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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Carbo

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_McCombs

To confront these problems, presidential hopefuls John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have all proposed extensive health care reform plans.

But some health care professionals believe that these proposals do not address the whole problem.

The United States is a nation living under medical apartheid. The South Florida Times summarized the studies’ findings as follows:

“… elderly black and Hispanic patients often received substandard care for common but serious conditions like heart attacks, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Researchers say their data suggests

that the nation’s healthcare system is racially and ethnically segregated, not just for the elderly, but across the board.”

Lead researcher, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, said:

“When we see ongoing segregation in housing and education [in America,] it may not be surprising that we’re seeing very different administration of care in hospitals that serve blacks and Hispanics versus hospitals that mostly serve whites. But we’re not talking about [failures of] high tech medicine. This is basic stuff, like failing to administer aspirin or beta blockers to patients suffering a heart attack; treatments that we’ve known about for 20 years.”

These studies are consistent with earlier findings that, at all levels of incomes, black Americans die years earlier than whites. The infant mortality rate for African American babies is 2.5 times greater than it is for non-Hispanic whites, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics, giving us the worst infant mortality rate of any industrialized nation on Earth except Latvia. It should be noted that these recent studies demonstrate that Hispanics in this country also experience extreme disparities in medical care.

Are you OK with that? Then how about this? Lack of health insurance results in the deaths of 18,000 Americans each year, according to studies compiled by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine. That equates to 49 or 50 deaths every day. f you are plagued by concerns, anxieties, guilt, shame and despair over the health problems that people are facing….

It is estimated that nearly 90 million people – about one third of the population below 65 – spent a portion of either 2006 or 2007 without health coverage.

The percentage of people with employment-based health insurance has dropped from 70 percent in 1987 to 59 percent in 2006.

The number of uninsured children in 2006 was 8.6 million – or 11.7 percent of all children.

Nearly 3.5 million fewer children had health insurance in 2006 than in 2000.

Uninsured Americans get about half the medical care of those with health insurance. Compared to people with health insurance, the uninsured receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease states and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates.

About 18,000 unnecessary deaths occur each year due to lack of health insurance.

It is estimated that we have spent as a nation nearly 13.5 trillion dollars on health care since 2000, but this expenditure has not resulted in demonstrably better quality of care or better patient satisfaction compared to other nations.

It is estimated that we will have spent $2.2 trillion on health care services in 2007 – about 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense.

Health care spending is estimated to reach $4.2 trillion a year by 2016 – just eight years from now.

On average, health insurance premiums for employers have doubled since 2000.

Average out-of-pocket costs for co-payments, such as for prescriptions, deductibles and coinsurance for doctor visits, rose 115 percent between 2000 and 2006.

National surveys consistently show that the primary reason people are uninsured is because health coverage is too expensive.

In 2007, employer health insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent -two times the rate of inflation and wage increases.

The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $12,100 in 2007.

The average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance increased more than 143 percent between 2000 and 2006.

It is estimated that nearly 700,000 patients have died in hospitals due to medical errors since 2000.

Unnecessary medical accidents, errors and poor quality are the nation’s third leading cause of death, just behind cancer and heart disease.

The Institute of Medicine estimates that nearly 100,000 patients die in hospitals each year due to medical errors. This is three times the number who die on the highways.

Recent studies show that only a little more than one-half of adult patients receive recommended care for their medical conditions.

It is estimated that 77 million Americans over the age of 19 have difficulty paying medical bills, have accrued medical debt, or both.

We have a current health care system that some 47 million Americans lack basic health coverage, while many who can afford coverage elect to do without because the deductibles are too high or the policies do not cover the treatments and procedures that they actually need. Medicaid offers health coverage for many low-income Americans, but not everyone qualifies for this system of government health care.

Average wages for working class Americans have not risen in parity with the ever-increasing health care premiums over the past six years, with some 11 million policyholders spending more than a quarter of their annual salary on health care expenses. Challenges readers to think past conventional wisdom and historical corrections for the future of Health care challenges.

Over the past six years, family health insurance premiums have risen on average about 69 percent, more than six times the increase in the median earnings of workers (about 11 percent), finds Families USA, a Washington group championing healthcare consumers.

This is not affordable for most families and individuals, forcing more and more to discontinue there coverages. Healthcare crisis is building momentum as more people elect not to maintain coverage for themselves and families. affordable coverage for healthcare is of growing concern for many americans.

Your gut started telling you something is not right, didn’t it?

Why do we have a crisis in health care costs today? Because government “solved” the last one.

Medical Insurance that Worked – Until Government “Fixed” It, I discussed the continuing health problems.

The best way to combat feeling bad about a terrible situation is to take positive action to do something good to correct it.

Visit my blog site http://2brio-wolfen.blogpot.com call Now 877-818-5337 code1680 Email dealer24@freeautobox.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_S_Carter

Professional home health care services givers include the medial aspect such as nurses, therapists, home health care assistants, and other licensed and certified medical caregivers. They are present to administer skilled care to the patient.

Home care services are provided to those who need assistance with tasks such as house cleaning, running errands, cooking, and just being around to assist if the patient needs other tasks such as these performed.

Social workers also play a part in home health care. They can provide counseling for emotional and social problems that the patient may be experiencing. They will direct those who need it to community resources which are available to them. They have various other services to offer as well.

Companions are another part of the care giving team. They are the ones who provide companionship to people who can not stay by themselves. If a disabled person stays by their self having a companion there to assist them can help if an emergency situation should occur.

To be assured that you have the best quality home health care for your disabled family member speak with others who are having or have had the same experience as you are going through.

Make sure that the home health caregiver that you request is experienced in care giving. The caregiver’s supervisor should manage the care provided to make sure the patient is receiving quality health care.

Whether you are hiring a home health care provider on your own or through an agency be sure to conduct an interview. Go over the needs of the patient and make sure the caregiver is capable of providing the type care that the patient needs. Advise the caregiver on medications, physical and mental problems that the patient may have, and how to deal with them. Make sure they know where everything is situated in the house which pertains to patient care. It will help in case of an emergency.

The payment for home health care services may be paid by the patient or some such as a family member. Medicare, under certain guidelines, will pay for skilled caregivers. There are others such as Medicaid, the Veterans Administration, and Social Services have programs which assist qualified patients. There are various other payers such as private insurances and more.

If the cause of illness is a work related incident workers compensation could pay for the home health care needed. In any case, the actual cost of home health care depends on which state the patient resides in.

Matt D Murren owns and operates http://www.home-health-care-advisor.com
Home Health Care

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Murren

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Kawamura

Answers to the following questions provide clues to the use of health-care services, providers, and products and facilitate the self-care approach to wellness:

When should you seek health care?

What can you expect from a stay in the hospital?

How can you select a health-care professional?

When To Seek Health Care

Many people tend to fall into two extreme groups regarding health care: those who seek health care for every ache and pain and those who avoid health care unless experiencing extreme pain. Both groups unwisely use the health-care establishment. Those in the first group fail to understand that too much health care can be ineffective or even harmful. They also fail to recognize the powerful recuperative powers of the body. An estimated 80% of patients who seek medical care are unaffected by treatment, 10% get better, and 9% experience an nitrogen condition in which they get worse because of the medical treatment. Those in the latter group fail to recognize the value of early diagnosis and detection of disease. This is especially true for men; 30% of men have not been to a doctor in a year or more, one-third have never had their cholesterol checked, and three fourths have not been checked for prostate cancer during the previous year.

Perhaps the best way to find a balance between too much and too little health care is to establish a physician-patient relationship with a general practitioner. The general practitioner may be a family practice physician or an internist who specializes in internal medicine.

It is important to visit your doctor while in good health. This permits your doctor to serve as a facilitator of wellness and provides a benchmark for interpreting symptoms when they occur.

A second important way to balance health care is to trust your instincts. Nobody knows when some thing is wrong with your body better than you do. Health and illness are subject to a wide variation in interpretation. If you are attuned to your body, you are your own best expert for recognizing signs and symptoms of illness.

Several signs and symptoms warrant medical attention without question. Internal bleeding, such as blood in urine, bowel movement, sputum, or vomit, or blood from any of the body’s openings requires immediate attention. Abdominal pain, especially when it is associated with nausea, may indicate a wide range of problems from appendicitis to pelvic inflammatory disease and requires the diagnostic expertise of a physician. A stiff neck when accompanied by a fever may suggest meningitis and justifies immediate medical intervention. Injuries, many first aid emergencies, and severe disabling symptoms require prompt medical care.

There is debate as to when medical care is needed in the case of fever. An elevated temperature may be a sign that the body’s immune system is responding to an infection and working to destroy pathogens, or disease-producing organisms. On the other hand, if left untreated for an extended time, a fever may cause harm to sensitive tissues in the body, such as connective tissue found in joints and tissues in the valves of the heart.

The normal body temperature of 98.6° F was studied at the University of Maryland. Findings involving 700 temperature readings of 148 adults over a 3-day period suggest that the normal body temperature is 98.9° F. The study attributed the difference to less accurate techniques when the earlier standard of 98.6° F was established. Body temperature varies with exercise, rest, climate, and gender. Fever means a reading over 99° F. It is not usually necessary for an adult to seek medical care for a fever. Home treatment in the form of aspirin, acetaminophen, and sponge baths usually lowers fever. You should consult your physician if fever remains above 102 0 F despite your actions or, in the case of a low-grade fever (99 0 to 100 0 F), if there is no improvement in 72 hours. You should consult a physician if fever lasts more than 5 days, regardless of improvement. Symptoms, such as sore throat, ear pain, diarrhea, urinary problems, and skin rash, may be the cause of the fever and should be treated as such. Fever in young children should be discussed with a physician.

Author is a professional writer on various topics like health and fitness articles and health care tips He is also proficient in writing about fitness exercises I hope you like the articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Prahalad_Singh

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/]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rolf_Rasmusson

Holistic Health Care practices seek to work with the entire being so that all aspects of life are positive, productive and balanced. The society of the future realizes that being healthy and self-realized, results in a happier life.

A growing number of medical schools have begun teaching courses in Holistic Health Care; more private insurance plans have begun to recognize the utility of some forms of HHC and have offered coverage in conjunction with conventional treatments; and, in 1992, a Congressional mandate established the Office of Alternative Medicine, a small entity within the National Institutes of Health that was chartered to assess alternative therapies. Its annual budget has grown every year since 1993 and, between 1997 and 1998, increased from $12 million to $20 million.

According to a nationwide government survey released in May 2004, 36 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 years and over use some form of HHC. NCCAM, National Institutes of Health A Prevention Magazine 2002 survey of consumer use of dietary supplements revealed that an estimated 158 million consumers use dietary supplements and spend approximately $8.5 billion per year. An estimated 22.8 million consumers use herbal remedies instead of prescription medicine, and an estimated 19.6 million use them with a prescription product. Similarly, an estimated 30.3 million use herbals instead of an over-the-counter drug (OTC), while approximately 19 million use herbals and OTC’s together.

In 2002, Geoffrey Cowley, Senior Editor of NEWSWEEK reported, “We make more visits to non-conventional healers (some 600 million a year) than we do to MDs, and we spend more of our own money for the privilege–about $30 billion a year by recent estimates.”

Use of Holistic Health Care in the U.S:

In the United States, 36% of adults are using some form of Holistic Health Care. When megavitamin therapy and prayer specifically for health reasons are included, that number rises to 62%.

Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) describes a $228.9 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. The consumers attracted to this market have been collectively referred to as Cultural Creatives and represent a sizable group in this country. Approximately 36 percent of the adults in the U.S., or 60 million people, are currently embracing a holistic lifestyle.

Health Conditions Prompting Holistic Health Care Use:

People use HHC for a wide array of diseases and conditions. According to a survey, Americans are most likely to use HHC for back, neck, head, or joint aches, or other painful conditions; colds; anxiety or depression; gastrointestinal disorders; or sleeping problems. It appears that HHC is most often used to treat and/or prevent musculoskeletal conditions or other conditions involving chronic or recurring pain.

Reasons for Holistic Health Care:

The survey asked people to select from five reasons to describe why they used HHC. Results were as follows (people could select more than one reason):

o HCC would improve health: 55%

o HCC would be interesting to use: 50%

o Conventional medical treatments would not help: 28%

o A conventional medical professional suggested HCC: 26%

o Conventional medical treatments are too expensive: 13%

Results for Holistic Health Care:

No reports of deaths caused by Holistic Health Care have been published. It is fair to assume that if there were deaths caused by HHC the reports would be judiciously reported as the AMA is searching for ways to discredit and discount HHC practices.

Results for Traditional Western Medicine Health Care:

In 2001, the top 50 medical and surgical procedures totaled approximately 41.8 million. These figures were taken from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.13 Using 17.6 percent from the 1974 U.S. Congressional House Subcommittee Oversight Investigation as the percentage of unnecessary surgical procedures, and extrapolating from the death rate in 1974, we come up with an unnecessary procedure number of 7.5 million (7,489,718) and a death rate of 37,136, at a cost of $122 billion (using 1974 dollars).

Problems involving patients’ medications were even higher the following year. The error rate intercepted by pharmacists in this study was 24%, making the potential minimum number of patients harmed by prescription drugs 417,908.50.

The leading causes of adverse drug reactions are antibiotics (17%), cardiovascular drugs (17%), chemotherapy (15%), and analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents (15%).11.

o The World Health Organization in 2000 ranked the United States 37th out of 191 countries in health care services.

o U.S. life expectancy is nearly three years shorter on average than Canadians’ and about two years less than that of the French.

o The United States spent more than $6,000 per person on health care in 2004, about double what France, Germany and Canada spent per capita.

Sources: World Health Organization, United Nations, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Results for Holistic Mental Health Care:

American Health Magazine reported these findings from a comparison study.

o Psychoanalysis: Creates a 38% recovery after 600 sessions

o Behavior Therapy: Creates a 72% recovery after 22 sessions

o Hypnosis: Creates a 93% recovery after 6 sessions

Results for Society:

What does this mean for society, if society understands and participates in the benefits of Holistic Health Care?

o Few, if any sick days.

o Reduced absenteeism for businesses. CCH survey, conducted by Harris Interactive ®, the average per-employee cost of absenteeism was $789 per year in 2002, up from $755 in 2001, while the absenteeism rate declined slightly to 2.1 percent from 2.2 percent in 2001.

o No adverse reactions/side effects.

o Minimal short and long-term disability expenses.

o Live a healthy and productive life.

o Live a healthy longer life.

o Few, if any age related illnesses.

Such companies as Apple, Google, Yahoo, AstraZeneca, IBM, 3M, Cisco, Solectron, Knokia, NASA, Sun Microsystems, Pacific Stock Exchange, Texas Instruments, Raytheon, Vortel Network offer free on-site classes in meditation.

The motivation is clear meditation increases concentration, boosts intuition, relieves fatigue, reves up creativity and enhances organization skills.

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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorothy_M._Neddermeyer,_PhD

However, the idea of universal health care is backed by several ideas as to how it can be carried out. Universal health care should in fact be administered via a series of insurance policies that are controlled by the government of any given time. In this way, universal health care will give everyone access to health care whenever they need it at very little personal cost, thus ensuring that every single person can actually call a doctor out whenever necessary. Universal health care may also be administered through a series of clinics and other medical establishments to ensure that lower class individuals that cannot afford private health care can just drop by.

Universal health care could actually be administered by any number of schemes in effect, but at least there are ideas in place to ensure that it could work if governments in power at the moment changed their policies. The ideal behind universal health care are valid as preventative as well as remedial because it would actually encourage everyone to have regular health checks to ensure that they stay in the best of health. This would include testing g younger people for STIs and monitoring their progress as they grow up via a series of vaccinations against diseases that may cut their lives short. Similarly, under universal health care would actually allow older people to be tested for ailments like diabetes on a regular basis too.

Universal health care could provide treatment for every individual, whether they could afford it on paper or not. This would provide great positives for all of humanity and make for a much better world. There is so much more resting on universal health care than just health care alone. If we want a better world, we have to take the chance whenever we can. Universal is one of the chances we should take.

You can also find more info on Health Care Plans and Health Care Providers

Tophealthcarehelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Health Care.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wade_Robins

When a person reaches the age of sixty, health services are sometimes based on a person’s age. For example, some health care professionals decide not to run certain tests or prescribe certain medications and treatments because they don’t feel that the tests will be beneficial, or that the medication or treatment will work for the patient. Another reason that health care professionals hesitate to provide in-depth care to older people is because they don’t want to put the person though the procedure with the assumption that it would be too tiresome or too hard on the patient. If asked, older people want to go through the tests and procedures in order to take care of their health, but many health care providers don’t ask the patients what their wishes are.

In spite of public acknowledgment that ageism by the U.S. health care system does exist, no steps have been taken by the system to remove its bias against older Americans. Ageism continues to be practiced in all levels of health care. In a recent interview with Joe Reynolds,* a 71-year old Oregon resident, Reynolds stated that because he is an older person, health care providers are reluctant to treat him, and some have refused him treatment because of his age. Reynolds has diabetes, and has undergone a heart bypass. He is angry and frustrated with the medical practitioners that he has seen because he has the insurance to pay for his care, and he feels that he can tolerate the tests, procedures and medications. He declared that none of the health care providers is willing to provide the real care that he needs to live as healthy of a life as possible. Reynolds stated, “I’m old so they don’t want to do anything to help me. They don’t ask me how I feel about anything; they don’t ask me for any input about my needs. They just don’t care.”

Older people like Reynolds give up and die sooner than they might have if they had been able to receive the necessary medical care. They feel like the cast-offs of society, and rightfully so. Some older people commit suicide instead of being forced to live with pain and other treatable medical conditions that they are unable to obtain treatment for.

Preventive care that is routinely provided to younger people is often denied to older people. Screening for life threatening diseases and conditions is provided readily to younger people, but is grudgingly provided to older people, if it is provided at all. Older people are routinely left out when it comes to treatments such as chemotherapy, even though an older person can tolerate it just as well as a younger person. Attitude is also a factor in providing care to an older person. If the attitude of the health care professional is predisposed against providing that health care, the older person will suffer the consequences.

The U.S. Health Care System needs to work harder to remove its prejudice against providing adequate and equal health care to older people, and treat them like the deserving American citizens that they are. Older people are the reason that many of our luxuries and comforts are here today. Health care partiality is not the way to treat the people that made this country.

*last name changed at the request of interviewee

Patti McMann is a freelance writer. She writes on a variety of topics for print and electronic publications. She has a diverse background in many subjects, and majored in business, marketing, and information technology. She is the author of the popular eBook “Diabetes: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics.” Please visit her website at http://www.pattimcmann.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patti_McMann