Like most people who are young and healthy, I never gave much consideration to my overall health and wellness until my health began to fail. After I was diagnosed with lupus shortly before my 30th birthday, I realized how seriously I had neglected my health for so many years. At that point, I began to take steps to remedy the situation and start taking better care of myself. Overcoming a lifetime of bad habits is very hard work and it continues to be something that I struggle with every day but having developed some health problems that are out of my control has taught me the importance of maintaining all the elements of health and wellness that are in my control. Since health and wellness are of vital importance to everyone, whether chronically ill or not, I want to share a little of what I’ve learned by providing book and product reviews, recipes, latest news, and other useful health-related information here on this site.
News and Resources
Prescription Assistance for the Unemployed
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has launched a new prescription assistance program that will help eligible people in financial need continue to get their Pfizer medicines if they have recently become unemployed and do not have prescription coverage. The Pfizer MAINTAIN Program (Medicines Assistance for Those who Are In Need) includes several popular medications including Celebrex, Lyrica, Neurontin, and many others.
Individuals and their immediate family members are eligible for this program if:
- They have become unemployed since January 1, 2009
- They were prescribed and taking a Pfizer medicine for at least 3 months prior to becoming unemployed and enrolling in the program
- Lack prescription drug coverage
- Can attest to financial hardship
For more information or to apply, visit the MAINTAIN website or call 1-866-706-2400. If you’re not eligible for the MAINTAIN program but are still in need of prescription assistance, be sure to check out Pfizer’s other prescription assistance programs or the Partnership for Prescription Assistance website.
Product Reviews
FRS Healthy Energy
Since I was diagnosed with lupus in 2004, the most persistent and debilitating symptom I’ve experienced has been chronic fatigue. In an attempt to alleviate this relentless symptom, I’ve tried just about every product on the market that claims to boost energy. Pre-packaged drinks, vitamins, supplements, powders – at some point or another, I’ve tried them all and unfortunately, I haven’t had much success. Despite all the disappointments, I’ve felt compelled to keep trying new products in an attempt to find something (anything!) that will bring even just a little bit of relief.
I was going through a particularly difficult flare with more severe fatigue than usual when I first came across some ads for FRS Healthy Energy. I checked the site out but I was skeptical: the ads seemed to indicate that the product was geared towards athletes (which I’m certainly not!) and I’m generally cautious about signing up for “free” trials so I didn’t sign up right away. As my fatigue continued to worsen, however, I decided to give the product a try – but given all of my past disappointments, I wasn’t expecting much.
The first package I received from FRS contained their FRS Concentrate in Low Calorie Orange flavor, FRS Chews in Pomegranate-Blueberry, and FRS Powder in Orange. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of the orange drinks, both concentrate and powder. Most energy drinks I’ve tried have a taste that ranges from somewhat unpleasant to downright horrid but I actually enjoyed the taste of FRS, which reminded me of watered down orange juice. I was less impressed with the taste of the chews but I appreciated their convenience – it was easy to stash a bag of chews in my purse for a little pick-me-up while on the go.
Finding that the products were palatable was a good first step but the important question still remained: would they help boost my energy level? I didn’t notice anything right away and was about to write off my experience with FRS as yet another failed experiment when suddenly I noticed a bit of a difference. Usually when I am in the middle of a bad flare, I don’t have the energy to make it through the day and often end up napping in the late afternoon. To my surprise, after using FRS for a few days I was able to forgo the afternoon nap. Simple activities that usually left me exhausted (grocery shopping, vacuuming, yard work, etc.) were more manageable. I felt a bit better overall. It wasn’t a miraculous total recovery but there was definitely a noticeable difference.
Even after experiencing some success with FRS, I still remained skeptical. What if the improvement was coincidental? Maybe I was already coming out of the flare when I started using FRS – if that was the case, then FRS would have nothing to do with my increased energy levels. How could I be sure that there was a direct correlation between using this product and having more energy? I concluded that the only way to know would be to continue the experiment.
Over the next couple of months, I kept track of how I was feeling when I used FRS and how I felt when I wasn’t using it. During this time, I also tried other flavors of FRS but I quickly learned that the Orange flavor is by far my favorite. Time and time again, I noticed that my energy levels were higher when I used FRS.
Now satisfied that it is actually helping, I continue to use FRS concentrate once or twice a day. I mix it with water in a SIGG bottle that I keep by my side at all times and I generally don’t drink anything but water or the FRS mix. Using FRS hasn’t eliminated my fatigue altogether but it has made it easier for me to get through my more difficult days and to me, that’s certainly worth it. Whether you’re struggling with chronic fatigue or could just use a little extra boost of energy every now and then, I’d definitely recommend giving the product a try.
Coming Soon
More product and book reviews, recipes, health-related news, and other useful health and wellness information. If there is something in particular you’d like to see here, send me an email and let me know.
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