This month, we are joined at Plain City Druggist by Dakota Arledge, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Dakota will graduate in May 2024 with his PharmD degree and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Dakota will be with Tayler and the gang here in Plain City throughout June, so please stop by and meet him while he is here.

Here is what Dakota tells us about himself:

I am Dakota Arledge, a P4 Ohio State University PharmD student who is currently living in Columbus.

I grew up around Athens, which is a small college town in the south east of Ohio. Athens is home to Ohio University, which is where I completed my undergraduate degree. I graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, which was my favorite subject throughout school.

In my undergraduate years, I was originally unsure of what career path I wanted to pursue. I started out as a pre-medicine chemistry major, but eventually decided I wanted to do something that had more of an emphasis on chemistry than biology. After hearing a talk from a representative of Ohio State’s pharmacy school admissions, I was eventually convinced to pursue pharmacy.

I think one of the biggest selling points in choosing pharmacy was the fact that pharmacists can exercise their expertise nearly anywhere. Pharmacists can practice in a large range of locations and have many more specialties than people may first realize, allowing them to have a bit more freedom to choose where they live and work.

For the past year, I have worked as a pharmacy intern at a Kroger pharmacy in Whitehall, Ohio.

After graduation this next year, I plan on moving to Florida to live closer to my sister who currently works at Kroger as a pharmaceutical sales representative. Initially, I’ll likely continue to work for Kroger in a community setting and slowly begin to pay off my student debt. Eventually, I hope to get to a point where I can become more financially independent and experienced, allowing me to practice outside of a large pharmacy chain.

In my experience, I’ve always enjoyed the environment of independent pharmacies. They seem like great places to both shop and work. Whenever I visit an independent pharmacy, I always feel like they have a more laidback and personal touch to them, in contrast with the chaotic environment that seems to come with many larger chain pharmacies.

In the future I wouldn’t mind working for a smaller pharmacy; my sister has even discussed with me the idea of eventually opening our own small pharmacy sometime in the distant future. It’s definitely something I keep mind the back of my mind as I take steps toward the development of my career.

In my spare time, I enjoy exercising, reading history, and golfing with friends.

This month, we are joined at Happy Druggist on Karl Road by Anna Rader, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Anna will graduate in May 2024 with her PharmD degree and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Anna will be with Kristie and the staff on Karl Road throughout the coming year as a Partners for Promotion student, so please stop by and meet her while she is in the pharmacy.

Here is what Anna tells us about herself:

My name is Anna Rader, and I am currently a fourth-year pharmacy student at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.  As a part of my final year, I am involved with the Partners for Promotion program with the goal to expand patient care services at Happy Druggist. I look forward to learning more about independent pharmacies throughout the year.

I graduated from OSU in 2019 with my Bachelors of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, but I have known since graduating high school that I wanted to pursue pharmacy. I started working at CVS in July 2015 and I have been there ever since. Over the years, working as both a technician and an intern, I have a detailed understanding of how community pharmacy works. CVS has also given me the invaluable patient care experience that I will take with me throughout my career. I thoroughly enjoy community pharmacy, being able to build relationships with patients and see their progression over time.

I have not had much exposure to independent pharmacy, but I am excited by the opportunity to learn more about independent pharmacy compared to retail chains.

After graduation, my current plan is to complete a residency in Ambulatory Care and eventually become an Ambulatory Care pharmacist. I want to explore the different ambulatory care options, but right now I am interested the most in internal medicine.

Outside of pharmacy, I love to go to movies and spend as much time as possible with my family. I have a 7-year-old sister who I can’t get enough of. Our favorite thing to do together is go to Johnson’s Ice Cream for a treat!

With warmer and sunnier days ahead of us, it’s important to keep in mind the positive and negative side effects of sun exposure. While getting sun can increase vitamin D levels and creates opportunities for outdoor physical activities, it can also lead to skin damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause sunburns and sometimes lead to skin cancer, called melanoma. The 5-year relative survival for melanoma of the skin is 93.5%, as reported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although traditionally melanoma has a good prognosis, UV rays can also cause premature aging to the skin.

Luckily, there are ways to prevent skin damage with sunscreens and other strategies.

Prevention Strategies:

Some strategies include:

• staying in the shade
• wearing long sleeved clothing
• protecting your face and eyes with hats and sunglasses

Additionally, the use of sunscreen can help when used in combination to these strategies. The effectiveness of sunscreen is determined by SPF, which stands for sun protection factor. This compares the amount of UV radiation required to result in a sunburn when wearing sunscreen versus not wearing sunscreen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a broad spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 at a minimum.

It is important to have protection against UVA because those rays can be damaging to skin and increase aging of the skin. UVB rays are stronger than UVA rays and can cause sunburns and skin cancer. Therefore, broad spectrum sunscreens are a must; however, there does not seem to be much of a benefit in wearing an SPF greater than 50. The graph attached shows the fraction of UV lights that are blocked at increasing ranges of SPF, with the difference between SPF 30 and 50 being only 1.3% more rays blocked.

Types of Sunscreen:

There are two types of sunscreen: physical and chemical.

Chemical sunscreens absorb the UV radiation and contain chemicals such as avobenzone, octocrytene, and oxybenzone.

Physical sunscreens are preferred, because they reflect UV radiation. They are often zinc and titanium oxide-based products and can be more difficult to rub into the skin.

There are also lip balms that contain SPF to protect lips from getting dried out or burned. It’s important to note that although sun protection is most thought of during hot and sunny days, UV rays are a threat any time the sun is out, even when it’s cloudy. The UV index can change throughout the days and seasons, but sunscreen should really be applied during any time outdoors.

How to Apply Sunscreen:

• Use around 1 ounce (shot glass) and apply at least 15 minutes before going outside.
• Rub in thoroughly to all bare skin (don’t forget places like neck, ears, and feet).
• Reapply at least every two hours or more frequently if sweating or in water.
• Check expiration dates and throw away if more than three years old.

This month and throughout the coming months, we are joined at Happy Druggist on Karl Road by Hannah Hagar, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Hannah will graduate in May 2024 with her PharmD degree and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Hannah will be with Kristie and the staff on Karl Road throughout the coming year as a Partners for Promotion student, so please stop by and meet her while she is in the pharmacy.

Here is what Hannah tells us about herself:

My name is Hannah Hagar and I’m a fourth-year pharmacy student at The Ohio State University. I am part of the Partner for Promotion (PFP) program at Ohio State and will be working with the pharmacy team during 2023-2024 to implement expanded patient care services. I am excited to have the opportunity to learn more about community pharmacies through this experience.

I graduated from OSU in 2019 with my Bachelors in Pharmaceutical Sciences and have always had an interest in healthcare and science.

In high school, we were able to do a mentorship program where I mentored with an optometrist. Watching her interactions with patients confirmed my interest in healthcare. I decided pharmacy was the right path for me when I took an addicting drugs’ class during my freshman year of undergrad. I figured I should try to learn more about pharmacy at that point, and started working at CVS Pharmacy in June of 2016. I progressed in my role there throughout the years as a technician to inventory specialist, and, eventually, now as an intern. These work roles gave me a full understanding of the ins and outs of pharmacy and gave me valuable experience in patient care.

Currently, my interest upon graduation is a career in community pharmacy, but I am looking forward to seeing other areas of pharmacy throughout my APPE year.

My interests outside of school include cooking and sharing my homemade meals with family and friends. My favorite meal to make is zucchini lasagna.

What is Iron Deficiency Anemia?

Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) is a condition in which your body cannot produce enough healthy red blood cells. This occurs because your body does not have enough iron to make hemoglobin, a key component in your red blood cells that carries oxygen. Without enough hemoglobin it is difficult for the organs in your body to get the necessary amount of oxygen.

What causes Iron Deficiency Anemia?

The major reasons why IDA occurs is due to:

• blood loss
• lack of enough iron in your diet
• your body’s inability to absorb the iron in your food

Blood loss is the most common way for people to develop iron-deficiency anemia.

Common causes of blood loss include:

• Frequent blood donations
• Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract due colon cancer, ulcers, or the long-term use of aspirin or NSAIDS
• Heavy menstrual periods
• Excessive diagnostic blood testing
• Hemodialysis

Insufficient iron in your diet can also lead to anemia.

Iron sources from meat are more easily absorbed by the body.

Vegetarians are more likely to suffer from a lack of iron as the iron from plant sources is not as easily absorbed.

Good sources of iron include:

• Beef
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Fish
• Spinach
• Fortified breakfast cereal
• Beans
• Nuts
• Potatoes
• Dark leafy greens

Certain foods may decrease your ability to absorb iron such as foods high in calcium or tannates found in tea. However, consumption of these foods alone is unlikely to be the main cause of iron deficiency.

There are several conditions that can cause reduced absorption:

• Intestinal disorders like celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or Crohn’s disease
• Helicobacter pylori infection
• Bariatric surgery

What are symptoms of anemia?

• Fatigue
• Cold hands and feet
• Pale skin
• Restless legs syndrome
• Headache
• Pica (eating objects not typically seen as food like clay, dirt, or wallpaper)
• Pagophagia (craving for ice which is specific for iron deficiency anemia)
• Brittle or spoon like nails

How is the condition diagnosed?

In order to diagnose IDA, your doctor will run tests to determine the size of your red blood cells, how much hemoglobin is available in your body, and the amount of iron in your body. Additionally, your doctor may conduct a colonoscopy, an endoscopy, and or an ultrasound to determine any sources of bleeding.

IDA treatment

Iron deficiency anemia is treated by correcting the underlying condition causing your iron deficiency.

Additionally, your provider my prescribe iron supplements to increase the iron stores in your body.

When taking iron supplements remember to try and take the tablets on an empty stomach, and to space them from your antacids to improve absorption. However, the supplements may cause an upset stomach, and constipation which may be fixed by taking the supplements with food and taking a stool softener respectively. Your stools may also turn black, but this is not a harmful side effect. Once iron supplementation begins, patients generally begin to see symptom improvement within a week, but may be on supplementation for a few months to fully replenish the body’s iron stores.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/iron/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355040

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22824-iron-deficiency-anemia