Lasting three months or longer, a chronic condition affects half of all adults in the U.S. By 2020, about 157 million Americans will have a chronic condition. Half will grapple with more than one.

Pain, fatigue, and a wide array of other symptoms…. medication management…. multiple doctor appointments…. uncertainty about the future…. A chronic condition can really take a toll, and even change how you see yourself. If you have a chronic condition, learn what you can do to regain a sense of control over your life, so you can live it to the fullest.

 Experiment with stress busters. Find ways to decrease your stress levels:

• Listen to relaxing music.
• Take a walk in nature.
• Call a friend.
• Sign up for an art class.
• Try meditation or qigong.
• Sit quietly in a garden. Take in the beauty of the flowers, birds, and bees.

 Go easy on yourself. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you find yourself more sad, angry, or fearful than in the past? Feelings like these are common with a chronic illness. Managing a chronic illness may take a lot of energy, focus, and time. And you may face new limits on what you can do or be really worried about your future or that of your family.

Give yourself time to adjust to a new diagnosis and lifestyle. Set realistic goals and let go of activities you don’t need to do. At the same time, know that facing your diagnosis head on is better than pretending it never happened.

Watch for signs of depression. Temporary sadness is expected. But if symptoms like these last more than a couple of weeks, you may have depression and need professional help:

• Feeling worthless, hopeless, guilty, or empty
• Not enjoying activities you did in the past
• Having trouble focusing, remembering details, or making decisions
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping more than usual
• Thoughts of death or suicide

 Seek support. You don’t have to do this alone. Even if it’s hard for you to get out and about, there are still resources you can take advantage of.

• Find health care providers who are knowledgeable about your condition and also empathetic!
• See a therapist, especially if you may be depressed. Research suggests that depression combined with a chronic illness can magnify the symptoms of both illnesses. So treatment is more important than ever.
• Find support and information online or in your community. Places to start are the library, social networks, national organizations, and local hospitals. You may be able to connect with others online who have the same condition as you. This may be especially helpful when you feel too ill to go out.

Know that you can also come to any of our pharmacists for support. Of course, we can advise you best about your medications. But we may also be able to point you to other resources. Just remember: We’re here with you for the long haul.

Between the urge to hibernate and going off the rails with holiday goodies—winter can wreak havoc with your health habits. But spring, yes, spring brings the promise of something new! Here are some ideas to help you spring clean your health. I’ll bet you can think of more.

Start by adding, not subtracting. When you take stock of your health habits, do you focus on all the things you need to give up? It could be that nightly bowl of Rocky Road or binge watching your favorite TV series—every day. It’s tough to give up some of your favorite things. Will you feel less deprived if you first add some healthy habits? Try ideas like this:

• Add a vegetable or fruit serving to every meal. To keep things interesting, try for a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. Choose local, organic, in-season produce whenever possible. Soon, local farmers’ markets will be overflowing with bounty…. Berries and broccoli and beans—oh my!
• Add a new activity, something you really enjoy, like dancing. It’s easy, free, and available right in your own kitchen or living room. And the kids (or grandkids) can join in on the fun.
• Add an educational show to your menu of viewing choices. Maybe it’s a documentary or something featured on PBS or the Discovery Channel, for example. Make it a weekly viewing party. You’ll create a social outlet and increase engaging conversation—great for your mind and emotional health.

Now, you can take a look at that list of habits to axe! Maybe its too much sugar or hefty portions of food. Could you start by getting rid of sugary drinks or by using smaller plates to help manage portion sizes?

Take it outside. It’s spring. Take advantage of nicer weather and get outside.

Researchers are increasingly finding health benefits of getting into nature—like lowering blood pressure and stress and boosting the immune system.

Speaking of nature, spring is also a great time to plant a vegetable garden. When you harvest your own food and find creative ways to prepare it, you may find it easier and easier to eat enough veggies.

With extra time outside, it might also be a good time to replace your worn-out walking or running shoes. Over time, they lose their cushioning effect, which may increase the chance of chronic foot pain. Don’t rely on a glance at the treads to know when to pitch them. If you walk up to an hour, three times a week, get a new pair of walking shoes every five months—sooner if you walk more.

Clean out your meds. As long as we’re on the subject of spring cleaning, why not do at least a little actual spring cleaning? April 28 is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. It focuses on providing safe, responsible, and convenient ways to dispose of medicines. If you have any questions about when and how to get rid of your medicines, you know can always talk it over with our pharmacists.

If you’ve got high blood pressure (hypertension), you’re in good company. The American Heart Association estimates that nearly half of all adults in this country have high blood pressure—when blood presses too hard against your blood vessels. That’s not something you can afford to ignore. It doubles your risk of cardiovascular disease—stroke, heart disease, and a bunch of other not-so-fun stuff.

New numbers. You might think you’re in the clear when you’re not. Last fall new guidelines redefined high blood pressure as 130 over 80. Before, 140 over 90 was considered the threshold of high blood pressure.

Do you know your numbers? Hmmm, I didn’t think so. Lots of people don’t. But it’s easy to find out. You can come into our store for a free blood pressure reading, or you can buy your own monitor to check it at home. Of course, doctors and nurses also routinely check it when you come in for a visit. If they don’t tell you your reading, be sure to ask for it.

Signs to watch for. Most of the time, high blood pressure is silent—it doesn’t cause symptoms. But sometimes it does, especially if your numbers are very high. Signs to watch for include mild, long-lasting headaches or brain “fog.” A “hypertensive crisis” can cause a crushing headache. If you have one, don’t wait: get to the emergency room right away.

Other uncommon symptoms linked with high blood pressure include bloating, decreased urination, sudden vision loss, dizziness, or trouble keeping your balance. Granted, many things can cause these symptoms, so don’t panic. When in doubt, though, see your doctor.

                  How to lower your risk. You can inherit high blood pressure, so find out if close relatives have had it. That includes your parents, siblings, or grandparents. It’s especially important to know if any of them had a heart attack at a young age.

You can’t do a darn thing about your genes. But if you do have a genetic risk or your numbers are high, there’s a lot you can do to reduce your lifestyle risks. For example, your doctor may recommend increasing your exercise to 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.

The DASH diet is also a great place to start. The U.S. News and World Report rated it the best “overall” diet among nearly 40 diets it’s reviewed. DASH focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins, among other things. When combined with a diet low in salt, it can be very effective at managing blood pressure. Within just two weeks, it can lower blood pressure a few points—with a drop of eight to 14 points over time. DASH also gives you a two-for-one: It can also lower blood cholesterol.

If you need medications. You might need to take medications for high blood pressure, especially if you have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Be sure to let your doctor and your pharmacist know if side effects are a problem. We may be able to tweak your dose or have you try another medication. We want to help you succeed at seeing those numbers go down!

 

Did you know that heart disease remains the number 1 killer of women in the U.S.? Responding to its signs and symptoms can help save your life. But first it helps to know that women may experience these signs and symptoms a little differently than men.

          Signs and symptoms in women. Heart disease often develops when fatty substances called plaque build up in large vessels of the heart (coronary arteries). Narrowed arteries may slow blood flow, which may temporarily cut off oxygen to the heart muscle. This may produce certain signs and symptoms of angina, such as chest tightness, pressure, or discomfort. Angina usually happens when you’re active or stressed—and goes away soon after you stop exercising or feeling stressed.

In women, however, symptoms may occur during normal daily activities or times of stress and may include:

• Sharp, severe chest pain
• Chest pain that lasts longer than 10 minutes
• Shortness of breath
• Sleep problems, fatigue, and lack of energy
• Nausea
• Abdominal pain
If you have symptoms like these, call your doctor right away.

In women, symptoms of heart attack (heart damage) may be more subtle than they are in men. They may include:

• Chest pressure, squeezing, or pain that lasts for a few minutes or comes and goes
• Pain in your jaw, arm, neck, stomach, or back
• Shortness of breath—this may happen without any chest discomfort
• Sweating, nausea, dizziness or light-headedness

If you have symptoms of heart attack, call 911 right away. Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Even if you’re in doubt, get checked. Better safe than sorry? Well, that gets to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it?

          Why symptoms may be different in women. Researchers can’t completely explain these differences. However, in men, heart disease usually occurs from blockages in coronary arteries. In women, heart disease or damage may develop in the tiny arteries that branch out from the coronary arteries. Angina symptoms may be due to spasms within these small blood vessels. Called microvascular disease (MVD), this may occur more often in younger women.
Broken heart syndrome is another heart condition that mainly affects women. Doctors don’t understand it well. With this syndrome, extreme emotional stress can cause severe heart muscle failure. Although the symptoms of this syndrome are similar to those of a heart attack, most people recover quickly and fully.

          Diagnosis. Your doctor may diagnose heart disease based on a combination of your medical history, physical exam, and test results. However, standard tests such as cardiac catheterization often won’t spot MVD or broken heart syndrome. That’s because they are designed to assess blockages in the heart’s larger vessels. Researchers are still looking for the best ways to diagnose heart disease in women.

          Reducing your risks. Even with these unanswered questions, you can still do something right now to reduce your risk of heart disease. For example, do you need to stop smoking, drop some pounds, or increase your activity level? Do you have high blood pressure or cholesterol? Talk with your doctor or me about ways to reduce these risks. If you need any high blood pressure or cholesterol medications, let’s work together to make sure you reap the most benefits with the fewest side effects.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what’s at the top of your list—losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more? If you’re making resolutions like these, we certainly hope you’re successful. Here are a few other resolutions you might not have considered.

1. See your doctor. Many people—especially men—put doctors’ visits on the back burner. Men make 130 million fewer visits than women to the doctor each year. Whether you’re a man or a woman, it’s important to see your doctor at least once a year.
During your annual visit, you’ll have your blood pressure checked, follow up on any tests or vaccines you need, and discuss ways to stay healthier. Try scheduling your annual physical during the month of your birthday. This makes it easier to remember, and it can be your annual birthday gift to yourself.
Of course, if something comes up in between annual visits, don’t ignore it. Sprained wrist? Changing mole? Blood in your stool? Deep sadness lasting more than a couple of weeks? Don’t wait…. See your doctor.

2. Review your medications. While we’re on the topic of medical visits, why not resolve to come my way during the next month or two? We can review your list of medications, discuss any side effects you may be having, and come up with a game plan—along with your doctor—to improve how you’re feeling. I can also make suggestions for how to store medications and the safest ways to dispose of any expired medications you have on hand.

3. Eat mindfully. You’ve no doubt received lots of advice on what to eat. What about how to eat? Eating mindfully means you pay attention to your food while you eat it. You might be surprised what a difference this makes. Truly savoring your food may help you be more emotionally satisfied by it. You may also be able to “hear” your body’s cues, likes the ones telling you what your body is craving or when it’s time to stop eating.
Want to know more about how to do this?
• First of all, slow down. Really smell, taste, and chew your food before swallowing it.
• Don’t try to do anything else while eating, such as reading the newspaper or checking your email.
• Use smaller plates to help with portion control.
• Keep serving bowls a step or two away so you have to think twice before going back for seconds.
• To help you slow down, put your fork or spoon down in between bites.

4. Reconnect with nature, others—and yourself. These days, many people are constantly wired. Give it a break, and try this resolution. Free yourself one day a week from all electronics: television, smartphone, computer, and tablet. Use this time to go for a walk in the park, play some music, read a novel, try a new recipe, or reconnect with a neighbor. Many people find that taking a break from electronics helps ease their anxiety and stress. What a great way to ring in the new year—more relaxed and present for yourself and those around you!

Nothing herein constitutes medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or is a substitute for professional advice. You should always seek the advice of your physician or other medical professional if you have questions or concerns about a medical condition.