Jumping JUPITER – Do You Know Your CRP?
One of the biggest splashes in medicine this year came when, in November 2008, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study called JUPITER.
It has the whole medical world talking. This study was done to see if taking a cholesterol-lowering statin drug for primary prevention would help healthy people prevent heart attacks, strokes, heart bypass surgery, hospitalization for chest pain, and death from cardiovascular events. It did.
Read on to see why this study may change national treatment guidelines and what your health provider recommends to reduce your health risks.
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Alcohol and Medications – Are You Making Smart Choices?
The holidays are here and many of us will be attending celebrations where alcohol is served. If you take medications and drink occasionally (or even regularly), you face a dilemma. Should you take your medications when you drink?
What’s the smart choice? You may be surprised at the answer.
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Do You Take Omega 3 Fish Oils? Are You Taking Enough?
The American Heart Association recommends that patients with elevated triglycerides take 2 to 4 grams (that’s 2000 to 4000 mgs) of omega 3 fish oils a day. In my practice, I recommend 4 grams per day for almost everyone – particularly those people with abnormal cholesterol profiles, Metabolic Syndrome, diabetes, and/or cardiovascular disease.
That’s the dose I take myself - for prevention - even though my cholesterol profile is normal. But when I ask my patients how much they take, most of the time they say “one a day” – and that is not enough. Read here why more omega 3s are better than not enough.
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Making the Most of Your Medical Appointments
When medical professionals are in training – Nurse Practitioners, Doctors and Physician Assistants – we are taught to ask specific questions to help us arrive at a correct diagnosis. It is called “analysis of a symptom”. You as a patient, however, receive no training to prepare you to answer these questions.
Read this post and learn the questions you will be asked. If you are prepared with detailed answers, you will be able to make the most of your medical appointment.
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6 Post-Thanksgiving Tips for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season
I hope you enjoyed a bountiful and magnificent feast yesterday and ate until you couldn’t hold another bite! I hope you were surrounded by people you love and who love you back. I hope there was more laughter than tears, more comfort than stress, and more to be thankful for than you thought there would be going into the holiday.
So, the winter holidays are now upon us. I have a few suggestions for you to digest along with your Thanksgiving dinner. I want you to have a healthy plan for the days and weeks ahead.
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Update: How Long Should You Stay on Osteoporosis Medications?
Medical treatments are continually studied and recommendations to medical professionals are regularly revised. In this post I will update you on the latest recommendations related to the drugs used to treat osteoporosis and osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis). Click here if you would like to review an my post about the risk factors, detection and prevention of these conditions.
If you take Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva or Reclast (or if your health professional has recommended you take one of them) read this post to learn how get the most benefit from them.
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It Is a Mistake to Call a Nurse Practitioner a Nurse
I do not like it when people call me a Nurse. I liked it when I was a Nurse, but for almost 15 years now I’ve been a Nurse Practitioner. The two titles are NOT interchangeable and the duties and responsibilites are NOT the same.
As a Nurse Practitioner I’m often asked “What should I call you?“. Doctors are addressed as “Doctor”, but if your doctor is a Nurse Practitioner, how should you address that person? Read this post to brush up on the correct titles for different types of nurses. Your nurses will love you for knowing who we are and what we do!
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November 14, 2008 ·
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A National Nurse to Help Reform Health Care?
It has been proposed that an Office of a National Nurse be established in Washington. The National Nurse would be empowered to lead an army of nurses into a national campaign of disease prevention and health education. Here’s a brief overview of the National Nurse proposal. If you like the idea, click here for a petition you can sign in support of it, I signed it.
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Whether You are Democrat or Republican You Should Be a Maverick about Your Health
The media branded the current Republican presidential candidate a “maverick” and that has made the word popular and common but politics has obscured its meaning. Being a maverick means more than not always voting with one’s own political party.
Being a maverick means you make up your own mind about things, you determine a plan of action and you then have the guts to follow through on your plan. Maverick Health was founded on these principles. Here, on the eve of the election, are some thoughts on why – whether you are a Democrat or a Republican – you should absolutely be a maverick about your health.
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Wishing You a Healthy Flu Season and a Pneumonia Free New Year
It’s that time of year again – the leaves are turning, the weather is cooling off, the holidays are fast approaching - and that means flu season is, too. Yearly flu vaccination starts in September and continues throughout the flu season.
Here’s a tip - late October and early November are the best times to be vaccinated. Read this little primer on a yearly ritual. If you need vaccinated, now’s the time!
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