MEDICATION DISPENSER: 20-1-7 Challenge: Week 3

Dr. Grimes' 20-1-7 CHALLENGE: 

• For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
• Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
• Commit to that change for SEVEN days.

MEDICATION DISPENSER: 20-1-7 Challenge Week #3

Time to practice what I preach, and get back to using my own weekly medication box!  This week's 20-1-7 challenge is to fill and use my dispenser. 

As a doctor, you would think I could manage to take my ONE prescription medication plus or minus a couple vitamins ...yet I find on many days that I literally cannot remember whether or not I took them. Like everyone else, I'm in a hurry in the morning, barely paying attention as I brush my teeth (which is when I grab my medication). I tell patients all the time that this is exactly why birth control pills come in a day-labeled package! Truly, if you take ANY medication on a daily basis (even OTC antihistamines or vitamins), please try using a weekly pill dispenser. Special note to parents of teens- have THEM start using one, including the weekly pill dispensing, so when they head to college, they are very comfortable with this system- especially if they take ADD medications. 

BOTTOM LINE: Improve your medication compliance by using a weekly pill box- they are NOT just for "seniors"!

20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR

20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer  This week, I put a new "twist" on my vegetables by using a new veggie spiralizer ($6 at the grocery store) and replaced pasta and rice all week with spiraled zucchini or yellow squash.
FEEDBACK: Honestly, we ate out more than in this week, so I give myself at best a B- on this one; I used the spiralizer enough to master it, but had very few meals with this new tool. On the plus side, I am going strong continuing my push for extra veggies/fruit at every meal! For example, I added shredded carrots to my standard caprese salad of tomatoes and cheese.

Sneeze, Cough, Stuffy Nose...and LOTS of Medicines

Allergy season is in full swing, and there are so many allergy remedies out there. How do you decide what you need? Do you understand the difference between an antihistamine and a decongestant? And where does an expectorant fit in? It's often tough to figure out when to take which drug might help. Here are the basics:

1. Decongestants simply narrow the blood vessels in the lining of the nose, allowing air to pass more easily. Use these when your nose is "stopped up". Caution: do not use if you have high blood pressure, as they can potentially raise your pressure.

2. Antihistamines block the release of histamine, the chemical in your body that cause cells to swell and leak fluid, resulting in itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny nose. Use these to DRY UP (but not when you are simply "stuffy")

3. Expectorants are all medications that include guaifenesin. This drug breaks up mucus, allowing it to drain down from sinuses or be coughed up from your lungs. It wont work if you are dehydrated, so drink extra water- especially if you are also taking an antihistamine, because they DRY UP mucus and that makes it tougher to break up and clear. Use these when you have sinus and ear pressure, or if you have a cold "go to your chest." There is little evidence-based medicine to support the use of these, but clinically I have seen them help a great deal to relieve head congestion, and often avoid the use of antibiotics.

The AAFP a great website with more detail: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/857.html

BOTTOM LINE: Don't always grab the "do everything" medicine for your stuffy, sneezy, coughy, itchy symptoms- understand which drug works for which complaint!