#Remember to feed your local Neurologist

[princescar]

i head cannon matsuda to be asexual

Hes just like me fr

[rainbowchihuahuabunny]

Tips and tricks for fellow Zebras

Link to website I copied this from below list. I own none of this.

1.) Confirm with a knowledgeable geneticist that you have EDS. If you get the feeling they do not understand or believe you have EDS, then go to another geneticist. I met with three before I was convinced and accepted the diagnosis.

Feel free to use our list of compatible geneticists.

2.)Take Time to Grieve – It’s okay and necessary to allow yourself to mourn the loss of your past life.  Life will move on, but it will never be exactly as you have known it. As you go through that process, remember you need to reach the goal of moving on, live with hope and try to be proactive.

3.) Address pain control – You will need to accept that you can not take this journey on your own. You need to address your pain in order to have the opportunity to attempt to regain some sense of normalcy in life again. You might be like many of us and have trouble metabolizing certain medications.

Many EDS patients respond beautifully to medical cannabis. It can be taken in a simple dose of oil at night, that not only allows you to sleep but also provides pain relief to the body well into the next day.

Here is the recipe I use to make the oil.

4.) Be evaluated and followed by an EDS friendly neurologist for common EDS conditions such as tethered cord, Chiari I Malformation, and instability of the neck. Since this is very important for your safety, every EDS’er should have this evaluation done and be sure to have the neurologist monitor you.

Many of us need to have the tethered cord released to address issues with the bladder, kidneys, pressure in the chest, and issues with legs. If needed, have the tethered cord surgery as soon as possible for not only will you feel much better but it will prevent permanent damage. Also, any physical therapy you undergo after surgery will prove to now progress much more effectively and quickly.

Instability of the neck will cause havoc with your body. It is worth trying strengthening, but if this does not resolve the issue, then consider the surgery. Having my neck fused has been a lifeline for me. It has tremendously reduced brain fog, imbalance, headaches and constant painful neck subluxations.

Chiari I Malformation must also be addressed. Severe headaches are not a positive way to live, so please have yourself examined by a neurologist that understands this condition.

Any or all of these may be an issue for you in time, but please understand that correcting them, when the time is right, will make the difference in your efforts to progress.

Feel free to refer to the list of neurologists on our list.

5.) Find a good manual sacral physical therapist – “Living Life to the Fullest With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome” is a book written by my manual sacral physical therapist, Kevin Muldowney. He learned by working with many EDS patients at his clinic, that there are safe ways to strengthen our muscles. I have been through the protocols highlighted in his book and have found that they work for me. You’ll need to remain committed to the daily workout, but believe me, I love being proactive and thus, I  so appreciate the progress which is so evident to me – like having the scarum hold! This is your opportunity to take better control of your life by learning, through the guidance of this book and along  with a manual sacral physical therapist, how to successfully help strengthen your muscles which have the additional task of holding your body together.

6.) Develop a network of doctors that understand EDS or are willing to get educated – Feel free to visit my website to see if a doctor is listed near you. Also feel free to contact us if you have a good doctor that we can add to the list.

Remember, we are complicated and given current treatment options complete recovery is not an option. That is a lot for a doctor to want to take on. Be patient and look for compatible personalities and let them learn through you.

7.) Be sure to have a cardiologist – You should have an echocardiogram (echo test) done yearly. The test uses sound waves to produce images of the heart and allows the cardiologist to see if your heart is beating and pumping blood correctly. Many of us develop POTS or dysautonomia and eventually need the care of  a cardiologist to help us take the compatible medication to keep our BP elevated, to prevent passing out.

8.) Determine food allergies – A simple food sensitivity blood test can offer tremendous assistance in reducing reactions and inflammation. By getting these foods identified and eliminating them in your diet, you will in turn decrease inflammation in the body the helps to cause your subluxations. It can initially be heartbreaking to learn a wonderful food you love is on your list, but many times, if you avoid that item for three months, you may be able to successfully reintroduced it to the body.  As difficult as it is eliminating foods, you will find a huge difference in how much better you will feel. There are numerous tests to use but the one I happen to use is called MRT Food Sensitivity Testing.

9.) Determine Drug sensitivities – I wish that years ago I had a clue that there was testing available to see why I had such negative reactions to many medications since birth. A simple DNA drug sensitivity test can help determine what is a safe drug  you should be able to put into your body. If you keep taking medication or eating foods that are not compatible with your body chemistry then you are increasing the inflammation in your system. More inflammation means more pain due to the increase of subluxations! I happened to use Genelex DNA Sensitivity testing. You then have these results to use for the rest of your life – anytime you need to add a new medication, you can determine from your testing whether it will be compatible or not. I contact the testing company to have them check my results to be sure I am safe adding anything new.

10.) Cusack Protocol – I had read about this supplemental protocol. I had no intent to add anything else to have to take but then heard more and more EDS’ers rave about the results. So a year ago, I bit the bullet and started introducing one item at a time to see if I could feel positive results eliminate too. To my amazement, I believe my joints are holding better in place, I am strengthening more successfully and feeling a nice improvement in my health and overall attitude. I found it took a few months for these results to begin to kick in. I have always believed that if something might help me and not hurt me, it was worth a try. This protocol is staying on my to do list and I would highly encourage you to consider trying to add these supplements to your life. Although I am not able to drive, I can order all I need on Amazon!

http://arthritis.talksmedicine.com/welcome-new-members-to-view-the-cusack-protocol-chart-select-the-pinned-post-379602]

11.) Exercise Safely – When you live with chronic pain, you get emotionally and physically worn down and sometimes feel that you have no energy to exercise. However, living with EDS makes it all the more important to do just that. We need to keep our muscles strong and be sure to get a cardio workout to keep our bodies in the best shape as possible. Along with following my daily exercises following the Muldowney protocol, I also add either walking, when the body allows, a stationary bike or have myself hoyeried into the pool. I can’t do stairs presently so this gets me in and out of the water safely and then I kick on my back and/or use a snorkel and kick on my stomach. I had been a master swimmer and didn’t want to give up exercising in the water, my love, despite no longer being able to use my arms or neck with swimming. There are frequent times I have to stop or back up a workout due to subluxations that have had to get corrected and might need time to reduce inflammation before returning to my routine.

12.) Try to not get Isolated – I have found, especially when recovering from surgeries, my contacts in life become very limited. And, due to living with chronic pain and continual issues that arise, it is hard for others to understand that we still need friends. However, many of us have experienced our friendships diminishing due to either being judged that we look fine or just not being able to keep up with activities with our friends. So we have to look for new ways to stay connected and not feel isolated. So, see if you can attempt to locate a local support group, use an online support group or reach out to others that are also trying to learn to cope with chronic issues. Simple acts like visiting a rehab center or nursing home and reaching out to others also struggling helps to put your life into a better perspective.

13.) Candida tendency – We tend to be more sensitivity to candida, the yeast we all have naturally in our bodies. Sugars and carbs feed this condition and cause it to get out of control causing brain fog, fatigue, and weight gain, despite almost starving yourself. This was one of the fist symptoms I developed early on in life. For me, it takes a round of  Nystatin to rid my body of the issue and then lightening up on the triggers that feed it. I usually feel relief within twenty-four hours when I take the medication to kill the yeast.

14.) Taking care of your Gut – Many of us have issues with stomach aches and bowels that can literally shut down. Some deal with gastroparesis and others like me with motility issues. Many of the stomach issues are improved by addressing both the food and drug sensitivities. I had no movement of my gut for two years after my first neck surgery. The interesting thing is when I came down with congestion from a cold this past Fall, I turned to alfalfa tablets, per a homeopathic doctor,  to dry up the congestion since I am unable to metabolize decongestants. Strangely and thrillingly, I suddenly found the gut woke up and has been eliminating daily. I have stayed on the daily use of the alfala to keep this process in action and am thrilled!

15.) Control Low Blood Pressure – Many of us live with lower blood pressure than normal. There are a few things that I have found to be very helpful for this:

Drink plenty of water.

Elevate your bed from the bottom of the frame at your head, 30 degrees.

Salt your food – and use the best salt you can get like REAL Salt that includes wonderful minerals too.

Don’t get to the point of passing out and doing damage. If you feel the above is not working, then see your cardiologist to consider adding medication like Midodrine. I find if I stick with my three doses a day, my BP stays at a safe level.

16.) MAST Cell – This is defined as a cell filled with basophil granules, found in numbers in connective tissue and releasing histamine and other substances during inflammatory and allergic reactions. Those that suffer with these reactions often struggle tremendously. Be sure to bring this condition up to your doctors if you feel you are not reacting normally to foods and life around you. I have not had this issue so don’t want to address this incorrectly and encourage you to talk about this if you are reacting abnormally.

17.) Orthopedic issues – If you develop issues with bones subluxing and strengthening seems to not be helping and there is talk of surgery, please be sure they use cadaver tendons to hold the bones in position, not yours! Remember your ligaments and tendons are not able to do their job properly due to this condition. And also consider using arch supports since many of us deal with flat feet.

18.) Prolotherapy/Vector Machine –

I always have turned to prolotherapy,also know as Non-Surgical Ligament and Tendon Reconstruction and Regenerative Joint Injection, is a recognized orthopedic procedure that stimulates the body’s healing processes to strengthen and repair injured and painful joints and connective tissue. I try this before making the decision to go for surgery. It is safe and can be effective, depending on the damage to your body. If it doesn’t work, then I move on to the surgery.

The vector therapy system is indicated in the US for the treatment of chronic, intractable pain and for the treatment of post-surgical trauma pain. When I tired one treatment for the first time with the machine a number of years ago, I had to immediately reduce my medication for pain for the treatment had rapidly reduced my pain levels.

19.) Low Dose Naltrexone – Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been demonstrated to reduce symptom severity in conditions such as fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and complex regional pain syndrome.  LDN may operate as a novel anti-inflammatory agent in the central nervous system, via action on microglial cells. I again did not take the original suggestion to try this medication just because I hated to have to pay for one more thing along with adding to my list of medications. But after hearing the positive results of others with EDS trying this, I broke down and am thrilled I did. I feel that is helps me to maintain a more positive attitude, more pain reduction and functioning in general. Another keeper for me!

20.) General Safe Movement of Body –

A simple thing to always remember to prevent up-slips, is to never sit in a chair or in the car and reach down, leaning to your side, to pick something up. That will easily slip you out of position. Either sift your body to the direction you need to pick up something and then lean forward to get out of the chair and bend your knees to bend down.

Always lean down to the ground by bending your knees, not twisting to the side, to help keep your sacrum in position.

Try to get into and out of a car that you don’t have to lift your butt up high or sink down into the seat to try holding your sacrum in place.

21. Lifting Objects – It is helpful to limit your lifting and weight of objects to help prevent subluxations of your arms and ribs. Try to use a fanny pack to carry items instead of putting a shoulder bag on or carrying something in your hands pulling your arms downward. If you can possibly limit lifting no more than five pounds, it is safer for your body. You don’t want to pull and stretch those ligaments and tendons already compromised.

22.) Pillow – Many deal with issues with the neck. The Therapeutica pillow keeps the head in position during sleep to prevent the subluxations that can occur with innocent movement during sleeping.

If any of y'all have anything else to add or helpful tips and tricks you've found please add them!

[valgasnewsthings]

A how not to grow hernia?

 A healthy spine is a guarantee for beauty, happiness, mood good, joy,as a guarantee for move , and rod for our success,but not an always this rod enduring are loads, which our life give.And we are talking today about protrusion,with neurologist Vlasjuk,as readers lots of ties asked about this as what is it,and what a cure?

And before to share about protrusion,let s remember anatomy,as vertebra is bone column of 33 vertebras connected  between itself with a small joints,and between vertebras are having intervertebral discs,like enlarging lens looking by form,which containing from two parts as fibrosis ring and inside gelatinous nucleus,and importance theirs function is serve are absorbers. As healthy disc is elast, tight, that enduring big loads, and if he is dehydrating, decreasing in his fibrosis ring, thus are micro cracks displaying,that lead to a part of intra vertebra disc protruding for vertebras edges ,as a hernia harbinger.

And to displaying a protrusion leading are much factors and bad posture, high loads, injuries, diseases as osteochondrosis, osteoporosis,scoliosis, and big attention as and weak life mode,as on which having are adults, and young peoples. As many of us thinking,that if organism will often rest, nothing to do, thus problem with health are less,and this is true myths.

As think about a new car in garage and forgot about a long years,and what will happen with her?Yes, rust and dust, and same happening with our organism.As when you are young, your disks having a blood vessels,which are feeding his, and giving a fast restoring,but with years, these vessels are overgrow and all needing feeding substances a disc getting of close vertebras,as more active work a spine,thus an effective process a feed.

As in protrusion , lots of patients feeling headaches, tiredness, and urination problems, and from what this depends?

As protrusion displays without symptoms,till a thunder will breaks out..and not displaying a irritation or squeezing nerves are roots, or membranes of brain,and an other importance factor where she is having and which her size?

As she is forming in neck, breast regions, and often in waist, as a waist is an importance support for spine, and here patients feeling chronic aches and in a zone for root squeezing are edemas and inflammations. As prickly in feets, fingers feets, weak in hips, fingers legs, calf muscles, urination destroy,that meaning in waist is a not all ok.

And in protrusion in neck ,thus picture is an other  as in in neck localizing ache nidus is shoulders touching as with aches, muscle weakness, numbness,prickly, squeezing vessel bunches leading to the global problems are headaches, not stable steps, worsening vision, memory bad.. As in breast region of vertebra as hurt in a spine middle,irridating in hips ,and weak, are muscles of press staying..

And how to resist for this?

As importance cure here is ache lows,restore moves sizes in damage discks,delay pathologic process.And all remedies for a first aid are having three groups,as first are on acute stage fighting aches as baralgin, emelotex, movalis as on 5 ml. into muscularly and for 5 days, nayz one pill for 2 times a day and two weeks and on this stage add vitamins groups B, as milgamma, dimefosfon are improving blood circulation, stabilizing function nerve system, and giving anelgization.

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[rarediseasesurvivorwoman-blog]

365 Days of Autoimmune Illness- But I’ve Got Stamina

A year ago this week I was blaming yoga class for every odd ache or pain I couldn’t explain away. A pinched nerve must be the culprit, causing a vice-like strangling sensation around my neck and pins and needles that went from my face, down my arms, to my fingertips. Intense back pain followed. I brushed it off as newbie yoga pains and cursed one too many swans, cat-cows, downwards dogs or some other overzealous yogi animal. My hands became weak and I noticed my fingers had started to curl inward. The fun didn’t stop there and food began getting stuck in my throat and panic that I’d choke. Even my speech at times sounded a bit slurred. Within weeks the numbness had spread down to my legs and each step became increasingly difficult and my limbs so heavy it was as if I were knee deep in molasses. I was in deep for sure when the piece de resistance detonated in electric shocks of pain reverberating all over my body. That my friends is when I landed in the emergency room.

Fast forward three weeks and after a variety of tests including brain scans, nerve conductor tests (electromyography, nerve conductor studies), and a spinal tab (lumbar puncture) I had a diagnosis. Say hello to a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) causes your body’s autoimmune system to get confused and go to town on your peripheral nervous system. Once the coating of your nerves gets damaged, it can’t transmit signals as effectively and all hell breaks loose. First signs are usually weakness or tingling in your hands and feet but GBS is an ascending disorder where paralysis can spread to your core and in some cases even the diaphragm. Yup, that means in extreme cases you can’t speak, eat, or breathe on your own. You endure this waiting game until your body plateaus at about 4-6 weeks and begins recovery which ranges anywhere from months to years. The good news is that despite the sensory and motor damage, nerves have the ability to regenerate on their own albeit a snail’s pace. Let me put it this way, my first diagnosis was moderate GBS with a 3-6 month recovery time frame. If you haven’t already inferred from the blog title, GBS and I have been hanging out now for a full year.

Here’s where you come in. You’re most likely reading this blog because you’ve been recently diagnosed with the same illness, know someone struggling through it, or have some form of autoimmune disease. I have had 365 days of trials and tribulations to share and hopefully help you build stamina to survive and not succumb to this journey. The most important thing to remember is we have one of the only neurological diseases that has the potential for full recovery. There is light at the end of the tunnel in which we’ve fallen.

I’m taking a page straight out of Oprah’s “What I Know For Sure” in GBS speak with my top lessons learned. Some of these ideas I’ve previously written about but after 365 days to reflect, these are my go to GBS hacks ;). Talk with your doctor before making any changes however to your current GBS recovery plan:

 1.       Get a Second Opinion: I’ve had one hell of a time getting in to see top docs in the GBS world. My neurologist and primary care doc are wonderful but both very forthcoming about only having seen a few cases of GBS. When I finally found a local doc with extensive GBS experience he was no longer taking new patients. I didn’t give up and thanks to a contact was able to get a consultation. I learned something new which surprised me- did you know that autoimmune disease can trigger preexisting conditions? It explains my roller coaster recovery and why symptoms that should have healed were still thriving. I’m now managing my old illness so that it stops intensifying the GBS symptoms and prolonging my recovery. Make sure your neurologist knows your entire history as old ghosts may be impeding on your road to recovery. A second opinion could open your eyes to some new information or reinforce that you’re in the right direction and to continue on that path.

  2.       Stay Connected: It’s important to continue living your life through GBS and there are work arounds to help make that possible. A myriad of articles site depression in conjunction with GBS and the irony here is that most experts suggest to keep moving to combat getting depressed.  Paralysis makes that a little tricky but what can’t be restricted is mental momentum. Stay connected with the outside world in other ways- voice automated software allows you to write and stay online without needing your fingers to do the work. If you’re able bodied enough to get in a wheel chair, or other support aids, get mobile. Regain as much normalcy as you can wherever and whenever possible. Consider speaking to your supervisor about a transition plan or a flexible schedule when you feel ready to return to work. Mental momentum helps keep you from getting stuck.  

 3.       Get Over Yourself: GBS is humbling and humiliating at times but we can get in our own way when we’re too proud to ask for help. I’ve written before about how I was stuck on a stationary bike at the gym because my legs went numb and I knew I couldn’t get down by myself without doing a face plant. (My cane had even fallen over and was out of reach.) Eventually my husband and daughter came to my rescue and my legs were so numb they essentially had to hold me up by the armpits, my feet trailing behind as if in a drunken stupor. I knew I had pushed myself too hard and cried when we finally made it outside and out of sight. Find solace is knowing that your limitations are temporary and your pride is never worth putting yourself in a dangerous or compromising situation. Plus you will laugh at this someday- I’ve told that story about a dozen times and giggle with every rendition.

  4.       Continue Indulging Your Passions:  I’m an avid music fan and bought a turntable when I was first diagnosed as I knew I wouldn’t be healthy enough to leave the house. Record store shopping wasn’t in my near future but there are retail services that deliver a vinyl of the month right to your front door. There are also a variety of online learning resources that cover every topic under the sun and allow you to stay plugged in when you can’t get out.  Book Clubs have even gone digital with online discussion groups that may not offer wine and commiserating with your BFF’s but an eclectic array of opinions and perspectives.  And of course the thrift shop has not been left behind in the digital age and do the scavenging for you via resale websites that buy and sell second hand clothing and other items online.

  5.        Free Your Mind: Experts recommend meditation to help ease pretty much whatever ails you and that includes chronic pain. It’s not a cure of course but studies site the overall health benefits and view it today as mind-body complementary medicine. There’s plenty of free apps out there to get us started from Headspace to Omvana and you can choose the length of your meditation session as short as three minutes. There are also some killer positive psychology podcasts to grab your attention that spotlight authors, yoga instructors, scientists, and musicians who share their struggles and insights on kicking ass even when life is kicking yours. I’m a huge fan of The One You Feed with Eric Zimmer and Chris Forbes who gift a new interview to the public every week.

 The other obvious suggestions are more sleep, eat better, detox your cleaning and grooming products, and stay as active as you can within your new limitations. Again, please consult with your doctor before making any changes, but I hope my top 5 will increase your stamina and be a breath of fresh air in your fight, outlook, and your perspective. I’ve come a long way from being unable to cut my own food or hold a glass to drink, unable to drive or get up the stairs without being carried, pain is mild now and the numbness is disappearing, and yet I know I’ve had it easy compared to many of you dealing with extreme cases. I do have bad days where the dynamic duo of disease takes me by surprise as I’d been feeling good for so long and not anticipating a resurgence. It’s easy to sound brave when you’re feeling good. It’s the 3 am intensely sick moments, when I’m crying and wondering if I can take much more of this that I remind myself I have stamina. It’s because I’ve endured this for a year that I can handle another. It’s because I’ve come so far that I can go further. And it’s because I’ve been pushed past what I thought was my limit that I know I still have more left. It’s those moments that take the wind right out of our sails that also define who we are and why we’re never going to give up.   For my fellow GBSers- this blog and video are a tribute to you. xo

[technicaldr]

Online Reputation Management for Doctors 

As patients are increasingly turning to search engines and review sites for evaluating the quality of care, it's time that doctors should also be there to provide the answers that patients are looking for. With a proactive reputation management, doctors can leave the right impact that will convince patients and eventually acquire them. This article will guide you step-by-step in developing and managing your online reputation. The success of your healthcare practice depends on how positive a reputation it has with its patients. If that’s the case, then how do you determine your reputation? Referrals and word-of-mouth are still a well-known and common factors that relate to your reputation and patient acquisition, but then how many of your new patients rely on just these two factors to choose you? As a matter of fact, even after getting referred by their friends or family, or even by another physician, one of the first things that your patients will do is to research your or your practice and its reputation online to see what other patients are saying about you. 85% of (healthcare) consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. - BrightLocal While displaying positive patient reviews can certainly help your practice influence opinions in your favor, it doesn't mean that reviews are all that matters for your practice's online reputation. Users check, on an average, 12 different sources including content from review sites, social media, on-site testimonials, blogs, etc., before finally picking a provider. – Google All this sum up into two things: first, many other factors (apart from reviews) are responsible for your online reputation. Second, reviews and testimonials form a major part of it. The process that takes care of all these is called online reputation management. Related Blog: Why Doctors Should Pay Heed to Their Patient Reviews Online

What Is Online Reputation Management? “Online reputation management (ORM) is the practice of crafting strategies that shape or influence the public perception of an organization, individual or other entity on the Internet. It helps drive public opinion about a business and its products and services. – Techopedia The definition encompasses almost every online marketing activity that directly or indirectly adds to the reputation of your practice and you. So, in those terms... ORM may involve utilizing your medical expertise to engage with your online patient community on Facebook to answer medical questions and concerns. Or, using the same expertise to provide relevant answers to your patients' health-related inquiries via content marketing, to establish yourself as an authority in the eyes of your audience and Google (by improving your search rankings). However, as the term 'reputation' exhibits more about your patients' beliefs or opinions, it's arguable that in its core, ORM strategy deals more with taking control of the online conversation. That way, ORM may involve using Twitter or Yelp to jump in on conversations and tackle negative or defamatory comments about your practice. Or, it could involve soliciting positive reviews from happy patients to improve the search engine rankings and the public-facing online reputation of your practice. With online reputation management, you can ensure your healthcare brand is decently positioned (and represented) not only on review sites, but on other important places like search results and social media timeline/feeds. If you are interested to see how these are done, we will explain later in the article. Before that, you should introspect whether your practice really needs reputation management or not. For that, you'll need to self-assess your current online reputation. How?

How to Assess Your Current Online Reputation Have you ever Googled your practice or your provider's name to see how they appear in the search result? If you haven’t, do it now! A stellar online reputation starts with a robust internet presence. After all, if you are not properly visible, how can anyone say anything about your reputation? While you Google your practice, look for these in the search results: [Note: Try 'incognito' browser setting. It will ensure that the search results aren't influenced by the previous search activities on your desktop.] Your website: Ideally, your website should appear as the first result for a direct search (someone directly entering your brand name) on Google. If your site is well-optimized (with proper keywords), is well-indexed, isn't serving any penalty from Google, then it'll rightfully appear in the first result. Of all other content links in the search results, at least some should be the predominantly “owned” ones (i.e., those where you control the content). For example, your blog page where your brand owns the content. Appearing with more predominantly “owned” links means a high reputation in the eyes of Google. Review snippets: Google can fetch results from review sites too. Remember the review snippet in the search result.

  If the review snippet appears, check for these:

  Aggregate review scores are appearing from how many review platforms?

Is it only from Yelp, or from other review platforms such as HealthGrades and Facebook?

Are the aggregate review scores positive or poor?

Is there parity in the aggregate review scores of different review platforms?

  To appear with review snippets from different platforms, your review profiles will need to be well-optimized for local online presence. For a high reputation, they'll also need to be mostly positive. Google Knowledge Graph: Appearing in the Google Knowledge Graph means you have a high online presence and reputation. The Knowledge Graph sums up the most useful information about your practice such as your picture, the map, the business address, telephone number, patient reviews, etc., all in one place.

  healthcare client as it appears in Google's search result. We have blurred the photo, phone number, website and address because of privacy reasons)[/caption] However, appearing in the Knowledge Graph requires a well-optimized site and proper online listings of your practice on different third-party online directories, including Google My Business. [Read: Everything about online business listing and its relation with patient experience] Note: Google Knowledge Graph is the box that appears to the right of the search results and that contains information such as a map, the business address, telephone number, and also Google reviews. Tip: Search differently as patients will do. It means replacing related words around the keyword. For example, substituting “Dr. ABC Neurologist” or “Dr. ABC McArthur Boulevard” for “Dr. ABC, MD” will expand the search results. Search results for all these terms will slightly differ, and ideally for all these terms, you should appear decently parallel to make sure that your reputation is on terms with related keywords. While search engine reputation matters the most, social media reputation is no less important. That's why you'll need to assess your social media reputation as well. One of the best ways to assess your reputation on social media is by manually checking your social media profile pages and comparing them with your competitors. If you have been visiting your social media pages daily, you should already be aware of the situation. However, if your profiles are being handled by a social media marketing person or your practice manager,

Why You Should Focus on Facebook Facebook is the most important platform as it's a highly sociable place where you get to learn from your patients' perspectives. For learning about your reputation with other stakeholders, such as referring physicians, pharma people, and medical industry influencers, Twitter and LinkedIn are the best. For now, stick with Facebook, as that's the place where you directly get to interact with your patients online. Also, in terms of monthly user traffic, Facebook is already the highest review generating site with 47% of its surveyed users having written a review in the last year. How do you assess your reputation on Facebook? Look for these: Review frequency: It's important that your profile page should be receiving reviews on a regular basis. An outdated database of reviews doesn't help patients in their decision making. Also, regular reviews help in increasing engagement and keeping up with the algorithmic actions on your profile.

  also get a closer look at the content of the reviews, especially the negative ones with less star ratings. That will help you understand the factors that are causing a bad reputation among your patients. Review responses: Also, check how your reviews are being handled from your practice's end. If you find that reviews, especially the negative ones, aren't being handled carefully and tactfully, it means you need a reputation management team dedicated for the job. Engagement & interaction: Check for how the posts on your Facebook profile page are performing. Are they getting a sufficient number of responses in terms of likes, comments, and shares? You should check the quality of those comments too. That's because these metrics can indirectly affect the frequency and quality of your reviews. With these informative steps, you should be able to get an idea of where your current online reputation stands. If it needs improvement, don’t hesitate to make the changes necessary to optimize your practice’s reputation.

Technical Dr. Inc.'s insight:

Contact Details :

inquiry@technicaldr.com or 877-910-0004 www.technicaldr.com

[yes-dal456]

Lori’s Stroke Required Help From Doctors An Hour Away. Telemedicine Provided It.

Editor’s note: Our previous stories this American Stroke Month featured warning signs heeded and missed. Today we shift gears to showcase a textbook response to a stroke, including the crucial role of telestroke, a way for experts at another facility to help care for a patient via a webcam-type connection. The CHRONIC Care Act, which includes a provision to require Medicare to cover telestroke, will be discussed Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee.

Lori Hoopingarner savored her occasional weekend getaway.

Between running her financial advising company, raising a 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, having another daughter in college, and being without her husband – Darren, a fire captain – for at least 72 hours in a row each week, she earned those mini-vacations.

So, a few times a year, her dad and stepmom babysat while she and Darren made the 1½-hour drive east from their home in Temecula, California, to the Indian Wells-Palm Springs area. They would leave around lunchtime on a Friday and return home on Sunday afternoon, fully recharged.

On July 31, 2015, Lori and Darren were in their kitchen going over final details before heading on another of these trips. Lori bit into a tomato and suddenly “saw a red blur go from one side of my vision to the other.”

She walked around the bar and sat at the kitchen table, clearly bothered by something.

“What’s the matter?” Darren said, thinking she might be suffering a migraine.

Lori couldn’t answer. Sensing something worse than a headache, Darren asked her to raise her arms. Only the left went up. As a trained first responder, he knew exactly what to do – and how to keep everyone else in the room calm.

Soon Lori was being loaded into an ambulance. Although she couldn’t talk or move her right side, she thought about their pending trip: “We can leave tonight.”

Even when the severity of her condition required her to go from a local hospital to the UC San Diego Medical Center an hour-long drive away, she still thought, “I guess we can leave in the morning.”

***

A blood clot had formed in Lori’s heart, escaped through a hole and worked its way to her brain. It became lodged there, a classic ischemic stroke.

Lori eventually would learn that both the source of the clot and the hole were defects she was born with but doctors had never detected. Now, though, all that mattered was busting the clot.

The gold standard of treatment is an intravenous drug known as r-tPA (alteplase). When given as quickly as possible, it can dramatically improve chances of recovery. Lori received a dose within the first hour.

It didn’t work.

Lori was at Temecula Valley Hospital, a Primary Stroke Center, meaning it meets certain standards set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission to support better outcomes of stroke care. Primary Stroke Centers can treat most strokes, but Lori needed an advanced procedure by a specialist who wasn’t available at her facility. And she needed it fast. It’s widely known among stroke experts that “time lost is brain lost,” a catchy phrase that means delays clearing the blockage can lead to more permanent damage or even death.

So Temecula Valley doctors called UCSD for help. Minutes later, a new set of doctors surrounded Lori’s bed in the emergency room.

On televisions.

***

The surgical team and neurologists appeared on monitors beside and behind the bed.

Thanks to telehealth technology known as telestroke, the remote doctors already had seen her brain scans and other tests. They recommended a procedure in which a device snaked into her brain would grab the clot and remove it. She needed to get to their facility right away.

No helicopters were available. Neither were critical-care ambulances. Darren noticed that the ambulance that brought Lori in was still there. Strings were pulled so they could make the 58-mile trip; an ER nurse joined them, thus fashioning their own critical-care transport team.

Everyone who’d been on the TV screens was waiting outside when the ambulance arrived. This included Dr. Brett Meyer, a neurologist who is Medical Director of the UCSD Enterprise Telemedicine and Co-Director of UCSD Stroke Center.

Darren’s parents were there, too.

“What are they doing here?” Lori thought.

She still couldn’t talk or move her right side. Now her left side was flopping like a fish out of water. Dr. Meyer asked her to stay still. The anesthesia made her drift away. The next thing Lori remembers is being wheeled out of the operating room and seeing her aunt, sister and best friend.

“What are they doing here?” she thought again.

Only this time, she giggled.

It was the first sound Darren heard her make since she’d bitten into that tomato.

The neurosurgeon asked Lori to lift her right hand. She did.

***

A series of textbook responses saved Lori’s life, prevented her from severe long-term disabilities and eventually uncovered her congenital heart defects. It’s a remarkable tale.

Yet it’s not all upbeat.

Things turned when Lori awoke and learned what had happened. Going from “working mom” to “stroke survivor” jolted her psyche.

The only person she knew who had a stroke was her step-grandfather. She was about 10 when he went from “a large, vibrant, active, booming figure” to a disabled person “unable to communicate, frustrated and angry.” Would that be her fate?

It took about a year before she returned to work full-time.

The toes on her right foot still curl sometimes. She has trouble putting in her contacts and beating an egg. She can type with her right hand, but not for very long. The calligraphy-like addresses she used to pen on Christmas cards probably are gone forever.

“We make labels now,” she said, laughing. “But that’s all minor. I’m here. I’m raising my kids.”

Hudson, her youngest, is a momma’s boy. He noticed during a recent car ride that she wasn’t talking much.

“Are you having a stroke?” he said.

“No, buddy, I just have a sore throat,” she said.

“Good,” he said, “because I wouldn’t know how to tell 911 where we are.”

***

Lori’s best medicine for coping is sharing her story and spreading awareness – about strokes, congenital heart defects and the leadership role that my organization, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, plays in it all.

She gives speeches and is active on social media. A few weeks ago, she participated in the Southwest Riverside County Heart & Stroke Walk; her team, Lori’s Trybe, ranked third, raising more than $4,700 for research, education and programs.

“After the stroke, I asked, `Why me?’ But it was never, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ It was always: `Why did I survive? Why was I picked to come out so well?’” she said. “That’s been really, really tough for me to understand.”

Dr. Meyer once told her she was his most-recovered patient from this kind of stroke.

“What if I hadn’t had access to telestroke and to your hospital?” she said.

He asked her to come closer, so he could hold her hand.

“Your brain would’ve swelled,” he said, “and you would’ve died.”

Crying as she recalled this, she said that if she was testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, she’d tell them her children still have their mom because of telestroke.

***

In January 2016, Lori and Darren finally made that trip to Indian Wells-Palm Springs.

They’ve been back several times and plan to keep going. That’s what surviving is all about.

“Since the stroke, we've been checking lots of items off our bucket lists, and adding items, too,” she said. “We recently went indoor rock climbing, took the kids ziplining, we're going whitewater rafting this summer, and we’d like to see the Dallas Cowboys play a game in the snow.

“Life is more fun when you participate.”

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from http://ift.tt/2riCZeJ from Blogger http://ift.tt/2qjYmOE

[imreviewblog]

Lori’s Stroke Required Help From Doctors An Hour Away. Telemedicine Provided It.

Editor’s note: Our previous stories this American Stroke Month featured warning signs heeded and missed. Today we shift gears to showcase a textbook response to a stroke, including the crucial role of telestroke, a way for experts at another facility to help care for a patient via a webcam-type connection. The CHRONIC Care Act, which includes a provision to require Medicare to cover telestroke, will be discussed Tuesday during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee.

Lori Hoopingarner savored her occasional weekend getaway.

Between running her financial advising company, raising a 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, having another daughter in college, and being without her husband – Darren, a fire captain – for at least 72 hours in a row each week, she earned those mini-vacations.

So, a few times a year, her dad and stepmom babysat while she and Darren made the 1½-hour drive east from their home in Temecula, California, to the Indian Wells-Palm Springs area. They would leave around lunchtime on a Friday and return home on Sunday afternoon, fully recharged.

On July 31, 2015, Lori and Darren were in their kitchen going over final details before heading on another of these trips. Lori bit into a tomato and suddenly “saw a red blur go from one side of my vision to the other.”

She walked around the bar and sat at the kitchen table, clearly bothered by something.

“What’s the matter?” Darren said, thinking she might be suffering a migraine.

Lori couldn’t answer. Sensing something worse than a headache, Darren asked her to raise her arms. Only the left went up. As a trained first responder, he knew exactly what to do – and how to keep everyone else in the room calm.

Soon Lori was being loaded into an ambulance. Although she couldn’t talk or move her right side, she thought about their pending trip: “We can leave tonight.”

Even when the severity of her condition required her to go from a local hospital to the UC San Diego Medical Center an hour-long drive away, she still thought, “I guess we can leave in the morning.”

***

A blood clot had formed in Lori’s heart, escaped through a hole and worked its way to her brain. It became lodged there, a classic ischemic stroke.

Lori eventually would learn that both the source of the clot and the hole were defects she was born with but doctors had never detected. Now, though, all that mattered was busting the clot.

The gold standard of treatment is an intravenous drug known as r-tPA (alteplase). When given as quickly as possible, it can dramatically improve chances of recovery. Lori received a dose within the first hour.

It didn’t work.

Lori was at Temecula Valley Hospital, a Primary Stroke Center, meaning it meets certain standards set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission to support better outcomes of stroke care. Primary Stroke Centers can treat most strokes, but Lori needed an advanced procedure by a specialist who wasn’t available at her facility. And she needed it fast. It’s widely known among stroke experts that “time lost is brain lost,” a catchy phrase that means delays clearing the blockage can lead to more permanent damage or even death.

So Temecula Valley doctors called UCSD for help. Minutes later, a new set of doctors surrounded Lori’s bed in the emergency room.

On televisions.

***

The surgical team and neurologists appeared on monitors beside and behind the bed.

Thanks to telehealth technology known as telestroke, the remote doctors already had seen her brain scans and other tests. They recommended a procedure in which a device snaked into her brain would grab the clot and remove it. She needed to get to their facility right away.

No helicopters were available. Neither were critical-care ambulances. Darren noticed that the ambulance that brought Lori in was still there. Strings were pulled so they could make the 58-mile trip; an ER nurse joined them, thus fashioning their own critical-care transport team.

Everyone who’d been on the TV screens was waiting outside when the ambulance arrived. This included Dr. Brett Meyer, a neurologist who is Medical Director of the UCSD Enterprise Telemedicine and Co-Director of UCSD Stroke Center.

Darren’s parents were there, too.

“What are they doing here?” Lori thought.

She still couldn’t talk or move her right side. Now her left side was flopping like a fish out of water. Dr. Meyer asked her to stay still. The anesthesia made her drift away. The next thing Lori remembers is being wheeled out of the operating room and seeing her aunt, sister and best friend.

“What are they doing here?” she thought again.

Only this time, she giggled.

It was the first sound Darren heard her make since she’d bitten into that tomato.

The neurosurgeon asked Lori to lift her right hand. She did.

***

A series of textbook responses saved Lori’s life, prevented her from severe long-term disabilities and eventually uncovered her congenital heart defects. It’s a remarkable tale.

Yet it’s not all upbeat.

Things turned when Lori awoke and learned what had happened. Going from “working mom” to “stroke survivor” jolted her psyche.

The only person she knew who had a stroke was her step-grandfather. She was about 10 when he went from “a large, vibrant, active, booming figure” to a disabled person “unable to communicate, frustrated and angry.” Would that be her fate?

It took about a year before she returned to work full-time.

The toes on her right foot still curl sometimes. She has trouble putting in her contacts and beating an egg. She can type with her right hand, but not for very long. The calligraphy-like addresses she used to pen on Christmas cards probably are gone forever.

“We make labels now,” she said, laughing. “But that’s all minor. I’m here. I’m raising my kids.”

Hudson, her youngest, is a momma’s boy. He noticed during a recent car ride that she wasn’t talking much.

“Are you having a stroke?” he said.

“No, buddy, I just have a sore throat,” she said.

“Good,” he said, “because I wouldn’t know how to tell 911 where we are.”

***

Lori’s best medicine for coping is sharing her story and spreading awareness – about strokes, congenital heart defects and the leadership role that my organization, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, plays in it all.

She gives speeches and is active on social media. A few weeks ago, she participated in the Southwest Riverside County Heart & Stroke Walk; her team, Lori’s Trybe, ranked third, raising more than $4,700 for research, education and programs.

“After the stroke, I asked, `Why me?’ But it was never, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ It was always: `Why did I survive? Why was I picked to come out so well?’” she said. “That’s been really, really tough for me to understand.”

Dr. Meyer once told her she was his most-recovered patient from this kind of stroke.

“What if I hadn’t had access to telestroke and to your hospital?” she said.

He asked her to come closer, so he could hold her hand.

“Your brain would’ve swelled,” he said, “and you would’ve died.”

Crying as she recalled this, she said that if she was testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, she’d tell them her children still have their mom because of telestroke.

***

In January 2016, Lori and Darren finally made that trip to Indian Wells-Palm Springs.

They’ve been back several times and plan to keep going. That’s what surviving is all about.

“Since the stroke, we've been checking lots of items off our bucket lists, and adding items, too,” she said. “We recently went indoor rock climbing, took the kids ziplining, we're going whitewater rafting this summer, and we’d like to see the Dallas Cowboys play a game in the snow.

“Life is more fun when you participate.”

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://bit.ly/2pOSPvl