These links were compiled to help you with imnformation that can help you make better medical decisions.

Wal-Mart $4 Generic Medication List

• cancercenter.com

• mayoclinic.org

• breastcancer.org

 

Health

Asparagus A Cure For Cancer?
Check To See If Your Prescription Drug Has A Generic Equivalent

Generic Drug Fact Sheet

A generic drug is a medication for which the original manufacturer has lost patent protection. Because of this, other manufacturers are permitted to produce and sell the identical medication at a lower more competitive price. The generic drug is the exact medication as the original brand name drug, simply made by another company. Due to strict regulations for the generic drug industry, these drugs must provide the same therapeutic effect as the brand name drug.

If you have previously used a Brand Name and you ordered a Generic brand from us, the pills that will be dispensed to you may vary in appearance. Generics do not look the same as the Brand Name products even though they have the identical active ingredient and work in exactly the same manner.

Additionally, manufacturers may vary the look of the same medication between other countries and Canada. Pill appearance may differ between other countries and Canada but will have been marketed by the same manufacturer. Generics may differ in appearance from one company to the other.

Manufacturers may also choose to market their product in another country under another name. As an example; Pfyzer markets Zyrtec in Canada under the name Reactine. The medication is identical in every way, except for the name.

Florida Price Finder For Medication

 

PPA Insurance

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America’s pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that’s right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible.

Through this site, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 150 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).

Go Directly To Their Website

 

• cancercenter.com

• mayoclinic.org

• breastcancer.org

• Breast cancer: Symptoms, risk factors, and treatment

• Paying for Cancer Treatments – Personal Loans, HSAs, and More

 

 

Stroke Info

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away). She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

It only takes a minute to read this-

Recognizing a Stroke

----- A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within

3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed an getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . .It is sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.
They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, you could save their lives.

 

Diabetes Links

 

New Blood Pressure Info

New Blood Pressure Approach Shows Promise
September 04, 2005 8:46 PM EDT

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A combination of newer medicines is better at lowering blood pressure and more effective at reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes than the more traditional combination of drugs, major new research suggests.

However the findings, presented Sunday at the annual conference of the European Society of Cardiology, prompted debate because they contradict an earlier study that found traditional diuretic-driven therapy was superior to newer drugs.

Experts were divided over whether the results of the study - led by Dr. Bjorn Dahlof of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, Sweden - mean that the newer pills are themselves more effective or whether the extra benefit seen in the study reflects the possibility that patients getting the newer pills were more likely to take their medication properly because there are fewer side effects.

The study compared the effects of two combinations of blood pressure medicine in 19,257 patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure.

About half the patients received the older combination: a beta blocker called atenolol to slow the heart rate and a diuretic to reduce fluid in the body. The other half received a pair of modern drugs: a calcium blocker called amlodipine to slow the rate at which the heart pumps blood, coupled with the ACE inhibitor perindopril, which lowers blood pressure by relaxing vessels.

After five years, the scientists found that those taking the modern combination had blood pressure levels on average 2.7 points lower than those taking the more traditional medication.

Heart attacks, strokes and new diagnoses of diabetes were also less common among those taking the newer drugs than in the traditional group. Strokes were down 23 percent, heart-related deaths were 24 percent lower and new diagnoses of diabetes were 30 percent lower among the patients who got the newer drugs.

There was no difference between the two groups when it came to complications.

The study was stopped prematurely after five years when preliminary results started to emerge because the safety committee believed the differences between the two groups was so large that it would be unethical to continue.

Experts at the conference debated the question of why blood pressure was lower with the newer drugs.

Some believed that the difference was attributable to the superiority of the newer drugs, while others suspected it might be because the side effects of the older drugs make people less likely to take their pills properly. Beta blockers may cause sluggishness or sexual side effects, and diuretics can lead to frequent urination.

Doctors also raised questions over whether the heart attacks, strokes and deaths were lower with the newer drugs simply because blood pressure was lower in that group, or whether the modern drugs have benefits beyond blood pressure lowering, as suggested by the investigators.

"Perhaps some part of the difference is related to blood pressure reduction and some part is due to other factors," said Dr. Salim Yusef, a world-renowned heart disease researcher. "However, I believe the results."

"When you stop a study early ... the results are probably more exaggerated than the truth," said Yusef, a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Canada who was not involved with the research. "But is there a real benefit of treatment here? The answer is yes. But is the size of the benefit dependable? The answer is probably not."

The key lesson from this and previous studies on blood pressure, he said, is that blood pressure must be aggressively lowered and that multiple drugs are needed to successfully achieve that.

High blood pressure is the most important preventable cause of premature death in developed countries. However, it is properly controlled in less than 20 percent of hypertensive people worldwide, experts say.

The older combination used in the study is the recommended initial strategy in the United States. European guidelines, however, have for some time given doctors wider discretion to choose whichever type of blood pressure lowering drugs they want.

The study, funded mainly by Pfizer, which makes the new calcium blocker, was also published Sunday on the Web site of The Lancet medical journal.

 

High Sodium

Some of the new dietary frozen foods have 950 to 1,350 mg of sodium per servicing. You should not have more than 2,000 mg of sodium the whole day. This puts you at risk of high blood pressure. Hypertension directly increases a person's risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to the heart association.

If you have heart failure, you have to watch some products that are igh in sodium. We have listed a chart of the sodium content for some of the popular dietary products.

Chicken	Brand	Calories	Sodium
Cashew Chicken With Sugar Snap Peas	Kraft's south beach diet	360	1,120 (47%)
Spicy Szechuan Style Vegetable & Chicken	Weight Watchers	220	890 (37%)
Chicken In Peanut Sauce	Lean cuisine	280	690 (29%)
Oriental Style Chicken	Healthy Choice	240	600 (25%)
Beef/Turkey	Brand	Calories	Sodium
Refrigerated Turkey & Bacon Club Wrap	Kraft's south beach diet	250	1,530 (64%)
Garlic Beef & Broccoli	Lean cuisine	170	690 (29%)
Grilled Salisbury Steak	Weight Watchers	250	590 (25%)
Pepper Steak Oriental	Healthy Choice	260	520 (22%)
Pizza	Brand	Calories	Sodium
Four Cheese Pizza with Harvest Wheat Crust	Kraft's south beach diet	290	1,130 (47%)
Four Cheese Frozen Pizza	Weight Watchers	400	660 (27%)
Deluze Pizza Beef	Lean cuisine	370	590 (25%)
French Bread Vegetable Pizza	Healthy Choice	280	480 (19%)

A Low Sodium Diet

Breakfast: (418 mg sodium)
1 banana, medium - 1 mg sodium
1 cup nonfat milk - 127 mg sodium
1/2 cup grape nuts - 290 mg sodium

Lunch: (551 mg sodium)
3 oz. fresh carrots - 65 mg sodium
homemade chicken noodle soup, 1 cup - 94 mg sodium
1 cup skim milk - 127 mg sodium
1 slice 100% whole wheat bread - 190 mg sodium
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter - 75 mg sodium

Supper (409 mg sodium)
1 cup skim milk - 127 mg sodium
1 serving wild rice - 87 mg sodium
green beans (boiled, no salt) - 1 mg sodium
6 oz. oven roasted turkey - 89 mg sodium

Snacks (112 mg sodium)
1 Schwann's vanilla ice cream sandwich - 110 mg sodium
1 apple, braeburn - 2 mg sodium

Total sodium for the day: 1,490 mg.

This is not a hog-wild pig-out diet. And I barely squeeked in under 1,500 mg of sodium. Are you sure you're counting all sources of sodium in your diet?

 

Here are the most common breakfast mistakes: Not Enough Protein Many of my patients have a bowl of cereal with milk for their breakfasts. Seems like a good choice, right? Yes, one cup of milk provides eight grams of protein, but think about it: How often do slurp down all the milk that accompanies our cereal? Not often, I would guess. Protein digests more slowly than carbohydrates, so without ample amounts, you'll be hungry sooner rather than later. If you don't want to drink the milk from the bowl, add a hard-boiled egg to your meal for extra protein. You can also consume protein via 100 percent whole-grain toast, and when you do, don't top it with just a tiny smear of peanut or almond butter. Enjoy the full serving of nut butterwith your toast to get more protein. Too Little Fiber The more sugar in your breakfast cereal, the faster it digests, and the hungrier you'll be. Conversely, more fiber will keep you fuller longer. So, here's my rule of thumb for cereal: There should always be at least five grams of fiber, and there should always be more fiber than sugar. For extra fiber, add chia or flax seeds. If you choose the latter, make sure to grind the seeds first, or else you won't absorb their nutritional benefits. No Fat A meal with no fat can make you hungry again within an hour. Let's look at the supposed healthy breakfast of non-fat Greek yogurt, high-fiber cereal and berries. Where's the fat? I tell my patients to either switch to 2 percent-fat yogurt or to add some nuts to prevent feeling hungry. However, whenever I mention adding fat, I want to drive home the point that more isn't better. A little fat goes a long way. Not Enough Food While a piece of fruit is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, it's not enough for breakfast. Many of my patients have found that a grab-and-go breakfast -- like an apple on the drive to work -- simply doesn't cut it. However, if they sit down and mindfully consume about 300 to 400 calories, they feel way more satisfied. By the time lunch approaches, those extra calories are no longer relevant, and have likely kept them from a day of overeating. Too Late In The Day I usually recommend eating within an hour of waking, if possible. The longer a person waits to eat breakfast, the hungrier they usually become, making it harder to be satisfied once they eat. Remember: One of a breakfast's main purposes is to provide you with fuel after a long break from eating. Once your breakfast blurs with the lines of lunchtime, it no longer does its job efficiently. Bottom line. If you want your breakfast to keep you satisfied, let's try and keep the mistakes to a minimum. But remember: Any breakfast is better than no breakfast.