Halo Health Advocacy is excited to have partnered with Practice Fusion!

Practice Fusion addresses the complexities and critical needs of today’s healthcare environment by providing a revolutionary, web-based, electronic health record (EHR) application for physicians and patients at no cost.  Practice Fusion’s free EHR system includes charting, scheduling, lab integrations, eprescribing, secure messaging, billing integrations and a free personal health record (PHR) for patients.

Practice Fusion guarantees that physicians using our EHR will qualify for Meaningful Use before HITECH payments begin January 2011. Any medical provider in the country can sign up for Practice Fusion’s system in five minutes online, with no cost and no downtime.

Practice Fusion is the fastest growing electronic health record community in the country. Practice Fusion has more than 25,000 users in 50 states. For more information on Practice Fusion, please visit practicefusion.com.

Did you know that the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its list of the worst places to have allergies, and Philadelphia was #6 on its top 10 list of cities? If you are a seasonal allergy sufferer, you most likely got the memo. This past winter was very wet, so trees and grass and plants received a great deal of water and are now exploding with pollen. Usually, if you suffer from “hay fever” in the spring, you’re most likely allergic to tree pollens. Grass and weed pollens may be responsible for your allergies during the summer. In the fall, ragweed is usually the culprit , and fungus spores cause problems from late March through November.

What Causes It?

“Hay Fever” is also known as allergic rhinitis and occurs when your immune system views harmless inhaled pollen or other allergens as dangerous substances invading your body. As a result, your body responds by releasing chemicals known as leukotrienes and histamine, meant to wash out the pollen or swell certain areas so that the pollen cannot enter. Your sinuses become congested, and the membranes that line your nasal passages may swell, causing sinusitis. People with allergies often times develop dark circles under their eyes, known as “shiners”, from the congested veins in the lining of the sinuses. Some develop allergic asthma, with wheezing and coughing.

How To Treat It:

There are many allergy medications available, both over the counter and prescribed to provide relief from seasonal allergies. The main categories being: antihistamines, leukotriene inhibitors, decongestants, mast cell stabilizers, anticholinergic nasal sprays, steroid nasal sprays, allergy eye drops, and also allergy shots. Speak with your doctor to find out what would work for you!

If you need a doctor, contact us.