Having a healthy life is more than getting an annual physical examination. It is about having healthy habits. Some of these healthy habits make common sense. Others seen unnatural, but yet are vitally important. A healthy life is more than feeling well. It is about living life to the fullest and ensuring you are doing your part to improve both your quality of life and longevity. Which ones are you missing? How do you measure up? Five or more – servings of fruits and vegetables. Those that live longer seem to have this simple habit. Common traits included not smoking, drinking in moderation and…. Physical activity Although many recommendations advocate 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week, consider some other options. 10,000 steps per day – measure with a pedometer or an app for your smartphone. Surprise yourself and see how much you. If you don’t […] Read More »
Tag Archive for preventive screening tests
The Truth about Medical Tests. Do I really need an MRI? Do I really need blood work? Book Excerpt
Posted on July 22, 2013
Book Excerpt from The Thrifty Patient – Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy. The Truth about Tests. Do I really need an MRI? Do I really need blood work? This often? Should I avoid talking to my doctor and jump right to tests? Americans love technology, whether it’s carrying the latest iPhone or buying the newest flat-screen TV with 3D technology. Naturally, our fascination with technology has spilled over into medical care, where everyone, including doctors in training, seems focused on what the x-ray, CT scan, MRI, or blood work showed. Sadly, this trend is seriously misguided. More testing does not lead to better care. More testing does not lead to more accurate diagnoses. Research has shown that Americans receive too many tests and procedures compared to other countries. If anything, more testing seems to be associated with worsening health. The leading cause of radiation exposure is […] Read More »
The Thrifty Patient – Book Review / Testimonials
Posted on July 15, 2013
I’m humbled and privileged to review high praise and testimonials for my book –The Thrifty Patient: Vital Insider Tips for Saving Money and Staying Healthy from those working hard to make health care more accessible, higher quality, and more affordable. In an ideal world, our health care system would be incredibly simple to access, extremely convenient, and intensely personal. It would allow patients to focus on staying healthy and healing and getting the right preventive care and treatment the first time and every time. It would not have them worrying about medical errors, wrong site surgeries, unnecessary surgeries / procedures / treatments, their own (patient) safety among other things. We are not there yet. Nevertheless, those who have provided the testimonials are also making our future system that much better though their work, actions, and words. As we all build to fixing our health care system completely, books like The […] Read More »
The New Ontario Annual Physical Exam – Is It Choosing Wisely?
Posted on March 5, 2013
Is the Ontario Annual Physical Exam going the way of the dinosaur? That appears to be the case for healthy individuals between the ages of 18 to 64 in the Canadian province of Ontario. Effective in 2013, these patients no longer would have available an annual physical examination, but instead a “personalized health review”. The new personalized health review would only be available to those who were healthy and did not have medical diagnoses of cancer, diabetes, or others, in which those patients could still receive a more thorough examination. Other changes include not allowing routine chest x-rays prior to minor surgery and moving the screening rate for cervical cancer from one to every three years. The plan would save the government of Ontario about half a percent on payment to physicians as the reimbursement is less for these personalized health review. Should people in Ontario be worried that their […] Read More »
The Mistakes Healthy Patients Always Make
Posted on November 5, 2012
Healthy patients always make the same error. They think that they are not at risk for serious medical problems. Though maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, not smoking, and eating plenty of vegetables and fruits while limiting meat, fat, and fast foods does decrease the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer, it doesn’t completely eliminate it. The chance is there, just a little less. But patients wrongly assume that staying healthy means no chance of illness and, as a result, they routinely skip preventive screening tests because they have no symptoms of illness, have no family history of disease, and are “healthy.” That is the error that many healthy patients make. Staying healthy means that in addition to a healthy lifestyle, screening tests and interventions such as mammograms, Pap smears, immunizations, colonoscopies, and high blood pressure and cholesterol screenings and treatment are equally as important. […] Read More »
Get important exclusive advice and tips on how to save money while staying healthy.
Learn how to make intelligent choices in America's Healthcare System.