Disease of the Endocrine System

The endocrine system is composed of glands which secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones play a key role in regulating cellular growth and development and organ function. Hormones also play an instrumental role in regulating mood, appetite and metabolism, sexual and reproductive function and tissue function.

Cushing's Syndrome is one example of endocrine disease. Cushing's is caused by an excess of glucocorticoids. Excess secretions of mineralocorticoids and androgens may cause Cushing's.
The adrenal cortex is affected and typically shows up on CAT scan as enlarged. The cortex is the layer of tissue that surrounds the adrenal glands which sit atop the kidneys and is responsible for secreting the mineralocorticoids and androgens.

The signs and symptoms of Cushing's spread throughout the body. The tell tale signs of Cushing's are increased fat layer of the face, neck and trunk and a purple striae on the skin. Also, feeling of fatigue, muscle weakness, water retention, decreased libido, irritability, thinning hair, acne, thin extremities, high blood pressure and delayed wound healing.

Treatment plans include radiation, drug therapy, or removal of the adrenal glands. In which case, steroids must be taken lifelong. People who have Cushing's must wear a medical identification bracelet and carry a list of prescribed medication.

Always discuss any health issues you may be experiencing with your doctor at your annual physical examination.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Health Insurance: careful not to use it

A medical record is kept on you each time you visit a medical facility. The date, physician seen, diagnosis, what symptoms brought you in and what treatment was administered. This medical record follows you. At the time of insurance application, the questions asked of you are both historical in nature and current. If you answer yes to a knock-out question, you are denied of health insurance.

Health care discussion between the political parties is an on-going debate.  Each side believes they have the answer to our health care crisis. Each side believes their plan is better than the other. The carefully constructed health care plan is typed on the computer and printed out on clean white paper. They speak about their plan standing behind a podium patting themselves on the back for delivering a great speech hearing their own voice.  Looks good sounds good so it must be the answer. Right?

The reality is the health care rule continues to dig a hole that widens and deepens with each passing year. Take a look at individual health insurance policies. The people who hold them are self-employed or work for an employer who does not offer insurance. They begin their search for insurance carriers who write health insurance for individuals. Then chose a coverage plan that best fits their needs and finances. Incidentally, individual policies are much more costly, rated-up and health profile scrutinized. For this reason, policy premium is high and policy quality may be weak. The risk is not spread out as it is with employer issued group policies.

The ideal person for an individual policy is one without any ill-toward health conditions. The medical profile the insurance company expects a person to have is an ideal weight and height ratio, normo-tensive, non-diabetic, no spinal/muscular problems, no kidney stones, no  meds etc. In other words, a very clean internal organ system. That is fantasy. We are human and develop health issues, some conditions beyond our control.  

A person who lives a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising, doesn’t smoke or drink and develops a health issue, the insurance company doesn’t care. You are penalized for having a pre-existing condition. Doesn’t matter if you are asymptomatic and no treatment plan is in effect, you will be penalized. If you were in a vehicle accident and suffered minor or no injuries, you are penalized. The penalty is higher premiums, exclusions, longer waiting periods, limited coverage or no coverage on related condition, no coverage at all, lack of coverage.

When you change insurance companies, your medical record is part of the equation for determining your risk and premium cost. If a pre-existing condition requires radiological testing or phlebotomy draws, the insurance company will deny the claim. If an illness develops which can be traced back the very health condition that is excluded from the policy, the insurance company reserves the right to deny the claim.

After all, this is health insurance. The whole point of health insurance is to insure the safety, quality of health and prolong life. Insurance plans enable you to take extra care of your health. This is in part, because when you do routine physical examinations and you are responsible for a nominal sum to get check-ups rather than pay the actual fee, you would not tend to skip these tests.  Health insurance gives psychological and financial relief that medical expenses will be paid. 

Preventative care is the front line to keeping us healthy and helping us to avoid trips to the emergency room. Preventative care is much less expensive than treatment for chronic conditions that could have been avoided with routine wellness checks.  

Under individual policies the reality of the situation is that if it is used, your premium is guaranteed to increase. Although, legally you cannot be singled out for premium increase. The insurance companies provide reasons that are easily hidden and clouded by: rising cost of health care, administrative costs, a class increase and or there is something in your medical history. Aside from your annual wellness checks, be wise in your decision when paying a visit to your doctor. 

The American political system is attempting to re-structure the health care rule. However, what they are proposing is not the answer. Americans will continue to jump through hoops to have access to medical care, long term policy affordability:  not just 1 or 2 years of pocket-friendly premiums but long term affordability and the struggle with dictation from the insurance companies that tell us who, what, when and where.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Women's Health: Pap Test

What is a pap smear? The test is named after founder, Dr. George Papanicolaou. It is called a smear because your OB/GYN will take a scraping of the inner and outer area of the cervix and smear the cells on a microscopic slide. The cervix is the lower section of the uterus. All women should get a yearly pap test after their first menstrual cycle or after their first experience of having vaginal sex.

Women who have had a total hysterectomy do not undergo pap smears since the cervix has been removed. However, she is to continue with her pelvic examination. Those women who have had a partial hysterectomy are to continue with yearly paps as the cervix is left in place.

Women who are 70 years of age or older may discontinue the pap test if in the prior 10 years the results have been normal and continue with the pelvic examination.

When you make your appointment for your pap test, there are a few things to keep in mind so your doctor can get accurate cervical tissue sampling. For 2 days before a pap test DO NOT:
1. have sexual intercourse
2. douche
3. insert any medicated birth control, creams or lubrication into the vagina
4. sit in a bath or spa
Doing any of the above could possible skew the results of the test.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsaagent.com

How to spot health scams

Health scams are also called health fraud. Many people are fooled into buying health products that sound so good they are immediately drawn into the product. Many don't do research into the product to verify if the claims have any truth behind them. As a result, money is spent on a poor quality product that may potentially cause illness.

Some products that are "miracle cures" claim to treat or cure different illness such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis. There are no "miracle cures" on the market. There is no one pill that can cure such chronic illness. There are no FDA regulated drugs that hold a claim "miracle cure". Taking such medication may cause a potentially harmful interaction with other medication you are taking. 

We hear quite a bit about all natural products. Just because it is all natural does not mean it is safe. The flower Belladonna is natural. But if ingested in it's natural state is deadly. The flower has pharmacologic benefits such as atropine which is used in modern day medicine. Mushrooms are natural. But some species are poisonous if ingested in their natural state. If your taking in any all natural products for the first time, do you due diligence and make sure it is safe for YOU to take.
Your neighbor, friend, cousin or uncle may not have had any ill-toward side-effects toward a  product does not mean it is safe for you.  Always check with your doctor about your individual situation.

There are weight loss products that claim to be all natural and you will lose weight while you sleep and guaranteed to be effective. These are false claims. Again, there is no one pill that will drop the weight and keep it off. Always check with your doctor if you are deciding on a weight loss program. Know your health numbers and get a baseline physical.

Don't take the risk with your health or money because of guaranteed claims or personal success stories. Health fraud is very real. If it sounds too good to be true, know that it is false!

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

The FDA defines health fraud as the deceptive promotion, advertising or sale of a product represented as being effective to prevent, diagnose, treat, cure or lessen an illness or condition, or provide another beneficial effect on health, but has not been scientifically proven safe and effective for such purposes. www.fda.com

 

Colon Cancer: 3rd leading cause of death

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for the number of colorectal cancer cases in the United States are for 2012:

• 103,170 new cases of colon cancer
• 40,290 new cases of rectal cancer

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 20 (5.1%). This risk is slightly lower in women than in men.

What's more of an inconvenience? A colonoscopy? or Colon cancer?

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

www.cancer.org

GERD

GERD is an acronym for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Commonly known as heartburn, is the back flow of gastric or duodenal contents or both into the esophagus. Reflux may cause symptoms or pathological changes. Persistent reflux can cause reflux ulcerations within the esophagus.

Normally gastric contents don't back up into the esophagus because the esophageal sphincter has enough pressure to keep the opening closed. Reflux occurs when pressure in the stomach exceeds the the sphincter pressure. When this happens, contents in the stomach regurgitate into the esophagus.

Tomatoes, chocolate, coffee, OJ, soda and milk, smoking, alcohol, certain medication, hernias, or any condition or position that increases intra-abdominal pressure or decrease esophageal sphincter pressure will cause GERD.

In order to understand and to effectively treat GERD, you must first know why you have it. Talk w/ your doctor about current medications. Perhaps dietary changes are needed. Eat meals 3 hours before lying down. Remain in an upright position after eating. Avoid activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure. Refrain from alcohol, fatty foods and cigarettes. If you take an antacid, avoid taking it with your other medications because the antacid will decrease other medication absorption.

Good health,
Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsagent.com

Life Insurance: know what your buying

When you are buying life insurance, make sure you know what type it is and how the policy is structured. If you have life insurance in force, make sure it is not disguised as term insurance.

Term insurance ends at term. If you outlive the end of term insurance, all the premium you paid for the last 10 or 20 years is gone. It does not build cash value. It does not renew. You must go through the application process again. One of the deciding factors of premium is age. The older you are the higher the premium. If you pass away when your term insurance is no longer in force, you have no insurance to pay for final expenses. Your family will be financially burdened by the high cost of death related expenses.

The final expense programs Monumental Life offers are guaranteed that premium will never change and will provide funds to your survivors when they need it most as long as premiums are up to date.

Beware of programs that have a decreasing death benefit. While premiums typically remain unchanged, the amount of coverage you leave your loved ones can be drastically reduced. The final expense programs Monumental Life offers have guaranteed death benefit that will never decrease.

Beware of companies that have association fees. They will market guaranteed premium programs disguised with other fees. The life insurance premium rate is guaranteed but the association fees can increase at the company's discretion. The final expense programs offered by Monumental Life have no association fees. Therefore, the rates will never increase.

Does your current life insurance cover you for both accident and illness? If your death is caused by illness and your life insurance is accident only, your family will collect the death benefit from that policy.

Monumental Life offers programs that cover both accident and illness. There is no waiting period and coverage begins after the first month's premium is collected. Death does not wait until you are ready. Be prepared and be completely covered. The application process is easy and quick. The turn around time for coverage is up to 2 weeks with an average of 5 business days. Life insurance is the 2nd largest purchase in life but is is the most important purchase in life.

Monumental Life offers quality products that will be there when it is needed the most. 

Visit my website for additional information. I look forward to getting you covered.

Trisha M. Pacenti RN,BSN
www.nurseinsangent.com