Category: Brandpoint

2024-10-23T08:47:00

(BPT) – When it comes to health, women’s intuition isn’t just a hunch — it’s practically a superpower. According to recent research from MD Live by Evernorth, more than two-thirds of women say they have a sixth sense when it comes to their health. This “ill-tuition” is the innate ability to sense when something may be wrong with your body — and 81% of women trust it. Yet, despite this trust, most women hold off on seeking care until their symptoms interfere with their daily lives, instead of being proactive at the first sign that something is off. This delay can lead to unnecessary worsening of symptoms.

“Many common symptoms can be early warning signs of an underlying health condition. Ignoring your body’s signals can prevent timely diagnosis and treatment,” explains Dr. Vontrelle Roundtree, Associate Chief Medical Officer for MD Live by Evernorth. “Trusting your intuition and acting on it early can make all the difference in managing your health.”

Roundtree discusses five common symptoms that women tend to dismiss, according to the research, what conditions they may point to and why it’s important to seek timely medical care when your intuition sounds the alarm.

1. Itching that doesn’t go away

Itching may seem like just a minor annoyance, but if it’s persistent, it may point to various underlying health issues. Itching could signal hormonal fluctuations, skin conditions like eczema, or even liver or kidney problems. Itching without a visible rash can be a sign of broader health issues because it often indicates that the root cause lies beneath the surface of the skin rather than on it. For pregnant women, persistent itching may be a symptom of cholestasis, a liver condition that requires immediate medical attention.

2. Persistent bloating

Bloating is normal after eating a big meal or when experiencing the occasional digestive issue. But, when bloating occurs frequently, it could be a sign of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Bloating that gets worse over time could be a symptom of stomach inflammation or certain cancers. In fact, bloating is one of the more common early warning signs of ovarian cancer, caused by the buildup of fluids in the stomach.

3. Fatigue

Feeling tired is often unavoidable, especially for women balancing work, family and other responsibilities. However, when that tiredness becomes persistent and starts affecting your quality of life, it might point to fatigue, a debilitating condition that significantly impacts your daily life. Fatigue is often a symptom of an underlying chronic condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, depression or thyroid disorders. If a good night’s sleep or taking time to rest doesn’t make a noticeable difference in your energy levels, it’s time to consult a doctor to explore the potential causes.

4. Unexplained weight fluctuations

It’s not uncommon for a woman’s weight to naturally fluctuate, especially during their menstrual cycle. However, unexpected weight gain or loss can indicate hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems or metabolic disorders. When weight changes are sudden and not resulting from changes in your diet or exercise routine, it’s important to rule out any larger health issues, like cancer or chronic illness.

5. Chronic anxiety

Although anxiety is commonly associated with mental health disorders, its presence can also point to underlying physical health issues. If you’re feeling anxious without a clear reason, or your anxiety is constant, it’s important to explore whether a physical condition could be contributing. Anxiety is often linked to cardiovascular diseases and endocrine problems, like hyperthyroidism. Regardless of whether it stems from something physical or mental, early intervention is critical.

Your first call: A doctor

These symptoms may not always seem urgent, but it’s important not to ignore them, especially if they become persistent or chronic. “If you feel something is off with your health, trust your intuition and seek medical advice promptly,” Roundtree advises. “Doctors are here to help you get to the bottom of your symptoms — no matter how big or small they may seem.” When your instincts tell you something is off, you can schedule a virtual visit with an MD Live board-certified doctor to get an expert medical opinion without unnecessary delays.

Remember, it’s always better to address a potential health concern when it’s small rather than wait until it becomes more serious. The next time your ill-tuition kicks in, trust it.

2024-10-22T15:09:00

(BPT) – As millions of Americans evaluate their health plan options during this fall’s open enrollment season, a new survey finds that 3 in 5 Americans incorrectly defined key health care terms. This knowledge gap may result in less-than-ideal selections, which could cause you to miss out on plans that might better suit your needs and offer potential cost savings.

Enrollment timing: For people with coverage from their employer, open enrollment typically happens during a two- or three-week period between September and December. For those eligible for Medicare, the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year. For people shopping for individual plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace, open enrollment begins Nov. 1, 2024, and ends Jan. 15, 2025, in most states.

Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a plan that may help lead you to better health and cost savings:

1. Plan ahead. Take time to understand the benefits, services and costs of plans available — including what might have changed with your current coverage. Pay attention to more than just the monthly premium, also understanding what out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, copays and coinsurance you may be responsible for. Resources like JustPlainClear.com and MedicareMadeClear.com can provide valuable assistance.

Medicare members and caregivers: As you weigh your options, assess the differences between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Visit MedicareEducation.com to find answers to questions about eligibility, plan choices, prescription coverage and more.

2. Help prevent unexpected costs. Check if your doctor is in your plan’s provider network, since visiting in-network providers can help reduce out-of-pocket costs. Make sure your medications will be covered next year by the plan you choose. And consider filling your prescriptions at an in-network pharmacy or with home delivery — more cost-efficient options.

Medicare members and caregivers: Original Medicare doesn’t generally cover prescription drugs. Consider enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage to help keep medication costs in check.

3. Explore mental health coverage. Beyond in-person mental health care, you may have access to a virtual network of therapists and psychiatrists, along with advocates to help find the right behavioral health care or resources.

Medicare members and caregivers: Look for plans that offer virtual mental health care with a $0 copay.

4. Look into specialty benefits. Additional benefits, such as dental, vision, hearing or critical illness insurance, are often available and may contribute to overall well-being.

Medicare members and caregivers: Original Medicare doesn’t cover most dental, vision and hearing services, but many Medicare Advantage plans do.

5. Consider wellness programs. Many health plans offer incentives for taking healthier actions, like completing a health survey or exercising. Others provide personalized support to those living with common chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes.

Medicare members and caregivers: Many Medicare Advantage plans offer gym memberships and wellness programs for members at no additional cost.

Visit UHCOpenEnrollment.com to learn more.

2024-10-22T08:21:00

(BPT) – Stomach pain, nausea and brain fog can be uncomfortable to experience. Imagine living with these symptoms every day without knowing their cause or being able to manage and rid yourself of them.

This was Aaron’s experience; he spent decades living with debilitating, daily pain — sometimes so severe he needed to be hospitalized — before finally receiving an accurate medical diagnosis. Now, Aaron knows that he is living with familial chylomicronemia syndrome, or FCS, which is a rare, genetic condition that can lead to potentially life-threatening acute pancreatitis (painful inflammation of the pancreas.)

Journey to diagnosis

“As a young kid, I would battle stomach pain so intense that it would cause me to miss school for weeks at a time,” Aaron shares. He saw doctor after doctor and was repeatedly told to “eat better and exercise more.”

“I tried five different types of diets and kept food journals to show my doctors I was following their advice. But I still found no relief — I’d have excruciating, crippling pain for four or five straight days over and over again with no relief.” This lasted for decades.

Aaron finally received an answer at age 36 when he was diagnosed with FCS.

Understanding FCS

During a doctor’s appointment with a specialist, Aaron was told his triglyceride levels — a type of fat that the body uses as a source of energy — had been over 1,200 mg/dL since his childhood. While healthy levels for adults are typically below 150 mg/dL, levels higher than 500 mg/dL are a sign of a common condition called severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG), which can lead to health complications such as damage to the pancreas.

Triglyceride levels of more than 880 mg/dL — like Aaron experiences — may be an indication of FCS, a rare, genetic form of sHTG. In addition to the risk of potentially life-threatening acute pancreatitis, people living with FCS also experience chronic health issues such as fatigue, brain fog and severe, recurrent abdominal pain.

After 36 years of struggle, Aaron’s diagnosis helped him make sense of his lifelong symptoms. “The first thing I felt upon receiving my diagnosis was validation that my pain had a real, medical cause.”

Living with FCS

FCS can be associated with physical, mental, emotional and financial burdens, which can cause people to feel overwhelmed and have a significant impact on their quality of life. “On my best days, I feel like I have the flu — body aches, nausea, diarrhea, headache and a foggy brain. On my worst days, I’m hospitalized for two to three weeks with pancreatitis,” explains Aaron.

To help manage symptoms, people living with FCS must adhere to an extremely strict diet. This involves limiting daily fat intake to less than 15 to 20 grams — that’s roughly equal to just one tablespoon of olive oil per day. “I’ve had to learn to adjust my social life so that events don’t always revolve around food, and the unfortunate reality is that I just may not be able to participate,” says Aaron.

Raising awareness and aiding in earlier diagnosis of this rare disease is important to Aaron. His hope for the future is that people living with FCS don’t feel the loneliness he lived with for too long. “I’ve made a conscious decision to not let having FCS control my outlook on life. I choose to be happy, and my hope in sharing my story is to normalize FCS so that the next person may not have to wait 36 years to find a diagnosis and won’t feel so alone.”

The article shares the story of one person and may not be representative of all patient journeys. If you have questions about your health, speak with your doctor. To learn more about FCS and helpful resources, including taking a signs and symptoms quiz that can provide useful information to guide your discussion with a doctor, visit www.KnowYourTGs.com.

1. Moulin P, Dufour R, Averna M, et al. Identification and diagnosis of patients with familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS): Expert panel recommendations and proposal of an “FCS score”. Atherosclerosis. 2018;275:265-272.
2. Chyzhyk V, Brown AS. Familial chylomicronemia syndrome: A rare but devastating autosomal recessive disorder characterized by refractory hypertriglyceridemia and recurrent pancreatitis. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2020;30(2):80-85.
3. Christian JB, Bourgeois N, Snipes R, Lowe KA. Prevalence of severe (500 to 2,000 mg/dl) hypertriglyceridemia in United States adults. Am J Cardiol. 2011;107(6):891-897.
4. Davidson M, Stevenson M, Hsieh A, et al. The burden of familial chylomicronemia syndrome: Results from the global IN-FOCUS study. J Clin Lipidol. 2018;12(4):898-907.e2.

2024-10-22T12:35:00

(BPT) – Thinking about upgrading your home’s HVAC system with a new heat pump? It’s the perfect time to add or upgrade your home’s insulation, too.

These two projects not only work together to help you maximize comfort and savings, they’re also eligible for substantial financial incentives thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act to help lower the cost of these upgrades. With federal tax credits, generous utility rebates, and state rebates, you can combine these different savings to significantly lower costs on top of energy savings.

Both projects are part of an ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade — a set of high-impact improvements that work together to help you live comfortably and maximize your energy savings. And the savings from these two projects can really add up. For the average American household, almost half of the annual energy bill goes toward heating and cooling — approximately $900 a year. Finding ways to efficiently heat and cool your home is key to reducing energy usage and saving money year-round.

Why a heat pump? ENERGY STAR certified heat pump HVAC is so efficient it can deliver up to three times more heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes. It’s a little mind-blowing when you think about it. This is possible because a heat pump moves heat rather than converting it from a fuel, as combustion heating systems do. That’s why the federal government is offering these credits and rebates — this technology offers superior efficiency that allows households to save significant energy and money, while also being a better choice for the environment.

A heat pump also cools

It’s a common misconception that heat pumps only provide heat. Not true! Despite the misleading name, heat pumps do double duty with both heating and cooling and are becoming a more popular solution in the U.S. due to their superior energy efficiency. It makes sense to combine the project with air sealing and adding insulation — you’ll get the most savings and comfort with that one-two punch.

By sealing air leaks and improving the insulation in your home, the new heat pump won’t need to work as hard to regulate temperatures, which helps make your home more comfortable while reducing energy usage and increasing your savings. Adding to or enhancing your attic insulation levels may also allow you to choose a smaller, less expensive heat pump.

ENERGY STAR certified ducted and mini-split heat pumps are available from a variety of manufacturers. Not sure where to start? ENERGY STAR offers online guidance to help customers, contractors, remodelers, or builders find heat pumps that qualify for these incentives.

Adding insulation? Start with the attic

It’s wise to focus on your attic’s insulation because it will help keep your house comfortable all year long. Here’s how:

In the winter, as your system is warming your house, the heat rises. If there are holes in the attic floor and low insulation levels, that warm air will rise right out of the top of the house. Sealing air leaks and adding insulation in the attic can hold that warm air in and insulate from the cold outdoor air.

In summer, the sun beats down on the roof, overheating the air in the attic. That heat radiates down into your home, making it harder to cool. Adding a good amount of insulation in the attic prevents that heat from getting into the house, which increases comfort and reduces cooling costs.

Since attics are often unfinished, insulation is typically easy and inexpensive to add there. In many homes, sealing air leaks in the attic and insulating the attic floor are the best ways to improve the home envelope cost-effectively.

Don’t forget your ductwork

Since airflow is essential to the HVAC system, improving ductwork when installing a new system is common sense. While you’re in the attic adding insulation, make sure to inspect those ducts. Sealing, straightening, reconnecting and repairing holes in ducts can significantly improve the performance of the heating and cooling system. Adding insulation around the ducts that run through hot attics can also improve performance and energy savings.

ENERGY STAR has you covered

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. Visit energystar.gov/homesavings to find available savings on energy saving upgrades in your area.

2024-10-22T09:01:00

(BPT) – The holidays are such a delicious time of year. Halloween candy can last until Thanksgiving, the whole house smells of baking cookies, and chocolates and other sweet treats can be found around the house. It’s also respiratory virus season, when families will typically stock up on medicines to treat those runny noses, coughs and aches. For parents, grandparents, and other caregivers, it’s especially important to realize that kids can confuse medicines, vitamins, and other supplements for candy.

Each year, approximately 35,000 children are brought to hospital emergency rooms after they find and get into medicines that are left within their sight and reach. Many medicines and supplements — including those in gummy form — can look like candy, and it can be difficult for young children (and even adults) to tell the difference.

It’s important to teach young children that medicine is not candy and that they should never take medicines on their own. The Up and Away Campaign is a safe medicine storage initiative, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with the Health In Hand Foundation, to help prevent unintentional medication overdoses in young children. It’s about always putting medicines, vitamins, and other supplements, including those in gummy form, “up and away,” where kids can’t reach or see them.

Here are eight important tips from the Up and Away Campaign to help parents, grandparents, and other caregivers keep young children safe:

1. Pick a place your children cannot reach. Find a place in your home that is too high for children to reach or see. Different families will have different places. Walk around your home and find the best place to keep your medicines, vitamins, and other supplements — including those in gummy form — up and away, even between doses.

2. Never leave medicine by a child’s bedside. If your child is ill and needs doses every few hours, it might be tempting to leave the medicine in handy reach. Put it up and away instead.

3. Mind your purse or bag. Make sure that medicines carried with you (in purses, bags, pockets, or pill organizers) are also kept out of sight and reach of young children.

4. Never leave loose pills or liquid medicines out on a counter, table or child’s bedside. To a young child, pills can look like candy and liquid medicines can look like sugary drinks, so it’s important to keep them out of children’s reach and sight.

5. Keep medicines in child-resistant containers. Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If the medicine has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you can’t twist anymore or hear the “click.” If you must put medicines in other containers, such as pill organizers, check to see if they have child-resistant features. Many do not and can be easily opened by young children.

6. Teach your children about medicine safety. It’s important to teach your children what medicine is and why you or another trusted caregiver must be the one to give it to them. Never tell children medicine is candy, even if they don’t like to take their medicine.

7. Remind guests and babysitters to keep purses, bags or coats that have medicines in them up and away and out of sight when they’re in your home. If you bring medicines with you to a home with young children, don’t be shy about asking for a place to put your medicines that is out of reach and sight of curious young kids.

8. Be prepared for an emergency. Call Poison Help at 800.222.1222 right away if you think your child might have gotten into a medicine, vitamin, or other supplement (including those in gummy form), even if you are not completely sure. Before you need it, make a contact for Poison Help in your phone so it’s ready in an emergency.

For more information, resources and help, visit https://upandaway.org/en/.

2024-10-22T08:01:00

(BPT) – Sponsored by Sanofi

Life often brings surprises, and many can be welcome. However, sometimes being caught off guard can be scary or overwhelming. This is especially true when it comes to your health, for example receiving an unexpected diagnosis like that of type 1 diabetes.

People often find out they have type 1 diabetes when they are in a later stage (stage 3) of the disease, which is when clinical symptoms begin to occur. In stage three, the body is no longer able to make enough or any insulin which causes blood sugar levels to rise much higher than the normal range. What happens next is lifelong dependence on insulin injections to maintain target blood sugar levels — and it may carry a heavy burden for individuals and their families alike.

Karim Jones and her family know this feeling all too well. Unknowingly, Jones’ daughter was experiencing tell-tale symptoms of type 1 diabetes, including extreme thirst, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. When they went to the doctor, Jones remembered a previous conversation she had with a friend and asked the doctor to test her daughter for type 1 diabetes. It turned out her daughter not only had type 1 diabetes, but she was also in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes.

Jones immediately received a deluge of information about managing her daughter’s blood sugar levels, the impact of diet, insulin dosing, and more, which made her feel overwhelmed and uncertain. When the stakes are as high as supporting a child’s health, more time to learn how to manage the disease can be extremely valuable. Early detection of type 1 diabetes is possible through screening and this advanced information can provide time to prepare for the future — but early screening for type 1 diabetes is relatively uncommon prior to diagnosis due largely to a lack of awareness. The1Pledge.com has more information on why early screening can be important.

“Knowing in advance, even by just one month, would have made an important difference for our entire family and given us the time to prepare in a way that wasn’t so rushed,” Jones shares. “Type 1 diabetes management requires countless extra decisions each day that I’m responsible for as a caregiver. It’s on me to manage my daughter’s health, and the mental load that goes along with that responsibility is one of the hardest parts.”

Indeed, advanced notice through a blood test that can detect type 1 diabetes-related autoantibodies early can help families in a multitude of ways, including but not limited to:

• Building a multidisciplinary care team of doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and other supportive healthcare providers to meet with (typically every 3-6 months).
• Learning more about the disease from that care team to better recognize symptoms when they do arise (stage 3) and potentially reducing the risk of going through DKA by up to 50%.
• Developing the skills needed to manage the disease, in the face of up to 10 finger pricks per day to measure blood sugar and an estimated 1,460 insulin injections each year.

“My husband and I agreed that we never wanted to be caught off guard like that again, so after my daughter was diagnosed, our whole family got screened, including our other three children,” Jones notes. “As a parent, you would do anything for your kids, and when I learned screening was an option after my daughter’s diagnosis, I wasn’t going to miss out on an opportunity to know if my family was at risk. Before we got the family screened, I felt like I was living in fear, worried that if my child was thirsty, it might be a red flag; now that we’ve gotten the kids screened, I feel better informed.”

Jones continued: “As a mother who has lived through an unexpected diagnosis, I believe everyone should get screened. About 90% of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes do not have a family history of the disease, which was the case for my daughter. If it’s fear of knowing that’s stopping you from getting screened, hear me when I say that you don’t want to get to a point where your child is experiencing DKA — that is much, much scarier. Knowing in advance may make a difference for your family.”

Talk to your doctor about screening for type 1 diabetes.

Sanofi does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment — information is provided for educational purposes only. Your doctor is the best source of health information. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about your health or treatment.

Karim Jones is a paid spokesperson for Sanofi.

2024-10-22T00:01:00

(BPT) – Obtaining necessary care in today’s financial and healthcare landscape can be a daunting challenge for many U.S. families. According to the 2023 Milliman Medical Index, a family of four covered by an employer-provided preferred provider organization (PPO) would spend $31,065 a year.

For folks without access to employer-provided health insurance, affording a plan can be cost-prohibitive, and many may choose to risk being uninsured. Should the worst occur, these individuals may face insurmountable healthcare debt. However, there is an accessible and affordable alternative to traditional health insurance that can help reduce healthcare costs.

Impact Health Sharing — a not-for-profit, non-insurance alternative to the high cost of health insurance — believes you should be an informed and educated advocate in your healthcare. That’s why it’s on a mission to raise awareness of healthcare sharing as another option for families.

What is healthcare sharing?

Healthcare sharing isn’t insurance. It’s a caring community of members who share their financial resources to pay for each other’s eligible medical expenses. Participating in a healthcare-sharing plan can provide peace of mind, financial protection and access to a network of individuals who understand and value the importance of maintaining a healthy living.

Healthcare-sharing plans may be a good option for some people, but they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. When deciding if healthcare sharing is right for you, ask yourself the following three questions.

1. What are my family’s healthcare needs?

Before you choose any healthcare plan or program, you’ll need to assess your family’s unique healthcare needs.

Do you have frequent doctor visits? Does anyone have ongoing medical conditions? Are there other healthcare services your family uses regularly? These are important considerations that can help you determine the best health plan for your family.

2. What is my financial situation?

Your budget may limit the type of healthcare plan you can comfortably afford. Without an employer- or government-provided health insurance plan, you may have to pay exorbitant premiums just to access a healthcare plan. Even if you can afford a plan, you may find the copays and deductibles to be cost-prohibitive.

Healthcare sharing is a great option if you don’t have access to insurance through an employer or government program or if you aren’t eligible for a tax subsidy. A health-share plan can reduce the financial burden of healthcare. Most members of Impact Health, for example, save 30-50% over the cost of their previous health insurance plan.

3. How does healthcare sharing align with my values?

Health-sharing plans are based on the belief that neighbors should care for each other in times of need. If you share this belief, a healthcare sharing organization may be a great option.

Traditionally, healthcare-sharing programs have been Christian-based and may require members to have a pastor or other similar church leader vouch for their membership. This has resulted in limited access to individuals from other faiths or beliefs.

By design, Impact is one of the first healthcare-sharing organizations that welcomes people of all religious faiths or creeds into their sharing community. If you believe that neighbors should take care of one another, then you are welcome to enroll in the Impact Health Sharing community.

Embracing all people isn’t the only thing that sets Impact apart from other healthcare-sharing organizations. Other benefits include:

• No provider network or doctor limitations. Members use the healthcare providers they choose.
• Preventative care and chiropractic adjustments as eligible expenses.
• A comprehensive medical experience and access to preventative care, mental healthcare, prescription discounts and urgent care telemedicine available 24/7.

Are you ready to discover an alternative to traditional health insurance? To learn more about healthcare sharing, visit ImpactHealthSharing.com.