Category: Health

Home health care is a type of care that relies less on a hospital and allows you to remain in your house while you recover. A surprising number of companies will provide this service. Benefits can include convenience and lower cost while retaining effective medical care. Think of recovering in your own home instead of a hospital.

The main purpose of home health care is to treat a sickness, injury, or other similar problem. Being able to remain in the comfort and familiarity of your home can be a very positive experience. A safe, well-known place to recover can allow visits from friends and family. Invite them over for coffee and to sign your cast.

Many services offered in hospitals can also be taken care of using home health care – physical, occupational, speech and nutrition therapy to name a few. Other options include patient education and regular injections. Not only are these medical jobs expected, but anyone taking care of you in your home will provide daily cleaning and cooking, as well.

You can find a plethora of companies that offer home health care. One thing to make sure is that your insurance covers this type of care; otherwise you may be surprised by a larger bill than you expected. Research the internet and any local health care agencies to find out exactly which services they offer.

What can a home health care agency staff member do for you? You can expect them to take care of general health monitoring, including meal preparation, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and checking for breathing problems. Any prescribed medicine or exercise will be under their close watch, as well. Making sure the environment is safe and comfortable is their job, too.

All of your needs and expectations are bundled into a term coined plan of care. Included are the services offered by the agency, which ones you require, how often they must be performed, any machines or equipment necessary, and any other expectations you have. Anyone providing home health care will review these with you.

Don’t feel like you can’t speak up and ask questions to your care provider, either. Any concerns and questions should be answered in order to give you the best care. If they are impolite, won’t explain things to you, or delay responses when you ask for something, report this to any other health care professionals.

Know more than you did before about home health care? If you need to know more, you can look up stories about those who have received this care in the past. They will give their feedback about good and bad experiences, whether or not it helped more than a hospital, and if they would recommend it to you.

An enema is a procedure in which the colon is washed by water and/or solution squirted into the anus. Enemas have a rich history dating back thousands of years. And although many familiar only with the modern western medical tradition may find the concept of colon hydrotherapy foreign or embarrassing, the truth is that enemas were regularly administered to patients (even in the Western world) up until the 1920s. Following the advent of advanced surgical and drug therapies, however, enemas and similar holistic therapies fell out of vogue and became seen as fringe.

This is unfortunate, since both scientific and anecdotal evidence suggest that enemas provide a number of fascinating health benefits. The main benefit touted by enema advocates is that flushing the colon removes feces, parasites, dead tissue, and other debris. By removing this debris, the enema not only helps restore regular bowel movements, but it also has far-reaching impacts for the bodys physical health. Some claim that enemas clear up the skin, reduce the frequency and severity of common colds, improve sexual vitality, combat irritable bowel syndrome, and even potentially relieve psychological ailments, such as depression or anxiety.

While these far reaching claims may seem somewhat dubious to those schooled in the allopathic tradition, modern medicine has produced evidence to support at least some of these ideas. For instance, it is now known that the gut contains a number of key nerve fibers — thus, it is more than reasonable to hypothesize that a therapy that rehabilitates and reinvigorates the gut could have significant psychological and neurological benefits.

Enemas also massage the colon, hitting what are known as pressure points. These are areas of the muscle tissue which are interconnected nodally with other key muscles, joints, and myofascial tissue in the body. In essence, enemas act like acupressure inside the body, releasing pent-up myofascial energy and thus improving whole body health. Enemas may also act on a more concrete level, eliminating waste built up as the result of constipation.

Some enema therapists believe that different solutions can have different impacts on the health of the colon and the body. Common treatments include coffee, yoghurt, Epsom salt, lemon juice, and even vinegar. While all enemas yield a laxative effect, these specialized enema treatments can have ancillary benefits and potential dangers. Some people believe that yogurt enemas, for instance, support healthy bacteria in the colon and intestine because yogurt contains live bacteria. Some contend that coffee enemas help cleanse the liver by causing it to produce an abundance of bile. Clinicians often use barium enemas to help with X-ray photography of the gastrointestinal tract. The barium solution can light up potentially problematic areas and help with diagnosis.

The health benefits you may gain from enema therapy will likely depend on the frequency of the therapy, the nature of the solution you use, any preconditions you may have, and the manner in which you administer the therapy. Talk to your physician before radically changing your colon hygiene. In some patients — elderly or infirm patients or people suffering from diseases or intestinal disorders, for instance — enemas may be contraindicated. Since enemas can change the pH balance of your intestine as well as the salinity and bacterial levels, you may experience temporary side effects during and after therapy. Cramping is not uncommon. Similarly, you may produce loose stools in the days following the enema.

These precautions notwithstanding, enema therapy has been battle tested, and most practicing gastroenterologists believe that it is safe and probably healthy — when not taken to the extreme. Above all, listen to what your body tells you. If you aggravate your intestines by washing them out too much, cut back on therapy. You can supplement the benefits of enema therapy by taking care of your body. Get eight hours of sleep a night, remove stressful elements from your life, get plenty of low impact exercise, and reduce your intake of simple carbohydrates. An excess of fats, sugars, and starches can stress the liver and pancreas and potentially lead to both toxic buildups in the intestines and obesity, which can cause untold ancillary health problems.

Dont think of enema therapy as a panacea for discomfort or gastrointestinal distress; rather, think of it as a piece in a larger puzzle. Work with your doctor and nutritionist to develop a comprehensive holistic health plan, one that focuses on prevention and reduces the negative influences in your diet, environment, and behavior.