Bleed Purple For Lupus Awareness

Purple is an incredibly unique color. The most beautiful flowers in my opinion are a deep dark violet color. I had a purple wedding dress because I adore the color. How can you not? Purple isn't just unique and beautiful it's a symbol. It represents lupus awareness.This month is lupus awareness, so to show your support you could educate yourself and others about lupus and don't forget to wear purple! 1.5 million Americans currently have Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can possibly damage any of part of your body including skin, joints and organs. An autoimmune diseases suggest that your immune system does not know the difference between evil invaders and your healthy tissues. Generally, women ages 15-44 get lupus, but men,children, and teenagers can get lupus as well. Lupus symptoms can last for several years and it can be hard to diagnose as the symptoms mimic minor illnesses. 

Lupus symptoms consist of:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint Pain
• Stiffness
• Dry Eyes
• Headaches
• Butterfly-Shaped Rash On Face
• Fingers and Toes turn white or blue when exposed to cold or stressful periods
• Chest Pain
• Shortness of Breath

Can you imagine what it would be like to have a difficult to diagnose disease?  Ian Harding, the actor in Pretty Little Liars, tells us about his mother who has lupus. Mary Harding was diagnosed with lupus when Ian was six years old. Ian recalls the days when his mother's hands swelled and how she contently wore hats in public to protect herself from the sun. In several interviews he explained that as a child, he did not understand Lupus, but understands it more now as an adult. Ian Harding has always supported his mother, and has been working with the Lupus Foundation of America for the last two years to raise awareness.  His mother would talk to her children about Lupus as it evolved in her life. Her children did not know until they were older that Lupus was possibly a fatal disease. Ian had a stronger emotional sense of the world than most of the children his age and his mother's illness affected him greater because of it. His mother explained, "As a parent, I didn't need to be the perfect mom, but wanted to be apart of it. I needed to show up and do the things I needed to do to raise the kids. I didn't want my kids to grow up to think their mother was fragile." Mary Harding did not let Lupus get in the way of being there for her family. Ian told an interviewer about his opinion on Lupus awareness and finding a cure, "I think with any chronic thing no matter how strong or strong willed you are, there comes a time you just wish it wasn't there. The more I got involved in lupus foundation and see doctors speak on it, it feels like we are so close. I have this feeling that if we care about it a little more that would be the final push over the top."

There are a variety of different medications that can help with signs of lupus disease. 

• Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is used to treat symptoms of lupus disease including fatigue, muscle pain, and joint pain. LDN helps the immune system, lowers the inflammation, and releases natural endorphins. 

• Quinacrine is an Antimalarial medication used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Quinacrine reduces inflammation and helps control skin rash in people who have lupus. This medication also may help releive muscle, joint pain, fatigue, and fever.

• Chloroquine is an Antimalarial medication used to treat Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. This medication treats auto-immune diseases to help suppress over activity in the immune system and limits inflammation. It also helps reduce signs and symptoms of Lupus such as pain and swelling.

• Hydroxychlorquine is an Antimalarial medication used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. This medication is used to decrease the symptoms of lupus. It helps relieve inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and joint pain. 

These medications help lupus disease patients stay healthy and cope with their disease. If you are looking for these types of medications, or someone to speak with, the staff at Woodland Hills Pharmacy might be a good place to start!www.WoodlandHillsPharmacy.com/contact_us

Jennie-Your Undercover For Everything Pharmacy

Good OR Free; Never Both

In My Experience: Free is Never Better

Have you ever had to deel with bad healthcare customer servicae whether it was from a pharmacy. free healthcare or healthcare at a private company? I currently have the terible free healthcare, but I am in the proces of switching over to a private company. A few medications that I currently take need refills. I called up my county clinic to make an appointment and they warned me they are booked up to June.  I asked to speak to someone who could help me get my prescriptions because at this point I had no refills left. The customer service representative tells me to call back the next morning and to speak with a specific person.

The next day, I call back, they transfer me... no one answer. I repeat this process three more times with the same outcome. Fed up, I call back and tell them I need to talk to someone. I get transferred. I tell this technician what prescriptions I need and she puts me on hold for ten minutes. After a few more transfers and explaining my dilemma to a few more snarky receptionist and waiting on hold for 10 minutes, someone answers and says,"Is this Suzanne?"

For the fifth time, I told her my name and briefly described why I was calling. She asked what prescriptions I needed and that she'll have to call the pharmacy. How many more people will I have to deal with just to get a refill? This is a nightmare. But that's what I get for signing up for free healthcare. Finally, after another ten minutes on hold she tells me that I can pick up my prescriptions at the pharmacy. After spending an hour and half on the phone, I was irate and outraged by the horrible customer service this clinic had.

 No one should be treated this way no matter how free the services are. I have seen incredible technicians help customers and meet their needs without being rude or placing customers on hold endlessly. 

Technicians ought to be there to help the patients, and find the best price for them. It's not only good manners, it's good for business relations. As I work, I hear the technicians typing away behind me and chattering pleasantly on the phone. They are always helpful, cheery and incredibly patient. They always seem to go the extra mile to see that the customer is taken care of. I respect and admire that they all maintain the same sweet, understanding manner on every level from pharmacists to clerks.  Our head technician, Ren overheard how long I was put on hold. She was shocked and told me she would never treat patients the way my free health center was treating me.

This experience has taught me that not every company believes in helping their customers or providing superb customer service. I don't know about you but I think I would rather pay through the nose, if I had to, for a company that actually cares. I won't be giving them my time or my business. As a marketing director for a pharmacy, I know the importance of customer service. How can you be proud to work for a company that doesn't do it's very best to help it's customers and make a difference in people's lives?

Jennie-Your Undercover For Everything Pharmacy