Anniversaries, Awards and a Life Saving Discount...

Did you know that the three Santa Clarita Valley Good Neighbor Pharmacies are a part of a network of 3,600 Good Neighbor Pharmacies nationwide? Being a part of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy (GNP) network allows for better pricing and insurance contracts, as well as increased access to new medications and medical equipment items. In fact, Good Neighbor Pharmacy was recently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as having the highest rate of customer satisfaction amongst chain store pharmacies.

Seven things you've been wondering about...(But were too Embarassed to Ask)

Aging is inevitable; thankfully, spending one's golden years in an "old-folks home" no longer is. As our population grows older, society has been forced to find ways to better serve both our seniors and those who love them. One of the most welcome developments are reputable in-home care businesses that provide invaluable services (think: bathing and hygiene care; medication monitoring; transportation to doctor's appointments; light cleaning; meal preparation and much more). Myles McNamara, owner of Comfort Keepers In-home Care and a certified senior advisor, shares his thoughts about the business.

Good Neighbor Pharmacy wants to make sure that you are getting all of the benefits that Medicare provides. There have been some recent changes, and Medicare is now requiring all pharmacies that accept Medicare payments for medical equipment or diabetes testing items to go though "Medicare Accreditation."

Inside SCV knows that you have a choice when it comes to your health - That's why we've gathered up some of our favorite local providers to give you the chance to get to know their bedside manner (without getting out of bed)

Local experts address common medical issues and how to remedy them pronto!

What's in a name? Good Neighbor Pharmacies of Santa Clarita Valley want to make sure to live up to their "Good Neighbor" title. The folks at Valencia Pharmacy, Valencia Town Center Pharmacy and Saugus Drugs & Hallmark are putting their time and money where their mouth is and truly being good neighbors. Here's a rundown of recent "neighborly" activity.

Who better to introduce you to great local health professionals than your Santa Clarita neighbors? Inside SCV Magazine has compiled first-hand testimonials for your researching pleasure. Enjoy!

Scientific studies have shown that sunlight - or the lack of it - definitely affects our body's biochemistry. Light also affects our hair, including how fast it grows. We have all experienced how our hair grows quicker during the summer, and this increased growth is due to improved blood supply to the hair follicles stimulated by the red light in sunlight.

Clear vision is a priceless gift.

A crucial connection to the surrounding world, this precious visual ability also allows people to be free of glasses and contact lenses.

And who wouldn't want that?

Most of us suffer from bad days or bad moods and we can snap out of those
feelings within hours or days. However, there are many people who suffer from what is diagnosed as clinical depression. These are individuals who experience depression with symptoms lasting for more than two weeks. Studies show that even children as young as 3 can suffer from depression, which often goes undiagnosed because their symptoms of anger, irritability and acting out mask the actual problem. For adolescents, depression leading to suicide is a major cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds. Seniors over the age of 65 can also suffer from clinical depression, which is often misdiagnosed as dementia or senility.

Beverly Hills Physicians (BHP) was founded in 1997 in Beverly Hills, California by Dr. Michael Hayavi. In 2001, Dr. Kevin Hayavi joined the group after which BHP underwent tremendous amount of success and growth. The founding physicians realized that quality and safe plastic surgery was not just for upper class patronage. This realization came to them prior to all the recent publicity that this field is now attracting due to TV reality shows and other media focus. The idea was to bring quality cosmetic enhancement procedures to the general public at affordable prices.

Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Care, Inc., one of Santa Clarita's first full-service skin care facilities, announces the arrival of Perlane - the latest filler brought to you by the manufacturers of the incredibly popular Restylane! Perlane has been developed to more effectively smooth out deeper facial folds and wrinkles such as the lines from the nose to the corners of the mouth. By adding Perlane to their already extensive line of skin care services, Advanced Dermatology & Cosmetic Care is able to apply the most appropriate filler for each of their patient's unique skin care needs.

If your teeth are crowded, have spaces or shifted since wearing braces you now have a new reason to smile. Consider Invisalign to get the beautiful smile you've always wanted without braces. Invisalign is the invisible way to straighten teeth using a series of nearly undetectable clear plastic aligners custom designed for you by a certified Invisalign dentist. Because there are no metal wires and brackets these aligners are very comfortable.

In January, you became addicted to exercise; in February, you continued to find the time for your addiction; in March, you are going to learn to feed your addiction. Most people naturally begin to change their eating habits once they have started to exercise regularly. On the positive side, maybe you are avoiding heavy meals before a workout or choosing foods that will help you with your workout. But it is also easy to fall into bad eating habits because of a new exercise program. Feelings of, "I've earned that chocolate cake," or "I can't eat before I work out," or "Caffeine before I work out helps me really push myself" are all detrimental to the cause.

A new study by the Oregon Health and Science University Casey Eye Institute has found that laser surgery is a good option for contact lens users. There are approximately 25 million contact lens wearers in the United States and approximately one million people who have laser surgery every year. Dr. William Mathers, professor of ophthalmology in the OHSU School of Medicine, upon review of several studies found a greater chance of suffering vision loss from contact lenses than from laser vision correction surgery.

Last month, we talked about adopting a healthy addiction: exercise. Keep putting time aside for your healthy, high-energy, super-toned-body-creating lifestyle. And speaking of time, don't you love that Jiffy Lube slogan? "Got no time? That's plenty." It says a lot about our "crazy-busy" lives. But when there is something that absolutely has to be done, we find the time. Your cell phone fritz's out; you go get a new one. You blow out a tire; you spend time getting a new tire. You get sick; you find time to get to the doctor. You get flabby, lose stamina, energy and interest, you find time to exercise. Oh, wait - not so likely, huh? Don't you think it is time to take back your life?

Ah, the New Year's commitment to get healthy. Who hasn't made that one? Is 2007 your year to drop a few pounds? Is this the year you put those cigarettes away for good? By December, will finally be able to wear that one dress, say no to that bad habit or walk up the stairs without breathing hard? In any of those goals sound familiar, you're in good shape - at least you could be. Our valley is jammed with options and experts to help you reach your health and fitness goals this year.

Addiction happens. Do you drink coffee? Need an afternoon candy pick-me-up? Do you jog every morning? Walk the dog? Do you have a ritual you follow at work? Anything that you do everyday, without fail, is probably an addiction. Some very unhealthy but highly addictive habits, like illegal drugs, release dapamine in the brain and then we crave the dapamine, so we return to the drug. But exercise releases dapamine as well. So how do we make exercise an addiction? In an experiment by psychologist Virginia Grant, rats that were given a wheel to run on chose to run until dapamine was present in the brain. They were addicted. Once they ran they had the same amount of dapamine in their systems as another group of rats that were addicted to morphine.