Speaking of Health and Wellness

As often as you hear how important it is to maintain good health and wellness,not enough is said about the resources that exist to help those who are uninsured or under-insured. Health Care for all is an issue that has caused a major divide in the United States of America. According to the White House issues on health care, President Obama is working to provide a better or more efficient health care system for all.
On February 4, 2009 the President signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act to provide quality health care to 11 million kids – 4 million kids who were previously uninsured. Even greater news for those who have lost their jobs, there is a 65% COBRA subsidy to make coverage affordable through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act also provides the following:
• $1 billion for prevention and wellness to improve America’s health and help to reduce health care costs;
• $1.1 billion for research to give doctors tools to make the best treatment decisions for their patients by providing objective information on the relative benefits of treatments; and
• $500 million for health workforce to help train the next generation of doctors and nurses.
The Administration believes that comprehensive health reform should:
• Reduce long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government
• Protect families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs
• Guarantee choice of doctors and health plans
• Invest in prevention and wellness
• Improve patient safety and quality of care
• Assure affordable, quality health coverage for all Americans
• Maintain coverage when you change or lose your job
• End barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions
In the meantime, while these issues are being worked out, there are resources that are available to assist you in areas of your health and wellness. The following links provides information from prescription assistance to insurance coverage.

Coverage for all
Cover Me Foundation
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
Needy Meds
Prescription Assist

For more on the President’s plan on health care reform, please visit the following links:
White House Health Issues
Health Care Reform

Hydroxycut - A message from the FDA

Oh wow, spring is here and summer is on it's way. The coats, sweaters,layers of clothes are all coming off and the big reveal is apparent to you and all who see you. How do you go about losing weight or staying at a healthy weight? What is your work out method? Do you exercise daily? Do you select healthy choices for your meals? Do you skip meals? Do you try the various diets or weight loss food plans? Well, the choices are certainly out there and many people want to lose weight turn to various dietary supplements. A popular dietary supplement Hydroxycut is one that many people have used. The commercials boasts many claims with clients who have shared their weight loss of up to 41 pounds fast which is key to many who want to lose the weight without much to do. Furthermore, if you need to be convinced, Dr. Jon Marshall a resident physician supports the claims by stating that Hydroxycut users have lost up to 4 1/2 times the amount of weight than those who diet and exercise alone. Who wouldn't be tempted?

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, Hydroxycut is linked to serious liver injuries. The products are being pulled from the shelves, however, it is very important to understand that not all stores may have complied or are even aware of the recall (depending on the store). Spread the word and let your family and friends know of these alerts - keep in mind not everyone shares what their weight loss methods are as it can be a personal/private matter. Losing weight and keeping in shape can be quite the challenge, not everyone wants to maintain a workout routine or healthy diet. However, using dietary supplements can be harmful to your health - as with all health related matters - seek your doctor's advice before beginning any form of weight loss activity or products.