Summer Sun Safety

Summer months include more sun and more Vitamin D.  As more time may be spent in the sun. more of your body may be exposed.  Remember to enage in good skin care by keeping your skin safe from those damaging UVA and UVB rays that cause serious, irreparable sun damage and skin cancer. Simple things you can do include:

• Limit sun exposure – avoid 10AM to 3PM, spend less than one hour in direct sun - less or none if fair complexion, burn easily, prone to skin cancer.
• Wear protective clothing – wide brim hats, long sleeves, long pants, skirts and/ or clothes made with sun protection fabric.
• Umbrella and shade.
• Use sunscreen SPF 15 or greater. Put on every hour if sweating or swimming. Put on every area exposed to sun, and be sure to remember behind those ears and on the neck.
• See your family doctor and/or dermatologist for moderate to severe sunburn, or any suspicious skin spots that fail to heal.

Home remedies to ease the suburn: gel from aloe plant; oatmeal bath; ice pack in soft cloth; powder on bed sheets; vinegar & baking powder paste. Keep yourself well hydrated by drinking lots of water. Also, do a self skin exam monthly to keep track of any abnormal skin lesions.  Best health!


by J. L. Richardson, MD, family practice physician, patient advocate, and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide. http://amzn.to/13m51UU

Read Daily World Book Day Is Everyday

Read what you need. Learn about what you need to maintain good health and well-being.  Health literacy is an important part of your self-care health care.  It helps promote better health and quality of life. During this Health Literacy Month make your health healthier with more medical information.

Medical science progresses so rapidly!  It is impossible for health care providers to keep up with all these new developments. Be aware of treatments your doctors and healthcare team have yet to hear about or are unlikely to ever find out about.  The overwhelming amount of new health information that comes out is far too much for many to stay current on every disease and treatment.  This should not stop you the patient from finding out all you can.  The same goes for wellness.  Participating in your health care is mandatory to maintain good health, achieve wellness, and overcome illness.

There are so many different treatments and modalities that compliment traditional medicine.  As many lack training in these areas they are unable to tell the patient.  Asking your doctor is a good starting place as is telling your doctor about the things you have read about or tried that helped.  In turn this may evoke a response by your physician to find out more,and even share with other patients and colleagues who may in turn share their “new” information which your doctor can share with you.

Reading and learning are vital to good health. Health literacy helps you make healthier, informed choices based on facts that have proven to yield better health outcomes.  Be health literate.  Best health!

Good health maintenance reads: 

Healthy Life Lines Amazon.com: Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health eBook : Richardson M.D., J L: Kindle Store

Patient Handbook to Medical Care Amazon.com: Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide eBook : Richardson M.D., J. L.: Kindle Store

Healthy Life Lines: Heart Month Hypertension Healers

Make less stress, tolerate even less.

Learn relaxation techniques.

Meditate daily.

Eat heart healthy food.

Exercise at least fifteen minutes or more a day in your best way.

Pursue enjoyable hobbies that you like.

Sleep soundly at least eight hours per twenty-four.

Let love keep you healthy.

Smile a lot.

Pray often.

Own a blood pressure device and /or an application on a phone.

Check your blood pressure at home. 

Give a blood pressure monitor as a gift.

Use love and positive kindness as daily medicine.

Best health!

MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: hypertension 

Family Fit Lifestyle Month Emergency Weather Plan

Prepare. Plan. Stay informed.

Prepare yourself first, and plan before the storm arrives. Check and update your plan monthly.  When a weather emergency occurs, your family should have a plan.  Your contact list should include agencies listed below including local numbers and websites for your area.  If you have a condition that requires special assistance, many of these agencies have contact information for preparations before, during, and after the storm. For example, most state power and utility companies have special assistance programs for thse in need of power to run medical supportive devices.

Preparation tips include:

• stay well rested 
• avoid unnecessary distractions
• know the facts, be present and up to date on storms and emergency preparation by reading and listening to lectures 
  
• prepare and check medical provider list to include your primary care doctors including specialists, nearest urgent care community health centers and hospital
• contact electric company to help with medical provisions like home oxygen should power failure occur
• contact community emergency services for listing if medical condition requires extra attention
• prepare food and water stock for two weeks or more
• freeze water for ice enough to fill two or more coolers
• keep prescription medication current with adequate supply for two months
• stay informed with neighbors and community resources
• get batteries for lights, radio, fans, medical devices like glucometer, blood pressure monitor
• charge all sources of power for telephones, limit use and keep turned off if not in use

During a weather emergency many resources are used quickly.  Make your emergency plan a family priority.to prevent and avoid unhealthy adverse events.  Best health!

Emergency Contact List

RED CROSS
http://www.redcross.org/
Phone: 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767 / 1-800-257-7575 (Español)

Ready
http://www.ready.gov/
Phone: 1-800- BEREADY (1-800-237-3239)

CDC Emergency Preparedness for Flood, Hurricane, Wildfires and more
http://emergency.cdc.gov/

CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/
Phone: (800) CDC-INFO/(800) 232-4636) TTY (888) 232-6348

National Weather Service
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
http://www.weather.gov/

NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)
http://www.noaa.gov/
NOAA in Your State
http://www.legislative.noaa.gov/NIYS0107/noaainyourstate.html

FEMA
http://www.fema.gov/
Disaster Assistance: (800) 621-FEMA, TTY (800) 462-7585

Flood Smart (NFIP - National Flood Insurance Program}
http://www.floodsmart.gov/
Phone: 1- 888-379-9531

National Association of County and City Health Officials
http://www.naccho.org/
local public health resource

National Guard
http://www.nationalguard.com/

Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Stay prepared. Best health!

Healthy Holidays

Live healthy. Live simply healthy.  “Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health” is a book that helps you attain good health and keep it stable.   This short book consists of one line health tips that promote wellness and good health.  These tips will encourage you to live a lifestyle of good health.  “Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health” is free on Kindle Unlimited and available in large print paperback book. 

Check it out https://amzn.to/2WCH7oM 

Healthy life lines include;

·       Be literate in health.

·       Focus on prevention to avoid intervention.

·       Constantly do things to improve your health

·       Embrace healthy routines.

·       Limit and avoid multitasking.

·       Find funny and laugh daily.

·       Keep a health diary.

·       Know your family medical history.

Best health!

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!

Healthy Life Lines Free on Kindle Unlimited

Live healthy. Live simply healthy.  “Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health” is a book that helps you attain good health and keep it stable.   This short book consists of one line health tips that promote wellness and good health.  These tips will encourage you to live a lifestyle of good health.  “Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health” is free on Kindle Unlimited and available in large print paperback book. 

Check it out! https://amzn.to/2WCH7oM 

Healthy life lines include;

·       Be literate in health.

·       Focus on prevention to avoid intervention.

·       Constantly do things to improve your health

·       Embrace healthy routines.

·       Limit and avoid multitasking.

·       Find funny and laugh daily.

·       Keep a health diary.

·       Know your family medical history.

Best health!

Amazon.com: Healthy Life Lines: Simple Tips to Improve Your Health: 9781095483619: Richardson M.D., J. L.: Books

Community Health: Wildlife Can Be Harmful

Bird flu brought the world's attention to the dangers caused by birds, domestic food producers (chickens) and wild birds (that may be a "protected species").  They are just one of the many animal groups that harbor danger through virus or actual harm like a bite or scratch.  Many especially those with fur or feathers may lead to allergic syndromes.  As communities evolve from forests into land suitable for homes, many in the wildlife community are left homeless and hungry.  This is a good a time as any for some animals to seek a home to have their family, and for food to feed the family.  This is when they are likely to come into your neighborhood for food and shelter.

What is happening in communities as this situation evolves? Home break-ins occur, property is damaged, and oftentimes people get injured.  Diseases like the bird flu are transmitted through their eggs which are eaten by humans.  The swine flu likewise through swine.  Zika virus was via mosquitos.  Neighborhoods now may see many different wildlife species. Racoons, possum, rats, squirrels, bats are just a few.  These animals also carry harmful viruses commonly transmitted in feces. Birds like wild peacocks in Florida are "protected species" meaning they are untouchable.  As the number of males has been increasing this allows for more of them to be born.  They like many wild animals can be hazardous to your health in many ways.

Precautions for communities' citizens may include:

• avoid contact
• check area before going outside
• notify authorities of animals on your property especially if abnormal behavior is present
• stay indoors when animals in yard or nearby property

For more precautions contact local authorities and public health department.  Best health!

Chronic Disease Month Prevention Health

Prevention and early disease detection are important for your health and wellness. During chronic disease month and every month, it is important to know about your health maintenance. Chronic disease is medical diagnosis that lasts beyond three months.  Many patients have at least one like arthritis or obesity.  As age increases so does more chronic disease. Preventive healthcare such as routine checkups are necessary to keep chronic disease stable and absent.

Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is an excellent book resource to inform you about basic proper physical exams and tests every patient may need. This link http://bit.ly/dpEGyA with Google Books has excerpts from the book.  You can also click on "Find a library" and see bookstores where the title is available.  Patient Handbook to Medical Care is in the Kindle library.  It is free to Kindle Unlimited users.  

Read how to make your healthcare the best. YOU are your most important asset! Your health and care of your health is a primary priority. Best health!

High Blood Pressure Accuracy

If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80 repeatedly, you have high blood pressure also known as hypertension. Three consecutive visits to the doctor's office with high readings can be all it takes to be diagnosed with high blood pressure. It is called the silent killer because there are often no symptoms until a heart attack or stroke occurs. 

Even when your blood pressure is normal at home, it is the readings at your doctor's office that determine the diagnosis and treatment.  Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is changing the way to accurate diagnosis.  More doctors are becoming aware of this and ordering it to check for twenty-four hours. In addition, checks by patients with blood pressure devices are being recommended.  This allows for checks in everyday life situations versus the few high anxiety visits to the doctor.

ABPM can help with treatment as well.  You can see what makes it go up and avoid these things.  Some medication can make it go too low, and the dosage adjustment or type of medication may need adjustment.  These situations usually occur at home after doctors' office hours.

When blood pressure monitoring is done by your schedule, it may be more accurate. ABPM can be a healthy way to keep it stable for you and your family. Best health!  

MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: high blood pressure

Healthy Life Line: Make Medical Test Screen Part of Healthy Routine

Today patients have a big advantage with prevention screening.  Mammograms and colonoscopy are recommended routinely for those with high risks as well as those without.  These along with blood tests like the PSA (prostate specific antigen) are important prevention and early detection tools.  Why wait for symptoms occur or for something potentially life threating to happen? It is important to avoid when it can be prevented or detected early.

Many lives have been saved by medical prevention screening.  When diagnosed early, it can lead to a better quality of life.  False positives and incidentalomas may also show up.  These can be further evaluated and followed as deemed necessary with and without surgical intervention.  It is important for patients to educate themselves and ask questions about medical prevention and screening tests.

Be prepared to pay something for some tests even with health insurance.  Your car insurance fails to cover maintenance, but you must maintain the insurance coverage plus pay for maintenance and repairs.  Do likewise for your good health.  Pay extra and reap the extra benefits of good health amd saving money.  After all, true wealth is good health.  Best health!

Medical Money Malady

Medical money spent for your basic healthcare is expensive. The new medication will cost you $1000 full pay. The cardiac test will cost you $1000 for your portion of the $15,000 full price.  Your portion of the physical therapy evaluation with a provider out of your insurance network will cost $500. In or out of your insurance network is expensive.  If you lack health insurance, it is more expensive.  How do you choose what medication, treatment, or procedure to get? Is treatment more important than prevention?  If it was prevented treatment may be unnecessary.  

Medical care today is expensive and complicated.  More unhealthy chronic conditions make medical treatment complex and costly.  Many average household budgets are barely able to get proper nutrition and housing.  Health insurance is less affordable.  This leads to less prevention care, lifestyle maintenance care, and more treatment care. The cost of prevention is most likely less that treatment for chronic disease. As health insurance costs rises, personal deductibles and co-pays increase.  Being unable to pay for basic health insurance usually means less medical care including health maintenance! 

Chronic disease will become more chronic and more expensive to treat!  The rising cost of healthcare including health insurance leads to more money spent by the patient.  Along with the overall economic inflation (especially food), certain expenses are liable to be dropped.  Health insurance and medication are likely to be discontinued or decreased so one can afford housing, food, gas, clothes, and more basic needs.

More prevention care, lifestyle maintenance care, and less treatment care is critical care.  One of the best things a patient can do is to continue with a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.  When you eat nutritious food, your grocery bill can be healthier as well. Exercise keeps you moving and with less pain.  It also helps decrease stress creating mental health clarity and good mood.  Add daily meditation and prayer for more mental health benefits.  Healthy is less stressful for your medical care with less doctor visits, tests, and medication. Healthy lifestyle in itself is a lifesaver and money saver.  Best health!

More medical money information: MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: money

  

Men's Health Month Means Checkup Time

 "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." — Mickey Mantle

Statistics show that men are less likely than women to get routine health checkups and physical exams. Men are more likely to seek medical attention when there is an acute problem, and once that has resolved not until another acute problem. Part of the reason for this is lack of health education. Men are also more prone to the "this can't be happening to me" syndrome. Is ignorance truly bliss? Short term, maybe. Long term, no.

So what is a fella to do? Make a yearly checkup routine. Do it around your birthday or holiday like Father's Day or Christmas as a gift to yourself (your most important asset!). In addition to a complete medical history (be sure to take your notes and questions http://bit.ly/122ZEeF) and physical exam, there are other things your doctor should do. This includes:

• complete blood panel including a PSA (prostate specific antigen) if over 40 or have a history of prostate cancer in your family - please note that PSA screening is very controversial as to if it should be done and should be discussed at length with your doctor as this test does save lives
• EKG, baseline at first physical then every 2-3 years - yearly if over 50, have risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, increased cholesterol, family history of heart disease
• cardiac screening by a cardiologist if any signs or symptoms of heart disease especially if there is a family history of heart attack, angina
• colon cancer screening with stool guaiac cards - stool samples are placed on these and returned to your doctor who checks for blood (this should be done when a rectal exam is performed, but if for some reason it is not, be sure to get these cards)
• colonoscopy, baseline at 50, sooner if stool positive for occult blood or gross rectal bleeding, weight loss, stomach symptoms
• genetic testing should be included for family inherited conditions 

Be sure to include regular visits to the dentist, and optometrist or ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

Best health, guys!

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

Listen to What Your History and Physical Should Include http://bit.ly/2MC0r5c

Women's Health Month Wellness

During Women's Health Month it is important to remember preventative health tests you may need done. 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.

Be sure to go over all test results with your healthcare provider.  Any abnormal results should be looked into further especially if you have symptoms.

Get in 5 to 10 minutes of exercise a day at least, sleep enough, and eat healthy! Laugh a lot and love a lot! Best health!

by J. L. Richardson, MD, family practice doctor and author of Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide. (Amazon.com: Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide eBook : Richardson M.D., J. L.: Kindle Store)

Prevention Healthcare

Prevention and early disease detection are important for your health and wellness.  Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide is an excellent book resource to inform you about basic proper physical exams and tests every patient should may need. This quick link http://bit.ly/dpEGyA with Google Books has excerpts from the book.  You can also click on "Find a library", and see bookstores where the title is available.  Patient Handbook to Medical Care is in the Kindle library.  It is free to Kindle Unlimited users.  

Read how to make your healthcare the best with Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.  YOU are your most important asset! It is important to know how important your health and care of your health is a priority. Best health!

Healthy Life Lines: Heart Month Hypertension Healers

 Make less stress, tolerate even less.

Learn relaxation techniques.

Meditate daily.

Eat heart healthy food.

Exercise at least fifteen minutes or more a day in your best way.

Pursue enjoyable hobbies that you like.

Sleep soundly at least eight hours per twenty-four.

Let love keep you healthy.

Smile a lot.

Pray often.

Own a blood pressure device and /or an application on a phone.

Check your blood pressure at home. 

Give a blood pressure monitor as a gift.

Use positive kindness as daily medicine.

Best health!

MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: hypertension 

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!

Holiday Hypertension Healers

Make less stress, tolerate even less.

Learn relaxation techniques.

Meditate daily.

Eat heart healthy food.

Exercise at least fifteen minutes or more a day in your best way.

Pursue enjoyable hobbies that you like.

Sleep soundly at least eight hours per twenty-four.

Let love keep you healthy.

Smile a lot.

Pray often.

Own a blood pressure device and /or an application on a phone.

Check your blood pressure at home. 

Give a blood pressure monitor as a gift.

Use positive kindness as daily medicine.

Best health!

MY PATIENT HANDBOOK: hypertension 

Diabetes Awareness Month

 Diabetes is on the rise around the world.  Current global statistics reveal that 1 in 11 persons had diabetes in 2015.  This is about 415,000 million people.  A recently published study by JAMA found that almost 50% of Americans have pre-diabetes or diabetes.  About one-third of these patients were unaware they had either condition, and were already showing signs of diabetes.  National cost was almost $300 billion in 2012.  International cost in 2015 was $673 billion which is 12% of global health expenditure.

Pre-diabetes and diabetes are often discovered during the routine physical, or in the emergency room with severe hyperglycemia or complications secondary to the disease.  Patients may present without any symptoms or the classic triad of polyuria (increased urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), polyphagia (increased hunger).  Blood tests that confirm diabetic disease include: FBS (fasting blood sugar) / FPS (fasting plasma glucose) over 126 mg/dl; two hour plasma glucose over 200 mg/dl HgbA1c over 6.5.  Weight loss and dehydration may be apparent clinically as the heavy glucose molecule depletes the body's water volume.


Comorbidities associated with diabetes include hypertension, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and general vascular disease.  These are all chronic disease states as is the eye disease (diabetic retinopathy) which may lead to total blindness.   Diabetic neuropathy involves nerves especially those to the extremities causing numbness, tingling, and decreased sensation.  If vascular disease is present, this may lead to poor circulation.  As a result diabetic foot ulcers may emerge.  Due to lack of sensitivity these may go unnoticed until an infection occurs which left untreated may lead to amputation.


Treatment includes diet, exercise, and medication.  Surgery is also a consideration.  It is of utmost importance that the proper diet is followed.  Counseling with a dietician provides necessary nutritional information to keep and help keep blood sugar in normal range.  Weight maintenance at a  healthy level is beneficial as overweight states have been correlated with an increased risk of diabetes.  Excess weight can make diabetes more difficult to control.  Adherence to diet leads to better control overall even if on medication.  Along with routine exercise this helps maintain a healthy weight.  If you are losing weight and eating the right foods, diabetes may come into control without medication.  It is important to check your blood sugar often when lifestyle changes are being made.  Keeping your blood sugar within normal limits will help defend against secondary complications.  Most important, you will feel better.  Best health!

Health Literacy Month: Read Health

Read what you need. Learn about what you need to maintain good health and well-being.  Health literacy is an important part of your self-care health care.  It helps promote better health and quality of life. During this Health Literacy Month make your health healthier with more medical information.

Medical science progresses so rapidly!  It is impossible for health care providers to keep up with all these new developments. Be aware of treatments your doctors and healthcare team have yet to hear about or are unlikely to ever find out about.  The overwhelming amount of new health information that comes out is far too much for many to stay current on every disease and treatment.  This should not stop you the patient from finding out all you can.  The same goes for wellness.  Participating in your health care is mandatory to maintain good health, achieve wellness, and overcome illness.

There are so many different treatments and modalities that compliment traditional medicine.  As many lack training in these areas they are unable to tell the patient.  Asking your doctor is a good starting place as is telling your doctor about the things you have read about or tried that helped.  In turn this may evoke a response by your physician to find out more, and even share with other patients and colleagues who may in turn share their “new” information which your doctor can share with you.

Reading and learning are vital to good health. Health literacy helps you make healthier, informed choices based on facts that have proven to yield better health outcomes.  Be health literate year round.  Best health!