Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness
Discount Health Benefits Plans: A Sensible Alternative To Traditional Insurance Plans
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A recent poll revealed that over 70% of Americans are either uninsured or underinsured. Surprisingly, the majority are from middle class households. Many of who are not offered health benefits by their employer or whom can’t afford the high-priced insurance premiums being offered.
In some states, there is an epidemic of children whose teeth are slowly rottening due to the lack of proper dental care. To help bring relief to this growing crisis, discount health care benefits providers have emerged. These companies do not provide health insurance, but they give an alternative that allows consumers to receive discounted fees per service. Unlike traditional insurance plans, these companies often have little or no exclusions, such as pre-existing conditions. Another plus is that consumers with immediate health care needs, can usually be seen by a doctor without having to wait for their coverage to “kick in”.
A potential drawback to discount health benefits plan is that consumers will pay for services upfront or at the time of service; unless other arrangements are made with that individual provider. This, in contrary to paying a co-pay or deductible at the time of service. Consumers with flexible spending accounts or medical savings accounts will be able to take advantage of this circumstance.
In some situations, depending on your health care provider’s policies, consumers have been able to use both the discount health plan alongside their insurance for even deeper savings. For example, you go into the dentist office for an extraction. The bill is $300. You hand your discount card to the insurance department, she gives you the discount, which normally ranges from 50 – 80%. This cuts your bill by up to $240! Leaving you with $60 left to pay. You pay the $60. Then file a claim with your insurance company for the $60. Let’s say your insurance company pays 80% of your bill. They will refund you $48 (80%), leaving you with a net bill of only $12, for what would have cost $300 normal price, or $60 with your insurance alone.
While some consumers are struggling with the high and growing price of insurance, others are discovering the savings of discount health benefits plans. By the year 2010, it is predicted that consumer driven health care, will be the future, leaving traditional insurance plans, to be a thing of the past.
Health Products that Make a Difference
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In a world where we’re stressed, overscheduled, and often overwhelmed, it’s easy to neglect our health. Stress negatively impacts our autoimmune system, making us more susceptible to garden variety viruses and bacteria. Over time, the cumulative effect of stress can lead to more serious chronic illnesses, as well as to life-threatening conditions.
Even though we’re well into the New Year, it’s not to late to resolve to take steps to improve our health and well-being. Thankfully, there are a number of health products on the market that can help us in our efforts.
Joint Health: Whether you are a fitness buff or you lead a sedentary lifestyle, it’s all too easy for the condition of your joints and their connective tissues to deteriorate over time. Vitamin C is essential to joint health, but other nutritional supplements that are especially formulated to keep joints flexible can help, as can a cream that is used topically. Glucosamine, for example, helps the body produce collagen, which helps cushion and protect the joints.
Digestion: If your diet is high in processed foods, or if you’re under a considerable amount of stress, the chances are good that your digestive tract is under duress. Thankfully, there a number of health products that can help you get back on track. Look for nutritional supplements that promote a healthy, pro-biotic digestive tract, and those that provide you with both soluble and insoluble fiber to get ride of accumulated toxins.
Immune System: If your diet is out of whack or if you lead a stressful life, your immune system is likely to be disproportionately affected. It’s import to choose health products that boost your immune system by promoting good intestinal bacteria, supporting the lymph glands, and providing protection against the damage caused by free radicals.
Heart: A healthy diet and plenty of exercise are two elements of heart health, but it’s not always easy to get it right. That’s why health products that provide you with omega-3 fatty acids, formulations that support healthy heart rhythms, and nutritional supplements that optimize blood vessel strength and elasticity are important to have in your arsenal.
Women’s Health: Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies, and need health products that specifically promote women’s health. Maintaining bone density, for example, is especially important for women, as is eliminating toxins that threaten breast health. When women are peri-menopausal or going through menopause, the right nutritional supplements can help alleviate symptoms and can ensure that a woman smoothly makes the transition through her middle years.
Men’s Health: Like women, men have their special needs. Nutritional supplements that enhance prostate health, for example, can be especially relevant to men’s health, as can health products that are formulated to strengthen the immune system and increase cellular health.
When you’re shopping for health products, it’s important to select a reputable company that uses natural ingredients. Choosing a global leader in health and wellness will ensure that you get the high quality products you need, that in turn will give you the peace of mind you deserve.
Natural Healing Method Using Alternative Herbal Medicine
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Medical practitioners of the Orient are know to incorporate natural healing methods with alternative herbal medicines. Instead of undergoing expensive medical treatment using synthetic and modern technologies, many find the natural method along with alternative herbal medicine a cost-effective solution to achieve the perfect health.
The belief of natural healing involves the use of 100% natural techniques and ingredients to promote better health. Synthetic medicines and modern medical technology are known to have side-effects that may prove to be fatal if not properly administered or performed.
The Benefits Of The Natural Healing Method
The natural healing method delves into the capability of the human body to adapt and recover without any outside help. Our bodies are equipped with its own defense mechanism towards illnesses and diseases. The method aims to strengthen this ability to boost the immune system to fight off health-related problems without any side-effects or complications.
Natural healing doesn’t only deal with physical health problems. In fact, it has been documented and proven that this method can also be used for mental and emotional ailments. Certain herbal compounds are known to induce relaxation to help a person deal with stress without having to take in synthetic products that can cause side-effects to crop up during use.
Certain plant extracts and aroma can directly affect the mind when inhaled and is most often used on patients suffering from behavioral problems. There are also some plants that can help the body relax when applied directly on the skin — like peppermint extract that can relax tight muscles that is usually attributed to stress. Natural healing method with herbal medicines can also help in weight loss programs for a slimmer and healthier body.
Acupuncture
The art of acupuncture originated from the Chinese. It delves into the energy pathways in the human body called meridians. The oriental health experts believe that ailments and diseases are caused by blocked meridians that disrupt the flow of positive healing energy from circulating throughout the body.
Needles charged with positive energy are inserted into these meridian points to clear up the blockage, as well as to stimulate the flow of healthy energy deep within the body. Certain herbal medicines and concoctions are administered to their patients to increase the volume of healing energy for a full-body recovery.
Reiki and Qi Gong
Reiki and Qi Gong involve the healing of an individual using the positive energies of both the practitioner and those that stem from the universe. The practitioner of the art inscribes symbols upon the afflicted area on the human body and directs their energies into it for healing. Herbal medicines are given to their patients to amplify these positive energies for the treatment to yield beneficial results.
Proper Use Of Herbal Medicines
Despite the safe and beneficial results of using natural healing methods with alternative herbal medicine, there is a possibility that some adverse reactions might take place that might become a problem when left unchecked.
Despite the natural ingredients used in herbal products, we can never deny the fact that our body’s chemistry might react to it. There are even some natural healing methods that might cause problems instead of getting rid of it.
Such is the case; it is very important to consult an expert first before undertaking this solution. Have a full body check-up with your doctor and subject yourself to a complete laboratory exam to determine whether your body can use the treatment method safely or not.
Breast Cancer – Estrogen Dominance & The Imbalance Of Hormones
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Estrogen Dominance is a term coined by the late John R. Lee, M.D., author of a number of books on the topic of women’s hormones. The theory of Estrogen Dominance describes a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal or excessive estrogen but has little or no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can have estrogen dominance symptoms if she doesn’t have any progesterone. Basically estrogen dominance reflects hormones that have gone out of balance. Out of balance hormones can affect women from 14 to 94.
How do we become estrogen dominant? Our food chain is laced with toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones – a sea of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. If we are overweight, our body’s store of excess fat can be converted into estrogen. Insulin resistance also leads to estrogen dominance. Then there is estrogen found in ERT, HRT and Birth Control Pills.
Estrogen dominance also occurs in men. As men age, estrogen gradually rises, while saliva levels of progesterone and testosterone gradually fall. We often find men of fifty having higher saliva estrogen levels than women of fifty! A sign of estrogen dominance in men is the tendency for some to develop breasts.
An imbalance of hormones in our bodies results in hormone-related health problems such as PMS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, post-partum depression, weight gain, increased blood clotting, thyroid dysfunction, even breast and uterine cancer in women and in men breast cancer, prostate problems and prostate cancer.
Estrogen Dominance can be detected by taking a saliva test. This simple test can accurately reveal hormone levels. Men can also take this simple at-home test to determine if their hormones are out of balance.
A saliva test evaluation will either move a man or woman to take action to bring balance to their own hormones or cause them to sit back and reflect on their good hormone health. Those over 50 can take an annual saliva test to keep track of their hormone levels.
Men and women who experience hormone imbalance feel unwell – bringing balance to their hormones is often a key to their wellness. There are safe natural alternatives available to drug therapies. Women and men must become more informed about their own hormone health.
Maintain Those Pearly Whites With These Tips
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We all want to look great, and healthy teeth creates healthy smiles. Whiting your teeth can be a benefit not only for your look, but for the health of your mouth as well. Use these tips below to make those pearly whites shine and promote overall wellness for the health of your mouth.
If any whitening products have irritated your gums or bothered your teeth in any way, it is vital that you see your dentist as soon as you can. Sometimes whitening products can irritate a person’s mouth and in rare cases, they could even cause an infection which needs immediate treatment.
A great teeth whitening tip is to make sure that you visit the dentist on a regular basis to have your teeth professionally cleaned. This will help to reduce the plaque that builds up on your teeth and will also make sure that you do not have any other oral health issues.
One important teeth-whitening tip is to stay away from fluoride as much as possible. While it had been used as a way to strengthen teeth and even added to drinking water, it has now been discovered that it can stain teeth. Many toothpastes may also contain fluoride.
Eat natural “brushing” food. The most common natural “toothbrush” that you can eat is an apple. The texture helps to eliminate stains on your teeth. Other foods that can help scrub your teeth are veggies like celery and raw carrots and snacks like popcorn. Eat them at the end of your meal if you cannot brush at that time.
Drink beverages known to stain teeth with a straw. If beverages you drink are known to stain your teeth and you must have them, then drink them through a straw. This will ensure the drink isn’t in direct contact with your teeth causing stains. This will keep your teeth whiter longer.
If you find that your teeth whitening is starting to wear off, don’t go making an appointment to have them redone right away! Often all you’ll need to do is have them touched up roughly once a year. You don’t need to go through the full procedure again, and in fact going through teeth whitening over again can be hazardous to your teeth.
Along with being high in sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup, wine and soda can stain your teeth. That makes these beverages a double hazard for your teeth. Avoid these beverages or rinse your mouth out with water after drinking soda or wine, better yet, brush your teeth if possible.
Determine why your teeth are discolored before starting any whitening treatment. A trip to your dentist should answer this question. Knowing the cause of your discolored teeth will give you the best treatment options for your specific problems and therefore you will also get the best results too.
As you just read, there are many quick and healthy ways to keep your teeth shining and white. Improving the health of your teeth can improve the health of your mouth as well. White teeth can give you the confidence you have been lacking and a healthy smile can open doors to a great self-esteem.
Safety First: Properly Using Alternative Herbal Medicine Effectively
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Herbal products are the perfect choice for individuals who want to avoid using expensive synthetic medical products and their documented side-effects. It’s true that synthetic medicines are carefully formulated for maximum treatment, but we can never deny that there might be certain reactions on our bodies when take them in.
The Safe Alternative Solution To Health Problems
Being an affordable medical solution, herbal medicines can be seen in large quantities being sold in the market and quite a lot of consumers today are opting for this method than those normally prescribed by medical practitioners. Doctors and other medical specialist today are even prescribing the use of alternative herbal medicines for a speedy recovery and boosting a person’s immune system for a permanent health improvement.
These products make use of 100% natural ingredients and none of the components used in synthetic medications distributed today. But despite the safety that herbal medicines promises to everyone, it is quite possible to incur some problems with it if we’re not careful.
Safety First — Get The Right Product For Your Health Problem
Don’t just buy any herbal product in the market without properly consulting a professional whether it would work for you or not. Also, we can never be too sure how the herbal ingredients would react in our body’s composition so its best to let your doctor or any medical practitioner check you out first to avoid allergic reactions from happening in your system.
Keep in mind that pretending to your doctor about your illness so you can make use of this affordable health solution is not safe. You might leave some important details out that would prove to be a problem later on when you proceed to take the medicine in regular doses. Always be honest during the consultation with your doctor for them to arrive at an accurate diagnosis whether the herbal product is the one for you or not.
Check The Company That Made The Herbal Product
Even if you have a name of the herbal product to use, it would be best to take matters into your own hands and do your research well to avoid complications during use. You can look for information about the herbal medicine on the Web, specifically about the company that created it and consumers who used it to address their health problems.
While you’re at it, you might want to check out the ingredients used in the herbal product, as well as the proper formulation to ensure that you won’t suffer from overdose when you take it in. You can also search for consumer comments and suggestions about the herbal medicine to determine whether it’s safe for you to use or not.
Follow The Proper Dosage
Many would think that herbal products are 100% safe to use and would often take more than the prescribed dosage in order to speed up the effects. This is a misconception that often leads to more complications than getting rid of your health problem. Before using your herbal product, it is very important to read the label for the correct dosage. You can also ask your doctor for some advice if you don’t trust the indications on the herbal product.
As with the old medical adage, following the right process of healing will results to a speedy recovery; and making up your own prescription and instruction would only bring around disastrous results. Just follow the prescription and instructions in taking in your alternative herbal medicine to get the best treatment for your declining health.
Analysis Of Alternative Health Treatments
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Are you considering an alternative health treatment? Buying a nutritional supplement? Need hard facts on the effectiveness of a therapy?
When evaluating an alternative therapy, as with conventional therapies, there are two basic factors you want to look at: Benefits and Cost.
The benefits can be hard to sleuth out. Many treatments are buried under so much hype, marketing material or legend that it’s hard to figure out the real benefits. Here are several ways to find out how effective the therapy is.
User experiences
Other people who have used the product are going to be some of your best sources for information. Printed testimonials have limited use, though, as many of them are fictitious, or exaggerated. A better method is to actually talk to people who have used the therapy and get their opinions first hand. Try to talk to people who have had good and bad experiences. With the people who have had bad experiences, you may find that most of them did not properly use the therapy, in which case you can probably discount them.
Scientific information
Ask your health professional or a sales representative for scientific research on the product or service you are looking at. You can also look for scientific data on PubMed or at libraries.
The cost of a therapy or treatment is not just the financial cost. While price should be figured in, a treatment that really works is worth a lot of money, but one that doesn’t is not worth anything. So price should not be your first concern.
The primary cost you should be concerned with is side effects. Are their side effects that you may experience while taking the therapy? Are there possible long term health risks? Long term damage to your health is a very high price to pay for a treatment.
With careful evaluation, you can choose an effective treatment or therapy that will work for you, without bad side effects.
Traveling Alternative Roads: Other Options for Health Care
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Health insurance can be expensive if you are not lucky enough to have it provided by your employer. Even shopping around for the best quotes may not be within your budget. Luckily there are alternatives to health insurance that you can take advantage of so that you and your family will be safe even if an emergency situation comes up. You can apply for the prescription discount card program, which is a low monthly cost and works at most of the of corporation drug stores that we all use. There are also programs that give you health care but are not considered “health insurance”.
The prescription discount card is great for anyone who has regular prescriptions that need to be filled over a long period of time. The cost of prescriptions without insurance is high and always rising. If you cannot afford health insurance, there is no way that buying these full priced prescriptions will come without difficulty. You can enroll in a discount card program on the Internet or you can call around to try and find one locally. The reported savings for each person is estimated to be at least 50%, and some programs will enroll you for under $5 a month.
Health care programs are another popular alternative to expensive health insurance. BeniCard, for example, is a highly acclaimed health care program, and for a small monthly fee, you can have your immediate family covered. You will not be turned down because there is no limit to who is eligible, even if you have a pre-existing condition. It is not health insurance, but you will be able to save money on doctor visits, vision and hearing care, dental services, and prescription drugs. This is just one of the programs that can help you if you cannot get health insurance due to expense or because you have been turned down due to an illness.
No one should go without health care of some sort. Prescriptions are extremely costly without insurance, and if you or someone in your family has an emergency health situation, you could be left with a large debt for years. Insurance companies are hesitant to accept anyone with a pre-existing illness because it will definitely cost them plenty of money. For anyone who has been turned down for health insurance or simply cannot afford to pay a deductible, health care programs and prescription discounts are a low-cost alternative that could save you money.
How Alternative Medicine Fits into Today’s Society
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Think you don’t know what alternative medicine is? It’s more common than you think, and now has a firm place in the world today. Certain therapies not formerly thought of as legitimate medical treatments are now being used on a more frequent basis to treat a variety of ailments, quite often with endorsement from the medical community. Some of the more common types of alternative medicine treatments include:
• Massage therapy
• Aromatherapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Acupuncture
• Herbal Remedies
• Meditation
• Spiritual therapy
More than likely, you are familiar with many of these treatments; maybe you have even experienced a few yourself. Many of these treatments are not only used to treat many common health problems, but are used by people all over the world in order to achieve total well-being.
For thousands of years, the treatments deemed alternative today were standard practice. And now, people seem to be turning to these optional therapies when they are in a health crisis, or if they feel they have nowhere else to turn.
There are factions of people throughout the world who prefer to take advantage of the natural effects that alternative medicines and therapies offer, rather than depend on synthetic drugs to cure or prevent ailments. Herbal medication have the benefit of being completely organic, or from the earth, and often provide equivalent remedies to prescription drugs.
Alternative medicines and treatments have become part of the fabric of our society today. While many of these therapies are meant to be used as a treatment for a health problem, some are used by people as simply a method of relaxation or reward. Chief among them is massage therapy. Massage has become incorporated into the routines of many individuals in today’s society as a means of stress reduction, rather than pain relief.
Meditation is another form of alternative medicine that has become an integral part of many lives in today’s society. With its roots steeped in ancient spiritual history, meditation acts like massage in that it provides a release for stress and anxiety. In order to perform mediation correctly, though, you should learn as much as you can about it first. Many people enjoy this type of alternative therapy a great deal because of the personal control they have when performing it. Many individuals in today’s society highly recommend meditation as a type of alternative medicine.
The stresses of today’s society have led some to cry out for change. Many find solace and healing in alternative medicine treatments. The natural treatments and calming effects of many of them are exactly what many people have been searching for in order to reduce their stress. The average person is forced to deal with a large amount of stress on a daily basis. Alternative medicine and treatments bring relief to the stresses and anxiety that people of today’s society feel weighed down by.
In today’s society, we see a great deal of stress, anxiety, and illnesses. Alternative medicine provides a viable option to traditional medicine that aids people in the maintenance of their well-being in their busy lives. Massage therapy and meditation are two common treatments that people can turn to, that can also have a positive effect on today’s society as a whole. As we move forward in society, you will continue to see a shift towards more acceptance of alternative medicine and therapy.
Natural Supplements for Women’s Health: Cardiovascular Health
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVigrVwqT6c&w=420&h=315] Note that this article is provided by nutraOrigin for informational purposes to expose the possibility that these supplements may help you. They are not recommended nor endorsed by this website and you should consult with your physician before taking these and any other supplements to determine if they are right for your body and condition.More women fear breast cancer than any other disease. Yet cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims over ten times as many women’s lives as breast cancer. In fact, CVD is the nation’s leading cause of death for both men and women. That’s the bad news. The good news is that CVD is almost entirely preventable. nutraOrigin, makers of high quality vitamins for women, shares the secrets of cardiovascular wellness. What influences cardiovascular health? One way to support cardiovascular health is to play by the numbers. All five of the following measurements tell you something about the state of your heart. Cholesterol: excess cholesterol gets deposited in, and narrows, the artery walls Triglycerides: elevated triglycerides are associated with a higher risk of coronary artery disease Blood pressure: high blood pressure puts stress on the artery walls and increases the heart’s workload Homocysteine: too much homocysteine degrades the structural integrity of the arteries C-reactive protein: elevated C-reactive protein is associated with a higher risk for hypertension and CVD Risk Factor Desirable Borderline Undesirable Total cholesterol Below 200 200-239 240 and above Triglycerides Below 150 150-199 Above 200 Blood pressure Below 120/80 120/80-140/90 Above 140/90 Homocysteine Below 10 mmol/L 10-18 mmol/L Above 18 mmol/L c-reactive protein (CRP) Below 1.0 1.0-3.0 Above 3.0 Supplement for heart health Everyone knows that eating a healthy, whole foods diet and getting regular exercise are important for cardiovascular wellness and the most favorable solution. But did you know that select nutritional supplements can also make a big difference? Here are three to consider. CardioBalance Developed by nutraOrigin, Cardio Balance features 10 mg of high quality policosanol. Multiple studies indicate that natural policosanol provides a worry-free way to support healthy cholesterol levels. Cardio Balance features policosanol from sugar cane – not the rice or wheat used in lower-quality products – which is the only form of policosanol proven to deliver cholesterol benefits. This policosanol supplement is produced using a proprietary, all-natural extraction process that delivers the highest quality finished product. Omega-3 Essentials Chances are you’ve heard about Omega 3 fatty acids, because they’re good for so many things. At nutraOrigin, we believe supplementing with Omega 3 fish oil, or Omega 3 for short, is one of the best things you can do for your heart. Here are just some Omega 3 benefits: • Helps maintain healthy levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein • Promotes a desirable blood pressure • Supports a regular heart rhythm You can buy these essential fats as liquid Omega 3 oil, but most people prefer the convenience of Omega 3 pills. Whichever Omega 3 supplement you choose, just keep in mind that quality differs tremendously among different brands. nutraOrigin’s Omega 3 pills are highly concentrated, purity-certified, readily absorbed, and stabilized with antioxidants. Nutra Multi Iron-Free Because so many vitamins and minerals are essential for heart health, taking a comprehensive multivitamin like nutraOrigin’s Nutra Multi Iron-Free is a great way to take care of your heart. This one multiple contains: 1. a plethora of antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage, 2. the trio of B vitamins known to support healthy homocysteine levels, and 3. magnesium, essential for the integrity of the heart muscle. The experts at nutraOrigin recommend taking all three formulas together for maximum synergistic effect.
