Health literacy is the sure way to help you and your health care team make the best medical decisions for you. Making healthy lifestyles permanent is one of the keys to good health. The following books are recommended primarily because they teach you things you can do for yourself that you can incorporate in your lifestyle to make it healthier.
Barney & Baby Bop Go to the Doctor
by Margie Larson
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom
by Christiane Northrup M.D.
The Medical Advisor: Complete Guide to Alternative & Complimentary Treament
by TIME Life Books
Dr. Koop's Self Care Advisor
by Everett C. Koop, M.D.
Merck Manual
by Merck
Savvy Patient Toolkit
by Margo Corbett
The Empowered Patient
by Elizabeth Cohen
Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide
by J. L. Richardson, M.D.
Best health!
domingo, 14 de noviembre de 2010
martes, 9 de noviembre de 2010
Flu IQ & Precautions
How much do you know about the flu? Take the Center for Disease Control quiz and see. Remember the basics: wash hands, cover your cough, stay well hydrated, dress warmly, get plenty of rest, and get a flu shot. If you have flu symptoms, stay at home until fever has gone and you feel better. Best health!
viernes, 5 de noviembre de 2010
Incidentaloma Incidents
When I had my initial body scan 10 years ago unexpected findings were discovered. These incidental incidentalomas had failed to cause any symptoms. An incidentaloma is the medical term for incidental findings that you may have been born with or acquired which are usually benign. Harmless and benign as they may be, further investigation is warranted, This may involve direct testing with a biopsy and possibly surgical excision.
Though most inidentalomas are benign, they may continue to grow inside the body. This may endanger other organs and become life threatening. Routine scans done at one, two, three, six months then annually is an accepted standard of care for following incidentalomas. In addition, periodic blood tests that correlate with it will help show any changes from the incidentaloma.
Of the five abnormal findings on my body scan, one proved life threatening. The ginormous kidney stone stuck in my kidney had caused no symptoms. Had it remained undetected, kidney failure and/or loss of a kidney surely could have occurred. Another incidentolama required biopsy and proved to be benign (was initially found on a cardiac stress test!). The others continue to be unchanged and asymptomatic. Followup with routine scans is the way they have been followed and they remain stable.
If you are concerned about cost and/or whether your health insurance will cover it, you may want to consider self pay. This test was worth each penny of my $750. Plus no prescription or referral is needed unless it is covered by Medicare. My insurance company now covers scans of each area with incidentolomas. Though not a body scan, the results are the same.
Incidental incidentolomas affect all of us. Once found they should be checked. Be sure to see any specialists that may be necessary to decide if biopsy, surgery, or simply following routine scans is enough.
Best health!
Though most inidentalomas are benign, they may continue to grow inside the body. This may endanger other organs and become life threatening. Routine scans done at one, two, three, six months then annually is an accepted standard of care for following incidentalomas. In addition, periodic blood tests that correlate with it will help show any changes from the incidentaloma.
Of the five abnormal findings on my body scan, one proved life threatening. The ginormous kidney stone stuck in my kidney had caused no symptoms. Had it remained undetected, kidney failure and/or loss of a kidney surely could have occurred. Another incidentolama required biopsy and proved to be benign (was initially found on a cardiac stress test!). The others continue to be unchanged and asymptomatic. Followup with routine scans is the way they have been followed and they remain stable.
If you are concerned about cost and/or whether your health insurance will cover it, you may want to consider self pay. This test was worth each penny of my $750. Plus no prescription or referral is needed unless it is covered by Medicare. My insurance company now covers scans of each area with incidentolomas. Though not a body scan, the results are the same.
Incidental incidentolomas affect all of us. Once found they should be checked. Be sure to see any specialists that may be necessary to decide if biopsy, surgery, or simply following routine scans is enough.
Best health!
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