Island Drug Podcast

February is American Heart Month. As you may know, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Cardiovascular conditions include angina, heart attack or myocardial infarction, hypertension, arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis, valve disease and congestive heart failure. Eighty-one million people in this country have been diagnosed with one or more of these conditions. Click here to download the accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/HeartHealth.pdf

Today I'm going to talk about diphtheria. Diphtheria is an often forgotten disease here in the United States; routine vaccination has made it excessively rare. Please click here for the accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/diphtheria.pdf

An overview of Tetanus (lockjaw) and the vaccine used to prevent this disease. Click here to view accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/tetanus.pdf

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease. Glaucoma is called “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing. Please click here to download accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/glaucoma.pdf

The United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Today I will highlight general guidelines for prevention, detection and treatment of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections which may lead to cervical cancer; with focus on Gardasil, the HPV Vaccine. To download accompanying text, please click here; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/HPV.pdf

The pharmacists and staff at Island Drug & LaConner Drug are committed to providing excellent access to many vaccines, and this time of year we continue our focus on the influenza vaccination season as we participate in National Influenza Vaccination Week Activities (NIVW). The information in this document is compiled from the CDC. Please click here to view the accompanying documentation; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/NIVW.pdf

In observance of American Diabetes Month, Nicole takes an in depth look at Diabetes, some of its complications, and the medications used in treatment. Please click here to view the accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Diabetes.pdf

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is also known as acid reflux disease and it occurs when liquid from the stomach backs up, or regurgitates, into the esophagus. With the release of over-the-counter Prevacid this week we wanted to go over all the available treatment options. Please click here for accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/GERD.pdf

November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, so this week Chris will present an overview of the disease and some of the medicines involved in it's management. Please click here for the accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Alzheimers.pdf

Leslie, LaConner Drug Pharmacy Manager, addresses some of the most frequently asked questions she has been asked throughout the first few weeks of the vaccination effort. For the most up to date information on H1N1 vaccine availability, please visit http://islanddrug.com/H1N1Flu.htm or http://laconnerdrug.com/H1N1Flu.htm

Pneumococcal disease is one of the most common causes of death in the United States from a vaccine-preventable disease. Today we will discuss the disease and the vaccine to prevent it. Click here to download accompanying text; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Pneumonia.pdf

Since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month we have devoted this podcast to the topic of breast cancer. I will discuss what breast cancer is, risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and some of the complementary or integrative therapies used. The accompanying text is available here; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/BreastCancer.pdf

This week we will continue our discussion of cholesterol covering some prescription treatment options. Please refer to the podcast from the week of September 28 for an introduction on the topic. While there are a variety of drugs used to lower cholesterol, a class of medications collectively known as statins are the most widely used. To download the accompanying text, please click here; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Statins.pdf

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Each year in the United States 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes. Accompanying text located here; http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Flu.pdf

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, is a painful rash that usually occurs on one side of the body or face. Itching, burning and/or tingling in the area of the rash are common early signs of shingles. The rash can take two to four weeks to heal and, although, the pain lessens as it heals, some people have pain that lasts for months or even years. There is now a vaccine to prevent shingles, Zostavax. Download the accompanying text here: http://islanddrug.com/podcasts/Zostavax.pdf

There are nearly five hundred million people worldwide and roughly one to two percent of American adults with IDA. There are certain groups of people that are at higher risk of IDA including children younger than two years old, adolescent girls, pregnant females, and elderly people over the age of sixty-five. Causes of IDA range from malnutrition to genetics to toxins and these will be covered as we progress further into this podcast. This is the link to download the accompanying text; http://www.islanddrug.com/podcasts/IDA.pdf