Take Charge of Your Health Care - May 25, 2008

Welcome to the May 25, 2008 edition of take charge of your health care. Beginning with next month’s Carnival, this carnival will be hosted at my http://www.healthplansplus.blogspot.com/ blog. This blog has a page rank of 3 on Google and enjoys some exposure.

Here in the United States, the summer season officially begins with Memorial Day which is being celebrated Monday, May 26th. As we gather here in the States for picnics and outdoor activities, let us not forget the sacrifices that are being made all across the world by soldiers of free countries to protect our citizens’ rights. Although I, along with most of my readers, strongly disagree with the situation that was created in Iraq, we must still honor our soldiers for the duty that they carry out on a daily basis to protect our country.

Now that the summer season has begun in the Northern hemisphere, it is especially important to pay attention to health and safety. Protect your food supplies in the summer heat and during outdoor activities, be careful not to expose your skin to excessive sunlight, and give special attention to swimming pool safety. With the emphasis on outdoor activities during these summer months, I have added a new topic: Health and the Environment.

Health Insurance

Vera Lang presents

Using a Health Savings Account to Pay for Alternative Medicine posted at Be Safe Insure .com, saying, "Health Savings Accounts allow you to set up a tax-deductible account to pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health insurance. This article explains how to take full advantage of this. Must read." Editor's note: This is very much in keeping with the consumer driven healthcare trend.

Ben presents

Health Insurance for New College Graduates - Shopping Around for Affordable Coverage posted at Money Smart Life, saying, "Health insurance tips for college graduates." Editor’s note: It’s nice to know that there are affordable alternatives for college students and recent graduates.

Jose DeJesus MD presents

Cash Before Treatment - The Crisis in Medical Care Funding posted at Physician Entrepreneur, saying, "Dr. Jose DeJesus discusses the unsustainable current arrangement where large payers, including government, insurance, and large employers have negotiated payment rates that do not reflect real healthcare costs. Those who have limited benefit or no health insurance face rates that often reflect distortions created by these large payers, and mandated but unfunded costs. Finally, Dr. DeJesus suggests some alternatives to the current situation."

Health and the Environment

Lavender Farms- Young Living presents

A Better, Healthier Home posted at For the Love of Lavender, saying, "Be smart with your home and its health. A few tips to make a healthier home" Editor’s note: This article has some great tips for a cleaner and healthier home.

Mark Schauss presents

Smog and Premature Death - Science Has Linked Them, The White House Denies It posted at Toxic World Blog - Detoxify and Heal Your Body. Editor’s note: As the author discusses, the Bush White House refuses to acknowledge the science showing the effect of smog on the health of the public. This is true of other countries as well as the almighty dollar is put ahead of the health and welfare of the citizens.

Helene Zemel presents

Stop Smoking in 5 Days with Smoker's Last Chance Home Work Shop posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "The Smoker’s Last Chance Workshop is a 5-day computer and audio program which uses a combination of education, behavior modification, and self-hypnosis to help you stop smoking."

Dental Health

Alex Bo presents

Just Fly Abroad For Cheaper Dental Treatment posted at Worldental - world dental treatment guide. Editor’s note: Dental tourism is one solution to the high cost of dental care in the U.S. As the article points, out do extensive research first.

Alex Bo presents

Travel, Save Money And Treat Your Teeth posted at Worldental - world dental treatment guide. Editor’s note: More information about traveling abroad to save money on extensive dental treatment. More and more Americans and Europeans are doing this.

Helene Zemel presents

Dental Plans vs. Dental Insurance posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "When is a dental plan a better choice than dental insurance? With caps on annual allowable expenses, age limits, disallowance of pre-existing conditions, complicated paperwork, waiting periods, and no coverage for cosmetic dentistry or dental implants, a dental plan may be the better choice."

Phil B. presents

Brush then Floss or Floss then Brush? posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Do you brush your teeth first and then floss, or do you floss and then brush your teeth?" Editor’s note: Some good dental hygiene pointers are given in this blog post.

Alternative Medicine

Webmaster presents

Living with Pancreatitis posted at Alcoholic Pancreatitis. Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing your experience with pancreatitis. This advice will be helpful to any of our readers who suffer from pancreatitis or know someone with this condition.

Niharika presents

50 Tips for Healthier Skin at Any Age posted at RN Central. Editor’s note: Some great advice, especially with the hot summer months just a few weeks away.

Aparna presents

Home Remedies for nose bleed posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, "Nose bleed is also called as ‘epistaxis’. It occurs more often in summer and especially in young children as a result of spending long hours in the sun, constant nose-picking, nose polyp or any other infection."

Aparna presents

Aspirin for acne-prone skin posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, "Aspirin is remarkable for your skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties, capability of sloughing off dead skin cells thus preventing the clogging of pores makes it a terrific product in the treatment of acne and other skin inflammations." Editor’s note: The aspirin face mask formulas in this informative blog post will be helpful to acne sufferers.

Tip Diva presents

Top Ten Tips - Stocking And Organizing A Medicine Cabinet posted at Tip Diva, saying, "Everyone should have a medicine cabinet in their homes in case of a sickness or an emergency. Here’s what to do to make sure you’re stocked and prepared" Editor’s note: The tips on keeping the medicine cabinet safe with small children around are especially important.

Mag Herrera presents

Natural Recipe for a Healthy Prostate posted at Life. Money. Development., saying, "Sharing a reader's natural recipe for a healthy prostate." Editor’s note: The tomatoes in this recipe are a natural source of lycopene which is beneficial to prostate health.

Consumer Driven Health Care

Shaheen Lakhan presents

Medicine and the Law - Part 2 posted at GNIF Brain Blogger. Editor’s note: Shaheen Lakhan makes the point that physician’s need to know the standard of care in their community, and patient’s have an obligation not to bring frivolous lawsuits against doctors who do exercise this standard of care.

Walter presents

Tired? You May Not Be Getting Enough Sleep posted at Highlight HEALTH, saying, "A good night’s sleep is increasingly losing out to late night television, the internet, video games and other modern day distractions, and our health is taking the toll. According to a recent four state study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70% of adults report not getting enough rest or sleep at least once over the past month; 10% report insufficient rest or sleep every day."

Alvaro Fernandez presents

Exercise your brain in the Cognitive Age posted at SharpBrains, saying, "Key questions on Brain Health that consumers should pay attention to."

Alvaro Fernandez presents

Brain Research Interview Series posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "Check out these interviews with leading neuroscientists and psychologists on a variety of topics: brain health, happiness, weight loss, memory..."

Diet & Fitness

FitBuff presents

Waist to Hip Ratio - Men Can't Stomach the Facts posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "One of the most accurate measurements is the waist to hip ratio. The WHR is better for tracking your visceral fat (the most dangerous kind that gathers around your stomach). It's very simple (provided you can handle 3rd-grade level math), and all you need is a measuring tape. Here's how to find your number..."

Ellen Landauer presents

Natural Alternative Health CoachingHealth Freedom Coaching: addiction recovery posted at Health Freedom Coaching, saying, "While this article offers solid nutrition information that can help if you or someone you love is recovering from drug or alcohol dependence, there is a wealth of knowledge here for health-oriented people. In my research on substance abuse, I found a lot of parallels between alcohol and drug addiction and sugar addiction. If you simply want to eat less sugar, this article will help."

Ellen Landauer presents

Belly Fat: Causes and Cures posted at Health Freedom Coaching, saying, "More than exercise and diet are covered in this definitive guide to bringing beauty and suppleness to an area of the body that is the focal point of so many peoples' fitness woes and wishes. A simple exercise anyone can do is part of the rich content of this article I so enjoyed writing. Some of the information may surprise you..."

Paul Li presents

Chocolate + Sports = Better memory posted at Lumosity Brain Health, saying, "With the proper diet and daily physical exercises one can improve their brains, especially in older adults."

Dr Martin W. Russell presents

“I Can Make You Thin” by Paul McKenna - A Review posted at Dr Martin W. Russell. Editor’s note: An excellent book review of “I Can Make You Thin” by Paul McKenna with some advice on eating to stay thin.

Fenny presents

latest-beauty-tips.com • View topic - Nutrient that is needed daily by the body. posted at Fenny Lopez, saying, "Protein is a nutrient that is needed daily by the body. These nutrients are essential for health and must be provided in the foods eaten. We are here to give you an idea of the amount of protein you can find in certain foods, check out."

Trevor McKay presents

Gastric Bypass Surgery And The Food Police posted at All About Gastric Surgery, saying, “After receiving a gastric bypass, many patients feel like they are under constant examination when it comes to the food that they eat. A lot of people have reported that their friends and relatives begin monitoring their eating habits more closely than they do themselves. It is for this reason that individuals are also taught skills that allow them to cope with the added pressures that they will undergo after their gastric bypass is over.”

Larry W presents

How celebrity moms lose weight! posted at Fatbliss. Editor’s note: Some good information on getting back to that pre-pregnancy figure is presented in this blog post.

Larry W presents

Healthy foods which aren't healthy posted at Fatbliss. Editor’s note: This blog post exposes the myth that all health foods are created equal.

Sagar presents

50 Healthy Habits to Take Off 50 Pounds In a Year posted at Nursing Degree Guide. Editor’s note: These 50 weight loss tips will be helpful for anyone following a weight loss program.

Joshua Seth presents

Obesity In America posted at Joshua Seth Blog. Editor’s note: Joshua Seth makes the point that so many people are taking prescription drugs today for preventable conditions that could be controlled by taking control of their health care through better health habits and mind control.

Emma Deangela presents

Body Detoxification – Simple Ways To Detoxify Your Body posted at eDetoxify.com, saying, “If you feel that you are easily tired, feeling sluggish, mind completely drained, you may want to consider detoxify your body. Detoxification is about cleansing and getting back your body to your normal state – eliminating impurities from the blood of liver, lungs, kidneys and other vital organs.”

Emma Deangela presents

Delicious and Yummy Detox Recipes to Keep Your Body Healthy posted at eDetoxify.com. Editor’s note: Emma Deangela presents some good recipes that will help you detoxify your body.

Travis presents

All About Creatine posted at Exercise and Diet Tips Bodybuilding Supplements Reviews - Blog by Travis, saying, "Are you one of the misled who believe that Creatine is a steroid-like compound that is bad for you? Find out all of the facts and more here."

Russ presents

Limu - Breakthrough Nutrition is Changing Lives. updated Fri May 16 2008 11:07 am CDT posted at Restoring Your Finances and Your Faith, saying, "Scientists have called the key ingredient, "possibly the most powerful immune supporting nutrient ever discovered"."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of take charge of your health care using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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