NYP Brooklyn Methodist

Winter 2017

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Do you have a comment about an article you read in th r ive? We welcome your feedback! Email AskThrive@nym.org and let us know if we can print your name and submission. COMMUNITY FORUM O T C D R U G D A N G E R ? THANKS FOR YOUR ARTICLE "DELVING INTO DIGESTION" [PAGE 18, FALL, THRIVE]. IT WAS FASCINATING TO LEARN ABOUT HOW THE BODY WORKS TO GET ENERGY FROM OUR FOOD! RECENTLY, I SAW IN THE NEWS THAT SOME ADDICTS HAVE BEEN USING A COMMON ANTI-DIARRHEAL MEDICINE TO GET HIGH. I HAVE TEENAGE KIDS. SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT KEEPING THIS MEDICATION IN MY HOUSE? ASHLEY Q. Thanks for writing, Ashley. Loperamide—sold as an over-the-counter antidiarrheal medication—slows digestion and intestinal movement, preventing diarrhea symptoms for people with an acute problem. When taken as directed, it prevents unpleasant digestive symptoms. However, some people have been known to abuse loperamide, either to get high or to self-manage opioid withdrawal symptoms. When taken in excess, the drug can cause serious heart problems, fainting and death. Never give loperamide to a child without clearing it with your doctor first and always follow dosing instructions closely. Keep all medications locked up and out of reach of children to prevent accidental overdoses. If you suspect that your children would intentionally take loperamide, either keep the medication behind a locked cabinet that only you have a key to or do not keep it in the house. —Eric Balmir, Pharm.D. Chief of Pharmacy at New York Methodist Hospital H U R R A H F O R M U K U L A R YA , M . D . IT IS WITH A SENSE OF BELONGING THAT I READ THRIVE MAGAZINE. I GAIN NOT ONLY ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE BUT ALSO LEARN HOW TO KEEP FIRST THINGS FIRST. IN THE WINTER 2016 ISSUE, REFLECTED IN "FIGHTING FOR LIFE AND LIMB" [PAGE 13], I WAS ALERTED TO USE SAFETY MEASURES AND BE AWARE OF MY ENVIRONMENT IN ALL MY ENDEAVORS. AND THANKS FOR MUKUL ARYA, M.D., FOR HIGHLIGHTING "DON'T FEEL THE BURN" IN THE SPRING/SUMMER 2016 ISSUE [PAGE 5]. I BATTLE CHRONIC HEARTBURN AND DO NOT TAKE OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS, BUT I DO HAVE REGULAR CHECKUPS WITH MY DOCTOR. I FIND YOUR MAGAZINE VERY INTERESTING TO READ. TEYE B. K N O W I N G Y O U R R I S K THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER ("A SILENT DISEASE," PAGE 10) IN THE FALL ISSUE OF THRIVE. WHEN I WAS IN MY 20s, MY MOM WAS DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN CANCER. UNFORTUNATELY, SHE PASSED AWAY FROM THIS DISEASE IN 1989. TODAY, I'M IN MY LATE 40s, AND I MAKE SURE MY DOCTOR KNOWS MY FAMILY HISTORY WITH THIS DISEASE. MY DAUGHTERS AND I ARE CONSIDERING BEING TESTED FOR THE BRCA1 AND BRCA2 GENE MUTATIONS. I'M SO GLAD THIS OPTION IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR US. THANK YOU FOR EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER. JEAN W. P H Y S I C I A N RE F E R R A L / / 718 . 49 9. C A RE 31 R E A D E R L E T T E R S

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