Minorities Are Not Satisfied With Their Health Care

Sunday, June 15, 2008

(NaturalNews) Minority patients are more likely than white patients to rate their received health care as fair to poor. This is particularly true of Chinese-Americans, blacks born in Africa, and Vietnamese-American patients.

Researchers at Harvard University surveyed 4,334 people in 2007. Surveyors asked patients questions such as how quickly they were able to schedule appointments and whether their doctor explained details in a manner that was understandable to them. Generally, whites rated their experiences higher than most minorities.

Unlike previous similar studies, the Harvard study utilized much more detailed categories instead of broadly categorizing the different ethnic groups. For example, African-Americans were separated into three different categories – those born in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States.

The researchers believe the additional detail is important to the results because the most effective ways to reduce these disparities will be based on the different experiences and needs of the different minority groups.

91 percent of whites rated the care they received as either excellent or good. Chinese-Americans rated their care at 74 percent, African-Americans born in Africa were 73 percent, and Vietnamese-Americans were 72 percent.

According to the study, 63 percent of whites were able to get doctor appointments the same day or the day after they needed care. This percentage was 42 for Cuban-Americans and 39 for African-Americans born in the Caribbean.

Approximately three-quarters of whites surveyed reported that their physicians listened carefully to them. This dropped to 62 percent for Korean-Americans and 58 percent for patients from Central or South America.

The results of the Harvard study are consistent with previous studies of how minorities perceive their health care. Because the findings are consistent, it is not reasonable to blame the patients. They have reported their experiences in several different studies. The solution lies with the health care providers.

The Harvard study also revealed that there are ways that health care providers can improve their patients’ perceptions. One key issue is that of language barriers. Physicians should be incorporating translation services into their health care practices.

This should be considered by even those physicians who are not part of large practices. There are phone banks designed to improve the communication between physicians and their patients. Services such as these are paid for personally by physicians, but government health programs should reimburse physicians who use these services.

Researchers have long agreed that the key to improving health care is improving patients’ perceptions of their care. This is because a negative experience usually leads to less time spent with a doctor as well as poor communication between the physician and patient. Improving this rift is the first step toward improving health care.

This study is expected to be published in the journal Health Affairs.
By
Jo Hartley

How to Choose a Health Club

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

When shopping for health clubs consider the following:

• Location
For your fitness program to be a success, exercising has to be convenient or it won't become a realistic lifestyle change. The closer and easier it is to get to (and park your car), the better. Of course, you don't want to join a health club that doesn't suit you just because it's close to your home or office, but if you're joining a health club that isn't convenient to get to, you're a lot more likely to find an excuse to stop going.

• Try Before You Buy
Sales staff are very good at selling the many benefits of their health club, but you need to spend some time trying the equipment and "feeling" the atmosphere. Ask for a day pass or trial membership--health clubs have nothing to loose and everything to gain by this. Be sure to try out the club at the time that you would normally workout--you'll get a better feel for how crowded it is. Notice if there is much of a wait for equipment, how helpful the staff is, and if the equipment is well maintained. You may even ask a few members what they like about the club.

• Make Sure They Have What You Want
Make a list of the things that are important to you, such as personal training, childcare, aerobics classes, etc., and make sure the health club has what you need. If classes help to motivate you and the health club doesn't offer the classes you need, sticking with your exercise program won't be realistic. Try the class and make sure it is enjoyable, challenging and educational. Just the same, if you have children, make sure the health club has childcare or it will be tough to make it to the club.

• Member Profile
Find out what the members are like; see if the atmosphere is comfortable. If you're a beginner, some clubs may be intimidating. Select a club where you feel comfortable and welcome.

• Staff
Make sure there is always someone available to answer your questions, to show you a new exercise, or how to use a piece of equipment. Are they friendly, helpful and knowledgeable?

• Costs and Contracts
Find out exactly what the membership fee includes; personal training, classes, pool, towel service, lockers, childcare, etc. Are there extra costs for additional services? This should play a big part in your decision to join a certain health club.

Some health clubs have a one-time initiation fee and require purchasing a minimum of three months up front. Depending on your budget, you may want to find a club that allows you to go on a month-to-month basis. In addition, find out if the health club debits the funds directly out of your Visa or checking account. This can make it easier to pay membership fees but make sure that it's easy to cancel if you decide you don't like the club. Be sure you read the contract before you sign so you're not "locked" into paying even if you move out of town or change health clubs.

Also, have a clear idea of what you can afford to pay and stick to your budget no matter what sales incentives are offered. And don't be afraid to bargain. If they're asking $49 a month and all you can afford is $39, offer $39 (if they've met previous criteria) and let them know you're prepared to join then and there.

• Need help choosing a health club that will best suit your needs?

The health clubs in the Global Health & Fitness (GHF) directory offer outstanding services: a large selection of high-quality equipment, health and fitness knowledge, and other attractive amenities such as steam room/sauna, Jacuzzi, massage therapy, and more. However, health clubs vary greatly, not only in services and equipment available but also in pricing structure.

Many join a health club with great intentions and then windup unhappy and dissatisfied. Starting a health and fitness program is hard enough--don't make it more difficult by joining a health club that doesn't meet your needs.


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Enjoy a “Long, Healthy Happy Life”

Friday, February 29, 2008

You should know from the start that the “odds” are stacked against you, but by accepting and tackling the challenge you will find it very worthwhile and rewarding, not to mention adding many years of happiness onto your lifespan.

Talking of “lifespan”, lets pause for a moment and think about that.

Its key to differentiate between living a “long life” (lifespan) and living a “long HEALTHY life” (healthspan), which then can translate into the ideal situation where you can enjoy a “LONG, HEALTHY, HAPPY LIFE”.

I know of many people, young and old who just exist from day to day with aches and pains, disease and suffering and with many bedridden for a number of years before they die prematurely from one of the modern lifestyle diseases like cancer or heart disease. One can hardly call that “living” or having had a great life.

Most people look forward to retiring after a long period of working and bringing up a family, with a vision of being able to relax, travel and enjoy a long, happy, healthy life with one’s family. The reality, unfortunately is very different for most people.

This dream unfortunately, invariably has a perverse ending in this day and age. Virtually every one of us living a modern lifestyle will be diagnosed with a fatal chronic disease in our lifetime. Most of us will land up having long term expensive drug treatment, causing misery, pain and suffering and eventually death without dignity. At least half of us will be diagnosed with cancer and will be treated by conventional medicine, resulting in a slow painful death after undergoing expensive poisonous chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Those of us lucky enough to escape cancer will most probably succumb to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or some other chronic degenerative lifestyle disease.

Supercentenarians

However there are people, who in their early years, were never exposed to the current modern lifestyles, toxic pollution, fast foods, processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs, who have proved that you can “LIVE” a long, healthy and happy life.

The Gerontology Research web site (http://www.grg.org/) have a validated worldwide list of living “Supercentenarians”. ( people who are 110 years old or older). There are currently 69 women and 8 men on this list with 25 in the US, 24 in Japan, 26 from other countries and only 2 living in the UK.

So from this you can get a true understanding of “longevity”, but the million dollar question is why do these people live so long ?

Its all about “how we live” and “what we eat” which all boils down to “LIFESTYLE”.

Take Control of Your Lifestyle and Your Healthcare

The key challenge is to want to do this for yourself and your family. The starting point is to take control of your lifestyle and your healthcare by becoming aware and informed and then to take the appropriate actions.

Its hard to accept, but actually NOBODY out there is interested in you and your families healthcare or whether you live a “long, healthy and happy life” or not.

As a matter of fact you will be very surprised to know that there is a whole industry that want just the opposite.

I hear you say “But what about my GP, Gynie, Paede, Oncologist, Cardiologist, etc?, surely they are interested ?”

They should be, but remember each of these people make a living from the “Disease Business” astutely managed and controlled by the Pharmaceutical Industry.



and in the e-Book, sets out to enlighten and inform you about what you have to do and what you have to avoid, to escape the “Disease Business” and enjoy a “long, healthy and happy life”. We also want to expose what the true obstacles are that you will encounter on this amazing, rewarding “lifestyle” journey, which will enable you to make the necessary decisions and actions to avoid them.

Modern Lifestyles

Its an undeniable fact that in this modern era of toxic air and water pollution, fast fried fatty foods, processed foods, carcinogenic groceries, sugar filled foods and drinks, pesticide poisoned soil, fruit and vegetables, alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, prescription and recreational drugs; just to name the main culprits; nine out of every ten adults will die prematurely from a serious chronic lifestyle degenerative disease. Very few of these diseases were common just a hundred years ago and are unquestionably caused by our modern lifestyles.

The variety of aches, pains, disease and suffering are as plentiful and as diverse as humankind. Sickness and disease abound and as we all know most of these diseases cause us and our families misery, pain, financial hardships and suffering and in many cases “death”, but sadly most of these deaths could have been prevented.

The Germ Theory

Modern medicine is based on Louis Pasteur’ s (1822-1895) “Germ Theory” where every disease is caused by a specific external germ and is seen to be different. The solution being, specific drugs to address and mask each of these symptoms, of which there are currently hundreds. This was the fatal birth of the “Disease Business” and the most lucrative and protected industry on earth today – the pharmaceutical industry. Although Pasteur was recognized at the time as the father of bacteriology and microbiology based on his “Germ Theory of Medicine”, he was not a medical man and was in direct conflict with other research doctors of the day.

The Cellular Theory

Alternative medicine on the other hand has a holistic, preventative approach and is based on Dr Antoine Bechamp’s (1816-1908) and Claude Bernard’s (1813-1878) “Cellular Theory” which is based on the “healthy terrain” concept. (a healthy inner body).

So what is the healthy terrain? Béchamp began to describe it nearly two hundred years ago, but Claude Bernard finally stated that to maintain a “healthy terrain” (disease free body) there were two factors, which when violated were responsible for every known disease.

1. The necessary Nutrition to feed the bodies numerous cells

2. Toxin free blood, cells and body tissues

One must have proper nutrition and be free of toxins to maintain a “healthy terrain”. He also established that germs were attracted to diseased tissues and cells and were not the cause of the disease, dispelling Pasteur’s “Germ Theory”.

The following paragraph is taken from the Antoine Bechamp website.

“Bechamp was one of France's most prominent and active researchers and biologists. He taught in universities and medical schools, and published widely on cell biology, disease, botany and related subjects. His would probably be a household name today if it wasn't for the activities of Louis Pasteur, who history has treated very kindly indeed, considering his fake science, his tendency to steal ideas (mainly from Bechamp), falsify experimental data, and in general make claims which had no basis in fact. “

It is unfortunate that the profit driven “Disease Business” continues to endorse the “Germ Theory” for obvious reasons, despite vast scientific research proving the “Cellular Theory”. Notable work has been done for numerous years by many credible researchers worldwide, with a huge contribution from the Dr Rath Foundation in the USA who have been very active since 1993 when Dr Rath made the first of many new scientifically proven discoveries leading to his Cellular Medicine theory.

Miracles

Modern medicine has made incredible advances over the last decade, specifically in surgical techniques, identification of viruses, burn treatment, trauma and emergency room care. So if you are involved in an accident, these services are essential and often life saving, with these specialist doctors performing lifesaving miracles. Unfortunately not all modern medicine, especially in the area of disease prevention and treatment fits into this category.

The “Modern Medicine” Paradigm

There is however a very different face to modern medicine that affects us all a lot more seriously and frequently. The “modern medicine” paradigm, which promises good health for all and the prevention and cure of disease, has not only failed completely to meet these objectives but has delivered pain, suffering and misery and cost trillions of dollars.

No amount of modern medicine or medical advancement can help you if the drugs are filled with poisonous toxins and have such serious side effects. Similarly no amount of processed or fast foods can provide you the nutrition your body needs to be healthy. Ultimately, if you want optimum health and want to prevent or reverse disease, you have no choice, you must take control of your own healthcare and change your lifestyle.

The Way Forward

So how do you get the awareness and the necessary information to enable you and your family to live a long, healthy, happy life.

Firstly, you must take control of your lifestyle and your healthcare.

Secondly, unless you understand the true nature of what CAUSES disease and death, and how degenerative diseases develop in the body, you will not be able to take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family. The earlier you start the quicker you can start living and have peace of mind and not become a “Wasted Life” statistic.

“Wasted Lives”

Did you know that in the UK somebody dies unnecessarily from heart disease every three minutes? Are you or anyone you know a potential candidate for heart disease or any of the other modern scourges, like cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer’s ?

To get a real perspective on the scale of these “wasted lives”, lets look at just a few of the statistics for the UK and the USA. The following are just for the three main killers, heart disease, cancer and modern medicine. Yes ”modern medicine” !

Cancer deaths in the UK – in 2005 there were 153,491 deaths from cancer, according to figures published on the www. cancerresearchuk.org web site.

Cancer deaths in the USA – in 2003 there were 556,902 deaths from cancer according to figures published by the National Centre for Health Statistics.

Heart disease deaths in the UK – 70,000 deaths occur each year with one death every three minutes according to a BBC news article.

Heart disease deaths and statistics in the USA – according to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease is the number 1 killer responsible for 1 million deaths in 2002 with the statistics for various heart conditions showing 1 adult person in 4 suffer from some form of heart disease.

50 million suffer from high blood pressure
12 million suffer from coronary heart disease
6.2 million suffer from angina pectoris
7 million suffer from heart attack
4.4 million suffer from stroke
1.8 million suffer from rheumatic heart disease/fever
1 million suffer from congenital cardiovascular defects
4.6 million suffer from congestive heart failure

That’s SCARY ! If that’s not got you feeling a little worried, lets look at the most incredible statistic of all, which is the deaths caused by “modern medicine” in the USA. This is the very medicine prescribed by our friendly trusted GP to “supposedly” make us better- makes you think?

In October 2003 the Nutrition Institute of America (NIH) released a report stating that between 1993 and 2003 – Medical mistakes took 7.8 million lives, more deaths than all the wars America fought combined.

A group of researchers meticulously reviewed the statistical evidence and their findings are absolutely shocking. These researchers have authored a paper titled “Death by Medicine” that presents compelling evidence that today’s system frequently causes more harm than good.

This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million per year. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections is 20 million per year. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million per year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million per year.

The following is an excerpt from Death by Medicine

By Gary Null, PhD; Carolyn Dean MD, ND; Martin Feldman, MD; Debora Rasio, MD; and Dorothy Smith, PhD

“The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year. It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US. (By contrast, the number of deaths attributable to heart disease in 2001 was 699,697, while the number of deaths attributable to cancer was 553,251.) “

The Naturally Healthy Lifestyle Journey

“Optimum nutrition is the medicine of the future”
Dr Linus Pauling – twice Nobel Prize winner.

We all want to live a long, healthy, happy life with an abundance of energy and vitality, the ability to perform mentally and physically with emotional balance and the lack of disease and disorders. To achieve this we need to embark on a naturally healthy lifestyle journey.

The Miracle Healer

The body is a “miracle healer” made up entirely of molecules from the food we eat and drink, which is what “enables” the body to heal itself and to exist in perfect health. The problem is most of us eat and drink the wrong things which poison the body with toxins that make us ill and expose ourselves to the killer diseases, causing us extreme pain and reducing our life span significantly.

You are a unique individual in a specific phase of your life with specific needs to cater for your current lifestyle, whether it be starting a family, being a busy corporate employee, manager or executive, self employed, a sportsman / woman, highly stressed, sickly or suffering from a chronic disease, a government employee, a busy housewife, a teenager, over 40 or 50, a senior citizen or any other phase of life.

During this journey you will want to look at the following areas of your life and decide which of these you want to change to achieve your specific goals.

The “Toxin” Generators

The key to your “naturally healthy lifestyle” journey is to be aware of the following factors and find ways to positively adapt your lifestyles accordingly to combat the toxic effects and set the foundation for optimal health and quality of life.

Here are some of the key things you need to think about to achieve this:

Nutrition – fresh fruit, seeds and vegetables and natural supplements
Your individual diet – enjoy low-glycemic load eating habits
Stress – avoid physical, traumatic and mental
Pollution – water, air, work and home environment
Fresh produce pollution – pesticides, fertilisers – eat organic
Processed food- additives, preservatives, colourants, other carcinogens, MSG
Fast foods – fatty, fried foods, trans fats, hydrolysed fats, hydrogenated oils
Refined carbohydrates – cakes, cookies, biscuits, breads
Sugar and sweeteners – sucrose, fructose, corn syrup,
Soft / cold drinks - A 12-ounce can of soda has the equivalent of about 13 teaspoons of sugar
Smoking – cell damage
Alcohol- excessive drinking
Prescription and recreation drugs (including street drugs)
Groceries – salt, carcinogens, monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Cosmetics - carcinogens
Sunscreen and tanning lotions – carcinogens
Lack of exercise, sunshine and relaxation
Shallow breathing – slows lymphatic system – slows waste extraction
Meaningful work or hobby to challenge the mind

As you can see there are many things that can affect our health and in many cases we have been abusing our bodies for a long time. So getting our body, mind and spirit back into shape is a journey that will enable us to live a natural healthy lifestyle.

That means, once you understand the effects each of these topics have on your health, you can take the necessary actions to address these either through small changes over time or more aggressively if necessary, which will contribute to you being able to enjoy a long, healthy, happy life. Health Blog
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Richard Penfounde