What Are the Most Popular Medical Jobs?

 

As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on our physical and financial health, the healthcare industry has become the most popular and rapidly growing sector in the world. If you're looking for a fulfilling and rewarding career path, consider applying for a health care job in your area.

For those applicants seeking generous compensation and ample advancement opportunities, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the medical industry will experience 18 percent job growth within the next few years. Unlike other industries, the healthcare sector remains insulated from the effects of crashing job markets that may result from coronavirus and related quarantine procedures.

Despite popular misconceptions, a medical job doesn’t require ten years of medical training under your belt or an “M.D.” alongside your name. The healthcare sector offers several job opportunities that require different certifications, skill sets, and levels of experience. So, if you’re passionate about caring for others, here’s a list of the four most popular medical jobs you should consider during your job hunt. 

Registered nurse

 
A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who assists doctors with patient care. These healthcare professionals often work with physician offices, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, recording crucial patient information and administering medication.

Suppose a certified RN prefers to avoid restrictive work schedules. In that case, they can opt to work as traveling CNA nurses and travel to cross-country or international locations to offer the needed medical services. With generous food stipends, travel reimbursement programs, and free private housing, you can explore exotic locations while pursuing a healthcare career.

To qualify as a registered nurse, you’ll need to complete a bachelor's degree or earn an associate’s degree. You also must have a state nursing license.

After meeting these prerequisites and securing employment, you’ll be responsible for monitoring patient health, completing the necessary documentation, providing emergency care, and overseeing patient administration. Despite the high-stress work environment and long hours, you’ll enjoy a generous salary or hourly compensation while climbing the ladder and building your expertise. 

Physician

By definition, physicians are medical practitioners required to attend to various patient needs. These professionals include gynecologists, neurologists, obstetricians, primary care providers, dermatologists, and ER doctors.

Physicians fall into two basic categories: Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine. Although you can separate these healthcare professionals into two brackets, both Doctors of Osteopathy and Doctors of Medicine generally perform the same job duties, which involve diagnosing and treating patients for a range of medical problems.

Pharmacist

If you’re willing to dedicate six years of your life to your education, a pharmacist position is another excellent medical job you can consider. While many of us interact with a pharmacy team on a monthly or even weekly basis, you may be unfamiliar with a pharmacist’s relevant job duties.  Briefly summarized, a pharmacist is a licensed professional who provides patients with critical medical information and medications.

These healthcare professionals fill medication prescriptions and direct patients on how to take them. Pharmacists also explain the potential side effects of the drugs prescribed and recommend a course of action if patients experience adverse effects. Additionally, pharmacists help patients by determining if a particular medication reacts negatively with current medications and health conditions. Not to mention, they can administer immunizations.

Most of these professionals work for pharmaceutical companies, universities, or local pharmacies. Most full-time pharmacists should plan to work 40+ workweeks. 

Dentist

Dentists play a significant role in ensuring patients' teeth are healthy and not causing discomfort. Primarily, dentists assess and treat a range of problems involving teeth, mouth, and gum health. Often, a dentist’s job duties also include filling cavities, fitting dentures, and whitening teeth.

As a dentist, you can choose to specialize in treating severe oral diseases, performing oral surgery, or straightening teeth. These healthcare professionals often recruit dental assistants and dental hygienists to help clean patients' teeth, maintain patient records, and sterilize instruments. If you aren’t willing to undergo six to eight years of dental training, you can research dental hygienist and dental assistant positions in your area. 

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners are healthcare professionals who provide advanced care services. Some consider nurse practitioners to be advanced RNs with additional responsibilities, including examining patients, providing treatment, diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medications, ordering patient tests, and analyzing results. Unlike registered nurses, the duties of a nurse practitioner resemble those of a doctor.

With training to perform health care services like examining and treating chronic conditions and acute illness, these healthcare professionals often qualify for $89,000 to $130,000 yearly salaries. Nurse practitioners can choose to specialize in pediatric health, geriatric health, and mental health. Those interested may want to specialize in patient populations, where they train to work in different areas such as pediatrics and women's health. 

Conclusion

 
With the job market susceptible to yet another crash, secure employment in an industry with unrivaled job security and incredible benefits packages. If you aren’t interested in applying for medical school and are currently looking for positions with minimal schooling requirements, be sure to research openings for nursing assistant positions, medical assistant positions, and pharmacy technician positions.

This is a guest blog entry.

Why Breathing Exercises Are Crucial to Your Well-being

Breathing is something we do without thinking. It is also true, even when we don’t breathe right. When we are facing stress and anxiety, the way we breathe changes. However, it is not what we notice. We only know that we are not feeling well. From there, stress can take over and cause a litany of problems. That’s unless you learn the right techniques to breathe.

Be Aware of the Way You Breathe

If you want your life to be better, physically and mentally, you should take the time to check on your breathing every day. It is an action you should integrate into your daily routine so that you can act upon it, if there is a problem with it. Are you breathing too fast? Are you breathing at all or only sporadically? Then you need to learn breathing exercises for anxiety. Why: Because not breathing right is the source of many other health issues you may have.

The fact is, so many health problems can be solved through breathing. It can reduce blood pressure and even help with many chronic diseases. Breathing right is like eating right. If you eat junk food all the time or simply too much, it will have a direct effect on your body. You may have digestive problems and become overweight. Breathing is the same; if you don’t breath right, you will have cardiovascular issues which can cause a multitude of other sicknesses.

Breathing Exercises: Not Only for People with Lung Disorders

People suffering from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have to do breathing exercise to make themselves better. But an MD specializing in asthma and allergy in New York City (Dr. Payel Gupta ) believes that everyone would benefit by doing so. He says that people with healthy lungs often forget to pay attention to the way they breathe and it can cause them various cardiovascular problems. Breathing right improves the blood flow and blood pressure. He confirms that it also alleviates stress and that it helps with cognitive functions.

For Those with Ongoing Problems

If you find yourself trying to catch your breath, you should consult a specialist. If they find a lung problem, they will suggest exercises you can do to keep them in the best shape possible. Though it is true that you cannot regain what you have lost, because of a disease that affected your lungs, you can still maximize what you have. It might be more than what people with normal lungs do, when they are not breathing right.

This is a guest blog entry.

Basic Medical Life-Saving Procedures Everyone Should Learn

https://pixabay.com/photos/emergency-cardiac-rescue-3016877/

Life is unpredictable and emergencies can happen at any time. When it comes to health, people usually only prepare with various health insurance plans. Medical emergencies can be the most difficult to handle as many people are often unprepared for them. There might be times when a call to 911 will not be enough and someone might have to intervene immediately to help the person in distress. The situation can easily become overwhelming due to stress and panic of not knowing what to do, especially if it’s your child. In order to avoid being unable to provide help, it is best to be prepared and learn some basic medical life-saving procedures.

Here is a list of the most common and useful medical procedures that everyone should know and learn.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

 
CPR is one of the most important procedures that you should learn. This procedure is performed when a person goes into cardiac arrest (when a person’s heart suddenly stops beating). It is a life-threatening condition, and if CPR is not performed immediately, it can result in brain damage or even death of the individual. CPR involves compressing the chest consistently and repeatedly to pump blood to the vital organs. The procedure can be learned best at an institute like Lifesaver Education where you can get certified for CPR and AED.

Heimlich Maneuver

 
The Heimlich maneuver is the recommended procedure to perform when someone is choking. It dislodges whatever was blocking the person’s windpipe. You should wrap your arms from behind around the person who is choking, clasp your hands together and then perform multiple upward thrusts towards the person’s belly button until the object causing the choking dislodges. Bear in mind that this way of administering the maneuver is recommended for adults only. There is a different procedure for when a child is choking.

Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)

 
Automatic External Defibrillator or AED is a machine consisting of two electric paddles that are used to restart a heart and bring it back to a normal rhythm after cardiac arrest. It is vital to check for lack of pulse in the person you suspect is suffering cardiac arrest before using an AED on them. Many public places such as malls, restaurants, stores and more have AED available. It is recommended to get training on how to use an AED.

Signs of a Stroke

 
It is important to know the signs of a stroke so that you can help the person in distress immediately. The symptoms of a stroke can be subtle and differ from person to person. Common signs are headaches, disorientation, sudden numbness, difficulty walking, trouble seeing out of both eyes, body drooping on one side, difficulty speaking and weakness of the face. “FAST”, an acronym for Face, Arms, Speech and Time, is a quick way to assess someone for all the mentioned symptoms and determine if they are having a stroke.
 
In any medical emergency, emergency services should be called as soon as possible so that the individual in need receives proper medical help quickly. Medical emergencies are terrifying, but if you are prepared for them, you can help those in distress and potentially reduce further health complications.

This is a guest blog entry.

6 Helpful Tips to Speed Up Recovery After Surgery

Photo by Brian Patrick Tagalog on Unsplash

How good are you at following doctors’ orders? When you’re leaving the hospital after any type of surgery there may be a long list of dos and don’ts that accompany the bag of medication you carry with you. Do you diligently follow those tips? The truth is that even after a successful operation, it’s what you do at home that determines how well you’ll recover in the months ahead. Your actions after surgery matter!

Now, don’t get too stressed; you can speed up your recovery just by doing the right things. There are times when a surgery may result in chronic pain, in which case you can seek professional assistance such as those at Seattle Pain Relief. Along with this and your surgeon’s suggestions, why not incorporate some of our tips below? You won’t believe how simple some of them are.

What’s On Your Plate?

 
What you give your body will directly impact your recovery, so pick healthy ingredients that help you heal. Add probiotics and protein to your diet and avoid salt and sports drinks. How you eat is also important. Eat smaller meals so you can manage bloating more effectively and it may prevent feeling nauseated.

Rest

 
Resting is the best thing you can do for your body, because it mends itself while you’re asleep. If you feel excessively tired, listen to your body and stay in bed. This may be necessary as much as six weeks after surgery, because your body experiences an operation as trauma and needs to recover. 

Move Correctly

 
You need to sleep, but you also need to ensure there’s enough circulation throughout your body. Gentle stretching and regular walks outside will be ideal from about one day after having surgery. You shouldn’t cause your heart rate to increase too much, but you need that blood pumping and it will help your lymph nodes do their work. Eventually you need to get back to some level of fitness. As an added benefit, you may experience less bloating and constipation if you can get moving soon after the surgery.

Consider Your Clothes

 
This tip is for comfort, but also for health purposes. Avoid tight fitting clothes and items that have elastic bands near where your incision is. Prevent irritating your skin, adding too much pressure or accidentally hurting your body in an additional capacity.

Stop the Sneeze

 
If you have a cut across your stomach or your chest, you can imagine that coughing and sneezing won’t help the situation. Occurrences like these could damage something around the scar. If you can’t stop the sneeze or cough - or if coughing is essential to clear your lungs - apply gentle pressure to the incision by placing a pillow over it and pressing towards your body.

Take Care of Your Incision

 
Consider how you tend to your incision, even if the doctor does it every few days. It’s usually better to shower than to bathe, so the area doesn’t get soaked. When cleaning a wound, don’t over clean with products and don’t pick at the scabs.

Endnote

 
These small aspects of your recovery can have an immense impact. Be strict with yourself, because in the long run you’ll be grateful.

This is a guest blog entry.

How to Get a BSN

Have you recently completed your high school diploma or GED? Are you looking for a career change? If so, you might be wondering what kind of profession to pursue or what type of college program to attend. 

Nursing allows you to connect with others and really make a difference in patients’ lives. Nurses enjoy a diverse range of options when it comes to clinical settings and patient demographics. Keep reading to discover the steps you will need to take to obtain your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and become a licensed nurse.

Determine Nursing Degree Options

To start your journey to receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, research nursing program options. To make sure you are making the right choice, you will want to learn the difference between becoming a licensed registered nurse (RN) and getting a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). 

As a licensed medical professional, RNs provide medical treatments and care to a wide range of patients in many types of clinical settings. A person only needs an associate’s degree in nursing to become a RN. However, a nurse with a BSN—who is also a registered nurse—has completed additional education (up to a year or more than those with an associate’s degree).

Two key differences between the two are that those with a bachelor’s degree can be considered for leadership roles, such as a charge nurse. A higher salary often follows this. The other key difference is that having a bachelor's degree is a prerequisite for entering graduate programs such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
 
Choose an Accredited Nursing School

The accreditation process safeguards the quality of a nursing program, giving you confidence that a nursing school’s curriculum is up to date and on par with professional standards. Attending an accredited nursing program is important for your career goals, as you can have confidence that your clinical education is training you fully for the demands of nursing.

Two important nursing accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education include the Higher Learning Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). 

Research Nursing Program Requirements

The next step is to find out what prerequisites you must complete before applying for your BSN. Typically, nursing prerequisite courses include mathematics, English and science sequences.

Some programs require that you complete one or two years of prerequisites before applying to nursing schools. Other nursing schools incorporate those prerequisite courses directly into the nursing program curriculum. Going this latter route can sometimes mean completing all of your schooling more quickly, in as few as even three years of full-time study.
 
Apply and Enroll

Once you have completed prerequisites for your chosen nursing program, or if you have opted to attend a nursing school that incorporates prerequisites into the curriculum, the next step is to fill out applications. This step usually requires filling out an application form, submitting transcripts of completed academic courses and degrees, a personal statement, recommendation letters, and sometimes an application fee.
 
This step also involves finding out what your financial aid options are. Determining how you will pay for your nursing program by learning about the kinds of scholarships, grants, and loan programs your potential nursing school has. Because the financial aspect can be a bit overwhelming, connect with a financial aid advisor for guidance, and to make sure you are completing the required paperwork.
 
Complete Nursing School Requirements

The next step on the journey to obtaining your BSN is to matriculate into nursing school, take the required courses, and dive into clinical education. This part of your education will take about three years.

While many nurses will tell you that nursing school requires hard work and dedication, most also describes the school as a meaningful and even fun time. You will meet new friends and find yourself growing as a person, discovering your strengths, and learning new skills with each course and clinical day.

Take Full Advantage of Your Clinical Experience

Clinicals are important for several reasons. This is the time when you learn bedside manner by interacting with patients, work alongside nursing student peers, and practice new skills. Not only will you form bonds with nursing mentors and clinical preceptors, but clinical experience is where you will get to apply what you learn from textbooks and nursing lectures. 

Going through the motions, so to speak, and putting nursing techniques to practice are great ways to commit textbook information to memory. These experiences will shape the kind of nurse you become and prepare you to take the licensing examination.
 
Apply to Become a Licensed Nurse and Take the NCLEX-RN Exam 

After you have made it to the end of nursing school, the final step to becoming a licensed nurse is to take the NCLEX-RN exam. This is a comprehensive test that measures your readiness to become a full-fledged nurse. 

You’ll want to devote several weeks to studying hard for the exam and, because it covers so much material, should try to take it as soon as possible after completing nursing school. There are many studying and test-taking strategies, as well as phone apps, to help you prepare to tackle this significant milestone.

Completing nursing school is an achievement to be celebrated, one that will positively shape the rest of your life.  

This is a guest blog entry.

What is CBD isolate?

     CBD isolate in Australia is becoming very popular. You can buy them on almost every corner nowadays, and as the government takes new steps towards regulation and legalization, there is a good chance that medical marijuana will become one of the top exports for this nation. Australia has an ideal climate for hemp. Because of that, products such as CBD isolates are usually of high quality.

    By purchasing a CBD isolate, you get cannabidiol in its purest form. While this might sound ideal, using just CBD can have its advantages and drawbacks. In this article, we will talk about cannabidiol in general, CBD isolates, and all the benefits you can experience when using this product.

What is CBD?

    Strangely enough, there is still a lot of people who don’t know what CBD is.

    CBD is short for cannabidiol. It is a substance that can be found in cannabis and hemp plants. Oftentimes, people also call it medical cannabis or medical marijuana. Even though we often put focus on CBD, there are other substance within hemp that promote health and wellbeing. The plant is full of terpenes and other cannabinoids which is why it has such a wholesome impact on our bodies.

    Besides CBD, most people have heard of THC. It is the psychoactive substance that gets us high. Unfortunately, most medical cannabis products have THC and sometimes, the quantity of THC can be so high affecting your therapy in the process. The last thing that a patient need is having to flush out the toxins. Because of that, a lot of people turn to CBD isolates as a way of avoiding THC.

What is CBD isolate?

    CBD isolate is not actually a product; it is more of a product type.

    You see, we can categorize all cannabidiol products as full-spectrum CBD, broad-spectrum CBD, and CBD isolates. 

    Full spectrum items are the fullest type of products. They are a mixture of all the cannabinoids present in hemp and cannabis. Once you extract all these substances, you add them to a carrier oil. Then, the mixture is added to gummies, edibles, capsules, etc. In other words, full spectrum medical cannabis is very similar to natural hemp in a sense that it doesn’t omit anything.

    Broad-spectrum is very similar to full spectrum with one minor difference – it doesn’t have THC. Broad spectrum medical marijuana is ideal for people who want to avoid THC, but still want all the benefits of medical cannabis. It is a small twist, but most people will appreciate it.

    Lastly, CBD isolate focuses on just one substance which is cannabidiol. There is nothing else within these products besides CBD. They are ideal for people who just want to ingest cannabidiol while avoiding all other cannabinoids present in hemp and cannabis.

Are CBD isolates better than full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD?

    It is really hard to give a straight answer to this. Each one of these product groups is specific in its purpose.

    Experts often say that full spectrum is the best one as it gives you the full potency of all cannabinoids combined. This effect is also called “entourage effect”. The substances work in conjunction providing a stronger effect than the individual matters. Even THC should have certain medical properties, regardless of its psychedelic impact on the body. 

    Broad spectrum CBD excludes THC from the mix. This makes it much safer, but it also means that it isn’t as potent medically. Whether you use broad spectrum or full spectrum depends on your ability to withstand THC. Keep in mind that most CBD products are made of hemp which has a very low concentration of THC. Because of that, you can use full spectrum without getting high.

    When we talk about cannabis isolates, there is much more than just CBD. For example, there are also CBG, CBC, THC isolates. With these products, you can focus on just on specific substance while avoiding all others. In theory, CBD is the best option out of this group of isolates. Still, we shouldn’t neglect the potential that other substances have. 

    Writer’s bio: Nikolay Stoyanov is the founder of CBD advertising agency – a US-based marketing company that drives higher rankings and more Google traffic to its clients. Nikolay’s expertise lies in SEO and content marketing and he’s been working in the CBD niche since 2015.

The Best Foods for Controlling Your Diabetes

For people with diabetes, a healthy lifestyle is a balance of insulin management, blood sugar regulation, exercise, and diet. Diet plays an essential role in diabetes management, which is why people with diabetes need to know what foods to avoid, and what foods can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. 

Although the primary goal of diabetes management is to regulate your blood sugar level, it is also essential to maintain a diet that can help you prevent related complications like heart disease.

Creating Your Diabetes Management Plan

The reality is that diet alone will not be enough to manage your diabetes. However, you can work with a medical professional to establish a diabetes management plan that balances your insulin administration, fitness, blood sugar monitoring, and diet. 

Managing your diabetes can be challenging when you live in the United States, where convoluted processes and high insulin costs can make it hard to get the medication you need. The good news is that online prescription referral services like BuyInsulin can make it possible to order your insulin online from Canada.

Vegetables: Leafy Greens, Broccoli & Squash

Leafy greens: Leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach are high in vitamins and minerals, and low in calories and digestible carbs (which can increase your blood sugar levels). They are also full of nutrients and antioxidants, which are great for maintaining eye and heart health. 

Heart and eye problems are both common complications associated with diabetes. Integrating these foods into your diet is a great way to lower your risk of experiencing these complications.
 

Broccoli: Like leafy greens, broccoli is low in calories and digestible carbs. They also contain antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent eye complications.

Studies conducted by the same researches and published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition and European Journal of Clinical Nutrition have even linked broccoli to lowered insulin levels. The studies show that broccoli may help lower insulin levels in people with diabetes and help protect cells from the harmful free radicals produced during metabolism.

Meats: Fish

Fatty fishes like salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies are great additions to a diabetic diet. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which are known to be great for maintaining a healthy heart, reducing inflammation, improving artery function, and protecting the cells lining your blood vessels. 

Proteins: Eggs & Nuts

Eggs: Eggs — egg yolks specifically— are a great addition to any diet as they reduce inflammation. They can reduce the risk of heart disease, increase your good cholesterol, and even improve your insulin sensitivity. Eggs contain properties to control your blood sugar and antioxidants (lutein and zeaxanthin), which helps reduce the risk of eye complications.

Nuts: Nuts tend to contain less digestible carbs and a lot of fiber. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts are all great for a diabetic to integrate into their diet. One particular study examined people with type 2 diabetes who incorporated 30 grams of walnuts into their daily diet for a year. These individuals experienced reduced insulin levels, weight loss, and overall improved body composition.

Dairy: Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great dairy option for people with diabetes as it has fewer carbs and sugars than other yogurts and is higher in protein. Studies have indicated that probiotics in Greek yogurt can also improve blood sugar regulation and prevent heart complications.
 
This is a guest blog entry.

Having Cataract Surgery? Which Type of Lens Is Best for You?

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, fully half of adults will have developed cataracts by the time they reach age 75. This common condition occurs when the eye’s lens becomes cloudy, causing blurred vision. 

Surgery to remove the natural lens and replace it with an artificial one, known as an intraocular lens (IOL), is safe and effective. It is usually performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthetic (and, in some cases, a sedative to relieve the patient’s anxiety or fear).

Before you go under the laser, however, you will need to decide which type of IOL will best suit your needs. Your ophthalmologist will conduct a pre-surgery examination, at which you’ll discuss the differences between each kind. They will make a recommendation, based on your eye’s health, your vision, and your lifestyle, as to which is the best choice.

Monofocal Lenses

This is the most common type of lens used by cataract surgeons. As you may know, the prefix “mono” indicates something singular, and of course “focal” refers to vision and focus. A monofocal lens provides sharp, clear eyesight, but at only one particular distance. For example, some people choose to have clear vision between 18 and 36 inches away, so that they can easily see their computer screen. You could choose distance vision, and wear glasses for up-close activities such as reading or crafting. Or you might decide to opt for lenses that give you good vision at a shorter distance, but use glasses if you need to see far away – say, when you are driving.

Multifocal Lenses

As you might have already guessed, multifocal lenses allow you to see at different distances, just like bifocal, multifocal or progressive glasses do. In theory, this choice means that you won’t have to augment your vision with eyeglasses. 

These lenses do have something of a “learning curve” associated with them. For instance, the zones of focus provided by multifocal lenses might not have very good depth perception, and so at first, you’re liable to stumble when going down steps or misjudge the distance between your cup of coffee and the tabletop.

Over time, your brain will adjust and learn how to select the right focus automatically.

One disadvantage of multifocal lenses is that they can cause more visual disturbances such as glare or halos, making it much more difficult to drive at night. If that activity plays a big role in your life, multifocals might not be right for you.

Accommodative and Toric Lenses

Lastly, there are two newcomers to the cataract correction landscape: accommodative lenses and toric lenses. Both of these lens types are an option for folks who don’t want to wear glasses, but who are concerned about the side effects of multifocal lenses. Just like your eye’s natural lenses do, these lenses move and shift in shape as they focus on objects that are near, far, and in the middle distance. 

Toric and accommodative lenses are very similar and work in the same way, flattening or curving as needed to provide visual acuity at any distance. There is one significant difference, however: while accommodative lenses only correct for nearsightedness or farsightedness, toric lenses can also correct astigmatism. 

“Both of these types of lenses are very new,” says a Clarity Vision eye doctor in Holly Springs. “They show a great deal of promise when it comes to helping cataract patients regain their vision without the problems associated with traditional lens types.”

Additionally, accommodative and toric lenses, because they use advanced technologies, are more expensive than their mono- or multi-focul counterparts. Expect to pay between an additional $1,500 and $3,000 per eye, on top of the standard cataract surgery costs, for one of these specialized lenses. They are usually not covered by either most private insurance policies or Medicare.  

This is a guest blog entry.

When Was Health Insurance Established in the United States?

As is the case with many of the groundbreaking institutions and systems that have come to define the United States of America, establishing health insurance in the U.S. was an arduous journey characterized by a century’s worth of innovation. A single seed (Franklin Health Assurance Company of Massachusetts, an insurance firm founded in 1850) eventually bloomed into a bounty of crops for beneficiaries to enjoy (aka, 60 other organizations providing accident insurance by 1866).

Unfortunately, citizens around the world shrug off the current health insurance system, as "the American Way”: the tendency to place greater value on generating profits than treating patients in need of care. When looking just across the border to Canada, American citizens are wrought with a sense of envy and disbelief—disbelief in the fact that another reality exists where, if you fall gravely ill, there’s no need to worry about managing your finances or declaring bankruptcy to pay off your medical expenses.

Due to the skyrocketing costs of health insurance coverage, some Americans are dying from viruses thought to be eradicated decades prior. With unprecedented developments in healthcare, there’s no reason a healthy individual living in the 21st century should die of the flu. If you’re looking to shop short term health insurance plans, visit AHiX marketplace, an online health insurance marketplace where you can select plans best suited to your family’s needs.

While neighboring countries consistently point out the U.S. health care system’s life-threatening pitfalls, it’s important to understand how we came to adopt this current system. After all, studying history is an excellent way to avoid repeating history. To prevent future missteps, it’s absolutely pivotal to examine the early stages of our national healthcare system.

The beginning
Before 1908, there was very little discussion regarding a standardized system for treating the ill. Apart from wartime medical units and standard practices spread through printed texts and education, most doctors treated patients in their homes, and modern hospitals were only beginning to take form. Care providers were paid modestly for the services they offered. Much like society today, these patients are far more concerned about the loss of income they’d face if doctors forced them to stay at home to recover.

This reality changed dramatically in the 1930s in the midst of “The Great Depression”. Along with countless other national programs birthed from this overriding sense of desperation, the medical industry saw a real need to modernize and standardize to meet the nation’s health and safety needs.

Before private health insurance was institutionalized, the government began sponsoring coverage for workplace injuries. Following the Great War and the development of the Labor Rights Movement, this focus on health care intensified as the burgeoning industry of health insurance began to take its shape.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield
The great success of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, two distinct but related groups of health insurance providers, influenced the way insurance would be administered for decades to come. The targeting of groups of people less likely fall ill, and thus were less liable to benefit from their policies, proved extremely profitable. Their aggressive marketing to labor unions and individual workers increased the number of insured people in the United States drastically between the 1930s and 1960s.

The government partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1965 to later establish Medicare. Founding Medicare posed a challenge, as the American Medical Association had been advocating strongly against any government intervention in the realm of health insurance since the 1910s. The association feared its “socialistic” qualities and argued that it would negatively affect physicians and private insurers’ profits.

Proponents of this theory were numerous as 700 private insurance companies existed in the US in the early 1960s [AMA Journal of Ethics]. Once it was acknowledged that total reformation proposals weren’t likely to garner success, advocates of a more nationalized, regulated system started to adopt a more subtle approach. In 1965, Congress established Medicare and Medicaid aimed at serving the elderly and the poor. However, these two programs adopted the same structural problems of reimbursement found in the private health insurance industry, which accelerated price inflation.

A defining step for the health insurance movement came in 1970 when the phrase "health maintenance organization" was coined to underline certain programs’ clinical prevention efforts. In the efforts to reduce resource utilization rates, hospital admissions rates, and lengths of stay, these founders created programs to make the industry even more profitable. This revelation was followed by The Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, which encouraged the growth of the HMO marketplace.

Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, health expenditure climbed dramatically, due to new medical technologies that were becoming more and more costly. In response, another failed attempt to reform the industry took place during President Clinton’s presidency. 

Final thoughts
Fast forwarding to the 21st century, there are no real signs that the healthcare industry is redefining itself in opposition to a profit-centered market. Most political attention is directed toward minor reforms. Today, around 15 percent of the United States population remains uninsured.

Searching for a viable option for health care can be a complicated process. Luckily there are many resources online to help, such as these two lists of useful medical links.

This is a guest blog entry.

What You Should Do To Prepare For Licensing Boards Interview

An investigation carried out on you by the Medical Board is a stressful experience, regardless of how friendly the experts and experienced the officers are when interacting with you. Your license and career may be in jeopardy the minute that you get called in for questioning, which is why preparation is mandatory. 

The California Medical Board Investigations aim to establish a possible deviation from Board practice. The interview is where you get the chance to litigate your matter, which is why you should be well-prepared for the interview.

Here are a couple of things you can do to prepare for a licensing board interview: 

1. Contact An Attorney

The minute you receive the notice of investigation, you need to find an attorney. Attorneys are experienced professionals in the matter and can adequately walk you through the preparation steps of the interview. Left to your discretion, you might unknowingly disclose information with investigators under stressful conditions, which can be used against you in the case. With the expertise of lawyers, interaction guidance with investigators is provided. 

Lawyers provide information that you might otherwise have not known. For example, your right as a licensee is to be represented by counsel at the interview, which is information you might not find without expert advice. Thus, having an attorney on your team increases the chances of you retaining your license. 

2. Understand The Complaint That Is Filed Against You

Before attending your interview, you need to be fully equipped with the complaints that are filed against you. You have the right to learn the conviction, settlement of malpractice, public complains, and discipline reports that may be from other health facilities.

 Having read the complaints against you, there might be confusing terms and dynamics that attorneys can analyze and interpret in the interest of your case. 

3. Know Your Case 

Having understood the general complaints that have been made towards you, you must thoroughly go through the information on your case. Attention to detail, as well as your recollection of the events, is crucial in the decision that investigators derive. 

Attorneys can provide objective points of view that may be relevant in the interview.

4. Understand How To Respond 

The questions that you’ll be asked in the interview will determine whether you can continue your practice. You must understand how to respond to questions for a favorable outcome. 

Lawyers have encountered Licensing Board Investigations and have taken part in interviews countless times. Part of their job is to help you understand the questions as well as the responses. Left to your discretion, you may be caught off guard or answer questions inappropriately or not to your full defense.
The point is to answer the questions in full honesty in a style that still serves to exonerate you.

5. Dress For The Occasion

During the interview, you must dress the part. Since the medical board interviews are held formally, formal wear is expected of you.

 
You may have prepared your responses and understood the complaints and cases against you, however, the first impression may also influence the outcome of the case. Dressing in casual wear or inappropriately can communicate a nonchalant disposition or that of mockery. You wouldn’t want to jeopardize your license because of non-verbal communication relayed that’s through the way you dress. 

6. Calm Your Nerves

An interview with the Medical Board determines your career path going forward. It’s either you get to keep your license or you have to surrender it, depending on the investigation and the outcome of the interview. This places one in a stressful situation, which can cause anxiety. 

When interacting with the interview panel, it’s important that you calm down and lean into confidence. If you’re nervous, you might forget how to respond to the questions that you had prepared for. Also, you might not understand the questions that are posed, which can result in incorrect responses.
Find methods of relaxing before the interview that can work for you, such as breathing exercises, quality sleep, or meditation. 

Conclusion

An investigation carried out by the licensing board is a stressful one. You have to be well-equipped for the interviewing process for the best possible outcome regarding your license. 

The first point of contact is to find an attorney to provide expert advice and guidance. Your lawyer can then assist you with the interview preparations, which include knowing the claims filed against you, familiarizing with your case, and understanding how to respond in the interview. You also have to play your part by dressing for the occasion and remaining calm before and during the interview. 

Left to your discretion, you may become overwhelmed by the process, confused by the information required, and run the risk of losing your license. Thus, hiring an attorney increases your chances of litigating your case.

Austin Duffy

Austin Duffy is a successful blogger who produces articles about careers, finances, and parenthood. Austin has been blogging for years and has published content in many online platforms. 

Why Your CBD Should Come from Organic Hemp

It is easy to be confused by the term "organic hemp". After all, isn't all hemp natural and organic? The answer is not as straightforward as you would think. In order to be labeled "organic," a product has to meet a strict set of standards. While hemp is a natural product, organic hemp provides additional protections for consumers.

The Standards

Organic hemp must meet a strict set of standards in order to earn the designation. These standards are set by the USDA and are therefore not hard to find.

For one thing, these standards mandate that the hemp must be "produced and handled" without the use of any synthetic substances. However, it makes exceptions for those synthetic substances listed in sections 205.601 and 205.603, which are considered innocuous:

• Alcohols (used for cleaning and disinfection purposes)
• Chlorinated water (as long as it's within legal standards)
• Hydrogen peroxide (also for cleaning and disinfection)
• Soap (used as an herbicide)
• Sodium carbonate (better known as washing soda)
• Plastic covers/containers (no PVC allowed)
• Newspapers or other recycled paper (compost ingredient)
• •Boric acid (pesticide, no contact with product allowed)

There are also certain non-synthetic substances that are not allowed to come in contact with the hemp at any time. This makes sense because "natural" doesn't always mean "safe." These prohibited substances include:

• Ashes from burnt manure
• Arsenic
• Lead
• Sodium nitrate (saltpeter)
• Strychnine
• Tobacco
• Sewage sludge
• Radiation

You would never put well-known poisons like strychnine or arsenic on your hemp, but some fertilizers do contain sodium nitrate (or its cousin, potassium nitrate). However, these are considered to be chemical fertilizers and are not allowed for certified-organic products.

Why These Standards Matter

The qualifications for labeling CBD derived from hemp as "organic" matter because, without them, companies could (and would) cut all kinds of corners to save money.

The law is forced to make this distinction between "natural" and "organic" because of the potential for some companies to manipulate language in their favor. Technically, fecal matter is natural, but you probably don't want that in any of the products you buy. Without specific definitions, there is nothing to stop companies from misrepresenting their products.

At the same time, it is nearly impossible to do something "100% natural and organic" without using stone-age tools and methods. Thus, the law makes certain exceptions for substances that are useful and known to be harmless. For instance, alcohols are included because they are easy to remove by applying heat. Likewise, recycled paper should not pose a risk to consumers.

How Much Difference Does Buying Organic Hemp-Derived CBD Make?

Hemp as a crop is a bioaccumulator, meaning that it absorbs material from within the soil at a faster rate than it can eliminate it. If there is lead in the soil, there will likely be lead in the hemp. While this may be helpful in cleaning up compromised land, hemp products grown in contaminated soil are not ideal for human consumption.

So, if you are committed to buying organic hemp-derived CBD, how much of a difference does it really make? Let's remember that you aren't trying to gain a positive here, but are trying to avoid the negatives that come from putting toxic things into your body. These negatives often take years (even decades) to manifest, so it can be hard to put any exact figures on this one.

From a business perspective, the "organic" label has a lot to do with the maintenance of customer confidence. You want people to know that your company offers products that are both safe and effective, and there is no way to "fake it." If you are not using safe and clean production standards, it will eventually show in one way or another. At that point, you could very well be looking at some expensive lawsuits.

When it comes down to it, it really is wiser to buy organic hemp-derived CBD products. It might come with a slightly higher price tag, but you can be certain that your hemp has been grown and harvested in the most responsible ways.

This is a guest blog entry.

Everything You Need to Know About Buprenorphine

Buprenorphine is a prescription medication used to help patients withdraw from opioids. Ironically, buprenorphine is itself an opioid often prescribed by physicians and was the first drug of its kind to be approved by the FDA to treat opioid addiction.

If you suffer from opioid addiction or have a loved one struggling with opioid addictions, you should research buprenorphine. By understanding the characteristics of buprenorphine, how it’s used, the buprenorphine ceiling effect, and the risks involved, you can minimize associated risks and prevent overdose.

When administered properly, buprenorphine is not used by itself but in tandem with other addiction therapies such as individual psychotherapy, relapse prevention, behavior modification, or the 12 step program. Buprenorphine can be administered in an inpatient setting or taken in a patient’s home environment.

How Buprenorphine works

Buprenorphine is a Schedule III substance. By definition, a Schedule III substance means that it has less potential for being abused than drugs in Schedules I and II. It can still lead to moderate physical dependence if abused, despite acting as legitimate medical treatment. Though buprenorphine has been around since 1965 and has been legal to use in the United States since 1981, it’s only come to the general public’s attention in recent years.

Buprenorphine blocks the effects of other opioids such as heroin or hydrocodone. When it locks into a mu-opioid receptor in the central nervous system, it acts as a partial agonist. Even if the buprenorphine does bind to the receptor, the receptor is only partially activated. An opioid such as heroin would fully activate the receptor.

Buprenorphine not only blocks other drugs that would bind with the receptor, but the patient doesn’t feel the intense high that they would with an opioid such as heroin. At the same time, the patient escapes these severe withdrawal symptoms. With the assistance of buprenorphine, these substance-use sufferers are more likely to survive an overdose of buprenorphine than they would an overdose of another opioid. Because the euphoric effects of buprenorphine are much less intense, there’s less risk of it being abused or used recreationally.

How do you administer the buprenorphine

Medical personnel administer buprenorphine in a variety of ways. Physicians prescribe tablets that patients place under the tongue. In some cases, buprenorphine is a film applied under the tongue, an implant, or an extended-release injection. Often, physicians combine buprenorphine with naloxone, another opioid, for optimal results. Naloxone comes in both film and tablet forms.

Patients who begin a buprenorphine course need to abstain from their opioid use for 12 to 24 hours. Once they’ve hit this 24-hour mark, they will enter the withdrawal phase—a necessary evil. If they still have opioids in their system and haven’t gone into withdrawal, their withdrawal symptoms can be severe.

The dosage of buprenorphine and how long the patient stays on it depends on the individual patient. Some patients need to take buprenorphine for years to prevent relapsing.

Side effects of buprenorphine

Because buprenorphine is an opioid, it slows down the workings of the central nervous system. With this in mind, the common side effects include:

• constipation
• dry mouth
• insomnia
• heart palpitations
• sweating
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness
• muscle cramps
• fever
• dilated pupils

More serious side effects include severe respiratory depression, dependence, itching skin, and potential overdose. Though physicians can prescribe pregnant women with buprenorphine, there’s a risk that it can lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome. NAS is a condition where the baby exposed to an opioid during pregnancy undergoes withdrawal shortly after birth.

To ensure that taking buprenorphine is as safe as possible, the patient shouldn’t discontinue or take other drugs with this opioid without consulting with their doctor. Any patient taking buprenorphine should have their liver monitored and tell the doctor if they’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. A patient’s buprenorphine prescription should never be shared, even with another patient experiencing opioid addiction.

Buprenorphine ceiling effect

As previously discussed, respiratory depression is one of the side effects of buprenorphine. However, scientists believe that because buprenorphine is only a partial agonist at the opioid receptors, the respiratory depression has a ceiling and will not progress to the point where the patient’s breathing shuts down completely. With heroin and other opioids, the patient is at risk of death. Taking buprenorphine makes it less likely that the patient will die of an overdose.

This is a guest blog entry.