Questions of care, health and our future

For the Scottish Government, Scotland's changing demographics is far from being the taboo subject you suggest in your leader comment of August 27.

We have already committed to providing an additional ￡40m to further improve care services. In partnership with Cosla, we are working to improve the clarity and delivery of the free personal and nursing care policy, for example on matters such as charging for food preparation and access to services. We are engaged in considering how we can ensure over the coming years that vulnerable older people - our relatives, friends, neighbours and future selves - can continue to receive the care and support they need. All local authorities and their health board partners are engaged with their communities to consider how to restructure services to better meet the needs of our ageing population in the future.

Your story reflects a common misunderstanding: that the total growth in spending on personal and nursing care services for older people arises solely from the free personal and nursing care policy. As Lord Sutherland so clearly outlined in his independent analysis of the policy earlier this year, due to Scotland's ageing population, even without the policy to remove charges from some care services, the demand for and costs of care services would be increasing.

Everyone knows we can afford free personal care if we really want it. In 2006, the Health Select Committee at Westminster had in mind the Scottish example when it stated: "It is clearly for governments to decide their own spending priorities. However, we maintain that, with political will, the resources could be found to fund free personal care".

How true. As a volunteering charity working to practically support older people in the community, WRVS believes we should spend less time fretting with the bean-counters and bureaucrats and more time focusing on the wellbeing of older people that a social care policy such as free personal care secures.

The committee also said: "The question of what is health and what is social care is one to which we can find no satisfactory answer, and which our witnesses were similarly unable to explain in meaningful terms". Perhaps if we all began to accept that free personal care is as much a health question as it is anything else, we'd be more sanguine about rising costs. After all, do any of us want anything other than a healthy, happy old age?

Changing Health Care System

Thank you for your recent two-part series on "Treating the Uninsured."

Almost every day I have an e-mail or phone call from someone who has lupus but does not have insurance. Often people with lupus cannot work, so they lose their insurance --health club if they had any insurance to begin with. What money they have is used for medical bills.

Getting approval for Social Security disability payments involves a lengthy process --Health Sexual generally taking two years or more. Bankruptcy can occur before approval is secured. Patients with Medicaid are often surprised to find that rheumatologists and other specialists rarely accept Medicaid (because Medicaid often fails to reimburse the doctors).

Free and low-cost clinics do not feel competent to handle difficult diseases such as lupus. To my knowledge, only one clinic in Orange County treats the uninsured lupus patient and it operates only one day a month.

These patients are good, taxpaying people who suffer terribly in one of the richest countries in the world, but they can be treated as throwaways by our system. Recently PBS (WMFE ) aired Frontline: Sick Around the World, which reviewed the health-care systems of other developed countries and showed that it is possible to cover all citizens at a reasonable cost.

Health care in the U.S. has just got to change if we are to consider ourselves a compassionate people.

Danny Is Dogs' Best Friend And Lifesaver

Beauty Health A teen aiming to be a policeman may have a career as a police dog handler after saving five pups dumped in a Te Puke stream.

Danny Steer, 17, has been credited with saving the lives of at least two of the blue heeler-cross puppies, which he found yelping in Ohineangaanga Stream in the Bay of Plenty town on Monday.

The Te Puke High School year 12 pupil had finished a five-hour shift at Bayliss Packhouse just after 11pm when he heard the dogs.

"I ran over and saw these three puppies half out of the water," he said. "I pulled them out and put them on the grass and then saw two more trying to climb out."

Danny grabbed the two pups, which were "really frightened, and shivering because they were cold and wet".

He rang police, who arrived 40 minutes later and put the pups into a box to take to the SPCA.

"I was a bit worried about ringing the police because I didn't know if it was a real emergency."

He was not sure how long the two- to three-month-old pups had been in the water.

"I walked past the stream on the way to work around 5pm and they weren't there then, so whoever dumped them must have done it between 6 and 11pm.

"It's absolutely terrible for someone to do that to animals. Beauty Health It's really sad that they want to get rid of pups like that."

Danny said he would like to keep one of the pups, but that might be a problem.

"I have two cats so it may not work out and I live with my parents in a rented house, so the landlord might not approve."

The pups will be put up for adoption by the Tauranga SPCA if the owner has not claimed them within seven days.

Tauranga SPCA centre manager Matt Franklin said the pups were in reasonable health, though one had an injured hind leg.

"Danny did well to save them. Two of the pups in the water would have come a bit unstuck. He obviously cares for animals," Mr Franklin said, adding that the SPCA had clues to who the owner was. "It's a serious offence under the Animal Welfare Act to abandon animals and carries a fine of $25,000 or six months' jail."

For runners its 26.2 miles and 1 goal to finish

Have you ever driven from Miami to Fort Lauderdale? If so, you've gone slightly beyond the distance of a marathon -- 26.2 miles health club.

For runners, walkers and mobility-challenged athletes, it can be a daunting task, yet more than 407,000 people completed U.S. marathons in 2007, up 2.3 percent from 2006.

About 3,600 will attempt the distance during Sunday's sixth running of the ING Miami Marathon, a course that starts at AmericanAirlines Arena and winds past cruise ships, South Beach and the Art Deco District before zipping through Coconut Grove, Brickell and back to finish at Bayfront Park.

It'll be the first marathon for Carol Williams, who is running to celebrate turning 50; Allison Earnst, who has her hands full with three young children; and Karen Henderson, who is paying tribute to friends struggling with illnesses.

It's the 11th marathon for Lance Benson, who was born with no legs -- a medical mystery; and the 50th something for Jasper Bell Sr., who loves running with a group because ``we're all in this together. We have that one goal. The finish line health club. You can sense the determination.''

CAROL WILLIAMS, 50

Residence: Coral Gables

Occupation: Court reporter

Top weekly mileage: 35

Carol's story: I came to Miami 3 ? years ago from Virginia, weighing 189 pounds. I looked around Miami Beach and realized my lifestyle had to change. I joined a gym, hired a personal trainer and consulted a registered dietitian.

My trainer's wife asked me to join her in the Corporate Run 5K last May. I got to the start line and ran the whole way. I weighed about 145 then. I started running with FootWorks (footworksmiami.com) and now I weigh 125. About a month ago I did my first half-marathon in Fort Lauderdale. For my 50th birthday -- which is today -- I will run my first marathon on Sunday.

After the race: I'll fall into the arms of the people I love and cry, celebrate being 50 and thank God for all the blessings.

ALLISON EARNST, 32

Residence: Miami

Occupation: Mother of three

Top weekly mileage: About 30

Allison's story: I have been a runner for the past 10 years and have always dreamed of completing a marathon. I have three children (ages 4, 3 and 1) and despite a few minor injuries in the past six months of training, I'm ready to run. It's tough fitting in weekly training runs and weekend long runs in between bottles, bath times and bedtimes.

Being a mother is a wonderful 24-hour-a-day job. However, personal achievements and fitness goals should not be put on the back burner. I believe that we, as women and as mothers, can do it all.

After the race: I'll get some well-needed rest.

KAREN HENDERSON, 49

(not pictured)

Residence: Detroit via Miami

Occupation: Homemaker

Top weekly mileage: 35

Karen's story: I'm running to honor two friends. Liz, a fellow volunteer at Miami Children's Hospital for many years, was diagnosed with leukemia in September 2006. After a bone marrow transplant, she's cancer-free. She has displayed courage and perseverance beyond what is necessary to do a marathon. Another friend, Steve, a personal trainer, needed a knee replacement. He ended up losing his knee and he's adjusting to having his upper leg and lower leg fused.

I will be 50 in February, but everything works, and I am so proud to dedicate each and every one of my 26.2 miles to Liz and Steve.

After the race: I'm getting a 26.2 tattoo at Miami Ink.

LANCE BENSON, 34

Residence: Brickell

Occupation: Real estate broker for Grubb & Ellis

Top weekly mileage: 17

Lance's story: I did my first marathon in 2004 -- New York City -- because I had already done the Miami half-marathon and I wanted the challenge. I almost hit the pavement while speeding down the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. I chose to do the skateboard because I was already using a skateboard since I was a kid to get around the house, in the gym, in college to go to my PE classes. I have never used a wheelchair.

I had my second best time health club -- 3:11 -- in the 2007 Marathon of the Palm Beaches. My best time was 3:09 in Los Angeles. I'm now focusing more on core training and less on miles. I do cardio on the rowing machine and I've been working out with resistance bands. It paid off.

After the race: I'll eat.

JASPER BELL SR., 64

Residence: Liberty City

Occupation: Retired CHI X-ray technician and massage therapist

Top weekly mileage: About 40

Jasper's story: I did my first marathon when I was 48. I saw a 98-year-old man finish the New York City Marathon, so I said I could do it. Then my son, Jasper Bell Jr., said if I could do it, he could do it. We used to make sure we'd beat all the women. Now that's impossible.

I do yoga for an hour every day and I work out two hours a day, doing a combination of walking and running.health club I like to show people how to be flexible. I started using ski poles about five years ago. Toward the last part of the race, when you slow down, your arms do a lot of work. The ski poles help you use gravity and fall forward.

So far this year I've done Disney (Jan. 13) and Naples (Jan. 20). I've been in the Miami races every year since they started in 2003, defending the home turf. If you come from out of town, you have to deal with me and my son. We're a team.

Forever Young's kitchen raids for beauty aids

CHANCES are your kitchen is not the first place you turn for beauty products or for tips to enhance your looks. Beauty Health But for entrepreneur Elaine Hayden, the food items in her kitchen have blossomed into a natural ingredient beauty care business.

"I started out making natural products at home for my daughter who could not use regular lotions and shampoos. She had extreme allergies and eczema health club. I would give some to my friends and family and eventually I decided to make it a business," said Hayden, who will be talking about home- made beauty aids at the Forever Young: A Health, Nutrition and Rejuvenation Expo being held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on March 29 and 30.

Her presentation will focus on masks for normal, dry and oily skins and will provide a hands-on experience for attendees. Volunteers will mix the 'preparations' and apply to other volunteers from the audience. At the expo, she will also be displaying her line of products including lotions, shampoos, body butters and shower gels. "Most of my products are 98 - 100 per cent natural," said Hayden, who still comes up with many of her creations while working in her kitchen.

She says that strawberry or any fruit with antioxidant properties is good for use on the face, cautioning that the fruit should be applied to a small section of the skin to see whether there are any allergies before general use.
Cucumbers are good for reducing puffiness around the eyes. Teabags are also a good alternative, she added.

As well as picking up some good tips about at-home beauty aids, Forever Young attendees will also learn how to feed their sex drives from Dr Heather Little-White, a nutritionist who last year delighted her audience with her presentation on how to be Fifty, Sixty, Healthy and Sexy. Forever Young offers its audience some 10 seminars in health, nutrition and rejuvenation matters each year.

Some of Hayden's top recommendations are:
1.Oatmeal and Honey facial - grind the oatmeal to the consistency that you desire. Heat the honey to get it a little thinner. Combine both and apply to the face for 15 minuteshealth club. Rinse with warm water. This helps to give the skin a smooth tone and a radiant glow.

2. Cornmeal and coconut oil scrub - Beauty Health mix the cornmeal with the coconut oil (or avocado, soyabean, almond or any other essential oil that you have) and apply for 15 minutes. Use warm water to rinse and then apply a moisturiser. Cornmeal is known for its cleansing abilities while the coconut oil gives it a healthy glow.
3. Egg white and aloe vera facial - beat the egg whites, combine with the aloe vera and apply to face for 15 minutes. This is great for rejuvenating the skin. The egg whites can also be used without the aloe vera.

Diet patterns tied to breast, ovarian cancers

The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, add to questions surrounding the role of diet in women's risk of the cancers.

High alcohol intake has been consistently linked to breast cancer risk, but when it comes to other facets of the diet, studies have yielded conflicting results, according to the researchers on the current work, led by Dr Valeria Edefonti of the University of Milan.

Some studies, for example, have found that women who eat a lot of red and processed meat are more likely to develop breast cancer than other women; but other studies have found no such link. Saturated fat, found mainly in animal products, has been tied to higher breast cancer risk in some studies, but not in others.

While many of these studies have looked at single nutrients or food groups, another way to address the question is to look at dietary patterns - the combination of nutrients and foods that a person tends to favour health club.

For their study, Edefonti and her colleagues assessed dietary patterns among 3600 women with either breast or ovarian cancer, and 3413 healthy women of the same age.

Using detailed dietary questionnaires, the researchers identified four common dietary patterns in the study group: an "animal product" pattern, which was heavy in meat and saturated fat, but also zinc, calcium and certain other nutrients; a "vitamins and fibre" pattern, which besides fibre was rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene and other nutrients found in fruits and vegetables; an "unsaturated fat" pattern that contained high amounts of vegetable and fish oils, as well as vitamin E; and a "starch-rich" pattern high in simple carbohydrates, vegetable protein and sodium.

Overall, the study found, women who followed a pattern rich in vitamins and fibre had a 23 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who consumed the lowest amounts of those foods and nutrients.

On the other hand, the animal-product pattern was linked to a similar reduction in breast cancer risk.

Women who followed health club the unsaturated-fat pattern had a slightly reduced risk of breast cancer, while the starch-rich diet was tied to elevated risks of both cancers.

It's not yet clear what to make of the findings, in part because they show associations between dietary patterns and canjavascript:void(0)
cer risk - and not that the foods directly affect cancer development.

Microfinance initiatives take health insurance to the poor

Mumbai: Microfinance institutions (MFIs) such as SKS Microfinance, Basix—both Hyderabad-based—and the Kath-ir Foundation of Tamil Nadu are gearing up to provide health insurance products to the rural and urban poor health club.

These MFIs are entering into partnerships with private sector insurers to offer micro health insurance to families which do not have access to formal credit and cannot afford expensive treatment at private hospitals.

Take the case of women such as Sharanamma, who goes by one name and lives in Sultanpur, a village in the Gulbarga district of Karnataka. When her son Sidilinga, a rickshaw driver, was detected with a hernia and had to be operated, the family’s only option would have been to go to a moneylender for the Rs7,000 it would take.
Reluctant to get trapped in high interest rates, Sharanamma kept postponing the operation, jeopardizing her son’s health.

But, during a routine field visit, the loan officer of SKS spoke to Sharanamma and her peers about Swayam Shakti—a health insurance programme for the MFI’s clients through which they could insure an entire family for an annual premium of Rs525. Sharanamma signed up and Sidilanga was operated at a private hospital in Gulbarga. The entire hospital expense of Rs6,570 was covered by the SKS health insurance scheme.

SKS tied up with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd to offer the insurance and other MFIs, such as Awareness and Biswa, both based in Orissa, are also providing health insurance products in association with ICICI Lombard.

For an annual premium ranging from Rs200 to Rs500, private insurers are providing a medical cover of Rs20,000-50,000. They are also willing to take alternative proofs from customers, such as declaration of age by community members or self-help groups. Policy conditions have been simplified in micro health insurance to enable policyholders to get admitted and treated at any registered hospital in a rural area. According to the regulator, normal health insurance policies recognize only those hospitals that have at least 10 beds.
A survey conducted among 248 urban and rural below poverty line families by SKS before it began offering health insurance showed that 67% of the respondents had used private medical facilities. On average, they spent Rs2,340 per family per annum on consultation, diagnosis, treatment and transportation. Some 45% of the families surveyed borrowed money to meet health emergencies. Nearly 94% of the families had borrowed less than Rs5,000 and only 3% had a health insurance cover.
For private insurers trying to get a foothold in rural areas, this kind of arrangement works out well, especially in rural ­areas.
Pranav Prashad, head-rural and agriculture business at ICICI Lombard, said working with MFIs also gives insurance companies “a wealth of data” (as) there is very little data about the bulk of the families living in poverty. We do have to tailor-make products for every different MFIs or NGO that we work with and we use these experiences and replicate them in other geographies across the country,” he said.
S.K. Alaghusundaramani, health club a senior manager at the Kathir Foundation, that has been offering health insurance in partnership with Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd for the past six months, says his loan officers go on field visits and speak to pregnant women to convince them to enroll for their health insurance scheme.
Under the plan, health club a woman could get herself and her entire family a Rs20,000 insurance cover for an annual premium of Rs325. She would get an extra cover of Rs10,000 for normal childbirth and Rs15,000 for a Cesarean section operation. Out of the 10 claims that the foundation has received so far, three have been maternity claims, Mani said.

Legislators push amendment to protect private health insurance

Senate Democrats made a big splash last summer with their universal health care reform plan.

But a pair of state lawmakers want to protect residents from government health care plans and their right to have private insurance. Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) and Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) are asking fellow members to co-sponsor an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution that would explicitly give people the right to enter into private contracts with health care providers and to purchase health care coverage. "The Legislature may not require any person to participate in any state-sponsored health care system or plan," the language reads.

Vukmir and Kanavas said those rights are fundamental liberties, but are under attack in Wisconsin.

"The state should not have the power or authority to compel its citizens to participate in a state-sponsored health care system," they wrote.

The amendment would need to pass both houses of the Legislature in two consecutive sessions before it could go to voters health club.

To your health

HEALTH-CARE reform would be center stage in this year's presidential campaign even if one of the leading candidates hadn't unsuccessfully championed the issue during her husband's first term in the White House.

That's because an estimated 47 million Americans lack health insurance, potentially putting them just one serious illness away from financial ruin.

TV ads funded by health and insurance industry lobbyists and featuring the fictitious Harry and Louise, fretting over a supposedly rapacious government bureaucracy, helped stall comprehensive reform back in 1993.

But since then, health-care costs have risen exponentially, putting a huge burden on businesses big and small and swelling the ranks of the uninsured.

This set of facts makes the United States a shameful anomaly among industrialized nations, most of which help see to the medical care of their citizens. It also poses a problem for the Republican candidates, although not one they recognize. On ideological grounds, they are still driven to insist that health care is primarily a personal responsibility, not a government one.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona is fairly representative of the thinking on the right. In a Washington Post summary of issues, he said "the road to [health-care] reform does not lead through Washington and a hugely expensive, bureaucratic, government-controlled system."

Mr. McCain thinks the best way to expand access to health care and control costs is to harness competition to offer more affordable insurance options. He is in favor of low-cost health clinics in retail stores and calls for more emphasis on preventive care. He supports tax-exempt health savings accounts and tax credits to help people pay for insurance, even though many of the people who need help don't pay enough in taxes to take advantage of such benefits.

Mitt Romney, when he was governor of Massachusetts, helped put in place a ground-breaking health care plan that mandated coverage but utilized private insurers (with subsidies for the needy). But now styling himself as a true conservative, he does not promote his state's plan as a model health club; he just wants to give states incentives to deregulate and reform their health insurance industry so that market forces can work.

Mr. Romney also favors improving health savings accounts and making qualified medical expenses fully deductible. More controversially health club, he would stop the "free riders" in emergency rooms, using some of the money currently spent on providing expensive care for the uninsured to help the needy to buy private insurance.

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, health club was once obese and now is thin - and so it is no surprise that he puts great emphasis on personal responsibility for health, calling on Americans to quit smoking, lose weight, and exercise. He believes people who live healthy lives should be rewarded with lower health-insurance costs.

That's a good idea, but beyond this he can only offer conservative nostrums that would be a Band-Aid on the chronic national problem.

To paraphrase Senator McCain, what we have is a hugely expensive, bureaucratic, privately controlled system that is not going to get seriously better without the attention of candidates who take it seriously - and the Democrats do.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has learned something from her 1993 defeat. She favors health insurance for all Americans health club, while allowing people to keep their own plans if they like. Those who want to change plans or who are not covered could choose from the same plan available to members of Congress - a nice populist touch - or opt into a public plan like Medicare.

Senator Clinton would create a level playing field of insurance rules across states and markets to ensure that no American is denied coverage, refused renewal, or forced to pay excessive premiums health club. The senator from New York would provide working families with a refundable tax credit. Although her plan foresees cost savings in stressing prevention, modernization, and efficiency, her own cost estimate is at least $110 billion.

Sen. Barack Obama has a price tag on his plan of $50 billion to $65 billion, but it has been criticized because it would not mandate coverage for everyone as Mrs. Clinton's does health club. The senator from Illinois would create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help Americans who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The exchange would act as a watchdog and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards to make coverage more affordable and accessible.

As with the Clinton plan, no American would be turned away because of a pre-existing condition. Mr. Obama also proposes a benefits package like the federal plan that covers Congress.

During President Bush's eight-year tenure, the number of Americans without health coverage has increased greatly, and Mr. Bush has done little about it. Now even business wants a government-aided solution because companies that cover their own workers are saddled with ever-rising costs, yet they know how vital such coverage is to their loyal employees.

The next president of the United States must work with Congress to deliver a plan that tames the costs, delivers the care, and extends peace of mind to every American, regardless of income.

Welcome To Genesis Health Clubs

Genesis Health Club has five Wichita area locations, offering the most well rounded fitness experience in the midwest. Each of the Genesis locations provides cardio and weight training equipment, group fitness classes, personal trainers, and much more.

Each of the five health clubs also provide specialized amenities and services including child care, tanning, basketball courts, steam rooms, tennis courts, yoga/pilates studios and more. Check out each club to learn more.

Genesis offers a wide-range of classes including step aerobics, cycling, health clubs, to muscular strength and Group Power to kick boxing and mind-body offerings like Pilates and yoga. Check back frequently, because we update our schedule often.

Genesis Health Clubs also has programs for kids. Our mission is to enhance the health of our youth by reinforcing exercise activity that is fun, safe and full of variety so that they will grow to appreciate the benefits of a healthy life style and continue to practice what they learn throughout their lives.