Asthma Awareness

Jason

Did you know that May is Asthma Awareness Month? Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways in your lungs (your airways carry air in and out of your lungs). For those that have asthma, the inside lining of their airways become sore, swollen and sensitive. When sensitive, they then react strongly to things that they are allergic to or find irritating. This reaction causes the airways to get even narrower and the lungs get less air… and lungs not getting air is obviously a bad thing!

Symptoms of asthma include

Wheezing

Coughing, especially early in the morning or at night

Chest tightness

Shortness of breath

Not all people who have asthma have these exact symptoms, and having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that you have asthma. Doctors will diagnose asthma based on tests that gauge the strength of the lungs, a thorough medical history, and a physical exam. For those that have asthma, when their asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it’s called an asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care and they can even be fatal. Asthma is typically treated with two different kinds of medications: quick-relief medications to stop asthma symptoms and long-term control medicines to help prevent asthma symptoms.

We have been busy this month spreading the word about asthma and helping our patients better manage their asthma. Here are some of the things we have been doing in our stores and pharmacies;

Asthma Control Tests – A quick assessment of how well someone’s asthma is being managed

Asthma Action Plan Reviews – Making sure patients know what to do when not feeling well

Immunization Screenings – Patients with asthma should have flu and pneumonia vaccines

Wellness Wednesday Events – Hosted by our Pharmacists and Dietitians in select locations

Peak Flow Meters for sale – A tool to help assess asthma control

As always, stop by any of our pharmacies if you have questions about any of your inhalers or medications. Also, check out the Minnesota Department of Health’s asthma webpage. They have a ton of great resources and educational materials that are FREE!

Jason
Pharmacy Clinical Program Manager

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

November is here, that means that along with elections, we get to talk about diabetes again. Once again I’ll just provide a brief recap, or overview of diabetes, then highlight some of the things that we are doing in our pharmacies to help patients with diabetes.

What exactly is diabetes?

Diabetes is a progressive disease in which your body is unable to efficiently process sugar to use as energy. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin that is used to move sugar from your blood into your cells to use for energy or store for later. When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or your cells don’t respond to insulin. When this happens, you are unable to get the sugar from your blood into your cells.

There are two main types of diabetes; Type 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes) is caused when your own immune system attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is caused by your body not producing enough insulin or your body not responding to the insulin being produced, called insulin resistance.

Is diabetes that big of a problem?

The answer is YES! The most recent statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that in 2015, it’s estimated that 9.4% (30.3 million) of the U.S. population had diabetes, 1 in 4 didn’t know they had diabetes. With numbers like this, diabetes is a growing epidemic. In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than tripled as the American population has aged and become more overweight.

Are you at risk for developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?

You’re at risk for developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes if you:

Are overweight
Are age 45 or older
Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
Are physically active less than 3 times a week
Have ever had gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant) or given birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

So what can you do to reduce your risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?

Maintain a healthy weight
Lose weight if you’re overweight
Regular physical activity – 150 minutes per week
Eat healthier

How can we help?

We will be offering prediabetes screenings at our pharmacies through the month of November
We will also be offering free blood glucose testing at pharmacies this month
Having diabetes makes you more likely to contract Hepatitis B and Pneumonia. We offer immunizations for both at our pharmacies (don’t forget your flu shot)
Talk to our pharmacy staff about our PharmaSmart program to help monitor your blood pressure
Join our RX Savers club for access to affordable medications to treat diabetes
Free Glucocard meter and 50 count test strips for $9.99.
Dietitian approved, month-long diabetic menu and shopping lists

As always, stop by any of our pharmacies if you want any more information or help with your diabetes concerns. Thanks!

Jason Miller, Pharm. D.
Pharmacy Clinical Program Manager