Leesburg Pharmacy’s Take Back Program

Summer Safety and your Breastfed Baby

April is Autism Awareness Month. During the month of April we are raising money for the Aurora School which is a private non-profit school that is designed for students who are unable to reach their full potential in a public school setting or in a traditional classroom. The Aurora School will be relocating to the Paxton property in Leesburg once renovations are complete. Please stop by Leesburg Pharmacy and purchase an autism magnet or tee shirt or a chance to win a wonderful gift basket. Proceeds will be donated to the Aurora School.

For Leesburg Pharmacy another big part of Autism Awareness Month is educating the public about Autism and its treatments. Autism or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 1 in 150 children. Autistic Spectrum Disorder is characterized by difficulty in communicating and relating socially. Children with ASD often have repetitive behaviors or movements and sensory dysfunction. Therapies for ASD involve multiple approaches. Often patients benefit from diets that eliminate food sensitivities such as gluten and casein. Medical supplements are also a big part of the therapies used for Autism. Vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as probiotics and detoxification supplements are often helpful.

Leesburg Pharmacy carries a wide variety of supplements used in the treatment of ASD. In our Compounding Center we can compound medications with the autistic patient in mind. We make customized preparations to meet the unique needs of each child.

• Medications that are free of gluten, casein, sugars, dyes, lactose, alcohol and preservatives.
• Individualized dosing and alternate dosage forms such as suspensions and transdermal gels.

According to the CDC, between 1994 and 2006 the number of children with ASD enrolled in public special education classes has grown from 22,664 to 211,610. These growing numbers make Autism Awareness even more important. We appreciate everyone’s efforts in supporting this worthy cause.

Leesburg Pharmacy Supports Autism Awareness

Choosing the Right Rollator

Here’s To Your Health In The New Year.

This time of year brings the joy of holidays, family and lots of food. Unfortunately, all those wonderful holiday treats come at the expense of our health and waistlines. We all know that as our weight increases, so does our risk for chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and hormonal problems.

As the New Year approaches, let’s talk about what you can do to invest in your health and your future. To shed those unwanted pounds and improve your health you must make a conscious effort to burn off more calories than you take in. To get started, we suggest you keep a food diary for one week. Write down everything you eat without making changes to your normal routine and add up your calories for each day. Use food labels, information on recipes or websites for restaurants you visit to calculate the calories, and don’t forget to check the portion size.

To lose 1 pound per week you must cut 500 calories from your diet per day or burn 500 extra calories per day by exercising or some combination of the two. As always, before starting any diet or exercise program, consult your health care provider. Even little changes make a difference. Start now. This year give yourself the gift of health. This is the most important gift you can give to yourself and to the ones who love you.

Healthy, Beautiful Legs for Life!

It is estimated that more than 80 million Americans suffer from some form of vein disorder.¹ These statistics show that nearly one in three Americans over the age of 45 are affected by vein disease. Unfortunately, only 4% of those are being treated. Venous disorders are an extremely common occurrence, just like high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. They also need to be taken just as seriously.

The veins in your legs have valves that keep blood moving in one direction: back toward the heart. When these valves no longer work properly the blood can flow backwards and problems begin to occur. A back up of blood results in higher pressure in the veins, especially in the lower extremities such as the legs. The higher pressure may strain the wall of the veins causing them to enlarge. This may lead to small bluish spider veins and enlarged varicose veins that become visible bulges underneath the skin. (more…)

I tried to ignore the burning in my throat and the trouble swallowing, but after months of taking Prilosec, I finally had to admit my reflux was not getting better. I saw a Gastroenterologist who suggested several tests and procedures. A negative H.Pylori blood test ruled out a bacterial infection in my stomach. A barium esophagram was done to check for abnormalities in my throat since I was having trouble swallowing. The results were normal. However, an upper endoscopy showed evidence of prolonged irritation and inflammation. The good news - there was no cancer growing down there. The bad news - there was no apparent cause or easy cure for my symptoms.

Of course, I just wanted a pill that would fix the problem, but teatment was not that simple. I tried to be a good patient and follow my doctor’s orders. I began eating smaller and more frequent meals. I avoided tight clothing. I didn’t lie down after I ate. I raised the head of my bed. I avoided chocolate, coffee and wine – I was not fun to be around! I also began taking Nexium, a potent acid suppressor, twice a day. I was certain all these efforts would pay off, and I would be cured. (more…)

There was an article a few months back in the Washington Post business section about the precarious existence of the neighborhood pharmacy, and about the particular plight of the Leesburg Pharmacy. First the gloomy picture:

…The pharmacist with remedies for everyone is not at all sure she can heal herself. Nationwide, more than 1,100 independent pharmacies went out of business last year squeezed by shrinking reimbursements from insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid.

From behind the pharmacy counter, Garvin says she can feel the forces of competition turning the economy into one giant distribution chain, moving ever more products to ever more people at ever lower costs, mowing down everything in between. Amazon.com did it to bookstores, Home Depot did to hardware stores, and now so many forces are converging on community pharmacies that it feels like a tornado at the door–with nothing pushing back but a slight and hyperkinetic Garvin in her white pharmacist’s coat.

But, thankfully, there’s a higher purpose to a neighborhood pharmacy, and a more importantly a real need for them:

…Hospice patients who can’t swallow can have the active ingredients in their medicines compounded into drops or creams. Parents of pediatric reflux patients come from and alcohol-free version of the adult medicine. Those allergic to the dyes in many drugs can get a compounded version of their medicine free of artificial coloring.

Lynn Gibson, a retired Army employee visited the pharmacy last week. He said his head felt like a bowling ball from a sinus infection that had proved impervious to the most powerful antibiotic pills. His doctor had had a long phone conversation with Lisa Strucko, and she mixed antibiotic nose drops to attack the sinuses directly. Gibson drove here, 10 miles from her home, to get them, paying $12 more than he would have for pills. He said that he had called CVS, Giant and Safeway looking for a compounding lab and that “everyone said, ‘We don’t do it.’” A week later, he said he was finally feeling relief. “I told Lisa if this works I’m going to take her out and get her drunk,” he said.

Little doubt there are challenges, but there is even less doubt our community is better off for having a dedicated local pharmacy.

For the whole article, click here for page 1, and here for page 2.

Nothing is more important than having a community pharmacy to depend on.