Do Electronic Records "Cause" Better Diabetes Care? Who Cares?

Persons with diabetes should look for this?

High functioning primary care sites are more likely to purchase an EHR. 

That's the contrarian conclusion of the Disease Management Care Blog after reading this New England Journal article by Randall Cebul and colleagues titled "Electronic Health Records and Quality of Diabetes Care."

Briefly, this was a study of persons with diabetes who were being served by the primary care sites of seven health care organizations in Cleveland and surrounding Cuyahoga County in Ohio.  There were 21 primary care sites in a not-for-profit system, 12 owned by a safety-net hospital, 1 in a university hospital and the remainder were federally qualified health centers.  The sample was made up of 27,207 patients cared for by 569 primary care physicians in 46 practices.  13 practices with 53 providers used paper, the remainder used EHRs. 

The impressive results can be found here.  Basically, if you had diabetes and was cared-for in a clinic with an EHR, you were more likely to have your HbA1c tested, kidney disease addressed, eyes evaluated for retinopathy and be immunized against pneumonia.  You'd also have better control of your blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and be less likely to use tobacco.  For most of the measures, the differences were in the double digit range, and, except for glucose control and blood pressure control, remained significant after statistical adjustment.

So why is the DMCB being a nattering nabob of negative nitpickiness? 

This is an observational study involving physicians who independently chose whether to purchase an EHR.  It is quite possible that high functioning and financially successful clinics that were already taking good care of their patients with diabetes committed to an EHR, which was otherwise an innocent bystander.  That's called "confounding" or "selection bias" and cannot be ruled out.  We cannot say for certain that if the paper-using clinics were forced to purchase an EHR that their numbers would have improved.

That being said, the DMCB doesn't really care.  If the EHR caused better diabetes care or is merely associated with better diabetes care, the "signal" is the same: having computer screens in a clinic means higher quality.

The policy implications:

1.  Based on this study, we still don't know for sure if the EHR causes better care, but

2. It makes sense to "steer" patients with diabetes toward clinics that have EHRs.

READ MORE - Do Electronic Records "Cause" Better Diabetes Care? Who Cares?

Health Information Technology and Meaningful Use Without The Personal Computer?

The Disease Management Care Blog had a great three-day weekend, thanks in part to being visited by a nephew and his lovely wife.  In addition to being impressed by their verve and elan, the DMCB also benefited from an insight: practically all of their internet "connectedness" is managed via their cell phones.

In the meantime, check out this Wall Street Journal opinion piece penned by Michael Malone on the death of the personal computer.  Hewlett-Packard's exit from the PC market has not only been driven by relentless commoditization, but by the rise of alternative "platforms" including" the cloud" and the advent of the nephew's hand-held devices.

And lest we credit this to youthful techie coolness, Lucy Hood, in a separate article, opines that smartphones are now bridging the digital divide. These multi-functional devices have finally reached a price point and a degree of usability that is enabling the nephew - and millions of other persons dealing with today's economy - to readily and cheaply access the web for browsing, information and entertainment - without having to own a PC.

It's too early to assess the implications of this generational shift away from the PC for the Feds' efforts to digitalize the practice of medicine.  The provider community is still coming to grips with information technology and meaningful use" (MU). Hopefully EHRs won't share the fate of "shovel ready" and clean energy loan guarantees.

Upon review, the MU criteria may still ultimately apply, but the shift away from PCs may require some changes in how they are implemented.  Can they be adapted for example, to pharmacy data stored on "the cloud," making clinical information as instantly understandable as a city subway system, fitting visit summaries on a cell-phone screen as readily as a restaurant reservation, tapping social media to send reminders, and accommodating individualized "apps" tailored for specific conditions?

Stay tuned.

Image from Wikipedia

READ MORE - Health Information Technology and Meaningful Use Without The Personal Computer?

Health Benefits Of Appropriate Weight Management

Maintaining proper body weight, or more importantly need a healthy amount of fat in the body with respect to the individual level, gender and age is an important factor in the prosperity, productivity, excellent relationships and self-esteem in these modern times. Extra overweight affect us negatively in any way. Extra fat has a profound negative impact and consequences on the back and lower limbs that tend to exacerbate major diseases such as arthritis and endocrine disorders that affect many women in particular. Excess fat also tend to reverse the rate of success as May stifle motivation and lead to the potential opportunistic infections and diseases.

With the right weight comes a healthier blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which are all beneficial to the heart and everything that helps the heart makes a general health pattern. So it is your duty to consciously protect your loved ones and the long-term basis for korist.Najveća full advantage of actually ever and still good health as any smart person can confirm. On the other hand, with good heart health comes from reducing the risk of related diseases, as well as the limited effects of diseases such as diabetes. It is connected to a balanced mind healthy slim body is important for emotional and psychological health. In many cases, too difficult to lead to low self esteem and mood changes with the disturbing effects ultimately affect the work, creativity and relationships. Weight issues are truly contributed largely to couples breaking up and it affects twice in women than men.

Because women anatomical system that stores more fat than men, women tend to be thicker to seem more important for women to manage weight issues more seriously. Problems start when a man begins to complain if the spouse is not conducive to taking action themselves by making the analysis, a negative chain reaction followed suit and all the joints. The rest is left to the imagination as I am sure many have experienced directly or witnessed the same from colleagues, friends or family. Also, women are also known to put their wives and children on the hall just to get their partners to the desired level. In addition to not being physically healthy, not feeling or looking too directly and adversely affects the well-being.

the way to achieve weight loss requires a huge effort and pozornost.Akumulirane unhealthy deposits of fat and unhealthy cholesterol levels may not have automatically appeared overnight. In the same way of getting rid of the excess should be considered a permanent gradual process. It is a journey not a destination that counts most like any other positive businesses. It takes education and dedication to using the best resources to achieve optimal health in general. There are many products on the market that promise to shed pounds and pounds in the record books, some not, but with nasty side effects, and some can boomerang later gaining weight back, sometimes with help. Crash dieting, which also indicate a dramatic change should be thoroughly scrutinized before use of specialty foods glycemic diet. It is your duty, and in your best interest to well-informed choices to achieve real results.

the basic points in mind the impact of weight on the proper metabolism and metabolism, which is the sum of the chemical reactions of the action of hormones and enzymes to determine the standards of good zdravlja.Manje excess body fat, more muscle mass and strengthen the person who becomes, of course, adds that not only looks better but it feels good. It also leads to more opportunities than men, and society as a whole, because the subconscious is appreciated. Bottomline is to win in every respect.

Obesity kills, destroys and prevents success. Because unharnessed accumulated fat is solely responsible for this, although there May be the fundamental cause of the disorder trend. Blood sugar is converted into fat, if not effectively used by the body that shows a great increase in diabetic complications in susceptible individuals. There is a healthy percentage of which serves as a guide for women and muškarce.Zdravo percentage of body fat in healthy humans seventeen percent, whereas for active healthy women is about twenty-five percent. Anything more is a threat and should be labeled accordingly. One of the most alarming trends clearly visible in the case of overweight children who are just growing. Parents and caregivers should be active to ensure this. There are inherent to the product and access to children's weight that should be harnessed committedly. Healthy weight in relation to lean unhealthy weight could be the most important health benefit of this world. Make and take care of your pragmatic and wise.

READ MORE - Health Benefits Of Appropriate Weight Management

Coffee and Health Factors

When it comes to coffee, one of the first things that comes up is whether or not the coffee is healthy. There are people who say that health outweigh the risks, and vice versa. Because only logical thing to do is to make all our own thoughts. Because each person reacts differently to the ingredients, it is important that everyone has an opinion.

As you all know, coffee is a stimulant. It speeds up your body as a whole. Some people see this as positive, while some see this as negativan.Kofein the machine to interact with different systems in the body. For example, stimulates the nervous system and can even make your digestive system work a little faster. In addition, it can stop people from sleeping at night. The fact that it makes the body more alert and energetic for many people is positive. They feel that they need the stimulation to be at their best and are concerned about possible negative consequences.

One of the main drawbacks to drinking coffee for many people is to cause žgaravicu.Sastojaka in coffee causes stomach acid to negatively affect the body. It is believed that caffeine causes because it can be a bit harsh on the stomach. Whether you think that coffee is healthy or not, it definitely causes heartburn as a major side effect.

good health effect that coffee has on people is to serve as an antioxidant. What does it mean that it helps to clear the body of toxins and free radicals that slow it down. These toxins are usually present in the brain and colon. They stop the body from properly digesting food, and slow the absorption of nutrients tvari.Kava clears these toxins, so the body can properly absorb nutrients treba.Krajnji result is that your metabolism will be speeded up, and you'll probably lose some težini.Najgorem case scenario is that you will look and feel healthier because your body will be clean. In addition, you will be able to think more clearly such as free radicals that affect things such as memory eliminated once and for all.

READ MORE - Coffee and Health Factors

Health Literacy and the Potential Impact on Health Insurance Exchanges

While the Disease Management Care Blog has occasionally been a snarky critic of the Affordable Care Act, it really likes uncovering policy insights and then coating them with the sweet chocolate of physician-laced cynicism.

For example, the DMCB pointed out that health insurance exchanges are surprisingly complicated and, as a result, it's very possible that Uncle Sam and the states will fail to meet their 2014 deadline.  It's in that spirit that, thanks to this recent JAMA Commentary, that the DMCB is warning that another problem could gum up insurance enrollment through the exchanges. 

Underestimated levels of poor health literacy may stand between millions of U.S. citizens and exchange-enabled access to the ACA's publicly funded and subsidized insurance plans.

Writing in the August 24/31 JAMA issue, RAND scientists Laurie Martin and Ruth Parker point out that health literacy can be defined as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, communicate and understand health information and services needed to to make appropriate health decisions.  According to the IOM, a stunning 90 million Americans lack this standard of health literacy and more than half of those currently without insurance have borderline or insufficient skills to navigate health care decision making - which includes understanding eligibility criteria for insurance or subsidies, completing forms, providing documentation, discerning the differences between various out-of-pocket expense options and how exclusions of coverage may work.  Little wonder that millions of persons eligible for Medicaid fail to take advantage of it.  As a result, building an insurance exchange does not mean that they will come.

The DMCB read that Massachusetts' lawmakers realized that there might be a problem and set up consumer-friendly mechanisms to aid consumers with the tedious details of on-line form completions and decision making. 

Hopefully other states and the federal government will figure out ways to do this also.

Otherwise, exchanges will be the party ... and no one will come.

READ MORE - Health Literacy and the Potential Impact on Health Insurance Exchanges

12 Pomegranate Health Benefits

Numerous studies have shown a seemingly endless health benefits of fruits osobe.Američka government proposes to make people more servings of fruit each day. Of all the fruits available in the market today, one fruit is at its peak of popularity because of its legendary association of Greek mythology and exoticism, pomegranate fruit.

is considered as one of the first fruits grown along with grapes, figs, olives, and dates back to sometime between 4000 and 3000 BC E BC, pomegranate is still a symbol of fertility, rebirth and health.

dubbed as a "miracle fruit" by some fans, the pomegranate has earned its popularity because it is thought that might help support the body's natural defense against Alzheimer's disease, various cancers, heart attacks and heart disease, arthritis and many diseases of aging a person is experiencing. Because of the so-called anti-aging options, pomegranate had some food and drinks, variations of juices, ice cream, meats, and even the water that comes in bottles.

Why is the bar is good for you?

This convenient fruit is very popular for its deep purple color and the juice that is packed with lots of antioxidants that can help in maintaining smooth and wrinkle free skin. But besides helping people maintain a youthful and glowing skin by making blood platelets together, there are so many health benefits of pomegranate for people of all ages. Although no health claims about pomegranate Anyway, here are some of the drugs used and some people hope that pomegranate can help.

1 This can help reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Studies show that pomegranate juice a day can help support normal blood flow to the heart. Because of their antioxidant properties of pomegranate keeps bad cholesterol from forming, thus, may help keep arteries clear of blood clots.

2 This may help support normal body defense in preventing certain cancers. Since the pomegranate has a very high level of antioxidants called "flavenoids" which is thought to be effective in combating various carcinogenic radicals, more and more experts recommend this fruit as a possible part of a healthy diet. Because flavenoids, many people consume pomegranate because it is believed to help with their health.

3 This can help reduce your risk for diseases such as atherosclerosis, arthritis and diabetes. Due to the properties of pomegranate, conditions that are known to cause thickening and hardening of artery walls and damage the cartilage in the joints, and hopes to help the fruit. Studies are needed of course to get test results. No claims are made as what pomegranate may or may not help.

4 This is a rich source of various vitamins. Pomegranate is a good, natural source of vitamins A, C and E and folic acid.

5 This is rumored to minimize the possibility that preterm infants. Pomegranate juice and extract is thought some people to be pregnant to avoid low birth weight.

6 Some users claim that it is useful to relieve minor illnesses, such as the nucleus of the throat.

7 Other users believe they can reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease among elderly people.

8 It was valued in some countries to believe that it could help you achieve and maintain clear skin with a youthful glow, and is believed to help ease the skin inflammation.

9 Antioxidants are thought to help support the immune system.

10 This may help support healthy blood flow due to its properties of iron. Nar supports the blood supply it with iron, which can prevent the symptoms of anemia include fatigue, dizziness, weakness, loss and hear.

11 Except that a lot of anti-oxidants, pomegranate also have some anti-viral properties.

12 Pomegranate juice and extract is thought some women to help overcome a feeling of general discomfort during menopause.

Although no medical claims can be made of pomegranate juice is growing in popularity every day more and more people try it and benefit from it.

READ MORE - 12 Pomegranate Health Benefits

My personal daily fat-loss routine

When I first meet someone and they hear what I do for a living as a fitness author, and see that I'm in good shape... one of the first things that most people want to hear is what I do personally on my daily routines... what do my workouts look like, and what do I eat.

Theory and science is great, but sometimes most people just want to hear examples of what's working for someone else.

So I'm going to keep most of the science and theory out of this and just show you what works for me for a daily routine.

Now I know that I said "daily fat loss routine" in the subject of this email, but in reality, I only focus on a fat-loss routine for certain portions of the year. At other times of the year, I might be focusing on muscle building (usually in the winter).  And at other times of the year, I might be focusing on just maintaining leanness, but not necessarily trying to get leaner.

I'll focus this email on what has worked for me during both fat-loss goals and just maintaining leanness of around 8-10% bodyfat.

Ok, let's get started with mornings...

In the mornings, I've been toying around this year with semi-fasted exercise, which is usually wind sprints at the nearby soccer field 2-3 times/week, or a hike up the mountain behind my house 2-3 times/week.

What do I mean by "semi-fasted exercise"?
Well, you've probably heard a lot of debate in the fitness world about the efficacy of empty stomach morning cardio. Some people swear it's the holy grail of fat loss and others say it can cause too much lean muscle loss, hence lowering your resting metabolic rate.

In my TruthAboutAbs book, you may remember that I said that I experimented with empty stomach morning cardio in the past and it always backfired on me, causing me to lose muscle, which was NOT my goal.  The solution to this is to take about 4-5 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's) first thing in the morning and this is supposed to prevent the muscle catabolism that would normally occur since your body is breaking down muscle tissue to obtain the aminos it needs for organ function, etc.

However, even taking the BCAA's in the morning, I still would never get a good workout, because I would feel weak without having any calories in me since the night before.  And a weak workout is going to get poor results compared to a workout where you feel strong and energetic.

The solution I came up with was just to drink a concoction I came up with that's only about 60-80 calories, first thing in the morning (but no carbs), and then do my exercise.  This concoction would cause very little, if any blood sugar response, so theoretically should keep me in fat-burning mode. However, it's just enough to give me the energy to get through my morning wind sprints or hike up the mountain with good intensity instead of feeling lethargic.

Here's my morning drink concoction:
* 2 cups of a mixed iced tea (unsweetened) - tea mixture explained below
* 1 heaping spoonful of this Superfoods Cocktail (which has a mix of 76 superfoods in it; I use this everyday and love it!)
* 1/2 scoop of grass-fed whey protein (about 10-12 grams of protein)

I've also been taking about 2-3 grams of BCAA's along with this drink for some extra assurance on preventing catabolism of muscle.

My iced tea mixture is usually made with green tea, oolong tea, and either red tea or white tea. I always have a gallon container of this in the fridge. The oolong tea is purported to possibly have even better fat-burning stimulation in the body compared to green tea. Although I think they both have benefits since they contain different types of antioxidants and other compounds. 

One of the unique compounds that's been identified in studies on oolong tea is the high levels of polymerized polyphenols, which is apparently part of the reason it can aid fat loss.  Here's an excerpt from a Japanese study comparing green tea and oolong tea:

"In the current study, the concentration of total polymerized polyphenols in oolong tea (68 mg/300 ml) was much higher than that in green tea (17 mg/300 ml). These results suggest that polymerized polyphenols might be the major factor in causing the increase of EE (Energy Expenditure) by oolong tea."

This is the type of oolong tea that I've been using daily.

After my morning drink concoction, it's time for either the sprints or the hike...

When I do my morning wind sprints, it's about a 10-minute bike ride to the soccer field, then I do about 15 minutes of intense wind sprints alternated with walking, and then the 10-minute bike ride back home. So it only about a 35 minute workout total.

If I choose to do the hike up the mountain behind my house in the morning instead of the sprints, I usually do about 40-45 minutes, and it's a great mix of ups/downs to keep the intensity variable (and variability of intensity is super important for maximizing the benefit to your heart).

After my morning workout, I make my breakfast, which is usually some form of eggs, veggies, and meat.  I usually make a big omelet with some mixture of veggies such as onions, zucchini, mushrooms, green/red peppers, spinach, and/or jalapeno peppers.  I usually use a grass-fed bison sausage in my eggs too.  But sometimes I use a delicious wild boar sausage that I've found at a local market. I always make sure the sausage has zero nitrates/nitrites.  I also add garlic powder, black pepper, and turmeric to my eggs, both for taste and health benefits.

And of course, I always have some hot green tea, oolong tea, or yerba mate with my breakfast!

These breakfasts are mostly quality proteins, healthy fats, and lots of veggies. If fat loss is my goal I stay away from breads and cereals fully.  If muscle building is my goal, I'll include some sprouted grain bread for extra calories.

On cheat days, even during fat loss cycles, once a week for breakfast I'll make some delicious french toast using sprouted grain raisin bread and topped with fresh berries and grass-fed butter, and I'll have it with chicken and apple sausage, and a couple eggs over easy... mmm, delicious!  And I always have coffee instead of tea on my cheat days and use just a touch of real maple syrup in my coffee... none of that high fructose corn syrup crap...just real maple syrup.

Ok, back to non-cheat days...

Mid-afternoon, my meal usually consists of some mixture of unsweetened greek yogurt (the highest protein yogurt) with some berries, pecans or almonds, and chia seeds for some extra nutrition.  I just use a small bit of vanilla whey protein mixed in with the yogurt to lightly sweeten it without artificial sweeteners or added sugar.  A small touch of water or milk helps the protein mix with the yogurt.

Late afternoon, I'll usually have a piece of fruit along with some nuts (raw almonds are my favorite) and on gym days (which is 3x a week usually) this will be my pre-workout meal about 60-90 minutes before a workout.  If there's no local fruit in season, I might go with celery topped with almond butter for this meal, or hummus with carrot sticks, both super healthy snacks that I love.

I like to do my weight training workouts in the early evening as that's when I feel like I have the most strength.  Usually, my weight training workouts take about 45-50 minutes and are fairly intense and heavy! 

My weight training workouts are most times some form of supersetting barbell squats paired with upper body pulling (pullups or rows) or barbell deadlifts paired with upper body pressing (bench, dumbbell presses, overhead presses, etc) for the main portions of the workouts with accessory exercises after that. 

Sometimes I'll do circuit training, density training, or workout complexes for variety.  And of course, if you know me, you know that I love to mix in the occasionally high intensity kettlebell workout into the mix too.

My girlfriend Nayri has been using John Romaniello's Super Hero workouts lately and she has been loving them! Very cool format to those workouts and a challenge for both guys and gals if you're up for something intense.

When we come home from the gym at night, I make a big smoothie right away, usually with frozen bananas mixed with other frozen berries, raw grass-fed milk, organic cocoa powder, a touch of real maple syrup, a spoonful of spirulina powder, and a scoop of grass-fed whey protein.  This is a great post-workout shake that we love.

About 2 hours after that shake, we cook dinner, and usually have different variations of a healthy meat option, side veggies, and a salad with fresh greens, avocado, sliced beets, and my homemade healthy salad dressing. 

Notice that we don't have any starches generally with dinner... only meat, veggies, and salad.  This strategy in particular has been one of the biggest things that I've seen help people to jumpstart their fat loss results for those that struggle.

Probably about twice a week, we'll have some organic red wine with dinner.  Although some people in the health field don't agree with drinking any alcohol at all, I personally believe there's some health benefits to having red wine a couple times a week. You may also know that I have a very unsided balanced opinion about alcohol, and this article shows my techniques to still enjoy drinking moderately while staying lean and healthy.

For the meat with our dinners, my favorites are either a grass-fed steak, grass-fed burger, game meat such as moose or venison, or some wild salmon!  Occasionally we'll have some sort of chicken, but I try to avoid grocery store chicken (since it's almost all unhealthy birds raised in horrendous conditions).  Instead, we usually get some great free roaming chicken meat from a local farmers market... chickens that actually spent most of their time outside instead of cooped up inside a factory farm without ever seeing sunshine or fresh air.

If you don't know how important it is for animals in our food supply to see sunshine and why factory farms hurt the nutrition of our food supply, read this article

Late night, we usually enjoy some sort of night time tea... most times it's a mix of chamomile and mint tea.  Remember from my book that chamomile tea is one of those special plants with unique phytochemicals that can help you fight against the bombardment of xenoestrogens you're exposed to daily from plastics, pesticides, and other chemicals in your house and our environment.

We usually have the tea about an hour before bed as it helps me to relax and unwind at night.  Then I try my best to get about 8 hours of sleep each night.  I used to only get 6-7 hours of sleep per night years ago but now that I get 8 hours of sleep each night, I can't even begin to explain how much better I feel every single day.  Just the difference in energy is incredible! 

Well, that's about it... a fairly good example of an average day that keeps me and my girlfriend super lean year round.  Things change a bit depending on season, as I'll be skiing a lot in the winter, so skiing and snowshoeing in the winter replaces the hiking and mountain biking that I enjoy in the warm months.

Anyway, I hope you're able to benefit from some of the ideas here today.  I know we're all different and have different exercise and food preferences, but I get so many requests to simply hear what my daily routines are like, that I figured I'd just throw these ideas out there.

Have a great day,

READ MORE - My personal daily fat-loss routine

Simple Steps To Good Oral Health: Keeping A Healthy and Beautiful Smile

In addition to regular brushing of teeth, and there are other things that need your attention for optimal dental wellness. Many factors that you May be unaware they can contribute to compromising their oral health, so be careful of the following:

junk food

fast food or junk food may be the norm for snacks and meals these days, but these unhealthy choices are high in starch and sugar. These compounds coat the teeth and promote low pH in the mouth. This happens because when the bacteria of food starch and sugar they excrete acids that corrode the teeth.

If you can not avoid eating that food, then make sure you eat them with fruit, cheese or vegetables to neutralize the acid. If you can not brush after eating starch and sugar and then rinse your mouth with water and munching on sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production, it will help reduce the acidity in the mouth.

stick for heavy foods that have minimal sugar content such as milk, cheese, plain yogurt, rice, fish and poultry. Fruits are also high in sugar, but those with high water content are good for your teeth and health. Cucumbers, melons and peaches are examples of fruits that can be eaten regularly, because a high water content dilutes the sugar in them.

leafy vegetables are high in fiber, which helps neutralize acid in your mouth. Fibers, other than keeping your teeth healthy, and holds a lot more relieved and colon of compacted waste.

to go easy on teeth whitening

teeth whitening may work by removing the outermost layer of the teeth to remove deep stains caused by nicotine, coffee and other compounds. They are doing more than once a month could thin your enamel and cause sensitive teeth. This activity can also make a cavity to grow and deepen quickly. Schedule your teeth every two months or consult your dentist if your teeth can be whitened to wear a month. Whitening toothpastes work by gently tear the teeth to remove discoloration, some chemicals are also added to rinse any staining. They can be used to maintain your teeth professionally whitened at home because they do not compromise the strength of teeth.

calcium from diet or supplements

Calcium maintains healthy teeth and bones in your life so that it is necessary to ensure that you are getting enough. Some sources of calcium are dairy products, leafy vegetables, sardines and other fish with edible bones. One portion of each of these foods is approximately about 350 mg of calcium which is about 1 / 3 of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), which is 1000 mg.

If you think you are getting less than the RDA, because of poor eating habits, vegan diet, lactose intolerance or other reasons, you can take calcium supplements. Calcium occurs naturally with other substances, such supplements come in the form of calcium compounds. Calcium carbonate has 40% calcium, calcium citrate is 21%, calcium lactate is 12% calcium gluconate has 9% calcium. Do not forget to take vitamin D for calcium absorption.

READ MORE - Simple Steps To Good Oral Health: Keeping A Healthy and Beautiful Smile

What to Do If You Can't Afford Health Insurance

Do you lack health insurance?

If you're an American, and lack of health insurance, you are not alone. In late 2009, it was estimated that nearly 46 million people in the U.S. have no health plan. A recent high unemployment figures do not figure this out any lower.

Some of these people lost their group health plans when they lost their job. Others are self employed or work for a company that offers group health. There are alternative private health plans in the market, but many people simply can not afford or can not get accepted by one. While politicians haggle over the questions, sick people have trouble getting treatment.

Are you sick or healthy?

If you have a very healthy, or if you already have a health problem, you should seek coverage. It will, of course, much easier to find affordable private health insurance if you are healthy. So you can be prepared in case you do not get sick or injured in the accident. Even a simple trip to the ER for a broken bone can cost thousands of dollars.

If you have been injured or ill, it will be hard to get it covered by private plans now. But even people who are already ill should be able to find some help. I hope to present some options for you.

COBRA

Under federal law, some companies have expanded their group medical plan terminated employees. This may be a good choice for those working between mjesta.Samo issue is cost. Instead of just paying your employee contribution, now you will probably also have to pay the entire premium amount. Many former employees were very surprised when they learn how to.

individual health insurance

If you are missing a major medical, and you are fairly healthy, May you find that a private medical plan is quite affordable. It's actually a misconception that the group uses are always cheaper than individual plans. Since insurers can underwrite each applicant, they May actually be able to offer lower prices for healthier people.

If you have the opportunity to expand his group benefits (eg Cobra), or purchase private coverage, just make sure the new plan will accept, and will cover the services you need. It's tough, for example, to get individual plans that cover normal maternity. But if you are accepted, as most people in reasonably good health should be a plan for your needs may vary happy to book your health plan.

State risk pools

Each U.S. state has some kind of health plan for people who have pre-existing health problem that it gets dropped by the other coverage. In some states, these plans can be very expensive though. This is a good choice if you have income or savings, but just do not have health insurance.

Paying for prescriptions

If you can not afford your medication, please consult the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARX). Their website is PPARX.org . This organization offers a point of access to hundreds of private and public assistance programs. Their website says it has helped millions of Americans help, and they May be able to help.

low cost health care institutions

you can find some lower cost health clinics. Many offer health services on a sliding skala.PPARX websites we mentioned about also has a convenient search. You can enter a zip code and see if you can find near the site. I entered my zip code for the test, and I was surprised to see that there were several of these clinics within a short drive from my house. I was not aware that it was before.

financial help for health problems

If you have a serious illness, you may be able to get help from financial aid programs. These are usually non-profit, sometimes called co-pay program. Again, PPARX has information about many of these organizations.

County health system

Try searching for county or public health system in their area. They should provide a reduction in fees for services to patients. You will probably be locked into using their hospitals, doctors, etc., but you should have access to care.

for public health insurance programs

If you have a very low income and few resources, You May qualify for Medicaid. It is a federal and state programs to ensure the poor. Moderate income families should look at the Children's Health Insurance (CIPS) plan for his country. Income guidelines for coverage of children are greater than those for adults, and these plans can cover pregnant women.

What to do if you do not have health insurance

I'd like anyone to understand how they can get health insurance as quickly as possible. For example, you should try to apply for a private policy when they are healthy! You probably are not going to find coverage from private companies after they have been ill or injured. If you find a plan that welcomes you, it will probably be much more expensive way is to ensure order.

is always better to plan ahead. Of course, this is not always possible .. If you have a current health problem, not a health plan, you should look at some of the alternatives are listed.

READ MORE - What to Do If You Can't Afford Health Insurance

Firearm Safety, Florida Law, Guidelines and.... Pools!

A leading health threat?

JAMA has fired off this editorial on the "chilling effect" of a recently passed Florida law that muzzles doctors from talking to patients about home firearm safety.  The law was apparently triggered by policy statements like this that recommend that physicians counsel patients about a leading cause of avoidable death.  Florida's physicians are prohibited from inquiring about firearms and recording it in the medical record.  Health insurers are also prohibited from using that information in the course of underwriting.

The Disease Management Care Blog isn't worried about this intrusion into the doc-patient relationship.  Doctors are notorious for not following guidelines, and the likelihood that a law passed in Tallahassee is going to change physician behavior in Miami is practically nil.  What's more, the wording of the statute is riddled with exceptions and the likelihood that any doc will be prosecuted is zero.  The DMCB thinks this is a cynical sop to gun-toting-voters. The legislators in their smoke-filled salons know it.  Too bad the JAMA editorialist doesn't.

That being said, the DMCB will raise three contrarian points that should give its anti-gun reader-enthusiasts pause:

Physician discrimination: The DMCB is aware of pediatricians who will discharge patients from their practice if the parents refuse to go along with basic immunizations for their children.  While many health care providers would be tempted to agree with that posture, should the same principled logic apply to parents who refuse to acede to the AAP recommendations that "existing guns [should be] no longer present in the environment of children" (see page 892)?  That's exactly what happened in Florida.

Law enforcement discrimination: Privacy breaches involving EHRs are not uncommon. The leak of the personal details of gun-ownership into the public domain could be thorny, especially since law enforcement would be tempted to use that information against persons who are otherwise law abiding.  This is potentially an important privacy issue.

Insurer discrimination: Last but not least, should health insurers be allowed to refuse coverage for persons with firearms in the house?  They have access to the medical record and, knowing that firearms pose extra risks, they might be tempted to to discriminate against gun owners.

Before you say yes to all three forms of discrimination, the DMCB would remind its anti-gun readers that firearms are not the leading cause of death among children in the U.S.  Check out the data from the CDC and you'll get this graphic:

Drownings are a bigger threat.  Guidelines on pool safety state  "parents, caregivers, and pool owners should learn CPR and keep a telephone and equipment approved by the US Coast Guard (eg, life buoys, life jackets, and a reach tool such as a shepherd's crook) at poolside."  If parents with pools fail to meet these criteria, should 1) docs also discharge them from their practice, 2) should we risk the release of the data into the public domain for used in real estate tax assessments and 3) allow insurers to exclude these persons from coverage?

Image from Wikipedia

READ MORE - Firearm Safety, Florida Law, Guidelines and.... Pools!

Dental Health 101

Given the fact that the teeth are very important to us that there is nothing worse than losing them, dental health is and always will be an extremely important issue. Therefore, taking good care of your teeth by keeping them clean, and visit the dentist regularly can really do wonders for your dental health. Although there are many people who are still afraid to go and see a dentist and that does not take good care of their dental hygiene, we can say that modern dentistry and medicine has given us the opportunity to limit our visits to the dentist and take care of our teeth by using modern types of toothpastes, toothbrushes and tooth cleaning supplies.

Dental Health - How to keep your teeth clean and health

The most important thing about dental health is proper dental higijene.Razlog is the fact that people can keep their teeth clean and healthy only care about dental hygiene and proper use toothbrushes, toothpaste and other dental cleaning supplies as as dental floss, tongue scrapers and so on. Due to the fact that we are all toothpaste fluoride which helps the teeth to be healthy and preventing tooth decay, visit the dentist is becoming more and more just a routine check-up before a traumatic experience.

Dental Health - Food & Beverage

Now, it's very easy to get carried away by stories like the one about how keeping your teeth clean is the only thing you need for them to be healthy. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Specifically, you need to keep your, gums and tongue clean, you should visit your dentist regularly and you must avoid eating and drinking anything that has a bad impact on the health of your teeth. This means that you should brush your teeth after every meal and after a morning coffee or any other coffee during the day. You should also avoid chewing gum every day, as they are not only bad for your teeth, but for your stomach.

an easy way to dental health

Great dental health is relatively easily achieved only after a certain routine and taking the cleanliness of your teeth and gums seriously enough. Also, cleaning the tongue is very important because the lower part of the language is usually the ideal place for bacteria to develop. All in all, hygiene is really of great importance and people are advised to take good care of their teeth, because only one opportunity for keeping them healthy and beautiful.

READ MORE - Dental Health 101