Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/246139
Out & About This column is designed to highlight those special places that others have found and then share them with all in the community. Here are a few: Restaurants Aroma Cafe 54750 North Circle • Idyllwild, CA 92549 • (951) 659-5212. A bit of a drive but we can personally recommend this restaurant. We've eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner here on different occasions and every meal has been delicious. The menu is a bit eclectic but contains a variety of fresh and local foods. One of the dining rooms looks like a library and is very inviting and cozy. Often they have musical entertainment mid-week during the evenings and sometimes on Saturday mornings. Call them for additional information and directions. Enjoy. Upcoming Events HEMET MAZE STONE California Ave., Hemet, CA 92545. In our backyard is California Historical Monument 557 -The Hemet Maze Stone. It is a prehistoric petroglyph located at the end of California Avenue in Reinhardt Canyon. Park your car at the end of California Avenue, go through the gate and it is a short walk to your left up an incline but on an asphalt road bed. This stone maze was carved centuries ago (probably by Hopi Indians) and is worth a look. WESTERN SCIENCE CENTER 2345 Searle Pkwy., Hemet, CA 92543. The museum has artifacts from the excavation of the Diamond Valley Dam. It offers visuals of how the dam was built. The fossil collection includes "Max," the largest mastodon found in the western United States. Take your grandchildren or visit with friends, it's a small museum but well worth your time. We encourage suggestion from our residents of special places you have found in the area. This can be restaurants, retail shops, events, etc. Geographically, they can be anywhere in the Inland Empire; perhaps extending to San Diego and LA. Keep the suggestions coming; the more the better. E-mail your recommendations to ps.barr@ hotmail.com. Help! We need more suggestions! Q: Health Matters My husband takes eight different pills each day, I think that is not good but he tells me not to worry. How can you tell if you are taking too many medications? A: The Pitfalls of Polypharmacy : The term polypharmacy refers to the use of multiple medications and is a common problem in the elderly. Patients who take five or more drugs daily and those utilizing multiple physicians and/or multiple pharmacies are at greater risk of adverse effects. The potential for drug/drug interactions increases exponentially with the number of drugs used. In other words, taking four medicines more than twice is likely to lead to problems as just taking two. Drugs can also interact with over the counter medicines, vitamins and nutritional products as well as certain foods. When you see multiple doctors, or use multiple pharmacies, it becomes increasingly difficult to ensure that your providers have an accurate and up to date medication list. Without an accurate list, your doctor or pharmacist can not adequately review your medications to ensure you are on an optimal plan. Additionally, adverse reactions lead to increased hospitalizations not to mention the fact that taking multiple medications is just plain expensive. There are several things you can do to reduce the risk of polypharmacy. First, place all of your medications in a bag including prescription, over the counter, and nutritional products. Take the bag with you on your next doctor visit and ask your doctor to explain why you take each medicine and to discuss the risks and benefits of discontinuing the medicine. For each medicine you keep, ask the doctor to include the indication for the medication on the prescription bottle: i.e. "Take one pill each morning for blood pressure;" this will help you better understand your medications. Many patients find that they can safely reduce the number of medicines they take, thereby reducing risk and cost at the same time. Sharing the newly updated medication list with your pharmacist will enable them to run a drug safety profile and advise you of any interactions. Be sure your pharmacist is aware of all the over the counter medicines and vitamins/nutritional products you take as well. Educate yourself and remember: don't be a Pollyanna when it comes to polypharmac. If you would like to submit a question please contact Jennifer Trebler at jtrebler@ vnasocal.org. | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | February 2014 | 6