AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Strengthens Medicare for Current & Future Enrollees

http://www.medicarerights.org/resources/newsletters/medicare-watch/?utm_source=Medicare-Watch-email&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_term=mcw&utm_content=mcw&utm_campaign=MCW+12.5.13
GREAT ARTICLE! "As the ACA continues to rollout, recent changes to the MA program advanced by the ACA have strengthened the program for current and future enrollees."

Medicare Coverage: InPatient vs OutPatient Benefits

http://www.medicarerights.org/resources/newsletters/medicare-watch/?utm_source=Medicare-Watch-email&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_term=mcw&utm_content=mcw&utm_campaign=MCW+11.21.13

Senior Resources from Congressman Hakeem Jefferies

http://jeffries.house.gov/resources/senior-citizens-resources

When to Sign Up for Medicare-Kiplinger

When to Sign Up for Medicare-Kiplinger

Medicare Rights Center - Medicare Rights Center

Medicare Rights Center - Medicare Rights Center

Check this out! More MD's are accepting Medicare!

UnitedHealth, Humana May See Surge in Medicare Advantage - Bloomberg

UnitedHealth, Humana May See Surge in Medicare Advantage - Bloomberg

The Medicare Market will just keep growing - here's some data.

Behind the Cover Story: Michael Pollan on Why Bacteria Aren't the Enemy - NYTimes.com

Behind the Cover Story: Michael Pollan on Why Bacteria Aren't the Enemy - NYTimes.com

Lots of talk about Probiotics these days - here's a good article.

Medicare Interactive - Medicare and Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits

Medicare Interactive - Medicare and Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits

The answer is yes, combine your VA Benefits with Original Medicare + Private Medicare
and you will have a rich package of Benefits.

Healthcare IT Whitepaper - A Complete Guide to State Exchanges - hCentive

Healthcare IT Whitepaper - A Complete Guide to State Exchanges - hCentive

Does the phrase "Health Care Exchange" sound overwhelming and mysterious to you? Here's some clarity and explanation for you.

Health Reform, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Health Reform, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Yes, Virginia, there has been progress made in addressing Mental Health and Substance Abuse in the new Health Reform policies...

Fine Print and Red Tape in some Long-Term Care Policies

http://nyti.ms/1972GBS

A MUST READ ARTICLE IN THE NYT FOR ANYONE WHO HAS OR IS SHOPPING FOR A LONG-TERM CARE POLICY!

The moral of the story - only work with Insurance Agents who are seasoned in the Long Term Care Industry and work with top-rated Insurance Companies. If you already have a Long Term Care Policy take it to an Attorney who specializes in Elder Law and/or a Long Term Care Agent and have them review that all important "fine print". Contact me and I can refer you to some excellent professionals specializing in this field.

I just ordered Dr. Crandall's book, FIX IT. I know, it sounds like I'm studying to be a car mechanic. No, I want to feel healthier, more energetic, lose 10 pounds and avoid major health issues. This looks like a great place to start. Wish me luck and let me know what you think! - Robin

Dr. Crandall's 8 Steps To Lowering Blood Pressure 1. Put down the salt shaker & learn to season your food with herbs & spices.  Try curry, fennel, and garlic, for instance. Eat fresh food —real food— as often as possible, not prepackaged food that can sit on a shelf for months or even years and still be “edible.” Salt intake can be balanced, in part, by making sure you have enough magnesium, potassium, and calcium in your diet. These reduce the ill effects of salt. Magnesium dilates, or widens, blood vessels and is used on pregnant women who have high blood pressure. The dosages of these substances, however, are hard to calibrate. Magnesium can be taken until it causes diarrhea, then lower the dose. Calcium and magnesium are best when taken together. Be careful, though, because too much potassium — that is, excessive amounts — can be lethal to your kidneys. All of these substances should be taken in consultation with your doctor.   2. If you want to avoid taking drugs for hypertension or stop taking them, the most significant thing you can do is get down to your ideal body weight. A loss of 10 pounds usually equates to the normal dosage of one medication. Many who suffer from hypertension see this condition completely vanish when they reach their ideal body weight, what you weighed, or close to it, in high school or college. Exercise is crucial. Your cardiovascular system is alive and constantly changing. Exercise builds up the heart in the right way and helps restore elasticity to the arteries. The sequence of putting the cardiovascular system under exercise stress and then taking that stress away brings down blood pressure to what it would be if the person merely rested.   3. Stress reduction is often the key to eliminating hypertension.  Exercise is one means of stress reduction. Talking over life’s challenges with one’s family and friends is tremendously helpful and will greatly lower ones stress levels.  4. Stay away from stimulants like coffee, tea, sodas, alcohol, and cigarettes.  You simply cannot smoke. Your doctor can advise you as to whether your hypertension warrants cutting out all stimulants, or if you can still enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. Many people sip diet sodas throughout the day. These have caffeine and can raise blood pressure significantly. 5. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, at least 8 to 10 hours daily.  Sleep deprivation is a leading cause of hypertension because it puts the body under stress. If your loved ones complain about snoring or especially snorting and snuffling during the night, you may be suffering from sleep apnea — a rapid cycle of waking up many times at night, periods during which the heart may stop. Sleep apnea puts the body under tremendous stress and causes secondary hypertension. 6.  Live below your means don’t be constantly stressed out about finances. You will find that living below your means translates into lower stress. 7.  Don’t forget to have fun! Enjoying social times, particularly with people you know well, helps you cope with stress. Keeping a quiet time each day is also very important, whether that means time alone or, much better, in prayer. 8. Diagnosed with hypertension? MD prescribes medication? Take it!  Take your medication at least until you can change your diet and exercise patterns to achieve an ideal body weight. That will obviate the need, in many cases, for continuing such medication. Many people feel energetic when their blood pressure is high and listless or fatigued when it returns to normal. I try to prescribe medication so that the person’s blood pressure returns to normal not all at once but over a short span of time. This allows the person to adjust to what a normal blood pressure feels like. Most people whose hypertension is treated adequately and with a gentle hand feel much better as a result. Employ every weapon available to win the blood pressure battle!

In his new book FIX IT! Dr. Crandall’s 90-Day Program to Stop and Reverse Heart Disease, you’ll find this top doc’s groundbreaking three-pronged approach to preventing and reversing heart disease — an approach honed by his study of foreign cultures free of heart disease and decades of experience helping patients achieve a healthier heart at any age.

Dr. Crandall is living proof of his program’s success. At the age of 48, and with no major risk factors, he found himself in the ER with a “widow-maker” blockage of his main coronary artery. After emergency heart surgery, he recovered from heart disease using the same course of treatment he recommends to his thousands of patients — and details for your benefit in FIX IT!

His unique perspective as both doctor and patient helps him empathize with the difficulties in making a transition from years of bad habits to a heart-healthy way of life. Plus, Dr. Crandall believes in using every weapon in his medical arsenal to help his patients recover — conventional medicine, emerging treatments, lifestyle changes, even alternative therapies.

Order Dr. Crandall’s book through the link below:

http://shop.newsmax.com/shop/index.cfm?page=products&productid=1022