If, for one reason or another, you end up without access to group insurance coverage through an employer, all is not lost. You have the option to purchase an individual health policy from a private insurance company. Although individual medical insurance may be expensive, it’s worth investigating the options.

Coverage availability and premiums will vary from state to state. It may depend on whether or not your particular state has enacted laws that prohibit the rate modification based on your medical condition.

For instance, the state of New York, health insurers that offer individual health coverage may not turn down a candidate because of poor health. Nor can they base their premiums on factors such as gender, occupation, age or health status. New York enjoys what is called community rating. Premiums are based on how many individuals in the family and in what part of the state you live.

However, in a state like Texas, insurers may deny coverage on the basis of poor health and are allowed to adjust the premium based on the very same factors of gender, occupation, age or health status. Conceivably, a healthy person in the state of Texas may pay less in premiums than a healthy New Yorker, because the Texan’s premium will be adjusted to reflect positive health status.

Some states, such as Washington are a hybrid of New York and Texas. So, when looking for individual health insurance you should take a good look at the current insurance reforms in your state.

On a national level, however, the elderly pay a higher premium than younger insured do. The higher rate is a reflection of the rather predictable increase in medical expense that occurs as we age.

Before you actually contact an agent or an insurance company, you should first contact your state’s insurance department to get information regarding current laws that may affect your individual health insurance coverage plan.

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Here’a an analogy for you to think about today: the patient who suffers from the medical condition known as asthma. What’s going on here is this: although there is an abundance of oxygen in the air all around us, someone with asthma, during an asthmatic attack, experiences oxygen lack. They find it difficult to breathe in enough air. This is because their airways are abnormally narrow (for various reasons which I won’t go into here).

The result is that this patient is ill. An acute attack of asthma can be really frightening for the one suffering from it, for it is a life-threatening condition.

Notice that although there is more than enough air to go round, the person with asthma still can’t get enough into his/her body to meet physiological needs. The problem lies with the patient, *not* with the supply of air..

How does this relate to health, wealth and happiness? What’s this got to do with success?

Think about it: there is more than enough of anything you could ever wish for, and just like the air you breathe, it’s all around you but invisible. Abundance is the natural state of affairs.

In addition, if you don’t suffer from ‘mental asthma’, you can convert the intangible, invisible supply around you into its physical, visible, tangible version of what you want.

The supply of all you need to live like a king today is unlimited. How much you receive (and therefore manifest) in your life depends on how patent your ‘mental airways’ are.

If you suffer from lack of anything in your life - health, wealth or happiness for example - the problem is not with the Source of all things (God, ‘the Universe’). No, for everywhere you look, you find evidence that the very nature of things is abundance.

The problem therefore lies with you, if you are not experiencing abundance in any aspect of your life.You are very likely suffering from ‘mental asthma’ - your mental airways are too narrow to fully receive all that is freely available to you as part of God’s creation.

You may have heard of this condition being referred to as ‘limiting beliefs’.

If you hold limiting beliefs in any area of your life, that part suffers from lack of abundance. Limiting beliefs narrow your ‘mental airways’ and lead to ‘mental asthma’, a serious condition. Therefore you need to seek the cure for this condition, for it is as life threatening, if not more so, than its medical counterpart.

The treatment of asthma, the medical condition, involves giving drugs that widen the patient’s airways. With more patent breath pipes, the person easily breathes in as much oxygen as they need to function properly.

The treatment of ‘mental asthma’ involves giving you ‘drugs’ that ‘widen your mental airways’. This can be done in various ways, such as reading mind-expanding books, listening to positively charged audios, bombarding your mind with images and thoughts of abundant health, wealth and happiness. The aim of all this is to get you to habitually think thoughts that allow the abundance around you to easily flow through you.

And believe me, for a condition as chronic as ‘mental asthma’, you need mega-doses of this stuff if you are to (totally reprogram your mind and) experience abundance in your life.

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If you’re in the market for a term life insurance policy, here are a few money saving tips to help you keep the premiums down.

1. Buy when you are young healthy: Life insurance rates, although they contain fees, and a myriad of expenses, are primarily based upon the statistical chances of a person dying in a given year. Insurance companies use their own experience plus the statistical information collected by the government. The statistics are used to calculate the yearly ‘cost of death’ for each $1,000 of life insurance benefit. As people grow older, the chances of dying increase. At first the increase is slow up until middle age, and then the chance of death increases more rapidly. As the chance of death rise, so do the premiums.

2. Quit smoking: Smokers’ premiums are nearly three times as expensive as non-smokers. Staying away from cigarettes a week or two before your company physical won’t do. Urine tests will detect traces of nicotine (yep, this means chewing tobacco too). Most companies require you to be smoke free for a minimum of one year. Some companies require two years.

3. Lose weight: Companies don’t charge by the pound, but you may be charged more if your weight exceeds a certain level.

4. Buy direct: The internet has made it easy to shop around for life insurance policies directly. By eliminating the middle person, you save on salespersons commissions which are built into the policy premium.

5. Healthy people don’t need ‘guaranteed issue’ policies: People with medical conditions may want to purchase guaranteed issue policies. These policies do not require a medical exam and tend to have higher premiums. The company is taking more of a risk because they don’t know your true medical condition. However, if you are healthy, take the exam. It will prove that you are a good risk and your rates will be lower.

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The number of people suffering from bad breath is growing at an alarming pace. And the reasons for bad breath can be something as simple a poor dental hygiene or some serious medical problem.

Once you have learnt that you have bad breath, it is imperative that you stick to a proper dental hygiene to tackle it. Start by brushing your teeth twice a day. Clean you tongue properly. See that the tongue is cleaned of the thin film of coating. Gargle frequently either with plain water or by using a mouth freshener. Flossing your teeth once a day is also very beneficial in controlling bad breath.

While simple remedies can be found at home only a qualified doctor can analyze the root cause for bad breath. A visit to a dentist once in six months is mandatory for not only tackling the problem of bad breath but also to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

There are many simple remedies for this ailment. Once the doctor has prescribed the medicines and the regimen, you should follow it strictly. While there are many medicines available in allopathy, even homoeopathy has quite a few remedies for this ailment.

These problems can also be tackled at home by following some simple remedies. The first is by increasing the intake of water. Drink huge amounts of water every day to help combat bad breath. Some researchers in Japan have found that yogurt also help in the control of bad breath. Therefore you can also take yogurt regularly.

A visit to a dentist will help in identifying other factor if any for the problem. If the cause is due to an ailment like diabetes, ulcer on tonsillitis then the doctor will prescribe antibiotics which should be taken as prescribed. Controlling blood sugar in diabetics also helps in stopping the incidence of bad breath. Therefore any medical condition that is contributing to bad breath must be tackled with the help of a qualified doctor.

Medicines are only advised in specific instances. They are only to cure the malady. Proper oral hygiene alone can find a lasting solution. So use only good quality toothpaste and good mouth fresheners. Change your brush regularly. Avoid intake of food that causes bad breath.

It must be quite clear now that the remedy to bad breath is not only in identifying the problem but also finding a lasting cure. And it is only possible with a daily routine of oral hygiene. So follow good oral hygiene and avoid bad breath.

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Why can’t I lose weight?

That’s the question many people ask when their weight loss plan isn’t working.

Asking yourself ‘Why can’t I lose weight?’ is actually one of the best things you can do for yourself. It says you know that what you’re currently doing isn’t working for you.

You’re at the place where you’re ready to look at alternatives - try something different to get a result you want.

So why can’t you lose weight? Here are 3 possible reasons you may not be losing weight - and some suggestions on what you can do about it.

#1) Medical Reasons

Now this is not the same as saying you’re genetically programmed to be overweight. That is hogwash. In fact scientists estimate that even if you do have a genetic propensity to gain weight, your genes only account for 15 - 25% of your current weight. So forget the genetics excuse.

But there are medical reasons that some people can’t lose weight. Low thyroid, adrenal exhaustion, insulin resistance and other medical conditions can make losing weight near to impossible.

That’s why before starting any weight loss plan, you should talk to your doctor first. Have a full workup and make sure that you don’t have any health issues standing in the way of your weight loss.

There’s nothing more frustrating that trying to lose weight, doing all the right things and not losing an inch - all because of a medical condition. Get the medical condition cleared up first and then address the weight (in fact, the weight may just go down on it’s own once you get the medical condition addressed).

#2) Emotional Eating

I recently read an article where a nutritionist estimated that 75% of overeating was due to emotions. 75%! Can you imagine what would happen if you learned to eliminate emotional eating and cut out all those calories? What a weight loss impact! The weight would be falling off.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, emotional eating is on the rise. Most people today are feeling the pressure of an increasingly hectic lifestyle. We hardly have time to tie our shoes, never mind deal with our emotions.

Because of this, our emotions get stuffed down and ignored until finally they explode and we’re face-down in a bowl of Rocky-Road ice cream with extra chocolate sauce.

Here’s the bottom line: you are human and you have emotions. Your emotional needs are important and need to be addressed properly with love. You need emotional nurturing and proper emotional care.

If that means you take a 5 minute break every few hours at work to regain your emotional balance, do it. If that means you need to unwind by doing a mall walk and window shopping after work - don’t let anything stop you.

Learn to nurture your emotional health and you’ll nip emotional eating in the bud - and start losing weight FAST.

#3) Mismatched Weight Loss Plan

There are many different ways to lose weight and dozens of weight loss programs to choose from. Some plans emphasize a change in diet, others emphasize a change in exercise, others focus on the inner reasons for overeating.

Every person is different and will lose weight in their own unique way. If what you’re doing now isn’t currently working, it may be a simple case of personality-plan mismatch.

Maybe instead of a diet-focused weight loss plan, you would feel better with a fitness-focused weight loss plan or a psychological weight loss plan. There are lots of plans to choose from and you deserve to take your time and find one that fits your personality and lifestyle best.

If you think this is the case, take some time to review different diet or weight loss plans. Find one that you can get excited about, one that makes sense to you and that fits your belief system and personality. That’s when you’ll make real weight loss progress!

So those are 3 possible reasons for your weight loss plateau. You don’t have to stay stuck in a weight loss rut. You don’t have to keep asking yourself the frustrating question: Why Can’t I Lose Weight?’ Keep believing in yourself and in your dreams. Don’t give up and you will get there!

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Medical malpractice can occur whenever a patient is in the care of a healthcare professional. This can involve the failure or delay in properly diagnosing or treating an illness or injury so that it causes new or aggravated injuries.

Medical malpractice attorneys like Ken Lewis at Bush Lewis P.L.L.C. in Beaumont, Texas, help thousands of people every year who have been the victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence.

Many people don’t realize how frequently medical malpractice occurs. In fact, thousands of people every year are either injured from medical malpractice or medical negligence, or die from injuries or illnesses that could have been prevented or treated with proper medical care.

If you or a loved one has been injured or if a loved one has died as a result of medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Medical malpractice claims can be difficult because health records must be researched and rules and regulations must be followed in order to prove that injuries were sustained or aggravated as a result of the medical malpractice or medical negligence.

“I investigate the victim’s medical history,” says, Ken Lewis in Beaumont, Texas, “this way, I can show that their injuries or illness is the result of the breach of standards from a healthcare professional, healthcare facility, or hospital.”

Since medical malpractice can occur in many different situations, medical malpractice claims can take many different forms, for many different reasons. Some of the common medical malpractice claims are:

· Birth Injury – when an infant is born, it is a very delicate situation, and medical malpractice can arise because of errors made in the delivery or care of the infant.

· Cerebral Palsy – is a medical condition that is caused by brain damage from a number of reasons. Many times, cerebral palsy is caused by medical malpractice or medical errors, such as birth injury.

· Failure to Diagnose – if your healthcare provider fails to diagnose you for an illness, they could be held liable for medical malpractice because they did not prescribe a treatment, and thus allowed the illness to progress.

· Medication Errors – if you are prescribed the wrong medication it is medical malpractice, and the results can be disastrous. If you are allergic to certain substances, the wrong medication can even cause death.

· Defective Medical Devices – if you are injured or suffer medical problems because you are prescribed or given a defective medical device, the healthcare provider can be held responsible for the resulting injury.

· Wrongful Death – Thousands of people die every year from medical malpractice. If you believe your loved one died due to medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Medical malpractice can cause serious health problems. If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you are entitled to compensation for the resulting medical bills, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages.

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A few years ago I was at a Christmas party with my wife. She wasn’t feeling well and we went outside for some fresh air. She was sitting on top of a low wall, and she started to get up and fainted. With the assistance of some friends, we got her into the car and I drove her to a nearby hospital – where my family doctor usually worked.

We went into the Emergency Room and the E.R. physician examined her. A while later, an associate from my doctor’s office met with her. Blood work was done. It was decided that she should be kept overnight for observation. They did not have a bed due to being overcrowded, so she had to spend the night on that “very comfortable” gurney. There were three (3) other people in that room. I went home.

The next morning I went to get her and brought her some fresh clothes and her toothbrush. We had to wait for the discharge papers. They could not find anything wrong with her.

While we were waiting, a man of about 70 was brought to the Emergency Room via ambulance. He said that he had pain in his chest and it was going into his arm. He was at his doctor’s office and they called the ambulance for him. As the nurse was taking a history, he said that he was taking heart medication. When asked what kind and the dosage, the man said “I don’t know – my wife takes care of that.” Here was a man with a heart problem and he didn’t even know the name of any of his heart medication!

Rule #1 – Protect yourself at all times. You MUST be aware of what you put into your body – especially medications. If you know you eat spicy food and you get heartburn or diarrhea, but you don’t know the name of the medications that help you stay alive – you may want to rethink your plan!

If you are taking any medication, you MUST know the name of the drug, the dosage and how often you take it.

It is essential that you are aware of your medical conditions, and that you keep them well documented and available in case of an emergency. Every time you see a doctor, get a copy of the office visit note. Make a copy of all prescriptions. Record you medical information so it will be available to EMS and hospital personnel.

The treatment to the man in the hospital was delayed until the E.R. people found out what medication he was taking. They could not risk giving him something that would cause a negative reaction with his pills. If he only kept his medical records with him, the E.R. people could have started treatment immediately, and not waste precious minutes. His story ended well this time, but was it worth the chance?

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When seeking insurance it always pays to know what the policies cover. Medical coverage, repayments of mortgages, college tuitions, and overall survival expenses can weigh anyone down when illnesses plague our lives. Enduring any illness can alter a person’s life radically. When a person is ill having the right coverage can make all the difference in the world, thus making life a more comfortable arrangement even under turmoil. When a person becomes ill, they may need to quite work temporarily, or even permanently. When this occurs, any financial support is needed, not only to keep the unemployed afloat, but also to help the family face the illness with less stress.

Medical expenses alone when ill can cost a fortune merely for one treatment. The various state sources, such as FIA or Social Services may provide temporary relief, but the plans are often limited and sometimes the plans include waiting lists. Since, chronic ills are long-term treatments; Critical Illness is needed to help provide cash when times are difficulty.

If you own a home, it makes it much harder since mortgage must be paid to avoid repossessions, foreclosures, or bankruptcy. The stress mounting during the financial difficulties can also increase the deterioration of health; therefore, the right coverage is needed. Many Critical Illness plans are cheaper when you combine Life Insurance. The combination (if the right plans are purchased) can provide you a resource that will cover burial, unemployed costs, survival costs, medical expenses, including in-care, outpatient, inpatient, home remodeling, vacations, and more. The coverage will often bring forth relief if the patient will need ramps, shelves, wheelchairs, scooters, and other medical-related recovery needs that will progress the patients health to recovery.

Other areas of unforeseen events can also cause stress when critical illnesses prevail. The patient may need to expand the doorways for entrance to his home, or may need lifts to get access to the upstairs part of the house. Still, few patients may need adoptions to their vehicle, accommodating them when traveling to the hospital. This brings to mind the cost your family may pay to visit you at the hospital. Thus, Critical Illness Coverage will provide ‘tax-free’ lump cash sums to cover traveling, hotel stays, and other necessities required to visit a loved one.

It is always nice to know that cash is available if and when illness attacks. If your children are participating in college at your expense, it is wonderful knowing that the children needs are covered in the event you cannot pull the weight. You may even need a vacation to benefit your medical condition. Critical Illness offers coverage for medical-related vacations to speed up recovery. You may wonder why you do not need coverage if you are healthy, but you must consider that life is not perfect, and neither are people.

If you do not have Life Insurance or Critical Illness coverage now and you are in great condition health wise, you might want to consider that accidents, incidents and unforeseen occurrences are not prejudice and will target anyone of us at any time. We can view an example that recently occurred in my local area to see why Critical Illness and Life Insurance is important even if your health is great.

Not so long ago a young woman with great health went out her door believing she was untouchable by the unforeseen, accidents and incidents that befall someone everyday. When she returned home, the woman was attacked by a vicious predator that strangled her near to death, and beat her repeatedly into a solid concrete floor. The woman survived, however, for the next six months the woman was unable to work, and since she had little or no insurance coverage, her health was neglected, and there were no support for her during her layoff. The woman had Class A credit, which deteriorated during this setback. (God forbid this never happens to anyone, but reality does exist) Now, if this woman had Critical Illness and Life Insurance she would have had the money to receive adequate medical treatment, and would had the money to cover her short-term living condition (since the injuries limited her for life), she would still have adequate credit to survive in a very selfish world. Now ask your self again, why do you need coverage?

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Never before have we had such a range of options available for weight loss – it can be downright confusing! What’s more, many of us have tried many of the options out there – often more than once. There comes a time when you may need to stop looking for ‘quick fixes’ and just accept that if you are going to lose weight, it will be up to you and no one else. It’s simple ‘mind over matter’.

Consider a parallel – another problem that many people struggle with – quitting smoking. There are all types of programs to help you quite smoking. There’s nicotine gum, and the patch, and counseling, and hypnotherapy. But for many people who have successfully quit, what it all comes down to is just making up your mind to do it – quitting cold turkey, as it were.

Of course, weight issues are a little more complex because you can’t just ‘quit’ eating! But essentially, it’s the same issue. We each have control over what we put into our mouths, even if it feels out of control at times. We all have choices. Also, in this day and age, we all have a pretty good idea of which foods are causing us to gain weight. We all know what a healthy diet looks like, and we all know that exercise helps a lot, too. The trick is to start acting on all of these things that we already ‘know’!

It’s simple mind over matter, really. The ‘matter’ is that the food is there, and we want to eat it. The ‘mind’ means having self control. If you know you shouldn’t eat it, then don’t. It really is as simple – and as hard – as that.

Most weight problems, when you come right down to it, are behavioral issues. That means that there is seldom any medical reason for gaining weight and keeping it on (though there may, of course, be exceptions to this. Some people do have legitimate medical conditions that make it more difficult for them to lose weight.) For most of us, though, it’s because of bad habits. We all know what they are. We know that eating at night is bad, for example, because there’s no opportunity to work off those calories – but we do it anyway. Everyone knows that snack foods and candy don’t do you any favors, but the impulse to snack on them may seem overwhelming.

Start by taking stock – make a list of all the unhealthy eating habits you plan to eliminate. Be firm, yet realistic. If you find it difficult to assess your eating habits by yourself, you can enlist some help, of course – ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist or dietician to go over your eating habits in detail, or join a personalized weight loss program where the same type of service is provided.

Once you have a clear idea of which foods need to be eliminated and how you can improve the quality of your meals, just start doing it. Don’t wait until next week, or until after the holidays – just start. Be determined and single minded. Keep in mind that this lifestyle change may end up saving your life, or at least improving your quality of life in a big way. You are doing it for yourself, and for everyone in your life who would like to see you healthy and happy.

Here’s another hint – if you slip up and make a mistake, don’t let it stop you. Start again, with the very next meal. Your whole plan will not be ruined because of one or two mistakes, but if you use those mistakes as an excuse to abandon the plan altogether, that’s a totally different story.

Here’s the last step – even after you have achieved your weight loss goal, make those changes permanent. All too many of us become ‘yo-yo dieters’ – we diet successfully, then gain everything back, then have to diet again. Over time, this can put more strain on your body than if you had never lost the weight in the first place! So make sure that you come up with an eating plan you can live with, and be prepared to live with it for the rest of your life. That doesn’t mean you can never enjoy your favorite dessert again – but it does mean that, the morning after, you get back to healthy eating.

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The problem with research on meditation is that it is limited. Though there is a lot of information of how meditation is useful in various medical conditions, there is limited information on how to meditate so as to see changes in your life.

If you can meditate, then start with meditation for only five minutes a day. You can use any form of meditation that you are comfortable with. But in order to experiment, stick to only five minutes everyday. You will see that within 3 to 4 weeks of starting meditation, you will feel irritable, angry or low for no reason. If you can handle that, continue with it. If you cannot handle it, stop doing the meditation for 2 or 3 days. You will start to feel better again. Start meditation for five minutes a day again. Be consistent with it and you will reach a stage when you will feel happy within yourself. You will also notice unexpectedly good coincidences happen in life. The following changes will be noticed.

CHANGE IN MOOD: You will feel a stability in happy mood. This will be different from the relaxation that will be experienced at the start of meditation. This time anything that bothered you before, will not be bothersome. Instead of a quick change in your mood, your happiness will be long lasting.

CHANGE IN RELATIONSHIPS: After you have gone through the phase of anger and feeling low, you will notice that your relationships with people around you would become better. You will have less confrontation with your partner.

CHANGE IN EFFICIENCY: You will notice that you will have more energy as compared to before. The same job that you found boring, mundane or stressful will become enjoyable. Every person that I have seen in my practice has become more efficient in what they did, with meditation.

CHANGE IN FINANCES: If you are consistent in meditation, you will notice that your financial situation after you have gone through the low phase of meditation, will be better than before you started meditation.

CHANGE IN THE ENVIRONMENT YOU LIVE IN: At some stage, after you start meditation, you will start to get irritable with the clutter around you. In most cases that I have seen, clearing of the attic or giving away old clothes is the norm. It happens spontaneously.

CHANGE IN SOCIAL LIFE: Initially you will feel happy with friends. Then some of them will start to annoy you and then you will decide who you want to remain your friend or not. Instead of going out, you will feel happy with yourself.

CHANGE IN SELF-ESTEEM: As you meditate, your self-confidence will become better before it gets a battering temporarily. Then as your emotional clutter gets cleared with meditation, your self-esteem goes higher.

CHANGE IN LUCK: Initially when I saw people’s lives changing in front of my eyes, I could not believe it. But I can now safely and comfortably write that meditation will change your luck too. You will notice surprisingly pleasant things happen that were not expected.

The above changes will be noticed successively as you increase the time duration of your meditation. At each change in duration,for example, from five minutes to 10 minutes, you will go through the stage of feeling angry and low before you feel better again. In this venture, patience pays.

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