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Prescribed Medications

You should use only one pharmacy to fill your prescriptions. That way, you will have a single, complete source for all of your medications. The pharmacist will be more likely to pick up potential interactions among them and contact your doctor if needed. This applies to OTC as well as prescription drugs.

Ways to Help Keep Your Medication Regimen on Track

1. Organize your medication doses

While pill boxes and timers are some of the most common tools people use for organizing and timing doses, there are a couple other things you may want to try:

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your medications are available as a combination product so that you can reduce the total number of pills you take per day.

Find out if your pharmacy offers multi-dose packaging (also called pill packs). These custom-filled doses of your medications are pre-packaged by date and time and can be a real game-changer.

2. Shop for the lowest Rx price

For many, the biggest obstacle, by far, is cost. Here are a few things you can do to help save money.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if a lower-cost therapeutic alternative or generic is right for you.

If your drug does not have a generic, ask your doctor or pharmacist about lower cost therapeutic alternatives.

3. Make prescription refills easier

If the last pill in the bottle always takes you by surprise, here are a few suggestions to help ensure you’ll have your next refill on hand when you need it.

Ask your doctor to write a prescription for a 90-day supply with refills for your maintenance medications.

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Getting Rid of Acne & Pimples

Acne is a common skin disease that affects an estimated 85% of people at some point in their lives.

Symptoms include pesky pimples, which can be frustrating and difficult to get rid of.

While conventional treatments can be effective at getting rid of pimples, they are often associated with adverse effects, such as skin irritation and dryness. Because of this, a lot of people have turned to natural alternatives. There are a lot of natural acne remedies out there, but only a handful are scientifically proven to help.

A large scientific review found that essential oils of cinnamon, rose, lavender and clove fight acne-causing bacteria,  epidermis, and acnes. Like tea tree oil, these essential oils are very concentrated and can cause irritation if applied directly to the skin.

Acne thrives on neglected skin. Many cases of adult acne result from dead skin that clogs pores. That’s why the first line of defense against acne should be good daily cleansing habits.

Instead of grabbing the first bottle of sunscreen on the shelf, take a moment to seek out a product that will protect from sun and acne. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends scanning labels for keywords such as non-acnegenic, non-comedogenic, and oil-free.

Even with the best of intentions, too much cleansing and exfoliating can make acne worse. By stripping away all of the skin’s natural oils, pores are vulnerable to bacteria. The simple solution: ease up on cleansers and limit usage of home exfoliating brushes to once or twice per week.

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Nail Problems

Minor fingernail and toenail problems are common. At one time or another, almost everyone has caught a nail on something, causing it to rip, or has smashed a finger in a door, leaving blood under the nail. These kinds of injuries can be quite painful but are usually not serious. You can often relieve pain and prevent infection of minor nail problems at home.

Since the nails are on the back of our fingertips and toes, they are prone to damage. Anyone who works or plays or runs or walks has injured a fingernail or toenail. Longer nails are more likely to become damaged because they can be levered off the nail bed or run into the end of an athletic shoe. Poorly fitting shoes are likely to injure nails through repeated trauma.

Most injuries affect the nail plate (the hard part of the nail that grows out), which can crack and potentially fall off, and the nailbed (that’s the skin underneath the nail plate), which can bleed and bruise. When the injury first happens, you need to do a quick assessment. Basic wound care applies here: Put pressure on the area to slow the bleeding, clean the wound with soap and water, apply a bandage, and take an analgesic to help with pain if needed. You can also ice your finger if you’ve got swelling in the area.

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Catching Flu and a Cold at the Same Time. Is it possible?

While there’s been plenty of scientific research on influenza and on the common cold, there are no published studies that focus on the concurrence of both at once. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible, says Dr. Schaffner, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine at VanderbiltUniversity.

The influenza virus generally causes symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, and weakness. These symptoms can also be accompanied by sinus congestion, sore throat, headaches, and muscle pain.

The common cold, on the other hand, is generally milder, with symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, sore throat, congestion, runny nose,and fatigue. These telltale signs can be caused by a number of pathogens, butthe most common culprit is rhinovirus.

But there are good news! The body can fight two infections at once, although the double-whammy may leave you feeling even worse than a normal bout of cold or flu. You can also protect against the viruses that cause colds and flu by washing your hands regularly, not sharing utensils or glasses, and avoiding other people who are sick. And if you do come down with an illness this season, do yourself a favor and get plenty of rest and fluids.