Tips to help you lower your medical bills
Few things make me feel as clueless as a bill from my doctor’s office. I don’t recognize the abbreviations or understand the jargon. I can’t tell when I’m being charged too much.And there’s no screen on the wall, at least not at my doctor’s office, tallying the cost of each extra test I agree to or question I ask.But, even if you have health insurance as... READ MORE
Sex poses low risk for most heart patients
Good news: Sex is safe for most heart patients. If you’re healthy enough to walk up two flights of stairs without chest pain or gasping for breath, you can have a love life.That advice from a leading doctors’ group addresses one of the most pressing, least discussed issues facing survivors of heart attacks and other heart patients.In its first science-based recommendations on... READ MORE
Not taking meds is costly in many ways
Nearly three in four Americans don’t take their prescription medicine as directed. Even among those with serious chronic health conditions such as diabetes, about one in three don’t. In fact, one out of three people never even fill their prescriptions.Many skip doses to save money. But not taking your medicines as prescribed can hurt your wallet as well as your health and far... READ MORE
Why you may not get a good night’s sleep
Dear Mayo Clinic:Does getting older mean that you won’t sleep as well? Why does it seem like older people like me can’t sleep like we used to?Answer:Although sleep patterns change somewhat as you age, that doesn’t mean you have to live with restless nights and the persistent feeling of insufficient sleep. The underlying causes are usually treatable.Many brain activities... READ MORE
Study evaluates treatments for scoliosis
People with scoliosis suffer from an abnormal side to side (or lateral) curvature of their spine. Rather than appearing straight when viewed from the back, their spine may appear shaped somewhat like an “S” or “C”.Scoliosis is a common condition, usually experienced by children and adolescents. However, adults can also develop scoliosis, which may bring with it pain... READ MORE
Medicare debate is all about the boomers
Baby boomers take note: Medicare as your parents have known it is headed for big changes no matter who wins the White House in 2012. You may not like it, but you might have to accept it.Dial down the partisan rhetoric, and surprising similarities emerge from competing policy prescriptions by President Barack Obama and leading Republicans such as Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.Limit the overall... READ MORE
Do any supplements really boost energy?
Do you feel tired or run-down? Do you lack the energy you used to have? If so, you’re part of a large group.Fatigue is one of the most common problems patients report to their doctors. As many as 14 percent of men and 20 percent of women say they feel “frequently fatigued,” and in a survey of more than 17 million people 51 and older, 31 percent reported the symptom of... READ MORE
Do any supplements really boost energy?
Do you feel tired or run-down? Do you lack the energy you used to have? If so, you’re part of a large group.Fatigue is one of the most common problems patients report to their doctors. As many as 14 percent of men and 20 percent of women say they feel “frequently fatigued,” and in a survey of more than 17 million people 51 and older, 31 percent reported the symptom of... READ MORE
How you can save on healthcare abroad
Last year, more than a half-million U.S. residents got medical care abroad, according to Patients Beyond Borders, a consumer advisory service. That number is likely to grow at a 25 to 35 percent annual rate.Some procedures lend themselves to international travel. The five most-popular overseas procedures are cosmetic surgery, dentistry, orthopedics, weight-loss surgery, and in vitro... READ MORE
Stem cells may restore vision in the blind
Two legally blind women appeared to gain some vision after receiving an experimental treatment using embryonic stem cells, scientists reported in January.While embryonic stem cells were first isolated more than a decade ago, most of the research has been done in lab animals. The new results come from the first tests in humans for a vision problem. Researchers caution the work is still very... READ MORE
