ISSUE 3: October 2024 

Hello Everyone! Here's a recap of the news I covered and stories I shared in September. 

I hope you learn something new and helpful.

AVOID REGRET: READ YOUR MEDICAL CONSENT FORM

Cris Ross is the CIO of Mayo Clinic. When he was diagnosed with cancer and then had unexpected surgical complications, it was hard for him to navigate the complexity of the system even though he is an industry insider. So imagine how hard it is for everyone else! Cris wrote a book about his experience and talked about it on Speak Up For Your Health. He has lots of great advice with a key takeaway being the importance of reading a medical consent form BEFORE (read BEFORE!) signing it. His book, “Diagnosed” is available on Amazon. Here's a link to the segment. 

DON'T Understand a Medical Bill? 

A recent study showed that, over the course of a year, 1 in 5 patients received a health care bill that they disagreed with or couldn’t afford. About 35% of these bills were from doctor’s offices, nearly 20% from ERs or urgent care and over 15% from hospitals. Of the patients who contacted the billing office, 75% office got positive results, many with financial relief. And, that majority spent less than an hour on the phone. Unfortunately, only about 60% of people take action. The other 40% believe it won't make a difference…but it will! Here's the link to the KSTP segment where I discuss more of the details. 

THE JOY AND DIFFICULTY OF CAREGIVING

I was a long-distance caregiver for my mom from 2019 until she passed in June 2024. I learned alot that I wanted to share, and MPR's Cathy Wurzer was gracious enough to interview me as a guest host on my podcast. My strongest piece of advice to keep your parents safe and to give you some peace of mind: Blink Mini-Cameras.The title of the episode is, “Love Meets the Reality of Aging in Place” which captures the joy and the difficulty of this experience. 

BRAIN CHANGES DURING PREGNANCY

“Pregnancy brain” refers to the  memory lapses, forgetfulness, and brain fog that some women complain about during pregnancy. Think about it…there is a flood of hormones bathing the brain during pregnancy with estrogen levels increasing 3600X! So, of course there's an effect! We just haven't known a lot about it until now. A study done by a neuroscientist – on herself – suggests that these symptoms are normal and prepare a woman to become a mother.  Elizabeth Chrastil became pregnant at 38, after in vitro fertilization. She tracked her pregnancy from the start with 26 brain MRIs. The results were truly mind-blowing. Here's a link to the segment. 

VIRUSES: It'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR

Fall is respiratory virus season. Influenza, COVID, RSV, and common cold viruses are all circulating with COVID and colds being the most prevalent right now. But that will change soon as influenza and RSV make their way into the Northern Hemisphere. I was on Minnesota Live discussing the current vaccine/prevention recommendations. Here's a link to the segment. Also, important/breaking news that isn't in the segment: On October 7, the FDA authorized the first at-home, OTC combination COVID/Influenza test. It should be available within a few weeks and will hopefully prevent a few runs to urgent care or the ER.

SELF-ADMINISTERED FLU VACCINE

Speaking of flu: there is another major development coming in 2025. The FDA approved a self-administered flu vaccine. Lets get one thing out of the way. No, you won't give yourself a shot. It is a nasal vaccine – FluMist – the same one that is available at your health care practitioner's office. A study showed that adults can administer the vaccine just as effectively as a clinician, so the FDA gave it the green light. FYI…the vaccine will not be available “over the counter” because patients still have to have their health status reviewed before the vaccine is sent to them. But, the manufacturer will create a telehealth process for that. Here's a link to the segment. 

Thanks for reading. You can find previous editions of ArcHealth on my website. 

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.