Many patients in the US struggle to afford their prescription drugs. The inability to take medications as prescribed can lead to worse health outcomes.
Below are 7 strategies that patients can use to respond to high prescription drug costs in the US.
Eating meals at home together as a family is important for both parents and children.
Eating dinner together at least 3 or 4 times per week has positive effects on child development and has been linked to children’s lower rates of overweight and obesity, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, and eating disorders; higher self-esteem; and better academic performance. Eating family meals also has nutritional benefits. Families who eat dinner together eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer fried foods and sugary drinks. Family meals also help adults and children learn to like a variety of foods.
Perinatal depression can occur during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth.
Perinatal depression, also called postpartum depression, affects about 1 in 7 perinatal individuals. More than 75% of these individuals receive no treatment for perinatal depression. Onset of perinatal depression may occur prepregnancy or may develop over the course of pregnancy and the postpartum period. Untreated perinatal depression is associated with an increased risk of suicide and has additional negative effects on the perinatal individual, the fetus (preterm birth, low birth weight), and the child (impaired attachment, which may affect neurodevelopment) and may negatively affect relationships with partners and other family members.
Alpha-gal syndrome is a type of food allergy to mammalian (red) meat products.
Alpha-gal syndrome is associated with tick bites, most commonly from the Lone Star tick in the US, but also from different types of ticks in other areas of the world. During a bite, a tick injects a type of sugar molecule (galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose), also called alpha-gal, which leads to formation of an antibody. Because alpha-gal is present on cells of most mammals, including cows, pigs, lambs, and goats, when affected individuals eat these animal products, an allergic reaction may occur.
