There are two types of cholesterol: LDL cholesterol, which is bad, and HDL, which is good. Learn why too much cholesterol and elevated triglycerides can lead to heart disease and stroke. Make it a priority to have your cholesterol checked.
Category Archives: Men’s Health
Procedures: Preparing For A Colonoscopy (Mayo)
A colonoscopy is an exam used to detect changes or abnormalities in the large intestine, or colon, and rectum. It’s an important exam that’s performed to check for colon cancer. But some would agree that preparing for the colonoscopy is worse than the exam itself.
In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. James East, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, explains what patients will need to do to prepare for this exam and how to make it a little easier.
Heart Attack Infographic: Early Chest Pain Symptoms
Health: Why Dental Care Costs So Much In The U.S.
Americans have a tendency to avoid the dentist. More than 40% of Americans said they don’t see a dentist as often as they would like, according to a 2018 survey by the American Dental Association. Their number one reason for skipping visits is cost, even among those with dental insurance. Dental insurance policies can be confusing and difficult to use, making some Americans wonder whether dental insurance is worth investing in at all. Watch the video to find out to learn what it actually costs to go to the dentist, whether dental insurance is worth investing in and what patients and policymakers can do about it.
Video timeline: 0:00 – Introduction 1:42 – How dental insurance works 4:15 – Dental care costs 6:17 – Is dental insurance worth it? 9:49 – Solutions
DR. C’S JOURNAL: SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF NARCOLEPSY
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder with daytime drowsiness, sudden episodes of falling asleep, sometimes sudden loss of muscle control, and occasionally hallucinations.
If this sounds like the bad, overbearing, uncontrolled brother of REM sleep, that is because it is. The features of REM sleep are there; sleepiness, muscle paralysis(cataplexy) and Hallucinations(dreams). This combination of symptoms can often disrupt jobs, and can be dangerous, leading to accidents.
The cause of narcolepsy is unknown, but there is an association with decreased blood levels of the neurochemical hypocretin. The disease starts in youth, and sometimes occurs and families. The patients are often overweight, and can have sleep apnea in addition.
The Diagnosis is usually made in specialist sleep centers, which find an unusually rapid entrance into sleep, beginning in the REM stage. Normally REM sleep occurs later in the 90-minute sleep cycle.
There are a lot of different stimulants and some sleep-restoring and paralysis-reducing medications used to treat narcolepsy. This and other information may be found on the accompanying Mayo clinic article.
—Dr. C.
Brain Research: The Many Benefits Of Healthy Sleep
Covid-19 & Flu Can Spark Sepsis, Endangering Heart
DOCTORS PODCAST: MEDICAL & TELEHEALTH NEWS (OCT 25)
A weekly podcast on the latest medical, science and telehealth news.
Healthcare: Pros & Cons Of Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage is an all-in-one managed care plan, typically an HMO or PPO. Advantage plans provide the benefits of Part A and B, and most also include Part D, or prescription drug coverage. Some offer extra benefits not available through Original Medicare, such as fitness classes or vision and dental care.
If you opt for Medicare Advantage, you typically continue to pay your Part B premium as usual, but you will pay little or no additional premiums for your coverage. You generally have copays or coinsurance, but once you reach your out-of-pocket limit, the plan will pay 100 percent of your medical costs covered under Medicare for the rest of the year. The out-of-pocket limit does not apply to prescription drugs or extra benefits.
To keep premiums low, Advantage plans generally require you to get your care from a network of doctors, hospitals, and other providers, and you typically need pre-authorization for specialized care.
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Type 1 Diabetes: How To Treat Hyperglycemia
In this video, you’ll learn the basics of how to treat a high blood glucose result with a Correction Dose of insulin, how to calculate the Correction Dose, and when not to give a Correction Dose.
Doctors Without Waiting Rooms 