Category Archives: Healthcare

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Jimmy Kimmel’s Healthcare Scare: What You Should Know

As you may know, on May 1, 2017, Jimmy Kimmel spoke about the birth of his baby boy, Billy.

If you haven’t seen the clip, click here to watch.

Unfortunately, several hours after the birth of his baby, Jimmy and his wife Molly learned that Billy had a heart defect and needed surgery to save his life.

Jimmy thanked Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for providing Billy with amazing care. Because of the attentive staff and great care, his newborn son is home and doing well.

Jimmy’s message was extremely important and shows how far we have come in healthcare, and how far we have to go.

Friends, family, and readers have asked me some questions about what Jimmy had to say. Here’s my take:

Jimmy spoke about “pre-existing conditions.”

Question: What are pre-existing conditions and how do they affect healthcare coverage?

Answer: Pre-existing conditions are health problems that occur prior to the date new health coverage starts.

Jimmy is correct that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), pre-existing conditions, such as birth defects, could prevent someone like baby Billy from getting coverage. They also enabled insurance companies to charge individuals more. The ACA now prevents health insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging more for pre-existing conditions.

Question: What is the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)?

Answer: NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation’s medical research agency. Jimmy is correct that, despite initial plans to cut the budget for NIH, Congress increased its funding by $2 billion.

As a mother of two and a parent of a daughter born with a serious disease, I was touched by Jimmy’s message. It’s important to stay in the know about healthcare and healthcare policies, in case you or a loved one is impacted.

Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and his family on their baby boy!

To learn more about health care for your family, check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin founder Lori-Ann Rickard.

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5 Symptoms of Lupus

bigstock-132919457Over 1.5 million people are living with lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder where one’s immune system attacks their body’s organs, joints and tissues. Anyone can get lupus, however lupus is more common in women of non-Caucasian descent. Since lupus is all too common it’s important that women be able to spot the signs and symptoms.

1. Fatigue
A common symptom of lupus is extreme fatigue. A lot of women with lupus wake up feeling tired, they never feel like they got a good night’s sleep. However, fatigue is a common symptom in many disorders and diseases, so just because you’re feeling burned out doesn’t mean you have lupus.

2. Joint pain and swelling
Swelling in the knuckles and joints is especially common in the morning. Joint pain and swelling can be easily confused with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), another autoimmune disease. However, there are two key differences between lupus and RA. Lupus usually occurs at a younger age and the joint pain and swelling in lupus can be unilateral, or only on one side. Those with lupus may notice swelling in their right hand but not their left. With RA the swelling is usually on both sides of the body.

3. Fevers and rash
An unexplained fever accompanied by a butterfly shaped rash on one’s face may indicate lupus.

4. Chest pain
Men and women with lupus often suffer from something called pleurisy. Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleural lining of the lung and the chest cavity. This can result in tightness in the chest and painful breathing. This pain is typically worse when taking a deep breath.

5. Bloody urine and kidney stones
Lupus can attack any of the organs in one’s body. In advanced stages of the disease the body’s immune system attacks the kidneys. Weakened function of the kidney results in blood in the urine due to lack of filtration. Those with lupus also have a high risk of developing kidney stones.

If you have lupus, there are several things you can do to be sure you stay well:

  • Get plenty of rest
  • Start an exercise program
  • Eat a well-balanced diet
  • Keep up with your doctors

If you think you may be suffering from lupus, set up an appointment to see your doctor.

Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with lupus? How have you best managed your disease?

For more healthcare tips for you and your family, check out my latest offering in dealing with unexpected healthcare: When Life Happens: What to do about unexpected health concerns. This is a bit different than my other books. When Life Happens is a workbook filled with information, tips, and tricks for getting through accidents, difficult diagnoses, rehabilitation, and what to do with the kids through it all. But it also has activities to guide you through your situation. You can find it here for only $10!

 

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Helpful Health Care Links for October 17, 2016

Pregnant Woman Being Given Ante Natal Check By DoctorThere is a lot going on in healthcare news this week! I have put together a handful of trending health topics to share with you in hopes that this information will assist you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few trending health articles for this week.

What does it mean to “eat clean”? Clean eating is basically a fancy way of saying eating healthy. It means eating foods in their whole, natural state as opposed to prepackaged and processed foods. It seems like eating clean would be difficult, but with the right information it can be easily become part of your lifestyle.

In his final months in office President Obama is still making strides for women’s healthcare. In a new ruling, Obama is pushing to permanently protect the services provided by Planned Parenthood. Many women, especially those of low income, depend on services provided by them to stay healthy. This is huge news for women.

We all know that one of the early signs of pregnancy is nausea and vomiting. A new study suggests that morning sickness is a good sign and is actually advantageous to the newly pregnant mother.

Starting a workout regimen can be hard. Most people don’t know what types of workouts they should be doing — cardio, strength straining, low impact — and others simply don’t know how to do the moves properly. Avoiding common mistakes when it comes to working out can be the key to success!

 

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