Girls need iron

Chances are you’ve got female patients in the 12–21 range. Fun fact: There’s a good chance they’re iron deficient. A new multi-university study found that the CDC-recommendation of screening non-pregnant women every five to 10 years for anemia isn’t nearly enough. Anemia takes years of iron deficiency to build up.

What they found is that among women who had hit puberty, “27.1% had iron deficiency when using the 25-μg/L ferritin level threshold,” but when you add in the younger ones it reaches 38.6% deficient.

“Given the high prevalence of iron deficiency,” the authors wrote, “…current screening guidance may miss many individuals with iron deficiency.”

It’s that time: What oughta be a law?

Something bugging you about Georgia’s pharmacy’s legal landscape? Should something be outlawed or in-lawed? That’s what GPhA is all about!

Each year, the GPhA Legislative Committee takes ideas submitted by members about what laws need to be enacted or changed, and that’s where our legislative priorities come from.

It’s that time of year again. If there’s a law or policy issue you want to see changed — something that will improve patient care or the practice of pharmacy — tell us about it!

E-mail a brief explanation of the issue to our VP of public policy, Melissa Reybold, at mreybold@gpha.org. Yes, it’s that simple — just give as much detail as you can about how it affects you. Oh, and do it by the deadline of Friday, July 21 at 5:00 pm. Time to change the world … or at least the state!

Cannabis laws and painkillers

Well look at the time! It’s time to take another look at whether legalizing cannabis has an effect on pain-med prescriptions. And the latest answer is [insert drum roll] … nope, legal pot (medical or recreational) doesn’t affect painkiller prescriptions for patients with chronic pain.

See you in a few months for the next study!

Aspartame: What’s the real deal?

Did you happen to catch the story about the WHO deeming aspartame a carcinogen? That’s actually not what the announcement said at all, but that didn’t stop it from being reported that way.

In fact, all the WHO did was move aspartame from unclassified to possibly carcinogenic — a catch-all category that just means the data don’t rule out the sweetener being unsafe. (The other two categories are probably carcinogenic and carcinogenic.) As one journalist put it, “It’s a bloated category, essentially one big epidemiological shruggie.”

So before you think about giving up that sweet, sweet Diet Dr Pepper, check out “Being Alive Is Bad for Your Health,” which gives more detail about what the WHO really said.

Take 5 for your brain

Whether you’re working or studying, Aussie researchers have proven that the anecdotal life hack of taking a five-minute break really does reset your brain.

There is no need for a walk along a river, or a lengthy video of bamboo forests swaying in the wind (although that could be nice). A five-minute total break will do the trick.

The important thing is that it has to be a real break — “unstructured,” as they put it. No computer or phone, no switching to another task. Turn your brain off. “[D]o some breathing or just sit quietly to rest your brain from the task.” The result will be better concentration and problem-solving when you get back on task.

An ounce of (non-pharma) prevention

I won’t say anything if you don’t, but for patients with diabetes, getting a “prescription” for fresh produce — i.e., “which would provide free or discounted fruits and vegetables to eligible Americans living with diabetes” could save the current cohort of diabetic Americans $40 billion in medical bills by preventing cardiovascular problems. That’s the result of a Tufts University data analysis.

But fruit and veg ain’t cheap — it would cost a bit more to pay for it (and administering a program). The net price would be about $18,000 per “quality-adjusted life year”:

This is on par with other “best buys” in health care, like blood pressure screening and control, cholesterols screening and control, and cancer screening. (In comparison, the new GLP-1 weight loss medications cost about $200,000 per quality-adjusted life year gained).

Why you need to read past the headline

The headline reads “Being overweight may not be associated with early death,” but the details aren’t nearly as interesting. So no, you can’t just rush out to hit the Oreo aisle.

What the Rutgers study found was that a high body-mass index by itself doesn’t mean you’re likely to die earlier. It’s the various problems with being overweight — diabetes, heart issues, etc. — that’ll do you in. (And there’s also the issue of BMI no longer considered a good indicator of obesity, raising the question of why they used it in the first place.)

As one reader of the study put it, “The main hazard of overweight and moderate obesity is a three times greater risk of developing diabetes which contributes to cardiovascular disease, renal failure and blindness.”