Kaetlin Miller, MPH, CHES

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending “Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes” at Magnuson Park in Seattle and meeting hundreds of people touched by diabetes. Whether they had family members or loved ones with diabetes or had diabetes themself, each person had a clear passion for finding a cure for this condition. That passion was contagious and I was happy to catch it!

Joining doctors and Certified Diabetes Educators from Swedish’s Diabetes Education Center at a booth, I heard about patients’ challenges, from staying at a healthy weight to getting the right nutrition to checking their blood sugar. Facing a chronic disease like diabetes (which affects nearly every aspect of a person’s life) is truly heroic! As a health educator, I understand the risk factors for diabetes and how to treat it, but until you meet someone that deals with the finger pricks, test strips and insulin shots every day, it is difficult to grasp what living with diabetes is truly like.

What it also made me realize is that there is always more to learn about diabetes care and treatment. And many of these lessons can help those without diabetes! Learning how to stay healthy and practicing these skills does not have to be boring either. In fact, the Diabetes Education Center has a series of cooking classes where you can learn how to cook tasty healthy food (and eat it, too!) The interactive classes are usually held every few months with the next one coming up at Swedish/Cherry Hill on Tuesday, November 13th from 6-7:30 p.m. Frankly, I’m a poor cook but classes like these help remind me that being healthy can actually be fun. They are even hosting these classes at Swedish/Issaquah starting in 2013, too! Who’s coming with me?

Even as someone who works at a hospital, I find myself grabbing for that second treat more often than I should and a regular reminder of healthy habits is always welcome. Being at the Step Out walk was one of these reminders and it made me realize how strong those with chronic disease are. For those out there that deal with conditions like this every day, you are amazing.

Thanks for stepping out this weekend and reminding me why it is awesome to work with patients and families like you!

The Swedish team at Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes 2012

When you don’t feel good or you get hurt, it often feels like an emergency. You want the pain and discomfort gone…now! But the emergency room may not be the right place for you. So where do you go?

Think of urgent care as the middle ground between the ER and your primary care doctor's office. In other words, urgent care clinics like the one that just opened at Swedish/Redmond are the perfect spot for those “feels like an emergency but isn’t” moments.

Consider urgent care for:

1. Illness: If you have ...

There never seem to be enough hours in the day for many of us to get through all of our to-dos. But have you ever considered that the act of trying to cram so much work into such little time is actually counterproductive?

The summer months are often the time of year when many of us afford ourselves a vacation or at least some brief respites from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. A week—or even a few days—can make all the difference, yet so few of us recognize the value in this on a smaller scale. Maybe instead of working, working, working to cash in those vacation days as the weather gets warmer we should be focusing on giving ourselves more regular breaks throughout the day!

Next...

Copays and premiums and bills, oh my! Some health care services may be expensive but health information shouldn’t have a price tag. So what happens when  you just want the answer to a simple question? Whether there wasn’t enough time during an appointment, you forgot to ask your doctor, or your next check-up isn’t for a while, there are options to get the answers you need.

Many of us get a second—or first—opinion from Dr. Google, which may lead to incorrect or unreliable information. And while there’s nothing wrong with getting health information online, it’s important to make sure it is correct!

“But I don’t know the answer to begin with so how can I know if it’s correct?”

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Men, what’s your excuse for not going to the doctor?

Everyone has them and they’re about as unique as our fingerprints. But put your finger on this: studies from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show that American men have worse health than American women and they are less likely to go to the doctor. Help change these stats, stat!

We’ve all heard this advice: eat more veggies, watch your weight, exercise more—the list goes on. But going to the doctor is more than just a chance to be reminded of this advice. It’s a time to get your body tuned just like you would your car. But what screening tests should you have?

Check out this easy chart to find out:

We’ve all had our issues with healthcare—from trying to read through your bill to understanding the instructions your doctor is telling you to navigating through automated phone trees finding someone who can answer your health questions. There are many frustrations that we as patients deal with. Now imagine you’re missing one of your five senses, such as hearing. All of a sudden, those challenges seem much bigger.

A recent study published in The Lancet medical journal suggests that people who are deaf or hard of hearing have worse healthcare and less access to health services. And it makes sense when you think about it.

1. Hearing loss is not often a “visible” handicap so healthcare providers may not know their patients have it. Patients may not even know they have hearing loss!
2. Even if patients do know they have hearing problems, most healthcare providers do not have training on how to effectively communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
3. Lastly, those frustrations we just talked about keep many of us from accessing healthcare the right way. People who cannot hear well may experience even more difficulties which could keep them from going to the doctor or asking the questions they need to have answered.

The effect on healthcare quality and access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing ...

Most of us are lucky enough to only need to visit the doctor for our yearly check up. For others, chronic conditions may be daily health struggles. With guidance from health care providers and a care plan in place, these conditions can often be managed and life can go on as normal. But what about children with chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and even cancer?

As parents, it’s often difficult to understand where your child may be coming from—why the temper tantrum? Is blue hair really necessary? Do you have to sleep until noon? This is only heightened when a child has a chronic health issue that you don’t have and therefore can’t fully understand. Healthcare is confusing enough, and it’s even more so for children whose brains may not be developed enough to understand what is happening to their bodies. As a result, it can be challenging for parents to balance empathy with the need to provide structure and discipline ...