Enjoy Your Health

If you want to lose weight and inches, you should feel like you’re working out.  Meaning, if you are reading a book or magazine while you’re on a bike or stairmaster at the gym you’re not maximizing your results.  I say workout “smart”.  By this I mean, in order to get results in a shorter amount of time you should feel your muscles working, and your heart rate increasing.  If you are focused then it would be uncomfortable to workout while reading.  By staying focused on your workout, and working out “smart” you’ll get better results in a shorter amount of time.

Most pregnant are concerned at one time or another with the amount of weight they are gaining.  Some fear they are gaining too much too soon, whereas others are concerned they aren’t gaining enough weight.  The key to gaining the “right” amount of weight is to listen to your body and eat when you’re hungry.  Listen to your cravings and chose healthy foods whenever possible.  So if you’re craving something sweet, opt for a piece of fruit or a fruit smoothie prior to indulging in something sweet high in calories and fat.  As long as you’re listening to your body and eating healthy you are most likely gaining just the amount of weight you need to gain.  For reassurance instead of asking about the number on the scale, ask, “Is my weight ok?  Am I where I need to be”.  Your doctor, midwife, or nurse will let you know.  By focusing less on the number on the scale and more on eating healthy and exercising your anxiety will decrease and you’ll gain more enjoyment out of your pregnancy experience–remember, it’s just 9 mo!

If you’re eager to lose the baby weight, you’ve got to get up and move!  The first step is always the hardest part.  Once you get your exercise clothes and shoes on, you’re on your way to making the first step, which is walking out the door and moving your body!  I recommend putting your workout clothes out in the morning so you see them every time you walk by.  I’ve found the “clothes reminder” really works well for getting my clients to take the first step.  Once you get moving focus on how good it feels to move your body and tell yourself, “I’m doing a good thing, I’m taking care of me!  Each day I exercise I’m becoming more fit”.

R U N2 TMing?

If not, you are probably having trouble deciphering the previous line, which in English means, "Are you into text messaging?"

Text messaging is something often identified with teenagers incessantly punching gibberish into their cell phones. But many doctors have found texting to be an EZ (easy) way to SIT (stay in touch) with family and friends throughout the day when they are too busy to call or send an e-mail. More than that, those doctors are using it as a way to communicate with colleagues on the fly, or to communicate with patients.

And as more medical students -- who are as familiar with texting as they are with using the telephone (assuming they haven't given up the old land-line phone already) -- enter the field, text messaging is expected to become increasingly common among doctors.

With the cell phone's popularity, text messaging services can provide a convenient way for you to remind patients of appointments or send them a birthday wish. Automated systems exist, so that you don't have to remember every patients' birthday -- you can impress them not only by your apparent memory but also by your tech savviness.

But some suggest that texting has its limits for doctors because of an acronym EVRY1 (everyone) is familiar with: HIPAA. While advocates of texting say it's more private than actually talking into a cell phone, others say the tool is best used to facilitate the quick scheduling of a meeting or phone call, rather than for detailed, substantive patient issues. A quick phone consult, for example, could be arranged as fast as you can type PCM (please call me) on your keypad and hit send.

[...]

At a January meeting between Aetna representatives and one of Atlanta's largest gastroenterology groups, about 50 doctors handed over letters of resignation, threatening to pull out of the insurers' network.

They were protesting a change in Aetna's policy regarding anesthetizing patients undergoing colonoscopies, said Steven J. Morris, MD, managing partner of Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates.

As of April 1, Aetna is ending coverage of anesthesiologist-supervised sedation in endoscopy procedures.

Physicians, including Dr. Morris, are appealing to Aetna to rethink their decision. Opponents say the move will discourage people afraid of the procedures from being screened for colon cancer. And for some, the very idea of Aetna declaring anything medically unnecessary is an affront.

"We have an insurance company telling us to change the standard of care," Dr. Morris said. "This is a ridiculous situation."

Aetna is not alone in changing policy. Humana made a similar change last year. WellPoint did the same in June 2006, though spokesman Jim Gavin said, "Our clinical guidelines can be implemented across the country at the option of our health plans," so the rule isn't enforced everywhere.

For decades, physicians have used a combination of a narcotic and a benzodiazepine, which can put a patient in a conscious sedation. Doctors differ in their opinions of that method.

"These drugs have inconsistent and unpredictable effects," said Steven J. Stryker, MD, a surgical oncologist and professor of clinical surgery at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

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