Don't Take My Word

Happy Friday readers! Today, I want to present a new view on the importance of Personal Health Records (PHR). Tools like The Smart Med Card are indispensable and unequivocally important in tracking not only warning signs of potential diseases but also tracking and treating chronic conditions. If you, as well as your doctors, cannot gain a full profile of your fitness and health then the guarantee of adequate treatment and diagnoses is not a reality during emergencies and even routine check-ups. By using The Smart Med Card as the vehicle in creating a centralized medical and health history, you and your doctors can assess future and current complications. For those with chronic diseases, PHR could be the key in extending life as well as locating factors for creating a higher quality of life.

Like I said in the title, don't take my word. Look at a first-hand experience in how the power of PHR can create a whole new path in life when battling chronic and fatal diseases.

Be sure to visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com and get your PHR storage device today! It's never too late to start and there's no better day then today!

Thirsty Thursday - Watered Down

Ha - like I could actually explain things in less than a thesis/dissertation! Today's Thirsty Thursday post is targeting one of my biggest pet-peeves as well as one of the least under-stood concepts during the start of a new diet - water weight misunderstandings.

If there was ever a market to break into for a quick-rich scheme, it would be diet analysis and development. Weight loss is a huge industry in our country and it is also one of the most dangerous and least understood concepts. If you don't understand how the human body works from a cellular level, you really shouldn't be starting a diet not provided by a nutritionist/dietician. But, since so many of us have that the initiative to start that diet then I will be right here providing the insight and the theory to diet and it's effect on the body - starting off with one of the most difficult parts of the diet - weight fluctuation due to water.

Your Body is Water
Along with a few other materials thrown in for good measure, but, as a general rule your body is 70% water. The body needs it to function and just like any other material it can't easily make on it's own, if it is deprived it will store. If you are dehydrated then your body will store water the best it can; and water contains weight! When you continue to eat carbs during the day - your body takes the produced water from the carbs and stores that too!

Daily Fluctuation
If you've ever looked at your weight on a scale multiple times during the day you probably noticed that your weight is increasing - for some of us, depending on how much our body is trying to keep water, could weigh up to 5-10lbs heavier by the end of the day. This is one of the biggest reasons diets fail - because it is believed that the dieter just can't lose weight - even though real weight could be decreasing like desired. If you don't supply the water needed your body will store every ounce it can.

Breaking Even
The ideal amount of water in your body will depend on one thing - how much it needs. Your body is a brilliant machine that constantly monitors its levels and makes adjustments to ensure optimal operation. So, the secret to giving your body the amount of water it needs to operate and to discontinue the storage is to supply yourself with as much water as you can. For most of us, this will actually be more than the recommended 8 glasses of water a day - perhaps up to one ounce of water for every pound of weight depending on your daily routine. If you drink coffee and continue with higher-carb diets then you also need to drink more to keep your body supplied and to keep excess water from carbs flushed out.

Dehydration Signs
Your body will tell you when you need to consider having a glass of water - often by supplying you with a headache, dry-mouth and sleepiness to name a few common symptoms. One of the biggest pit-falls to diets occurs here too - these same symptoms are easily confused with hunger and cause you to go for that snack - another big reason you gain weight in the first place. It is much more likely you are becoming dehydrated rather than becoming hungry. Here's a big secret that needs to be shared - if you experience these symptoms daily - by following the the guidelines under Breaking Even chances are all these symptoms will subside, your energy levels will increase and your clothes will more likely than not - fit better!

This is definitely just the bare minimum to this topic - I could actually start a whole new blog on this post alone! Please leave any comments or questions that we can address in order to better help you understand the human body and weight-loss!

The Great Disconnect

There's an old saying that is often told to those who are leaning a new skill/trade and that is - when you have a hammer - everything looks like a nail. The concept is simple - if you give a child a hammer suddenly, everything needs pounding. In the adult world - you give someone a trade and suddenly they relate their trade to everything they encounter. Today's topic extends to: when you create an M.D. everyone is a doctor. To get you in the proper mind-set - imagine you have a hardy illness and during your diagnosis and treatments your doctor remains highly efficient and highly capable, but, instead of treating you as a patient in need of help and answers, they relate you back to med school and act as though they are explaining their process to their professor - being blunt, fast-paced, abrasive, and ignoring the layman and treating you like a fellow colleague. Tough to handle, right?

There exists a basic synergy in this world between services and their consumers - where consumers expect service providers to complete their goals in such a way that their requirements are fully met while simultaneously ensuring that our expectations are met in a satisfying manner. Simply put - we want our service with a smile! It's this basic fact that is creating a dividing line within the healthcare system between who is an acceptable doctor compared to who is not.

The general trend within the late 20th and now 21st centuries is that competence, education, track record...etc are taking a back seat when recommendations come around for doctors from patients, as shown on websites such as Angie's List where trades from doctors to roofers and plumbers are graded on the same scales and for the same criteria. Panning through this data there is a trend that the highest rated doctors may not have had the best track record or the highest ranking in class, but they were comforting, caring and straight-forward; essentially they treated the patient with the realization that they (patients) had no idea what was going on and needed very simple but thorough explanations. The doctors that made the best emotional connections with a patient were the ones most likely to be continually recommended. Herein lies the great disconnect.

We often take emotions over efficiency, completeness and correctness. Humans have the need to feel cared about, but, we also expect perfect service. What most people fail to realize is that there are two types of people - ones we want and ones we need. Unfortunately, finding someone who fits both criteria is a rarity and for good reason. Look at those around you - in the media, in the academic system; those who are at the top of their field have the greatest disconnect from those who need them. They have become so encapsulated with what they do that they have trouble relating to the needs of those under them; they only relate to those who speak their language and as such speak their language to everyone.

So, when you are looking for doctors, specialists...so on - what ones will you consider - those with great bed-side manners or those who will cure you without the sunshine smiles? Is sacrificing best treatment worth a few hurt feelings?

Just to clarify, I am not saying great doctors don't exist with the brains, brawn and compassion, but what I want to bring to light as to trends and reasons within the healthcare system. What do you think about today's doctors? Are they meeting your needs to your expectation levels?

Oh - and one last thought - medical providers don't want to 'like' you. When you lost someone close to you - you took it pretty hard right? Imagine if a doctor got to know and like his patients and then had to watch them die - do you think they could continually handle that stress? Could you?

Cold Weather Blues

It's the weekend! Not only is it Saturday, but it is also the second day of Autumn. Hard to believe, huh? Today, I want to present a short but informative blurb about this time of year; the time where temperatures fall and sicknesses rise.

The Old Wive's Tale
Momma always says wear your hat and gloves when going out into the cold! Also, never leave the house on a chilly day with wet hair - you'll catch your death, pneumonia will become you! If you've grown up with this mentality from your parents too - your mom and my mom should meet - they'd get along great! All jokes aside, here is what you need to know about illnesses.

Bacteria and viruses (collectively called pathogens) cause illnesses and diseases.

In all of your days growing up - have you ever been told that cold weather is a bacteria or a virus? Hopefully the answer is no - because it's not. Cold weather does not directly cause illnesses, it will, however, initiate a cascading effect. 

Shiver Me Timbers

Cold weather lowers your body temperature - causing you to shiver. The shivering you feel is from the rapid tensing and relaxing of your muscles - like a mini-workout. In the same way you exert yourself during exercise and cause a rise in body temperature - your body, when shivering, has automatically initiated it's own workout-routine in order to cause a rise in internal temperature. It takes large amounts of energy for your body to do this and when you start shivering, much of your other bodily functions, such as the immune system, weaken in order to divert it's energy to the more pertinent problem. It's right there - that weakening of the immune system which causes the problem. Now that your immune system has weakened, any pathogens it has been fighting have an open window to flourish. Generally, within a few days after an extended stay in cold weather without proper clothing you can become ill due to the lost fight between your body and any pathogens it was suppressing. As a quick aside - athletes often become just as sick, in any weather due to the large amounts of energy required to fuel their body during their sport. Their sport causes a weakening of their immune system in order to keep up with energy demands just like shivering.

There you have it - the correlation between cold weather and well, colds (and pneumonia just in case you didn't fully catch the full correlation)! So, if you choose to run around without the proper cold-weather gear - that's up to you - just hope you haven't been exposed to and were fighting some nasty bug!

The Best Kids Are Made in the Kitchen

Alright there, mind out of the gutter - it's beneath you haha. What I mean by made in the kitchen is the fact that our body runs off of food - it is our fuel. Just like your car, the better grade of fuel you use, the better your car (you) will run. Unfortunately, with today's economy, just like the higher prices for higher grade gasoline for the car forces us to use the lowest grade, we practice the same ideas for food - we buy what we can afford - the 'cheap stuff'.

We Really Are Fat-Heads!
FunFact - our brains are composed of 60% fat (and 40% hot-air for some!). Our brain, from day one needs fat to maintain it's health, growth and optimality. The key factor to understand though, is that it requires a careful balance of particular fats - not just any fats. Perhaps you have heard of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids? These fats are required by your brain in order to run smoothly and continue to do so for the rest of your life. Not only will your brain run smoothly, but due to the sources of these fats, your body as a whole will age slower and function better as the years pass by.

Omega-3 and Omega-6
Our brain is composed of a 1:1 ratio of these fatty acids and require this balance to function. It doesn't take much to alter this ratio and when it does we often see the results physically. Our Western diet consists of high-levels of Omega-6 (from red-meats, dairy and vegetable oils and fast/junk-foods to name a few) and much lower amounts of Omega-3 (fish, nuts, fresh vegetables and whole-grains to name a few of these). The problem with our imbalance is that our body cannot make up for a deficiency in one or the other by making more - these fats are essential - meaning we need to supply them our body doesn't produce them. Omega-6 causes inflammation in the body and promotes blood-clots, quickens skin-aging and damages cells, while Omega-3 does the reverse. Now that we know the differences of the two let's see how they affect us physically. 

Life in the Off-Balance
When I refer to the effects of healthy, balanced diets I often use the story of Appleton Central Alternative School in Wisconsin. This school has partnered with Natural Ovens Bakery in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to provide their school with homemade, fresh foods and veggies, containing limited sugar and are non chemically processed. The result of using fresh foods is that the school's student's moods have greatly improved. They are now receiving foods that supply the best fuel for the body and the best ratio of Omega-3 and 6 to the brain. The results - they are less violent, more attentive, caring and have a much higher learning capacity. This greatly contradicts the current trend of Western Civilization which is more violent and often considered to be at high-risk of ADD type symptoms and diagnoses. Not only does our 'normal' diet consist of an imbalance of essential nutrients, but the high sugar and trans-fats (Omega-6 suppliers) are greatly increasing the number of heart-attacks, coronary diseases, as well as mental reductions in reaction and reasoning time leading to things such as higher vehicle accident rates - especially in teenagers and young-adults - all highly preventable. The introduction and continuation of a well-balanced home-made diet starting from pre-school age could very well be the cheapest and most effective preventative medicine at our disposal.
 
Life in the Balance
It's fact and has been told to us time and time again that we need to be mindful of what we eat and how much we eat. Unfortunately we essentially disregard our instructions, highly disrupt our body's chemistry (often to the point of irreversibility) and are forced to seek medical assistance. The plain-Jane truth on our likelihood of living long disease-free lives will start as a young child and will most likely be adopted as a life-long habit. Those of us who grow up on home-made meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and continue that trend will be the ones who live long and remain mentally sharp. Those of us who make time to cook for ourselves and our family rather than blaming long hours of work and equally long hours of TV and couch-time for our inability to cook will create a near perfect balance of our body's functions. Instilling these morals into our children will create a healthier population of adults. Like I said, the best kids are made in the kitchen.

Remember - our future to sustainable and available healthcare lies in our ability to practice prevention! It's never to late to start!

Understanding What We Eat Part 1 - Nutrients

 Good day readers. Today I want to start a little series inclined to introduce how our body functions and what we need to understand and do in order to live long, fulfilling and happy lives. Today's post details the building-blocks of our diet and what they do for you. Get ready to learn!



Nutrients
Nutrients are the substances that allow organisms to live and grow. Nutrients come in 6 general classes:

- Carbohydrates
- Water
- Proteins
- Fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals

Carbohydrates 

These are the main sources of calories in our diets (there are 4 calories/gram of carb). They are found in legumes, vegetables and fruits (to name a few natural productions of carbs). They are also found in breads, cereals, pastas and so on. Generally speaking, the latter group (comprised mainly of refined carbs like sugar and flours) are what we eat the most. The problem with these carbs we eat the most of is that they are simple carbs; ones that break down fast and cause rapid rises of glucose levels in the blood which can greatly alter our mood and will give us that great energy rush followed by that painful crash. Not only do we have a mood altering substance, but also a health and fitness issue. The liver stores glucose. When we overdo the sugar intake and the liver can not store any more, the glucose is released back into the blood as fatty acids.

Water 

We all know the importance of water. Being of a biological origin, we are around 60% water. With this nutrient, water-soluble products we put into our body will be absorbed, and passed as waste. Secondly, this nutrient aids in our ability to maintain temperature through evaporation (a.k.a. sweating).

Proteins 

This nutrient class is the second area we gain our daily calories from. This group also contains 4 calories/gram of protein. These are what provide the foundation of our cells, tissues and organs. We gain the needed protein in our diets from items such as meat, poultry, fish (contains the best fat we can take in also), eggs, nuts, seeds, and beans/legumes. When on a work-out plan, these are a must. Proteins, along with carbs will aid in the proper muscle regeneration after those intense workout sessions and provide us with the fuel we need to handle that next session.

Fats 

This class is also an energy provider. There are 9 calories/gram of fat. When tracking the fat it is important to realize what the body is capable of producing compared to what you need take in. The body itself is capable of synthesizing the saturated and mono-saturated fats, so we want to greatly limit these numbers as much as possible. The unsaturated fats are what we need to focus on. Items like sunflower oil, extra-virgin olive oils, flax and others are what to focus on, rather than butters and vegetable oils. Excess saturated leads to high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Vitamins 

This nutrient class is where we start to mention metabolism. This group is responsible for metabolic functioning and a maintaining a healthy, responsive immune system.

Minerals 

This last class is where we look at substances that are not made from living things. Here exist such substances as calcium, potassium, and sodium. These substances make up part of the electrolyte category. There also exists a category called traces. Such members include fluoride, iron, zinc, copper, and others.

There you have it folks! Let this stand as diet and health 101. Now that we know a little more about the foods that we eat, we will slowly focus on ways to apply this knowledge to gain a better understanding about fad-diets and preventable disease/death. Till next time!

Be sure to visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com. Tracking your health is just as important as tracking your diet and together aid in guaranteed personal life-saving techniques!

We Are to Blame

It's the weekend everybody! Hopefully we all have some time set aside to enjoy family, friends and decompress from a busy week. Today I want to share a little potpourri of anecdotal and perhaps antidotel information as to how we are contributing to the high costs of our healthcare system (yes even I am a potential culprit, but I am trained to know when I most-likely should go, therefore, I know when I don't need to go).

Funfact: In our country we spend $700 billion a year in unnecessary medical treatment [1]. In a given year, $100 billion is spent on obesity related[1] - a highly, highly preventable problem that we won't address and we won't accept as preventable.

One of the reasons our healthcare system is on the up-and-up price wise relates to supply and demand (see High School Economics: Pay Attention or Pay the Price). Somehow our society has been conditioned to believe that every cough or sputter of some body fluid at an unwarranted time requires a trip to the ER. Folks, that is expensive - perhaps consideration on waiting for a doctor or nurse would have been much more beneficial and much more cost-reduced. This stems to why I believe we need to read more and watch less TV/Media. A basic understanding of the human body will greatly reduce the fear of sickness and therefore reduce the emergency trips.

I was a 300lb Teen 
Here's a personal look as to why we waste nearly $100 million in healthcare. As a society, we preach prevention but are incapable of practicing. How many of us have overweight doctors? Would you trust them giving you nutrition and diet information if they can't follow their own knowledge? Here's the fact -  At 18yrs of age I was 304lbs and walking around on a 5' 8" frame. That my friends is called holy-fat. Forget bariatrics - there's no room for Politically Correct when for no-good reason I was fat. In college I did two things - just two things that ANYONE can do - I ate clean and exercised - that's it. No pills, no as seen on TV gimmicks. I leaned basic sports nutrition and exercise science, learned how the human body functioned and then I walked, learned to jog and then learned to run. I am now around 200lbs, but my body fat is sub-20%, meaning I am muscular. That's it - it cost no extra money, I got my bottom out of the house rather than watching TV and made me the happiest I've been. The simple truth is that if you ever tell me that you will need surgery and that losing weight is too hard and I've tried so many things - I will come to your house, cut your cable-line, give you a biology book and tell you to read and walk for 1hr a day. I will clean out your junk-food and force you clean meals! That's the key to weight loss - it's so simple! $100 million is a lot of money to spend hiding from the truth.

Fact: Family Doesn't Always Know Best
During the first few of my EMT classes we had discussed the hazards of the job. Do you know what has made the list? Family. That's right. Because we spend so much time with certain family members we believe we know what they need medically and emotionally and how they need to be treated. If care givers don't do what we say - they are doing everything wrong! It's this mentality that family always knows best is another reason we waste so much money on emergency care and needless testing/procedures because we believe that the slightest ailment will do us in. If we feel ill, emergency care shouldn't make the top of the list of actions.

Prevention Cuts Cost
There is no magic fix to our skyrocketing healthcare costs and unaffordable insurance premiums. There is no group we can elect or hire. The only fix to our failing system is for us to assume responsibility for our health and prevent the need of accessing the medical system needlessly. Until we as a society assume responsibility and stop passing blame for our shortcomings there will be no solution to our healthcare system. They will continually raise the prices because we force them to. 

Let's have today's post serve as another eye-opener to the need for us to be more responsible in our lives - me included. Please visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com and see the types of tools that the healthcare system will require for personal health maintenance, responsibility and cost reductions.

Sources [1] http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/triage/2008/10/700-billion---.html

Knock, Knock, It's the Paramedics

Now today's story makes me proud of the field that I'm going into! Right now, there is a pilot-program involving Eagle County, Colorado where a group of Paramedics are making house-calls. Now, usually Paramedics are concerned not with full/complete diagnoses of patients nor are they usually concerned with anything other than stabilization to get the patient to the hospital and transfer care, but, this group of Paramedics have increased their training and are using down-time, time waiting for calls, for the better. Here's how the program works.

Those in the EMT field work for a Medical Director - a Physician whose job it is to define what EMTs/Paramedics do, how they do it and what they are allowed to do. Anything outside of their scope of practice and they must consult with their Medical Director on the spot. Well, this group is taking things one step further. Rather than waiting for emergencies, the Paramedics, with a bit more training and a direct line to patient-referring Physicians, now go to patients' houses who are under-insured or not insured at all and are at risk of medical emergencies (the elderly and home-bound). Here they play the eyes and ears of a doctor. They take ECG readings, blood-samples, vitals - what you'd expect during a doctor visit. The Paramedics then relay this information back to their supervising Physicians who make the determination of whether or not this patient needs to come in.

The purpose of this program (although to some it may not seem that obvious) is to cut costs of the healthcare system. You see, what this program is doing is preventative care - saving someone from an unnecessary and costly trip to the emergency room, a cost that can be devastating for someone who is not insured. The lack of preventative care is one of the most costly parts of the healthcare system - using resources needlessly. In fact, this the same reason for the Smart Med Card. It's health-profile can always be kept up-to-date and the need of unnecessary testing and duplicate testing can be mitigated, saving the hospital, insurance and patients billions over the healthcare system.

Now, for those of you who are weary of Paramedics doing the job of a doctor, realize this. Paramedics down to EMTs operate as an extension of the Medical Director's practicing license. So, all that goes wrong goes wrong for the Medical Director - if the Medical Director did not feel their designated agents (the Paramedics and EMTs working under them) could handle the job - then they wouldn't be doing it. It's been said time and time again - preventative care will be the savior of the healthcare system and this is that push towards it.

Secondly, their time in the field does not interfere with medical emergencies and will, in the long-run, reduce the number of calls for medical incidents! The savings are everywhere!

Please consider doing your part and order your Smart Med Card at http://www.thesmartmedcard.com. Help lessen your cost of healthcare as well as the system as a whole!

There's a Drug For That

Happy Thirsty Thursday! We are now in the second week of September and boy it's starting to slowly feel like Autumn around the Port Huron area - yipes!

Yesterday afternoon I was searching for a few definitions for my EMT studies and started coming across a few titles that were linking Diet to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). So, I promptly noted myself to address this topic to our readers. The reason I bring this up to you is due to the fact that these disorders bring up a good introduction to the flaws of our healthcare systems, their inability to truly fulfill their duties to educate the public and our inability to research (sorry for being blunt, but, most of us do not have the capabilities to handle extensive research and decipher truth from 'truth'). Let me first say that I fully believe this disorder is real and needs to be treated if present, but, I do not believe this disorder is always the case. Today we discuss the latter.

What is ADD
ADD and ADHD are basically psychological terms currently applied to anyone who meets the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) diagnostic criteria for impulsiveness, hyperactivity and/or inattention. These disorders are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, can be linked genetically to family or acquired and improperly treated can cause a rise in these disorder's levels.

Our Healthcare Educates the Public to Their Advantage
Our healthcare system provides a lot of open literature into any disorders so Joe and Jane Public are able to attempt to make a diagnosis on their own. Of course, these diagnoses should be left to the professional (specialist preferably), but, our adamant nature can often lead a doctor to make the wrong call. If we feel someone has ADD/ADHD we will make damn sure they are diagnosed with it. Well hey - Joe and Jane public will pay for the pills, and if ADD/ADHD is not the right diagnosis, then no real harm done - start from the beginning and restart the cash-flow.

What Doctors Won't Tell You
What I am going to tell you comes from both experience and from research, so the facts are readily available. Ready? Not everyone with ADD/ADHD needs medication. That's right! I said it. Do you know what the generally need? They need someone to listen to them - and I mean really listen - to what they say and what they don't say.

1. Remember back at the beginning I said that ADD/ADHD is a chemical imbalance in the brain? ADD causes lack of attention, moodiness, impulsiveness...etc - and these same actions are also caused by a poor diet which adversely affects our body's homeostatic nature (the nature to be in balance and in optimal working condition). It has been shown time and time again that a clean, well-balanced diet can greatly reduce violence, impulsiveness slow down hyperactivity - the whole works. Our diet is so full of refined sugar, food dyes, chemicals and additives that do nothing but slow and inhibit the functions of our body's chemicals. Look at someone with ADD/ADHD and then look at their diet. As I am fluent in nutrition and exercise science, I know the effects of particular diets - and one high in sugar and additives our body can't handle results in attitude complications.
2. In school, grades don't mean a thing. I've known complete idiots to go on and get their masters degree and I've known complete geniuses drink themselves homeless. The truth is, if we are doing something we find incredibly boring - it is our nature to find someway to amuse ourselves or take our mind off of the monotony. Let's take this route - if you are a parent and your child continually gets lower-grades but yet you know they are much better than that - do you actually take the time to sit with them and discuss why their grades are low, why they are struggling and why they are not focusing on their tasks, or, do you reprimand them and push them to do better - causing them to lash out from the pressure? Would you ever consider that they are more advanced for their age-group and find the work too boring; that they are not learning enough for themselves? You see, if you don't intervene in every way you can, you will be sent to the doctors by the school for a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD and a bottle of pills when in fact your child is just bored and incredibly smart! Are you willing to sacrifice your child's gift like that?.
3. School is not just school. Why the mentality in America is we need to go to a normal school and then strictly to College/University is beyond me. I can't even count the number of times I've heard of vocational and specialty schools get mentioned by people attending them and then be asked why they would not go for a better education. It's embarrassing really. Here's a great story that school isn't just school. 

As a child Gillian Lynne was considered difficult, lacking focus, restless, and a child who underperformed at school.  Her teachers encouraged her mother to take her to the doctor.  This was in the 1930′s and ADHD was unknown.  The doctor observed Gillian and later asked to speak privately to her mother.  While he did that, he turned on the radio in the room Gillian was in.  She became a different person and just danced away.  She was free and comfortable with who she was.  The doctor told Gillian’s mom that her daughter was not sick, she was a dancer!  Harnessing her skills, Gillian went to dance school. Here, she found others like herself who needed to move in order to think. Gillian later became a  famous dancer, beginning her career at age 16 dancing in Swan Lake.  She is also the choreographer for Cats and Phantom of the Opera.[http://www.peakexperienceparenting.com/do-you-know-the-story-of-gillian-lynne/] 

So, is ADD/ADHD really the answer at large?

Remember readers - there's more to most stories then most people will take the time to realize. A little knowledge is dangerous, but a little more could be life-changing for the better. If you feel someone you know may have ADD/ADHD - perhaps talk to them, find out what they like, don't like and how they eat. Medication can never replace the life-long effects of someone who really takes the time listen and care.

Family Security

Happy Wednesday readers! Today I want to shed a little bit of light here and there about how to get the most of your Smart Med Card while enjoying a high level of security. Today's topic will focus on how you can store the most information while having the least amount of necessary information 'open' in your wallet. I will refer to this storage-safety as analog protection.

Analog Protection: Out-of-Pocket
As the name implies, we are using protection of your data via a physical means; in this case family. These devices are not password protected and for good reason - if you are unresponsive and a doctor gets a hold of this card, it being password protected means you get none of the benefits this card was designed for. So, here is your first good option when it comes to storing your complete medical history on this device.
Round up as much of your medical records as you can, preferably all of them and then upload the data to The Smart Med Card's site. Then, concentrate on filling out your personal health history as accurate as possible. Next, have a meeting with your Primary Contacts and tell them about this card. Explain how it works and tell them that your medical records are secured online with a specific username and password. Have them set a place where they can store your username and password (i.e. a personal safe) so it can be accessed in case of emergency. Hopefully you can get a couple of good family members who will do this for you. This way, if you have that fear of losing your wallet and your information being discovered - unless the discoverer coaxes this information from your family, they won't get much! Now, in the case of emergency, your doctor will be able to access your information by logging onto The Smart Med Card's website with your information and could gain access to your medical history much faster then if they had to do a hospital transfer of records.

Analog Protection - On-Site
Let's take the exact scenario above and then modify it just a little bit. Again, we will have all your information online with your username and password but this time we are going to put you to work a little more.
There exists a multitude of programs that will allow you to choose specific folders and files to encrypt. This means access to these folders and files will require a password to unlock the data - without that password, anyone who tries to read this data will just see 'garbage'. So, if we use one of these programs to create an encrypted folder on your Smart Med Card, when you download your medical history to this card you can place it into this secured folder and your contents will become encrypted. Again, tell your Primary Contacts this information and let them know that all of your medical data is on your card. This way, in the event of a medical emergency, the login information that is given to the doctor will allow immediate access to the card rather than having to go online!

Of course there are many other options and protocols you could follow in order to securely use your card and get the absolute most from it, but, these two ways are probably the easiest and in my eyes a  great way to spread the thought of health-responsibility to the rest of the family!

Be sure to visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com to keep up with the latest and to order your card today!

Healthcare - We Do Have Options

When it comes to Healthcare Insurance, most of us, at the mere mention of the term become glossy eyed and turn a deaf ear to the matter. Health Insurance seems to a no-hope pipe-dream for most of us. At the same time, though, how many of us have actually taken the time to research what types of help are available to us when we need it? Well, look no further as I have taken the time to provide you with a little introduction to the various paths you can take in order to cover potential medical costs!

The Four Pillars of Help

• Indemnity or fee-for-service plans
• Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and
• Point-Of-Service (POS) Plans.

Idemnity (fee-for-service)
Under this type of insurance you choose your doctors and care providers. The normal protocol states that you pay a portion of your medical fees upfront and then have your insurance provider pay around 80% of the remaining bill (depending on the plan you have). With some providers, you may have to pay the bill upfront and then submit your receipt to the insurance company, or, the insurance company may be billed directly once your deductible has been payed. The use of this plan though, may get you into a sticky situation if you are not careful in some decisions, as generally the insurance provider will only pay for 'reasonable and customary' expenses as well as 'shop-around' for other providers to determine their rates. So, if your doctor is more expensive then the average you will end up paying the overage.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
The design of the PPO network is as follows. PPOs consist of chosen medical providers that you 'should' choose for your medical needs. This network of medical providers has an agreement with their PPO that allows for lower-cost care. The catch is, if you stray from the chosen network of your PPO, you will either have to pay the bill upfront and then submit the receipt the PPO for about an 80% reimbursement, or, pay the difference between what the PPO network would have cost and what your doctor charged. With this plan, you are free to refer yourself to any specialist within your PPO network without asking. Choosing an out-of-network specialist is the same as choosing an out-of-network doctor.

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
This type of plan is the least expensive and most in-flexible. It is also more preferable to groups rather than individuals. HMOs work like this. When you sign up for their plan, you essentially agree to only see any doctor that they have within their network. In exchange the deductible is very low and sometimes non-existent. The problem is, if you are not yet incapacitated you will likely have to wait for clearance before you can head to the Emergency Department. If you choose not too, or can't wait you will likely have to pay for the bill yourself.

Point-of-Service (POS) Plans
Point-of-Service plans are the same concept as PPOs, except you now have a Primary Care Physician that you must choose from the list of those available. The difference in these plans comes into effect when you wish to refer yourself to a specialist. You must now get a referral from the Primary Care Physician. Failure to do so could result in higher out-of-pocket expenses and more hassle, as well as losing the coverage for your visit.


So, there you go! Now that you have a basis for the types of services you can look into for yourself and your family you should consider further research to determine if any of these plans could in fact be affordable and could become fully integrated into your budget!

Your Inside Scoop to the Life of an EMT

Well everyone - my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Class has finally started - so for you this means you get the scoop as to how the Emergency Medical Service System works as well as the direction it is heading and the things you can do to make our lives a little easier. You see, the less calls we have to run or the more information we can collect on the scene the better the day we have!

The Smart Med Card - EMT Gold

When an EMT is assessing you at the scene they will be having to note such items as allergies, relevant (and perhaps sometimes not at the time relevant) medical history, medications and contacts. More often then should be though, these items on the patient report are left much more blank than they should be. This is the high point of The Smart Med Card - if you utilize the card to its full capabilities you are in turn setting yourself up for the best care possible during initial treatment and during the transfer to the hospital's emergency department.

Health Hard-Copy

For the same reasons that EMTs need your information to provide adequate and proper care, any doctor visit you have may require you to fill out their medical history forms. Even though you probably don't have too much to do anyway, filling out these forms can be just plain irritating - especially when you don't remember anything. What The Smart Med Card will have is your health information ready to print in a nice easy-to-read format that you can take with you to check-ups. Once you print this form, you now have a nice ready-to-use hard-copy that you can leave bedside, kitchen-side - wherever you may be that could be easily explained to an EMT responding to a call. This card has got you covered.

So, folks - when EMS news breaks - you will be sure to know how you can do your part to keep yourself safe! As always, visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com for more information!

A Natural Solution for a Natural Disaster

Crazy weather we've been having lateley, eh? Don't worry, I'm not trying to make small talk (actually, I'm incapable of small talk - you ask for my 2 cents and I will whip a roll of quarters at your head!), but rather, I'm alluding to the fact that this crazy weather is happening where crazy weather usually isn't. So, if you have the attitude that family-readiness for disaster is a lower priority based in your geographic location; how sure are you now that your family won't get caught in the crossfire someday soon? In terms of disaster-preperation, let me show you how The Smart Med Card's ueber-versitility can help you in terms of preparing your family for the unforseen.

Start With the Basics
Like I say again and again (and will continue to say) - it doesn't matter your age, sex, location or past health - we are complex machines that wear down after time and our ability to quickly recover degrades. You are not built with perfect health, nor are you immune from accidents or emergencies. It behooves you to take the responsibility of maintaining a record of your personal health just in case. Just think of this - if you've seen the news during a natural disaster - how many of the hospitals were up and running 100%, or, how many were overfilled and required patient transfers to new locations? It seems that the likelihood of receiving adequate care by using your hospital records are much lower - no access to allergies, conditions or emergency contacts. Is risking your chance of survival really worth (to you and your family) it via the mentality that this card is an unnecessary expense and waste of time?

Look in Your Wallet
How many of you carry your insurance cards (including vehicle, medical, dental...etc), social security cards, licenses, phone-numbers...etc? Now, place yourself in a flood situation. These items, once saturated, are much more prone to wear, tear and disintegration. These items are often hard to replace and could take a great deal of time to do so. What if you had these items scanned and placed on your Smart Med Card? Not only can you have your health and related insurances readily available to Doctors by filling in the forms on the Smart Med Card, but you will also have scanned back-up copies both online and on your card that can be printed and distributed to those who may need them. These backups are much more useful than nothing in the event you need them (especially your drivers license and social security card).

Real World Trip!

Let's place you out in the middle of a town that has had the misfortune of being hit by a tornado. Thinking ahead, you placed important documentation on a USB drive that you had set aside for such a time. You carry it in your pocket just incase. Well, in the event of said tornado you were injured and were unable to let anyone know that you are carrying a USB device that contains important information.

A USB device that is not tailered to Medical Personell will have a high-chance of being ignored.

You must realize that The Smart Med Card is designed to be an immediate alert to EMTs and related and once located will be acknowledged. Any other means of alert other than similar ID concepts located on the body will be ignored and you will be treated as necessary without regards to any pertinent medical information. Remember, being treated without knowledge of your health conditions and history happens to be the 8th leading cause of death here in the States. That is incredibly significant and should not be disregarded.

A Smart Backup
One more favorable consideration for the Smart Med Card - your information that gets put on your card can also be uploaded to their HIPPA complient and SSL-secured website. Now, in the event your card is destroyed you still have access to the information that was on your card. What better backup system could you ask for?

Be Watchful and Respectful

Everyone says how much they care for their safety and well-being; the same being said for their loved-ones. So, how about we start practicing what we preach. This device has a great track-record for living up to its purpose - why not take the initiative to really show how much you value the gift of life; give you and your loved ones the option of having a second chance.  

visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com for further information.

A Stick in Good Health

Welcome to this Friday's A Stick in Good Health. Remember, chewing your food is important to good health. It reduces the chances of choking, slows you down and aids in digestion!

Click on the image for a larger view.

Remember to visit http://www.thesmartmedcard.com!

High School Economics - Pay Attention or Pay the Price

Welcome to The Smart Med Card's Thirsty Thursday - falling right on the fist day of September! When I am topic hunting for Thirsty Thursday, I usually generate a few ideas of my own and jot them down just in case news isn't exactly booming. So, the first topic on my list - High School Economics - Pay Attention or Pay the Price.

Supply and Demand
Undoubtedly, we have all taken some sort of Introduction to Economics class, whether it be in High School or College. Unfortunately, the majority of us  probably dismissed that class once it was over. Perhaps we should have delved a bit further in our education?

How our system works (regarding prices) is based off of supply and demand. Producers, in essence, supply a certain quantity of their services and goods at a particular price based on our demand for it. So, if there is a high demand we will see higher prices (producers make more profit). If there is low demand, then we see lower prices (producers need to sell excess supply). Do you sort of get the idea of how our Economy functions?

Now, let's take this to the healthcare industry. How I see it right now, problems of our healthcare costs can be modeled off of the supply and demand curve. The fact that there is such a high demand for doctors, but such a limited supply, that our prices will skyrocket (demand outweighs supply, so healthcare providers can charge more). What needs to happen according to our basic Economic principle is an increase in supply such that it outweighs demand, i.e. supply a greater amount of doctors to cover the high demand of service and prices will fall, in this case due to high competition. Unfortunately, though, we are putting a stop to the ability to supply more doctors.

Why Must we Sue Everyone?
That's right. We have become such a litigious society, that people are making the decisions to not become doctors due to the stresses, not of the job, but of what happens after the job. Because doctors area held to such high standards, it seems they are not allowed to make mistakes. Somehow, they must perform like robots, getting every detail perfect every time. Rather than appreciate the time and effort that they put in trying to save us, as soon as a problem arises, we demand reparations for our discomfort and disability.

Save a Buck Now and Pay Thousands Later?
Here is a second problem causing the dwindling supply of medical providers. It takes time and a vast amount of money to become a doctor. Well over 100,000 dollars will be the average med-students debt before they ever start their actual job. Now, not only will their debt be high, but so will their insurance. So, what money will they be pocketing? Where's the incentive to become a doctor?

Now, what we do to attempt to fix our broken system is to elect a group of people who we tell to fix the problems; to lower costs...etc. What we don't realize is this - we as Americans want lower taxes, higher taxes on the rich, social security...on and on, but, we don't pay any attention to how these programs work and affect us in the long run. If we all payed a fair share of taxes and focused on funding education rather than cutting it, we could provide more funding for medical schools and in turn, produce more doctors;  therefore, greatly reducing the cost of healthcare. Instead, in our unbelievable inability to learn for ourselves how our choices will effect the future - we make the wrong decisions now to save a buck, but then spend thousands later on - when we could have come out ahead by addressing the problems upfront and dealing with them now.

It's Your Turn to Learn
If you ever want to see a medical system that functions according to its design and provides us with the best possible resources at the most affordable prices then we each need to start taking responsibility in learning how our Economic Structure is built and how it runs. Only then will we ever have the chance to utilize the healthcare system that our Elected Officials promise.