President-elect Obama is making health care one of his top priorities and him and his transition team is looking for ideas and input on the challenges and possible solutions facing our health care system.
The Sarasota Health Department will be holding a community health care discussion to give feedback to the transition team. This discussion will occur Tuesday, December 16th at the Selby Goodwill at 6pm. The event is hosted by the Newtown CHAT.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Google Health
One of the loudest complaints about our health care system is the lack of electronic coordination between doctors. Each specialist you go to, each hospital visit you have, each doctor you have an appointment with -- there are forms. Lots of forms. Usually they ask for the same information you put on a previous form at a previous doctor's office.We live in an age of technology so it seems it should be easier for a doctor to access your medical history. Well, Google has taken the steps to produce such a system.
Earlier in the year Google unveiled Google Health. According to Google, "Google Health aims to solve an urgent need that dovetails our overall mission of organizing patient information and making it accessible and useful. Through our health offering, our users will be empowered to college, store, and manage their own medical records online."
With Google Health, you can track your medical history, research your conditions, import your medical records, see how your medications might interact, and search for doctors and hospitals.
To create such a system, Google put together a Health Advisory Council made up of medical doctors, health specialists, and policy experts.
Google Health is a free service and its major criticism is over privacy, since Google Health is not considered a covered entity under HIPA.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
In Our Town
About a year ago, one resident of Sarasota created a community herb garden in their front lawn to share freshly grown herbs with their neighbors. Anybody could walk up and sample the available herbs.
There are plenty of benefits to community gardens. Community gardening is a way for people to share fresh food with each other which can help strengthen a sense of community and increase personal ties between community members. The gardens provide an easy opportunity to meet neighbors.
Interestingly, without any neighborhood meetings, two other residents built community gardens on the same street as the resident with the herb garden. These are pictures of a vegetable garden and a salsa garden on Wisteria Street in Sarasota.
There are plenty of benefits to community gardens. Community gardening is a way for people to share fresh food with each other which can help strengthen a sense of community and increase personal ties between community members. The gardens provide an easy opportunity to meet neighbors.
Interestingly, without any neighborhood meetings, two other residents built community gardens on the same street as the resident with the herb garden. These are pictures of a vegetable garden and a salsa garden on Wisteria Street in Sarasota.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
The health of our environment affects the health of humans and human actions affect the environment. Measuring your carbon footprint is a useful way to measure your impact on the environment.
Scientists at The Nature Conservancy developed a calculator for individuals and households to measure their carbon footprint.
To learn more about carbon footprints and to calculate your impact on the environment, visit the Carbon Footprint Calculator web page here.
Click the image below to see a map of per capita greenhouse gas emissions--
Scientists at The Nature Conservancy developed a calculator for individuals and households to measure their carbon footprint.
To learn more about carbon footprints and to calculate your impact on the environment, visit the Carbon Footprint Calculator web page here.
Click the image below to see a map of per capita greenhouse gas emissions--
Men and Sleep
Sleep is essential and we need sleep to function. According to the National Institutes of Health, inadequate sleep can cause slower reaction times, weaker concentration, mood fluctuations, behavior problems, memory lapses, and accidents and injuries. Sleep is critically important, and best of all, free. So why do so many people have problems with sleeping?
There are a variety of answers to that question, but one researcher looked at how sleeping attitudes might affect sleep, specifically in men. Robert Meadows researched the type of attitudes men have about sleeping and found that men's masculine roles can lead to poor sleeping habits. Meadows interviewed men to investigate their sleep behaviors and attitudes. Many of the men bragged about how little sleep they're able to get to function. Others talked about sleep as a "bodily need", saying that their body needs sleep rather than 'I want' sleep. Some talked about sleep only as a necessity to function for a job. Many said that sleep "is a waste of time" and that sleep should never get in the way of "having a life." A lot of the men talked about sleep as if it were a "wimpy" activity that conflicted with more important necessities, whether it be work or social activities.
The author argues that there are social meanings attached to sleep which could conflict with social gender roles men have as being "hard-working," self-sufficient individuals. The author states, "men are demonstrating dominant norms of masculinity when they refuse to take sick leave from work, when they insist they need little sleep..." There seems to be a balancing act where sleep is important for some activities but not as important for others.
Overall, it seems that men's attitudes regarding sleep are based, in some part, on masculine attitudes found in our culture.
There are a variety of answers to that question, but one researcher looked at how sleeping attitudes might affect sleep, specifically in men. Robert Meadows researched the type of attitudes men have about sleeping and found that men's masculine roles can lead to poor sleeping habits. Meadows interviewed men to investigate their sleep behaviors and attitudes. Many of the men bragged about how little sleep they're able to get to function. Others talked about sleep as a "bodily need", saying that their body needs sleep rather than 'I want' sleep. Some talked about sleep only as a necessity to function for a job. Many said that sleep "is a waste of time" and that sleep should never get in the way of "having a life." A lot of the men talked about sleep as if it were a "wimpy" activity that conflicted with more important necessities, whether it be work or social activities.
The author argues that there are social meanings attached to sleep which could conflict with social gender roles men have as being "hard-working," self-sufficient individuals. The author states, "men are demonstrating dominant norms of masculinity when they refuse to take sick leave from work, when they insist they need little sleep..." There seems to be a balancing act where sleep is important for some activities but not as important for others.
Overall, it seems that men's attitudes regarding sleep are based, in some part, on masculine attitudes found in our culture.
Psychology and Health
Psychology and medicine seem to be two separate fields -- one concerning the study of human behavior and the other on medical science. However, there has been an increase in health research by psychologists. One psychological study focused on ways for doctors to improve communication with patients. Good doctor-patient communication can lead to better health outcomes, less stress on a patient, more medical disclosure from a patient, and a greater chance that the patient will follow their treatment and return to the doctor’s office for any additional medical issues.
The article found that there are two different types of doctor-patient communication. The first type is doctor-centered consultation. This style of communication is where the doctor controls the conversation by asking questions and then forming a treatment plan. On the other side of the communication spectrum there is patient-centered consultations. This type of communication is where the patient says all they need to say regarding their medical issue and then discusses possible treatment choices with the doctor.
The study went on to investigate which type of consultation do patients (and their friends and relatives) prefer. All were most satisfied with the patient-centered consultation. Patients feel more engaged and involved with the medical process, and as a result, are more satisfied with their visit and treatment plan.
Since patients prefer patient-centered consultations and there are evident benefits for this style of communication, doctors should consider using the patient-centered consultation model for their practice.
Research Article-
Boyer, M.J. (2000). Communication styles in the cancer consultation: preferences for a patient-centered approach. Psycho-oncology, 9, 2, 147.
The article found that there are two different types of doctor-patient communication. The first type is doctor-centered consultation. This style of communication is where the doctor controls the conversation by asking questions and then forming a treatment plan. On the other side of the communication spectrum there is patient-centered consultations. This type of communication is where the patient says all they need to say regarding their medical issue and then discusses possible treatment choices with the doctor.
The study went on to investigate which type of consultation do patients (and their friends and relatives) prefer. All were most satisfied with the patient-centered consultation. Patients feel more engaged and involved with the medical process, and as a result, are more satisfied with their visit and treatment plan.
Since patients prefer patient-centered consultations and there are evident benefits for this style of communication, doctors should consider using the patient-centered consultation model for their practice.
Research Article-
Boyer, M.J. (2000). Communication styles in the cancer consultation: preferences for a patient-centered approach. Psycho-oncology, 9, 2, 147.
20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day
Progress and challenges mark World AIDS Day--
"One of the most important initiatives of my administration has been the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. It's the largest international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. When we launched PEPFAR, our goal was to support treatment for two million people in five years. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have exceeded that goal -- early." President Bush discusses AIDS relief program on World AIDS Day (Click here for more information on PEPFAR)
"On this twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day, I think it's appropriate to look back for a moment to when this day was first observed. In 1988, when ministers of health from around the world first had the notion to set aside a day to highlight the threat of HIV/AIDS, they faced widespread ignorance and fear. Back then, many refused to even acknowledge the existence of this disease, let alone the devastating impact it was having on families and communities around the world.
"Today, because of the work of people like you, women in Kenya who were widowed by the disease, and once shunned by society, have banded together to support and empower each other. Scientists around the world are discovering and engineering new medicines to give people with HIV/AIDS another chance at life. NGOs and faith-based institutions are marshaling the best of the human spirit to help those affected. And world governments are coming together to address the humanitarian crisis the pandemic has left in its wake. I salute President Bush for his leadership in crafting a plan for AIDS relief in Africa and backing it up with funding dedicated to saving lives and preventing the spread of the disease. And my administration will continue this critical work to address the crisis around the world." Excerpt from President-elect Barack Obama's video remarks to the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to honor World AIDS Day.
"The leaders of government across the globe have pledged to strengthen efforts to combat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day Monday." World AIDS Day Focuses on Prevention
"The international commemoration has perennially been accompanied by new, bleak reports, and bureaucratic hand-wringing over the invariable failure of supply – in the form of drugs, management and financing – to keep up with the needs of the desperately ill around the world. However, there’s actually some rather interesting news on this World AIDS Day...for the first time since the advent of anti-retroviral therapy and vaccine trials, hope for a cure has emerged. Through a bone marrow transplant, a German scientist has perhaps cleared the first AIDS patient of the virus – quite possibly the first time in human history that a person with AIDS has been effectively freed of the virus." Health expert, Josh Ruxin, at the NY Times
"Much has been accomplished in the fight against HIV/AIDS from scientific, medical and public health standpoints. However, now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels. The statistics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done." Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, CNN
"The number of people living with HIV is continuing to rise in every part of the world...There are now 33 million people living with HIV worldwide..." HIV Facts
"One of the most important initiatives of my administration has been the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. It's the largest international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. When we launched PEPFAR, our goal was to support treatment for two million people in five years. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have exceeded that goal -- early." President Bush discusses AIDS relief program on World AIDS Day (Click here for more information on PEPFAR)
"On this twentieth anniversary of World AIDS Day, I think it's appropriate to look back for a moment to when this day was first observed. In 1988, when ministers of health from around the world first had the notion to set aside a day to highlight the threat of HIV/AIDS, they faced widespread ignorance and fear. Back then, many refused to even acknowledge the existence of this disease, let alone the devastating impact it was having on families and communities around the world.
"Today, because of the work of people like you, women in Kenya who were widowed by the disease, and once shunned by society, have banded together to support and empower each other. Scientists around the world are discovering and engineering new medicines to give people with HIV/AIDS another chance at life. NGOs and faith-based institutions are marshaling the best of the human spirit to help those affected. And world governments are coming together to address the humanitarian crisis the pandemic has left in its wake. I salute President Bush for his leadership in crafting a plan for AIDS relief in Africa and backing it up with funding dedicated to saving lives and preventing the spread of the disease. And my administration will continue this critical work to address the crisis around the world." Excerpt from President-elect Barack Obama's video remarks to the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health to honor World AIDS Day.
"The leaders of government across the globe have pledged to strengthen efforts to combat and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day Monday." World AIDS Day Focuses on Prevention
"The international commemoration has perennially been accompanied by new, bleak reports, and bureaucratic hand-wringing over the invariable failure of supply – in the form of drugs, management and financing – to keep up with the needs of the desperately ill around the world. However, there’s actually some rather interesting news on this World AIDS Day...for the first time since the advent of anti-retroviral therapy and vaccine trials, hope for a cure has emerged. Through a bone marrow transplant, a German scientist has perhaps cleared the first AIDS patient of the virus – quite possibly the first time in human history that a person with AIDS has been effectively freed of the virus." Health expert, Josh Ruxin, at the NY Times
"Much has been accomplished in the fight against HIV/AIDS from scientific, medical and public health standpoints. However, now is no time to rest on our accomplishments or our laurels. The statistics of the HIV/AIDS pandemic tell us that much more needs to be done." Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, CNN
"The number of people living with HIV is continuing to rise in every part of the world...There are now 33 million people living with HIV worldwide..." HIV Facts
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