You Googled?

You have symptoms.

Do you need to stay home and nurse them? Or should you go to be seen?

You could call your doctor's office, but hey, it may be hours, days, or never before you hear back. They will just tell you to go to the urgent care or emergency department anyway. You're not quite sure if you're dying or not.

Someone has the answer. Google.

Google always has an answer. Depending on how you view the information, you may have a common cold or be 2 days away from death. 

Now, do not get me wrong. Researching on the internet is not always bad. It may guide some, who can handle the information and decipher it, down the correct path. 

Danger comes when one convinces themselves they have something they do not and try convincing others (insert medical professionals) that they also have something they do not. 

Googling symptoms can cause anxiety if you find exaggerated information about a condition. For example, you may have a sore throat then read about the complications of a sore throat that happen to some but not a large percent of the population. Now, you're at the doctor's office more than once for numerous concerns that are created in the mind. Now you have inadvertly spent more money. It can cost anywhere from $180 to a couple thousand of dollars going in to be seen and having tests ran. 

So, while looking up your symptoms online may be helpful, one has to be careful not to get into a hypochondriac-type state. You don't want to demand unnecessary tests, think you have symptoms you really don't and end up with a googled-disease. 

So, Google with caution. 

Jackie the Health Coach

It's in the Computer!

Accountability.

With me as your health coach, that is going to be a frequent word. 

Accountability.

People have become so reliant on technology that we have gotten somewhat lazy. It can become a bit of a safety issue though. We lose a sense of accountability with that. Simple things like phone numbers are a distant memory. 

How about when you see a provider and they ask you what are your medications? 
Can you imagine the number of times the response is "it's in the system" is the answer?

"The system." How safe does that sound? 

Well, there are more than one of those "systems."

Systems slow down, break down, fail. Sometimes, things aren't transcribed into the system. Systems are linked to man. See, this can go awry in so many ways. 

Today's accountability is know your medications. 

There is no reason why you should not know what you are taking, why are you taking them, and who prescribed them. What is scary is that people actually will allow someone to give them something without question. They will ingest it daily, not knowing the effects. 
No, you do not need to know how to pronounce it. 
No, knowing the color of the pill is not enough. 
A written list somewhere is really what is needed. It could be typed, in your phone, on a notecard, on a napkin, anywhere but in our "system."

We, as individuals, are responsible for ourselves. A doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner could see hundreds or thousands of people in a year depending on the setting! The "systems" are cranking data for a lot more people than that!

It will take you less than an hour to write down what you are taking. Better yet, I have a free format for you to do so. Subscribe to my blog or go to www.regalityme.com and message me to get yours. 

Healthily Yours

Jackie the Health Coach

JUMP!

The jump! 
Ahhh! That is the scream!

Every day we have to decide to jump, sit and coast, or be dragged along in life. 
Today, I completed the process of my jump and I can say, well, now I have to do the work it takes to stay afloat. 

How many of you have jumped?

I am a caregiver at heart. I can't help but care, even when I try not to, I am concerned about the well-being of others. At times, I forget to care best for myself and I had to learn, the hard way, the care giver has to take care of themselves. 

Today, I am accomplishing a dream and jumping to help you take care of you! Yes, help you help yourselves!

That is how health coaching really works. I'm not going to sell you a dream, I am not going to give you a magic formula. It starts with YOU! You have to want it!

So, what is your jump in regards to your health? 


Jackie the Health Coach
www.regalityme.com

Mind Matters

Healing begins in the mind.
Healing begins in the mind. 
Healing begins in the mind. 

Think from a place of healing. It may not make all disappear. It requires work. Just know healing begins in the mind. We plant seeds of healing or illness with our thinking. If you walk around repeatedly saying "I'm sick," you have given illness life. God has blessed us with these resilient bodies that have this amazing ability to bounce back from most things. 

Think positive thoughts. Think from a place of light. Surround yourself with positive people, positive sounds, positive decor. To some, this may sound like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.....move around from my positive space.

When the mind becomes overwhelmed by the events of everything, everywhere, from moments in the past and future, it has escaped from now. There is no focus. Not being present in the now can create anxiety, stress....which can cause physical complaints to worsen or present themselves. The mind is so powerful. Do not allow the power of the mind to be steered into the wrong direction. 

We must be mindful of what we feed our minds because it affects our physical. Likewise, we must be mindful of what we feed our bodies because it affects our physical. We must be mindful of the energy we allow to impede our space because....yep, you guessed it....it affects our physical. 

This does not mean that a medicine may not be needed, a test isn't needed or that surgery isn't needed. It means that the power of healing in you. Think well. Think strength. Think you can and it will happen. 

You are in Control of Your Health

I am amazed by how many people do not know that they are totally in control of their health. I mean, once upon a time, there was a culture of the doctor recommending something and people usually blindly following. That culture has died long ago. There is technology, patient bill of rights (usually in that stash of paper you're handed at visits to the doctor or hospital), just the whole customer service effect that has taken over health care. 

You always have the power to choose how you want to manage your health after you have been informed of your options. See, you have the right to be an informed decision maker. Ask questions for clarification. State your preferences. LISTEN. You may miss some important information or the answer to your question if you aren't listening. Make sure your provider is listening. Ask what is the goal of treatment? Make sure you and your provider are on the same page. You also have the power to change providers. You should feel comfortable enough to discuss that you are not happy with the care. We providers need to hear these things to make the necessary changes to better care for patients. 

You choose the direction of your health. You are in control. You decide after receiving information how you want to guide your health. 

Your friendly PA, RN, friend, advocate