Healthcare

No One Is Perfect!

Okay, I admit it. I’ve been eating badly for the last few weeks. Did I say weeks? I meant over the last two months. Okay—three months. I’m aware cookies, cake, and candy, are poor choices. No one from the CDC has suggested such foods can protect us from the virus. In fact, experts say that hypertension and diabetes are co-morbidity factors attributed to death from coronavirus. And still, I pay no attention. It’s like I’m running through a supermarket with no face mask. Or hugging strangers on the street. Drinking water out of my pool (we have ducks that swim in there from time to time). Why can’t I get the message? To be healthy, I have to eat healthily (sounds awkward, but grammatically correct).

Food Is Medicine

Clearly, peanut butter cups are not what the doctors had in mind. Nor potato chips. They’d recommend fresh fruits and vegetables. Check. Limited portion sizes. Check. Protein, the size of your fist. Check. But the actual meal isn’t the problem. It’s all the noshing between meals. Those snacks first showed up around March 30th. Which by the way, coincides perfectly with the date of Arizona’s Covid-19 lockdown.

Knowing Better Isn’t Always Doing Better

Years ago, I spent a week at Canyon Ranch in Tuscon, Arizona. They billed themselves as a Lifestyle and Wellness Center. I called it a Health Spa. The less tactful, referred to it as a Fat Farm. I learned a lot about health and nutrition. The impact of lifestyle choices. The importance of exercise to reduce stress. And, that we are what we eat. If so, over the last few weeks I’ve become a giant vat of peanut butter. Someone, please pass the jelly.

Control Is Around the Corner

This week, I’m recommitting myself to getting back to being healthy. No more snacks after 6 pm. No more desserts. If there’s ever been a time to maximize your health, this has got to be that moment. Of course, there will be slip-ups. Times when hiding places will accidentally be revealed. Like the top shelf of that cabinet that requires a step ladder to reach. Or the freezer, outside in the garage. Or behind the soup cans in the kitchen pantry. Mistakes are bound to happen. No one is perfect!

Added Bonus:

This week The Intersect and After the Fall will be in a promotion for those who are subscribers to Kindle Unlimited. Take a moment to check it out here. And stay safe.

 

 

 

If Food Is Medicine…

It seems that every year there’s a new report about the miraculous benefits of a particular food. Last year, the kick was all about kale (organic, I’m sure). And as you’d expect, kale miraculously showed up on menus across the country. Now, I’m not a big fan of kale. It gets stuck in my teeth. And just like spinach, that’s never a good look.

Red Wine

When was the last time someone pointed out the health benefits of red wine? You don’t have to be on the Seine to know that those little red grapes are packed with fermented vitamins. The pricier the bottle, the better (I just made that up). I’ve also heard tales of dark chocolate. This typically comes up when dining with friends and dessert arrives. Then someone invariably says, “Oh, dark chocolate. It’s so good for you.” Which must offend fans of whip cream and caramel syrup? No one ever says anything nice about them.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

On a trip to Queen Creek, Arizona, the home of the Queen Creek Olive Mill, I learned all about olive oils. Well, not exactly about the process of making olive oil. More about the different varieties of olive oils. They’re all lined up on shelves to sample with bits of bread. It’s important to pay attention to the toothpicks. There’s a holder for the fresh ones and a holder for the used toothpicks. Pity the poor soul who gets the two holders confused.

Eat Up

If food is nature’s medicine, I’m only too glad to pull up a plate and get healthy. And yet, I can’t help but be a bit skeptical. Wasn’t it just the 1990s when fat was the evil culprit? The 2000s when we went through no carbs? And now that Oprah is a major player in Weight Watchers, heck, all bets are off. Perhaps a balanced diet is the right way to go. But who knows what that is?

We Are What We Eat

If this is true, I’m a giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Or maybe, just a tub of peanut butter. Slice me open, and I’d ooze grape jelly. No one has yet to announce that peanut butter has any medicinal value, but that’s my go-to food when I don’t feel well. It sticks to your sides (or at least to your fingers) and is wonderful for lifting the mood. Which is why choosey mothers choose Jif. Or something like that.

Doctor Appointment

How Would You Rate Your Doctor?

 

This week, the 2018 Top Doctors of Phoenix arrived in the mail. Double the thickness of the regular Phoenix Magazine—this sumptuous, four-color special edition is a healthcare bonanza. Every healthcare company in the metropolitan area seems to have paid for advertising space. Insurers, hospitals, private practices, urgent care centers. An impressive compendium of smiling professionals eager to schedule your next appointment.

Top Doctors?

So how do they select the top doctors? The answer—by surveying other doctors. In essence, physicians complete forms indicating whom they believe to be the best physicians. Then, the magazine confirms that each of the recommended physicians is board certified. Finally, names are cross-referenced against the state’s records to confirm that there hasn’t been any disciplinary action in the last 5 years. Hmm.

Surveys? Board-Certified? Disciplinary Action?

During the course of my career, I don’t recall many physicians being interested in completing surveys. For one, their time is absorbed by seeing patients. Physician offices are chaotic, busy places. The focus is mostly on the management of the physician’s schedule—making sure that patients are being seen in a timely fashion. Board certification? Well, it sounds great—but it’s really the standard. Hospitals only affiliate with board-certified doctors or those young physicians on their way to board-certification. The same is true for insurance companies. And as for disciplinary action, a physician has to do some fairly outrageous stuff before they find themselves in that quandary. This certainly has nothing to do with ensuring quality.

So How Do You Measure Quality?

Let’s take orthopedic surgery. If you need a knee replacement, you should know how many knees that physician does each year. You should be concerned about the infection rate, readmissions to the hospital, and even the mortality rate. Those statistics offer real insight into a physician’s quality of care.

Electronic Medical Records

In the age of EMRs, that is exactly the kind of data that is sourced. Healthcare and insurance executives have access to it so that they can effectively manage reimbursement from the Federal Government. But to the consumer, such data remains proprietary. So, until quality data is readily available, instead of looking through a magazine, you’re probably better off asking your trusted primary care physician for a referral to a specialist. And as for the magazine? Well, it still looks good on the coffee table.

Load More
Back To Top