- WellnessGeneral Page Tier 3BlogGetting ready to welcome a new member of the family comes swaddled with so much joy, excitement and expectation. But as a mom-to-be, you’re likely having moments of stress with that anticipation, too. Let’s face it — pregnancy can feel overwhelming sometimes. Nurturing and helping a new life grow requires a lot from you — physically and mentally. Of course, you need to make your growing baby’s needs a priority, but to do that well, you need to make yourself a priority, too. Sound too indulgent? If you’re one of those women who aren’t used to putting yourself first, it probably does. But it’s a good-health habit that will help you mother well in the years ahead when family life pulls you in many directions and you need to recharge. Here are six tips to help you find a balance during pregnancy and beyond: 1. Feed yourself and your baby well When you’re pregnant, you and your baby need a double dose of good nutrition to help nourish all the changes your bodies are going through. But, if pregnancy has you feeling nauseous, eating anything may be at the bottom of your to-do list. Or, maybe the only thing that sounds even a little tempting doesn’t score many points when it comes to logging nutritious food. Thankfully, morning sickness usually fades away by the end of your first trimester, and you can focus on eating the “good stuff:” plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and whole grains. Fuel yourself well and you’ll do the same for your baby. 2. Get plenty of rest Feeling tired during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, is normal. Some days, all you can think about is bedtime. When fatigue hits, nap when you can. Of course, work schedules, other kids, and day-to-day tasks of keeping up with life can make it tough to catch 40 winks. Discover the joy of a power nap. Putting up your feet and shutting your eyes for a quick 5-15 minutes is often all the recharge you need. Do your best to shut down early enough at night to give yourself a solid 7-9 hours of sleep. 3. Get moving If you’re healthy and your pregnancy is on track, don’t let your expanding baby bump keep you from being active. Regular exercise during pregnancy is energizing, mood-lifting, and a great way to work out stress. The American College of Gynecologists recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensive activity. That doesn’t mean training for a marathon. Thirty minutes five days a week of any activity — a brisk walk, raking leaves, bicycling — that raises your heart rate and works up a sweat does the job. Of course, talk with your doctor about exercising during pregnancy, even if you were active before. 4. Practice mindfulness Take time to tune in to your mind, body and baby. When you’re feeling stressed, tired or overwhelmed, shutting out the world and connecting with how you feel can be the reset you need. Journaling is one way to focus on how you’re feeling and track changes you and your growing baby are going through. You’ll also like having a record to look back on. 5. Drink up Making an effort to drink plenty of water may not seem like self-care when you’re making all those trips to the bathroom, but it takes more water to keep your system running for two when you’re pregnant. Your body needs water to: Build new tissue Carry and absorb nutrients Digest food Flush out wastes and toxins Form amniotic fluid Produce extra blood When you get in the recommended 64-96 ounces of water a day, you’re showing you and your baby lots of love. 6. Get the nest ready Creating order may be just what you need when you’re feeling and seeing so many changes in your body. Making lists of things you want to get done before you welcome your baby will help you feel more in control, which can help whittle away stress and anxiety. Don’t go crazy and overwhelm yourself with more to do than you can manage. Keep that list simple and top it with what’s most important. This was originally published in the Enquirer-Gazette. Authors Chasheryl Leslie, MD, is an obstetrician-gynecologist at Luminis Health Ob-Gyn Bowie.
- Allergies, TelehealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCoughing. Sneezing. Scratchy throat. Watery eyes. It must be allergy season! If you’re among the nearly one in ten Americans who experience seasonal allergies, you need no further explanation: You’re familiar with the bothersome symptoms that can leave you feeling miserable for days, weeks or even months at a time. But help may be closer than you think with telemedicine. What are the benefits of telemedicine? Visiting your doctor virtually (by phone, video or online chat) can save you time and make getting medical care easier. If you have transportation issues, for example, or are short on time, a telemedicine visit is a great option because you don’t even have to leave your home to receive care. When is telemedicine the right choice? Receiving virtual care for allergies may be the right option for you if: You are in the state of Maryland You are over the age of 13 You want to request a prescription or refill an allergy relief medication You have questions for your doctor about your allergy medicine You’ve developed a new non-emergency allergy symptom You’re experiencing a non-emergency side effect to allergy medication You’re scheduling a routine follow-up that you’ve already discussed with your doctor If you’re experiencing an emergency including difficulty breathing, severe allergic reaction, or chest pain, call 9-1-1 right away. What should I have ready? In advance of your appointment, make sure you have: A link to your virtual appointment, and the correct software and applications downloaded or open A list of medication you are taking or have taken recently A secure and reliable internet or Wi-Fi connection During your appointment, your doctor may ask you to describe or show your symptoms. It can be helpful to take pictures of affected areas in advance. Your doctor may also ask you about your family health history, so have an idea ahead of time of what (if any) health conditions your close family members have had. Before your visit, write down any questions you want to ask your doctor. Here are a few examples: Do I need to change my prescription or over-the-counter treatment? Do I need to schedule a follow-up? When? How soon should I expect to feel better? Having all these items in place can your doctor help you feel better, faster. When is in-person care needed? Virtual care is a great option, but it’s not the only option. At times, you may need to see your doctor face-to-face. Your doctor may need to perform an annual physical, for example, or a skin test for allergies. The same holds true if you have a long-term or more serious condition, such as asthma. Make sure to monitor your symptoms carefully, and talk to your doctor about your options. Help at your fingertips Your options for convenient care have grown over the past few years, making getting help for medical conditions like seasonal allergies easier than ever before. Don’t suffer a day longer than you have to: Give virtual care a try.
- Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIf you’ve had trouble keeping up with the latest on COVID-19—the variants, the vaccines, the masks and the mandates—you’re not alone. Parents especially have reported pandemic whiplash from divergent and changing recommendations as caseloads climb and recede. According to an ongoing national online survey of more than 2,000 randomly chosen U.S. parents of children under 18, 70% of mothers and 54% of fathers report feeling overwhelmed. Since this new data almost mirrors the results from March 2020, it seems that parents in the United States aren’t much clearer on the details than they were two years ago when the pandemic began. Some of the most recent COVID-19 recommendations relate to kids and booster shots. But, like everything related to the pandemic, the information is a bit murky. That’s why we’re here to help shed some light on what parents need to know. What is a booster? Because the immunity we build from an original vaccine can fade over time, an additional dose of the vaccine is sometimes needed to “boost” our protection against a virus or disease. Boosters not only help us to reduce our chance of getting sick; they can also lessen the severity of our symptoms and illness. It may also be helpful to know that vaccine boosters aren’t new. The shots our kids receive before going to elementary school are great examples. Those are boosters of vaccines they received when they were babies and toddlers that have been designed to give them additional protection now that they will be in school. Does your child need a COVID-19 booster? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone 12 and older should receive a COVID-19 booster shot. If your child is 12 or older and has received their vaccine, they should get their booster at least five months after receiving their second dose. It’s important to note that, as of right now, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only booster authorized by the CDC for kids 12 to 17. Does your child need a booster if they’re under 12? For the time being, boosters are only authorized for kids 12 to 17. However, if your child is between the ages of 5 and 11 and has a medical condition that weakens their immune system, they may be eligible for an additional dose of the vaccine 28 days after their second shot. This is not considered a booster, though. It simply means their vaccine series includes three doses instead of two. Your child may need a third dose if he or she: Has a disease that weakens the immune system, such as DiGeorge or Wiskott-Aldrich syndromes Has advanced or untreated HIV Is being treated for a blood cancer Is taking medicine that weakens the immune system Received an organ transplant Received a stem cell transplant in the past two years Talk to your doctor if you believe your child needs an additional vaccine dose. Find the latest updates As parents continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, communication remains critical. For the most up-to-date information on guidelines related to boosters and vaccines, visit the CDC’s site. Families can also find information that’s specific to them—and learn the latest advice as it’s released. This article was originally published on the Equirer Gazette. Authors Jean Murray is the director of infection prevention and epidemiology at Luminis Health.
- News & Press Releases, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogPeer-reviewed publication in New England Journal of Medicine validates findings first announced in December The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published final results of a nationwide multicenter study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that show plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and whose blood contains antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus, is an effective and safe option as an early outpatient treatment for the disease. Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center was one of twenty-two academic medical centers nationwide that participated in the study. The research showed that antibody-rich COVID-19 convalescent plasma —collected from recovered patients and administered to COVID-19 outpatients within nine days after testing positive — reduced the need for hospitalization by more than half. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently authorizes this plasma as a treatment option for inpatients and outpatients with immunocompromised status. “Based on our findings and conclusions — which are now validated through the peer-review process — we encourage health care professionals to keep SARS-CoV-2 antibody-rich blood plasma available in their blood banks as part of the treatment arsenal against early-stage COVID-19,” says study co-lead author David Sullivan, M.D., professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a joint appointment in infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “We believe that the best role for convalescent plasma is extending its use to early outpatient treatment when other therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies or drugs, are either not readily available — as in low- and middle-income countries — or ineffective, as with SARS-CoV-2 variants that are resistant to certain monoclonal antibodies,” Sullivan adds. “The research team at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC) honors the patients involved in this study who are among the more than 400 patients at LHAAMC who have participated in research studies for COVID-19,” said Barry Meisenberg, M.D., chair of the department of medicine at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center and local principal investigator for the study. “Their voluntary participation has led the search for lifesaving therapies, not just for themselves, but for future patients all around the world.” In the outpatient early-treatment study conducted between June 2020 and October 2021, the researchers provided 1,181 randomized patients with one dose each of either high antibody containing convalescent plasma (containing a concentrated mixture of antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2) or placebo control plasma (with no SARS-CoV-2 antibodies). The patients were 18 and older, and had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within eight days prior to transfusion. The study found that 17 patients out of 592 (2.9%) who received the convalescent plasma required hospitalization within 28 days of their transfusion, compared with 37 out of 589 (6.3%) who received placebo control plasma. This translated to a relative risk reduction for hospitalization of 54%. Patients treated within 5 days of the positive test appeared to have an even better outcome: reduction of 80% in the risk of hospitalization, similar to other authorized therapies. The next step, the researchers say, is to make convalescent more accessible to those who might need it. As part of that effort, they have provided clinicians with a guide for implementing a plasma transfusion center for outpatients with COVID-19, including logistical, staffing and blood banking requirements. The team also continues to seek more understanding of how convalescent plasma works. A soon-to-be published study will look at the ability of plasma to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants, including delta and omicron, despite no previous donor exposure to those viruses. You can read the pre-print manuscript here.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLuminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center has received an evaluation of 95 out of 100 and the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees. “This recognition reaffirms our responsibility to treat everyone equally, and reflects the value we, as an organization, place on recognizing and respecting the differences that everyone has to offer,” said Sherry Perkins, president of Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. “Thank you to our LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group for developing policies that create an inclusive environment for our patients and teammates. Discrimination has no place in this hospital and we will continue to make positive changes that benefit the communities we serve.” “Every person deserves to have access to quality healthcare, be respected and heard by their doctor, and feel safe in the facility where they are receiving care. But LGBTQ+ people are often subject to discrimination in all spaces, including healthcare facilities, which leads to members of the community avoiding care and anticipating our voices will not be respected in an incredibly vulnerable environment,” said Tari Hanneman, Director of Health & Aging at The Human Rights Campaign. “The Healthcare Equality Index, at its core, strives to ensure LGBTQ+ people are protected and affirmed by their healthcare providers and feel safe seeking services. Our HEI active participants are truly pioneering the healthcare industry by implementing robust, comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that hopefully, because of their work, will become standard practice.” The HEI evaluates and scores healthcare facilities on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars: Foundational Policies and Training in LGBTQ+ Patient-Centered Care; LGBTQ+ Patient Services and Support; Employee Benefits and Policies; and, Patient and Community Engagement. “This designation demonstrates our commitment to our RISE values – Respect, Inclusion, Service, & Excellence. We RISE by lifting others,” said Manny Ocasio, chief human resource officer for Luminis Health. “One of the strategic goals of Vision 2030 is to become the number one employer of choice in the region where 100 percent of our team members find joy at work. This honor signifies that we remain true to our vision.” In the 2022 report, an impressive 496 facilities earned HRC’s “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation, receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100. Another 251 facilities earned the “Top Performer” designation with scores between 80 to 95 points and at least partial credit in each section. With 82% of participating facilities scoring 80 points or more, health care facilities are demonstrating concretely that they are going beyond the basics when it comes to adopting policies and practices in LGBTQ+ care.
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