Editorial: Stress

The following excellent article on stress was published this week by the Banc Investment Group. With all that is going on in our nation and profession today, we asked, and received, permission to reprint it in our newsletter this week. [Emphasis (bold font) added by Editor.]


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief

GET A HANDLE ON STRESS:

Do not open your 401(k) paperwork for awhile. Things are ugly, people have lost 20% to 35% of their retirement due to market dislocation, and there is nothing that can be done about it. Try to relax and wait for a recovery. Take every 401(k) report you receive at the end of each quarter and just file them away unopened until 2010. Ignore = feeling better already.

Take a walk around the block. No matter what the situation, sometimes the brain just needs a change of pace. Rather than sitting at your desk all day, try to take a walk for about 20 minutes. Even if you just stroll 50 times around the branch, getting some exercise will help reduce stress. Exercise = better thought processes.

Get more organized. People are notorious for piling up paper around their office, which only increases psychological stresses. Take the time to organize your workspace and throw away some of the older piles of paper. Less junk = less stress.

Improve your time management. Close your office door to eliminate distractions, find a quiet place somewhere in the bank where you can think, stop surfing the Internet (and watching the stock market go south) and make lists. Sticking with a prioritized list of tasks and marking them off as they are completed not only feels good, but it keeps you focused. Staying focused = greater accomplishment.

Watch what you eat. If you are like us, when you get stressed, you eat more. It isn't good and it isn't healthy. Try putting apples within your reach so you don't reach for the candy, chips or cookies. Healthy food = healthy energy.

Get 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep is important and stress doesn't help. Try to avoid coffee and soft drinks after noon, as they are only a temporary fix to what ails you. Proper sleep = better functioning.

Get rid of distractions. Turn off your cell phone and email while you focus on projects. Constant interruptions can make you crazy, reduce productivity and add to stress. If you can, only check your phone and email 2x per day and stick with it. Less distractions = less stress.

Relax once per day. It is a good idea to free the mind 1x per day and the best way to do that is to close your eyes and drift. Think about a beach you visited this summer or somewhere in the mountains. Smell the air, breathe deeply and r-e-l-a-x. Relaxing the body = relaxes the mind.

Have fun. There are plenty of things to bring you down in the world, but focusing on laughing and having fun takes years of stress out of your body. Take the time to laugh with a coworker, and be positive. Staying positive = longer life.

Talk to friends and family. Having a balanced work and personal life is important. Don't be consumed by the job and be sure to maintain an outside network of support. Sometimes, just talking to a friend, spouse or family member can relieve an elephant's weight in stress. Family/friends = supportive network.

Finally, learn to say "no." One of the best ways we know to relieve stress is simply saying no. Heck, if you do it right, the person might even thank you. Then, you can add the request to your list and because you said no, immediately cross it off as being accomplished. Saying no = huge stress reliever.

Saying goodbye to stress is a never-ending project and one that requires continual focus. Noise, mess, pressure and other factors all contribute. Recognizing the people or tasks that cause most of the stress however and utilizing the tips provided herein should help you sweep them out of your life.

"The Banc Investment Daily is published by Banc Investment Group. To request a complimentary subscription, please e-mail info@bancinvestment.com.

FDA Visits to Foreign Drug Makers Would Take Time
It will take about 13 years for U.S. inspectors to visit each of 3,249 foreign manufacturing plants that make medications for the American market, according to congressional investigators. Their report concluded that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is nowhere near to closing an oversight gap so foreign facilities get the same scrutiny as domestic plants. Pharmaceutical factories in the U.S. get a federal inspection every 2.7 years, on average.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5geKYkia-2VPsxVPIlPpSV-AX1NeQD93VAE980

A Lucrative Secondary Market and Cardinal Health
Robert Neil Spence is a former Cardinal employee who pocketed more than $350,000 in kickbacks from a felon to purchase prescription drugs for the company. Spence represents a practice under scrutiny: the purchase of discounted drugs on a secondary market from unscrupulous middlemen who often tamper with the goods.

This summer, Spence pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the kickbacks that he received from Michael Allyn Carlow. One prosecutor described Carlow as the "worst of the worst" traders in the field. Spence's case exposes a threat to the nation's drug supply, and court documents in his case illustrate the lengths to which Cardinal Health went to earn profits.

Cardinal Health is one of the "Big Three" pharmaceutical distributors in the U.S., making 40,000 deliveries a day, mostly to hospitals and pharmacies and had a 2008 revenue of $79.3 billion. Other activities of Cardinal Health in 2008 include (1) $34 million in penalties to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which distributed the money to seven U.S. attorney's offices, for failure to comply with federal drug sale reporting requirements, (2) $30 million as the projected cost of an improved anti-diversion program, (3) $23.5 million was set aside for possible DEA fines for selling drugs to rogue online pharmacies, (4) $105,000 in penalties paid to Ohio State Board of Pharmacy for failure to report large, controlled-substance orders by Caringwell Pharmacy of Dublin.
http://dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/10/12/DAY_2_sidebar.ART_ART_10-12-08_D1_REBI75E.html

Report: NIH Freezes $9 Million Grant to College Over Pharma Probe
Regarding the reported loss of a $9 million NIH grant, Emory University said yesterday it has created a new office to oversee administration and enforcement of conflict of interest policies and told researchers of new financial disclosure regulations that will apply to investigators on new and pending NIH grants. Emory also said psychiatry professor Dr. Charles Nemeroff is stepping aside as investigator on all NIH grants at the university. The moves come after an Atlanta newspaper reported the NIH has frozen the million dollar project on depression led by Dr. Nemeroff who is currently under scrutiny by a Congressional committee, who say he earned more than $2.8 million in consulting arrangements with drug makers from 2000 to 2007. He also failed to report at least $1.2 million of that income to his university and violated federal research rules.
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=577722&categoryid=9&newsletter=1

Pharmaceutical Compounding in Odontology
Appel G, Reus M
S�o Paula - SP (Brasil): RCN Editora LTDA; 2008 www.racinebooks.com.br

This English version of the book "Pharmaceutical Compounding in Dentistry" follows great success of the first two editions in Brazil. This book discusses, dentistry, compounding pharmacy, vehicles, dosage forms, pharmaceutical adjuvants, buccal and facial anatomy, formulations for oral hygiene, chemical control of bacterial plaque and halitosis, formulations for the control of caries, formulations used in periodontics, endodontics, dental whitening, odontogeriatrics, soft tissue pathologies, homeopathy, systemic drugs in dentistry, chemicals used in the dental office, and more. This almost 600-page book is the most complete book on compounding for dentistry in the world and contains color photographs throughout. This book is highly recommended to those interested in beginning and expanding compounding for dental patients.

...the national media often portrays local and/or regional news as "universal." Similar to the "Everybody's doing it!" mentality, the media continues to hype broad exaggerations without basis. It's difficult to believe the "doom and gloom" they speak of all day every day concerning the economy, etc. that may be occurring where they are when here in Oklahoma the gasoline price is about $2.09 per gallon and dropping, the unemployment rate is only 3.2%, and the housing market is strong! One wonders if the "doom and gloom" might be "politically related"! How about some fair and unbiased coverage of the events without opinions and bias? Or, has the national media already lost too much credibility?

Halloween Tips
Prepare a "Halloween Tips for Children" sheet and give out next week to your patients and customers. Personalize it for your store and print it out in color. It can include safety tips, safe trick-or-treating, optional/alternative activities, and warnings to have an adult check the candy before eating.