Good genes can go a long way toward helping you stay healthy. And the healthier you are, the less your health insurance is likely to cost.

But if you drew the short end of the stick (so to speak) when it comes to genetic inheritance, you can still slash health care costs–and improve your health–by following a few simple guidelines:


Choose your health insurer wisely. Don’t just pick the one with the cheapest plan; aim instead for a policy with the benefits you need at a price you can afford.
Know what your health plan covers–and what it doesn’t–and follow the rules. Double-check whether the services and providers you need are covered under your plan ahead of time…before you receive treatment. Then make sure you follow the appropriate procedures regarding appointments, claims and referrals.
Coordinate health insurance plans. If you and your spouse both work and have employer-sponsored health plans, be careful to avoid duplicate coverage. This can drain your wallet, causing you to pay more for benefits than is really necessary. If you do decide to maintain both coverages, however, make sure you understand how the plans will mesh together…especially if one or both of you belongs to an HMO.
Plan ahead. Clarify which doctors, hospitals and emergency services belong to your plan’s network–and under what circumstances you may use them. Write this information down, and keep it close by in case of emergency. You’ll avoid excessive out-of-pocket expenses and make things easier on yourself when it comes to filing claims.
Use generic drugs, rather than name brand. Your health insurer considers generics “cost effective,” so they’re willing to bear a greater percentage of their cost than that of name brand drugs. You can cut costs by an average of $10-$40 per prescription by using generics, whenever possible.
Take advantage of health care spending accounts. These enable you to pay for certain out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as dental and vision care, on a pre-tax basis.
Lose weight. According to recent studies, being obese can add as much as $395 per year to your health care costs. That’s more than smoking, aging 20 years, or drinking excessively! Not only is being overweight bad for your health; it can also make finding good health insurance coverage difficult.
Quit smoking. The cost of smoking escalates your health care expenses by one-third over your lifetime. This means greater claims risk for your insurer–and higher health insurance premiums for you. So kick the habit and save your money for other things. You’ll live longer, and get cheaper health insurance rates, too!
Increase your exercise level. This is also a great way to get healthy, live longer and save money on your health insurance.
Participate in free or low-cost community health services. Many HMOs and local departments of health offer free blood pressure checks, flu shots, classes on nutrition and diet, and other lifestyle programs. Take advantage of these resources to help you stay healthy and active.
Raise your health insurance deductible or co-pay level. You can lower your health insurance premiums by raising the amount you pay for your deductible or co-pay. Just make sure you have enough money saved to cover the increased expenses up front.
Make health insurers compete for your business. Use an online shopping service like InsureMe.com to get free quotes, competitive rates and great health insurance coverage. This puts the choice in yourhands–and gives you more control over your health insurance decisions.

Finding cheap health insurance isn’t easy…but it can be done.

So take these tips to heart, and do what it takes get the coverage you deserve. You’ll stick around longer–and so will your money!

By: Penny Hagerman

Denver officials deny being reactionary after a new law was pushed through in record time. Less than twenty four hours after the President’s dog, Barney Bush, bit Reuter’s reporter Jon Decker the city of Denver, Colorado has outlawed Scottish Terriers, banning them from living within city limits.

“I saw it on Fox News, so it must be true!” said Denver Councilman Jethro Noscience (R). He went on to add, “That video is shocking. It is unequivocal evidence that Scotties are vicious menaces to society and should be ripped away from their families and killed.” Scottie Specific Legislation was passed for the safety of the city’s citizens. Denver’s citizens themselves are to bewildered to be interviewed.

In passing this legislation Denver officials did not want to leave any dog unturned. As a preemptive move West Highland terriers and Cairn terriers were also added to the city’s ever-growing Kill List. In addition, any cross or mix of these breeds must also be euthanized within two hours of conception.

When asked how Animal Control Officers (ACOs) would identify mixed breed terriers Top Critter Cop Jennifer Killemall said, “Well obviously if a dog weight less than 35 lbs and has bad hair they are a terrier. Da sh*t!” It should be noted, Killemall has recently been nominated to serve on the Diplomatic Corp.

Almost as soon as the ridged genetic science of “bad hair” was announced lines formed around the block outside many of the city’s best dog grooming facilities. Bichon Frises and Affenpinschers were lined up as far as the eye could see. Several visiting tourist from Florida mistakenly wandered into the lines, ultimately casting their vote for a Samoyed as President of the United States just by pressing several buttons on a dog dryer.

Meanwhile, when reporters inquired why Wheaton Terriers were not on the Kill List, Killemall said, “Everyone knows hypoallergenic dogs don’t bite. She added, “We’re not barbarians! We respect the rights of citizens who have allergies. Denver’s four Asthmatic dog owners breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Despite this kind-hearted logic, the first seizure of a small pet dog left some people a tab bit perturbed. Cairn terrier owner Dorothy Oz said she had supported the Council when they voted to pass Breed Specific Legislation (BS) against pit bulls, but now that these laws suddenly affected her own family and life, it was cruel and senseless BS. “I didn’t know that by giving away other people’s rights, I was setting a dangerous precedent and putting my own rights at risk.”

Initial raids did not go smoothly. Small dogs are like potato chips, no one have just one. ACOs were force to flee South Side Senior Care Facility when they were ascended upon by a frenzy of fuzzy critters. One Officer nearly had both legs severed in a well-coordinated and seemingly deliberate series of small bites and ardent leg-humping. It appears Jon Decker got off easy, so did the terriers.

On a related note, Band-Aid? stock plummeted today on word that other cities may be just as preposterous as Denver. This pushed once robust financial markets to the brink of collapse. Overall, however, health care investments are still considered a safe bet. Hospitals have reported no change in the number of Emergency Room admissions since any of Denver’s breed bans were passed.

When compared to the number of children who murder their parents, general homicides, infanticide, car accidents, household falls and fatal falling coconut incidents, dog bite deaths don’t even register on the radar. E.R. Doctor George Tyler noted that until the “Mile High City” bans reproduction, sex, driving, guns, cigarettes, alcohol, mountain bikes, skate boards, stilettos, butter, lawn mowing, aluminum based deodorants, spiders, rust, baths and Thai soup his hospitals doors will always remain open. Upon hearing this proclamation Denver City Council immediately scheduled more meetings designed to protect people from life. Watch for Proposition 666 coming to a ballot near you!

Meanwhile, at area shelters, Pit Bulls on death row are now being stacked up like Tupperware? in order to create space for all the old lady dogs being impounded. “If we can’t start killing family pets faster this facility will be in deep dog dodo”, announced newly hired Dog Pound Manager Mike Vick.

-END-

Undated: This just in! The last remaining dog in Denver has been seized by ACO officers. Shelby, a 16 year old, toothless, narcoleptic Old English sheepdog (or so they say) was torn away from his life-long family today. While out jogging, Denver’s Mayor spotted Shelby through an open curtain and instantly determined that he was a Pit Bull / Westie cross. When asked if he was indeed a vicious dog, Shelby could not be awakened for comment.

All hail common sense!

By: Nola Lee Kelsey

It is important for any medical employer to be familiar with a sample referral letter from doctors to avoid some misleading positive letters recommending a former doctor as efficient and responsible. An employer usually receives a recommendation letter stating good conducts of a person with excellent performance and if the employer does not investigate and easily believes the referral letter, it might cause them to hire an unprofessional doctor. It is possible that a particular hospital will get recommendations from a professional doctor, recommending his former colleague for a new position. For instance, an earlier colleague has recommended a drug -addicted anesthesiologist. From the letter it was stated that the doctor he was referring was an “excellent anesthesiologist”. The referral letter is actually misleading due to the fact that the referred doctor was fired from his former hospital for the use of narcotics while on duty that put patients at significant risk.

Those people who received a bill that was supposed to be paid by a health plan or a medical group can also use a sample referral letter from doctors. They can use this sample in writing for a referral letter to be signed by a doctor, requesting the medical group to process the benefits that has to be claimed by the patients for hospital bills. Through this referral letter that was officially signed by a doctor, the patient will be able to call the attention of the customer service department of the medical group and talk to an authorized person who can do the process of paying the bills.

Prior to the transactions to be made with a health plan representative, you may send first the referral letter made and signed by a doctor in which your personal letter requesting the medical group to pay the bill is also attached. You may include to your letter the denial of payment for your hospital bills. This letter for request gives a basic format. Make sure that you have included all the facts needed by the health plan provider. And to assure that you are claiming the right benefits, it is better if you review the health plan member book or is basically called as the evidence of coverage. This handbook that summarizes the plan description can be used for filing appeal, grievance or complaint. Important documents should also be attached to your request and your sample referral letter from doctors. Attach that information that can help you to explain the case. You may check from the Health Right’s Hotline’s action guides all the information that you may attach to the letter. At the end of your letter you may site the examples of your attachment. In many cases, one may encounter a letter with no attachments but to explain your case better, you have to attach as many documents as you can.

By: Clifford Young

Mental illnesses can be crippling and demoralizing. One can find endless advice on maintaining one’s mental health and on recognizing a mental illness, but today I would like to distill the critical factors for mental health recovery into four succinct points. The four most critical factors in mental health recovery are: housing, employment, stabilization of medication and symptom interference, and the development of a social network.

Housing is one of the most basic human needs, regardless of whether one has a mental illness or is considered entirely healthy. When one reviews the statistics, the rate of homeless individuals who suffer from an untreated mental illness is positively alarming. What is even worse is if these individuals cannot afford basic shelter, there is little hope that they are receiving proper medications, meaning a continual downward spiral is about to take place. Obtaining stable housing is likely the most important factor for mental healthcare consumers on the road to recovery.

Now it is time to explore what practitioners and consumers alike can do to obtain housing. For mental health practitioners, one must focus upon finding affordable or government subsidized housing for the mental healthcare consumer, ideally in a situation which removes them from their immediate environment (as it is prone to lead to relapses or continued substance abuses, etc.). Most major cities have government subsidized low-income apartment complexes that you can look into for such consumers. For the mental healthcare receiver, one must recognize that housing is critical to almost every function in life and seeking out housing in a shelter is far better than winding up on the streets. Also, an address will be required to find employment and to receive social security insurance payments if the qualifications for such payments are met, thus making housing crucial to mental health recovery.

Once one finds housing, employment is essential on the road to empowerment and self-sustainability. One point is critical however: do not take on too much too fast. It is ok to re-enter the workforce slowly. Take a part time position, adjust to that, and if you feel you are ready after a month or two, take on a full-time position. This is also a great time to go back to school if you have been looking into that. Anything with a technical skill will put you in much better standing so lean towards that if you can.

For mental healthcare practitioners interested in enrolling their consumers in higher education as part of their treatment plans, a great place to guide them is into computer courses dealing with Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL, C++, Java, C#, or Python programming. Such jobs are in huge demand, have good salaries, and can even be done remotely from home in many situations.

With employment comes concern of money management. If an individual with a mental illness cannot responsible manage their money, a family member or treatment center fund should be given control of the individual’s funding. Now this is a very touchy subject so if a mental health consumer is in fact relinquishing control of funding to insure no purchase of illegal substances occurs, one must insure the controlling program is reputable, in good standing, and competently managed.

Medication and symptom stabilization is the third of the four keys to mental health recovery. The proper ratio of medications can take time and does alter one’s chemical and hormonal balances, thus can be a rather painful process, but it is worth the battle. So many breakdowns are due to mental health consumers going off their medications or improper medication balances, which is a travesty considering the avoidability of said occurrences. Take the time to find the right combination, this will allow for stabilization of symptom interference levels, which will then contribute to one’s ability to maintain adequate employment therein ability to afford appropriate housing and independence.

The fourth and final key to mental health recovery is building a strong, proactive social network. Isolation and alienation are very common among those with a mental illness who have experienced a severe psychotic break. One must seek out a supportive network, be it consisting of family, friends, or other individuals on the road to recovery from their own mental illness. The American Clubhouse model for mental healthcare facilities is great for finding an active social network. While some consumers complain that such groups solely sit around and talk, over time this talking will turn into productive, employment oriented endeavors. One must, however, remove themselves from any social network that could contribute to a relapse of the original mental condition.

Housing, employment, stabilization, and social network development are the critical keys to mental health recovery. Housing drives employment, employment makes housing affordable. Employment allows for the ability to afford proper medications, which leads to stabilization. Stabilization consequently aids employment, thus making housing an even greater reality. All of this is dependent upon the loving support of a social network. These are the keys to mental health recovery. For access to a recovery-based clinic, click on the links below!

By: Lex Douvasa

Acne skin care involves washing one’s face gently with a mild cleanser, both in the morning and evening or after a sweaty exercise. Some people who suffer from acne due to too much oil production and outbreaks use rough scrub pads and strong detergent soaps. This does not stop acne formation; it aggravates it. Oily spots on severely oily skin are the only places that astringents should be used over, but even then only as recommended. Also advised by dermatologists is the shampooing of hair on a regular basis, especially for people with oily hair.

Men can prevent formation of acne on their skin by shaving with safety razors and electric shavers. They should both be tested for comfort and convenience. People who choose to use safety razors should soften beards thoroughly using water and soap before the application of shaving cream. In case pimples do appear, shaving lightly and only when necessary can avoid nicking blemishes while shaving.

Constantly touching the affected area encourages scarring; as does popping, picking or squeezing zits. All these activities risk scars developing, as well as the development of dark blotches. One should use skin care regimen that contains Proactiv, Salicylic Acid and Retextra as these active ingredients have proven to be very effective yet gentle. However, when using medications as part of the acne skin-care regime, one should avoid tanning and/or sunburns; acne treatments make the skin sensitive hence put one at a higher risk of sunburn.

All the cosmetics one uses should be free of oil, as acne treatments are being administered. During the initial weeks of acne skin care, the skin becomes very sensitive and one should not use products that contain harmful ingredients. Some of these ingredients include benzoyl peroxide. It causes the skin to be scaly, red and vulnerable to oily makeup. These red blotches may be encouraged by the use of benzoyl peroxide or topical tretinoin as well as hair products that contain oily ingredients. Hair products may spill over to the forehead and face causing closed comedones. Salicylic Acid-rich treatments use is strongly encouraged, as they reduce formations of closed pores hence allowing the skin to breath.

By: Greg Garner

As I write this article, I must begin by telling you that the current medical system of health care in America is failing, and it is failing miserably. You cannot wait until something breaks down before you try to do something to “fix” your health. We treat the symptoms and not the cause of the problem. This is like waiting until your engine seizes or blows up before you check your oil level in your car.

Your health is something that you should have been addressing and protecting since the time you were born. Instead, we wait until we are falling apart before we address the problem. At that point, after something breaks down, our next solution is to take multiple drugs or medications thinking that we are fixing the problem. The trouble is you cannot drug or medicate your way back to your best state of health. The body just doesn’t work that way. To prove the point, think about taking a healthy person and putting them on 4-5 medications like the average American is on. What would happen to this person? Yes, that person would get sick. So, what ever made us think that we could take a sick person, put them on drugs, and expect them to get well?

In the United States, we represent 5% of the world’s population, and yet we consume almost 70% of the drugs and medications on the planet. The average American under age 40 is on 2 prescription drugs. Over 40, the average individual is on 4-5 medications. Senior citizens in the U.S. take an average of 6-8 different drugs every day, most of which are the result of having not maintained their health while it was still possible when they were younger.

Do you honestly believe that the more medications and drugs that you take in your lifetime, the healthier your body will be? No, of course not! If this system of taking multiple drugs or medications for our illnesses is working, why do we rank 37th in world health out of the 39 industrialized nations? Why are we also last in the world in infant mortality? That means more babies die here than in any other first world country on the globe. We rank last in years of potential life lost, which means that while living under this system of health care, you have the least chance of making it to your God-given life expectancy.

One out of two people will die from heart disease if you continue to do things the way everyone else does them. One out of three will die from cancer. If taking drugs when you get sick is the answer, why is it that 800,000 people every year are dying from the side effects of prescription medication? Another 400,000 a year are dying from medical mistakes. 90,000 people a year are dying from the side effects of antibiotics alone. Another 100,000 reported deaths every year are from infections that people contract in the hospital that they didn’t enter with. Over 16,000 people each and every year die from the side effects of Tylenol and Ibuprofen, both being over the counter medications. This is the same number of people who die every year from AIDS. I haven’t seen any fund-raising campaigns to do “Tylenol research” or to “raise our awareness of Ibuprofen”, have you?

In the last 50 years, untold trillions of dollars have been spent on research to find the magic pill for all sorts of conditions, and they have yet to cure one disease. Not one. Well, it should be blatantly obvious by now that this approach to our health is not working. It’s not that medicine doesn’t do some good things for people who are in crisis, but it does nothing for your health or for restoring you to a state of wellness. It does nothing to allow you to reach your God-given potential and live out your full life expectancy. You have to be asking the same questions that I asked years ago when I found out about all of this. Is there an alternative? Do I have a choice in the matter? If so, what are my options so that I don’t have to end up as a statistic like the rest of the population in this country? How can I restore my health to its greatest potential and then keep it that way?

The good news is you will begin to get the answers to all of these questions in this article. What you do with what you will learn is up to you- all I can do is provide you with the truth and lead you down the path that is provided for you to live in a state of health and wellness without having to turn to drugs and surgery unless they are the last resort. After having expended every natural means available to you to restore your health, there are times that medication and/or surgery is necessary. The key is not to allow yourself to get into a state of crisis that require these most drastic measures. Learn how to keep yourself healthy and prevent problems instead.

Let me explain a couple of things about what this article is and what it is not. This article is not about me proving to you how the body works. I will teach you basic anatomy and physiology to explain how the body is put together and what makes it run on all cylinders. This article is not about me convincing you that you need a different approach to your health. It is not about whether you need to do things differently than everyone else is doing them. It is about whether you are ready to commit to the process.

You have to do things a certain way over time to expect certain changes and I know what those things are. The recommendations that I make in this article are not made to talk you into something that you don’t need or don’t want. The information is to provide you with what is necessary to make the changes you require if you expect to be healthy. Some of you reading this today are still not ready to commit to this process and that scares me. As much as I would love to see health and healing restored into your life, if you are not ready to make this happen the way it needs to happen, then I can’t help you. But if you are ready to make a change, I will do everything in my power to work with you, teach you, and do whatever I can to make all the changes that will ever be possible.

My job is to set you on a new course of life and health. Reaching your full potential and living in a state of health and wellness requires your participation. It does not just happen by itself does it? I’m not writing this article to prove anything to you. The truth stands on its own merit. The problem is we have been raised with a false sense of what health is and what our responsibilities are to maintain it. Here are some of the things about the way the body works that they have proven to be true:

By design, the body provides all healing and health in our physical bodies by the power that is released from the brain through the nerve system. This is how healing occurs in our physical bodies. Healing information from the brain is released through the nervous system and sent to the affected part of the body so that it can work the way it was designed it to work in the first place. The problem lies in the fact that the nerve system signals can be blocked or become disrupted. If we shut off the brain’s ability to tell the stomach how to digest the food you just ate, does the stomach know what to do by itself? Can the heart beat on its own without the nerve controlling the process? That is not how the body was designed to work.

If you don’t believe this, just cut the nerve to any part of your body and see how long it functions the way that it is supposed to function. Our organs being controlled by the nerve supply is just the way we were designed to work. Our responsibility in this process is to keep the nerve channels wide open and free from as much interference to this communication system as is possible. This can only be provided by protecting the shape of the spinal cord and the alignment of the spine which is what protects the way the nerves work. So how do you know whether or not your nerves are working properly or not? You have to go to a spinal expert like a chiropractor trained in the detection and correction of spinal misalignment and mal-position.

Your very life revolves around the health and integrity of just 3 things:

Your spirit Your mind and Your nerve system

Without all three of these being at peak efficiency, you will not live out the life at the level of health that you are capable of living.

You are the product today of all the decisions and choices you have made in your life up to this point. Not all of them have been good choices have they? Many of them have resulted in some of the very health problems that you may be contending with today. Many of the poor choices that you have made have been due to a lack of knowledge, but that can end right now. It is true that we are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it. This can be the beginning of a whole new you. God loves new beginnings and his purpose for the rest of your life is not limited by your past. You can start fresh today and base the decisions on how you live and take care of your life and health and that of your family on fact and on solid principles of healthy living.

What are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose but the sickness and illnesses that plague you. In the next series of articles, I will begin to break down each component of your health. We will discuss diet/nutrition, losing weight, detoxifying your body, exercising effectively, clearing your nerve system from any interference that may exist, and many other factors that, together, make up your current state of health. Remember, it is the decisions that you make today that will determine your level of health tomorrow!

Look for my articles on all of the topics above as well as all the future articles that I will write regarding the HOW of becoming healthier every year that you are alive.

By: Dr. Tom Bolan