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Prescription drug take back

4/24/2018

Are you Spring Cleaning? I am, in full force! The sun is out and shining down on all the sins of winter: neglected window sills, dingy light fixtures, and who-knows-what lurking under the couches. If you too are in full de-clutter mode, may I suggest starting with your medicine cabinet. Unused, mislabeled, and expired medications take up valuable space, and can contribute to a greater public health problem. According to a 2015 study, over 6 million Americans are abusing prescription drugs, and this number is growing. So, no pressure, but your expired and unused medications can be a danger to your family and community.

The good news is, disposing of your old medications properly is easy! This Saturday, April 28th is National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Many police departments and city halls will be collecting unused medications. Find events near you in the DEA Location Finder. For a list of permanent Disposal Kiosks, visit the St. Charles County Government Prescription Drug Disposal page.

If you can't make it to an event, most medications can be thrown away in your regular household trash. Follow these basic steps from the FDA:

From the US Food and Drug Administration

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Spring struggles

4/3/2018

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Dear Ask Alison,
I have terrible allergies, but I really do not like taking over the counter medicine because it makes me so tired. Do you have any suggestions for natural ways to combat seasonal allergies? ~ Lisa M., O’Fallon

Happy Spring! I feel your struggle…

I’ve tried everything under the sun to avoid my daily Claritin fix: bee pollen, probiotics, teas, standing on my head, and chanting! But when it comes to natural or “alternative” treatments, which aren’t regulated the same way as pharmaceuticals, it’s crucial to 1. Talk to your physician and 2. Look for science-backed claims.

I highly recommend the Natural Medicines research tool available from the Library (for free!). Supplements and natural remedies undergo thorough review by a panel of doctors before achieving “Effectiveness Ratings.” These ratings, along with your doctor’s advice, can help you make informed decisions

Here are some remedies that have been rated as “Possibly Effective” for seasonal allergies:

Saline Nasal Irrigation: Over-the-counter irrigation systems can be found at any drugstore
Butterbur: Sounds like a Harry Potter cocktail, but the extract from this shrub can be found in capsule form at any muggle drugstore
Beta-Glucans: Wellmune and other brands of the yeast-derived b-glucans can be found in most health food stores.
Thymus Extract: Ask your pharmacist for Thymomodulin capsules

To learn more about the science behind natural remedies, visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health website.

Check out more from the library

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6 swaps for "busy"

3/13/2018

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Are you so sick of being busy? Same. I’ve tried getting up earlier, scaling back on social engagements, and reading every time management manifesto under the sun. Busyness remains. Having a lot to do isn’t bad. In fact, sustained engagement in a variety of activities is good for us. It improves cognitive function, memory, and mood. The flipside, however, is anxiety and overwhelm, which have negative effects on health and overall productivity.

Busy has become a badge of honor for many of us. Saying “I’m busy” may sound like important and valid reasoning, but it can alienate people. In fact, workplace studies have shown that leaders who exhibit “busyness” breed mistrust and inefficiency in their teams. Take a moment and think about how it feels when you hear “I’m too busy to get to that thing that is important to you.”

“Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.”
~ Lao Tzu

A few months ago, my yoga teacher posed this question in a class: “is it really so bad to have responsibilities; to have skills that are in high demand and people who need you?” Of course not! What a beautiful way to describe busyness.

Busy is boring. I’ve decided to focus on how grateful I am to have these wonderful people, responsibilities, and tasks to fill my days and my heart. As a reminder that I am in control of my life and my time, I’ve put together a list of swaps for saying “I’m Busy:”

At Work:

I’m actively working through my to-do list.
My schedule is complete this week.
This project looks interesting; what can I de-prioritize to make this happen?

At home/ with family:

I’m already committed to ________ (going to the park with my kids, taking a bubble bath, de-cluttering my closet, etc.)
I am excited to have so many social events filling my weekends.
No, thank you. (<---This one is my favorite!)

references

Festini, S. B., McDonough, I. M., & Park, D. C. (2016). The Busier the Better: Greater Busyness Is Associated with Better Cognition. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 8, 98.

Richards, K. (2015). Work/Life Balance. The Disease of 'Busyness'. Nursing Economic$, 33(2), 117-119.

love and friendship

2/14/2018

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My best friends from childhood. Care Bears forever!

When I was young, my friends were everything to me. We passed notes in class, spent endless hours talking about boys and eating junk food, and made serious pacts to remain friends to the END. I am happy to report that I still have many of my childhood friends, and I have met some real diamonds in my adult life as well. But I am as guilty as the next one for not making time to stay in touch, especially since cancelling plans is easier than ever. One text message is all you need to stay cozied up in your sweats for a Netflix marathon.

Yes, friendship takes more effort as we become adults with responsibilities, but it is crucial to your physical and mental health to stay connected to your people. Here’s why:

Best friends from college, AKA my "wolfpack"

Friends make life easier: When faced with major obstacles, such as climbing a mountain, scientists found human subjects experienced less anxiety when facing the climb with a friend. Even just thinking about a good friend reduced their stress levels.

Friends help you live longer: Having a strong social network can keep you living longer and healthier. Conversely, social isolation has been found to be as detrimental to your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!

Friends make you happy: This is a no-brainer. Having a close-knit group of longtime friends can make you objectively happier over a lifetime. The Okinawan’s call this MOAI, but you can call it whatever you want: your Tribe, Wolfpack, or Dream Team. Just make seeing your friends a priority, and watch your life transform!

~ Happy Valentine’s Day ~

references

Buettner, Dan. (2017) The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People. Washington, DC: National Geographic Partners.

Brent, L. J. N., Chang, S. W. C., Gariépy, J.-F., & Platt, M. L. (2014). The neuroethology of friendship. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1316(1), 1–17.

Christakis, Nicholas A. (2009). Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape our Lives. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co.

Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.

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your brain on love

1/30/2018

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This month I see hearts everywhere. Heart shaped boxes of candy lining the grocery store checkout aisles. Heart shaped crafts at Library story times. Heart shaped drawings from my children, which I vow to keep forever. We continue to use the heart as the symbol for romantic love and affection all year long, even though we have long since discovered that love- like other emotions- originates in a very un-heart shaped organ: the brain.

Over a decade ago, an anthropologist named Helen Fisher used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study the brains of people in love and later the brains of people who had been dumped. Participants were told to either think of someone they love or look at pictures of their loved ones. The brain-on-love images were illuminated in all new parts of the brain! They concluded that the love “emotion” actually occurs in an area of the brain that is deeper than emotion and associated with more primitive functions such as focus, motivation, reward-seeking, and pleasure. This reptilian brain is illuminated on the fMRI of those in love, and even more so in brains of the recently dumped. This explains the classic “wanting what we can’t have” conundrum, among many other crazy things we do when we’re in love.

This research has prompted plenty more exciting studies, including looking at the brains of people in long-term relationships and how the experience of love over a lifetime might change the fundamental architecture of the brain. Check out some of the books and articles below to learn more.

Read scholarly articles about the love and the brain using the Library's Total Search! Click here or search subjects Brain AND Love from the Library's main search bar.