Take Charge of Your Health Care Blog Carnival- June 22, 2008

Welcome to the June 22, 2008 edition of take charge of your health care. This blog carnival is a collection of articles about saving money on health and dental care, alternative medicine, consumer directed health care, high cost of medical care, current issues in health care, diet and fitness, and health and the environment.

This is the first edition of Take Charge of Your Health Care Carnival that is being published at http://healthplansplus.blogspot.com/. Health Plans Plus blog already enjoys a readership and has a Google Page Rank of 3, so hopefully this move will benefit all of the contributors to this Carnival.

I have added a beauty and grooming category for this month’s Carnival since we do get some submissions on this topic. Check out the miscellaneous category for quality posts which may be off topic but of value to our readers.

All entries have been personally reviewed by me, and are selected based on content and value to the reader. I have recently launched a brand new blog for moms, dads, and grandparents who have a homebased business. Head over to: http://workathomemom-dad.blogspot.com/ to see my “Hello World” post.

Save Money on Health Care and Health Insurance

Vera Lang presents Using a Health Savings Account to Pay for Alternative Medicine posted at Be Safe Insure .com, saying, "Health Savings Accounts allow you to set up a tax-deductible account to pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health insurance. These include expenses to cover your deductible, and other medical expenses like dental and eyeglasses. But many don’t realize that HSA funds can be used to pay for virtually any type of medical service, as long as it pertains to the treatment or prevention of a specific health condition."

Yi Hui Chang presents Ratings of Bay area hospitals from Consumer Reports posted at The Simple Wealth. Editor’s note: This excellent blog post addresses the issue of excessive hospital pricing and in some cases overly aggressive and unnecessary care.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Of Black Holes And Insurance Claims posted at The Digerati Life. Editor’s note: This is a humorous but not so funny commentary on the hassle you will get when attempting to file a claim for out-of-network expenses with your health insurance company.

Dr Martin W. Russell presents Compensation Is Worse Overall posted at Dr Martin W. Russell. Editor’s note: Some facts about the compensation system that you should know.

Alternative Medicine

Neelakantha presents 101 Resources for a Holistic Healthcare Regimen posted at NursingDegree.net. Editor’s note: This is an excellent and thorough resource guide for those who would like to create a holistic regimen for their life.

Anmol Mehta presents The Key to Natural Healing posted at Mastery of Meditation, Enlightenment and Kundalini Yoga, saying, "The key to natural healing is to be positive, relaxed and at peace mentally. The concepts of you are not your body, and the body's fantastic inbuilt healing capacities greatly help facilitate this state."

Ellen Landauer presents EDTA Chelation for Detoxification, Immune System Healing and More posted at Health Freedom Coaching, saying, "In addition to the essential foundation of healthy diet, exercise, sound sleep and emotional health, what if there was an easy way to take your vitality to a much higher level? What if you could reduce your chances of being diagnosed with cancer or heart disease, speed recovery from fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue, look and feel younger and even increase sexual health? There is a time tested (over 50 years of safety and effectiveness), proven (by medical research) method to accomplish these goals, known as EDTA chelation that is convenient, safe and economical."

Bob Morgan presents Finding Acupuncture Pain Relief for Your Back Acupuncture For Pain, Weight Loss, Depression, Cancer, Allergy and Infertility posted at Acupuncture For Pain, Weight Loss, Depression, Cancer, Allergy and Infertility. Editor’s note: Acupuncture can be an excellent alternative to prescription painkillers and their side effects.

axel presents Stress Management posted at axel g. Editor’s note: This post provides some good relaxation and stress management techniques.

Barbara Y presents Garlic: The Miracle Cure posted at All Natural Blog. Editor’s note: Good blog post on the benefits of garlic.

Roshan presents Asthma posted at Nature Cure. Editor’s note: You will find some great natural health remedies on this site.

Murphy S presents Practical Tips to Prevent Acne posted at All Natural Acne. Editor’s note: You will find some good advice for the acne prone in this post.

Dental Care

Helene Zemel presents AmeriPlan Dental - An Affordable Dental Plan posted at Affordable Dental Plans, saying, "As a Senior Regional Sales Director for Ameriplan, a discount dental and medical provider access organization, I speak to many people each day who are among the 7 in 10 Americans without an affordable dental plan. A dental discount plan can be an affordable alternative to costly dental insurance. Here are some questions to ask when searching for an affordable dental plan for your family."

Helene Zemel presents Silver Amalgam Dental Fillings - Are They a Risk to your Health? posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "The use of mercury in amalgam dental fillings has come under some controversy. This post discusses the pros and cons of amalgam "silver" fillings vs. composite fillings including differences in cost. The U.S. FDA, as well as other countries, is considering labeling restrictions on amalgam fillings."

Heather Johnson presents MedHeadlines - Pregnancy Linked to Tooth Loss posted at MedHeadlines, saying, “No one ever said having children was easy or cheap. In fact, giving birth could cost a mother more than money — it could cost her some teeth.”

Alfred L presents Natural Cure for Bad Breath posted at Only Natural Blog. Editor’s note: Some tips on keeping your breath fresh.

Consumer Driven Health Care

TherapyDoc presents Definition: ADHD posted at Everyone Needs Therapy, saying, "Before jumping to meds, take a closer look."

D. Singh presents Google Health Launched. Can We Entrust our Health to Google? posted at Internet Marketing Blog, saying, "Google has entered into the fray of online health record service via a simply branded service, Google Health. Google Health aims to empower us in managing our health information. Google Health proposes to store all this information in a secure and private environment. It even promises that it won’t sell our data."

Tip Diva presents Tip Diva Top Ten Tips - Managing The Side Effects Of Chemotherapy posted at Tip Diva, saying, "According to the World Health Organization, cancer cases are increasing globally, with new cases expected to jump from 11.3 million in 2007 to 15.5 million 2030. With these increases mean more people on chemotherapy. Here are ways to manage these side effects that come with undergoing a chemo regimen"

Tonya presents Natural Labor - Some Suggestions For A More Comfortable Labor And Delivery posted at My Pregnancy Blog, saying, "Natural labor followed by childbirth without any intervention from doctors or medical procedures is safe and most common."

Alanna presents How to Be Your Own Prescription Advocate BBB Consumer Education Blog posted at BBB Consumer Education. Editor’s note: Many people do not check their prescriptions before leaving the doctor's office or pharmacy. This article is a good reminder.

Joanne presents I Think I Poisoned My Cat posted at Open Mind Required, saying, "It's hard to classify this. While the story is about my cat, it's more about trusting our innate ability to heal without interference, and that treating symptoms does not address cause."

Cancerkitty presents Vaccinations: Good or Bad? posted at DelSquacho, saying, "Are vaccinations dangerous?" Editor’s note: Vaccines have come under some controversy in recent years, but the author makes the point the benefits of vaccinating our children far outweigh the small percentage of problems that could occur.

Alvaro Fernandez presents Brain Health Business Grows With Research and Demand posted at SharpBrains, saying, "An in-depth look into the "brain training" field and future directions."

Technology Editor presents Computer Vision Syndrome and How to Avoid it posted at Physician Entrepreneur, saying, “If you spend hours of each day looking at a computer monitor, you are at risk for Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).”

Alex Blackwell presents 30 True Things You Need to Know Now posted at The Next 45 Years, saying, “It is never too late to bring about lasting change for your life. No matter your present circumstances, not matter what has happened in your past; no matter your age, gender, or socioeconomic status, you are the creator of the life you want to live.”

James Brausch presents The Problem With Exercise posted at Weight Loss Dude, saying, “By definition, exercising is a waste of time. Instead of taking time out of your life to go to the gym and “exercise”, why not actually live life and actually do the real activities that exercising is meant to simulate?.”

Sagar presents 101 Wellness Tips You?ve Never Heard Before posted at Nursing Degree Guide. Editor’s note: This is a must read. You will find some great information on a variety of health topics.

Shaheen Lakhan presents Medicine and the Law - Part 4: Informed Consent posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, saying, "Informed consent essentially is documented written or verbal permission from a patient to receive treatment or undergo a procedure. But when a patient is uncooperative or cannot understand what's happening, things can get tricky."

William Peeters presents Fraudulent Study Discredits Herbal Remedy posted at EmbracingHealthBlog Alternative Health and Lifestyle Views, saying, “It is very common that studies done on natural medicine seem to be designed with an end result in mind, which shows herbs and nutrients in a negative light.”

Aparna presents Sleeping for long hours is not good for health posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming. Editor’s note: We all know the importance of a good night’s sleep, but is it a problem if we sleep for more than 9 hours every night?
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Diet & Fitness

Carol Solomon presents EFT Tips: WHY EFT WORKS FOR WEIGHT LOSS posted at EFT Tips, saying, "This article is about using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) for weight loss. You can stop food cravings, neutralize the emotions that lead to overeating and stop sabotaging yourself."

Lovelyn presents 10 Simple Ways to Increase the Amount of Exercise You Get Everyday posted at The Art of Balanced Living, saying, “Most of us want to get more exercise, but we never think we have the time to do it. Doing a few simple things differently can help you get more exercise and be more physically fit.”

Dianne M. Buxton presents Professional Footwork, Muscle Memory For Ballet, and Neural Pathways posted at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes, saying, "This article targets ballet and tennis as subjects and the required nutrition for brain/reflex development, and applies generally as well." Editor’s note: Ballet is such a great exercise and it is fun too, and you get to practice to some beautiful music.

Joshua Seth presents Individuals Fighting Obesity posted at Joshua Seth Blog, saying, "If you think it's hard to lose those last 7 pounds, imagine if you had to lose 700! That's what Manuel Urib is attempting to do and he's well on his way to succeeding

Randy Powell presents Alkaline Misconceptions posted at Eating-Veggies.com: Alkaline Diet blog, saying, "Boost your immune system with a diet high in alkaline foods! Eat a diet high in veggies and fruit every single day."
Davexplorer presents What is natural cooking? posted at Natural Cooking Blog. Editor’s note: Some tips on getting started with natural cooking.

Davexplorer presents Vegan cooking to improve your health. posted at Natural Cooking Blog. Editor’s note: These natural cooking tips should add flavor to your favorite dishes.

Health and the Environment

Sheamus presents 7 Ways To Turn Distress Into Eustress posted at i am shéamus. Editor’s note: Some great suggestions on how to relieve stress in your daily life.

Roderick Fabre presents Seniors Safe and Independent Living posted at Cats Love Plastic Bags, saying, "Safety tips for senior citizens."

Aparna presents When exercise can be harmful posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, “People living in cities with high pollution levels should be extra cautious about exercising outdoors as the possible damage to health far outweighs the benefits from exercise.

Beauty and Grooming

Save Money presents How to Lighten Dark Underarms posted at My Beauty And Fashion. Editor’s note: If you suffer from this problem, here are some tips for lightening this skin area.

Barbara Y presents Homemade Facial Masks posted at All Natural Blog. Editor’s note: Some facial masks that you can try.

Mike Ramsey presents Hyperhidrosis Causes posted at Hyperhidrosis. Editor’s note: Some good advice for those who suffer from this condition.

Murphy S presents Everyday Tips to Prevent Acne posted at All Natural Acne. Editor’s note: Some simple steps you can follow to prevent acne.

Alfred L presents Natural Cures for Hair Loss posted at Only Natural Blog. Editor’s note: If you suffer from hair loss, you might want to try these remedies.

Phil B. presents Clean Ears with Cotton Swabs? « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Should we clean our ears with Q-Tips?"

Miscellaneous

Fuel Efficient Driver presents Better Gas Mileage With A Moped posted at I Want Better Gas Mileage, saying, "If high gas prices are really busting your budget- consider buying a moped for your day-to-day trips."

Mohamed Bhimji presents 10 Best Ways To Enhance Your Creativity posted at Internet Business Opportunities. Editor’s note: The author provides 10 helpful tips to help boost your creativity.

Mohamed Bhimji presents 8 Strategies To Handle Negative People In Your Life Or On Your Blog Internet Business Opportunities oibo dot org posted at Internet Business Opportunities. Editor’s note: The author present 8 great tips for handling those negative people in your life.

Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Prevent Identity Theft posted at Physician Entrepreneur. Editor’s note: Theft Identity has become a growing problem, especially in the computer age.

Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Send Emails that get Delivered and Read posted at Physician Entrepreneur. Editor’s note: 7 great tips for those of us who do e-mail marketing.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of take charge of your health care using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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