(Music).
Good morning everybody and welcome to The Balancing Act.
We're so glad you're here.
I'm Julie Moran.
And I'm Olga Villaverde.
Today we are offering great information to you and your
entire family.
That's right.
Today we begin with a look at a very important resource you
might not have thought about before.
Your pharmacist.
That's right and taking that first step on the road to
recovery.
Our friends from Transformations Drug and Alcohol Treatment
Center are back with some really important ways to
help retain your life.
The Balancing Act starts right now.
(Music).
This morning we continue our four part series on improving
health care for you and your family with the help
of your pharmacist.
It's part two in our series and today we're talking about heart
health and COPD.
And here to explain is Dr. Marsha Mallett from Good
Neighbor Pharmacy a network of more then three thousand locally
owned community pharmacies.
Welcome Marsha.
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
First of all your stunning and who wouldn't want you as your
pharmacist.
Thank you, thank you so much.
Marsha remind me what you do at Good Neighbor Pharmacy.
Well Julie, I'm not just a pharmacist, I am a pharmacist
that likes to talk to our patients, um I
consult with them.
We're community driven.
We do alot of community activities with the patient.
Our patients know us by name and they can come and talk to us
about anything.
Your pharmacist is so important.
YOu see them more then your doctor so I love what you're
doing there and I'm sure you do treat alot patients who have
heart disease and how are you able to help in that area?
One of the things i want to point out is that heart disease
is the leading cause of deaths here in America amongst women
and men and let me add that according to the world health
organization as recent as 2012 there were 17.5 million deaths
that were attributed to heart disease which
represented about 31 percent.
Now that's globally.
Those numbers are pretty staggering.
Yes they are.
So what we want to point out are the risk factors for heart
disease.
You have smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood
pressure, there's obesity, over weight, physical
inactivity and diabetes.
Many of our patients come in presenting with those risk
factors and we get an opportunity to educate and talk
to them about there disease and talk to them about their
medications and make certain that they're taking their
medications like they're supposed to and if there are any
issues there we have the opportunity and the time to
contact their physician.
So it's always a collaborative effort with the patients.
What I love about Good Neighbors is that you aren't behind this
wall.
You're right there, your accessible, and you can deal
with your patients and their issues.
Absolutely.
You know we're up front and personal.
You know we, I say it's like an old fashion type of feel.
we know them by name, we get to know their families because we
see them more often then not then their physicians.
And in dealing with their smoking issues, number one, you
know, I talk to my patients about ok are you ready to quit.
Because you first make the commitment that you want to quit
that you want to stop and then I offer information such as
support groups and then there are medications that are
available to assist them.
One of the leading cause of COPD is smoking and that goes hand
and hand because remember one of the risk factors for a
heart disease is smoking.
Many times you have patients that have more then one
condition so it's very important that we're there to take the
time and talk to the patient and make certain that they
understand there conditions because sometimes they come in,
they take medication and they ask me ok doctor, what
am I taking this for?
What is this medication for?
You know and then I have to point out to them, ok your
doctor prescribed this medication because you have
heart disease or it's because you have high blood pressure.
I also say to them, you know, you have to make certain you
know the name of your medication because they'll come and they'll
say ok will I know I got this pink pill or this green pill and
I say no no no.
It's very important that you know and understand the name of
your medication because God forbid there's an emergency and
you and the person that's taking care of you they must know
exactly what your taking.
So yes, we do like going out front and coming from behind the
counter and having that interaction with our patients
because we're very much community driven.
That's what we do, you know, you have patients who are diabetic,
we have patients with high blood pressure, we have
patients with high cholesterol.
We have patients who have HIV, ho have caner and we're taught
to look at the patient and their presentation and be able to
counsel them to help better their issues.
Marsha, thank you so much for coming by.
Great information.
Thank you for having me.
Alright if you want to know more log onto TheBalancingAct.com You
can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
(music).
I hope you've been watching our series on overcoming addiction.
Reclaim your life.
Relearn to relive in a way you've never lived before.
And if you haven't you can catch all the segments by going to
TheBalancingAct.com.
Now today we're talking about taking that first step to the
road to recovery.
Doctor Maureen Esposito, Executive Vice President of
Clinical Services at Transformations Drug and Alcohol
Treatment Center is here to offer help and hope.
Welcome back.
Thank you very much.
You know doctor, we've talked alot about addiction, the signs,
the holidays, the new year.
Something I want to ask you this morning and talk to you about is
many of your clients before they get to the Transformations
Treatment Center have said over and over again, it's not going
to happen to me.
Common?
Very very common.
I've heard that many many times.
People even witnessing very difficult results of alcohol and
drugs they don't think it's going to happen to them.
Well by the time they come to treatment and they've hit bottom
it has happened to them and so they come in and there sort
of like a deer in headlight.
They don't know what to expect.
They're frightened.
They have stereotypes in their mind of what it's like.
Treatment is not punishment.
Treatment is a new easy of life.
So when they make that call and they have that courage and we
hope they do.
What can they expect after that.
They can hear a very friendly voice that is non judgmental, is
very welcoming, and that is really willing to listen.
And that's what people really need to do is they need to
listen to what the story is so that we can asses
what needs they have.
Once people come into the treatment center they'll be
greeted by myself and a variety of therapists and our facility
is very beautiful, it's very welcoming, it's not a
frightening place to be.
They'll be assigned to an apartment where they will have
there own private bedroom and their own private bathroom.
And we had the honor of talking to a few of your clients who
have taken that step.
I'd like our viewers to listen real quick.
Let's take a listen.
When I came to Transformations, I went to detox first and I was
very comfortable and they came and visited me at detox and made
sure that I was ok and that if I had any questions and then when
I got here the transition was pretty easy and they brought me
grocery shopping.
We went to a meeting that night and I started groups the next
day.
Met with my therapist.
My therapist had a lot of like minded people.
All of us had the same drug of choice so it like was very
comfortable to sit and talk to people.
This place is a really good place.
There's alot of people here that really care and are doing
everything they can to help people who really want it.
So they've taken that first step.
They're now at the Transformations Treatment
Center.
What kind of programs go on through the day cause I've heard
from some people say you know, it's just I don't know what to
expect that day or what I'm going to be doing and I feel
like I'm in a prison.
It's not like that.
Not at all.
When they first make that phone call everything will be
explained to them so that they know that there needs will be
met so if we have a young person, we have a young person
program.
So that 18 to 30 will be in that program designed specifically
for their needs.
A person over 30 has very different needs then a younger
person.
They may be going thru a divorce, they may be going thru
child custody battles, they may be having job loses or financial
problems so we gear the programs to the individual so that there
needs are met.
We also have Christian program so someone that wants a faith
based recovery program they will be invited into
that program as well.
We also walked into what you call the Serenity Room and there
was a room also where I believe a chiropractor comes in.
Talk to me about that.
Yes, they will really be able to avail themselves to many many
services.
Our chiropractor will be able to give the adjustments should they
need that.
Again, people are coming in very debilitated.
Some of them are not feeling well physically and so we like
to help with nutraceuticals, vitamins, minerals, nutrients.
Many times they're not eating properly so we have a
nutritionist.
So we look at the physical as well as the spiritual and the
emotional.
And that's what I felt when I went there because it wasn't
what I expected and to be honest there's even some
fun along the way.
Exactly.
I always like to think of treatment as a combination of
college and camp.
The college part is the learning part all the information about
the addiction, about the disease of addiction and the camp
part is about having some fun.
People that are using alcohol and drugs many times isolate and
they don't know how to have fun unless they're drinking or
druging so what we do is provide many many activities.
We have incline therapy, we have art, we have working out at the
gym, we have activities where we go to parks and the
beach and the movies.
So normal setting for people that are struggling with many
many issues.
And something important to note is that family members can
visit.
Exactly, we have a very big family program where we invite
the families in so that they learn about addiction.
They also are there to support their family member.
And doctor, just to note it is important imperative to get the
support early.
It's wonderful if people can come in as soon as the recognize
it.
But even if they don't recognize it right away, better late then
never.
Absolutely and for people who want more information doctor
where do they go?
We'd love them to visit our website
TransformationsTreatment.org.
Thank you so much for everything you do.
Thank you.
Good bless you.
And if you want to learn more log onto our website,
TheBalancingAct.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
(Music).
Do you want or need to spend more quality time with your kids
but can't figure out how.
And these days kids want cool technology and exciting
involvement with their digital devices.
Yet the high costs of those devices restricts many parents
from being able to purchase and then share high tech
quality time with their kids.
Well moms and dads we've got good news for you.
Back for her second visit is Elizabeth Little, Director of
Marketing for iRULU Technology to tell us more.
Elizabeth, great to have you back in the studio.
Thanks for having me.
It's great to be here.
You know, you got to help me out here.
I have two girls and um you know, I want to know things that
help me bring technology involve me in their technology and what
I can do to be more present with them when they're on so many of
their mobile devices.
Well Julie as you know kids are absolutely captivated by
technology and it really holds their attention and what this
does is creates the perfect opportunity for you as parent to
spend time bonding and interacting with your kids.
They can be used for doing things like helping your kids do
your homework and reinforce what's being learned in school.
You can use the tablets and smart phones to inspire their
creative side and you can even do things that are purely fun.
You know Elizabeth, a recent survey says that the average
family spends less then eight hours together a week and
quality time is even less.
Like 30 minutes.
What is going to help get more technology into the hands of
parents so they can increase their quality time
with their kids.
At iRULU we're doing everything we can to make that happen an we
believe that three things need to happen.
First, the technology needs to be affordable for families.
Our average tablet sells for 50 dollars.
Secondly, technology needs to be durable and reliable and we
build that into every product we make and then lastly the product
needs to be easy and intuitive to use.
I'm amazed that you just said 50 dollars for a tablet.
Yes, your absolutely right and we're so happy to be able to do
this Julie for our customers.
We have a low cost business model that allows us to pass a
cost benefit onto our consumers thru better pricing.
So I brought a range of tablets and smart phones to show you
today and we have options for kids of every age.
And what they all have in common is an intuitive and highly
responsive touch screen.
They all have front and rear cameras with flash and auto
focus and they connect to your internet via wi-fi.
Wow.
These do everything that you would expect from today's
hottest technology from being able to surf the web to using
apps to playing games and watching video content.
So the first Julie is the Baby Pad and this was developed
specifically with kids in mind.
It sells for about $60.
It's made with non toxic materials and food grade
silicone.
It has soft rails and rubberized bumpers and this prevents
injuries and scratch furniture and kids love it because it has
a colorful interactive interface that contains all the activities
that they like to do.
Parent's love it because it has parent mode that allows them to
limit what apps go on the device as well as limit usage time.
The next is the XPro X1 and the XPro sells for 50 dollars.
It's our top selling tablet and this little device does
absolutely everything that you would expect.
Its' seven inch screen size is perfect for small hands and it's
light and portable so it's fits easily in a backpack.
It's tiny but it's mighty.
It's got a powerful quad core processor and this is great for
running apps as well as playing games.
IT makes it the perfect option for games or educational
content.
Wonderful.
And then I've got some of our smart phones.
This is the Universe and this is the Victory.
And our smart phones retail for 99 to 129 dollars.
Great.
As you can see they've got large screens and all the built in
functionality that you could possibly want.
They're sleek, stylish and light weight indesign.
And tell me about the apps that are out there and how can those
help improve parents and kids having time together.
Well Julie all of these devices work with Android technology and
that interfaces with the Google PLay store where you'll find one
million aps and over three hundred thousand of them are
rank for children and they're all sorts of apps wether they be
for math, learning to read, teach the ABC's or colors.
The options are absolutely endless.
What else makes iRULU a great choice for parents out there?
We manually test 100 percent of products that come off of the
line and we back them with a hassle free guarantee.
iRULU also has a very loyal following.
We have over a half million positive votes on eBay and as a
benefit to Balancing Act viewers...
Yes.
We're offering a promotion today.
Great.
If you go to iRulu.com you can get 20% off plus free shipping.
Thank you for doing that for our viewers and Elizabeth thank you
for being in the studio today.
Thanks for having me.
Alright, and if you'd like to find out more about today's tech
topic visit us at TheBalancingAct.com
or get social.
Log on to Facebook/TheBalancingActFans.
(Music).
Thanks so much for spending part of your morning with us.
Alright we hope you learned a little something.
Remember we've got lots more info on our website
TheBalancingAct.com.
And how about head to our Facebook Page.
we have lots of great stories coming up.
Share your thoughts about the show.
We will share them on the air.
That's right and until next time remember Find Your Balance.
So long.
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