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Topics like health and wellness seem to naturally come to the surface with the dawn of the New Year. Resolving to be fit can be daunting, especially when it comes to sifting through all the options to find the right treatment.

Realizing the challenge, two Pleasanton residents are offering their expertise to the world. Through Amy Sluss' book, "Health Care Your Way" and Dan Taylor's new website, Tri-Valley Wellness, resolutions could be achieved by this time next year.

Health Care Your Way
Sluss recently published a book with tips on how to manage your health. It's like tapping into the brain of the 30-year registered nurse who has worked in doctor's offices, hospitals and home care, and who has also been a community health educator.

She was led to write the book when questions from patients, friends and family centered around a similar theme: how to get the right kind of attention in the medical care system. The common misconception is that doctors are in charge of an individual's health. In her experience, Sluss said it's up to the patient to be in charge and proactive.

"If you don't get better [after treatment those are the people who fall through the cracks," she said. "When there are multiple health providers and issues, the complexity increases so much. Things pile up and issues compound and people get sicker and they don't know that it's really in their court to access care next."

Another problem is people giving up on their treatment.

"People who say 'I didn't like the side effect of the medication, so I stopped taking them,' especially cardiac medication, they're falling through the cracks," Sluss added. "That person didn't get complete care, and it was that person's issue; they dropped the ball. You should call in, go back to the doctor. There are always other answers."

One practical way to jumpstart a healthful mentality would be to put together a personal health record. The book dedicates a 40-page section to just this.

"People are under the misconception that their information is available [to doctors, but in the vast majority, it's not," she said.

She recommends compiling information such as current and past medications, allergies and underlying conditions to bring to the doctor. It's also wise to carry the key papers with you regularly, in case of a medical emergency, as well as to the doctor.

"Care providers love to take care of people with good, complete information," Sluss said. "They can actually provide more efficient care."

The effects of the economy are far reaching and the medical field is not exempt. Health costs are soaring, which could cause people to no longer consider health as a priority.

"Investing in your health is always a good investment," she said. "Seventy-five percent of all illness can be preventive. That's a costs savings and it's a quality of life issue."

Sluss got first-hand experience in this when caring for her mother in the last few years of her life. She had to manage her mother's increasingly complex health care from across the country. While she knew the ins and outs of the system, she wondered about all the people who didn't have a nurse in the family to help in these situations.

"Health Care Your Way: How to Get the Best Patient Care from Doctors, Emergency Medical Personnel and Hospitals" is available on Amazon.com. Sluss also writes about health, happiness and health care on her blog, www.chartyourownhealth.com.

Tri-Valley Wellness
Dan Taylor held a 15-year career in corporate finance, but left in 1998 to pursue a career in fitness training. Locally, he has presented educational workshops, served on the American Council on Exercise and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and teaches group Pilates at Downtown Yoga and Roche Molecular Devices.

Now fully immersed in the world of fitness, he realized there wasn't much of an online presence for the synergy that is often shared between the alternative medicine practices. He also saw the frustration of the Internet generation trying to find a good preventative health professional.

"The phone book tells you next to nothing about the business, and if they have a good website, good luck finding it," Taylor said.

If you search online review sites, many of the listings are no longer in business and some searches don't bring up relevant results, he said.

All this led Taylor to create TriValleyWellness.com, which launched Jan. 1. It includes a free, complete listing of area practitioners in a number of preventive wellness categories, such as massage, acupuncture, chiropractic, training, gyms and specialty exercise studios like yoga and Pilates. The listings and information are listed for free, not paid for by the practices.

With help from Taylor's contacts in the field, the site provides information about each type of treatment, in addition to general standards to look for when selecting a practitioner. Additional resources include links to health-related events and restaurants, a blog and a weekly video called Wellness Minute.

In his experience, Tri-Valley residents are open to the idea of steering away from the treatment model of medicine to being proactive and using preventative health practices. Taylor said he hopes people will become familiar with the various disciplines and that the site could provide a "measuring stick" for quality service.

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