According to http://www.webmd.com , a recent study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture performed in Italy, showed that grapes contain melatonin. Melatonin is a natural sleep hormone.
The human brain makes melatonin to regulate cycles of sleep and wakefulness. Melatonin levels risk in the evening as a cue for sleep but wane as morning approaches. In many grapes tested, melatonin was found including Nebbiolo, Croatina, Sangiovese, Merlot, Marzemino, Cabernat Franc, Cabernat Sauvignon and Barbera.
Hmmm….Grapes. Wine. Sleep. Sounds relaxing.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Interesting Medical Tidbit:Snoring can mean more than a bad night’s sleep
According to a recent, http://www.webmd.com/ article…
Snoring happens when air flow through the mouth and nose is partly blocked , causing the soft palate to vibrate. Most commonly it is caused from the base of the tongue and can be reduced if you change your position from lying on your back to your side.
How many people snore?
25% of adults snore most of the time.
20 million Americans have sleep apnea.
What is sleep apnea?
This is a serious disorder that interrupts a person’s breathing during sleep.
What doctor should you see?
An ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) that specializes in sleep disorders.
What are treatment options?
Somnoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency to shrink tissue in palate, uvula and tongue and thus help sleep without obstruction. Also, a CPAP machine delivers forced air through the nose to the throat and help open blacked airways, ease breathing and reduce snoring.
Sleep apnea if left untreated can increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Snoring runs in families.
If this article put you to sleep, let me know…
another great blog that has some info
http://www.2ndwindexercise.com/blog/199.htm
http://www.buzzhit.com/buzzblog.html
http://www.health.loversenses.com/sleep-disorder/insomnia-in-senior-citizens
Snoring happens when air flow through the mouth and nose is partly blocked , causing the soft palate to vibrate. Most commonly it is caused from the base of the tongue and can be reduced if you change your position from lying on your back to your side.
How many people snore?
25% of adults snore most of the time.
20 million Americans have sleep apnea.
What is sleep apnea?
This is a serious disorder that interrupts a person’s breathing during sleep.
What doctor should you see?
An ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) that specializes in sleep disorders.
What are treatment options?
Somnoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency to shrink tissue in palate, uvula and tongue and thus help sleep without obstruction. Also, a CPAP machine delivers forced air through the nose to the throat and help open blacked airways, ease breathing and reduce snoring.
Sleep apnea if left untreated can increase risk of heart attack and stroke. Snoring runs in families.
If this article put you to sleep, let me know…
another great blog that has some info
http://www.2ndwindexercise.com/blog/199.htm
http://www.buzzhit.com/buzzblog.html
http://www.health.loversenses.com/sleep-disorder/insomnia-in-senior-citizens
Pet Owners: Touching Dog Food causes Diarrhea .
According to the Centers for Disease Control, everyone should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before handing your dog a treat made with meat or fish.
These treats contain raw beef and salmon, which is a known cause of salmonella infection. In fact, nine people became sick recently because they handled these types of dog food. The people developed diarrhea and one of them was hospitalized.
People at increased risk for infection or serious complication from food poisoning include:
children under 5
older adults, ie the elderly
people with weak immune systems
These people should avoid contact with animal based pet treats.
http://www.PassportMD.com is a free service that creates your personal health record but did you know you can use http://www.PassportMD.com to also create your Pet’s health record and upload and store their health history, shots and vaccination information.
These treats contain raw beef and salmon, which is a known cause of salmonella infection. In fact, nine people became sick recently because they handled these types of dog food. The people developed diarrhea and one of them was hospitalized.
People at increased risk for infection or serious complication from food poisoning include:
children under 5
older adults, ie the elderly
people with weak immune systems
These people should avoid contact with animal based pet treats.
http://www.PassportMD.com is a free service that creates your personal health record but did you know you can use http://www.PassportMD.com to also create your Pet’s health record and upload and store their health history, shots and vaccination information.
Tips for Saving Money on Your Prescriptions
According to a recent article in http://www.webmd.com/
Here are some simple steps that may help you lower your prescription costs:
Look into drug company prescription saving programs
Shop around retail pharmacies for the lowest prescription drug prices.
Consider using mail-order pharmacy services
Ask you doctor if you can take over the counter (otc) medicines
Ask if you can have a generic substitute for any brand medication you were prescribed.
Great Resources to learn about lowering your Prescription costs
Medicare drug coverage http://www.medicare.gov/ (1-800-633-4227)
Partnership for Prescription Assistance http://www.pparx.com/ (1-888-477-2669)
Together Rx Access http://www.togetherrxaccess.com/ (1-800-444-4106)
GlaxoSmithKline patient assistance programs http://www.gskforyou.com/ (1-866-475-3678)
GlaxoSmithKline Coupons and other offers http://www.gskforyou.com/ (1-866-475-3678)
Other blogs that have great information:
http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/2006/11/07/50-ways-to-save-on-medical-bills-from-cnnmoney/
http://blogs.record-eagle.com/?p=282
http://peterlupus.com/healthtips/2006/10/02/senior-care-health-tips/
http://www.realhealthynews.com/2006/07/using-meal-programs-can-help-keep-seniors-healthy-study/
http://www.care2.com/news/member/895715132/204840
Here are some simple steps that may help you lower your prescription costs:
Look into drug company prescription saving programs
Shop around retail pharmacies for the lowest prescription drug prices.
Consider using mail-order pharmacy services
Ask you doctor if you can take over the counter (otc) medicines
Ask if you can have a generic substitute for any brand medication you were prescribed.
Great Resources to learn about lowering your Prescription costs
Medicare drug coverage http://www.medicare.gov/ (1-800-633-4227)
Partnership for Prescription Assistance http://www.pparx.com/ (1-888-477-2669)
Together Rx Access http://www.togetherrxaccess.com/ (1-800-444-4106)
GlaxoSmithKline patient assistance programs http://www.gskforyou.com/ (1-866-475-3678)
GlaxoSmithKline Coupons and other offers http://www.gskforyou.com/ (1-866-475-3678)
Other blogs that have great information:
http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/2006/11/07/50-ways-to-save-on-medical-bills-from-cnnmoney/
http://blogs.record-eagle.com/?p=282
http://peterlupus.com/healthtips/2006/10/02/senior-care-health-tips/
http://www.realhealthynews.com/2006/07/using-meal-programs-can-help-keep-seniors-healthy-study/
http://www.care2.com/news/member/895715132/204840
“Consumer Driven Health Care”, Fad or Reality?
Consumer Driven health care is a industry term for basically… allowing consumers, ie patients, to be better informed about where and how they receive their medical care. It is a rising tidal wave that has not yet caught on with the actual health care consumer…but, is a force to be reckoned with on the corporate side. There are companies that are responding to anticipation of empowering the health care consumer.
What do I mean by empowering the health care consumer?
This “empowerment” is “code” for giving the consumer information about quality, performance and price in regards to health care. The theory is that is a consumer who knows how much a procedure costs at various institutions and weighs this against the quality or “grading” of the delivering doctor or hospital, they will make a better choice and ultimately drive down health care costs and improve health care results.
This is still unproven and controversial. Doctors would argue that there is no meaningful way to “grade” them either based on financial variables or health care outcomes. Often better doctors have sicker , more complicated patients, resulting in more expensive care with less desirable results. The other issue is that if doctors “grade” becomes so important as to impact their bottom line, docs will change the way they practice to get better results both on the expense and health care results side. For instance, they may choose to only treat healthier patients, insuring better outcomes and less expensive insurance costs, so called, “cherry picking”.
In a recent health care congress sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC, Al Hubbard, assistant to President Bush for economic policy, issued a threat to clinicians: “Make pricing information available without being forced. If you do not do so, we will force you to. We have allies in Congress who are very inclined to be prescriptive with legislation to impose pricing and quality standards on the health care community”. I think that does sound like a clear cut threat, do it, or we will make you do it approach.
Regardless, what is best for doctors, society and patients, is not necessarily aligned.
As a patient, what do you think? What about the doctors that are reading this, what are your thoughts?
We, at PassportMD, Inc. feel very strongly that you can empower the patient, improve health care and at the same time, not threaten a physician’s practice approach. The very first step in this process is giving the healthcare consumer access to their own personal health record (PHR), http://www.passportmd.com/ gives consumer a free Personal health record so , at the very least, they can be better informed regarding their own health and well-being, and pass this information to their provider whenever necessary. This is step 1 in the empowerment process..
What do I mean by empowering the health care consumer?
This “empowerment” is “code” for giving the consumer information about quality, performance and price in regards to health care. The theory is that is a consumer who knows how much a procedure costs at various institutions and weighs this against the quality or “grading” of the delivering doctor or hospital, they will make a better choice and ultimately drive down health care costs and improve health care results.
This is still unproven and controversial. Doctors would argue that there is no meaningful way to “grade” them either based on financial variables or health care outcomes. Often better doctors have sicker , more complicated patients, resulting in more expensive care with less desirable results. The other issue is that if doctors “grade” becomes so important as to impact their bottom line, docs will change the way they practice to get better results both on the expense and health care results side. For instance, they may choose to only treat healthier patients, insuring better outcomes and less expensive insurance costs, so called, “cherry picking”.
In a recent health care congress sponsored by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC, Al Hubbard, assistant to President Bush for economic policy, issued a threat to clinicians: “Make pricing information available without being forced. If you do not do so, we will force you to. We have allies in Congress who are very inclined to be prescriptive with legislation to impose pricing and quality standards on the health care community”. I think that does sound like a clear cut threat, do it, or we will make you do it approach.
Regardless, what is best for doctors, society and patients, is not necessarily aligned.
As a patient, what do you think? What about the doctors that are reading this, what are your thoughts?
We, at PassportMD, Inc. feel very strongly that you can empower the patient, improve health care and at the same time, not threaten a physician’s practice approach. The very first step in this process is giving the healthcare consumer access to their own personal health record (PHR), http://www.passportmd.com/ gives consumer a free Personal health record so , at the very least, they can be better informed regarding their own health and well-being, and pass this information to their provider whenever necessary. This is step 1 in the empowerment process..
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