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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Many of you are aware that I have three little lovebugs..... my dogs. I started with two of them two years ago, and most recently added Tucker, my toy fox terripoo. He is my baby boy! Squirt, my little princess, is a dorkie (dashund/yorkie), and Nitro is my morkie (maltese/yorkie).

Most everyone knows that a pet is certainly a great friend. For instance, after a difficult day, pet owners quite literally feel the love. Pets are ALWAYS excited to see you. Not a day goes by that my little ones don't run up and jump in my arms, giving me kisses and lots of warm fuzzies. They are great!

For nearly 25 years, research has shown that living with pets provides certain health benefits. Pets help lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety. They also boost our immunity.

The old thinking was that if your family had a pet, the children were more likely to become allergic to the pet. And if you came from an allergy-prone family, pets should be avoided.

However, a growing number of studies have suggested that kids growing up in a home with "furred animals" -- whether it's a pet cat or dog, or on a farm and exposed to large animals -- will have less risk of allergies and asthma.

Pets are also good for the mind and soul. In one study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure who adopted a cat or dog had lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than did people without pets.

People in stress mode get into a state of "dis-ease," in which harmful chemicals like cortisol and norepinephrine can negatively affect the immune system. Studies show a link between these chemicals and plaque buildup in arteries, the red flag for heart disease.

Like any enjoyable activity, playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine -- nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties.

Heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without, according to several studies. Male pet owners have less sign of heart disease -- lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels -- than non-owners, researchers say.

So, what does this all mean??? Well, that means that Dr. J is going to live a long life, a happy life, with lots of serontonin flowing freely in her blood stream, no artery clogging plaques, no loss of temper, and no illnesses. May the Lord bless all my friends, family, and my lovebugs who will all put up with me that long!!!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I am sure everyone has heard that President elect Obama is developing a Health Reform for 2009. The plan is to extend meaningful health insurance to more Americans and seek to reduce costs so that every American has access to primary care.

But, you may not be aware that with Obama's new plan, there will most likely incur a shortage of primary care physicians. The workforce crisis is due to a combination of inadequate payment to do the job correctly, and inadequate resources to organize practices to do it right.

The basic premise is that if we do plan to extend meaningful health insurance to more Americans and seek to reduce costs, we need to make sure Americans have access to a primary care doctor.

You may be asking yourself, "why the shortage?" Good question! In a nutshell, surveys indicate that physicians when asked if they would choose primary care again, 1 in 4 said NO! Wow, that is pretty scary. But let me ask you a question. In what other profession, other than physicians, could you send a bill for $100 and see a payment for $45? Let me put it another way.......can you imagine what would happen if your plumber handed you a bill for $60 and you replied, "I think I'll just pay $32." Seriously, this is how insurance companies pay physicians. And, now you wonder why docs cannot continue seeing fewer patients for less money and adding more paperwork requirements. No doc in their right mind would go into medicine again at a time like this.

I hate to be pessimestic........that is not my nature, but I am simply trying to raise awareness of the crisis at hand. This is a start to finding a solution!

I urge everyone to stay involved. Keep yourself updated on the politics of healthcare. This crisis affects EVERY American!