Empower Yourself

The more you know about your condition, the more empowered you will be to make the changes required to feel your best and enjoy your life.

Below, you will find a series of useful links and a list of suggested reading that will help you understand various aspects of your condition and remind you of some of the suggestions provided by your physiotherapist. They are also intended to help educate you about our nation’s health care system. With health care reform on the horizon, it is more important than ever to be aware of proposed changes so that you can advocate for yourself and the physical therapy profession.

In sharing these links with you, we hope to empower you to make more informed, intelligent decisions about your own health care.

 

Useful Links

Write to your local government representative.  
It is important for your voice to be heard!  

Find your:

Local Assemblyperson  http://assembly.state.ny.us
Local Senator  http://www.nysenate.gov
US Senator  http://www.senate.gov
Member of Congress  http://www.house.gov

 

Professional associations provide a wealth of information!

American Physical Therapy Association  http://www.apta.org
New York Physical Therapy Association  http://www.nypta.org
Patient Action Center  http://www.apta.org/PatientActionCenter/
How a P.T. Can Help You  http://www.moveforwardpt.com/

 

Stay up to date on health care reform:
Repeal the Medicare physical therapy cap!

Medicare Cap  http://www.capwiz.com/amerpta/issues/alerid=13484511
Health Care Reform/Issues  http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform

Check out this Time magazine article on Chronic Pain; it’s highly informative and a great read!  http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2057269,00.html

Follow this great blog by Bronnie Thompson:
www.healthskills.wordpress.com

 

Recommended Readings

The following books may help you better understand and
manage your condition:

How the Brain Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by Sharon Begley
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
Foods That Fight Pain by Neil Barnard
The Body Has a Mind of Its Own by Sandra Blakeslee
Explain Pain by David Butler and Lorimer Moseley

 

After suffering through six months of intense pain behind my left shoulder blade, it was determined that there was a cyst on one of my vertebrate. The doctor who found the cyst said there was nothing to be done. Of course, I went for a second opinion. The second doctor said surgery was an option, but first recommended that I try physical therapy and referred me to Erica Meloe. After six weeks of therapy, I was completely pain free and have remained pain free for over two years.

Marilyn G.

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