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7 Things Your General Physician Won’t Tell You

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General Physician

Is there anyone that truly enjoys going to see the doctor?

If you raised your hand and said yes to that question, you are most likely in the minority. For most people, a trip to the doctor’s office evokes more fear than anything. Whether the fear is justified or not, many folks just want to stay away from that particular office.

While there are numerous reasons for individuals not to want to see a doctor, could one factor be that they’re not getting the entire truth when seeing their general physician?

For many patients, a visit with a physician boils down to a few minutes here and a few minutes there. Given that many people only see a doctor once a year for a general physical, there is not a great deal of time allotted for such a visit.

As a result, physicians do not always either have the time or make the time to share everything with their patients. In some cases, they may not even want to share every little detail. Yes, you heard that correctly.

So, what are some things that a general physician might not tell a patient?

They can include:

1. I run late more often than not – Yes, most patients can attest to the fact that their doctors are always running late, but don’t expect the doctor to share that information regularly. In most cases, patients can be left waiting anywhere from a few minutes to a half-hour or more for their doctor to see them. If you have a scheduled appointment for 9 a.m., be pleasantly surprised if your doctor comes into the room at precisely that time. It is important to remember that your office visit is of utmost importance to you, so make sure it has your doctor’s attention too;

2. I don’t get paid as much as you think I do – Most patients know that doctors make a pretty good salary, but it turns out that in many instances, primary physicians are on the lower rung of the ladder when it comes to paying. It is not uncommon for specialists in gynecology, oncology, and neurology to make significantly more money. At the end of the day, it should not matter what your primary care physician is making; he or she is there to serve you.

3. My assistant is not as qualified as I am – Have you been to see your doctor and you end up with a physician’s assistant? If you think it doesn’t happen, it does. While many such assistants are well educated and have a desire to serve patients, they simply do not have the onsite experience that the primary care doctor has. Your doctor of course will never tell you this, but do not be afraid to specify that you want to see your doctor.

4. You don’t need all these tests – In all honesty, there are those good doctors out there that will bypass what they believe to be unnecessary tests when a patient comes to them complaining of this or that. Others, however, will send the patient for a battery of tests, meaning the patient can expect to get a nice little bill from their insurance company. Many doctors will also suggest a patient get a test or two, shielding the doctor from any potential liability should it be determined down the road the patient had more than just a simple cough or a little back pain. Always get a second and even third opinion if needed when your doctor suggests a series of tests for whatever is bothering you.

5. Taking multiple medications at one time can be harmful – If you have ever heard your primary care doctor tell you he or she is not worried about how you may react to several different medications at one time, question them immediately. Even taking two drugs at once can negatively affect your body. Make sure that your doctor goes over any potential side effects with you in detail. Also, be sure to follow their instructions, meaning you are not going off and on your medication.

6. Your insurer controls everything – Given the state of the U.S. healthcare system when it comes to insurance, many consumers are afraid to open their medical bills when they come calling. The fact is that your health insurer does have a large say in which doctors you can see, which tests you can have ordered, and what types of follow-up care you can receive at a decent price. Talk with your doctor about the best care you can get at an affordable price.

7. There is a generic brand that is much cheaper than this prescription – While some doctors will level with you when prescribing a medication, others will steer you in the direction of the higher-priced pill. In most cases, there is a generic version of your prescription that can be purchased for a much better price. If you are worried about the quality and effectiveness of the generic pill, keep in mind that generics are required to have the same potency and active ingredients as their brand-name counterparts. The reality is that some doctors have what some would describe as too cozy a relationship with pharmaceutical companies. Always question your doctor when he or she prescribes a medication for you if there is a similar pill you can buy over-the-counter.

When you next go to your primary physician, be prepared to go with a list of questions about your health. By doing this, you can leave the appointment satisfied that you got your money’s worth, especially in this day and age of high medical costs.

About the author: With 23 years of experience as a writer, Dave Thomas covers a wide array of topics from the right gutters for your home to buying affordable health insurance.

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Comprehensive Guide to Mimosa Hostilis: Unlocking Nature’s Healing Secrets

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Comprehensive Guide to Mimosa Hostilis: Unlocking Nature's Healing Secrets

Introduction

The Mimosa Hostilis plant is a powerful and diverse healer, and we’re happy to provide you with this comprehensive guide. This essay will explore Mimosa Hostilis, discussing its history, customary use, medical properties, and increasing therapeutic interest. If you’re looking for an exhaustive study of this remarkable plant, you’ve found it.

What is Mimosa Hostilis?

The northeastern parts of Brazil are home to the perennial tree Mimosa Hostilis. Mimosa tenuiflora is its scientific name, and a member of the Fabaceae family of plants. There are a number of names for this plant, including “Jurema,” “Jurema Preta,” and “Tepezcohuite.” Mimosa Hostilis is highly prized for its medicinal bark due to its wide range of potential uses.

Traditional Uses

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples across Brazil and the rest of South America have relied on Mimosa Hostilis. Recognizing the plant’s special curative properties, these communities have venerated it for ages. In its traditional forms, Mimosa Hostilis uses are:

1. Medicinal Purposes

Mimosa Hostilis has been used for its curative powers to cure a wide range of illnesses. It helps heal and calm cuts, scrapes, and burns when applied topically. There’s also speculation that it can aid tissue regeneration and general skin health.

2. Natural Dye

Mimosa Hostilis is a highly prized natural dye known for its brilliant reddish-brown inner root bark. It has been used as a natural dye by indigenous people.

Medicinal Benefits

Mimosa Hostilis, for its therapeutic potential, has received a lot of attention in recent years. Traditional applications have been supported by recent scientific investigations into its health advantages. Some of the most important therapeutic benefits include:

1. Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Mimosa Hostilis tree has strong anti-inflammatory chemicals that can lessen inflammation and the pain it causes.

2. Antioxidant Activity

The antioxidant properties of Mimosa Hostilis make it effective against oxidative stress, preventing damage to cells caused by free radicals and boosting health.

3. Wound Healing

There is evidence to suggest that Mimosa Hostilis can aid in the healing of skin wounds like cuts and scrapes.

4. Analgesic Effects

Certain parts of the plant have analgesic qualities and are used to treat pain and other unpleasant sensations.

5. Antimicrobial Action

Mimosa hostilis demonstrated antibacterial activity, suggesting it could be used as a natural treatment for a range of diseases.

Modern Applications

Mimosa Hostilis’s fame has grown rapidly outside its usual contexts in recent years. Herbalists, advocates of complementary and alternative medicine, and those in search of non-invasive treatments have all taken an interest in this plant. Some current uses of Mimosa Hostilis are:

1. Skincare Products

Mimosa Hostilis has been used in numerous creams, lotions, and serums due to its calming effects on the skin.

2. Natural Cosmetics

Natural cosmetics that utilize Mimosa Hostilis for its superior dyeing properties are a more sustainable alternative to their synthetically produced counterparts.

3. Ethnobotanical Research

Researchers in pharmacology, ethnobotany, and biochemistry are all looking into Mimosa Hostilis to better understand its many benefits.

Cultivation and Sustainability

The importance of sustainable farming procedures for Mimosa Hostilis grows as demand rises. The plant’s abundance and ecological balance rely on careful harvesting and protection during its life cycle.

Conclusion

Mimosa Hostilis is a miraculous natural gift with numerous potential medicinal applications. Many people find it fascinating because of its long history, various traditional uses, and several contemporary applications. Mimosa hostilis is a shining example of the potential of natural treatments, connecting old knowledge with cutting-edge science.

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Healthcare Reform Bill: And justice for all?

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Healthcare Reform Bill: And justice for all?

Introduction

Ever so often, there comes a movie that slips across that fine line from fantasy into reality (typo intended!) with an ensemble of stars known for their acting prowess. Of course, the critics still have to nitpick, but we would always find it engaging and interesting enough to talk about at the water cooler for the common moviegoer.

And I’m talking about ‘Lions for Lambs,’ which had Meryl Streep (journalist), Robert Redford (Professor in Political Science), and Tom Cruise (U.S. Senator) with the theme of a movie about the war in Afghanistan.

Watching Tom and Meryl go at it for about an hour filled with dramatic monologues from the former and snappy comebacks from the latter was a treat to watch, while Robert’s performance also reminded me that there are three professionals you just cannot trust these days… politicians, car salesmen, and lawyers. And some have engaged in the other two professions before taking office (and that public oath they seem to take for granted).

Political Parties, Bills, and an apparent lack of interest in Patriotism

What struck me the most was the apparent lack of interest in making a change, where some who are motivated enough do what they have to do, whereas others just passively sit on the sidelines and ‘blame it all on someone else.’

And of late, we have the Democrats and the Republicans playing these roles with the buildup to the healthcare bill (Obama’s Universal Healthcare Plan) released on March 21, 2010, with absolutely no support from the Republicans. So much for bipartisanship… huh?

Sad but true, really.

The BBC referred to this victory as the most ‘crucial’ since Obama has been in power, and you can be sure that the ‘change’ has just begun… a change in healthcare reform that will cover 95% of Americans as opposed to the 83% today, specifically to uninsured Americans. An important element of the bill will ban insurance companies from denying coverage for ongoing medical problems.

But apart from all this hue and cry about it being a historic landmark in healthcare reform, one might wonder what this bill can do for him/ her. So, here are a couple of pointers that might help…

Healthcare Reform Bill: And justice for all?

What surprises me is that ‘universal healthcare’ wasn’t even an option in the United States until now, which has been an important part of the healthcare system in several countries for so long now!

Anyways, now that the bill has been passed and made a law, some of the changes will take effect immediately, while others will take place between now and 2014.

1. Cost – An expenditure of $ 940 billion over 10 years

2. Coverage – 32 million uninsured Americans will be covered

3. Medicare – The prescription drug coverage gap is closed, while people over 65 will receive discounts and rebates on brand-name drugs.

4. Medicaid – Expanded to include families under 65 with low gross incomes

5. Insurance Reform – The ability to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions has been taken away.

6. Insurance Exchanges – Thanks to state-based exchanges, self-employed and uninsured citizens can now buy insurance.

7. Subsidies – Low-income families and individuals are NOW eligible to purchase insurance.

8. Individual Mandate: Everyone should be covered by Medicaid or Medicare, or they will be fined.

9. High-cost insurance – Employers who make their workers take costlier plans are subject to further taxation on excess premiums.

In Closing

And somewhere, Karl Marx will be turning in his grave while perhaps the resounding argument of the Political Science professor in ‘Lions for Lambs’ about making a change is finally here…

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Veggie experiment over already?! – Workout Recap (April 19-26, 2009)

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Veggie experiment over already?! – Workout Recap (April 19-26, 2009)

You can follow my weekly recaps here every Sunday, but you can follow me every day as I post daily updates of my journey from GeekLand to FreakVille at Geek2Freak.com.

Current Stats and Measurements (April 26, 2009)

  • Height – 6’3″
  • Weight – 189.6 lb.
  • Bodyfat – 9.94% (Skinfolds in mm – Chest:6, Abs:16, Thigh:13)
  • Biceps – 14″
  • Calves – 14.8″
  • Thighs – 24.1″
  • Waist – 33.1″
  • Chest – 42.3″

“How to Get Abs” Progress Pics (April 26, 2009)

 

Today’s Diet Log

For up-to-the-minute coverage of my world-famous digestive system, check out my very cool and overly-detailed Diet Log.

Current Supplements

Weekly Recap (April 19-26, 2009)

I’ve been 100% clean and meatless for 11 straight days, meaning absolutely no junk or processed food, only natural, whole, and mostly organic goodness.

On top of that, it was all raw up until 2 days ago as well.

I went back to cooking veggies because they were seriously messing with my “plumbing.” This was likely just my system getting used to them, but I was starting to dislike eating them at all.

It wasn’t even necessarily the taste, but something else. I’m not even sure what, maybe just the sheer amount that I had to crunch through at one time to get enough protein from the broccoli and spinach, but I got to the point after a little over a week where I was dreading mealtime.

That’s NEVER a good thing because even at 100% clean, I’ve still found my old diet very satisfying.

As far as the measurements, they were about as consistent as they could be, almost identical to last week, which normally wouldn’t be so bad, but this is the longest I’ve gone being 100% clean in a long time, so I was expecting a little better, especially a drop back into the 32’s in my waist.

My theory is that the enormous amounts of fruit I’m eating (12 servings/day) are just too many carbs, but I still need those calories.

I can’t turn many other places for calories on a meatless diet because I’m already consuming 12 servings of vegetables per day, too, along with 6-8 servings of nuts, plus a protein shake.

I could always turn to beans, quinoa, etc., for the extra protein and calories to replace the fruit. Still, my number one reason for trying this veggie experiment in the first place was the quickness and ease of eating without having to cook anything at all.

So, given the mounting difficulties for little to no improvement, I’m going to go back to my regular diet this week to compare the results.

My “regular” includes pretty much the exact same foods, but chicken and fish will now replace about 9 servings of fruit per day, bringing me down to only three: 1 apple, 1 orange, and 1 banana.

If I all of a sudden explode from meat reintroduction, then I’ll reexamine the veggie thing, but for right now, it just doesn’t “feel” right, and I never had any issue with meat, to begin with. I was just thinking how convenient it would be not always to have to be around a freezer or oven to store and cook meat.

I am cutting the veggie experiment short (11 days instead of 30), but I’m going with my “gut”.

It comes down to, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I’ve had excellent results on my previous diet when I stick to it 100%, so I’m returning to the tried-and-true to prepare for summer!

That about wraps it up for this week. See you next Sunday, and don’t forget you can follow my daily updates at Geek2Freak.com.

Are there any other vegetarians/fitness enthusiasts out there? If so, let me know what the transition was like for you…

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