April Canadian Pharmacy News

April 2005

• Help Us Fight for Your Medications from Canada
• April 2005 Health News Tips
• Updated Call Center Hours

Help Us Fight for Your Medications from Canada

Important Message To Our Patients
We need your help in our fight to dispense
your medications from Canada.

Dear Valued Customer:

As you may have heard in the media the Canadian government has recently drafted new regulations that may prevent us from fulfilling your prescriptions from Canada. These changes to Canadian law may be implemented in 2005 and are the direct result of pressure by the Bush Administration and the pharmaceutical industry to eliminate drug importation from Canada.

Mail order pharmacy from Canada does not financially harm the drug companies and is not creating a supply shortage in Canada. It should be permitted to continue operating without threat from U.S. political and corporate interests. We need your help to achieve that.

But first of all, we would like you to be aware that we are going to continue filling your prescriptions regardless of what happens. Our pharmacy has established relationships with licensed pharmacies in Europe so we can continue to ensure that you receive safe and effective medications at competitive prices if we can no longer dispense your prescriptions from our Canadian pharmacy. We have a contingency plan to continue supplying you.

It would, of course, be our preference to continue operating in Canada but our ability to do so may be in jeopardy. As such, we would like to request that you assist us in our fight to stay viable in Canada by protesting the direct influence of the Bush Administration.

One way to do so is to contact your Senator or House Representative’s Office to express your outrage at President Bush’s intent to stop drug importation. You may even wish to phone, fax, e-mail or write the White House. We strongly urge you to take some action. Our best hope for success will be a strong collective response.

We have appreciated the chance to serve your medical needs and thank you for your patronage. We look forward to continuing that relationship in the future.

Senate Contact Information: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

House of Representatives Contact Information:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

Contacting the White House

E-Mail

President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Pharmaceutical Companies Contact Phone Number:

GlaxoSmithKline 1-888-825-5249
Merck & Co. 1-908-423-1000
Pfizer 1-212-733-2373
Aventis 1-800-981-2491
AstraZenica 1-302-886-3000
Wyeth 1-610-902-1200
Eli Lilly 1-317-276-2000

April 2005 Health News Tips

Five health tips from experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Subjects include cocoa's healthy qualities, heart health, seniors and constipation, children and household poisons and consulting physicians on pain reliever use.

Craving Valentine’s chocolates? Enjoying a hot treat may be better for your health

Thinking of indulging in that delectable box of Valentine’s chocolates or grabbing a chocolate candy bar in the grocery line?

How about drinking a cup of hot cocoa instead?

Chocolate, ingested in small quantities, may actually help keep your heart healthy, said Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Chocolate or cocoa – in its pure form – may improve cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular risk factors. But that’s before processing and manufacturing, and the addition of sugar, milk, butter and other ingredients that give chocolate its irresistible appeal – plus its fat and calories.
Made from cocoa beans, pure chocolate is rich in flavanol, an antioxidant that may help protect arteries from damage and fend off heart disease. Dark chocolate contains the highest levels of flavanol, with cocoa powder containing significant amounts as well.

“Research suggests that drinking a cup of dark hot chocolate can be equated with drinking a glass of wine in protecting the heart,” Ms. Sandon said. “Chocolate by itself may provide some health benefits. It’s what’s added to it that’s not so good for us.”

To keep a healthy heart, worry less about stress – think diet, exercise, cholesterol, obesity

When it comes to heart health, whether or not your job is stressful isn’t what you should be worried about, according to doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Diet, exercise and risk factors like high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are what contribute to a person’s chance of having a heart attack.

“In my opinion, executives tend to be very organized and disciplined and often work exercise into their schedules,” says Dr. James de Lemos, assistant professor of cardiology. “They do not have more heart attacks than the rest of the population. People with less-stressful jobs are just as susceptible to heart attacks.”

Seniors: You can make an impact on constipation – walk!

Constipation, often considered a taboo topic of discussion, affects about 2 percent of Americans. It’s a common complaint among senior citizens and women.

Causes of constipation include stress, a lack of water, fiber, or exercise, a disruption in your daily routine, overuse of laxatives, and some medications.

Exercise is a key solution. “If people are sedentary this should help,” says geriatric specialist Dr. Craig Rubin, professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Reduced physical activity can contribute significantly to problems of constipation. Physical activity, like walking 20 minutes a day, may reduce or eliminate the need for laxatives.”

Relief also can be found by eating more fruit, especially the skin because it contains the most fiber. Vegetables, legumes, whole-grain bread and bran cereal also can help.

Laxatives should not be used for more than two weeks. If constipation persists, consult your doctor.

With children around, stay vigilant in keeping away poisonous, dangerous items
Children, especially toddlers, can be particularly susceptible to poisoning by common household items often inadvertently left within easy reach by family members, says Dr. Kathleen Delaney, toxicology specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

“One thing we do see is children who take medications that are in the day-of-the-week pillboxes – often in grandparents’ homes.” Dr. Delaney says. “The pillboxes aren’t childproof, so they need to be out of reach or locked away.”
Caregivers, she said, should also make sure that after social gatherings, all cigarette butts and alcoholic drinks should be cleared away. Both of these can be toxic to children. “Small children may eat the cigarette butts; the nicotine can make them very sick,” Dr. Delaney says. Alcohol may lower their blood sugar to dangerous levels.

She says mouthwashes often contain alcohol and need to be removed from children’s reach or put in cabinets with child-safety locks, just like medicines and household cleaners. Parents should also keep children out of the garage, where dangerous cleaners or solvents are frequently stored.
“If a child ingests any foreign substance or medication, the best thing is to do is call a poison control center immediately,” Dr. Delaney advises.
Consult physician on use of pain relievers

In the recent wake of Vioxx being taken off the market and heart-risk concerns for Celebrex and Aleve, people with osteoarthritis who use over-the-counter pain relievers may be unsure and afraid of what to do next.
Dr. David Karp, UT Southwestern Medical Center chief of the Division of Rheumatic Diseases and associate director of the Harold C. Simmons Arthritis Research Center, says the actual risk of ulcers or heart disease from such medications is small. However, it is magnified by the large number of patients taking these drugs worldwide.

“Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and should be treated with both non-medical and medical therapy,” says Dr. Karp. “There is good evidence that weight loss and exercise have significant benefits with regard to both pain relief and physical function. Other non-drug treatments include the use of accupuncture and assistive devices such as canes, walkers or braces.”
For osteoarthritis sufferers seeking non-prescription medications for relief, acetaminophen can help in some cases, but users should be careful not to take too much or drink alcohol. Older anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen can work, as well as newer drugs such as Celebrex. Generic prescription drugs like etodolac and diclofenac are also available.
Regardless, Dr. Karp says osteoarthritis patients taking over-the-counter pain relievers should consult their physicians and stick to the lowest effective dose on the label.

“There are many drugs that can treat the pain of osteoarthritis, but none of them is a cure for the disease,” says Dr. Karp. “Each patient who is taking these drugs on a chronic basis should talk to their physician about the risks of the medication and steps they can take to minimize those risks.”

UT Southwestern Medical Center
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/509644/

Updated Call Center Hours

We are striving toward the highest levels of customer service. In our efforts to achieve this we have expanded call center hours to the following times:

Monday to Friday: 6:30am - 7:00pm (Pacific Time)
Saturday: 8:30am - 4:30pm (Pacific Time)
Sunday: Closed

MediSave Customer Feedback

We would love to hear what you think of this issue of our newsletter. If you have any feedback or suggestions for upcoming MediSave.ca newsletters please let us know via e-mail at:
CustomerService@MediSave.ca

MediSave.ca
1364 Cliveden Ave
Delta, British Columbia
Canada V3M 6K2
Toll Free Tel: 1.877.888.DRUG (1.877.888.3784)
Toll Free Fax: 1.866.364.9987