Universal Health Care Solutions

Ways to improve the health of your workers

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 15:02:19 +0000

Improving the health of your workers means that they will be more productive and this means a general improvement in the performance of your company. A research conducted by Forbes indicates that workers are more receptive to health improvement training provided by a company rather than individual health training (Wyman Nicholas, 2020 – written in Forbes). Providing health training programs for your workers may seem complicated and expensive, but when you look into it, its the opposite. Promoting health and wellness in the company improves the workers’ productivity and motivation towards the company’s goals. Below are some of the strategies:

Comfortable work enviroment

A relaxed and comfortable work environment has a significant impact on the health and wellness of your workers. Having indoor plants in the office, for example, can help to have better quality air circulating. Indoor plants make the workplace more natural and hence comfortable. Installing healthy office lighting throughout the office helps to set the mood for your workers. Research shows that ambient lighting and indoor plants stimulate the workers to be more focused and to increase productivity by 40% (Griffiths Sarah, 2013). This is because the workers feel more connected to the environment. Providing ambient light also stimulates the brain activity affecting the workers mental and physical energy.

Use healthy food options

Diet is one of the key things that affect how human beings operate. Changing the cafeteria menu at the office can go a long way toward improving the health of your workers. Ensure you have a lot of fruits and vegetables in the food lineup. Hiring a nutritionist can also help you to determine the type of diet to increase productivity. The nutritionist can also help to advise the workers on what type of diet to consume depending on their body and health needs. You can also keep healthy snacks in stock instead of sugary snacks for an afternoon treat.

Fun at home

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Tue, 30 Oct 2018 08:46:18 +0000

It happens to the best of us: you end up stuck in bed for a few days because of a terrible flue or a stomach bug, or because you sprained your ankle while trying to keep up with your fitness-crazy neighbor when jogging. If that happened fifty years ago you didn’t have that many choices. You could read a book, watch TV or play checkers against yourself for hours. Great fun. Since the advent of the Internet one of course has a plethora of options. You can still read books, but this time you would download them from the Internet. You can gossip on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, And of course you can play a vast variety of online games. If you have a smartphone (who doesn’t?) you have access to a huge number of game apps on Apple’s App Store and Android’s Play Store. Many of them are free, while some come with a small price tag. If you can think of a game one can play offline it’s very likely there’s already a mobile app version. Are you an avid chess player? You can play against the computer at the skill level that best suits you – or you can play against other players. The same goes for checkers and similar board games. And if you love playing cards you’ve hit the gold standard, because on your phone you can play against other players from across the world. Some of these apps even have chat faciliites, so you can make new friends who also like the same game. Your phone is also a great place to start with learning a new game. let’s say all your friends are avid poker players and you don’t have a clue what it’s all about. Start by downloading an app that explains the rules and tricks of the game. Next start playing friendly games against other beginners. Soon all those strange terms your friends have been mentioning casually will mean something to you – and before you know it you might be ready to become a professional player.

How to Pass the Time with Your Mobile Phone

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 09:32:28 +0000

There can be many times when we find ourselves quickly becoming bored. The good news is that the advent of mobile technology has now provided us with a host of entertaining options to choose from. Let’s take a quick look at a handful of popular possibilities that will keep you engaged for hours.

Brain Teasers

Much like the body, the mind requires exercise from time to time. So, why not enjoy a puzzle or a problem-solving game? Not only will these applications quickly pass the time, but you can simultaneously sharpen your intellect. Besides social media apps, there are plenty of free games such as chess, hidden object platforms, trivia, and point-and-click mysteries.

Online Gaming

The sheer variety of online games is by no means limited to brain teasers alone. There are now countless virtual casinos to choose from. Whether you prefer blackjack, poker or roulette, you will certainly find what you are looking for. It is a good idea to check out the top providers so you can appreciate what each has to offer.

Catching up with Friends and Family

It can be difficult to keep up to date with correspondences during a hectic workday. If you find that you have a bit of extra free time, why not choose to reconnect with friends and family members? They will be more than happy to hear from you and thanks to modern mobile technology, real-time conversations can take place within seconds.

Plan a Holiday

Another great way to stave off occasional boredom is to plan ahead for the future. There are actually two benefits associated with this option. First, the chances are high that you will be able to encounter discounts on expenses such as flights and hotel accommodations. Secondly, such a habit will provide you with the forward momentum necessary if you feel as if you have been “stuck in a rut”.

Three Ideas to Keep You Entertained During Recovery Time

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 10:10:07 +0000

Almost everyone needs to take time to recover from an injury, illness or surgery at some point in their lives. This resting period is critical to maintaining your health and making your recovery a success, but it can be hard to stave off boredom. These three ideas can help you keep yourself occupied while your body heals up.

Distract Yourself With a Narrative

There’s no better way to get away from your current reality than by losing yourself in a good story. Movies and TV shows are the obvious choice, and reading a book can be a calming alternative too. Audiobooks can be a nice solution for those who find holding up a book or looking at a screen to be too exhausting for the moment; there are many recordings of old public domain books available for free online, and ones for most modern publications can be found here.

Get Into a Good Game

When you need something sedentary to keep you busy, online games are always a great choice. Every kind of game – from involved role-playing games to simple and board and card games – can be found for very cheap or free, and many let you play with others for a little social interaction. If your run-of-the-mill online games aren’t doing very much to help you, you might consider trying out online casinos. A little excitement can be good for you during this otherwise somewhat dull time, and there are many ways to minimize your risk as you play.

Pick Up a Low-Impact Hobby

Some people need to be doing something that feels productive in order to relax, but that can be tricky when you’re trying to rest. Fortunately, there are many activities you can do that don’t require much stress or movement. Knitting is a favourite of grandmothers everywhere, but drawing and writing are also two great choices that can easily be done on the couch or in bed. You might not be very good when you start, but you’ll get better, and the only real goal is to enjoy yourself anyway. The days or weeks of your recovery period are going to feel long and confining no matter what you do, so there’s no reason not to try to enjoy them a little. If you use this downtime to take care of yourself in both body and spirit, you’ll be back on your feet before you know it.

Stop Smoking – Ways of Breaking the Habit

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 09:42:21 +0000

The hazards of smoking are well known. Smoking is not only the leading cause of lung cancer, but is also responsible for a myriad of other health conditions. It affects virtually every aspect of the body.Smokers not only suffer from aesthetic determents of their appearance, such as having stained teeth, earlier onset of wrinkles, and smelly hair, but also much more serious effects, such as the effects on fertility, vision, mood, an increase in bronchitis, restricted blood vessels, possibility of blood cancer, poor vision, problems with pregnancy, and early onset menopause for women, heart disease, and high cholesterol.These effects are more likely to show up in adults who started smoking in their teens. These effects are only the physical and emotional ones. Smoking is an expensive habit as well. Most pack-a-day smokers spend at least 8,000 Euros per year on cigarettes and upwards of 1 million Euros in a lifetime. That’s before medical costs.

Thinking of Quitting?

There are some good ways to quit including making a plan to quit and avoiding triggers. This means doing things like throwing away your cigarettes and spending time with non-smokers. Some smokers employ other methods to help them transition, such as counselling, using nicotine patches, and other transition tools, like Snus.

Could Snus Help You Quit Smoking?

In a Swedish case study, it was found that heavy smokers had a better chance of quitting smoking after beginning to use Snus, a northern European tobacco product that is used by placing it against the gums. According to this study, 71% of smokers were able to quit as opposed to 54% of people who didn’t use the product. This Swedish product contains higher levels of nicotine than American snus and is, therefore, more likely to help curb cravings and then to quit entirely.Whatever method you choose to employ, it will be healthier than smoking. You will not only save money and your health, but join countless others who have kicked the habit for good.

New Research in Healthcare Medicines

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 05:03:40 +0000

Leading Swiss drug manufacturers Roche have developed a new type of medication that improves blood lipids. The research has shown that this new drug could cut the rate of strokes, heart attacks, cardiovascular death and unstable angina in sufferers who have a certain genetic background.According to researchers in Montreal, this drug, which is known as dalcetrapib, could go a long way to treating cardiovascular disease in individual patients. More than five thousand patients have taken part in the research so far, and the results have been extremely promising. Although the findings for dalcetrapib were not promising when the drug was originally released, it is believed that people who have the right genetic background could reap the benefits.New Study into the HIV VaccineSeveral studies have been conducted in recent years to help uncover the reason that HIV vaccines tend to backfire and can actually lead to increased infection rates. A new study that has been published in the prolific Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may have the answer and may actually lead to the development of more effective medicine for treatment of this disease. In the past, HIV vaccines have mainly focused on stimulating the antiviral T cells of HIV patients. However, the new research shows that if too many of these antiviral T cells are activated the effect could actually be detrimental.With more than a million people currently suffering from HIV in the USA alone, the development of new medication could not come soon enough and may now be just around the corner.New Obesity Drug ApprovedThe number of people suffering from obesity around the world falls in the millions and rises dramatically each and every year. However, hope may now be in sight. The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a brand new drug that is specially designed to help fight the obesity epidemic. The new drug is being named iraglutide and is part of a brand new class of diabetes medication that can be injected on a daily basis by sufferers. Originally the drug was originally marketed as diabetes medication, although recent studies have shown that in higher doses it can tackle obesity and help people to shed pounds quickly. The new drug is being released under the name Saxenda and has been shown to promote weight loss and tackle a range of weight-related problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol in addition to diabetes.

New Ways of Working around Healthcare Today

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 06:06:11 +0000

In the last few years the options for healthcare professionals have widened dramatically. In the past, most healthcare workers worked at a single institution and would only have contact with the patients that visited that hospital or clinic. However, as the needs of patients change, so do the work options for healthcare professionals.Freelance Healthcare WorkersMore and more healthcare professionals are being given the option to work on a freelance basis instead of being employed by a single hospital or clinic. This gives healthcare professionals the chance to reach a much wider spread of people in their community and go where they are needed rather than wait for patients to come to them. In large urban areas, many healthcare workers now choose to work with four or more different healthcare establishments and keep set hours at those establishments so that their patients know where to find them.Flexible RolesIt is also being recognised that healthcare professionals need to take a more flexible approach to diagnosing and treating patients. While a large number of specialists still exist, there is a need for healthcare professionals to expand their knowledge and the fields they work in, rather than focusing on a small field where there might not be too much demand for healthcare.Opportunities to StudyAs a result of this increased flexibility in roles, healthcare professionals need to increase and update their knowledge so that they can treat a broad spectrum of people with different illnesses and needs. Of course, this requires devoting a certain amount of time to studying, both independently and in some cases as part of an open course where hands-on experience is given. Many healthcare employers are now sponsoring their employees to study, while other healthcare professionals are devoting certain amounts of their free time to studying so that they are able to meet the challenges posed by the new ways of working around healthcare today.

New Research in Healthcare – Stem Cells

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:07:21 +0000

Stem cell research is one of the fastest moving and most exciting areas of medical research, offering a whole range of new possibilities when it comes to treatment of serious diseases and medical conditions.Stem cells exist naturally in the body, and are a class of undifferentiated cell, which can then can differentiate into different cell types. Being able to cultivate stem cells is therefore of huge potential benefit to doctors. Stem cells used in research and treatment usually come from two sources: adult tissue, or embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development.Imagine DevicesNew technology, such as imaging devices, has allowed scientists to fine tune their observations, and refine possible usages. By making better observations of the way in which stem cells react when introduced into a patient’s body can help improve the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants.This has massive implications for the treatment of diseases like cancer, and can also help patients with serious immune deficiencies and blood disorders. There are also positive implications for transplant patients, as new imaging technologies help to assess how new organs ‘take’ in a patient’s body.Bones and CartilageStudying cell culture in the laboratory can turn up new applications for the technology on a regular basis. A good example of recent progress is the recent isolation by scientists of the stem cell which helps to create bones and cartilage in mice.This discovery has particularly useful potential applications for the treatment of joint injuries. Many times medical specialists have to remove cartilage from damaged joints to relieve symptoms and pain in patients. This procedure can leave the joint more open to attack from arthritis later in life. Being able to grow new cartilage for the joint would mean that physicians would not have to leave the joint so vulnerable to later arthritis.Stem cell research throws up new medical possibilities all the time, and is set to become a telling part of doctors’ medical armouries in coming years.

Health-care today

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 10:00:40 +0000

With people living longer all around the world, health care systems will come under increasing strain in the 21st Century. In the UK this became evident in the winter of 2014/15 with many hospitals unable to cope with the volume of emergency calls. In Northern Ireland surgeries were cancelled due to a rapid rise in emergencies.Cuts In Some Cancer Treatments Announced Early In 2015Because of its being overstretched the National Health Service (NHS) may well have to prioritise more and more in the future. Signs that this is already happening came in January, 2015, when it was announced by the NHS in England that there would be cuts to some cancer treatments.Why The US Health Care Model Would Be Unpopular In The UKIn the US, the health care system differs greatly from the UK, as private sector companies chiefly own and run healthcare facilities. If the NHS becomes too unable to cope in the next few years there may be a shift towards the US model. Though whether or not politicians would be brave enough to approve such an unpopular move is open to question. With people used to free treatment for anything from minor to major health issues, any change to a more American style of health care would be seen by many MPs as political suicide.The Success Of Modern TreatmentDespite financial constraints health care has improved in terms of effective treatment. In the UK in 2015, 50% of cancer patients can now expect to live longer than would have been the case 40 years ago. While illnesses that were potentially fatal in the past, such as polio, have been eradicated in the UK.The Health Care DilemmaMedicine is notably more advanced than even 10 years ago. But, with cuts likely to affect many people with serious health issues in the future, there may not be enough people able to get the care they badly need.

Understanding the American health care system

Ms. Marianne Marquardt DVM — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:21:36 +0000

The American health care system can seem puzzling to outsiders. Americans are fiercely proud of it, and it’s true that the quality of care at America’s best hospitals is second to none. But the US spends more of its citizen’s money on health care — to less effect — than most other developed nations.The BasicsMost health insurance in the United States is provided by private insurance companies. Individuals can buy cover from these companies directly, but it’s more common for them to have insurance provided by their employers. They typically still have to pay some of the costs of medical care themselves, but the insurer will pay part. However, some employers do not have to provide health insurance — for instance, part-time workers typically do not receive it.Government InvolvementDespite the private character of American health insurance, nearly half of all funding comes from the government. The Medicaid programme provides health care for those who could not afford it, while Medicare provides health care for retired people. Similarly, government-funded healthcare is available to military veterans. Individual states may also have their own healthcare programmes.ACA ReformsThe recent introduction of the Affordable Care Act (informally known as “Obamacare”) has moved the US’s health care system more toward the systems of other developed nations. Under the ACA, individuals must purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. However, the act also takes measures to reduce the cost of insurance for individuals. Like most of the American healthcare system, this results in a mixture of private cover as well as regulation from both the state and federal governments.The American System for VisitorsVisitors to the US from other countries will need to purchase health insurance for their stay. More comprehensive insurance is desirable; some insurance plans cover only inpatient care. Emergency care is provided free for those who need it, although visitors who are able to pay may be billed later.