Health News__
Calcium Helps Cut Cholesterol During Weight Loss

..... Getting enough calcium and vitamin D while reducing calorie intake can increase the beneficial effects of weight loss on cholesterol levels, Canadian researchers report.
Overweight or obese women who took calcium and vitamin D supplements while on a 15-week diet showed greater drops in LDL or "bad" cholesterol and increases in HDL ("good") cholesterol. All of the women had been getting less than 800 milligrams a day of calcium at the study's outset.
..... Women who are trying to lose weight should be sure to get adequate amounts of every other vitamin and mineral, as well as calcium and vitamin D, reports the study, because there is evidence that general vitamin and mineral supplementation may have beneficial effects as well.
..... The researchers assigned 63 overweight or obese women with low calcium intake to take two 600-milligram tablets daily of calcium and 200 IU of vitamin D or placebo. The women then ate 700 less calories per day than usual for 15 weeks.
The effect of calcium supplementation on total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio and LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratio were independent of how much weight the women lost, the researchers found.
..... There are a number of mechanisms by which calcium may add to the beneficial effects of weight loss on blood fats. For one, calcium appears to interfere with fat absorption in the gut. The mineral also helps the body mobilize and burn fat, and may also aid in appetite control

Don’t Play A Guessing Game With Your Daily Medications

.....Did I or didn’t I take my pills today? If you find yourself asking this question frequently, you are taking chances with your health. Many people today are on more than one medication and when you combine this with a busy and active life, it can lead to the confusion of properly taking your medications. Medication non-compliance is a major concern and accounts for;
.....• Approximately 25% of all hospital admissions among seniors
.....• Approximately 23% of all nursing home admissions
.....• Up to 10% of all hospital admissions
GPeoples Drug Mart and Peoples Pharmacy offer a medication compliance program called “ Med Manager.” The Med Manager is a medication compliance card that conveniently organizes your medications for a full week and helps you easily identify what medications are to be taken at what time of the day. Not only does the Med Manager give you the confidence your precription medication are being taken as prescibed, it can also:
.....• Consolidate all your prescriptions, vitamins, supplements and other medications in one easy to use card.
.....• Help people who have difficulty opening numerous vials and bottles. The Med Manager provides easy to push out blister packaging.
.....Don’t guess with your daily medications, talk to your Peoples Pharmacist about Med Manager. The Med Manager can provide you the daily reassurance your medication is being properly taken so you can confidently enjoy your day.