About Hannah Bracamonte

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So far Hannah Bracamonte has created 566 blog entries.

Advanced Care Planning: Turning “What If?” Into “Here’s How”

2024-03-28T20:57:51-04:00October 27th, 2022|Categories: Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen, Uncategorized|

By David L. Mahoney, MD, FASN, FASDIN A number of years ago, I attended a lecture on Advance Care Planning. The speaker was a very engaging man who had recently dealt with end-of-life issues for a loved one. There were about 150 people in attendance at the lecture, which began with a series of questions: “How many of you have life insurance?” Virtually every hand in the room went up. “How many of you have a will?” About three quarters of the hands were raised. “How many of you have a living will?” About 10% of hands were raised [...]

Telehealth with a Behavioral Health Professional: What to Know Before You Start

2024-03-28T20:57:51-04:00October 27th, 2022|Categories: Mental Health, The Kidney Citizen|

By Kirsten Weir If you or a family member is managing chronic kidney disease, you’re probably thinking a lot about physical health—the health of the kidney and the rest of the body. Caring for your behavioral health is just as important. And with telehealth options that let you see a behavioral health professional from your home, it’s more convenient than ever. “The increased availability and acceptance of telehealth might be one of the few positive changes to come out of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” says Amy Walters, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the director of Behavioral Health Services for St. [...]

Digital Health Records – You can now access them, but not easily

2024-03-28T20:57:53-04:00October 7th, 2022|Categories: eNews, Quality of Life, Treatment|

On October 6, 2022, new federal rules took effect that require health care organizations to give patients unrestricted access to their digital health records. These rules that were passed under the 21st Century Cares Act are designed to empower patients by not only giving them the ability to access their own data, but also decide who to share that data with, which was previously not the case. This means that patients can better understand their care, shop for services, and engage in their own research. It also removes roadblocks such as fees and delays that were the norm for patients requesting [...]

Recipe of the Month: Spider Cheeseball

2024-03-28T20:57:54-04:00October 1st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Nutrition, Recipe of the Month, Recipes|

Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. October’s recipe is perfect for a Halloween get together, or just anytime you’re craving some cheese (disguised as a spooky spider or not!): Spider Cheeseball Recipe create by Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD Ingredients: Makes 16 servings 1 8 oz package, softened cream cheese (Check your packages carefully. Lowfat is not always the lowest in sodium.) 2 oz feta cheese crumbled 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic minced (If you [...]

Organ Transplants Are Up, but the Agency in Charge Is Under Fire

2024-03-28T20:57:55-04:00September 20th, 2022|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Kidney Transplant|

By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio September 7, 2022 For the past decade, Precious McCowan’s life has revolved around organ transplants. She’s a doctoral candidate studying human behavior in Dallas who has survived two kidney transplants. And in the midst of her end-stage renal disease, her 2-year-old son died. She chose to donate his organs in hopes they would save a life. Now her kidney function is failing again, and she’s facing the possibility of needing a third transplant. But the process of finding that lifesaving organ is rife with problems. Roughly 5,000 patients a year are dying on the waitlist — even as [...]

New Study Shows Age-Related Kidney Function Differs by Gender

2024-03-28T20:57:56-04:00September 8th, 2022|Categories: Diagnosis of Kidney Disease, eNews, Stages of Kidney Disease, What Causes Kidney Disease|

A study of 1,837 people aged 50-62, which replicated accurate measurements of kidney function in health women and men over time, may partly explain why more women are diagnosed with early CKD and more men develop severe CKD and kidney failure as they age. The baseline mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 90 ml/min/1.73 m.2 for women and 98 ml/min/1.73m.2 for men (P<0.001). However, additional measurements over 11 years of follow-up showed that men experienced a mean decrease in GFR 25% more than women. The study, published in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JSN) showed that the relationship [...]

Recipe of the Month: Baked Apples with Crumble Topping

2024-03-28T20:57:57-04:00September 2nd, 2022|Categories: eNews, Nutrition, Recipe of the Month, Recipes|

Welcome to our new article series, Recipe of the Month! Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute. For September, we have a great recipe to get you in the mood for autumn: Baked Apples with Crumble Topping Recipe created by The KidneyRD Team Ingredients: Makes 4 servings 3 tablespoons coconut oil cold and firm 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed ¼ cup rolled oats ¼ cup chopped walnuts ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or up to ½ teaspoon for stronger flavor [...]

COVID-19 Transmission and Understanding Exposure Risks

2024-03-28T20:57:58-04:00September 1st, 2022|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Staying Healthy|Tags: |

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a series of questions around factors that can determine a lower or higher risk of COVID-19 transmission. These questions are designed so you can assess your risk of exposure and possible transmission in various settings, as well as the likelihood that you were infected if you had recently been around a person with COVID-19. If multiple factors indicate you could be in a higher transmission risk scenario, you  may consider adding more preventative actions or take steps outlined for what to do if you were exposed. As always, you should [...]

World’s First HIV-Positive to HIV-Positive Heart Transplant Performed

2024-03-28T20:57:59-04:00August 4th, 2022|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant|

Earlier this spring, a woman in her 60s became the first to receive an HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant. She suffered from advanced heart failure and received the donation, which happened simultaneously with a kidney transplant, during a four-hour surgery at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx. The woman spent five weeks recovering in the hospital and is currently being monitored by transplant physicians at Montefiore. In 2013, the HIV Organ Policy Equality Act enabled people living with HIV to donate their organs to HIV-positive recipients, but this is the first time this opportunity has been able to happen for heart [...]

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