Call your doctor. He or she can help you decide the best course of action and whether you need to see a physician where you are currently staying or if it can wait until you get back home and can see your own doctor.

When possible, call the doctor before or after the holiday. If Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or any other holiday is coming up and you feel the first signs of illness, go ahead and call your doctor now. It could be harder to reach a doctor on the holiday or the eve of the holiday when the office is closed but your illness is in full force. Calling your doctor early could prevent a costly holiday trip to the emergency room or urgent care.

Remember, too, that illness may begin before for you travel. Prior to leaving, assess how you are feeling and take action. Do you need to see your doctor? Do you need an antibiotic? Is your child getting an ear infection? Address any concerns before you leave so you’ll be prepared while away from home. And make sure to bring your doctor’s contact information with you.

Getting sick can ruin your holiday and while it may be unavoidable, being aware and having a plan can make handling illness on the road easier.

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Trying to figure out health insurance? Get my book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post Sick Away From Home? Here Is What You Should Do appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Urgent care facilities have become common. Most people live within close proximity to one or more. These facilities can be handy for quick-fix issues that need speedy attention, but don’t require an emergency room. Urgent care often is open after hours and on weekends, making it a convenient option for busy people. In addition, they are often less expensive than a visit to the emergency room.

Despite all of this, depending on your reason for visiting, urgent care may not be your best choice. Here’s why:

1. Lack of medical history
Your family physician or pediatrician knows you and your children best. They have records of all of your previous visits and are familiar with your medical history. The urgent care facility will not have this same understanding of your background. They will be able to assess your current illness or ailment, but will not have your full medical history to add context to the situation.

2. Possible drug interaction issues
You always want to be careful about drug interactions between anything you are taking now and whatever the urgent care physician prescribes. Because that physician does not have your full medical history, they also may not know what you are currently taking or what you have had experience with – good or bad – in the past. If you do go to urgent care, make sure you tell them everything about medications you are taking now, allergies, or adverse effects you have experienced in the past. Then check with your pharmacist and your family physician to make sure the any medication prescribed by the urgent care physician is safe for you to take.

3. Difficulty following up
When you visit urgent care, you may have trouble following up with the physician you saw. Sometimes the staff you saw at night is not available during the day, or they may hold a position with another medical facility during other hours. Often, the urgent care physician will tell you during your visit to schedule a follow-up appointment with your own family physician. This is always a good idea and will give you the opportunity to address any questions or concerns you had after your urgent care facility, as well as allow your family physician to update your medical history.

Want to avoid unnecessary grief and expense when you get sick? Then you need this essential guide to the business behind your healthcare decisions. MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to take charge of your healthcare options!

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The post Why Urgent Care May Not Be Your Best Choice appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Just what is a Do Not Resuscitate, or DNR, order? A DNR expresses, in a legal format, your wishes not to have lifesaving measures performed should the need arise. This document provides clear direction for your hospital, assisted living facility or nursing home.

Upon admittance to a health facility, you may be asked about your wishes should an event arise where you are unable to answer in the moment. For example, if you stop breathing, have a heart issue, a stroke or any other condition that may put you in a position for life-saving measures, do you want the hospital to do everything possible to keep you alive?

There is no right answer. You may decide you want life-saving measures, or you may decide you don’t want them. When my parents were nearing the end of their lives, they made the decision that they had lived full lives and if they were to stop breathing, they wanted to be left to die. The point is that you should make this decision at a time when you are able to avoid the decision being made for you.

Although DNR is a common term, you may hear some hospitals refer to this as “no code,” which means they won’t call for help to revive you if you stop breathing or are unconscious. The hospital may also refer to “allowing a natural death,” which means the same thing.

If you haven’t already, discuss your Do Not Resuscitate wishes with your doctor, hospital or healthcare facility. They will let you know how to proceed with the proper paperwork.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/do-not-resuscitate-dnr-tattoo-leaves-doctors-debating-whether-to-save-his-life/

Do you want to learn more about navigating the health care system? Pick up my book Your Hospital Stay in which you can learn about the other documents you should have in place.

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First, bring any medications you and your loved ones will need while you are away. This includes daily medications, as well as any “as needed” medications. It’s best to bring them in their original package to ensure you use the right medication during travel. It also helps TSA agents at the airport identify what you have in your bag. If any of your prescription medications are running low, consider refilling them before you travel. It’s usually easier to do so at your own pharmacy rather than in a different location that may or may not have your particular store. Also, even if you’re not traveling, it’s a good idea to refill prescriptions before holidays, which may impact pharmacy hours.

Second, bring your health insurance card. If you keep your health insurance card in your wallet, you may be all set. Just remember, if you switch wallets for travel, be sure to grab your insurance card. Hopefully you won’t need it, but you never know what might happen while you’re away. One of your family members might get sick and need to visit a local clinic. You may need to fill or refill a prescription while you’re away. By taking your health insurance card with you wherever you go, you will be prepared for the unexpected and possibly avoid extra out-of-pocket costs.

Want more tips about health insurance? Get my book

The post 2 Health Items to Bring When You Travel appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Thermography 
Thermascans are much less invasive than mammograms. This process uses thermal imaging to look for “hot spots” on the breast. These hot spots are from blood flow to a specific area that cause abnormally high skin temperatures. If hot spots are found in breast tissue it can signify the presence of breast cancer. Thermascans are great to develop a baseline of breast health and can be done annually. They are also great for early detection as hot spots typically show up long before cancer does in the tissue.

The post 4 Ways to Maintain Your Breast Health appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

What’s even more scary, is women are often times misdiagnosed after reporting their symptoms to a doctor. In fact, due to prejudices, their signs are often brushed off as anxiety or depression, so they are not receiving proper treatment because they are being misdiagnosed. Therefore, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of heart disease in women, the risk factors, who it effects, and how to improve your odds.

Do you have chronic jaw, neck and upper back pain? Unexplained nausea or vomiting? Dizziness or lightheadedness? Unexplained fatigue? Right arm pain? These may seem like minor aches and pains, but one or any of these symptoms could be a sign that you may have heart problems. Don’t brush these symptoms under the rug. If you experiencing any of these problems, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Many other diseases and risk factors can increase your odds of developing cardiovascular disease. Women who smoke are at an increased risk for heart attack and stroke, those who have diabetes are more susceptible to cardiac issues, as well as those with high stress levels.

Contrary to popular belief, heart disease does not only affect older people. Heart disease does not discriminate against age, race, religion or gender. You are never too young to have a heart attack.

How can you decrease your odds? First, hit the pavement. Walking just 30 minutes a day is all you need. Those who are physically active sharply decrease their odds of stroke and heart attack.

Second, if you smoke, quit now. Cigarettes are filled with harmful chemicals and smoking increases your blood pressure and can lead to high cholesterol.

Third, find ways to reduce your stress. Start meditating, or find a positive way to focus your energy.

Fourth, make sure you’re getting eight hours of sleep. Your body needs that time to rest and refuel, and without that time it can put added stress on you.

Fifth, maintain a healthy weight. Women who carry around excess weight are at an increased risk of heart disease.

Heart disease doesn’t have to be a death sentence. Getting informed and being proactive can help save your life or the lives of those around you.

For more healthcare news and tips daily follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

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The beginning of the year is a great time to start creating an emergency plan focused around you and your families needs. Life tends to get hectic fast. The benefit of creating a plan gives you an advantage when unexpected things happen, as they often do. In times of emergency, you will be prepared and I have just the steps for you to take action.

How do you go about creating a plan? What should be on your check-list? Who should be chosen as your emergency contact? What should you expect in an emergency?

Your questions are important. That’s why I have scheduled a live webinar on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 2 p.m. Eastern to cover tips and tools for unplanned healthcare. Register Now.

Ready to prepare for unexpected health care? Tune into the webinar to learn:

• How to create an emergency plan.
• How to create a medical life list.
• How to prepare for assisted care & recovery.
• How to plan for unexpected childcare.
• How to take care of a healing loved one.

You can bring your questions to the webinar or submit them in advance by email or on Facebook or Twitter.

Unplanned Health Care Live FREE Webinar with Expert Lori-Ann Rickard. Sign-Up Today!
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The post The Tips & Tools You Need For Unplanned Health Care appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

If it all feels like enough to drive you crazy, let me help you get through it all. Recently, I held a webinar called 7 Strategies to Keep Your Family Healthy this Holiday. Some of you let me know you couldn’t make it and because I know your schedule is probably jam-packed between now and the end of the year, I wanted to make it super easy for you to get this information.

This 30-minute webinar is now available as a recording. I will leave it up through the end of the year so you can watch it wherever you find a half hour—whether it’s your lunch break or at 5 a.m. before anyone else in your house is awake. You can watch it here.

At the end of the webinar I mentioned a coupon code making a special ebook set available—3 Easy Healthcare ebooks for $4.99. Included in the set are Before You Get Sick, Your Hospital Stay, and the What You Need First.

We have reactivated that coupon and will also make it available through the end of December. This coupon is basically getting you two free ebooks when you pay for one. Talk about a great holiday sale!

The free webinar recording and the coupon code will only stick around until December 31, 2015. Don’t miss it! Have a healthy holiday season.

Click here to watch the webinar recording

Click here to purchase the ebook set – enter coupon code NOV2015THANKS

The post 30 Minutes for a Healthy Holiday Season appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

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The post How to Keep Your Family Healthy this Holiday appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Fortunately, the fall flu season has been relatively mild, but the CDC still recommends everyone over 6 months of age get a vaccination. Here are some things you should know about the flu shot:

What is a flu shot?

A flu shot is a vaccine that features several weakened strains of the seasonal virus and help your immune system fight against viral infection. It can also reduce the severity of the virus if you do contract the flu.

What are the benefits of a flu shot?

There are many benefits to the flu vaccine. In addition to protecting you from illness, you’ll also reduce the chances of passing along the virus to other people. If you do get sick, the vaccine will also likely reduce the symptoms.

When should I get a flu shot?

Flu outbreaks generally occur between October and May and peak between December and February. The CDC recommends that people receive a flu vaccine by October. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective in adults. Children ages 6 months to 8 years need two vaccinations given at least four weeks apart.

Are there any risks to getting a flu shot?

While the benefits are great, there are a few risks. According to The New York Times, people typically develop a sore arm for a few days after receiving a vaccination and in some cases a low-grade fever. Flu shots are also developed using eggs and can cause allergic reactions in small portions of the population. In very rare cases some people develop a nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Patients with weakened immune systems, such as those who are pregnant, children under the age of 2, cancer patients, the elderly, and those with asthma should avoid the nasal spray called FluMist.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies from year to year. The shot is developed based on research estimates of which strains will be most prevalent in a particular season and it’s not an exact science. According to the CDC, there are two factors that determine how effective a vaccine will be: 1) The recipient’s health and age, and 2) how well vaccines match the particular flu strains in a season.

Where do I get the flu vaccine?

Visit Flu.gov to find places near you where the flu vaccine is administered.

Of course, you should always check with your doctor to make sure the flu shot is right with you.

Want to know more about things you can do before you get sick? Check out my book Easy Healthcare: Before You Get Sick.

Empower yourself with the knowledge to Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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