Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Health Care And Teachers: Big Areas Of Educational Interest For Texas

They love to say things come big in Texas. That also includes a big need for teachers and health care professionals. Because of this, the Lone Star State has created a number of big financial aid packages to fill this acute shortage.

For starters, there are two different programs for nursing. The first is the Professional Nursing Scholarship. It will provide up to $3,000 a year to both high school and college students, undergraduate and graduate alike, as long as they go to a Texas-based college on at least a half-time basis. The course load must lead to a licensed nursing position. There is also the Vocational Nursing Scholarship. This one contributes $1,500 and is aimed at undergrads only as long as they are on a program for vocational nursing position.

As many health care shortages are in extremely rural areas, Texas created the Rural Emergency Medical Services Scholarship Incentive Program. It's a matching scholarship fund (up to $2,000) that asks its recipients, upon graduating, to practice in these regions, especially if they are studying to become EMS professionals.

There is also the Texas Health Service Corps Program. This one is aimed at medical residents and fourth-year medical students. This is actually a stipend designed to encourage fourth-year medical students and post-grad residents to work in medically under-served regions within the state. It can go as high as $15,000 a year. That can go a long way toward paying for that final certification.

In regards to teaching, the first grant to apply for is the Texas Public Educational Grant. The amount of the grant varies based on your FAFSA form and what the college itself has to offer. It's open to any high school grad and is renewable. More than likely, it will not be enough, so the state also has its Teacher Loan Forgiveness plan. Any teacher who works in one of their under-served districts for five years will automatically get up to $17,500 of their loan forgiven.

Texas also has a special program for military veterans. Entitled Troops To Teachers, the state will pitch in the tuition of any honorably discharged veteran. They will also help find places of employment. The program is administered through the federal Department of Education's DANTES program, as well as the state. As of 1995, this program has trained and employed over 2,000 veterans.

From there, many people do start out as Teacher's Aides. The state will help them become fully certified educators with their Educational Aide Exception Program. The program accepts any person who has been an aide for at least one year in the last five, or is working as a substitute for over 180 days over that same amount of time. The amount of the award varies, depending again on one's FAFSA application and other criteria.

So, these are the basic programs Texas has instituted in order to gain more teachers and medical professionals through traditional and online degree grant and scholarship opportunities. If you are interested in either of these paths, search online courses and on-campus offerings and then sit down with a financial aid advisor for further help.

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Beauty Shop Air Purifier - 3 Essential Filters Are A Must Have

A beauty shop shop's air quality can really become unhealthy fast. The chemical fumes released from products used for perms, coloring, manicures, and pedicures can cause acute symptoms for customers and chronic problems for technicians who work there.

Using an air purifier designed to protect everyone from airborne chemicals that off gas is even more important than using capes to protect their clothing. And you would never think of not using a cape, right? Here are 3 types of filters that your cleaner should have in order to work.

Carbon---Long known for its ability to remove gases, odors, and chemicals, this type of filter is essential. Activated carbon---and a lot of it (15 lbs) ---guarantees that gaseous pollutants will be eliminated.

A potassium iodide additive increases the filter's effectiveness at removing the volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that are so often present in products such as nail polish and remover, and coloring agents to name a few.

This combination has proven to be effective in top salons and can often go a long way towards helping your shop exceed the minimum air quality requirements in your town. Being able to offer the latest products and services and still keep the air smelling fresh will inspire your clients to spread the good word about your salon.

Pre-Filter---As its name suggests, this type comes before the other filters. Generally there needs to be two of these---a large and medium particle filter. Since hair is particulate matter, it only makes since to have filters in the cleaner that can take it out of the air as well.

Putting these filters first traps particles that you can see, and saves the other filters from becoming needlessly clogged. The benefit to your shop is that you spend less on replacing filters, less time on maintenance, and your purifier gets to work to clean the air continually.

HEPA-This is the type of filter used to clean the air in hospitals. This is important to have because people come to your shop in various degrees of health. Designed to remove particulates as small as.3 microns in size, this can remove not only microscopic particles, but will also remove bacteria and viruses that tend to piggy back on smaller particles.

The importance of fresh air cannot be over exaggerated. And removing chemical and particulates that can adversely affect both short and long term health is not only a smart business move, but the right thing to do.

See the Beauty Salon Air Purifier from PurerAir.com now at http://purerair.com/beauty_salon_purifier.html

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Monday, April 25, 2011

5 Simple Solutions for Healthy Family Eating

It can be overwhelming to decipher all the nutritional information that's available when putting together healthy meals. When children are involved, it gets even more complicated; getting them to try new things is really tough! As a Health Coach, mother of 3 grown children and grandma of 5, I have learned a few simple things that can make the whole process easier.

1) Make breakfast a priority for everyone. Eating a nutrient-dense breakfast means you'll start the day with the energy you need for work or school. So even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier, make breakfast part of your morning routine. Need more incentive? People who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to have weight problems and health issues.

2) Get hooked on smoothies. Smoothies are a smart choice because they are quick, easy, and portable. It's easy to mask some really good stuff in what looks like a shake. My 9-year-old grandson's favorite includes frozen berries and acai puree, a banana, flax meal, ground chia seed, cranberry juice, protein powder and -- of all things -- fresh spinach! A little cinnamon enhances the flavor and is good for blood pressure, cholesterol and may even help regulate blood sugar.

3) Make a weekly menu plan. Plan meals in advance and then create your grocery list based on that plan! This helps you make the decision to eat right - well in advance of when hunger strikes. (And you actually have the ingredients you need in the house!) That's a lot less risky than waiting until you are on the way home from work and starving. That's when you're tempted to drive through a fast food place and pick something up -- all because you waited until then to think about dinner. Be sure to get input from the kids about their menus. They'll be more likely to eat what you prepare. Make it a family project and you'll be glad!

4) Make Sunday 'Food Prep' day. Try this: spend 2 hours on Sunday afternoon chopping veggies for the week, for salads and for roasting or stir-frying. If the kids are old enough, let them pitch in. Cook a pot of brown rice or quinoa to keep in the fridge to add some whole-grain goodness to any meal. Saute several chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces and freeze in small bags. You now have the ingredients for a variety of quick and highly nutritious meals!

5) Sit down together and enjoy mealtime as a family. Crazy as it sounds, sitting isn't always the norm. How many times do you find yourself standing to eat as you read the day's mail? Your digestive system has to work harder, so sit, and feel better for it. You know the benefits of eating with the family -- even if that is only one person. Relax, take a deep breath and be grateful together for the food you have planned together. You'll feel great, knowing you personally prepared it for the nourishment of those bodies you want to live with for many years to come!

As a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Paula helps busy women transform their lives by gradually changing their diet and lifestyle. She offers personalized 1:1 coaching, Small Group Coaching, plus group webinars to unravel the confusing information about healthy eating. Those who know Paula are very familiar with her passion and style. Learn more at http://www.simplynutrition.org.

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Health Tips For You

Watch What Goes Into Your Mouth

MESSAGE IN THE FAMILY TREE

Close on the heels of the news that sugar is addictive comes a second body blow - your bad eating are being passed on to your children through your genes. Researchers at the Baker 101 Heart and Diabetes Institute found that human cells have the ability to "remember' and can replicate the effects of a poor diet on a body for weeks, months, and even generations. According to lead researcher Prof Assam EI-Osta: "We now know that chocolate bar you had this morning can have very acute effects, this is what we refer to as the burden of memory." 'The changes initiated by diet create a kind of ghost that lives within our genes, and that these epigenetic changes remember the effects the study showed that very specific molecular events occur after the consumption of high glucose food causing chemical changes to people's genetic controls. These changes continue beyond the meal itself, and have the ability to alter natural metabolic responses to diet. The good news - the flip is true as well: By having a good diet, you can pass on a healthy epigenome to your children.

Revealing Eyes

TELL-TALE PEEPERS Your eyes are the most important physical feature you have when it comes to how others assess your age and vitality, according to a recent study at University of Tennessee Health Science Center published in Ophthalmology.
• Although the eye area represents only 21 per cent of the total face, study participants spent 46 per cent of the time looking at this region while assessing age.
* The nose attracted about 19.2 per cent of total scrutiny time during age assessment, followed by the forehead (13.3 per cent) and area between eyebrows (10.6 per cent).
* In fatigue assessments, participants spent 44.7 per cent of the time looking at eyes, followed by the nose (18 per cent), forehead (13.7 per cent) and area
between eyebrows (12.3 per cent).

Color Your Moods

BLUE LIGHT FOR THE BLUES It has long been associated with negativity, but according to researchers, the color blue can send self-confidence soaring and boost happiness levels. Researchers from the University of Sussex exposed volunteers to a range of colors and light.

They found that blue and green made male subjects feel happier, while blue, purple and orange did the same for women. It was found that blue and red improved confidence levels among men, while blue and purple were best in this respect for women. The study found that exposure to bright colors in general held out many benefits.

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Health Care Costs - Patient Advocates Can Save You Thousands

You or a family member may have recently had some health care event, such as a hospitalization. Now, over the coming days, the medical bills will arrive at your home. Every medical provider who contributed to your treatment is going to send a bill, and you are the person who bears the financial obligation for payment. If you have health insurance, the insurer may pay a large percentage of your medical bills.

However, an alarmingly large and growing segment of the American population lives each day without health insurance. Insurance experts estimate that over 48 million Americans are living without health insurance. And that number of uninsured persons is expected to increase quickly as the economy worsens and unemployed workers lose their insurance coverage.

When those bills show up after a health care event, a serious financial crisis happens. That patient, or the patient's family, has to figure out a way to pay those medical bills. Those bills can be in the thousands of dollars. For more serious illness and treatment, the bills can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you make mistakes while taking care of these medical bills, you could put yourself in a financial situation from which you could never recover.

Think for a moment how ridiculous the system is for providing medical services. You go to your medical provider for a visit. No one gives you a price list of services. You are not told how much ANYTHING costs while you're being treated. Usually you find out the cost of your medical services when they present the bill to you.

Would you agree to buy groceries like that? Would you get your car repaired with that kind of billing arrangement? Of course not! You wouldn't even bury your dead cat without knowing what it would cost!

But, in medical services, ignorance about billing is the accepted method among most consumers.

Sadly, many of the medical bills are incorrect...sometimes monstrously incorrect. Billing errors happen daily on all levels...Doctor to patient, doctor to coding staff or billing service, billing service to patient.

So, what can be done? How can a regular person...an average American faced with giant medical bills...determine the correct medical charges and get correct medical bills?

Retain a Patient Advocate.

Hardly anyone knows about Patient Advocates. You can be sure that the medical providers and insurance companies will NEVER tell you about them.

Why?

Think about it from an insurance company's viewpoint. If the patient hires a Patient Advocate, and the Advocate does his job, the chances are good that the insurance company will pay more on the patient's claim.

Think about it from the medical provider's viewpoint. If the patient hires a Patient Advocate and the Advocate does his job, the chances are good that the medical provider is going to receive substantially less money for his services.

A Patient Advocate is a person or company that

• Will collect all your bills, claim forms and statements, even if they're in a "shoebox"
• Analyzes the bills
• Submits appeals for incorrect charges
• Negotiates settlements with medical providers

The Patient Advocate can cut hundreds or thousands of dollars out of incorrect bills.

EVERYTHING in a medical bill is negotiable. Don't be the sucker that pays the bills without making sure they are accurate. Medical providers negotiate their bills with insurance companies EVERY DAY. Why should you pay more?

NEGOTIATE!!

You can find out more about Patient Advocates at: http://www.insurancenightmare.com

P.S. WARNING!! Do Not Buy Insurance, or Submit an Insurance Claim Without Visiting This Website!

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Can Being Overweight Prevent You From Obtaining Health Insurance?

During the past 10 years there has been a dramatic upturn in Obesity and overweight adults in America and as you can imagine it has had a serious cost impact on the U.S. health care system. While many consumers who are denied health insurance coverage for being overweight or rated with a "fat tax" may feel that they are being jilted by the insurance underwriting system. Fair or not treatment for health issues associated with overweight and obese individuals does have significant repercussions on the economy and the overall cost of health care.

The underwriters use a system for determining your height and weight calculations to determine acceptable ranges. The correlation of the two defines a number called the BMI or " body mass index" and gives the underwriters an estimate of body fat. According to the department of human health services a BMI of 30 is considered obese and 25 to 29.9 is overweight. If your BMI is higher than 43 you will not likely qualify for traditional health insurance coverage. If your BMI is between 29-43, a health insurer may choose to offer you health insurance with a rated up premium. If you have pre-existing health issues in relation to your weight, such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, a health insurer may deny you coverage altogether, even if your BMI is within range. In addition to the BMI the belly fat or waist circumference is a good indicator of future health problems associated with excess weight such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Overweight inactive individuals with a propensity to store excess stomach fat will eventually experience insulin resistance, and or other heart health issues. When underwriters review an application and see that an applicant has a combination of these pre-existing conditions a red flag is immediately raised regarding the application. Underwriters have certain risk criteria they use when combining your BMI with other risk factors such as smoking, and the health issues previously mentioned that might be exacerbated when combined together.

Certain combinations of these will result in a decline for health coverage. Excess Weight Affect Your Health and Cost of Health care? While many overweight individuals may feel they are being railroaded by the insurers, the conclusion is that between 2 and 7% of all health care cost are associated with overweight and obesity, which resulted from health issues associated with the treatment of the overweight factors such as hypertension, insulin resistance or diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiac conditions, certain forms of cancer, respiratory issues, inactivity, absenteeism from work, mortality cost, and loss of family income from premature death. What You can Do to Obtain Approval For A Health Insurance Policy If you believe you may be overweight and may not qualify for individual or family health coverage, you can take a few precautions prior to submitting a health application. You should find a qualified health insurance broker who offers more than one carrier's products and is knowledgeable about some of the underwriting requirements or is able to research the best plan for you.

You can complete a prescreen application which will allow the broker to communicate with underwriters the issues prior to submitting the application and improve your chances of approval and avoid a potential decline. A decline can really be detrimental to obtaining creditable coverage. You should also review the BMI tables while not all tables are the same this will give you an idea of how close or far you are from current healthy body mass index levels for your height. Lastly consider improving your health for your own benefit by starting some basic exercise like walking 30 minutes a day, educating yourself about nutritious foods, eliminating empty calories like sugar and saturated fats and creating a lifestyle that makes you feel good, makes you productive, make you look great, reverse some health problems altogether and extend your life and most of all affords you quality health insurance.

Chris Beard is a virtual insurance agent providing automated online and tele-service insurance services to protect Florida families with health insurance, HSAs, life insurance, mortgage protection, medicare advantage and temporary health plans.
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Health Insurance Quotes for Overweight

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Monday, April 27, 2009

The Top 5 Habits For Health

Diseases are a lot like breakups: they are better prevented than cured. That said, when it comes to your body, you really should do everything you can to keep your body healthy.

This doesn't mean, however, that you go around depriving yourself of your pleasures. A steak will always taste tastier than broccoli, but it doesn't mean you can eat steak everyday and not suffer from high levels of bad cholesterol.

The key to keeping yourself healthy without depriving yourself of fun is to keep everything in moderation, and incorporate some healthy habits in your daily life.

Here are the top five habits for healthy living:

1. Drinking Enough Water Properly

Do you know how many liters of water you need to drink EVERYDAY? You answered correctly if you said three liters. It sounds like a lot but it really isn't much when you consider that our body is composed mostly of water. Water is also important for transporting nutrients throughout the body, as well as in keeping your skin hydrated.

How do you drink water? Spread your water drinking throughout the day. Immediately after waking up, drink two cups of water to awaken your body and to clean your bowels. Thereafter, drink half a cup of water every ten minutes. Avoid drinking water 30 minutes before meals and one hour after meals. Drinking too soon before and after a meal will dilute your digestive juices and can cause indigestion.

2. Eating Right

How do you eat right? By not skipping meals. Did you know that skipping meals actually causes your body to cope by slowing its metabolism, i.e., conserving calories by storing fat? Skipping meals also causes food cravings that cause food bingeing later in the day.

3. Eating More Fruits, Veggies And Fiber

Part of eating right is actually eating healthy foods. And by healthy, we mean eating more fiber and more fruits and vegetables. Eating nutrient-filled food ensures that your body gets all the nutrients that it needs. You don't have to turn your back on that medium rare steak, but keep it in moderation.

4. Fasting

Usually associated with food deprivation, the word "fasting" often sends down chills down anyone's spine. As terrifying as it may sound, fasting is actually a natural therapy method that, when done properly, allows the body to expel toxins over a short period of time. The body's digestive system actually has two main functions: (a) absorbing nutrients and (b) expelling waste.

Over time, our body accumulates waste, because our digestive system cannot handle both functions at the same time. Fasting allows our body to heal itself by allowing the body to take a break from the "absorbing" function. It should be stressed, however, that fasting should be done with a specialist's guidance, otherwise, fasting could harm you. You could take a class at one of those naturopathy schools before doing fasting on your own.

5. Supplementing Your Diet

With today's busy lifestyle, sometimes it's next to impossible to get all the necessary nutrients that our body needs everyday. To this end, you should supplement your diet with vitamin supplements.

Visit the website http://www.vitalnutritionals.com for more information on health, nutrition, and vitamin supplements.

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