General | Smart Health

Asbestos… A Growing Concern

May 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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Many old homes and buildings were made with materials that contained asbestos. Now, that asbestos is becoming a growing concern because it can cause health issues when someone is exposed to the dust. There have been many cancer cases and diseases related to exposure to asbestos.

Some people may wonder why asbestos was used in building materials in the first place if it was a dangerous material. The answer is quite simple: People did not know that asbestos was dangerous. There are literally millions of buildings that have asbestos, which is why you need to take precautions if you have an older home or own an older building. You need to get rid of the asbestos so nobody gets exposed.

You would be at fault if someone were to get cancer or become sick because of asbestos exposure that was caused by your negligence. Sure, a Los Angeles California personal injury attorney could help, but the situation would still be stressful and sad. You need to get your home or business tested and have the asbestos removed. Otherwise, an asbestos lawsuit could become a reality, and this is something you wouldn’t want to face.

It is sad when people bring harm to themselves, like with drugs or alcohol, but it is even sadder when someone is brought harm by something they had no control over, like asbestos exposure. This is why you are obligated to do everything you possibly can to eliminate the possibility of asbestos exposure to your family, friends, or even employees.

Filed Under: General, Health Care Tagged With: Asbestos, Building material, Cancer

Health Informatics: The Foundation of Healthcare

May 9, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

MIAMI - JANUARY 18: Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, ...

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When talking about health care, it is impossible to leave out health informatics. Everything from the storage and communication to acquisition and retrieval of health care information falls into the category.

You may find when you go to a doctor, consult with a therapist, or talk to any medical professional, they will take notes. There are generally notes on your medical history, your family’s medical history, and what is discussed. You may have wondered in the past where these notes go, and what benefit do they serve? These notes, also known as an integral part of health informatics, are a huge part of the foundation of healthcare.

If you were to go to the doctor, and have to go over the same information every time, you would quickly find that your appointments would be long, drawn out, and you would get frustrated. If you had to go over the same information with your therapist every time you met with them, you might never make headway. Having these notes to check with, your medical professional is able to quickly find what they need to know, and be prepared for your appointment.

With the way technology is advancing, you can take advantage of this as well. Many clinics and hospitals today allow you to check your own medical records online. This allows you a great opportunity to fix any problems that there may be with your records, as well as take control of your medical care. Being informed is the pinnacle of being able to take charge of your care.

Filed Under: General, Health Care Tagged With: medicine

The Very Real Risk of Prescription Drug Abuse

May 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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There are many, many programs and messages out there to help prevent teens from using and abusing illegal substances and alcohol. What may come as a surprise to many parents is that their teens could be getting high using substances they don’t even need to leave home to get get hold of.

The Dangerous Drugs Right In Your Medicine Cabinet

Prescription drugs are a useful tool — when used correctly. In the hands of a teen or other person who doesn’t understand exactly how they work, however, they can be dangerous. Teens often don’t understand that drugs besides the illegal ones can hurt them. Because they come from a legal pharmacy at a doctor’s prescription, this creates a false sense that they are safe.

How Prescription Drugs Harm

Prescription drugs can harm in three ways:

Addiction
Poisoning (overdose)
Dangerous combinations

As many addiction education web sites will explain in-depth, addiction is an extremely dangerous and unfortunately very accessible way for a teen to endanger themselves. Poisoning is a tragic way for a teen to lose their life, whether by accident or as a suicide method readily available in your medicine cabinet. Finally, even if someone is just trying to get high, many prescription drugs can create deadly reactions if combined with other perfectly legal prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

How To Protect Your Loved Ones

Even if you trust your teen, the safest thing to do is keep all prescription medication locked up so that no one can sneak pills that belong to someone else. Throw out any leftover medication rather than saving it. You can replaced pills — you can’t replace your loved ones.

Filed Under: General, Health Care Tagged With: addiction, Drug Abuse, medicine cabinet

Alcohol And Its Effects

March 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are many effects of alcohol on a person who consumes it. It is important that those who consume alcohol stop it because of the risk that is associated with this habit. There are so many risks that are associated with drinking alcohol that many will stop drinking if they know of all the complications. This is why health education is very important to prevent a person from drinking alcohol.

There are various effects of drinking alcohol. The person who is an alcoholic should know of the effects of the drink on the body. The brain and the function of the brain are blunted if a person consumes a lot of alcohol. Though there are many studies to prove that the brain becomes active after drinking, there are only a few people who are able to control their drinking with just small amounts. This is the reason for people to avoid using alcohol as a stimulant. If the brain function is blunted because of the consumption of alcohol, the person needs to make sure that he is not driving as this could lead to accidents. The reflexes of the body also slow down causing the person to suffer from various problems.

Alcohol may also cause the person to get addicted. This is because of the fact that the person gets used to the substance and the effect that it causes. The person seems to be elated because of the alcohol consumption. This feeling causes the person to drink alcohol. As more and more alcohol is consumed, the person is able to get the same feeling of elation only after a lot of alcohol is consumed. This can make the person to get addicted to the drink. This is the reason for the person to try and get over the addiction as soon as possible as all the effects on the body can be prevented.

Filed Under: General, Health Care Tagged With: alcohol, Ethanol, Health

Turn to Your Employee Assistance Program for Help

December 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

When you are struggling with abuse or addition problems, either your own or those of a loved one, it is often hard to know where to turn. If your employer offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), this is an excellent resource to turn to first.
An EAP is a benefit that many companies offer either in-house or through a contracted agency. The purpose of an EAP is to help employees perform their job to the best of their ability. There is a wide range of services covered by an EAP and they vary between different companies. An EAP may offer prevention training to all employees about substance abuse, the companyâ€™s drug policy, or where to find help if you are struggling with substance abuse.
An important part of an EAP program is the free, confidential support services that they provide. Though every program is different, nearly all offer some form of counseling and referral service for individuals who seek help. The problems may be substance abuse, financial difficulty, anxiety, relationship stress or depression. An employee may seek help for himself or may be referred by a supervisor as a result of concern or as part of disciplinary action. The treatment and counseling provided to an employee through the EAP remains confidential.
Another major benefit of an EAP is that often advice and services can be obtained at no cost to the individual. If an EAP is provided as part of your employee benefit package, your company has already paid for the included services to be available to you.
After consulting with the services provided by the EAP, you may be advised or referred to services outside of the program. In this case, the services may be covered by your insurance or may require you to pay out of pocket. Check with your Human Resources department to find out if an EAP is a benefit that your company offers.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Business, Employee Assistance Program, Employee benefit, Employment, Health, Human resources, Organization, Substance Abuse

Signs of Addiction

December 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

ContentWhether the addiction is drugs, gambling, alcohol or even shopping, people with addictive tendencies will exhibit common characteristics. Recognizing these characteristics in yourself of others can help you to determine if a habit has become an addiction.
A common indicator of an addiction is a craving or a strong compulsion. It is common for people to crave a favorite food or a hot drink in the cold weather, but when the craving is so strong that it disrupts normal activity, it may be a sign of addiction. A person may find himself obsessing over the next time he will be able to engage in the desired behavior. This craving may compel someone to rearrange their schedule, change their environment or sacrifice something in order to relieve the craving.
A loss of control is a clear indicator of an addiction. Any addictive substance or behavior provides some sort of desirable effect which is reinforcing to the user. Whether it be because of the physical or the psychological effects, the craving becomes too strong to resist. For an addiction such as drinking or smoking, a person’s body becomes reliant on the substance. For other addictions, such as gambling or shopping, a person’s brain reacts to the activity by releasing chemicals that give much the same feeling as one might feel from using drugs.
Another sign of a possible addiction is escalation of the behavior as well as the negative consequences. Escalation occurs because it take more and more of the substance being abused to achieve the desired effect. As the behavior increases, a person will likely give more of his time, resources or attention to the addiction. This may result in stress on relationships, poor performance at work or financial strain. These may cause a person to lie in order to hide their addiction or to deny a problem all together.

Filed Under: General, Training Tagged With: addiction, Health, Intervention (TV series), Mental health, Substance Abuse, Substance dependence, Television, Withdrawal

Develop Healthy Drinking Habits

December 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Regulating your own drinking habits keeps you healthy and makes you a good example to your family and friends. You can still enjoy social drinking while keeping it healthy and safe.
Healthy drinking habits start with a healthy attitude towards drinking. Be honest with yourself about your motivation. Are you able to have a good time sober? Do you often drink far more than anyone else at a party? Is alcohol something you crave, or is drinking of little consequences to you- simply something you do at a family party or during the holidays. Consider the consequences of your drinking. They may range from the occasional hangover to the more serious destructive behavior, such as driving while intoxicated. While a hangover may not have any longterm effects, more serious consequences may indicate an alcohol problem.
Beyond having a healthy attitude towards drinking, it is important to act responsibly while drinking. Be sure to plan ahead and decide how much you intend to drink. If you plan to have more than one or two drinks on an outing, plan ahead for a ride home. Save the number of a local taxi company in your cell phone and set aside cash for the ride. You can even agree with friends what time you want to leave and share a cab.
Keeping your body healthy while you drink will lessen the toxic effects of the alcohol. Always eat when you drink, whether it means having a large meal before drinking or slowly eating as you drink throughout the night. Having a full stomach slows the rate that the alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream. An excellent practice is to order a glass of water each time you order an alcoholic drink and drink them both. This will slow the rate that you consume the alcohol and keep you hydrated, lessening your hangover.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: alcohol, Alcoholic beverage, Alcoholism, Drink, Drinking culture, Hangover, Health, United States

Holiday’s a Great Time to Assess need for Alcohol Drug Treatment Centers

December 9, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Nothing brings out the holiday spirit like, well spirits – as in alcohol. Christmas parties are filled with drinks that just keep on coming. The holidays are also a time when DUI arrests are at their highest and people with depression drink and use drugs more often.

In addition to all of these work-related parties, families tend to come from all parts of the country to spend a few days together. For those suffering with depression or drug and alcohol abuse, the need for family members to get a loved one to attend alcohol drug treatment centers may become known.

Having a drug or alcohol addiction is no laughing matter. For some, overcoming these problems will be the hardest thing they have every done. During this Holiday season, spend some time asking questions of your loved ones and find out what’s really going on in their lives.

If you have a family member that is having trouble with school or work, ask them what’s going on. One of the first signs of drug abuse is that a person’s work life suffers and jobs may be difficult to maintain.

Are your loved ones experiencing any legal problems? Dui’s, any theft charges, or arrests in the last year may be a sign that your loved one is struggling.

If you suspect someone you love is abusing drugs or alcohol, there may be some symptoms to look for. Bloodshot eyes or pupils that are larger or smaller than normal may be a good place to start. Changes in sleep patterns or a deterioration of physical appearance may also be signs of abuse.

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy and happiness. They can also be a time to gather the troops and see if anyone in the family is struggling with dependency issues.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: Addictions, alcohol, Centers and Counseling Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Driving under the influence, Family (biology), Health, Substance Abuse

Paying for College Without Going Into Debt

October 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It’s easy to let debt spiral out of control. Credit cards get maxed out, loans pile up, and before you know it, you could be tens of thousands of dollars in debt, scraping by to make minimum payments. You may possibly even need to enlist the help of debt consolidation services to get your debt under control.

Many people want to get a college degree, whether from a campus-based school or an online program, but they don’t want to go further into debt by taking out loans for school. Luckily, there are still plenty of options to pay for your advanced education without taking out a loan. These include the following things:

Grants. Depending on your income and the number of dependents in your family, you may be eligible for Pell grants, which pay a portion of your tuition, books, and other expenses. Unlike loans, you do not need to pay these back. Fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine your eligibility.
Payment plans. If you don’t have tuition money upfront, see whether your college of choice will allow you to set up a payment plan. This usually involves paying a portion of your tuition each month, which can break the cost up into more manageable payments.
Scholarships. Even if you graduated from high school years ago or you are returning to college after a long time, there are plenty of scholarships available that range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
Online classes. Taking online classes allows you to take a class at a time or as many as you can afford. While this might take longer, you can still work toward your degree without getting into debt.

Going to college without getting into debt is possible. These are just a few options to help you pay for your education.

Filed Under: Education, General Tagged With: Academic degree, Credit Card, Debt, Debt consolidation, FAFSA, Loan, Payment, Pell Grant