Health Care and Dental Care Resources


Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet


A ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. By restricting the consumption of carbohydrates, the body is induced into a condition called ketosis. Ketosis is a state the body gets into to cope with low food or starvation. During this state, we produce ketones, which are created from the breakdown of fats by the liver to be used as energy. When this occurs, the body becomes super efficient at burning fat for fuel, which a great thing for fat loss.

Armed With Information: Typhoid Fever and 8 Things You Should Know About the Disease


Typhoid fever is a disease caused by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi. It is contagious and can be fatal if not given a proper medical attention. If one member of your family has the disease, the other members of the family will catch the disease in no time.

Apparently, typhoid fever has affected many people, especially in non-industrialized countries where clean food and water is highly not accessible. It is prevalent in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and some parts of Eastern Europe. To have a better understanding of the disease, here are 10 things you should know about typhoid fever.

The Surprising Role of Free Clinics and County Hospitals in Providing Affordable Health Care


During March of 2010, President Obama made history when he signed the Affordable Care Act into law. What has become commonly known as “Obamacare” was intended to provide people with low incomes with the same healthcare insurance options that everyone else had available. Those people who relied on free clinics and county-run hospitals for their basic care would finally have choices in the healthcare providers and the types of medical treatment they received. No one expected the need for free health clinics to become even greater once Obamacare was the law of the land.

Tips on Managing Seasonal Allergies


Allergic reactions occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance in the body, called allergens. Allergens vary in nature and severity, with many different types of symptoms. The most common allergens are indoor/outdoor nasal, food, skin, drug, pet, and insect. Seasonal allergies that disrupt the nasal passage, eyes, head, and throat affect almost 50 million Americans. Typically, these allergies are caused by trees, grass, weeds, pollen, dust mites, animals, and insects. There is no cure for allergies, so managing them through prevention and on set treatment can help improve your life. Understanding your triggers and using a variety of treatments can reduce the frustration of coughing, sneezing, itching, and overall inconvenience.

Manage your air:                              

  • Keep indoor air out: Make sure you aren’t exposing yourself to the allergens passing through the air through open car or home windows.
  • Service your furnace and/or air conditioner: Changing the filters in these systems and having them checked regularly can help reduce the amount of dust and pollen that can get into your home, which can sometimes be worse than outdoor allergies.
  • Dehumidifiers: Mold can trigger allergies and asthma just like outdoor pollen. Dehumidifiers help stop mold growth by reducing moisture content in the air.
  • HEPA filters: These filters force air through mesh that traps particles such as pet dander, dust mites, and pollen.
  • Wash everything: Cleaning your house and changing your sheets in always important. However, when your allergies are the most severe, it helps to make sure there is no excess pet hair, dust, or traces of outdoor allergens.
  • Wear a mask: In extreme cases, a mask to go over the mouth and nose will help protect passageways from incoming mold, dust, and other allergens. These are most helpful when working outside with pollen exposure.

Diet considerations:

  • Inflammation: Your body is naturally inflamed when you have allergies, so avoiding inflammatory foods will help decrease your symptoms. Dairy can have inflaming effects as well as foods with high salt content and alcohol.
  • Spicy foods: Eating foods with capsaicin and other spicy herbs and vegetables can help break up mucus and ease the nasal sensation that allergies can trigger. Spicy food also increases circulation in the body.
  • Fluids: Drinking water is very important when reacting to allergies. When you are dehydrated, histamine production increases which can further allergy symptoms. Taking anti-histamine drugs for allergies can also cause dry mouth, so increasing water consumption can help combat the side effect.
  • Tea: If you are going to drink something other than water during a time of severe allergies, tea is a good option. Tea helps soothe the throat and the medicinal benefits may improve symptoms.
  • Local honey: Honey has anti-microbial benefits and tastes great, but some studies have shown that incorporating local honey into your diet can help combat outdoor allergies.

Heal yourself:

  • Antihistamines: Claritin, Zyrtec, and other pharmaceutical drugs are the most common products used to fight the symptoms of allergic reactions. You can buy them over the counter and typically see fast results.
  • Supplements: For a runny nose and drainage, N-Acetyl Cysteine, and amino acid, can help cleanse the head. Quercetin, Butterbur, and Stinging Nettle may also combat allergens.
  • Vitamin C: Boosting your immunity will help your body feel better and support your system as you manage compromising allergens in your body. Citrus fruits and greens are high in vitamin C.
  • Neti Pot: Using a salt solution and neti pot can help clear out your nasal passages and soothe your head.
  • Allergy shots: In severe cases, allergy shots help those who cannot control every day allergens that enter their body. Protecting yourself from anaphylactic shock is extremely important in severe cases.
  • Showering: Getting steam into your nasal passages will help break up mucus and open passageways. Washing off your body of pollen and other allergens will help you heal.
  • Essential oils: Adding about 5 drops of peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, or another strong essential oil to your steamy shower will also help optimize breathing and settle headaches. Applying the oil in 1 to 2 drops directly to the skin, such as on the temple will also help naturally sooth inflammation.
  • Acupuncture: The traditional Chinese medicine can help relieve inflammation that coincides with your allergies as an alternative to antihistamines.

 

Free Nutrition Programs for Children and Families


The key to good health is traced back to the minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that are provided in the food that we consume daily. Children are at risk of hunger or obesity every day without proper nutrition. Thanks to programs that support schools and families, children are able to eat healthy and affordable food morning, noon, and night. Local and nationwide community organizations help provide assistance to schools and families through community gardens, educations, and utilizing local produce. Federal and state programs are also providing widespread assistance.

Hearing Health and Aids


Affordable Hearing Health
If you or someone you know is experiencing any type of hearing problem, organizations are helping Americans all over the country get the assistance they need. The ears need to be checked regularly, just as your teeth and eyes. There are various types of problems that can cause hearing loss, such as noise-induced, sensorineural, or age related. Congenital hearing loss is present at birth and conductive hearing loss is sound that cannot pass freely through the ear. Hearing problems are most common in those 65 and older, due primarily to age, but children and other adults are also at risk. This problem is usually gradual but can become severe over time. After a hearing test, hearing aids are typically recommended if hearing is so low that it interferes with everyday life. Hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars and few health insurance policies pay for hearing exams or aids. Hearing aids are so expensive because just like a television, they are an electronic device. The low demand of these aids makes them expensive to produce, making the price of hearing aids very large. Here are resources and tips on how to get low cost or free audiological care and hearing aid assistance.

Home Medical Equipment Assistance


The rising cost of medical bills and prescriptions is putting many Americans in a downward slope of debt and despair. Individuals who are older or have disabilities and are in need of home medical equipment are having trouble affording these aids. Insurance will typically help pay for some of these items but with little or no insurance at all; these assistive technology devices can be unaffordable. There are resources for those who cannot purchase these items on their own.

Medicare vs Medicaid


The distinction between these two government programs can be confusing because of the similarity in name and in benefits.

Free and Low Cost Eye Care in the United States


There are almost 50 million Americans who cannot afford routine eye exams or prescription eye glasses. There are several resources all over the country that help provide vision care for people of all ages.

These exams are not only important for vision, but doctors are also checking for any abnormalities within the eye, such as disease or a type of refractive error. Infants, children, seniors, and diabetics are at the highest risk for visual impairments, which can lead to cognitive and neurological issues if untreated. Eye exams are important for overall health because they can also detect early signs of other conditions such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. It’s important to check the eyes at every stage of life, therefore affordable access to eye doctors and prescription eyeglasses is a significant health concern.

Discount Prescriptions


There are millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans who have trouble affording the prescriptions that their doctors prescribe them.