The Healthy Choices Wellblog

Off-Label Prescribing and why it may matter to you
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reserved

I learned a new term yesterday. Off-Label Prescriptions. It was kind of a new concept for me and one I had not considered in light of health challenges. Since I almost never have taken a prescription drug in my life, I was not aware of off-label prescribing.

As I understand it, a doctor goes “off-label” when they prescribe larger doses of a medicine than the label suggests or when they prescribe a medicine for a reason other than what it is typically prescribed to treat.

I have always been an advocate of informed healthcare. If you are not actively asking questions of your doctor and your pharmacist, about any prescription drug you are taking, you may be missing vital information that might matter to you.

I suggest education and pro-active partnership with all healthcare professionals to whom you entrust your health.

read more about off-label prescribing

There are legal and ethic questions that are right to ask, about off-label prescriptions and the doctors who prescribe them. I’m not the only one asking questions about that. Here are a few of the questions that Ira Marxe, of Good Health Supplements, is asking:

- Are you an “off-label” guinea pig
with your doctor?

- Quick Quiz: How many drug reps
are there per physician?

- What three minutes causes you to
pay 52 percent more for prescriptions?

- Why were a third of the negative
antidepressant drug studies never published?

full article on off-label prescriptions

AAA Offers Safe Driving for Mature Operators Course

If you are over the age of 55 and feel that you are having to pay too much for your automobile insurance, AAA offers a course that, once taken and completed, may help you save money on your insurance payments.

It is called the “Safe Driving for Mature Operators Course” and you must pre-register and prepay for the course. The safe driving course tests reflexes while driving and helps determine how well you judge speed and distance during driving. Your discount will vary based on the results of the course.

You may ask your insurance agent for more details on what discounts might result from your participation in the Safe Driving for Mature Operators Course or call AAA for more information, at their toll free number, which is 1-800-521-8124

Is Getting in and out of your Bathtub Painful or Dangerous?
Except for any noted source material, content copyright, Neva. J. Howell, all rights reservedThere is really nothing like personal experience for generating new empathy. I was taking a bath the other night and realized that it is difficult to get out of a small bathtub when you have bursitis in one elbow and carpal tunnel in the opposite hand. That may be why the ad I saw in a magazine caught my eye.

It was for a bath lift. I thought about how wonderful a hot bath is for aching muscles and how sad I would be if I couldn’t take one anymore. That is the reality for some seniors who have trouble getting in and out of the bathtub. It’s good to know that there is an option available besides just taking showers for the
rest of your life.

I’m sure there are similar products out there and comparing bath lifts could be a good thing but this will at least give you a place to start if getting in and out of the bathroom has become dangerous or painful for you.

This bath lift is portable and battery operated, with a waterproof remote. The Archimedes bath lift gently lowers you to the bottom of the tub. You take your bath as usual and then use the waterproof remote to gently lift you back up out of the tub when finished.

It recharges and has a very important security feature that prevents it from working at all if it is not sufficiently charged to handle both the lift down into the tub and the lift back out at the end of the bath. No danger of getting stuck in the tub and the battery going dead, in other words.

The company has a toll free number for questions and for ordering information. If you decide to call, jot down the item number, which is #ZR-4880 and the name, which is Archimedes Bath Lift, so that you will be sure you are talking about the same product. This company apparently makes other safety-oriented products for seniors so you
might wanta request a catalog too.

First Street: Boomers and Beyond
1-800-289-0063

Happy bathing!

I was sitting in a fast food restaurant, I confess!  I had shopped til I almost dropped so I stopped at Jack’s and got a grilled chicken salad. Next to my table were two senior couples having lively and wonderful conversation which I didn’t even try to keep from overhearing.

I hear one of the women say that she just had not been able to get her appetite back since getting sick that summer.  Her friend replied with wisdom that can only be gained from experience and handed down, Grandmother to Grandmother.  Here is the recipe for regaining your appetite:

Boil you some Irish Potatoes
and some Kraut and eat onions with it.

When I asked the lady why she thought that helped bring the appetite back she said she didn’t know but it did.  I think I believe her.

Unexplained loss of appetite can certainly be caused by a prolonged or difficult illness, as was the case with the lady at Jacks but it can also have other causes, particularly in the elderly including depression and as a result of prescription drugs.

Educational Resource: Learn about health conditions

Get the facts on stroke, carotid artery, AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms) Osteoporosis, PAD (Peripheral Arterial Disease), diabetes and heart disease.

Covers the symptoms of each and how to reconize them as well as the risk factors, and lifestyle changes that can provide healthy benefits if you suffer from any of the covered health problems.

This company also has medical staff that travel to different communities offering preventive screenings that just might save your life. The cost is so reasonable, too.

They offer general health screenings for the following diseases. I have personally had all the heart tests and they provided me with great peace of mind.

Health Screenings offered:

Osteoporosis
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Stroke / Carotid Artery
Abdominal Aortic Aneuysms (AAA)
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

For more information on these important, perhaps life saving tests, please visit the
website at LifeLife Screening today

Shingles relief through ancient art:

If you suffer from the pain of shingles outbreaks, there is some good news from the American Geriatrics Society Journal.

 In a study involving over a hundred middle-aged to senior adults, those who attended tai chi classes regularly for a period of 3 months exhibited stronger immune response when vaccinated for chicken pox.

Chicken pox is caused by the same virus that causes shingles.

 Tai Chi is a martial art form that features slow movement sequences that are very balancing, focusing, relaxing and beneficial on a lot of levels. Unlike the more rigorous martial arts, like judo, karate, and the like, tai chi is well suited to seniors.

natural remedy for shingles