How Clean — or Dirty — is Your Money?

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Have you ever seen a person roll up a dollar bill and stick it in their mouth? They may be holding that bill while sifting through the wallet for change. More than 200 types of germs are on that very bill that can make you sick. This applies to many forms of currency aside from bills. It can be found in change, and credit cards. You may think that you are if your cash is always in your wallet, but what about the person who had it before you?

The Threat

Is your currency sanitary? Many people do not think that their cash is a threat to them. Yet, many people get sick each year from various objects that someone else touched. Think about it, if the person before you used that dollar bill and he or she had the flu, chances are that it is all over that dollar. The common flu can live on paper money for more than ten days. Coins are worse, as the little grooves around them easily catch dirt and harbor germs. Credit cards are not immune to this either. Once the plastic covering begins to wear, there are dirt spots caught between the paper and plastic. Disgusting, is it not?

Other Threats

Germs are not the only thing being passed on money nowadays. A recent study found that bisphenol A (BPA) was found on U.S. currency. There is something in the creation of dollar bills that contains the chemical, and this chemical can cause cancer. The amount of substance in the bills is small and looks like dust, so it can easily pass through pores on the skin. BPA is known to cause many health problems.

The Solution

Money can be cleaned. When most dollar bills reach the end of their use, they are destroyed and new money is printed. It is not advisable to literally wash your money, but that tends to happen when you wash your pants and forget to check the pockets. To keep paper money clean, spray them with a light disinfectant and hang them to dry. Wash coins like jewelry and swish them about in an airtight container. As for your credit cards, as long as the plastic is not too worn, use a Q-tip with alcohol to wipe away the dirt. Although the best thing to do is order a new one, cut up the old card, and dispose of it properly.

Filed Under: Health Tips

Importance of Bed Rest While Recovering From an Accident

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Getting into an accident is bad enough but having to spend the time recovering from injuries makes it that much worse. Whether you are involved in a car crash, an on-the-job mishap or just ended up getting hurt through a freak accident, you need to give yourself time to fully recover. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a good rest and do nothing at all.

Bed rest gives your body the time it needs to recover from a major trauma.

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How Does it Help?

Bed rest can help recovery by:

  • Taking your body weight off your joints and muscles
  • Improving blood flow
  • Lowering blood pressure
  • Encouraging sleep which allows your body to focus on healing
  • Preventing you from re-injuring yourself

Bed rest is not only prescribed by healthcare professionals, but it is encouraged by legal experts as well. If you are the victim of a car crash in Manhattan, the last thing you want to do is spend weeks in an expensive hospital. Your NYC Accident Attorney will advise you to head home and stay in bed so that you can make a full recovery while he or she works on your behalf to get you the proper compensation.

Though lying in bed all day may sound like an easy to follow treatment, it can quickly turn from a treat into boredom. It’s one thing to choose to stay in bed all day, it’s quite another to be forced to do it.

Keeping Mentally Active

Just because bed rest is good for you doesn’t mean it’s the most fun. Depending on where you convalesce, you may be benefiting the body but not the brain.

To keep yourself mentally stimulated, find a place that is quiet and restful. Sitting on the couch may make you social, but you need to really rest to recover.

Bed rest doesn’t mean you have to lie on your back and stare at the ceiling. There are many things—both fun and mentally-challenging—you can do to keep your mind occupied and engaged.

  • Catch up on your reading
  • Write the great American novel
  • Play Master Sudoku
  • Watch every James Bond movie in order
  • Get a perfect score on every version of Angry Birds you can download

The more things you find to keep your brain busy, the less you notice the time passing. Bed rest can be a blessing if you take advantage of the free time it affords. If you commit to your recovery then the accident only has to be a temporary hiccup, and you can get your life back to normal.

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Recognizing and Managing High Blood PRessure

July 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
My blood pressure the other day

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There has been in increase in the number of people diagnosed with high blood pressure. This condition is very dangerous and can result in serious health risks. An ideal blood pressure reading is 120/80 or lower. If you have high blood pressure that is not controlled you run the risk of experiencing artery damage, aneurysms and heart failure. Treating high blood pressure includes lifestyle changes, as well as medication if necessary.

Symptoms
Many people do not experience symptoms if they are in the early stages of this condition; however, a few may experience headaches and dizziness.

Treatment
The first course of treatment is usually a change in diet. This includes a reduced sodium diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat foods. It is suggested that the diet contains no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

If an individual is overweight, losing that weight can significantly lower blood pressure. According to medical professionals, even a small loss of just five pounds can lower your blood pressure.

Exercising regularly can also lead to lower blood pressure. Adults should try to exercise at least 30 minutes each day. Other lifestyle changes include quitting tobacco and limiting alcohol.

Depending on the level of the high blood pressure condition, your medical professional may prescribe medication including calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, rennin inhibitors and others. Medications for severe cases include alpha-beta blockers and vasodilators.

It is very important to follow your physician’s instructions and advice to lower your blood pressure to avoid additional health risks.

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Patient Prevention

June 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Research into the area of disease and injury prevention has allowed the average human being to live a longer and fuller life. The research performed in the last century has obliterated diseases, improved diagnostics and created new medications to treat illnesses. Without medical research, our lives would be much less rich. While doctors continual educate themselves on the latest technology and research, it is important for each patient to use resources like tatoomcity.org to understand how illness and disease prevention can be implemented into their daily life.

Eat Well

Research, shows that eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is one of the key factors in preventing illness and disease. Making simple changes to your diet can help you prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses. Even better, you will avoid all of the complications these illnesses can cause. Consider using the food pyramid to help build a better diet.

Exercise Well

While it may be hard to find the time to exercise on a regular basis, those who do live healthier and longer lives. It isn’t necessary to run a marathon each week, instead, consider walking for 20 minutes three times a week or taking a yoga class. Any kind of movement can help you lead a healthier life.

Sleep Well

As our lives have become busier, we have found extra time by cutting into our sleep time. Those who don’t sleep enough are susceptible to depression, the common cold, and may not heal as well. By simply taking the time to sleep seven to eight hours each night, you can help keep your body healthy.

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Elder Abuse Is on the Rise

May 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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If you live in a major city, you may have seen billboards that address the issue of elder abuse. This problem has not been often discussed until recently. However, researchers and advocates have found it to be a growing problem.

Nursing homes have been among the most criticized institutions where abuse occurs. In 2005, one study estimated that there are over 2 million cases of elder abuse every year. This same study also estimated that one of every five cases of elder abuse will not be reported.

While family members can also perpetrate abuse, a significant portion comes from nursing homes. As several studies and at least one elder abuse lawyer Los Angeles has reported, many of these cases of neglect or abuse stem from understaffed and poorly trained institutions.

Common forms of abuse in an institution are failure to read a patient’s chart correctly, failure to notify a doctor when the patient’s condition changes, and errors in administering prescriptions. Common signs of abuse are dehydration, malnutrition, and bed sores. In domestic cases, abuse can be outright physical or sexual. In other situations, abuse can involve neglect including failure to feed or bathe a patient.

Caring for an elderly person takes patience, strength, and understanding. These are people who used to be able to do everything for themselves but now find themselves at the mercy of others. They can be frustrated at their situation, or they may become easily confused. This knowledge is a part of the caregivers’ job. We must find a way to provide excellent care for patients without the change for negligence, or abuse.

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What to Expect at Childbirth Education Classes

May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Pull up a pillow and let’s get started; grab one for your partner too. These are the two essential “bring-alongs” to childbirth classes. The delivery is still a few weeks away, and it’s time to learn what to expect when the big event arrives. How the baby comes into world is a decision, for the most part, that the parents make.

If you have chosen to bring your baby into this world naturally, you and your partner will attend birth classes. In keeping you pregnancy calendar, you should start birth classes just about eight to ten weeks before the birth of the baby. Birth classes are usually conducted by a nurse midwife or other nurse instructor with a degree and lots of experience with childbirth.

The childbirth classes are designed to help the mother deal with the pain and stress of labor. While some labors are extremely quick, the majority of women giving birth endure hours of labor, and labor is painful. By the time you see your little miracle, you will probably be exhausted. The instructor will give you ways to deal with the pain, such as yoga and meditation, to help you when the pain comes.

You will learn different positions of sitting and laying to take the pressure off certain parts of your body. Your partner will learn how to help you through all of it, mostly with reassurance and love, as well as some massaging techniques that can help.

However you choose to bring your baby into the world, the birth experience is better shared when prepared.

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Does Your Doctor Treat You Like A Machine? A Cold Approach Is Not A Good Thing

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Doctors and medical experts have to develop for certain level of clinical detachment from their patients to diagnose the problem properly. A doctor who is overly involved in the emotional aspects of the disease may find it difficult to treat the patient properly. However, this does not mean your doctor should be a coldhearted individual who has absolutely no regard for your emotions and feelings.

Striking the right balance between clinical detachment and a sympathetic approach is a difficult thing. Not all doctors have the knack of getting this right immediately. In such a scenario, you should not hesitate to talk to your doctor and request him or her to ease up a bit. Many doctors conclude that keeping the patient out of the information loop is the best way to reduce complications. Such doctors prescribe medicines and do not bother with anything else.

Rather than treating the patient like a human being, doctors begin to treat the patient like a machine requiring maintenance. This can be very stressful for the family members and the patient being treated by the doctor.

You may find it difficult to transform the medical community on your own. However, you should log onto the internet and contact others who feel the same about their doctors. You will discover that many professionals are caring without compromising on ethics and professionalism.

Some thing is fundamentally wrong with the way you are being treated if you find your frequent visits to the doctors to be more stressful than the illness itself. Do not hesitate to look beyond your standard choice to enjoy friendlier diagnosis and treatment.

 

 

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Nurses are Integral to Health Care

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When considering a career that will be both fulfilling and lucrative, it’s a good idea to do some research to find out what jobs are currently in demand and which might be in need of additional employees in the future. This will help current students to determine which career path they might decide to pursue, and what courses will be important to take during school.

Some careers may require additional years of schooling in order to earn more, but the highest paying jobs with a bachelor’s degree include software developers, investment bankers, engineers, actuaries, marketers, network administrators, web designers, analysts, pharmaceutical representatives, high school teachers, and nurses. There are many careers in healthcare that can be rewarding, and becoming a nurse is no exception. Without these valuable members of the staff, physicians and hospital administrators would be overwhelmed and unable to provide quality care to patients. Nurses assist in hospitals, clinics, and operating rooms in every step of the healthcare process. They give injections, perform small procedures and treatments, start IVs, dispense medications, assist with personal hygiene practices, change dressings, and provide emotional support for patients and their family members.

A nurse usually needs to be very caring and hardworking, as this job is not easy. Some physicians are quite demanding, and meeting their needs can be quite overwhelming. It can be particularly stressful if working in an operating room or intensive care unit, since these often involve life or death situations and immediate decisions to be made and carried out. For a person who thrives on this type of situation, a career as a nurse could be a great way to make a living.

 

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How to Get Medical Services for Reduced Rates

April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Having no coverage or limited medical coverage is very frightening and this becomes very scary when a person has any illness that requires frequent visit to the medical professionals. Here are few easy steps that can be used to reduce the fees for medical services.

MIAMI - JANUARY 18: Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, ...

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First, a person can search for the free medical services, but one should understand these medical services are not entirely free. These free medical services can be searched by contacting the local hospitals or county office for any referrals. Free medical services are specially designed to provide reduced medical rates for the healthcare services. Sometimes, a person can get their entire medical services for free based on their income.

It is even better to talk with the physician that they cannot afford the full cost of the entire service, and this should be done before any appointments. It is not a good practice to demand doctor to lower prices or rates. An individual can explain the doctor about the coverage offered by the medical services. Most hospitals are now willing to work with the patients and they also offer lower rates for the patients who cannot afford it.

There are also many medical discount program available and these offers can be seen online, television, or through mails. These programs require a person to save only few dollars to avail these medical services. All one has to do is to find the hospitals and doctors that provide these programs for reduced rates. Before this, one has to determine whether they qualify for this program.

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Focus on Management in Healthcare

April 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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For many individuals, the goal is to work in a management position in the healthcare field. There are numerous opportunities to do this, including simply moving up within the ranks of being a nurse. However, for those who have a more profit-based skill set, it may be better to consider management careers that focus on this particular need.

Revenue Cycle

One position to consider is revenue cycle manager. In the healthcare industry, this particular person’s duties are extensive. The job can change from one organization to another, too. Here’s a look at what you can expect in this career:

  • This manager’s main job is to keep operating costs down.
  • The secondary job of someone in this career is to increase revenue for the organization.
  • The goal is to improve patient care while improving revenue.
  • These managers also develop and implement methods for improved healthcare procedures.
  • Many revenue cycle managers work in research and development to find new opportunities for healthcare organizations to grow and expand within financial constraints.

This type of job requires someone with good analytical skills. Having an education in areas of healthcare, such as nursing or technician training, can be helpful. Most will need a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) to work in this particular career.

Take into consideration your ability to perform well as a revenue cycle manager. You will need to have an ability to work with patients by understanding their needs. In addition to this, you must have the ability to help the organization to grow financially strong. For those who do take on this type of position, the options for promotion and advancement are high.

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