We have had various blog posts about the importance of medication adherence. The subject remains important as researchers find 20-30% of prescriptions are never filled and half of all people do not follow their drug instructions. With a wide variety of factors contributing to patients not following through a treatment as directed, it can have a serious impact on one’s health and finances. People have many reasons for medication non-adherence. Confusion can be a factor, whether in relation to multiple prescriptions or unclear doctor’s orders. Other patients don’t take medicine to avoid side effects. Cost is an obvious factor […]
Blood Cancer Awareness Month
September is National Blood Cancer Awareness Month, also known as Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month. Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that is fairly common, with an estimated 52,380 new cases in 2014. From the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website: “Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow, the spongy center of bones where our blood cells are formed. The disease develops when blood cells produced in the bone marrow grow out of control.” There are multiple types of Leukemia, some more common than others. Lymphoma is similar to Leukemia in that it is a […]
Prescriptions or groceries?
Some Americans are making sacrifices and taking risks to afford their meds Rising drug prices have become a public health crisis, forcing too many Americans into making some tough choices. In a recent Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs’ poll of 1,037 U.S. adults who currently take a prescription medication, one third said they were hit with higher drug prices at the pharmacy counter in the past year. And while the average increase was $39 extra out-of-pocket, one in 10 reported paying $100 or more over what they’d previously paid. Those higher prices led nearly 40 percent of people to […]
National Immunization Month
The last week of April was World Immunization Week, but August is National Immunization Awareness Month for the US. This is the time of year when children and teenagers are heading back to school, infants are entering preschools or day care programs, and many adults are heading into college or continuing their careers in the work force. Regardless of the situation, the need for getting vaccinated is important to be aware of year round. According to Marvin M. Lipman, MD, Consumer Reports’ chief medical advisor, “Each year, at least 30,000 people die from complications related to vaccine-preventable diseases.” The onset […]
All About Camps and Retreats
You may be thinking since it’s already mid-summer it’s too late to search for a camp. Not true! Many of the Camps and Retreats we have listed run at various times throughout the year or are even year-round. More importantly, the Camps and Retreats we list are solely dedicated to serve adults and children with specific medical conditions or diagnoses as well as non-medical challenges such as social, emotional, psychological or educational issues. It can be very upsetting when an individual cannot participate along with their peers due to a medical condition. Luckily, NeedyMeds has stepped in to make sure that is […]