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Four Ways to Get the Most Out of your Health Insurance

Memorial urgent care

Many health insurance benefits started over with the New Year. With a new year, it is time to plan your healthcare routines and ensure that you are not only getting the most out of your health insurance, but that you are also living the healthiest life possible. Follow these health steps to ensure that you are setting yourself up for a healthy year.

Get to know your insurance benefits
Many people opt in for health insurance, but do not actually understand their plans. If they require medical services, they simply go to the nearest medical provider and hope that it is covered by their insurance. If it is not, they are left with hefty bill. Some insurance carriers change their policies and procedures with the new year, so it is important to evaluate your plan every year. Understand your copays, your deductibles, and what types of services are covered. This can prevent you from receiving a high medical bill, while also keeping you prepared for any emergency medical care.

Choose your primary medical providers
Some insurance providers require that you choose a preferred medical provider, or a primary care physician. If you do not have one of these, it can be difficult to get specialist referrals or to coordinate your medical care when visiting emergency departments or local urgent care centers. If you do not know how to choose a primary physician, work with your insurance company. Schedule an initial consultation with a couple of physicians in your area and then choose the one that you like best.

Know your emergency medical care options
Emergency medical care is usually what gets people into medical debt. They do not know where to go or what is covered with their insurance, but they do know that they require immediate medical care. When you are faced with a medical emergency, you will not want to research the best medical care options. Instead, evaluate your options ahead of time. Know where the nearest emergency room is and keep track of local urgent care centers. Know when you should choose emergency care or when local urgent care will work.

Local urgent care centers are a underutilized medical care option. Roughly 60% of all urgent care centers have a wait time of less than 15 minutes to see a physician or mid level provider. About 65% of the next care urgent care centers have a physician on site at all times. There are even advanced urgent care options for patients that need imaging or other types of testing. Having this information ahead of time can help you make an informed medical care decision. It is also important to know which local urgent care centers are covered under your current insurance plan.

Keep up with routine medical care
Most insurance plans offer free preventative medical care. The idea is that if you keep up with these medical care routines, you will not require as high cost of medical care throughout the year. Make sure you are taking advantage of these routine medical care options. You are paying for them already and they can end up saving your life. Find a physician?s office that is able to work around your schedule to ensure that you keep up with these preventative appointments. Remember that a physician, or group of physician?s, owns approximately 50% of urgent care centers. Urgent care centers are a convenient way to keep up with medical needs. Many of them are also open late into evenings and some on weekends. In fact, more than 66% of urgent care centers open before 9AM during the week, with significant proportions doing so on Saturday (45.7%) and Sunday (31.1%).

With a new year come new possibilities. Make this year your healthiest year yet. Understand your health benefits and take advantage of them. Keep up with routine medical preventions and finally choose your primary medical care provider. Know when to choose local urgent care over emergency medical care. Get the most out of your health insurance, while also being the healthiest you can be.

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Joint pain treatment Scoliosis treatment Spinal tumors

You don’t have to Live with Back Pain! There are Options

Outpatient spine surgery

An estimated 1.5 billion people suffer from chronic pain in the world with lower back pain being the number one reported area of concern. Nearly 40% of adults in the United States refuse to seek help for that pain despite the fact that nearly 60% of people report that the pain negative impacts their quality of life.

One of the big sources of lower back pain is the sciatic nerve, which is actually made up of five nerve roots and is known to send pain shooting down the leg. Pain from the sciatic nerve is also known to cause people to fall as the shooting pain catches them by surprise and causes their leg to buckle. the nerve pain coming from the sciatic nerve can be very intense.

According to one report, 80% of adults will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. Aside from the sciatic nerve, lower back pain can also be caused by bulging discs, herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative disc disease is a condition that causes the discs in the back to slowly deteriorate starting with the lowest ones and working its way up the back. Roughly 30% of all adults between the ages of 30 and 50 have some disc degeneration.

There are several different treatment options, which will vary based on the source and cause of the pain being experienced. The only way to properly diagnose the pain is to see a doctor for a full work-up including x-rays and possibly an MRI. Once a doctor experienced in back pain has the chance to fully evaluate your condition, they can make a pain treatment recommendation tailored to your needs.

Back pain can be so debilitating because it impacts your every movement. It is impossible to move around, walk, sit, or stand without engaging your back. When dealing with back pain on a daily basis, seeing a doctor is the must-do first step to recovery. Often times, people attribute back pain to ageing and assuming they just have to live with it, but that is not the case.

Another reason people will avoid seeing a doctor about their back pain is that they are afraid of needing surgery. However, there are many non-invasive or minimally invasive options depending on the source and cause of the pain. Assuming a major surgery is the only option is short-sighted.

Sometimes the treatment comes in the form of orthopedic care, peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy treatment, or a minimally invasive spine surgery. It is impossible to predict what will need done until you see a doctor to explore your options.

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Burnout symptoms Emotionally drained symptoms

Learn the Most Common Cause of Workplace Anger

Symptoms of being overtired

Workplace anger is one of the many symptoms of burnout. So when looking at the causes of workplace anger, you really need to look at the causes of workplace burnout. Burnout is most common in high demand professions.

One study showed that nearly half of all doctors displayed at least one of the symptoms of burnout. Nationally, it is believed that the overall burnout rate among physicians is 35%, which suggests that hospitals, clinics, and other employers of physicians are not putting processes in place to ensure their employees stay healthy and maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Physicians under the age of 35 have the highest rate of burnout. Doctors in this age group are dealing with the demands of their job, as well as often crushing student loan debt they are still working to pay off. Doctors and medical students alike frequently suffer from depression, which along with workplace anger is a sign of burnout.

Doctors also have higher rates of divorce as their demanding work schedules leave little room to develop their personal lives and relationships. Women are more prone to burnout then men and emergency care doctors report the highest levels of burnout.
There are several identified stages and symptoms of burnout. Workplace anger, exhaustion, job stress, and other emotionally drained symptoms are signs that an employee is getting dangerously close to complete burnout.

There are many things employers can do to alleviate these symptoms, to identify the causes of workplace anger, and to offer support to their people while also reducing expenses. Burnout results in over one million dollars in missed work days. Putting symptoms on place to support employees would actually be a significant cost saving measure even though the processes in place that causes burnout are generally done for cost-saving.

For example, a lack of work/life balance due to stressful work scheduling and long hours is a significant factor in workplace burnout. Employers create these kinds of schedules to get the most out of a smaller workforce. However, the high rate of turnover and sick days often surpasses the amount saved.

In addition to provide schedules that are conducive to work/life balance, employers can also provide regular breaks, perks such as massages, extra days off, work from home options,and more. Employers can also make managers aware of the symptoms of burnout, so they can intervene when an employee is starting to demonstrate those signs.

Finally, even if an employer is unwilling to put the health of their employees first, there are things individuals can do to protect themselves from the causes of workplace anger. First, be sure to remember what is most important in your life and plan accordingly. This means utilizing your available time off and not allowing your work to invade your home life.

There are also ways you can learn in managing anger in the workplace. First, identify the triggers of your anger and make conscious decisions to avoid those triggers. If they are unavoidable, find ways to center yourself mentally and minimize the impact those triggers have on you.

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Hair Loss What Men Need to Know

Cost of  a hair transplant

Many people equate hair loss as to losing a limb and many people say that they would trade friends or money for a whole, new set of hair. That is the challenge facing many people in society, people who have hair loss, whether men or women. Hair has become part of their physical appearance and that physical appearance has been made negative.

By the age of 35, 66% of American men will experience some degree of appreciable hair loss. By the age of 50, approximately 85% of men have significantly thinning hair. And in the United States alone about 35 million other guys are enduring some level of hair loss or baldness. Fortunately, half a man’s head of hair will be gone before the loss is visible.

It affects women as well. Women undergo circumstances where their hair will fall out, often in clumps, or becoming thin enough to where it’s noticeable, or become threadbare. This is a particularly difficult experience for a woman, though men share some of the same difficulties with losing their hair.

For women, according to popular statistics, value their hair because it is part of their physical appearance and associated femininity. Women see popular magazines with women that have a full head of hair, looking beautiful according to the naked eye, and that impacts their view of their personal appearance.

Women are the sex that often say that losing hair is like losing a limb and the sex that would trade friends and money for a new set of hair. It is involved in their femininity and that is important to a woman. They often feeling like losing their hair is like losing someone close to them. Their is a grieving period.

For men and women who suffer from hair loss, there are forms of treatment available that reduce the possibility of losing more hair, cause hair to grow back, or surgically fix bald spots so that they have more hair. There are many options available that will help with hair growth.

Some vitamins are particularly important in growing new hair and preserving the hair that is already there. One of these vitamins is called Vitamin A. Vitamin A can be found in certain fruits and is a positive indicator of hair health. Vitamin A helps hair stay strong, though there is research that some of these vitamins can be unhealthy.

Reason being is that high concentrations of Vitamin A can actually lead to hair loss, which would be a difficult situation. A lot of it amounts to hitting the right number: Enough Vitamin A but not too much. Vitamin A is also associated with a lot of positive health effects, such as increased energy and better skin tone.

Potassium is another vitamin/mineral that can help with growing new hair. Potassium is a mineral that generally speaking helps with muscle cramps. It is found most often in bananas, which can be eaten in high quantities to preserve the muscle after a workout. Potassium helps with hair health.

There is a surgical procedure called FUE that also helps. FUE stands for follicular unit extraction and is a kind of hair transplant procedure that takes hair from an existing part of the head and transplants it onto the part of the head that is undergoing baldness or hair loss. This type of surgery is minimally invasive.

FUE can be done in a hair clinic or a place that does hair loss treatment, hair replacement, hair restoration, and hair transplant. A hair clinic specializes in all things hair and can refer to surgeons that can do the FUE transplant treatment or another hair transplant treatment.

A hair clinic may be associated with hair transplant surgery and scar revision, as well as have a male hair loss specialist that does micropigmentation and other hair transplant clinic procedures. A hair clinic will be able to tell an individual the cost of a hair transplant.

When it comes to hair, individuals are very likely to lose confidence without a set of hair, especially if they are losing it, watching it recede, or watching it fall out in clumps. It is a difficult experience for an individual, man or woman, but especially a woman, according to statistics. It is a difficult experience for all.

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6 Tips for a More Successful Experience with IVF

Fertile

If you are having trouble getting pregnant, you are not the only one. About 11.9% of all women (that amounts to 7.4 million women) in the United States will seek out services for infertility. About 12% of married couples, or one in every eight, has a hard time becoming pregnant or carrying the baby to term. Many of these couples turn to help from an in vitro fertilization clinic. If you are looking into going to one of the fertility clinics around the nation, there are some things you can do for a better experience.

  1. Try to do less. Women who are used to being on the go all of the time often find it really hard to take a load off. Not only is today’s lifestyle fast paced but many women like to get some serious exercise to reduce their level of stress. The best thing you can do to have success at the in vitro fertilization clinic is reduce the amount of exercise you get in a week. Most experts say that women who are looking to get pregnant should make sure they get no more than four hours of strenuous exercise in a week. The more exercise a woman gets in her lifetime the harder it will be for her to get pregnant.
  2. When you do exercise, try lower impact activities. If you run, make the switch to walking. There are a lot of ways to get decent exercise that are not as hard on your body and come with fewer risks for your chances to become pregnant. Yoga, tai chi and pilates might be better for you during the time you want to become pregnant and during your pregnancy.
  3. Get yourself prepared to take some time to not work out at all. There will be a time in your pregnancy when you will have to give up some activities and there will be times during the process of your treatment at the in vitro fertilization clinic when you just will not feel like doing some of the things you like ot do normally. Listen to your body during this time and you will be ok. Your fertility doctor will have you on medications that may make you more tired, you may be bloated and you may experience some discomfort from it the week you have your egg retrieval taken care of.
  4. Work on ways to reduce your stress. That can be a lot easier said than done. The entire process of going through fertility treatments is inherently stressful but there are a lot of things you can do to reduce your stress level. Yoga, again, be really helpful here, as can some low impact forms of exercise. Additionally, meditation can be very beneficial for stress at any time in your life but especially during this process. Make sure you take time for yourself and perhaps you can take up a hobby you always wanted to try or catch up on your reading.
  5. Keep your eye on the prize (so to speak). It may feel really hard to give you some activities that you like a lot but it will be worth it in the long run when you are able to conceive a child and carry that child to term. The time you spend not working out or playing a certain sport will see like a small drop in the bucket compared to all of the time you get to spend with your child.
  6. Talk to a counselor or go to a support group. This is a hard time in your life but you do nit have to go through it alone. If you are in a committed relationship, you may think that you have the support you need but this can put a lot of strain and stress on you both. Going and getting support from other people who have been through the same thing you are going through can make it a lot easier to handle. The people at the in vitro fertilization clinic should be able to help you find the support you need.

For a great many couples, in vitro fertilization clinics are wonderful. The experience is trying but you can make it through.

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10 ways to avoid burnout Burnout treatment Stress burnout symptoms

Understanding Burnout Symptoms and How They Affect Health

Burnout recovery strategies


Job burnout is something everyone experiences more than once in their life, but most folks don’t know what it is or how to manage it. Stress in the workplace causes over one million people in the United States alone to stay home from work. It may be dealing with customers, co-workers, a boss, or simply being overscheduled and not having enough time to recharge and take care of one’s self. Learn more about burnout symptoms and how to manage a work-life balance that doesn’t leave one feeling overwhelmed.

Know What Burnout Symptoms Consist Of

Burnout symptoms include being overtired, not caring about work or the quality of work, and feeling hopeless. Although some jobs have a higher rate or burnout than others, anyone can develop burnout regardless of their job. For example, doctors 35 and younger have a burnout rate of over 40%. However, a person working a customer service job can get just as burned out if they work a lot of hours for low wages, and don’t have time to manage basics in life. Not being able to clean their house, run errands, or do things for themselves can be draining. burnout does not discriminate who it affects.

Know There is Treatment for Burnout

Many people think there is no solution to workplace stress, and no way to manage their lifestyle. This could not be further from the truth, and there are plenty of solutions. Solutions for burnout range depending on the individual and their situation. This includes finding a new job or working within the same industry, but in a different setting. Exercise, medication, and therapy are all useful ways to recover from stress burnout symptoms. Just because a situation seems difficult doesn’t mean it has to stay that way forever.

Decide What Options Work Best

When seeking treatment of burnout, there is more than one way to solve the problem. Look for long-term solutions, rather than ones that only last a day. For example, many people call in sick to work when they need a mental health day. While there is nothing wrong with this, burnout treatment is most effective when the person experiencing the problem understands the causes and looks for solutions to that specific problem. Seek a change of scenery or working in a different department, if they work you are currently doing is causing more stress than it is worth.

Burnout symptoms affects individuals of all ages across a variety of careers. By learning about why they are experiencing problems and what they can do to correct them, individuals can get the help they need and live a life that is relatively free of stress. They will find more satisfaction with their job and have a happier life. Understand that there is treatment for burnout and the sooner you get started fixing the problem, the happier you will feel in your personal life and work alike. Get the help needed today, and learn how to manage burnout once and for all.

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Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and Needing Treatment Options?

Proton beam radiation

Prostate Cancer diagnosis is not an end-all, it’s the beginning of your life of research, hope, and working with a wonderful team of doctors. If you are seeking treatment of prostate cancer, consider an option that not only serves as non-invasive cancer treatment, but helps you hold onto hope as it virtually corrects the problem at its source. Proton therapy offers prostate cancer options you may have never known you had before. You may have heard horror stories about radiation treatment for cancer, but becoming informed on proton therapy treatment can completely change the way you view these options and show you that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that your journey is just beginning.

Proton Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Proton beam radiation is a very progressive type of treatment in our modern times. It goes no further than it has to. If you have heard of conventional radiation therapy, you have probably heard that the therapy not only targets the specific cancerous tissue, but also goes further. This could cause damage to other parts of your body, such as your lung, heart, and other bodily organs. However, proton therapy is a specialized type of radiation that only targets the specific area where the cancer is located, so there is no or minimal risk to other areas. For those with prostate cancer who fear that the cancer will spread or that there will be very real damage, this is a ray of hope that can settle their mind and help them recover in a respectable way. We want to make your treatment as comfortable as possible – this is our goal.

If you are a man with high-risk prostate cancer, you see a percentage of 74% chance of your cancer not returning within 5 years if you receive proton radiation therapy. If you have low risk, this ups your chance to 99%. This means that you are almost sure to never receive cancer in the same area after five years. If these are results you want to see, then proton treatment of prostate cancer is your best option at this time and we want to hear from you.

With well over 30 treatment centers available now and great rates to getting you results, we hope this is an option you will thoroughly research. Take a look at the outcome for most men who receive this treatment: Studies have shown that they have a reduced risk of impotence after treatment, as well as 94% of men reporting that they can remain sexually active. These are great results compared to that of regular radiation therapy options that have been solely given to men for years. For treatment of prostate cancer, you want the treatment that will help you get back to your daily lifestyle, and we want to help and be a part of this journey into getting well.

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Clinical Trials 101

Phase 1 clinical trial

Clinical Trials 101

A clinical study is research performed by medical professionals and scientists with groups of people in order to better understand new medicine. This clinical drug development is critical in order to bring new drugs and medicines to the public. Without the medical research studies, there would be no way of knowing what sort of reactions a drug would have on the taker. There could be adverse side affects that could possibly harm large population of people. Instead, a clinical study is performed on smaller groups of people in order to conclude what any, if any, side affects taking a certain drug or medication could cause. Starting with the phase 1 clinical trial, the outline for a general clinical study is as follows:

1) In Phase I trials, researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people (20?80) for the first time. The purpose is to evaluate its safety and identify side effects.

2) In Phase II trials, the experimental drug or treatment is administered to a larger group of people (100?300) to determine its effectiveness and to further evaluate its safety.

3) In Phase III trials, the experimental drug or treatment is administered to large groups of people (1,000?3,000) to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it with standard or equivalent treatments, and collect information that will allow the experimental drug or treatment to be used safely.

4) After completing Phase IV, the clinical trial team submits a New Drug Application (NDA) for approval to go on the market. Of the 5,000-10,000 drugs that annually enter RandD, only 250 make it to pre-clinical trial testing; only five make it to clinical trial testing; and only one makes it to FDA approval.

Reasons To Participate in Clinical Trials

Some 46 percent somewhat agree that taking part in clinical trials is as valuable to health care system as giving blood. Most of the time, participates of a clinical study are chosen based on a condition they have. They are then given the drug and the results, if any, are evaluated.

Everything You Need to Know About Informed Consent

If researchers plan on using children, defined as anyone younger than 18, in a study, they are legally required to obtain consent from their parent or guardian of the child. Informed consent is so important that in the 9th revision of the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Code it has its own section, 8.02. These statutes serve as guidelines that help keep minors safe and accounted for. Without them, underage children would participate in clinical drug development without the reliable, responsible knowledge of a parent or guardian.