How to Find Prescription Drugs for Cost Free? - part 1

Drugs, just for illustration

We know that prescription drugs are expensive in many countries, especially in the USA. Great number of people can not afford to have them.

Governments and charities (religious, community or private) provide help to certain groups, especially for lower income families to access to prescription medications for free of cost.

The problems are to who neither rich nor poor. Unfortunately, these groups may have no or less chance to have even lower cost of prescription drugs.

All of us might know that switch from brand name drugs to generic ones could cost less from 50% to 85%. But, we still pay and very expensive sometimes.

Then, How to Find Free Prescription Drugs or at least some help?

Through internet, we may find many institutions (private, government or non profit) to provide free medications or discount for drugs or even free health care cost.

One of drug companies provide assistance for diabetes patients

(credit to NPR Illinois)

Many programs limit to certain criteria such as for low and medium incomes of families, but other criteria such as age and chronic diseases might good for you.

Few examples of institutions are following:

1) Non profit organizations. Just few are:

- Help for cancer patients for free drugs

- “Partnership for Prescription drugs” to help people with insurance, but not cover for prescription drugs

- NeedyMeds, provide databases to who can’t afford prescription drugs and health care costs

# Continue to part 2

Are Micro plastics in the Tea Bags Dangerous for Our Health?

Tea bags in the box

Tea in the tea bags have been long time around in the market, more than two decades may be. It is a reasonable question that what made of tea bags?

It is generally believed, the tea bags made from:

- hemp (fibers from specific plants)

- bio plastics made from corn (it is biodegradable plastics)

- nylon

- Polyethylene Terephthalate

Some sources said that tea bags are mainly made of natural fibers, friendly materials, but using plastic as seal.

Other sources reported about using of plastic is more common than biodegradable fibers to make tea bags sold in the groceries.

Then, Are Micro plastics in the Teabag Dangerous for our Health?

Floating tea in the mug

Scientists mentioned that the tea bags could release “tiny” plastics into hot waters. Number of plastics per bag:

- 11.6 billion micro plastics

- 3.1 billion nanoplastics (smaller than micro plastics)

No prove that there is health risk to drink tea from tea bags as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

To confirm the WHO reported, then researchers observed whether micro plastic came out from tea bags is toxic or not.

The researchers found that water fleas have survived from exposing of contaminated micro plastics. Thus, tea bags plastic is safe for human health.

However, I myself did not drink tea from tea bags recently for my own convenient. How about you? Do you drink tea from tea bags? 

# You may like to read:

- Why Many Big Cities are Sinking? | Tanza Erlambang Update

How to Keep our Memory to Work until 90 Years old? - Part 2

Walking or jogging, simple exercises

At previous post (How to Keep our Memory to Work until Age 90? - Part 1 | Tanza Erlambang Update), we talked little bit about role of diets (fish and green vegetable) to maintain our memory until age 90s.

We discuss about other topics in this post, they are:

- exercises

- friendships

- blood pressure control

- sleeping enough and well

- stress management

- learning a lot

Exercises such as walking 10,000 steps everyday will spur brain cells to grow. In addition, body movement known to maintain healthy brain and improve our physical conditions.

Friendship, just for illustration (credit to tribunnews)

Good friendships enduce a “specific molecule” called as “Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor” (BDNF) which function to repair and create new connection of brain cells. Hence, it will increase memory to work efficient.

Blood pressure relate to increase the risk of many diseases including to get brain suffer or loss memory in older age. It is important to maintain our blood pressure at normal level.

Sleep well will produce hormone to keep brain healthy and processes well. Deep sleep also clean brain waste called as beta amyloid.

Aggregation of beta amyloid in the brain may block neural communications, then lead to Alzheimer diseases.

Managing stress is important to maintain cognitive and mental health. It is said that stress contributed to decline cognitive performance after age 70s.

Finally, learning new skills such as writing classes could improve the memory up to age 90s or even more. 

How to Keep our Memory to Work until Age 90? - Part 1

Fish as sources of DHA

It was believed memory will decline over time, but new research found that our memory could work well until we reach age 90 years old.

We may maintain our brain health by doing certain activities or behavior lead to good brain in keeping memory from “deteriorate” due to diseases and aging.

Several good things to do are:

- consume reasonable good diets

- moving a lot, even in small steps

- making strong and quality friendships

- manage blood pressure

- sleep well and enough

- manage stress

- acquire new skills

In term of goods diet, two of them are green vegetable and fish. Who eats green vegetable everyday have learning ability younger (like young people) than who didn’t. 

Green vegetable for illustration

It is because pigment called Lutein from green vegetable could boost memory. Eating green every day maintains memory for lifetime.

Many green vegetables are source of Lutein, some of them includes: collard green, turnip green, kale, spinach and broccoli.

Fish known for omega-3 fatty acid (DHA) to improve thinking strength and efficiently. Then, brain is easy to solve difficult tasks.

All fish contains DHA, but there are several fish species have higher DHA contents such as herring, salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies.

Eating fish every day or at least two times a week will benefit not only to brain, but also to heart.

# To be continued to Part - 2

How many Countries Include in Live Longer Zones?

Expo park, Okinawa, Japan

First, you might know the term of “blue zone.” Yes, it is referring to areas where people live longer than other places in the world.

People may reach 100 years old or more in those areas due to two main factors:

- life style contributes to 70% of live longer

- genetic contributes to 30% only.

Initially, Dan Buettner suggested 5 places as “Blue Zones.” They are:

- Okinawa, Japan

- Sardinia, Italy

- Nicoya, Costa Rica

- Ikaria, Greece

- Loma Linda, California, USA

Beautiful view of Sardinia, Italy

Of lifestyle, some traits that make people live longer are:

- physical activities

- diet

- spiritual

- family and social networks 

One of street in Nicoya, Costa Rica

Blue zone population have regular physical activities to keep their weight. Please don’t think that they are doing exercises like what we do.

Several physical activities and calories burning are:

- mowing lawn, burning 400 calories

- laying tile, 240 calories

- spreading dirt, 270 calories

- shovel snow, 580 calories

- roofing, 340 calories

- rake leaves, 380 calories 

Ikaria island, Greece

You might guess the diet of blue zones population. Yes, they are consuming less:

- meat

- dairy products

- sugary foods

- alcohol

- smoking

Almost 95% of their consumption are:

- vegetables

- fruit

- grains

- legumes

Loma Linda, California, USA

Blue zone community is more religious compared to other areas. It is proved that people “pay attention to spiritual” activities less of:

- heart diseases

- depression

- stress

The important trait that make blue zone people live longer is “family and social networks.” Family and friends encourage each other to live well until old age.

Is your country include in “blue zone?” or have you visited one of “blue zone” countries? 

Why Walking Regularly Make You Live Longer?

Walking, just for illustration

We all understand that any movement of our body may benefit to our health. Many people choose walking as a form of exercise due to:

- easy

- gentle

- low impact

- free, just require a pair of shoes

- perfect for all ages: senior, young adult and teenagers

The question then Is it true that Walking Regularly Make You Live Longer? Why?

The answer is “yes” that walking regularly make our live longer. It is because walking let’s say 30 minutes per-day will improve our heart health. 

Walking on lake side

Heart diseases is “leading cause of death” in the world and USA. Disease caused 15.2 million death in the world and 735,000 in the USA per year.

Walking with speed of 2 mile per hour (mph) may reduce the cardiovascular risk, thus reduce risk of death. 

Illustration for walking (credit to Google)

Cardiac risk factors will be improved by walking. The risk factors include:

- Cholesterol

- blood pressure

- diabetes

- obesity

- mental stress

Moreover, walking has a lot of other health benefits, some are:

- improve nervous system

- decrease hostility

- boosting moods

- reduce belly fat

- improve digestive system

- boost immunity

- sleep better

By the way, do you walk regularly? If so, how often: per day or per week?

Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 2

Illustration of puncture wounded

First part of this post may be seen at: “Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 1”

Host and co-host discuss about the content of “Figure 1 app.” The feel that the content so gruesome and gross for common people to see the website.

The guest, John Herrman comments that “Figure 1 app” is one of 100 list of things he regrets to see in internet, unfortunate the site to be popular right now.

John Herrman feel strange of Doctors make a joke about punctured by a nail and how the patient nailed it.

It is not wrong, but just so strange to see (the picture) and to talk about it.

Then, the host interviewed Lauren, his friend who is a first year resident in an emergency room.

Lauren and her friends do use “Figure 1 app.” It’s really popular, particularly among medical students.

But, Lauren think the images are worst, gross and horrible. Lauren said, for her, “Figure 1 app” was not a useful educational tool.

She just see the images when kind of boring with other things. It is least tangentially related to medicine.

Illustration for gangrene (credit to Google)

However, one medical student, Nick DeVito is a third-year resident at Tufts Medical Center working toward a career in hematology and oncology has own opinion.

He favors to particularly beautiful photos of growths, gashes, and gangrene from Figure 1 app (Popper, 2015).

Illustration of skin layers (credit to Google)

Many other student thinks that a picture is worth, it is because the image is sharing and connect with everyone.

In addition, Doctors would post images along with a description of the patient and the condition.

Reference

Popper, B. 2015. I'm addicted to the gruesome and beautiful photographs on Figure 1, an Instagram for doctors. The Verge. Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/6/8341217/figure-1-medical-images-sharing-app

Why “Blue Blood” is Cost for US$ 60 Thousand per Gallon?

Horseshoe crabs on the beach (credit to Google)

What? “Blue blood?” Expensive? I am quite surprising when reading an article about price of blue blood of a horseshoe crab, a primitive marine creature.

When I was a little kid, I found these creatures on the beach while low tide. The horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs in term of evolutionary time.

They were appearing about more than 200 million years ago, thus categorized as “living fossil.”

In the USA, if we lucky enough, we may spot this living fossil along the coastline of Maine to Florida to Texas and then to Mexico in the summer season.

The scientific name for American horseshoe crab is Limulus polypemus. Other three species are found in tropical Indo-Pacific, mainly in South East Asia countries:

- Tachypleus gigas

- Tachypleus tridentatus

- Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

Blue blood was taken by bleeding horseshoe crabs (credit to Google)

Based on scientific name, horseshoe crab is not really crab. Close to spider and scorpion than to crab.

Why their blood color are blue? To carry oxygen in the blood, horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin, and hemocyanin contains copper to cause blood to be blue.

As comparison that mammals use hemoglobin to carry oxygen in their blood. Hemoglobin contains iron which make red color of blood.

Male on the top of female when they are breeding (credit to Google)

Price tag is US$ 60 thousands equal to Euro 53 thousand or US$ 16,000 per liter. So expensive.

It is because highly demand of horseshoe crabs blood by pharmaceutical companies. The companies catch the living fossil, and brought to lab to drain up the animal blood.

Around 30% of animals blood are taken, then released back to ocean. List of companies collect the blue blood are:

- Associates of Cape Cod

- Wako Chemical

- Lonza

- Charles River Endosafe

- Limuli Labs

Blue blood is extracted for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). The LAL then applied to detect virus, bacteria and toxin in the substances.

Have you seen horseshoe crab on the beach?