In the same CNN article it states that many of these so-called Merry Christmas coronaries will hit people who didn’t even realize they were at risk when they unwrapped their gifts the day before. Cardiac problems are incredibly common, and incredibly under-diagnosed. Coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac arrest are linked indiscriminately, and for many adults the risk factors and symptoms go undiagnosed until it’s too late. And, unfortunately for many, that “too late” mark usually sneaks up on the day after Christmas.

Whether it’s because all patients put off seeing their family physician during the holidays, because hospital staffing changes, or because the holiday stress becomes too much, or because people tend to drink more, heart-related deaths increase by 5% during the Christmas season.

Get more information about how an exectuve physical can save your life at http://www.SignatureMD.com.

A new report that was released yesterday by the National Women’s Law Center has a lot of perplexed at the results. Women in the U.S. are binge drinking more often, getting less PAP smears, and are more obese and at risk for diabetes than ever before. The U.S. got an ‘unsatisfactory’ grade from the Law Center.

According to WebMD, several disturbing health trends have emerged over the last three years, including:

Get the rest of this article at http://www.SignatureMD.com.

A new report that was released yesterday by the National Women’s Law Center has a lot of perplexed at the results. Women in the U.S. are binge drinking more often, getting less PAP smears, and are more obese and at risk for diabetes than ever before. The U.S. got an ‘unsatisfactory’ grade from the Law Center.

According to WebMD, several disturbing health trends have emerged over the last three years, including:

• The percentage of women that reported one or more episodes of binge drinking within a month of being questioned increased to 10.6% from 7.3% in 2007. Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks on a single occasion.
• The percentage of women that reported getting annual Pap smears declined from 86% to 78% during the same period.
• The percentage of women that tested positive for the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia increased from 6.3% to 7.4%.

To read the rest of this article, head over to http://www.SignatureMD.com.

So as many mourn the passing of Elizabeth Edwards today, let’s take a moment to discuss how breast cancer affects millions of women around the globe, and how concierge medicine can perhaps keep you one step ahead of this awful condition.

Having a concierge doctor on call 42-7 allows you the assurance that any question you may have about how to conduct a self-exam, when it’s time for a mammogram, or what the risks factors are for breast cancer, you can simply call up your doctor. Not too long ago we ran an article detailing how Google is becoming the new premiere source for self-diagnosis, but with a concierge doctor on call, why risk getting the wrong diagnosis from an internet source when you can speak directly with an expert?

For the rest of this article and more about concierge medicine, visit http://www.SignatureMD.com.

“Shared medical appointments improve patient access, enhance patient and physician satisfaction, and increase practice productivity, all without adding more hours to a physician’s work week. There is even evidence that they promote better outcomes and lower overall costs of care.” That’s according to ManagedCareMag.com.

Lets add some insight into the previous image; imagine paying full price for a doctor’s visit, visiting with that doctor in a room full of other patients, or ‘observers,’ who are able to ‘sit-in’ on your doctor’s appointment, share ideas, discuss symptoms, and listen to every word that you are telling your doctor. Not much room for privacy, huh?

Get the rest of this article and find out what concierge medicine thinks about shared doctor appointments at http://www.SignatureMD.com.

According to the LA Times, California’s seven largest health plans were fined nearly $5 million in total Monday for failing to properly pay medical claims submitted by thousands of doctors and hospitals over the last three years.

Catch the rest of this article at http://www.SignatureMD.com.

For more tips on staying healthly during the holidays, visit http://www.SignatureMD.com.

“Folks returning from combat have a constellation of health concerns, including physical issues, psychological issues and psychosocial issues concerning things like work and family,” said Dr. Stephen Hunt, national director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Post Deployment Integrative Care Initiative.

Veterans coming home from places like Iraq and Afghanistan have far different needs than those who came home from Korea or Kuwait. Every war has different consequences, and our current veterans need all the health care benefits they can get.

Veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan face seven main health conditions. Read the rest of this article and understand the seven main health conditions that are vest are returning with at http://www.signaturemd.com/happy-veterans-day-a-look-at-veterans-health-care.

When concierge medicine was born…well born again since it’s ultimate roots are deep within our history…it was seen as something that had the probability of making a cut in the health care field. It scared people who were under the impression that this form of medicine was all about money. But as time went on, and different forms of concierge medicine evolved that allowed a hybrid of options, people began to warm up to the idea. Patients and physicia.s realized concierge medicine wasn’t just about the money, it was about being able to provide the best medical attention possible.

This led to the idea that concierge medicine was only for the rich and famous who could afford the best medicine for top dollar, but again this stigma has fallen by the wayside when patients and physicians loom at the hybrid options.

So here we are today, no longer worried about the potential for concierge medicine to become the norm, but worried about when a concierge physician will be in our town so we can get away from inadequate health care reform and get the best doctors.

In 2005 there were under 200 concierge doctors in the U.S. Recent research has shown that in 2009 there was over 800. What does that tell you?

One of the main goals if the GOP is to “erode the reach of the health care law” according to ABCNews.com. As we’ve mentioned quite a few times, it will be difficult for them to repeal the law being that President Obama has the power to veto anything and everything should he chose, but the GOP is taking a strong stance against the health care law, and with control of the House and more power in the Senate, things could get interesting.

Read the rest of this article and part two of health care’s influence over voters at http://www.SignatureMD.com.