Tag: United States

Used to an increasing degree over not simply the United States but the entire world, e-cigarettes represent an incredibly fast growing and popular new technology. While on the outside e-cigarettes seem completely safe there is a troubling element to their growth, and that’s the fact no one really knows much about them or what the long-term health implications over smoking them is.

It’s up to each individual to decide what level of risk they’re willing to take on in their life and with the habits they adopt. Still, that doesn’t mean you should start (or continue) to smoke e-cigarettes without having some idea what problems they could potentially cause you.

The Only Real Long-Term Health Risk

There is only one health risk associated with e-cigarettes which we’re absolutely aware of and that’s the fact we are largely ignorant over them. The biggest health risk surrounding e-cigarettes is their uncertainty. They could produce lots of health risks which we aren’t aware of and which won’t come to light for another decade.

On the other hand they may also be completely safe. Consider the example of lazik eye treatments. This form of vision correction met a similar level of public hostility and alarm when it first arrived on the market. People came up with all sorts of horror stories over what lazik treatments could potentially do.

-some people felt lazik treatments would initially work and then your eyes would revert to their initial state very quickly

-some people thought lazik treatments would cause serious problems for the first few weeks after treatment and then not even improve vision

-some people predicted lazik treatments would cause blindness after a few years

So what happened with all those early adopters of lazik, not to mention the millions of other people who have gotten it more recently? Nothing bad. A few people had a bad experience or two but overall the vast, overwhelming majority of people who have gotten lazik received massive vision benefits which lasted. Additionally the treatment itself has improved over the years and become faster, more effective and safer.

It’s easy to think up horror stories for e-cigarettes but chances are most of these concerns are unfounded and won’t stand up to scrutiny over time. Similar to lazik, e-cigarette technology will also improve over the years and minimize any problems which may pop up with their first couple years on the market.

We can speculate endlessly over the health risks surrounding e-cigarettes but at the end of the day the only real risk is using a device whose long-term effects are unknown. Like most new medical technologies there’s a good chance e-cigarettes have no negative long term health effects. Chances are e-cigarettes, like lazik, will prove over time to be harmless.

Fat Kids can have many health problems. It is a huge concern in many counties but it is rampant in the United States. Usually child obesity is a result of poor parenting. Parents who are obese themselves tend to have fat kids.

Kids health can be maintained by healthy eating habits and regular exercise, including weight lifting. Parents should really take interest in their kid’s health by encouraging them to exercise. Usually, overweight parents also have overweight kids and this is a real shame.

Overweight: Being overweight is not only unhealthy, but it will also negatively impact the kid’s self esteem, confidence, and social life.

Healthy Lifestyle: I strongly believe in leading a healthy lifestyle by eating right and exercising regularly. However, I did not have any good male influences when I was growing up so I did not discover the benefits of weightlifting and exercise till I was 23 years old. I really regret not starting a fitness regimen when I was a child. There are also parents who are not fat, but don’t pay attention to their kid’s diet. They give in to their kid’s desire for junk food, spoiling and fattening their child at the same time.

Role Model: You as parents should set a good role model for your kids by leading a fit lifestyle. Encouraging your kids to participate in weightlifting and cardiovascular exercises will only lead to benefits later in life.

Responsibility: Parents should be responsible and set a rule when it comes to junk food. Kids tend to have a really strong sweet tooth so it is really up to the parents to regulate the foods that they eat.

Weightlifting: Do not worry about weightlifting stunting the growth of your child. Arnold Schwarzenegger himself lifted weights as a child and he stands over 6 feet tall today. Weight lifting builds muscles and strengthens the bones. You would rather have your kid to be known as the buff kid in school rather than a fat kid right? If you have a girl, weight training and exercise will allow her to remain in top shape through the rest of her life. Girls tend to have self image issues regarding their weight, especially in their teens. So developing a fit physique through weight training will help them feel great about themselves.

Confidence: Imagine the level of confidence and self worth that your kids will have if they regularly weight lift, exercise, and eat healthy.

Pre-Caution: As great as weightlifting is it can be dangerous if it is done unsupervised. Make sure your kids do not workout by themselves. Always be there when they are in the weight room.

Good Parent: Be a good parent and encourage your kids to feel great about themselves by showing them the wonders of exercise and weightlifting.

Nutrition: Learning about proper nutrition is crucial for preventing kids from getting fat. Parents should know that not all calories are the same. For example when shopping for breakfast cereal, parents should choose a cereal that is high in fiber, protein, and low in sugar.

Are you looking to get in shape, or maintain an optimal fitness level? If you live within the five boroughs of New York City you will find many avenues for fitness. Whether it is Yoga in Queens, personal training in Manhattan, Pilates in Brooklyn, boot camp in the Bronx or one of many other options you can find it in the Big Apple. New York City is home to one of the largest concentrations of fitness professionals in the United States. While a majority of them work in gyms, many of them are independent fitness professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit to strike out on their own to start a business.

I had a friend who once walked from the Upper East Side of Manhattan to Coney Island. Along his 13 mile walk, he must have passed a number of fitness facilities. From a Brooklyn Yoga studio offering many exciting and interesting classes to an Upper East Side personal training gym providing one-on-one training to satisfy the beginner or the professional athlete. Every nook and cranny of New York City has mind/body studios, gyms, Crossfit workouts, dance studios and much more available for the fitness conscious person. Once you have decided what interests you, it is easier to begin to focus on which place will suit you best.

In Manhattan there are several places utilizing Russian Kettle bell training. Classes like these are approximately a half-hour long and designed to be an intense muscle workout through the use of these simple, but versatile weights. A form of exercise that is centuries old, is just now picking up steam again.

Queens yogaclasses offered, some with Pilates. Bikram Yoga in Rego Park and Astoria Queens offers the Original Hot Yoga. The classes are ninety minutes and are done in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat allows muscles to stretch more easily, therefore the muscles can be stretched further as in after you Warm-Up without actually going through the process.

Many of the Upper East Side Personal Trainers available have certifications from some of the top certification agencies such as the American College of Sports Medicine. You need only look at a short bio or profile of these trainers to see what they are about and their level of experience. What is unique about working with an Upper East Side personal trainer is that not only can they meet you at a gym, but apartment dwellers with a gym in their building can utilize personal training services there. The fact is that if you want to be fit, there is no shortage of ways to accomplish your goals in the five boroughs of New York City. Remember, before starting any physical fitness or nutritional program see your primary care physician for a consultation and check up.

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, aka ACA) became federal law in March of 2010, there were many assumptions about what the law would and would not do. As everyone knows, it has become known simply as “Obamacare,” because President Obama was the one who wanted health care reform. Here are some misconceptions about health care reform.

One of the first statements made was that the new law was tantamount to “a government takeover of healthcare.” For this to be true, the government would need to inform every citizen that they were being enrolled in a federal healthcare program, sort of like Medicare, which is a federal health care program for any qualifying citizen or permanent resident over the age of 65. In fact, there is no federal alternative to private health insurance today. Since most if not all health insurance companies that were doing business in 2010 are still insuring millions of policyholders today, it is safe to say that there has not been a government takeover of healthcare. It is also true however, that many people would like to see that happen. They would love to see Medicare expanded to include everyone; but that is very unlikely for many years to come, if ever.

“Medicare benefits will be reduced.” Actually the opposite has happened. Medicare now covers annual physical exams and colonoscopies in addition to the quite comprehensive benefits they have long provided. It is true that premium costs to Medicare beneficiaries will go up in future years, but medical costs and premiums have been rising steadily for decades, and seniors do use more medical services than people under 65.

There will be government “death panels” that will make end-of-life decisions for people on Medicare. This idea was borne out of a well-intended provision in the health care bill that would have helped pay for the end-of-life planning discussion cost that the elderly already have with their physicians and caregivers. So a good thing became a bad thing. Now there can be no provisions in Medicare for this benefit which, ironically, hurts seniors and can actually adds to the cost of health care.

Illegal immigrants will now be covered. The ACA specifically prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving coverage.

What is not known is the true long-term cost of this legislation. There are many people on both sides of the argument, time will tell what the real cost will be, and there are many components of this program still to be implemented. The truth about health care is that it is expensive no matter where you are. Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Italy, China.

All of these countries have some form of government provided health care and while it is less expensive per-capita than in the United States, it is expensive nonetheless. The common element of all health care programs is that every citizen or legal permanent resident is covered. The cost of care per person is far lower when everyone is covered.
What needs to be understood about health care is that every person at some point will seek it out when they need it. Whether or not they have health insurance is not a factor when there is a need for treatment. If a person cannot afford car insurance they have the option of not driving, and few people drive without car insurance. Not so with health insurance, and the situation is made worse by the fact that uninsured people often ignore minor medical issues because of the cost. Unfortunately those minor medical issues have a way of becoming serious, and that is when the uninsured seek care. And where do they go to get treatment then? The emergency room, which happens to be the most expensive entry point into the entire health care system in the U.S. They go there because federal law prohibits hospitals from turning away anyone during a medical emergency.

This is a huge factor in the cost of health insurance, and a major reason why health insurance premiums have risen far in excess of the CPI over the past 30 years. Until that part of the health insurance equation is resolved the cost of insurance will continue to be out of reach for millions of Americans.

In summary, the cost of delivering health care in the U.S. is not going to go away as an issue. The debate over the number of uninsured and whether or not they should be covered, public vs. private insurance, and who pays for all of this will go on until our politicians realize that there is no one best solution. All sides will have to agree that there will always be some elements of a common health care system that not everyone will like. There are many elements of the Affordable Care Act which work, and those elements need to be preserved. Many insurers who initially opposed the Act have since re-tooled their benefit and pricing models to reflect the major objectives of the program. The irony here is that abolishing the ACA would actually increase the cost of coverage as insurers once again had to redesign their policies and coverage. What is needed most of all is a system that works reasonably well and covers everyone or nearly everyone. In the long run, the cost of excluding millions of uninsured will cost more than covering them.

For many non-insured people, the question of how much does a health insurance policy cost today can make or break their decision to pick a plan. It must be emphasized that insurance is a necessity in our times especially with the rising costs of health care.

Even if you have to take the cheapest plan with basic coverage, take it for indeed it is better to have health insurance to help shoulder the costs of medical care than to have no protection at all. Besides, many factors will affect the cost of your insurance plan such that you might be persuaded to think that indeed the premiums you pay are worth every penny.

Factors Affecting Costs

Health insurance plans are not islands unto themselves. Just like other aspects of modern life, it is dependent on varying degrees on the economic and political environment as well as on the applicant’s personal circumstances and preferences.

On one hand, economic and political factors include use of insurance plans amongst people and advances in medical science and medical technology. As modern medicine finds newer and better ways to prolong the lives of human beings, insurance costs will rise to meet the consumer demand. And with the proposed health care reform, we may see a shift towards greater burden on consumers of insurance plans.

On the other hand, personal circumstances will also affect the cost of the insurance policy. These personal factors will include:

– Age – As you age, your premiums will increase.

– Gender – Women will pay for higher premiums than their male counterparts

– Medical history – Your past and present health can either swing the favor of premiums for or against you.

– Lifestyle choices – Alcohol consumption, smoking habits, use of street drugs and obesity will affect the costs of the plan

– Place of residence – Each state has its own insurance laws especially where coverage and caps are concerned

– Types of plan preferred – Comprehensive plans are more expensive to pay for than scheduled benefits plans. Fee-for-service plans, preferred provider organizations, point-of-service plans and health maintenance organizations all have their costs.

The insurance company will evaluate all these factors before providing you with a quote.

Actual Costs

As can be expected, each individual’s insurance quotes will vary depending on the personal factors. If the 2008 figures for the United States is the basis, an average individual will spend around $5,000 while an average family of four will spend up to $18,000 on health insurance policies per annum.

Unfortunately, health insurance rates now cost more than compact cars. However, you have to remember that a compact car will not provide financial protection in times of medical emergencies, unlike the health insurance policy.

It cannot be denied that health insurance costs are on the slight rise. You may grumble about it but the fact still remains that health insurance is an essential part of modern life.