Prevention Requires Less Intervention

Prevention and early detection are important for your health and wellness.  Routine check ups are shown to improve overall health while requiring less medical intervention and treatments.  Done on a "routine" basis means just that - in a consistent manner based on your health profile.  As one gets older, or if one has chronic disease they may become  more frequent than every few years.  As you prepare to see your doctor you will find that Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is the ideal reference book to inform you about what checkups and tests you may need for prevention intervention.

This Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award winner informs patients about basic medical care. By reading this how-to reference book you will learn:

• how to keep a medical diary
• how to get your medical records
• how to document your complete medical history
• what the physical exam should include
• about preventive tests and when to get them
• about tests your doctor orders
• about specialists and other medical providers
• about health care plans and coverage
• how to seek quality health services

Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is on Kindle, and can be borrowed via the Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Surge in Surgery

How many surgeries does the average person have in a lifetime?  According to the most recent study of its kind from 2002, it was found that you could need surgery at least 9.2 times if you live to 85 years of age. It is no surprise that surgeries increase with age.  Surgery is also prevalent in women during their reproductive years.  For both men and women between ages of 45 to 75 there is also an increase.  Three of the top ten most common surgeries were for women’s gynecological conditions.  C-sections ranked as number one.  For men the top surgery was for cardiac conditions (angioplasty, heart bypass).  Fortunately many surgeries done today are minimally invasive done as an outpatient instead of in a traditional hospital stay.

These facts indicate that you will have surgeries in your lifetime.  Think about the cost of this.  Would you be able to pay for it?  Rising health care costs and increase in illness have made this nearly impossible for most on an average income of today. The sensible and responsible thing to do is have health insurance.  Is your health more important than that $50,000 car or $200,000 home you insure? Plus these insurances are usually required.  Your health deserves to be insured as well.

If your health insurance policy has been cancelled, your health insurance provider has other plans that will fit your need with comprehensive, affordable coverage that covers more and includes your same providers.  Look at the cancelled product as new and improved health benefits at a much lower price. Basically your policy has not been “cancelled”, but upgraded with many more options.

There is also the option of looking at the National Healthcare Insurance Exchange by phone, paper application, online, or in person at designated places.  This offers more choices from other health insurance providers with different “levels” of coverage.  Each level offers basic and free preventive care from less than 60%  to 90% coverage.  The cost is now actually less than what you may have paid previously under the “cancelled” policy!  Now that health insurance is more affordable and chances are you will need surgery, it makes sense to have it.  Plus you get the chance to maintain your health with prevention and proper treatment in hopes of preventing surgery.

The yearly cost of your health insurance premium is much less than the cost of one major surgery and recuperation (equals 5-10 years worth). Even if you have enough cash to pay, you will save more than your money by being insured. Get covered for good health!

Best health!

White Coat Hypertension: Is it Really High Blood Pressure?

Is it really high blood pressure or is it the white coat? White coat hypertension is a term that refers to high blood pressure (HBP) when you visit your doctor or other health care provider.  It is normal during other times.  Are you really hypertensive if this is the case?  Do you really need the DASH diet and medication?

High blood pressure is defined as three consecutive blood pressure readings at or above 140/90, or one reading above 160/100.  These readings are most commonly obtained when you visit your doctor which can be from one time to several times a year.  Needless to say the preparation and anxiety that go with doctor's appointments is enough to make any one's blood pressure go up normally! Getting ready and getting there can surely create this effect, but is this enough to make a diagnosis of high blood pressure when your blood pressure checks weekly or daily are normal?

HBP monitoring by patients outside the doctor's office may prove that white coat hypertension is what it is.  Normal readings outside the health setting in your everyday environment are more accurate and real. By tracking your own blood pressure at home you may find that your blood pressure is normal most of the time.  You can also see what makes it abnormal, too, and avoid or decrease these things. If it stays consistently high without white coats, treatment with diet and medicine may be indicated.

Best health!

Internet Information and Your Health

Health information once obtained from bought or borrowed hard copy books, magazines, and papers is now available on your computer in seconds. Many studies have shown that the Internet is rapidly becoming the main source of health information for patients and health care providers around the world.  This has made it a tool of preventive medicine individually and globally.  Many are able to "pre-diagnose" themselves and maintain wellness by the time they seek medical care.  This makes for a shorter differential diagnosis dilemma for your doctor; thereby, shortening the time for correct diagnosis and treatment.

Health literacy on line also includes abundant applications for your smart phone and computer, interactive social media, and websites from health providers and institutions.  One of the most interactive and informative is Twitter.  Lists such as these for doctors,  http://bit.ly/2XWKw29 and medical/health http://bit.ly/2GWkbvH  contain lots of information that links directly to sources. Most of these include websites as well as individual snippets of information called "tweets".  Searches for specific health information can also be done using the internal search box.

While the Internet may help diagnose, it far from replaces your doctor's advice. Use it as a health literacy tool to educate yourself.   Check out "What the Internet Does for You and Your Health" http://bit.ly/a3RAjw for more health literacy lessons. Best health!

How to Make Your Doctor Visit Easier

Visits to your doctor or any healthcare provider can be frustrating and time consuming for all involved.  These are some things you can do to make it an easier and more productive.

One of the first things you want to do is make a written or typed medical history to take with you, especially if this is your first visit to a new doctor. Make a copy for you and your doctor. You both will be able to refer to it as needed. This will save valuable time, and give you and your doctor more time to talk instead of flipping through your medical record. It can be difficult trying to "remember" what test or procedure you had 10 years ago or even last year.

It is a good to make appointments when you are well and stable.  Keep a list of things you want to talk to your doctor about. Update the list before each visit. This way you will be able to keep track of what has been discussed, and what needs to be discussed. Try to talk about the most important things first especially those that need immediate attention. Each time you go for your visit, you can refer to your list and take up where you left off. Be sure to express your immediate concerns first. We all know how short a doctor visit can be.

Request copies of your medical records from all your doctors. "The medical record is the cornerstone of keeping track of everything pertaining to your health." This gives you a complete assessment of all your medical problems. You will be able to check the accuracy of your records, and bring any errors or absent information to your doctor's attention. Let your doctor know about anything you do not understand, or if there is something you are unable to read due to poor handwriting. It is surprising to see how many doctors are often unable to read their own writing.

Schedule your appointment for first available times in the morning or afternoon.*  This will likely ensure that you will be seen on time with a shorter wait time and longer visit.  It will help you and your doctor focus on your total health care versus acute, intermittent health concerns that can easily take up your whole time. Unless an emergency arises, the wait should be less than 15 minutes.  If there is an emergency you should be notified and given the option of waiting or rescheduling, or going elsewhere for treatment. 

The easiest thing you can do is be on time.  Best health!

*How to Make Your Doctor Appointment http://bit.ly/akMrpX

by J.L, Richardson, M.D., family medicine expert and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide, honorable mention of Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award** and Indie Excellence Award finalist.

(**Written by a reliable source, this book is the perfect quick reference for all of those squeamish people who hate going to the doctor. I am one of those people. I hate wondering why a certain test was performed, exactly what a common diagnosis may mean, what the proper specialist for my malady might be called, and negotiating the maze of health insurance forms and other paperwork that seems to accompany my ailment; thereby adding insult to injury. To avoid the mystery, misery, and tedium of the wellness process, I often remain sick in order to forego or delay much needed medical appointments. The author writes for people like me; she writes in a calming, professional tone and explains, in as simple and non-threatening a manner as possible, what I can expect along every step of the healing process. By learning to keep a medical diary, knowing what to expect of my medical staff as well as how to decode their complicated language, and then by understanding the basics of the complex American healthcare system, I can take charge of my own healthcare. This little book provides me with all the tools necessary to do just that. ~Writer's Digest)

Tips for Effective Communication

1. Listen a lot.
2. Be specific.
3. Ask for a reasonable change that will relieve the gripe.
4. Make sure your patient/healthcare provider understands what you want and you understand what she or he wants.
5. Deal with only ONE issue at a time.
6. ALWAYS consider compromise.
7. Never assume you know what the other is thinking. Check it out. Don't assume or predict reactions, rejections, or acceptance.
8. Accept what the other feels. Don't tell your patient/healthcare provider what he or she should or should not be feeling.
9. Don't name call or label.
10. Sarcasm is dirty fighting - call each other on it.
11. Stay in the present. Grievances should be dealt with at the earliest possible moment. Don't save them up to use as weapons.

Great health relies on effective communication by everyone - YOU the patient, your family, and your health care team. Best health!

Your Weight: When Less is More

Here are some things YOU can do to lose weight and keep it off sensibly:

• Make good eating habits part of your life long health maintenance plan.  Avoid yo-yo dieting.  This often results in recurrent weight gain - each time!
• Learn good eating habits.
• Eat small portions.  Five small meals a day will be less caloric and give you more energy with less hunger.
• Enjoy foods you like that may more unhealthy less frequently. 
• Exexrcise routinely.  Frequent intervals of 10 minutes 2 to 3 times a day a few times a week is adequate.  Start slow like with five minutes for first week.  This will help encourage a positive attitude and more activity.

Ask your primary care health provider to refer you to dieticians and nutrition specialists for more details.  Weight loss surgery is an option that can be considered if obesity is causing and making other health problems more serious; however, serious side effects can occur and you can gain the weight back.  Talk to a doctor that specializes in bariatric surgery for details.

Healthy weight is always great. It is one time when less is more.

Best health!

Healthcare Deja Vu Come True?

As health care access decreases and costs increase, we must look ahead to improving it for everyone.  In 2011 employers paid an average of $11,000 for employees and their families, while yearly insurance premiums rose from $13,000 to $15,000.  The following is an excerpt from "Building an American Healthcare System" released in 2002 when the average premium paid by employers was $6500. While proposing ways to decrease cost and access, one is able to see that good healthcare can be deja vu come true.

One stop shopping for medical care is in order. By having more clinics, easy access to care will help people to get what they need in a timely manner. Waiting to see the doctor is one of the reasons our health care is out of control. The Public Health facilities will be a setting in which health care providers will employed and compensated as in the private sector. It will be just as prestigious to work for the Public Health as the private sector. In addition, permanent protection of physician incomes can be guaranteed by the government much like the recent ruling in Britain (British Medical Journal, April 5, 2003). The concept of second rate, low paying health care for the low income associated with Public Health Service must be changed and amplified. We must be proud to work for our country’s health system, and to obtain top notch health services! In this set up, the uninsured are insured and objectives of the Fair Care to the Uninsured Act of 2003 will be met. This is very important. Those without insurance are sicker, die younger and receive less care for many conditions. The risk of illness increases the longer one is without insurance.


More emphasis from the USPHS for education, prevention and screening, eldercare, disabled care, chronic condition care/ chronic multisystem illness (CMI), health awareness, and education is needed. The Public Health clinic will evolve from the barely visible building or little trailer in the field to highly visible, easily accessible structures. Vacant malls and warehouse buildings can be bought and transformed to mini-medical facilities that provide it all. Pre-existing clinics in the area can be merged, or remain as satellite facilities. The goal is to have health care at every corner much like the neighborhood convenience store. The era for traveling 100 miles to your doctor, waiting half a day or more only to spend the average 5 minutes with your health care provider must cease.

Minnesota has set up a system that covered about 95% of its residents under 65 in 2001 (86% in 2000). It uses government and private insurance together to achieve insurability.  "Approaching Universal Coverage: Minnesota’s Health Insurance Plans" by Debra Chollet & Lori Achman of Mathematica Research Policy, Inc.states that it has been successful at serving "all populations in need at all levels of income". Coverage is included for the "medically uninsurable" like the person with chronic multisytem disease, or pre-existing conditions. Its GAMC and MA plans includes coverage for expenses that occurred in the 3 months prior to application, and do not have premiums or co-pays. Minnesota's programs have been, or are currently used in other states, and can be used to help lay the foundation for health care uniformity. The Commonwealth Fund has several publications that look at other states' health systems, and universal health coverage.

The effort to consolidate the American health system is a priority. Karen Davis' summary, "Time to Change: The Hidden Cost of a Fragmented Health Insurance System", states that the present system "is not up to the challenge of ensuring a healthy and productive nation because it is 'fragmented' ". The focus of her summary exemplifies how lack of uniform health services costs more with less results.


Attention must also be placed on employer health provisions.  In 2002 companies spent an average of $6500 per person for health care. This does not include the patients' out of pocket payment for services. The pages of uncovered services listed in many insurance handbooks grows longer. About 41 million employed by small business pay directly for services at prices compatible with the Medicare and Medicaid models. Through the leadership of the Public Health Service all businesses are uninsured primarily because it is unaffordable. Congress is presently looking at a concept called an Association Health Plan (AHP) as part of the Small Business Health Fairness Act. This would allow small business owners to offer large corporation health discounts. It would also be uniform nationwide. The AHP is in use in some states, and has come and gone in some. Last year 16 states closed down 48 AHP plans. This would be a great opportunity to "phase in" national coverage. As employer health programs are phased out, patients should be offered the option to obtain national insurance. Each person preventive and screening will be done without charge. Eventually this will lead to a healthier people, and health system at a much lower cost.

  

Health Books: Healing Reading

Reading good health books is a great way to improve your health and well being. The best books help you care for your health and encourage as well as teach. 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.


Merck Manual for Health & Aging
by Merck

Savvy Patient Toolkit
by Margo Corbett

Why, Charlie Brown, Why? A Story About What Happens When a Friend Is Very Ill
by Charles M. Schulz

The Empowered Patient
by Elizabeth Cohen

What's Wrong with Me? The Frustrated Patient's Guide to Getting an Accurate Diagnosis
by Lynn M. Dannheisser & Jerry M. Rosenbaum M.D.

YOU: The Owner's Manual
by Mehmet Oz, M.D. & Michael F. Roizen. M.D.

Inner Pulse
by Marc Siegel. M.D.

Healing Back Pain
by John E. Sarno, M.D.

Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
by Mary J. Shomon

New Choices in Natural Healing
by Doug Dollemore & Bill Gottlieb

Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide
by J. L. Richardson, M.D.

Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is written for patients by a medical doctor "to inform and educate patients about medical care". Health maintenance, prevention, early detection, and early treatment are the foundation for great health.


This Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award winner informs patients about
basic medical care. By reading this how-to reference book you will learn:

• how to keep a medical diary
• how to get your medical records
• how to document your complete medical history
• what the physical exam should include
• about preventive tests and when to get them
• about tests your doctor orders
• about specialists and other medical providers
• about health care plans and coverage
• how to seek quality health services.

Sample the beginning free at Amazon Kindle store http://amzn.to/bL3GHm and free excerpts at Google Books http://bit.ly/NoUuCB . Best health!

Your Family Doctor

Patient Handbook to Medical Care is the best doctor visit you can have anytime!  When you read this book you will feel healthier, wealthier and wiser!

Are you getting the medical care you deserve?  Are you getting the right tests? Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide by J. L. Richardson, M.D. lets you know! This book is written for patients by a medical doctor "to inform and educate patients about medical care".


ABOUT THE BOOK

This Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Award winner informs patients about
basic medical care. By reading this reference book you will learn:

• how to keep a medical diary
• getting your medical records
• your complete medical history
• what the physical exam should include
• about preventive tests and when to get them
• about tests your doctor orders
• about specialists and other medical providers
• about health care plans and coverage
• how to seek quality health services.

This 112-page easy-to-read. large print paperback handbook will help patients stay in charge of their health maintenance and overall care.  "Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide" is a concise, informative overview of health care basics. It provides patients with a doctor's perspective on professional healthcare, and allows them to become their own best advocates.

It also includes "My Health Notes", blank pages for you to write your own health notes!  This is a great way to keep track of your health concerns, and start your medical diary.This book will tell you how to take care of your most important asset- YOU!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Richardson is a family medicine doctor with over 25 years of experience in the medical field.  Dr. Richardson's undergraduate and medical degrees were received from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and residency training was done at Georgetown University and Providence Hospital in
Washington, D.C.  Dr. Richardson is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP), the Florida Academy of Family Practice (FAFP) as well as University of North Carolina Alumni
Association.

Past affiliations include: Managed Care Ombudsman Committee for the Florida Agency for Healthcare
Administration (AHCA); National Association of Managed Care Physicians; Dade County Medical
Association; American Medical Women's Association; Board Member fof McLamore Children's Center of  Children's Home Society of South Florida; Grove Outreach Physician Volunteer; 1999 Special Olympics Physician Volunteer; Cedars Hospital (Miami, Florida) Medical Staff and Utilization Review Committee; and American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. Dr. Richardson has experience with independent medical record review and patient advocacy issues.

Bend of the River Books is proud to announce that Patient Handbook to Medical Care is now in 59 libraries throughout the United States. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has free public access to read and learn the importance of health maintenance, prevention, and wellness. This expert's guide to personal health care is the ideal book "to inform and educate patients about medical care".

Best health!

Making the Most of Your Doctor Visit

When you go to your doctor or health care provider, you should be prepared.  This is one way you can be sure that your doctor visit focuses on your most important health issues. The following suggestions will help you get the most out of your doctor vist.

• Be on time.
• Make a list of things you want to talk to your doctor about. Update the list before each visit. This way you will be able to keep track of what has been discussed, and what needs to be discussed. Try to talk about the most important things first especially those that need immediate attention. Each time you go for your visit, you can refer to your list and take up where you left off. Be sure to express your immediate concerns first. We all know how short a doctor visit can be.
• Make a written or typed medical history* to take with you, especially if this is your first visit to a new doctor. Make a copy for you and your doctor. You both will be able to refer to it as needed. This will save valuable time, and give you and your doctor more time to talk instead of flipping through your medical record. It can be difficult trying to "remember" what test or procedure you had 10 years ago.
• Get copies of your medical records from all your doctors. "The medical record is the cornerstone of keeping track of everything pertaining to your health." You will be able to check the accuracy of your records, and bring any errors or absent information to your doctor's attention. Let your doctor know about anything you do not understand, or if there is something you are unable to read due to legibility. It is surprising to see how many doctors are often unable to read their own handwriting.
• Take advantage of the time your doctor takes looking through your medical chart during your visit by taking your own notes especially questions. As much as 1/3 of your visit time can be consumed by this alone.
• Allow each other to talk without interruption. 
• Bring a trustwothy companion.

Click on "Comments" below to add your tips or ask questions.


*medical history form http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/

Spill the Pills, Take a Knife Slice: Surgery vs. Conservative RX

Conservative treatment is the mainstay for many chronic diseases.  This means that your healthcare team will most likely encourage you to avoid surgery unless it is life threatening issue.  Why is the stigma of surgery avoidance associated with poor outcomes?  This day in time savvy surgery techniques and fewer post operative complications complications are more likely to restore your quality of life to a livable level.  In other words three years or more of taking pills with or without complimentary treatment can be more costly in the long run with a poor quality of life.

How will you know if surgery sooner rather than later is best for you?  Talk with your doctors and healthcare providers.  If you find there is disagreement, seek out more opinions until you find what is best for you.  Surgery is preventive and can improve one's quality of life in months especially if conservative treatment fails.  Conservative treatment may help, but after many years it is less likely and becomes more costly in every way primarily in worsening of symptoms.

Spare yourself countless years of needless suffering. Do your homework.  See what treatments work best for you.  Talk with your healthcare providers about new treatments, and look for doctors (specialists) who have experience in the area.  If you've been getting around with the same nagging symptoms and watching your years pass you by without improvement or feeling good on the same treatment year after year, get on with it! Consider surgery if it is an option.

Great health is true wealth!

Health News Anemic on Mainstream TV Media

Have you noticed that there is a media health news deficiency on your TV?  In 24 hours of TV observance, mostly redundant repetition, health news rarely got repeated or even mentioned.  In addition, health stories seemed to stem from some person's misfortune rather than their health challenge.  As many times as the story is repeated, rarely, if ever, is there a clue about what you could do if it happened to you.

Within a 24 hour period health commercials comprised more health information than actual broadcasts.  Most of these are via big pharma, heavily sedated with drug enticement for profit.  If you wanted to know about the daily health news like the current blood shortage or the new measles outbreak, you can read about it on line before it becomes old news on TV, if at all.

Of course there are newsworthy things going on in health medicine - everyday.  Drug recalls, disease outbreaks, new disease research, and public health hazards infect our communities daily.  Local news may mention it, and is more likely to carry health news you can actually use as well as local resources to help you out.

Medical information on TV is limited and stagnating. Sixty seconds on the news. Two minutes on the talk show after commercials on prescription medication. Outdated show on this channel, and outdated repeat on that channel in between the new show. Watch some on this channel then click and click to different channels to connect your medical news for today. Channel surfing can become quite cumbersome with a low yield within 24 hours. Excluding taped health shows the daily intermittent health news infusion averages less than one hour.

Solution: health channel. The TV box is probably the most used medium by which folks get their news and information. It is certainly a way to get information to people. The most used information source is one of the least used by the cutting edge medical field.

Health and medical coverage on TV is surely lacking in this consumer driven health conscious society. We can watch as much sports, cartoons, movies, news as we want, but we still have to piece together our medical information and supplement it with the written word, or health care providers’ spoken word.  

Great health is true wealth. Dedicated health channels and more daily health news would make us even healthier and richer. Transfuse, please.

Free Health Advice - Would You Dare?

In these days of rising costs on everything, health care may be seen as "optional" unless free or discounted. Many healthcare providers are often asked (especially at parties!) for free advice on and off the Internet. 


Would you use free health advice from a doctor, nurse, or other medical provider? http://twtpoll.com/r/s16vcz

Prevention Checkups: Is It Time for You?

Staying healthy and disease-free is what prevention is about. The complete physical is the beginning of prevention. The breast exam checks for cancer, as do the Pap smear and rectal examination. Depending on your age and sex, there are guidelines for when to have certain tests. These guidelines are recommended by health organizations such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Physicians, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association. These guidelines are by no means laws, but they serve as useful suggestions for you and your doctor to use in your prevention and treatment program.

So how often should you have a complete physical? When is it time for your next tetanus shot? I have reviewed guidelines from the various health organizations mentioned above and compiled a summary of adult preventive care standards. These are also based on my own clinical experiences and on the number of lives saved by doing tests, regardless of whether the time frame of the guidelines was observed.

ADULT PREVENTIVE STANDARDS
AGE:------------18–25----26–40 ----41–60----60+
Physical Exam 1–3 years 1–3 years 1–2 years yearly
Height/Weight 1–3 years 1–3 years 1–2 years biannual
Blood Pressure 1–3 years 1–3 years every year biannual
Eyes and Ears 1–3 years 1–3 years 1–2 years every year
Mouth 1–3 years 1–3 years 1–2 years every year
Breast Exam every year every year every year every year
Pap Smear* 1–2 years every year every year 1–3 years
Prostate Exam if needed if needed every year every year
Scrotal Exam every year every year every year every year
Rectal Exam if needed if needed every year every year
Stool Blood if needed if needed every year every year

COMPLETE BLOOD PANEL
AGE:---------18–25----26–40 ----41–60----60+
Lipid Panel 5 years 5 years every year every year
Liver Panel 5 years 5 years every year every year
Hepatitis 5 years 5 years every year every year
Kidney 5 years 5 years every year every year
Blood Count 5 years 5 years every year every year
Thyroid 5 years 5 years every year every year
Urine 5 years 5 years every year every year
Electrolytes 5 years 5 years every year every year
Glucose 5 years 5 years every year every year
Prostate (PSA) if needed if needed every year every year
HIV — test if any risk factors or exposure —

IMMUNIZATIONS**
AGE:----------------18–25----26–40 ----41–60----60+
Tetanusdiphtheria 10 years 10 years 10 years 10 years
Pneumococcal — as needed for persons at risk — once after 65
Influenza (flu) — as needed for persons at risk — every year
Hepatitis — — — — as needed for persons at risk — — — —
Measles-Mumps-Rubella — — if no antibodies, get 2nd dose — —

TESTS / PROCEDURES
AGE:---------18–25----26–40 ----41–60--------60+
Mammogram if needed 2–3 years every year every year
Chest X-ray baseline if needed if needed if needed
Electrocardiogram — — baseline — — every year every year
Colonoscopy if needed if needed 3–5 years 1–3 years
Body Scan baseline 1–3 years 1–3 years 1–3 years
DENTAL — — — — — — every year — — — — — —
MENTAL — — — — — — as needed — — — — — —

For any abnormalities, repeat screening and follow-up should be done sooner or more frequently depending on the individual person. For example, if your cholesterol is found to be increased when you are 18 years old or younger, you would want to have that checked at least every year instead of every five years. For people with a family history of breast cancer, yearly mammograms may start as early as the twenties.

Persons with a history of chronic illness (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, etc.) should have a yearly physical regardless of age. Frequent routine visits during the year are also in order for those with any chronic illness. In addition to preventive health screening tests, preventive health counseling is also very important. In addition to the doctor’s verbal counseling, ask for patient education references. Reading and knowing as much as you can about staying healthy also helps improve your quality of life and can make you feel better!

*Some sources recommend that after two normal PAP smears, repeat every 1–3 years.

**For further details, refer to the “Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule” published by The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Eleven Effective Rules of Communication

1. Listen a lot.
2. Be specific.
3. Ask for a reasonable change that will relieve the gripe.
4. Make sure your partner understands what you want and you understand what she or he wants.
5. Deal with only ONE issue at a time.
6. ALWAYS consider compromise.
7. Never assume you know what the other is thinking. Check it out. Don't assume or predict reactions, rejections, or acceptance.
8. Accept what the other feels. Don't tell your partner what he or she should or should not be feeling.
9. Don't name call or label.
10. Sarcasm is dirty fighting - call each other on it.
11. Stay in the present. Grievances should be dealt with at the earliest possible moment. Don't save them up to use as weapons.

Great health relies on effective communication by everyone - patient, family, and health care team. Best health!

Women's Health Checkup

Ladies, schedule your routine screenings and appointments to include:

1. mammogram/ MRI for breast cancer
2. PAP smear & HPV test for cervical cancer
3. stool check for blood (fecal occult blood test, FOBT) for colorectal cancer
4. cardiology doctor for cardiovascular prevention(get EKG, ECHO, and thallium stress test if indicated)
5. bone density scan to check for osteoporsis
6. counseling for smoking cessation, alcohol/drug dependence, and domestic violence
7. evaluation for depression and other mental disorders if necessary
8. complete physical exam, and routine blood tests.

Get in 5 to 10 minutes of exercise a day at least and eat healthy! Laugh a lot and love a lot!

by J. L. Richardson, MD, family practice doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

Doctor Search On Internet

Have you looked your doctors up on the Internet? When you do, you may find incomplete inconsistencies. Many web sites had no listing for several doctors I was looking up. So I looked at some others.

I went to the state medical board pages. I found that some doctors listed on the other web pages were not listed on the state board pages. Another doctor is listed with an active and an inactive license (several are listed like this). This doctor’s medical education and training have been done overseas. Some doctors have no residency training listed. This doctor has been in practice for 45 years, and is licensed in two countries and two other states. The doctor’s address is listed as a PO Box.

The type of information listed was different amongst the states. For instance, one state listed one line of information – license number, status of license, present location, disciplinary action (yes or no, not what), date of issue and expiration. Another state gives this plus the doctor’s education and training information, details of disciplinary legal action, other states/ countries where licensed, and board certification status. There were inactive licenses that were listed as active in another state’s information.

These incomplete inconsistencies are rather consistent. Do you know about your doctor’s background? Is your doctor properly trained and licensed? Which information is correct?

The American Medical Association (AMA) has a page with links to the state boards for licensing. Check your doctor at  http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2645.html. Compare it to the information at “doctor finder” sites. Incomplete inconsistency.

J.L. Richardson, MD is a family medicine doctor and author of "Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide".

http://www.mypatienthandbook.com/
www.twitter.com/MD4U

Patient Handbook in Your Library

Dear Librarians,

A FREE copy of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide will be donated to your library upon request until Labor Day.

Bend of the River Books is proud to announce that Patient Handbook to Medical Care is now in 60 libraries throughout the United States. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has free public access to read and learn the importance of health maintenance, prevention, and wellness. This expert's guide to personal health care is the ideal book "to inform and educate patients about medical care".

Thank you for all your support. It is so appreciated.

Best,
Dr. Richardson

read excerpts from Google Books http://short.to/kbv1