By Shivam Patel, PharmD, Director of the PharmacyChecker Verification Program
It’s now commonplace to either be outraged or hear of a friend who is outraged by drug prices at local pharmacies. The national struggle to afford prescription drugs inspires an onslaught of questions: Why do these prices fluctuate so much? Why is the price of Lipitor at Walgreens a fraction of the cost of the one you bought at Walmart when they’re just across the street? And what’s the deal with these online pharmacies from Canada and India peddling prices that are as much as 98% cheaper than what you’d get in Florida? Is it the online pharmacies that are scamming you or is it the U.S. healthcare system?
Thirty pills of Januvia, which treats type 2 diabetes, sell for about $573 at one U.S. pharmacy but $477 at another. At a Canadian online pharmacy, the same amount of Januvia can cost $128.98. That’s over a 70% discount off the U.S. pharmacy...
All seniors should take an active interest in exercise because it is one of the most important single things they can do to remain healthy. Unfortunately, arthritis can get in the way due to pain and discomfort. In recent years, several new and highly effective drug therapies have been made available to arthritis patients. These drugs have helped thousands of people, but they are expensive and can sometimes cause serious side effects. Most doctors believe that exercise is the best and most effective non-pharmaceutical therapy for people with arthritis.
It is understandable that the thought of swimming, riding a bike or walking may sometimes seem overwhelming. Painful, stiff joints discourage many people from getting the exercise they need to remain healthy and mobile. Ironically, a proper exercise program will actually help reduce arthritis pain and stiffness. Exercise benefits people with arthritis by increasing strength and flexibility, fighting fatigue and reducing joint pain. It is not the case that moderate movement will...
Feeling tired all the time, losing interest in hobbies, feeling nervous and even feeling ill could all be signs that your mental or emotional health is suffering. And it’s not just you! The pandemic has increased feelings of stress, anxiety and sadness for many people. But there are things you can do about it. We interviewed Nicole Osti, a Licensed Social Worker who works as a psychotherapist. Nicole offers her advice on how to take care of your mind and emotions during the pandemic.
According to Nicole, 2020 and COVID-19 have had a huge effect on people. “The loss of normality is having a devastating effect on all of us,” she explains “The system that we depended on has been destabilized during what is widely considered both an epidemiological and psychological crisis. Our systems are being flooded with cortisol on a daily basis and our ability to regulate it has all but disappeared. As a whole, we are experiencing a collective...
Seniors are very much aware that many diseases become more common with increasing age. Conditions like heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s comes quickly to mind, but many people do not think of kidney disease. This can develop at any age, but as we grow older, so do our kidneys, making seniors more vulnerable. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have estimated that more than half of seniors over 75 have some degree of kidney disease. Unfortunately, many do not know it.
Often, kidney disease develops slowly, showing few symptoms. Many seniors do not realize they have it until the disease is advanced and the damage is irreparable. The Centers for Disease Control states that kidney disease kills more people than prostate or breast cancer. There are over 98,000 Americans on the national organ transplant waitlist waiting for a suitable donor kidney. This life-saving procedure is by far the most common transplant operation.
Awareness of kidney disease, especially in seniors, is the first step...
Have you ever been in a room with a group of people and can’t hear the person talking to you correctly? You want to have a personal conversation, but you miss important parts of it. You ask them to repeat themselves, but it keeps happening and you just hope you catch the rest of the conversation to understand the full story.
It may feel like you are alone in this, especially while in a room filled with younger people. But you’re not. The fact is that after a certain age, your ears don’t work as well. But there are ways you can get past it and learn to cope.
Tell the People You’re Talking to
Explain before having a conversation. Simply telling people that you are hard of hearing is a big step to being more comfortable, for both you and the people you are talking to. Denying it will only make it worse and it will not help your current situation....
The heart is the engine that keeps the human body moving. It pumps blood in and out of the lungs and supplies the entire body with oxygen. As we age, our hearts begin to slow down and our arteries stiffen. This change is natural, so being proactive over our heart’s health is essential. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for older adults.
Adults 65 and older have an increased risk of developing heart disease and are much more likely to suffer from a heart attack or heart failure. This change, in one of the most active muscles in the human body, is debilitating and dramatically reduces the quality of life of seniors. Luckily there are ways to prevent, delay, and reverse the risks of heart problems:
Have your blood pressure checked regularly
There are plenty of ways you can get your blood pressure checked that doesn’t mean waiting at the doctor’s office. Most...
The COVID-19 vaccines (there are several types) are probably the most important senior-related topic of this new year. Illnesses caused by the coronavirus are especially dangerous for seniors, often resulting in more acute symptoms, longer recovery times and more frequent hospitalizations. Worst of all, the death rate increases sharply with age, particularly after 65. These facts make immunization all the more important to seniors.
In addition to protecting life and physical health, effective immunization can lead to a dramatic improvement in the quality of life for many seniors. If social-distancing guidelines have been followed, seniors have missed important events for months; family dinners, birthday parties, weddings, hugs from children and grandchildren have all been missed. Residents of assisted living facilities or other seniors-only communities may have been totally isolated. All in all, the vaccines promise a brighter future.
Unfortunately, a good deal of misinformation has come to light about these vaccines. Some seniors are hesitating about immunization and this could be a...
Recently, OurSeniors.net published an article that reviewed several of the new, high-tech wearable devices that can monitor a senior’s vital signs. These devices can keep track of measurements like heart rate and blood pressure, respiration and even observe exercise and sleep patterns. Emergency-use “Medical Alert” devices are a related topic, perhaps of greater interest. While a fitness or activity tracker can improve a senior’s health, medical alert devices can literally make the difference between life and death.
The Life Alert Program, a service dating back to 1972, states that on average, it intervenes in one life-threatening situation every 10 minutes. Its ad line, “Help, I’ve fallen and can’t get up,” is one of the best-known commercial dialogues of all time. The original device was a pendant-shaped gadget, worn on a wristband or as a necklace. As you would expect, these devices have come a long way since the 1970’s. Beyond instant emergency assistance, today’s alert technology can offer a variety of...
Have you noticed how quickly people are speaking these days? Do their words seem more like gibberish than English? Have you had to ask them to repeat themselves not twice but three times? If so, as surprising as it may sound, you may be suffering from hearing loss.
Hearing loss is a healthy and natural part of aging. According to the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, one in three people between 65 and 74 suffers from hearing loss. If you are older than 75, the likelihood of hearing loss increases by up to 50%. But how do you know you're hard of hearing?
If you are not sure where you stand within those statistics, answer the questions1:
Do you sometimes feel embarrassed when you meet new people because you struggle to hear?
Do you feel frustrated when talking to members of your family because you have difficulty understanding them?
Do you have trouble hearing or understanding co-workers, clients, or...
Since 2007, American adults have spent about seven hours a day sitting. Ever since the average amount of time devoted to a seat has increased by an hour. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four American adults sits for over eight hours a day! It was also discovered that 44% of participants did not engage in any moderate physical activity!
Why is this a big deal? Your body was not made to be inactive or laying around for lengthy periods. Being idle for that long weakens your muscles, spine, and immune system. No wonder sitting has been called the “new smoking”. Experts worldwide agree that a sedentary lifestyle is terrible for you. Here are just a few of the adverse side effects caused by a lifetime of over sitting:
Unhealthy blood-sugar levels and type-2 diabetes
High blood cholesterol levels
A greater chance of heart disease
A higher risk of obesity
High blood pressure
Gallbladder disease
Higher...
