12.31.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:23 am by Pit
As a therapist, one of the biggest complaints I hear from moms of all ages is the feeling of overwhelm. Moms often feel there is so much to do, yet not enough time to do all of it. I’ve found the greatest cause of the feeling of overwhelm is actually NOT all the to do’s, it’s the little “me time” that moms have. My solution for moms who feel really overwhelmed is to take a break, re-group, and have some quality “me time”. Me time may include getting a massage or pedicure, having luch with a girlfriend, or having a few hours to herself doing things she enjoyed doing prior to having children. Once mom feels recharged, her overwhelm will decrease and she’ll have more energy to take on the demands of being mom. You deserve it, go ahead and schedule some “me time”!
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12.24.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:30 am by Pit
You may be contemplating whether or not to workout with a trainer. Here’s the pluses:
*A good trainer will teach you proper form
*A trainer will keep you committed and dedicated (why would you pay otherwise?)
*A good trainer will help you with nutrition
*A good trainer creates variety and makes working out fun
*A good trainer will teach you the skills so you can ultimately workout on your own
Minuses:
*A good trainer isn’t cheap. Prices vary from $70-over $100/hr. depending on credentials and experience
*Once you’re hooked it can be hard to wean yourself.
If you don’t have the money to spend, start working out with a friend or group. Having a friend or group hold you accountable will keep you on track. Plus it can be more fun to workout with others.
If you are interested in personal training with me and live in San Diego, CA. Contact me at info@fitbysara.com or 800.568.3820 and visit: http://www.fitbysara.com.
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12.21.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:19 pm by Pit
WASHINGTON (AP) -- That day in July was one that Tammy Morse won't soon forget. Five months earlier, her husband lost his job as a recruiter for the financial services industry. Once the family savings were gone, the mother of two from Stratford, Conn., saw no way to get health insurance coverage for her family other than to apply for Medicaid.
"It was humbling," she said of her visit to the state's Department of Social Services office. "For lack of a better way to put it, that was for other people. It wasn't for me."
Around the country, similar stories are playing out for thousands of families.
Since the recession began a year ago, many states have seen increases in the Medicaid rolls just as tax revenues are falling below projections. Governors have lobbied President-elect Barack Obama and Congress to help them weather the downturn by increasing the federal government's share of Medicaid spending for at least two years.
The governors said the extra $40 billion would ease the service cuts or tax increases that legislatures need to balance state budgets.
The unemployment rate has jumped from about 4.7 percent last December, when the recession began, to 6.7 percent today. Economists estimated in a Kaiser Family Foundation report that each 1 percent gain in the unemployment rate adds 1 million people to the Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program.
In Connecticut, a state faring better than many, enrollment in the Medicaid program has climbed from about 312,000 last December to about 329,500 in November - a 6 percent increase. Many who lost their jobs were eligible to continue group health insurance. But that is not an option in most cases because they no longer have an employer picking up a large share of their premiums.
Medicaid insures nearly one in six low-income people in the U.S. The program typically covers the very poor and about half of enrollees are children. Spending came to $333 billion in the budget year ending Sept. 30, 2007. Washington picks up about 57 percent of that; the states cover the remainder.
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On the Net:
Kaiser Family Foundation: http://www.kff.org
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: http://www.cms.hhs.gov
Families USA: http://www.familiesusa.org
© 2008 The Associated Press.
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12.20.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:18 pm by Pit
ATLANTA (AP) -- The medical arsenal against the flu just got weaker. Government health officials said Friday that a leading flu medicine, Tamiflu, might not work against all cases of the flu this year. The most common flu bug right now is overwhelmingly resistant to Tamiflu, they said. The alert is "an early heads-up" for doctors. If current trends continue, they may need to change how they treat patients this flu season, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials say they aren't too worried, for several reasons. First, it's early in the flu season, and it's not clear this strain will dominate through the next several months. Second, not many people take antiviral medications for the flu.
Third, the flu vaccine - the primary weapon against flu - seems well matched against the circulating bugs.
But doctors need to take it seriously, said William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert.
"Each influenza seasons provides a bit of a surprise and we got our (surprise) a little early this year," he added.
The flu causes 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually, according to official estimates. The elderly, young children and people with chronic illnesses are considered at greatest risk.
For the public, the best course of action is vaccination, health officials said. Only about 30 percent of U.S. adults had gotten a flu vaccination this flu season, according to an online survey conducted by the RAND Corporation in November. A flu shot is recommended for those 50 and older, children from 6 months to 18 years, pregnant women, nursing home patients and those with certain medical conditions or who care for people with those conditions.
For people who get the flu, the two most commonly used antivirals are Tamiflu, a pill also known as oseltamivir, and Relenza, an inhaled drug also called zanamivir. The drugs are most effective if taken within two days of getting sick but most people don't see a doctor that quickly.
Early tests indicate that 49 of 50 samples of the main flu virus circulating this year - H1N1 - were resistant to Tamiflu. The samples came mainly from Hawaii, Texas and ten other states. Widespread flu has not yet been reported in most of the country.
"It could fizzle out," or H1N1 could become the dominant strain, Gerberding said.
A spokesman for Tamiflu's manufacturer - Roche, a Swiss company - said it's too early to draw strong conclusions about the drug's usefulness this flu season. The basis of the CDC's alert "is a small sample in a limited number of states, and Tamiflu is showing good activity against other circulating viruses," said spokesman Terry Hurley.
For those sick with the flu, doctors cannot simply choose Relenza instead of Tamiflu. That treatment is not approved for children younger than 7 or people who have asthma or certain other breathing problems. GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which makes Relenza, said Friday it has enough to meet the demands of the current flu season.
An option for some patients, Gerberding said, may be a combination of Tamiflu and rimantadine, another antiviral medication that works against H1N1 but lost effectiveness against another kind of flu virus.
However, it's not clear how well that combination will work, Schaffner said.
"This is a 'best advice with our back against the wall' kind of thing," he said.
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On the Net:
The CDC flu report: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
© 2008 The Associated Press.
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12.19.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:17 pm by Pit
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration, in its final days, issued a federal rule Thursday reinforcing protections for doctors and other health care workers who refuse to participate in abortions and other procedures because of religious or moral objections.
Critics say the protections are so broad they limit a patient's right to get care and accurate information. For example, they fear the rule could make it possible for a pharmacy clerk to refuse to sell birth control pills without ramifications from an employer.
Under long-standing federal law, institutions may not discriminate against individuals who refuse to perform abortions or provide a referral for one. The administration's rule is intended to ensure that federal funds don't flow to providers who violate those laws, Health and Human Services officials said.
"Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience," said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt.
The rule requires recipients of federal funding to certify their compliance with laws protecting conscience rights.
Despite multiple laws on the books protecting health providers, the administration argued that the rule was needed "to raise awareness of federal conscience protections and provide for their enforcement."
But many groups described the rule as a last-minute push designed to make it harder for women to get services such as contraception or counseling in the event they are pregnant and want to learn all of their options.
Several medical associations, more than 100 members of Congress, governors and 13 attorneys general were among the many thousands who wrote the department to protest the rule after it was proposed. Opponents didn't like the rule any better after it was finalized.
"In just a matter of months, the Bush administration has undone three decades of federal protections for both medical professionals and their patients," said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. "It replaced them with a policy that seriously risks the health of millions of women, then tried to pass it off as benevolent."
Abortion opponents hailed the regulation because they said the lack of regulation had resulted in confusion and a lack of awareness.
"This is a huge victory for religious freedom and the First Amendment," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
The administration estimated the cost of complying with the rule at $43.6 million annually, which is spread throughout the hundreds of thousands of health providers subject to the rule - from hospitals and physician offices to medical schools and pharmacies.
Several lawmakers have promised to take up legislation that would overturn the rule once Congress reconvenes in January. Another option is for the Obama administration to issue new regulations that would trump it. The rule will take effect on Jan. 18, two days before Obama takes office.
Obama's transition team did not specifically address the rule Thursday, but spokesman Nick Shapiro issued a statement that said Obama "will review all eleventh-hour regulations and will address them once he is president."
While campaigning in August, Obama criticized the proposal: "This proposed regulation complicates, rather than clarifies the law. It raises troubling issues about access to basic health care for women, particularly access to contraceptives," he said.
The 127-page rule disputed concerns that the protections being proposed were too broad and would affect too many workers in the health care industry, not just doctors or nurses involved with an abortion or sterilization.
"These laws are intended to protect the conscience rights of all individuals participating in health care services, and research programs and activities receiving certain federal funds, or that are administered by the department," the rule said.
Opponents consistently described the rule as a last-minute effort that would reduce access to health care services, particularly access to birth control.
"Making birth control more - not less - accessible is the best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce abortion," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.
Others said the rule would go so far as to protect providers who refuse to give rape victims emergency contraceptives.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said about 200,000 people submitted comments opposing the rule, including about 90,000 comments from its supporters.
"This midnight regulation, issued in the last days of the Bush administration, undermines this country's fragile health care system as well as patients' access to health care information and services," said the group's president, Cecile Richards.
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On the Net:
Health and Human Services Department: http://www.hhs.gov
Planned Parenthood: http://www.plannedparenthood.org
© 2008 The Associated Press.
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