Keeping the Germs Off Your Toothbrush

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Kayla Holiday writes for 1Dental.com, which offers discount dental plans nationwide. She enjoys keeping people up to date on dental news and helping them save money on dental care. A toothbrush is a very important part of any dental hygiene routine. Toothbrushes are key in removing plaque from the surface of your teeth, even in hard to reach areas. However, your toothbrush could also be key in causing illness and stimulating bacterial growth in your mouth, depending on how well you’re taking care of it. Germs are on every surface. They are always present. Your toothbrush is especially vulnerable to housing germs as it contains both the plaque from your teeth, and it typically rests in the least sanitary room in the house—the bathroom. Airborne germs from the toilet or unwashed hands touching items near your toothbrush could all be … Read more

Teeth Whitening Options

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Teeth Whitening Before you choose to have your teeth whitened it’s best to go and see your dentist first. Whether whitening at home or having it done by a professional, your dentist will be able to give advice to you on which products and services will be best for you. In-surgery whitening, administered by a professional, it is mostly risk free a procedure that promises immediate results, though it can be costly. At-home whitening is preferred by many who want a great smile without the costly price tag and these days there’s an abundance of affordable teeth whitening products on the shelves. Paint on teeth whiteners are applied twice daily like a toothpaste and, while less effective than bleaching or laser whitening, are able to lighten teeth by up to five shades. More effective than the paint whiteners are teeth … Read more

What does the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Mean for Americans?

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Yahoo finance recently asked the question “Obamacare Will Become Reality: What Does it Mean for You?” by Kevin Chupka, November 13, 2012. The article discusses the Affordable Care Act which I recently discussed on this blog in the article Health Care Should Not Be Framed in the Personal Responsibility Narrative. The Affordable Care Act of course is widely known as Obamacare as is slanted to go into effect in the U.S. in 2014. The article from Yahoo Finance article says “Under Obamacare, states have two key decisions to make: (1) Whether to create state-run exchanges where people can shop for and select their health insurance coverage from an online marketplace, and (2) Whether to expand Medicaid coverage for low-income Americans.” The article further discusses how pre-existing conditions will need to be covered and how it is quite possible that insurance … Read more

Using Adaptogens to Help Reduce Stress

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An interesting review by Robert Provino titled “The role of adaptogens in stress management” appears in the Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism (2010, 22, 2, pp 41-49). The author states: “Adaptogens can be viewed as tonics and are prescribed to enhance vitality and are indicated when stress levels are high, during convalescence after surgery or illness, or during periods of challenging or difficult life changes.” “Adaptogens appear to exert their antistress effects by regulating homeostasis via the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and inhibiting or decreasing circulating levels of nitric oxide (NO) and cortisol.” The author searches peer reviewed journal articles on adaptogens and ends up finding papers on the following 8 (to which I have linked to the Wikipedia articles): Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) : Some research indicates a potential ability to decrease anxiety. In a study on memory deficient … Read more

Primary Care Doctors Moving to the Concierge Model

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So if you haven’t heard by now, many primary care physicians have been, as of recently moving to a “concierge model.” In fact, a primary care doctor I was seeing for a while decided to do this. When is the last time you have been to your primary care physician (pcp) as perhaps they have as well? Just go on pcp websites across the U.S. and you may see the trend. For example, a practicing physician Dr. Rob discusses how he is Dropping Out over on http://more-distractible.org/2012/09/08/dropping-out/. “I will be starting a solo practice that does not file insurance, instead taking a monthly “subscription” fee, which gives patients access to me.” In the post he discusses his top 3 frustrations with the current health care system too many patients, not getting paid properly for providing care, and non-patient issues such … Read more