Here is a list of common mistakes that people make all the time when choosing a health care plan. They are in no particular order, and all are important to consider, carefully and completely. If you are not conversant with all the terminology or are finding it difficult to make the decisions, you should ask for help from a neutral third-party such as family member or friend. Don’t ask a health insurance company unless you want to hear a sales pitch!

Common mistakes
- You don’t check out your doctor, or any others – Although some healthcare plans require you to use a physician in their own network, other plans are more inviting. If you already have a physician, and are buying your own insurance, check with the doctor to see what plans he is a member of. If you do have to choose a new doctor, you should look into the health plan doctors’ credentials by contacting the AMA.

- You forget “location, location, location” – The location of your doctor or clinic, and the travel time required, are other factors you should consider when considering health care plans. Find out where the doctor is located and also look into the regular and emergency hours of the facility.

- You don’t consider specialists – If you already need specialist care, or think you may need to in the future, you need to know the health care plan’s procedures on using them. Some plans require you to contact a primary care physician, while others allow you to make specialist appointments directly.

- You don’t consider your own specialist – You should definitely find out if your current specialist is in the health care plan you are considering. If not, perhaps your specialist can refer you to one who is.

- You forget to check the policy on “pre-existing conditions” – Even though this should be a “no-brainer,” people forget to ask about the policies on pre-existing conditions. Coverage for pre-existing conditions varies widely among health plans. Some exclude them entirely, and will not even consider coverage, while others cover them fully. Many health care plans fall somewhere in the middle, offering coverage after a certain amount of time, or for a certain amount of time or expense. Rules promulgated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guarantees you coverage for your pre-existing conditions if you join a new group plan offered by your employer after being insured the previous year. Do your research to make sure you know what your policy covers.

Less common oversights
- You don’t ask about physicals and health screenings – Again, it seems an obvious thing to ask, but if you appreciate getting regular physicals and health screenings you should ensure that they are covered. Most “managed care” plans do cover these types of procedures, usually on an annual basis, but there are some plans that do not cover them. If you have children, make sure to ask if “well baby” check-ups, physicals and immunizations are covered.

- You forget about additional services – Everything, from prescription drug coverage to mental health care, is an important consideration. You need to consider which of the various additional services that you may need are, in fact, covered when you are comparing health care plans. Other examples of these additional services that may be important to you are drug and alcohol counseling and treatment, home health care, nursing home or extended care, hospices, experimental treatments, alternative and complementary medicine, chiropractic care and physical therapy.

Bottom line considerations
- You don’t price things out correctly – Once you know what you want in your health care plan you need to compare costs, and you need to do it right, which means covering all the bases. You will need to know exactly what deductibles must be paid first before the health care plan coverage starts paying, and don’t forget to ask if the deductible needs to be met before certain services can be utilized. Find out about “out of network” charges if you anticipate having to go beyond your plan facilities or physicians. Finally, there are co-payment, cap amounts and total-care limits you need to know about. Some plans have lifetime limits, some have lifetime and annual limits, and others have mixed formulas for making this determination. Get all the facts.

- You don’t check the exclusions – If you don’t read the exclusions list, you will not know what is not covered. You need to see if any condition you currently have, or that you expect to contract in the future, is included. This is an important bottom-line consideration since, if you don’t get this settled and dealt with up front, you will likely spend a great deal of money down the line to treat excluded conditions.

It is a difficult thing to look at your health in a dispassionate, dollar-oriented way, but that’s life. As we age, more of our energy goes into thinking and planning against death and disability, but the subject need not be morbid or depressing. Do your best to get a health care plan that covers what your particular needs are, and remind yourself that you are worth the trouble – and the expense.

Medicare.com provides coverage information that is simple and straightforward. We give you the medicare basics, as well as provide practical information and tools for making informed decisions on your coverage needs.

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With hospitals discharging patients to their homes sooner and sicker, families are not prepared and are overwhelmed. Many families do not want their loved one to go to a nursing home or skilled unit. Many families are never even given the option for home health care. Others think that when their family member is discharged form the hospital to home that there will be someone there 24 hours 7 days a week, for as long as the care is needed.

The home health care agency explained

There are two types of home health care agencies. The first addresses the health and medical care of the aging adult. Care is provided by home health care agencies, and can include the home health care aide, RN’s (registered nurse) and physical therapy. State and federal laws regulate these agencies. They are often Medicare and Medicaid certified. Many private insurances and HMO’s pay for these services as well. This means the agencies can get paid by these programs for providing home health services These services require a doctor’s order.

The services provided will be intermittent such as an RN coming in to do a dressing change or monitor vital signs. A home health care aide may come in a few times a week to assist with bathing and dressing. You must be housebound and only able to leave the house to go to the doctors or attend church to be eligible for these services.

The other type of home health care agency offers help with household duties and non-medical personal care. This could include preparing meals, bathing, dressing or moving around the house. Depending on the state, these agencies may or may not be licensed. This type of home health care allows a person with special needs to stay in their home. It is for individual’s who are getting older, are chronically ill, recovering from surgery or disabled. The best place to receive ongoing care may be in the comfort of your own home.

Studies show that our aging society not only wants to live independently as long as possible, but that they want to do it in their own home. Many have their own lives, live close to family and friends and have pets to keep them company and social activities to keep them busy. Mentally and emotionally, being at home is comfortable and often promotes wellness and healing.

Some feel that quality care at home can be expensive and is only for the wealthy

There are actually many ways for aging adults to receive qualify home health care. There are new programs such as reverse mortgages, VA benefits and long term care insurance. Many states now have state and local programs for the low income seniors that qualify for Medicaid to have waiver programs. These programs provide care at home in order to avoid an admission to a nursing home. There is a growing number of home health care agencies out there that provide for everything from companionship, to avoid loneliness to errand running and cooking and 24 hour live in services.

For medical and health care needs, there are home health care agencies that provide care when there is a change in the medical condition of the aging adult. The care required, must be deemed medically necessary by a physician.

For those individuals that want to age at home, having a good plan for the future in place is important. This may allow the aging adult to enjoy the comforts of home for as long as possible. You may no longer need to stay in a nursing home to receive good care.

If you are unsure if aging in place is an option for you or a loved one you may consider consulting with a care manager or eldercare consultant. A care manager can usually put together a plan that fits within a family budget. Care at home can be far less expensive than a move to a nursing home.

Diane Carbo is a Registered Nurse – As a geriatric care manager, that has cared for her father and mother in law in their homes, she learned first hand how overwhelming, stressful, and time consuming caring for a loved one can be. Staying in their homes was very important to them. As a result, Diane started http://www.aginghomehealthcare.com to assist others age in familiar surroundings and avoid the emotional and frustrating task of maneuvering the medical delivery system

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Unfortunately, far too many people ignore the risks and let their body and mind deteriorate through lethargy and lack of physical activity and exercise. Thus, the majority of the population will have to rely on the services of the commercial medical industry at some point in their lives. Sadly, for to many people, health care is unavailable too them, either due to cost, lack of insurance or lack of access, when they need it most. In developed and developing countries health services are rendered to each and every one irrespective of their capacity to pay. Also some of the government organizations provide the facility of medical care with a nominal fee.

Professionals of the medical industry include people who provide services which are related to the preservation or improvement of the health of individuals. Their services also include the treatment of wounded, ill, disabled or feeble individuals. Health care forms a big part of a country’s economy.

If you want to save money and have independence in your deciding in when and where to get medical care try home health programs when they are available. This type program helps an individual to be free from the confines of a hospital or any other medical centers. This program can be utilized by those people who need not be confined in a hospital.

Home health care programs offer an array of services. These services are done in the console of the patients own home. Home health plans are normally monitored by a doctor. But nurses and auxiliaries carry out the legal period of care in such plans.

Health is wealth is a good saying in the present world. So the big question is how we are to provide health care services to every one. We should think of a way to provide medical benefits to one and all. This is the problem which is facing far too many countries in the world.

Providing health coverage is a problem of major concern for all countries. If we try to cut one segment of the health care industry in an attempt to save money then every artery of the industry will start to bleed. The most pragmatic way to determine a solution to this trouble is to inquire of the medical professionals themselves who work with the system. They will be able to tell us what, where and how something is wrong.

Distributed Health Care Centers, doubtless have become popular because they extend low cost care that is not uncommitted elsewhere. A health center is fundamentally, any agency where health care is distributed, including education on health.

Long Term Health Care:

An individual who is not fit to take care of himself/herself and also not able to perform his daily duties like eating, having his bath or even dressing on his own may have to rely on long term care. Even certain diseases also make long term care necessary. Long term care need not be received in the hospital it can be received at home also. In general long term care is required by individuals who are 85 years or more. Long term health care is a bit costly and can be undertaken only by those who can afford it.

Steps can be taken to make health coverage affordable to one and all.
- The information with regard to health care cost and the medical procedures should be made easily available to consumers so that they are educated on that topic. This will help them to make better health care choices.
- Results and the outcomes of alternative medical plans have to be made available to the consumers. This will help them to take more informative decisions.
- Consumers themselves have to be more responsible towards maintaining their health and knowing when to seek treatment.
- Dizzy lawsuits and the threat of suits make the doctors to practice defensive medicine
- Consumers should allow their physicians to guide them on the most suitable treatment for their sickness or otherwise.

Chris McCombs manages a Personal Training Directory. At one time Chris was 143 pounds overweight. Chris lost the weight and started his own fitness business Positively Fit Inc, where he directs the Orange County Bodybuilding Program and the Fitness Boot Camp in Irvine, California.

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Health care is an immediate issue that concerns all of us. We all experience it and need it. Let’s serious ask ourselves if the current health care system is satisfactory and available to everyone. Should health, medicare and treatments be available to only selected groups? Many people are voting for the presidential candidate who can restore the present health care system or who can pioneer a better healthcare distribution for our country. Personally, I hope to see a change that health care is available and affordable to everyone.

Being able to receive basic health care is a fundamental need of all people. Fulfilling this fundamental need makes people feel secured, and it makes sense that people with better health can contribute more to the society. A realistic and reachable standard of health should be set for all people. This effort needs a non profit driving entity to establish and to maintain it. People’s life and health should not be compromised for the profit of few organizations.

Before moving to Japan, I was covered under my parents’ insurance policy in the United States. Their policy covered children of the family until the age of twenty-four. Upon graduating from university, I moved to Japan and started my first job there. I joined the Japanese national health insurance through the company I worked for. There are basically two types of health insurance in Japan: national health insurance and employer-sponsored health insurance. Usually, under employer sponsored insurance, the insurance premium is calculated according to income, number of dependents, and the company’ subsidies. For someone who is self-employed or unemployed, the national health insurance costs a minimum of 13300 yen, or about $110 per month plus a small percentage of income for those who are self-employed. In other words, everyone can get insurance from around $100 dollars a month. Unlike the Medicaid program in the U.S. which is only available to certain low-income groups with specific requirements for eligibility, the Japanese health insurance is available to every citizen and legal residents. There is a ceiling to what the Japanese National insurance covers, but it covers all the basics and beyond.

In most cases in Japan, patients choose their doctor and hospital. There is no limitation to the doctors or hospital they can visit. This is a true competition among the clinics, hospitals, and medical practitioners, not for profit, but for quality. The same insurance that people have in Japan gives them the freedom to get second opinions and naturally eliminates those doctors whose practices are in question. The doctor visits, treatments, and medicine are not free; one is responsible for thirty percent of their medical bills. Japanese health costs are much lower than the costs in the United States. Thirty percent of the medical bill is still a reasonable amount one can afford. There are also special cases or categories of illness for which the insurance would give more coverage. If one is late on his payment, his insurance will not automatically be invalid. The insurance will still cover the person as long as he makes up the missed payments. After all, some people do run into difficulties in life at one point or another. Sounds to good to be true? Well, It’s real.

Taiwan, a place with no world recognition politically, has one of the top public health care system in the world. After moving to Taiwan due to my husband’s transfer a year a go, I learned and appreciated the system where universal or national health care is available to all more than ever. When speaking of universal, national, or pubic health insurance, people often turn their attention to the well-debated and discussed health care system in Canada. There are those whose views are negative, claiming that the medical service in a single-payer insurance system may not perform at its ultimate, and those whose views are positive, saying that they do not live in fear of ever having to face bankruptcy for outrageous medical bills. From my informal inquiries, more Canadian I came across favor their national health care system. Most of those who favor their national health care system commented that people of Canada are more secured in having their basic physical and psychological needs met.

In Taiwan, there is also government-sponsored universal health care for not only their citizens but also for foreign residents who live in Taiwan. Foreign residents can apply for the government-sponsored insurance after proving their legal status of residing in Taiwan. The insurance fee starts from the basic 600NT, or around $18 a month. For people in higher income brackets, their insurance is calculated based on a percentage of their income over the 600Nt. Fees are waived for retired soldiers, those who are physically challenged, and people who have economic disadvantages.

Interestingly, Taiwan’s national health insurance has only been established for little more than two decades, since 1985. The government policy-makers studied health care system from different foreign countries and composes the first Taiwan national health care from the ideas and methods of the system of other countries. It was said that Taiwan’s national insurance system is like a completed puzzle made from pieces of which fit its country and people. This insurance now covers the entire population, including foreign legal residents. According to research funded by Taiwan’s National Health Research and Taiwan’s Bureau of National Health Insurance, the cost of health care did not rise after the universal coverage was established (Jui-Fen & Hsiao, 2003.) What does that tell us?

A basic health care program can greatly reduce the consequences of illness left untreated. Basic health care does not mean free of charge or mindless spending without control. To build a healthy nation, we should take a closer look at the current U.S. health insurance. After all, a sound nation starts with the health of its people.

Writer’s Information:
The writer is a Chinese-American. After graduating from Queens College, New York, she moved to Japan and started teaching English as second language. In the 15years of living in Japan, she became a wife, a mother and a university lecturer. She continued her education after giving birth to her daughter and is now pursuing her ph.d in education. She is a positive person who is always looking forward to challenging new things. In Japan, many friends and students were affected by her words and encouragement, especially women. Using herself as examples, she encourages women to be a life time learner, open minded and to have self confidence. Now she is temporarily residing in Taiwan with her family.

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Even in the era of doctor making house calls, people had confidence in their doctor, who, back then, represented the health care system. Confidence was based on trust, that the doctor was offering the best treatment and advances possible.

Today, patient trust is dwindling. Yet, there is still a great deal of trust in doctors and nurses. In a recent poll, the professions that were most greatly admired and respected by the public, second to firemen, were doctors and nurses.

Lack of confidence stems not from the health providers themselves, but from the system that the doctors and nurses work for.

Let’s examine some potential areas eroding public confidence in our health care system:

1.) Speed: Our system has always moved quickly, but the current pace is nothing short of phrenetic. Oh yes, a doctor or nurse could move slower, but the price would be at the expense of patients who would not be seen or cared for that day. Quietly, health providers talk about feeling like they are part of a “conveyor belt” that treats paperwork more than it does people.

Indeed, the amount of paperwork has increased exponentially and the “system” doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Insurance companies, particularly managed care, has heavily contributed to this additional layer of bureaucracy taking time away from patient care. At the risk of offending managed care companies, this is the truth. Managed care was originally designed to contain costs. But the impact on care of patients is one that has yet to be determined.

2.) Commercialiazation of health care: commercials etc….erodes public confidence. Patients regularly verbalize an overwhelmed and distorted image of the role of medication from watching television commercials. This is not the patient’s fault! And it works both ways, commercials can be suggestive, or implant resistance in patients who might genuinely benefit from a trial of medication. Patient’s decisions are influenced by marketing, rather than medical facts, and that just doesn’t make good clinical sense.

3.) “Pill popping society” – stems in part from commercialization but also from a stressed society looking for ways to make it easier to cope

4.) Conventional health care has yet to accept natural modalities as part of its treatment regimens. Yet, public opinion on this matter is very evident. Annual spending on Complementary/Alternative modalities exceeds ______/year. Yet, a large reason for this lack of integration into conventional health care remains lack of scientific research. Without large funding sources like pharmaceutical companies, natural treatments have been left largely to a word by mouth market.

And the word has spread like wildfire. And most often from people with chronic health challenges whose health has been restored. Yet why haven’t these potentially life-saving remedies been studied? In fact, for many health providers in conventional medicine, caring for people suffering with these chronic health challenges, it is heart wrenching not to be able to offer people more hope.

5.) The U.S. Health care system is rated 37th in the world according to the World Health Organization. Clearly these dismal results becry the need for health care solutions and transformation for the sake of our people.

Health: not simply the eradication of disease but the concept of healing, restoration and rejuvenation, particularly for those with chronic health conditions. Included in this is the incorporation of preventative health care into mainstream medicine.

Transformation of health care = Hope for all

Rebuilding confidence in the health care system with less not more [http://www.healthynutritionsite.info/]

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Canada health care guidelines are set by the government and are thus uniform throughout the country. It is similar in its make up to that in the UK, meaning that it offers both remedial and preventative health care to anyone that needs it as and when the need arises. This includes doctors, hospitals, dentists and other health care practitioners that come under the one blanket that is Canada health care. All Canadians can get the health care that they want and need as a result because nobody is excluded. The quality of care, though, is unparalleled. Despite being a publicly funded service, the standards are so high that other countries look to Canada for inspiration if their health care system is in need of a makeover!

The average life expectancy in Canada is 80 years old, and that is higher than the age set for most other countries. This pays testament to just how good Canada health care actually is. The infant mortality rate is also low, and these two facts combine to speak volumes about just how good care actually is.

The Canada health care system has been much debated over the years because is has been and still remains socialized. Some individuals have called for private health care but you only have to look at the existing standards and practices to know that it is better left alone. Why try to fix something that is not broken at the risk of making it worse?

There are no problems with the system as it is and making Canada health care resemble US health care is a risk that is not worth taking. At the moment, all Canadians are entitled to the same health care
, regardless of age, postcode and annual income. This works well because the nation’s health is far higher than any of their neighbouring and fellow Western countries. Whilst the system is not cheap to maintain, it works and surely the nation’s health is more important than money?

You can also find more info on Health Care Providers and United Health Care Insurance. Tophealthcarehelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Health Care.

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What’s the Business Model in Health Care?

Let’s look at a typical business model (Yes, health care is a business). Companies are in business to make a profit in exchange for products or services that improve people’s lives. Whether it’s a lawn mower company making it easier for you to care for your yard or an airline company getting you where you need to go. The basic premise is the same. They help you in exchange for payment. If they don’t provide a quality product or service they quickly run out of people to sell to.

There are only three ways that a business can increase it’s profits. 1. Get more customers or clients. 2. Increase how many times existing customers or clients buy products or services. 3. Increase the profit margin on each transaction. That’s it. All business growth fits into one of those 3 areas.

Now let’s look at those in the context of the health care business. Presumably, health care is supposed to improve your health, which makes you less likely to need health care in the future. So how do health care businesses grow?

Health care companies cannot really use strategy #1. In order to get more customers there would have to be more sick people in need of health care services. That would mean that companies could not promote prevention because that would reduce the number of sick people.

They can’t really use strategy #2. In order to increase the number of times sick people need to buy there products or services they would have to keep from truly getting better.

They can’t really use strategy #3 either. In order to increase their profit margin on existing products or services they would have to charge the insurance companies more, who would have to pass those costs onto the consumer, who are already over-stressed with regard to medical costs.

So how do health care companies grow without using the strategies of business growth? Surely, they don’t deliberately shun prevention strategies, keep people from fully recovering, or over-charge for their services?

Who really supports the Health Care Industry?

A couple of recent articles in the New England Journal of Medicine had some interesting perspectives on the relationship between the government, health care providers and pharmaceutical companies.

The first report detailed a survey of over 3,000 doctors that explored their relationship with drug companies. The study found that 94% of doctors have some relationship with drug suppliers. About 4 out of 5 physicians admitted receiving free food for themselves and their office and free drug samples to try out on patients. Drug companies paid for business trips for more than 1 out of 3 doctors and about 1 out of 4 in the study were actually on drug company payrolls for consulting, lecturing or enrolling patients into clinical trials.

Now getting some free coffee and bagels might not be that big of a deal. Most people would not feel incredibly loyalty to a company for that favor. Besides, getting some free samples might actually save the patient money (assuming they needed the drugs in the first place). But getting business trips covered and receiving paychecks for ’services’. . . that’s a different level of conflict. This does not automatically translate to unethical behavior. Some physicians may truly stick to their morals, but how many will not?

The second study from the New England Journal evaluated the relationship of the Food and Drug Administration with the pharmaceutical industry. Back in the early 90’s the FDA was completely supported by congress – but the agency wasn’t big enough to do their job. So the 1st Bush administration encouraged relationships with the private sector, which translated to support from the pharmaceutical industry.

Today more the 50% of the FDA’s budget comes from drug companies. This means that FDA doctors, who evaluate new drugs, are paid by the very companies that produce the drugs they are evaluating. Is there a possible conflict of interest there?

In 1992 the $126 million FDA budget came solely from congress. In the first year of drug company support industry kicked in about $8 million or about 6% of the total budget for that year. By 2004 drug companies were paying $232 million, greater than 50% of the total budget. The upside is that some useful drugs, like AIDS and cancer medications, are able to get through the bureaucracy faster and get out to the public. The down-side is that so are drugs like Vioxx, blamed for the death or disability of hundreds of thousands of people.

Current legislation is under review to change these laws. But don’t assume that the change will be for the better.

Is there a better Way?

The question really becomes, ‘How do health care companies grow and help people improve their lives at the same time?’ The answer is very simple. Focus more on prevention strategies.

The US government estimates we could save over $71 billion and prevent 14% of all premature deaths through lifestyle strategies. Focus on these strategies is a truly sustainable business model.

Living a prevention lifestyle is a life-long process, and therefore means repeat customers. It’s like taking a shower. You don’t take one shower and expect to be clean for the rest of your life.

This is where nutrition companies, exercise gyms and health education companies focus their efforts. They are truly helping people improve their lives and are growing a successful business. This is the true ‘Health Care’ industry. What most people think of as health care is really the ‘Sickness Industry’. One has healthy people as customers, the other caters to sick people.

This is a business model that is good for individuals and good for the economy. But the only way this will take hold is when people start to vote with their dollars. Vote for health food instead of junk food, vote for treadmills instead of big-screen TVs, vote for tennis shoes instead of gas to drive 1 mile to the store. This is the only way that we will really secure a future of life-long health for our kids and our grandkids.

Train your Brain for total Brain Fitness. The Brain Code is the key to unlock your maximum potential. Dr. Simon Evans puts together the right ingredients in right amount to create the recipe for success. Visit us at http://www.thebraincode.com

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Baby boomers are voicing their concerns about better health, more than prior generations. However, many do not know where to find information and options, other than Traditional Western Medicine (TWM).

Few people research the plethora of side effects for prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs-not to mention that prescription and OTC drugs are formulated to take over and hijack your body’s biochemistry. Prescription and OTC drugs force blood pressure to be lower/higher or force the liver to stop manufacturing healthy cholesterol. In fact, prescription or OTC drugs interfere with normal human metabolism, and that is one reason why prescription drugs are killing people. Yet, conventional medical doctors rely on propaganda about the unknown side effects of holistic health care to convince people that only prescription or OTC drugs are safe. It is NOT that they are terrified about the side effects of holistic health care-they are terrified of people being well and they won’t have their business of prescribing life-long pills and potions. Western Medicine is profit driven.

If everyone knew they could prevent any disease with plant extracts, medicinal herbs, natural vitamins, minerals, and supplements, as well as having peace of mind-the pharmaceutical and medical industry would collapse overnight.

o The World Health Organization, estimates that between 65 to 80 percent of the world’s population (about 3 billion people) rely on naturopathic or homeopathic medicine as their primary form of health care.

o Worldwide, only 10 to 30 percent of people use traditional medicine, 70 to 90 percent use naturopathic and homeopathic health care.

o 74 percent of the American population desires a natural approach to health care.

o Of the one out of three Americans who say they have used natural techniques, 84 percent said they would use it again.

o Traditional Chinese Medicine has been chosen by the World Health Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the health care needs of the twenty-first century.

o The U.S. government sponsors the use of acupuncture in drug rehabilitation programs.

o “In a [Mayo Clinic] study of 50 patients, six acupuncture treatments given over two to three weeks significantly improved their symptoms of pain and fatigue.” Time, 2005

o “Americans make more visits to holistic health care providers (some 600 million a year) than to M.D.s and spend more money out-of-pocket to do so about $30 billion a year by recent estimates.” Newsweek, 12/2002

o “A recent study performed by the American Massage Therapy Association revealed that 28 percent of people received a massage from a massage therapist in the past five years, up from 17 percent in 1997. Eighteen percent said they had a massage in the past 12 months. That’s 10 percent higher than was reported in 1997.” American Massage Therapy Association, 8/2002.

Holistic health care practices include:

o Acupuncture

o Aromatherapy/flower essences

o Ayurvedic medicine

o Bio-feedback

o Chelation therapy

o Chiropractic

o Essential Oils

o Guided imagery

o Herbology/Herbal remedies

o Homeopathy

o Hydrotherapy

o Hypnosis/self-hypnosis

o Iridology

o Massage

o Meditation/visualization

o Mind, Body, Spirit healing (using the unconscious mind)

o Movement and exercise therapy

o Naturopathy

o Nutrition therapy

o Osteopathy

o Reiki/energy medicine

o Relaxation response

o Reflexology

o Therapeutic touch

o Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Every community has resources: Natural food stores, natural vitamin and supplement stores: Hi Health, Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, Wild Oats Market, Trader Joe’s, AJ’s Fine Foods, The Internet directories.

o Holistic Health Care provider directory – New Holistic Health Care Products Directory. http://www.holisticseek.com/

o Holistic Junction: Business Directory
Holistic Junction, your pathway to Holistic Practitioners, Massage Therapy http://www.holisticjunction.com

o Holistic Healthcare online: A search directory for reputable practitioners by state, country, city, http://www.holistichealthcare.com

o Florida Health & Fitness Directory … Holistic Health Care: Natural Healing and Preventative Medicine Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs, Homeopathy, Shiatsu, … http://www.floridasmart.com/business/health/index.htm

o Holistic health links and new age links from Share Guide. … Healthlinks.net – Healthcare portal and directory with over 70200 unique links. … http://www.shareguide.com/links.html

o American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) – Resource Lists. Members who work in partnership with their patients, and encourage a holistic approach to wellness. …

o Metaphysical Healing-Mind, Body, Spirit, Genesis Consultants, Inc.

Last, but not least do not allow traditional medical doctors, pharmacists or your family and best friends to intimidate you into believing your life is in jeopardy if you use holistic health care remedies or practitioners.

The Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 284 July 26, 2000, published an article documenting the tragedy of Traditional Western Medicine (TWM) paradigm. The author, Dr. Barbara Starfield of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health describes how the U.S. health care system may contribute to poor health. Doctors, she stated, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., causing 250,000 deaths every year.

This information is a follow-up to the Institute of Medicine report December, 1999, but the data was hard to reference as it was not in peer-reviewed journal. Now it is published in JAMA which is the most widely circulated medical periodical in the world.

DEATHS PER YEAR:

1. 12,000 —–unnecessary surgery

2. 7,000 —–medication errors in hospitals

3. 20,000 —-other errors in hospitals

4. 80,000 —-infections in hospitals

5. 106,000 —non-error, negative effects of drugs

250,000 deaths per year from iatrogenic–death induced in a patient by a physician’s activity, manner, or therapy, especially of a complication of treatment causes–is outrageous!! Yet, the majority of people continue to trust the medical profession to ‘cure’ them, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

Of 13 countries in a recent comparison, the United States ranks an average of 12th (second from the bottom) for 16 available health indicators. The ranking of the U.S. on several indicators was:

o 13th (last) for low-birth-weight percentages

o 13th for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall 14

o 11th for post neonatal mortality

o 13th for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)

o 11th for life expectancy at 1 year for females, 12th for males

o 10th for life expectancy at 15 years for females, 12th for males

o 10th for life expectancy at 40 years for females, 9th for males

o 7th for life expectancy at 65 years for females, 7th for males

o 3rd for life expectancy at 80 years for females, 3rd for males

o 10th for age-adjusted mortality

The poor performance of the U.S. medical profession was recently confirmed by a World Health Organization study, which used different data and ranked the United States as 15th among 25 industrialized countries.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, “101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life.” Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one’s daily thoughts and feelings. http://www.drdorothy.net

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Believe it or not, America boasts some of the world’s best doctors, the most advanced health care system, and the most technically superior resources in the world, bar none. Those who travel globally and have gotten sick know that their first choice for treatment would be in the U.S. Though health care in America is, more expensive than any other country, many of the worlds wealthiest come to the U.S for surgical procedures and complex care, because it holds a worldwide reputation for the gold standard in health care.

To examine the complex health care issue, a small research study was conducted from randomly selected doctors in a best doctors database. We ask 50 top doctors, located in different states and who practice different specialty fields, ” Is a universal health care plan good for America?” Forty-eight of these doctors essentially responded that it was a “bad idea” that would have negative impacts on the quality of our nation’s health care.

Social Engineering Medicine

One of the greatest mis-conceptions some people have relied on with regard to the health care debate is that, given a universal health care system, every person in the U.S. would receive the highest quality health care – the kind our nation is renowned for and that we currently receive. However, unlike some public amenities, health care is not a collective public service like police and fire protection services, therefore the Government cannot provide the same quality of health care to everyone, because not all physicians are equally good orthopedic surgeons, internists, neurosurgeons, etc, in the same way that not all individuals in need of health care are equally good patients.

As an analogy – stay with me – when you design a software program, there are many elements that are coded on the back-end, and used to manipulate certain aspects of the software program, that your average “John Doe” who uses the software (the end user) does not understand or utilize, nor do they care about these elements. Certain aspects of the program are coded, so that when one uses that portion of the program, other elements of the program are manipulated and automatically follow the present or next command.

Likewise, once a universal care plan is implemented in America and its massive infrastructure is shaped, private insurance companies will slowly disappear, and as a result, eventually patients will automatically be forced to utilize the government’s universal health care plan. As part of such a system, patients will be known as numbers rather than patients, because such a massive government program would provide compensation incentive based on care provided, patients would become “numbers,” rather than “patients.” In addition, for cost savings reasons, every bit of health information, including your own, will be analyzed, and stored by the Government. What are the consequences? If you’re a senior citizen and need a knee replacement at the age of 70, the government may determine that you’re to old and it’s not worth the investment cost, therefore instead of surgery, you may be given medication for the rest of your life at a substantial cost savings to the government, and at a high quality of life price to you.

Solutions:

Fixing the current U.S. health care system might require that we;

1. Encourage prevention and early diagnosis of chronic conditions and management.
2. Completely reform existing government are programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
3. Forgive medical school debt for those willing to practice primary care in under-served areas.
4. Improve access to care, provide small businesses and the self-employed with tax credits, not penalties for providing health care.
5. Encourage innovation in medical records management to reduce costs.
6. Require tort reform in medical malpractice judgments to lower the cost of providing care.
7. Keep what isn’t broken-research shows 80% of Americans are happy with their current insurance, therefore, why completely dismantle it?
8. Reimburse physicians for their services.
9. Innovate a system in which Medicare fraud is dramatically decreased.

Devil In the Details

Socialized medicine means:

1. Loss of private practice options, reduced pay for physicians, overwhelming numbers of patients, and increasing burn-out may reduce the number of doctors pursuing the profession.

2. Patient confidentiality will need to be compromised, since centralized health information will be maintained by the government and it’s databases.

3. Healthy people who take care of themselves will pay for the burden of those with unhealthy lifestyles, such as those who smoke, are obese, etc.

4. Patients lose the incentive to stay healthy or aren’t likely to take efforts to curb their prescription drug costs because health care is free and the system can easily be abused.

5. The U.S. Government will need to call the shots about important health decisions dictating what procedures are best for you, rather than those decisions being made by your doctor(s), which will result in poor individualized patient care.

6. Tax rates will rise substantially-universal health care is not free since citizens are required to pay for it in the form of taxes.

7. Your freedom of choice will be restricted as to which doctor is best for you and your family.

8. Like all public programs, government bureaucracy, even in the form of health care, does not promote healthy competition that reduces costs based on demand. What’s more, accountability is limited to the budgetary resources available to police such a system.

9. Medicare is subsidized by private insurers to the tune of billions of dollars, therefore if you take them out of the equation, add a trillion dollars or more to the current trillion dollar-plus cost estimates.

10. Currently, the government loses an estimated $ 30 billion a year due to Medicare fraud. Therefore, what makes anyone think that this same government will be able to run & operate a universal health care system that is resistant to fraud and save money while doing so?.

Hugo Gallegos is a health information technology expert & founder of http://www.mdnationwide.org, a research & information company specializing in identifying America’s best medical doctors and providing comprehensive medical doctor background reports.

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