Many people take aspirin for heart health, but recent research suggest it may have several other health benefits. Studies published in the Lancet, and conducted by Professor Peter Rothwell and his colleagues at Oxford University found a daily dose of aspirin may significantly reduce the risk of several cancers. Subjects studied were found to have a 25 – 37% reduced risk of cancer. A separate study of more than 100 people, conducted over 5 years found scores on a standardized tests of memory and other cognitive skills increased slightly in women who took 75 to 150 milligrams of aspirin a day while test scores went down in those not taking aspirin. This preliminary cognitive research was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference last year, but has not yet been subjected to further peer-reviewed study.
Always talk with your doctor before starting a daily aspirin regimen and make sure he or she is aware of all medications and supplements you’re taking. Your physician can best determine if it is appropriate for you. He or she will need to evaluate any potential interactions, possible side effects and any other concerns. If you’ve previously consulted with your Doctor and are already taking a daily aspirin daily to reduce your risk of heart attack & stroke, it’s nice to know it may have other benefits.
The information found in “Quick Tips for Healthy Living” and throughout the AccuPax blog and website, is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about specific medical conditions, symptoms and treatments and to discuss any of the health information found on AccuPax.com, and whether it may be appropriate for you.
It’s not uncommon for patients coping with a chronic health condition to struggle with depression. In one study of ten common chronic conditions, researchers found the incidence of depression ranged from 16% of those with asthma to nearly 47% of people with chronic pain.1 Meanwhile, caregivers juggle multiple responsibilities and have stress & frustration levels well above average. So, it’s no surprise that 40 – 70% of caregivers have symptoms of depression.2
Depression is a serious medical condition that certainly warrants discussion with your doctor. But, there are fairly simple things you can do that may also help boost your mood (along with any treatment your doctor may recommend.) Cognitive Therapists and others promote the benefits of positive thinking, but did you know that just by sitting up straight, you can increase the impact of positive thoughts? In a recent study at Ohio State University, researchers found that good posture significantly increases your confidence in your own thoughts.3
2Caregiver Statistics, Zarit, S. (2006). Assessment of Family Caregivers: A Research Perspective. Caregiver Assessment: Voices and Views from the Field, (Vol. II) (pp. 12 – 37). Family Caregiver Alliance.
The information found in “Quick Tips for Healthy Living” and throughout the AccuPax blog and website, is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about specific medical conditions, symptoms and treatments and to discuss any of the health information found on AccuPax.com, and whether it may be appropriate for you.
RESEARCHING DOCTORS – PART 1 . . Choosing a doctor, hospital and pharmacy are critical decisions directly impacting health. The right doctor can help identify the best treatments for a chronic medical condition, and it’s symptoms, so you can live life to the fullest. The best hospital can have a positive affect on health and provide peace of mind for the loved ones of the individual hospitalized. The right pharmacy can make managing one’s medications easier, which helps manage chronic health conditions, and often makes symptoms much more tolerable. Over several posts, we’ll identify strategies and resources for finding the best health care providers. We first look at finding the best doctor for your needs. Even if you’re really happy with your Primary Care Physician, you’ll likely need a second opinion, or a specialist at some point. And if you’re not sure your current doctor is a good fit, the right research tools are even more important in helping you identify and evaluate potential doctors. Here are some suggestions:
STEP ONE – ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS & FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR YOU NEED.
If you need a Primary Care Physician, most people see a General Practioner, Family Doctor or Internist. For Seniors, also consider a Geriatrician. Geriatricians are board-certified in family or internal medicine with additional training & experience in Geriatrics, which focuses on treating older adults. A Geriatrician is likely to have more experience with the types of conditions most often affecting Seniors. They also may be more attuned to the unique challenges of managing multiple health conditions & multiple medications and to the unique ways they affect older adults.
If you need a Specialist, identify all your options. If your Father’s Arthritis has become more painful, and is limiting his activities, your current doctor will probably suggest a Rheumatologist. But you can learn more if you follow-up with, “Are there other specialists we should consider?” For example, they may refer you to a Physiatrist (Doctor of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine) who might suggest Physical Therapy, an Orthopaedic Surgeon to evaluate your Dad as a candidate for joint replacement surgery, and / or to an Anesthesiologist specializing in Pain Management.
STEP TWO – GET RECOMMENDATIONS
Good Sources Of Recommendations
Your current doctor(s) and other health care providers.
Friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.
Local support groups you attend can be a great source for specialists when dealing with a specific health condition. You can also post in online forums and ask for recommendations within your local area. (For ideas on finding local and online support groups, see our earlier post on Online Support Resources.)
Other suggestions when asking for recommendations:
Ask about specific qualities most important to you, like a doctor open to discussing alternative treatments, or a practice with a reasonable wait time.
Doctors may give somewhat generic recommendations, based on which doctors are in their building, or in the same health system with them. It can be helpful to rephrase your question something like this: “I’ve really been struggling with the _______ related to my condition & having a hard time finding a doctor who _________. If your mother was in this situation, who would you suggest she see?”
STEP THREE – CONSULT THE DIRECTORY OF PARTICIPATING DOCTORS FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN. Try to identify several doctors from various recommendation sources, then check to see if they participate with your health plan. If applicable, check to see if they are In-Network or Out-Of-Network.
Now that you have a few doctors to consider, our next post will look at additional research you can do, to help you narrow down your choice.
It turns out, doing good for others is good for you, too! Volunteering, doing good deeds, donating to charity or even just thinking about giving can improve your health. In one Harvard study, participating students watched a video of Mother Teresa, while a control group saw a video of people peeling potatoes. They were tested for levels of immunoglobulin Aa, a marker for immune function, and students who watched the Mother Teresa video had higher levels. Students were then asked to just think about helping others and their markers were also higher than the control group!
Both patients and caregivers can benefit from this research, even if you feel like you don’t have the time or the energy to do anything for anyone right now. Just think about something you’d like to do in the future; for someone you care about, or a way you’d like to help a charity or cause you support.
FOR DETAILS: For more on the health benefits of helping, see this article from Science Buzz. The source for the original Harvard study is: McClelland, D., and C. Kirshnit. 1988. The effect of motivational arousal through films on salivary immunoglobulin.Psychology and Health 2:31-52.
In the past, you may have disposed of old medications by tossing them in a trash can, pouring them down the drain, or flushing them down the toilet. However, there are concerns about those methods. Children or animals can find medicines in the trash and could be seriously harmed by ingesting them. Research by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that water treatment plants may not be able to remove all traces of medicines from our water when they are disposed of in our water system. This water contaminated with these medications may harm fish and wildlife.
The bestbest way to dispose of old medications is to take them to a drug take-back program sponsored by law local enforcement. You can contact law enforcement at the city, county or state level to find out about programs in your area. If you don’t find a program in your city, look into programs in neighboring communities. There is also a federal program held in the Spring and Fall. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is Saturday, October 29, 2011, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. The event is designed to provide a venue for people who want to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired prescription drugs. You can find details on the Drug Take Back Day website.You can search for the location nearest you on their Site Search page.
If you are unable to find a drug take-back program, our next post will outline how to safely dispose of medication at home.
In Part 1 we examined basic resources to find clinical trials and in Part 2 we looked at how to set up alerts that will notify you of clinical trials you may be interested in. The right clinical trial can have great benefits. You get access to new treatments not available to the public, which may work better than current treatments. You get free care at top facilities and help expand our scientific knowledge which may help future generations. But, you must consider both advantages and risks. If you’re not comfortable with a lot of risk, your search can screen out studies with a risk level that is too high. In Part 2, we’ll look at two ways to do that, as well as other ways to further narrow the selection of clinical trials your search returns.
CONSIDER YOUR RISK TOLERANCE – If you’re concerned about possible risks, use an advanced search at ClinicalTrials.gov to screen out some trials. Under Targeted Search and “Interventions” you can specify the types of treatments you’d try. These include drug therapy, vaccines, procedures, surgical interventions, medical devices, and less intrusive options like lifestyle modifications, exercise programs, and education. Under Additonal Criteria, use ”Phase” to specify which phase trials you’re interested in. (Note: Clinical trials designated as phase I, II, III, or IV, indicate what stage they’re at in their research, including how much research has already been done. Find brief descriptions of each phase here: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/help/phase_instr and more detailed descriptions here: http://centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/overview.aspx.)
NARROW YOUR FOCUS – While the sites listed in Part 1 help you search by condition, location or other details, you may also want to try a site with a more specific focus.
Geographic Area: Choose the top Research and Teaching Hospitals in your area and check their websites. They may have a section to search for research being done within their own Hospital, University, or Health System.
Specific Health Condition: Do a search using the phrase “clinical trial” plus a particular health condition. You may find a site affiliated with a university, government organization or nonprofit that focuses on research related to that particular condition. RESOURCES – Here are a few examples:
Have you ever been in a clinical trial? What advice would you give to someone else who is considering participating in a research study? Please tell us about your experience in the comments section.
CAST A WIDE NET AND LET YOUR COMPUTER DO THE WORK FOR YOU – Use the sites below to find current studies that are right for you. Then, set up alerts to receive automatic notice of all upcoming clinical trials that fit your criteria. You won’t need to check back with the sites to search for new trials and you’ll never have to worry about missing an opportunity for a trial that is a great fit for you or someone you care for. RESOURCES:
ClinicalTrials.gov – Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, they currently list 110,720 trials. Use Basic Search to search by medical condition and location. Try Advanced Search to sort by multiple criteria. To participate in a trial, select “Open Studies” under Recruitment (otherwise, they also list ongoing and completed studies not open to new participants.) Next, use some or all the criteria in Targeted Search and Locations to narrow your search. Finally, under Additional Criteria, set the appropriate age and sex so you qualify for the studies you’re viewing. If you need help searching, they have some good videos demonstrating the search process. Find a list of them here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/viewlet/ct/index.html
Alerts for ClinicalTrials.gov – They do not seem to have a separate Alert feature (to notify you of future trials.) One of their help videos explains setting up an RSS feed for your specific search criteria. This essentially functions as an alert, but unless you’re already familiar with RSS feeds, this is more complicated than the alert feature below, at CenterWatch.com.
CenterWatch.com – A global source of clinical trial info, like ClinicalTrials.gov (but not affiliated with a government agency.) Search like on ClinicalTrials.gov, but you can’t narrow your search as much. Search by “Medical Condition” or “Therapeutic Area,” then by location.
If you have concerns about the possible risks of a clinical trial you can use the criteria in an advanced search to screen out trials you may not be comfortable with. In Part 3 of this post, we’ll look at several ways to do that, plus other ways to narrow your search.
While a clinical trial is not without risks, if you are living with a chronic health condition, at some point you may want to consider participating in one. Only you and your doctors can decide if a specific clinical trial is right for you or a loved one you care for. But if you feel your current treatment program is not fully treating your condition, or not adequately addressing certain symptoms; you may want to research what studies are currently seeking participants. If you’re interested in a clinical trial, here are some suggested steps:
DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR DOCTOR – Your doctor may know of a specific trial they’d recommend for you, or they may suggest a certain type of treatment they feel you’d have the best chance of success with, or even suggest what to avoid. You’ll also want to do your own research. As you do, be sure to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your doctor about any studies you’re considering.
START YOUR RESEARCH – A good place to start is to learn more about clinical trials in general. What defines a clinical trial, and what are the risks and rewards? What questions should you ask of those conducting the study? How are participants chosen? What is meant by terms like “informed consent,” “placebo,” “control group,” and “double-blind?” RESOURCES - Following are some good sources of general information about clinical trials:
FDA Office of Special Health Issues, Clinical Trials and Drug Development: 301-827-4460
In addition to actively searching for clinical trials, you can also let your computer do some of the work for you and deliver information to you about clinical trials that meet your criteria. Our next post will provide some ideas for how to do this.
What other information would you like to know about clinical trials? Have you ever used the sites mentioned above? Please tell us about your experience in the comments section.
Last week we looked at research showing a 60% error rate for paid caregivers sorting pills into a pill organizer. Other studies show patients, family caregivers and paid caregivers alike all need to do everything possible to protect against medication errors. Here are some highlights from the new Research page on our main website. NOTE: “Noncompliance” (or “non-adherence”) is a term used by researchers for not following your doctor’s instructions. This includes not taking the medication at all, taking too little or too much, taking it at the wrong time, or taking it with another medication or supplement it may interact with.
>> Medication (and multiple medication) use is common, and more common in older adults:
Two-thirds of all doctors appointments result in one or more prescriptions.
83% of people 65+ take at least one medication. Almost half of older adults take 3+.
Over 30% of all adults regularly take five or more different prescriptions.
>> Medication errors are a far more frequent occurrence than you might think and as the number of daily medications increases, so does the potential for problems.
One study found non-compliance in 86% of people taking 3+ medications.
Adverse Drug Reactions increase exponentially with 4 or more medications.
>> Medication errors & noncompliance are serious. Studies show noncompliance:
Causes 300,000 deaths a year in the U.S.
Is responsible for 23-40% of nursing home admissions & 10% of hospital admissions.
>> Medication errors and noncompliance can hurt your budget and your health:
According to one study, Diabetics who fail to take their medications as directed have almost twice the total annual health care costs (an average of $16,498) compared to people who consistently take their medication correctly (with an average cost of $8,886.)
It’s clearly important to find the right product, service or system to help you organize and manage medication. The right product can improve health and safety while providing convenience and peace of mind for everyone. It can save money…and could even save a life!
ORGANIZING & MANAGING PILLS: Is your pill organizer the best option?
Many people rely on the standard plastic pill organizer found at drug stores. That may be fine, if you only take 1-2 medications with the same schedule. The more medications used, the more likely you’d benefit from a service like AccuPax. AccuPax Specialty Pharmacy offers home delivery of your medications, presorted by dose into individual packets labeled with the date & time to take them. While AccuPax may not be right for everyone, it’s an easy, inexpensive solution for many people taking multiple medications. Here are some of the most important aspects of a Medication Management product. See how your current system stacks up and decide what’s right for you.
ACCURACY – There’s room for error filling your own pill organizer. With AccuPax, pills are accurately sorted, then verified by our professional pharmacy staff.
FLEXIBILITY – Even if you sort your pills with perfect accuracy, pill organizers lack flexibility. Most have A.M., P.M. and Bedtime sections. Yet, some pills may be taken once or twice a day, some every 4 hours, some every 6-8 hours. With just 3 or 4 medications, but varying dosage times, you may need to take pills 6 or 7 different times during the day. Compared with the 3-4 fixed sections in a pill organizer, AccuPax offers limitless flexibility, customized for your exact medication regime.
TIMING – Because AccuPax packets are labeled with date and time, they’re handy if you can’t remember if you took your last dose of pills, or to check when to take the next dose. The packets come in order on a strip, with a special dispenser box. Just pull the next packet out of the box, to see exactly where you stand. For some, a timer or reminder service is also an important aspect of their medication management system. I recently did a post with a number of resources for timers and reminders which I encourage you to check out here: Medication Reminders.
Do you have a system for sorting, organizing and remembering medications? What do you like about your current system…what frustrates you? Please leave a comment and share an idea to help other readers manage their medications. Check back often to see what’s new on our blog. We’ll be sharing ideas and resources to help manage your medications, regardless of what product or system you use. And for a more in-depth look at research showing the importance of medication management, please visit our Research page.
SOURCES: Report Brief, July 06 PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS -Institute of Medicine, 6/18/09 US Pharm. 2009;34(6):Epub, ISMP (Institute for Safe Medication Practices,) Dr. Jerry Gurwitz, Chief of Geriatric Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins University, Women’s Health and Aging Study II, The World Health Organization (WHO,) U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, “Medication Regimens: Causes of Noncompliance” report to Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate, Medco Health Solutions, PBM.
A new study of paid home caregivers, reported last month by the American Medical Association found 60% of respondents wrongly interpret the instructions on prescription labels. The study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine measured several aspects of “health literacy” in paid caregivers and found:
85.7 % of subjects reported doing health-related tasks (i.e., medication reminding, sorting, dispensing, and accompanying seniors to physician appointments.)
Subjects were asked to follow directions on pill bottles and sort medications into a pill organizer and 60.2% made errors in this task.
This research is the latest study to illustrate the importance of having a medication management system to organize your medicine and ensure you take the right pills at the right time, exactly as your doctor orders. It’s easy to have a “that can’t happen to me” reaction when you read about medication errors. But if you or people you care for take any medication, statistics alone are proof the subject is worth further consideration. Medication use, and medication errors are increasingly common and the results of medication errors can sometimes be quite serious. We recently added a Research page to our main website, with many eye-opening statistics. Our next blog post (Part II of this article) will highlight some of the most surprising research, or you can also view the entire page here: Link to New Research Page.
Many people take aspirin for heart health, but recent research suggest it may have several other health benefits. Studies published in the Lancet, and conducted by Professor Peter Rothwell and his colleagues at Oxford University found a daily dose of aspirin may significantly reduce the risk of several cancers. Subjects studied were found to have a 25 – 37% reduced risk of cancer. A separate study of more than 100 people, conducted over 5 years found scores on a standardized tests of memory and other cognitive skills increased slightly in women who took 75 to 150 milligrams of aspirin a day while test scores went down in those not taking aspirin. This preliminary cognitive research was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference last year, but has not yet been subjected to further peer-reviewed study.
