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Where to Send Your Patients for Diabetes Outreach

May 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Most people are aware that the complications of Type 2 Diabetes, in which the body cannot successfully regulate its blood sugar levels, are very serious. More and more people know someone who has suffered an amputation or blindness or worse from uncontrolled diabetes. However, as the number of diabetes cases explodes just as many people are struggling with a lack of health insurance, it is important for health care practitioners to know where they can send their patients for low- or no-cost diabetes counseling.

Many communities in the United States now have diabetes outreach and/or clinics that offer diabetes care on a sliding payment scale, based upon the income of their patients. You can find out if your area has one of these services by checking the medical services section of the phone book, doing an internet search, or, if available in your area, by calling 2-1-1 and asking a hotline operator.

These diabetes health centers often offer services that include tips on how to recognize the symptoms of diabetes, risk surveys, nutrition and fitness counseling, diabetes blood testing, symptom management training, and diabetes support groups. Some may provide their services in languages other than English, depending upon the needs of their communities, and may be sensitive to the cultural needs of people who are most susceptible to diabetes. Diabetes health centers are often staffed by Registered Nurses, Registered Dieticians, Certified Diabetes Educators, and others who are specially trained to care for diabetic patients.

Another more general source of assistance is a local safety net clinic. Check with your healthcare provider to find if you have a Federally Qualified community health clinic, meaning that it can accept grants that will allow it to provide free care for those in need. You may also have free diabetes screening available through your county public health department.

In any case, it is critical to manage all diabetes cases.

Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: Diabetes mellitus type 2, Health, Health care

Are You A Believer in Organic?

April 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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Studies show that more people are becoming convinced that organic food is healthier. News sources are publishing lists of foods that should be bought organic. Chipotle, along with many other restaurants, is joining the fray by advertising when its meat is raised without the use of hormones. Health food stores like Whole Foods and GreenLife are one of the up-and-coming businesses of the times.

But is there any truth to the hype?

It is a well-known fact that cancer, allergies, and auto-immune diseases have increased dramatically in the last thirty years. In the 1970’s, teachers never had to ban peanut butter from their classroom because one of the students would go into anaphylaxis shock if exposed to it. However, these cases are increasingly common. Studies suggest that there is a correlation between the rise in these problems and the rise in ultra-processed food and hormone and pesticide use by farmers. Some theorists have suggested that this overload of unnatural chemicals has caused some people’s immune systems to attack itself. This is what allergies and auto-immune diseases are.

So what can you do to begin a more organic lifestyle? The first step is to buy organic milk. In fact, some people have found that while they react to regular milk, it is much easier for them to tolerate organic milk. Organic meat is also a good idea, but its price can be difficult to swallow.

The price in organic milk is also dropping, making it less of a price difference. Most importantly, cut out foods that are highly processed, including fast food and food with extremely long ingredient labels, filled with names you can’t pronounce.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Food, Organic food, Organic milk

The Business Side of Healthcare Delivery

April 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

When confronted with an illness, the healthcare provider’s revenue is the last thing on someone’s mind. However, revenue has a direct impact on patient care. To create a balance between patient care and revenue generation, a revenue cycle manager may be needed. A major focus of revenue cycle management is to ensure that the facility remains economically viable. The job also entails doing these functions better:

Managing day to day operations
Handling insurance information
Ensuring that medical records are accurate and up to date
Managing billing and collections
Monitoring the delivery of healthcare services
Improving customer service delivery

Simply put, a job in revenue cycle management is vital to the efficient running of any healthcare facility. It also helps to maintain the economic health of a healthcare facility.

The Importance of Managing Revenue

No healthcare provider can serve its clientele without adequate resources. This naturally touches on one of the more sensitive issues in healthcare discussions; the high cost of such services. The human aspect of providing medical care hinges on the availability of adequate funding.

Revenue cycle management ensures that healthcare providers are able to meet the needs of patients. This deals with direct expenditure such as testing equipment, but it also covers areas like staff training and facilities management.

The services provided to clients will be directly overseen by the revenue cycle manager. So a patient’s feedback on service received will be influenced by how the revenue cycle manager operates. The success of any healthcare provider is tied to the performance of the revenue cycle manager. Analysts expect increased demand for such services in the years to come as more focus is placed on improving healthcare delivery.

Filed Under: Career & Education Tagged With: Health care, Health care provider, Medical record

How to Convince Your Patients to Exercise

March 28, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Everyone knows that regular physical activity is important for maintaining a healthy weight and staying fit, but this knowledge does not always encourage everyone to actively take part in regular exercise. Here is a list of just a few of the benefits that exercise physiology research has recently identified to encourage you, your patients, and your associates to engage in a regular activity:

A 2003 Georgia Tech study showed that running hard for 50 minutes or riding an exercise bike increased blood levels of endocannabinoids, a chemical class that reduces a person’s experience of pain and anxiety. For someone facing a great deal of stress, regular exercise can provide an important coping mechanism.
A Journal of Physiology article showed that people who worked out before breakfast were able to burn fat more efficiently than a group that had a big breakfast first. This is a good way to burn extra calories consumed around the holidays.
The telomeres, which are a cellular component that get shorter as the cell ages, are longer in older people who are active than those who are sedentary. In other words, exercise combats the cellular wear and tear that causes us to age. This difference is not discernible among the young, but once people reach middle age, there is a pronounced difference between the active and the sedentary. The full effects of this difference are not known, but some researchers believe this effect may have implications for the diseases that we ultimately suffer as we get older.
Walking helps people to remember more. Regular walks and other aerobic exercise help people to retain memories better.

Go forth and run!

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Health, Old age, Physical exercise

Explaining Morgellons Disease

March 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

In 2002 a woman named Mary Leitao named a disease she had discovered “Morgellons Syndrome.” Leitao documented cases in which people felt their skin was being bitten, they had fibers coming out of persistent sores, and they could not get rid of their lesions. The difficulty for health care practitioners addressing patients who believe they have this disorder is that technically, it does not exist.

Patients who believe they suffer from Morgellons say that there are multi-colored fibers coming out of their skin, and that they feel they are infected by parasites. The singer Joni Mitchell has made public statements saying that she suffers from this syndrome. Clinical investigation has not identified a physical causative agent of this disorder, so it is believed to be psychological in nature, and possibly a form of delusional parasitosis. So many thousands of people have contacted their congressional representatives to complain that they have this illness that a special Centers for Disease Control task force was convened to investigate. Data collection ended in 2009, and the task force has not yet released their findings as of early 2011.

In addition to persistent sores and the feeling that they are being bitten under their skin, patients say that they are experiencing fatigue, joint pain, and cognitive problems. A large factor in the growth of patients who self-diagnose themselves with Morgellons is their access to internet resources which encourage this perception. Morgellons is associated primarily with delusional parasitosis but may also be associated with depression, extreme stress, substance abuse, allergies, and heavy intake of caffeine. Doctors often treat Morgellons patients with very small doses of anti-psychotic drugs in addition to wrapping the lesions to prevent patients from picking at them.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Delusional parasitosis, Joni Mitchell, Morgellon

A Summary of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans

March 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Health care practitioners are busy people. The most recent USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans clocks in at about 100 pages, which not all clinicians may have the time to absorb. Though they only differ slightly from prior guidelines, here is a shorter rundown of the document, which is important to know about as the Guidelines do influence how dieticians and classroom teachers will present nutrition information to the public for the next 5 years.

Limit the calories you take in each day and be sure to get regular physical activity: More Americans are obese than ever, which is leading to concerns that cases of diabetes and other malnutrition-related chronic diseases are overloading our health care system and lowering the quality of life for a large number of people. All of the guidelines relate to more specific information related to these two points.
- Cut back on added sugars: Refined sugars (as opposed to fruit sugars) are a major source of extra calories in the American diet. Take less soda, energy drinks, fruit drinks, and desserts for a better-balanced diet.
- Cut sources of saturated fat: Eat less red meat and choose leaner options such as poultry and fish. Choose reduced-fat dairy products when you consume yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and milk.
- Reduce your sodium intake. Most dietary sodium in the American diet comes from processed foods and restaurant meals, so eat fresh foods and prepare your own meals the majority of the time, especially if you have high blood pressure.
- The food environment influences weight, such as the availability of fresh produce and places to exercise. Advocacy efforts are needed to change places where healthy habits are harder to practice.
- For more, see each chapter’s Key Recommendations.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Diet, United States, United States Department of Agriculture

Managing Cholesterol With Drugs vs. Diet

March 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

As the population ages, more people are advised to lower their Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels, which is also referred to as cholesterol, in an effort to stave off heart disease. Clinicians are now prescribing large quantities of a class of drugs called statins to people who have high blood levels of cholesterol. Although statins are relatively safe, a few users do experience side effects that include muscle damage and organ dysfunction. In addition, statins are expensive drugs, especially for the uninsured, and are not covered by all health plans. They also may not be effective for all patients. For those who do not get the desired outcomes from using statins, cannot afford them, or do not want to be dependent on them, it may be possible to lower blood cholesterol levels through dietary changes.

A person’s cholesterol level is determined by genetics, level of activity, and diet. Some people will always have high cholesterol levels, no matter how healthful their habits, and these individuals are prime candidates for statin use. The basis for a successful cholesterol-lowering diet is high in plant foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It is important to avoid saturated fats such as those found in red meats, egg yolks, and cheese, and eat adequate amounts of ‘good fats’ like those found in nuts and avocados. It is also important to try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise three or more times per week, if not more, and to reduce stress and seek out social support for lifestyle changes. For those who cannot take statins and for whom diet and exercise are not enough, there are other drugs that block cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

Filed Under: Ask a Nurse Tagged With: Cholesterol, Heart disease, Low-Density Lipoprotein

Preventing Asthma Attacks

March 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

With industrial pollution, large amounts of time spent indoors, and more people living in cities than ever before, many individuals now suffer from asthma. This breathing constriction can be very frightening, and in some cases it can lead to hospitalization. Worried parents may feel that they are out of control of the situation and cannot prevent asthma attacks in their children, but health care workers can tell them some simple tips that will help them to reign in all but the most severe cases of asthma.

Do not smoke. Cigarette smoke is a serious problem for asthmatics. If anyone in your house smokes, they should try to quit, or smoke outside, far from the door or ventilation ducts of your building, and wash up immediately after smoking. If your neighbors smoke, inexpensive air filtration devices are available at many discount chains, or you can increase ventilation.
Keep your house clean. Insect and rodent droppings can trigger asthma attacks. If you can, remove the carpeting from your floors, or clean it with a HEPA-filter vaccuum. Sweep and mop or vaccuum on a regular basis. If you live in an apartment building, be sure that your supervisor actively engages in insect and rodent control.
Get preventative care. Be sure that you go to the pediatrician and follow his or her instructions for seeing any related specialists, such as an allergist, to pinpoint the cause of the asthma. Carefully follow instructions for administering medication and make sure that you closely observe your child so that they take the necessary dose. If you see the signs of an asthma attack coming on, get to the hospital as soon as possible, as it will be easier to treat earlier than later.

Fortunately, many asthma sufferers either have less severe symptoms as adults or stop experiencing the disease altogether. Childhood prevention and treatment is important to reaching that outcome.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Asthma, Health care provider, Preventive medicine

Eat More Plants

March 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

With obesity on the rise throughout the world (it has doubled since 1980), more people are trying to learn how they can modify their lifestyles to avoid chronic diseases like diabetes while continuing to enjoy eating. Many people are taking their cue from author Michael Pollan, who wrote “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” In places where meat and other animal products take up most of the plate at every meal, this dictum can be difficult to incorporate into your everyday life. Whether you want to become a vegan, a vegetarian, or if you just want to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet, there are a number of dietary considerations to think about:

Just more plants, please: You may be aware that you don’t eat enough plant foods, but you’re not sure where to begin. An easy visual cue is your dinner plate: half your plate should be taken up by vegetables and fruits at any given meal, with the remaining area for a protein and a starch. Fresh produce is more nutritious than processed, but frozen vegetables can certainly be used when good fresh ones are out of season. Canned vegetables sometimes have a lot of salt, you can check the label to find out. Try to get a variety of items of all colors, not just potatoes, and reserve frying for special occasions.
Vegetarians or Vegans: Vegetarians do not eat meat, but many of them eat dairy products and eggs. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The reasons for adopting these diets range from ethics to health, but in order to sustain them, it is important to ensure that you continue eating a balanced diet and get all the things you need, particularly protein (essential amino acids), vitamin B12, iron and Omega 3 fatty acids. Be sure to do your research before you adopt one of these diets.

Filed Under: Medical Questions Tagged With: Michael Pollan, Veganism, Vegetarianism

Recognizing the Signs of Repetitive Stress

February 23, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

In our increasingly sedentary society, more people make a living by working in front of a computer, and more people spend their leisure time in front of a screen, surfing the internet. When people repeat the same motions over and over again, and spend hours and hours in the same position, they are more likely to suffer from repetitive stress injuries than in the past. It is important to recognize the symptoms of these disorders as they are usually simple to treat but can cause debilitating pain if left on their own.

Your patient may have repetitive stress/strain if they have sudden bursts of pain in many different areas that get worse when they are moving, as well as a weakness that will not allow them to perform their usual activities, such as opening a jar. You most often see repetitive stress in the hands, wrists, and sometimes in the back. There is usually no obvious medical cause for this pain such as an injury. Simple ergonomic adjustments to the position of a person’s keyboard, computer screen, television, and sleeping position may be enough to heal the injury. Sometimes they will need to wear a brace, take an anti-inflammatory drug, or even get surgery, depending upon the severity of the strain. Depression and anxiety are known to contribute to repetitive stress, so mental health treatments may also help to minimize the pain.

Some researchers believe that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which specifically causes the compression of the medial nerve, leading to numbness in one or both hands, may also be a type of repetitive stress. Your patient probably has carpal tunnel if he or she experiences severe numbness or burning in their hands, which wakes them at night. Symptoms can usually be alleviated through night splints and losing excess weight, though surgery may be needed. Instruct your patients to address symptoms as soon as they appear.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Medicine, Physical exercise, Repetitive Stress