Prescription for Well-Being

Tanning, frying and Melanoma

Beginning in late march a national campaign by Indoor Tanning Association was started by posting a full page add in the New York Times suggesting, or as some saw it, plainly stating, that indoor tanning is good for ones body; not that it's not bad for you, they are saying that it's actually good for your body.
Hasn't the vast majority of research conducted concerning skin cancer faulted prolonged and high exposure to UV rays as a source for cancer? It has. But rather than to list source after source of proof of this. I wanted to share some thoughts on perhaps why some feel tanning may not be so dangerous for your skin; even though you are exposed to as high as 15 times more UV rays indoor tanning than from the sun.

I am a strong believer that UV rays and exposure to other harmful materials, matter etc out in the world contribute to skin cancer, but genetics and diet also has it's part. I grew up blocks from the beach in Santa Barbara, and still see the much older retired men and women laying out occasionally and walking by the waterfront, skin exposed, enjoying afternoon in high degree weather. Some of which I know personally, have been doing this there whole life and have the prunie, dark gold skin to prove it. So what gives, where's the cancer? Does lifestyle and diet play a role? Med Headlines released this article on diet and and skin cancer, suggesting a number of foods that are known to fight skin cancer development, and also added a fact I wasn't aware of... individuals that consume more fruits and vegetables have only half the incidence of skin cancer, whereas those who consume meals high in meat and fat have twice the risk.

Whatever your personal thoughts on this matter, I think we can all agree that if our body reacts to exposure of any type by burning discomfort, and have exhaustive research to reference a UV Ray to Melanoma link, we should probably cover up with some SPF and consider other alternatives to protect ourselves like changing up the diet.

source of some material for this post.
http://medheadlines.com
http://abcnews.go.com

Saving Money on Prescription Drugs

In the News... over the past week Destination Rx has been mentioned in various news sources like The Wall Street Journal and US News as a resourceful and smart tool for cost comparison, cheaper drug alternative and safety overview information. In an age where time means money and multitasking has become part of everyday life it's comforting to have useful information and tools at our fingertips if we know where to look.
So take a look!

US News
Wall Street Journal
KTRE

Synthroid and Low Cost Alternatives for Thyroid Disease

I recently came across an article on thyroid disease that made me contemplate how important it is to know what our bodies are exposed to each day. In it was the suggestion that house dust plays a role in the development of the disease. Dust born compounds called PBDEs, commonly used as fire retardants on furniture, are chemical particles carried around on house dust. they are linked to thyroid problems in animals that have been exposed to them, the levels of PBDEs are also 7 to 35 times higher in Americans as they are in Europeans.
One of the top searched drug in America is Synthroid, it's prescribed by doctors to limit the effects of hypothyroidism, which reduces thyroxine production by your thyroid gland, slowing your body down; Synthroid provides the body with the thyroxine it cannot produce on its own.
Here's some helpful data with low cost alternative options for Synthroid.

Your Prescription	Type	Retail	Mail Service
	(Copay)	(30 Days)	(90 Days)
Synthroid (levothyroxine)
0.025 MG Tablet, 1 Tablet, once a day	Brand	12.00	33.00
Option	Type	Retail	Mail Service
	(Copay)	(30 Days)	(90 Days)
levothyroxine (direct generic)	Generic	6.00	15.00
0.025MG Tablet, 1 Tablet, once a day	Annual Savings:	72.00	84.00
Levothroid (levothyroxine)	Brand	4.91	11.74
0.025MG Tablet, 1 Tablet, once a day	Annual Savings:	85.05	97.05
Synthroid (levothyroxine)	Brand	7.28	18.82
0.05MG Tablet, ½ Tablet, once a day	Annual Savings:	56.7	68.7
Unithroid (levothyroxine)	Brand	8.32	21.98
0.025MG Tablet, 1 Tablet, once a day	Annual Savings:	44.1	56.1
Levoxyl (levothyroxine)	Brand	10.16	27.49
0.025MG Tablet, 1 Tablet, once a day	Annual Savings:	22.05	34.05

You can find this and other detailed lower cost alternative reports on our consumer friendly site RXaminer.

Be Healthy, Be Smart.

Unfortunate Outbreak of Virus in China

What's turning out to be an increasingly tragic case of foot-hand and mouth disease continues to spread in China. Last week I read about the outbreak (Washington Post) that has now claimed the lives of 30 children and immediately thought, why so many?

The common childhood illness, which is highly contagious, isn't exactly known for it's high fatality rates. Chinese health officials have stated that accurate and more readily available reporting is a reason why we are hearing infection numbers this year, roughly 20,000 affected with HFMD. Most of the deaths have also been from the Puyang region, a poor eastern province of Anhui; despite the high numbers, and reports all over china about the outbreak, The World Health Organization has said that China was not facing a new or more virulent strain of hand, foot and mouth, despite an unusually high number of child deaths.

Why then has it been slow to detect the symptoms associated with HFMD? Are there new symptoms? The spread and rate at which it is killing young children appears unprecedented, even if the central location of most of the reported cases are in a poor region; where it may be suggested that prevention practices are not widely known or practiced. Still, why so many all of a sudden?

If you come across it, here's How to prevent its spread.

Congress Passes GINA Bill

Recently a bill was passed by congress that would prevent health providers from discriminating against individuals whose genetic information suggest they may be at higher risks for certain diseases. The disclosing of this information traditionally has placed fear in patients of being denied employment or of receiving higher insurance premiums. The immediate significance of this is that not only will individuals feel comfortable providing information to employers and health care providers, but many will also partake in  gene testing that will help them identify which diseases they may be at risk for.

"People know we all have bad genes, and we are all potential victims of genetic discrimination," said Representative Louise Slaughter, Democrat of New York, who first proposed the legislation.

"This clears away what in many people's mind had been a real cloud on the horizon," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. "Families with a strong history of genetic disease will have one less worry about the circumstances they find themselves in, and hooray for that."

The bill, which President George W. Bush plans to sign, can also fine employers who decide compensation, or hiring based on genetic information up to $30,000 a case.

It's still sometime before the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act can go into law, 12-18 months, but it's passing has spawned some very intriguing questions: With all the genetic information provided, will it influence people in making decisions in other areas of life, like which sports to participate in, relationships to pursue etc, as the data become more readily available? Will it be a similar process to mitigate through as race and gender have become?