond to a placebo drug.

Someone from the Arthritis Foundation told me that there is a theory that men have fibromyalgia almost as much as women; they just drink their way through it. I hasten to add that this in no way is meant to reflect the position of the Arthritis Foundation or the person who told me about it.

Fibromyalgia is lumped in with arthritis, so the Foundation knows a lot about it. The representative was just giving me an example of the theories that abound. I passed this along to a chiropractor friend who said in no way did men have fibromyalgia in as any numbers, because the people who came to see him with that complaint were all women. He missed the point, which is that men are reluctant to seek treatment for this condition (according to this theory). And health professionals do have their stereotypes about fibromyalgia, which is too bad, because they don’t seem to be able to help much with what they know.

Anything that’s diagnosed by excluding other diseases is bound to be questioned. The pivotal 18 tender points may be tender on healthy people. We just don’t test them out if we feel good. (This is not tenderness to touch. It is tenderness to 10 pounds of pressure. Try it out.)

Even if this collection of symptoms masquerading as a disease is not caused by bacteria or hormonal dysfunction or genetics, apparently it really does hurt. In time, more will be known about fibromyalgia, and treatments will become available. If you have this condition, don’t sit around and wait for that time. Get somebody who is expert in exercise to help you with a workout program and get as fit as you can. That will help.

Finally, as she hangs up the phone, the pharmacist notices that one of the patients is arguing with the clerk about his insurance co-pay. Why is it $25 and not $15? The pharmacist walks past your almost-ready prescriptions to explain to the angry man the pharmacy has no idea what co-pays are for any given plan. That knowledge is the responsibility of the patient. All information is entered into the pharmacy computer, sent immediately to the insurance company and they send back the co-pay information. This is true for all insurance plans. He pays, but goes away mad, sure that the pharmacy is trying to “steal even more of his money!”

The pharmacist heads back to the counter and finally gets to check your prescriptions. There are no problems and they are ready to go. Now, just as she is ready to explain the medication to you the phone rings and as all the technicians are helping others, she must answer the phone. It is a patient calling in seven refills, all of which they would like to pick up in about an hour. Would that be possible?

At last the pharmacist is able to counsel you about your prescriptions and then turns you over to the clerk to check you out. Whew!

Unfortunately that scenario is all too common these days in the pharmacy business. It continues all day long and has become a source of great frustration for both the patients and the pharmacy staff. What was not mentioned above is that for every prescription filled in that scenario, the insurance company paid the pharmacy $4 (on average … sometimes it is less than that) over and above the cost of the medication.

Now you can see why a pharmacy must do great volumes of prescriptions to be able to repurchase the medications used, pay the staff, the bills, etc. Now you can see why, as much as all of us behind the counter try to make sure no mistakes are made, errors do occur. Now you can see why, as much as all of us behind the counter try to make your wait as short as possible, circumstances often prolong that time. Now you can see why, as much as all of us behind the counter would like to spend more time making sure you understand everything, we just don’t have the time we wish we did.

Is there anything you as a patient can do to help make your wait shorter and reduce the chances that a medication error could be made on your medicine?

There are a few things to keep in mind.

You are responsible for your insurance information.

Always carry your card with you and be aware of your co-pays. The pharmacy has no way to know what your particular plan offers and cannot reduce your co-pay if it has increased. If you have a problem or don’t understand why your co-pays went up you need to call customer service at your insurance company for the answers. If you have a new insurance plan, be sure to give the information to the staff before they even start filling your prescription. That will speed up the process considerably.

Always call in regular refill medications several days before you need it and give the pharmacy some idea of when you are going to pick them up.

This is helpful in case you are out of refills and the doctor’s office must be contacted, if the medicine is out of stock, etc. Never take the last pill and then call in the refill and expect it ready in an hour. That puts undo pressure on everyone.

If your pharmacy offers a drive-up window, please try to use it only for drop-off and pick-up.

Don’t ask the pharmacy staff to get you some aspirin. If you need to shop, come into the store. Also, don’t bring five new prescriptions to the window and then wait for them in your car. This just ties up the window, not allowing others to pick up their medications.

Whenever possible, don’t call in routine refills on Mondays.

The volume of prescriptions is always greatest on Mondays, and that always increases the risk of a medication error being made.

To make your wait shorter, try to avoid coming to the pharmacy between 11 a.m. and 1 pm and 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Many people think they will just “drop by” the pharmacy and get a refill, pick up medications, ask a question, whatever, and find that they have a long wait, which is frustrating. These are very popular times for doctor’s offices to make their daily call-ins to the pharmacy, which ties up the pharmacy staff, as well as times that many people are out running errands.

If you call the pharmacy with a question for the pharmacist and you are told he or she is busy, rather than waiting on hold, offer to leave your phone number.

The pharmacist is usually glad to call you back and talk to you when things are less hectic. This gives them a chance to give their full attention to you.

If you have called your doctor and requested a medication be called in, be patient.

They need time to talk to the doctor, call the pharmacy and we need time to get the prescription processed. Many people show up 30 minutes after talking to the doctor’s office expecting their medication to be ready. It just doesn’t work that way. And please, don’t ask the pharmacy to call the doctor’s office for you when you find out the prescription is not ready.

If the medication you received looks different than it has before, never take it without calling the pharmacy.

Chances are that if it is a generic medication the pharmacy just used a different brand, but there is always the chance that an error was made. A good pharmacist is never unwilling to double check the medication to make sure is correct.

So, now you have been behind the counter. It is a hectic world that will only grow busier as the number of prescriptions written continues to increase. Hopefully this will give you some idea of what it takes to get a prescription from the doctor’s pen to your medicine bottle as quickly and error-free as possible.

I am a pharmacist. I work in a small independent store. Although I have not worked in a large chain pharmacy, I can tell you from talking with many other pharmacists that as a profession our problems and concerns are all pretty much the same. In a small pharmacy we do have a bit more of a chance to talk to our patients than our large-chain counterparts, but not much more. Almost every pharmacist I know would like to be doing a better job under better circumstances.

The first thing many people may not understand is the function of the people behind the counter. There are usually three types of people in a pharmacy: the pharmacists, the pharmacy technicians and the clerks. The technician can answer the phone, take refills, enter prescriptions into the computer and count the medications. They will alert the pharmacist if the computer flags any potential drug interactions or other problems; in the end of the process it must be the pharmacist who checks the prescription before it is dispensed. That is the law. Technicians can also help patients find over-the-counter items; help solve insurance problems, put away drug orders etc. In any given day, they will do all of those things, often interrupting one task to do another.

Clerks are usually support staff there to run the register, stock over-the-counter medications, answer the phone and be a liaison between the patient and the pharmacy staff. They can’t answer medical questions but can refer you to the pharmacist for the answer.

The pharmacist is the person most in demand. We are required by law to be there for the store to be open. No medication can be dispensed unless a pharmacist has checked it. We are required to counsel any patient that does not refuse the counseling. We take phone-in prescriptions from doctor’s offices. We must be constantly on the lookout for fraudulent prescriptions, which is a big problem. We answer patient questions over the phone and in the store. We recommend over-the-counter remedies for all kinds of ailments. We often have to handle insurance problems: drug changes due to formularies, drugs not covered by certain plans, refills too soon, etc. When medications are unavailable due to manufacturing problems we must find suitable alternatives. (In some stores, pharmacists even run blood pressure checks, blood glucose monitoring clinics, and administer flu shots.)

All of these functions and more are routine work for the pharmacist and usually more than one thing must be done at a time to try to keep the work moving at the pace demanded by today’s patients. It is very common for a pharmacist to only get to go to the restroom once or twice in a 10-hour shift and to never get a break to eat. If we get to eat at all, it is a bite between phone calls or checking prescriptions. In smaller independent stores, this is also true for the technicians.

So, now you know a bit about the function of the people you see behind the counter. Let’s now look at filling some prescriptions that you just brought from your doctor’s office for the terrible cough and fever you have. Your doctor was running an hour behind and now you are anxious to get your prescription filled and get home to fix dinner. It’s 4:30 in the afternoon when you arrive at the pharmacy and present your prescriptions to the clerk. Several people are already milling about, obviously waiting also. You are told it will be a bit, as there are several people in front of you.

The prescriptions you have handed in are given to the technician. They are read for patient name, drug name, quantity of drug and any obvious errors. They are then entered into your profile on the computer where the drug interaction programs look for any problems between the medications you already take and the new ones just prescribed.

The computer has spotted a drug interaction, so the technician must wait for the pharmacist to evaluate the potential problem before they can continue. Work on your prescription has just stopped. The pharmacist is checking several prescriptions for a person who was waiting there before you. She will look at the computer in just a moment. In the meantime another technician has answered the phone and there is a patient on the line who wants to ask a question. They will hold until the pharmacist is available. A second line rings and it is a doctor’s office needing to phone in a prescription. They will hold until the pharmacist is available. Your prescription is still waiting on the computer. The pharmacist takes the call from the doctor’s office.

The technician has the next set of prescriptions ready for the pharmacist to check. After doing that, the pharmacist is able to glance at the computer and must make a quick judgment about the potential interaction. Deciding there won’t be a problem she tells the technician to continue filling. Finally yours is being worked on again! After getting all of your prescriptions entered into the computer and through your insurance, the technician informs the pharmacist that your prescriptions are ready to be checked. The pharmacist nods, as she is now on the phone with the person who had called with a question. She will get to yours in a moment.

..to continue see post II