Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Infection Control Supplies - Prevent Illness From Spreading

Is it possible to stop the spread of illness? Hundreds of preventable illnesses are spread throughout hospitals daily. However, most of these illnesses can be contained using the right infection control equipment.

Thousands of needles and larger toxic materials are used within hospitals regularly. Sharps containers that are made from durable plastics come in a number of sizes and shapes that can easily accommodate all contaminated items. These containers cannot be tampered with, which easily places these toxic items out of harm's way.

There are also a number of items that can be worn by medical professionals including long-lasting items such as coats and overalls along with disposable items such as masks and foot coverings. All medical staff and personnel infection control products come in a large range of sizes and colors.

Patients can be protected from an air-borne illness by wearing sterile gowns, protective dental bibs, facial sheets and capes (for younger patients). While working to protect each patient, these items also come in numerous designs, colors, and sizes.

In addition, beds, operating tables, tools, sheets, corridors, rooms, bathrooms, and everything else within a medical facility should be scrubbed and disinfected regularly - including regular office equipment. Industrial strength soaps and sterilizers that have been specially formulated for the hospital environment provide an easy way to eliminate germs from hands and tools.

With the proper infection control supplies on hand at all times, diseases that should not be transferred from person to person can be easily controlled. From disinfecting soaps to toilet seat covers, keeping a medical supply closet well stocked is essential and simple.

Stephen is a writer for Universal Medical Inc.

Universal Medical Inc is a premier provider of infection control products and health care industry products. For the complete infection control line - please visit http://www.universalmedicalinc.com/infection-control

LMA Or ET Tube?

For any health care provider, the main concern is always with the patient's airway. Before taking care of any other problem, patency of the airway must be established. Some of the most common and reliable medical devices used to maintain a patent airway is the Endotracheal tube, most commonly referred to as ET tube, and the Laryngeal Mask Airway, or LMA for short. The ET tube is a device used mostly in the pre-hospital setting and in the operating room. The ET tube is a flexible, translucent tube open at both ends and available in lengths ranging from twelve to thirty-two centimeters. The tube is inserted into the trachea through the vocal chords using a laryngoscope and a stylet to maneuver through the airway passage.

The distal end has a beveled tip to facilitate smooth movement. The LMA is an alternative airway device used for anesthesia and airway support. It consists of an inflatable silicone mask and rubber connecting tube. It is inserted blindly into the pharynx, forming a low-pressure seal around the laryngeal inlet and permitting gentle positive pressure ventilation. All parts are latex-free. Both devices are very similar, yet distinctly unique. The ET tube and the LMA, although very different in many ways, are tools that aid in maintaining patent airways in patients, therefore increasing their possibilities for survival.

The similarities between the ET tube and the LMA are very distinct. The ET tube and the LMA are used mostly in Emergency Medicine. Health care providers such as doctors and paramedics use them for airway management. Both devices consist of a tube with an inflatable cuff. When a patient is about to undergo a procedure that involves general anesthesia, either the LMA or the ET tube are used to maintain patency of the airway. Both LMA and ET tubes attach to a ventilator or a Bag-Valve Mask, also known as a BVM, to allow great control over the airway.

The Endotracheal intubation has clearly been the preferred method of advanced airway management in pre-hospital emergency care, because it allows the greatest control of the airway. It was developed by Sir Ivan Whiteside Magill along with plastic surgeon Harold Gilles. The ET tube is directly inserted into the trachea all the way down to the carina of the bronchi. This device is very difficult to insert. It takes a lot of study and practice on mannequins to be able to perform this skill. Even with practice on mannequins, it is still difficult and very different when attempting to intubate a real person. The ET tube is inserted with the used of an ice pick like device called a laryngoscope composed of a blade and a handle. The laryngoscope has a light at the base of a blade to allow a better field of view of the vocal chords. To manipulate the ET tube down the airway, by means of a malleable stylet, which is a plastic covered metal wire. This procedure can also be performed "blind" or with the use of the attendant's fingers; this is called digital intubation. Endotraheal Intubation is used in cardiac arrest, in which ventilation with mask is either impossible or ineffective, respiratory arrest, when the oxygenation with noninvasive methods is inadequate, a patient that is unable to protect airways such as cardiac arrest, coma, or when hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit, and in general anesthesia. The ET tube is very efficient, but is also painful to insert. General anesthesia and muscle relaxors are required to make the intubation less irritant for the patient. ET tubes protect the airway or lungs from aspiration of regurgitated material. Also, suction of fluids and secretions is possible through the ET tube.

The Laryngeal Mask Airway was invented by British anesthetist, Dr. Archie Brain. It is a very unique device used in airway management. Although the ET Tube and the LMA are used for the same purpose, they differ greatly. The LMA is not inserted as far as the ET tube. It is inserted directly into the pharynx. The device is mostly used when the patient is trapped in a sitting position. It is used when there is suspected trauma to the cervical spine, and if a head-tilt chin lift is not possible. Also, it is used when intubations with an ET tube is unsuccessful. The LMA causes less pain and coughing than ET tubes. Unlike the ET tube, deep subglottic suctioning cannot be performed through the mask. The LMA is much easier to insert than an ET tube. The LMA does not always protect from aspiration. The LMA does not always protect from aspiration. It does not allow for suction of fluids and secretions through the mask.

Even though these two items serve the same purpose, the technique to use them, the functions they serve, and their styles are very different. The ET tube is more reliable and controllable, but the LMA is much more comfortable both for the patient and to insert. The LMA does not prevent aspiration, as the ET tube does. Each item has its benefits and disadvantages. That is why health care providers have a choice when managing the airway. The number one rule is to always do what is in the patient's best interest.

Alternative Medicine Brings Balance to the Old and New

Alternative medicine refers to the healing practices which according to how the modern western world defines it, do not use medical products and treatments that can be considered as standard care or conventional medicine. This includes acupuncture, yoga, meditation, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, chiropractic, hypnosis, homeopathy, and diet- based therapies, among many others. Even though those referred to as alternative medicine have been around since ancient times and the discovery of what is called standard care and conventional medicine came thousand of years after, alternative medicine still has to be accepted as safe and useful.

Alternative medicine is now combined with complimentary medicine which refers to the treatments used in addition to conventional therapies prescribed by doctors such as massage. Complementary and alternative medicine or CAM is slowly being recognized by conventional doctors as a means to help patients with their treatments. Some medical schools have already included the study of nontraditional techniques in their curriculum. Once alternative therapies have proved effective, they are then combined with conventional care. This is called integrative medicine. This practice involves using conventional treatment with CAM such as eating food with omega-3 fatty acids to help keep the heart healthy other than taking the prescribed medicine.

Alternative medicine can be traced back thousands of years ago in Asian countries such as China and India. Alternative medicine which originated in India is called Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine. This has been practiced for thousands of years now and continuously aid patients to balance the harmony of mind, soul and body which are believed to heal different ailments. Similarly in China, traditional Chinese medicine has been used for more than 5,000 years based on the concept of balance from the Taoist philosophy and Chinese culture. Meanwhile, Europe and other western countries have also used their own version of alternative medicine called naturopathy, herbalism and hydrotherapy. In the United States, for example, herbalism is the widely used alternative medicine especially by Native American Indians and those who cultivated plants.

Complementary and alternative therapies are classified into five major groups:

  • Whole medical systems - include Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda
  • Mind-body medicine - uses therapy in balancing the body, mind and spirit
  • Biological-based practices - used natural substances such as herbs, food, vitamins and other natural supplements
  • Manipulative and body-based practices - uses manipulations of body parts such as those done in chiropractic and massage therapies
  • Energy medicine - uses putative and verifiable energy fields called biofield and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies

Zipcodez.com is a widely-used local business listings service and search engine. It features a complementary collection of useful topics and resources from "Arts & Entertainment" to "Wireless & Telecommunications." If you are interested in "Alternative Medicine," you might also want to read "Ancient Technique for Pain Relief - Acupuncture," "Whole Body Health - Holistic Medicine," and "Behavioral Therapy - Hypnotherapy" available at http://www.zipcodez.com/article/featured-articles.htm.

E-Prescribing - A Safety Issue

In today's complicated medical world with the initial decade of the Twenty-First Century almost behind us, generating prescriptions on paper is becoming obsolete. By contrast, electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) has many advantages.

Chief among them is improved patient safety. Medication errors account for an estimated 7,000 deaths each year in the United States. These errors may be triggered by wrong dosing, and missed drug-drug or drug-allergy interactions. But an as yet unknown number of these errors may also be due to so-called "physician's scrawl," otherwise characterized as handwriting illegibility. With an estimated 3 billion prescriptions written annually, the number of unreadable prescriptions may actually surpass 1 billion, or 1/3 the number of prescriptions written. An illegible prescription may cause the wrong dosage of a powerful drug to be administered, or cause a reaction arising from co-mingled substances unnecessarily co-mingled. An illegible prescription may cause the incapacitation or even the untimely death of a loved one - be they parent, son, grandson, granddaughter, cousin, nephew, or friend. Deaths by unreadable prescriptions occur in urban or rural settings, in every state, in every city, in every county in this Diasporas nation. Physician scrawl has been a butt of humor for decades, only the joke is no longer so well taken.

E-prescribing eliminates such illegibility, while decreasing the risk of medication errors and liability risks to physicians and other health care prescribers. When combined with Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and a comprehensive EMR software system, a physician's office is better equipped to provide vastly improved patient care, along with the likelihood of improved outcomes. This is especially true if the e-prescribing feature of an EMR system is incorporated seamlessly into the entire system, so that a physician used to multi-tasking in a busy practice is not tempted to revert to old fashioned methods.

David York is with Fox Meadows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. Learn more by visiting http://www.foxmeadows.com

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Mail Order Medications From Mexico

There are a number of drugs licensed from United States, which can also be purchased in Mexico. Most of the marketed drugs have names that are nearly identical to some supplier from the U.S. If the drugs that you need to buy are not included in your plan, or have no recommendation plan, then you can try to purchase these drugs in Mexico. You can mail order medications from Mexico for a fair price. Most of the medicines from this country are cheaper than the similar products manufactured in any US company. Those recently approved products in the US are often expensive than those drugs, which have been sold in the US market for a longer time.

Mail order medications from Mexico could be a great alternative to possibly get savings in purchasing medicine products. Since the products that were sold in the US market are quite expensive, people may have the option to purchase cheaper medicines from Mexico, which almost have the same quality with the medicine products in the US. But before crossing the edge, one should still consider the advice coming from an expert physician. There could have reasons why Mexican medicines could not be a good alternative for the recommended US product. So you should not buy medicines from Mexico without your physicians approval. If possible ask for a written recommendation for the drugs generic name. Always bring your prescriptions every time that you purchase medicines from Mexico. If the US trade and Mexican business name are not similar, you may get advice from the expert about the specific similarity of the general ingredient names. Drugs generic names in Mexico might be similar but are not exactly similar from the generic name in US. The business names of a medicine created by a given corporation for sale from different nations are usually different. Say, the fluticasone that was made by Glaxo is trade as Flixotide in Mexico and Flovent in USA.

Another consideration before you mail order medications from Mexico is that the majority of the big pharmaceutical companies, which market medicines in USA, are multinational companies that provide the active contents of the medicine for sale and repackaging in many nations including Mexico. In some conditions the active content of preparations that was sold in Mexico and in US is the same and was produced to the same worldwide manufacturing standards of consistency and purity.

Finally, before you mail order medications from Mexico, you should as well consider the fact that drugs available from Mexico are not inevitably substandard to the similar products in USA. Most the medicines that can be purchased in Mexico but not in the United States are truly superior from those available in the US with similar indication; however, other exceptional Mexican medicines are dangerous and might not have a licensed.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Mail Order Medications From Mexico, please visit Economical Medications Online for current articles and discussions.

Chiropractic Medicine

Chiropractic medicine is better known as complementary medicinal way of treating health issues. They would focus on the preventive, diagnosis, and treatment of certain medical conditions that may affect the musculoskeletal system. They would also focus on how the mechanical ailment can cause a big effect to the proper function of the nervous system as well as to the overall health of an individual.

The uniqueness of chiropractic medicine is that they would make use of manual therapy in their aim of adjusting the joints and the spine to the right level. Their medicine would also revolve around the manipulation of the soft tissues. Their belief is that any dysfunction on the spinal joint can create an effect to the nervous system. On the other hand, a good spinal joint can also promote a good wellbeing.

From its early beginning, the medicine for chiropractic is now being employed by more than a hundred countries. However, despite the fact that it is widely practiced, the use of this medicine is still very much controversial in the scientific and medical arena. This is particularly true given the fact that the founder of chiropractic medicine suggests both he use of neuromusculoskeletal and metaphysical approach. With this, there was a confusion that evolves hence the group were divided into "straight" chiropractic and the "mixers". Nowadays, both manipulative therapy and osteopathic as well as chiropractic medicine is being employed. There are many people who practice chiropractic nowadays but it is your duty to look for competent ones.

http://www.drjaswalia.com
http://www.drwalia.com

The Unscientific Approach

Although they are very much popular these days, there are a lot of controversies surrounding the practice of chiropractic medicine. For one, some of them do not actually follow the usual medical approach to health problems. Meaning, some of them would merely resort in manually getting a cure for a certain problem that they get rid of scientifically accepted principles like immunization and fluoridation. With this, can they be trusted?

Actually, it's a pointless issue to try to debate science with their conservative approach. For one thing, science has their own sets of guidelines that they believe is true based on the scientific researches that they had employed through time. On the other hand, the different approach of chiropractic medicine may not be rebut as something wrong since this branch of medicine had also employed their unique approach in order to better prove that what they are doing is indeed beneficial to the body. This is seen on the many people who testified positively to the result of chiropractic medicine.

However, if you are really skeptical in trying to use their approach then you don't have to worry since there are chiropractics that would employ science and their conservative approach at the same time. Through them, you can get the best out of the two worlds.

You need to look for reputable one however given that there are many of them whose honesty had escaped out of the window just in order to get more profits. Ask around for recommendation.

http://www.drjaswalia.com
http://www.drwalia.com

Taking a Closer Look at Home Medical Equipment

Are you taking care of a loved one in your home or in the loved one's home? If so, you will need to obtain a variety of different pieces of home medical equipment in order to provide your loved one with the proper care. In addition, home medical equipment helps you make certain your loved one is safe and comfortable while being cared for at home. When searching for medical equipment, however, you may not be certain of the type of equipment you need or what these different items are used for.

Types of Home Medical Equipment

There are many different types of home equipment that you may choose to install in the home or otherwise use to help you care for your loved one. Some of the different types of home medical supplies you may choose to purchase include:

  • Air Ionisers and Purifiers
  • Artificial Limbs and Prostheses
  • Infusion Pumps
  • Lifts
  • Mobility Devices
  • Nebulizers
  • Respiratory Assist Devices
  • Safety Devices
  • Specialty Commodes
  • Specialty Shoes

It is important to note that you may not need to have all of these different types of medical equipment. After all, the items you need will depend upon the needs of your loved one. Therefore, you should work closely with your loved one's doctor in order to make certain you have all of the equipment you need to help your loved one live a comfortable, happy an healthy life.

Paying for Home Medical Equipment
If your loved one qualifies for a government program such as Medicare, you can get reimbursement for the purchase of many different types of home medical equipment. In fact, any equipment that is considered to be "durable" medical equipment under the law is eligible for reimbursement. This includes items that are:

  • Necessary to treat medical conditions
  • Used primarily for medical purposes
  • Can be used over and over again
If your loved one is not eligible for a program such as Medicare or if you want to purchase equipment that is not covered by the program, it is important to do an extensive amount of comparison shopping when purchasing home medical equipment. Often, online stores that sell medical supplies online offer the best deals because they do not have the extra costs associated with maintaining a brick and mortar establishment, which means they can pass the savings on to you. Just be certain to purchase from a reputable company that offers the high-quality medical equipment you and your loved one deserve.

Fibromyalgia Energy Medicine

The term Fibromyalgia has been named by some medical professions as myalgia, chronic rheumatism and fibrosis. Many physicians have also thought this Fibromyalgia as a psychological condition. But today, it is recognized as a real disease and the major effect of disability. Regrettably, many physicians have recognized it as a fad disease as they don't have enough knowledge on how to treat or diagnose this disease. And since there is no other medical test for this, usually the FMS is diagnosed if all other comparable diseases ruled out. Thanks to fibromyalgia energy medicine and this disease can now be prevented.

Fibromyalgia is recognized as a syndrome that means it is a definite set of symptoms and signs that happen together. The universal definition requires such tender points to be present in all 4 quadrants of the human body and there should have continuous, widespread pain in at least 3 months. FMS can occur to any person at any age and if the clan has that history of this kind of disease, the symptoms for some FMS sufferers might occur earlier. More women are mostly preferred to have FMS than men. The fibromyalgia energy medicine is recommended to help you explore how indistinguishable energies shape the way you live, think and feel. Organize these energies as medicine and you can obtain a healthy well-being. These energies are the medicines and these energy medicines are the energies used to energize the body. Energy heals, while the energy systems are being healed.

Ms. Edens book draws round a technique that dictates the head to turn-off such pain for individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia. The process will take two to three minutes to finish. This book will serve as your guide on how you can heal your illness by your self. Ms. Eden tells that every man has energy body. Try to think of the phantom pain, a pain feels by an amputee in his arm after that it was removed. Imagine that fancy arm as well as the pain in it. Use this visual to let you see your personal energy body as detach from, yet as well a part of your body. This is what you are going to work on as you apply this fibromyalgia energy medicine.

The power to treat yourself spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically is an intrinsic ability that everybody possesses. Fibromyalgia energy medicine can be applied to detect, prevent and treat unhealthy conditions before they lead to a more serious disease and other problems.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Fibromyalgia Energy Medicine, please visit My Energy Medicine for current articles and discussions.

Fibromyalgia Energy Medicine

The term Fibromyalgia has been named by some medical professions as myalgia, chronic rheumatism and fibrosis. Many physicians have also thought this Fibromyalgia as a psychological condition. But today, it is recognized as a real disease and the major effect of disability. Regrettably, many physicians have recognized it as a fad disease as they don't have enough knowledge on how to treat or diagnose this disease. And since there is no other medical test for this, usually the FMS is diagnosed if all other comparable diseases ruled out. Thanks to fibromyalgia energy medicine and this disease can now be prevented.

Fibromyalgia is recognized as a syndrome that means it is a definite set of symptoms and signs that happen together. The universal definition requires such tender points to be present in all 4 quadrants of the human body and there should have continuous, widespread pain in at least 3 months. FMS can occur to any person at any age and if the clan has that history of this kind of disease, the symptoms for some FMS sufferers might occur earlier. More women are mostly preferred to have FMS than men. The fibromyalgia energy medicine is recommended to help you explore how indistinguishable energies shape the way you live, think and feel. Organize these energies as medicine and you can obtain a healthy well-being. These energies are the medicines and these energy medicines are the energies used to energize the body. Energy heals, while the energy systems are being healed.

Ms. Edens book draws round a technique that dictates the head to turn-off such pain for individuals who suffer from fibromyalgia. The process will take two to three minutes to finish. This book will serve as your guide on how you can heal your illness by your self. Ms. Eden tells that every man has energy body. Try to think of the phantom pain, a pain feels by an amputee in his arm after that it was removed. Imagine that fancy arm as well as the pain in it. Use this visual to let you see your personal energy body as detach from, yet as well a part of your body. This is what you are going to work on as you apply this fibromyalgia energy medicine.

The power to treat yourself spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically is an intrinsic ability that everybody possesses. Fibromyalgia energy medicine can be applied to detect, prevent and treat unhealthy conditions before they lead to a more serious disease and other problems.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Fibromyalgia Energy Medicine, please visit My Energy Medicine for current articles and discussions.

When Doctors Prescribe Sham Medicines

If you believe that a doctor's prescription has real pharmaceutical drugs written on it, think again, because recent studies have pointed to the fact that doctors frequently prescribe placebo pills to achieve a psychological effect.

The findings supporting the practice were reported in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ). But at the same time the "placebos" that doctors sampled in the survey used were not completely inactive like the substances used in clinical trials. Rather, these were substances that may have some effects, but not any direct effect on the patient's condition other than what can be termed as a placebo effect. Generally, people think of a placebo as something similar to a sugar pill.

Placebo effect is any benefit experienced by patients when they are by assured that whatever is being prescribed to them will benefit them, irrespective of the problem. It's like cashing in on optimism and confidence to help someone.

Experts believe that prescribing placebos is a common in the practice of medicine. And the study revealed that only 3 percent doctors doled out sugar pills, 13 percent prescribed antibiotics, 41 percent used over-the-counter painkillers, 38 percent used vitamins, and 13 percent used sedatives as placebos.

You may be wondering why do doctors need to prescribe placebos rather than real prescription drugs to combat the symptoms a patient reports.

Well the reason lies in the fact that a lot of sensations such as pain we feel are also governed by how we think about our sickness. Further, over the years the effectiveness of "The placebo effect" has been validated in a number of studies.

So the next time your doctor prescribes you may be compelled to think more about the prescription, somewhat.

Fred is a journalist with 7 years of experience. Though, as a professional He's reported on myriad topics, his favorite is the medical industry. Off late he's been working on different web portals including Themedica.com. Themedica is a comprehensive business-to-business (b2b) information portal and directory, featuring useful information for medical and health care industry professionals and businesses. It showcases resources such as trade shows, industry overviews, trade associations, global business listings, industry news, tenders, medical publications, informative articles and more that help professionals/businesses stay abreast with the latest and grow. He now blogs at Smiling Health