When you call WhiteGlove Health and schedule an appointment to be seen in your home or office, do you know who will come to your door? Many of our members are unsure who will deliver their care when they use WhiteGlove. Some expect a nurse, some expect a doctor, and some expect a Physician’s Assistant. But at WhiteGlove Health, our care is delivered by board certified family practice Nurse Practitioners.

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, NPs are “advanced practice nurses who provide high-quality healthcare services similar to those of a physician. NPs diagnose and treat a wide range of health problems. They have a unique approach and stress both care and cure. Besides clinical care, NPs focus on health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling. They help patients make wise health and lifestyle choices.”

Here is a short list of what a Nurse Practitioner can do:

• Order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work

• Diagnose, evaluate, manage and treat acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infections and injuries

• Prescribe medications and other treatments

• Manage patients’ overall care

• Spend time counseling patients

• Help patients learn how their actions affect their health and well-being

• Conduct physical examinations

• Prescribe physical therapy and other rehabilitation treatments

• Provide well-child care, including screening and immunizations

What education do Nurse Practitioners have?

All Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have completed extensive additional education, training, and have an expanded scope of practice over the traditional RN role. Most NPs are nationally certified in their specialty area and are recognized as expert healthcare providers.

Every state is a little different, but the majority of states require a master’s degree, post-master’s certificate or a doctoral degree. Current nurse practitioner programs offered by universities and colleges are at the master’s, post-master’s, or doctoral level.

So, when you receive medical care from WhiteGlove Health, you are getting top of the line medical care from licensed, experienced medical professionals. Further, in addition to our terrific staff of Nurse Practitioners, WhiteGlove Health also offers oversight and over-the-phone consultation with board certified physicians.

Find out more about our healthcare professionals and about our scope of care at the WhiteGlove Health website.

What do WhiteGlove members think about our Nurse Practitioners?

“The health professional was sent to my work site and in all of 10 minutes I had just what I needed. She was professional, organized and efficient.” ~ castrouble at Citysearch

“Their staff of Nurse Practitioners is very friendly and very knowledgeable. They take their time with you and make sure to answer all your questions. “ ~ JamieG05 at Citysearch

“I had a great experience and the nurse practitioner was super. She came my office and was able to diagnose me right away.” ~ Aggmom at Citysearch

Sneezing, or sternutation, is your body’s way of removing irritants or foreign elements from your nose. Anything that can get into the inside of your nose can start a sneeze. Most commonly: dust, cold air, pollen, bacteria and viruses.

When an irritant enters your nose or you encounter a trigger that sets off the “sneeze center” in your brain:

• Signals are sent to tightly close your throat, eyes, and mouth
• Next, your chest muscles vigorously contract
• And finally, your throat muscles quickly relax

As a result, air — along with saliva and mucus — is forced out of your mouth and nose. A sneeze is born!

Other things that can make you sneeze.
In addition to the usual irritants, there are other external stimuli that can make some people sneeze:

1. Plucking your eyebrows. Plucking may set off a nerve in your face that supplies your nasal passages. As a result, you sneeze.
2. Working out. When you exercise, you may hyperventilate and as a result, your nose and mouth will dry up. Your nose reacts by starting to drip, making you sneeze.
3. Sunshine. Bright sunlight causes one out of three people to sneeze. Light sneezers are called photics.

Sneeze facts:

1. You don’t sneeze in your sleep. When you sleep, so do your sneezing nerves.
2. How can you stop a sneeze? Breathe through your mouth and pinch the end of your nose.
3. The droplets in a sneeze can travel 100 mph and up to 12 feet.
4. A sneeze can send 100,000 germs into the air and they can remain suspended in the air for up to three hours.
5. The longest recorded sneezing fit was 978 consecutive days. It is estimated that Donna Griffiths sneezed more than 1 million times in the first year. Her sneezes came at 1 minute intervals initially and eventually slowed to 5 minute intervals near the end.

Sneezing is a natural part of life and you body’s way of protecting you. But sometimes, sneezing can become obtrusive and downright annoying. If you suffer from allergies sneezing can be a part of your day for weeks or even months at a time. And if you have a serious cold the sneezing can hang on for weeks. If you have either of these causes you can do something about it. Call WhiteGlove to get an assessment and medication to help with your cold or allergy.

Gesundheit!

Liz McDonald
Social Media Associate – WhiteGlove

QUESTION and ANSWERS: Do you have other tips or ideas? Please share a comment with us. If you have further questions please send them directly to questions@whiteglove.com and we will get to them as quickly as possible.

See all the WhiteGlove Self-Help posts.

Aspirin? Ibuprofen? Tylenol? Advil?

It is always confusing deciding what type of over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever to take for aches and pains. Here is a short primer on the types available and the difference between them.

There are two main types of OTC pain relievers available.

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol).
• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.) NSAIDs include the following:
  • Aspirin (Bayer, St. Joseph)
  • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
  • Naproxen (Aleve)

How are they alike?
Acetaminophen and NSAIDs both help to reduce fever and relieve pain.

How are they different?
NSAIDs reduce inflammation. Acetaminophen does not.

Further, Acetaminophen and NSAIDs treat pain differently. Acetaminophen relieves pain and reduces fever by working on the parts of the brain that receive pain messages and control the body’s temperature.

NSAIDs relieve pain and fever by reducing the level of hormone-like substances (called prostaglandins) that your body makes. These substances cause the feeling of pain by irritating your nerve endings. They also are part of the system that helps your body control its temperature.

How do I know which one to take?
First and foremost, do not take acetaminophen or NSAIDs if you:

• Have severe kidney or liver disease
• Have 3 or more drinks that contain alcohol every day

Additionally, talk with your Nurse Practitioner before you take an NSAID, especially aspirin, if you:

• Have bleeding in the stomach or intestines, or have peptic ulcers
• Have heart disease
• Take blood-thinning medicine or have a bleeding disorder

In general though, OTC pain relievers can be helpful in treating many types of pain.

Acetaminophen can be a good choice for relieving headaches and other common aches and pains. It can be used safely on a long-term basis by most people for arthritis and other chronic painful conditions.

NSAIDs are helpful for relieving menstrual cramps and pain from inflammation (such as muscle sprains).

Can I mix acetaminophen and NSAIDs?
Yes. Some products already contain both acetaminophen and aspirin. This is particularly true of OTC cold and flu remedies as well as certain OTC pain medicines, like Excedrin Migraine. Although it is fine to mix them, it is important to pay attention to what and how much you are taking. Read all labels carefully and do not exceed recommended doses.

Risks
There are risk associated with chronic use of both acetaminophen and NSIAD. You should consult with your Nurse Practitioner before considering either. Also, always check before giving aspirin to children under the age of 18 with certain illnesses due to the risk of Reye’s Syndrome.

Liz McDonald
Social Media Associate – WhiteGlove
permalink: http://goo.gl/2Bd5W (share this link)

QUESTION and ANSWERS: Do you have other tips or ideas? Please share a comment with us. If you have further questions please send them directly to questions@whiteglove.com and we will get to them as quickly as possible.

See all the WhiteGlove Self-Help posts.

Additional information:

• Stop Pain: Inflammation Relief for an Active Life (book)
• Muscular Retraining for Pain-Free Living (book)