Traditional and Alternative medicine.

Sunday, October 29. 2006

In Good Health — Prescription help is here

www.fredericknewspost.com

In case you missed the article yesterday, did you know Frederick County offers a prescription drug discount program?

All residents, no matter your age, bankroll or health insurance status, are eligible to use a discount card that saves you more than 20 percent per prescription.

The savings, an average of $13.10 per prescription, has kept almost $200,000 in county residents' pockets since the program began in March.

Normally I don't write columns that regurgitate material from my news articles, but I am completely impressed by this concept.

Through my work as a health reporter, I meet people who are without health insurance and prescription drug coverage or underinsured. While this program isn't a cure for the problem, it at least alleviates some of the often-overwhelming burden of drug costs.

It must be a drug coverage week, because the Help is Here Express national bus tour visited Frederick on Monday.

Help is Here helps people find programs that provide prescription drugs for free, or nearly free. The bus tour is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and is sponsored by pharmaceutical research companies.

Unlike the county's program, which is for all residents, Help is Here is geared toward a specific population: low-income, uninsured or underinsured.

For more information on Help is Here, call toll-free 888-477-2669 or visit www.pparx.org.

Interested in the county's discount card program? Call 301-600-6699 or visit www.co.frederick.md.us/RxCard.

What's happening in health

Parents, homeowners, renters and landlords, take note: The Frederick County Health Department reminds you this is Maryland's 19th annual Lead Poisoning Week.

The main source of exposure is lead-based paint or lead-contaminated dust found in older, deteriorating homes, according to the health department. Lead poisoning mainly affects children, and can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, seizures, coma or even death.

About 95 percent of the 449,000 Maryland homes built prior to 1950 contain lead paint, and 75 percent of the 972,000 houses built between 1950 and 1979 contain lead paint, according to the health department, which cited a U.S. Census Bureau study.

To learn more, talk to the experts at the Maryland Department of the Environment's lead hotline,--410-537-4199, or call the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning at 410-534-6447. You can also obtain a list of inspectors from the MDE Web site, www.mde.state.md.us/lead.

For local information about the health department's lead prevention case management services, contact Lynn Shuff at 301-600-3327.

Health tip of the week

Carving pumpkins this weekend? Don't forget the health benefits of pumpkin seeds. Studies have shown the seeds can help lower cholesterol and promote prostate health, and they have some anti-inflammatory components, according to World's Healthiest Foods, a nonprofit organization that promotes the benefits of healthy eating.

Preparing the seeds is easy, the site advises: Once removed from the pumpkin, wipe off excess pulp and let them dry overnight, then place them on a cookie sheet and roast them for 15-20 minutes at 160-170 degrees. Eat them alone, or shell them and toss on sauted veggies, or even in granola, for a healthy snack.
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