As congress begins to discuss Health Care Reform, we wonder how the health care system can be fixed.
Some of us in the health care profession have some of the answers already: don’t get sick.
It is cheaper for everyone in our society for all of us to stay healthy and well than to be sick. Obviously. Of course, we will get sick or need to see a medical professional, occasionally. A slip of the knife while slicing the apple, a fall from the stool or strep throat are just part of life, no matter how careful or healthy we are.
But there are services that should be included in health care reform that is not part of our health care system now: wellness related services.
We want the health of all American to improve – regardless of their current health status or their current insured status. We currently serve the sick population. We don’t help people in the early stages of disease to keep them from getting sicker. We don’t catch them in the pre-sick stages and help them reverse it. That just isn’t what our system is set up to do.
Registered dietitians, true nutrition experts, can help with this. If only physicians would refer and health care plans would cover the cost. Nutrition plays a role in improving so many disease states, but also preventing many as well. Proper nutrition can improve the health of everyone: children and adults, young and old.
Nutrition services from a registered dietitian and other wellness related needs to be part of the new health care policy in the United States – part of every insurance plan, available for every American.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Heart Health Part V: Manage Stress
This is the final segment on modifiable lifestyle risk factors for heart disease to wrap up “American Hearth Month.” My other blog NewMexicoRD.blogspot.com, discusses foods and heart disease.
Stress management. It seems like a silly thing to some people and downright impossible tp others. Unfortunately the people who are most likely to stress out about things are probably the ones who are at higher risk for heart disease.
People who are “type A” personality, the ones who stress easier than others, are more likely to have the heart disease as a result. I’ve noted before, it isn’t the stressor that causes the stress, but the individual response to the stress that causes it.
There is some research indicating there is a relationship between heart disease risk and the amount of (perceived) stress in ones’ life.
Health behaviors can contribute to stress. Smoking, inactivity, and/or high fat diet can contribute more to the stress. However exercise and a healthy diet can help the body physically deal with stress as well as help us relieve some stress (a walk around the block perhaps).
High stress can lead to high blood pressure. Chronic stress can lead to chronically elevated blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.
Find some coping strategies to help when you are stressed. Find a hobby and work on it for an hour or two. Plan to take a day off – tomorrow or in a few weeks. Don’t tell anyone and relax and read a book or see a funny movie or be alone in a bath. Go for a very long, relaxing walk. Even if you can’t take a day off, take an hour or two to read, watch a movie and be distracted from your thoughts for a while.
Develop some coping strategies to deal with intermittent stress that you can’t walk away from such as counting to ten or a mantra such as “a year from now, will this matter?” Sometimes it will, but a lot of times it won’t.
It takes practice, and moving from a high stress person, to lower or even moderate stress person doesn’t happen overnight or even in a couple of weeks-months. It takes time and patience. But keep working on it. I often tell people who say they don’t have time to do these stress management techniques: you will have plenty of time when you are in the ICU following your by-pass surgery. Take time today to relieve your stress.
Stress management. It seems like a silly thing to some people and downright impossible tp others. Unfortunately the people who are most likely to stress out about things are probably the ones who are at higher risk for heart disease.
People who are “type A” personality, the ones who stress easier than others, are more likely to have the heart disease as a result. I’ve noted before, it isn’t the stressor that causes the stress, but the individual response to the stress that causes it.
There is some research indicating there is a relationship between heart disease risk and the amount of (perceived) stress in ones’ life.
Health behaviors can contribute to stress. Smoking, inactivity, and/or high fat diet can contribute more to the stress. However exercise and a healthy diet can help the body physically deal with stress as well as help us relieve some stress (a walk around the block perhaps).
High stress can lead to high blood pressure. Chronic stress can lead to chronically elevated blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.
Find some coping strategies to help when you are stressed. Find a hobby and work on it for an hour or two. Plan to take a day off – tomorrow or in a few weeks. Don’t tell anyone and relax and read a book or see a funny movie or be alone in a bath. Go for a very long, relaxing walk. Even if you can’t take a day off, take an hour or two to read, watch a movie and be distracted from your thoughts for a while.
Develop some coping strategies to deal with intermittent stress that you can’t walk away from such as counting to ten or a mantra such as “a year from now, will this matter?” Sometimes it will, but a lot of times it won’t.
It takes practice, and moving from a high stress person, to lower or even moderate stress person doesn’t happen overnight or even in a couple of weeks-months. It takes time and patience. But keep working on it. I often tell people who say they don’t have time to do these stress management techniques: you will have plenty of time when you are in the ICU following your by-pass surgery. Take time today to relieve your stress.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Heart Health Part IV: Quit Smoking
In part four of the “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoRD.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of modifiable risk factors for heart disease.
Cigarette Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and a significant independent risk factor for heart disease. Aside from the obvious cancer risk, cigarette smoking also contributes to heart disease, including increasing the risk of developing plaques in the arteries.
Even if you are not overweight and eat healthy, you are at significant risk for heart disease if you smoke.
If you are able to exercise, yet still smoke, you are still at significant risk for heart disease.
Smoking increases blood pressure and increased the risk of a blood clot.
Smoking decreases HDL-cholesterol (the one you want to be HIGH).
If YOU don’t smoke, but live with someone who does: premature deaths from heart disease are still significant even when it comes from other people’s smoke.
Need assistance in quitting? Ask you primary care provided about prescriptions for quitting, or contact 1-800-QUIT-NOW for more assistance on how to quit. Your life or the life of your family may depend on it.
Cigarette Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and a significant independent risk factor for heart disease. Aside from the obvious cancer risk, cigarette smoking also contributes to heart disease, including increasing the risk of developing plaques in the arteries.
Even if you are not overweight and eat healthy, you are at significant risk for heart disease if you smoke.
If you are able to exercise, yet still smoke, you are still at significant risk for heart disease.
Smoking increases blood pressure and increased the risk of a blood clot.
Smoking decreases HDL-cholesterol (the one you want to be HIGH).
If YOU don’t smoke, but live with someone who does: premature deaths from heart disease are still significant even when it comes from other people’s smoke.
Need assistance in quitting? Ask you primary care provided about prescriptions for quitting, or contact 1-800-QUIT-NOW for more assistance on how to quit. Your life or the life of your family may depend on it.
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