Cooking for Your Health

Food as medicine is hardly a new treatment.  Hippocrates quoted it thousands of years ago.  Research continues to show that proper nutrition with natural foods keeps low risk for disease lower, and it also keep high risk conditions from progressing and perhaps even occurring. Starting before birth is the optimal time.  Early good nutrition is important.

Cooking is good medicine.  What you cook is better medicine. Culinary medicine can help you feel better and stay healthy. The healthy food and the cooking help health and healing. This is what healthcare providers are learning to pass on to their patients instead of a prescription.  

Make your healthy more wealthy by learning to shop for healthy food to prepare healthy meals.  This can save your money as well as your health.  Let it begin and/or continue with education and action with the intent of adding it to your healthy lifestyle.  Best health and eating!

Cook Your Way to Good Health!

 Cooking is good medicine.  What you cook is better medicine.  Culinary medicine can help you get better and stay healthy.  The healthy food plus cooking adds to great, healthy feelings.  This is what more doctors and healthcare providers are studying to recommend for their patients.  More residency training programs are including culinary medicine in their school curriculum.  

Food as medicine is hardly a new treatment.  Hippocrates quoted it thousands of years ago.  Research continues to show that proper nutrition with natural foods keeps low risk for disease lower, and it also keep high risk conditions from progressing and perhaps even occurring. Starting before birth is the optimal time.  Early good nutrition is important.

Make your healthy more wealthy by learning to shop for healthy food to prepare healthy meals.  This can save your money as well as your health.  Let it begin and/or continue with education (March is National Nutrition Month) and action with the intent of adding it to your healthy lifestyle.  Best health and eating!

Nutrition Month: Culinary Medicine Makes Healthy More Wealthy

Cooking is good medicine.  What you cook is better medicine.  Culinary medicine can help you get better and stay healthy.  The healthy food plus cooking adds to great, healthy feelings.  This is what more doctors and healthcare providers are studying to recommend for their patients.  More residency training programs are including culinary medicine in their school curriculum.  

Food as medicine is hardly a new treatment.  Hippocrates quoted it thousands of years ago.  Research continues to show that proper nutrition with natural foods keeps low risk for disease lower, and it also keep high risk conditions from progressing and perhaps even occurring. Starting before birth is the optimal time.  Early good nutrition is important.

Make your healthy more wealthy by learning to shop for healthy food to prepare healthy meals.  This can save your money as well as your health.  Let it begin and/or continue with education (March is National Nutrition Month) and action with the intent of adding it to your healthy lifestyle.  Best health and eating!

Your Health Budget: Medication Affordability and Rising Healthcare Prices

The 2021 United States median income was about $45,760.  This amounts to about $3,813 per month.  After taxes this could be about $2542 per month for basic living expenses including rent/ mortgage; utilities; food; clothing; schooling; transportation; healthcare; insurances healthcare, home(s), car(s); and for other family necessary needs.  Ten percent of this ($254) could be just one of several medicines you take. Add more medication and it can easily become 20%. For patients below the poverty level, those with lowest average yearly salary of $18,074, especially those who are disabled or over 60 on Social Security Supplemental Income, this may be difficult.  

Patients have concerns about necessary medication, prescription or non-prescription, that they are unable to afford.  These include price, real necessity (i.e., other treatment options), and good treatment for that which it was given.  Will it control, make better, and cure their malady without side effects?  If it fails, the patient may get sicker as well as financially unstable.  

The days of patients taking everything the doctor prescribes or says are fewer.  Patients have become empowered in all ways especially with responsible self-care and health literacy.  Once diagnosed, or even prior to seeing the doctor, patients are able to immediately look it up and learn more about their condition(s), medication used for treatment, newest treatment options, specialists, special therapists, and so much more.  This helps you get the best treatment at prices that fit your budget.

Remember to discuss medication money issues with your healthcare providers.  They will be sure to help find affordable resources for you.  Also discuss, other treatments like proper nutrition and physical therapy which can done in your home.  This makes it easier and allows it to be continued more effectively.  Find what works best for you.  Best health!   

Patient Healthcare Consumers Shop Around

Today's patient healthcare consumer are more savvy and empowered than ever.  When it comes to selection of health services, they know what works best for them. Trying to afford this can be a challenge.  Healthcare shopping is limited to what health providers offer.  This leaves little room for healthcare consumers to choose what is best for them at reasonable, low, competitive prices.  Now that prices for every health service and treatment are the highest ever, the patient is expected to pay these exorbitant expenses.  Health insurance premiums have risen so high so quickly that  it has outpaced people's income which has failed to rise so high so quickly.  The choices for this type of health product are so limited in this age of company mergers which will make the choices even less.  In addition, employers who provide health insurance are requiring the employees to pay more out of their own pocket.


Shopping for medication can be quite costly as well.  The brand name versus generic medication battle is expensive as constant differences erupt over who gets to have what rights.  The healthcare consumer tries to buy what they need for sure.  If they can, they buy less needed medication and use it as needed - sparingly.  Medication that cost the most whether non-prescription or prescription are usually the first to go.  Cheaper alternatives are found as patients learn more about what good health and well-being  can be with lifestyle changes and less medication.  Food, housing, transportation, school come first in most households.  Again, health needs drop further down the list as the budget limit is approached.


For individual health care to work, the health care consumer must have more choices.  The health industry has few choices at big prices.  Unlike any other industry the consumer is unable to procure what they know they need on their own.  A doctor's order or health insurance prior authorization is required to obtain necessary tests from certain providers.  Patient healthcare consumers should be able to shop around for what is best for them - best test at best price conveniently close to their home.  Diagnostic centers are now more plentiful than ever.  You can make your own appointment at where you want to get the test; however permission from a doctor in the form of a referral or prescription is usually required.  Of course, this can delay necessary care.


Similar restrictions are seen in the doctors' offices and hospitals.  The power to purchase and make the decision for your health purchase is anyone but you - the patient!  There are few choices such as the variety available when choosing a car or an ice cream flavor.  As medical reimbursements to health providers are lowered, so will be the choices the healthcare consumer.  Patients are paying more out of their pockets for things not covered by insurance at an alarming rate - more than any time since tracking health care expenditures began!  As more medical decision making and payment is shifted to the patient, more choices are evolving.  For instance, direct primary care is giving patients the opportunity to have a direct agreement with the health care provider of their choice for medical services rendered.  This allows patient healthcare consumers (pun intended) to look for what is best for them.

As more choice and less restrictions occur, patients will have more choices as they should.  You can empower your health with less stress and frustration as a smart healthcare consumer.  Shop around until you find the health services that fit your needs and budget.   Best health!

Money and Your Medication

The 2015 United States median income was $56,516.  This is $4719  a month.  After taxes this is approximately $3140 for basic living expense including rent/ mortgage, utilities, food, clothing, healthcare, insurances (home. car, health, etc.), transportation, taxes, and miscellaneous.  Ten percent, $314, could be the price of one medicine you need.  If one of your medication cost this much it is one-tenth of your income.  If you are one other medication , you could be paying as much as 20% just for medication. 
Are you having concerns that your $314-a-month medicine your doctor just prescribed is unaffordable? Is it worth it to overextend your budget?  Can you really afford it?  Do you really need it?  What else must you think about cutting back on?  These are just a few of the thoughts that run through a patient's mind when faced with the dilemma of high prescription prices.  A bigger concern is if the medicine will work and make them better.  If it does not they are possibly sicker plus out of money to pay for the medicine and treatments that do work.


Long gone are the days when patients take everything the doctor gives them or says to them as the final say.  Patients have become more empowered in all ways, but especially with health information.  Once diagnosed you can look up almost everything on your diagnosis including medicine side effects, new treatment options, and even an actual surgical procedures. Multiple treatment options are available that may work better than just prescription or non-prescription medication at much less cost.


When you get that expensive over-your-budget medication, discuss it with your doctor before you get price shell shock at the pharmacy counter.  Many doctors have access to medication prices, and may be able to prescribe something affordable within your budget that will help you.  If you have access to Internet while at your appointment, you can look it up via your local pharmacies website, and/or drug price check websites.  Discuss this and other alternative integrative treatment options with your doctor to find what works best for you and your pocketbook.  Best health!

Healthy Eating Precision Diet

One of the best ways to cut costs is to cut unnecessary expenses.  You invite good health when you manage your money well.  When you start with your health, you create more wealth.  One of the best ways to save money is to create wellness in your life.  One of the best ways to do both is to eat healthy, more precisely, precision eating.  Studies have shown what I have seen.  Those who consume a healthy diet, with emphasis on foods necessary for their illness, feel better and consume less medication.  Weight tends to stay stable when this occurs over the years.
Those with hypertension can decrease their medication and even stop it as their blood pressure becomes normal on their precision diet.  This would include vegetables especially carrots, beans, bananas, broccoli, garlic, and onions five times a week.  These are a few foods of the many that help lower blood pressure and decrease heart disease. The same foods also increase brain power, decrease cholesterol, improve digestion, and more.  Tumeric seasoning is an excellent way to add anti-inflammatory pain relief in arthritic neuromuscular states. Cinnamon helps with diabetes control as do beans.  Beans supplies fiber which helps keep bowel habits regular and stress free. 
When you buy these basic good foods, you are very likely to save more at the grocery checkout monthly than if you were buying three or more medications per month.  Over time you will feel better and see health improvements.  As this occurs less money will go towards medication.  The multivitamin is likely to be one of the first since a healthy selection of food will include all you need.  This healthy food will decrease most bowel distress thereby alleviating the need for gastrointestinal medication.  When blood pressure or blood sugar get in normal range, there is little need for pills.
Healthy food leads to good health.  Saving money on your health becomes greater wealth in many ways.  Study and read about what you need to make your precision food prescription for better health.  Eating healthy is eating good.  Best health!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

How You Can Save on Health Costs

Rising health care costs are one of the biggest reasons many people refrain from getting medical care when they need it.  Medical care costs deter many from doing what is best for their health. The following suggestions will help you spend your health dollars more wisely.

1. Eat proper foods. This is more healthy and less expensive especially if dining out or ordering in is eliminated.  Deleting junk food reduces expenses as well.  Home cooking is better for you and less costly.
2. Keep weight stable. It is the healthy thing to do. This will save on grocery and clothing expenses as well as long term savings on medical expenses.
3. Get prescription medicines in bulk quantity of 100 versus thirty day supply especially if you are paying outright. Buy nonprescription medication in bulk when on sale. You will be amazed at your savings when you buy a six to twelve month supply on sale. This tip is also effective for emergency preparedness.
4. Talk with your doctor by phone, fax, and email to save on the cost of an office visit payment. Just think about the number of office visits you have been to where all you did was talk (after waiting for a long while). This will save your time and money.
5. Monitor blood pressure at home.  Call in, email, or fax your readings to your health care providers. Many doctors will discover that your blood pressure is actually stable when the stress of the doctor's white coat is absent. For diabetics, a home glucometer is very useful for monitoring blood sugar.
6. Maintain healthy lifestyle changes long term.
7. Do routine health maintenance check-ups and testing.  Prevention and early detection have proven cost effective and good for overall health.

Invest in your most important asset - YOU. Maintaining your good health is one of the best ways to prosper into longevity.  Best health!

Your Choice: Medication or Food?

As health care costs rise everyone is looking for ways to save and cut costs. Recent studies and polls reveal that many are foregoing their medicine for other necessities of life like food and shelter.  Patient compliance has dropped to a new low.  Patients are taking their medication as needed when their budget allows.  This means less to none on a daily basis. Many are finding this indeed saves money, and possibly affects their health outcome minimally.

As food is the sustenance of life, many are making healthier choices.  This helps their medical maladies as well.  For hypertension and diabetes proper food choices can often alleviate the need for “stronger” treatment with medication. As more patients learn about dietary management and adhere to it, they find that they can indeed save money.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are noncompliant with your medication because of the cost, or side effects that may cause other conditions requiring more medication, more money.  Be sure to get formal diet and nutrition counseling.  This will help make the right choices when you shop for food.  Contrary to popular myth, healthy food is actually affordable.  Shop smart to save your money and your health!     

Free Prescription: Lifestyle Changes

Behavior modification takes time as most good things do. Studies show that this is a sure way to attain and maintain excellent health. Changing your behavior is safe, inexpensive and free from side effects that you might get from medication. Lifestyle changes that result from behavior modification become habit especially as you feel and see the health benefits.

Exercise and healthy eating are two of the easiest ways you can make your behavior count towards your health. For instance, home preparation of meals makes it easier to select healthy choices. The focus is to eat the proper foods that nourish and heal.  Likewise, exercise keeps the body in motion and less susceptible to pain. Walking and stretching benefit the body as much as an expensive gym membership.  The more you can do in your home or at your home is probably better.  This also provides less stress which is good for mental health.

 

Give your body and mind what it deserves.  Modify your behavior to help yourself attain better health and fitness.  Use your free prescription freely.

 

Best health!

Obesity: One Big Eating Saga Is Taking You

Obesity affects more children and adults than ever before. About one-third of the world's people are overweight enough to be considered unhealthy. It is a risk factor for more serious health conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and more. Body mass index (BMI) is an indicator of obesity. BMI is calculated from your weight and height. You are considered obese if your BMI is over 30. Research shows that you can reduce your risk of concurrent health conditions and potential associated risks by losing weight.

You can prevent obesity as well as control the one big eating saga primarily responsible for the cause. Portion control and exercise are the main ways you can keep your weight in a healthy range. Choosing healthy foods is also a way to keep the pounds off. Strict attention to these factors alone will help you maintain instead of gain.  Check with your doctor for further resources including a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and formal exercise training.  Make healthy eating and exercise part of your life routine.

Best health!

What You Would Like to Hear From Your Doctor Parody

It's so good to read the truth at last! Would you like to hear your doctor tell you these things?

Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it.. Don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q:Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all.. Wine is made from fruit.
Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain.
Bottoms up!

Q:How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q:What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is : No Pain..Good!

Q:Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!!
.... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy?
HELLO
Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. And remember:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride' AND....

For those of you who watch what you eat , here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.