Healthcare Information: How to Cut Health Care Costs

How to cut healthcare costs

by Mark Lamendola

It is the year 2012 as I write this. I was last sick in 1971. People often mistake me for being 15 years younger than I am. 'nuff said.

Whether you are a healthcare professional or a patient, you can use the following tips to reduce both your costs of healthcare and your need for it.

When sick:

Learn your body. Get a baseline physical. Consult with your doctor to know what your body's weaknesses are.
Be an active patient. Think of your doctor as the coach--one who needs 110% from you. It is your job to get well, not your doctors job to heal you.
Become an expert. Always investigate anything your doctor tells you. If your doctor says you have heart disease, get at least 5 books on heart disease and study them.

To stay healthy:

Watch your diet. Keep it simple and basic. The low-fat fad will pass, because such diets do not work. What you need to do, instead, is stay away from foods that are highly processed (your body does not work well with them), deep-fried, or high in sugar. Bear in mind, most flour products are so over-refined, they are almost like sugar pills--and they will drive your insulin level sky-high. Free information is on our leanbody page.
Exercise regularly. This is where many people cut too many corners. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for walks after supper. Stay away from that television.
Sleep regularly. This means no weekend binges. Your body takes a long time to adjust to schedule changes. The bi-annual "daylight wasting" clock change that takes place in much of the world is terrible in terms of health. But, it's not as bad as chronic late nights and sleep ins on weekends and holidays. Stick to your sleep schedule, and you will have more energy and better health--not to mention better job performance. If sleep is a mystery to you, then maybe you should take our course on conquering sleeplessness.
Find a purpose. Many people die from spiritual emptiness--a common event within a year or so of retirement. Spirituality is not an automatic result of participating in religious activities--you must pursue this in its own right. One way is to volunteer some time to a charitable organization and become passionately involved. There are many other ways--seek, and you shall find. If you want to seek more quickly, you can find a book or two on spirituality to get you going.
Be happy. This doesn't happen accidentally. You need to work at it. Take care of the important things in your life. Identify your stressors, and reduce or eliminate them. Look for the good in others. Need a quick laugh? Sign up for the Mindconnection jokelist. Go see a funny movie.
Get outside. Walk in a park. Ride a bike. Just don't get too much sun--this ages your skin and can lead to a host of problems later in life.

The Complete Guide to Managed Behavioral Healthcare

Corhealth Healthcare Articles

This site, http://www.corhealth.com, has a wide range of healthcare articles. They cover such topics as:

Medicine on the Net
Healthcare Guide to the Internet
Internet Healthcare Strategies
Cardiovascular Disease Management
Enterprise Leadership
Healthcare Market Strategist
Clinical Excellence

Some key points about health:

Health care and medical care are two entirely different things.
Health is what you protect or damage via the decisions you make. Medicine is an attempt to fix disease or injury. Current medical practice generally works against health; good health practices support good medical outcomes.
Health care requires attention to what you eat, how you exercise (and when), how much rest you get, how you handle stress, and how you manage your environment for toxicity.
There is no real mystery to what behaviors and decisions improve or degrade health. Poor decisions are typically made due to carelessness and willful ignorance rather than not having access to "the secret."
Exemplars of health are all around us, but the most famous was probably Jack LaLanne. We do have role models.
We also have common sense. Obviously, eating a diet rich in nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables is a better choice than eating a diet low in nutrients but rich in toxins (such as corn sweetener and hydrogenated oil).

Resources for A Great Body