As winter approaches, kids have started bringing home coughs and sneezes from school and lots of folks are feeling a little off, maybe with a nagging tickle in their throats or an irritating cough. Could be the drier air as we start firing up our wood stoves. Or it could be a cold or some other virus, like the flu.
If you want to know whether you have a cold, the flu or Covid-19, you can order four free at-home Covid-19 tests from the federal government at COVIDTests.gov. Shipping is free and you’ll only need to give your name and shipping address. You may share your email if you want shipping updates, but you need not share any other information.
If you don’t have tests on hand and need to be tested right away, contact your Primary Care Provider—your health insurance plan should cover a test given by an in-network provider—or buy tests at your local pharmacy.
It’s also a good time of year to get the vaccines you need. Look, no one likes getting poked with a needle, but a quick shot could lower the chance that you’ll get sick. And even if you do catch a bug, you may have much milder symptoms.
Ask your doctor about to whether you’re up to date with vaccinations, whether for Covid-19, pneumonia, the flu, shingles, RSV or other viruses. When it comes to Covid-19, you may have seen recent news from the Centers for Disease Control about changes in who should get the vaccine, but your doctor will be the best guide when it comes to your personal health.
Community Health Options Members won’t pay anything out of pocket for Covid vaccinations or Covid tests administered by an in-network provider, like a doctor or pharmacy. Community Health Options also provides full coverage for flu vaccines from in-network providers.
You can learn more about immunizations at Healthwise, a nonprofit service Community Health Options offers to provide unbiased, evidence-based and research-driven answers to your questions. You can also find information about a range of vaccines, check symptoms and search tons of topics to support your health.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you likely already know the risks that come with high blood sugar levels—heart or kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage or stroke. Low levels can pose problems, too, like blurred vision, nightmares, headaches, confusion or lightheadedness.
Diabetes has become a national epidemic—there are at least 37 million people diagnosed with the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Maine, more than 113,000 people—or about 10% of the state’s adults—have been diagnosed with diabetes, with an estimated 32,000 who likely have diabetes, but don’t know it.
It takes more than an occasional A1c blood test, a measure of average blood sugar over three months, to effectively manage Type 2 diabetes and prevent the serious complications that can go with it. Even so, there’s a good chance that for many with diabetes, daily glucose monitoring can be hit or miss. Let’s face it: It can be a hassle to keep track with frequent finger sticks.
Daily monitoring empowers you to take control of your diabetes, whether measuring a few times a day with a glucose meter or using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGM) that tracks patterns 24/7. Daily monitoring can also provide real-time information and reveal patterns, like whether sugar spikes after a meal or drops to dangerous levels overnight. It can also show you how your body responds in real time to specific food, exercise or the medications you take.
