Rx: Protecting the elderly from drug overdose

This is about drugs — but not the kind that the new government is relentlessly waging a war against. Nevertheless, it’s something that could have a heinous effect.

It’s about our elderly unintentionally poisoning themselves and dying due to the overuse or misuse of drugs (medicines).

A few months ago, pharmacology and toxicology experts got together and took turns to enlighten the elderly on the factors that contribute to the altered effects of drugs among the senior population and share some tips on how to avoid drug poisoning during a forum aptly  themed “Bantay Kalusugan para kay Lolo at Lola: Tamang Paggamit ng Gamot at Iba Pa.”

Dr. Lynn R. Panganiban, professor, UP College of Medicine and consultant, NPMCC UP-PGH, notes, “Because of physiological changes, elderly people handle drugs differently, which can cause serious adverse health effects if not properly used.  Due to their poor eyesight, absentmindedness, and lack of awareness and understanding of the intended uses of drugs, the elderly are prone to adverse drug events (ADEs) or injuries resulting from the use of a drug. Social and economic factors such as vices, dietary preferences, and polypharmacy (the simultaneous use of multiple drugs) increase the risk to incidence of ADEs among the elderly, which can be avoided through the rational use of drugs.”

Here are some life-saving guidelines on preventing ADEs among the elderly, as prescribed by the experts:

1. The administration of medicines should be supervised.

2.  Pills should be stored in their original containers, or in pillboxes or organizers, to avoid the mixing of pills. (We keep my mother’s anti-cholesterol and other pills in little square pillboxes attached to each other and labeled from Sunday to Saturday. An empty box means the medicine for the day has been taken.)

3.  The labels on medicine containers should be retained and kept legible.

4.  Self-medication or buying medicines marketed as “wonder” or “miracle pills” with cure-all indications should be avoided at all costs.

5.  A list of medications currently taken should be kept and those that are no longer used should be discarded.

6. Polypharmacy (the use of two or more drugs together to treat a single condition or disease), especially of over-the-counter drugs, should be avoided.

The elderly are reminded to consult a doctor when new signs and symptoms appear and when thinking of taking an over-the-counter medicine.

To avoid accidental poisoning, elderly patients should request for a written treatment plan from their doctors. This should include: name(s) of the drug(s), dosage, indication(s), and instructions as to the manner of administration. Also make a note of the adverse effects to be monitored and the food to be avoided.

Noli Abinales, president of the EcoWaste Coalition, commended the NPMCC UP-PGH and PSCOT for paying close attention to overdose and poisoning cases involving the elderly, which often go unnoticed and unrecorded. Abinales expressed hope that our poison centers would get more budgetary support from the new administration for their efforts to uphold the right to chemical and pharmaceutical safety of vulnerable groups such as the elderly.
The top five toxicants affecting the elderly, according to NPMCC UP-PGH’s census of poisoning cases, are: pesticide (like Malathion), sodium hypochlorite (e.g., Zonrox), kerosene, benzodiazepine (e.g., Diazepam), and ethanol (e.g., alcoholic drinks).

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Food for thought on how to fight climate change

A new study shows that reducing food waste can fight hunger as well as the effects of climate change.

Scientists from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany said that “reducing food waste would offer the chance to ensure food security, yet at the same time it could help mitigate dangerous climate change.”

It is estimated that some 1.3 billion tons of food (worth US$1 trillion) are wasted worldwide every year.

The study, titled “Food Surplus and Its Climate Burdens,” found that “avoiding food loss and waste may counteract the increasing food demand and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector.” The report further stressed that “this is crucial because of limited options available to increase food production.”

According to the study’s co-author Prajal Pradhan, “agriculture is a major driver of climate change, accounting for more than 20 percent of overall global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010.” He noted that “avoiding food loss and waste would therefore avoid unnecessary greenhouse-gas emissions and help mitigate climate change.”
    Rene Pineda of the Consumer Rights for Safe Food told consumers to “be wary of ‘unli rice’ in restaurants” as “consuming large amounts of rice per meal will not only make you sluggish and sick when you cannot burn loads of carbohydrates in your system, it also contributes to food wastage as you get hooked to avarice.”

Breastfeeding champion Ines Fernandez of Arugaan advised consumers, “Go fresh and avoid processed foods that come with extra packaging that often goes to the garbage bin.”

Zero waste practitioner Baby Reyes of the Mother Earth Foundation shares this spoonful of wisdom, “Get only what you can consume and do not leave even a single grain on your plate.”

Of course, your mom always told you as a kid to polish off the last morsel on your plate (what she puts on your plate speaks of her love and what you leave on your plate tells her of your love).

­“Set aside seeds of fruits and vegetables in small containers to produce seedlings.  After cutting portions to be eaten, plant stems of kamote tops and the like for propagation,” suggests environmentalist Joey Papa of the Bangon Kalikasan Movement.
     To reduce food wastage (waste not, want not), from farm to table, partner groups of the EcoWaste Coalition — Arugaan, Bangon Kalikasan Movement, Buklod Tao, Cavite Green Coalition, Consumer Rights for Safe Food, Health Futures Foundation, and the Mother Earth Foundation — give the following priceless tips:

1. Check first what is on your cupboard and refrigerator before you head out the door for the supermarket.

2. Be a smart shopper: Plan your menu for the week, enough to achieve the recommended daily allowance for nourishment; prepare a marketing and grocery list and stick to it to avoid impulse buy.

3.  Buy, prepare, and cook only what you can consume at a time to avoid spoilage and wastage.

4.  Only buy extra food items that can be safely stored.

5.  Store fruits and vegetables in right places to make them last longer.

6. Eat less beef, chicken and pork, and more fruits and vegetables.

7.  Do not waste raw or cooked food.

8.  Be careful during food preparation to avoid food contamination and waste.

9.  Don’t over-serve; adjust the meal portions for kids as they eat less than adults.

10.  Use a serving spoon to avoid spoilage of leftover foods.

11.  Learn the magic of the three Rs: recycle, reuse, repurpose. Give new life to leftovers (like, you can whip up chicken sandwich spread from leftover chicken). For leftovers left forgotten in the refrigerator, compost or feed them to pets, or leave them for the birds which may find their way to your rooftop.

12.  Find new uses for damaged fruits and vegetables instead of just throwing them away.

13.  Give food scraps to animals or turn them into compost to nourish the soil for healthier food.

14.  Segregate biodegradable from non-biodegradable wastes for composting.

15.  Train how to compost and how to grow your own food from compost.