Another Bad Allergy Season Is On the Way!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that this year’s allergy season is even likely to be more severe that the previous years. In a report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that allergies will become the plight of at least 10 to 30 percent of adults. High pollen counts due to a warm, dry spring following the wet winter will likely lead to many more people seeking relief from allergies and a longer allergy season.

Spring is known to bring allergies because trees and plants that cause allergy symptoms bloom at that time. Many trees common in our area, including oak, maple, and birch cause allergies in many people.

Seasonal allergies should be dealt with prior to the season starting. The CDC recommends starting anti-allergy medications a week before trees start pollinating to prevent allergic reactions. The figures provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have showed that hay fever or seasonal allergies have been diagnosed in 17.6 million adults and 6.6 million children in the past 12 months.

The good news is that there now more options over the counter to treat allergies this season. While many people rely on antihistamines such as Claritin and Zyrtec and decongestants (Sudafed), the recent release of previously prescription only Nasacort and Flonase nasal sprays will give relief and prevent doctor visits for more severe cases of seasonal allergies.  Talk to your pharmacist about your options soon before allergy season starts!

Your Family Pharmacist,

Samuel Warnell

Come on out to the Kyrock VFD on Friday and Saturday, April 3rd and 4th beginning at 6AM. Community Donations will be appreciated and all proceeds will go to community involvement in supporting our local firefighters!

The Kyrock Elementary Blackhawks in Action Family Fitness Walk will be held April 25, 2015 at the Edmonson County High School Track. The track will be open from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.. Participants may choose the distance they want to walk so that EVERYONE can be involved - those that are just beginning their walking program and those that can walk for miles! The registration fee is $10 per person. Participants that send the registration form (download below) in postmarked by April 8th are guaranteed a t-shirt, which can be picked up at the walk site on the morning of the walk.

This walk benefits Kyrock's Blackhawks in Action Project which encourages Kyrock students to be active 60 minutes each day! Kyrock students and family members wanting to participate should use the registration form sent home by Kyrock PE Teacher Lori Duvall. Members of the community should use the registration form uploaded with this announcement.

This walk is being held in conjunction with the Edmonson County Public Library's annual Spring Fling and the Edmonson County Healthy Coalition's Health Fair. Gather your family and friends and join us at all three events for a fun, healthy start to your day!

McGrew Memorial General Baptist Church will have an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4th at 11:00am. Everyone is welcome to come out and join in the fun. For more information, contact Dennis Knight at 270-246-2865.

There will be a free health screening held on Tuesday, April 7, 2015 at the Brownsville Senior Center on Ferguson Street. A free gift will be given to each participant.

Need some .22 LR?

Here is your chance to get some ammo and do some good for others!

C&C Firearms is raising money to help with the medical bills of Shirley Jaggers, a high school senior at ECHS. Shirley has been battling cancer courageously but the medical bills continue to pile up.

Here is how it works:
C&C Firearms has 10 Bricks(500 rds) of .22LR. For every 5 dollars you donate, you get a ticket.(5 dollars gets you 1 ticket, 25 dollars gets you 5). On April 25th they will draw 10 tickets, each of whom gets a brick. You do not have to be present to win and you can win more than once, so donate as much as you can. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Jaggers family.

We'd like to welcome our newest sponsor to The Edmonson Voice, Mammoth Cave Transplants, located at 5394 Brownsville Road (KY 259), owned by Mrs. Janet Dennison. The nursery offers a variety of bedding plants, hanging baskets, trees and shrubs, produce plants, potting soil, and much more. You can stay updated on their specials by visiting their Facebook Page here. They are now contributing a regular column, "Home Grown Notions," which will focus on all types of gardening tips and info. You can also click on their ad on our News page. Please welcome Mammoth Cave Transplants by enjoying the column in which you can read below!

Homegrown Notions  - Spring into Spring: 5 tips to Jump-start Your Season

Spring is here, and warm weather is beginning to peek around the corner. There are lots to be done in preparation for the new growing season! There are some early spring cleanup tasks and plant maintenance that are sure things for this time of year. Use these tips and pay a visit to your garden, do some much needed maintenance, and tend to what’s already there.

Spring Tip #1: Prune those roses!

Roses need to be pruned now before they start to leaf out.

Spring Tip #2: Cut back Ornamental Grasses

Now is also the time to cut back ornamental grasses to 2–3 inches to allow new growth. If new growth has already started cut back to where the new growth has begun.

Spring Tip #3: Apply Dormant Oil Spray

Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crabapples and shrubs such as euonymus to control scale insects and other overwintering pests. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven't opened yet. Apply when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees F.

Spring Tip #4: Re-seed and Repair your lawn.

Re-seed and repair bare and damaged patches in your lawn.

Spring Tip #5: Plan and dream! Take all that time you spent this winter flipping through gardening magazines and spend the first days of spring in your yard making plans for the coming year. Enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and savor in the excitement that only spring can bring.

While we are all chomping at the bit to get our hands dirty and to start the planting season, it is still too early here in Kentucky to plant many of our beloved flowers and vegetables. We need to wait until the chance for frost is gone. March is notoriously unpredictable. There may still be chilly nights to come, so don’t get ahead of yourself. Plants that can handle the cooler temps like Pansies, Viola’s, Dianthus, and Snapdragons can be planted now to give you some color and curb appeal. Cole crop vegetables such as Cabbage, Onions, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and potatoes can been planted now as well as sowing lettuce seeds and other greens. Happy Gardening from Mammoth Cave Transplants! Give us a call, 270-597-2533.

To grow a garden, is to believe in tomorrow  ~Audrey Hepburn

8th Grade Dance permission slips and t-shirt order forms have been sent home with students.  In case you're in need of either of these, please see below to download each document.

ECMS 8th Grade Dance Permission Slips:   

The 8th grade dance ("Almost Paradise") has been scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Brownsville Community Center.  Prices for dance tickets are $10 per person / $20 per couple.  Tickets can be purchased at school during lunch and 8 minute break in the cafeteria.  Forms will not be accepted by any member of ECMS faculty.  A parent from the dance committee will be onsite the following days for the sale of tickets:  Friday March 20, Friday March 27, and Friday April 10.  Students must have the attached signed permission slip/liability waiver in order to purchase a dance ticket. They will not be allowed to enter on the night of the dance without a dance ticket. Students are allowed to bring a date from another school but must also have a signed permission slip and a dance ticket.  All guests must be under 18 years of age. 

ECMS 8th Grade T-shirt Order Forms: 

Class of 2019 t-shirts are now on sale.  All shirts are navy with white print and a list of all students currently enrolled in 8th grade will be printed on the back.  Shirts are $10.00 each.  The deadline for ordering has been extended to Monday, April 6, 2015.  Checks should be made payable to Danyale Logsdon.  Profit from this fundraiser will be used to purchase decorations, food, etc. for the dance.  Forms will not be accepted by any member of ECMS faculty.  Order forms can be turned in to the parent collecting permission slips for the dance on Friday, March 27.  There will also be a parent onsite Monday, April 6, to collect order forms and money.  Please contact Michelle  Skaggs at 270-792-6264 or Miranda Elkins at 270-597-8942 with any questions regarding t-shirt orders. 

Little League Program Director Greg Hudson has wasted no time being proactive with this year's upcoming baseball/softball season. He and the EC Baseball/Softball Board have reached out to the Edmonson Voice to address some issues that apparently have been misunderstood. 

There supposedly have been concerns over a couple of rules that  Director Hudson wanted to clear up. The first is regarding the T-Ball and Angel Leagues where Hudson said that some parents and coaches are upset about an alleged rule in which the coach/pitcher cannot talk to the batter. Hudson says that is incorrect. "The coach CAN talk to the batter before the pitch, however, once the coach/pitcher throws the ball, that part of his/her coaching is done. The base coaches of course, are allowed to talk to the base runners," he said. 

These and other issues have been addressed in the coaches handbook that can always be viewed on the board's Facebook page at any time. Another issue where Director Hudson and the board have heard complaints is that there are no 3 year olds allowed to play in T-Ball or Angel League. Hudson said, "What we want people to know, is that these just aren't 'made-up' rules so we can eliminate 3-year olds. There is a Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Birth chart in the official rules, and we ARE going to enforce them."

Hudson explained the purpose for adhering to the Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken League Organizational Rules. He said that before, some Edmonson County Leagues followed them, and some did not for whatever reason, and the rules were very loosely enforced. This obviously caused confusion within the league, and also led to problems when teams left the county to compete in tournaments elsewhere.

"This gives us a standard set of rules that are meant to be fair to everyone," he said. "It will allow our county teams to compete with the same set of rules that are the standard, and most every other league out there is under the same organization, and they abide by the same rules."

Lastly, Director Hudson made a request of the public. "I would ask all parents, coaches, and players to give us a fair chance and be open minded to the changes that we're implementing right now," he said. "Let us show you the benefits after the season is over, not before it starts. There will be positive benefits from these changes."

Darren Doyle
Edmonson Voice

Most all Edmonson County residents are ready for green grass and sunny skies as they put snow and freezing temperatures behind them. That also means some good 'ol spring cleaning for many folks.

You've got your brooms, mops, and Mr. Clean, but where are you putting all that junk that won't fit in your trash can? Well, you'll soon have access to a dumpster* at your nearest volunteer fire department thanks to the Edmonson County Fiscal Court as they once again sponsor The Annual County-Wide Spring Cleanup. 

The event begins on Monday, April 6th and will run until Saturday, April 11th at noon. So get that garage, barn, or your child's wilderness that they call their bedroom cleaned out and haul that junk and garbage to your nearest fire department. This is a free service for Edmonson County residents. 

*No tires, paints, petroleum products or chemicals are allowed, and neither Scott Waste, The Ed. Co. Fiscal Court, nor any of the fire depts are responsible for any accidents. 

As published in Health News by NPR, written by Anders Kelto, brought to you by Edmonson Drug Co. Inc.

Dr. Jeremy Greene sees a lot of patients with diabetes that's out of control.

In fact, he says, sometimes their blood sugar is "so high that you can't even record the number on their glucometer."

Greene, a professor of medicine and history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, started asking patients at his clinic in Baltimore why they had so much trouble keeping their blood sugar stable. He was shocked by their answer: the high cost of insulin.

Greene decided to call some local pharmacies, to ask about low-cost options. He was told no such options existed.

Greene wondered why that was the case. Why was a medicine more than 90 years old so expensive? He started looking into the history of insulin, and has published a paper about his findings in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The story of insulin, it turns out, starts back in the late 1800s. That's when scientists discovered a link between diabetes and damaged cells in the pancreas — cells that produce insulin.

In the early 1920s, researchers in Toronto extracted insulin from cattle pancreases and gave it to people who had diabetes, as part of a clinical trial. The first patient was a 14-year-old boy, who made a dramatic recovery. Most others recovered as well. Soon, insulin from pigs and cattle was being produced and sold on a massive scale around the world.

But for some, the early forms of the medicine weren't ideal. Many people required multiple injections every day, and some developed minor allergic reactions.

Over the next few decades, scientists figured out how to produce higher-quality insulin, Greene says. They made the drug purer, so recipients had fewer bad reactions. They also made the substance able to last longer in the bloodstream, which led to more stable blood sugar levels and less frequent injections.

"All of these innovations helped to make insulin a little bit safer, a little bit more effective," Greene says.

Then, in the 1970s, scientists developed a new technique they could use for insulin production, called recombinant DNA technology. It involves putting the human gene for insulin into bacteria, which then produce large quantities of the hormone.

Then, a funny thing happened, Greene says: "The older [animal] insulin, rather than remaining around on the market as a cheaper, older alternative, disappeared from the market."

Greene says there's no one reason that companies stopped producing the older animal versions, but they clearly felt it would not be profitable.

Dr. Kevin Riggs, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and co-author of the new insulin study, says the newer, recombinant version of insulin may have had some advantages in terms of convenience and fewer side effects. But there was probably something else at work — doctors being influenced by marketing.

"A lot of time we get caught up in some of the hype," Riggs says. "When a new medicine comes out and it has theoretical advantages, we buy into that and think newer is better."

The company that made the new form of insulin, called Humulin, launched a large marketing effort aimed at doctors and patients shortly after its release.

But newer drugs aren't always better, says Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a professor of medicine and pharmacology at Georgetown University. That's partly because drug companies don't have to prove that a new drug is better than what is already on the market — they just have to prove that it's not worse.

"In government-funded studies that have compared older drugs to newer drugs, often older drugs come out looking better or equal to newer drugs," Fugh-Berman says.

For example, some patients have found that animal-derived forms of insulin work better for them, she says. They cause less variability in blood sugar, and fewer episodes of hypoglycemia.

And while those older kinds of insulin are not available in the U.S., they are available elsewhere.

"In Canada, there actually is still an animal-derived insulin on the market, and that was really due to the efforts of consumer advocates," Fugh-Berman says.

As the older versions have vanished in the U.S., newer versions have stayed expensive. The drug can cost up to $400 a month. Because of that high cost, many of the estimated 29 million people living with diabetes in the U.S. can't afford it.

Some industry analysts expect insulin costs to fall in the future. That's because the most recent insulin patents have expired, paving the way to more competition. The FDA has also decided to allow biosimilar versions of insulin onto the market. These are substances that act in a similar way to existing forms, but are not necessarily identical.

"But there's concern that the cost savings [with biosimilar insulin] will be nowhere near as robust as they have been with [other types of] generic drugs," Greene says.

"Rather than reducing costs by 80 percent, as many generics have done, they might reduce costs by 40 percent," Riggs says.

Greene says the point of their recent study about insulin costs isn't to simply blame the drug industry. "We do not believe that there is a conspiracy to keep insulin expensive," he says.

Rather, he says, incremental improvements in the drug — and the disappearance of older versions, which aren't as profitable — are more likely explanations.

Greene says innovations in insulin over the past 90 years have been significant. But, he says, it's important to ask this question: "Do these innovations merit the loss of affordable insulin?"

For patients at his clinic who can't afford insulin, Greene says, the answer is clear. A more affordable version is needed.

Correction
March 19, 2015
This post was edited to clarify that Dr. Jeremy Greene only sometimes sees patients whose blood sugar is too high for glucometers to read. Also, recombinant DNA techniques were developed in the 1970s and used to make a human form of insulin that became popular during the 1980s. The original version of this post said the recombinant DNA tools were developed in the 1980s.

The Friends of Nolin River Lake and the US Army Corps of Engineers are looking for volunteers to help plant live stakes along Nolin River Lake's shoreline on Saturday, March 28, 2015. Stakes are dormant, live, woody cuttings of a tree species with the branches trimmed off. Stakes are placed in the ground to create a root mat that stabilizes the soil by reinforcing and binding soil particles together. Planting stakes along the shoreline helps to create a vegetative buffer that prevents shoreline loss and reduces sediment entering the lake. The Corps of Engineers has successfully worked on repairing the lake's shoreline over the past three years by planting over 6000 stakes and 350 trees.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the US Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Information Office, located next to the dam, between 8:00 and 8:30 am CDT. Gloves, tools, and guidance on planting stakes will be provided. For those that volunteer, pizza will be available at 12:30 pm.  Currently, rising lake levels may cause the event to be cancelled. Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact the Corps of Engineers at (270)286-4511 on Friday, March 27 to check for cancellation.

For more information on how you can help Nolin Lake, please contact our office at (270) 286-4511.   

The Disabled American Veterans and Auxiliary will be sponsoring a breakfast and lunch on Friday, March 27, 2015, from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Disabled American Veteran’s Hall in Brownsville, Kentucky.  

Each meal is $5.00 per person – choice of BREAKFAST:  ham or sausage, pancakes (regular, blueberry, or chocolate chip) or biscuits/gravy, & drink.  LUNCH:  Dried beans, cornbread,  drink & dessert. 

Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to purchase American flags for Edmonson County veteran’s graves as a Memorial Day remembrance. For more information please contact Maurita Miller, DAVA Commander at 270-597-8268 or Bill Meredith, DAV Commander at   270-779-2600. 

If you cannot attend this fundraiser, but would like to make a monetary contribution to this worthwhile cause, please make checks payable to:
 Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary,
 c/o Maurita Miller
 P. O. Box 713
 Brownsville KY 42210.

U.S. Congressman Brett Guthrie (R) visited Brownsville City Hall on Friday to speak with county and city leaders. Guthrie tries to make regular stops in each county of his district. Among the attendees were Judge Executive Wil Cannon, Brownsville Mayor Jerry Meredith, Sheriff Shane Doyle, Rep. Michael Meredith, and County Attorney J.B. Hines.

Some Major Issues Remain Unresolved In 2015 Session 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 13, 2015) – The House adjourned a minute before midnight last Wednesday after a 10-hour lawmaking session that ended with House passage of 30 bills, including a bipartisan anti-heroin proposal approved unanimously by House members. 

The anti-drug legislation, placed in a gutted Senate Bill 192, includes essentially all of House Bill 213 which passed the House unanimously last month. That bill, which has since stalled in the Senate, contains substance abuse treatment options for heroin addicts, tiered penalties for traffickers, and much more. Proposed state General Fund appropriations totaling $10 million to carry out drug treatment and related services were also added to SB 192 by the House. 

The bill as amended was then returned to the Senate, which had passed its own anti-heroin measure in January and refused to agree with the House changes before both chambers adjourned late Wednesday for the governor’s “veto recess.” Fortunately, both chambers are committed to reaching agreement on heroin legislation this session, and hope to have a bill ready for final passage before session’s end.  That could be as soon as March 23, when lawmakers return to Frankfort for the session’s final two days on March 23-24.

Another remaining issue left unresolved is how to address the impact on local and state road funds due to the fluctuation in the gas tax.  House Bill 513, which sought to allow the gas tax to decrease while protecting funds made available to local governments for road and bridge projects, was not acted upon.  It is essential that the dollars remain for our counties and cities to provide safe highways and bridges, but at the same time we need to allow Kentuckians to keep more money in their pockets due to lower gas prices.  Hopefully we can reach a resolution on this issue before midnight on March 24th. 

We were able to get some bills passed this past week before adjourning for the veto session, including an amendment to a House bill that will once again allow local school districts to seek relief from the number of days missed due to the severe winter weather over the past four weeks.  Like last year, snow and ice have played havoc with the school calendar in many local districts, which is why we once again approved legislation that allows those districts to seek relief from the Kentucky Department of Education.

Among the other bills that received final passage in the House on the last day before the veto recess and are now on their way to becoming law are:
 
HB 92: This alcohol and drug counseling measure received final passage in the House by a vote of 98-0 and on Wednesday. It would define different types of alcohol and drug counseling, specify that certain professional titles cannot be used by those not licensed or registered in specific practice per state law, and require domestic violence and suicide management training for those seeking certain types of registration.

HB 69: Colorectal cancer screening legislation that would require complete screenings—including colonoscopy—to be covered without added deductible or coinsurance cost to the patient received final passage in the House by a vote of 74-25 on Wednesday. The final bill was amended with Senate language that would establish requirements for cost savings demonstration projects for the state employee health plan and Medicaid, and address state licensure reciprocity for home medical equipment providers. HB 69 has been sent to the governor for his signature.

As you can see, much has been done in finishing “The People’s Business” this session but, as is always the case late in a session, there is much left to do. The House and Senate conferees will continue to work over the governor’s veto days to reach agreement on bills including SB 192, the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System proposal in HB 4, and the issue of the gas tax fluctuation.  We will have to wait and see how those discussions pan out in terms of votes on these bills (and others) when we return to Frankfort on March 23.  

In addition to the issues I mentioned, there could be ideas and concerns important to you that need to be addressed in the final days of the 2015 Regular Session.  I encourage you to contact me by e-mail at [email protected], or call our toll free number at 1-800-372-7181. 

Will Your Cholesterol Medicine Cause You To Have Diabetes?

It seems that every time you turn on your TV there is a “1-800-BAD-DRUG” lawyer commercial telling you to call if you have experienced a certain side effect. While bad side effects do happen and there is a time and place for this, in most cases this simply just spreads fear among the population about their medication. One of the most recent ones is an ad regarding Lipitor, which states that it may cause diabetes. I’ve personally had many people ask me if they are diabetic because they have been taking Lipitor. In the majority of cases, their diabetes is due to their lifestyle choices. While there may be an increased risk with certain cholesterol medicines, the verdict is still out and more testing needs to be done.

The original studies that looked at this found that the risk for type 2 diabetes on patients taking a “Statin” (a very common family of cholesterol medications) had an increased risk of somewhere between 10% to 22%. Other studies have stated this risk is as high as 46%. Many of these studies were very selective for participants at a high risk for heart disease and diabetes, so the risk seen in the trials is likely different than the general population.  This risk seems to be dose dependent, meaning the higher the dose, the higher the risk.  So what’s the truth? Should you stop taking your cholesterol medicine because of this risk?

The answer is not a simple black and white answer for every person. The truth is that every person is different and that statins are very effective in reducing cardiovascular risks, such as heart attacks. People who are at a higher risk of developing diabetes (obese, diabetes in their immediate family, etc.) should consider discussing with their doctor the need to avoid high dose statin therapy. Other options, such as exercise and diet solutions, should be thoroughly explored in these patients before increasing the dose of their medication.

While there are always risks to taking any type of medication, whether it is prescription or over the counter, it’s important to consider the benefit. Controlling cholesterol with these types of medications has prevented countless heart attacks and prolonged many lives. If you currently take a statin, talk to your doctor about your personal risk before stopping or changing how you take your medication!

Your Family Pharmacist,
Samuel Warnell

This column is brought to you weekly from Edmonson Drug Company, Inc, located on Main St in Brownsville. You can visit their Facebook page by clicking here.

Representative Meredith Welcomed Kolbie Vincent to the Kentucky House of Representatives

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 12, 2015) – Representative Michael Meredith, R-Brownsville, recently welcomed Kolbie Vincent to Frankfort as his legislative page for the March 3rd session of the Kentucky House of Representatives.  Kolbie, who is the granddaughter of James and Serena Vincent of Bee Springs, is a sophomore at Edmonson County High School. 

The Edmonson County Parks and Rec Baseball/Softball board has announced the coaches for the upcoming season. In addition, each coach must complete the Ripken Baseball Coaching Education and Certification Program as required by the Babe Ruth League. You can find out more about the certification and sign up at baberuthcoaching.org, go to "quick links," and select "coaches." 

Teams will be selected soon, and the board reminds all head and assistant coaches to please have all paperwork filled out with a copy of your driver's license when attending the upcoming coaches meeting. You must have copies of the following forms: criminal check, central registry, code of ethics, and the coaching application. You can download the proper documents below:

Angel League Parents: This year Angel league will be sanctioned as a Babe Ruth Softball league.  As a result of this sanctioning, Angel League players will be required to wear a face guard while batting.  The face guard is a requirement in all levels of Babe Ruth Softball per Rule 1.16 (b) The use of face guards on all batting helmets will be required for all divisions and levels of play.

The following individuals have been selected to coach this year:

Angel League: Beth Chenault, Jessica Vincent, Laura Beth Johnson, Kyle Cassady

8U - Andrew Bolton, Alison Lile

12U - Darren Doyle, Scott Decker, Scott Saling

16U - Billie Durbin, Joe Smith, Laura Webb-Thomas

Tee Ball - Eric Young, Stephen Jackson, Nick Stevenson, Casey Sowders

Rookie - Josh Miller, Travis Seabolt, Matt Richardson, Chris Webb, Jay Norris, Johnathan Gammons

Minor - Jeremy Vincent, Jason Decker, Derek Curtis, Nathan Williams

Major - Carl Mills, Johnathan Mansfield, Sam Skaggs, Chad Clemmons


Any questions or concerns can be directed to [email protected].