Thursday, November 10, 2011

Health Care Reform Wayback And A Brief History of Health Care Reform in the United States Who's Popular in This Year

Is Health Care Reform New..? 

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As somebody who is very interested in the progress of health care reform as a taxpayer, private consumer of health insurance and services, and as a professional, I have been trying to follow the current health reform debates. I am getting a little frustrated with the lack of progress on either side of the aisle, and also by some of the knee jerk reactions by politicians and their groupies.. You would think that the current administration, and its political adversaries, had just invented health reform or the cries of outrage that sound against it.
I decided to do my best to outline some of the highlights of the health reform attempts, failures, and progress in the past 100 years or so. I am not a professional historian, by any means, so some may feel as if I left out important things or took them out of context. I am trying to be balanced, but take all the blame if I neglected something you feel is important.

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Teddy Roosevelt In the 1910's

Teddy Roosevelt ran on a very progressive platform in the early part of the last century. His campaign promises for 1912 included protection for workers safety on the job women's right to vote, and a national health care program. He was president of the United States, by the way, from 1901 - 1909. But he lost the election of 1912 to Woodrow Wilson. It is interesting to note that this Roosevelt was a Republic. Wilson was the Democrat. Never assume that American party politics are set in stone.

Early Models of Current Health Insurance and Cries of Socialism

In 1929, Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas came up with a pre-paid program for a large areal teacher's union. This is considered one of the earliest models of health insurance. Now here's the irony. A few years later, an Oklahoma doctor formed a farmer's association with a pre-paid plan. Members of the association would pay into the plan, and then get services covered. The American Medical Association called this doctor's plan socialism!
Despite this, pre-paid hospital and doctor plans continued to grow in popularity around the US. However, they usually left out the unemployed and elderly.

The New Deal in the 1930's 

Another Roosevelt, FDR, also wanted to implement national health reform. He wanted to include it as part of social security legislation. That did not work out, but even Truman wanted to set up a national fund. for health care. He figured everybody could pay in, like we do for social security, and then it could make sure that people's most severe health needs were met. All of this was left out of the New Deal, and the AMA continued to criticize it as socialism.

Post World War II 

By the end of the second world war, it became a lot more obvious that there was a big gap between health care costs and what mos people could afford. Congress did pass a bill to build a lot more hospitals. They also required hospitals to provide charity care. They had a clause to forbid discrimination on race, religion, etc. But they did allow separate but equal care, which did not always turn out to provide equal care to everybody.
In the 1950's, labor unions began adding health benefits to their collective bargaining agreements. This really formed the basis for the group health insurance many people enjoy at work today. So group health plans became more popular, and in 1954, Congress voted to make this benefits tax-exempt.

The 1960's 

JFK fought hard for national health care, but again he was met with cries of socialism. But Medicare and Medicaid, regarded as American institutions now, did emerge despite this. Medicare is the US national health plan for seniors and disabled people. Medicaid is the national health plan for very poor people.
Despite the fact that millions of Americans had heath insurance coverage for the first time, in the 1960's, health care spending and costs were beginning to rise.

The 1970's - Nixon and Carter 

President Nixon, a Republican, worked for health reform. He proposed a bill that would require employers to provide minimum health insurance coverage. Under his administration, money was allocated for the development of HMOs and managed care to contain costs.
Carter ran for president, and national health care was a large part of his campaign platform. Even though he won, the severe recession put these plans on hold.

The 1980's and COBRA

COBRA is the national law that requires some employers to extend group health benefits to terminated employees for several months.

The 1990's and The Clintons

Probably the most famous previous attempt to dramatically reform health care was under President Clinton. Hillary Clinton, then first lady, spear headed this work. You will probably not be surprised to learn that political critics of the pan delighted in calling it socialism. Experts contend that the plan failed because of partisan politics on both sides. The drug and insurance companies, and the American Medical Association (AMA) also spent a lot of time and money getting the Health Security Act defeated.
CHIPS - I cannot leave the 1990's without mentioning CHIPS. This is the state and federal children's health insurance program which covers millions of children from lower and moderate income families.

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21st Century Health Reform

I have to credit George Bush, a Republican, with passing the Medicare Prescription plan in 2003. This is also known as Medicare Part D, and it helps fund prescription insurance for Medicare beneficiaries.
Obama ran on a platform that included health reform. It seems like it is as tough to pass now as it was during the time of Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, and Bill Clinton. Politicians are still making deals behind closed doors, and of course, people are still shouting socialism.
But some things have changed. The AMA now supports health reform. Many businesses are concerned about spiking costs of covering employees, and representatives have admitted they would like to see some reform that would help them. Even insurance companies have said they will cooperate.
Hopefully, we can see some progress. I have no idea what will (or should) happen next.

Friday, November 4, 2011

How to Become a Home Health Care Nurse for ourselves

Home Health Care Nursing Information and Overview

Home health care is allowing the patient and their family to maintain dignity and independence. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million individuals in the United States in need of home health care nurse services because of acute illness, long term health problems, permanent disability or terminal illness.

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Home Health Care Basics

Nurses practice in a number of venues: Hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home health care. Home health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and their families desire to receive care in their homes. The history of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to promote health education and provide treatment as part of community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families depending on the nurse's experience and qualifications. In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.

Many changes have taken place in the area of home health care. These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance reimbursement and documentation. It is important for the nurse and nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these rules and regulations resulting from these organizations. Population and demographic changes are taking place as well. Baby boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for the home health care industry. Technology and medical care in hospitals has lead to shorter inpatient stay and more at-home rehabilitation. Increases in medical outpatient procedures are also taking place with follow-up home care. This has resulted in the decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that makes the need for home health care nursing a greater priority.

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Home Health Care Nurse Job Description

Through an array of skills and experience, home health care nurses specialize in a wide range of treatments; emotional support, education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury for young children and adults, to women who have experienced recent childbirth, to the elderly who need palliative care for chronic illness.

A practicing nurse must have the skills to provide care in a unique setting such as someone's home. The nurse is working with the patient and the family and must understand the communication skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in all nursing positions, but working in a patient's own living space needs a different level of skill and understanding. There is autonomous decision making as the nurse is no longer working as a team with other nurses in a structured environment, but is now as a member of the "family" team. The host family has cultural values that are important and are different for every patient and must be treated with extreme sensitivity. Other skills include critical thinking, coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.

Home health care nurses also specialize in the care of children with disabilities that requires additional skills such as patience and understanding of the needs of the family. Children are living with disabilities today that would have resulted in mortality just twenty years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical impairments, and injury are just a few. Many families are familiar with managing the needs of the child, but still need expert care that only a home health care nurse can provide. It is important that a home health care nurse is aware of the expertise of the family about the child's condition for proper care of the child. There are many complexities involved, but most important, a positive attitude and positive reinforcement is of utmost importance for the development of the child.

Medication coordination between the home health care nurse, doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the exact science behind giving the patient the correct dose, time of administration, and combinations. Home health care nurses should be familiar with pharmacology and taught in training about different medications used by patients in the clinical setting.

Many advanced practicing nurses are familiar with medication regiments. They have completed graduate level programs. Home health care agencies believe that a nurse should have at least one year of clinical experience before entering home health care. Advanced practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses understand the home health care market and teaching.

Employment and Salary

According to the United States Department of Labor, there were 2.4 million nurses in America, the largest healthcare occupation, yet many academic and hospital organizations believe there is a gross shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in 2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010. The average salary for hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the hospital. For home health care, the salary is $49,000. For nursing care facilities, they were the lowest at $48,200.

Training and continuing education

Most home health care nurses gain their education through accredited nursing schools throughout the country with an associate degree in nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), or a master's degree in nursing (MSN). According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2004 there were 674 BSN nursing programs, 846 ADN programs. Also, in 2004, there were 417 master's degree programs, 93 doctoral programs, and 46 joint BSN-doctoral programs. The associate degree program takes 2 to 3 years to complete, while bachelors degrees take 4 years to complete. Nurses can also earn specialized professional certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.

In addition, for those nurses who choose to pursue advancement into administrative positions or research, consulting, and teaching, a bachelor's degree is often essential. A bachelor's degree is also important for becoming a clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).

All home health care nurses have supervised clinical experience during their training, but as stated earlier advanced practicing nurses hold master's degrees and unlike bachelor and associate degrees, they have a minimum of two years of post clinical experience. Course work includes anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences and liberal arts. Many of these programs have training in nursing homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and ambulatory clinics. (U.S. Dep. of Labor, 2004).

Whether a nurse is training in a hospital, nursing facility, or home care, continuing education is necessary. Health care is changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities, continuing education programs, and internet sites, all offer continuing education. One such organization that provides continuing education is the American Nurses Association (ANA) or through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

Conclusion

There are many rewards to becoming a home health care nurse. Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their family, autonomy, independence, and engaging in critical thinking. The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges. We must meet these challenges head on - there is an aging baby boomer population, a growing morbidity factor due to increased medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in nursing care.

Becoming a home health care nurse today is exciting and an opportunity to make a difference one life at a time. With clinical experience and proper education, a home health care nurse will lead the future of medical care.

By Michael V. Gruber, MPH is a contributing author to My Nursing Degree Online, providing articles and resources for nurses looking for continuing education online. With a Masters of Public Health and two years of medical school, Michael provides a unique perspective on the current nursing shortage crisis on the Nursing Career Blog as well as comprehensive articles about nurse education and advancement.

Find more information about becoming a Home Health Care Nurse [http://nursing.earnmydegree.com/nursingeducation/home-health-care-nurse-education.html] including certification and job openings at My Nursing Degree Onlines.

Prescription For the Health Care Crisis in The Modern Era

A Prescription For the Health Care Crisis

With all the shouting going on about America's health care crisis, many are probably finding it difficult to concentrate, much less understand the cause of the problems confronting us. I find myself dismayed at the tone of the discussion (though I understand it---people are scared) as well as bemused that anyone would presume themselves sufficiently qualified to know how to best improve our health care system simply because they've encountered it, when people who've spent entire careers studying it (and I don't mean politicians) aren't sure what to do themselves.

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Albert Einstein is reputed to have said that if he had an hour to save the world he'd spend 55 minutes defining the problem and only 5 minutes solving it. Our health care system is far more complex than most who are offering solutions admit or recognize, and unless we focus most of our efforts on defining its problems and thoroughly understanding their causes, any changes we make are just likely to make them worse as they are better.

Though I've worked in the American health care system as a physician since 1992 and have seven year's worth of experience as an administrative director of primary care, I don't consider myself qualified to thoroughly evaluate the viability of most of the suggestions I've heard for improving our health care system. I do think, however, I can at least contribute to the discussion by describing some of its troubles, taking reasonable guesses at their causes, and outlining some general principles that should be applied in attempting to solve them.

THE PROBLEM OF COST

No one disputes that health care spending in the U.S. has been rising dramatically. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), health care spending is projected to reach $8,160 per person per year by the end of 2009 compared to the $356 per person per year it was in 1970. This increase occurred roughly 2.4% faster than the increase in GDP over the same period. Though GDP varies from year-to-year and is therefore an imperfect way to assess a rise in health care costs in comparison to other expenditures from one year to the next, we can still conclude from this data that over the last 40 years the percentage of our national income (personal, business, and governmental) we've spent on health care has been rising.

Despite what most assume, this may or may not be bad. It all depends on two things: the reasons why spending on health care has been increasing relative to our GDP and how much value we've been getting for each dollar we spend.

WHY HAS HEALTH CARE BECOME SO COSTLY?

This is a harder question to answer than many would believe. The rise in the cost of health care (on average 8.1% per year from 1970 to 2009, calculated from the data above) has exceeded the rise in inflation (4.4% on average over that same period), so we can't attribute the increased cost to inflation alone. Health care expenditures are known to be closely associated with a country's GDP (the wealthier the nation, the more it spends on health care), yet even in this the United States remains an outlier (figure 3).

Is it because of spending on health care for people over the age of 75 (five times what we spend on people between the ages of 25 and 34)? In a word, no. Studies show this demographic trend explains only a small percentage of health expenditure growth.

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Is it because of monstrous profits the health insurance companies are raking in? Probably not. It's admittedly difficult to know for certain as not all insurance companies are publicly traded and therefore have balance sheets available for public review. But Aetna, one of the largest publicly traded health insurance companies in North America, reported a 2009 second quarter profit of $346.7 million, which, if projected out, predicts a yearly profit of around $1.3 billion from the approximately 19 million people they insure. If we assume their profit margin is average for their industry (even if untrue, it's unlikely to be orders of magnitude different from the average), the total profit for all private health insurance companies in America, which insured 202 million people (2nd bullet point) in 2007, would come to approximately $13 billion per year. Total health care expenditures in 2007 were $2.2 trillion (see Table 1, page 3), which yields a private health care industry profit approximately 0.6% of total health care costs (though this analysis mixes data from different years, it can perhaps be permitted as the numbers aren't likely different by any order of magnitude).

Is it because of health care fraud? Estimates of losses due to fraud range as high as 10% of all health care expenditures, but it's hard to find hard data to back this up. Though some percentage of fraud almost certainly goes undetected, perhaps the best way to estimate how much money is lost due to fraud is by looking at how much the government actually recovers. In 2006, this was $2.2 billion, only 0.1% of $2.1 trillion (see Table 1, page 3) in total health care expenditures for that year.

Is it due to pharmaceutical costs? In 2006, total expenditures on prescription drugs was approximately $216 billion (see Table 2, page 4). Though this amounted to 10% of the $2.1 trillion (see Table 1, page 3) in total health care expenditures for that year and must therefore be considered significant, it still remains only a small percentage of total health care costs.

Is it from administrative costs? In 1999, total administrative costs were estimated to be $294 billion, a full 25% of the $1.2 trillion (Table 1) in total health care expenditures that year. This was a significant percentage in 1999 and it's hard to imagine it's shrunk to any significant degree since then.

In the end, though, what probably has contributed the greatest amount to the increase in health care spending in the U.S. are two things:

1. Technological innovation.

2. Overutilization of health care resources by both patients and health care providers themselves.

Technological innovation. Data that proves increasing health care costs are due mostly to technological innovation is surprisingly difficult to obtain, but estimates of the contribution to the rise in health care costs due to technological innovation range anywhere from 40% to 65% (Table 2, page 8). Though we mostly only have empirical data for this, several examples illustrate the principle. Heart attacks used to be treated with aspirin and prayer. Now they're treated with drugs to control shock, pulmonary edema, and arrhythmias as well as thrombolytic therapy, cardiac catheterization with angioplasty or stenting, and coronary artery bypass grafting. You don't have to be an economist to figure out which scenario ends up being more expensive. We may learn to perform these same procedures more cheaply over time (the same way we've figured out how to make computers cheaper) but as the cost per procedure decreases, the total amount spent on each procedure goes up because the number of procedures performed goes up. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is 25% less than the price of an open cholecystectomy, but the rates of both have increased by 60%. As technological advances become more widely available they become more widely used, and one thing we're great at doing in the United States is making technology available.

Overutilization of health care resources by both patients and health care providers themselves. We can easily define overutilization as the unnecessary consumption of health care resources. What's not so easy is recognizing it. Every year from October through February the majority of patients who come into the Urgent Care Clinic at my hospital are, in my view, doing so unnecessarily. What are they coming in for? Colds. I can offer support, reassurance that nothing is seriously wrong, and advice about over-the-counter remedies---but none of these things will make them better faster (though I often am able to reduce their level of concern). Further, patients have a hard time believing the key to arriving at a correct diagnosis lies in history gathering and careful physical examination rather than technologically-based testing (not that the latter isn't important---just less so than most patients believe). Just how much patient-driven overutilization costs the health care system is hard to pin down as we have mostly only anecdotal evidence as above.

Further, doctors often disagree among themselves about what constitutes unnecessary health care consumption. In his excellent article, "The Cost Conundrum," Atul Gawande argues that regional variation in overutilization of health care resources by doctors best accounts for the regional variation in Medicare spending per person. He goes on to argue that if doctors could be motivated to rein in their overutilization in high-cost areas of the country, it would save Medicare enough money to keep it solvent for 50 years.

A reasonable approach. To get that to happen, however, we need to understand why doctors are overutilizing health care resources in the first place:

1. Judgment varies in cases where the medical literature is vague or unhelpful. When faced with diagnostic dilemmas or diseases for which standard treatments haven't been established, a variation in practice invariably occurs. If a primary care doctor suspects her patient has an ulcer, does she treat herself empirically or refer to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy? If certain "red flag" symptoms are present, most doctors would refer. If not, some would and some wouldn't depending on their training and the intangible exercise of judgment.

2. Inexperience or poor judgment. More experienced physicians tend to rely on histories and physicals more than less experienced physicians and consequently order fewer and less expensive tests. Studies suggest primary care physicians spend less money on tests and procedures than their sub-specialty colleagues but obtain similar and sometimes even better outcomes.

3. Fear of being sued. This is especially common in Emergency Room settings, but extends to almost every area of medicine.

4. Patients tend to demand more testing rather than less. As noted above. And physicians often have difficulty refusing patient requests for many reasons (eg, wanting to please them, fear of missing a diagnosis and being sued, etc).

5. In many settings, overutilization makes doctors more money. There exists no reliable incentive for doctors to limit their spending unless their pay is capitated or they're receiving a straight salary.

Gawande's article implies there exists some level of utilization of health care resources that's optimal: use too little and you get mistakes and missed diagnoses; use too much and excess money gets spent without improving outcomes, paradoxically sometimes resulting in outcomes that are actually worse (likely as a result of complications from all the extra testing and treatments).

How then can we get doctors to employ uniformly good judgment to order the right number of tests and treatments for each patient---the "sweet spot"---in order to yield the best outcomes with the lowest risk of complications? Not easily. There is, fortunately or unfortunately, an art to good health care resource utilization. Some doctors are more gifted at it than others. Some are more diligent about keeping current. Some care more about their patients. An explosion of studies of medical tests and treatments has occurred in the last several decades to help guide doctors in choosing the most effective, safest, and even cheapest ways to practice medicine, but the diffusion of this evidence-based medicine is a tricky business. Just because beta blockers, for example, have been shown to improve survival after heart attacks doesn't mean every physician knows it or provides them. Data clearly show many don't. How information spreads from the medical literature into medical practice is a subject worthy of an entire post unto itself. Getting it to happen uniformly has proven extremely difficult.

In summary, then, most of the increase in spending on health care seems to have come from technological innovation coupled with its overuse by doctors working in systems that motivate them to practice more medicine rather than better medicine, as well as patients who demand the former thinking it yields the latter.

But even if we could snap our fingers and magically eliminate all overutilization today, health care in the U.S. would still remain among the most expensive in the world, requiring us to ask next---

WHAT VALUE ARE WE GETTING FOR THE DOLLARS WE SPEND?

According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine titled The Burden of Health Care Costs for Working Families---Implications for Reform, growth in health care spending "can be defined as affordable as long as the rising percentage of income devoted to health care does not reduce standards of living. When absolute increases in income cannot keep up with absolute increases in health care spending, health care growth can be paid for only by sacrificing consumption of goods and services not related to health care." When would this ever be an acceptable state of affairs? Only when the incremental cost of health care buys equal or greater incremental value. If, for example, you were told that in the near future you'd be spending 60% of your income on health care but that as a result you'd enjoy, say, a 30% chance of living to the age of 250, perhaps you'd judge that 60% a small price to pay.

This, it seems to me, is what the debate on health care spending really needs to be about. Certainly we should work on ways to eliminate overutilization. But the real question isn't what absolute amount of money is too much to spend on health care. The real question is what are we getting for the money we spend and is it worth what we have to give up?

People alarmed by the notion that as health care costs increase policymakers may decide to ration health care don't realize that we're already rationing at least some of it. It just doesn't appear as if we are because we're rationing it on a first-come-first-serve basis---leaving it at least partially up to chance rather than to policy, which we're uncomfortable defining and enforcing. Thus we don't realize the reason our 90 year-old father in Illinois can't have the liver he needs is because a 14 year-old girl in Alaska got in line first (or maybe our father was in line first and gets it while the 14 year-old girl doesn't). Given that most of us remain uncomfortable with the notion of rationing health care based on criteria like age or utility to society, as technological innovation continues to drive up health care spending, we very well may at some point have to make critical judgments about which medical innovations are worth our entire society sacrificing access to other goods and services (unless we're so foolish as to repeat the critical mistake of believing we can keep borrowing money forever without ever having to pay it back).

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So what value are we getting? It varies. The risk of dying from a heart attack has declined by 66% since 1950 as a result of technological innovation. Because cardiovascular disease ranks as the number one cause of death in the U.S. this would seem to rank high on the scale of value as it benefits a huge proportion of the population in an important way. As a result of advances in pharmacology, we can now treat depression, anxiety, and even psychosis far better than anyone could have imagined even as recently as the mid-1980's (when Prozac was first released). Clearly, then, some increases in health care costs have yielded enormous value we wouldn't want to give up.

But how do we decide whether we're getting good value from new innovations? Scientific studies must prove the innovation (whether a new test or treatment) actually provides clinically significant benefit (Aricept is a good example of a drug that works but doesn't provide great clinical benefit---demented patients score higher on tests of cognitive ability while on it but probably aren't significantly more functional or significantly better able to remember their children compared to when they're not). But comparative effectiveness studies are extremely costly, take a long time to complete, and can never be perfectly applied to every individual patient, all of which means some health care provider always has to apply good medical judgment to every patient problem.

Who's best positioned to judge the value to society of the benefit of an innovation---that is, to decide if an innovation's benefit justifies its cost? I would argue the group that ultimately pays for it: the American public. How the public's views could be reconciled and then effectively communicated to policy makers efficiently enough to affect actual policy, however, lies far beyond the scope of this post (and perhaps anyone's imagination).

THE PROBLEM OF ACCESS

A significant proportion of the population is uninsured or underinsured, limiting or eliminating their access to health care. As a result, this group finds the path of least (and cheapest) resistance---emergency rooms---which has significantly impaired the ability of our nation's ER physicians to actually render timely emergency care. In addition, surveys suggest a looming primary care physician shortage relative to the demand for their services. In my view, this imbalance between supply and demand explains most of the poor customer service patients face in our system every day: long wait times for doctors' appointments, long wait times in doctors' offices once their appointment day arrives, then short times spent with doctors inside exam rooms, followed by difficulty reaching their doctors in between office visits, and finally delays in getting test results. This imbalance would likely only partially be alleviated by less health care overutilization by patients.

GUIDELINES FOR SOLUTIONS

As Freaknomics authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner state, "If morality represents how people would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work." Capitalism is based on the principle of enlightened self-interest, a system that creates incentives to yield behavior that benefits both suppliers and consumers and thus society as a whole. But when incentives get out of whack, people begin to behave in ways that continue to benefit them often at the expense of others or even at their own expense down the road. Whatever changes we make to our health care system (and there's always more than one way to skin a cat), we must be sure to align incentives so that the behavior that results in each part of the system contributes to its sustainability rather than its ruin.

Here then is a summary of what I consider the best recommendations I've come across to address the problems I've outlined above:

1. Change the way insurance companies think about doing business. Insurance companies have the same goal as all other businesses: maximize profits. And if a health insurance company is publicly traded and in your 401k portfolio, you want them to maximize profits, too. Unfortunately, the best way for them to do this is to deny their services to the very customers who pay for them. It's harder for them to spread risk (the function of any insurance company) relative to say, a car insurance company, because far more people make health insurance claims than car insurance claims. It would seem, therefore, from a consumer perspective, the private health insurance model is fundamentally flawed. We need to create a disincentive for health insurance companies to deny claims (or, conversely, an extra incentive for them to pay them). Allowing and encouraging aross-state insurance competition would at least partially engage free market forces to drive down insurance premiums as well as open up new markets to local insurance companies, benefiting both insurance consumers and providers. With their customers now armed with the all-important power to go elsewhere, health insurance companies might come to view the quality with which they actually provide service to their customers (ie, the paying out of claims) as a way to retain and grow their business. For this to work, monopolies or near-monopolies must be disbanded or at the very least discouraged. Even if it does work, however, government will probably still have to tighten regulation of the health insurance industry to ensure some of the heinous abuses that are going on now stop (for example, insurance companies shouldn't be allowed to stratify consumers into sub-groups based on age and increase premiums based on an older group's higher average risk of illness because healthy older consumers then end up being penalized for their age rather than their behaviors). Karl Denninger suggests some intriguing ideas in a post on his blog about requiring insurance companies to offer identical rates to businesses and individuals as well as creating a mandatory "open enrollment" period in which participants could only opt in or out of a plan on a yearly basis. This would prevent individuals from only buying insurance when they got sick, eliminating the adverse selection problem that's driven insurance companies to deny payment for pre-existing conditions. I would add that, however reimbursement rates to health care providers are determined in the future (again, an entire post unto itself), all health insurance plans, whether private or public, must reimburse health care providers by an equal percentage to eliminate the existence of "good" and "bad" insurance that's currently responsible for motivating hospitals and doctors to limit or even deny service to the poor and which may be responsible for the same thing occurring to the elderly in the future (Medicare reimburses only slightly better than Medicaid). Finally, regarding the idea of a "public option" insurance plan open to all, I worry that if it's significantly cheaper than private options while providing near-equal benefits the entire country will rush to it en masse, driving private insurance companies out of business and forcing us all to subsidize one another's health care with higher taxes and fewer choices; yet at the same time if the cost to the consumer of a "public option" remains comparable to private options, the very people it's meant to help won't be able to afford it.

2. Motivate the population to engage in healthier lifestyles that have been proven to prevent disease. Prevention of disease probably saves money, though some have argued that living longer increases the likelihood of developing diseases that wouldn't have otherwise occurred, leading to the overall consumption of more health care dollars (though even if that's true, those extra years of life would be judged by most valuable enough to justify the extra cost. After all, the whole purpose of health care is to improve the quality and quantity of life, not save society money. Let's not put the cart before the horse). However, the idea of preventing a potentially bad outcome sometime in the future is only weakly motivating psychologically, explaining why so many people have so much trouble getting themselves to exercise, eat right, lose weight, stop smoking, etc. The idea of financially rewarding desirable behavior and/or financially punishing undesirable behavior is highly controversial. Though I worry this kind of strategy risks the enacting of policies that may impinge on basic freedoms if taken too far, I'm not against thinking creatively about how we could leverage stronger motivational forces to help people achieve health goals they themselves want to achieve. After all, most obese people want to lose weight. Most smokers want to quit. They might be more successful if they could find more powerful motivation.

3. Decrease overutilization of health care resources by doctors. I'm in agreement with Gawande that finding ways to get doctors to stop overutilizing health care resources is a worthy goal that will significantly rein in costs, that it will require a willingness to experiment, and that it will take time. Further, I agree that focusing only on who pays for our health care (whether the public or private sectors) will fail to address the issue adequately. But how exactly can we motivate doctors, whose pens are responsible for most of the money spent on health care in this country, to focus on what's truly best for their patients? The idea that external bodies---whether insurance companies or government panels---could be used to set standards of care doctors must follow in order to control costs strikes me as ludicrous. Such bodies have neither the training nor overriding concern for patients' welfare to be trusted to make those judgments. Why else do we have doctors if not to employ their expertise to apply nuanced approaches to complex situations? As long as they work in a system free of incentives that compete with their duty to their patients, they remain in the best position to make decisions about what tests and treatments are worth a given patient's consideration, as long as they're careful to avoid overconfident paternalism (refusing to obtain a head CT for a headache might be overconfidently paternalistic; refusing to offer chemotherapy for a cold isn't). So perhaps we should eliminate any financial incentive doctors have to care about anything but their patients' welfare, meaning doctors' salaries should be disconnected from the number of surgeries they perform and the number of tests they order, and should instead be set by market forces. This model already exists in academic health care centers and hasn't seemed to promote shoddy care when doctors feel they're being paid fairly. Doctors need to earn a good living to compensate for the years of training and massive amounts of debt they amass, but no financial incentive for practicing more medicine should be allowed to attach itself to that good living.

4. Decrease overutilization of health care resources by patients. This, it seems to me, requires at least three interventions:

* Making available the right resources for the right problems (so that patients aren't going to the ER for colds, for example, but rather to their primary care physicians). This would require hitting the "sweet spot" with respect to the number of primary care physicians, best at front-line gatekeeping, not of health care spending as in the old HMO model, but of triage and treatment. It would also require a recalculating of reimbursement levels for primary care services relative to specialty services to encourage more medical students to go into primary care (the reverse of the alarming trend we've been seeing for the last decade).

* A massive effort to increase the health literacy of the general public to improve its ability to triage its own complaints (so patients don't actually go anywhere for colds or demand MRIs of their backs when their trusted physicians tells them it's just a strain). This might be best accomplished through a series of educational programs (though given that no one in the private sector has an incentive to fund such programs, it might actually be one of the few things the government should---we'd just need to study and compare different educational programs and methods to see which, if any, reduce unnecessary patient utilization without worsening outcomes and result in more health care savings than they cost).

* Redesigning insurance plans to make patients in some way more financially liable for their health care choices. We can't have people going bankrupt due to illness, nor do we want people to underutilize health care resources (avoiding the ER when they have chest pain, for example), but neither can we continue to support a system in which patients are actually motivated to overutilize resources, as the current "pre-pay for everything" model does.

CONCLUSION

Given the enormous complexity of the health care system, no single post could possibly address every problem that needs to be fixed. Significant issues not raised in this article include the challenges associated with rising drug costs, direct-to-consumer marketing of drugs, end-of-life care, sky-rocketing malpractice insurance costs, the lack of cost transparency that enables hospitals to paradoxically charge the uninsured more than the insured for the same care, extending health care insurance coverage to those who still don't have it, improving administrative efficiency to reduce costs, the implementation of electronic medical records to reduce medical error, the financial burden of businesses being required to provide their employees with health insurance, and tort reform. All are profoundly interdependent, standing together like the proverbial house of cards. To attend to any one is to affect them all, which is why rushing through health care reform without careful contemplation risks unintended and potentially devastating consequences. Change does need to come, but if we don't allow ourselves time to think through the problems clearly and cleverly and to implement solutions in a measured fashion, we risk bringing down that house of cards rather than cementing it.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Five Tips of Face Caring

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Dear esteem readers, I am once again enlightening you with my latest practiced Daadi Maa's home medicine for those women, teen and adolescence girls who remain elusive due to facial outlook. As, all of you know that a "beautiful face makes beautiful companion" therefore, hereafter get rid of facial worries and follow the following tips to maintain beautiful face.

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I have seen that most of the women and girls while moving in open market or place; they continue to use a small handkerchief to wipe out the sweat from face. Yes indeed, it is required, when you walk on pavement in the peak hours of smoldering summer of Jun in Delhi. Is there any other way to remove sweat without loosing facial charm? Of course yes. What happens when you rub your face to dry face with same piece of cloth? Girls, in hurry to clean sweat, also press hard numerous soft skin tissues resulting in skin inflammation. What you need to do? One has to walk, clean and protect the face as well.

First tip to ensure proper protections to face is; one), use multiple handkerchiefs or small "use and throw" type tissue papers; two be gentle while wiping face; three if possible wet or wash your face after three to four hours sun exposure.
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Second, advice to keep face skin healthy is to use good nourishing herbs so that tender soft epithelial tissues mainly epidermis remain healthy. I suggest the following guidelines. One, once a week wash face with fine gram floor mixed with two to three fresh Neem leaves and pinch of turmeric. To prepare a soft paste, take about 50 gram floor, add small pinch of turmeric and put two to three crushed Neem leaves in about 25 milliliters of lukewarm water. Fill the preparation in a mixer and grind for about two to five minutes. Let it cool for half an hour. Keep it in normal temperature for half day. At evening, before going to bed add crushed ice and apply gently on face. Wait for two hours and first rinse with normal water and wash without using any soap or shampoo. After properly rinsing, gently apply half a spoon of milk cream (Malai) on your face and wash with tender hand towel.
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Third tip is for those women and girls, who are tired of pimples and acne. Infact such women sometimes even go to depression due to regular resurfacing of pimples. It is one of the best pastes, which I could produce and use with immunity to benefit over hundreds of my friend and acquaintance. I hope you all would be benefited to your satisfaction. Take approximately 250 to 500 grams of orange and sweet lemon (Mausamies) rind (Chhilka) in equal quantity, dry in shadow, prepare powder and keep in a glass bottle. Now prepare paste of about 10 grams of almonds in half spoon of ginger juice. Now take 25 grams of gram floor, 5 grams turmeric, 30 grams orange rind powder, pinch of almond paste and two dessert spoon of milk cream.

Now churn all the contents in mixer in 50 milliliters of milk. Prepare the paste about five hours before applying at night. Rinse your face gently, apply one layer of half spoon milk cream and five minutes later apply the pase layer on you face. Ensure no pimple or acne gets scratched or harsh rub. Waite for three to four hours and gently washed with lukewarm water. Use very soft towel to clean. Do not use any soap or shampoo. You will get your skin not only free of pimples or acnes but also it will shine to make you beautiful.

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Natural Hair Care Products for Healthy Hair

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Using natural hair care products is the best practice for getting beautiful, strong and smooth hairs for a long term. Most of the hair care products available in the market today are not natural and are manufactured using different chemicals, synthetic materials and a very less or no composition of natural materials. These artificial products are though helpful for getting better hair but these might also be harmful for some skins and most importantly these products do not offer long term effectiveness, you have to use these products regularly to retain the better hairs.
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Use of Natural Products
The benefits of using natural hair products are many as these products are plant driven components and are being used since millions of years. Natural henna, Amla (Indian Gooseberry), Shikakai (Acacia Concinna), olive oil, eggs, multani mitti (Fuller's Earth), reetha (Soap Nut or Soapberry), honey and avocado are some of the most used natural ingredients for hair and skin care products composition. Almost all of these products smell good since these includes flower or fruit components. Although most of the chemical products also smell well but this smell is just an outcome of the chemicals and synthetic perfumes which can never compete with the real natural things.

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Long Term Effectiveness of Natural Hair Care Products
Natural hair products are alone enough to provide you a healthy growth of hairs and even for a long time. Natural products becomes more important for the hair care because the roots of the hair are alive parts and just like any other organ, these roots also require nourishment in order to sustain the healthy growth and natural functioning. The natural hair products are generally free of all side effects and are thoroughly tested many times since human beings are using these for generations. Another benefit of these products is that these can be used fresh as you can grow some of them even at your small home garden like henna plant, amla plant and Aloe Vera and if these products are utilized on regular basis in a proper manner then definitely you will get healthy, shiny, beautiful, long, strong and attractive hairs for the years to come.

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Some of the best Natural hair Care Products
Natural Henna- It is also known as Lawsonia inermis, it is a plant with small green leaves and these leaves are used to make natural products such as powder, paste and gels. Henna is also used as products for creating natural hair colors along with the composition of other natural ingredients like shikakai and amla. In India, henna is a product which is used to adorn the hands and feet of a bride during a traditional Indian marriage.

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Shikakai Powder- It is also known as acacia concinna, It is a small tree which grows in warm and dry places in central India. It is generally used as a powder which after mixing with water works as a hair cleaner and detangler. It is probably the world's only original natural shampoo.

Reetha Powder- Reetha is also known as soap nut or soapberry, It is a small fruit which after drying is grinded to make powder. It is generally used to remove the dandruff and lice from the hairs and to improve the facial complexion. It is used in Ayurveda preparations and herbal shampoo.

Multani Mitti- also called as Fuller's Earth, It is a natural way to remove impurities from your face and head. It can be applied during a bath just like a bathing soap. It is also used as an emergency treatment for removing the amount of poison absorbed by being in a touch with a harmful substance.

There are some other natural hair care and skin care products which are easily available in the market and at a cost less than the cost of artificial products.

Author recommends choosing natural hair care products like shikakai powder, amla powder, henna, natural lice products, Aloe Vera, honey, eggs and olive oil.

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Providing Healthcare Insurance and Importance

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Healthcare provision is known to eat into the budget of most countries as they strive to provide healthcare for its peoples as it is one of the responsibilities of the governments. To ensure that the peoples' health is catered for, healthcare insurance is provided. This is insurance cover that is offered to a person to cater for their medical expenses. This type of insurance is either provided by the government or private organizations.

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Healthcare insurance provided by the government mainly receives it premiums from all the insured people. Most people who are employed are mainly registered to a certain health scheme that provides the healthcare cover. Certain deductions are made on their pay slip which is directed to this scheme which provides healthcare cover to the person. Even with this cover, one can take an additional or private cover for other related health matters not covered.

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Other than the government healthcare cover, private organizations also provide private healthcare insurance. Private insurance mainly covers for medical costs for a certain range of health problems and only for treatments done in private clinics and hospitals. This is unlike government health insurance which covers for costs incurred in public hospitals.

With the increasing demand in healthcare, many companies have come up that offer healthcare insurance to anyone who is willing to be covered. Each company has something unique to offer and this makes it difficult for a person to know which company to take an insurance cover with. To avoid such situations it is advisable that as the person wanting to take a cover you should do research on the best and most reputable insurance companies that will offer you exactly what you are looking for.

With life expectancy observed to have increased, insurance providers have come with healthcare packages that offer long term cover which means that if you have such a cover, your medical expenses even at an older age will still be catered for. This means that all you have to do is take the healthcare policy and be making premium payment as agreed on the policy.

Having a healthcare cover ensures that you have security as the insurance lasts a lifetime and you can use it even in your old age. It also ensures that you do not encounter any financial crisis and you get affordable healthcare. This type of insurance also allows for an older person to choose if they want home care or be taken to a nursing home.


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Five Facts About Health Care Reform

It's time to tune out the misinformation mission when it comes to health care reform. The political battle is over and President Obama and the Democratic party won. Health care reform is now the law of the land. The important thing now is that all Americans become informed about what this actually means for them and that's what this article aims to do with these five facts.

Fact #1: More Medicare Benefits

A big part of the Republican party's fear campaign on this bill was that it would cut Medicare benefits for seniors (and of course there was the "death panel" lie but that's too ridiculous to even consider.) The truth is actually the opposite. Because of this bill people on Medicare will have access to new benefits.

There will be an immediate $250 rebate for those who hit the "Donut Hole" this year and beginning next year there will be a 50% discount on all name brands in the "Donut Hole." By 2020 it will be closed entirely.

But that's not the only benefit, another big one is that beginning next year there will be no more co-pays for any preventative care visits! This will enable seniors to go to the doctor without having to worry about what it costs them because it will be free.

The bill also "balances the books" for Medicare through at least 2026.

Fact #2: This Bill Cuts The Deficit

Not only is this bill paid for, it actually cuts the deficit. It cuts the deficit by 130 billion dollars over the next 10 years and most impressively it cuts it by 1.3 trillion dollars over the next 20 years.

Fact #3: It's The Biggest Tax Cut For Small Businesses In History

Yes. You read that correctly. Available immediately will be new tax credits which will pay up to 35% of the health insurance costs of employees. By 2014 that number will be up to 50%. This will be a huge tax cut for small businesses so when the Republicans are running against this bill they are running for a huge tax increase on small businesses.

Fact #4: Denying Coverage Due To "Pre-Existing Conditions" Is Made Illegal

Because of this bill it will be illegal for health insurance companies to deny coverage to children due to pre-existing conditions as of September (6 months after the bill became law.) In 2014 this law will go into place for adults too.

Prior to this bill, it was entirely legal for a health insurance company to deny coverage to a newborn baby with a "pre existing condition." When the Republicans are running for repeal they are running for making that legal again.

Fact #5: 32 Million More Americans Will Get Health Care Coverage Because Of This Bill

Those running for repeal are running to kick 32 million of our fellow Americans to the curb regardless of how sick they are. That is truly "Anti-American."

Health Care Reform may have been scary (due to Republican lies about it) to some people in the abstract, but in reality it will be a huge positive for the vast majority of Americans. The Republican party deserves to be held accountable for the lies they told about health care reform. They put their party ahead of the American people and that's unacceptable.

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Health and Fitness: Supplements

White Kidney Bean Extract - Natural Carb and Starch Blocker
by Margaret White Moore
Obesity is one of the prime concerns of a large number of people in the present day world. The excessive accumulation of fat in the human body can result in various health complications like cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, cancer and certain others. However, there is only one good point associated with obesity that it can be cured. With the help of proper diet plans and effective exercises, you can easily melt down the surplus fat from your body.
Goldenseal Is A Great Supplement
by Nathan E Leavitt

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Goldenseal is one of the most popular herbs on the market today. It was used by the Native Americans for a variety of conditions. European settlers learned about it from the Iroquois and other Indian tribes. From there it gained increasing popularity. It is available in different forms including tablets and capsules in powder form for oral intake, cream for the skin for wound healing and tincture which people often use for mouth sores or sore throats.
What Are the Vitamins For Depression
by William Wetere
Vitamins for Depression: How to Deal with Anxiety and Depression? Taking vitamins for depression is considered to be one of the most effective solutions by some when it comes to overcoming depression and anxiety. These vitamins can be expected to work effectively if you pair these with a healthy lifestyle, regular exercises, proper diet and effective relaxation techniques.
PVL Essentials Health And Workout Supplements For Your Body Building Needs
by Stephen M Bartle
PVL Essentials has been providing safe and effective sports and workout supplements for quite some time now. They are different from other sports supplements companies because they make sure that their products are natural and devoid of artificial colorings and flavorings. If you are an athlete or a body builder trying to get the body shape you want, check out what this company has to offer.
PVL - 6 Health And Workout Supplements You Should Try
by Stephen M Bartle
PVL is a company dedicated in producing supplements that have undergone trials and research to render them effective and safe for human consumption. They make sure that all their products are of the best quality. If you are a health and workout enthusiast and you are looking for ways to improve the results of your workout, check out their products.
Pharma Freak - Best Workout Supplements That Can Speed Up Muscle Development
by Stephen M Bartle
Pharma Freak is better known for their product, Ripped Freak. This company was established by Alex Sawa and Don Gauvreau back in 2008 but they are steadfastly becoming one of the front runners in the workout supplements industry. They produce supplements that cater to the needs of athletes, body builders and average people looking for ways to build their body.
Progressive Supplements - Health Supplements You Need To Ward Off Illnesses
by Stephen M Bartle
Progressive Nutrition has been in the business of supplement-making since 1984. They are already experts when it comes to producing effective and useful supplements. They also employ and utilize some of the best resources in creating supplements.
Nutrex Supplements To Improve Your Workout
by Stephen M Bartle
Nutrex has swiftly become one of the front-runners in the workout and sports supplements business since they came into existence back in 2002. Their supplements have been deemed indispensable by many athletes and body builders because of their efficacy in improving the results of a workout. They also try their best to provide cutting-edge and ground-breaking supplements.
North Coast Naturals - 6 Top Health Supplements Worth Buying
by Stephen M Bartle
North Coast Naturals is a company who knows how important it is to provide the most organic supplements in the market. They make use of fresh and safe ingredients in order to improve health and avoid common health problems caused by chemicals in supplements. If you want to try the best health supplements, you should look for health supplements created by North Coast Naturals.
What Is Vitamin B12?
by Hailey Lossen
Vitamin B12 is also known as Cobalamin. This is an important water-soluble vitamin. This vitamin is stored in the kidney, liver, and other body tissues. Some of you may ask what is Vitamin B12 and its importance? The answer to that question is for your brain and nervous system to normally function. Also, storing this vitamin up to 10 mg for a year or more in your liver will prevent you from anemia. It also helps in the formation of the blood and metabolism, especially affecting DNA regulation and synthesis. The oral intake of Vitamin B12 is safe and efficient.
Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Review
by Stephanie A. Lewis
Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex is a high protein shake made by Optimum Nutrition. Optimum Nutrition, Inc. was created in 1986 by two brothers named Tony and Michael Costello.
The Best Soy Supplements For Menopause - Is It Powerful Enough For You?
by Ruolan Wang
The best soy supplements for menopause is said to be a great alternative to hormone therapy. However, is it really the best natural relief for the transition? Find out here.
Vitamins for Menopause
by William Wetere
Are you currently in search of the most effective minerals and vitamins for menopause? Listed below are some essential vitamins and minerals that can help you gain relief from the major symptoms of menopause...
Vitamins To Help You With Stress
by William Wetere
Stress is a normal part of life. In fact, everyone gets their daily dose of stress-not just in the same levels. Stressful situations are often though of as negative experiences; however, stress can have positive effects.
Looking at Traditional Chinese Medicine
by Stephanie Zhang
When you look at the concept of traditional Chinese medicine, you are going to find that it dates back more than 4,000 years. While some people will call it Eastern medicine, it really is more complex with that. In turn, Western medicine isn't an accurate observation of all Western culture.
Do You Know Traditional Chinese Medicine?
by Stephanie Zhang
For more than 4,000 years there have been a number of people who have been practicing traditional Chinese medicine. With a long history of helping to heal the body, most people would assume that it would be a welcomed and trusted form of medicine. However, Western medicine has written it off as being something that has no actual benefit to the human body.
Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Really Help?
by Stephanie Zhang
Most people will swear by Western medicine. The belief is that because many of the drugs help to curb the problems that they face, this is the overall best choice for most people. The problem is that with Western medicine, you stand a good chance of having additional problems stem from the medications that are used. Because of that, you may want to use traditional Chinese medicine.
The Amazing Wide Range Benefits of Fish Oil
by Roni Fleetwood
Fish Oil supplements have so many benefits. It is one of the many supplements that actually help the entire body; not only cardiovascular health, but many others.
Acid Reflux Disease: What You Must Understand
by Isabel Smythe
Acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition that occurs when gastric acids located in the digestive system find its way to the wind pipe. This is brought on by the incomplete closing of the ring-like muscle found close to the digestive system referred to as lower esophageal sphincter. This particular ring like muscle functions as a valve and generally closes any time foods are ingested and goes through it.
Exactly What Are Probiotics? The Helpful Bacteria
by Isabel Smythe
What are probiotics? Probiotics are helpful bacteria that aid in the digestive break down of food by making certain that there's a balance between the different microorganisms in the intestines. These microorganisms stop the expansion of other bacterias that might have detrimental attributes that jeopardize the interior conditions of the digestive system.
Flaxseed As A Food Supplement
by Cedric P Loiselle
Flaxseed is an amazing food. While there is some debate in the nutritional community around some of its benefits, it is generally agreed that flaxseeds have many. Among these are the fact that studies have shown promising results when it comes to this food's ability to help lower your risk of diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease.
Using Natural Supplements to Cure Illness
by Meredith Herminosity
Natural supplements such as herbs, botanicals and natural food products have been used for thousands of years to manage common illnesses and conditions. Individual responses to natural supplements can vary widely. Some herbal supplements have effects on the body as strong as a prescription drug. Other natural remedies have milder impacts on health. Many recent studies have tried to measure the effectiveness of natural substances on the body and the results have been mixed.
The Essential Vitamins for Your Brain
by William Wetere
If you want to have a sharp memory even after you reach the age of thirty, then you should consider gaining information about the best vitamins for brain and make sure that you take sufficient amounts of these vitamins. Bear in mind that after you age, your memory tends to decline or deteriorate. This means that there is a great possibility that you will have a fading memory in the future.
The Scoop on Creatine
by Alex J Lenart
Creatine is a naturally occurring nitrogenous organic acid in vertebrates that helps supply energy to all cells in the body, primarily muscle. 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in muscle tissue in the form of phosphocreatine, or more popularly known as creatine phosphate. Creatine is produced naturally by the body in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys and reaches your muscles through the bloodstream.
Does B12 Help You Lose Weight?
by M Edward
So does B12 help you lose weight? Yes, it does, and let me tell you how it does that. If you are in a weight loss program, you might as well have heard about B12, but if you have not, do not fret, I will let you know what it is all about and how it is important in helping lose weight.
Acai Berry - A Natural Pick For Your Optimum Health And Fitness
by Ezdia Buddy
A healthy and fit portfolio not only enhances the beauty of a person but also leads to an overall well-being. Acai berry is one of the most discussed health solutions and a favorite of the fitness experts these days given its plenty of health benefits. The fruit comes with several helpful properties and many physicians have dubbed it as "miracle berry".
Advice on Buying Vitamins for Men
by J Keller
Many people expect to improve their health by regularly taking vitamins, minerals or other forms of dietary supplements on a regular basis. Some clients use multiple vitamins and mineral supplements to guarantee that they get all the nutrients their bodies require every day.
My Personal Review of Nitric Oxide Producing Supplements
by Robert Vrabel
I have used several different types of Nitric Oxide Supplements. Learn about how they work, as well as my personal review of several different ones.
Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex
by Stephanie A. Lewis
Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex and other product reviews also for Optimum Nutrition 100 Whey Protein, Optimum Nutrition BCAA, and Optimum Nutrition Casein. Great information on the company, what the products do and how you can get fit and firm using them.
Vitamin K And Its Benefits
by Brandon Rye
One of the many vitamin k benefits goes much to the actual enhancement of the person's skin. This vitamin is great for having good blood circulation as well as coagulation. This particular variety of nutrient is also a great agent to help improve the luster and radiance of the skin, restores the actual natural color of the skin whenever the skin develops unwanted discoloration due to the harmful rays of the sun, this can also aid in some vascular complications of the skin; aids in blood clotting to further improve scar healings, and aids skin imperfections.


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Friday, August 12, 2011

Health and Fitness: Home Health Care Articles

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Problem nails grow into
by Elizabeth S Durham
An ingrown toenail is one of the most common infection of the nail is curved by the presence of a small nail or corn was marked around the nail. The infection is very painful. This is because the nail grows into the skin instead of away from it and cause it to break the skin. While it occurs in both fingernails and toenails, toe nails are often affected. Ingrown toenails cause pain and discomfort around the nail and cuticle area of ​​complaints associated with this disease unbearable to wear tight shoes or if it has a bearing activities like walking too much. During walking, the pressure on the toes causes the nail to grow steadily grow into the skin, damaging skin tissue or encourage what is called necrosis.
Treatment of ingrown toenail at home
by Elizabeth S Durham
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Proper care of your feet can avoid the painful condition such as helping the ingrown toenail. There are some infections caused by bacteria and viruses. In such cases you need more or less at the mercy of germs. But when it comes to growing in conditions such as nails, you can easily avoid by maintaining cleanliness. In a more general phenomenon of growth instead of nails with nail polish. With proper foot care regimen, you will not only love to have a clean and healthy feet but also keep the infection away. Many people prefer regular visits to the salon for a pedicure, while many others want to take action at home. Either way, you should make sure that your feet are pampered and treated well.
How do I avoid infected finger
by Elizabeth S Durham
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It is possible to treat an infected finger, because you can treat the infected area to other parts of the body, but a better option is to avoid the finger is infected in the first place. An infected finger, usually begins as a matter of negligence can be a big concern for many people, and in extreme cases can cause permanent disability.
Discover how to identify what triggered your Psoriasis!
Clint Marsden
Once you are trained to know what should be vigilant when it comes to psoriasis, you will experience fewer flare ups. As they say, prevention is better than cure, and that you know how you will prevent from psoriasis in the first place, you will not regret it.
Choosing the right service
by Matthew G Young
Choosing a care home health care is very important. Make sure you choose the right service, even if you're pressed for time.
Home Remedies for Oily Hair - get rid of Effective
Peter Filinovich
Oily hair is a problem many men and women face. This condition is mainly caused by excessive sebum from the sebaceous glands in our body.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Sexual Health of Mens

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Male sexual health is not as complicated as women. Indicate a certain type of guy image and if the brain and nervous system work well to produce nitric oxide, then the response will usually occur. That does not discount the mental component, emotional, and spiritual but a physical component that has the greatest impact on men's sexual health. This article will focus on what men can do to improve the physical component of their sexual health. The benefit side of that advice can also provide a positive impact your overall health and how you age.
In all the information I gathered to prepare for this article, two overriding issues kept surfacing. These two health issues were consistently present. The first is hormone levels. The second is cardiovascular health. Most men would understand how hormone levels could apply but few ever consider cardiovascular health.

Cardiovascular Health!

Your cardiovascular health is as important to your sexual health as it is to your overall health. The reason why centers on the health of the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of your body. The creation of nitric oxide occurs in these endothelial cells. Nitric oxide researchers believe that nitric oxide can correct up to 90% of all penile dysfunction. When the endothelial cells are damaged by high blood pressure, high sugar levels, cholesterol, and smoking this decreases nitric oxide production. Endothelial cells and their ability to produce nitric oxide are critical to the sexual health of men.

Hormone Levels!

At its simplest level, sex is just a hormone driven function designed to perpetuate the species. With that said, the sexual health of American men is in trouble. Testosterone levels have been decreasing over the last 20 years. Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. It plays an important role in maintaining bone and muscle mass. Low levels of testosterone have been linked to lowered libido and diabetes. Diabetes can affect the endothelial cells of the blood vessels compounding the problem of lower testosterone levels.

Over the past two decades, the level of testosterone in American males has decreased by 16 percent. Researchers don't know why. But there are some clues. The recent Nurses' Health Study revealed some important truths as they apply to women. Some of those truths also apply to the sexual health of men because they affect both hormonal levels and cardiovascular health.

Additionally, as testosterone levels have decreased this has resulted in reduced muscle mass and tone, reduced metabolism and energy and an increase in body fat. Not a sexy combination! You can accept it and do nothing about it. Or, you can begin to live life by making healthier eating and exercise choices. Choices that will help your body actually be younger physically than your chronological age.

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You Have Control Over the Process!

Every day you replace approximately 1% of your cells. That means that 1% of your body is new today, 1% is new tomorrow, and 1% is new each and every day of your life. You choose whether those new cells will be nourished properly or poorly. You choose whether you will have healthy and vibrant cells that act young. Or, sickly and sedentary cells that act old.

The sexual health of your body will be affected by the choices you make. I call it "The 1% Solution!" and it will positively affect the cardiovascular and sexual health of your body.

Choices Affecting Sexual Health!

The Nurses' Health Study highlighted five critical lifestyle and diet behaviors. They are:

o Carbohydrates - Slow verses Fast!

o Fats - Natural verses Artificial!

o Protein - Animal or Plant!

o Body Weight - Your BMI!

o Exercise - Is It Important?

If you look at this list, three critical components emerge: Diet, Weight, and Exercise! Now you might think that this only applies to women. It doesn't! Each of these factors will affect your cardiovascular health and hormonal balance. Each of these factors also affects the health of your endothelial cells and their ability to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide production is the most important component to the sexual health of men. Let's look at how all of these factors impact your sexual health.

The Diet Component!

You are what you eat and drink. The sexual health of your body and the cardiovascular health of your circulatory system will be greatly determined by your food and drink choices. These choices will also impact the potential for disease and how you age.

Your first choice is in the area of carbohydrates. Are you choosing foods and drinks that are high in fast carbs (simple sugars)? If you are, then you need to understand that:

o Fast carbs disrupt hormone levels.

o Fast carbs create the potential for high blood sugar that can lead to diabetes.

o High blood sugar can damage the endothelial cells of your blood vessels reducing the production of nitric oxide which is critical for good sexual and cardiovascular health.

Learn to consume foods that are high in slow carbs (complex carbohydrates). Slow carbs will help to keep your blood sugar levels normal and your hormonal levels balanced. Drink water instead of sugary drinks and diet sodas. Drinking water hydrates your system, helps you balance your hormone levels, and aids in weight management.

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Your second choice is in the area of fats. Eliminate all trans fats from your diet and replace them with natural, heart-health fats. The Nurses' Health Study clearly showed how disruptive trans fats are to fertility in women. As little as four grams of trans fat (the equivalent of two tablespoons of stick margarine, one medium order of French fries or one doughnut) began to disrupt their hormonal balance.

How much of your diet consists of trans fats from fast food restaurants? How many orders of French fries and doughnuts have you consumed at work? Although I can't give you any hard research on men, it makes sense that we can be as affected by trans fats as women are. It's time that you incorporate foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as wild, cold-water fish, walnuts, and flax seeds) since essential fats help to balance hormone levels and promote healthy cell function.

Your third choice is in the area of protein. According to the Nurses' Health Study, women who got their protein from plant sources rather then from animals took a big step toward improved fertility. Animal protein can adversely affect your sexual health. It also has a direct influence on cancer!

If you're not willing to give up your beef, pork or chicken, then invest the time, energy and extra cost to make sure that these sources of protein are hormone free. This also applies to your dairy products. Much of the industry still relies on hormonal injections into their livestock to help increase food production. Eating meat from these animals and their byproducts will affect your hormonal levels. If you're not willing to switch to plant-based protein sources, then make sure your meat and dairy sources are hormone free.

The Weight Component!

Like it or not weight impacts the sexual health of your body. Why? Because fat interferes with your hormonal balance! Fat also stresses your cardiovascular system. This additional stress on your cardiovascular system will compromise the sexual health of your body. Currently, 66% of Americans are overweight with at least a third being obese. Diets are not the answer. America has been dieting for the last 50 years. It has had no real impact on slowing down overweight and obesity rates.

You need a paradigm shift from "dieting" to "healthy eating". Make food choices based on how it will improve your health and wellness, not on how it will impact your weight. Most people who do this see their weight stabilize or decrease.

The Exercise Component!

Exercise is important for both sexual and cardiovascular health. Inactivity saps the body of its ability to respond to insulin and makes you less efficient in absorbing blood sugar. A study from the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality highlighted that people who exercised on a regular basis:

o Feel better about themselves.

o Think they are more sexually desirable.

o Experience greater levels of satisfaction.

It's always important to check with your physician or health care provider before you start an exercise program. Once you have their OK, than strive to get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, biking, and swimming are important and seem to increase circulation to the pelvis and the reproductive organs. But don't forget about strength training exercises. Strength training exercises will help you maintain bone health and density. Additionally, strength training exercises will increase your spatial awareness. This is a very positive feeling that improves your overall well being.

The Nitric Oxide Component!

We can not live without nitric oxide. Your cardiovascular system can not function properly without nitric oxide. Sexual health of your body turns on nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide production depends on the health of endothelial cells of blood vessels, and adequate supplies of essential amino acid L-arginine.

High blood pressure, high sugar, high cholesterol and smoking all affect your endothelial cells in a negative way. Damage to endothelial cells reduces the production of nitric oxide. This could jeopardize the blood flow to sexual organs so that sensitivity is reduced and / or erectile dysfunction.


Since nitric oxide is synthesized from the essential amino acid L-arginine, your diet needs to include protein sources and/or supplements that contain this amino acid. It needs to be emphasized that L-arginine is not a hormone and it is not testosterone. However, when properly brought into the body it can cross the blood-brain barrier to signal the hypothalamus to naturally trigger the pituitary gland to produce growth hormone. This is the key to eliminating any negative side effects typically associated with hormone supplements like DHEA and HGH.

Please note that L-arginine has a dark side and can cause some serious side effects. Read my article, "L-arginine, Nitric Oxide and Sexual Health!" for more information on this essential amino acid.

Conclusion!

If you continue a life of inactively, animal protein intake, sugary drinks, foods made from refined grains, increased body fat, and inadequate nitric oxide production, then you will become part of the new reality for America. This new reality includes epidemic increases in diabetes, continued high levels of cardiovascular disease and stroke, continued high levels of cancer, and poor sexual health especially for those over the age of 40. As Aristotle said, "We Are What We Repeatedly Do!"

By taking the necessary steps to improve your diet, manage your weight, exercise properly and increase your body's ability to produce nitric oxide you will experience positive changes in the sexual health of your body. If you repeatedly take these positive steps you will also improve your wellness and slow down your aging.

One Final Thought!

Although the hormonal balance between men and women are different, the process of change is the same. Many of the steps that improve the sexual health of men will also help improve the sexual health of women. Encourage your spouse or partner to implement these changes with you. If you both take the steps to improve your health, then you will both be reward in the bedroom, and in living your life to its fullest.