Mammograms; Understanding the Recommendations

Yesterday the US Preventative Services Task Force recommended that mammograms and breast self examination teaching be limited. The recommendation was to move screens from age 40 to age 50 for initial mammograms and to decrease them from yearly to every two years. They also felt that breast self exams should not be taught.

This task force is made up of volunteers to evaluate new and existing procedures and make sure they are used optimally. They do not have legislative power. They do not affect policy. They review research and make suggestions.

Katherine Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, was quick to say that Medicare and Medicaid will not be adopting these recommendations. As long as a patient’s doctor orders the procedure these health plans will pay. Other organizations such as The American Cancer Society stated that they do not agree with this recommendation and that they are encouraging women to talk to their physicians, having yearly mammograms at age 40 and clinical breast examinations yearly.

The big question that is still out there is how many private insurance companies will adopt this recommendation. This 14 person panel has reviewed information from specific studies. This group is made of people in research, medicine and business who used certain studies. They are not specialists in the field of cancer and there may be other studies that were not used. They also take into account cost effectiveness. “The most recent data show us that approximately 17 percent of breast cancer deaths occurred in women who were diagnosed in their 40s, and 22 percent occurred in women diagnosed in their 50s.”

Research is still going on to find more effective screening for breast cancer. New digital mammography allows for a better screening. Ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs are allowing for better and more noninvasive follow up for any abnormality. All of this has helped to decrease the death rate of breast cancer patients.

This announcement many cause concerns but it also brings up the necessity to look for other ways of effective screening. It is ultimately up to the patient and her physician to make the final choice of what would be the best choice.

A Healthy Holiday Season with a Little Help

When we think of the holiday season, which starts the day after Halloween, many priorities are put aside. Getting fit and healthy is one of them. Generally the average person gains between 1 and 10 pounds. There are many different opportunities this year to help not just maintain your weight this year but to loose during the holidays.

Leanne Ellington, the owner of Not Your Average Boot Camp, a personal training and coaching program, is trying to change that. She also gives nutritional education and support with one on one coaching. She also understands the challenge of weight loss. She has walked the path of her clients; she has lost a significant amount of weight herself.

This holiday season she is offering 15 people the chance to experience her program free of charge. Each person will be working out in her boot camp three times a week, will be given a food plan to follow and her support though e-mail, weakly group calls and personal phone calls. She announced this opportunity and was immediately bombarded with applicants. She will be announcing the winners of this holiday gift on Friday.

This is also the season for races. The weather is perfect for walkers and runners. If the challenge of beating a time clock or to help raise money for a good charity then check out Fleet Feet in Altamonte Springs and Track Shack in Orlando. They sponsor most of the races in the area. Both these businesses also have classes to help you train properly and incredible employees to help people new and old to walking and running get the correct equipment. They can also test your stride to help find the best show for your gate.

If moral support and advice will help during the holiday season then there are multiple sites that deal with weight loss. Bill Phillip’s Transformation website is offering support through a holiday challenge. His free site offers support for looking at the physical, mental and community when loosing weight. Part of the goal planning is how participant can give to the community they live in.

This year there are many great opportunities to not just maintain your weight but to loose weight. Whether it is with a formal exercise program such as Leanne Ellington’s Not Your Average Boot Camp, training on your won for a race or going on line to find support, make this holiday season a healthy one.

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Orlando was Awash in Pink

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Orlando was Awash in Pink

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Posted using ShareThis

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Posted using ShareThis

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Orlando was Awash in Pink

Posted using ShareThis

New Equipment for CPAP Users on the Way

There are many CPAP users out there who do not use their machines. Much of this is due to the fact that this type of therapy is requires a strong desire by the user to stick with the therapy. The good news is new masks, machines and humidifiers are making this type of care more comfortable. Several new pieces of equipment are being introduced in the next couple of months.

A new machine is being introduced by Phillips Respironics. This new CPAP, according to the literature, takes care of many of the issues that users tend to have. It has CFLEX, a therapy mode that allows the breath to be delivered similar to a natural breath rather then a machine. This setting also has an adjustment so that the user can find the flow that is comfortable for their personal breathing pattern.

The equipment is also able to communicate with your doctor and medical equipment company. It has a program that will allow them to monitor the progress of the person using the machine and if they are having any issues they can be corrected in a timely manner instead having to wait for a doctor’s appointment and discussing it with them. All the patient needs to do is make a phone call. The doctor of the equipment company can then access the machine and know if it is being used, if the user is still have issues with snoring, apneas, or with the mask and they can then change the setting to help the person be more comfortable.

The final issue they have looked at is proper humidification without the water collecting in the tube. In the old humidifier the temperature was not controlled at the mask. This new machine looks at humidification at the mask so that excess water does not accumulate in the tubing causing a sloshing sound and accidentally drenching the patient as they move during the night.

New masks come out constantly. Phillips Respironics and Resmed have both come out with changes to the masks they offer. Respironics has two new full face masks. The FullLife mask is a restructuring of typical full face mask to make it more comfortable as well as making it lighter. The most unique thing is that it no longer has a forehead pad but has a headgear with a chin strap to adjust the pressure across the bridge of the nose. The Total Face Mask is a mask that seals around the whole face. This allows patients with unusual shaped faces or patients who can not tolerate nasal or full face masks a new option.

Resmed announced they have added a Softgel interface to their line of masks. This will allow for a comfortable fit for patients who need a little more support to their masks.

For people who have had their machines for 5 years or longer many insurance companies will replace older machines, however they may require you to re-qualify by having another sleep study to prove you still have sleep apnea. Mask, hoses, filters and other equipment are replaced every 3 to 6 months but most people have to call their equipment provider to ask for these to be replaced. If a CPAP user wants a new mask most likely they will have to ask their doctor for a new prescription. Masks generally are not interchangeable. Once you choose a mask you must get a new prescription to change it. The same is true for a humidifier. If a person does not get a heated humidifier when they initially get their machine they must get a prescription and may even need another sleep study in order to get one.

Once you have started on CPAP therapy staying current with the changes in equipment may help in keeping a user compliant with care.

Senator Olympia Snowe Voted Yes to Health Care Bill

In the first major move forward in the healthcare bill, Olympia Snowe, R- Maine, crossed party lines and voted yes for the finance committee’s version of healthcare reform. Senator Max Baucus called his plan “a balanced plan.”

The bill would subsidize insurance for poorer Americans, establish nonprofit health care cooperatives and create health insurance exchanges to make it easier for small groups and individuals to buy insurance. It would be paid for by reducing spending on Medicare, taxing higher premium insurnace plans and billing the health insurance companies.
The American Health Insurance Plan trade group stated on Monday if this plan went through premiums would increase as much as $1500 for individuals. Over the long term it could increase as much as $4000 by 2019.

Senator Snowe felt that this is the time to make history by working with the committee to work toward resolving one of the biggest issues affecting us currently.

This is just the one step toward creating a workign health care bill. There are still many issues to work out before a final bill is passed.

Know-How Saves Your Healthcare Dollars

As a society we currently are questioning everything we know about healthcare. We wonder if we know who we can trust, where to get the best care for the best price, and what is the best health insurance out there. There is change coming but the truth is that a majority of people have the tools to get the best care for the best price.

Many people have had to take insurances with large deductible due to the high cost of insurance. They are paying anywhere from $250 to $5000 out of pocket before their insurance will start covering expenses. It is important that you know your personal policy and what it pays for. It is also important to know what it excludes. If you do have a question an d you call customer service you should be aware that you should keep the name of the person you talked to and ask them for an account number for the phone call. You should also know that the information they gave you may be incorrect and even if it is incorrect the company is not responsible for the incorrect information. At the end of the call they will always refer you back to your written policy to get the correct information.

If you have a large deductible and you know that you will not be using your insurance then talk to the health care provider about their cash price and what is the best they can do. Many facilities give a good discount for cash patients. If you tell them that you have insurance they will only be able to give you the price the insurance negotiated with the practice. Once you have had the procedure you can submit your bill to the insurance company and they can apply it to your deductible.

If you have an HMO or a Health Maintenance Organization plan make sure that any procedure you have is covered and that if it needs a prior authorization that you have arranged to get one from your primary care doctor. Even if a specialist orders the procedure it is your primary care doctor who has to issue an authorization. If the test is done without an authorization they can bill you for the procedure at the price the insurance company would have paid.

It is important to shop around. Different companies have different contracts with insurance companies. An example of this would be a sleep lab. A hospital based lab will tend to be more expensive then an independent testing facility. But you want to maker sure the lab you are going to has been accredited. This will let you know that the lab met certain minimum criteria.

Remember you are the person who has control of your money. Your decision should always be based on honesty. You can always call and ask question of a provider before making a decision to schedule an appointment.

Sleep Studies do More Then Listen to Snores

Many people go to the doctor because they have something they want fixed. They expect that a pill will do the trick. What they do not think about is what caused the problem in the first place. It is this search for the reason for problems that send many to the sleep lab for a study.
The obvious patient is the one who snores, gasps and wakes their spouse during the night. We all know or are related to this patient. Uncle Harry fall asleep in the recliner Thanksgiving afternoon, snore louder and louder, suddenly stops and then wake up snorting and gasping just to fall back to sleep again. He also has other health issues.
Then there is the overweight person. However, there weight is actually not what sends them to the sleep lab. It is other symptoms they might have that send them in to the lab. Hypersomnia, or difficulty staying awake, is usually the symptom that sends them to see how they are sleeping at night.
The people who have high blood pressure that is hard to control or unexpected can also send a person to a sleep study. If a person has sleep apnea, every time they stop breathing they put stress on their body and their heart. Eventually this stress can show up as high blood pressure, especially in the morning. Many times this type of blood pressure issue is difficult to control with medication. It is necessary to treat the cause of the issue, the apnea, in order to get the blood pressure under control.
The same problem with blood pressure can show up as uncontrolled blood sugars as well. The stress on the body caused by apnea can cause increases in blood sugars. This is especially true if a person tends to wake with higher then expected blood sugars on a regular basis. The body does not deal well with this type of repeated stress.
There are other conditions that will send a person for a sleep study. If a person has a history of moving around during their sleep especially while dreaming they may come in for a sleep study. That could be a symptom of several different conditions. The only way to diagnose what type of problem they have is through observation and testing.
People with congestive heart, head injuries and neuromuscular conditions may have sleep studies performed to assure that they are breathing well and getting enough oxygen in their sleep. This is so important to the quality of their daily life.
If your doctor orders a sleep study and you are not sure why, ask him or her. There is a good reason it is ordered. If you decide not to have the study your doctor may not be able to fully treat you. Treating a sleep disorder may help you to feel better and feel healthier over the long run.