GenInv – Health and Wellness

You have heard about family planning. But have you realized that part of this is getting health insurance maternity plans? These health plans should be carefully thought of. You should get one when you are still planning to get pregnant. You might not be able to enjoy the privileges of the health plan if you get one when you’re already conceiving a child. Even your employers will deny you of a right to maternity health insurance if you only applied for one when you’re pregnant. In thi

s regard, it is wise to compare health insurance quotes when you’re planning your family. How will you be able to do that?

Know your choices. You will not be able to compare health insurance quotes unless you know what your options are. You can choose managed plans such as PPOs and HMOs. But in this health insurance maternity plan, you will not be given the chance to choose your doctor and hospital. In view of this, you can choose an indemnity plan instead. This is way costlier than the firs

t option though. You have to weigh which of these two options will be best for your condition.

Know about your coverage. There are no stand alone health insurance maternity plans. They often come with other health privileges. While this is the case, you still have to learn about what is covered if you have a maternity health plan. Well when you compare health insurance quotes, make sure that the plan covers for hospital fees, doctor expenses, prescription drugs and all expenses incidental to

giving birth.

Answer a few questions. This is essential when you compare health insurance quotes online. You can’t proceed to the next step unless you’ve answered some of the basic questions and you’ve given the most basic info needed by the health insurance company. You should not worry about your privacy in divulging these facts. Online companies make sure that your identity is held private if you’re applying for health insurance maternity or other plans that they offer. Give them what they ask for and they will also answer your questions later on.

Start comparing prices. Comparison shopping is essential when getting health insurance maternity plans. Never stick to the first site that offers you the cheapest quote. It is best to compare health insurance quotes from at least 5 companies. You should scrutinize every detail found in the quote. Ask questions when needed. Don’t hesitate to get all the info you need before you decide to get a health plan for your maternity needs. This is the best way to make sure that you will not have problems on medical expenses when you give birth.

You should go through all the steps provided above if you really want to get the best health insurance maternity plan. After all, there are many benefits you will get when you compare health insurance quotes from various companies. The process is very easy. Click on sites offering such services then give the basic info that they need and presto! You get the quote that you need.

Question:

I have had blood in my bowel movements for a long time. I have a history of digestive problems and still get constipated sometimes, although I avoid dairy products, wheat, sugar and processed food. I have had psoriasis and eczema since birth. I don’t deal with stress well and I am often tired. Can you help?

Answer:

Without a full medical history, I can only give you general advice, but this may help your symptoms. I am sure that doctors have checked your colon for colit

is, tumours and other sources of blood in stools. If not then I suggest you get these investigations done now. It is likely that the cause of some of the symptoms is your constipation. This dries the lining of the colon, which should be moist Without lubrication, stool masses can’t be pushed out easily. Chronic constipation can cause the lining to develop cracks, rather like chapped lips. This results in small amounts of bleeding which is probably what you are seeing in your stools. The dryness

may also result in ulcerations (open wounds) on the bowel lining, which may also be the cause of the bleeding.

When you are constipated, you push with the abdominal muscles to evacuate the bowels. The pressure can cause swelling in veins in the anal region. These veins have valves, which ensure that blood only flows towards the heart. But the pressure makes the valves defective, allowing the blood to flow backward until it reaches the next valve that is working correctly. This causes a reserv

oir of blood to form in the vein, pushing out the walls of the vein and forming a haemorrhoid (which is similar to a varicose vein). Hard stool masses passing over these delicate haemorrhoids can cause abrasions and bleeding. Haemorrhoids are ‘internal’ when they lie above the anal ring and ‘external’ when they protrude outside.

Regarding your other symptoms, constipation and digestive problems may cause mineral malabsorption, which leads to a deficiency in the blood. This can result in chronic fatigue and irritability. The cause of psoriasis is stilt not clear, but if you try what I suggest below you may, get some relief from your skin conditions, too. You will also find information about treating them on my website.

For constipation

* Drink two litres of pure still water daily between meals; eat figs, papaya, spinach, prunes and beetroot .

* At bedtime, take lsabgol psyllium husks or Cytoplan psyllium husk powder : put two tablespoons, or as directed, in a mug of warm water, stir, mix in one teaspoon of manuka honey and drink quickly before the contents become gelatinous; drink two glasses of water afterwards to wash it down.

* If you are very constipated (one or two bowel movements a week), take Qurs Mullayan, an Unani remedy from an ancient European system of medicine – one at bedtime for two months – or Herbolax tablets: two at bedtime for two months.

For other digestive problems

* Avoid yeast products, citrus fruit, spiced food, canned products, ready-made sauces, coffee, beer, champagne and red wine for three months.

* Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.

* If you wish, sip a little water during meals, but only drink larger quantities at least 45 minutes before and after meals.

* Take Biotique Stomach Formula : one twice daily for two months.

* Since you lose blood sometimes, you must keep your iron level up. Iron tablets would exacerbate the constipation, so you must rely on natural sources unless you are anaemic. Eat foods such as spinach, pomegranate, liver and red meat (organic if possible), cherries and red’ apples, which will all help to replenish your blood.

For your skin problems

* Drink an infusion of kadu twigs in the morning for two months (soak two in a cup of hot water at night). This will help to detoxify your gut and control candida overgrowth, which may be affecting your skin.

* Take a general tonic such as Biotique Bioprash : one tablespoon mixed with a little manuka honey and water every morning for two months.

For general energy and health

* Massage your neck and shoulders for five minutes every night at bed time with Biotique Lifestyle Oil . The tension in these areas will decrease and the blood flow to the brain will improve. This will make you calmer and improve your sleep.

* Listen to a relaxation tape, such as Dr Ali’s Relaxation Tape by Sanogenetic Solutions to calm your mind at bedtime.

Question:

My eight-year-old son has had persistent diarrhoea for the past 16 months and soils himself day and night. He has been prescribed lactulose and Senokot solutions and his consultant recently upped the dosage considerably. After a few days, he began to pass extremely large soft motions (he never got to the lavatory in time). He is a fussy eater but what he does eat is relatively OK – cereal, fruit, bread -although he will only eat one vegetable. He also has plenty of fruit jui

ce, milk and sometimes water. It has been suggested that his diarrhoea was triggered by the death of a grandparent. Do you think it was right to increase his medication?

Answer:

From what you say, it sounds as if the wrong medicines have been given to your son – unless there is something else going on that you are not aware of. both lactulose and Senokot are laxatives, meaning that they are drugs used to treat constipation and not Diarrhoea. I am not surprised that the poor child is soilin

g his clothes. Under such conditions, increasing the doses of these medicines is absolutely the wrong thing to do. My advice is that you should stop these medicines immediately.

Chronic diarrhoea will cause malabsorption of nutrients. The food matter does not stay long enough in the intestines to be properly digested. In a child, constant diarrhoea can be a major problem because it prevents the absorption of proteins, vitamins and minerals, which the child needs to grow. The action of the laxa

tives is likely to exacerbate this. For instance, calcium, magnesium and other minerals are absorbed in the colon, which is where the laxatives and purgatives are most active.

Laxatives contain mainly fibres (eg, senna, spinach, psyllium husks) or seeds (figs) which are indigestible and prevent the binding of stools. Purgatives, which are based on castor oil, chillis, magnesium salts, etc, are bowel irritants and cause excess fluid discharge from the gut walls, also causing the stools to be unnaturally soft and runny. Additionally, food poisoning, bacterial dysentery and intolerance to foods cause a similar reaction. The body tries to expel the pathogens (agents which cause disease) by discharging large quantities of fluid and mucus. This results in diarrhoea.

It is possible that stress due to the death of a loved relative could have triggered the initial condition, but you may never know. In chronic diarrhoea, my approach is to eliminate the physical causes, slow the bowel movement, help in stool binding and improve absorption of nutrients.

Here are my siggestions

* Give your child a non-fibre diet to slow down the movement of the intestines and help stool formation. Restrict food to: potatoes, carrots, turnips, swede mashed with olive oil or a little butter, mushy peas, pasta with olive oil, minced red meat, chicken or turkey with garlic, ginger and salt, well cooked rice, oatmeal porridge, hard or soft boiled eggs, cottage cheese, live natural yoghurt kiwi fruit, peeled apples and plums, honey. Avoid green vegetables, roughage of any kind, spices and anything else that irritates the bowels.

* After two months, when the exclusion diet above has settled the bowels and the stools are better formed, gradually add other fruit such as bananas, pears and nectarines. and raw vegetables such as broccoli, courgettes, cabbage, asparagus and cauliflower. Always remove stalks as these contain the most roughage.

* Give him Vitasorb Multivitamins : eight drops daily for two months.

* Make sure he drinks plenty of still water – at least six glasses daily.

* Introduce exercise such as swimming, walking and ball games. The more exercise, the better the absorption of food because the body needs the nutrients.

* Pomegranate juice is good for binding stools. If you can find the juice, give him a quarter of a cupful twice daily for l5 days. Or buy a fresh pomegranate and boil a quarter of the peel in four cups of water for 15 minutes. Let it cool for an hour. One cup should be drunk twice daily for ten days.

* Massage his abdomen gently, clockwise, with a little sweet almond or sesame oil for two minutes at bedtime, for two weeks.

* If the diarrhoea persists for more than a month despite taking the above measures, you must take your child to see a different physician to investigate the causes. Talk to your GP about finding someone who is sympathetic to complementary medicine.

Question:

My daughter suffers from very dry eyes and red eyelids. Over the years, they have flared up intermittently and become swollen and infected. She is now unable to wear contact lenses or any make-up. Her wedding is coming up shortly and she is very worried. Recently, her doctor diagnosed blepharitis. Do you have any advice?

Answer:

Blepharitis is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory disease that affects the rims of the eyelids, particularly the eyelash follicles. As a result

many people lose their lashes, which affects their appearance. But more important than this, eyelashes perform a vital function – they screen the sensitive surface of the eye from irritants such as dust, grit, insects and other foreign bodies.

The weakened, vulnerable eyelids may become infected by bacteria in the environment, and this can produce a thick mucus discharge, which causes the rims of the eyelids to become red and sore. The surface of the eye may also become infected, causing  con

junctivitis, which can make the eyes red, sting and feel gritty. The irritation can cause a sensitivity- usually a stinging sensation – to bright light which is why sufferers often wear sunglasses. In the mornings, eyelids may be stuck together because the thick mucus has dried and formed a crust. The area can hurt and itch, too, and the hair follicles may swell to form small bulbous cysts or sties, which are both painful and unsightly.

As your daughter fears, one of the most difficult things

to cope with is other people’s reactions. Perhaps because the condition is so obvious, they feel bound to ask rather silly questions.

Conventional therapy usually consists of antibiotics or steroids, either taken orally or applied to the eyes. This may give some temporary relief but tends to be frustrating because the problem recurs extreme measure.

Blepharitisis considered to be an autoimmune condition, which is where the body’s immune system turns on itself, treating its own usual function of fighting off foreign bodies and particles, including infection. Also, in some way the tissue at the edge of the eyelids, which is fibrous and like a very fragile form of cartilage, changes its biochemical structure, which misleads the immune system.

In my experience, it’s vital to look at general health and wellbeing in order to support the immune system. The changes are good that it will then self-regulate and help the damaged eyes to heal.

Diet

The general principle is to eat foodstuffs that are easy on the digestion and improve general energy, and to avoid foods that are known to harm the body.

* Choose fresh, wholesome food, preferably organic, that contains as few additives as possible. Eat at least five portions of fresh vegetables and non-citrus fruit a day. For one month, drink a glass of freshly juiced carrot, apple and ginger every day.

* Avoid yeast products (linked to candida overgrowth, gut fermentation and symptoms of fatigue, bloating and digestive problems, which drain the body’s energy); citrus fruits and other sour foods (which increase acid in the stomach, causing in digestion and the slowing down or blocking of the digestive process and absorption of nutrients); alcohol, coffee, excess sugar, canned and processed products, spicy dishes and fungal foods, including vinegar, mushrooms and blue cheese.

Supplements

* To build immunity, for two months take one BioEnergy capsule twice a day; half a teaspoon of kolonji oil with a little manuka honey every day, and l5mg of zinc every other day.

* To improve digestion and absorption of nutrients, soak two kadu twigs and one third of a teaspoonful of kariatu powder in hot water overnight strain and drink on an empty stomach in the morning, every day for two months. If you find it very bitter, add a little manuka honey.

To soothe your eyes

* Put two drops of pure organic rose water into the eyes at bedtime every night for one month.

* Help to heal your eyes by rubbing the palms of your hands together until they are warm, then cover your eye area with them. Repeat this three to five times, three times a day.

Therapies

Consult a qualified homoeopath and/or naturopath.

Question:

I intend to join the forces in five years when I graduate from university, but my eyesight is getting worse quite quickly – although I have net been diagnosed with any eye condition. I am worried about having corrective laser eye surgery because there is a risk of being left with even worse eyesight. Are there any herbal supplements or vitamins that could help improve my vision?

Answer:

The eyes are the most powerful and precious organs in the body, so it is very importa

nt to look after them.

The different structures of the eyeball – cornea, sclera, pupil, retina, fluids and the muscles that move the eyes in different directions – were identified by Galen, the great Greek physician and surgeon( circa A D 129-2l6). Although the eye functions as one organ, each part has a specific role – to protect, nourish with blood or nutrients, facilitate the smooth passage of light, make a photochemical analysis of what is seen, pass sensory information to the brain, and s

o on.

Since no specific cause has been diagnosed for your failing vision, I suggest you do everything possible to look after your sight and help it to improve. Blood supply to the retina is 100 percent essential to vision: anaemia and low blood pressure often cause black spots to float before the eyes, and may cause a decrease in vision. Diabetic retinopathy, a major complication of diabetes, is primarily due to decreased blood flow to the retina.

Nutrition is very important you must eat l00

g fine protein every day (vegans frequently suffer from anaemia and low blood pressure). The fat-soluble vitamin A (betacarotene) is essential for synthesis of retinal, a pigment in the retina. Retinal converts light energy on the retina into chemical energy, which is then transferred to the brain as electrical energy. (Solar panels that capture the sun’s rays and convert them into electricity function on similar principles.) Carotene is found in chicken, eggs, game, lean meat and fish. Vegetarians should eat six to ten almonds a day, soaked in room temperature water for 24 hours. A compound similar to carotene is also found in carrots and other orange-coloured vegetables and fruit. Dark red and purple fruit, such as bilberries, are also associated with eye health. Blue-green algae, which you can buy in supplement form in health shops, is also high in betacarotene. I recommend taking Amla (Indian  gooseberry) powder, which contains perfectly preserved natural vitamin C and other ingredients that help eyesight (perhaps by. aiding circulation of blood to retina). Take ½  teaspoonful, twice daily with water for three months.

Therapeutic Iyengar yoga has a series of exercises which are ideal for maintaining and improving sight. Some of these are demonstrated by the 90-year-old yoga master Swami Ram Lakhan in my lifestyle DVD (Integrated Health Group), and by my co-author and colleague Jiwan Brar in our book Therapeutic Yoga . Dr William Bates’s eye exercises, developed in the early 20th century, are similar.

Here are some suggestions (hold each gaze for five seconds)

1 Stand straight look ahead and keep your head still. Look up and then look down. Repeat five times.

2 Rub your palms together for a few seconds to generate heat, then place them over your eyes for a few moments to soothe them.

3 Stand straight, look ahead and keep your head still. Look to the left and then look to the right. Repeat five times. Repeat step two.

4 Look diagonally up to the left, then do the same down to the right. Repeat five times. Repeat step two.

5 Look diagonally up to the right, then do the same down to the left. Repeat five times. Repeat step two.

6 Rotate your eyes clockwise five times, following an imaginary dot. Do the same anticlockwise. Repeat step two.

7 Fix your gaze at a distant point, then look at the tip of your nose. Do this five times.

Repeat step two.

8 Rub your eyes gently to wipe away any tears.

9 Cup your hands rightly over – your eyes so that no light enters. Look into the darkness

for five seconds, then open your hands and look at a candle or into bright outdoor light.

Repeat this cycle five times so that you stare at darkness one moment, then into bright light the next. Wearing Trayner pinhole glasses for a short period every day may help. Also, protect your eyes with wraparound sunglasses (with 100 percent UVA/UVB protection) in bright sunlight. Remember that blinking regularly is important too.

The alternative medicine roots deeply in the ancient times as far as five thousand years ago. After few years, alternative medicine therapy gained popularity in treating some diet and regular body care issues. The alternative medicine therapy is based on the natural power and mental strength of the person. Nowadays, alternative medicine, being based on the natural healing power of human body, has developed into herbal alternative medicine. Today herbal alternative medicine normally uses

herbals for treating various diseases starting with the simplest diseases to complex diseases such as cancer.

The main reason behind the success of herbal alternative medicine is it’s harmless for health. One should be very patient because herbal alternative medicine works slowly. On the other hand the results are more stable than others. This is mostly true in cases of weight loss, heart diseases and acne care. So, today alternative health programs can include alternative weight loss treatm

ent, and alternative cancer treatment and prevention.

It is obvious from today’s point of view that obesity is the main curse of modern society. People are spending lot of time and money on weight loss programs. There are some artificial methods of weight loss used by people. Incorrect method for weight loss might result in health deterioration, so the treatment should be healthy and effective. However most of the people adopted alternative medicine therapy got surprised by the results. It al

so rejuvenates and energizes the body.

The alternative medicine programs related to hearth diseases cannot be misjudged. At this age of haste and regular hectic schedule exposes people’s hearts to the multiple heart attacks and strokes. It is advised to follow a preventive alternative heart disease program. According to a study, it has been shown that men heart attacks are more frequent than women. However symptoms of women heart attacks are more often similar to the symptoms of other diseases unlike men heart attacks.

The fastest and preferred way to choose the right alternative medicine therapy is to go online and look through bundles of information on specific topics that interest you. You can also consult an herbal alternative medicine practitioner online.

Divine Wellness is a well known name in the field of herbal alternative medicine. Divine Wellness is providing high quality consulting and e-learning services on herbal alternative medicine and holistic health medicine.

Visit our website www.divinewellness.com for more information on Herbal alternative medicine and Holistic health.

Question:

My 11- year-old daughter suffers repeatedly with threadworms. Each time she has them I treat her with Vermox, with I get on prescription. I am worried that this medicine is harmful, especially as I am using it every two to three months. She is very clean, keeps her nails short and washes her hands; no other members of the family have them. Any suggestions?

Answer:

Threadworms (also known as pinworms) are more common in temperate countries such as Britain than in the trop

ics. The adult Enterobius vermicularis worms are about 1cm long and dwell in the bowels. The female worms sneak out of the anal region at night and lay up to 10,000 eggs at the entrance to the rectum. This leads to terrible itching which may cause inflammation as the eggs develop and the resulting young worms wriggle back into the bowels.

When the area is scratched, eggs get lodged under the nails. Even if you wash thoroughly, these eggs invariably get transferred to the mouth within a few hou

rs and from there to the intestines, where they hatch, grow into adult worms and live  happily in the bowel where the life cycle starts again. From egg to adult worm takes about a month and the worms survive another month or so before laying eggs and dying. Because of the vast number of eggs and worms, the process is continuous and, without treatment, the bowls are permanently infected.

The transfer of eggs is literally hand-to-mouth, so entire families can get infected (although not in your

case). One of the common symptoms is itching, particularly at night. Children often grind their teeth at night because the itching causes restlessness, which leads to irritability and tiredness during the day. Severe infection can cause weight gain and even abdominal pain. On rare occasions, the threadworms can invade the vaginal area and cause irritation, which may spread to nearby areas.

The worms absorb nutrients, so infection may result in malnutrition and mineral deficiency. They absorb iron in abundance so an infected person may be anaemic (iron-deficient). People with worms commonly look Pale and undernourished even though their appetite increases. Eating a lot doesn’t help, however, because the worms absorb nutrients, leaving the person still hungry.

The common test for threadworms is to analyse the faeces, but this is useless because the eggs are not released in the bowels. An accurate diagnosis is arrived at by applying clear Sellotape to the peri-anal region, then examining it under a microscope to see whether there are any eggs.

Threadworms are effectively treated with one of the group of anthelmintic drugs, such as Vermox. A couple of weeks after the first course, a second is advised. The whole family should be  treated to eliminate any hidden source of infection. However, the manufacturer’s information lists possible side effects, including, ‘severe swelling of lips, face or tounge’ itchy rash, abdominal pain and diarrhoea’. It emphasises that anyone who suffers an allergy should stop taking the drug immediately.

If you would prefer a natural route, I suggest the following

*Sugar feeds the worms, so avoid it, along with yeast-containing products such as bread, pizza, beer and wine, and fungal foods such as blue cheese, mushrooms and vinegar.

* Worms don’t like hard stools, as they make it difficult for them to lay eggs outside the bowel, so in this case constipation can be helpful. For two weeks avoid fibre-rich foods such as fruit vegetables, cereal and wholegrain bread. Instead, offer your  laughter red meat, chicken, boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta with olive oil, grilled fish, porridge and carrots. These will clog up her bowels. Once the infection is eliminated, however, you must put the child back on a regime that will get her bowels moving again. This should include lots of water, Papaya, bananas and vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, asparagus and cabbage.

* I usually advise adults to chew betel leaf with kattha a herbal paste, which both have de-worming properties.

However, betel stains the tongue and lips and doesn’t taste that good. Your daughter should take a Pinch of kattha with water for seven days. Kattha is available from Indian grocers and the  Integrated Medical Centre shop.

* Take kadu and kariatu combined. Put two twigs of kadu and ½ teaspoon kariatu in a cup of hot water, soak overnight strain and drink in the mornings for one month. It is bitter, but the whole family sh

Music is used for more than entertainment. It is also used as a therapeutic process called music therapy. Research has been done that proves music has the ability to change one’s mood. It can put you in a better mood, can make you feel relaxed when things are stressful, or it can also make you feel romantic and loving. Music therapy does more than affect or change the way you feel. It is a scientific process to heal and improve someone’s overall wellbeing. It has the power to heal a

nd improve both psychological and physical pain. Because it is more than entertainment, the value of music should never be underestimated.

Music therapy needs to be completed in a controlled environment by a professional doctor. Listening to music or suggesting a song to a friend will not be satisfactory for the purposes of music therapy. If you are interested in music therapy, you will need to work with someone who has been certified as an approved music therapist. Music therapy is used for th

ese purposes: combating stress, wellness, improving memory, ability to show/communicate emotion, reduce or alleviate pain, improving results from physical rehabilitation, and improving communication.

Music therapy can include sessions that involve listening to certain types of music to performing music acts or dancing. Based on what an individual needs, the music therapy program designed needs to be custom and individualized. Music therapy is used in a number of different hospitals, nursing hom

es, dentist offices, psychiatric offices, and in schools. You don’t have to be sick or injured to use music therapy, and healthy people can use it to control the amount of stress they feel.

Hospitals use music for a number of different reasons. It can be used to help patients fall asleep and rest peacefully, and it can be used to calm a patient if they are feeling anxious. It is great for use with physical therapy because it motivates a patient to work harder and feel motivated. You may notice that when you listen to music while you work out, you work out harder and longer. This is the same concept.

This type of therapy is beneficial and can improve someone’s quality life. There is a lot of research on the effectiveness of it, and is even reimbursable by some insurance companies. Music should be a part of everyday life because it is so beneficial to our wellbeing. Music can be as simple as entertainment and as complex as using it for healing and therapy.