Health Benefits for Americans Part 1 - Is Consumer Driven Health the Answer?

Lewis Gregory suffered a heart attack two years ago that left the family mired in debt.

"We have absolutely no way to even dream of paying $125,000," he said.

Lewis s story has become more and more common in the US. Fifteen percent of Americans do not have health benefits. And of that number, as many as 80 percent have at least one parent working full-time. They make too much money to qualify for government-sponsored health plans, but not enough to pay for private healthcare. And more still are turned down by health insurance companies because of age limits or ongoing medical conditions.

I won t try to list all the reasons that the US healthcare system leaves so many of its citizens without healthcare. But the fact is that more and more Americans are going to bed each night without adequate health benefits or without healthcare at all. And as recently as 2005, the White House proposed $10 billion in cuts to Medicaid.

Is there a solution in sight?

Well, there just might be. And it comes in the form of Consumer Drive Health benefits programs (CDH). In some ways it operates like any business in a capitalistic society. The healthcare provider with the most reasonable rates and best quality of service gets the most business. Those doctors who are too expensive or don t meet their patients needs, don t get customers. But there s a twist. With CDH, the consumer has the power of a network of other consumers to help negotiate the most reasonable price possible.

Sounding a bit like an HMO? Consumer Driven Health programs are not HMOs or any other kind of insurance. The biggest difference is that the patient and the doctor-not the insurance company-decide what treatment the patient will receive, based on whatever criteria matters most to the patient.

And there s another BIG difference. With Consumer Driven Health there are: - No waiting periods - No deductibles - No claims forms - No age limits - No ongoing medical problems exclusions - No hassles

That s not all. With Consumer Driven Health benefits, the customer receives many services that insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid do not allow, including vision, dental, orthodontic, chiropractic, and even cosmetic surgery!

If this sounds too good to be true, think again. Consumer Driven Health is set up to be successful. They provide reasonable rates, and quality products and services. But the most important thing is that Consumer Driven Health programs provide a reasonable alternative to a health benefits system that isn t working for a large number of Americans.

Asthma Education Information You MUST Consider Before Marriage... If Both Of You Are Asthmatic

Love can be a very strong feeling that can survive any difficulty that comes to a relationship. Think carefully though when it comes to deciding if children are right for you if both you and your intended spouse have asthma. Hereditary issues can increase the risk of having children who will end up suffering with asthma!

Is it love if two people knowingly bring a child into the world to go through life with the physical and psychological challenges because of asthma? There are many stresses and strains on a marriage without the problems of dealing with asthmatic children.

As you already know, asthmatic children, like you, can radically change the dynamic of a family. One of the major causes of asthma are hereditary factors. In many cases, asthma is passed from a parent to the child. So, if both of you have asthma, it is most likely that one will pass it over to your children if greatly increased. This is not a certainty, but the chances of it happening are very high and something that should be considered.

It has been confirmed by some experts that a person who has a parent with asthma is three to six times far more likely to develop asthma during his life time than a person who doesn t have a parent with asthma.

If this statement is true, then it is true also that if both parents have asthma, the chance of the child having asthma goes up dramatically. Statistically speaking, 40% of children who have asthmatic parents will eventually grow up and develop asthma!

So, am I saying couples who have asthma should not get married?

Not necessarily.

Instead couples with asthma need to recognize that this may be a very real possibility in the future. They should have a complete understanding of what could be the result of their getting married and be prepared to handle it.

There is no point regretting later in life when you start having children who have asthma. It is best to know what to expect and be prepared to handle it.

Talk to your doctor and get his or her advice and be prepared on the things to do to make the condition favorable if you eventually give birth to children with asthma.

This is necessary because early detection of asthma can help protect your baby s life than if you were not aware of it at all.

If couples with asthma know what to expect, they would be better prepared to deal with it than if they were ignorant.

So, before getting married as asthmatic victims, understand what to expect regarding the possibility of asthmatic children.

Genital Herpes With Special Reference To Pregnancy

Genital herpes is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). The anxiety for a pregnant woman is that she may transfer the virus to her baby during pregnancy and childbirth with potentially severe consequences. In this article measures to avoid such disaster are discussed.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 are common infections worldwide. Herpes simplex virus type 2 is the cause of most genital herpes and is almost always sexually transmitted whereas the type 1 virus is more commonly associated with sores around the mouth. There is no exclusivity with some ulcers around the mouth being caused by the type 2 virus and some genital infections being related to the type 1 virus. These are probably related to oral sex.

Herpes simplex infections can be diagnosed by visual inspection by a doctor. Swabs from the affected area can be taken and the virus cultured in the laboratory. When a person contracts infection, the immune system produces antibodies that can be measured in the serum (blood with its cells removed).

In the USA one adult in five has antibodies to type 2 herpes. The number of people who have been diagnosed with the condition rose from 10% to 14% between 1988 and 1999. Seroprevalence of HSV-1 decreased from 62.0% in 1988-1994 to 57.7% in 1999-2004, a relative decrease of 6.9%.

Herpes infections may be primary, secondary, recurrent or asymptomatic with viral shedding. In a primary infection, the infection is apparent but there are as yet no antibodies to either HSV-1 or HSV-2 at the time of the outbreak indicating no prior exposure. Typically, lesions appear 2-14 days after contact. Without antiviral therapy, the lesions last for 20 days. Viral shedding lasts 12 days, with the highest rates of shedding occurring before symptoms develop and during the first half of the outbreak. Viral shedding ceases before complete resolution of the lesion. Antibody response occurs 3-4 weeks after the primary infection and is life-long. However, unlike protective antibodies to other viruses, antibodies to HSV do not prevent local recurrences. The symptoms associated with local recurrences tend to be milder than those occurring with primary disease.

The lesions of a primary infection begin as tender vesicles (blisters), which may burst to become ulcers. The vagina is commonly inflamed and the cervix is involved in 80% of patients. Pre-existing HSV-1 antibodies can alleviate clinical manifestations of subsequently acquired HSV-2. More than 75% of patients with primary genital HSV infection are asymptomatic. Asymptomatic primary HSV infections in pregnant women at term are responsible for most neonatal (newborn) HSV infections.

Symptoms associated with primary infections may be local and constitutional. Local symptoms include intense pain, dysuria (pain passing urine), itching, vaginal discharge, and lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph glands). Constitutional symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, malaise, and myalgia (aching muscles).

A non-primary first episode infection is a first genital HSV outbreak in a woman who has HSV type 1 antibodies. Because of the partial protection of the pre-existing antibodies, these women tend to have fewer and shorter systemic symptoms. The duration of lesions is shorter, averaging 15 days, and viral shedding lasts for approximately 7 days.

A recurrent infection is defined as a genital HSV outbreak in a woman with type 2 antibodies. Recurrent HSV outbreaks may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Lesions typically last for 9 days, and viral shedding lasts for approximately 4 days. The viral load tends to be lower in recurrent outbreaks than with primary lesions, and shedding tends to occur during the prodrome (pre-symptomatic phase) and early stage of the clinical outbreak.

Primary infections in pregnancy are over diagnosed. Correct classification of gestational genital herpes infections can only be accomplished when clinical evaluation is combined with viral isolation and serologic testing using a type-specific assay. Most severe first clinical episodes of genital herpes infections among women in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy are not primary infections and are not commonly associated with perinatal morbidity.

Most herpes affected babies acquire the virus at the time of delivery. Just 5% of all cases of neonatal (newborn) HSV infection result from transplacental transmission during pregnancy. In this regard, it is one of the TORCH (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex) infections, which are associated with microcephaly (small head), microphthalmia (small eyes), intracranial (within the brain) calcifications, and chorioretinitis (inflammation in the eyes). The acquisition of genital herpes during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneous miscarriage, prematurity and congenital and neonatal herpes.

Neonatal herpes is a severe systemic (involving all the body) viral infection with a high morbidity (illness) and mortality. Neonatal herpes can cause skin, eye or mouth infections, damage to the central nervous system and other internal organs and mental retardation. It is relatively uncommon in the UK with an incidence of 1.65 per 100 000 live births annually, which compares to 11 per 100, 000 deliveries in the USA.

Neonatal herpes may be caused by herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) or herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2), as either viral type can cause genital herpes. The risks are greatest when a woman acquires a primary infection during late pregnancy, so that the baby is delivered before the development of protective maternal antibodies. All women should be asked at their first antenatal visit if they or their partner have ever had genital herpes. Female partners of men with genital herpes, who themselves give no history of genital herpes, should be advised about reducing their risk of acquiring this infection.

Women who report a history of genital herpes can be reassured that, in the event of an HSV recurrence during pregnancy, the risk of transmission to the neonate is extremely small, even if genital lesions are present at delivery. Women with no history of genital herpes may reduce their risk of acquiring herpes during pregnancy by avoiding sexual intercourse at times when their partner has an HSV recurrence. The impact of this intervention is limited because sexual transmission of HSV commonly results from sexual contact during periods of asymptomatic viral shedding.

Aciclovir is well tolerated in late pregnancy and there is no clinical or laboratory evidence of maternal or fetal toxicity. Aciclovir has been used extensively in pregnancy and it appears to be safe. The use of intravenous aciclovir may reduce the risk of neonatal herpes by minimising maternal viraemia and reducing exposure of the fetus to HSV for women who develop first episode genital herpes within six weeks of delivery. A randomised controlled trial for women with recurrent herpes was unable to demonstrate that acyclovir in late pregnancy significantly reduces the number of caesarean sections. The conclusion was that there is little evidence to suggest that acyclovir should be used for the suppression of recurrent genital herpes infection during pregnancy.

Where first-episode genital herpes lesions are present at the time of delivery and the baby is delivered vaginally, the risk of neonatal herpes is about 40%. The risk of transmission is associated with duration of rupture of the membranes, the risk increasing considerably after the membranes had been ruptured for more than four hours.

Caesarean section is recommended for all women presenting with first-episode genital herpes lesions at the time of delivery, but is not indicated for women who develop first episode genital herpes lesions earlier in the pregnancy. If the first episode of genital herpes lesions within six weeks of the expected date of delivery or onset of preterm labour, elective caesarean section may be considered at term, or as indicated, and the paediatricians should be informed.

In the 1980s, it was common practice to take swabs for viral cultures weekly from women with a history of genital herpes during the last six weeks of pregnancy and if the results were positive delivery would be by elective caesarean section. This practice is no longer recommended as it has been demonstrated that antenatal swabbing did not predict the shedding of virus at the onset of labour.

For women presenting with recurrent genital herpes lesions at the onset of labour, the risks to the baby of neonatal herpes are negligible with two major studies showing no transmission to the baby. In one study, one baby in 34 with active recurrent herpes was affected. The practice of caesarean delivery for women with a history of genital herpes lesions that recur at delivery would result in more than 1580 excess caesarean deliveries being performed for every poor neonatal outcome prevented at a cost per neonatal herpes case averted of $2.5 million at 1993 rates. Furthermore, there could well be more maternal deaths by this practice than newborn babies saved. In Holland, caesarean sections have not been routinely performed for this indication since 1987 and there has been no increase in the reported incidence of neonatal herpes.

Panic and Anxiety Attacks Can Be Cured

Panic and Anxiety Attacks Can Easily Be Cured

If you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, you are not alone. According to the National Institute of Health, 1 out of 75 people have these attacks at some time in their lives. It is estimated that twice as many women than men suffer from this disorder. Some cases are much more severe than others.

It is very controversial what causes these attacks. Some researchers believe it is hereditary, while others believe it is an imbalance of two neurotransmitters in the brain: dopamine and serotonin. For many, just the thought of having another anxiety attack can bring one on, so it becomes a vicious cycle which can be extremely difficult to break.

Many symptoms are tightness in the chest and stomach, dizziness, lack of oxygen, fear which cannot be controlled, and a feeling of passing out. Some may experience anxiety or panic attacks while driving in rush hour traffic, boarding a plane, giving a speech or an experience where they feel they are not in control. The fear of losing control is usually the strongest contributor or causation to bring an attack full speed ahead.

I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for many years. While many resort to medication or therapy for this condition, that was not the route for me. I didn t want to deal with the side effects of pills or become dependent on them for the rest of my life. Therapy was useless for me. However. I was bound and determined to beat this disorder once and for all.

I found the most amazing cure and it has totally changed my life. I will never have another attack. I have learned how to stop them dead in their tracks before they even begin. It was so easy to learn and has made such a difference in my life. Now I feel confident and in control of every situation.

Fast Nail Facts

For something that s dead, nails are important since they perform many different functions. Without them, it would be impossible to do certain things.

Nails or claws (if you want to be more specific) help animals catch and tear the food they eat. Humans who are blessed with eating utensils don t rely on nails to eat. However, they protect the ends of the fingers and toes, and enable us pick up small things.

Some male guitarists, particularly classical and fingerstyle players, grow long nails to serve as guitar picks and help them pluck strings. Without nails, it would also be impossible to scratch whatever itchy part you have!

Nails grow from the nail root that is found underneath the skin. They are made of keratin, the main protein in skin and hair. The hooves of a horse and bird feathers are also made of keratin. This makes the nail cells harden. As new cells form underneath, they push out the hard cells that we see as nails.

Contrary to popular belief, nails don t grow after death since they are already dead in the first place. They appear to be growing since the skin shrinks. Neither do nails perspire since they don t have sweat glands. What gets wet is the skin around the nails. Since they are dead, nails don t need food or nourishment either. Their pink color comes from the tiny blood vessels underneath.

The nail plates are dead cells and contrary to the popular belief, they don t breathe. So they don t require oxygen. However, the nail beds and the cuticles are live cells and they do need oxygen, vitamins and minerals, according to the people at nail-care-tips.com.

Toenails are thicker than fingernails but the latter grow faster. It takes about four to six months for fingernails to grow back while toenails take from 12 to 18 months. In general, men s nails grow faster than women s nails. Young people and pregnant women also have fast growing nails.

Seasons and weather also affect nail growth. Nails grow faster in warm climates and during daytime, than in cold climates and at night. Nails grow at different speeds on both hands. If you are right-handed, the nails on your right hand will grow faster than the nails on your left hand and vice versa. Light trauma, like typing on a computer stimulates nail growth. Well, this kind of trauma looks more like a massage actually, said the people at nail-care-tips.com.

Nails reflect a person s state of health. When you are sick, it will definitely show in your nails. One of the most common nail problems is onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nails that can make your nails ugly and deformed. To prevent this, take good care of your nails by washing and drying them thoroughly, wearing well-ventilated shoes and synthetic socks that absorb perspiration, and using a good foot powder.

For stubborn and embarrassing fungal nail infections, try Somasin AFS, a safe and effective herbal formula that penetrates deep into the nails and surrounding tissues, and strengthens your immune system to restore your nails healthy look and shine. Visit Propecia today for details.