Medical records often contain highly sensitive and private information. Only specific individuals have access to your medical records.  States vary in procedures and policy in regards to handing out medical records, as do individual hospitals. However, federal law dictates that an individual has the right to access his or her medical records, make copies, and request amendments. For the most part, only you and your doctor have the right to access your medical records.  In rare cases, you might need to obtain someone else's records. You will need a direct authorization signed by the patient. If the patient is incapacitated, legal documents will be needed to waive the signature. However, protocol for requesting someone else's records is a subject of debate and confusion in the medical community. If you need someone else's medical records for any reason, discuss the issue with an attorney to figure out the procedures necessary to obtaining that information.  Married couples do not have the right to one another's medical records and signed authorization is needed to obtain a spouse's records. Parents usually have access to the medical records of children under 18 but there are some exceptions. If, for example, a child is over 12 some states allow records regarding reproductive health and sexual history to remain confidential. To obtain your records, you need certain materials. Make sure you know you have all the necessary paperwork filled out before beginning the process of requesting records.  Your healthcare provider's Health Information Management Department (HIM) can provide you with the authorization form specific to your hospital. This will need to be filled out in full.  Information included in the authorization form varies from state to state and hospital to hospital. However, most forms ask for your address, date of birth, social security number, and phone number. You will also probably have to provide the dates you received treatment, what documents you want released, and your reasons for requesting the records.  Many hospitals, in order to speed up the process, allow the authorization form to be filled out online. Check if this is an option at your hospital if completing the forms online is more convenient for you.  When you go in to request your records, you will need a photo ID. Fees vary from hospital to hospital, but there is specific protocol when it comes to charging for records. Be aware of this to avoid paying unlawful fees.  Hospitals do have the right to charge fees for medical records. However, these fees are limited to the costs of the labor required to obtain the records. In other words, your hospital cannot use your records to make a profit.  Usually, a hospital will charge a fee based on the number of pages in your records. There is a cap as to how much this fee is that varies from state to state. In New York, it's 75 cents a page and in California it's 25. Know what the maximum price per page is in your state and make sure you're not being overcharged. You can usually find this information on the Department of Health's website. To avoid these fees, ask your doctor to send the last SOAP Note from your final visit, or if you are in the hospital, request the discharge summaries that were dictated by your physician.

Summary: Know who can request medical records. Gather the necessary material. Figure out what fees, if any, you need to pay.


Jumping jacks, walking lunges, heel kickbacks, and marching are great activities to warm you up. Warming up will help prevent injury as you stretch. You should have your left knee on the floor and your right knee pointing in front of you, with both of your legs bent at right angles. Put your hands on your hips and keep your back straight. Keep the toes of your left foot pointed so that your shin is lying flat on the ground. This will stretch your left hip and thigh by pulling your knee backwards. Go slowly and be careful not to stretch beyond what is comfortable. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds, keeping your hips as square as possible. Stretch your arms over your head, shoulder width apart, with your palms facing each other. Keep your face pointing forward and gently arch your upper back. Move back to your original position, then bring your right knee down to the ground and bend your left leg in front of you. Repeat the stretch and hold for at least 30 seconds. If you want to stretch your hips further, you can repeat the lunge and this time lift your back knee off the ground to straighten your leg. This will give you a more intense stretch and also build strength in your hips.

Summary: Warm up with light cardio for 10-15 minutes. Kneel on the floor with your right leg bent in front of you. Bend your right knee to pull your hips forward. Lift your arms up straight above you and arch your back slightly. Switch legs and repeat the stretch. Try the pose again with your back leg straight for a deeper stretch.


While many counter words can apply for broad categories of things, none of them can be applied to people. If you're counting people, you always add 人 after the number.  For example, 九 人 (kyuu nin, pronounced "kyoo neen") means "nine people." The first 2 counters are irregular. If you're referring to one person, 一 人, you say hitori (pronounced "hee-tohr-ee"). If you're referring to two people, 二 人, you say futari (pronounced "foo-tah-lee"). For all others, simply add nin to the word for the number. While Japanese has hundreds of very specific counters, this one can be used to count virtually any object that exists. It works not only for solid 3-dimensional objects but also for things with no definite shape, such as shadows or sound waves.  For numbers 1 through 10, つ is used with the native Japanese system, not the Sino-Japanese system. While this counter applies to any 3-dimensional object, it can also be used for abstract things, such as thoughts, opinions, ideas, or reasons. The ko counter is almost as useful as the tsu counter and there is a lot of overlap between the two. However, ko has some limitations that tsu does not.  For example, you can use ko to talk about the difference in ages between to people, but not about how old a single person is. Generally speaking, if you use either ko or tsu as a counter, your meaning will be understood. When using just a number and a counter, you express a number of the thing being counted. However, if you add 目 after the counter, it indicates the order in which that thing is placed (rather than the number).  For example, 一回 means "one time." However, if you add 目 to it you get 一回目, which means "the first time." Similarly, 四人 means "four people." Add the 目 and it becomes 四人目, "the fourth person."

Summary: Count people with the 人 (nin, pronounced "neen") counter only. Use the つ (tsu, pronounced "tsoo") counter for any 3-dimensional object. Try the 個 (ko, pronounced "koh") counter to count things with a clear boundary. Add 目 (me, pronounced "meh") after a counter to show order.


Set the beads out to dry on a wire rack. They should not dry completely - just enough that you can handle them. Allow each bead with a hole to dry completely. See instructions above for remaining steps.
Summary: Place all of the ingredients into a bowl for mixing. Mix together to form a stiff paste. Roll the paste into small bead shapes. Pierce through each bead with a hot needle. Thread into a necklace.