International Medical and Al Wathba National Insurance Co launch MediGlobal insurance plan in UAE

UAE. US-based International Medical Group (IMG) announced the launch of MediGlobal Health Insurance, an international healthcare plan which meets the local requirements of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and offers flexible options catering to the insurance requirements for the entire UAE.

This innovative product provides a rich blend of benefits offering worldwide coverage on a direct billing basis. IMG joined hands with the UAE-based company Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC), one of the leading insurance companies in the UAE.

“We have worked very closely with AWNIC to deliver effective local and international coverage within one seamless plan specially designed for the UAE market,” said Joseph Brougher, President of IMG. “We are particularly pleased to be partnering with an insurance company like AWNIC that provides such strong security and consistently delivers on its promise of superior coverage and customer service.”

“Our review of the UAE health insurance sector showed that the market was lacking a product that could effectively combine local underwriting and service with international coverage and emergency services,” added Bassam Chilmeran, General Manager of AWNIC. “After an extensive review of the companies operating in the international market, we found that IMG stood above the market with its superior international service and global reputation.”

On 21 May 2008, Bassam Chilmeran welcomed insurance brokers along with members of prestigious organisations from different sectors of the market to the official launching of this breakthrough product at the Hilton in Abu Dhabi. During the event, IMG executives gave a detailed presentation on the salient features of the new plan. Both IMG and AWNIC conveyed the message that MediGlobal Health Insurance is a high-end product which is the perfect solution for the needs of the present day UAE clientele.

Note: International Medical Group (IMG) is a worldwide leader in designing, distributing and administering global health care benefits. IMG’s international reputation for excellence has been established by providing medical, life and disability insurance products to individuals, families and groups in more than 170 countries.

Since 1990, IMG has served over 500,000 clients worldwide including vacationers, business executives, missionary groups, entertainers, Fortune 500 companies, schools and universities, professional marine crew, expatriates and local and third country nationals. IMG is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, US. Its companies also include IMG Europe, Akeso Care Management, iTravelInsured, and IMG-Stop Loss.

Al Wathba National Insurance Co (AWNIC) is among the fastest growing and one of the leading insurance companies in the UAE. It has a well-spread service network in the Emirates, with its registered head office in Abu Dhabi and its three branches in Dubai, Sharjah and Al Ain respectively.

AWNIC underwrites all types of insurance products which are well-supported by a panel of highly rated international reinsurers and a strong qualified medical team to service the well-balanced medical portfolio through its professional but caring touch.

How To Save Money On Health Insurance

Save money on health insurance plans. During times of weaker economy, it is imperative to have one of the best health insurance plans to stay protected against unpredicted expenses.

Health Insurance is imperative for your daily savings and expenses. One can fall ill at any unexpected time, causing misery and most importantly, if you are not covered with any health insurance policy, it can prove to be quite expensive on the pocket. Economy is bad these days. Every penny saved goes towards your savings, and can help you better prepare for your future. If ever a situation arises where you are compelled to spend this money, especially for health reasons, it can surely upset your balance. Lowering your expenses is highly important. One of the easiest ways to save money is through getting an.

Most people often find it expensive to opt for a health insurance. They are of the notion that they would rather spend this money if ever any health issue arises. If you are an average ordinary person, consider a time in a month where you have just paid your monthly bills, had your mortgage settled out, and are just satisfied with the way things have turned out. But things may go wrong if you fall ill all of a sudden. Remember, we set apart an amount of money for all of our expenses except for health related issues. It is not uncommon. People tend to save money on literally everything, but just couldn't afford to save a few hundred dollars for their own health.

Health Insurance may not be as expensive as one would think. Over the years, various health insurance companies have evolved with interesting health and medical insurance packages that are easier on the pocket, all the while providing top quality service. Unlike the previous days, we are provided with an opportunity to compare and select different health insurance and life insurance packages that appeal to us the most.

Now for a few hundred dollars a month, you can insure your whole family against unpredictable circumstances and provide them with quality treatment facilities. Compare this to the actual costs that may be incurred during some serious illness. We are talking about thousands of dollars saved. You can compare and get free quotes on several health, life, medical and other insurance plans from Health Insure Direct.

HSA or Health Savings Account is another option of saving money on health insurance. HSA lets you gain the full advantage of health insurance plans, and also provides you with competitive tax benefits. HSA is more like a savings account, where you are required to invest a few hundred dollars monthly. You will get a fixed interest on this money, and the money being invested in HSA is absolutely tax free. Also, there is nothing known as maturity of the insurance plan, and you can withdraw any amount of money for your medical expenses from your HSA anytime you want. All you will need is to pay off the deficient amount in the subsequent monthly payments. Health Savings Account is just another reason to save money for your extra needs.

Compare HSA plans that are suitable for you and that is quite affordable to accommodate your daily expenditure and savings. Research is the major part of saving money on insurance. It is always important to look up the various rates and packages of health insurance providers, and Health Insure Direct provides you with an easy to use interface to research and select free quotes from some of the top notch health insurance companies.

It would also be worthwhile to keep a regular check and update on the health insurance rates of the present day market. You wouldn't want to end up paying extra, especially at times when the economy requires you to save as much money as possible. For this, you could re-evaluate your insurance rates and packages every six to twelve months, or you can also go in for short duration insurance packages.

Either way, never ever forget that you have a health insurance package, and take care to avoid any defaults. Insurance companies usually associate a "*" along with their terms and conditions which states that you are supposed to be making payments at prescribed intervals, or you lose all the benefits. Pay your premiums on time and stay protected anytime and anywhere.

National Mental Health Month Is About Raising Awareness, Removing Stigmas

May is National Mental Health Month, with the theme "Get Connected." Mental Health America, the nation's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives, founded Mental Health Month more than 50 years ago to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental health for everyone.

Due to a long-standing stigma associated with mental health issues, the subject of mental health is still approached by many with fear and uneasiness, said Pamela Bezotte, Northwest Territory Coordinator for Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network of Minnesota (CSN). Her main focus with CSN is to help address issues that people from seeking supportive services by providing education, resource referral and addressing political challenges.

"There has been a lot of focus on health and ways to be healthy as of late spread throughout the media, and yet the topic of mental health can still provoke a "disconnect' or denial response in many," she wrote in an e-mail. "I have yet to meet one single human being who hasn't had a day in their lives where their mental health was not quite up to par. As with a physical illness, mental illness has a range of symptoms."

Bezotte said there's no on/off switch, but a range of symptoms from mild to severe. Mental health concerns are typically denied or ignored until things get to a point where they can no longer be ignored, similar to physical ailments.

"Physical illness left untreated for too long results in the need for more intensive treatment to fix the condition," she explained. "Unfortunately, the same is true for mental health issues. If addressed early on, mental health treatment may be of less intensity and of shorter duration. If left too long untreated, mental health issues can permeate many parts of a person's life and take much more time to repair or redirect."

CSN helps support those with mental health issues in their journey and recovery through self-help, education and advocacy, providing valuable resources for adults and children. Visit the organization's Website, www.mhcsn.org, or call Bezotte at (218) 333-0939 (Bemidji) for more information.

Getting connected

According to MHA, a recent national survey finds that one in three people in America are living with extreme stress. Social connectedness is an essential component of maintaining and protecting mental health and wellness. It suggests getting connected to: Family and friends to feel close and supported, your community to feel a sense of belonging and purpose, and to professional help to feel better when you're stressed and having trouble coping.

If you or someone you know is in crisis now, seek help immediately. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24 hour crisis center or dial 911 for immediate assistance. For non-emergency professional help, contact local mental health care providers.

Nsw To Trial Medical Cannabis

Doctors will prescribe cannabis-based drugs to cancer, multiple sclerosis and AIDS patients in a planned NSW Government trial.

NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher will write to Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon in the next few weeks for permission to import and trial a drug expected to be Sativex, which delivers cannabis compounds through an oral spray.

"While the Iemma Government is opposed to the legalisation of marijuana, we do support a therapeutic trial of a cannabis-based drug," a spokeswoman for Ms Meagher said.

"We want the trial to start as soon as possible. However the support of the Rudd Government would be needed to get TGA [Therapeutic Goods Administration] approval of the drug for use in the trial. We're hopeful the Government will approve."

The Australian Medical Association welcomed the trial.

"We believe medicinal cannabis may be of benefit in HIV-related wasting and cancer-related wasting," said chairman of the association's public health committee Dr John Gullotta, adding that it might also relieve nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The Cancer Council NSW welcomed the move.

Ms Meagher may also ask for approval for other cannabis-based drugs.

UK company GW Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Sativex, grows cannabis then extracts cannabinoids CBD and THC. "The formulation is believed to enhance the pain relief of THC while modulating the unwanted psychotropic and other THC-related side effects, such as tachycardia [rapid heartbeat]," the company says.

Sugar Intake Not Associated With Obesity Survey

New Zealanders' intake of sugar is not associated with being overweight or obese, new research released by the Sugar Research Advisory Service has found.

The New Zealand research, headed by University of Otago's Dr Winsome Parnell and recently published online by Public Health Nutrition, examined data collected in the most recent New Zealand nutrition surveys for adults and children.

"We found that current intake of total sugars was actually significantly lower amongst obese children, compared to normal-weight children," Dr Parnell said.

"In both adults and children, those who consumed the least sugars from foods were actually significantly more likely to be overweight or obese."

The research, analysing 24-hour food recall data collected in the National Nutrition Survey (1997) and Children's Nutrition Survey (2002), also showed no relationship between current intake of sugary drinks and body weight, Dr Parnell said.

"This study is the only one of its kind using New Zealand data and shows current intake of sugars is not related to current weight status."

The surveys involved 4379 adults - aged over 15 years - health club and 3049 children, aged between five and 14.

The Sugar Research Advisory Service (SRAS) is an information service funded by the New Zealand Sugar Company Limited. It is advised by a panel of independent health and nutrition experts.

Implanted Electrodes Soothe Severe Lower Back Pain

An electronic device inserted into the lower spine is showing promising results for Australians with extreme and persistent back pain.

A Melbourne sports physician has presented data from a trial of a new chronic pain therapy involving implantable electrodes that bring relief to 70 per cent of those who try it.

The treatment, called peripheral nerve stimulation, is designed for hard-to-treat patients who have failed to improve even after surgery, health club and Dr Bruce Mitchell said the results had been impressive.

"It's not the answer for everybody but for those it does work for, it's a godsend," Dr Mitchell said ahead of a presentation at the Australasian surgery conference in Hong Kong today.

Dr Mitchell trialled the device on his worst affected patients at Metro Spinal Clinic and found that 70 per cent responded well during a short-term, external test.

These 22 successful patients then had the tubular electrodes implanted under the skin within the major area of pain in the lower back and were given a remote control the size of a mobile phone that generates a pulse in the implant to stop pain.

With the flick of a switch the pained nerves are overwhelmed by a "pleasant buzzing sensation", Dr Mitchell said.

Almost 90 per cent reported a significant reduction in pain, with their pain levels dropping from an average of 7.1 out of 10 to 3.8.

"This is a very encouraging result as it is an area that is notoriously difficult to treat and surgery is often not the answer and sometimes makes it worse," he said.

"It improves quality of life and has also meant that people who have had a positive response to this treatment can reduce the amount of pain killers they are taking."

Dr Mitchell said complications like infection and displaced leads could arise from surgery to implant the device. He also said the $A30,000, US-made implant was still not widely available in Australia.

Statistics show one in five people suffer from the condition at some time in their life, with about 10 per cent experiencing debilitating pain.

"People with chronic back pain often have sleepless nights and miss hours of work, as sitting or lying down for long periods of times is one of the worst things you can do."

Exercise May Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Regular exercise in adolescence and young adulthood may help cut a woman's risk of developing breast cancer before menopause, according to a US study published.

The women who were the most physically active were 23 percent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than the women who got the least exercise, the researchers wrote in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

High levels of exercise from ages 12 through 22 contributed the most to the protective effect, the researchers said.

"The more activity, the greater the benefit," study leader Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis said in a telephone interview.

Previous studies showed that regular exercise in adulthood leads to at least a 20 percent lower risk of breast cancer after menopause, the researchers said. Research on exercise and breast cancer risk before menopause had produced inconsistent results, they said.

The researchers said the new study indicated women need regular physical activity starting at a young age to comparably lower their risk of breast cancer before menopause. They called their study the largest and most detailed examination to date of the impact of exercise on early breast cancer risk.

Colditz and colleagues studied 65,000 registered nurses aged 33 to 51 who reported in 1997 how much leisure-time physical activity they had done since the age of 12.

After six years of follow-up, 550 of the women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

The women classified as most active did the equivalent of running for 3.25 hours a week or walking for 13 hours a week.

"It's not marathon running. Any team sport will get you to that level of activity -- and it doesn't even have to be a team sport," Colditz said.

Women who exercised regularly -- but not as much as the most-active group -- also had a reduced risk for breast cancer, but not as much as the top group, Colditz said.

The benefit provided by exercise was not associated with a particular sport or intensity, Colditz added.

About a quarter of all breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women before menopause and these can be more aggressive and harder to treat than breast cancer in older women.

Protection against breast cancer is just one of many benefits of exercise, Colditz said. "It protects against diabetes, heart disease, stroke. Clearly it's good for bones to protect against osteoporosis and fractures. There is a clear benefit across many of the chronic diseases."

He said there are several hormone-related hypotheses to explain how exercise may cut breast cancer risk. A leading idea is that physical activity can cut a woman's lifetime exposure to estrogen, a hormone strongly implicated in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, killing an estimated 465,000 women annually, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1.3 million women are diagnosed annually worldwide.

Haphazard Ladder Climbing Puts Handymen In Danger

Men in their 50s are the most likely to fall off ladders in the home, causing injury and death, a new study says.

The research, presented at a medical conference in Hong Kong, said pelvic and limb injuries were most common, but some men suffered more serious head and chest fractures.

"This group was your typical victim of a ladder fall," said Dr Elaine Liew, a surgical registrar at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.

"And the bad news is that the rates of serious injury and death were high, regardless of how far they've actually fallen."

The study, Australia's largest of ladder falls, says home handymen are putting themselves in grave danger with "haphazard" use of ladders on the wrong angles and on uneven ground.

Dr Liew and her colleagues tracked admissions caused by ladder falls from 2002 to 2007 to get the first full picture of who is most at risk and the severity of their injuries.

The results show that of the 305 admissions, 88 percent involved men, with an average age of 58, and 90 percent occurred in the home.

Almost one in 10 patients died from their injuries, all domestic incidents involving older men.

"The problem is that there are lots of occupational health and safety standards in the workplace but no real education in the community," Dr Liew said.

"You've got all these people going about their work at home alone, on uneven ground, with no attention to the basic rules of ladder use."

The hospital plans to launch a Victorian-based education program be run in conjunction with father's day, but said other states also need to take up the cause.

Marijuana May Up Heart Attack Stroke Risk

Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke, US government researchers said.

Dr Jean Lud Cadet of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, said the findings point to another example of long-term harm from marijuana. But marijuana activists expressed doubt about the findings.

Cadet said a lot of previous research has focused on the effects of marijuana on the brain. His team looked elsewhere in the body, measuring blood protein levels in 18 long-term, heavy marijuana users and 24 other people who did not use the drug.

Levels of a protein called apolipoprotein C-III were found to be 30 percent higher in the marijuana users compared to the others. This protein is involved in the body's metabolism of triglycerides - a type of fat found in the blood - and higher levels cause increased levels of triglycerides, Cadet added.

High levels of triglycerides can contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, raising the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

The study did not look at whether the heavy marijuana users actually had heart disease.

"Chronic marijuana use is not only causing people to get high, it's actually causing long-term adverse effects in patients who use too much of the drug," Cadet, whose study is in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, said in a telephone interview. "Chronic marijuana abuse is not so benign."

The marijuana users in the study averaged smoking 78 to 350 marijuana cigarettes per week, based on self-reported drug history, the researchers said.

The researchers said the active ingredient in marijuana, known as THC, seems to overstimulate marijuana receptors in the liver, leading to overproduction of the protein.

Cadet said higher levels of the protein in marijuana users could raise future risk for cardiac abnormalities, blood flow problems, heart attack and stroke.

People with major medical or psychiatric illness, alcohol dependency and other drug use such as cocaine or heroin were excluded from the study.

A US group supporting legal sales and regulation of marijuana disputed the findings. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, for example, the study involved people who were extremely heavy users.

"I think the low end was 78 joints a week. That's 10 or 11 joints a day," Mirken said in a telephone interview.

"We're talking about people who are stoned all the time. We're talking about the marijuana equivalent of the guy in the alley clutching a bottle of cheap wine. If you do anything to that level of excess, it might well have some untoward effects, whether it's marijuana or wine or broccoli," Mirken added.

Cadet's team said the findings suggest long-term harm from marijuana beyond issues such as impaired learning, poor memory retention and retrieval and perceptual abnormalities.

Stop Blaming The Insurers

Here's what's not in dispute: The United States spends 16 percent of its national income on health care, more than any other country in the world. In return, we get lower life expectancy than most other Western countries, uneven care, and enormous anxiety about how to pay for it.

Who's to blame? Not the hospitals and doctors, or the health care consumers (that is, us) who insist on expensive and questionable elective procedures. It's big health insurers—isn't it? Easy enough: Our interactions with them are impersonal, their political clout is substantial, and their names and logos look and sound like they came out of focus-group hell.

Alas, the slice of our enormous health care costs that can reasonably be laid at the insurers' doorstep is much, much smaller than most people believe. The debate about health care tends to be informed by three notions about health insurance:

* The profits of private insurers are so big that cutting them out would meaningfully lower costs.
* Private insurance clearly costs more than a government-run system such as Medicare.
* Mergers that have created a small number of huge and powerful insurers increase health care costs.

This is the most pervasive and most crowd-pleasing of the health care myths. The profits of the big health insurance companies are central to the rhetoric of the health care debate, figuring heavily in the Democratic primary campaign. Barack Obama's platform includes a promise to force insurers to spend enough on care "instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration." Michael Moore, the director of Sicko, has hammered the point repeatedly, thundering about how insurers maximize profits by "providing as little care as possible."

The problem here is that between them the five biggest health insurers—UnitedHealthCare, Wellpoint, Aetna, Humana, and Cigna—which cover 105 million members, last year had profits between them of $11.8 billion. This is not a small number; these are very profitable companies. But total U.S. health care costs last year were in the area of $2.3 trillion.

So, with a membership that included a little more than half of the Americans covered by private insurance, these five insurers' profits came to 0.5 percent of total health care costs. (One interesting point of comparison: In 2006, the income earned by the 50 biggest nonprofit hospitals alone came out at $4 billion.)

Critics also argue that insurance companies pass along excessive administrative costs to their customers. Wellpoint, for instance, spends 18 percent of the premiums it takes in on sales and administrative costs. That represents a real concern but merely raises the next question: Can a government-run program that cuts out insurers do it for less?

Myth No. 2: Evidence from Medicare shows that a government program can provide the same services for less than the insurers.

A common argument raised in support of a national "single payer" health insurance system is the experience of Medicare Advantage, a program that gives seniors the option of replacing traditional Medicare with private insurers' HMO or "preferred provider" network plans. Nine million of the 44 million people Medicare covers have signed up. A well-publicized report by the Commonwealth Fund calculated the cost of these plans at 12 percent more than traditional Medicare. This number was picked up by the New York Times' Paul Krugman as an illustration of the excessive costs of private insurance. More recently, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank, has estimated the greater cost of Medicare Advantage as more than $1,000 a year extra per beneficiary.

These accurate numbers miss the fact that Medicare Advantage's design virtually guarantees that it will be more expensive than traditional Medicare. The reason for this, however, is not the excessive cost of having private insurers administer the plans. It's the cost of inducements that government has offered seniors to join them.

The original idea behind Medicare Advantage was to reduce costs by pushing seniors into HMOs that would be able to rein in health care costs. The big incentive for seniors to join the plans is supplemental coverage similar to what's offered by Medigap plans.

The government pays insurers more than the costs of Medicare, but most of that money is (and must be, by mandate) returned to members in the form of lower deductibles and co-payments. Yes, Medicare Advantage HMO programs do cost the government more than standard Medicare.

Survey: Economy Has Business Owners Feeling Pressure

Small-business owners' optimism is at its lowest point in at least six years, amid problems with cash flow, growing accounts receivable and rising gas-and-energy costs.

Only 45 percent of entrepreneurs surveyed recently responded with a positive outlook, and just 9 percent expected the economy to improve during the next six months, according to a semi-annual survey by American Express Co.'s small-business service, which polled 627 business owners and managers.

Despite the economic uncertainty, seven in 10 business owners said they plan to expand during the next six months. Still, there are red flags: 56 percent of those surveyed said they're experiencing cash-flow problems, compared with 46 percent last spring. And 24 percent said their accounts receivable are too high.

A second survey released this month confirms the anxiety felt by business owners: While expressing confidence in their own operations, 45 percent of those included in the 2008 National Small Business Association Survey of Small and Mid-Sized Business said they expect a recession in the next year.

Those responding to the association's survey also said they were worried about the cost of health insurance and the lack of available capital. Fifty-five percent said they had trouble securing credit during the past year.

"Small businesses are buckling down, with nearly a quarter reporting no-growth strategies planned for the coming year," Chairwoman Marilyn Landis said.

But being your own boss can't be too bad: The American Express survey found that 75 percent of the small-business owners would recommend entrepreneurship to a friend or family member.


Cup of recognition

Mayor Buddy Dyer tipped his hat to local entrepreneurs last week, proclaiming April 21-25 Small Business Week in Orlando. Christina Cowherd, owner of Infusion Tea, was on hand to represent local business owners along with her husband, Brad, the company's vice president.

Infusion Tea, a vegetarian tea house that sells organic teas, has 24 employees and two locations, in the city's College Park and Thornton Park sections. The business launched in 2004, after the Cowherds finished a tour with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.

While they were overseas, Christina -- health club a former technical writer -- decided she didn't want to return to a desk job. Brad joined his wife when the business blossomed.

"Anything that the city can do to make it easier for small businesses to actually conduct business in the city of Orlando is a good thing," Brad Cowherd said.

During the presentation, the city recognized small businesses for creating jobs and opportunities within the city, health club and honored small-business service organizations such as the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, the Black Business Investment Fund, the Minority/Women Business Enterprise Alliance, SCORE Orlando, and the Disney Entrepreneur Center.

Health Maters: Hospital Destroying Wastes By Using Ozone

Instead of destroying the ozone layer to dispose of its medical wastes, Terre Haute’s Union Hospital is destroying its medical wastes by using ozone. In fact,health club it’s the first place in the world to do so, says Ozonater Industries of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, which makes the Ozonater bio-hazardous waste disposal machine.

Most of us know ozone as the stuff in the upper atmosphere that filters ultraviolet light or as an air pollutant on the ground. However, according to information from Ozonater Industries, it also is “one of the most powerful microbicides known to science, effective at killing even the most resistant pathogens.”

According to an article in the Jan. 31 edition of The Leader-Post in Regina, which can be accessed at tinyurl.com/6j5e8c, the Ozonater is “said to reduce the cost of processing bio-hazardous waste by 50 percent, while preventing the release of toxins into the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” That’s zero emission and there also is an up to 90 percent reduction in volume, according to information from Union Hospital.

Kristi Roshel, marketing/public relations manager for Union Hospital, says that each hospital bed creates between four and five pounds of medical waste, all of which must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. Medical waste consists of a number of substances, including blood, plastic tubing, gauze and diapers.

Medical waste produces greenhouse gases pound for pound. Union Hospital quotes Health Care Without Harm as noting that “69 percent of all the deadly dioxins emitted into the atmosphere are directly related to the incineration of medical waste.”

Instead of using incineration, the Ozonator sterilizes the waste (which has been shredded) with ozone so it can be placed directly into landfills after treatment. Any ozone left after treatment is converted back into oxygen.

It’s also serving as a people magnet, drawing visitors to Terre Haute to check out the new piece of equipment. “We’ve hosted lots of visitors from other countries,” Roshel said Wednesday. “I think we had some from India last week.”

Bend over. Now raise up. Do it again. And again. Move those arms, using a weight. Throw in a few squats. A bit later, stretch those arms out, give a tug, and then pull back.

Exercising? Yes, but in a fun and healthy way. Digging up the ground, planting seeds, and pulling weeds not only gives you that just-picked flavor health club, the act of gardening itself can contribute to your cardiovascular health.

Now about that produce: Making your garden colorful, with purple eggplant, green beans (and, yes, even zucchini), red tomatoes, yellow corn, orange sweet potatoes has it benefits. Not only does the color add to its beauty, it’s a great source “of many vitamins, minerals and other natural substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of course, you do have to eat the fruits (so to speak) of your labors to get the nutritional benefits. Since eating a rainbow of fruits also is good for your health, you might want to add some red strawberries to your vegetable patch as well. In fact, plan ahead and plant an apple, cherry, peach and/or pear tree to reap (literally) the benefits of those, too.

Find out much more by going to www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov, which pretty much has everything you need to know about the health benefits — plus recipes and even an interactive feature that will let you know how many servings you need for your age and physical activity level.

'stimulus' And The States

The states are now in a precarious position. The economy is slowing down. Tax revenues are falling. And demand for expensive services – health care,health club food assistance and the like – is growing.

A slowing economy is never easy. But this year, the states' fiscal crunch is being made worse. That's because misguided policies put in place by Congress and the Bush administration have either forced states to spend money or driven away tax revenue.

Before anyone in Washington seriously contemplates a second "stimulus package" aimed at reviving the economy, health club I would offer two succinct pieces of advice: First, take a Hippocratic Oath to do no harm to state budgets. Second, ensure that Washington "pays its bills," just as we require of everyone else.

Let's start with doing no harm. The plain fact is that the first stimulus package violated this principle, and will result in nearly $2 billion in revenue loss to states. State taxes are based on the amount of federal taxes individuals and businesses pay. So when the stimulus package cut federal business taxes, it also cut state taxes and thereby cost us revenue.

Fortunately, Congress is considering bipartisan legislation in both the House and Senate that would provide new resources to help states.

Now, let's talk about Washington paying its bills. The Bush administration has perfected the nasty habit of cost-shifting to the states. Examples are plentiful:

- The State Child Health Insurance Program (Schip). The beauty of Schip is that it is a federal-state partnership. Yet in August 2007, President Bush stopped states from expanding Schip to cover children in families who earn more than 250% of the federal poverty level. As a result, states must now carry the additional burden of providing health care for these children.

- Medicaid. The administration has also proposed or issued eight different regulations that alter the federal-state Medicaid partnership. In most cases, these regulations simply shift costs to states and localities. Collectively, they will reduce federal investment in Medicaid by $50 billion over the next five years. It's not as if poor people no longer need health care. Instead, these regulations are simply a maneuver to have someone else (i.e., the states) foot the bill.

- State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. By law, the federal government must reimburse states for the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants who break state laws. But for years, the federal government has only reimbursed a fraction of the cost.

Arizona's unpaid bill is nearing $500 million. As governor, I must enforce the law and pay to incarcerate these individuals. The federal government just shrugs its shoulders and walks away from its statutory obligation.

- Real ID. The federal government passed Real ID so everyone would have a secure identification card. But it didn't pay states to do the work. Estimates for implementation run as high as $11 billion.

Even if you accept the Department of Homeland Security's suggestion that costs may be closer to $3.9 billion, this is a large unfunded liability. States are not in a position financially, nor inclined from a policy perspective, to bail out the federal government on Real ID.

Green Giants: Our Love Affair With Trees

From mighty oaks to humble hazels, our sylvan treasures have never been more highly valued – or popular. As a record 10 million green-fingered Britons prepare to plant saplings, Michael McCarthy explores a root and branch revolution.

On the way to work tomorrow, as you hurry, head bowed, to the crowded bus-stop or station, or pause in the car at the red traffic light, feeling your blood pressure start to mount as you see that, on the other side of the junction, the traffic still isn't moving, do yourself a massive favour: look up.

What may swim into your line of sight is greenery. We've been without it for five months, do you realise? And now it's back. Those things called trees, those tall roadside posts that for the whole winter long you haven't glanced at, that have seemed no more than dark straggly alternative streetlamps without the lighting, have suddenly in the past 10 days sprouted life, and now, this week, are at their most intense.

For example, look at the horse chestnuts, the conker trees beloved of schoolboys, if you live in an area lucky enough to have them. Go on, look. Once you do, you'd have to have a soul made of concrete not be stirred, for right now, at least in southern Britain, the buds have just burst and the leaves have poured forth and they are of a quite spectacular colour. It's green, of course, but it's a special green, it is more than emerald, it is iridescent, as if the leaves were fresh-painted, as if they were glowing from the inside; and in the next few days they will be joined by giant upright white blossoms, big as a bunch of bananas, commonly known as Roman candles. The whole thing then looks like a living firework display, and it's free, and no streetlamp ever looked like this.

It's not just the horse chestnuts; cherry blossom and apple blossom is out now in gardens, as are the lilacs, and in hawthorn hedges there is a green mist of leaf wrapped around the branches. Greenery is bursting out everywhere on the trees in our towns and cities and suburbs, so much so that if you do look up from the slog to work and catch a glimpse of it, your soul will lift; and at last, at long, long last, someone has put a value on it.

It has a boring name (Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees) and an acronym (CAVAT), but don't let that put you off; it's the thought that counts. Developed by the London Tree Officers' Association ( LTOA), the professional body for tree specialists working for the London boroughs, this is a system that, for the first time, assesses a tree's worth, according to its size, health, historical significance and how many people live near to enjoy it health club. It assesses worth in actual money terms; that's the point, in this age that worships cash enough to make heroes of hedge-fund managers.

The results, which were released this week, are surprising: most ordinary street trees that you might not give a second glance to (especially hurrying to work) turn out to be worth between £8,000 and £12,000, but for more special trees in more special places, even in the London suburbs, the values start to soar: an oak in Southgate, North London, for example, has been valued at £267,000 and a plane in Epping High Street at £200,000. At the top of the list, in Mayfair's Berkeley Square, yes, that urban oasis where the nightingale was meant to have sung (take it from me – it was a robin) there is a venerable plane tree on which the lads from the LTOA have stuck a value of £750,000. It has been there since Victorian times, but all the same – whew! you whistle – that's a lot of money for a trunk and some branches. There are dozens of others now valued at more than £500,000, too, in leafy and affluent boroughs such as Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea.

The figures give people pause, they make them stop; and that's the point, that's why the system is needed, for in recent years, local authorities have been chopping down urban trees at such a rate of knots that the phrase "chainsaw massacre" has been applied to the process.

Behind it lurk those much criticised developments of the last quarter-century, the compensation culture, and the health-and-safety culture. There is no doubt that a big tree growing too near a building can, if it has a major root system, ultimately cause the building problems. It can become entangled in the foundations, and its thirst for water also leads to moisture being sucked from the ground, causing soil shrinkage and sinking buildings. (A mature deciduous growth can draw 50,000 litres of water a year from surrounding soil). Furthermore, there is no doubt that if a big old branch snaps off a big old tree it could hurt somebody.

Yet there is growing evidence that healthy mature trees are being felled by risk-averse insurers and councils because of the mere suspicion that they may affect neighbouring properties with subsidence, or fall on people.

In the past five years, London councils alone have chopped down almost 40,000 street trees, including some more than 100 years old. Some were aged, diseased or dying, but 40 per cent were removed because of insurance claims; yet a report commissioned by the London Assembly said that only 1 per cent of tree-removals were justified.

The picture is repeated nationwide, and was illustrated vividly in February in a report to the Department for Communities and Local Government, Trees in Towns II, which was the largest-ever survey of urban trees in England, covering streets, parks, schools, churchyards, allotments and private gardens in 147 towns and cities.

It found that, despite the key role they play in combating climate change, and creating pleasant environments (the report's own words), Britain's urban trees are under threat. Only 11 per cent of trees in towns are now between 50 and 100 years old, the survey discovered; only two per cent are more than 100 years old. That means: when they get big, they get chopped down. When the report was published, the Government put a gloss on it – "er, much has been done, but much remains to be done," and so on – but the Opposition got nearer the point.

Eric Pickles, the Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, warned that the leafy character of urban areas was under threat. "Whitehall's failure to tackle the compensation culture and the heavy-handed application of health and safety regulation is doing more harm than good," he said. "Trees have a vital role to play in tackling climate change and improving quality of life, yet Britain's leafy suburbs face a chainsaw massacre under Labour."

Tasty soundbite, eh? You can almost hear Mr Pickles's lips smacking as he uttered it. But even making substantial allowances for political point-scoring, it does seem likely that far, far too many urban trees are now coming down. The London Tree Officers' Association chairman, Andy Tipping, said that, too often, insurance companies facing a claim for subsidence were demanding that trees be destroyed, and councils were too willing to cave in to their demands.

The new CAVAT system his association has drawn up will change things, he hopes, because in future the high value of trees – in London alone the total value of them is now estimated at £6.4bn – will demand extra engineering work by insurers to prove a link between a tree and subsidence, not least because various other causes, from broken drains to drought, can be behind buildings getting that wonky look. The higher the tree's value, the more proof insurers will need that it is really causing problems before they can chop it down. It is planned to roll the system out nationwide next year.

"Often an insurer will point the finger at the tree, it is chopped down and then subsidence problems in a house persist," said Tipping, a tree officer in Barnet, north London. "Companies pay out vast sums repairing buildings and then, some months later, new cracks appear. Under the new scheme, there will be more on-site investigations to find the source of damage at the beginning of a claim."

He said that in one case he was asked to remove a 130-year-old oak that was three houses away from a property with subsidence, and there were no roots near to it. "It's an absurd situation," he said. "People still don't understand that subsidence is a problem of buildings, not trees. In many cases, trees are not the main culprit. It's other reasons instead such as Victorian drains, poorly installed double-glazing, or climate change."

The other reason for not removing them, of course, is that people love trees. Research published yesterday suggests that almost 10 million people intend to plant a tree in their garden this year. (Won't that get the insurers worried?) When trees are cut down in towns and cities, nearly always by some overweening authoritarian body, like a council, or a railway company, local people often protest vigorously: they suddenly realise they are actually very fond of what they had always taken for granted.

Why do we love trees? We can think of many practical reasons – the wood, the shade, the shelter, the apples, the pears – but there are deeper reasons too. Beauty is obviously one. The horse chestnuts in young leaf this week are so striking that they pull you up short, as are the blossoming cherries, reminding us of the opening of AE Housman's famous lyric: "Loveliest of trees, the cherry, now/ Is hung with bloom along the bough/ And stands about the woodland ride/ Wearing white for Eastertide."

It isn't only trees in spring blossom that move us; trees in autumn colours are another still-life firework display; indeed, the basis of a whole tourist industry in New England, where the hordes of visitors who come to look at the fall foliage are known as "leaf peepers". Even trees in high summer, the least interesting part of the period in leaf, can provide a spectacle, such as the beeches of the woodlands of the Chilterns, whose tall, straight trunks, combined with the light falling between them, give the appearance of leafy cathedrals.

Yet perhaps there is something even beyond beauty in our attachment to the oak and the ash, the lime and the hornbeam, the yew and the Scots pine. In the last 20 years the new discipline of evolutionary psychology has made many suggestive interpretations of the origins of human feeling, taking them back to our distant ancestors; the rationale is that we have been office workers for four generations, and we were farmers for about 400 generations; but before farming, we were hunter-gatherers for 20,000 generations or more, and much of our genetic make up must have been constructed then.

There's no proof of this, of course; there can only be suggestions, but they are powerful ones (why do all children like to hide? Because the children who didn't hide, when the predators or the attackers came, didn't survive to pass on their genes). health club Is there perhaps something in us that goes far, far back, to account for our love of trees, something more than beauty or utility? Some deeper attachment formed during the aeons when we lived in the forest?

It's fanciful, of course it is, especially now most of us only have the street, the house, or the block of flats; and we can never know. But we do know that when the trees that grace our street, our road, our courtyard, are threatened with toppling, we do not like it one bit. At least now there is a system, thanks to the London Tree Officers' Association – that gives tree-lovers a chance to fight back when the insurance company or the council sends someone with a chainsaw.

Saffron May Ease Pms Symptoms

Saffron, a spice known for flavouring Mediterranean cuisine, might also offer an antidote to premenstrual syndrome, a small study suggests.

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, has a long history of non-culinary uses. Traditionally Travel Health Insurance, the spice has been advocated for stomach pain, digestive problems and even depression - with some recent clinical trials suggesting that saffron may in fact aid mild depression.

It's thought that the spice might influence depression symptoms via effects on the brain chemical serotonin. Because alterations in serotonin activity are suspected in PMS, a team of Iranian researchers decided to study whether saffron supplements might help relieve these symptoms.

Dr M Agha-Hosseini and colleagues at Tehran University of Medical Sciences randomly assigned 50 women to take either saffron capsules or a placebo twice a day over two menstrual cycles. The women, who ranged in age from 20 to 45, had all had PMS symptoms such as cramps, bloating, irritability and fatigue for at least six months.

At the end of the treatment period, three-quarters of the women on saffron capsules reported at least a 50 per cent reduction in their PMS symptoms. That compared with only 8 per cent of women in the placebo group, the researchers report in the medical journal BJOG.

Travel Health Insurance In addition, the researchers found, 60 per cent of the saffron group showed a 50 per cent improvement in depression symptoms, versus one woman in the placebo group.

The findings, according to the researchers, support the idea that saffron may affect serotonin activity - and help alleviate not only depression symptoms, but PMS as well.

However, they write, this study is the first they know of to test saffron for treating PMS. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to confirm the findings, the researchers conclude Travel Health Insurance.

Patrick Kennedy Says Personal Struggles Help Him In Congress

Patrick Kennedy says his personal struggles to recover from depression, health club alcoholism and substance abuse have made him a more compelling advocate in Congress for improved mental health care coverage.

The Rhode Island Democrat, a son of Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, played a leading role winning House passage last month on a bill to expand coverage for people needing mental health and addiction treatment.

"My own story gave a lot of my colleagues a comfort level to tell me their own stories, privately," he said in a recent telephone interview with The Associated Press. "In the process it tied them into this debate personally in ways I think that gave traction to this legislation early on."

Kennedy, 40, crashed his car into a Capitol barricade in the middle of the night nearly two years ago, and agreed to a plea deal on a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. He speaks publicly about his own recovery in hopes of ending the stigma of mental illness that prevents people from seeking treatment.

Kennedy, who has battled addiction since high school, said he's pleased his father can "see now at this stage of the game that some of my perceived darker moments turned out to be the silver linings in this great battle that I fought."

Those darker moments, he said, "gave me a platform and a credibility and a stature and a human quality in the House as a spokesperson on this issue that allowed me to cut through a lot of the white noise that insulates members from really facing these issues and addressing them honestly when they're being lobbied so heavily by special interests."

Kennedy and his father are on different sides as the House and Senate try to forge a compromise on expanding coverage for people needing mental health and addiction treatment. Big health care, insurance and pharmaceutical interests are waging a high-stakes fight in Congress over what has come to be known as mental health parity.

The younger Kennedy helped lead the push for the House bill that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies cover both.

His father was instrumental in winning Senate approval last September of a narrower version of the bill with support from business and insurance groups.

The elder Kennedy, D-Mass., has a reputation as one of the most skilled legislators in Congress, often working with Republicans to craft major bills during more than four decades in the Senate. He said he enjoys working with his son, despite their differing views.

"We're always in contact," the senator said. "We talk all the time. There are some important differences, you don't minimize those ... We still have a ways to go, health club but I think it's important that we are making progress."

The congressman hopes his father can help win GOP support for whatever compromise emerges.

"I am so glad my dad is there with me at the table, because if there's anybody who knows how to work with Republicans and can work as good a deal as possible to try to break this free ... it's my dad," he said.

The House bill says that if a plan provides mental health benefits, it must cover mental illnesses and addiction disorders listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used by mental health professionals.

That bill, the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007," was named for the late Minnesota Democratic senator who championed the issue for years and who was killed in a 2002 plane crash. It was sponsored by Kennedy and Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., a recovering alcoholic who is Kennedy's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.

Kennedy said the bill favored by his father does not go far enough in providing coverage for people who need it health club. The Senate bill gives insurers more leeway on the types of mental disorders they would have to cover. It was a compromise reached after negotiations with businesses, the insurance industry and mental health advocates. Business and insurance groups had fought previous versions, arguing the proposals would drive up insurance costs.

Health Tourism Booms In Tunisia

The waiting room at cosmetic surgeon Taher Djemal's Tunis clinic is a busy place these days. It is filled with Tunisians, Moroccans and Europeans of all shapes and sizes. But despite a wide assortment of languages and nationalities, the prospective patients have one thing in common; they have all come to change their faces, reshape their bodies or fix a defect that has spoiled their self image. Many of the visitors are nervous, but three decorative paintings of Venus, the goddess of beauty, give them strength and hope.

Beginning with the patient's very first appointment, Dr. Djemal's assistants work hard to create a comfortable atmosphere. "We have to put the client at ease, psychologically," says anesthesiologist Noureddine Azri. "The stress he or she feels is perfectly normal and natural and our role is to answer all questions, even if they are boring," he adds.

The majority of Tunisia's cosmetic surgery clients are European women whose visits are co-ordinated by Tunisian travel agencies focused specifically on what has quickly become known as "health tourism". Three years ago, the number of health tourists visiting Tunisia was no more than 2,000. In line with Tunisia's overall growth in the tourism sector, travel agencies saw the surgery market's potential and opened specialised offices throughout the capitol and in cities such as Nabeul and Djerba. By 2007, 150,000 of Tunisia's 6.4 million visitors were health tourists, according to a January report from the National Syndicate Chamber of Private Clinics.

The concept of health tourism is nothing new; the British have long headed to Pakistan or the Philippines for cosmetic surgery. With Tunisia's debut on the market, however, many foreigners are now choosing clinics like Dr. Djemal's for their proximity and affordable prices.

Indeed, only a short flight from Europe, Tunisia appeals to those short on time and who want to save money. For instance, the cost of a face lift in Tunisia is 3,200 euros. The same operation in France would cost 5,000 euros or more. Breast enlargement surgery costs 6,000 euros in France, but if done in Tunisia, the procedure price is 2,600 euros.

Word that Tunisia provided moderately-priced cosmetic surgery soon spread to other European countries and beyond. Now, clients looking for an affordable makeover and vacation wrapped into one jaunt come from as far away as Sweden, Russia and the United States. Rym El Balti, a marketing employee at Estetica Tour, a leading travel agency in the field of cosmetic surgery tourism, tells Magharebia that the majority of prospective patients come from France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Approved and regulated by Tunisia's ministries of tourism and health, cosmetic tourism specialists can organise every aspect of a visitor's stay, from booking air tickets and scheduling appointments to arranging comfortable accommodations, usually at beach hotels, to allow patients to comfortably convalesce.

Former patients often advertise for Tunisian cosmetic clinics through word of mouth. "Many of the people who contact my clinic are people who have seen changes in the lives of a neighbour, friend or a colleague at work," says Dr. Taher Djemal.

A few years ago, Dr. Djemal says he could count the number of patients per week on one hand. Most of them were either from the Maghreb, he adds, or else they were "low-income Europeans" unable to afford cosmetic procedures in their own countries. It is a different story today.

Now, he says, "[W]e perform cosmetic surgeries on a daily basis after we have proven our worth in the field and after winning the trust of our clients, who [then] advertise our work through the word of mouth. Many of the people who contact my clinic are people who have seen changes in the lives of a neighbour, friend or a colleague at work." He acknowledges that "the western media, and especially the French media, plays an important role in marketing cosmetic surgeries in Tunisia, which put an end to the logic of 'North medicine' health club as compared to the 'South medicine.'"

Dr. Djemal recognises the challenge of facing doubts over his performance because he is "a surgeon in a developing country". He adds, "As a cosmetic surgeon from a South country, health club I had to succeed. I have to do this throughout my practice of this profession, in which the science of surgery is mixed with the art of drawing and psychology."

Growing recognition of both the competence of Tunisian surgeons and the country's good health sector infrastructure has contributed to the recent boom in health tourism, according to Abou Bakr Zeghama, president of National Syndicate Chamber of Private Clinics.

Helen K., who came to Tunisia from Switzerland for abdominal liposuction, spoke with Magharebia while recuperating at one of the hotels in Tunis' northern suburbs. "I feel as if I have removed tons of fat from my body. My life has changed, and I'm happy with the result," she said. She became interested in seeking her cosmetic surgery
In Tunisia after seeing the big difference in one of her friends. "She had a lifting that turned her into a young woman again," she noted.

Another European patient, Catherine M., travelled from France for a breast enlargement operation. She saw a French TV program called "Right to Knowledge" last year which featured cosmetic surgeries in Tunisia, she told Magharebia, and decided to get her procedure after hearing "reassuring and encouraging testimonies from many women" on the episode. After the program aired in France, she added, TF1 received more than 10,000 telephone calls from people looking for the addresses of cosmetic surgery clinics in Tunisia.

However, a Tunisian surgeon who worked and studied in the United States expects that cosmetic procedure costs in Tunisia will soon approach those found in Europe. "We no longer need to prove our worth," Dr. Amir Chaibi said. "Personal work is the thing that distinguishes a good surgeon from a bad one," he explained, adding, "The competition in the future will not be among those who offer the lowest prices, but among those who are the best."

Health and care fair welcomes returning service members

The Veterans Affairs medical center in La Jolla sponsored its first “Welcome Home” event yesterday – health club a health and caregiver-support fair for men and women returning from deployment overseas.

These days, nonprofit groups and the government are offering a lot more mental and physical health services and other programs for troops leaving active duty and transitioning to civilian life.

“When someone leaves the military and the holistic system that supports the entire family unit, the idea is these organizations and partners pick up where we leave off health club,” said Michael Kilmer, care-coordination manager for the VA's Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom programs.

“Here, we have case-management teams to maintain those relationships.”

Staying connected to services and groups that understand what a military person has been through is crucial, Kilmer said.

During the daylong event, health club hundreds of men, women and their families wandered by about 40 table displays where nonprofit groups and government agencies offered details about free or discount programs tailored for them.

“I'm hitting every booth,” said Lt. Patrick Walsh, 41, who will soon retire after a 20-year Navy career in bomb disposal. “There's a lot of state and federal programs here, and I need to find out the details.”

Numerous programs represented yesterday help veterans cope with life after traumatic brain injury or with post-traumatic stress disorder. Some programs assist those learning to walk or move their arms or legs, perhaps because of an amputation.

One table displayed devices to help veterans partially blinded by brain or eye injuries.

For those suffering from depression, insomnia or anxiety, a VA researcher was recruiting participants for a study on genetic markers for neurotransmitter imbalance, paying some qualified volunteers as much as $1,000.

Vocational training, tutoring, couples counseling, anger management, job listings and financial advice were among the services offered.

Need new furniture, a home loan or a chaplain who understands combat stress? Looking for discounts on school tuition? Programs involving all those issues were on display, too.

Melody Forgy said veterans at the VA's Wellness and Vocational Enrichment Clinic are taught ways to explain to a potential employer how their military skills would be valuable.

“For example, they may have great skills in organizing food, equipment and weapon supplies, but they don't know how that translates to a job in civilian language, or how to write a résumé,” Forgy said. “We can help with that.”

Female veterans should consider getting their health care through the VA's Firm Comprehensive Women's Clinic, rather than from civilian medical providers, said the clinic's Elka Braden.

“Military sexual trauma and sexual abuse is something that sometimes occurs, but providers in the community might not even think to ask about it health club,” Braden said. “We're better equipped to handle it,” she said.

Richard Cira, 27, and Timothy Gass, 25, were Marines stationed together in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although they returned to San Diego four years ago, Cira and Gass came to “Welcome Home” yesterday to find out what new services are available.

“It's nice to get in touch with different groups that are out there to help us,” said Gass, who is looking for a place to live. Gass said he was surprised to find out about a home-loan program for veterans.

Health and care fair welcomes returning service members

The Veterans Affairs medical center in La Jolla sponsored its first “Welcome Home” event yesterday – a health and caregiver-support fair for men and women returning from deployment overseas.

These days, nonprofit groups and the government are offering a lot more mental and physical health services and other programs for troops leaving active duty and transitioning to civilian life.

“When someone leaves the military and the holistic system that supports the entire family unit, the idea is these organizations and partners pick up where we leave off,” health club said Michael Kilmer, care-coordination manager for the VA's Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom programs.

“Here, we have case-management teams to maintain those relationships.”

Staying connected to services and groups that understand what a military person has been through is crucial, Kilmer said.

During the daylong event, hundreds of men, women and their families wandered by about 40 table displays where nonprofit groups and government agencies offered details about free or discount programs tailored for them.

“I'm hitting every booth,” said Lt. Patrick Walsh, 41, who will soon retire after a 20-year Navy career in bomb disposal. “There's a lot of state and federal programs here, and I need to find out the details.”

Numerous programs represented yesterday help veterans cope with life after traumatic brain injury or with post-traumatic stress disorder. Some programs assist those learning to walk or move their arms or legs, perhaps because of an amputation.

One table displayed devices to help veterans partially blinded by brain or eye injuries.

For those suffering from depression, insomnia or anxiety, a VA researcher was recruiting participants for a study on genetic markers for neurotransmitter imbalance, paying some qualified volunteers as much as $1,000.

Vocational training, tutoring, couples counseling, anger management, job listings and financial advice were among the services offered.

Need new furniture, a home loan or a chaplain who understands combat stress? Looking for discounts on school tuition? Programs involving all those issues were on display, too.

Melody Forgy said veterans at the VA's Wellness and Vocational Enrichment Clinic are taught ways to explain to a potential employer how their military skills would be valuable.

“For example, they may have great skills in organizing food, equipment and weapon supplies, but they don't know how that translates to a job in civilian language, or how to write a résumé,” Forgy said. “We can help with that.”

Female veterans should consider getting their health care through the VA's Firm Comprehensive Women's Clinic, rather than from civilian medical providers, said the clinic's Elka Braden.

“Military sexual trauma and sexual abuse is something that sometimes occurs, but providers in the community might not even think to ask about it health club,” Braden said. “We're better equipped to handle it,” she said.

Richard Cira, 27, and Timothy Gass, 25, were Marines stationed together in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Although they returned to San Diego four years ago, Cira and Gass came to “Welcome Home” yesterday to find out what new services are available.

“It's nice to get in touch with different groups that are out there to help us,” said Gass, who is looking for a place to live. Gass said he was surprised to find out about a home-loan program for veterans health club.

DepEd set to launch sex education in public schools

Despite persistent lobbying by the Catholic Church, health club the Department of Education is bent on teaching sex education in the public high schools.

The DepEd is awaiting the go-ahead from the Presidential Council on Values Formation (PCVF) which is currently reviewing the secondary teachers’ “adolescent reproductive health manuals,” according to Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus.

“The new draft modules which are subject to PCVF review and approval are purely health and science angles on reproductive health... They are not sex educational materials at all,” Lapus told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

The DepEd furnished the Inquirer with copies of the revised modules, titled “Secondary Teachers’ Toolkit on Adolescent Reproductive Health” and “Patnubay sa Pagtuturo ng Araling Adolescent Reproductive Health para sa Alternative Learning System.”

Lapus stressed that the revised modules were “products of nationwide multisectoral consultations.”

The preparation of the 2006 manuals were jointly funded by the Australian Aid for International Development and the United Nations Fund for Population Awareness.

Asked about the sex education program’s timetable, Lapus said it all depended on the PCVF. “We await the council’s resolution.”

The council was created on April 30, 2004, by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under Executive Order No. 314.

The Office of the President-attached body is tasked to “serve as the lead agency by which government may work hand in hand with civil society and the private sector in the establishment of a strong foundation for moral value formation in the government bureaucracy.”

The PCVF, chaired by Arroyo, counted “members of the clergy and ministers,” among others, as those seating in the counil, said Lapus.

With regards to its composition, separate checks by Inquirer Research and the DepEd communications office with the PCVF yielded negative results.

For undisclosed reasons health club, PCVF staff declined to provide the data requested.

When interviewed, Dr. Thelma Santos, director of the DepEd’s Health and Nutrition Center, justified the DepEd’s sex education initiative.

“It is high time public schools provide their adolescent students with the right information about their sexuality,” said Santos.

According to Santos health club, “distinction should be made between sex education and teaching students to be more aware of their sexuality.”

The revised modules include teaching notes on:

? Pre-marital sex, commercial sex, abortion and homosexuality.

? “Risky sex.” Class discussions on the long-term health and social consequences of sexual risk-taking among adolescents.

? Feelings of admiration for one person of the same or opposite sex. In small group discussions, students will be asked to discuss what they think about dating, boy-girl relationship, how to ask for a date and proper behavior while dating, among others.