Improving Chronic Care in America Introduction Almost half of all Americans live with a chronic condition.1,2 Further complicating that statistic is approximately half of those suffering from a chronic condition have comorbities.1,2 The public health initiative Chronic Care Model, found at www.improvingchroniccare.org suggests, and I agree, that our current health care system is “reactive,” and is as Dr. Andrew Weil…
This week’s blog post is an excerpt from my interview with the Mothers’ Centers Voices Spotlight Series. Read the full interview here. A big thanks goes to the National Association of Mothers Centers for all their hard work in raising awareness about mothers rights in America. We inadvertently become researchers of life and motherhood when we study our own as…
Medical doctor Sarah Buckley discusses the Five Myths of Childbirth. Dr. Buckley discusses myths that surround nutrition, hormonal shifts, fatigue, when to stop working during pregnancy, fear of labor and pain during labor, and the birth experience. I discovered the amazing Dr. Sarah Buckley about midway during my pregnancy with my first son Michael. I poured through more than…
Mothers Declaration of Rights Recently I wrote about the shameful state of women’s health care in America and how America’s broken health care system affects women. NAMC Advocacy Coordinator and mothers’ rights advocate, Valerie Young, is a bright light and constant champion for improving the status of women and caregiving in America. Valerie has guest posted for BITL many times, and…
Americans Die Younger: US Ranks Low in World Health Report A report published last month by the Institute of Medicine entitled, U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health, was released on January 9, 2013. CNN originally covered the Institute’s release of the report, and now the nutrition industry is chiming in, “The first obvious issue…
Influencing Health Care Policy: Can Medical Providers Do That? How can health care professionals/pain management specialists become more involved in shaping health care policy? Rehabilitation specialists are instrumental medical providers in the management of chronic pain. As a physical therapist I have been specializing in chronic pain for close to 15 years, and doing so,…
The idea of women’s empowerment is a touchy issue. It has been correlated with the myth of the “male decline” and other scare tactics put forth by those who may seek to sweep women’s issues under the proverbial rug. However, one fact stands very clear. Our current approach on women’s health care in the US…
Caring Health Care = Caring Economics Dr. Riane Eisler’s work in launching the Caring Economics campaign possesses the potential to positively affect not only our economy, but all the elements that are defined as “caring or caregiving” in our American society today. As a graduate of the Caring Economics Leadership program and as health care…
A Bill of Rights for American Mothers? As mothers, it is imbedded in our very nature to take care of others. What mothers should know is that society has taken advantage of this fact for centuries. And while they continue to take, mothers continue to give. How does society take without giving to mothers? I…
Americans Need Family Friendly Social Policy “Women will never achieve equality until mothers do.” – Joan Williams Motherhood is esteemed as valuable in the US, after all, women give birth and nurture to the future leaders and citizens of our great country. Why, then, is a woman discriminated against, belittled, and made to feel incompetent…
Choosing Your Health Care Provider My latest post on Modern Mom in my new blog, Fit and Fearless Birth, is up today. Choosing Your Health Care Provider. Here’s a sneak peek: How to Choose the Best Maternity Care: Your Right to a Respectful Birth Every expectant mother wants the best start for her baby. But…
Your Birth, Your Rights: Making Informed Choices for a Positive Experience As an expectant mother, you likely spend time envisioning the incredible moment when you will finally meet your baby. What will they look like? How will it feel to hold them for the first time? Pregnancy is a transformative journey, culminating in birth—a profound…