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Archive for October, 2009

I am looking forward to entering the fitness and nutrition industry. I am versatile.
If you were to desire, require or hire a fitness expert for any reason, what would you want and appx what would you pay?

One-eyed National Health Care

Posted by admin On October - 31 - 2009ADD COMMENTS

National health care might be a disaster, due to the cost and the complexity. A government-controlled system also creates agonizing moral dilemmas (read about the eye treatment ruling covered further down). Still, despite my opposition to it, I can see it’s a real possibility, and soon. Keeping that in mind, here is what we can do to solve some of the inherent problems and make the system work better.

What’s Your QUALYs Score?

Who gets what health care? That would be a tricky decision for any of us, but some might argue that the bureaucrats in the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) are pretty good at it. They are evaluate and approve treatments for the National Health Services administration in Britain (their national health care bureaucracy). After all, the life expectancy in Britain is about the same as in the United States, and the government spends less on health care while covering ALL citizens.

Making such decisions, of course, does lead to some interesting problems. One example: In 2002 NICE recommended that a certain treatment for macular degeneration be used only in one eye – the one less affected by the disease. What about the other eye? It is presumably allowed to go blind. They arrived at this decision by using “QUALYs,” or Quality-Adjusted Life Years.

How does this methodology for measuring the value of treatments work? Let’s look at a couple examples. A surgery that gives you an average of ten years of life is better than one that gives you five, and so scores higher on the QUALYs scale. Years added to life matter, but so does quality of those years. Suppose you could be saved by a treatment but be in a coma for six years, while another person could be saved and healthy for six years by some other treatment. If funds are limited (aren’t they always?), the latter would be approved.

Now let’s look again at the case of the eye treatment. The score for QUALYs is high for the first eye, since seeing presumably greatly increases the quality of life over blindness. But seeing with the second eye doesn’t boost the quality of life nearly as much, right?

We don’t need to get into the complexities of the system to understand the logic. Life matters, but quality of life also matters, an idea most of us can agree to. But it leads to some uncomfortable conclusions, doesn’t it?. For example a person with a debilitating disease or handicap presumably scores lower in QUALYs when considered for a life-prolonging heart operation. We might pass her over in favor of a healthier person who would benefit more according to the QUALYs score.

The real truth, normally ignored, is that there a financial limit to any national health care plan. As a result, we have to make decisions that can certainly be uncomfortable, and sometimes downright disturbing. What if a million dollars could prevent ten thousand people from getting a deadly disease, or that same million could be used to treat and possibly cure twenty people who already have the disease. Should we allow the twenty to die in order to prevent the deaths of ten thousand?

Of course, it’s easy to say we should cure the twenty AND run the prevention program. This may even be possible, and we certainly could pay for both eyes to be treated in the case of macular degeneration. On the other hand, we really can’t do everything. Honesty compels us to admit that perhaps going blind in one eye isn’t nearly so tragic as losing sight in both, and if treating just one eye for one patient saves enough money to treat another patient’s heart problem with a new procedure that saves his life, maybe we need to make that kind of decision.

Whatever utopian theorizing we do, tough choices will have to be made at some point if we decide on national health care. We’ll need to put a value on life, or on various qualities of life at least. Yes, we may even have to put a value on one eye versus two, or on eyesight versus saved limbs that might be amputated otherwise. In a market system medical providers compete to provide better treatments for your diabetes, but this will be, in part, a system where your diabetes competes with somebody’s migraine headaches or broken nose.

National Health Care – Some Suggestions

If we allow a market system of health care to exist alongside a government system, we could at least pay to have the other eye fixed. The rich will obviously get better care, but I don’t think we are such a petty envious people that we would vote against such a dual-system just because of this. The healthiness of the wealthy doesn’t hurt the rest of us. Also, we all would at least have the hope of raising money for whatever additional health care we desire. So let the market still exists.

There will also be the problem of demand. Free means higher demand, of course. At the moment I have a few teeth that I might have a dentist look at this week if the examination and treatment was free, but since it isn’t I’ll wait a bit. People often delay treatment because of the expense, but they also look for and find cheaper alternatives. That would change if we had free national health care.

There will be a big increase in demand. Naturally, cuts that might be bandaged will be more often be stitched if the service is without cost. A headache or sore throat that would normally be endured might mean a trip to the free hospital or clinic. Sadly, this would use government health care money that might otherwise pay for research or treatment for life-threatening illnesses, meaning more tough decisions.

How do we alleviate this problem of excessive demand? Design a system that isn’t free. After all, the problem isn’t that we have to pay for health care, since we find a way to pay for groceries, clothing and cable television without government handouts. The problem is the high price and unpredictability of health care expenses. An occasional surprise is one thing if it’s a few hundred dollars, but a few weeks in a hospital can eat up a lifetime of savings.

Address THIS issue, instead of encouraging people’s unwillingness to budget for unexpected, but affordable surprises? How? One way is to have national health insurance for all, but with a $500 annual deductible. When a person can’t afford this (it amounts to $42 per month) it usually suggests a budgeting problem, not a problem of over-priced care.

Have each person pay 20% of all costs beyond that deductible as well, up to $1,000 ($5,000 in costs). This would keep people from running to the doctor or hospital for every little thing. This also encourages them to look for cheaper effective treatments, so the system doesn’t destroy the usual incentive (money) for this creative process of health care improvement.

Prescription drugs shouldn’t be covered until the cost goes beyond that $500 annual deductible, and even then the patient should pay his or her 20%. People (even poor people in this country) find a way to pay for bigger expenses in life, and this would keep the system from being abused. What if some people really are too poor to afford even this? Address that problem through general welfare programs, rather than paying for prescriptions for tens of millions who can easily afford them.

I am not thrilled with the idea of a national health care system. On the other hand, if it is going to happen in any case, we at least make it sustainable and leave open more options for all of us. That’s what the system outlined above would hopefully accomplish.

Copyright Steve Gillman. For inventions, new product ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and a free course on How To Have New Ideas, visit : http://www.999ideas.com

What Is The Real Acai Berry Supplement Deal?

Posted by admin On October - 31 - 20096 COMMENTS

I’m hearing a lot about scams of the acai berry supplements.
Which is real?
I didn’t order acai berry yet but I called the number for the extreme acai berry and it said it does not exist.
So I don’t know which is real,
And do these really work?
How long does it take to take effect? How many hours till you go?

Workoutpass: Over 100,000 Workouts.

Posted by admin On October - 31 - 2009ADD COMMENTS

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Fast weight loss diets are popular because they promise quick weight loss with little effort. While some of these weight loss plans are not healthy, and can even be dangerous, there are some fast weight loss diets that can actually work. The key is to find a diet plan that stresses healthy eating habits instead of indicating that a person must only eat a certain food group or cut calories to dangerous levels in order to lose the weight. Here are a few helpful hints to help you decide when searching for a diet plan that will fit your lifestyle best.

Being healthy is important – Fast weight loss diets should be safe or they are not worth trying. A safe diet should include all daily recommended allowances of vitamins and minerals, as well as protein and fiber. Not following nutritional guidelines can lead to malnourishment and other long term health problems.

Get enough calories- It is very important to not cut your calories too low. By cutting your calories to less than 1,000 per day for woman and 1,600 per day for men, you can cause irreversible harm to your body. Never go below this number per day or for long periods of time. Cutting your calories too low can cause your metabolism to malfunction, thereby stalling your weight loss efforts. It can also cause many other side effects that can do more harm than good.

Eating fruit and veggies – If you find fast weight loss diets that stress eating fruits and vegetables, they are probably going to work well for you while making sure you are not jeopardizing your health. Fruits and veggies provide many vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are required for optimal health.

Low fat is what you should aim at – Low fat diets stress the negativity of fats in the diet. While it is true that the body does need a little bit of fat every day, consuming even a moderate amount of fat per day can lead to many health problems, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and more.

Taking dairy product is important- low fat dairy products are actually good for you, contrary to what some diet experts say. Dairy is great for curbing the appetite, provides much needed calcium to the body. Studies show that by consuming foods such as yogurt, cheese, and milk can slow the formation of fat cells and boosts the metabolism.

Eat moderate meat- or at least some kind of protein. Protein helps the body to build and repair tissue and muscles, make hormones and other imperative functions throughout the body. Remember though, that too much animal protein can cause damage to some of our vital organs, and should only be eaten in moderation, if at all.

Be sure to research the diet you choose before deciding on any diet. As always, before trying any of these or other fast weight loss diets, it is very important to visit your doctor so that you can be sure you are healthy enough to diet in this way.

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Rainy redbud

Posted by admin On October - 31 - 2009ADD COMMENTS


Image taken on 2009-10-01 10:27:01 by Lorianne DiSabato.

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What Muscle Building Techniques Actually Work?

Posted by admin On October - 31 - 20093 COMMENTS

I want to know what muscle building supplements (if any) work. I go to the gym four days a week, because that’s all i can go, and haven’t seen any changes. I don’t want to lose weight, i want to gain it. Anyone have any tips?

I’m 14 and I’m 4′6 and I weigh 68 pounds. I’m a competitive gymnast and fat is really not good so I need to lose weight. Some of the girls on my team use weight loss pills, and they say they work really well. Oh and also are they expensive? Do you need a prescription?

Muscle Building Workouts For Starters

Posted by admin On October - 30 - 2009ADD COMMENTS

There are always things easier said than done. Whenever we see celebrities having a perfectly toned body, one can’t help but fantasize having that kind of physique. Usually, we try to work on it for quite sometime. In the long run, if we don’t see the results we want, we just end up admiring the body we originally fancy.

It may be depressing to admit but there are several reasons why most people fail in their muscle building workouts.

Sometimes, people get excited on achieving their desired weight that they tend to diet. Diet in the sense that, they cut down on foods that is essential for muscle build up. In reality, improper diet ruins your chances of having a muscular body. Most people are not eating enough protein, essential for the development of the muscle; instead they eat too many simple carbohydrates.

Another reason for failure in this muscle building workouts is that they are not stressing their muscles enough during exercises. It is not recommended to do vigorous training but at least exert extra effort on the particular muscle you want to develop. Stressing the muscles while working out, allows for it to grow out of the ordinary; thus, achieving the desired shape.

Also, when one is just starting out, people tend to lack consistency. They do not stay focused throughout the entire program. Like I said earlier, once desired results are not seen easily, they get discouraged and quit. It is important to stick with your goal. No results could ever be met if consistency to plan is not achieved.

In getting results, one must be willing to do whatever it takes, however hard it may be. The body responds depending on how you train it; on how consistent you are. It is addicting, but it is a way for you to reach your goal.

It is recommended to concentrate on free weight exercises. This will be beneficial for large muscle groups. The best muscle building workout for building mass are the simple ones. Stick with compound free weight exercises like squats, dead-lifts, bench presses, barbell rows, pull ups, and bar dips. You can also use heavy weights. Be sure to rest 3 minutes between each set, having to do low repetitions.

For people with high metabolism, it is recommended to train with more intensity, but less frequently. Split your workout. Like for a week workout, it is better if you do the training for three times during weekdays and the rest for the entire weekends. Try to limit two to three exercises per body each workout. This allows the body to stress the specific area you need to build better.

It is important to increase water intake during your muscle building workout. To determine the required number of ounces per day, multiply your bodyweight by .66. This would allocate correct consistency of energy to your body while working out.

Nutritional supplements are suggested to those people who are too busy to eat six meals per day. You don’t have to indulge in too many products at the same time, to achieve the results you want, just stick with the basics — like whey protein.

As I’ve mentioned, it is important for this muscle building workouts to be consistent. Otherwise, any effort put into it will be put to waste.

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