It must be Halloween or you are in a play if you are thinking about buying novelty contact lenses. Quite a few of the special effects that are shown in the movies are done with these special costume contact lenses. They can be really enticing to wear because they certainly are different, but they must be used safely and with caution. Some of the styles and ways you can wear them are:

• Put on a black cat suit and one of the different styles and colors of cat eyes

• Dress in red with a fork and wear devil lenses

• Put on a tuxedo and wear vampire lenses

• Make your eyes appear red or black with total coverage

• If you want to support your favorite NFL team, you can get contacts that display your team name

• You can look like a reptile with a green lens and a black vertical slit going through it

• A whimsical lens would be a smiley face, flower, or dollar signs

• Contact lenses that feature flames would be fun for a devil costume

• Lenses can change color if when exposed to a black light so they would be even more noticeable at a club

• Show your patriotism with an American flag, or the Union Jack.

• There are eye drops that you can put in your eye to make them appear dead

• What kind of animal do you want to look like? How about a cat, jaguar, zebra, wolf or reptile?

• A novelty contact lens used in one eye only would look really scary or funky.

• These are only a few of the wild choices that you can find online from a reputable dealer or from your eye care professional.

There is a down side to the use of novelty lenses. All of the costume lenses on the market are seen by the FDA as medical devices so you must have a prescription to buy them. They do not carry any kind of corrective prescription; it is just as though they were a plain pair of glasses with fake lenses in them. Black market contacts have been more places than ever before. You might find the novelty lenses in a gas station, flea market, or salon. If you get them from somewhere other than a reputable distributor, you could be inviting serious permanent eye injury. Definitely stay away from those lenses because you just can’t put your eyes at such risk. They can also present a danger because many of the styles limit the amount of light that enters the eye. Your peripheral vision may also be restricted, causing problems while driving or even walking.

Novelty contact lenses can be safe to wear as long as you follow the guidelines from your eye care professional. Never swap lenses with your friends. If they aren’t fitted specifically for you, they can cause eye injury and will be very uncomfortable to wear. You wouldn’t do that with corrective contacts and you shouldn’t do that with these. Clean them just as you would other lenses, and don’t sleep or swim in them. If you get a proper prescription from your eye doctor and get them from a reputable dealer, you should be able to have fun with the lenses and create the theatrical or scary look you are trying to achieve.

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Why does health insurance cost so much? Year after year, many of the articles that appear in print detail the specific factors driving the cost of healthcare.

These factors include: general inflation, advances in drugs and other medical devices, rising hospital and doctor expenses, government mandates, increased consumer demand, litigation, fraud, and cost shifting.

The basic answer is that a magic bullet to solve the cost of insurance does not exist because the real difficulty is controlling the cost of healthcare. A simple way to dramatically decrease the dollars spent on healthcare is to reduce the demand for healthcare.

I have seen estimates that up to 40% of all healthcare related expenses result from preventable conditions. These preventable conditions are caused by lifestyle choices such as tobacco, obesity, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Most of us, myself included, make lifestyle choices everyday that eventually increase our demand for healthcare. We are never going to be able to totally eliminate all lifestyle related healthcare costs. However, improved lifestyle choices would cause a dramatic reduction in demand. This would then result in a similar reduction in the dollars spent on healthcare.

Lower demand for healthcare would result in lower health insurance costs, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. If your organization has not done so already, your organizational leaders need to seriously consider the benefits of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Your return on investment will most likely be as high as 2:1 in the first year.

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Health Insurance For Seniors On The Net

When a good friend of mine inquired where he could obtain information about medical insurance for his out-of-state, elderly mother, I told him to try the Internet.

He reported back to me about a week later, in desperation: “I am giving up, I am too confused.” He had taken on an overwhelming project with his widowed mother, living in another state. As the only child, and following the sudden death of his father, it was his responsibility to care for his mother.

In this world of technology, the family unit is often living in different geographical areas and the family members are usually quite involved with their own lives, careers, and families. In addition, when both parents are alive, often one or both parents are quite independent and do not require a lot of assistance. As time goes on things, of course, change, and sometimes change very suddenly. There can be a crisis, with regard to the health care needs of one or both aging parents.

With our baby boomers facing this problem in ever increasing numbers, and with the information highway in full bloom, there is a definite need for planning.

Protecting your parent’s assets and health is a huge and daunting undertaking, which requires a tremendous amount of education and practical application. Our seniors face many diverse responsibilities upon reaching age 65. To name just a few: Estate planning, taxation, Medicare, social security, wills, insurance, and various other legal and financial matters. All of these different areas require expertise from accountants, lawyers, estate planners, insurance agents, home brokers, financial advisors, and others.

The Internet is a good starting point for most people to find resources for questions and solutions for your problems. There is, however, no replacement for good solid intelligent advice from an expert.

Twenty years ago, insurance for elders was sold by “senior insurance specialists”, with just a handful of companies in each state. The programs were most often Medi-gap or Medicare supplemental policies, which covered the expenses not covered by Medicare, including hospital and doctor deductibles, durable medical devices, and non-approved Medicare costs. Ironically these specialists did not sell a lot of nursing care policies, even though Medicare paid a national average of less than 2% of these expenses. With the advent of “financial and estate planning” and more insurance companies entering this market, a more broad and diversified product line became available to agents, brokers, planners, and seniors.

Part of this new diversification was the “home health care plan”, sold by itself, and in conjunction with senior health insurance products. The appeal of the “home health care policy” was that a senior could stay at home and still receive medical and custodial benefits, allowing a person to recuperate in the comfort of their own home.

This was the answer to a huge problem. The last place an older person wanted to go was a “retirement home”, or “rest home”, or, God forbid, the “nursing home.” It appeared that seniors could now rely on this new innovation without worry of having to move out of their home environment in the event of a health problem.

As with most things,” if it is too good to be true”…. The home health care policy is no exception. The problem is, there is not enough coverage for a lengthy illness or recuperation time. The fact is, the new trend is toward an “all in one” type facility, allowing for a variety of levels of care all in one location. In other words a senior could start off with little or no health care concerns in an independent, less expensive area, and then go to an assisted living, or nursing care facility, all within the same compound.

A “nursing home” requires a nurse on the premises 24 hours per day, assisted living is just eight hours. The advantages to this are financial. The patient or senior is only charged according to the care level required during the time he or she is admitted to that facility. Another benefit is it alleviates a lot of planning because the care is delivered, as it is needed. The medical attention is available to all residents regardless of their current health.

Some people are offered a lifetime package, which covers their care for the rest of their life, regardless of their current age. It also allows for social outlets to an otherwise somewhat isolated group. On-line shopping services have become a huge business. It is definitely here to stay and many insurance policies are purchased from Internet quotes and on-line applications.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of insurance agents and brokers advertising on the Internet. Most of them will provide instant on-line quotes and even applications for the potential insured. I highly discourage a layperson to purchase insurance in this fashion. A little knowledge can be dangerous.

The federal government has mandated to all states through legislation, the standardized senior health insurance policy guidelines, which are governed and regulated by each state insurance department.

There are plans for almost every level of health. Some are designed and priced for a less than healthy individual. Others are for a person with minimal health concerns. . The whole concept of insurance is to provide protection for “unanticipated” sickness or injury, especially catastrophic expenses, which would devastate a person’s net worth. The more small expenses a person is willing or able to pay (self-insure), the lower the rate. I recommend this strategy when evaluating your insurance options.

Another consideration when reviewing various insurance plans is to look at the company itself. How long has the company been selling this type of insurance? Do they have a lot of complaints filed with the local department of insurance? Are the rates stable? Does it pay claims on time? Service? Most agents talk about the rating. These ratings are as follows: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or “not rated”.

Do not be fooled by rating alone. It is good to have a high rating, but it is far better to have a company that has longevity, stability, innovation, service, and expertise. The problem is that some companies enter into a market and quickly leave without explanation. This does not give security to the policyholder.

The most important consideration should be a review of the profit/loss ratio for that product. This will establish stability, and longevity in the market. An insurance company with a moderate profit in a particular line of business will remain in that market. On the other hand, a company with losses will make changes and possibly even withdraw. This is information not normally available to Internet users.

Before entering into an insurance contract, the senior person, the family, and other advisors must be realistic, and a careful evaluation of the entire picture must be examined. The age, the health of the senior, the financial resources, the personality and attitude of the senior, and most importantly the desires of the senior, should all be considered.

Early planning is important, as qualification becomes increasingly more difficult as the applicant’s health declines. The senior health care market is complex. I will offer some words of advice to attempt to alleviate potential pitfalls.

*Choose a well-informed, seasoned, and service oriented agent or broker to assist your decision making process. The professional can offer invaluable information, but do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions and even get a second opinion.

*Do not wait until your parent or loved one is sick, or injured. Plan ahead and take the time needed to cover all the options.

*Choose an experienced insurance company. A Company that has been in the marketplace for a significant time and has maintained a balance of rates and benefits and sound risk selection with moderate rate increases over time is your best bet.

*The plan should be flexible, with a broad range of options and benefit selections to the insured. There should be no tricks, or complicated language for the coverage. An incredibly low rate is a red flag for trouble in the future.

*Do not rush or be rushed by an over aggressive sales person.

This policy will not be inexpensive and will need to be read and reviewed for a clear understanding of the contents. This is one advantage to the Internet. You are allowed to read indefinitely before you act.

A long-term care program, with or without insurance coverage, will only work if the senior has input into the care selection process.

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There are all sorts of color contact lenses out there, including crazy lens contacts. Crazy lenses are out there for those who want to dress up their Halloween outfits, create looks necessary for theatrical and Hollywood, or just have a freaky look for their day to day lives. The contacts are available both with prescriptive correction as well as for those who just want a new look. While the offerings seem to be limitless, there is still safety to consider. Below is an investigation into what crazy lens contacts are out there and how they should be taken care of.

Crazy Lens Contact Providers

There are two main providers of crazy lens contacts: WildEyes, by CIBA Vision, and Crazy Lenses by CooperVision. While these are the tow largest providers, there are also lesser known companies out there. WildEyes offers several looks for those wanting a change. These include Jaguar, Zebra, Black-out, Alien and many more. Crazy Lenses offers Cat Eye, Red Spiral, Wolf and Fire. They also offer crazy Bloodshot contact lenses. The base of the lenses is white and there are thin, blood vessel looking streaks running through them.

Safety First

Crazy lens contacts may be fun, but All About Vision points out that they are still considered medical devices by the FDA. Even if they are just for Halloween, contacts need to be fitted, which means a trip to your eye doctor. Crazy lens contacts also require cleaning and disinfecting as would other contacts. Also, even if you may want to, avoid sharing your contacts with others and never let a friend try on your contacts. Don’t sleep or swim in them. All About Contacts urges buyers of crazy lens contacts to never buy these fantastic lenses from online stores that do not ask for a prescription.

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In this era of genuinely marvelous, high-tech, medical devices, it is sometimes surprising that certain diseases are still diagnosed “clinically,” meaning that the clinician makes the call based on just the story of symptoms and the physical exam. Parkinson’s disease is one such disease. There is no “Parkinson scan” or “Parkinson blood-test” to rely upon. MRI scans, CT scans and blood tests are usually normal in people with this disease.

Of course, once upon a time—before scans and blood-tests even existed—this is how all diagnoses were made. So, in a sense, diagnosing Parkinson’s disease gets back to the very roots of what doctors are supposed to do. But when there are no corroborative tests available to prove or disprove a diagnosis, even the doctor sometimes gets it wrong.

Before delving into the challenges of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease, let’s first consider what is known about this condition.

In 1817 James Parkinson, an English surgeon and apothecary, published a classic, short book entitled “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy.” In it, Parkinson identified a consistent pattern of physical abnormalities in six patients he had examined. Although people with identical abnormalities had doubtlessly been around for thousands of years, Parkinson was the first to recognize this pattern of abnormalities as a distinct condition. For this important achievement, the disease was eventually named for him.

In the book’s opening sentence Parkinson wasted no time in laying out prominent features of this disease: “Involuntary tremulous motion, with lessened muscular power, in parts [of the body] not in action and even when supported; with a propensity to bend the trunk forwards, and to pass from a walking to a running pace: the senses and intellects being uninjured.”

Subsequently, scientists discovered that degeneration of a limited group of brain cells containing the chemical transmitter dopamine was responsible for these clinical changes. (The group of brain cells involved is too slight to show up on brain scans in all but the most advanced of cases.)

In 1967, levodopa (one of two ingredients in brand-name Sinemet) a drug the body can convert into dopamine, was found helpful in alleviating many of the symptoms. Later, other drugs (dopamine agonists) were created that improved symptoms by mimicking the action of the missing dopamine. These include bromocriptine (brand name Parlodel), pergolide (Permax), pramipexole (Mirapex) and ropinirole (Requip). To date, there are no treatments that reliably stop or reverse the underlying disease-process.

As a condition that affects about one percent of people over the age of 60, Parkinson’s disease is usually on the radar screen of patients and doctors alike when new symptoms are present that suggest the disease. That other conditions can resemble it was not news to James Parkinson who devoted a chapter of his 1817 book to “Shaking palsy distinguished from other diseases with which it may be confounded.”

In my consultation practice of neurology, I see both over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The problem usually centers on one of the most visible of symptoms, the tremor. When tremor of the hands is present, doctors often diagnose Parkinson’s disease, even when another condition is to blame. When tremor is absent, doctors often fail to consider Parkinson’s disease, even when it is present.

One key to accurate diagnosis is to focus on the characteristics of the tremor itself. The Parkinsonian tremor usually affects one hand first, and at all stages of the disease the initially affected hand remains more tremulous than the other hand. And, as Parkinson himself emphasized, the tremor is most evident when the hand is at rest or supported, and decreases when the hand is in the air or put to use. In other conditions that cause hand-tremors, the hands are more equally affected, and the tremor is more evident when the hands are in the air or put to use.

What about cases in which no tremor is present? Because symptoms of Parkinson’s disease worsen slowly—year by year instead of month by month—patients and their families often mistake these changes as due to normal, healthy aging.

Non-tremor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can include relative immobility of body-parts (hypokinesia), especially of the face which can show a mask-like lack of expression. Movements, once initiated, are slow (bradykinesia). Walking, as James Parkinson noted, involves a bent-forward posture with shuffling, short steps and reduced swinging of the arms. Sometimes the body’s center of gravity gets ahead of the feet’s ability to catch up, resulting in the passing “from a walking to a running pace” that Parkinson described and is known as festination.

The physical exam also shows clumsiness in hands and feet. Increased muscle tone, called “rigidity,” is encountered in the patient’s neck and arm muscles, even while they are supposed to be relaxed.

Patients who have Parkinson’s disease without tremor are often the most gratifying cases to treat. Having developed their problems slowly and having believed all along that their symptoms were due to aging, they are happily astonished by the rapid improvement in function produced by appropriate medication.

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Recently, a number of articles have been published on static magnetic therapy. Static magnetic therapy is the placement of a magnet field on or near the body to enhance healing, relieve pain and improve body function. The idea of magnetism is not new. Early Chinese medical literature claimed healing properties for lodestrone, a naturally magnetic mineral. For centuries, static magnetic therapy has been used by eastern practitioners to relieve pain and swelling, and to induce healing. Since the 1950’s, numerous Japanese studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of magnetic fields for treating various conditions. Many magnetic devices are registered with the Japanese Welfare Ministry as medical devices, after undergoing clinical testing at accredited medical institutions to verify their safety and effectiveness.

For many years, the Magnetic Health Science Foundation has been meeting annually in Japan to report on the growing body of evidence of the scientific technology of magnetic research. To date, there are now over 300 published articles on magnetic research.

But, do magnets really work? The answer may lie in understanding the laws of physics, and in reviewing recent scientific evidence.

We are energetic beings surrounded by naturally generated electromagnetic energy, fields of energy which are created by the spinning and moving of electrons and charged particles within the cell.

Some of the early awareness of the importance of electromagnetic energy fields was discovered when the Russian cosmonauts first spent long periods of time on board the Mir space station; they became sick. Their illnesses appeared to be caused by the lack of contact with the magnetic field surrounding the earth. Once the Russian space station was equipped with a magnetism generator, the symptoms disappeared.

All cells within the body are ordered by magnetism; the atoms and molecules are tiny magnets with a positive and negative pole. All communication within the body occurs through electric currents and the electromagnetic frequencies they generate.

According to the laws of physics, the first law of electromagnetism states that if an electron or other charged particle is moving it generates a magnetic field. The corollary to this rule is that if an electron or charged particle encounters a magnetic field it must move.

So how does this apply to magnetic therapy, healing, and pain? When a person is injured, the body immediately reacts to restore the body to its natural balanced state. In brief, the injured tissue produces a chemical reaction whereby acids are released and chemicals are brought to the injured site to begin a healing process. This chemical reaction leads to swelling which causes pain.

The theory is that when a magnetic field is placed at or near the injured site the electromagnetic field induces a current or charge in the tissues in the body. This charge causes the toxins (acids and other chemicals) to move, the toxins are removed and excreted, and a natural healing state ensues. As this change occurs, the blood flow to the injured site is improved, the swelling is reduced, and pain is alleviated.

Some scientists believe that magnetic therapy causes the body to dispose of waste materials (toxins) more quickly and speeds up the healing process. Numerous studies have been conducted on the effects of static magnetic therapy in Asia and Europe. Recently, scientists in the US have begun reporting their results of the effectiveness of magnetic fields.

Magnetic therapy has been found to be effective in alleviating burning, numbness and tingling, and exercise induced foot pain in patients with diabetic neuropathy (Weintraub 1998, 1999, 2003); in alleviating neuropathic pain in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (Weintraub & Cole 2000); in alleviating pain in people suffering from osteoarthritis in the knees and hips (Harlow 2004, Hinman 2002, Pipitone 2001, Wosko 2004); and in other chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (Segal 2001), fibromyalgia (Alfono 2001, Thomas 2001) and chronic back pain (Collacott 2000).

Although the scientific research in the United States is still in the early stages compared to the Asian and European studies, static magnetic therapy has been shown to have no detrimental side effects and has great promise for those suffering from chronic painful conditions.

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The physicians conundrum: Everywhere, physicians are contemplating or engaged in expanding into the “medical spa” market. Seduced by the media buzz around this hot new phenomenon, many doctors see the medical spa as a means boosting their income and eliminating the growing grind and countless headaches of their daily practice. They read about growth statistics, see dazzling new equipment at trade shows, watch competitors popping up, and fear that they may be falling behind the times. With pen in hand they’re ready to sign lease agreements, loan documents, and lots of checks in order to catch up with a crowd of savvy entrepreneurs who know where the real action is. And the truth is, they’re right. Medical spas are the natural evolution of cosmetic medicine, and those who don’t join the revolution will watch from the sidelines as their fate is decided.

Medical spas are the forerunner of a revolution. From Galen until now, the primary method of care has been through the hands and individual knowledge of a physician. But that’s changing. The default method of care is becoming technology based. In every market and time, technologies are developed that replace an individuals knowledge and skill.

Lasers, IPLs, radio frequency, infrared, personal DNA testing, Pointe Lift™, Liposolve™, Clear², PDT, telomere clipping, anti-aging drugs and a smorgasbord of other technologies in development promise to change medicine in the same way that computers, jet engines, and GPS have changed aviation. Technology now enables a technician (under medical supervision) to perform effective medical treatments and places the physician in an oversight roll instead of being the primary practitioner. In the near future, physicians will have more in common with an astronauts than the Wright Brothers.

But changing technology poses very deep problems for physicians. Technology allows easy replication and scalability, forces an unimaginably steep new learning curve on overworked doctors, and eliminates many of the barriers and protections that physicians have relied on in the past. And it’s only going to get worse.

Consider this. The combination of markets that Surface competes in is huge (40-50 billion per year and growing), highly fragmented (individual practitioner model), completely new (technology based), and free of any meaningful national players (yet). Already there are very deep pockets investigating ways to exploit this emerging marketplace. The Wal-Marts and Home Depots of this new medical marketplace are being built.

But there’s opportunity as well. Technology opens new doors for physicians who can manage this new paradigm. That’s why a ready supply of smart and motivated physicians tired of the daily grind of insurance patients are moving into the marketplace and successfully competing. For the first time, physicians outside the current specialties of plastic surgery (cutting and stitching) and dermatology (diseases of the skin) have the potential to earn the income of these “big money” specialties. This new market will inevitably give rise to a new specialty whose focus will be “non-surgical cosmetic medical technologies”. You can see the fragmentation today. Many dermatologists now label themselves as “cosmetic” to market themselves as a subspecialty.

Hurry up and wait. You can’t get enough good information fast enough. But this is a new business and demands a huge investment of time to make the right decisions. Sales reps will stream into your clinic armed with charts and graphs that go up and to the right, advertisers will drop phrases like “top of mind awareness”, and you’ll have a creeping suspicion that the market is getting away from you. Go slow. There are a host of land mines in the area and there are some that will be advising you to jump directly on them.

So, how do you build a medical spa inside your existing practice? Surface has three locations, four physicians, master aestheticians, technicians, patient coordinators, managers and office staff. Every treatment at Surface is governed by a set of proprietary protocols. As a business, we have advised dozens of individual physicians, managers, and investors about opening and operating medical spas. Be advised this is not easy, but here are a few suggestions.

Physician heal thyself: This is your business. Consultants make their money by telling others how to run businesses that they can’t run themselves. Believe me, if a medical spa consultant was worth hiring, they would be running their own medical spa. Consultants will tell you that you have to have massage, retail should be 30% or your gross sales, and “you might want to consider hydrotherapy”. Wrong. The day that retail is 30% of our gross sales I’ll eat my left foot. Our retail is around 3%. If it ever gets to 5% we’ll cut back. If this is going to be your business, make your own decisions.

Find someone smarter than you: The most important step is good management. Without that, people can, and have, lost everything. If you don’t have good management skills, hire someone from outside medicine who does.

Franchises: “Turn key solutions”. That’s how almost everything is marketed to physicians. Buy this technology, hire this personnel, run these ad slicks, and everything will fall into place. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. Most of these franchises are sold as a sort of “we’ve already worked out the kinks” sort of deal. It’s a lie. Franchises focus on the treatments that everybody else will be able to replicate with ease. It’s more a case of, “ In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”. You don’t need a franchise.

All technology is not created equal: Despite what company reps will tell you, choosing the right technology will mean big differences at the end of the year. Efficacy, cost per treatment, initial costs, usage, and a long list of other considerations should go into technology decisions. Many physicians jump first and then end up with $80,000 towel dryers that they still have to make payments on every month. Used medical devices are readily available from the constant stream of bankruptcies and failed medical practices. Choose your technology carefully.

Understand the marketplace: Medical spas are a luxury business. And for most physicians it comes as an unwelcome surprise that their new patients are more demanding. Long waits, aloof staff members, poor communication, and ambivalent staff, are all in the past. You’re touting yourself as a luxury service, act like one. Hire top-notch people that are service-oriented, friendly and courteous. Protocols can be taught easier than attitude.

Rein in your ego: This is business. It’s not personal. If you feel you must charge twice as much as your competitors because you “deserve it” or you’re board certified, get used to empty appointment book. One of my personal pet peeves is the condescending attitude of many physicians.

Do not use “advanced” or “laser” in your name: The number of “advanced” laser clinics is staggering. Don’t do it. It’s inane, overused, and bland. I actually had a physician ask me if changing his name from Advanced Laser Centers to Advanced Laser Group would get him more business.

Network with successful medical spas: Successful business owners are only to happy to help newcomers to the industry. We have constant dialogue with physicians and investors who are investigating the marketplace and have advised clinics on four continents. Successful medical spas will be happy to build bridges with smart businesses.

Don’t look to day spas to solve your problems: Physicians hear “spa” and immediately think that day spas have the answers they’re looking for. Wrong. The average net margins for day spas are around 8%-10%. The average physicians is 60%. This is a different market.

Don’t base your pay on commission: Commissions sound like a great solution. You save overhead and motivate your staff to grow the business. Wrong. Commissions are used in spas to keep overhead low, but guess what. Staff members working for commission aren’t working for you. Commissions lead to overly aggressive staff that don’t do anything for your reputation.

Don’t gild the Lily: You may have heard that you have to “build out” your clinic at the cost of $80-$120 per square foot. Nope. You don’t have to start with treatment tables that have your clinics name embossed on them. Spend all your money before you open and you won’t be able to spend it where you’ll really need it… getting butts in the seats.

Stay lean: Physicians practice medicine based on science. You don’t need to offer massage and you don’t know anything about it anyway. Stick to the basics.

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On June 15th, 2004, FDA’s Medical Devices Panel recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve vagus nerve stimulation as a therapy for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. I was at the meeting, seated in the first row and made a presentation to the Panel.

Yet, one year later, we still do not have a final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

What’s the delay? Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, unexpectedly decided to examine the FDA’s decision to allow this therapy to be used to treat depression. Vagus nerve stimulation therapy has been FDA approved for epilepsy for eight years. Although this is not a formal investigation, it is apparently an impediment to the immediate issuance of FDA’s final approval. I am not aware of the Senate Finance Committee’s scientific and medical credentials. However, I do have first-hand knowledge of certain FDA Medical Device Panel Members lack of familiarity with the FDA’s own regulations and guidelines.

If you would like to express your outrage at the continued delay of final FDA approval,

Ironically, this one-year anniversary coincides with the issuance of a $20 million landmark study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. This is the most comprehensive mental health study undertaken by the government. The study reported that 25% of Americans suffered a psychiatric disorder in the year prior to the survey, but most failed to get adequate care. Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health commented that “mental disorders are highly prevalent and chronic.” As expected, researchers found that the most common disorder was depression. Depression typically started in early adulthood, 20’s and 30’s, and progressively got worse and more difficult to treat. If you suffer from chronic or treatment-resistant depression, you don’t need a $20 million research study to tell you that depression is difficult to treat.

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April 14, 2005 federal judge Tena Campbell of the federal district court in Salt Lake City Utah reversed the ban on ephedra.

Ephedra is an herb used over 5000 years ago to treat several disorders, such as asthma and bronchitis. Because ephedra has the ability to increase metabolism, and burn fat it became a popular ingredient used in diet pills.

About 12 to 17 million people consumed ephedra in 1999, reports the American Herbal Products Association. The Nutrition Business Journal estimated that sales of ephedra in 2002 were $1.25 billion.

Ephedra is so powerful its safety was questioned, the FDA removed ephedra also known by its chinese name Ma-huang from the market in April 2004, claiming that it was responsible for dozens of deaths.

The ban on ephedra didn’t affect the sale of over-the-counter cold medications such as decongestants which often contain ephedrine in synthetic form.

Judge Campbell states that drug agencies had failed to prove that ephedra at low doses was dangerous, and that it lacked the authority to ban the substance without such proof. She called for the FDA to lift the ban on ephedra.

The US ban on ephedra was lifted, among other things the court clarified that the FDA must follow the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), and can not treat dietary supplements like drugs or medical devices.

According to the court low doses of ephedra do not pose significant or unreasonable risk by a preponderance of the evidence. Companies that sell ephedra based products are allowed to resume selling whole herb ephedra products with no more than 10mg of naturally occurring ephedrine alkaloids.

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1. Soft lenses are perceived by most patients and practitioners alike to be more immediately comfortable while adequately correcting vision. They come in all formats — even toric and bifocal. Disposable soft lenses take minimal but important care to maintain their safety and usefulness.

Soft lenses do absorb elements from the tears and the environment. They can change in fit with their age and cleanliness, perhaps causing a lack of oxygen to the eyes. Their surfaces break down rapidly, causing a decreasing sharpness of vision.

On the other hand, many patients feel they see sharper and more clearly with rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses. RGPs become very comfortable after adapting to them. They are easier and less expensive to maintain, last longer and are available in all formats. RGPs can more easily be custom designed to offer a wider range of vision correction than soft lenses. They can breathe more oxygen, don’t deteriorate as fast and don’t absorb things as easily as soft lenses.

2. Soft lenses generally center by themselves if they fit well. Just put them straight on the cornea and they will go where they belong. Use the iris, the colored part of the eye, as a guide. Make sure you have a competent eye care practitioner evaluate the fit of your lenses before you wear them, though. Improperly fit soft lenses can cause damage to your eyes!

3. Almost all nearsighted people can wear contact lenses, no matter how high their prescription. In fact, there are contact lens laboratories that make custom lenses up to -30.00 diopters! It is essential to follow your contact lens practitioner’s rules, however. Contact lenses are extremely safe when prescribed and cared for properly.

4. Improperly worn contact lenses can cause a loss of oxygen to the cornea, which in turn can lead to blood vessels growing over the front of your eyes, infections, lid changes, allergies, corneal warping, corneal swelling and possibly even blindness.

5. Do not share contact lenses with your friends. Everyone’s tears are filled with normal bacteria, but transferring these bacteria to someone else’s eyes is not a good idea. And not only is there a risk of infection, if the lenses don’t fit, the eye can suffer from a lack of oxygen or develop other problems.

6. Contact lenses are medical devices. Changing parameters should be done under the supervision of an eye care practitioner. Do not take chances!

7. If you sunbathe while wearing contact lenses, there is no problem with heat. But your corneas can swell and make your lenses fit tighter, causing some temporary redness and irritation. Put some form of lubricating drops in your eyes before tanning. Wear protective glasses to block the really harmful UV radiation from getting to your eyes — it has been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, etc.

8. Bloodshot eyes are a sign that something is not right. It could be as simple as a solution allergy or dirty lenses. But it could also be a sign that your corneas are not getting enough oxygen. Go see your eye care practitioner and find out why your eyes are so red!

9. Eyeglass prescriptions are higher than contact lens prescriptions because contact lenses sit on the eye, whereas eyeglasses sit in space in front of the eye. This is called the vertex distance. The closer a lens sits to the eye, the less strength is needed to focus light on the retina. And the stronger the prescription, the more the power adjustment. This is true for both soft and RGP lenses.

10. Some contact lens practitioners find that lenses with lower water content can sometimes be better for people who have dry eyes. But some patients actually do better with high-water contact lenses. It has long been felt by some practitioners that the thicker the lens, the better, as well.

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