Health Blog and Health Product Reviews

If you’ve ever felt aghast looking over a hospital bill — somehow sure the numbers couldn’t possibly be right — you’re not the only one. According to a 2004 study, published by the journal Health Affairs, those lacking health insurance are charged an average of 2.57 times more by U.S. hospitals than those with insurance, a discrepancy that has been steadily increasing since 1984.

Texas is no exception. In fact, residents of Dallas, Houston, and the rest of the state are more likely to be uninsured than the average American, as just over 25% of Texans lack coverage. In some areas of the state, it’s closer to one in three, and that doesn’t include those considered under-insured, or those insured by government programs.

Like many in Texas, a good percentage of uninsured Americans are working individuals who can generally support themselves and their families, but who cannot afford to keep pace with the rising cost of health care. Health insurance premiums have increased an average of 15% over the last five years, more than triple the inflation rate. One-third of companies did not offer coverage in 2004, and even when it was offered, there was no guarantee that employees could afford the premiums.

“That’s me exactly,” said Anne, a 27 year-old city employee in Kansas City, Missouri. “I couldn’t afford the premium, so I had to get this low-cost, ridiculously low-coverage plan that will basically only help me if I get in a car wreck.”

Employee spending on health care increased an average of 143% between 2000 and 2005. It does not seem a coincidence, then, that rates for the uninsured have also jumped the most since 2000. The problem is further exacerbated by what has become a cyclical predicament, particularly in cities like Dallas and Houston: uninsured residents of rural areas, where there is lower quality care and less access to financial aid programs, travel to the city for their medical needs, which can then be covered by hospital or county programs. This, in turn, drives up the average charge of any given service provided by those hospitals, which contributes to increased costs for health insurance companies, which then raises premiums.

What all this translates into, unfortunately, is even higher bills for those who are barely getting by as it is if something does happen.

Sound unfair? Advocacy groups think so too. More than 60 class-action lawsuits have been filed over the issue. In response, the American Hospital Association (AHA) has instituted a voluntary policy to charge poor and uninsured patients less, but the results have yet to be seen. Some question whether the recommendations are applied at all by most of the hospitals, including those in Texas, and the fact it’s not mandatory is a problem.

Gerard Anderson, director of the Center for Hospital Finance and Management at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health — and study author — has served as an advisor for several lawsuits already. He encourages advocacy groups to move forward with legal action. “The mark-up on hospital care for these individuals, especially for those who can afford it least, is unjustifiable,” said Anderson.

The highest discrepancy was found in the amount for-profit hospitals charged, versus estimated costs by Medicare. This all makes slightly more sense after learning that, generally, hospitals in the association determine costs by a list called the chargemaster, which is, technically, the same for everyone. Insurance companies then negotiate with hospitals on behalf of their clients to reduce these charges. It is widely believed hospitals, as many other businesses would, however, greatly inflate initial costs in anticipation of this negotiation.

“When a hospital presents a bill that has charges on it, those charges are the same for everyone. What is different is how much insurers may negotiate in terms of discounts with hospitals,” Amber Coyle, AHA policy analyst said.

The American Hospital Association also claims the research is inaccurate, that it is out-of-date and methodologically flawed. Hospitals needed the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid guidance to institute discounts for the uninsured, said AHA, which did not exist when the study was conducted.

The claim is that hospitals were unsure if they could charge different patients different amounts before this guidance, but many advocates contend it does not take bureaucratic policy to know that charging those who are financially less capable of paying more is simply wrong and counterproductive.

The only issue opposing groups seem to agree on is that increasing the number of those with coverage would dramatically deflate the situation. This could be done by extending government programs, including Medicaid — which is currently experiencing drastic cuts and instituting more affordable private health insurance policies. Either way, until then (or “if then”), keep yourself healthy, whether or not you’re insured.

What affects your health also will eventually affect your bank account.

Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com

If you’re an individual who lives in Dallas, Houston or elsewhere in Texas, and you like to travel long distances, you might want to seriously think about what that kind of travel can do to your body. Specifically sitting in a stationary position for long car ride, extended flights or train rides.

Medical professionals are concerned about the increased connection between long-haul travel and developing potentially fatal deep vein thromboses (DVT), which is the formation of blood clots in the veins. This is not a new concern. The first case was reported in 1954 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which occurred in a doctor after a 14-hour flight.

Air travel has been linked with DVT since the 1950s, with a number of plausible explanations. However, the risk of DVT might have been overlooked or underemphasized, with incidences that could happen up to several weeks after air travel. In a recent study published in British Journal of Medicine, the risk of DVT was reported to be highest within two weeks of a long-haul flight. The study concluded that the annual risk of DVT increased by 12 percent if a single long-haul flight (traveling more than 6,200 miles) is taken yearly.

The lack of mobility while traveling long distances already has been established as a contributor to DVT. There are also a number of factors travelers can experience in aircraft cabins that can increase the risk of developing DVT or pulmonary embolism (clots passing to the lungs where they may block blood flow and could result in death). These include immobility due to cramped seating positions, dehydration due to consumption of alcoholic drinks as well as tea and coffee, low humidity of the aircraft cabin, hypoxia, which is an inadequacy in the oxygen reaching the body’s tissues, and reduced barometric pressure.

The overall risk of DVT after a long-haul flight is about one in 2,000. For people with known risk factors, the risk may be higher, but for those without other risk factors, it is likely to be very low though the possibility is always there. The combination of immobility and increased risk factors could be the reason for long-haul travel DVT in some individuals, but not in all.

Recent studies show that anywhere from 6 to 20 percent of the total population is believed to have a certain degree of increased clotting tendency, or increased risk factors for developing DVT. This shows that there might be a “natural” tendency for some individuals toward DVT that’s associated with their personal factors, putting them at higher risk.

There is good news though. There are preventative measures that potentially could reduce this risk. Movement and exercise, which counteract one of the major contributing factors to DVT immobility, can help while traveling.

Physical therapists and movement experts have been guiding and providing movement interventions and exercises to prevent this potentially killer condition.

Individuals considered at risk for DVT including those:
– Over 40 years old.
– Who have already experienced blood clots.
– With a family history of blood clots.
– Who have/had cancer.
– With certain blood diseases.
– Being treated for circulation problems or heart failure.
– Recovering from recent surgery (especially hips or knees).
– With an inherited clotting tendency.
– Who are pregnant.
– Who are new mothers.
– Taking the contraceptive pill.
– On hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

While many airlines offer some onboard tips to help avoid DVT, here are other risk-reduction strategies to consider before traveling:
– Wear loose clothing.
– Find a comfortable position in your seat and recline if possible.
– Don’t cross your legs when sitting because doing so compresses blood vessels.
– At stopovers and refueling points, leave the aircraft and walk around.
– Move at regular intervals to increase blood flow through the veins.
– Walk around on long flights (when permitted).
– Drink plenty of water.
– Avoid the dehydrating effects of alcohol.
– Postpone long-haul flights for three months after hip or knee replacement surgery.
– Learn and apply in-seat exercises to ensure proper circulation.
– Wear elastic/compression stockings.
– Women taking contraceptive pills or hormone replacement therapy should perform regular exercises, as well as consider wearing elastic/compression stockings.
– Get more information from your physical therapist or gynecologist, if pregnant or nursing.
– Take current prescriptions.
– Make sure your health insurance covers you on your trip.

Pat Carpenter writes for Precedent Insurance Company. Precedent puts a new spin on health insurance. Learn more at Precedent.com

Although widely touted as a healthy alternative to synthetic pharmaceuticals, herbal treatments must be used with caution and by someone who knows what they’re doing. You want to be knowledgeable about what you put into ( or on ) your body before you ingest a dangerous amount of an herb you’re not familiar with.

Many companies sell herbs off the Internet without any verifiable way to dispatch up their claims or even that you’re acceptance the kind of herb you’re investing in. You want to only buy from a reputable company that delivers herbs you can trust.

Make decided you’re working toward preventative health, and not simply treatments or cures for diseases or ailments you encounter from time to time. Herbal medicine activity best when you try to maintain a balance within your body, not when you seek out help solely to fix an immediate problem.

Whenever you buy herbs, you want to know what the plant does and how much you can safely consume of it. If you’re on any other medications, you’ll want to check with your physician first to determine if you;ll have any unsafe interaction between the natural and synthetic medications.

Many herbal distributors cede put directions for use on the packages, but some do not. Initiate sure you obtain valid information before you ingest or appropriate any herb without understanding its effects and dosage. You can usually find ample amounts of information about an herb’s abilities online, so be sure you order the right herb for the right ailment.

Whenever you start taking an herb for the first time, you’ll want to use precaution and square one with smaller doses until you make positive you’re not going to have an allergic force, just as you could any synthetic medication. Dawning with a test sample and then if all goes well, increase it to the recommended dose.

Some people hope to avoid going to a doctor and instead treat all of their ailments from the insignificant to the serious using herbal remedies. It’s always best to consult your doctor before you begin using herbal treatments whether alone or in dependency with other medications he or coed prescribes.

Ephedra has many names; some of them interject Ma – Huang, desert herb and herbal ecstasy. It is an herb that has been used in a wide variety of herbal products and supplements that obtain claimed to have been able to work wonders when it comes to curing sickness and losing weight.

The necessitous ingredient in Ephedra is ephedrine, this is a chemical which is known as a stimulant and which stimulates the heart, lungs and the nervous system.

Although Ephedra was commonly used in many herbal remedies it has been withdrawn from many due to its instability. Although studies did conclude that Ephedra did keep some effect in decreasing the symptoms of asthmatics the amount that was needed to lessen the symptoms outweighed the benefits. Felicitous to this, others thought there had to be safer herbal medications to turn to.

Ephedra at one time was widely used and promoted in weight loss supplements; however studies showed that there was no clear establish that Ephedra did in fact cause you or precise help you to escape weight. As such its popularity in these products drastically declined along with the safety issues Ephedra posed. Ephedra has been giving cause for concern when taken in high doses or for long periods of time. Some of the problems associated with it include a raise in blood pressure, seizures, strokes, a contributing factor to affection attack and loss of consciousness.

It has been admirable that taking stimulants alongside Ephedra has increased the risk of side effects, with common side effects people have been reporting including dizziness, anxiety, restlessness, loss of appetite and in some cases nausea and even vomiting. Regardless of these factors ephedrine goods can still be bought despite the fact that the FDA has banned it. There have been over 40 reported deaths linked to the use of ephedrine along with since 800 different side effects also being linked to its serviceability. Ma huang Ma huang is a common form of ephedra still found in many herbal remedies in health handout stores along with chromium.

Recent changes to the regulations mean that the makers of nutritional supplements do not have to fully ascertain ingredients used in their products, which allows this herbal remedy to slip through. Unfortunately in the present Ma – huang has been linked with several deaths of high school students who keep used it as an aphrodisiac and stimulant. The deaths from these were due to heart attack or CNS low. So while Ephedra is classed as an herbal remedy for many different things, its safety should clearly be regarded as an issue. Many people regard products which are labeled as herbal and 100 % natural ingredients as totally safe to take, while in fact many herbal remedies such as those which enclose among other ingredients, Ephedra should be used with as much caution as those drugs which are prescribed by your doctor.

Garland Choate (GR) is a retired Airline Captain who now publishes articles from the USVI. Find many great articles about herbal remedies at http://www.herbal.wahwarriors.com

There are many reasons why constipation can occur in adults, they area from simply not eating a healthy diet that includes fiber to other more steady underlying medical problems. Wherefore it is important that if you suffer from severe constipation for any length of time or it is a recurring event you should talk with your doctor. Of course if it proves to your diet that is causing your problems and not a serious underlying problem then changing your ways is the most effective remedy for your constipation.

If constipation occurs every now and again which is the most probably case then you could turn to an herbal remedy for relief. Along with an herbal remedy you should again increase the amount of fiber you are eating in your diet as this is essential for a healthy digestive system.

Fruit, vegetables and whole grains are all excellent sources of fiber. For occasional bouts of constipation bulk agents are recommended, they are the gentlest form of laxative and recommended especially if you have irritated or sensitive bowels. They can be used safely throughout pregnancy and while nursing and are even safe for those who have inflamed bowels.

The most popular form of bulk herbal laxative is psyllium; this gentle remedy can be purchased from most drugstores and a study conducted in 1978 showed that constipation due to irritated bowel syndrome was improved in 80 % of people.

Laxatives in the form of syrup and pills and which include senna and cascara and are still popular forms of laxatives that are found in drugstores. Both of these herbs work by irritating the tummy and so get ‘things’ moving along. However you should only use any laxatives herbal or otherwise over the short – term period.

The immature – expression period is classed as no longer than a week, any longer and you run the risk of your body becoming totally lazy and becoming dependent on medication. Cascara is thought to be the most gentlest of the two due to it working through the nervous system and only partially irritating the intestines. It also helps to improve the tone and function of the intestine; as such many druggists support it as a tonic to the intestinal tract.

Licorice can be used effectively ensuing a laxative that allows you to reduce the amount of laxative taken while still receiving the same benefits. Licorice works by making the intestine more susceptible to the cathartic; irritant laxatives can also be used alongside herbs that relax the intestines and also help to prevent stomach cramps.

Peppermint, fennel and ginger all are excellent choices. One way to make taking a laxative easier and more pleasant is to steep a fig or date that are in fact natural laxatives in licorice tea. Be aware that any choice of laxative will have a time delay before they start to work, bulk laxatives can take as long as 24 hours before they begin to work while irritants between 6 and 12 hours.

Garland Choate (GR) is a retired Airline Captain who now publishes articles from the USVI. Find many great articles about herbal remedies at http://www.herbal.wahwarriors.com