Taking The Keys Away

For most people, driving is a necessity as well as a symbol of independence. There are very few people that will easily give up their independence and give you the keys to their vehicle. Yet for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, driving a vehicle can pose serious risks and endanger themselves or others. The decision of when to stop driving is one that Alzheimer's patients and their families often face.

There are many opinions concerning the issue of driving for the Alzheimer's patient. If he trusts his physician, the doctor may have more success than the primary care giver in letting the patient know when to stop driving. The physician may be trusted by the patient and be able to explain to him that his medical condition may interfere with his driving. This scenario is good for the caregiver as it takes the responsibility off you and puts it on the medical condition, with the physician being the messenger.

Below you will find some guidelines for approaching this sensitive issue with your family and your loved one. Ask your relatives to back you by being pleasantly supportive of your loved one. For a while, make sure he has a ride to familiar frequented places. Routine is so important.

Humor is almost always a positive way to cope with this situation. A fun way of approaching the subject is to tell him how lucky he is to have his own chauffeur!

However, knowing when to take the keys out of his hands can become tricky. Here are some warning signs that will help you make the decision:

• Car accidents
• Stopping in traffic for no apparent reason.
• Getting confused between the brake and the gas pedals
• Getting a ticket for moving violations
• Getting lost when places are familiar
• Getting agitated or irritated when they are driving
• Not anticipating dangerous situations
• Delayed responses to unexpected situations
• Driving at inappropriate speeds
• Incorrect signaling
• Getting confused at exists
• Switching into a wrong lane

If some of the warning signs above are present, then it's time for family members to gather and discuss the problem. Sometimes it is easier to be together to face a difficult decision and intervene at an early stage when signs of impairment are not yet critical

The accident rate for drivers 85 years old and over is nine times higher than drivers between ages 25 and 69. The primary care giver may perform routine exams to assess the ability and skills of the patient and conform to state and local restrictions and laws. If you are concerned about your loved one's driving, take measures to keep him and others safe on the road.

How To Lower Health Dangers

We all know the frustration: you walk into the doctor's office for your appointment with the doctor or nurse practitioner. You wait for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, maybe an hour. And when you're finally in the room, you get 10 minutes in which your healthcare provider looks at your chart, asks for your "main complaint" and then writes a prescription or sends you to another specialist or tells you that there isn't anything much that can be done.

Believe it or not, your healthcare provider finds it frustrating, too. People who become health care workers do so because they want to provide help and care, but new health care systems and higher patient loads make it increasingly difficult to do so.

How Can I Get More Out Of My Doctor's Appointment?

As a patient, you can help make the appointment a positive experience for yourself, just by following these tips:

1. Before your next appointment, create a small notebook that's your dedicated to your health: a "healthbook." Don't use it for shopping or to-do lists - it's dedicated to the precious resource of your health.

2. Your healthbook should have an updated list of include the medications you are on, what they are for, and how much you take, including over the counter drugs; bring this list to every appointment.

3. If there's a list of things you're coming in for, tell the physician right away; the two of you should decide what can be managed on this visit and what should to wait.

4. Make sure you know what you've made the appointment for. Date a healthbook page and write down your needs and questions before you go.

5. Ask provider to write complex medical terms and drug names in your healthbook; if needed ask what they mean. If you'd like a diagram to help explain, your healthbook can be used for that, as well.

6. Tell the truth about what's going on, even if the problem is embarrassing or hard to describe. If you're not sure why you're being asked something , ask!

7. Find out what services your doctor's office offers: online copies of your records or test results? A special help-line or nurse practitioners to help with refills? Find out so that you don't need to deal with those things during your precious time in the office.

8. Outside of the office, learn about your health. What does it mean to have high blood pressure? Ask for booklets your doctor provides; read books geared towards patients; many local libraries will have videos on various conditions.

9. If you have a condition that may make communication difficult (e.g. you are hearing- or sight-impaired) or English is a difficult language for you, make sure that you bring a friend or relative who knows the communication ropes to your appointment, especially if this is the first time you've visited with this doctor.

10. Last but not least, remember that your healthcare provider likes working with patients - you can work together to have satisfying, helpful appointments!

"Eleven things you should talk to your doctor about," Harvard Health Letter, Volume 29, issue 5, March 2004
"A Day Spent Learning How To Satisfy Patients," Managed Care Magazine, September 1997

Cherry D.K., et al. "National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2001 Summary," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Volume 337, p 1-44, 2003

There Are Contact Lenses For Every Need

New technology with computers, such as the introduction of the internet has really allowed people convenient and comfortable ways to shop. You can order just about anything over the internet, including ordering contact lenses online. Shopping on the internet is not only popular, but it is becoming more and more useful. Before you were able to purchase contacts online, one of the only ways to obtain your contacts was through your eye doctor. However, as wonderful and handy as it is to order your contact lens online, there are a few things you will want to take into account and remember.
Before you order contact lenses online, or anywhere for that matter, you must first ensure that you have an up to date prescription with you at all times. The only legal way to purchase contacts in the United States is with a valid prescription issued by your optometrist. It is not that you will be involved in any legal trouble if you don't have a valid prescription and order contacts online, but you will be liable for anything that happens to your eyes. What could happen to your eyes you wonder? Well, if you wear contacts that are not fitted to the proper shape and size of your eye, you can cause damage to your vision; not to mention that they would feel most uncomfortable to wear. Remember, before you order contact lenses online and you haven't had an eye examination in the last two years, see your optometrist first! You may find you need a new prescription.
The contact lenses online that you can purchase, are from a variety of popular brand names like Acuvue, Johnson & Johnson, FreshLook and Focus. Each of these brands have their own different contact lens product that they sell for the different conditions of peoples eyes. For example, you can purchase the contact lens online that is called toric. Toric contact lenses are for those who suffer from astigmatism. You can also obtain contacts online that are for bifocal correction, or that color your eyes. Colored contact lenses online come in many varieties of brands and colors. These are one of the most popular of the contact lens online to be ordered. The reason for this is because they are designed for everyone to wear; those who have perfect 20/20 vision can purchase them. It is for this very reason why you should have your eyes checked, even if your vision is perfect. Remember, wearing colored contacts that do not properly fit the shape of your eye can be damaging.
Be a smart shopper when you purchase your contact lenses online. Learn about all of the great discounts that you can receive. Use your critical thinking skills when ordering contact lenses online, and you won't ever need to worry about what you wear in your eyes!

Let Your Mind Decide Your Kind of Training

There are thousands and thousands of fitness tips, training
techniques, fitness equipments and experts that tell you how to gain
fitness and what the best ways are to train your body. It's easy to
feel confused and to spend large amounts of money on things that
later turn out to be disappointments. And then you might never want
to try again.

You don't have to follow other people's ideas of fitness and training.
There will always be new trends and fashions in all aspects of life.
To gain fitness, the least important thing is caring about the latest
outfit or expensive training equipment.
The important thing is to ask yourself
these few questions:

What makes me feel good?

What do I like to do?

When am I happy?

Make a personal choice!

After asking yourself these questions you should make your own choice.
You need to find your own personal ways to keeping fit. If you don't
want to go to the local gym or join the football club, maybe you
prefer putting on some good music and creating a new dance of your
own in your living room a couple of times per week? Or maybe you'd
want to play hide-and-seek in the park with your next door neighbours
every Friday? Let your mood be the driving force! Discover the
feeling of joy and pleasure that comes with moving your body! The
season offers lots of opportunities: Outdoor activities such as
walking, cycling, swimming and different ball games are fun and easy
and mostly they don't require large investments. What makes you feel
happy? Don't ask yourself what others might like. Find your own way!

7 Proven Ways to Resist

When you decide to stop smoking the most difficult part is to resist the urges. It doesn't matter that each craving lasts only 3-5 minutes. It's still the whole 5 minutes to battle with your willpower! These 7 tips will help you to resist the urge to smoke one urge at a time.
1. Remind Yourself Why You Quit
Every time you experience a craving remind yourself why you quit. It's the excellent idea to take a blank index card and list all the reasons why you decided to quit smoking. List as many as you can, the more the better. If necessary, take the second index card. Carry them with you all the time. Every time you feel the urge to smoke take the index card and slowly read all your reasons why you decided to stop. After you finish reading your urge will pass! (If not, read them one more time or come up with more reasons.)
2. Reward Yourself.
Make it a habit to reward yourself at the end of each nonsmoking week. Think of something you want (it doesn’t have to be something expensive, a nice home made meal or hot bath will work). Take the index card and write down what would you give yourself at the end of the week. When the urge comes take a look at the index card with your reward. Isn't it worth coping for 3 minutes? :)
3. Be prepared for your urges!
Get yourself prepared for the urge to smoke in advance. In most cases something triggers the craving (certain feelings, people, or places). You have to know what triggers the urge.
Lets do a really quick exercise. Take a blank piece of paper and divide it into 2 columns. On the one side list your triggers (like “stuck in traffic”, “drinking morning coffee”, “arguing with colleague”...) and in the second column write down the alternative course of action.
For example, instead of smoking while drinking your morning coffee you could read a newspaper. Instead of smoking after the hot argument with your colleague you can take a walk around a block or write down everything you think about this person, then tier this piece of paper in shreds and throw it away. Don't be lazy, write it down! This exercise really works!
4. Call your friend.
This method works great. Call someone who can support you, who can talk with you for a couple of minutes. You can call your nonsmoking friend, or someone who's trying to quit smoking too.
5. Distract yourself with a quick task.
Think of a small task you have to do, something what would take you 5-10 minutes. Make a call, send a fax, make yourself a cup of coffee, water the plant in your office. Anything! Your task is to distract yourself until the urge will pass. (Hint: Try to find activity that makes smoking impossible!)
6. Drink a Glass of Water.
Take a glass of water and drink it with a straw. First of all having something in your mouth to chew on will help, second it will take you a couple of minutes to drink the whole glass and the urge will pass. Plus, don't forget that you're supposed to drink 8 glasses of water every day!
7. Power Tip.
That’s the disgusting one, but it often works. Print a small picture of smoker's lungs (you can find one here: [http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/lungphotos.html]) and put it somewhere in your wallet. I know the view is not pretty, but something like this can stop you dead on your track from lighting up. Take a look! Really! THIS could be your lungs! You love yourself, and you respect your body. Why harm yourself?

Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment

Choosing the right alcohol or drug rehab center can make all the difference when it comes to entering long-term recovery from an addiction. The task of finding the “right” drug rehab center is complicated by the fact that there are over 13,000 drug rehab facilities around the country. Each of these treatment centers is unique, but being unique does not necessarily mean that they are all equally good. It does, however, mean that you have many drug rehab centers to choose from and if you do not find the right one immediately you should continue searching as there are many high quality centers.

Here are ten questions to help you in your search for the right drug or alcohol rehab facility.

1. How does the treatment center define success and what is their success rate?

Many drug treatment facilities will have had independent reviews of their success. However, success can be measured in many ways. One treatment center may say they have a 74% success rate, but only be considering clients who remain sober for 6 months; another center may claim a 68% rate based on the results of clients after one year. Whatever their claimed success rate you will want to know how they measured it and what they consider success.

2. Are they accredited as a drug rehab center? And if so by whom?

There are a handful of national accreditation organizations including Joint Commission On Accreditation Of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO) and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), among others. Organizations accredited by these bodies frequently have undergone site reviews and have measured up to national standards.

3. What are the credentials of their staff?

Most states have a system for credentialing drug and alcohol counselors. These individuals may be Certified Addictions Counselors (CAC) or Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC). These are minimum certifications, lead counselors should hold be MSW or LCSW level or higher.

4. Do they provide medically supervised withdrawal?

With some drugs proper withdrawal supervision can be a matter of life or death. If the treatment center does not have a detox center can they recommend one for attendance prior to treatment.

5. What does a typical week in their drug rehab facility look like?

There should be a balance of group and individual therapy. Education sessions, opportunities for reflection and support groups along with other components.

6. Can the provide testimonials?

True, no treatment center would put on display their failures, but they should be able to tell you about their successes.

7. How do they assist in setting up aftercare?

Aftercare has been found to be crucial to the success of long-term recovery. A good treatment center should either offer aftercare of be able to assist you in locating aftercare in your community.

8. Do they have a diverse group of counselors, and how will you be matched up?

One of the primary determinants of treatment success is a good client-counselor relationship. Therefore, a match between counselor and client should be worked towards.

9. What is their treatment modality or philosophy?

Find out if they are 12-step oriented, use motivational, cognitive or behavioral therapies, and then ask them to explain any terms you might not understand.

10. Do they work with your insurance company or can they set-up a payment plan?

Make sure you ask if they can work with your insurance company, or if your insurance does not pay for treatment work out how payment is to be handled.

Use a systematic program for identifying treatment centers which may be right for you. You may wish to print these questions out and keep a separate worksheet for each center’s answers. Remember, the right drug rehab center is waiting for you to call today.

Health News

The hurricanes have been beating Florida to a pulp and causing untold property damage in that area of the country.

I have two good friends who live in the Tampa area, so I've been calling down there frequently to check on things.

I've already told you much about my friend Matt. And as you know, he and his family were over in China for awhile, so they missed much of the action (which is a good thing)

But my other good friend, Chet Rowland lives in Clearwater Beach, and he didn't miss a thing.

In fact, I was watching my local news here in Seattle a couple weeks ago, and here's this reporter doing a story on the Florida hurricanes.

But here's the catch...

She's standing on Clearwater Beach, with the pier in the background, trying to stay on her feet as the wind is howling through at incredible speeds.

I couldn't believe it!

Not just because of the winds, but because I saw the pier in the background.

I recognized that pier, because it's just down the beach from where my friend Chet lives..

So what do I do?

I immediately pick up the phone and give him a call.

Isn't it funny how we react when we're concerned about those we care about?

As the story unfolded, Chet, and those who live in that area didn't fair too badly. But there were plenty of others who were seriously hurt by the hurricanes.

In fact, Chet even commented, "I'll bet you're going to have a lot of people from this area calling you as a result of these hurricanes."

And he was right.

You see, in addition to running the Health Articles and News Update site, I'm also an indoor air quality expert, and my specialty is in black mold.

I work with people across the country, showing them how to locate, clean-up and prevent mold growth in their homes and workplaces.

Anyways, let me get on with the story.

I think it was only a couple days after I'd talked with Chet.

I get this email from a client in Florida.

She starts telling me how she had bought some of my products a few months ago (before the hurricanes). I'll just go ahead and share it with you.

Here it is...

Kevin, I've been having health problems for months. After watching a news story on black mold, it got me thinking.

I then went on the internet and started doing some research and that's when I found your.

I was a little skeptical to order anything online, but since you had that 30-day trial offer, I decided to give you a try.

I got your package in the mail and was amazed by everything you covered. You took me step by step through the process and made it so easy for me to find the mold problem in my home.

It ended up being water leak from the washing machine that was causing all the damage.

We got it fixed, and now I've never felt better. You have no idea what it's like to have my health back again, and I want to thank you for that.

And now, with all these hurricanes, a lot of our friends will be needing your help too.

I'm helping them as much as I can, but I'm no expert, so I'm also telling them how to get in touch with you.

I'm so glad there are still people like you in this world who are willing to help others, especially in a time like this.

Betty Wiggins

And she wasn't kidding either.

It's like Chet and Betty both had a vision of the future.

We've had tons of people calling from the Florida area, and we've been making sure they get the help they need.

You see, people in Florida are now forced to deal with the water damage that's been done to their homes because it's so extensive.

But most people don't realize how important it is to take care of any water damage, and to do so right away!

Water problems that aren't addressed will escalate into a full blown mold problem, and this puts you and everyone in your home at risk.

Because the demand has been so high, I'm offering a no-charge teleseminar on October 11th in order to help get this valuable information into your hands.

If you (or anyone you know) needs to find out how to wipe out the black mold threat in your home, you won't want to miss out on this.

Here's just some of the topics we'll be discussing:

• The 5 tell-tale danger signs of black mold... any one of these puts you, your family, and your home at risk
• How to find out if black mold is the cause of your health problems -- without a visit to the doctor's office
• The 3-step method to locating mold... that anyone can do, without spending a fortune to hire a professional