The Truth About Mild Dehydration

Many people are actually suffering from mild dehydration without really realizing it. Since the symptoms of mild dehydration are subtle, people really don't realize that they are not drinking enough water until it is too late.

You need to understand the importance of water or fluids in maintaining your health. You can survive without food for weeks, but you can not stay alive without water for a few days. The human body is composed of about 70% water, but you are losing a substantial amount of water everyday through your urine, stool, and perspiration. Thus, you need to replenish the lost fluids by drinking juice, water or even eating soup, fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water.

Symptoms Of Dehydration

As mentioned earlier, the signs of mild dehydration are subtle. You might probably think that the problems you are experiencing have nothing to do with dehydration. Headaches, changes in your moods, slow movement and lethargy are just some of the early signs of this condition. Some people also report dry nasal passages, tiredness, confusion, and even cracked lips.

You should be alarmed if your urine is already dark and you feel weak all over your body. Some patients even complain of hallucinations. If you still do nothing about your problem, soon your urination will completely stop and eventually, your kidneys will start to fail. Dehydration is a serious condition so you should not disregard the symptoms. Worst case scenario for you is death.

Causes Of Dehydration

Not drinking enough water is not really the only cause of dehydration. Sometimes, when the weather is hot, you sweat more so you lose water through perspiration. When you have fever or you exercise regularly, you may also want to drink a little more.

The elderly are also more prone to dehydration because the part of their brain that indicates thirst may not already function that well. As a result, old individuals tend to forget to drink. Furthermore, seniors usually take maintenance medication, such as hypertension drugs, that may be diuretic. So aside from not drinking lots of water, they also urinate a lot more.

Lastly, certain conditions, such as diarrhea or cholera, can also contribute to dehydration. If you have loose bowel movement and you vomit a lot, you are also losing a lot of water.

Effects Of Mild Dehydration

Now that you know the importance of water, you should be aware of the long-term effects of chronic mild dehydration. First, your salivary gland functions will start to diminish. And this will make you feel parched and thirsty. Next, you may also find that you are sluggish or slow and your mental abilities start to diminish. You may also be at an increased risk of developing illnesses such as colon and breast cancer, constipation and kidney stones, and urinary tract infection. You may also suffer from water retention or edema because your body will try to hold on to more water inside in an attempt to make sure that your bodily functions will continue to work without a hitch.

However, if your edema or water retention is not due to dehydration but rather because of hormonal imbalance experienced during menopause or monthly menses, then you may also take herbal supplements like Expelis to eliminate excess water inside your body. Of course, you still have to make sure that you are drinking more water.

For more information, visit http://www.expelis.com/

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

You Can Boost Your Brain No Matter How Old You Are

Many people accept the fact that mental functions and cognitive abilities start to diminish as a person grows older. Thus, many accept forgetfulness and memory fog as a natural consequence to aging which becomes noticeable as soon as a person reaches the age of 60. However, this should not be the case. There are many individuals who are in their 70s or 80s who still have sharp memories and bright minds.

If you do not want to end up suffering from memory gaps and slow cognitive abilities, you should consider following the tips to boosting your brainpower.

Learn New Things

You need to continually challenge your mind in order to make it sharper. So, even if you are over 50, it is a good idea to enroll in courses or trainings that will let you learn new things and skills. You can probably study how to crochet, do cross-stitching and other stuff. If you like to travel, learning a new language would really be an exciting idea. Lastly, you may also want to consider learning more about computers and the Internet.

Try Solving Puzzles And Crosswords

One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways of boosting your brainpower is by solving crosswords and other puzzles. Instead of wasting your time watching the television all the time or gossiping about your neighbor, you may want to read the newspaper and try to solve the puzzles found in the comics section. If you are not really a fan of puzzles, you might find it hard to answer crosswords and similar brain-boosting activities. However, if you persist you will soon find them entertaining and truly challenging.

Mentally Solve Math Problems

Another effective way to challenge your mind is by trying to compute numbers in your head. With the availability of calculators, people do not rely on mental computations to solve math problems anymore. However, if you are truly interested in being mentally alert even when you reach 100, you better find ways to sharpen your math skills. You can do this while you are waiting in line or when you are stuck in traffic.

Listen to Music Composed By Mozart

Not only infants can benefit from the music created by Mozart. Even adults who want to improve their spatial skills could benefit from listening or even singing music created by Mozart. However, experts still are unsure of the reason behind the effectiveness of Mozart's music in enhancing the brain.

Exercise Regularly

You do not need to focus on your brain health alone if you want to have sharp mental faculties. You also need to pay attention to your physical health. Studies have shown that regular exercise can boost blood circulation, which in turn benefits your brain. In fact, if you feel burned out, just step out of your office and walk a little and you will soon feel that your brain has been recharged.

Improve Your Waste Elimination System

People who are constipated also experience inability to concentrate properly and even grapple with memory lapses. It seems that having too much rotting wastes inside the colon can cloud your mind too. In order to get rid of constipation and thoroughly cleanse your colon, you might need to undergo detoxification. One product that can help you experience colon cleansing with ease is Colopril.

Know more about this product by visiting http://www.colopril.com/

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

5 Risk Factors That Make You Vulnerable to Fungal Infections

A lot of people are familiar with infections or diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. However, many do not know that fungi can also cause a lot of problems, particularly on your skin. The itchy reddish spots with a white center on your elbows and thighs or the cause of your smelly feet could be some pesky fungi.

Fungal infections, particularly ringworm, nail fungus and Athlete's foot, are fairly common and easy to spread. A member of you family could spread fungal skin problem just by touching you or sharing personal effects with you, such as towels, shoes and slippers. What's more, these skin problems are usually very hard to eliminate because the roots of the fungi go deep into your skin.

Although fungal woes are easy spread, there are some people who are more prone to getting this problem than others. Read on to know what your fungal risk factors are.

1. Medical Conditions

Persons who are suffering from cancer and metabolic problems, such as diabetes, are at a higher risk of getting fungal infections than average people. Those who have depressed immune system are also more susceptible. If you have autoimmune diseases, including AIDS, then your antibodies may not be able to combat fungal infections properly. Undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also make your immune system weak, so you are more prone to having skin infections due to fungi. Lastly, people with diabetes are highly at risk because their blood sugar levels are high and fungi need sugar to grow.

2. Antibiotic Use

Medications or drugs, such as antibiotics, which are intended to eliminate disease-causing bacteria, may also promote the proliferation of fungal skin problems. When you take antibiotics, even good bacteria living on your skin and inside your body are also eliminated. As a result, fungi can take advantage of the situation and scramble to take root in certain parts of your body.

3. Environmental Factors

Heat and moisture are some of the things that fungi need in order to grow. Just leave a damp wood for a few days and you will see that mushrooms, which are an example of fungi, will soon sprout on them. The same is true with fungal infections. The areas in your body which are prone to heat and moist, like your armpits, toes, and crotch, also serve as good breeding grounds for fungi colonies. During summer, when the weather is warm, make sure that you change clothes regularly and allow your feet, armpits and other sweaty areas in your body to breathe or get ample ventilation.

4. Corticosteroid Use

Corticosteriod drugs are used to help ease inflammation. There is no doubt that such medications are effective in providing remedies for a lot of skin problems. However, they can also harm your immune system, which can ironically make you more prone to getting fungal problems.

5. Hereditary Factors

Unfortunately for some, genetic factors make them more prone to certain conditions, including fungal woes. Their genetic makeup increases their risk of being exposed to fungal infections compared to other people. Experts, however, are not sure if it has something to do with the chemistry of the skin or simply with one's immune response.

If you happen to find yourself suffering from nail fungus, what you need to do first is boost your immunity. Increase your consumption of vegetables and fruits to make your body stronger in fighting fungi. Next, use an anti-fungal system, such as Somasin, that works both from the inside and the outside in eliminating the infection.

Just visit http://www.somasin.com/ for more details.

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

Top Reasons Why Red Wine is Good For Your Body

Health experts agree that French and Mediterranean diets are two of the healthiest in the world. Aside from abundance of vegetables and the use olive oil, drinking red wine is also considered as one of the reasons why such diets are healthy. However, it is crucial to note that too much of everything, even the good stuff, can be bad for you. Although red wine is healthy, you still should avoid overindulgence to it. A glass or two a day is just what you need to reap the health benefits of this drink as listed below.

Good For The Heart

Studies have shown that there are several elements in red wine that makes it a good protector of the heart. First, its ethanol content is effective in raising the level of high-density lipoprotein, also known as good cholesterol, in the body, according to several studies. Secondly, this beverage also contains powerful flavonoids like quercetin, which are effective antioxidants. Lastly, red wine is also rich in resveratrol, also an antioxidant that has been proven to lower the levels of LDL, more commonly known as bad cholesterol. Also antioxidants are important in neutralizing the oxidative damages of free radicals. However, it is still important to highlight that drinking red wine (or any alcoholic beverage) in excess can still be bad for your health.

Helpful Against Infection

Many people are aware that red wine is good for the heart and cholesterol. However, only a few know that this drink is actually helpful in fighting many types of infections too. For one, red wine is helpful against colds, according to several studies. Aside from fighting common cold, sipping a glass of red wine can also protect you from a host of other bacteria that might give you digestive woes. Based on a study conducted by health experts from Tripler Army Medical Center, wines (both red and white) are effective in fighting intestinal bacteria, including salmonella, E. coli, and shigella. In fact, researchers say that the wines were more effective than some drugs in eradicating such microorganisms.

Aids In Preventing Cancer

The cancer-preventing qualities of red wine are actually stimulated by the way wines are fermented and created. It seems that the polyphenols found in the seed and skin of the red grape, which is the main ingredient of wine, are preserved. The health-giving phenols of red wine include catechin, epicathechin, and gallic acid. All these, plus resveratrol, are effective antioxidants that prevent cell damage while promoting cell regeneration.

Chemicals and other components in the things that we eat and use produce free radicals that are responsible for damaging cells. According to some, cellular damage is actually linked to the formation of cancers. Thus, if you prevent the damages brought on the cells by free radicals, you are decreasing your risk of developing certain types of cancers. However, more extensive research on this matter is needed.

Other ways of lowering your risk of getting cancer is by eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, including raspberries and other berries, grapes, and by making sure that you effectively eliminate toxins and waste materials inside your gut. You can achieve a healthier colon by undergoing colon cleansing regularly. A product that can help you cleanse your large intestines effectively and safely is Colopril.

Visit http://www.colopril.com/ for more details.

Janet Martin is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.thearticleinsiders.com

Preventing Winter Slips and Falls

With winter just around the corner, there are a great number of things to begin looking forward to. From ice skating, to skiing, to building snow men and women in the front yard, winter brings with it a myriad of exciting activities that are fun for every member of the family.

However, with all the fun that winter brings, there are a number of risks associated with it that every person should be familiar with. One of the most threatening winter hazards is the potential to slip and / or fall on patches of ice and snow that will accumulate if you live in a cold region. Slipping or falling on icy ground can lead to serious injuries including lacerations and broken bones, and can ruin your winter fun.

Hopefully the tips presented below will help you understand some of the risks of winter weather and will help you enjoy your winter holidays free from injury.

Winter Safety Tips

· When walking on ground that is (or potentially is) slippery from ice and / or snow, make sure that you walk slowly and keep your hands empty and out of your pockets. In the event that you do slip and fall, you will want to make sure that you don't have anything in your hands so that you can use them to brace yourself and protect your head and face.

· Make sure you're wearing the right clothes for going out in winter weather. The most important piece of clothing you can wear in slippery conditions is a good pair of shoes. You will want shoes with good traction to grip the ground, and good ankle support to prevent a sprain or a twist if you should slip a little.

· Test the ground in front of you before you walk on it. Slippery ground does not always appear slippery, and so it is important to test the ground in front of you before transferring your full weight to it. Stick one foot out in front of you and move it around on the surface of the ground to test how slippery it is-this will give you a good idea of what it would be like to walk on it.

· Do not carry a child while walking on slippery ground. If you should fall, you will put the child's safety in serious jeopardy.

For more information and tips on winter safety, contact the Indianapolis slip and fall injury attorneys of the Charles D. Hankey Law Office today.

What's Inside Our Tap Water? A Look Inside That Glass You're About to Drink

What's inside our tap water you ask? Let's take a look at that glass of water you're about to drink and see. Many people are concerned about pollution when it comes to their water supply, but the news is not all bad as some would have you believe.

The Good News

Your tap water contrary to popular belief contains at least 3 beneficial ingredients. They are; magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Don't expect however to get your full minimum daily requirement of minerals from your tap water. In order to do so you would have to drink about a tub full of water to meet the MDR. That is what's inside our tap water that is good, so let's move on to some of the things that are not good.

Don't Let The Taste Fool You

Many people feel just because their tap water tastes good or has no smell that it is safe to drink. In some cases they are correct. However, if that were the case there would be no need for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). One of this organizations main purposes is to make sure that what's inside our tap water meets a standard for the more than 100 different contaminants that is in most people's tap water.

Compared to most countries the tap water in America is relatively safe. However, babies, young children, and those with less than strong immune systems could be at risk from those contaminants.

Just To Name A Few

Just a few of the pollutants in that glass of water you are about to drink include lead, prescription drugs that have been improperly disposed of, bacterial cysts, chlorine, and dissolved toilet tissue just to name a few. There are many others that are far worse.

Now that you know some of what's inside our tap water you can decide if you want to drink it straight from the tap or consider other alternatives. By the way bottled water in most instances is no better than tap water, but that's another story.

Where To Buy The #1 Rated Home Water Filters In America Direct From The Manufacturer

Go to http://www.BestH2oFilter.com to find out where to purchase direct from the manufacturer Consumers Digest #1 rated water filters and get additional information on home water filters.

Runaway Children - An Overview

Runaway children are regarded as serious social problem. For runaway children, the main problem is family matters like neglecting children, physical or sexual abuse, family violence and family substance (drugs or alcohol) abuse. However, it is not always that children who runaway are from an abusive home, sometimes it is simply because they don't like the life style and regulation of family or it becomes boring for them. These all problems lead children to depression, anxiety and at last hopelessness and forced to runaway from home. Runaway children are not bad but the decision they make is bad that they usually take quickly without thinking about the future consequences. Because runaway children are unable to face the pressure of the problem surrounding them and to escape from it, they run away from home.

It is also necessary to know that not a single child runs away from home without having contact with other person who has already had experience about running away from home. This kind of company influences more over the mind of child and when condition comes into the life that leads them to depression and anxiety, that time influence makes them to runaway from home.

Other reasons that can make a child to runaway from home are following:

Constant quarrels of parents causes child to feel insecure.

Sibling rivalry or arrival of new child.

Fear of physical danger for wrong doing.

Failure or fewer grades in examination or test paper.

To accompany a friend in distress.

All children are naturally insecure and immature emotionally as it is a part of growing process. Each day they become more secure when family is a close knit one with proper freedom for communication and to express their emotions. But if family fails to meet the love for children, children become unstable and try to escape from that atmosphere to get freedom. However, after running away from home, they feel completely lonely and without support of family. They feel guilt for running away from home and then decide to come back to home. Usually period of running away from home doesn't remain for long time. But when it becomes habitual then it is advised to consult with psychiatrics for psychotherapy.

Runaway can be of four categories.

Running to children are those who are running from home in search of excitement of life like limitless pleasures, instant gratification and freedom. These children leaves home without any reason mentioned above.

Running from children are those who run away from home to escape from negative within home like physical and sexual abuse, financial hardship, neglect of alcoholic parents or stepparent. These children run away not to look for excitement of life but to look for a life that is tolerable. These children have no desire to return home to the same environment of neglecting parents.

Throw away children are not those who have run away from home because of their own desire or to escape from problem of family but they are forced to leave because of intense alienation with their family. These children are engaged more in antisocial works and criminal acts.

Forsaken children are those who are forced to leave the home because of inability of their family to support them financially and this kind is seen in the family with large number of members. These children have little or no emotional, social and economic support in family. These children feel themselves victimized and poor self-concepts.

Here we will be discussing causes, signs and symptoms related to psychological problems like depression, anxiety, drug addiction, etc. seen in runaway children. As we have already discussed above that children are emotionally immature and so they are sometime sad or depressed but it doesn't mean that they have depression as disease. If symptoms persist two or more weeks and interfere with social life, school activities and family life, it can be said that a child may have depression. Usually, depression in children is diagnosed when there is evidence of change in behavior like anger or acting out. Depression in children has major symptoms like sadness, feeling of hopelessness and changes in mood. Sometime depression runs in family as genetical problem.

Signs and symptoms of depression can be as following:

Anger or irritability

Withdrawal of social life or activity

Persistent feeling of sadness and hopelessness or guilt

Feeling of rejection

Increased or decreased appetite

Insomnia (sleeplessness) or excessive sleep

Crying and or sudden outburst of inappropriate words

Fatigue or tiredness or low energy

Unable to concentrate in particular thing like study

Thoughts of death or suicide

Different complaints like stomachache, headache and these complaints are irresponsive to medicines.

Most children will manifest different symptoms at different time and mostly suffer from social life withdrawal, less interest in school activities or a change in appearance. Sometimes children suffering from depression may start alcohol, drugs or other things to get relief from stress especially when they are above 12 years. Children who have history of family violence, physical and sexual abuse and also suffer from depression are at risk for suicide. These children have unstable mood that makes them to runaway from home to be free from depressive thoughts and surroundings causing them to be depressed. When children runaway from home, they are not under the burden of certain regulations of the family and they are free to do anything especially drug addiction is the major problem in these children. They start to take drugs to calm their mind as treatment for anxiety and depression. After some period of time it turns into a habit that is drug addiction or abuse. At least half of children, who are drug addict, they are in depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress and other psychological problems.

Signs that may indicate about a child who is drug addict are of following but these are not limited to: change in friends, lying, stealing, long periods of staying away from home, problem with family relationship, confused and unable to understand or unconscious, drastic change in behavior and decreased school performance.

But symptoms of drug addiction are different depending on the drug being abused. However, some common symptoms can be seen like anxiety, depression (on drug withdrawal), instability of mood, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramp or diarrhea, tremor and hallucination. Some of them are seen on withdrawal of drug and some are seen at prolong use of drug.

When you find your child using drugs and alcohol, it is advised to act soon; longer the child abuses, there are high chances of addiction. Individual should be careful while holding child with drug abuse otherwise it may hurt their feelings and may runaway from home. It is better to consult with psychiatrist or to rehabilitation consultant.

There are many other consequences related to runaway as they need to survive and away from home they will do anything to survive from panhandling (begging) to prostitution and some get involve in drug supplying or pornographic movies. Due to these kinds of activities there are high chances of HIV infection, malnutrition, heart infection like infective endocarditis (especially in drug addicts who use injection for drug into veins), other sexually transmitted diseases, robbery and sexual assaults.

Some steps that can prevent or decrease chances of runaway are following:

Though, these steps are not working for all as it depends on the level of trust and they are only suggestions, these measures are preferred than a cure.

Never challenge to a child for runaway.

Never use negative feelings or thoughts toward child that may indicate that you do not respect child.

Never raise your voice when your child is raising voice.

Stay calm and quite, have eye contact and give no response when child is angry or shouting until child is calm.

Never interrupt when your child is saying or expressing something even though you are not ready to agree with them until he or she is done.

Never use negative words like liar, selfish, immature, childish, cruel, stupid etc. as these words will hurt them and make them to think worse about themselves and about you.

Never neglect them or scold when they are wrong but explain them in what way they were wrong and help them to correct their mistakes.

Never use any kind of drugs or alcohol in front of children as it may attract their thoughts toward it and make them to follow you even though you may not have thought.

Give children equal chance to speak and to express their opinion and if you are not agree, simply explain them what can be consequences for that and if you are agree, do not let them do what they want.

Get professional's advice if your child is demanding and threatening that they should be allowed to do whatever they want.

Help your children to learn to be responsible for their deeds.

Protect your children from feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Make the situation where children are able to learn to take positive decisions.

Encourage your children to try to succeed even they fail to perform some activity or examination or test papers.

Seek counseling or treatment for any instability of emotion or mood (depression, anxiety etc) or change in behavior that may interfere with the social life.

Running away solves nothing and so many teens learn that they are not safer on streets than they were with their parents or guardian .Runaway children usually turn home after one or two days as they felt lack of economic and residential support. When they return home, it advised not to scold them or to be angry on them but receive them with love and have sympathy for them. Returned runaway children already have emotional trauma and feeling of guilt of running away from home. Ask gently what make them to run away, where they went, and so on to find out the mistake and to correct them explaining them difficulties that may come into their lives after running away from home. For such children who return home, the best treatment modality is TLC (tender loving care) and after sometime that trauma will heal and there won't be any serious consequences.

But when this becomes habitual to runaway from home even in small matter, it is better to consult with mental health professional and help to evaluate the conflict they have. Or if there is any psychological problem like depression, it is advised to start medication with loving care and helps to change the atmosphere that makes them depressed. If it is because of drug addiction, it is advised to join rehabilitation programs.

It is always better to take preventive measures that may help to avoid unpleasant reality of running away from home and then to face the difficulties of this brutal world.

One simple way to help children to prevent runaway is to communicate, listen, help, understand and try to solve the problem.

Though runaway has become a serious problem, we as adults are able to control it by understanding the heart of children and giving them loving care. It is possible to change the way of thinking and behavior and emotion status of children while they are growing.

If you are looking more information about Runaway Children then feel free to visit Runaway Child

How to Cure Tiredness - Stop Being Tired All the Time

Do you feel tired? In United States, 1 out of 4 people suffer from tiredness. Sometimes, tiredness maybe is very dangerous. Some studies say that tired drivers are more dangerous than drunk drivers. Tiredness may also affect the quality of work or studying. Before, I had suffered tiredness too; my friends always think I just woke up.

Many people try to reduce their tiredness by drinking coffee. Drinking coffee may be a good way to reduce tiredness and it can be the most popular drug to it. Actually coffee can only for a short time. If you drink a cup of coffee now and after 1 hour you drink another cup of coffee, it will not work. Coffee will not cure the roots of tiredness.

These are some steps you can follow to reduce tiredness

1. Make sure you drink enough water. Water is the energy of life. You will feel tired if you don't get enough water. Many parts of human body are made up of water. Drinking enough water is not only good for reducing tiredness but also it will improve your memory and ability to study.

2. Enough sleep - Teenagers should get at least 7-9 hours sleep time and adults should have at least 8 hours sleep time. Enough sleep time is needed otherwise you will feel very sleepy during daytime. However, don't sleep too much. The importance is the quality of your sleep.

3. You should get rid of stress from your life. If you feel stressful you will feel tired. Be happy with your life, you should try to be both mentally and physically healthy.

These tips may at least reduce some tiredness.

To read more about how to cure tiredness. Visit http://endtiredness.info/
Click here to read how my friend, John cured his tiredness.

Electronic Medical Records Becoming More and More Prevalent

These days, just about everything is online. You can date online, play poker online, and chat with your friends online. Your banking and investing is easy to do online, and there are even sites that allow you to shop for groceries online. So when you go to the doctor or check yourself in to a south Chicago Illinois hospital, shouldn't you expect your medical records to be online, too? Though we're not there quite yet, more and more hospitals and healthcare organizations are making the switch from inefficient paper records to fully functioning electronic medical records software suites. The result is more power to the patient, lower costs for the hospital or healthcare organization, and hopefully more accurate and timely data. And when electronic medical records are couple with remote access to those records, patients truly do have their health history at their fingertips.

If you live in Illinois and go to the Watseka Healthcare Center, you are going to want to have a smooth, effortless visit, regardless of what you are seeing the doctor or specialist for. For instance, perhaps you're seeing your primary care doctor because you have some pain in your hip. With electronic medical records, your visit can be made easier from the time you check in to the time you walk out of the clinic. Scheduling systems that can be added in to the electronic medical record software pull all of the patient information, giving front desk staff the information they need to quickly process your visit. Once you get back to the doctor, he or she can pull up information from past visits, including any tests or imaging that may have been done on the hip, leg, or back that might relate to the current pain you are having. And if the doctor needs to prescribe anything, they can quickly and accurately send an order to the pharmacy of your choice.

Now imagine a couple days after your appointment you get in a car accident and are rushed to Momence Hospital. If they have an electronic medical records system that taps into the system you use at your clinic, the hospital staff may be able to quickly pull up your records and get a complete medical profile of you, including any allergies or concerns. That's an extremely powerful thing, one that allows for better care more quickly. And though these sorts of systems should bring about efficiencies that will help healthcare organizations save money, the real winner is you. After all, when you can get better, faster care, that's a real plus!

We hope that you never need to visit a south Chicago Illinois hospital. But if you do, Riverside HealthCare wants to make your stay a pleasant one. Whether you need Watseka healthcare or are visiting a family member at Momence hospital, Riverside is committed to high-quality patient care and well being!

The Annual Physical - Necessary Or Not Needed?

The annual physical. Some dread it, some ignore it, and some swear by it. But what is the truth about the annual physical? For many, the annual physical is the only time a patient gets to sit down and talk to their doctor for more than five minutes. They can go over concerns, talk about healthy habits, and ask about tests that may uncover or rule out serious health problems. If you live in the Chicagoland area, physicals are a staple of Illinois healthcare appointments. Like clockwork, many people will schedule their annual physical at the same time every year and come prepared with a fistful of health questions. But is an annual physical really a necessity? Some say no.

There are some that say an annual physical has no measurable benefit to the patient, citing several studies in the 1960s and 1970s. The logic goes that if an annual physical really has no health benefit, then why go to one? It's a good question, and one that needs answering. After all, it's usually pretty easy to know if a trip to Kankakee hospital is needed, because you'll have something serious if you're talking about going to a hospital. But maybe it's hard to tell if a physical will be a waste of time for you or a potential lifesaver. After all, if you're not getting any benefit out of the physical, all you're doing is missing work for no reason and tying up your doctor for an hour that someone else could see them. And isn't it hard enough to get in to see the doctor these days?

While some don't seem to think very highly of the annual physical, there are others that swear by it and wish more people would go every year. But even those proponents would say you need to get specific things out of your annual physical in order for it to be worthwhile. If you want to stay out of an Illinois hospital and in to a happy, healthy life, you may want to pay attention. First, some say, it's important to get full bloodwork done at every physical. If there are serious problems that bloodwork can diagnose, now is the time to discover them. Second, if there are any preventative care procedures like prostate exams or pap smears, you should get those done as well. Perhaps you may not be able to do the exact procedure at the annual physical, but making the appointment is something you can do as the first step.

We know you have Illinois healthcare options, and that's why we strive to be the best! At Riverside HealthCare, we do it all from annual physicals to complex surgical procedures. No matter if you're looking for a Kankakee hospital or some other Illinois hospital, Riverside is your place for a healthy future!