Today I had a stuffy nose, and forgot what the physician’s assistant had shared with me, so I looked it up.
This was the best page I found:
It compares the two major types of cold remedies and it basically says there are two over the counter (OTC) drug types to help a stuffy, sneezy, or runny nose:
It also lists the different types of chemicals that make antihistamines and decongestants, including the brand names, and also describes the effects each have on the average human body. Like most drugs, there are the desired effects as well as side effects that might not always be so desireable.
If I understand correctly, antihistamines work better for runny noses and allergies because it “dries” it up. Benadryl (R) is an antihistamine. Antihistamines can make one drowsy.
Again, if I understand correctly, decongestants help stuffy noses - they help get the nose running again, so it can get cleared out. These include the “ephedrine” family, like Sudafed. Decongestants can stimulate.
I checked my medicine cabinet - almost all antihistamines, but thankfully I found a couple decongestant pills. Now my nose is feeling a bit clearer, and my head less stuffy.
]]>I’ve been researching and reading up on the disease and found an interesting article questioning whether colorectal cancer is linked to germs:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20121910-10391704.html
And here’s another article that contains information about colorectal cancer, and questions whether it is linked to hot dogs, or not:
And lastly, here’s some potentially good news! This article discusses a study report that indicates that asprin can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in certain people with a genetic condition:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/ColonCancer/29324
Again, that’s only for people of a specific genetic type.
If you want to grow a mustache to raise awareness of colorectal cancer, sign up at http://us.movember.com/mospace/. Or give a donation to my team: http://www.movember.com/m/1683920.
]]>Think about it - here’s a ficticious example (though it may sound familiar to you): you are paying a health insurance business to cover the costs of managing your health, then along comes an ailment, and the insurance company does not always want to pay any or some of the cost to treat that ailment.
What are some of the arguments they might use to avoid responsibility? Who knows what is a valid argument these days, but its quite possible the arguments will include difficult to understand terminology for the average layperson. Here’s a few cryptic health insurance terms that I’ve deciphered over the years - information that will be useful to know.
This term refers to whether or not health insurance covered an expense in the past. For prescriptions - a doctor needs to provide “prior authorization” to the insurance provider.
This term refers to proof of coverage obtained prior to the current health insurance policy. It is probably related to pre-existing conditions. Some health insurance plans require a waiting period for covering new conditions, and even pre-existing conditions - if they haven’t been covered by any insurance company yet.
One factor regarding health insurance that many may find surprising is how complex it is, as well as how much paperwork is involved. In fact, I’ve heard someone state the following:
That sounds reasonable to me, but apparently not to the insurance provider! Seriously, why not? Is the new health insurance system mandated by the US Federal Government designed to bury its citizens in paperwork?
Over the years, I’ve had health insurance from the following providers:
Tricare was by far the best. What do you think of your health care company?
]]>So compelling, in fact, that it inspired me to try some new vitamins and food supplements!
Niacin is vitamin B-3, and it is used by some people as an aid to lower cholesterol. I had no idea! However, I’ve read that niacin can cause an uncomfortable, but commonly believed to be harmless, “flush” - meaning a rush of blood to the skin’s surface causing it to heat up and get itchy.
I bought a some “no-flush” Niacin from Amazon as well as CVS, but based upon other reports I’ve read, I’m planning to buy this Niacin:
UPDATE: I’ve since tried regular “non-no flush” niacin, and certainly - the flush is uncomfortable.
In my humble opinion, spirulina isn’t as interesting as niacin, but it is pretty cool. Its a microbiotic seaweed that is packed with protein. Cool! I like protein!
So I bought this:
While I was at it, I also bought some Emergen-C:
Speaking of food supplements, I need to buy some lecithin granules! Something like this:
I learned about him from the film “Bigger, Faster, Stronger”, which is quite good by the way. In it, he is himself, proselytizing the benefits of staying fit.
I’d like to live to be 96 or older! How about you? I’ve gotta get back on my exercise bike.
]]>
My daughter has been sick the past week or so and there are little signs that its letting up. Last weekend my throat started getting sore, but then it seemed to get better.
Then this week I've started to get a sore throat again, and I've become very congested. Then my daughter's mother informs me that a few of the children at my daughter's daycare center have had strep throat, but that she didn't think our daughter has it.
Ugh! I've had strep throat before and it is a really unpleasant condition. I'm trying to make due with over the counter cold medicine, throat lozenges (the generic / CVS brand of Dayquil), and lots and lots of tissues.
I did a little research on the topic and found a helpful page from Google stating that the human body will usually do away with strep throat on its own, and that antibiotics are sometimes prescribed to avoid other complications, like rheumatic fever - no thanks!
They also clarify that strep throat is caused by "Group A Streptococcus bacteria".
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Today I bought my daughter her first toothbrush. Previously I'd used a small brush which fit on my finger, but since she's getting very skillful with a fork, I decided it was time to step up to a brush that she can use herself.
Its an Oral-B "Stages" S4 brush, decorated with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, too! I bought it at CVS for $2.46 (it was on sale and I saved $0.83). I almost bought a toothbrush + toothpaste combo for $5.79, but I still have plenty of toothpaste that came along with the finger brush, so it made sense to just buy the brush by itself.
When I introduced it to her tonight, she knew exactly what it was for and did an OK job of brushing her teeth. She asked for the finger brush, but I explained that she was old enough (two years old) to have her own toothbrush. I then helped her get all of her teeth brushed.
Gotta promote good dental hygiene, right!?!?
]]>http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/ProfileFilter.do?puri=/home/Medical/Claims
]]>Yesterday I tried swimming with ear plugs for the first time. It was awesome! I found it much more relaxing because I was able to put my head back and not worry about getting water in my ears.
The pool I swim in has lanes for lap swimming, which definitely helps. Since I do the back stroke, I have bumped my head into the wall not realizing how close I was. I tried to think of a way that I could tell how close I was to the edge and came up with an idea to put a red marker on the lane ropes. As I was inspecting the lane ropes, I realized their pattern changes near the wall, so that's what I'm using as a gauge to measure how close I am. Nice!
]]>Based on what I've read so far, treatments for pinched (compressed) nerve pain include:
There are pros and cons of each of those, and from what I gathered, the different therapies work with varied efficacy to different patients. There is no "silver bullet" for permanent relief from chronic pain.
]]>I can't help but wonder about the benefits and drawbacks to plastic surgery. Seems like people want to look younger, but there is also an apparent stigma against getting work done.
The one thing that really freaks me out about plastic surgery is the way the doctors go into the nose with a hammer and chisel!
]]>Currently, most medical school residency programs require interns and residents to work extremely long hours in a single shift (up to 30 continuous hours) and extremely long work weeks (up to 100 hours).
Personally, I find the schedules preposterous, but I did speak with one resident who explained that some of the treatments are so complex that they require a single care provider to monitor for such a long session. I can relate to this to a certain degree, as software development sometimes requires elongated work sessions for efficacy. If broken into smaller work sessions, the work can take much longer to complete.
The problem with such long hours in health care is that sleep deprivation can cause judgement lapses and could potentially lead to inappropriate care. In my opinion, this risk is easily grave enough to merit more research into the subject.
]]>I had been taking diphenhydramine (aka Benadryl) which worked OK, but had the annoying side effect of making my nostrils incredibly dry.
Its much more expensive than diphenhydramine, but well worth it. I paid about $5 for ten pills, each of which last twenty four hours - and those were on sale! The directions say that for minor symptoms, one half pill might be enough, so I'm trying that out now.
]]>From my perspective, it seems to be the same thing.
Furthermore, there was no change to the Express Scripts program in my experience.
UPDATE: My first claim to the CHCBP program was rejected because I visited an out-of-network physician. During my last visit, I told the receptionist about what happened, and she changed the care code. I'm re-submitting the claim and hopefully it will at least be partially covered!
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