NEWSLETTER
In 2017 the US population was 325,719,178. In 2017 the US spent $3.5 Trillion on healthcare.That’s $10,746.00 per person, the most of any country in the world. The average lifespan in the US is 78.6 years. That ranks us about 30th in the world and last of the 12 major industrialized countries. According to the CDC, the lifespan in the US has declined every year since 2014. $ 10,746
If we spend more money than anyone else, why aren’t we healthier?
Keep reading inside…
NEWSLETTER
February 2019
Independently owned and operated since 1997
Helping Aches & Pains
Everyone develops aches and pains from time to time. After a long day out in the sun, or after an afternoon of trying to keep up with household chores, sometimes the tasks that we expect of our bodies can get the best of us. Whether it is a lingering ache in your back, feet that feel swollen and tired after a long day in your shoes, or a crick in your neck that just won’t go away, dealing with aches and pains can really take a toll on your overall feeling of wellbeing. If you stopped and asked around, you’d be amazed to see how many people are struggling with aches and pains, just like you. What may surprise you even more is how many people are coping with those pains without doing anything productive about it. How To Deal With Aches & Pains Pain medications can reduce the severity of aches and pains for a little while, but they don’t do anything to resolve the issue. There are things that you can do at home to alleviate your aches and pains, helping to reduce the severity of your discomfort while also reducing the likelihood that the pain will return. Don’t just complain about those aches and pains. Start doing something about them. Here is a quick rundown of things that you can do at home that can reduce your daily pain: 1. Use hot and cold therapy appropriately to reduce inflammation. After a good workout or a day of doing chores out in the yard, your muscles will likely feel sore. Apply ice directly to the area
that hurts on and off for 20 minutes at a time during the first 24-72 hours after the pain develops. After that, consider soaking in hot water, such as taking a warm bath, to further soothe your muscles. 2. Don’t underestimate the power of resting! Your body relies on sleep just as much as your brain. You need to get plenty of sleep to keep your stress level at a minimum—and that includes your physical stress level. Aim to sleep between 7-9 hours every night. The more activity you engage in, the more sleep you need. 3. Keep your body in good shape with regular exercise. It may seem counterintuitive to cut down on pain by moving more, but exercise is a really good way to reduce aches and pains. When you exercise every day, you are able to train your muscles for more movement, and thereby reduce aches and pains. Keeping active, staying rested, and being smart with hot and cold therapy create a trifecta for healthy management of aches and pains, but they aren’t going to solve the bigger problems. When aches and pains start to grow severe, or chronic, it is time to reach out to a professional for support. Physical therapy is the best way to reduce aches and pains because it takes into account a combination of active and passive strategies to help tackle the cause of your pain.
WHY PHYSICAL THERAPY?
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4 5 2 7 There are a lot of different reasons as towhy youmay start feeling aches and pains. Muscle pain will occur whenever your muscles start to grow. To build more muscle mass, your muscles have to stretch, and lactic acid can pour into the lining of your muscles to causeaburningsensation.Moremovementwillpushthatacidout, helping you to experience relief. In time, your muscles will develop increased elasticity, and the burning won’t be so severe. Build-up of tension from stress or overuse, and muscle pain from poor posture can also contribute to regular pain. A physical therapist can take a comprehensive assessment to help determine what may be the primary cause behind your aches and pains. Working with a physical therapist can help you develop a new approachtomanagingyourachesandpains.Yourphysicaltherapy programwill likely take into account strategies like hydrotherapy, deep tissuemassage, guided stretching and targetedmovements tohelpyouexperienceongoingrelieffromregular discomfort.Give us a call sowe can help you say goodbye to your aches and pains. Call425.820.2110toscheduleyourappointmentwithWashington Physical Therapy and Rehab today! 2 3 8 6 4 2 1 7 9 5 7 3 2 1 4 5 8 2 9 4 7 8 9 8 6 5 9 http://1sudoku.com n° 229777 - Level Medium 7 3 9 6 1 6 2 8 9 4
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9 2 5 SUDOKU PUZZLE 4 1 4 2 6 8 http://1sudoku.com The goal of Sudoku is to fill in the numbers 1-9 xactly once in every row, column, and 3 x 3 region. n° 228310 - Level Medium
Relieve Back Pain In Minutes Try this movement to relieve back pain.
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Supporter’s Bridge Lie on your back with knees bent and feet hip distance apart. Place your feet close enough so they can be touched by the finger tips. Inhale and lift the hips, place a block under the sacrum. Keep the chest open. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat 10 times.
Call 425.820.2110 or visit www.waptrehab.com to schedule your appointment today! Play on your mobile these puzzles and find their solutions by flashing the cod n° 229777 n° 222047 n° 228310 n° 2632
PATIENT SUCCESS STORY
HEALTHY RECIPE
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Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms
“I am walking with no pain at all!”
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Ingredients • 20 medium mushrooms • 1/4 cup chopped shallots, scallions or onion • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar • 1/2 tsp soy sauce • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach • 1/2 cup Plain Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt • Salt and pepper to taste
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Directions Wash themushroomsandcarefully remove thestemswithoutbreaking thecaps. Finely chop the stems. Combine the shallots, garlic and vinegar in a small skillet orsaucepanandcook for1 to2minutes.Add thechoppedmushroomstemsand soysauceandcook,stirringoccasionally, for3 to5minutes,until themushrooms softenand release their juices.Add thespinachandcook,continuing tostir,until it is wilted and the liquid in the pan is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes, then stir in the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stuff the spinach filling into the mushroom caps.Place themushrooms inabakingpanandbake for20minutes,until tender. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes for the filling to set before serving. Yields 20 mushrooms. http://www.organicitsworthit.org/make/spinach-stuffed-mushrooms
3 2 4 1 8 4 “I was experiencing pain in both hips and walking was difficult. Every step was painful. My first session at WAPT resulted in a significant improvement. After 6 weeks I am now walking with no pain at all, even after working all day on my feet.” - Gerald F. 5 7 6 8 1 5 7 2
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6 1 2 8 5 Has Your Pain Come Back? Call Today! 425.820.2110 n° 26328 - Level Medium
This coupon good for FREE Consultation! Valid now through 2/28/19
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Feel free to call us and ask to speak to your therapist.
Mention or bring in this coupon for a FREE Consultation with one of our physical therapy specialists!
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1 Your therapist can discuss with you why your pain is bothering you again and what you might do about it at home. If further assessment is warranted, your therapist might recommend you come in for an appointment. 2 4 3 8
The free consultation is ideal for people suffering with:
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• Lower back pain • Herniated discs • Sciatica
• Spinal stenosis • Stiffness • Muscle spasms
• Arthritis • Upper back pain
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n° 28718 n° 225044 Where Do My Healthcare Dollars Go? See The Insert
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of Family Medicine and the University of Washington. Her team reviewed 150,000 insurance claims and discovered that patients with low back pain who saw a Physical Therapist first lowered their chance of using opioids by 89%, advanced imaging by 28%, and ED visits by 15%. That’s a significant saving in healthcare costs. Age Matters • People over age 65 account for 14% of the population, but spend 34% of the healthcare dollars (CMS). • 95.7% of people over age 65 have out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. 16.4% pay >$2,000 (CMS). • 97.2% of people over age 75 have out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. 18.6% pay >$2,000. Location Matters An article reviewed a total of 590,000 insurance subscribers and 136,000 Physical Therapy claims. They found that hospital outpatient Physical Therapy departments charged between 41-64% more than private PT clinics for the same service (2014, National Institute for Health Reform). Healthcare services are almost always more expensive in a hospital setting compared to a private facility (Wall Street Journal, 12/27/2018).
Healthcare in the US is a complicated and intricate business. Like an onion, there are many layers. When you start to peel them back, it makes your eyes water, and you want to cry. I’ve compiled some facts and figures about our healthcare spending habits in the US and want to share some of them with you today (sources are cited for your reference). Medications The US spent $3.5 Trillion on healthcare in 2017 (CMS). Of that, 9.8% or $343 Billion was spent on prescription medication. In October 2018, the FDA approved a new synthetic opiate (Dsuvia) that is ten times stronger than Fentanyl and 500-1,000 times stronger than Morphine! This was done despite objections from Dr. R. Brown, the chair of an FDA Drug Product Advisory Committee. In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses, and another 49,068 died in 2017. That is a 14% increase (NIH/ CDC). A study has shown that patients experiencing back, neck, shoulder, or knee pain who saw a Physical Therapist early on were less likely to take any opioids for their pain (JAMA Network Open/APTA). The CDC guidelines for chronic pain suggest that conservative treatment, including Physical Therapy, be considered a first-line treatment option vs opioid medication.
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Bianca Frogner, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Department
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Extra Fees and Hidden Costs Facility fees at a hospital emergency department (ED) can range from $533-$3,000 (VOX, Javier Zarraciona). Over the counter medication can cost $60-$238 in a hospital ED. This is the same ibuprofen or eye drops you can buy at the drug store or probably have in your medicine cabinet at home. One Seattle hospital charged $76 for bacitracin (just one of the ingredients in Neosporin) while a hospital in Tennessee charged a patient $1 for the same thing. Many times a hospital may be in network, but the doctor you see can be out of network and you get stuck with a higher than normal bill (FYI – this happened to me at Harborview). Hospital facility fees have grown 89% from 2009 to 2015. That’s twice the rate compared to overall healthcare expenses. Hospitals earn $1.8 million per year from each internal-medicine physician’s admissions and referrals for tests and other services in their own facility. This does not include money earned from referrals to specialists such as cardiologists or orthopedists (WSL, 12/27/2018). What Do We Need To Do? As consumers we need to take responsibility for our role in the rising cost of healthcare. Where and why we choose to seek treatment is important. Please don’t think that I’m encouraging you to stay home and not seek treatment. However, before taking a trip to the Emergency Department try calling the nurse hotline provided by your insurance company.
Call your Physical Therapist. As a former or current patient, you are our priority and we make every effort to see you immediately. We can begin to treat your pain and limitations in a safe and natural way to help you get back to normal without the need for medication or expensive tests or hospital visits. Ask questions and be proactive. YOU are in charge. Your doctor does not get to dictate where you seek treatment. In healthcare, YOU are the boss. YOU get to decide what type of treatment you want and where you want to get that treatment. Let me know what you think. I chose to write this summary based on feedback from several patients asking really good questions about what is going on in healthcare. Got an idea of another topic you want me to cover? Send an email or give me a call and let me know.
Thanks,
Mike
Mike lewis@WAPTrehab.com 425-820-2110
**Populationandhealthcarespendingdata isavailable through theUScensusbureau, theCenter forMedicareandMedicaidServices (CMS),and theNational InstituteofHealth.
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