Whether it’s extra weight gained from holiday eating or excess weight you’ve carried for years, the new year is the perfect time to lose it.
I’ve written before about reasons to maintain a healthy weight at Why Obesity matters. Multiple health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, even cancer can stem from excess weight.
But here’s another reason to shed those excess pounds or kilos- pain.
Obesity increases the risk of chronic pain especially back pain , and weight loss leads to significant decrease in pain, sometimes more effectively than medications and surgery.
Pain in the spine , hips and knees may worsen with excess weight. (skeleton display at the Museum of Natural Science in New York City)
Pain management specialists discussed the relationship of obesity and back pain at the American Academy of Pain medicine annual meeting. Medical research studies conducted at the Mayo Clinic linked obesity to back pain. Other studies implicated obesity in cases of arm, knee, hip and back pain in adolescents as well as elderly people.
A study from Norway of 64000 people showed
people with a BMI greater than 30
were more likely to develop low back pain
than those with a BMI under 25.
A BMI OF 30 or more represents obesity. BMI Chart created by Vertex42.com. Used with permission.
And an Australian study showed that both
obesity and smoking are related to back pain.
sign posted at a produce market in rural Georgia
So don’t just resolve to lose weight,
set a goal
make a plan
put it into action
Here is a recap of this blog’s obesity related information to help you get started.
Overall employment in U.S. healthcare is expected to rise by 13% from 2021 to 2031, potentially creating 2 million new jobs. The median income for healthcare practitioners in 2021 was $75,040, higher than the median wage for all occupations, whereas healthcare support roles saw a lower median wage of $29,880. The sector varies widely, from physicians to non-medical support staff, and technology, administration, and finance roles.
Update September 19, 2022
I wrote this post several years ago in my early blogging days. I’ve updated it with recent statistics and added a link to a more recent article about healthcare workers. Thanks for visiting.
“The Helpers” by Kathy Gilsinan focuses on the untold stories of pandemic heroes. It sheds light on ordinary people who demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness during the chaotic times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The book also highlights the government’s flawed response, emphasizing the resilience and unity of the people despite political divisions.
Overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 13 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations;
expected to result in about 2 million new jobs over the decade.
About 1.9 million openings each year, on average, are projected to come from growth and replacement needs.
The median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (such as registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and dental hygienists) was $75,040 in May 2021, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $45,760;
healthcare support occupations (such as home health and personal care aides, occupational therapy assistants, and medical transcriptionists) had a median annual wage of $29,880 in May 2021, which was lower than the median annual wage for all occupations.
the original 2015 post
Previously I wrote about physician salaries after Medscape magazine reported the annual physician salary survey. In it I explained how doctors are paid and how the rest of healthcare dollars are spent. It became one of my most viewed posts.
Physician jobs
Physicians are paid differently, like other professions. Some physicians are employed by a corporate entity such as a hospital, others are self-employed, that is they own the practice. While some physicians have a set annual salary, or hourly rate, other physician income is based on how many patients they treat- office visits, surgeries, procedures, xray or lab consultations (which can be remote, so-called telemedicine). Sometimes it might be a blend of the two.
non-physician clinical health professions
There are numerous non-physician clinical health professions-nursing, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, chiropractic, dentistry, optometry, audiology, dieticians, nutritionists,to name a few.
Support staff
Besides physicians are the support positions, those people in a hospital or clinic who don’t have medical training but whose work enables the rest of us to do our jobs.
These include maintenance, laundry, housekeeping, food services, security, transportation.
Technology, administration, and finance
This includes IT (information technology) professionals; the use of medical computer devices and applications, called medical informatics, is now a specialized profession.There are receptionists, customer service reps,human resources, billing and coding.
Other occupations directly or indirectly contribute to health care.
measuring blood pressure- a skill most health professionals learn
Laboratory testing is vital to providing health care.
Diagnostic imaging- CAT, MRI and PET scanning have increased our ability to see inside the human body compared to plain x ray.
exploring the HEART of healthcare
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