While technology has provided us with a variety of ways to communicate, accomplish daily tasks, and keep ourselves safe, there are still those who don’t feel comfortable using computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. This can cause for a rift in communication and can make it harder for the technologically impaired to accomplish their daily tasks.

If you know someone who is technologically impaired that is on a number of medications, you know they probably have some sort of strange and cumbersome ritual to make sure they take all the right medications everyday. They might have one of those medication organizers with the compartments for every day of the week. They might have a post-it note that tells them they have taken their medicine for the day. Some people even flip their prescription bottle upside down to tell them they have taken their medicine for the day.

There are easier ways for people to remember to take their medications. If you are handy with technology, and you know someone who could use a little bit of help, you could show them the ropes of an online medication schedule. If you’re willing to guide them through all of the steps to making a medication schedule, they might be willing to listen. Also, it might be a good idea to try and get their doctor on board to encourage them that this is a great way to remember to take the right medicine.

A medication schedule isn’t just about what medicines to take on what day. The more medicines you take the more complex your schedule becomes. You need to know how many pills to take at what time of day, and medication schedules will also tell you what each pill looks like and when you should get it refilled. Medication schedules make it easy for you whether you take generic brand medications or have a name brand prescription. Online medication schedules have many benefits that cannot compare to a pill organizer with compartments.

Even if you just print out a scheduled for your loved one, you can still help them to get the full benefits of using an online medication schedule without having to “give in” to technology. People who are technology impaired are usually that way by choice. They don’t want to change their lifestyle to incorporate complex electronic devices. So, if you simply print out their weekly or monthly schedule for them, you’ll be doing them a great favor.

While not everyone has the time and the skills to use an online medication schedule, their benefits really outweigh any setbacks. You can get medication reminders sent to your e-mail, cell phone, or sign on everyday to make sure all of your medications are in order and none of them need to be refilled. You can also talk to your doctor about creating and maintaining a medication schedule that works for you. Even if you’re technologically impaired, maybe your doctor can print out a schedule for you.

Yes is the right answer but not in the same order. It also depends on how badly you have torn it. Most cuff tears will get better with just rest and exercise but any serious partial tear or full tear may need surgery before any therapy will help.

What is important with any type of torn rotator cuff treatment is to rest the muscle and let the tear begin to heal. Working through the pain of a rotator cuff is only going to leave you booking corrective surgery as you do more damage to the tendons, so rest is the first thing that you need to do.

Along with rest, you need to bring down the inflammation before you can think about starting any type of exercise. The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that help to keep the shoulder stable by pulling the head of the upper arm bone into the socket of the shoulder. They are small but vital muscles that cover the shoulder joint forming a cuff of muscle that supports it, in doing so they run over and sometimes under the shoulder bones.

Any inflammation to these tendons can cause pain as the inflamed tendon can impinge or catch on bone. A classic example of this is the supraspinatus muscle which runs under the collar bone and the acromion of the shoulder blade. When this muscle swells it catches on the channel of bone and start to wear or fray. Worst case scenario is that you could end up with a snapped tendon that would leave you needing shoulder surgery.

So let the muscles rest. This means steering clear of any of the movements that are painful. If your work includes a lot of overhead movement you might need to modify the way in which you work. If you spend the day sitting at a desk, you might need to change the setup of your desk to avoid stretching or reaching movements with the damaged shoulder. It might even be necessary to take a few days off to rest the shoulder properly.

At the same times start to reduce the inflammation. You could do this by using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and also by using ice packs on the damaged muscle to help to bring down the swelling. If symptoms persist it may be necessary to have a steroid injection into the muscle to combat the inflammation. Your doctor should be able to do this for you.

Once the muscle has started to settle down you can begin simple exercises aimed at strengthening your rotator cuff muscles. Don’t go rushing to the gym thinking that any type of exercise will do the trick. It won’t. Pushing weights before the muscle has healed properly is likely to cause more damage.

Rotator cuff exercises use little or no resistance when recovering from an injury. They will begin with gentle exercises that do not cause any pain. If you do feel pain when exercising stop straight away as this is a sign of further damage being done. It may be that you started exercising too soon.

And don’t forget, when your shoulder is fixed and back to its full pain free movement, don’t just give up on the exercises. Rotator cuff injuries are very common but most of them can be avoided by keeping the rotator cuff muscles healthy so just take five or ten minutes a day to keep them happy.

Cold sores (or fever blisters) are itchy, painful and unsightly -3 out of 10 people get them on a regular basis but nobody talks about them!

Cold sores are caused by the herpes virus.

There are two kinds of herpes infection -HSV1 which most often causes cold sores on the lips; HSV2 usually causes infection in the genital area and is considered a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Note: Cold sores (HSV1) can be spread to the genital area and genital herpes (HSV2) can be spread to the mouth.

You can get the infection from kissing someone with the virus or eating/drinking after someone who is infected. Many parents pass the virus to their children. Once you have the infection, you can not be healed -but you can prevent and treat cold sores.

Cold sores (fever blisters) usually start as a small sore on the lip which slowly grows larger and looks like a blister. The “blisters” will break open and eventually scab over and fall off. During this time, you can pass the virus to others and spread it to other areas of the lip and body.

The good news is that they will usually clear up within a few days to two weeks.

The bad news is that they can be painful, unattractive and can take TWO weeks to clear up!

You should start treatment as soon as you know a cold sore is coming (either from itchy/tingling feeling or seeing the small sore).

To treat cold sores:

1. Apply ice for a 3 minutes 4 times an hour for 2 hours.

2. Start taking Motrin (ibuprofen) - 1 to 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours or Tylenol Extra Strength (acetaminophen) - 1 tablet every 4 hours.

3. Avoid acidic foods (pizza, orange juice) -you’ll know it is bad because it will most likely HURT.

4. Rinse with warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking soda

5. Apply Abreva cream (available OTC at the pharmacy) -apply 5 times a day for up to 10 days. Abreva is the only OTC medication proven to decrease symptoms and aids in healing.

6. If the cold sore is painful -apply Anbesol or Orajel over the Abreva to help numb the area.

7. Take a prescription drug like acyclovir or Valtrex. These meds are by prescription only, so talk to your physician about them. The recommended doses are…

* Valtrex (valacyclovir) - Take 2 Valtrex 1,000 mg tablets twice daily for day 1 then take 1 Valtrex 1,000mg tablet twice a day on day 2.

* Zovirax (acyclovir) -Take acyclovir 400mg tablet five times a day

* Both medications work -Valtrex is taken less often and may be more convenient but acyclovir comes in a generic and can be less expensive.

8. You can also use some natural supplements:

* Lysine -500mg to 1,000mg/day for 5 to 10 days

* Vitamin C -100 to 500mg/day for 5 to 10 days

* Lemon balm -apply 2 to 4 times a day for 5 days

To prevent future outbreaks of cold sores:

1. Stress, sun and illness can lead to an outbreak of cold sores -so avoid when at all possible!

2. Avoid drinking after, using utensils or kissing anyone with an active infection

3. Prescription drugs…

* Zovirax (acyclovir) -Take 200mg three to five times daily

* Valtrex (valacyclovir) - Take 500mg one time daily

So, now you know…and knowing is half the battle!