proactive patient

I could write a book on this topic alone! 

The key to good medical care is finding doctors who are capable of integrating multiple types of medical care into their practice. I said this in the plural form because no one doctor can meet a patient's full needs. But patients should interview doctors like you would interview any employee you would hire for your needs. Only hire the one that you think will make a good fit.  read more »

Lumigrate's 'cornerstone' is the You Model, which essentially is a form of collaborative care model.  It was inspired by a model drawn out when I met in early 2005 with a rheumatologist when marketing to his office about my general occupational therapy services offered through an outpatient clinic. I later met with the psychologist in the building my office was in, and we came up with the You Model and went on to co-found and lead an education group for people with fibromyalgia, where it 'worked'.  read more »

Patient Safety Checklists Save Lives

If you are a patient in the hospital, use this checklist to prevent life-threatening medical errors.  read more »

Yesterday, which was the last Friday in January, I was fortunate to catch the last 45 minutes of the best show with Dr Oz I've ever seen, perhaps.  It was just something about the way Rosie O'Donnell interviewed him combined with his agenda of what he wants to talk about, which is his general "You" message of being in charge of your health care. It was done in a MUCH more relaxed fashion than on his daily daytime show, certainly, and even compared to the energy when he is with Oprah Winfrey.  read more »

Links for US Senator contact information, below in an example of how I posted on Facebook to encourage people to  be 'active' related to the SOPA/PIPA bills related to intellectual properties protection for United States businesses.  read more »

A misdiagnosis occurs when a medical professional inaccurately comes to a conclusion about what is wrong with the patient. About one in twenty in-patient hospital deaths are attributed to misdiagnosed illness. In or outside of the hospital, about one in six of us throughout our life time, will be subjected to a misdiagnosis by a medical professional.

Why Misdiagnosis Occurs

There are several reasons misdiagnoses can occur. They include the following:  read more »

Martine Ehrenclou, M.A., is an award-winning author, patient advocate and speaker. Author of the multiple award-winning, Critical Conditions, and her newest health book, The Take-Charge Patient, Martine is focused on empowering patients so they become experts on how navigate and take charge of their medical care. With her last book, Critical Conditions, and her newest book, her mission is to bring to light the importance of being an advocate for others and for ourselves.  read more »

I received a question from someone through the Contact Us function which was related to getting a second opinion.  In this case it was someone who was recently diagnosed with Grave's Disease (a hyperthyroid condition; Barbara Bush, made it 'famous' or is what a lot of people relate to regarding it).    read more »