Good Sources of Protein

 

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Personal Medical History Record, Do You Need One?

The command “Know Thy Health” is not one of the Ten Commandments, but it should be. Most people likely know their car’s history better than their own health history. Why is it that we keep track of the details about certain things in our lives, such as our cars and investments, but we often have no clue about the details of our most precious asset, our health?

Maybe some of us believe that it’s someone else’s job. Or maybe some of us don’t keep track of the details of our health because we don’t understand the importance of doing so, or we don’t know how. The best way that I can explain why I think some people don’t do a better job keeping up with the details about their health is with the use of an analogy about driving an automatic transmission car versus a manual transmission car. For most people their health early in life is like driving an automatic transmission car where no work has to be done changing gears, but as we grow older and/or encounter health problems we go from driving an automatic transmission car to driving a manual transmission car. Some people simply do not want to acknowledge this change in their health, and instead of learning how to properly drive a stick shift (manual transmission) they continue to putt-putt along until things ultimately breakdown. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is the more you keep track of your health history details the healthier you’ll be. It is the first step in becoming an empowered proactive patient.

According to Bill Thomas, M.D., a geriatric medicine and eldercare expert and AARP visting scholar, “Keeping a personal medical history is one of the most important steps people can take to improve the safety and quality of the health care they receive. Nowadays, patients are partners with their doctors, and things work best when both partners are involved with the task of keeping accurate records,” he says. “A personal medical record can be a real lifesaver.”

So what is the best, simplest, and quickest way to keep track of your health history? At the end of this blog, you’ll find a link to a sample letter to request your health information from your health care providers. This information along with what you can recall about your personal and family’s health history can be used to create your own personal medical history record. Yes, creating and maintaining your own personal medical history record is the answer to keeping up with your health history and maintaining good health.

Your personal medical history record will act as your own medical chart. It will not only be your guide to staying healthy, but also your most important tool for managing whatever health problems you may have. It will provide critical information about you to your health care providers. And guess what? By creating and maintaining a health record, it can speak for you if you’re unable to talk due to a health problem or if you just feel uncomfortable expressing the details about your health. That’s right, just hand over your personal medical history record to a doctor or other health care professional and they’ll have everything they need to take good care of you. One major complaint that doctors have about patients is that patients usually give too much unnecessary information when they try to describe their health problems and health history. Your health record will help you avoid this common mistake and increase the chances that your doctor will make the right diagnosis. The right diagnosis could save your life!

So how do you get started? There are many ways you go about creating your own personal medical history record, but we’ve made it quick and easy for you. You can create a personal medical history by using the Health Power 101 Organizer. The Health Power 101 Organizer was created and designed to present your health information in a clear, organized, easy to use manner. You can learn more about the Health Power 101 Organizer at , and remember if you decide not to use our personal medical history record please use someone else’s or create your own; it’s just that important that you take charge of your health today!

Download Free Letter to request your medical records

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Do Women Really Need Annual Mammograms starting at Age 40??

Guidelines were published on 11/16/09 by the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, a government-backed physician group, that said women 40 to 49 years of age no longer need to get annual mammograms, unless at high risk for breast cancer. The task force made these recommendations largely due to a study conducted by them which suggests that women who are at low risk for breast cancer are more likely to get false-positive tests that can lead to unnecessary biopsies and anxiety if starting mammograms before age 50.

The new guidelines have not been accepted by many health organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Both organizations strongly disagree with these new guidelines and are still recommending that women 40 to 49 get annual mammograms.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among U.S. women, after lung cancer, killing 40,480 women in 2008, according to the task force report.

I too must strongly disagree with these new guidelines, and would continue to encourage women to start getting mammograms at the age of 40. About a year ago, I treated a thirty-five year old female patient who requested that her physician give her a prescription for a mammogram. The mammogram was positive for a breast mass, and the breast mass biopsy returned positive for invasive breast cancer. Just imagine if she had waited until age 45 or God forbid age 50!

Furthermore, I’m very concerned that these new guidelines will confused women by the conflicting advice from health experts. Due to these new guidelines, it’s more important than ever for women to talk about this issue with their health care provider, and to make very informed decisions about their breast health. A women’s life depends on it!

Jeffrey Brown, MD

 

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Goal Numbers for Good Health

Total Cholesterol	Less than 200
LDL (“Bad”) Cholesterol	Less than 160—for people who are low risk of heart disease Less than 130—for people who are medium risk for heart disease Less than 70-100— for people who are high risk for heart disease
HDL (“Good”) Cholesterol	50 or higher—in women 40 or higher—in men
Triglycerides	Less than 150
Blood Pressure	Less than 120/80—in people without diabetes Less than 130/80—in people with diabetes
Fasting Glucose (“sugar”)	Less than 100
Body Mass Index (BMI)	Less than 25
Waist Circumference	35 inches or less—for women 40 inches of less—for men
Exercise	Minimum of 30 minutes – most days of the week

BMI Calculator
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