Natural Health Medicine

Natural health medicine is a ever growing business which more people are turning to for effective health treatments. Natural medicines cover virtually any type of sickness and medical condition you might suffer with. We pump our systems with so many chemicals from prescription drugs sometimes it can overload us which can lead to more medical problems down the line. With the price of prescription medicines sky-rocketing over the last decade it is literally impossible to afford the medicines you need.

There are some alternatives to over priced medicines and can be just as effective. Some of the natural health medicines include Devil's Claw which helps those who suffer from chronic back pain by reducing inflammation, Red Yeast Rice which helps reduce the level of your cholesterol, St. John's Wort which comes in pill or oil form and can help those who suffer from anxiety, depression, Propolis Powder can be used to help maintain a cleaner mouth, Milk.

Thistle can be used to help quit smoking (keep in mind results may very), Adaptogenic herbs which include ginseng, licorice, maca, holy basil, and goldenroot, which helps treat fatigue and give to long term energy and not just a quick burst. Phototherapy is one of the more interesting natural health medicines because it deals with ultraviolet light to treat diseases.

Not to suggest a conspiracy but it would seems as if more tests and studies were conducted in these natural health medicines it would take away from the prescription drug business, just something to think about. There are natural health medicines out there to be used to help treat your problems so taking the time to do addition research to see which is right for you is highly suggested.

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Health Savings Account Health Plans

Health Savings Accounts are one of the most exciting tools available to fight increasing health care cost. Health Saving Accounts (HSAs) were included in the Medicare legislation enactment created December 2003 to become effective January 2004. The Bill is modeled after the Archer Medical Savings Account (MSA). The impetus of the HSA as well as its MSA father is to allow a tax favored vehicle to encourage people to buy an affordable and flexible health plan. The insurance carriers are able to offer these plans at an affordable price for two reasons:

These are high deductible plans and therefore, the insurance carrier does not pay for the small claims or the administration to process them.Those who purchase HSA plans are generally healthier, concerned more with protecting themselves from major medical bills. Insurance carriers examine each plan's claims and adjust premiums appropriately. Purchasing one of these plans means putting yourself in a healthy claims pool.

There were several reasons the MSA never gained wide spread appeal:The legislation allowing MSA plans were not adopted permanently.They were only available to self-employed and those working at companies of less than fifty employees.Tax deductible contributions could be made by either the employee or the employer but not both.

Cafeteria plans, under Internal Revenue Code Section 125, excluded HSA plans.The level of deductibility was limited to 65% for individuals & 75% families.All of these shortfalls have been corrected with HSA plans. Title X11, Section 1201 of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement Act amended the Code to make HSAs a permanent feature

Everyone can purchase an HSA qualified health plan- in-turn allowing them to open up an HSA account to fund their deductible on a pre-tax basis. Tax deductible contributions can be made by both the employer and the employee into the same HSA account. The deduction allowed actually reduces your taxable income dollar for dollar. Look at page one of your 1040 and line 27 will say, "Archer MSA deduction," (right below IRA deduction) next year it will say HSA deduction.

If you contribute $1,000 and you are in a 30% combined Federal/State tax bracket your tax savings is $300. Interest and capital gains earned is not a taxable event. Withdrawals for qualified medical purposes are not taxable. This can even be a medical expense that is not covered under your health plan such as dental & vision.

Contributions can be made into your company cafeteria plan or a separate HSA account - your HSA account does not have the same use it or lose it rules prohibiting deferred compensation within section 125 Cafeteria plans. Your current cafeteria plan may or may not yet have a HSA account available. We work with administrators that have the HSA account available.

Several banks will allow you to open a personal HSA account. We have heard positive feedback about State Bank of Howards Grove. You can link to their site at www.msabank.com. They offer check & debit cards directly from your HSA account so there is no need to pay the doctor or hospital cash and then submit to the bank for reimbursement.

Their set up fee is about $25 and there is no maintenance fee if you meet minimum balance requirements. Once again, both you and your employer can contribute to this account. 100% of your deductible can be contributed into a HSA account each year. The minimum deductible eligible to qualify for a HSA plan is $1,000 single and $2,000family.

The maximum out of pocket can't be more than $5,000 for single or $10,000 for family. There is no set maximum deductible so it technically can be as large as your maximum out of pocket. The family deductible with an HSA is cumulative: in other-words, all family members' medical bills go toward the same deductible as opposed to traditional plans which have separate deductibles for each family member.

Unlike MSA's, HSA plans have a "catch-up" provision, allowing those who are 55 years old or more to put in an additional $500 per year increasing $100 per year starting in 2005 up to an additional $1,000 in 2009. Health Savings Accounts open up the door to both tax savings and affordable health coverage for both individuals and companies.

Contributions to HSAs are both deductible to the corporation and excludable from the employee's gross income. Many employers are empowering their employees with the ability to choose there own health plan from a menu of choices.

For example, they may give each employee an allowance of $250 to choose a plan. The hypothetical employee may opt for a traditional plan that cost $350 monthly, therefore, contributing $100 per month out of their paycheck. Another employee may opt for a HSA plan which might cost $150 per month and stick the other $100 per month in there HSA account.

This will give them first dollar coverage of $1200 per year rolling over the unused amount each and every year. People who are self-employed or work for companies of any size get to benefit from the same tax advantages.

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Public Health Certification Schools

Public Health Schools, colleges, and universities provide programs of study for earning a certificate or a degree in fields of public health. Both courses of study are intended for practicing public health or health care professionals.

Public Health Schools that offer the Certificate in Public Health (CPH) have designed this course of study to add to public health knowledge and skills. The program is meant for practicing professionals in various fields of public health, and for those with appropriate education and work experience who are considering a career in the field of public health.

Coursework for public health certificates can be applied toward the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, provided that an undergraduate degree has been obtained and the student is registered in a master degree program.


The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is recognized as the primary professional degree in public health. MPH programs prepare students with bachelor or higher degrees, usually in the health care field, for teaching professions in public health. Professionals can add to their career potential with the CPH or MPH through specialized post-graduate studies in areas of public health.

Public Health Schools provide programs for professionals from various health field backgrounds for improved expertise, influence, and effectiveness. Course credits can be applied toward MPH in clinical research, public and industrial policy, health education, as well as other health care professions.

Public Health Schools teach applications of biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral, and environmental health sciences to address health problems, approaches and resolutions to health problems, and orientation towards health promotion and disease prevention. MPH programs address many health issues and allow pursuit of study for the master's degree in areas of special interest with combined degree programs.


Combined degrees offered some by some Public Health Schools include the DVM/MPH (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine/Master of Public Health), which provides advanced training related to infectious diseases and public health; the MD/MPH (Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health),

which allows medical doctors to apply the principles of both medicine and public health in their practices; the MSN/MPH (Master of Science/Master of Public Health), which prepares nurses for positions in public health agencies; and the PharmD/MPH (Pharmacy/Master of Public Health), which allows training in public health with relation to pharmacotherapy and health promotion, disease prevention, and medication safety.

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Health Department Regulations For Your Catering Business

When starting with a catering business you will be required to have many licenses and certifications, and must adhere to Health Department regulations. You will need to contact your local Health Department for the specific regulations, certifications, licenses, and insurance information for your area. The Health Department also usually requires an inspection of the area to be used for your catering business.

The cooks and employees need to be clearly aware of food service sanitation especially when it comes to the storage of finished or prepared food. And this knowledge affects the decision of the health department in order to approve the kitchen. Certain food items always have specific regulations and therefore if the kitchen is going to prepare those kinds of food in particular then these precise regulations should be known by the workers.


There is a legal obligation to provide information and training on health and safety to all employees who need it, including full time staff, new recruits and part-timers. Slips, trips and falls give rise to a third of all reported accidents in catering premises. Consider floor cleaning, procedures to clean up spillages, and appropriate footwear. These will be inspected by the health department officers as to what steps are taken to prevent such accidents.

All precautions are therefore a necessity. It is vital to show to the officers that you are taking all necessary measures to keep your employees as well as your guests safe from all kinds of accidents including food- borne illness or fire or even a slip. Consider what causes burns and scalds. The safe use of oven cloths is to be done by keeping them dry and in good condition. Many cleaning agents can cause bad burns and eyes are particularly at risk.

You ought to clearly remind your employees that while at work they have a legal duty to take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues and others with whom they come in contact as well their guests and also they ought to co-operate with their employer in complying with health and safety requirements.



The health department will check that all the equipments are in safe working order and are being correctly used, cleaned, maintained and stored and that the staff is trained in the correct use and cleaning of equipment before they are allowed to use it.The procedures regarding the food items are to be inspected like whether the products are being correctly handled and safe procedures are followed while lifting and handling, cleaning, including proper isolation of equipment, safe use of chemicals; and use of protective clothing and equipment such as gloves and goggles if required.

Proper hygiene is to be maintained in the kitchen. When the place is inspected and the main chef is probably interviewed the health department will check the knowledge on proper hygiene before approving the kitchen. These are the most important facts to remember in order to get the approval of the state or local health department.

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Family Health Policy - An Outlook

Thomas Mahoney, a 21-year-old uninsured network engineer & a part-time student of Dublin, Ga., has become a patient of epileptic seizure last December who eventually lost his health insurance at the age of 19. He was no longer eligible for coverage under his father's policy because he wasn't a full-time student.Almost all states that regulate insurance plans for small- and medium-sized employers, fix a maximum age limit for coverage of dependent children. This limit is usually 19 for non-student and 23 for full-time college students.

Mahoney is one of 13 million plus people between the ages of 19 to 29 without health coverage. Many are just starting out in their careers who never had a serious health problem so far. Some people term this age group as all-resistance to major diseases and care nothing if they have health coverage or not. But unexpected does happen. A good example is Thomas Mahoney. States now are looking at this group of young people who seek to reduce the number of uninsured.

Since the past two years, 17 states have passed laws that let young adults stay on the family policy until their mid twenties. New age limits range from 24 in Delaware, Indiana and South Dakota, to 30 in New Jersey. Eleven states settled on age 25, according to the Commonwealth Fund that conducts health research.Barack Obama, a democratic presidential candidate has also picked up on the trend. Part of his health program would let young people up to age 25 continue to get coverage through their parents' health plans.

The Commonwealth Fund projects that 1.4 million people would gain health insurance if every state extended dependent coverage to at least 23.State lawmakers, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators who specialize in insurance regulation will vote on a policy recommendation in two weeks to come that supports increasing the availability of dependent benefits up to age 25.

The insurance industry says the extensions cause insurers to pay for care that consumers previously paid for out of their own pockets. When insurers have to pay more claims, they have no alternative but to raise premiums to cover those claims. For the most part, employers bear the added cost.

Mohit Ghose, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, said it's too soon to know how much insurance costs went up in states that extended eligibility for dependent coverage. When evaluating the additional requirements, he said, each one by itself amounts to a small increase in the cost of a policy, usually adding less than 1 percent. But, eventually, those mandates add up.

Eventually, they can price health coverage out of range for some employers and their workers, he said."Sometimes when states jump on a bandwagon, it's not necessarily the right bandwagon for the people they're trying to help," said Susan Laudicina, director of state research and policy at The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

A better solution is to let insurers offer a mix of plans that appeal to young adults, Ghose and Laudicina said. Such plans typically have low monthly premiums but require the patient to pick up a large chunk of initial medical expense. Plans targeting young adults tend to cost less because those age 19-23 generate about $1,500 in medical expenses a year compared to $3,200 for those 30-49 or $6,300 for those 50-64.J.P.

Wieske, the council's director of state affairs, said that staying on a parent's policy could come back to haunt young adults who develop serious health conditions. Once they develop a serious condition, just like Thomas Mahoney did with epilepsy, they'll find it almost impossible to get insurance.

But if they get their own health insurance before the problem hits, they'll have coverage that cannot be terminated."The sooner they can get on their own policies, the better off they'll be," Wieske said. "The rates will be cheaper and they're buying something they can keep with them. Wieske is particularly critical of New Jersey's law, which extended dependent coverage in some cases to age 30.

But Sarah Collins of the Commonwealth Fund said she believes the state's approach made sense."One of the fastest growing age groups in the uninsured are 19 to 29 year old. Between 19 and 23, you're somewhat protected by your parents plans," Collins said, referring primarily to college students. "But, this age group, from 24 to 29, you really are a new entrant in the labor force. When you are a new entrant to the labor force, you're more likely to be employed by companies that don't offer coverage."

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Public Health Education

Professionals in the field of public health perform an important function by working to keep our communities free of disease and infection, and you can be a part of it with a good public health education. Public health care is focused on the entire population, rather than the individual.

Educational programs in public health are offered in community colleges, vocational schools and trade schools to allow workers to actively promote and maintain the wellbeing of the community as a whole.

Public health education instructs students in identifying health risks and coordinating public programs and public services to improve mental and physical health, prevent diseases and health risks, reduce substance use and abuse, and eliminate violence in communities.

Whether you choose a campus-based college or an online public health school, your studies will most likely include health sciences, concepts of good health, human diseases, causes of diseases, environmental issues, food safety, child health, immunology, medical terminology, and much more.

At the vocational level, students can opt to earn public health certification, or commit to a two-year program for Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees. Credits earned in community colleges and vocational schools can be transferred to four-year colleges and universities, where students can continue their studies toward advanced degrees in public health.


Vocational schools can also provide training in health services aimed at protecting against environmental hazards, such as unsafe drinking water, food, and air. Such a course might address issues of insect control, reduction of accidental injury and death, prevention of infectious diseases, and the necessity of formulating policies to address issues of public safety and public health.

Students will learn how to evaluate preventive medicine programs, how to addresses national issues of automobile safety and pollution, and other relevant topics.

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Health Care & Human Rights

In the American democracy, big change normally comes through many small steps. Rarely does it happen overnight (something the Obama administration is finding out). This is generally desirable, because it helps lend stability to our society, as views are carefully crafted, critiqued, and debated in the public domain.

Typically, the result is some form of a compromise, where each side is at least somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome. In less stable systems, drastic change comes all too often at the expense of the defenseless, through military might, civil unrest, and bloodshed. I am thankful that here in the United States, we have been spared that sort of chaos.

However, what contributes to a stable society can also have it's downside. For instance, many times people who are suffering have to wait, needlessly, while politicians and the media debate which way is the best way to solve the problem. And since the folks who are suffering typically lack the resources to stand up for themselves, they rely on others to fight for them in order to alleviate their pain and suffering.

The current debate over health care reform is a good example of how incremental change is insufficient and creates unnecessary suffering for many. This is mostly a result of the for profit nature of our system. And it's not limited to the poor, all you have to do is lose a high quality, white collar job to find that out the hard way.

The uninsured continue to fall victim to the worst kind of medical rationing, the kind that bases who receives coverage on how profitable they are for the giant insurance monopolies. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, it is a human rights issue.


I hope that more people will come to this realization and help fight for a better system. A system focused on bringing the best care to everyone, and not only the ones who can afford it. I think we all can agree that something needs to happen, and this time, it needs to happen in a big way. We can't hold out for incremental change when thousands continue to suffer everyday in our country.

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Senior Health and Home Safety

Senior citizens have to learn and adjust to the rewards and difficulties of getting older. Early on, let's say at 55 years of age, you're just entering the "senior" arena, and are just beginning to realize and experience happenings you might encounter. At first, you are introduced to things like, senior citizen restaurant special prices, senior citizen shopping days, or discounted pricing for senior citizen travel. All very nice, huh?


But, you will be faced with more difficult situations, as you advance in age. Many older adults are injured in or around the home. Falls, fires, and medicine interactions are some of home emergencies. Will you be able to recognize signs of aging, such as, confusion, forgetfulness, even anger? You might be faced with losing your wife or husband to illness or death. Are you prepared to live alone? Are you capable of taking care of your home and yourself? Do you have security and alarms to help keep you safe?

Home security systems are ideal, but suppose the intruder comes in the form of a fall, heart attack, or other medical emergency? A home security system cannot assist you if you cannot get to the control pad to call for help. What if you cannot reach your phone? If you cannot dial 911, your telephone won't help you!

A personal security alarm is not just for home security. Personal security alarms can save your life by calling for medical and other emergency assistance. If you can touch a bracelet on your wrist, a pendant or pin, you can get help. Help that you would not be able to summon if you could not get to your phone.

Some Safety Tips for Seniors:
Phone Calls: Don't get into conversations with strangers. Do not tell the caller your name, address, or marital status. Never give the caller your personal history or other identifying information! Call your police department if you get obscene calls, numerous hang ups or wrong number calls, or night calls from strangers. At Your Door: Never open your door to a stranger. Never let anyone come in your home to use the phone or bathroom. Instead, offer to make the call for them. Always keep a locked door between you and them!

Inexpensive one-way peep holes can easily be installed. If you do not feel the locks on your doors are adequate, a professional locksmith or friend can assist you in choosing and installing a secure lock. Remember, a lock is only as good as the door and frame that is attached to.
Be Safe on the Street: Most street crimes are crimes of opportunity. A thief looks for an easy target:

1) a woman walking down a quiet street, or 2) a man who just cashed his pension check. The thief is likely to be a teen, male, and a stranger to you. Purse and wallet snatching is common, and the hit-and-run attack is most likely. The trauma of a hit-and-run attack causes people to fear being on the streets, and they feel their security and quality of life has been jeopardized. Here are a few rules to remember:


1.Never carry large sums of money. 2.Never flash your money for anyone to see. 3.Never carry valuables with you. You cannot always plan for the unknown, and emergencies happen at home, church, or public places. Personal security alarms help senior citizens to live safely where they are most comfortable - in their own homes. Seniors can enjoy independent lives knowing they can get help, if needed.

Aging should not be all about stress and worry. Seniors can enjoy peace of mind, and be assured help is available, no matter where they are, or what emergency strikes. A personal security device is a friend in deed.

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