The world is full of unique and exciting technologies but rarely do we ever see them in practice. Big-name tech companies will announce all kinds of scientific discoveries, people will talk about their potential applications, then the media will report on it and get the world excited.

But then they just disappear.

This is actually incredibly common in the world of technology, especially when it comes to a highly-specialized industry such as healthcare. There are many reasons for this, but there’s also a silver lining when it comes to having more technologically-advanced healthcare options.

It takes a long time to adopt new technologies

The world is slow when it comes to adopting new technologies. In fact, it wasn’t until 2018 that the US military stopped using floppy disks (made all the way back in 1967) were used to coordinate nuclear launches. The healthcare industry is no different.

This is because the healthcare industry can’t just stop and allow its systems to be upgraded–it’s constantly working. For instance, pausing a hospital’s services could endanger the lives of hundreds of people, and without proper field testing, there’s no telling what could go wrong.

When you’re ill or have a health problem, the last thing you want is for anything to make it worse. However, trying to deal with the healthcare system can only add to your problems. Navigating the healthcare system often takes a lot of work, from trying to find the right provider to dealing with insurance and even having to stay in hospital. If you want to be able to navigate the system better, try these tips.

Find the Right Provider

A good healthcare provider will be able to meet your needs at all times. They will keep you in the loop, and ensure you always know your options. However, finding the right provider can be tough. It’s important to take your time when trying to find the best healthcare provider for your needs.

Understand Your Options

It can be confusing when a medical professional is explaining something to you. Being unwell is often frightening, and making big decisions doesn’t come easily to everyone. You should be sure you have medical staff who take the time to explain your options to you but also do your own research to find out more.

There’s nothing worse than feeling out of sorts and thanks to the colder weather making its way in, cold and flu bugs are lurking at every corner. Unfortunately, resting up while you get over any winter illnesses isn’t always an option and if you’ve got to try and find the strength to soldier on, then check out these tips on how to find that get-up and go when the winter bugs hit your home.

Image Source

Stock up on essentials

When illnesses hit your home you’ll need to stock up on plenty of essentials to make it through the coming days. Things such as:

• Tissues
• Vicks vapour rub
• Anti diarrhoea tablets
• NSAIDs (paracetamol and ibuprofen/Calpol for the kids)
• Hot water bottles
• Throat sweets
• Healthy and nutritious food
• honey

Can really help improve the way you’re feeling. Make sure that you’re dosed up as much as possible to take away the gruelling symptoms of a fever or a sore throat, and use as many relief options as possible so that you can feel the best you possibly can.

Starve the bug, feed the flu

An important rule to remember if you do fall sick is to starve the bug and feed the flu. A vomiting stomach bug will thrive on food and make you unwell for longer than needed. Avoid eating for as long as possible and isolate yourself for at least 48 hours to prevent passing it onto those around you.

Whereas the flu symptoms that come with a cold resolve faster if you’re well-fed with healthy and nutritious food and drinks. Add a spring to your step by eating meat for breakfast and adding some well-needed protein into your body to last through the day. Other foods that will make you feel better quickly are warm and softer/liquid foods such as chicken soup.

Give yourself time to relax

While you still may need to go to work, look after the kids and keep up with the housework, remember that it’s perfectly okay to give yourself time to relax and get over your illness. Leave the housework and put your feet up as soon as possible. You’ll feel like a whole new person after some much-needed rest!

Another great tip for a cold is to take a very warm bath in eucalyptus. This helps ‘sweat’ out your illness while freeing up your airways that were feeling oh-so-blocked up. Putting vapour rub on the soles of your feet and wearing socks to bed can also help relieve a nasty cough when you’re trying to sleep.

Go and see your GP

Finally, while most illnesses last between 24 hours and a week, sometimes you can find yourself feeling unwell for longer periods of time. If you’ve been feeling out of sorts for over a week without any improvement, make an appointment with your GP as you may have an infection. If you are one of those people who feel you don’t need to see the doctor, but the problem won’t go away, there may be something underneath. Common signs of uncontrolled asthma are exacerbated in the winter, but not noticeable during the summer months. If you struggle to breathe during the winter, a prescribed asthma pump may help you through the gruesome winter months. Remember, if you’re not sure, always consult your GP or pharmacist for advice.

With these tips and a whole lot of stocking up to do, you’ll battle through any illnesses that hit you or your home and feel better in no time!

Image Credit

Whether it’s an accident, injury or illness, any impact on a person’s health can be devastating. It’s not just the daily pain and inconveniences to deal with, it can affect just about every area of your life from your relationships to your job to your mental health. While it’s never a nice situation to be in, if you have found yourself suffering with poor health then there are some things you can do to make things run more smoothly moving forward. Here are a few ideas.

Improve the rest of your health

Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with an illness which has come about because you haven’t looked after yourself very well- it could be due to smoking, drinking or eating badly. Don’t punish or blame yourself now since that’s not helpful- but do use the wake up call to get the rest of your health up to scratch. You’re not alone, unfortunately many of us need a real scare with our health to actually do something about our ways because it involves breaking the habits of a lifetime. No matter what condition you’ve been diagnosed with, eating well, exercising according to your doctors instructions and giving up your dangerous vices like smoking will all benefit you. This illness or injury now could even be acting as a blessing in disguise, if it causes you to improve your lifestyle choices which could prevent worse health later down the line. You should also make sure that you consult your doctor with concerns that don’t tie in to your main condition. They’re still important and may need to be tackled. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medication and treatment or recommend alternative treatments, which you can read more here.

Consider your career

It’s very possible that your health condition or injury could force you to have to give up work. If you previously worked a very manual job for example then it might no longer be possible. But even with pain and mobility problems, numerous doctors appointments to attend and more, it could be hard to even get to a simple desk job each day. One thing worth doing in this case would be to start your own venture; set up something you can do from home and on your own terms. Something like blogging or freelancing for example would work well, it would give you a good income stream without any major commitments and be very flexible around your condition and commitments. Otherwise you could ask your current workplace to be flexible around you, such as allowing you to work from home some days or take time off when needed and make it up elsewhere.

Get professional help

All of this can be a scary situation to be in, but you don’t have to do it alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out for professional help if you need it. First things first, you could check and see what financial assistance you’re entitled to, if you can’t work or have been made disabled then you could be given help from the state to cover your basic costs. This can instantly ease the pressure since you’ll know that you won’t be made homeless. If someone was to blame as a result of your condition then you could also look into compensation, from failed back syndrome to neglect at work, injury lawyers cover a large range of scenarios and can get you the money you’re owed. Finally, additional help such as home care, food delivery services, maid service and laundry services can all come in really handy when you’re no longer able to do these things yourself. Even if it’s just in the short term while you learn to cope it can ease the burden massively.

Lean on your support system

Finally, lean on your support system if you need to. Acknowledge that this is a difficult time in your life, having people there for you can make everything feel a lot easier. Don’t be too proud to ask for help or advice, or just a shoulder to cry on. It’s natural for your mental health to take a hit when something like this happens, being open with friends and family will ensure you don’t sink too low. They can keep an eye on you, encourage you and push you into getting help when you need it. They can offer a different perspective to help you to see things in a new way and hopefully cope with everything better.

Have you ever been in this situation? What happened and what advice would you give others going through the same thing?