Care Management Resource Center

Find Information to help with Medical Conditions

Like a symphony orchestra, the human body functions best when all parts are working together. But just as every instrument is different, so, too, is every person. What treatment is best for one person may not be the best for another.

Select the medical condition below that you’d like to find more information about. All of our resources were selected by the Care Management team. If you have any questions about the information presented here, please contact us.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is caused by inadequate insulin production and/or the cells of the body not responding to insulin. When insulin is not working properly in the body, it becomes difficult for the body to regulate blood sugar.

Risk Test

Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented by making purposeful lifestyle decisions. This risk test from Diabetes.org will help you calculate your specific risks based on known risk factors. Once you complete the test, you’ll know your personal risk profile for diabetes and receive some personalized advice to lower your risk. Take the Test

Lowering Your Risk

Did you know that there are some simple steps you can take to lower your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes? This article from Diabetes.org will walk you through some in-depth ways you can reduce your risk. We recommend exploring the resources here after you’ve taken your risk test.

Diagnosing Diabetes and PreDiabetes

There are a number of tests that are administered within a healthcare setting to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes. This article will walk you through how these test work, what the results indicate, and why sometimes there aren’t clear symptoms of diabetes.

Will Diabetes go Away?

Unfortunately diabetes never truly goes away. However, with proper weight management and exercise the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes can often be managed without medication. Read more...

Getting Over the Shock of the Diagnosis

diabetes diagnosis can be both difficult and shocking. It’s normal to need some time to understand and come to terms with this diagnosis. This article from the Joslin Diabetes Center covers the process of adjusting to your new diagnosis of diabetes.

The Comprehensive Diabetes Checklist

After a diagnosis of diabetes, it is essential to develop a plan for managing your diabetes and staying healthy. This comprehensive checklist covers everything you should track, from what tests you should receive and when to exercising and eating well.

Nine Questions for Your Diabetes Team

Your diabetes care team is comprised of everyone who helps you to manage your diabetes. This would include healthcare professionals like your primary care doctor and important people in your life, like a spouse or close friend. Read more...

Four Myths About Diabetes

Living with Diabetes means living in a world where Diabetes is unfortunately poorly understood by most people. Because of this, myths about diabetes are often spread and widely believed. This list of 4 common myths about diabetes will help you educate yourself and the people in your life.

Skills for Managing Diabetes

Self-care is extremely important in effectively managing diabetes. However, practicing good self-care is more than just being aware of what you need to do (like maintain a healthy weight). It requires the development of specific skills, which are detailed in this article by the Joslin Diabetes Center.

Starting a Diabetes Routine

Scheduling and planning ahead are another major part of staying well when you have Diabetes. This article will walk you through what you need to consider when starting a routine and how to stick to it.

Diabetic Cooking

The Diabetic Cooking ™ recipe guide is a great resource for planning out your meals. The recipes here are easy to track as part of your diet thanks to accurate nutrition fact and nutrient exchanges per serving (like Diabetic Carb Counts).

Low Back Pain

Back pain is a surprisingly common condition. In fact, around one-half of all working Americans admit to having some kind of back pain symptoms every year. Despite how common back pain is, most back pain does not require medical attention, as typically symptoms resolve within 4-6 weeks. Below you’ll find a series of resources to help you make an informed choice on how to approach your back pain. At the Trust, we use the shared decision making process when approaching treatment of back pain. The video on the right explains what Shared Decision Making (SDM) is.

Watch shared decision making video

5 Back Pain Myths

In this article, Lisa Harlow, WEA Trust’s Manager of Clinical Quality Improvement, explains five common myths about back pain that are widely believed. If you’re experiencing low-back pain then this article is a great place to learn some of the basics.

Managing Back Pain at Home

Did you know that most acute instances of back pain can be managed at home? This quick guide from Web MD will walk you through the basics of treating your back pain from the comfort of your own home. There is also an easy to follow symptom guide for when you should see a doctor rather than manage your low-back pain from home.

Preventing Back Pain Episodes

10 Tips for a Healthy Back will help you keep your back healthy and reduce your risk of developing low-back pain. If you’ve experienced low-back pain in the past this list can help you form a prevention routine that will keep your back healthy and pain free.

Do I need an X-Ray, CT Scan or MRI?

In most cases, imaging tests are not necessary for people who are suffering from back pain. This article from Choosing Wisely explains why you should typically avoid imaging tests for low-back pain, appropriate alternative treatments, and when an imaging test is necessary.

Do I need a Bone Density Test?

A bone-density test is used to measure the strength of your bones. The test, called a DEXA scan, is a kind of X-ray. Performing bone density tests in conjunction with back pain episodes has become more prevalent despite a lack of evidence that the test is necessary. This article from Choosing Wisely

I wish I had asked that!

An essential part of the shared decision making process is asking your doctor the questions that are important to you. With low-back pain, there are multiple treatment paths that can be pursued depending on what you as a patient want. This visit guide from the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation will help you ensure that you ask about all your treatment options during your next doctor visit.

Lumbar Herniated Disc: Should I have Surgery?

Deciding whether or not to pursue surgery for a lumbar herniated disc is a complex decision that you should make carefully after considering all of your options. Herniated Lumbar Disc Information

Epidural Steroid Injections

A common non-surgical treatment for low-back pain is epidural steroid injections coupled with a therapeutic exercise regimen. Epidural Steroid Injections Information

Sciatica – Treatment Options

Typically, pain caused by the sciatic nerve responds to self-care treatments that you can administer yourself from home. Pinched Nerve Information

What is Hypertension?

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) occurs when the body’s blood pressure becomes consistently elevated. Though typically there are few symptoms that accompany high blood pressure, it can cause serious health problems if left untreated.

Why Does High Blood Pressure Matter?

High blood pressure is sometimes unwisely ignored by people who have it or are at risk for developing it because there are very few noticeable symptoms. However, high blood pressure is a serious condition that is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it can cause serious damage to your vital organs and arteries. This resource from the American Heart Association goes in depth to explain why high blood pressure should be taken seriously.

Understand Your Risk

You may be at higher risk of developing high blood pressure because of a number of genetic, personal, or lifestyle based risk factors. For example, did you know that women 65 and older are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men? This article will explain High Blood Pressure risk factors in depth

Healthy Habits to Prevent High Blood Pressure

Ready to make a change? By following this list of healthy habits you can help prevent or lower your risk for developing high blood pressure. Start today.

Recipes to Help with Diet

These recipes can help make eating a blood pressure friendly diet easier. Eating Well has collected a variety of low sodium, low cholesterol and high fiber recipes that will help you maintain a healthy weight and improve your blood pressure ratings.

Diagnosis and Monitoring

This series of articles from the American Heart Association will take you through the process of diagnosing high blood pressure and how to monitor your blood pressure from home. If you’re newly diagnosed with high blood pressure this is a great place to start.

What is Arthritis?

Did you know that arthritis is not actually a single disease or condition but rather a general term that refers to join pain and joint disease? This article from the Arthritis Foundation covers what arthritis is, the common symptoms of arthritis and some basic information about the common types of arthritis.

Learn the basics

How to Prevent Arthritis

Unfortunately, there is no proven way to prevent the development of arthritis, but this article covers some of the steps you can take to reduce your risk for developing arthritis. The most important takeaway: learn about the risk factors you can control and make a plan to reduce them.

Diagnosing Arthritis

If you suspect that you may be developing arthritis and are preparing to go to your doctor, it can be helpful to understand how arthritis is diagnosed. Due to the complexity of the disease, it is unfortunately not a simple process and can sometimes require visits with a specialist or an imaging test. Learn more...

Top 3 Types of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis are the three most common types of arthritis. This article from WEB MD covers the basics of each type.

Spotlight: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a common form of arthritis that affects the joints and can affect other organs as well. This type of arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disease and is considered polyarthritic, affecting five or more joints. This CDC factsheet has everything you need to know about Rheumatoid arthritis.

Self Management

Practicing good self-care is an important part of living with any chronic disease and arthritis is no different. By practicing good self-care you can dramatically improve your quality of life and your mental well being. This article from the arthritis foundation covers what you need to know to manage your arthritis yourself.

Medications: Enbrel and Humira

There are a variety of medications and treatments that your doctor may prescribe to treat your arthritis. Two medications that are used to treat more severe cases of arthritis are Enbrel and Humira.

Arthritis and Depression

“Untangling the relationship between depression and an RA flare is a challenge,” writes Bonnie Bermas, MD and contributing editor for the Harvard Medical School Health Publications. Thankfully, some recent research has begun to investigate this relationship. Bermas offers some insight into this research and what it might mean for Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers.

Arthritis Diet

Did you know that mindfully adjusting your diet can help improve and manage your arthritis symptoms? This set of articles from the Arthritis Foundation covers topics like what foods to avoid, the best anti-inflammatory foods and arthritis friendly recipes.

Exercise

Staying active can help manage your arthritis symptoms and improve your overall mental health thanks to the naturally mood-boosting chemicals that your body releases. This set of articles covers some of the more specific benefits of exercising when you have arthritis. You’ll also find a series of arthritis-friendly workout videos and workout plans.

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