Search Results for: blog at home blood tests good or bad

Let’s Talk About Interviewing a Homebirth Midwife

Apart from fees and insurance inquiries, there are many questions to consider when seeking midwifery care. Consider asking the following questions when interviewing a homebirth midwife: 1) How many births have you attended, and how many were successful homebirths? What is your rate of transfer? Do you transfer if the mom desires pain relief, or only in emergencies? 2) Do you have references that I can contact? (It is always a good idea to call a few of the references provided.) 3) What are your expectations of clients during pregnancy? (This will probably be included in the provided reading material. … Continue reading →

At-Home Blood Tests–Good or Bad?

My head hurts. My side aches. Is my liver functioning properly? Do I have kidney problems? Sound familiar? If it does you aren’t alone. There are many people (myself included) who may feel under the weather, but would rather skip the expensive trip to the doctor. Now there is a new way you can skip the trip to the doctor’s office, yet still get tested for an illness. New diagnostic tests let you order your own blood work, without ever seeing a doctor. You can check everything from your red blood cell count to your cholesterol levels through a medical … Continue reading →

Giving Thanks

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As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, we all do what we usually do (besides panicking that the holidays are almost here), we think about what we are grateful for. During the year, we spend our time being busy with the to do lists of the day and rarely take the time to truly be restful and focused on the good in our lives, which means that sometimes we let the bad outweigh the good. As the parent of a child with a chronic health condition, I have numerous opportunities throughout the day to be angry, frustrated, annoyed, and sad. And I have … Continue reading →

Kid-Friendly Halloween Happenings

My 5-year-old’s favorite theme park is Six Flags Great America. However, she won’t go near the place this time of year. Her fear of all-things ghoulish makes the amusement park’s popular Fright Fest off limits during the weeks leading up to Halloween. Fortunately, there are several scare-less Halloween events taking place through October at other parks around the nation. Some kid-friendly favorites include: HallowBoo at Idlewild in Ligonier, Pennsylvania is perfect for your littlest ghosts and goblins. The theme park’s Halloween events include trick-or-treating through Storybook Forest and meeting Ricky Raccoon and other characters. There are also Halloween-themed rides and … Continue reading →

Does Your Child Have a Milk Allergy? How to Tell

Many children are allergic to milk these days, and many of them go undiagnosed. Milk allergies can cause hives, skin rashes, and in some rare cases more serious reactions such as breathing difficulties. So how can you tell if your child has a milk allergy? Keep reading for important information. Allergy versus intolerance First let us talk about the difference between a milk allergy and a milk intolerance. For all of my children, when they were weaned from breast feeding and put on whole milk, they showed the symptoms of gas and loose stools or diarrhea. I assumed (incorrectly) that … Continue reading →

Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away from You (and Neither Can Dentists)

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Only now do I realize that a visit to the pediatric dentist was much more of an ordeal for my mother than it was for me. Anticipating the protests, torn between comforting the child and ensuring that the necessary things happened, not wanting the dentist to be cast as the bad guy lest we be even more fearful, she took most of the blame herself. She always seemed so sure of herself and of what had to be done. It wasn’t until years later that I realized she hadn’t felt as sure as she seemed. Mom had once asked me … Continue reading →

Why Does My Body Need Iron?

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Iron is one of the most abundant metals on the planet. Good thing, too — iron is essential to most life forms, including humans. Iron is important to many of the proteins and enzymes that help maintain good health. What does iron do for the body? Iron is an essential component in the proteins that carry oxygen through the body. An iron deficiency can reduce oxygen delivery to the cells, leaving a person fatigued and with a compromised immune system. Iron is used by the body to help regulate cell growth and cell differentiation. The majority of the iron in … Continue reading →

Five Ways To Save Money on Health Care

Health care costs are higher every year. For the last six years, costs have gone up an average of nine percent annually! But you don’t have to just take the costs — there are ways to save money on health care without missing out on the treatments, tests, and medications you need. Shop around for tests. Different labs and clinics can have very different prices for the same tests; for example, a CT scan can cost anywhere between $500 and $1500. Shopping around can save you between 20 and 66% on the cost of a test. What you need to … Continue reading →

Hashimoto’s Disease

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease when I was ten years old. My mother’s first indication there might be an imbalance came when she noticed I was starting to put on a little weight. (Her actual words were, “Your arm is getting squishy.”) Because she herself has a thyroid condition, and thyroid conditions are hereditary, she took me in to get me diagnosed right away. A blood test later, it was confirmed that my thyroid levels were indeed low. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the disease which most commonly causes hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid.) It goes by many names: Hashimoto’s Disease, autoimmune … Continue reading →

Kidney Disease: The Basics

Your kidneys have a pretty important job: they remove waste products and extra water from your body. And they work pretty hard, too. In a minute, a healthy kidney filters about a half a cup of fluid (between 88 and 137 milliliters) — that makes for some 200 quarts of liquid filtered every day. Kidney disease means that your kidneys have been damaged and can no longer perform their usual functions. It can develop for a variety of reasons, and may be mild or severe. There are several stages of kidney disease; the early stages may have few or no … Continue reading →