Diabetes Care at Taos Pharmacy. Taos Pharmacy belongs to a network of diabetes educators known as the Diabetes Network, Inc. This network has a contract with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Mexico to provide diabetes education to its members. This benefit is provided at no additional cost to the member. The educational session is provided in the member's home. The session takes about 2 hours and is scheduled with Jake or Becky for a time that is convenient for the member.

The basic education session reviews the nature of the disease, goals for blood glucose control, blood glucose monitoring, record keeping and documentation of diet, exercise and medication, explanation of glycosylated hemoglobin, a review of the members of the health care team for diabetes treatment, review of the principles of complication prevention, basic foot care, and a review of the standards of diabetes care and complication prevention. This information is vital to the prevention of complications of diabetes including blindness, amputation, kidney failure, and heart disease. Blue Cross/Blue Shield recognizes the value of early intervention in the progression of the disease and the prevention of these devastating complications.

The program is designed to educate the patient, assess the patient's risk factors, teach the patient how to monitor their disease, teach the patient the standards of care and the need for annual eye exams and lab work, and get high risk patients assigned to a case manager to more intensely monitor their care and complications. As part of the program they will also provide a free Accu-Chek Advantage blood glucose meter to anyone receiving the basic education session. If you are diabetic and a member of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Mexico you can request a referral for free diabetes education by calling the Diabetes Network toll free at 877-600-3300 or calling Jake or Becky at TAOS PHARMACY at 758-3342.

For those patients with diabetes who are not members of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Mexico, we can call your insurance to see if they will pay for basic diabetes education. Patients who do not have any type of insurance but needing blood glucose meters can get a free Prestige meter at TAOS PHARMACY. We have made arrangements with the manufacturer to provide meters free of charge upon our request. In addition, the strips for the Prestige meter cost about half what other brands cost. At TAOS PHARMACY we are committed to helping our patients with diabetes understand their disease and reduce their risk of complications.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) accounts for 30%-50% of referrals to gastroenterologists making it the most common gastrointestinal disorder. Abdominal distention, relief of pain with bowel movements, and the onset of loose bowel movements with pain are common with IBS. The diagnosis is usually made based on the ruling out of other conditions such as cancer, diverticulitis, and infectious diarrhea. It is very important to see your physician for a proper diagnosis of IBS. Once IBS has been diagnosed there are 4 major natural treatments:

Increased dietary fiber has been recommended for many years, but has yielded mixed results. Patients with constipation are more likely to respond well to fiber than those with diarrhea. One possible reason is the fact that most fiber supplements are wheat based, which is a common source of food allergy. Fiber from a fruit or vegetable source may be preferable.

Food allergies as a cause of IBS has been recognized since the early 1900s. About two-thirds of patients with IBS have at least one food allergy with the most common being dairy and grain allergies. Meals high in sugar content can cause decreased intestinal motility and bacterial overgrowth. Eliminating allergenic foods and sugar from the diet can be very helpful.

Peppermint oil inhibits intestinal smooth muscle action; it has been used clinically to reduce colonic spasm during endoscopy. Enteric-coating prevents the peppermint oil from being absorbed in the stomach, which is important because absorption in the stomach can cause a relaxation of the esophageal sphincter, reflux, and heartburn. The relief offered by enteric-coated peppermint oil seems to be a result of its relaxing, soothing effects on the intestines and its antimicrobial activity, especially against Candida albicans.

Mental and emotional factors such as anxiety, fatigue, depression and sleep disturbances are reported by almost all IBS patients. Sleep quality is especially important, as poor sleep quality results in an increase in symptoms which further disturbs sleep. Relaxation techniques such as biofeedback, hypnosis, and stress-management training have helped reduce symptom frequency.

TAOS PHARMACY proudly stocks Phytopharmica products including MENTHARIL. MENTHARIL is a patented form of enteric-coated peppermint oil. Mention you saw this column when you come in and receive 10% OFF on the purchase of MENTHARIL.

Can Gummy Bears Be Medicine? One of the biggest benefits of compounded prescriptions is the versatility offered in dosage forms. If you have a child that is on a maintenance medication that they hate to take, we might be able to make their medication into a gummy bear or lollipop. The solution may be as simple and inexpensive as adding flavor to their medication. Elderly patients who can't swallow large tablets can have their medications prepared as liquid suspensions. Patients who have chemical sensitivities and can't tolerate dyes or additives can have their medications prepared without additives or as topical creams or oils, which are absorbed through the skin. Patients suffering from severe nausea can have their medications prepared in suppository form. Pets that refuse medication can have theirs prepared in liver-flavored snacks. As you can see, the solutions to many medication problems can be solved in a fun and creative way.

Prescription medications are not the only uses of compounding. Massage oils containing natural relaxants such as kava kava or St. John's Wort can be useful in relieving stress. Aromatherapy oils can be blended into moisturizers to help improve your mood. Over-the-counter products that have been discontinued can be recreated for you. Saliva substitutes, liniments, sunscreens, moisturizers, and hemorrhoid preparations all have recently been discontinued; we can help supply your favorites when you can't find them elsewhere. When all else fails, call TAOS PHARMACY to find a reliable old product, we'll do our best to compound it for you.

Because of changes in legislation regarding compounding effective November 21, 1998, we are forced to discontinue our segment entitled "Compound of the Month."

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