Urgent Care Centers In California

There are many reasons why urgent care centers are growing in popularity, not only in California, but all across the country.  When you have a medical issue that can’t wait for an appointment at your regular doctor, there are generally two options that you can choose from.  You can either go to an emergency room at your local hospital or a private medical facility such as an urgent care center.  These walk-in clinics are an alternative to emergency rooms for when you aren’t suffering a true medical emergency.  Though they are typically privately owned, they are still managed like an extension of the public health system.  The clinics are usually ideally located in busy and convenient public places in cities and towns all over California.  Many people don’t seem to yet realize the growing popularity of these medical facilities and what sort of services they can provide. But the fact is that more and more people, after having a bad experience in an emergency room or facing a long wait to get an appointment at their doctor, are looking at other available options and realizing that minor medical issues can better be handled in urgent care centers than in the ER.  Healthcare experts and policy makers have also acknowledged the role of these auxiliary medical facilities, praising them for doing a great job in aiding and assisting the entire medical process, especially in easing the pressure on emergency rooms. If used in an appropriate manner as a supplement of primary and emergency health care, an urgent care clinic can be a critical part of the medical fraternity and aid in the mission to provide practical and effective healthcare to the public. 

In the present environment of healthcare reform, the excessive use of emergency rooms at hospitals needs to be assessed.  Various studies have shown that upwards of 17% of all visits to an Emergency Room could be better treated at other facilities.  And the savings that could be realized with a better utilization of other options could be upwards of $4.4 billion.  Almost any medical condition that doesn’t qualify as a true medical emergency can safely be treated at an urgent care center or walk-in clinic.  California is home to an excellent network of urgent care centers, with several hundred throughout the state.  And as far as healthcare reforms are concerned, California is recognized as being ahead of the curve in implementing the law.  As a result, hundreds of thousands of low-income Californians have better access to health care and medical services like urgent care centers have a greater role to play in delivering value to those patients.   

There are several reasons to go to an urgent care facility.  It is not only the cost of treatment at an urgent care center in California which is significantly lower than other medical facilities, but also the wait time and time for treatment.  However, benefits like a personable staff and significantly more available locations when compared to emergency rooms shouldn’t be discounted.  These urgent care centers are generally open nights and weekends, and accept walk-ins without an appointment.  They treat very common injuries and illnesses like cuts and lacerations, sprains and strains, urinary tract infections, vomiting and diarrhea, flu like symptoms and minor burns. Some clinics are even equipped to take X-rays and perform simple blood, urine and drug tests. According to the Urgent Care Association of America, an estimated 3 million patients visit them each week.  All of these advantages just serve to further justify the rapid growth of urgent care centers all over the country.

It is a fact that the walk-in model has always been one of the most appealing features for consumers when they are seeking immediate treatment.  For modern society, convenience can be as equally important as other factors.  Advances in technology means patients can now use computers or their smart phones to make good use of their time and wait comfortably at home until the doctor is ready to see them.  Busy people value convenience and appreciate the ability of urgent care centers to bring a convenient solution to their medical needs.  For all of these reasons, it is quite apparent as to why urgent care centers have been booming in California and why they will continue to increase in popularity. 

Fasting Is Not Healthy

Some evidence shows that certain forms of fasting are good for health but may not  appeal or be appropriate for ever one. Hypoglycemic or diabetics should think properly before they fast as they may suffer from low blood sugar which can lead to many health problems. Fasting is not something that should be taken lightly. You need to pay careful attention to your body, your energy level and how it makes you feel in general while fasting. If fasting is not done carefully and properly then it could produce adverse effect with some people.

Fasting for a short time leads to headaches, dizziness, fatigue, abnormal heart rhythm and low blood pressure. When people have these side effects they may have problem while driving a vehicle, operating machineries and sometimes working in office also. Fasting can be especially dangerous in people who are already malnourished, such as those with some forms of advance cancer. Death results when fasts outlast the body’s supply of stored energy.

In your plan to lose weight fast, you may consider the option of fasting. Many medical experts and dietitians warn against the practice of fasting for weight loss. It has been proved that the prolonged fasting is not an effective way to lose weight it can be very unhealthy and dangerous. Fasting is a natural process that occurs when you do not consume any food for three to five hours and during sleep. Natural fasting is an essential process and it is not harmful to the body. Prolonged fasting, which is not eating food for 16 to 20 hours each day and it practiced continuously for many days or weeks leads to many health problems. While some people only abstain from solid food allowing fruit juice and water, others insist they should not eat or drink anything for several days in a row. This is a very dangerous way of fasting to lose weight.

When you are fasting, your body will go into a self preservation more to counter starvation. It will begin to slow down your metabolism and increase the production of cortisol.  This cortisol is a stress hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands. When you are suffering from illness or stress, there will be larger than usual amount of cortisol in your body. A high amount of cortisol can make you physically, mentally or emotionally stressed. When you are not taking enough food, the cortisol in your body will try to release certain amino acids from your muscles and convert them to sugar. By releasing amino acids, cortisol is actually breaking down your muscles tissues. Losing muscles can slow down weight loss because you need muscles to burn excess fat in your body. Cortisol releasing amino acids also affects brain, kidney and red blood cells.

If you fast and do not consume food for a prolonged period of time, your body will produce fewer thyroid hormones. The loss of thyroid hormone will slow down metabolism significantly. When you begin to fast, your appetite hormones will be suppressed but they will be fully active when normal eating resumes resulting in increased hunger. With slower metabolism and increased appetite, you will begin to gain weight fast instead of losing weight.

Prolonged fasting can deplete the supply essential nutrients in your body, such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fatty acids, minerals and electrolytes. This can lead to the development of various health problems such as fatigue, headache, dehydration, dizziness, constipation, hypoglycemia, anemia, muscles weakness, gall stones and mental confusion. Muscles tissue is spared during the time of fasting due to the effects of glucagon and growth hormone. This hormone protects our muscles from being used as energy to prevent our own organ tissues from being broken down. Using muscles as energy is the body’s last resort once our body fat stores have run out.

Fasting usually reduces the amount of stomach acid, which digests food and kills bacteria. Some people develop gastrointestinal problems. Digestive enzymes are secreted in the stomach which moves in high concentration and need food to act upon. In the absence of food, these digestive enzymes keep circulating within the stomach and damage the lining of the digestive tract. This leads to acid reflux, gastritis problems and even ulcer.

Another area of concerned is the gall bladder, which is like a balloon that holds bile for digestion. Eating forces the gall bladder to contract, pushing bile in to the digestive tract which helps digestion. In the absence of food, this bile keeps accumulating inside the gall bladder. Gradually it can turn in to sludge, leading to the formation of stones.

Traditionally fasting has been associated with meditation and less activity. These days, people continue with their everyday activities while they fast. This is very unhealthy, as the body needs proper nutrients for activities. This leads to dehydration and fatigue. Not eating or fasting reduces the immunity level as the body is deprived of vitamins and nutrients essential for effective functioning. This is vulnerable to all types of diseases such as increase glucose intolerance, cardiac problem and sometimes hypertension also.

If you are suffering from any kind of health problem, it is advisable that you do not fast because you will be more susceptible to other diseases also. 

Medifast Diet For Diabetic Persons

Medifast diets have been found to be like godsend for hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. Are you too frustrated with the excess weight you carry around? As if this was not complicated enough, are you diabetic as well? Ok so I suppose you would find this article of good use.

Diabetes is known to stay with the unfortunate ones, for long, painfully long. It compels one to change her / his lifestyle and the compulsions with the food can affect one’s social life critically. Having diabetes means the individual’s body fails to produce the essential quantity of insulin and that plays truant with the blood sugar levels in the body. More often than not, this shows up with an alarming increase in the weight of the individual. Prescription medicines from your diabetologist are usually quite expensive and require incessant monitoring.

If you have not been able to spare time for workouts at a gym or cook yourself food that is low in calories, carbs and fat, and you have a made-up mind to try out an alternative, then you must consider the Medifast weight management & meal replacement programme and seek to address the dual problem of obesity as well as diabetes.

Stepping into the programme would mean following a regime different from the one that you and or family follow. The programme pursues a five prepackaged meal plan. It prescribes an additional meal that you make on your own and that would be a lean & green meal. It is supposed to fulfill the daily vitamin and protein requirements and would therefore consist of three servings of vegetables, fruits and lean white meat such as chicken and or seafood. Vegetables high in starch and sugars and beef and pork find little or no place in the diet programme; this could mean you need to avoid corn, peas and onions, at least until you meet your weight loss objective. Collard greens, lettuce, spinach etc are some of the prescribed low glycemic vegetables. This measure helps with a jumpstart with an expedited fat burning phase. You may resume these when beginning the maintenance phase though. So you follow this programme and forego all that you have been used to all through your life. Medifast diets are made up of pre-prepared stews, soups and puddings to serve your lunch & dinners. For snack times, it offers varieties such as chocolate drinks, oat recipes, food bars. The idea is to replace your diets with a balanced one that takes complete care of one’s health as well as the palate. The plans are scientifically proven to cut down hunger pangs at various times of the day that plague us all with adverse effects riding piggyback.

Shedding weight in the case of diabetics has been found to be extremely difficult if not impossible. The favorable and proven effects from none other than John Hopkins have found physicians prescribing Medifast meal programme to their patients, many of whom are diabetic. These are also known to be free of causing any side effects on the health of individuals. If being healthy means defending the arteries from its arch enemy in the form of calories, and thereby be safe from stroke and hypertension, many people would love to try it out. Blood sugar levels tend to behave in the case of diabetics, when her / his caloric carbohydrates, protein and sugar intake is regulated from being profuse with help coming from Medifast’s carefully researched and designed formula diets. The researches confirm that while losing calories, in a measured way, with each passing day, you do not lose muscle mass. Cool! No other solution in the market has found support from various quarters of this magnitude.

The results also establish the beneficial effects on people afflicted of Type 2 diabetes who have lost mind blowing number of pounds – up to twice in comparison to other recommended food guidelines. The delightful news is that likelihood of continuing with the diets are double. The icing on the cake is the high possibility of discontinuing with diabetes prescription altogether.

All the diabetics who wish to bring change in their miserable life style must examine the Medifast way after a thorough consultation with their diabetologist and look forward to a more joyous life.

Rest, Retirement And Urgent Care In Arizona

While searching around and trying to determine the best places to retire, I found an interesting article that gave me significant pause.  It listed several unique places and explained exactly why they would be perfect for post-retirement life. The list included some very popular as well as little known places which ranged from large international cities, to sea-side resorts in small countries.  However, what struck me as most curious was that not one of these “best retirement locations” was in the United States. I was quite surprised and a bit annoyed at the author for ignoring this country which has taken great pains to cater to the needs of its growing population.  Including recently undergoing massive healthcare reforms designed to boost the present healthcare system and medical technology.  It’s well acknowledged that our country can make improvements in our healthcare system, but we are still among the best in the world and are still at the forefront of medical breakthroughs.  These reforms are intended to bring even better healthcare facilities to the country’s ailing and aging population. The article that ranked the best places to retire gave seemingly little weight to available public health services and the medical facilities needed to address the needs of the aged.  As I get older, I find these things to be of ever increasing importance, and I’m sure others of my generation would agree.  Looking out my backdoor to see the beach won’t mean much if I don’t have my health to enjoy it. In spite of the lack of attention given to health care needs, I did appreciate the idea behind the author’s article and his attempt to use an analytical and logical way of assessing a proper retirement destination.

According to the 2010 US Census, the 65 years and older agegroup represents 13% of the U.S. population, that is, about one in every eightAmericans.  And, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be about 72.1 million people in this age demographic, which is more than doubling the number in 2000. Since I am about to join that club of senior citizens, I decided to sit down and evaluate my choices of places to settle into post-retirement life.  This is when I found the article referenced above, but I wanted something a bit more local.  I was interested to discover if there is a place that has unique health care facilities available, such as a good range of specialists or urgent care centers for those times when you just can’t wait to see a doctor.  But I also want to enjoy my retirement, so other essential characteristics such as the local weather, cost of living, cultural programs, housing availability, public utilities, sports facilities and the overall safety were exceedingly important. When I take all these factors into account, Arizona seemed to be a perfect fit. And apparently I’m not alone, as it seems an ever larger group of seniors are choosing Arizona as their home for their golden years making it one the most sought after states for all variety of retirement communities. 

There are several specific things that attracted me and others to Arizona, but one of the most important is Lake Mead.  Its pinwheel shape is surrounded by the combination of pink desert and lush green land making it a truly beautiful spectacle.  You can also indulge in a lot of other activities, thanks to Hoover Dam and the various sporting activities on the lake, such as boating and fishing for all kinds of fish including largemouth bass, striped bass, carp channel catfish, crapple and sunfish.  The vast surrounding scenery which includes gigantic dams, sprawling lakes, deserts, and mountains will quickly capture your imagination and help you forget the worries and agonies of your “working years” and live a contented life.  

If you consider Arizona’s climate, population trends, job opportunities, schooling, living costs, taxes, economic trends, medical facilities and state laws, it becomes perfectly clear why it tops many best places to retire lists. And with regards to the ever important medical or healthcare facilities in Arizona, you will find a large number of emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, in-store health care clinics, primary doctors, urgent care centers and all kinds of specialties to cater to all of your urgent medical needs.  The nature and frequency of the medical needs of our older generation is quite different and we need to make sure we’re located near facilities that can handle those needs. Blood pressure, sugar level, weight management and lots of other issues become more important as we age. Arizona not only has the doctors and specialists available for those needs, but if I need an appointment quickly, they have an abundant selection of urgent care centers in Arizona available to provide care. All of these factors make me quite comfortable in my choice to move to Arizona and enjoy the rest of my life.  

How I Overcame My Obesity By Medifast Diet

I was only 27 and I could see my life coming to an end.  Whenever I saw such a huge mass of my body, I became so miserable, tired and exhausted.   Hopes were fading and days kept getting longer and longer leaving me drink last drops of it.  When I saw my friends full of life and vigor, I thought I couldn’t carry on any longer.   Despite the fact, I could have mustered my strength to fight back and revived my fading hope of regaining my lost status, had there been positive results trickled down even slowly from all that I followed and practiced so religiously.   In those days of my struggle without end, I was introduced to the name of Medifast by one of my good friends.  And, as if a drowning man catches at a straw, though I was undecided whether to go with the new plan or to resign to my fate and silently bear all that pain and agony, half heartedly I took a step forward in the path I was led.  For the first time, when I heard about Medifast and its famous 5 & 1 meal replacement plan along with its as many as 70 great shakes and soups, I became bit suspicious of its effectiveness and efficiency as a diet program to fight against overweight and obesity.  In simple words, it occurred to me that if I ate so many delicious meals and tasty nutritious shakes, how I could shed those extra pounds, and hence the fear.   

                                                Anyway, hoping against the hope, finally I decided to go with Medifast diets after a much persuasion and careful verification of facts, figures and witnesses about the program and its practicability in life.  As it happens with any authentic, genuine and proven thing; soon all my doubts and suspicions turned into a strong belief and lifelong practice.  Now, I am a great fan of Medifast and all its meal plans, shakes and recipes.  I have heard friends turn into foes, but, here it is just the opposite, a doubter into an enlightened follower.  Anyhow, it is said, all well that ends well!  Now I am a much happier and more contented man with all my worries and concerns gone.  As regards the results, if I testify about my own self, you may not accept the fact and believe me.  Instead, ask any of my diehard opponents who used to count my days of life and shake their heads at my fate, they can speak for the health and fitness now I enjoy.  When I myself a much surprised man, there is little doubt about my opponents getting shocked and taken unawares at the progress I made with Medifast diet in such a limited time.

                                               However, much of this credit goes to Medifast which made it possible through its wonderful meal replacement plans and great nutritious shakes.  Much of the wonder is done by the Medifast 5 and 1 meal plan.  How great it is to lose weight while keep eating sumptuous meals throughout the day!   But, this is how Medifast diet plans lead its clients to the path of success and glory.  Medifast believes dieting does not need to be complicated and accordingly advises its clients not to get involved in the details of the planning and the dieting.  It only makes it sure that dieters consume healthy balanced and complete diet.  Hence dieting has to be stress free and simple.  Just relax and wait for the wonders and surprises.  However, the secret of Medifast meal plans is that they are clinically proven and carefully designed which also include one lean and green meal every day without losing any food and taste essentials.

                                               It would be injustice to think Medifast without its popular shakes it is famously known for.  There are lots of shakes to choose from to quench your thirst and dry mouth.  There are the ready to drink shakes.  If you are diabetic but can’t tolerate gluten, don’t worry; Medifast has also options for you.  These 70 shakes are really great; pretty tasty, convenient and filling.  In addition to these, you can also have varieties of soups like chicken and rice, chicken noodle, cream of tomato, chili and what not.  Medifast has everything for everyone.  Open your mouth wide and Medifast will fill it, and you can be their great preacher like me.  This is all about how I overcame my obesity by Medifast Diet.