Year: 2023

I’m A Health Coach And These Are The Foods I Tell My Clients To Eat

I’m A Health Coach And These Are The Foods I Tell My Clients To Eat

When you get to the “hangry” degree of starvation, it is tempting to just seize something in just reach—but some food items can do a lot more harm than excellent, especially if you’re trying to shed body weight. We spoke with Joanna Wen, wellness mentor and founder of Spices & Greens, and Cindy Wilson, a certified nutritionist at NutriInspector. They agreed that they recommend fish, nuts, and Greek yogurt to their consumers when they’re hungry. These foods are superior in protein but reduced in calories so you can experience satiated when trying to keep your body weight in look at. Locate out additional below!

Examine Far more: 4 Healthier Snacks You are going to Basically Want To Eat–& They Assistance With Body weight Reduction

Fish

Fish is a single of the healthiest meals you can incorporate to your weekly food strategy. It’s abundant in all varieties of nutrients that benefit your system in various strategies, which includes weight loss. Fish is an vital portion of the Mediterranean eating plan, which is regarded the greatest diet plan for body weight reduction. So it can be quick to conclude that having fish is a huge component of this diet’s achievement.

“Fish is packed whole of healthful fat and omega-3s,” Wen clarifies, “which support minimize irritation in the physique and support in weight reduction.” So, when you insert a protein like fish to meals, you’re far more probable to remain pleased for a longer time. And if you decide on a fatty fish like salmon, you can improve hair thickness and glow, so it can be a get-gain!

Nuts

Wilson endorses nuts for when her clientele are hungry due to the fact they are rich in vital vitamins that support promote body weight loss. The 5 most effective nuts that could assist you reduce body weight are almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts.

“Nuts these types of as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are great sources of protein and healthier fat that assistance retain you satiated and total for for a longer period durations,” Wilson states. “They also give various vitamins such as fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium that assist in general wellbeing.” Nuts are a excellent snack alternative, way too! They are superior in protein, fiber, and healthy fats, all of which promote weight loss and hold you fuller, lengthier. Almonds, in unique, make a fantastic addition to a morning bowl of oats.

Greek Yogurt

Wen and Wilson also recommend their consumers try to eat Greek yogurt when they are hungry. Greek yogurt can act as a excellent snack or a delicious and wholesome dessert simply because it is loaded with protein and is metabolism-boosting.

“Greek yogurt is chock whole of probiotics,” Wen suggests, “which are crucial for gut wellness and are useful for digestion and excess weight administration.”

Wilson agrees, incorporating that Greek yogurt is, an exceptional resource of protein, which allows hold you feeling full and happy. It truly is also minimal in energy and substantial in calcium and probiotics, which support gut overall health.” Yum!

The Bottom Line

In the end listening to your system and feeding you when you’re hungry is the healthiest route to take even when you might be doing the job to shed bodyweight. Mindfully having and getting nutrient-dense foodstuff like fish, nuts, and Greek yogurt will help satiate your hunger. On the other hand, Wen and Wilson endorse keeping away from processed meals and sugary beverages if you want to get rid of bodyweight!

Patient advocates push for aggressive crackdown on medical debt : Shots

Patient advocates push for aggressive crackdown on medical debt : Shots

Marcus and Allyson Ward were shelling out off a debt courting back again to the birth of their twins, Theo and Milo. They are between 100 million Americans with professional medical financial debt, in accordance to a KHN/NPR investigation.

Taylor Glascock for KHN and NPR


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Taylor Glascock for KHN and NPR

Marcus and Allyson Ward had been shelling out off a personal debt dating back again to the beginning of their twins, Theo and Milo. They are between 100 million Us citizens with healthcare debt, according to a KHN/NPR investigation.

Taylor Glascock for KHN and NPR

Dozens of advocates for sufferers and consumers, citing popular hurt brought on by health-related financial debt, are pushing the Biden administration to choose a lot more intense steps to defend Us citizens from health care charges and credit card debt collectors.

In letters to the IRS and the Consumer Fiscal Security Bureau, the teams simply call for new federal rules that amid other factors would prohibit debt for medically essential care from appearing on client credit rating reviews.

Advocates also want the federal governing administration to bar nonprofit hospitals from selling affected individual credit card debt or denying health-related treatment to people today with previous-due expenses, techniques that continue to be popular across the U.S., KHN observed.

And the teams are pressing the IRS to crack down on nonprofit medical center techniques that withhold fiscal guidance from minimal-profits clients or make help cumbersome to get, yet another frequent obstacle KHN documented.

“Each and every working day persons are obtaining to make decisions about housing and apparel and food items mainly because of professional medical credit card debt,” says Emily Stewart, govt director of Local community Catalyst, a Boston nonprofit foremost the energy. “It is seriously urgent the Biden administration acquire motion to place protections in area.”

Amid the extra than 50 teams supporting the initiative are national advocates such as the National Buyer Law Middle, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Modern society.

Nationwide, 100 million men and women have wellness treatment personal debt, in accordance to a KHN-NPR investigation, which has documented a disaster that is driving Americans from their homes, draining their financial savings, and avoiding thousands and thousands from accessing care they need to have.

Although some of the debt appears on credit studies, a great deal of it is hidden elsewhere as credit card balances, loans from family, or payment designs to hospitals and other health care providers.

Sick and struggling to pay, 100 million people in the U.S. live with medical debt

The scale of this issue and its toll have spurred numerous countrywide and state initiatives.

Last spring, the White Residence directed federal organizations to operate on relieving professional medical debts for veterans and to stop thinking of professional medical credit card debt in analyzing eligibility for some federally backed mortgages.

California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, and other states have enacted new regulations to develop client protections and demand hospitals inside of their borders to increase economic aid. And the 3 premier credit history agencies — Equifax, Experian, and Transunion — reported they would halt which include some health-related financial debt on credit experiences as of last July.

But a lot of consumer and individual advocates say the steps, though essential, continue to leave thousands and thousands of People vulnerable to economical ruin if they turn out to be ill or hurt. “It is significant that the CFPB consider added motion,” the teams compose to the federal agency established in 2010 to bolster oversight of consumer financial goods.

The key credit history ranking providers, for illustration, agreed to exclude only debts that have been paid off and unpaid debts of a lot less than $500. Sufferers with greater health-related expenditures they can not pay back may well nonetheless see their credit rating scores drop.

The groups also are asking the CFPB to eradicate deferred fascination on health-related credit history cards. This arrangement is popular for sellers this sort of as CareCredit, whose financial loans have no interest at first but can exceed 25{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} if clients don’t spend off the bank loan in time.

Assortment sector officers have lobbied against broader restrictions on credit reporting, saying limitations would acquire absent an crucial resource that hospitals, physicians’ workplaces, and other health-related suppliers want to obtain their funds and stay in enterprise.

“We recognize the worries, but a wide ban on credit score reporting could have some unintended penalties,” reported Jack Brown III, president of Florida-dependent Gulf Coastline Collection Bureau, citing the prospect of battling hospitals and other companies closing, which would lessen treatment selections.

Brown, a previous president of ACA Worldwide, the selection industry’s major trade affiliation, warned that much more healthcare suppliers would also start off demanding upfront payment, putting more tension on individuals.

Medical debt upended their lives. Here's what it took from them

To even more protect clients from out-of-pocket charges like these, lots of advocates say hospitals, especially all those that are exempt from taxes since they are meant to serve the community, must make money aid more available, a key need in the group’s letters. “For much too prolonged, nonprofit hospitals have not been behaving like nonprofits,” reported Liz Coyle, executive director of the nonprofit Georgia Look at.

Charity treatment is available at most U.S. hospitals. And nonprofit medical devices must provide assist as a problem of getting tax-exempt. But at several professional medical centers, info about this guidance is challenging or unattainable to come across.

Benchmarks also fluctuate commonly, with help at some hospitals minimal to individuals with cash flow as lower as $13,590 a calendar year. At other hospitals, individuals building five or 6 periods that substantially can get aid.

The end result is prevalent confusion that has remaining countless people who should really have been eligible for assist with huge expenses instead. A 2019 KHN analysis of healthcare facility tax filings found that virtually half of nonprofit health-related methods had been billing people with incomes lower adequate to qualify for charity care.

The groups are inquiring the IRS to situation principles that would established popular specifications for charity care and a uniform application throughout nonprofit hospitals. (Current rules for charity treatment do not use to for-revenue or general public hospitals.)

The advocates also want the federal company to reinforce limits on how considerably nonprofit hospitals can cost and to curtail aggressive collection techniques this kind of as foreclosing on patients’ homes or denying or deferring professional medical treatment.

Far more than two-thirds of hospitals sue sufferers or acquire other lawful action from them, such as garnishing wages or putting liens on property, in accordance to a recent KHN investigation. A quarter promote patients’ money owed to credit card debt collectors, who in convert can go after sufferers for many years for unpaid bills. About 1 in 5 deny nonemergency treatment to individuals with remarkable financial debt.

“Charitable institutions, which have other procedures of assortment accessible to them, should not be permitted to withhold desired clinical care as a signifies to strain patients to pay back,” the groups wrote.

KHN (Kaiser Overall health News) is a countrywide, editorially impartial application of KFF (Kaiser Spouse and children Basis).

The Role of Retail Pharmacies in the Evolving Landscape of Clinical Research

The Role of Retail Pharmacies in the Evolving Landscape of Clinical Research
The world of clinical research is constantly evolving, and one of the most significant shifts in recent years has been the entrance of retail pharmacies into the space. Companies like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Kroger have become leaders in retail clinical research, offering patients more convenient access to clinical trials. However, while these companies benefit the clinical research space, there are some concerns.

CVS has emerged as a leader in the retail clinical research space, with around 100 Minute Clinics that can support clinical research, and has extensive patient and claims data, which can be used to conduct outreach to patients interested in participating in clinical research, and support protocol optimization. The convenience of these locations makes clinical research more accessible to patients, especially those living far from academic medical centers and lacking easy access to clinical trials.

The emergence of retail pharmacies has the potential to make clinical trials more diverse and accessible. These companies can help recruit more diverse and local patient populations by reaching out to patients directly, which is critical as clinical trial populations have historically been skewed toward specific demographics and supplement patient diversity by going global rather than ensuring local patient representation. Additionally, real-world evidence data from pharmacies can be used to design more thorough protocols and studies; biopharmaceutical companies are analyzing patient data using machine learning algorithms to design better studies.

However, despite the potential benefits of retail pharmacy clinical research, patient participation in clinical trials remains low, with only 3{bf0515afdcaddba073662ceb89fbb62b6b1bf123143c0e06b788e1946e8c353f} of patients participating in trials (as mentioned by Debbie Profit, Vice President, Clinical Management and Applied Innovation at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals at SCOPE). One of the reasons for this is the inconvenience of clinical trials, with patients having to take time off work, travel to the clinic, and deal with other burdensome requirements. To address this, the industry must focus on making clinical trials more convenient for patients by offering remote participation options and flexible scheduling.

Josh Rose, VP, Head of Clinical Trial Delivery, Site Solutions, and Strategy at CVS, presented the results of a survey CVS conducted on patients at SCOPE 2023, indicating that patients prefer decentralized clinical trial methods, such as having a study site close to their homes, appointment flexibility, and telehealth study visits.

Sid Jain Johnson, Head, Global Development Data Science Strategy & Portfolio at Janssen, emphasized the industry’s recognition of patient burden and the need for change at SCOPE. He shared his experience driving an hour each way to see a specialist and how it deters him from participating in trials. He believes that the industry is acknowledging this challenge and working towards making clinical trials more patient-centered.

Another potential benefit of retail pharmacies in the clinical research space is the ability to offer more personalized care to patients. Retail pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients seeking medical advice and can play a critical role in identifying potential clinical trial candidates. By working closely with clinical trial teams, retail pharmacists can help ensure patients receive the necessary information and support to participate in clinical trials. This personalized approach to patient care can help build trust and improve patient outcomes, ultimately benefiting the entire healthcare system.

The role of retail pharmacies in the evolving landscape of clinical research is not without controversy. For example, the fact that these enterprises are new at clinical trials brings clinical trial quality oversight and data quality concerns that could compromise the safety and efficacy of new treatments. There are also concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as retail companies have a financial stake in revenue generation since they’re publicly held and may compromise patient safety or data quality for financial gain; alternatively, privately-held study sites may focus less on finances and more on conducting quality clinical trials. While retail pharmacies can help recruit diverse patient populations, barriers to participation still need to be addressed, such as patient burden and the inconveniences stemming from poor protocol design, a sponsor’s responsibility.

In summary, retail pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Kroger have the potential to transform the clinical research industry by offering more convenient access to clinical trials and helping to recruit diverse patient populations. However, the industry must address the patient burden by providing more convenient and accessible options to increase patient participation. The quality of data collected in these settings and potential conflicts of interest must also be addressed to ensure patient safety and data integrity. By doing so, clinical trials can become more representative of the patient population, leading to better treatments and medications.

Moe Alsumidaie, MBA, MSF, is a thought leader and expert in the application of business analytics toward clinical trials, and regular contributor to Applied Clinical Trials.

How major retailers are trying to change how America consumes health care

Illustration of a price tag in the shape of a red cross

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Amazon, Walmart, CVS, Dollar General and other big retailers are elbowing their way into health care delivery, pushing a customized consumer experience driven by digital health products.

What’s happening: At its core, these companies are pulling together different tech-enabled services — urgent, primary, home and specialty care, pharmacy, and, in some cases, full integration with an insurer.

  • “Convenience is really front and center to those plays. They are trying to capture the attention of the patient when they already own that consumer,” Caroline Hofmann, head of emerging businesses at virtual specialty care company Thirty Madison.

Why it matters: A more user-friendly portal to the health system could lead to more engaged patients and better access to care in underserved areas. It could even yield a sustainable model for profitably offering better care for less money.

  • But the retailers’ forays are prompting growing anti-trust and privacy concerns, as well as fears of further erosion of the doctor-patient relationship once considered central to coordinated care.

What they are saying: “If you fast forward 10 years from now, people are not going to believe how primary care was administered,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in a recent announcement about the company’s $3.9 billion acquisition of concierge medicine provider One Medical.

  • With that deal, which closed last month, Amazon brought in an on-demand virtual care services platform, more than 125 locations and a piece of the Medicare Advantage business.

Driving the news: Yesterday, Best Buy Health launched a hospital-at-home program with North Carolina-based Atrium Health. The tech retailer bought the remote patient monitoring company Current Health in 2021. Best Buy said it will provide patient education, its at-home care platform and devices, and technical support via specially-trained Geek Squad agents.

  • It came on the heels of Walmart Health announcing last week that it plans to nearly double the footprint of its in-store clinics, which offer primary, behavioral health vision and dental care. In the fall, Walmart also inked a 10-year Medicare Advantage deal with UnitedHealth Group.
  • In January, CVS Health announced a plan to buy Oak Street Health, a primary care group focused on Medicare patients. The pharmacy giant already owns insurer Aetna, pharmacy benefit manager CVS-Caremark, home health company Signify Health and health care service brands MinuteClinic and HealthHUB.
  • Also in January, Walgreens-backed primary care company VillageMD, scooped up more primary, specialty and urgent care investments, augmenting plans to open more than 500 full-service doctors’ offices in Walgreens locations,
  • Other companies like Rite Aid, Albertson’s, and Dollar General have launched programs in health care delivery.

Between the lines: Amazon, CVS and Walmart have made some of the most consequential moves by combining their massive retail footprints with assets like primary or urgent care sites, pharmacies and some sort of relationship with insurers, experts say.

  • “They’re all acquiring every piece of medicine,” Robert Pearl, a Stanford University professor and former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, told Axios.
  • “Medicine as we know it will be very very different assuming they’re successful. They’re big companies, they’re smart companies.”

Be smart: Depending on the retailer, patients might have access to virtual care services, book appointments and fill prescriptions via an app.

  • They could get same-day care, get preventative services like vaccines and pick up their drugs in-store. A health worker might walk them down store aisles and guide them to healthy food purchases and wellness products.

In the first wave of this trend, retailers were more focused on urgent care or one-off visits for vaccines, said Jacob Effron, a principal at Redpoint Ventures.

  • “The criticism that could’ve been levied at that is that patients could just go for that ad hoc care and not have an ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor,” he said.
  • In recent months, retailers are investing in end-to-end primary care. “That’s what gets me increasingly excited about their role because there’s only so much you can do as the urgent care provider and much much more you can do when you have that longitudinal relationship between the doctor and a patient over time,” Effron said.

Between the lines: Each of these businesses also are clearly eyeing a very lucrative segment of health care: Medicare Advantage. More than half of eligible seniors are now covered by privately-run Medicare.

  • Medicare Advantage is attractive because its payment models are geared toward rewarding providers for wellness and prevention care. Payments are capped so there’s an incentive to use integrated care to keep people healthy rather than providing services when they are sick.
  • For some retailers, it’s similar to the Kaiser Permanente model, where the payer and provider are completely aligned, Pearl said. But the retailers could create an HMO on steroids.
  • “Why has Kaiser Permanente never really expanded nationally? It’s very hard to get enough of a population in a local area to provide it. You can’t hire enough specialists, enough doctors,” he said. “The beauty of the retail giants is how big they are. If you get every Amazon Prime member to join, they immediately have enough volume they need to put in place a high-functioning system.”

What to watch: How these businesses evolve.

  • Amazon until now has been mostly virtual in its offerings, Effron said. “It begs the question, will they do a similar model to what some of these others have done and put clinics in Whole Foods?”

The bottom line: This still makes up a very small segment of health care delivery — and may not solve the medical system’s biggest problems.

  • “These players ultimately have to deliver the same or better outcomes at a lower cost in order to be in-network and get recommended by payers as well as picked by the employers,” Hofmann said.
  • And, she said, they can certainly increase access. “It remains to be seen if they can really bend the cost curve,” she said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Caroline Hofmann’s name.

4 tips to boost your family’s nutrition and fitness this spring

(BPT) – With warmer weather just around the corner, it’s the perfect time for you and your family to spring into action and really hone in on overall nutrition and wellness. Not sure where to start? Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner shares easy ways to elevate your family’s goals! From fun physical activities you can do together, to healthy habits you can implement today, you won’t believe how these simple tips will impact positive change in your family!

1. Make the most of longer days and get active

As spring extends daylight hours, it’s easier for families to get outside and get moving, which allows you to enjoy even more quality time together! Blatner suggests adding a family bike ride, a neighborhood walk or an outdoor game to your after-dinner routine to promote physical activity. Need new ideas to encourage outdoor play with youngsters? Try creating a backyard obstacle course, relay race or nature scavenger hunt.

2. Prep for better sleep with pre-bedtime habits

Springtime, especially with Daylight Saving Time, can wreak havoc on your regular sleep schedule. If you plan ahead, however, good nighttime habits can improve relaxation, so the whole family can get a better night’s sleep.

You can encourage prep for rest by shutting down electronics an hour before bedtime and keeping phones and other devices out of kids’ bedrooms. This can help everyone to wind down and fall asleep faster at night, while lessening screen time.

3. Spring clean and organize your kitchen

The spring is a great time of year to de-clutter and sanitize your household, as a thorough cleaning can help reduce the levels of allergens, bacteria and viruses that could be present in your home. Blatner recommends starting with the most frequently used rooms first, like the kitchen.

By cleaning out and reorganizing your fridge and pantry, you can choose to put wholesome ingredients like fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, oats, avocado and eggs at eye level. When meal-prepping for the school week ahead, you’ll tend to grab these foods more often and guarantee your kids will be getting in their nutrition.

4. Amp up your family’s nutrition with fun recipes

Make it a family goal to try a new recipe each week, with a focus on incorporating nutrient-packed ingredients. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time, make sure you’re choosing wholesome ingredients like Eggland’s Best eggs, which have more than six times the Vitamin D and double the Omega-3s and Vitamin B12 compared to ordinary eggs.

Check out these Oatmeal Snack Bars from Eggland’s Best! It’s a delicious and easy recipe that provides a quick boost of energy in the mornings, or can be eaten on the go to support your family’s overall wellness and nutrition.

Oatmeal Snack Bars
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients

  • 2 Large Eggland’s Best eggs
  • 1 mashed ripe banana (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almond flour (or whole wheat flour)
  • 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In bowl, whisk Eggland’s Best eggs, mashed banana, maple syrup and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, mix together oats, flour, chocolate chips, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
4. Add egg mixture (wet ingredients) to the oat mixture (dry ingredients) and stir.
5. Spread batter into an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until set in middle and golden around edges.
7. Let cool and cut into 16 squares.

Kick off the spring season right!

Eggland’s Best has teamed up with the YMCA to encourage families to improve their overall nutrition and wellness routine. From now until May 5th, enter the “Recipe for a Healthy Family” Sweepstakes daily for a chance to win the Grand Prize of $5,000, a $250 grocery store gift card and more! Visit EBFamilySweeps.com for Official Rules and how to enter.

Is EU MDR harming medical device innovation?

Is EU MDR harming medical device innovation?
Image credit: John Lamb/Getty Images

The extensive technical documentation requirements of the EU’s Medical Device Regulation (EU mDR) are curbing opportunities for early device development according to industry leaders.

At the Outsourcing In Clinical Trials: Medical Devices Europe 2023 meeting on February 21-22, Philips clinical project manager Deborah Ann Schuster shared some of the pain points that companies are encountering since implementation of the new rules.

In addition to time and resource constraints, Schuster said physicians and SMEs are disincentivised to begin prototype testing and trials due to the huge increases in technical documentation required by the EU MDR.

“Before the MDR was implemented, the key innovators of medical devices were able to easily set up an investigator-initiated trial,” said Schuster. “But now the requirements for the submission of technical documentation to begin these trials is way more challenging. EU MDR requires the innovators to prepare time-consuming documentation and they need much more manpower and funding to comply with the regulations.”

As most device innovation comes from startups or research groups, Schuster explained that this is having a negative impact on the large companies.

“The drivers of innovation are often the potential users, meaning physicians and physician researchers. They come up with the idea for a new device, or suggestions to improve existing devices and often those researcher physicians are the ones who develop the first prototypes. So, one of big challenges we are seeing with the MDR is in innovation of novel devices.”

To navigate these challenges, Schuster said some companies are looking for alternatives, including leveraging flexibility within different EU competent authorities.

In Slovenia, an infrastructure of CROs and trial sites is building for early development studies as the country has some flexibility compared to other.

However, other companies are looking further afield and opting to leave Europe for the US, she added.

“I assume that many companies will move to the US because prototype innovation and testing is way easier than it is here. For our Munich Philips team this is not an option because shipping outside of Europe for a second prototype will make our studies even more complex, but for other companies, it could be an option. But what we want here in Europe is to keep the innovation and keep the early development where it has been invented.”

The EU MDR and IVDR regulations became effective in May 2017 but have become applicable over a transition period, to allow time for companies to acclimate to the new requirements. In , the European Commission implemented a proposal to extend the transitional period to certify medical devices under the MDR. The proposal allows more time for manufacturers to transition from the previously applicable rules to the new requirements.

For high-risk devices, the transition period to the new rules will be shorter (extended to December 31, 2027), whereas the medium and lower risk devices will have a longer transition period (extended to December 31, 2028). The proposal also introduces a transition period for Class III implantable custom-made devices. Manufacturers will have until May 26, 2026, to certify such devices.

Supply chain, operations, outsourcing and other key topics will be discussed with industry experts and leading speakers at Arena International’s upcoming Clinical Trials events across the globe.