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Prevention Will Reduce Healthcare Costs

The most important health care challenge in the United States is the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity. Two out of three American adults are now  overweight or obese. Also, one third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. If you take a look at demographics you will find that those living in rural areas and certain ethnic minorities carry a very high rate of obesity. In addition, the lower the income and the lower the education levels achieved the higher the rate. The health risks associated with overweight and obesity are enormous. Such conditions as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma liver disease and cardiovascular disease, to name just a few.
It follows, therefore, the increase in obesity rates and the increase in health care costs go hand in hand. In addition, if this trend in not reversed the costs will continue to escalate. Specially, obese people incur as much as 100 percent higher costs when it comes to medical costs which, of course, will increase all of our health care costs. A very high percentage of these medical costs are borne by medicaid and medicare.It is therefore critical to begin to control and reduce obesity in adults and young people if we are going to begin to contain health care costs. A recent report in the American Medical Association Journal estimates that one third of all children in the United States today will develop type II diabetes.

It is therefore important to refocus our efforts in the prevention of obesity. This will help contain costs and at the same time reduce the incidence of some of the above mentioned conditions for our children and adults. The prevention model will require an adjustment in behavior which will include a significant increase in exercise and improved diet. Programs will need to be developed both in school and at home. Adults will need to set a good example for their children and schools will need to also take an active part in promoting good diet and exercise. It is the view of this author that the President and Congress will need to emphasize the importance of these programs which will go a long way in reversing these dangerous trends.

Type II Diabetes risk Increases with Age

As we age the risk for type 2 diabetes increases. You will also experience a higher risk if diabetes runs in your family. This does not mean that you will get diabetes, especially if you lose weight and exercise and eat healthy. This is particularly true for those over 60. Physical activity can not only help you reduce your weight, it can improve your strength and flexibility and your balance. If you are just beginning, I would suggest you set reasonable and achievable goals for yourself. Examples include perhaps walking for five or ten minutes four or five days per week. Before going into a very aggressive program I would suggest you discuss it with your doctor. Eventually, you will probably want to exercise thirty minutes per day for five or six times per week. There are many ways we can begin improving our exercise routine and here are a few suggestions.

First you can make some of the everyday chores actually good for you. For example, when getting up from a chair or sit down in a chair try to do it without using your hands or your arms. Also, you can move up and down on your toes while you are standing. Instead of using the remote, get up to change the channel on the TV. When talking on the phone you can walk around the house instead of sitting. You can also join groups such as a walking group which will help you keep up with the routine. You can also make the act of running errands more fruitful. Park your car a little farther from your destination so you can walk. You can also go on a walk in between errands.


You can, of course, do the more conventional exercise approaches by joining a club and working out five day each week. You can also try biking or even jogging but the important point is to select the exercise program you are comfortable with. If you enjoy walking then walk. If you enjoy hiking then hike. In other words, make the progress fun and not a chore. If you do you will be able to keep up with it.I suspect you will find that the daily exercise plan will add years to your life and will also improve the quality of your life. Sometimes old age and the maladies that go with it are not particularly related to age but to the shape you are in. Therefore, if you are a senior, stay in shape and watch what you eat you may find that you will enjoy your golden years more and stave off such diseases as type tow diabetes.

Variety Can Help With Exercise and Diet Plans

 

It seems that lately there literally thousands of articles when it comes to maintaining your health and improving your quality of life.. Well, here goes another one. Much of the literature I come across has one common thread. The thread is variety. This means variety in your habits, lifestyle, diet and exercise. Let me site a few examples. First, when you exercise you want to vary your exercise program.This means when you do your cardio exercises you will want try different types of routines. If you only walk everyday you will get some benefit but if you walk one week and then perhaps use the StairMaster the next week  and the elliptical the following week you will end up getting better results, in my view. The body gets used to certain movements and if they are the same each day the benefit will decline and you will only use certain muscles. This will be also true for weight trainging. If you always use the same routine you may find that that only certain muscles are used. I am very guilty of this. I tend to do exactly the same exercises each week and I am now beginning to change up my routine. I am already finding that I am feeling certain muscles that previously were not felt. Another way of putting this is I am finding sore muscles that I did not even know existed. Therefore, it is my suggestion that you vary your exercise program both cardio and weight training.
This phenomena is also true when it comes to diet. When you are focusing upon fruits and vegetables, for example, try to vary the types. Do not just eat carrots but eat other vegetables as well. When eating whole grain vary the types of whole grain. There are many different types and you will find more beneficial results from variety. You won’t go wrong in my view if you try different fruits vegetables and grains. In addition, be sure you also think about the importance of freshness when selecting fruits and vegetables. The fresher the vegetable or fruit the more nutritious. The point is creativity and variety will go a long way in managing and improving your health. Try not to get into a rut and if you are in one break out of it. It will result in an improved quality life, health and low health care cost and low cost medical insurance premiums, as well.

A Guide to Improved Quality of Life and Health Care For Seniors

One of the reasons I love to write for this website is I love to talk about ways  that seniors can improve their health and their quality of life. Since I am a senior, not a physician, I feel I can address this from, at least, a common sense
point of view. is It is clear that this website is designed to offer the best possible health insurance at the lowest possible cost. It is also clear that the better your health the lower the health insurance cost. This is a general rule and it is almost
always will be the case. Therefore, if our readers are interested in low cost health insurance, the better they take care of themselves will result, in most cases, lower cost health insurance premiums and improved quality of life.


Certainly, keeping your weight under control is absolutely essential. This can be accomplished by daily exercise and healthy and nutritious diet. In addition, this can be accomplished by managing your stress and getting plenty of sleep. I have been retired for a few years and there are numerous adjustments we have to make in order to maintain or improve our health and adjust to retirement.Think about it.  It is a big and rather dramatic change. Most of us spend most of our lives working and then all of a sudden we can sleep late and we can do what we want. Although that sounds great it requires some discipline. You probably will not automatically be as active as before and therefore you must compensate. If you previously did not exercise a great deal you may be able to do it now. If yo are just starting to exercise start slowly and build up to twenty to thirty minutes per day of cardio exercise and maybe another thirty minutes per day for strengthening exercises. I have been working out for years and I try to go six days a week. I have been able to maintain my weight at 160 pounds and I am five feet ten inches in height. All of my numbers are good , ie. blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. I strongly believe that my daily exercise program has a great deal to do with this. I spend twenty to thirty minutes on the elliptical machine and twenty minutes in strength training. It works. My health insurance costs are low and hopefully I will stay in good shape.
In addition, it very important to keep  stress as low as possible and socialize where you can. It can be easy to become somewhat isolated when you retire if you are not careful which can be unhealthy and depressing. Also, try to sleep at least seven hours per night. Be sure you do not smoke and do not drink in excess. Finally, stay away  from high fat food, red meat or fried foods. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. If you pay attention to your health in your retirement you will find that you will improve your quality of life and reduce your health insurance costs. I always suggest that you check with your doctor prior to making  any changes in your diet or exercise plan.

Exercise Programs For Seniors

Exercise programs for seniors. That is a topic that many seniors spend a great deal of time on. I happen to be one of them. I
am constantly thinking about what kind of things I can do to improve my health through exercise and I have come up with a
few ideas.First let us discuss some of the main categories we seniors should consider. The primary categories of
exercises we should consider are as follows.
Strengthening exercises

Balancing exercises

Endurance Exercises

Stretching Exercises

The first category I will discuss is balancing exercises. There are so many things you can do to improve your balance.


For example, stand on on leg two or three times a day for at least thirty seconds. You may find this difficult and you may want  do try it for fifteen seconds and then build up to thirty or even more. Another way you can improve your balance is to stand up and sit down in a chair without using your arms . Not only will that improve your balance it will strengthen your leg muscles. Another idea will be if you are bending over try to do it without arm support. Obviously, these measures must be performed very carefully so you do not injure yourself. I would always suggest you check with your doctor prior
to performing these balancing exercises.

The next category will be endurance training. This will include biking, walking, hiking, jogging, swimming and endurance on such machines as the StairMaster or elliptical machine. There are other obvious endurance training approaches and I will leave that up to the reader. I, for example, prefer either walking or using the elliptical machine. I try to do it at least twenty minutes a day five or six day per week. Again prior to embarking upon such a program check with your doctor first.

Stretching exercises are also very important and some of us, including me, tend to not focus enough on this category. Stretching will allow you much better range of motion and will allow you to do more when it comes to your overall exercise program. There are so many stretching exercises you can do I will only touch upon a few of them. First, I like touching my toes. Do it slowly and do not jerk. Slowing bend over and touch you toes and hold it as long as you can. Try to repeat ten times and it will probably take you awhile to build up to ten. Also, when touching your toes try to hold each rep for about five to then seconds. Another stretching exercise that I like to do is placing my hands on a wall extending one leg straight back and the front leg bent. Slowing push forward until you feel the stretch in the back leg. Try ten reps and then switch legs. Try to hold the stretch to ten seconds. Once again, always check with your doctor first.

The final category is  strengthening exercises and they can include free weights, or weight machines or simply push ups, pull ups and sit ups. I prefer the weight machines and I always use low weight and high reps. Try to do the exercises every other day and avoid everyday. Push ups are also very effective and sit ups as well. Some prefer free wights and I will only suggest if you use free weights try not to use weights that are too heavy. As always, I will suggest you check with your doctor first.

There’s is no reason that we seniors can not live a long and healthy life. We need to work hard on our the exercise programs for seniors and staying in shape and eating well. Also, we need to try to get enough sleep and try to eliminate stress as much as possible. Although I do not guarantee the fountain of youth  I do believe you will improve your quality of life.

Heartburn Friendly Foods

Today I thought I would discuss heartburn and some of the things you can do to he avoid the pain. It generally revolves around what you eat but will also include maintaining a healthy weight and getting the proper amount of exercise. This is  very important to me as I have chronic heartburn but  that has been because  I tend eat the wrong foods. Recently, I have focused upon eating properly and it has resulted in almost eliminating the heartburn problem.

Before I make some of my recommendations, I want to remind the reader that it is a good idea to see your doctor if you are experiencing chronic heartburn. Some of the heartburn friendly foods that work for me include pasta, whole grain, oatmeal, whole wheat foods, applesauce, ginger, soft boiled eggs, beans, consomme soup, lean meat to name  just a few. Some of the foods to stay away from include garlic, red sauce, caffeine, spicy foods, butter, fried foods, alcohol and tobacco. In addition, it is important to eat small amounts of food at each sitting and eliminate late night snacks. Also, do not lie down immediately after eating. I suspect that will ease your pain. It has certainly worked for me.

Each person is different and it is important to always check with your doctor first before you change your diet. It may require certain medication if your heartburn is advanced. I suspect that your doctor will also recommend a rather bland high fiber diet which will not only help with your heartburn but will perhaps improve your health by eating high fiber low fat foods.

Democrats in Texas Hope To Make A Medicaid Deal

Democrats in Texas are optimistic when it comes to expanding the state’s Medicaid program for those with low incomes. This flies in the face of Governor Rick Perry’s opposition to the principles of the federal health reform program. State senator Rodney Ellis said that fiscal conservatives have an incentive to reach an agreement “because the alternative is going to cost us much more economically and dig a much deeper hole in our budget.” Some of the democratic lawmakers have proposed legislation that would help avoid Mr. Perry or produce a bipartisan compromise which might be supported by the Obama administration.
With the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s plan calls for the federal government to cover one hundred percent of the costs of expanding state Medicaid programs for three years. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, estimated the expansion would cost Texas five and one half billion dollars from 2013 to 2022. When you compare to the amount the federal government will pay which is sixty five billion dollars it does not sound like a great deal of money.


The Governor can veto any plan the legislature presents so I am not so sure that the democrats should be entirely optimistic. It has also been suggested that the plan should be put up to vote which may be under consideration.

Representative Garnet F. Coleman, Democrat of Houston, is also trying to provide a path toward Medicaid expansion. He plans to file an omnibus Medicaid bill that could be altered during the legislative session to incorporate Republicans’ conditions for Medicaid expansion. One idea is co-insurance, Mr. Coleman said, which some Republicans have endorsed to get new Medicaid enrollees  to pay a portion of their monthly health care premium. The republicans, on the other hand, believe if the system is not overhauled it will bankrupt the state.
“To make the system work, we need permission from the federal government to do things like charge co-pays, promote access to private health insurance and encourage personal responsibility,” Senator Jane Nelson, Republican of Flower Mound and chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, wrote in an editorial on her official Web site.

 

Spice Remedies

I very recently read an article about the benefits of certain spices when it comes to your health  and in preventing certain diseases. The article discussed six different spices. They include cinnamon, coriander, garlic, turmeric, ginger and saffron. In this article, I am going to focus upon each spice and some of the benefits they may have. Please understand that this information in this piece is a result of articles I have read  and I do not necessarily endorse the findings. I do recommend that you always check with your doctor prior to making any dietary changes. I will say that I am going to attempt to increase my intake of some of these spices, particularly cinnamon.
Since I have a very sweet tooth, I was pleased and interested in reading that cinnamon has a very positive impact upon lowering your diabetes risk. Apparently, cinnamon stimulates the insulin receptors which allows for improvement of cells ability to absorb glucose from the blood. One study found that by taking half a teaspoon of cinnamon for forty days reduces the blood sugar by twenty five percent. I am going to start taking it today so I will report back after I have taken it for a couple of months.


Coriander is a very aggressive bacteria fighter. A study found that coriander  oil fights  dangerous cells such as salmonella. Garlic is another spice that has rather significant benefits. Garlic helps protect your immune systems by increasing white blood cells.This was found in British study of 70 participants.
Another spice is turmeric. This spice apparently has cancer fighting properties. Researchers from UCLA found that the spice contains antioxidants which can help prevent cancer in the head and the neck. Saffron is another spice with certain benefits A study in 2008 of  78 women who took saffron capsules reported a 50 percent drop in PMS symptoms. The study also indicated a mild to moderate drop in depression. Finally, ginger is a spice that also has some very positive benefits. Ginger apparently reduces nauseousness and might even stop you from throwing up. Therefore, if you are feeling nauseous try taking some ginger to eliminate that very uncomfortable feeling.

Source: oprah.com

You Can Eat Fruits On An Empty Stomach According To Some Experts

There has been much discussion regarding the best time to eat fruit. Some feel that fruit should be eaten in conjunction with other foods and they should not be eaten on a empty stomach. The reason for this theory is that fruit is high in sugar and therefore can ferment in the stomach when it is empty. This theory is absolutely false and Jeff Weisneberger, autor of Diabetes Weight Loss told HuffPost Healthy Living by email; ”

“There is no need to eat any food or type of food on an empty stomach. This myth has been around for a long time. There is no science to support it even though proponents make scientific-sounding statements,”  The stomach is designed to sterilize food in that it has very high concentrations of hydrochloric acid and therefore the stomach kills bacteria which means it can not ferment.


“One of the main purposes of the stomach is to sterilize food by mixing ait within the muscular, acid-containing stomach,” Dr. Mark Pochapin, director of the Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center told the New York Times in an article on the topic.
There is another theory which says that fruits are difficult to digest because they are high in carbohydrates and that is also a myth. “The body produces digestive enzymes for protein, fat and carbohydrates and releases them from the pancreas together,” says Weisenberger. “If we could not digest mixed meals, we would not even be able to digest most foods since most foods are a combined  in the stomach.                                                                                                                       Another myth is that gas is not created in the stomach but in the colon.This fact certainly surprised this writer as I always thought gas was created in the stomach. Since fruit is such a healthy food is good to dispel some of these myths because they are so good for you. You can eat fruit any time of the day and you will receive the same benefits even if you eat them on a empty stomach.

Diet, Exercise, Sleep And Quality Of Life

Today I am going to write another article about the importance of diet and exercise and sleep upon the quality of your life. I have done it before, but I am going to do it again. I am a senior and it is becoming more and more apparent that diet and exercise is more important than ever. As a matter of fact, I believe that consistent exercise can even overcome some diet deficiencies and diet indiscretions. I will go into that in another article. Today I am particularly going to focus upon exercise.
I try to exercise at least five times per week and I combine cardio with light weight training. In my case, I either walk for at least thirty minutes or jump on the stationary bike or the Precor machine or at least twenty minutes. Then I think it is important to isolate individual muscle groups such as triceps, biceps, lower back, abdominal, chest and shoulders. I prefer the machines because you can manage the the movement carefully. By that I mean, the exercise combines  flexibility and weight training with the range of movement. The kind of exercise program I am discussing does not take too much time and it will help you maintain your weight and should result in many other benefits. There are many studies that consistent exercise will help keep your blood pressure within normal limits, your sugar levels within normal limits and your resting pulse within normal limits. I am mentioning this as a layman and one who has read many articles but can not verify their authenticity. What I can say is it works for me. My blood pressure is within normal limits and my sugar level are OK even though I eat too many sweets. Also, I feel really good. That is a good thing when you are almost sixty seven years old.


As soon as I finish this article I am going to the gym to work out and I look forward to it. Please understand that I always urge you to check with your doctor before making any changes in your exercise routine Each person is different so discussing your plan with your doctor is a good idea.
When it comes to diet, I suspect a certain degree of common sense is in order. Stay away from sweets and fried foods. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and stay away from processed foods and white starch. Focus on eating a balanced diet and always eat breakfast. Also, get at least seven hours of sleep. I realize that can be difficult for some of us but try to get into a routine. Try to go to sleep at the same time each night and do not eat before bed. Your body needs sleep to repair itself and preform the necessary “preventative maintenance. I think particularly if you are my age that this program will give you a chance for improved quality of life

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