If so, a few important tips:
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Iron is necessary to ensure oxygen delivery to every cell in your body. Do you have low energy? Feel tired? Have trouble sleeping? Are you replenishing your iron stores to ensure you have oxygen for times of stress and illness? I do not have to explain why our bodies need oxygen. Low levels can manifest slowly as headaches, sexual dysfunction, irritability, swelling of the tongue, brittle nails, and lack luster hair to just name a few.
Iron can be obtained from your diet. Some examples of dietary sources include: red meat, lima beans, kale, spinach, watermelon, beets, prunes, clams, almonds, and chlorophyll. Check with your doctor if you need further supplementation. Keep in mind just like any food you can consume it but are you absorbing the necessary nutrients? The tannins in tea, polyphenols on coffee, phosphates in soda, and calcium if taken within two hours of an iron supplement all impair iron absorption. You subsequently can also increase iron absorption by combining foods rich in vitamin C (tomatoes, peppers, green veggies, citrus fruits) with iron rich foods. I routinely boost my iron stores. Sometimes in the winter my lips crack in the corners. When I consciously increase my iron intake, I am able to avoid this. Women especially need to be aware of the benefits of iron very month. Your immune system will thank you. Prevention is the treatment! One other tidbit I wish I knew earlier is if you aren't ensuring oxygen stores you will burn carbohydrates first instead of fat during exercise as it takes less oxygen to burn carbs. If you are exercising for weight loss ensure your body has plenty of iron. Oxygen, oxygen, oxygen! The key to optimal wellness :) A bit of information, to your health! Explore Iron! Questions welcome! What do you want to know more about to improve your health? Mind, body, and spirit. Put in a comment.
Eliminate all aluminum from your diet and lifestyle!!!
Read Labels: Salt Baking Powder Cake Mixes Antacids Soda Drinks Pickled Foods Processed Cheeses Deodorant To name a few! Avoid cooking with aluminum foil or using as a wrapping for food. Avoid drinking out of aluminum bottles or cans (beer/water). Aluminum is a heavy metal that leaches into food and settles in the kidneys, brain, and intestines. I won't begin to explain what these three organ systems do for your body and mind. Aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's and interferes with the body's ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus, two essential components for almost every body function. A Quick and Easy Detox: Reduce and Eliminate Aluminum in your Diet/Lifestyle. There are options!!!! Read labels and educate yourself. Prevention is the treatment. Your body will love you for it! To your health Can't sleep, try a handful of raw pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources of tryptophan, an amino acid that increases serotoninin in our brains resulting in increased mood, decreased stress/anxiety, and insomnia relief. Pumpkin seeds are also high in magnesium and zinc. Try soaking the seeds in water for half a day for easier digestion. Pumpkin seed butter is also delicious! Keep in mind tryptophan is considered to be the least abundant amino acid in people's diets. Maybe this is why Ambien is one of the most commonly prescribed medications. Something to chew on... tryptophan= pumpkin seeds :) To your health!
Monday: Mind and Spirit
Tuesday: Metabolic Processes (Diabetes, Thyroid, etc) Wednesday: Blood Pressure/Cardiovascular Thursday: Women Friday: Nutrition and The Gut Saturday: Surprise!!! Sunday: Superfoods This will be the general outline of my posts from this point on. If there is a topic that most interests you, you will now know which day to best frequent my writings. I love to help, educate, and inspire. I hope to do just that! <3 What are the side effects? Are there drug interactions? Do I take this with food? Do I refrigerate? How do I tell if I'm allergic? How does it work? Can I drink alcohol? Where can you find all this information? On that leaflet we give you with your medication at the pharmacy. Look for it. Do you read it? Or do you choose to throw it away? Don't ask me to discard the packaging and leaflets because I won't. I choose to empower you. We give it to you for a reason. Afterall, it's your body. Take a moment to read that leaflet. It just may save your life.
"You never see a crash till its head on..." I overheard a conversation today, on my day off from the pharmacy, about how the pharmacist didn't even smile when she picked up her prescription. Let me ask you one thing, have you ever worn a white coat? Do you understand the amount of responsibility a pharmacist holds on their shoulders every day they go to work? Enough to know that if one pill gets into the wrong bottle, a medication overdose isn't caught, or a doctor's handwriting is misread that one error can kill you. We, as pharmacists, are not allowed even one error. We must be 100% every hour, every day. There is a lot on our minds, including, yes, YOUR health and well-being. So, if the pharmacist provides you with the correct medication, in the correct dose, for the correct indication, please don't sweat it if the pharmacist didn't smile at you that day. Who goes to the pharmacy for emotional support anyway. There are other doctors for that. We care about you but please understand what it means to do our job. Until you have put on a white coat, don't judge. We provide a professional service in a retail environment where less help and greater pressure exists today. Know what service that is and help us help you. If you don't like the service, find a pharmacist you do like! In love and respect and in service to your health! We do care about you.
One of the most common questions I am asked at the pharmacy by young women is "what can I take for anxiety that is natural?". There are options. People do ask. Listen to you body. You are not the only one. Simple diet and lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Then if you still require medication, at least you have explored your options. Anxiety medications can have side effects, drug interactions, dependency, and contraindications. Know what you are putting in your body. More to come...
Do you ask your doctor questions about the prescriptions they write for you? An impromptu survey reveals that 75% of those presenting a prescription at the pharmacy do not know how to take the medication prescribed. Before you leave your doctor appointment, make sure you know what is prescribed, how to take it, and ask questions.
Yes, we are well trained at reading physician handwriting but YOU must be your own advocate. Take ownership of what's going into your body; you will lessen the chance of error. Those patients who are empowered protect themselves. One of the first questions we are trained to ask you is "how did your doctor tell you to take this medication". Not only does your answer to this question ensure the correct the drug, dose, and schedule for your body, but it helps us help you. If pharmacists recorded every time they had to call a doctor for clarification on a prescription, this number would reach to space and back several times! Pharmacist are just as responsible for a prescription as your physician. We take this seriously. Be empowered and become a vital part of YOUR own healthcare team. Vitamin "X". Really? Anyone care to guess?
I was told at a doctor's appointment that I should leave with a prescription for Xanax because I am young, single, live in NYC, and have a stressful job. So what?! No thank you, I'm fine. And by the way, did you know I am a pharmacist? Xanax is not a vitamin. Far from it!
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Dr. Jessica LewisA Balanced Life Archives
April 2019
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