Take Charge of Your Health Care Carnival - January 22, 2009

Welcome to the January 22, 2009 edition of take charge of your health care. First, I would like to wish every one of my readers a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year. You will find lots of blog posts in this edition to help you with those New Year’s resolutions.

As we welcome Barack Obama, here in the United States, as our 44th president, we have new hope that something will be done about the U.S. healthcare crisis. President Harry Truman was one of the first presidents to recommend a National healthcare system. We all remember what happened with “Hillary Care.” Unfortunately, there have been far too many people in our government who put the interests of the HMOs and insurance companies above the needs of hard working Americans. With the election of the Democrats to Congress and the White House, I believe that we will see an improvement in our healthcare system over the next few years.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. It’s time to turn our attention to heart health and healthy living. You will find many helpful blog posts in this and previous carnivals that focus on healthy living.

Alternative Medicine

Fiona King presents 100 Free Open Courses & Tutorials to Learn About Alternative Medicine posted at Massage Therapy Careers. Editor’s note: Check out this informative resource for those interested in alternative, integrative, and holistic medicine.

Aparna presents Ward off frequent colds this winter posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, "Common cold is so common in winter and here’s the reason for it. Moreover if you have a tendency of catching colds too frequently, then you need not worry as there are several ways to stave off this malady. Incidentally there was a brief mention in ‘The Daily Mail’ that there is a sharp rise (up to 50%) in cold and flu infections this week and this is quite likely to blight the Christmas break. So if don’t want the cold/flu bug to ruin your Christmas week, see to it that you follow these precautions scrupulously and yes, prevention is always better than cure.

Aparna presents Home remedies for hardened palms posted at Beauty and Personality Grooming, saying, "Have you been neglecting your hands lately? You are not alone; most Indian women do – all that household work of cleaning, swabbing and doing the dishes takes a toll on their hands. Their hands take more abuse than just about any other external part of their body; they lose that youthfulness and look rugged and aged beyond years. Their palms especially are more vulnerable and become rough and hard over a period of time. The skin on the hands, as we know, is protected with a coating of oil/sebum. This is what keeps it moist and prevents dry skin. Constant immersing of hands in water, repeated washing with soaps and contact with harmful chemicals in detergents and floor-cleaning liquids (there is very little awareness in third-world countries) make the hands dry and cracked and often causes eczema (also known as housewife’s eczema) and some people are more prone to develop hand eczema than others are. And if this repeated exposure continues, hands also become red and inflamed."

Brittney presents Bacterial Vagionsis Cures BV Cure posted at Bacterial Vaginosis, saying, "Learn about alternative and natural treatments to cure bacterial vaginosis."

Dean Moyer presents Microdiscectomy and Herniated Discs posted at The Back Pain Blog, saying, "This is part four in the series, What Causes Herniated Discs? In the last article, we specifically looked at the effect of compressive loading and the role it plays in producing herniated discs. This time we’re going to examine torsional stress — sometimes referred to as axial torque — or what we laymen would simply call twisting."

Liam Wandi presents Beating the Winter Blues! posted at I R Liam Wandi, saying, “Are the short winter days getting you down? Are you struggling with getting out of bed when you look out of the window and it’s so dark all you see is your reflection? Try some of these ideas.”

Consumer Driven Health Care

Joel Gray presents A Breast Cancer Overview posted at Health Tips 101, saying, “It is not known if breast cancer is connected to the highly toxic environment that we live in, but the need to better understand the causes, ways to prevent this disease, and more advanced treatment options are needed.

Reba Haas presents Things to know about asbestos in your pre-1980's home and how to ?green? it up posted at Team Reba Real Estate, saying, "It seems most of us are looking for ways to make our homes "greener" so we can live healthier lives. Alternative methods for greening up older homes can make a difference in the air we breathe and improve our long term health by reducing the risk of exposure to products that can lead to a variety of maladies and illnesses." Editor’s note: Information that you need to know about asbestos, especially if you are purchasing or renovating an older home.

Erika Collin presents 100 Best Natural Wellness Blogs posted at Massage Therapy Careers. Editor’s note: This is a great list to check out for blogs on natural wellness.

Dr. Davon Jacobson presents Quick Simple Hemorrhoid Symptom Treatments posted at *Health and Nutrition Facts*, saying, “One thing I notice is that if you increase your fluid and fiber intake, you can help prevent them overall.”

Tiffany Washko presents Circumcision - Is it Necessary? posted at Natural Family Living Blog. Editor’s note: Read this for a different perspective on the practice of male circumcision.

Margaret Garcia presents Coping With A Child With Down Syndrome posted at Becoming a Computer Technician. Editor’s note: Thanks for this inspiring and informative blog post.

Karen Bastille presents A Guide to Quality Health Care - How to know it when you see it COPD News Of The Day posted at COPD News Of The Day. Editor’s note: This blog post discusses how to find and evaluate quality health care. Information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is discussed.

Dr. Davon Jacobson presents The Simple Way to Deal With Back Pain posted at *Health and Nutrition Facts*. Editor’s note: Some good advice for those that suffer from back pain.

Abdulrasool Sumar presents Boston University Scientists Identify Another Molecule for Lung Cancer Development - microRNA Molecule, Gene Tissues & Expressions Study, Smoking Statistics posted at Mesothelioma, saying, "Science students at the University of Boston, School of Medicine are currently investigating a class of molecules known as microRNA (miRNAs) that control gene expressions and changes in gene expressions when smoking leads to lung cancer. This study appears on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal and may lead to a relatively new non-invasive biomarker for lung cancers caused by smoking (smoking-related lung diseases)."

Sam presents NEW !! Get Relief From Your Allergies. The Best Way to Conquer Allergies posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, "Thanks for considering my work. Here's a snippet........ Do you have allergies? Sneezing, runny nose, swelling, rash and that tired, irritated feeling are clues that you are sensitive to something you ate or to something in your environment. * What Are Allergies? * What Are the Symptoms of Allergies? * What Is Anaphylactic Shock? * What Triggers an Allergic Reaction? * The Best Way to Get Relief From Your Allergies * Medicines That Provide Relief From Your Allergies * Changes Around the House Provide Relief from Your Allergies * Do It Yourself Relief from Allergies * How to Get Relief from Food Allergies.

Matthew presents Allergy to Milk posted at Fast Medical Information, saying, "An allergy to milk is known as lactose intolerance. Those affected with the allergy will have an inability to digest or absorb lactose, which is the sugar in milk. When products containing milk are eaten or drunk then certain gastrointestinal symptoms will appear due to this intolerance."

Matthew presents Allergy to Latex posted at Fast Medical Information, saying, "Towards the end of the 1980s there was a huge increase in those taking precautions against the spread of diseases such as AIDS, including the latex glove."

Dust-Mites.org presents Your Childs Hidden Threat Dust Mites and Stuffed Animals posted at Dust Mites, saying, "One of the most overlooked areas of dust mite infestation is in stuffed animals."

Nancy Miller presents Just What the Doctor Ordered : 4 Tips When Self-Treating Illness posted at Ultrasound Technician Schools. Editor’s note: some good tips to help you recover from an illness.

Patricia Turner presents Sliding Scale Ambulance Service – Making a Difference posted at Pharmacy Technician Certification. Editor’s note: A good article about improving ambulance service in third world countries.

Diet & Fitness

Helene Zemel presents The Science behind GeneWize LifeMap Nutrition™ posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "There is proven scientific research that demonstrates that vitamins and other supplements can repair DNA damage. GeneWize offers a nutritional supplement specifically customized to an assessment of the customer's specific DNA assessment."

MCA presents Top 10 Coffee Alternatives: Avoid the Negative Effects of Caffeine My Caffeine Addiction posted at Caffeine Addiction, saying, "Some alternatives to the addictive substance."

Muse presents We Were Supposed to Be the Bigger and Stronger Generation posted at me-ander, saying, “Recent health articles bemoan the fact that today's children suffer from medical conditions once only seen in the middle-aged and elderly.”

The Smarter Wallet presents Stay Healthy This Cold And Flu Season With Our Flu Prevention Tips posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, " The cold and flu season doesn’t have to hit us hard. Stay healthy with common sense flu prevention tips and try frugal remedies and treatments to get us through a sick patch."

Clara Myers presents Immune System and Exercise Mind Mart posted at Mind Mart, saying, "Exercise plays a big role in keeping your immune system healthy."

Tami Blodgett presents WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY posted at Online Wellness: A Safe Haven, saying, "It’s almost January and you’re planning a weight loss journey. A typical January first: Here you are, totally hating being overweight. You wake up every morning totally uncomfortable. You dread spending another day carrying around this excess body fat! It’s the time of year to begin again and your thoughts turn to self improvement. “That’s it!” you say. “I’ve had it!” Join Online Wellness Association Member, Kelly LaCost, as she prepares you for your 2009 Weight Loss Journey."

Helene Zemel presents Ground Floor Opportunity with GeneWize Life Sciences posted at Work at Home Mom and Dad, saying, "The GeneWize LifeMap Nutrition™ System is the first scientifically supported nutritional supplement program that utilizes YOUR DNA to create a custom nutritional supplement formula that contains the nutrients your body needs. GeneWize is attracting some of the leading internet marketers in the field, and you will have the opportunity to work with 6 and 7 figure earners in the growing health and wellness industry."

Steve Faber presents Belly Fat Loser » A Diet to Lower Cholesterol – You’ll Probably Lose Fat at the Same Time posted at Belly Fat Loser, saying, “Can your diet play a role in your cholesterol level too? Undoubtedly!”

Isaac Yassar presents 4 Habits Of Disease Immunity posted at Isaac Yassar's Overture, saying, "Can you be immune to every disease? Yes you can!"

Anna Nguyen presents Health, Wellness & Spirit posted at Style With Anna: Fashion and Beauty Tips For The Everyday Woman. Editor’s note: The author has presented some good diet, exercise, and wellness pointers here.

Snowden presents Best weight loss tips for smart people and lazy people. posted at useful nonsense, saying, "The best weight lost tips for smart people who want to lose weight in a healthy way but still eat great food while dieting."

Swapnil Warang presents How to know if you are underweight posted at switch2life. Editor’s note: Good information on how to calculate the BMI (body mass index).

Ginsburg presents Antioxidants: Not what they seem posted at Live Immune. Editor’s note: Obviously more research needs to be done. There seem to be both favorable and unfavorable results as to whether certain antioxidants can prevent cancer.

Byteful Travel presents Vegetarian, Raw, and Vegan Web Badges posted at Byteful Blog, saying, "What if there was an effortless way to let people know that you were a vegetarian, vegan, etc. in a supportive, yet unobtrusive and attractive way? Might that raise awareness? I wondered why anyone hadn’t tackled this design challenge before, thus the Powered by Plants badge was born. Whether you’re a macrobiotic eater, fruitarian, vegetarian, raw vegan, normal vegan, or locked-up vegan, these badges are a snazzy way to spread the word about your conscious nutritional choice."

Health Insurance

Silicon Valley Blogger presents I’m Self-Employed! Retirement Plans, Insurance and Tax Considerations are Afoot posted at The Digerati Life. Editor’s note: The author shares some important information regarding health, disability, and liability insurance for the self employed as well as tax and accounting information. This is information that you need to know if you are self employed.

dentalheroes presents Find a Discount Dental Plan in 6 Easy Steps posted at Dental Plan & Dental Insurance News, saying, “The National Association of Dental Plans(NADP) considers discount dental plans as a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional dental insurance.”

Kelly Sonora presents The Health Policy 100: The 100 Best Health Care Policy Blogs - Radiology Technician Schools posted at Radiology Technician Schools. Editor’s note: For those interested in health care policy and issues, check out this list of blogs.

Insurance Toolbox presents Are You Over 60? Buy Long Term Care Insurance Today posted at Insurance Toolbox. Editor’s note: The author makes an important point. Entering a nursing home can quickly use up one's life savings leaving nothing to your children. Purchasing a long term care policy can avoid this situation.

Cary Anderson presents Simplicity for Weight Loss Success Losing Weight Feels Great posted at Simplicity for Weight Loss Success, saying, "Don't bombard yourself with overwhelming weight loss rules and goals. Set simple, achievable goals and watch the pounds melt away!"

Joe Hayes presents Hernia Symptoms posted at Cats Love Plastic Bags, saying, "Some very useful symptoms and insight into the more common hernias and hernia treatments, including surgery."

Cary Anderson presents Foods to Avoid posted at Simplicity for Weight Loss Success, saying, "When trying to lose weight, everyone knows to avoid eating foods such as cheesecake, fried appetizers, and ice cream. But there are several “gray area” type of foods that some dieters consume completely unaware of how fattening they actually are."

Joe Hayes presents Gout Diet posted at Gout Diet Foods, saying, "Great diet tips for those wondering what foods they can eat if they're at risk or suffering from Gout, which is a really painful form of Arthritis."

Vera Lang presents Angel Medflight: Expensive Air Transport, But It Might Keep You Alife posted at Be Safe Insure .com, saying, "Angel Medflight goes beyond ordinary medical air transport ...."

Miscellaneous

Peter Garant presents Holmes Humidifier posted at Humidifier Reviews, saying, "There are times that you feel that it’s quite difficult to breathe inside your home. This is because there is a low level of humidity. Humidity is very important in the house since it can help solve the dry air that is the main cause of irritated throat."

Destroy Debt presents What to Do if You Get Laid Off posted at Destroy Debt. Editor’s note: The author provides some sound advice for those who now find themselves unemployed.

Admin presents Take action now posted at Richard Shelmerdine - life views from a student of life, saying, “Start taking action towards your goals. Any action is better than none.”

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.