Have a Healthy Cinco de Mayo

Celebrate this Cinco de Mayo with a dish that is both healthy and great for parties. Guacamole de Frutas is a guacamole dip that gets a boost with four kinds of vitamins and minerals in this fruit enhanced recipe.

Guacamole de Frutas

• 2 Haas avocados
• 1⁄2 t fresh lime juice
• 1⁄4 yellow onion, diced
• 1⁄2 mango, peeled and diced
• 1⁄2 yellow peach, peeled and diced
• 1⁄2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
• 1⁄4 habanero pepper, seeds removed, minced
• 1 t slivered basil
• 2 T pomegranate seeds
• salt

Instructions

1. Using a small knife, cut each avocado in half and remove the pit. Cut the flesh of each avocado lengthwise 4 times, then crosswise 4 times to form small cubes. Scoop cubes into a medium mixing bowl and mash with a fork until chunky.
2. Stir in the next 7 ingredients and 1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds; season with salt. Garnish with remaining pomegranate seeds and serve immediately with warm corn tortillas or chips.

Recipe Courtesy of Shape Magazine

~Professional Medical Corp.

Do You Want to Learn More About Caregiving?

Challenges in Caregiving: Giving Care, Taking Care, a caregiver training conference will be offered on Monday, June 3, 2013 at the Tukwila Community Center in Tukwila, Washington. The event is hosted by Aging and Disability Services Administration, Full Life Care and Pierce County Community Connections/Aging and Long Term Care along with the support of numerous community organizations. The conference is designed to provide current, practical skills and resources that community caregivers can use in their daily caregiving responsibilities. The conference is intended for:

• Family caregivers (spouses, adult children, parents of adults with disabilities, or other relatives)
• Home care workers and adult day services staff
• Adult family home or assisted living staff
• Social service or mental health professionals who work with family caregivers

The Early Registration fee (by May 15) for individual caregivers is $30. Scholarships are available for unpaid family caregivers. The Early Registration fee for agency-based caregivers is $50. Fees include workshops, lunch and resource exhibits. Registration forms will be available in April and space is limited – so don’t delay! For more information or to receive a full brochure and registration materials, please call 1-800-422-3263 or 360-725-2544.

~Professional Medical Corp.

Are Your Medical Bills Out of Control?

If you are like many America’s facing unexpected medical bills the task of sorting through invoices can be tedious.

Patients are frustrated to receive multiple bills, for such things as hospital services, with little to no explanations as to what the invoice includes.

None of this surprises Pat Palmer, the founder of Medical Billing Advocates of America. “We get feedback from consumers saying that providers are telling them ‘We can’t give you an itemized statement’ or ‘You should have asked for it before you left the hospital.’”

For those with confusing or huge hospital bills some experts’ advise patients to take the following steps.

Knowing your patient rights within a doctor’s office or hospital is the first step in avoiding financial disagreements. Make it clear that you are aware of your legal right to have such things as an itemizes invoice.

Get explanations in writing and take protests to the top. All communications with a provider should be in writing and if customer service departments are not helpful avoid them and write a letter to the chief financial officer.

Ask for help from you insurer. They have a responsibility to some degree to what happens between you and a contracted physician and can often be a great ally.

And finally seek help and file complaints if your bill is much higher then you expected or can afford. Organizations such as Medical Billing Advocates of America and Health Proponent can help you fight charges or lower your bill.

To learn more read HERE

~Professional Medical Corp.

Red Rice Risotto

If you are trying to incorporate more whole grains into your diet this red rice dish is a delicious and hearty meal. Red rice is also known as “weedy rice”, as it sometimes grows as a weed in commercial rice fields. Its fiber and protein content make it a great addition to any meal.

 

Ingredients
Makes 4

• 1 cup red rice
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup porcini (or any variety you like) mushroom, sliced
• 2 cups mushroom broth (veggie is fine also)
• a couple hearty handfuls of spinach
• olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Soak rice in cold water for a few hours before cooking. (If you don’t have time, give it a good rinse and proceed).
2. Coat a large pot with olive oil and place over medium high heat. Add onion, season with salt & pepper and cook until translucent, about one minute. Add garlic and cook for another minute, until soft.
3. Add mushrooms, season and cook for about three minutes until soft and slightly browned.
4. Add rice and let cook for about a minute, stirring throughout to mix.
5. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the water is absorbed (you don’t want the risotto totally dry at this point). Add spinach, mix to combine and remove from heat. Cover for about three minutes.
6. Uncover, fluff with fork, season with salt, pepper and cheese to your liking. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe courtesy of GOOP.com

New Mental Health Coverage

Mental health has been on the minds’ of Americans in recent years, with the rise of gun violence and substance addiction, many are asking for a better solution to this epidemic.
In the beginning of this month President Obama pledged to strengthen our nation’s mental health systems by fixing Americans access to healthcare. Obama’s administration plans on preventing mental health issues by making counseling and addiction serves available to everyone. When the 2010 Affordable Care Act is fully implemented next year, millions of Americans stand to gain access to such care for the first time.
Opponents to Obamacare worry that the Affordable Care Act will be a serious strain on providers.  With the concern now on whether the providers and the delivery systems can take care of all of them, the debate over Obama’s initiative has many asking, what is really best for our patients?

For more information READ HERE

Are They Your Vaccinations?

The flu season may finally be coming to an end in the U.S. and after an extreme season, compared to previous years, many are eager for it to conclude.

Getting vaccinated has become one of our best defenses against the illness, but a recent report put the vaccine’s effectiveness at 62 percent, and many American’s are not sold on getting the vaccination.

There is also a rising debate for whether the vaccine should be mandatory for hospitals and other high risk organization. Hospital administrators are grappling with whether to compel doctors, nurses and other medical staff to get vaccinated which as of now is not required.

The flu continues to hit older people hard, with more than 50 percent of hospitalizations involving adults 65 years and older. For hospital workers alone 60% get the shot, according to a report by the California Department of Public Health. The federal government has set a goal of 90% by 2020.

With an estimated 36,000 people dying from the flu and its complications in a typical season, the debate for vaccination isn’t going away anytime soon. One thing that president-elect of the California Medical Association, Richard Thorp, hopes is that “we all agree that you come to the hospital to get well, not to get sick.”

To read more please click HERE

~Professional Medical Corp.

Hold the Yolk Please

For many people eggs are a staple diet food. They have been praised for having all 9 essential amino acids and a high protein content. In addition they are great for eyes, contain lots of “good” fats, and are a good source of vitamin D.

But the topic of cholesterol has always come up with eggs and a new study from, the journal Atherosclerosis, reveals that an egg’s cholesterol is dangerous for people over the age of 40. The study reveals that egg yolks contributed to the artery-clogging LDL cholesterol and this makes egg consumption problematic over the age of 40 when there is a higher risk for heart disease.

The health implications of overconsumption of whole eggs has even been compared to the risks assoicated with smoking. The study evaluated artery health of patients who smoked and those who consumed whole eggs. The results are in and for those whose consumption of whole eggs was in the highest 20%, the narrowing of the carotid artery was on average about two-thirds that of the study’s heaviest smokers.

This study may have you asking, how much is too much cholesterol?

According to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute, Americans should  limit their cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg per day (an egg yolk has just over 200 mg), and eat no more than four whole eggs weekly.

This is good news for those who look forward to weekend egg breakfast with friends and family. And like so many things in life moderation is key!

Enjoy!

To read more of this article click HERE

~Professional Medical Corp