Swobidu Health

Posts Tagged ‘insurance’

If you have problems with blood pressure, chances are that your doctor has recommended you to periodically check the pressure value by yourself and bring him results. There are several reasons for this.

First one could be the well-known term white coat hypertension. It indicates the increase in blood pressure level when measured in clinical conditions (e.g., doctor’s office). This occurs due to stress and discomfort that some patients feel on this occasion. It is estimated that, with some patients, blood pressure measured this way can be up to 30mmHg higher than the one patient usually has. It is often considered that measurements performed by a physician have the advantage in the fact that they already include the stress that is normally felt during the day. However, for your doctor, a very useful information is also – how patient’s blood pressure goes through the day, in conditions that are not stressful.

First, you need a blood pressure monitor. These devices are not covered by health insurance, so – if you are willing to take the pressure readings, you may have to purchase device out of your pocket. Most likely you will take a digital monitor, since the monitors based on the use of mercury are getting out of use. In addition, digital monitors (either automatic or semiautomatic) are easier to use. It would be the best to choose a device designed for readings made on your upper arm, as they are more reliable than those that measure blood pressure on the wrist or finger. Strips that are placed around the arm are designed to cover people with standard measures of arm perimeter – if you need longer cuff, note it to the seller.

Before the first measurement, prepare a table to write results (or use some of the online pressure logs). to achieve accurate measurements, try to perform them always in similar conditions, in the room where you can be alone for a couple of minutes. Half an hour before the reading do not smoke, drink coffee or overwork. If necessary, go to the toilet – full bladder may increase your blood pressure. then sit back and relax a bit. Straighten the arm on which you will take the reading, and place it on a flat surface, at heart level (e.g. – on the table in front of you). Inflate the cuff to a level that is about 20mmHg higher than the level of systolic (higher) pressure that you expect (usually that means – from the level of the last measured pressure). then activate the monitor and let the air out of the cuff. Don’t forget – blood pressure can differ on the left and right arm When you do the readings for the first time, pick the arm with higher results, and use that arm from now on.

When recording the results, it is usually recommended to discard the first reading and enter the result of the second one, or – note the average value of the second and third measurement if you measure three times. be sure to consult your doctor about the methodology. Finally, write down the final result and the measurement time. If you have a note that would be important for explaining the obtained result, add a note about it (i.e. – I had a rough day at work, Forgot to take a medicine this morning).

The most important thing is to be honest when recording results. some people tend to round results up or down. Don’t do that. Accurate results will help your doctor to determine the right therapy. Don’t forget – the willingness to regularly and objectively monitor your condition is the test of your level of self-discipline, and this is an important element of treatment.

My idea for healthcare is this.

Every family in the US has health insurance. there are the same # of cards as there is people in the family. The plan covers for $100,000 per year (includes every use but surgery and operations). The rate will have depend on how much the family makes per year. (If $50,000 came in a year, the cost would be $50 per family member, or if $25,000 came in per year, it would be $25 per family member)

Do you see what i'm saying?

Healthcare is such a mess in America and is getting more expensive every year. I think any plan would be an improvement and although you have a great idea here. I don’t think we’ll ever see anything so simple and straightforward come out of Washington. but hey, let’s believe for that.

Maybe you should run for Congress!

Yep, it's the basic premise behind the original HMO – had a limited dollar amount of stuff, and lots of the preventative medicine. nothing fancy, though.

What happened was, people who bought this plan, would develope conditions that needed more than the $100,000 of medical care (preemie babies can cost up to $50,000 A DAY), and when the benefits were exhausted, they sued the HMO companies. Courts/juries found that they had to pay anyway – so the $100,000 limit didn't *stick*, and those $100 a month HMO plans got modified to cover high ticket issues, thus tripling the price to EVERYONE.

Some more questions here . . . if you're covering every family in the US, that includes illegal families, right? and people who don't pay in, right? Because if you work under the table, or have your own business but the business doesn't pay you, then you have no income, then you don't pay, right?? So the actual incentive is to get free health care, by not working.

Um, I see some inherent problems with the system you propose, never even MIND the history of the HMO plan.

Jackie Balcom

Editor’s note: Jackie Balcom, coordinator of the dental health promotion program at Public Health-Muskegon County, is responsible for educating the public about dental health, running a fluoride rinse program for children in areas without fluoridated water and helping people without dental insurance find low-cost options for care. She was asked a few questions about dental hygiene.

Q: What should a person’s dental hygiene routine include each day?

A: if you are a parent, I’d say be sure to brush your child’s teeth until they are 8 years old, because they really don’t have the coordination to be able to do it thoroughly by themselves until then. Brush for two minutes in the morning before school, and in the evening before bed. the times and length of time go for adults too, and we all know it’s so easy when you’ve had a long day and are already in bed reading, to just turn the light out and go to sleep without brushing. You can always go by the feel of your teeth during the day, too, if they feel fuzzy or furry, brush them thoroughly until they feel slick and slippery. another trick is to just spit out the fluoridated toothpaste instead of rinsing it out, and let the fluoride stay on the teeth a little longer, which will help strengthen the enamel. Parents can model good brushing to their children, and have the child practice brushing in their mouth, while watching the parents brush their own teeth. there are also inexpensive battery operated brushes that children enjoy to make brushing more fun.

Q: if you are in a situation where you can’t brush your teeth after eating, what should you do? does chewing sugar-free gum help?

A: yes, chewing sugar-free gum can help especially if you have food stuck on the chewing surfaces of your teeth. Drinking water can rinse out particles. we teach children to go to the drinking fountain and swish the water around and then swallow it. and adding carrots, celery or apples to a child’s lunchbox can help clean the teeth off after eating also by the friction on the teeth and the crunchiness.

Q. Do electric toothbrushes work better than the old-fashioned kind? is the difference enough to justify the extra expense?

A: yes, the benefit of an electric toothbrush is that you just hold it in place and let it do the work vibrating the toothpaste between the teeth and the food and plaque off. however, just like manual (hand) brushing, you have to place the bristles at the gum line where they will create the best result, and with children, we use the “scrub brush” technique which is just scrubbing all over the teeth and making sure every tooth is cleaned. Also, you have to actually do the work with either type of brush — it doesn’t do any good sitting on the sink or in the closet. one helpful hint is to only use a tiny pea sized bit of paste on the brush for an adult, and just a smear of toothpaste on a child’s brush.

I have bought many different kinds of electric toothbrushes for family members over the years, and everyone likes something different. I go between a manual toothbrush and an electric toothbrush, so I think it’s just personal preference. if your dental professional tells you that you need to do a better job brushing, an electric toothbrush might help.

Q:. why is flossing important? is using mouthwash a substitute for people who don’t like it?

A: Flossing is important to be able to clean in between teeth that are tight against each other where toothbrush bristles cannot get. Most people try to floss but don’t feel like they are very successful. You can take a 12-inch piece of floss and tie it in a circle and then work it in between your teeth up and down the sides of the teeth, and move around to a clean area of floss and do it again. this can work better than winding it around your fingers and cutting off the circulation in your fingers. Rinsing is another thing you can do to help remove food debris, but you really need some kind of friction or rubbing against the teeth, such as brushing and flossing, to take the plaque off.

I live in las vegas and dont have insurance through my work. does anyone know where a I can get a blood test done for free or at least cheap? Every where I have found has been at least 80-100 dollars and I am hoping for something cheaper then that as I dont make a lot.

You might check with the health department.

huntridge clinic :] google it.

Dazzle White Pro Teeth Whitening System has gained enormous popularity over the last 12 months. And why shouldn’t it, considering you can get the same teeth whitening effect as going to the dentist, from the comfort of your own home. In past years, this option was not available. But, thanks to new and innovative products, this process is easier and more affordable than ever before.

Your teeth naturally lose their bright white luster over the years. Of course, influences such as dietary intake, use of tobacco, or any physical damage can have an impact on the rate of discoloration. As this natural process takes place, your teeth are more and more vulnerable to other dental problems. so naturally, nearly everyone has an interest in a healthy, bright white smile.

While visiting the dentist is very effective, not everyone can afford this option. especially without dental insurance coverage, professional teeth whitening is financially out of reach for most people. As a result, many new teeth whitening systems have hit the market. whenever you visit your local supermarket, you are likely to find any number of products on the shelves. These products vary widely in price and effectiveness. That’s why Dazzle White Pro has gained so much popularity, because of price and effectiveness.

Using a unique pen shaped applicator, Dazzle White is designed for convenience and ease of use. The unique applicator is designed to get the powerful gel into all of the hard to reach spaces. The spaces are often missed by brushing and rinsing alone, and can be areas of plaque buildup. The results are immediate. for most users, teeth are whitened 4 to 5 shades brighter after only a few applications. this is accomplished with no damage to the teeth’s enamel. most over-the-counter products require two weeks or longer before you see results. You can see how effective it is by working immediately, helping to remove plaque buildup, and being super convenient to use.

But what about price? first consider the price of visiting your dentist and having professional teeth whitening services. most people reach a dead end right there. now consider all of the over-the-counter products found at your local super market. then multiply the cost of each by the number of times you will need to purchase it. for example, product a is $20, and you will need to purchase it three times before the treatment is complete. so the total cost is actually $60. now consider the possibility of trying the product before you buy the product. Dazzle White offers you the chance to do just that. they typically charge $4.95 for shipping and handling only.

When you consider price and effectiveness, you can see why Dazzle White Pro has gained so much popularity. however, there are those who would discourage you from taking advantage of their free trial offer. You will doubtless find any number of complaints regarding free trial offers in general. this product is no exception. Typically, what happens is the consumer does not follow the instructions properly, gets frustrated, and decides to vent their frustration via the Internet.

So who do you believe? The answer is simple. Believe yourself You can try Dazzle White Pro for free, and you get to be the judge

Something happened today that would have been huge news at any other time (hostage crises tend to push other news off the radar). The Department of Health and Human services declared that, along with several other things, contraception is preventative health care. Even better since the ACA is in affect it means that it is required to be offered free!

This has been a fight for women’s advocates for years. The usual suspects on the Right have been trying to keep it from happening. they don’t want to be able to give up their “slut shaming” ways. These folks want to control women’s reproduction like Harrison Ford want to take back his signature on the contract for Cowboys and Aliens.

As of now they have been handed a big defeat. and I wish I could say that this was the end of the story, but here is the thing; this is great thing for women who have insurance, but for the large numbers who don’t have it through their employer or can’t afford it themselves, they are out of luck. What the ACA giveth the ACA taketh away, apparently. still on all policies that are written after August 1st of 2012 will have to include it, with benefits starting in 2013.

Now, those of you who’ve been around these parts for the past couple of years know that I was a big advocate for passing the ACA. I am not backing away from it, it could have been so much better, so much more, but we got a half a loaf. okay a third.

On the upside, the ACA is making changes in the way that we look at health insurance. of course we need to get to single payer health care, nothing else makes any kind of economic sense at the national level. our problem is that we are Americans, and we do things ass-backwards a lot. still ACA has made changes, like this one.

The insurance companies have never been real keen on having birth control paid for. The birth control pill, the single most used form of contraception, is as generic as hell. Worse (from these companies perspective) women take it every single month for decades. there is just not a lot of money in it for them. But that is not the only reason that it has not been covered before.you see when a business picks a health plan, they can ask for contraception to be paid for. which is a good idea, if you are not a rich conservative, that is. as a rule the big privately owned companies have conservative owners (the Koch Brothers for example). they are into “slut shaming” and trying to control women’s reproduction. and how better to do that than buy insurance plans that don’t cover contraception or abortion services?

The days when the morality of the owner of the company affects women’s reproduction are over. The HHS ruling means that they will be able to have tools to control their reproduction. That could not have happened without the ACA.

This is a small step forward but an important one. as we move away from the old way of doing things, where it is all about the cost (to the insurance company or the company paying the majority of the premium) and more about what is best for the individual patient.

You know, I really long for a time when I can be excited by whole loaves and not have to celebrate minor commons sense advancements. still when the world is as dark as it is now, small lights may be all we have.

What is on your minds tonight Firedogs? The floor is yours .