How do Pregnancy Tests Work?
September 30, 2009
Pregnancy tests identify a special hormone in the blood or urine produced during pregnancy. This hormone is called human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), often referred to as the pregnancy hormone. There are two basic types of pregnancy tests, blood and urine.
Home pregnancy test are primarily urine tests. These are easy to use, private and inexpensive. Most are quick and very accurate, claiming a 99% accuracy rate. Tests can be purchased at drug and discount stores without a prescription. False positives are very rare, but a false negative is possible if the test is done too early for sufficient quantities of HCG in your urine. False negatives can be avoided by waiting until your period is due, or about 2 weeks after you ovulate. Confirming a negative result with a second test a few days or a week later is wise. Always follow a positive result with a trip to your doctor for confirmation and prenatal care.
Medicines containing HCG can cause a false positive on your home test, but most over-the-counter and prescription drugs will not affect test results.
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil — Why Is It Different?
September 29, 2009
A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to a startling conclusion that taking high-dose fish oils, which are very rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, helps support a healthy heart, a healthy brain, a healthy immune system, healthy joint movement, healthy kidneys and much more.
Each grade of fish oil is distinguished from the other by its purity and concentration of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Crude fish oils are the least expensive and most will likely contain some levels of contaminants including PCBs, DDT and organic mercury.
When choosing a high dose fish oil remember that knowledge is power and not all fish oils are manufactured the same. Some fish oils may even be dangerous when taken in high doses.
With many choices of fish oil available, and with so many pro and con opinions written about each, it is easy to become confused. So when it comes time for you to choose a fish oil make sure you do your homework and choose wisely ? your health depends on it.
When choosing a fish oil that you will be ingesting in high doses it is crucial that you choose one that is pure and free of contaminants, toxins, and mercury. How can you, the consumer, tell the difference?
Getting the Most Out of Your IRO (Independent Review Organization)
September 28, 2009
Getting the Most Out of Your IRO (Independent Review Organization)
by: AllMed Healthcare Management
Working with an Independent Review Organization (IRO) is a bit like working with your physician. How do you know you’re going to get the treatment to fix your ailment? Is the treatment covered by my insurance? How long do I have to wait for treatment? Have I given the doctor all of the information he or she needs to make the right care decision?
When requesting an independent medical review, careful consideration needs to be given to focusing on the specific issue(s) you’re trying to resolve. Understanding what questions to ask in the first place will help keep costs at a minimum by ensuring your IRO is reviewing the proper records and facts and correctly delivering decisions on the issues at hand - the first time.
It’s easy to confuse the issue of medical necessity of a procedure with the issue of whether or not a patient qualifies for that procedure according to your plan language. For example, say Mary Smith’s doctor has referred her to a chiropractor for back pain treatment but the plan language on her policy does not cover chiropractic services - no exceptions. Regardless of medical necessity or the doctor’s referral, the treatment would and should be denied. The IRO reviewer must be informed as to which issue you are trying to address up front.
Play More, Suffer Less
September 27, 2009
Play More, Suffer Less
by: Nancy Hill
I don’t even like the word “exercise” anymore. Like the word “diet”, which really just means what you eat, the meaning of the word “exercise” has changed.
It once meant you were “physically moving your body for the sake of your health”. That doesn’t sound bad at all. Unfortunately, it has come to represent activities that are mostly boring, repetitive, and unappealing.
Movement is supposed to be fun. It should be good for the soul as well as for the body.
Our bodies are meant to be in motion. To be active, agile, busy, and full of life. We weren’t meant to sit on the couch all day any more than we were meant to spend hours locked away in smelly gyms.
Time travel back to when you were a child. If you were like most children, you were on the move all the time. It was never called exercise. Who would have thought of such a thing?
It was called PLAYING! And it was fun. Children don’t count calories. They don’t force themselves to play for a certain amount of time. They move around because they love it and it feels good.
The Stunning Effects Of Blessing Your Food
September 26, 2009
The Stunning Effects Of Blessing Your Food
by: Nancy Hill
Grandma was right. Bless your food.
It’s a rare thing these days to hear someone blessing their food. Other than Thanksgivingand quaint Norman Rockwell paintingsour food goes unblessed. Happily consumed, largely unappreciated.
There is real magic in the blessing of food - or anything else. This is not airy-fairy New Age stuff. Nor is based on any religious tradition. In fact, science is proving that the thoughts we think about something dramatically alter its physical structure.
Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto has been doing amazing work recording the effects of energy on water. He photographed the crystal structure of water before and after being labeled with words relating to various aspects of life.
Water samples exposed to hateful words like “I hate you” or “you make me sick” took on random, unattractive appearances. Water that was exposed to words like “love”, “thank you”, or “peace” changed to beautiful, crystalline structures much like elaborate snowflakes.
You will find photos of Mr. Emoto’s water samples here. See for yourself what water samples looked like after they were blessed with various thoughts.
Bariatric Surgery: Cosmetic or Necessary?
September 26, 2009
Bariatric Surgery: Cosmetic or Necessary?
by: AllMed Healthcare Management
During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. Thirty states have obesity rates of more than 20 percent. Currently, more than 44 million Americans are considered obese, the result of our fast-food life style and lack of exercise.
As a result, more obese Americans are turning to bariatric surgery. In 1995, just 20,000 weight-loss operations were performed in the United States. Last year, physicians performed 103,000 bariatric surgeries, an increase of more than 500 percent. The projection for 2005 rises to 144,000.
These surgeries are in the range of $30,000 each and if complications arise, even more. Even though some health insurance groups do not include this surgery in their plan language, requests for independent medical reviews regarding bariatric surgery have surged over the past year.
Most of these reviews hinge on what’s considered medically necessary or optional when it comes to bariatric surgery. As a claims manager, there are several issues to consider when making a decision about a patient’s claim for bariatric surgery:
How To Reduce Weight Fast And Lose Fat Forever Fast Weight Reducing Tip
September 25, 2009
How To Reduce Weight Fast And Lose Fat Forever Fast Weight Reducing Tip
by: Chris Chew
So you have tried dieting to reduce weight. You have also popped all kinds of weight reducing pills you can get your hands on. To your delight your effort seemed to work as you begin to lose body fat steadily. Then one day, before you reach your desired weight, you begin to notice that your weight seemed to stay the same even though you are still on the diet and popping those weight reducing slimming pills. To your horror, you discover that the weight you had lost is beginning to pile up once again. Instead of reducing weight, you are now gaining weight. Sounds familiar?
What happened? Simply put, slimming pills and fad diets are only short term strategy to reduce weight and keeping body fat at bay. To reduce weight and lose fat forever, your caloric expenditure must surpass your caloric consumption. Aren’t you doing that in your diet? Yes you are. But when you are on a diet, you go hungry and your body will signal to your brain to conserve fat for energy because your body is built with a mechanism to conserve fat during famine and it will not know whether it is famine season or that you are on a diet. In this instance, your body will consume your muscle for energy instead of your body fat and this spells trouble because your muscle is a great calorie gobbler. So with less muscle, your fat burning capability grinds to a screeching halt.
How You Can Support Your Immune System
September 24, 2009
Media coverage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has incited fear among the American public, emptied Chinatowns all over North America and stopped much of the travel between the U.S., Toronto, Canada, China, Taiwan and southeast Asia. While SARS is an urgent concern for the World Health Organization, a larger worry on the horizon for the world health agency is the flu-the long awaited influenza pandemic.
The flu pandemic has historically occurred at 25-30 year intervals and its destruction has been cataclysmic. The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, for example, killed more than 40 million people worldwide (670,000 Americans alone). The most recent flu pandemic struck 35 years ago and killed more than 4 million people. SARS, by comparison, has caused less than one thousand deaths and is much less infectious. Dr. Klaus Stohr, the head of the influenza program at the World Health Organization who is also leading the agency’s fight against SARS said in a Wall Street Journal interview, "We are not prepared for the devastation of a flu pandemic? SARS will be something to smile about," he said.
Metabolife With Ephedra, Metabolife 356 Review
September 23, 2009
Metabolife With Ephedra, Metabolife 356 Review
by: Joe Rodriguez
Metabolife356 is another one of the “old ephedra products” that people used to achieve their weight loss goals. The sale of Metabolife 356 through independant distributors and mall kiosks placed ephedra among other mainstream supplements.
Key ingredients in Metabolife 356:
Proprietary Blend 728 mg
Guarana Concentrate (seed) - (40 mg naturally-occurring caffeine)
Ma Huang Concentrate (aerial part) - (12 mg naturally- occurring ephedrines)
Bee Pollen
Ginseng (root)
Ginger (root)
Lecithin
Bovine Complex
Damiana (leaf)
Sarsaparilla (root)
Goldenseal (aerial part)
Nettles (leaf)
Gotu Kola (aerial part)
Spirulina Algae
Royal Jelly
Other Ingredients: Methocel, Silica, Croscarmellose Sodium, Magnesium Stearate
Vitamin E 6 i.u. 20% Daily Value
Magnesium (as Magnesium Chelate) 75 mg 18% Daily Value
Zinc (as Zinc Chelate) 5 mg 33% Daily Value
Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate) 75 mcg 62% Daily Value
Stop Exercising And Start Playing
September 22, 2009
Stop Exercising And Start Playing
by: Nancy Hill
Have you ever berated yourself because you didn’t exercise yet again today? Have you felt that creeping guilt in the back of your mind when you climb into bed knowing you didn’t follow through on your workout plan?
Well, it’s possible that you are not at fault. You may just be acting like a normal human being.
Take a moment to imagine how it feels to be
1) In a hot, sweaty gym full of people who are grunting through their routines, sweating all over the equipment, and strutting their bodies around in front of the mirrors.
OR
2) Rounding a curve in the trail with a light breeze gently caressing your skin in the soft evening air.
How about the difference between
1) Running around an oval track gasping for air and feeling your lungs burning.
OR
2) Racing up and down a soccer field fully challenged by the game and having a blast with your friends.
It’s not difficult to decide which choices would be more enjoyable to most people. Our culture has taught us to suffer as we exercise. “No pain, no gain” has been the mantra for years.
