As the medical system struggles to grow and evolve, it’s easy for patients to fall through the cracks. That makes it harder and harder to speak up and advocate for your own health. However, you know your body best! Becoming your own health advocate will ensure you get the referrals, treatments, tests, and diagnoses you need to maintain your quality of life. Here’s how to become an informed and persistent advocate for yourself in the healthcare system, courtesy of Patient Talk.

Research Your Senior Living Options

If you’re a senior and you anticipate needing help with daily tasks at some point in your future, start looking into your senior living options now. Remember, this is your decision! By being informed and knowing what you want, you can advocate for the senior living solution that best fits your needs.

For example, skilled nursing facilities provide a high level of care that is ideal for those with serious health issues that require round-the-clock support. Even if you don’t require this level of care right now, reviewing local facilities and picking out your favorite options will help you make a confident and informed decision when the time comes.

Learn About Your Insurance Coverage

Many people don’t understand how their health insurance works. According to CNBC, just 4% of Americans are able to correctly define common insurance terms that determine how much they would pay out-of-pocket for prescriptions and medical services. What’s more, only half the population is confident in their ability to choose the right health insurance policy for their needs. Knowing how your health insurance works will help you make better healthcare decisions and get the most out of your policy.

Keep Your Medical Records Organized

Maintaining copies of your own health records will ensure you always have access to important health information when you need it. As a result, you’ll never have to go through the hassle of transferring your health records or trying to access results from a blood test. You’ll have all the same information your doctors have, so you can do your own research and bring your own suggestions to doctor’s visits. Take advantage of free online tools to keep all of your medical records in one place. Wondering how to combine PDF files? It’s a simple process, and having those PDFs combined and readily accessible will save you lots of confusion.

Do Your Own Research

While it’s important to listen to your doctor and heed their advice, doing your own research never hurts. You might just come up with a suggestion or solution that your doctor overlooks. Thuasne USA explains that doctors rely on their patients to offer clear and concise descriptions of their conditions so they can make an accurate assessment, and researching your situation on your own can help you better articulate your experience.

Take Responsibility for Your Wellbeing

The more you can limit your reliance on the healthcare system, the better. By incorporating preventive care into your wellness plan, you can spend less time at the doctor and more time living your life! Research shows that simple healthy lifestyle habits like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep can help ward off a number of common lifestyle diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Even if you work a lot, you should be able to fit healthy habits into your routine. For example, try taking the stairs at work and going for a walk on your lunch break to squeeze a little extra movement into your day.

Don’t wait for someone else to advocate for your health. Become your own health advocate by understanding your insurance, researching your senior living options, maintaining your health records, and taking wellness into your own hands. It’s time to stand up for your health!

Patient Talk is here to help you take charge of your health! If you have any questions, please email info@patienttalk.org.

Researchers find weight loss may be beneficial for individuals with obesity, but not for the clean credit Kenny Eliason, Unsplash (CC0, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

Intentionally losing weight can bring long-term health benefits for individuals with obesity, regardless of the method or strategy they use, according to a study of almost 200,000 people. Those who lost more than 4.5kg had less weight gain and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who did not lose weight, but lean individuals did not benefit, with weight loss attempts associated with longer-term weight gain and higher risks of type 2 diabetes. The research is publishing September 27^thin the open-access journal PLOS Medicine.

Obesity can lead to higher risks of diseases including type 2 diabetes. Controlling weight can be an effective strategy for preventing and managing obesity and related diseases, though long-term weight change and risk of developing type 2 diabetes are not well studied.

Qi Sun and colleagues from the TH Chan Harvard School of Public Health, U.S., included healthy participants from three prospective cohort studies from 1988 – 2017. Individuals were aged between 24-78 and predominantly female — 11.6% male and 14.2% male in the cohorts. They grouped methods that led to weight loss of more than 4.5kg into seven categories: low-calorie diet, exercise, low-calorie diet plus exercise, fasting, commercial weight loss program, diet pills and a combination of fasting, commercial and diet pills (FCP).

Exercise was most effective for long-term weight control and prevention in individuals with obesity and associated with least weight gain after four years — 4.2% overall average less weight than at the start in individuals with obesity, 2.5% weight loss in overweight, and 0.4% in lean people. This was inverted for FCP, which saw individuals with obesity sustaining 0.3% weight loss, overweight people sustaining 2% more weight gain, and lean individuals 3.7% more weight gain.

24 years later, risk of diabetes was reduced for individuals with obesity irrespective of weight loss strategy – ranging from a 21% reduction for exercise to a 13% reduction for diet pills. For overweight individuals, the researchers saw a range of 9% reduction in type 2 diabetes risk for exercise to an increase of 42% risk for those who took pills, and in lean individuals, all weight loss was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes — ranging from a 9% increase for exercise and a 54% increase for pills or FCP.

The authors conclude that while weight loss can be beneficial for those who are overweight and obese, weight loss strategies do not bring the same gains for lean individuals and weight loss strategies should be used only by those who medically need them.

“We were a bit surprised when we first saw the positive associations of weight loss attempts with faster weight gain and higher type 2 diabetes risk among lean individuals,” Sun adds. “However, we now know that such observations are supported by biology that unfortunately entails adverse health outcomes when lean individuals try to lose weight intentionally. Good news is that individuals with obesity will clearly benefit from losing a few pounds and the health benefits last even when the weight loss is temporary.”

Installing a pool on your property is a huge commitment of both time and money. However, having somewhere to relax with friends and family on a hot summer afternoon is priceless. But, before you go all in, you should familiarize yourself with the process. Today’s post is just one of many great pool owner resources brought to you by Patient Talk.

Above Or Below Ground?

For most people, there are two choices: an above ground pool or an inground pool. Above ground swimming pools have the financial advantage, as they are often a fraction of the cost of inground. Many people choose an above ground pool to avoid the exponential cost of excavation. An inground pool, however, can be easier to maintain since, depending on how it’s built, you likely won’t have to worry about ripping the liner. Others choose an inground pool because they blend with the landscape better. Another option is a semi-inground pool, which is a hybrid of both.

Finding the Right Installation Company

Something else to consider before you make a decision is the rules and regulations in your area. In most places, you’ll have to have a licensed contractor to install your pool and a licensed electrician to run electricity to the pump and filter. It’s important that you hire the right people for this job, especially with all you are investing in the project. Once you have decided the type of pool you want and where you want it located, look online for well-rated pool installation companies. Call a few different companies and provide a clear description of what you want done. Enquire about their experience, their pricing, and their timelines. Once you have heard from your best options, make a decision quickly to move the project forward.

If you live in a cooler area, you might want to look into having solar panels installed to heat your pool. Look for a search engine that lets you input specifics about your project, and investigate pricing for solar paneling specifically for pools. This is a less common application for solar these days, so it might be a little harder to find contractors who handle it, but once you can relax in your warm pool on a brisk fall evening, it will all be worth it.

Rules and Regulations

It’s important that your installer is familiar with the pool rules and regulations for your area. Often, you’ll be required to build your pool a certain number of feet from utility and other easements. To find out if and where these exist, visit your local City Hall or property assessor’s office.

Aside from the cost of the pool, you will also be required to ensure that it is inaccessible to the general population and safe for those that do use it. For this, you will almost certainly have to have a fence around your pool. Keep in mind that this can add an extra $4,500 to your overall cost, but this might be much more if you choose to add a wooden privacy fence instead of a chain-link fence. You’ll have to have a separate contractor for this as well, and you want to read reviews and go over all of your needs with each service provider before you move forward. All of your contractors will need to be aware of easements and utility lines, such as gas, underground electric, and sewer. You will also likely be required to have a pool alarm.

Benefits to Health and Well-Being

Yes, having a pool is a big commitment, but it can also be a great opportunity to help your body and mind. Swimming is great aerobic exercise, but it is also low impact, which is great if you suffer from joint pain. In fact, swimming can be great for pain relief. According to Southside Pain Specialists, swimming can provide relief while also helping you build your stamina, muscle strength, and flexibility. You may find yourself heading to the pool for the fun, but benefiting from the health benefits, too.

Ongoing Financial Commitment

Having a home swimming pool might let you skip a few vacations, which is important if you’re on a tight budget. It can cost up to $500 each season simply by opening and closing your pool. This doesn’t even include the cost of repairing malfunctioning equipment, replacing the liner, or making other repairs. You will also be on the hook for the extra electricity it takes to run the pool pump during the summer (or all year, depending on where you live). In The Swim acknowledges that a variable or two-speed pump can help reduce these costs.

You must also factor in whether adding a swimming pool to your property will make your home more sellable or if it will be a liability. Regardless of the type of features you add, you might want to take before and after pics and hold onto any receipts and information showing improvements you’ve made to the property. Finally, don’t forget about the added cost you’ll incur to keep your pool beautiful. In addition to chemicals and maintenance equipment, you may also have to pay for landscaping, a deck, or a patio.

Enjoy the Benefits

Deciding to install a pool is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are many factors to consider, such as the cost of installation and maintenance, the size and shape of your yard, and how much use you think the pool will get. If you decide a pool is right for you, make sure to hire qualified contractors who can help you navigate all the permitting and construction process. Pools add value to your home and can provide hours of fun for friends and family members during the summer months- making the decision even easier!

Pools can be great low-impact exercise and even help to ease the pain that accompanies chronic conditions. If you are interested in more information about what it’s like to live with particular conditions from the patients themselves, visit Patient Talk.

The associations are exhibited as cumulative relative risks over 0-3 lag days with the 75th percentile of ambient temperature distribution as the reference (22.6°C). The blue lines are the effect estimates and the gray shaded areas are the 95% confidence interval. CREDIT Department of Global Health Promotion, TMDU

n extreme heat events, people with diabetes had a greater risk of being hospitalized for complications related to hypo- or hyperglycemia (i.e., low or high blood glucose levels)

The global effects of climate change have been demonstrated to extend beyond the environment to many other areas, including human health, particularly concerning different health conditions. People with diabetes are at higher risk of requiring hospitalization during unusually hot days (termed ‘extreme heat events’), as the body is more likely to become dehydrated and have difficulty balancing the concentration of components in the blood. Now, researchers in Japan have revealed an additional risk for people with this condition by identifying a link between extreme heat events and the likelihood of hypo- and hyperglycemia–related emergency hospitalizations.

“It is important that the physiological implications of extreme heat on individuals with metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, are well understood,” explains first author Keitaro Miyamura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU). “This can be accomplished by examining outcomes about extreme heat events and using a sophisticated model that accounts for the fact that ultimate effects may occur after heat events.”

To do this, the research team applied a distributed lag non-linear model (a model for estimating exposure-time-response function) to a dataset consisting of nationwide data for hypo- and hyperglycemia–related emergency hospital admissions from 2012–2019, as well as ambient temperature data from weather stations in each prefecture. Relative risk was determined for 2 levels of heat events (standard and extreme). “Relative risks for standard and extreme heat effect on emergency hospitalization for hypoglycemia were 1.33 and 1.65, respectively, and similar risks were found for hyperglycemia. In most regions, the higher the temperature, the higher the relative risk,” says lead author Takeo Fujiwara.

The model, which took into account a time delay of up to 3 days, showed that the impacts of climate change on health may not always be obvious. These findings will provide policymakers with information about subtle or latent health effects that may need to be considered in environmental or health care policies. This is particularly important since the effects of climate change will only increase in the foreseeable future.

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