Tag: health

Telehealth

I got an email this week from my health insurance company encouraging me to use their telehealth feature. I don’t know what to make of telehealth. It seems like a good idea I guess – you get to talk to a health care professional in person but I worry about what can be missed when you aren’t face to face.

Will the doctor miss something because they can’t see symptoms as well? I don’t go to the doctor a lot but what about the last time I had a sore throat? Who’s going to do the test for strep if I’m on a video call with the doctor? Or what about when I sprained my ankle? How do I get an x-ray if I’m using telehealth? Will I still end up at the urgent care? And then what are the insurance impacts? I don’t know the answer to any of these questions – and from what I can tell in researching, the answers might change depending on your health care coverage.

Here’s some info on telehealth – https://telehealth.hhs.gov/patients/why-use-telehealth?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0MexBhD3ARIsAEI3WHJCLW07LarH0Y7ekhE14PuCJ3P2rKr5WQVI3IwEoNZeBlS8-kTSoJcaAs4hEALw_wcB

I was out with a group of friends last night and one of the ladies has recently had a mastectomy. Complications put her in the ER and more complications lead to an ambulance ride to a second hospital 45 minutes away. She says she has good health insurance – and yet before the complications, she already had $40K in bills her insurance won’t cover and she is still looking at surgery for reconstruction.

I have moved around a lot as an adult – and I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have good records for all the medical procedures/treatments I’ve had over the years. I think our healthcare system is a mess – but I don’t have a good solution. But things to start with? I would like to see more transparency in billing – and some sort of system that tracks your health care providers and treatments from cradle to grave. I’d love to hear your thoughts – how about you leave them in the comments?

Balance

Nope – not talking about work/life balance. Today let’s talk about our actual balance. I saw a silly reel on Facebook this morning challenging people to put on shoes and socks without losing their balance. I can stand on my left leg for DAYS without losing my balance but my right ankle is still a bit wobbly from a severe sprain in my kickboxing class – so I didn’t get that sock and shoe on my left foot without almost falling over! But it got me to wondering about why people lose their balance as they age – and what we can all do to keep our balance as long as possible.

A study at UCLA showed that many people begin to see changes in their ability to balance around age 50. There are a LOT of contributing factors like blood pressure issues, obesity, circulation issues, inner ear problems, medication side effects, and so on. So there’s no easy answer to the question. But there are things you can do to help keep your balance for as long as possible like these:

  • Excercises that strengthen your lower body like walking or biking.
  • Body weight squats and lunges are also effective at keeping up the strength of your core and lower body.
  • Dance! Anything that sifts your weight from leg to leg will help keep you strong.
  • Yoga flows can be built to help with balance – find a class and give it a try!

Want to know more about age related balance loss and prevention strategies? Click on these links:

Control of your own health

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 2024, it’s important to take control of your own health. I lost my employer health insurance and declined COBRA because of cost but did get coverage on the healthcare.gov exchanges. It’s very basic coverage – but I tend to be healthy so I’m sure it will be fine until I land my next corporate gig.

Having the flu also made me take stock of what I’m doing to control my own health. I’ve been working on my weight, I exercise regularly and while cookies remain my nemesis, I have been trying to cook/eat healthier.

I recently came across an article (linked below) from consultants McKinsey & Company – it’s a really good read. It points out how much we can take control of our own health – from at home diagnostic testing that we all got used to with Covid to more emphasis on women’s heath to healthy aging, we all have so many resources at our fingertips these days. What are YOU doing to control your own health? Tell me in the comments!

Article link: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/the-trends-defining-the-1-point-8-trillion-dollar-global-wellness-market-in-2024

What’s New in Wellness?

I’m working on an application for a Marketing Director position with a nutrition company. I’m a believer in vitamins and health supplements so I’m enthusiastic about the role – it would allow me to use my experience and skills to help make a difference in people’s lives.

I take a Women’s multivitamin, extra Vitamin D, extra Vitamin E and an eye health vitamin every day (almost – I tend to forget them on days that I get out of a normal routine). Why? Well, like many women, I try to eat a healthy diet, but life can get in the way of that! I make it even harder on myself since I live alone – making the quantity/variety of food I cook challenging.

Why do I take what I do? Well, I think a multivitamin is sort of like an insurance policy. It helps ensure I get iron, Vitamin C and various minerals that I might not quite get from my day to day diet. As a woman, iron and calcium are really important to me so the multi-vitamin gives me a little boost.

My OBGYN recommended extra Vitamin D because I’m an inside worker so I may not get it naturally via sunlight particularly during the winter. And I’m very fair skinned so I avoid a lot of sun in the summer so I don’t get burned! Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium – and ladies, as we age we want to maintain calcium levels to help avoid osteoporosis. I figure a little boost here can’t hurt. I don’t want broken bones!

I take extra Vitamin E because it has anti-oxidant properties and it’s good for your skin and your eyes. And years ago my OBGYN recommended it as a way to help relieve monthly cramping. That was reason enough for me to take it but I also think it’s part of the reason I have very few issues with my complexion.

Last but not least, my Opthamologist has been tracking the onset of macular degeneration in both of my eyes. I had cataracts removed from both eyes at a fairly early age and I’m also showing signs of macular degenerations very early. I have spots in both eyes that are areas of concern although I haven’t started with any noticiable symptoms in my vision yet. So I take a daily eye health vitamin as well. I prefer Ocuvite since it’s only 1 capsule a day. Eye Health vitamins typically contain Lutein and Zeaxanthin which are related to Vitamin A and help keep your retinas healthy.

Want more info about Vitamins? Check out these links!

Pet Wellness

Welcome to Wellness Wednesday! Today, I took my cats to the vet for annual shots. It’s important for them to stay healthy too right?

They’re getting rabies shots as well as the combination Vaccine FVRCP for feline distemper. What is feline distemper? Well, it’s very contagious and can be fatal so we don’t want it!

Symptoms of feline distemper can range from mild to severe and may include the following:

  • Lethargy.
  • Depression.
  • Vomiting.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Painful abdomen (when touched or may appear tense and distended without touching)
  • Dehydration.
  • Weight loss.
  • Rough or unkempt hair coat.

Want to know more about annual vaccines for cats? Check out these links:

The boys did really well – and on the way home, Gus got his first ever puppachino from Starbucks (and pretty much shut down the store with all the staff in the drive thru window looking at him!)

Wellness Wednesday – Steps

Welcome to Wellness Wednesday and today I’m thinking about how many steps a person really needs. The rule of thumb is supposedly 10,000 steps a day – which for me translates to about 4 miles/day. That’s easy to attain right now while I’m on my “corporate hiatus” but what about when I start work again? Is 10,000 steps really the right amount for me?

The Mayo Clinic says that the average American walks around 1.5 to 2 miles/day – or maybe 4,000 steps. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests the better number might be a minimum of 7,500 steps to see health benefits. Although of course the health benefits increase as the number of steps increase.

Here’s what I can tell you from my personal experience. I started walking a minimum of 2 miles a day last August and I am a faithful Apple Watch wearer so I have solid statistics on my step count and other health metrics. In July, I averaged 6,967 steps/day and in January, I averaged 11,462 steps/day. In July, my resting heart rate was 53 beats/minute – which was good for a woman my age. But now? It’s 46 beats/minute. Generally, a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness – which can help translate to a better, longer life.

And while I’m still struggling to manage the weight I have gained over the last few years (thanks menopause!), walking is helping me burn a lot of extra calories. Apple defines “active” calories as energy burned over and above what you need when you’re at rest and in January, I averaged 503 active calories/day. I’m using this information to help me figure out what my calorie consumption can be to lose weight. According to my watch, at rest I burn about 1,600 calories/day. Add the 503 in active calories and I can consume 2,100 calories a day without gaining weight. 

My extra steps translate to hundreds of extra “active” calories/month – and with a pound of human fat equaling around 3,500 calories, those extra steps can translate to lost pounds quickly. So join me for the cardiac, weight loss and mental health benefits of walking. GET THOSE STEPS!!!

Image from Prevention Magazine

Sit Up Straight!

Here’s a weird side effect of the job search I don’t think I would have ever expected – my posture is suffering. Why is it that when I was working, I sat up straighter in my chair than I seem to be doing now? I think it’s because when I’m typing, I sit up straight but when I’m scrolling I seem to slump. So I guess that’s a measure of how much typing I did while working?

Any way you look at it, good posture can help you maintain better health. Not only can your posture impact back and neck pain but even impacts your digestion! Check out what these resources say about the effect of posture on your health:

Now that I’ve caught myself slumping more, I’m taking steps to correct it. To start, I’m taking a weekly Pilates class using a reformer. I LOVE the reformer – you get a fabulous stretch from it! And I’ve found all kinds of other suggestions like these which also utilize yoga or Pilates elements:

Sit up straight and check your posture – you’ll thank me for it!

Wellness Wednesday

I woke up with a horrible headache today – made me appreciate my down time since I didn’t have to push through it to get somewhere by a particular time this morning. It’s one of those headaches that has the potential to be a migraine but I’m fighting it. After some extra sleep, I had some Advil and a hot shower. And really – is there ANYTHING a long hot shower won’t make better? So now I’m up and at it although I’m keeping sound and light to a minimum.

Tomorrow is my annual mammogram. Ladies, are you faithful about them? With the exception of a year during the pandemic (which I think can be forgiven), I’ve always gotten mine since I turned 35. I’m at a higher than average risk for breast cancer since my mom died of cancer that started with breast cancer. She was diagnosed with it in 1969 which for her meant a hysterectomy, radical mastectomy, chemo therapy and radiation. In 1969, the doctors weren’t messing around and treated her very aggressively. It still managed to metastasize to her bones and eventually her liver – but she had 11 years between her initial diagnosis and when she died.

Today, while 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in their lives, most breast cancer cases aren’t a death sentence. We’ve come a long way since 1969 thankfully! So go get your mammograms – a few minutes of discomfort could give you the warning time you need to keep cancer in check. Here are some resources about breast cancer and early detection – check them out!