You must be proactive on your wellness initiatives to keep
you from going broke!
All of us are in the same boat today and unfortunately that
boat seems to be sinking. Doctor bills, dental bills,
hospital bills, drug bills, chiropractor bills... and so
many more. Everyone is getting squeezed. So how can we
cope? What can you do, especially if you are an employer
paying the ever increasing insurance premium? Well, good
starts involve taking responsibility for your own health
first and being proactive about your own healthcare
decisions and then introduce it to your employees, if you
have them. Combine this with a Health Savings Account and
you are on the right path.
How about just not getting sick? Not so easy though. Here
are eight concepts you can introduce into your life that
may influence whether you or your co workers get sick or
stay healthy.
1) Promote healthy eating habits. That means eating well
and staying away from sugar and high fructose corn syrup,
both of which seem to be in everything these days. Sugar
will lower the immune system making you vulnerable to
bacterial and viral invasions.
2) Eliminate toxins from the body. Over the years we have
all been exposed to so many toxic chemicals and pollutants
that our brain and vital organs are getting all clogged up.
Detoxification is a buzz word these days and how very
important it is. The body must be cleaned out from within.
Infrared saunas, massage, lymphatic drainage, herbal teas
and soothing baths are a few ways to "get the junk out".
3) Maintain good dental health. The dental connections to
overall health are being discussed in the media with ever
more frequency. Gum disease is being listed as a risk
factor for heart disease as well as premature births and
low birth weight babies. Obesity, diabetes, stroke,
pulmonary infections, headaches, neurological disturbances,
and even cancer have relationships to dental health.
4) Help reduce stress and anxiety. Who do you know that is
not stressed out? Everyone is stressed to some degree but
how one deals with the stress is what really affects their
health. Undo pressure and tension place an unnatural
demand upon our hearts and minds. Allowing for more
natural methods such as biofeedback, meditation,
homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, guided imagery and sleep
therapies may allow you to someday wean off those very
potent anti depressant, anti anxiety drugs.
5) Provide educational materials. Become informed
consumers and patients. Everyone must learn as much as
they can about their medical diagnosis or suggested
treatment. Asking questions of the healthcare practitioner
about the course of treatments and how side effects may be
reduced should be encouraged. The internet is a wonderful
source of information but always research topics from a few
different viewpoints.
6) Taking responsibility for your own health. The chief
goal of us all is to live happy, productive and healthy
lives. The only way that will happen is if we decide to
assume the responsibility for maintaining our own wellness.
The unfortunate perception is that if one ever gets sick,
we can always have the drugs and surgeries to take care of
that problem. Live a healthy life and you might have a
longer life.
7) Encourage getting plenty of rest. Sleep is the time
when the body schedules itself for repair. It makes sense
that if you don't get enough sleep, then the repair process
is limited. Try limiting alcohol at night. A few hours
later when the alcohol turns to sugar, you wake up and stay
awake. Before bed, try reading something whose subject is
not too disturbing.
8) Obtain good health insurance. There are many types of
health insurance options in the marketplace from the HMOs
to the PPOs to the traditional indemnity plans. A lot of
these plans have limitations and exclusions that may limit
choice of practitioners or services.
A shift toward consumer responsibility for health comes
with the wave of Consumer Driven Health Insurance Plans
(HSA, HRA, FSA, MERP) which are a combination of high
deductible major medical insurance coverage with a savings
plan that is earmarked for services not normally covered by
traditional plans. They are designed to encourage better
health and are less costly than other plans. Check them out
today.
So here you have it. The secret to living a longer life
and lowering your healthcare costs all at the same time.
What a concept!
----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Vincent DiLorenzo, President of T-Horizons, LLC,
specializes in Consumer Driven Health Care Solutions for
families, individuals and employers to help lower
healthcare costs at home and the workplace. Find out how =>
http://www.t-horizons.com
No comments:
Post a Comment