Issue 130 - Paint Away Air Pollution

ISSUE 130

THE GREATEST MEDICAL DISCOVERIES IN THE LAST CENTURY PG

HOW TO ENSURE HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY PG

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PAINT AWAY AIR POLLUTION INTRODUCING THE

COMPANY THAT IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE PAINTING INDUSTRY PG

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Brianna Connors

Derek Archer

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Ionuț Raicea

Aviana Roth

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

PROJECT COORDINATOR

Hannah Townes

Lillian Myers

CONTRIBUTORS

Yuko Tabasa, Ionuț Raicea, Gaye Newton

A WORD FROM THE EDITORS Leading a healthy, well-balanced life is a challenging undertaking for many of us. New advancements in lifestyle or nutrition come to life daily, and the busy rhythm of our lives often prevents us from keeping up with what's fun and fresh.

Here at Top Doctor Magazine Lifestyle Edition, we are on a mission to bring these advancements to your attention and become a source of inspiration for those who want to live their lives to the fullest. Our contributors will constantly keep you up to speed with fresh, entertaining, and reliable content, from nutrition and travel to lifestyle choices!

We hope that our handpicked ideas will guide you towards self-realization, selfimprovement, and willingness to help those around you better themselves.

- Brianna & Derek

There's Always a Team to Support You

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05

Dr. Jonathan Ungar Shares His Passion and Expertise for Treating Skin Cancer

The Greatest Medical Discoveries in the Last Century

15 18

How Screening Can Help Alleviate Risk Potentials: An Interview with a Colorectal Surgeon

Paint Away Air Pollution

22 27

Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach to Healthcare

How to Ensure Healthcare Coverage for Your Whole Family

TABLE OF CONTENTS

01

T H A N K F R O N T L I N E

Y O U H E R O E S

TOP DOCTOR MAGAZINE

OCTOBER

2021 • ISSUE 130

An Exclusive Interview with

Dr. Rathna Nuti

By Ionuț Raicea

There's Always a Team to Support You The way we perceive and experience sports in these infelicitous times is changing. From tens of thousands of delighted supporters cheering for their favorite teams, we had to become accustomed to cardboard fans, empty stadiums, and athletes bombarded with COVID-19 tests and constant virus talks.

Instead of competition for medals and trophies, athletes compete to stay healthy and avoid contracting the diseases; one only needs to look at the ongoing Olympic Games to understand the prevailing climate of fear that engulfs today's sports.

Through Dr. Nuti’s words, we will learn today why athletes are, as she calls them, “unique individuals.” We will approach the challenges of today’s sports medicine, the newest improvements to regenerative medicine, and the hurdles thrown into the athlete’s way, all in a COVID-19 setting.

Despite such discouraging conditions, some physicians carry the sports medicine standard towards a brighter tomorrow, where patients can enjoy treatment versatility and disease prevention in a safe and secure environment.

Here at Top Doctor Magazine, we are delighted to have interviewed such a sports medicine hero, one who sees and understands the challenges faced by athletes of all genders, without discrimination -- Dr. Rathna Nuti. A member of numerous sports medicine associations, such as the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and the NHL Team Physician Society (NHLTPS), Dr. Nuti calls upon the forces of both family medicine and psychology to enhance her approach to sports medicine and to understand her patients, to care for the athlete and the human simultaneously.

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Struggling between Playing and Not Playing "Athletes are unique individuals – they need to have a routine, a schedule; it does affect their psyche." Constant training is the holy chalice from which every athlete has to drink consistently. However, some athletes lost that precious consistency between several months of complete lockdown (not to mention countries where lockdown measures were reinstituted) and alternating approvalinterdiction patterns on sports similar to ping pong matches. As a result, they became more prone to both outdoor and home-based injuries.

Although an injury might not sound like the end of the world, a sine qua non factor for this equation is the fear factor; a contradictory feeling of avoiding physicians due to COVID-19 and willingness to see a physician face-to-face. The result: delayed visits to the doctor and a higher risk of complications. "We were seeing, even in kids, fractures that were delayed for more than two, three, even four weeks because people were so scared to go to the doctor."

After analyzing these concerns, Dr. Nuti was ready to employ her knowledge of psychology and try to overcome the fear factor crippling her patients. "They (i.e., the patients) don't want to do things like telemedicine. They want to actually see a physician in the office."

Understanding the patient's human interaction needs encouraged Dr. Nuti to receive all the patients who cross her practice's doorstep and listen to their struggles. "Sometimes patients have difficulties expressing what they truly feel, and taking that extra minute or step of saying, 'Hey, I understand what's going on' plays a big role."

Avoiding Scam Clinics

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The past few years have seen the accelerated emergence of regenerative medicine alternatives, such as amniotic injection therapy, stem cells, and PRP (platelet-rich plasma). As a result, the opportunity to treat injuries in a versatile, more straightforward approach proved tempting for numerous patients. "It's kind of cool to see how you have different options to provide for patients after a proper exam and history and consultation, that you can offer them a different treatment plan."

However, as regenerative medicine showed more promising signs, malevolent individuals saw the chance to defraud trusting patients of their hopes and dreams with false promises.

"And they get scammed into paying thousands of dollars for these types of treatment plans."

Therefore, treatments that fed such frauds, like amniotic injection therapy, were pulled off the market, and scam clinics were closed down by the authorities to prevent the encouragement of such practices.

The prevention of more fraud victims lies in our perception of regenerative medicine.

However, instead of looking at regenerative medicine as the Holy Grail of medicine, we must understand its limitations. For Dr. Nuti, regenerative medicine is on the right path but far from the finish line. "I think that, when utilized appropriately and ethically, it could be a potential game-changer, especially in the way patients experience pain. […] Not to say it's going to cure everything, because that's definitely not my intention on saying that."

Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 80,000 athletes per year fall prey to sudden cardiac death (SCD), and although the past few decades saw a surge in SCD research and awareness, no single strategy is potent enough to prevent this condition.

Once specific red flags are raised, an electrocardiogram and/or echocardiography could shed some light on the mystery. From then onwards, sports cardiologists are brought in to "see if a patient needs any further workup based on their consultation and findings." However, regardless of care coordination and preventative care, the SCD danger looms over athletes. "[SCD] is not an easy diagnosis to make."

"There's always a team to support you" Not with standing the dangers lurking in sports, such as SCD, scam clinics, and the COVID-19 virus, Dr. Nuti encourages each athlete to look past their misfortunes, keep working with medical professionals, and always, always stick to their goals. "Definitely know that you have options and keep on with your goals because there's always a team to support you."

Our Top Doctor Magazine team shares Dr. Nuti's optimistic life vision and wishes her nothing but success in her future endeavors.

Aside from opening up her practice last May, Dr. Nuti intends to expand into the aesthetic realm of medicine as well. For more information on Dr. Nuti's work, make sure that you check out her website.

"There are no preventative tests for it to be perfect," Dr. Nuti admits, although some signs could act as red flags. "'Hey, I'm exercising, I'm getting shortness of breath, dizziness, and I feel like my heart is racing' or, 'Hey, I felt like I was going to pass out when that happened.' Those are some of the red flags where it will prompt me to think, is there something else going on?"

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REVEAL THE REAL YOU

WE PROVIDE.

The best place for total wellness.

From internal medicine to cosmetic care.

COMING SOON TO MIAMI

COMING SOON

CONFIDENCE IS

health

Dr. Jonathan Ungar Shares His Passion and Expertise for Treating Skin Cancer

By Yuko Tabasa

Dr. Jonathan Ungar is a dermatologist at the forefront of skin cancer detection. Today, he leads a team of innovative specialists as medical director of the Waldman Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York’s Upper East Side. In his interview with Top Doctor Magazine, Dr. Ungar shares his experience with some of the latest technological developments in dermatology that could revolutionize how the medical community approaches treatment and early skin cancer detection.

Limitations in Dermatology Today Dr. Ungar notes that dermatologists tend to have higher reported levels of happiness overall when compared to other medical disciplines. He cites several possible reasons for this, such as the ability to draw upon various skills to meet the daily challenges of assessing a situation, mainly because the skin is a large and medically complex organ. Another possible reason for dermatologists reporting generally high satisfaction levels is the ability to detect problems early enough to have positive outcomes. This leads, of course, to grateful and satisfied patients in many cases. However, Dr. Ungar points out that evaluating the patient's skin or changing conditions of a specific area is almost impossible to do visually even after consecutive visits due to simple human

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limitations such as a dermatologist's eyesight or memory. Even using a handheld camera is sub-optimal when comparing images. Another limitation could be due to user error and insufficient time investment for the patient and doctor.

Digital Dermoscopy of the Future With the assistance of a multi-million dollar donation from the Waldman family, Dr. Ungar has unveiled a modern solution to deal with these problems of accurately and efficiently gathering a patient's skin condition: the Canfield VectraWB180. This massive technology allows clinicians to map the entire human body in a 3D image in the latest macro quality resolution. To be more specific, the device enhances a dermatologist's visual inspection tenfold, and provides unprecedented accurate data to quickly monitor lesions and troublesome areas over multiple points in time. "The photos are taken in a matter of seconds, not hours like previously, when we were manually taking it." When the patient steps inside this eleven-foot tall medical technological marvel, over forty cameras from multiple angles document the entire skin organ in about 15 minutes. Despite the machine's sci-fi look, it's purely photographic and safe for virtually all patients. What's helpful to the clinicians is that the technology can be integrated with existing dermatology systems and imported directly into a patient's chart. "This is invaluable because as the skin changes, it is difficult to note what this looked like six months ago."

Non-invasive Skin Cancer Detection with "Bladeless Biopsy" Another problem for dermatologists is the challenge of distinguishing between benign and malignant skin lesions. Years ago, this required surgical removal; it was very uncomfortable for many patients because of problematic locations, such as the tip of the nose. "There are cosmetically sensitive areas. If there is a scar on the tip of your nose from a skin removal for a biopsy, you're stuck with a scar for the rest of your life."

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However, Dr. Ungar shares with Top Doctor Magazine that his experience with non-invasive methods has been very positive. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) have been called "bladeless biopsies" because of their non-invasive nature. How it works is the clinician uses a handheld probe which you apply to the skin. Reading the device's output gives the dermatologist more information on whether the skin lesion is normal or abnormal based on the electrical impedance differences. The OCT method gets a deeper penetration of the skin, while the RCM technique compliments it with a data-rich sampling of the outer part of the skin. Together it gives the clinician a real-time, three-dimensional sampling while increasing the likelihood of diagnostic accuracy. Patients further benefit from reduced recovery time, and in some cases, removes the need for reconstructive cosmetic surgery.

Meeting the Future with Humility Dr. Ungar was born in The Mount Sinai Hospital, so he will always have a special connection to the hospital and its patients. Today, he leads the next generation of dermatologists revolutionizing the medical community's approach to the patient's skin and family medical history with new dimensions of analysis. Although there are always problems to be encountered, insurance companies are not always paying for these advanced treatments. For example, Dr. Ungar's advice to all doctors is always to have humility when faced with obstacles, which are guaranteed to appear. His obsession with consistent growth as a dermatologist takes the field to another frontier of technological data-driven diagnostic discoveries. Despite these breakthroughs, he still emphasizes that consistent humility and service to patients are the cornerstones of any successful dermatology career.

Dr. Jonathan Ungar shown treating a patient at The Waldman Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center at Mount Sinai using 3D Total Body Photography on the Vectra WB180®.

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The Greatest Medical Discoveries in the Last Century

By Yuko Tabasa

If you were born during the 1800s, chances are you wouldn’t be able to live long enough to see your grandchildren celebrate their third birthday. The average life expectancy of people back in the day was only around 30-40 years old.

But thanks to all the incredible advancements in medicine, an individual’s lifespan has now doubled. Here are some of the notable achievements in medicine that have helped save and improve millions of lives in the last century.

First Organ Transplant Although scientists have experimented with organ transplants since the 18th century, it wasn’t until 1954 that the first successful organ transplant took place.

A kidney transplant was performed between identical twins where one twin was the kidney donor. Soon afterward, more successful transplants took place, such as the first liver transplant in 1967 and the first heart transplant in 1968.

Today, there are thousands of people waiting for a transplant every day in the United States alone.

Still, only a few surgical techniques carry as much complexity and moral considerations as organ transplantation.

Antibiotics Antibiotics are used to fight off bacterial infections and treat various transmissible diseases all across the globe. But did you know that they were discovered accidentally by a

scientist named Alexander Fleming?

According to the Microbiology Society, in 1928, Fleming found a fungus (now commonly known as Penicillin) growing in a petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria but noticed that wherever the fungus was growing, the bacteria was not.

Now, Penicillin and other forms of antibiotics are being used to combat various bacterial illnesses such as strep throat, pneumonia, whooping cough, UTI, and many more. Before the invention of antibiotics, such diseases often led to many fatalities.

Improvements in Cardiac Surgery and Care Heart disease is the number one killer in the entire world. However, even with such a scary statistic, multiple advancements have been made to help extend and improve the quality of life of people with heart disease.

Cardiac defibrillation was discovered in 1947 when a 14-year-old boy’s heart stopped during surgery. Dr. Claude Beck ordered his research unit to deliver the shock using two metal tablespoons attached to wooden handles. This discovery has saved countless lives who have undergone cardiac arrest.

In 1953, the heart-lung bypass, which Dr. John Heysham Gibbon invented,

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was successfully used for the first time to support a patient’s heart and lung function during open-heart surgery. This breakthrough also paved the way for coronary artery bypass grafting in 1967, which is now being done every day in hospitals around the globe to help people with coronary heart disease.

In 1982, Dr. William DeVries successfully implanted the first artificial heart, Jarvik 7 (invented by Dr. Robert Jarvik). Today, artificial hearts are being used for patients on the waiting list for a real heart transplant.

MRI Machine Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique used to capture organ images inside the body.

The MRI came to life in the 1970s, and it wasn’t until 1977 that Dr. Raymond Damadian developed the first full-body MRI. Before the invention of the MRI machine and other radiologic imaging technologies, doctors were relegated to only looking for external signs of injury. But now, with MRIs, doctors can diagnose a patient in a non-invasive manner.

Cysts, tumors, internal bleeding, swelling, and many other abnormalities are easily detected, which has helped doctors treat their patients accordingly and help them onto a path of recovery from grave illnesses like cancer.

Birth Control Pill Although birth control pills don’t treat any disease, their discovery still had a profound social impact and has improved the lives of many women. In the 1950s, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Gregory Pincus, and John Rock created the first birth control pill. However, it wasn’t until the late 1960s that the FDA approved this form of contraception and made it widely available to the public.

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The Pill was considered the first-ever lifestyle drug as it has revolutionized women’s lives. The use of birth control pills allowed women to have control over their fertility, and because of this, advance in economic opportunities and feel empowered.

There are still many medical breakthroughs over the past century that we weren’t able to mention, and there will continue to be even more over the following decades. Medicine and technology are ever-evolving, and with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) - who’s to say how far the new wave of medical discoveries will go!

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How Screening Can Help Alleviate Risk Potentials: An Interview with a Colorectal Surgeon

By Oyalola Lateef

Every human is susceptible to sickness and disease. Maintaining health translates into our ability to enjoy life and maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, numerous conditions are dangerous to an individual's health and wellbeing. Moreover, some conditions can be a silent danger with no warning signs; an individual can feel fine until symptoms signal potential health problems and risks, which physicians could discover too late to treat effectively.

Health screening is an effective way to detect a particular disease or condition before exhibiting symptoms. Early detection gives patients absolute control over the disease since they can get the proper treatment at the right time. Ultimately, health screening facilitates lifestyle changes or surveillance to detect diseases early or reduce their risks.

In addition, while the screening test detects potential problems, it also helps minimize unclear and confusing results. Even though screening tests are not always accurate, having the screening at the appropriate time is generally more valuable than not having it at all. A health screening is recommended after assessment by a physician, which considers factors such as gender, age, lifestyle habits, current symptoms, and pre-existing diseases.

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Preventing Life-Threatening Diseases with Health Screenings During an interview with Top Doctor Magazine, Dr. Erin King-Mullins, a colorectal surgeon in Atlanta, GA, confirmed that screening is essential to prevent multiple life-threatening diseases, including cancer. In addition, timely screening can significantly decrease the risk of death from cancer. "… It's imperative to get screened to be sure that you know what your risks are so that you can undergo a surgical procedure earlier if need be."

The Georgia-based colon and rectal surgical associate disclosed that while diseases afflict humans indiscriminately, "…African-Americans are 20% more likely to get colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die from the disease."

Consequently, Dr. King-Mullins made it her mission to make sure that this message reaches the public.

Being There for the Patient Timely screening has saved thousands of lives. "When a patient is diagnosed with advanced disease, sometimes there is nothing that a physician could do surgically to help them. However, surgeons often then serve as a friend, a confidant, or someone that they can rely on to help them navigate the system when they are having difficulty."

Speaking further on her experience with multiple patients, Dr. King-Mullins told us, "Unfortunately, I've had quite a few patients with advanced disease. Some are still living otherwise healthy lives. Some of them are still being treated for the disease and are on and off chemo. Unfortunately, some battles we weren't able to win and the patients have succumbed to their cancer."

The Maternal Role during COVID-19 When the pandemic hit, Dr. King-Mullins, the compassionate physician who dedicates her life to helping patients lead a quality life,

pivoted into a more encompassing role by creating an online community for moms. The new mom encourages women to take on their maternal role and keep up with their health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. KingMullins leveraged her online community – Corona Mamas – to remind women of the importance of screening and adjust to the difficult times that all moms are going through. "So whether they're an experienced or new mother, they've had to reinvent themselves in many ways, given the pandemic, and be able to stay at home and remain productive."

A Final Word Early detection of health conditions through screening can mean the difference between life and death. It can also prevent the disease from developing into a chronic disorder.

"Health screening helps avoid complications, meaning that if you do screening regularly, you can avoid morbidity and mortality and expensive treatment costs in the future. The biggest cost, however, is the cost to family unit and quality of life" Dr. King-Mullins concluded.

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An Exclusive Interview with Smog Armor's CEO

Tim Sperry

By Yuko Tabasa

Paint Away Air Pollution GET TO KNOW THE REVOLUTIONARY PAINT THAT CLEANS THE AIR WE BREATHE Air pollution is an invisible killer that takes away the lives of an estimated seven million people per year. From smog, smoke, and all manner of chemicals hanging over our cities and even inside our homes, the combined effects of these air pollutants can cause severe respiratory damages and millions of premature deaths every year. We know that with the continuous growth of urbanization, air pollution continues to rise with it. But is there a way for us to counter the effect? Many of you may say that it's impossible, that it's out of our hands, but we at Top Doctor Magazine beg to differ - because we have found the answer, and the answer is paint - Smog Armor's Paint.

manufacturer in FL that helped him develop a paint formula composed of micronized CO2absorbing material. They had no idea if it would work or not since no one has ever really done something like this before.

"So we found a lab to test the paint, and our test results came back, that it moved up to 95.1% of indoor air pollutants in one hour. And this is like the most commonly found air pollutants in our homes, airborne chemicals like formaldehyde acetone, benzene, all the things that like off-gas from our walls, our floors, and our furniture." And with that success, Smog Armor was born.

The Origins of Smog Armor Imagine a paint that has been specifically modified to eliminate up to 95% of indoor air pollution in just one hour using nanotechnology. Tim Sperry, Founder of Smog Armor, came up with this world-changing idea while looking for ways to reduce exhaust emissions from vehicles. Driven by the loss of two family members to lung cancer and personal advocacy to help Mother Nature, Tim made it his life's goal to find a way to reduce air pollution. "My mission was to find something from nature that would heal and protect nature."

Although a self-taught chemist, Tim had no knowledge about paint-making; however, his sheer determination to leave a positive impact on the environment led him to partner up with a family-owned paint PAGE

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Smog Armor's Rise to Popularity During the Pandemic The invention of Smog Armor paint couldn't have come at a better time. It first launched in December 2019 as a Kickstarter campaign, right before the pandemic outburst. So naturally, it was a challenge to introduce new technology to the market, and of course, Tim and his team had to do their fair share of persuasive marketing. But as soon as COVID19 hit, everyone wanted to get their hands on Smog Armor paint, and by everyone, that includes us at Top Doctor Magazine, who use Smog Armor paint in our Miami clinic and all our other upcoming clinics nationwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic opened everyone's eyes and made them realize how important indoor air quality is. News about how air pollution increases the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization rates made people more conscious about having healthy air around their homes and offices. Currently, Smog Armor focuses its reach directly on business owners, governments, and health facilities while setting up fulfillment via Amazon. Once their team grows in number, Smog Armor will expand its business to direct consumers.

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Benefits of Using Smog Armor in Your Office The Top Doctor Miami Clinic currently uses Smog Armor's Care+ Paint. The product consists of air purifying and antimicrobial properties that, based on test results, kill 99.99% of Staph and 99.97% of E. coli. In addition, the paint's absorbing qualities will work consistently for up to five years before it saturates and sits on the wall. "The paint will actually improve the air quality, and allow you to breathe, fresher, healthier air, take the CO2 out of the air, which too much CO2 in a closed space that has bad ventilation really reduces your cognitive abilities," Tim explains.

Consequently, healthy air will prevent doctors from getting a foggy brain and enable them to work smarter and more efficiently. More importantly, patients and visitors can feel safe whenever they visit the clinic because the Smog Armor Care+ paint helps reduce and eliminate the germs and bacteria brought in by the come and go of different people visiting the clinic.

"Everyone now feels the pressure to show their customers that either they've sprayed this with some antibacterial agent and they're wiping down with Clorox every 30 minutes.

not only does it reduce indoor air pollution, but it also reduces CO2. So it's helping reduce our carbon footprint. This could be painted anywhere. It's like any other paint goes on like any other paint and is made like any other paint. It is just better. It's a smart paint that is functional."

And when you have an all-around better paint available in the market, one that is safer for you and the environment and is even GreenWise certified, it makes no sense to go with any other paint brand.

This [Smog Armor] is one of those ways, but it's something that you don't need to keep reapplying. You don't need to turn it on. You don't need to turn it off. It just automatically works. So it's something that is like an autopilot," Tim adds as another convincing reason to use Smog Armor paint in your office.

Smog Armor's Promise to Help Clean the Environment Although a large chunk of air pollutants come from outside elements, did you know that one of the main air pollution culprits is the chemicals coming from the paint on your walls? According to WHO, the air in our homes and offices is five times more polluted than outside. When you walk into a freshly painted house, that "fresh paint" smell you are inhaling is nothing but a bunch of harmful chemicals deteriorating your respiratory system. And that is why Smog Armor created nature-based negative emission nanotechnology. "We created this natural nanotechnology from the earth that can be found around the world and integrated it into the paint. And we found that

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Awareness Will Lead To A Better World What started as a passion project for Tim to help save our Home is now inspiring other businesses to create more eco-friendly products that will benefit their customers and the planet. Smog Armor aims to lead by example and stands alongside any businesses or individuals working with the prosperity of the environment in mind. As for everyone else looking to make a difference, Tim advises that the best way to contribute to change in the environment today is by being aware awareness in the choices we make and what we purchase. "By giving someone the power to say, 'Hey, look, I use this paint. I help reduce air pollution. And I help reduce my carbon footprint just by painting my walls with this paint.' It gives people power, empowers them, and it gives them something that they can do to make a difference." And with that, we can all help create a better world to live in together.

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Microvascular Testing System TopDocDX presents a real-life picture to the patient, with all its positive and negative influences. Therefore, physicians will have an enhanced understanding of the patient's overall health.

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15-minute Non-invasive Onsite Diagnostic Tests This clinically powerful and noninvasive testing system for hidden diseases in asymptomatic patients provides the patient with an inside-out look on their health.

Early Detection of Chronic Disease in Asymptomatic Patients Diagnose Complex Symptoms Increase Patient Compliance with Treatments

How to Ensure Healthcare Coverage for Your Whole Family

By Melissa Blatt, CEO of indipop Due to rising costs, healthcare coverage for families is becoming less affordable compared to incomes. There are many obstacles in the healthcare system, and finding the right health plan has many families consumed with research.

Fortunately, there are always options with respective upsides and downsides to consider.

Healthcare coverage, which many easily consider as a traditional health insurance policy, is a must for your financial planning, according to Dhirendra and Aashika, editors for Forbes Advisors. There is an affordable, flexible option and one you may want to consider for your family, an alternative approach to managing medical needs, called healthshares.

The average premium for a family is $20,000; by one estimate, premiums could rise to 100 percent of U.S. median household income by 2033 if trends continue. As a result, numerous families are beginning to explore alternatives for cost and need efficiency. In their Investopedia piece, J.B. Maverick and Ebony Howard suggest alternatives such as Primary Care Membership Plans, Medical CostSharing Programs, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Medical Service Discounts, and HighDeductible Policies as competing alternatives.

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Healthsharing, also called Medical Cost Sharing Programs, allows participants operating as a community to pay monthly fees/subscriptions. Members share the cost of all qualified medical expenses after the member pays their contribution amount.

Typically, this is in increments of $1000, $2500, or $5000. For the family with high deductibles, healthsharing provides a solution to a lower out-of-pocket cost for major medical incidents. For example, if a member needed an appendectomy, their portion of what they owe for this surgery is a fixed $1,000. The remainder of the bill is negotiated by the healthshare and paid from the community pool. Beware if you choose the $5,000 level, it might keep your monthly bill lower, but if you had three major medical incidents in a year, you might have an out-ofpocket cost of $15,000. This is something to consider when reviewing plan options.

You Are More Than an ID Card in a Healthshare When a member does not feel well, the first step to take is to contact their healthshare via an app or number. The care or concierge team provides navigation and support to help members make informed decisions, such as finding the right providers and negotiating costs. Generally, healthshares come at a lower monthly rate and with more transparency. As a result, the member understands their cost for a medical need ahead of time. To give an example, for a broken ankle, members will have access to a fair medical rate based on the zip code in which they live. With more price transparency than traditional insurance policies, this translates into much-needed relief for finances.

Do you travel for work? Are you concerned your insurance will not cover you in another state? Fortunately, A healthshare is portable, which is encouraging news if you leave your state or have a child ready to go off to college across the country. In addition to being portable, healthshares are flexible and offer numerous large networks of providers across the US. Finally, don’t fret if you miss open enrollment; with a healthshare, you can enroll all year long! These features make healthsharing an attractive alternative if your current insurance plan has limitations or many contingencies.

Healthcare Is Not a One-size-fitsall and Each Family’s Needs Are Different It is always advised to carefully consider the plan guidelines to compare with traditional insurance and determine if this is a good fit

for yourself or (for your) family. It is essential to understand the process, benefits, and services included in the plan; there is fine print to read, similar to conventional insurance. Consider these factors when weighing your options: your family income, budget for healthcare, the nature of (including frequency) medical needs of your family members.

Before settling on particular healthcare coverage for your family, be it a healthshare or any other, here are must-do steps.

Research available plans carefully: Experts always advise individuals and families to do enough due diligence. From his experience in health care data and policy analysis, Charles Gaba considers it essential to always review plans and see if there is one with better value, not only when you are dissatisfied with your current plan. Plans change, and what might have been an in-network benefit last year is not covered this year.

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Explore your state’s Individual Mandate.

Although the federal mandate is no longer enforced if an individual does not have health insurance, several states may impose a penalty for choosing an alternative healthcare solution. Since 2014, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) requires all Americans to maintain minimum essential health coverage unless they qualify for an exemption. Those who didn’t comply were subject to an extra tax levied by the IRS when they filed their tax returns. Because healthsharing is not considered insurance but another type of healthcare, these states may adhere to this for non-compliance: California, Rhode Island, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

There are healthshares that are ACA MECcompliant, and therefore you and your family would be exempt from a state penalty.

Ask as many questions as necessary: Focus on questions that are relevant to your family needs. For example, how much care would your family need? Do your children go to the doctor often? What about labs, imaging, and in-network vs. out-of-network costs? Do a rough estimate or assumption about your family’s health history—factor in variables like deductibles, copayments, prescription costs, and amounts that may be out-ofpocket, etc.

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Consult experts and helpful websites/applications: Unless you are a pro, it is okay to require services or experts (health insurance expert or application counselor). Look up helpful websites that cover your region. Even though reviews can be tricky, they are nevertheless important. The U.S. Government’s Plan Finder, HealthCare.gov, offers reliable help. The importance of consulting experts and looking through websites is to protect you, especially from too-good-to-be-true healthcare coverage.

Explore indipop for healthshares - they can provide insight on plan details, the red flags, and plans that offer high value with additional benefits, such as a health savings account or mental health, all based on extensive research.

Healthshare - Another Option to Explore Understanding some alternative options may not be as prevalent as the big names in insurance is the first step when exploring the market for care. With technology, telehealth, and more in-home solutions to manage your healthcare needs, healthcare is changing, and insurance is not the only solution for your family’s needs. However, if you seek a proactive approach to your well-being with flexibility, portability, and transparency for care, a healthshare may check all the boxes you need.

A Word from indipop Founder & CEO, Melissa Blatt In 2019, I left the corporate world to start a new chapter in my life. I craved the freedom offered by working with clients and projects that sparked my interest. I knew being self-employed would be a challenge, but I did not expect the sticker shock I found when it was time to look for healthcare. I could not afford the COBRA plan and became deeply frustrated with the options I found.

I was worried about the “what if” scenarios and knew I wasn’t alone – 57 million Americans are self-employed, or what I like to call the “Independent Population.”

I found my solution in healthshares. Although not mainstream, they are a different approach to managing medical needs, with fair medical pricing, concierge care and lower monthly rates. I created indipop because I want to offer you the same solutions. Then, you too can be free to do your best work and pursue your dreams, without worrying about “what-if” scenarios.

I’m excited that you’re here and exploring an important alternative to traditional health insurance. I want to personally invite you to review our handpicked plans so you’re prepared for the expected, and unexpected, medical needs in life.

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Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach to Healthcare

By Sa Bal

About Dr. Amarjit Singh At an early age, Dr. Amarjit Singh realized that her true calling is helping people through medicine. She was training to be a marine biologist, but ultimately her curiosity started to lean towards medicine. Dr. Singh now specializes in Family medicine with more than 15 years of experience.

Throughout her career, Dr. Singh has been affiliated with various hospitals like St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. In the medical community, she enjoys a cooperative and communicative relationship with prominent physicians and doctors. Dr. Singh's focus primarily lies in Family medicine and wound care. Currently, Dr. Singh practices Family medicine in Las Vegas, NV.

Empathetic and Proactive Patient Approach "When it comes to treating patients, you have to rely on their clinical history rather than CAT scans and chest x-rays," says Dr. Amarjit Singh in an interview with Top Doctor Magazine. She also points out that it allows you to hone your skills in a managed healthcare system.

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Dr. Singh notes that the clinical approach to treat patients requires attention to detail, and overdependence or complete reliance on endless tests can backfire. "The key is to connect with the patients," adds Dr. Singh, who raises the point that doctors have to be more communicative to understand the patients' needs and concerns. With the advent of digital and tech tools that have become quintessential in medicine, it makes all the more reason for doctors and physicians to provide a personal touch.

Adoption of Tech Solutions in Healthcare Dr. Singh affirms that the tech revolution has been advantageous on a broad spectrum, managing to transform the healthcare industry in tumultuous times. But medical solutions are not strictly black and white, and the medical community faces many challenges to adapt and embrace different tech tools.

"It's true – patients often feel that they spend less time with the doctor," continues Dr. Singh. It is the main reason she doesn't use electronic devices like tablets, smartphones, or laptops in the presence of a patient. Her belief is that the sole focus of attention should be directed toward patients. "Patients have my full and undivided attention," highlights Dr. Singh.

More Focus on Direct Communication Dr. Singh encourages doctors and physicians to communicate and connect with the patients. And when patients don't feel this connection, you might not be able to dismiss or confirm patients' issues with confidence.

Plus, it would also impact the patient's experience and even discourage them from coming back again. "It's a colder feeling when you don't get to connect with your patient," adds Dr. Singh.

Moreover, when you make eye contact, patients start to trust you. "Often, even the posture and body language can make all the difference." She points out that openness to communication can help patients have a more positive experience.

Family Medicine Dr. Singh shared her love for pediatrics and her intentions to pursue emergency medicine.

But she wanted a much broader positive impact on people's lives, and family medicine became a more practical choice. "When it comes to family medicine, you're not limited to your private clinical work – you can dive into hospital and ER work."

Furthermore, Dr. Singh was also trained during her residency to be an obstetrician.

However, she decided not to follow that career path in Las Vegas. As a mother of a 10-year old, Dr. Singh loves to communicate with the kindergarten age group. Similarly, she enjoys the wisdom, experience, and company of elderly patients.

Private Practice and Pandemic Crisis in Las Vegas It is no secret that Las Vegas has had a rough patch throughout the pandemic crisis. With the vaccination rollout, things have started to revert to normal. However, during the pandemic, Dr. Singh points out that she managed to connect with the health department and Governor's office to offer assistance and support. "During the pandemic crisis, we had a strategic COVID-19 response in place," mentions Dr. Singh.

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The beginning of the pandemic crisis was the most chaotic and confusing. There were no clear guidelines or protocols for medical professionals and patients, not to mention a heightened fear and paranoia to avoid visiting the doctor amid the pandemic.

Pandemic Crisis and Silver Lining Dr. Singh sees the silver lining even in the pandemic and affirms that patients are now more aware of their health issues and want to address health problems to live healthier lives.

On the flip side, she points out that the healthcare sector had to transition and build protocols upon protocols to maintain optimal operations.

Throughout the pandemic crisis, Dr. Singh's private practice was operational at full capacity. To some degree, COVID-19 scared people, influencing patients to adopt a more proactive approach to resolve their health or health management issues. "You have to do more than just rectify issues – you should take patients off extraneous medication and help them live a healthy and long life," says Dr. Singh.

She makes sure that patients have enough drive to care about their health. "Ultimately, you have to treat the problem rather than put another band-aid on it," adds Dr. Singh. "The anxiety among patients that stemmed from COVID-19 is real, but you have to communicate in a manner that patients realize that their body has a remarkable natural ability to heal itself."

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Family Medicine: What Lies in the Future Dr. Singh supports modalities like telehealth that allow people to seek the expertise of a medical professional at a moment's notice without physical contact. She believes that patients should be the ultimate beneficiaries of modern tech inventions.

Moving back to traditional family medicine, Dr. Singh wants physicians and doctors to focus on flawless and consistent communication efforts with patients. "It opens up doors to patient insights that ordinarily would've been shut."

It is crucial to have an extended and broad network of physicians you can work with for a long time. Through a vast network, you can refer urologists, cardiologists, or neurologists to patients and expedite several medical matters. Dr. Singh hopes to add a physician, practitioner, and urgent clinical care by the end of 2021.

Dr. Singh can be contacted at Family Health and Wellness Center in Las Vegas.