Nurse “Edge Runners” Honored by Maverick Health

The Edge Runner program is a part of the Raise the Voice initiative funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed by the American Academy of Nursing. It recognizes nursing professionals who are finding new ways to improve and promote the health of patients.

It hasn’t gotten nearly the media play it should, nor have these Edge Runners had as much recognition as they deserve. To honor their achievements Maverick Health is inducting them into its Hall of Fame.

Read on to learn how these innovative nursing professionals are delivering health care that rocks!

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“Smart Choices” Food Labels Dishonored in Maverick Health Hall of Shame

This week I am introducing the first of two new categories to my Areas of Focus on the blog – the Maverick Health Hall of Shame and the Maverick Health Hall of Fame. (Next week I will introduce the first Maverick Health Hall of Famer.)

“Smart Choices” is a shameful food labeling campaign bought and paid for by giant food processers. It is a sham and so deserves its place of dishonor in the Hall of Shame. In these days of contentious debate about health and health care reform I want to do what I can to bring fame to those doing good work and shame to those trying to bamboozle us for a quick (or big) buck.

After reading this post if you want to protest this food labeling deception you can sign a petition at this link.

Read on to see why this is SO shameful.

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Flu Shots: Who Needs Them and Why

Labor Day has come and gone heralding the end of summer. I’m back here at the blog after a (great) summer break. I hope you had a healthy summer and are ready to move forward this fall and winter continuing to improve your health and speaking out for health care reform.

This post will remind you about immunizations you may need to get in the next 8 weeks and provide an update on the current status of the swine flu vaccine – when it will be given and whether you need to be vaccinated.

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NP World News: How NPs Can Reform Health (Care)

NP World News is the official news publication of nurse practitioners. Its contributors and columnists are thought leaders in the NP profession.

This is the third of 5 columns I will write for NPWN this year on subject of NP practice, health and health care reform.

Click “Read Full Post” if you would like to leave a comment.

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Gone Fishing

It’s been a great year here at Maverick Health.

Since launching the blog last year I have faithfully posted information every week to answer questions and concerns my patients have. I do this in the hope that this will help not just my patients, but ALL patients.

This week, however, I am posting a “gone fishing” sign and taking a break until after Labor Day.

If you are new to the site - welcome and enjoy. There is plenty here to keep you occupied while I’m gone. Check out the Quotes - they’ll give you a lift every day - and you can get them emailed to you if you want.

If you are interested in discussing book sales or my speaking and consulting services, email me at . I’ll be checking in from time to time.

Stay well and be safe and enjoy what’s left of the summer!

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What to Do If You Can’t Afford Your Meds

Times are hard and people are struggling. I have written many times on this blog about the importance of medications. They are life saving, but they must be taken faithfully and exactly as prescribed if they are to do any good.

But what if you can’t afford your medications? You do have options and almost every drug company has programs that can help. Read this post for information about assistance programs for patients and what your responsibility is in getting needed meds.

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Will More Doctors Solve the Health Care Crisis?

On May 15, 2009, after President Obama’s “stakeholder” meeting at the White House I wrote a post called Consumers are the Ultimate Stakeholder in Health Care Reform. But consumers were not invited to the White House – neither were nurse practitioners.

Shortly after that White House meeting pundits from the Innosight Institute who are also authors of a book The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care published a commentary piece on CNN Politics.com titled We Don’t Need More Doctors. These scholars have some great ideas that might work - but some need a little fine tuning. Overall their perspective is very refreshing!

Read this post for my take on their commentary.

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Beyond Exercise – Fitness Will Save Your Life

There is a lot written about “exercise”. We all know we need to exercise, eat right and control our weight – but most of us don’t do any of those things with enough regularity to change either our shape or our health. If we did 66% of us wouldn’t be overweight and chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes wouldn’t be epidemic.

In the May 20, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association researchers in Japan analyzed data from 33 previous studies that included a total of 102,980 subjects whose fitness had been measured. They wanted to see how fitness related to developing cardiovascular disease or preventing death.

Read this post to see what they found.

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Asbestos - Have You Been Exposed?

The folks at Asbestos.com contacted me to ask me to give you a heads up about mesothelioma, an environmental cancer. If you are like me, when you hear “asbestos” and “mesothelioma”, you think of those TV commercials for lawyers asking you to call them if you know have been exposed.

On page 79 of my book I write: “We are only beginning to understand the extent to which toxins (or poisons) in our environment are increasing the occurrence of cancers. Substances like pesticides, herbicides, asbestos, arsenic, nickel, nuclear waste, and industrial emissions have all been implicated in causing cancer.“

My advice? If you think you are at risk - read this post, contact your health provider, and check out Asbestos.com before your call a lawyer.

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NP World News: Why NPs Need Full Practice and Prescriptive Authority

NP World News is the official news publication of nurse practitioners. Its contributors and columnists are thought leaders in the NP profession.

This is the second of 5 columns I will write for NPWN this year on subject of NP practice, health and health care reform.

Click “Read Full Post” if you would like to leave a comment.

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