health education | wellness

Author: Amy

How to Prevent Cancer Naturally? Three Ways
Cancer is one of the scariest diagnoses you can receive, so you want to do everything in your power to prevent it. Thankfully, you have a lot of power over this and you can help to improve your health. One of the biggest components of cancer prevention is eating the right foods.

Stick to Cancer-Fighting Produce

Fruits and vegetables are your best friends when it comes to preventing cancer. They are packed with antioxidants that reduce free radical damage and they are full of other cancer-fighting nutrients. Certain foods may have direct anti-cancer properties, including:
- Carrots and squash may help to prevent lung and oral cancers
- Tomatoes and watermelon may help to prevent prostate cancer
- Vitamin C-rich products may help to prevent esophageal cancer
Get More Fiber

Fiber keeps your digestive system working well and it also offers cardiovascular benefits. When it comes to cancer, fiber can help to prevent various digestive cancers, such as colorectal cancer, oral cancer and stomach cancer. Make sure that you are getting fiber from healthy sources, such as whole grains, legumes and produce.

Pick the Right Fats

You want to avoid trans fats and saturated fats as part of preventing cancer. Stick with plant-based fats, such as healthy oils, avocados and nuts. These can help to prevent cancer by fighting inflammation due to being high in omega-3 fatty acids.

How to Avoid Food-Based Carcinogens

How you store and prepare your food impacts their carcinogen levels. Use the following tips to ensure healthy meals:
- Do not use high heat for cooking oils
- Make sure to store oils in dark and cool places
- Never eat charred or burnt foods
- Avoid microwaving plastics
Make sure that you start incorporate these changes right away to reap the most benefits. In addition to helping to prevent a number of different cancers, this diet will also increase your overall wellness.
August 21, 2015
What is a Patient-Centered Medical Home?

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (or PCMH) is a burgeoning model of healthcare that’s been growing in popularity in the United States for several years. PCMH is a premium program, offering specifically tailored medical care to each and every patient. All PCMH programs are highly accredited and rigorously updated with the latest healthcare techniques (NCQA.org, 2014). Long story short, PCMH is the deluxe program.

Any Patient-Centered Medical Home program must meet follow five principles to be accredited. These principles were codified in 2007 by the Patient Centered Primary Care Collective, a group of experts assembled from such groups as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Osteopathic Association, and others (AAFP.org, 2007).

To be designated a PCMH program, these principles must be met:

Physician-led Care

Patients have quick and easy access to a dedicated physician who leads their medical team in all things. This physician is on call at all hours of the day, ready to build a relationship with the patient and become familiar with their particular medical needs. If a problem requires additional expertise, the primary physician will be responsible for making those arrangements. This physician must be ready to deal with minor problems, or long term ailments.

Patient-centered Care

The patient’s needs are paramount in a PCMH program. Any ailment, be it physical or mental, acute or chronic, minor or major, should be handled by the team. The primary physician should have resources at his command to address these issues as they crop up. Family members are also informed of any major medical decisions, and the patient has the final say about what kind of care they are willing to receive.

Coordination

Patient-Centered Medical Home programs pride themselves on opening up avenues of communication, be it between the patient and the physician, the physician and their team, or the family and the hospital the patient is staying at. PCMH programs by nature must be very organized. They often coordinate efforts between several programs, including hospitals, home care, rehab clinics, and community resources. The patient’s family is also kept in the loop.

Easy Access

Joining a PCMH program means gaining full 24 hour access to medical care. Any time of day or night, there will be someone on duty to answer questions and deal with issues. PCMH programs will stretch to accommodate any communication method the patient desires, be it telephone, text message, email, or in-house checkups.

Quality Assurance

All doctors promise quality healthcare, but PCMH programs often have the resources and expertise to go the extra mile. The programs incorporate the latest in evidence-based medical research into their techniques. They take exhaustive records and share data, so new methods can be developed. There are no guarantees in healthcare – sadly, sometimes things just do not work out. But PCMH programs are as safe a bet as any when you’re choosing between models of healthcare.

So there you have it. Patient-Centered Medical Home programs are a new development in the healthcare world, but they show promise, receiving praise from patients and doctors alike. If you’re interested, talk to your physician about finding a good program. It never hurts to look.

References

Patient Centered Medical Home Recognition. (2014). Retrieved on 7/15/2015 from http://www.ncqa.org/Programs/Recognition/Practices/PatientCenteredMedicalHomePCMH.aspx

Joint Principles of the Patient Centered Medical Home. (2007). Retrieved on 7/15/2015 from http://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/practice_management/pcmh/initiatives/PCMHJoint.pdf

August 18, 2015
Optimizing Your Doctor’s Visit

Optimizing Your Doctor’s Visit

If there’s one consistent aspect of nearly everyone’s healthcare regimen, it is the annual checkup. Doctors recommend taking the time at least once a year to stop by the office and read some old magazines while you wait for your twenty minutes with the doc. It isn’t always fun, but it is important to stay in contact with a healthcare professional. So you might as well get the most out of the experience when that time rolls around. In the interest of your health, it is important that you optimize your doctor’s visit so it works for you.

The average cost for a fifteen minute doctor’s visit rounds out to around $100 (Fay, 2015). Insurance can help mitigate that expense, but still, it’s essential that you get the most bang for your buck. And since most doctors see dozens of patients a day, the responsibility often falls on you to make sure you’re getting the kind of attention you need.

The first item on your checklist when preparing for a doctor’s visit is to make sure they take your insurance. This can usually be handled with a quick look at the doctor’s website, which should give an extensive list of providers they have in their network. A phone call to the office can also accomplish this. But make sure to double or triple check at the front desk before you go into your appointment, miscommunications do happen and you don’t want to be overcharged.

Another good thing to do when going in to see the doctor is to get an idea beforehand about what you want to discuss. Joint pain, sleep issues, a strange rash, this is your chance to talk about what’s ailing you. You’re here already, you might as well talk about some issue, even if it’s minor.

Building on that, doctor’s visits can also be useful for addressing issues that may appear down the line. Familiarize yourself with your family’s medical history and be ready to talk about ailments you might be at risk for. You can bring old test results and medical records if you wish, but for a casual, non-emergency doctor visit, a flash card with the relevant info on it should suffice. Your doctor can tell you about some lifestyle choices you should consider making to avoid these issues, such as eating less sugar if you could develop diabetes, or exercising safely if you’re at risk of heart disease.

If you are experiencing symptoms of some illness or another, it’s important to be able to describe them effectively (CFAH.org, 2013).

Be specific

Tell your doctor where the problem is, and describe it thoroughly (“shooting pain behind my eyes” is better than “my head hurts”). It’s also important to describe how these symptoms affect your day-to-day life to see how serious the issue may be. Are you discussing a mild annoyance or a debilitating problem that prevents you from functioning? Your doctor needs to know.

Ask Questions

As you’re leaving your appointment, make sure you ask any questions you might still have. Check to see if the doctor wants a follow-up appointment, and if you’ve received any prescriptions, make sure you know the best methods of taking your medicine safely. Double check about how to best reach your doctor in case of an emergency. And lastly, thank them for their kind attention.

A little kindness goes a long way

Being a doctor is a tough job. They’re often overworked and underpaid. A little kindness goes a long way towards alleviating that burden, and it can help build a trusting relationship between you and your physician. This person’s got your health in their hands. Treat them nicely.

References

Fay, B. (2015). Debt.org. Retrieved on 7/14/2015 from http://www.debt.org/medical/doctor-visit-costs/

Talking About Your Symptoms. (2013). Center for Advancing Health. Retrieved on 7/24/2015 from http://www.cfah.org/prepared-patient/communicate-with-your-doctors/talking-about-your-symptoms

August 16, 2015
What does cortisol do?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone and it is secreted by the adrenal gland. The hormone is primarily used to treat skin problems, allergies and even joint pain. It is usually given in the form of an injection by your doctor if you are suffering from such problems.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

There are plenty of people who think of cortisol as nothing more than a hormone that triggers the “flight or fight” response. However, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Its functions also include the breaking down of proteins, increasing lipolysis, and inhibiting glucose uptake. But that is not all, as it is also responsible for breaking down fats.

Drawbacks of Elevated Cortisol Levels

Elevated cortisol levels lead to symptoms like appetite and muscle loss, mood swings and lack of motivation to work out. If you are not careful about modulating your cortisol levels, you will eventually begin noticing a breakdown of your muscles and will end up getting sick more often than ever before. Additionally, you may be at risk of contracting severe diseases due to a weak immune system.

On the other hand, a lack of cortisol can affect emotions and sleep. Moreover, it also drastically affects libido, bone health and as mentioned earlier, bone health as well. This can be disastrous for athletes in particular as their cardiovascular health and performance is at stake.

Keeping the aforementioned factors in mind, you will come to realize the importance of regulating cortisol. This ensures there are few highs and lows, and this in turn means your body will not suffer due to chemical imbalances. This chemical balance can lead to poor adrenal signaling which is also referred to as adrenal fatigue.

In this day and age people suffer from high stress levels, and they owe it all to their lifestyle. A majority of people end up suffering from abnormal levels of cortisol. This creates havoc with the body’s metabolism and immune system, thus causing premature aging with higher chances of contracting deadly diseases like cancer and arthritis.

July 31, 2015
4 Common Symptoms of Poor Adrenal Signaling (aka adrenal fatigue)

One of the most common symptoms of poor adrenal signaling (a.k.a adrenal fatigue) includes general fatigue and exhaustion – kind of obvious isn’t it? But then again, there are plenty others that you may not even know about. Essentially, adrenal fatigue is known for causing a drop in hormone levels, and this in turn can affect every part of your body. It is important to understand that the condition tends to present itself differently, but there are some common symptoms you can expect. That being said, if you wish to learn more about adrenal fatigue symptoms, read on.

Inability to Deal with Stress

People suffering from poor adrenal signaling find it incredibly difficult to handle emotional or physical stress. This also explains why such individuals end up feeling extremely tired all the time.

Basically, when you are stressed, you depend on the adrenal glands to release essential hormones like adrenaline, norpinephrine, and cortisol. These hormones are primarily responsible for dealing with stress all the while increasing your focus, awareness, and strength, especially when you need it the most. But when your adrenal glands are fatigued beyond measure, individuals end up feeling helpless and often lack interest and enthusiasm, and may have feelings of apathy.

Increase in Energy Levels in the Evening

Due to a fall in hormone levels, the condition can wreak havoc on your system. Cortisol in particular will considerably impact your energy levels throughout the day. It is worth noting that cortisol levels reach an all time high early morning, after which they begin to decline slowly and gradually. But there are cases where individuals suffering from the condition experience increase in energy levels in the evening.

You will most find yourself tired for the rest of the day, until you feel incredibly energetic late in the evening. However, this is mostly occurs to patients still in the early stages of adrenal fatigue.

Increase in Levels of Fatigue Every Day

In the latter stages of poor adrenal signaling, you will come to realize that your adrenals will stop producing enough hormones that your body desperately needs. This mostly causes a drop in cortisol levels along with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and adrenaline.

Lacking the aforementioned hormones makes it very difficult for patients to maintain themselves and their energy levels throughout the day.

A Weak Immune System

Cortisol also effectively regulates your immune system. If you are suffering from an inflammation, it is an indication that your body is fighting off an infection, but cortisol in this case ensures things do not get out of control. To improve overall health, it is extremely important for you to maintain your cortisol levels, and it should neither be too high nor too low. There are plenty of other symptoms of adrenal fatigue, but they are not as common as the ones mentioned above. The condition does affect people differently, but there is no harm in knowing everything there is to know about it. Once you understand what you are against, it becomes incredibly simple for you to identify the condition before it gets worse and get medical assistance to overcome this obstacle before it makes thing even more difficult than they already are.

To learn more about cortisol, read this article, What does cortisol do?

July 29, 2015