Healthy Living

Danger at Your Doctor’s Office

Botched diagnoses. Drug errors. Lab results gone AWOL. We investigate why people are more vulnerable than ever to physician screwups—and reveals how you can protect yourself.
September 15, 2008

By Lorie A. Parch
From Health magazine

In 1999, Susan Sheridan’s husband, Pat, went in for surgery to remove a tumor in his neck. After the surgery, the neuro­surgeon gave the Eagle, Idaho, couple great news: The mass was benign—a fact the neurosurgeon confirmed after looking at the pathology report two weeks later.

“Little did we know that the pathologist had been conducting ongoing stains on the tumor and had released a final pathology report 21 days after the surgery,” says Susan, now 48. “It said ‘malignant sarcoma.’” Cancer. But the Sheridans never got this critical update because it was mistakenly filed away at Pat’s doctor’s office without the physician or patient ever seeing it. Read More


Urgent Care Center Alert!

September 15, 2008
By Lorie A. Parch
From Health magazine

They’re convenient, but are urgent care centers (UCCs) safe? The main risk is confusing them with emergency rooms, because they’re not equipped to give lifesaving care, says Nancy Elder, MD. If you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, vision loss, or the worst headache of your life, go straight to the ER. But there’s a more insidious danger in using late-night and in-store clinics: You aren’t getting continuity of care. If an after-hours ailment sends you to a UCC, let your usual MD know so she can update your chart. Read More


Four Signs of An Unsafe Practice

September 15, 2008
By Lorie A. Parch
From Health magazine

1. She (or her staff) doesn’t listen to you. Because communication errors are at the root of many mistakes, finding a doctor you can talk to isn’t just a perk; it’s essential. Steer far clear of the physician who rolls his eyes at any mention of your Internet searches, dismisses your side-effect concerns, or cuts short your questions. You should also expect open airwaves from his staff. If you’re always getting busy signals or you can’t seem to get a nurse to call in your refills, “your health could be at risk,” says Nancy C. Elder, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Cincinnati. Read More


Poll: How’s Your Doctor-Patient Relationship?

June 17, 2008

The rapport you develop with your physician can be important to your health. But not every doctor-patient match is made in heaven. Take our poll and tell us about your relationship with your health care provider. Read More


Poll: Has Your Doc Ever Made a Mistake Treating You?

June 16, 2008

surgeon-oops-mistakeIt’s a scary fact: Doctors screw up. But their mistakes—which could be as serious as a misdiagnosis or the wrong prescription or as simple as not calling back with the results of a test—can have terrifying consequences. Has your doctor ever made a mistake with your care? Take our poll and share your story with us (instructions below). Read More


Live Healthy for Way Less

April 22, 2008

By Kate Ashford
From Health magazine

You work out, you try to eat right, and you want to buy the healthiest stuff, but, boy, this healthy-living thing can really hit you in the pocketbook. The money flies like it’s got actual wings—to your gym membership, running shoes, that fancy juicer, the organic meat at dinner—and that’s just on Monday.
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Stay Healthy for Way Less

April 22, 2008

Use this guide to save on the products you need and see which ones you can live (healthily) without.

Vitamins
Worth it? Yes, if your food choices aren’t cutting it.

Most experts say you don’t need to take vitamins if you eat a diverse mix of fruits and veggies, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains. Problem is, if you don’t eat well, are a vegetarian, have a food allergy, or are pregnant (or hope to be)—categories that include most of us—you might not be getting the nutrients you need. In that case, an inexpensive multivitamin may give you peace of mind. Look for a brand that has 100% of the daily recommended values of vitamins and minerals and has the USP seal, which means that U.S. Pharmacopeia, the organization that verifies the ingredients and quality of dietary supplements, has given it a thumbs-up. Store-brand multivitamins go for about $3 to $6 for 100 tablets, compared with about $8 to $10 for brand names. Don’t spend money on additional supplements (fish oil, vitamins D and C) unless your doc has ID’d nutritional gaps. For instance, if you aren’t getting enough calcium from dairy (1,000 milligrams for 19- to 50-year-olds), pop a daily Tums with calcium (150 tablets cost $5 to $6).
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