Help & Support
Find questions to your answers in our help and support forum....
Sign Our Guestbook
Let us know who you are, and also meet our community members here!...
Our Rules and Guidelines
Please visit our rules and guidelines page to learn how to use our forums most effectively....
Welcome to Our Forum
Introduction to our forum....
Should We Really Be Doing This? Medical Treatments Abroad
Medicine, no matter where it is practiced, is full of ethical issues. Each country, each religion, each person has their own moral code to live by, their own conscious to deal with. Each country has its own law, that are often very different than the next’s. In fact, many Americans travel to other countries for medical tourism to escape the rules that they are bound by in the home. Some of the key areas where the U.S. differs from other countries are: Sex Change Operations Also called sex reassignment surgery or transgender surgery, this is often a misunderstood situation for a patient to be in. In fact, in the United States a patient is required to undergo extensive psychological evaluation before being allowed to continue, which is odd because they do not do that for any other surgery. Foreign countries do not have this requirement and, in fact, Thailand is widely recognized for doing the best work in this field. Fertility Procedures Octomom aside, many couples deal with hurdles in the...
Onions: Flavor Booster, and So Much More!
Onions might be best known for their smell and how they make you cry when cutting them, but did you know that onions have healing powers as well? Onions contain sulfur compounds and a flavonoid called Quercetin, both of which help the body remove, repair or reverse certain ailments. They also have antibiotic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. More ways onions can help improve your health include: • Lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol • Lowering blood pressure • Thought to be a cancer treatment, specifically stomach cancer • Protecting against cardiovascular disease • Natural blood thinner • Relieving sinus congestion, cold and flu symptoms • Lessening the risk of stroke • Lowering blood sugar in diabetics • Detoxifying the body by removing heavy metals, including cadmium, lead and mercury, from the body. • Relieving nausea and indigestion • Increas...
First Aid Essentials For Travelers
Let's face it, stuff happens while on vacation. You didn't mean to trip up a step at the city museum or get a splinter in your leg from the driftwood at the beach, but it happened just the same. Instead of wondering how to take care of any minor accidents that happen on your trip, take time before you go to make up a medical travel kit. You don't have to be a boy scout to be prepared; it just makes good sense for anyone traveling. It will depend on where your travels take you as to what to put in your kit, but there are some things that are necessary wherever you go. And while it's true your destination may be in the US where there might be stores available to purchase what you need when you need it, why risk it or interrupt your fun because you need to locate a store? Must haves for any trip: • bandaids in various sizes • antiseptic towelettes • Benadryl tablets or the like • antacid tablets • sunscreen • anyth...
Medical Tourism: What to Ask Before Signing Up
Medical tourism is the process of traveling to another country for a medical treatment or procedure and has been popular in Europe for some time. The trend is gaining momentum in North American; in fact, over 500,000 Americans and 150,000 Canadians travel to other countries for medical help each year. Drawn to the concept of top-notch service, state-of-the-art facilities and a drastic price reduction, many more want to jump on the bandwagon. So, where do you go to sign up? You can’t just look up a qualified surgeon in the Slovenian phonebook. It is imperative to research any surgeon thoroughly. In fact, you are about to trust this person with your life, literally. To say that you cannot skimp on the investigation is an understatement. Run a Google search on the doctor, the procedure or medicine, the hospital even the recovery center. Look at every single entry that comes up. Look for scam alerts and bad reviews. Ask to see copies of medical licenses, college diplomas and then actually call...
Garden-Grown Herbal Remedies
It’s no secret that herbal supplements can be great for your health. They’ve been used for centuries to heal the human body both inside and out. In fact, you may be growing herbs in your garden and not even realize the power they hold. If you’re thinking of planting a healing herb garden, there are a few easy-to-start-with herbs to consider planting: Dandelion. The flowers and roots can be used for many ailments and overall better health. The flowers are generally eaten or made into tea. You can add them to salad, soups or eat raw. They are tasty and contain potassium, beta-carotene and vitamins A and C. Roots and stems contain a creamy substance that can be squeezed out and used for skin issues. Rub it over a bee sting to take away the pain as well as cuts and scrapes. It is a natural acne treatment and can remove warts when applied directly to the affected area several times a day until gone. While dandelion is generally considered safe, you should...
Turn Back the Clock with a Mommy Makeover
Every woman has concerns about their appearance after pregnancy. Will I lose the weight? Will my stomach every return to normal? Will my breasts ever be the same again? It is the price women pay for having children. The babies are worth it but the strain on our bodies is severe. In fact, the older a woman is at childbirth, the harder it can be for her body to bounce back after a pregnancy, up to 18 months by some accounts. If it is a repeat pregnancy or, worse, a back-to-back pregnancy the recovery can drag for years. Whether from natural childbirth or a c-section, the stomach can appear distended or loose skin can hang while breast-feeding can cause the breasts to sag and lose their natural shape. Enter the mommy makeover. This may sound like a simple afternoon that includes lunch with friends, a haircut and some fresh makeup but it is much more involved than that. A mommy makeover is actually a three-pronged surgical attack. Plastic surgeons perform a breast lift (mastopexy) to revive sagging breast and re...
Essential Nutrients For Beautiful Skin
Everyone wants beautiful, soft, radiant skin. But how do we get it? With lotions and potions? Sure, they help, but beautiful skin starts with healthy skin, and that begins on the inside. The first thing you must do to get healthy skin is to improve your diet. What you eat makes a big difference in how your skin looks and feels. Eating foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is the key. Antioxidants help combat the free radicals that attack your body, both inside and outside, doing damage to the cells. Many people simply do not eat a balanced diet. Getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet to reap the benefits is important to skin health, and over-all health. You can do your best to include nutrient-dense foods in your diet, but another way to help boost nutrition is to take a multivitamin or other supplements. Some powerful antioxidants to look for in your supplements are beta carotene, selenium, and vitamins C, D and E. Let’s go into a little more detail to explain ...
Medical Tourism Makes Sense.... and Here's Why
Medical tourism is a rising trend that involves traveling to foreign countries for medical care. But why would someone travel up to 16 hours by plane for surgery that they could get down the street at the local hospital? 1. Less expensive: That’s actually an understatement. Depending on where you go and what procedure you are interested in, you can save 50 to 80% of the cost of the same procedure in the United States. Health insurance is expensive for both companies and their employees and, half the time; it doesn’t cover many medical procedures. Or, worse, requires such a large deductible or co-pay, that the procedure is financially out-of-reach. For cosmetic surgeries, this hardly seems like something to empathize with but what about cardiac patients or infertile couples trying to start a family? 2. Private: Sometimes people wish to keep their medical procedures private. Having surgery while under the guise of vacationing abroad is one way to maintain this privacy. Frien...
Incredible Edible Garlic
Garlic is versatile and has many health benefits. The smell sometimes makes people not want to add garlic to their diet but the benefits outweigh the price you would pay in powerful breath. In If you’re concerned about it though, you can minimize the smell by sucking on a lemon wedge or chewing on a sprig of parsley. Both work well to neutralize the garlic odor in your mouth. Garlic can be eaten raw but most people prefer to add it to cooked foods. It gives your food a flavorful boost. You can also buy garlic supplements that may help reduce garlic breath. Heart & Circulation Powerful antioxidants found in garlic can help reduce free radicals in your body. Free radicals are dangerous molecules that can damage tissue and accelerate the aging process. This means that garlic promotes heart health, reduces and repairs damaged cells and supports healthy blood flow throughout your body, resulting in better circulation. It lowers blood pressure, reduces LDL cholesterol and helps regulate blood su...
What is Medical Tourism?
If you have never heard of medical tourism, you are not alone. Technically, the term means traveling across any international border for a medical procedure. This could mean a doctor’s check-up and prescription re-fill in Mexico, a special fertility procedure for a hopeful couple in Singapore or, the ultimate girl’s night out, “mommy makeovers†in Thailand. Procedures that used to be done at home are now being performed by medical professionals in foreign countries, often third world countries, for a greatly reduced price. History of Medial Tourism People have been traveling abroad for centuries, from pilgrimages to shrines or other holy places in hopes of miraculous healing to traveling to spas or sanitariums in order to bathe in the healing waters. In fact, at the turn of the century, it was the standard treatment for tuberculosis patients to travel to Arizona in hopes that the dry heat would heal them. Modern medical tourism saw an upswing...
The Best Supplements for Menopause
As we age, our body changes. The nutrients required by a thirty-five year old woman are not the same nutrients required by a fifty-five year old woman. Perimenopausal and menopausal women require some specific nutrients to maintain optimum health. Even if a woman eats a wide variety of healthy foods during this time, she may still be missing some essential nutrients. The reason is because her body has shifted and the nutrients she believes she needs may not address the symptoms of perimenopause or menopause. Let’s take a look at some symptoms and see how two important nutrients - calcium and vitamin D - work in tandem to ease those symptoms. Calcium A lack of adequate calcium in the body can lead to reduced bone density. When your body doesn’t get enough calcium, it will take the calcium from the bones in your body. This can lead to bone loss and, eventually, osteoporosis. Other problems, such as restlessness, anxiety, and disturbed sleep patterns may also be the result...
The Most Common Medical Procedures Done Overseas
Americans are increasingly traveling abroad for major surgeries. In fact, over 500,000 combine an exotic vacation with a surgical procedure each year. If you assume that they must be traveling for something illegal in the United States or to have cosmetic surgery in secret, you’d be wrong. Medial tourism is popular for a variety of reasons and that popularity is increasing every day. So, what do people have done? 1. Bariatric procedures: This type of surgery is popular for privacy and cost issues but many foreign countries also have a slightly different type of gastric bypass than what is currently available in the U.S. The results can be better with this variation. 2. Fertility: Couples that struggle with fertility not only have an emotional strain but also a financial one. The cost of an IVF procedure is over $12,000 per attempt and it is well-known that many procedures may be necessary to get the desired results. This can quickly drain a bank account. On the other hand, an exotic trip ...
Should You Get That Surgery Abroad? Ask Yourself These Questions First
Surgery is a big step. Getting on a plane and flying 16 hours to the other side of the planet for surgery is a really big step. Are you ready? Ask yourself… 1. Can I afford this? Chances are if you are having surgery overseas than you are getting it at a great discount. Most Americans pay up to 80% more for medical procedures due to the high cost of malpractice insurance. Furthermore, the cost of health insurance is increasing while its overage, deductibles and co-pays are decreasing. Keep in mind that medical tourism involves paying cash out-of-pocket, usually a percentage up front, when an appointment is scheduled and the remainder shortly before surgery. 2. Is this healthy? Medical procedures overseas often involve either procedures or medicines that have not yet been approved by the F.D.A. Research well online and make educated decisions about your care. Just because something is not yet acceptable in the United States does not mean that it is in any way an inferior product. In fact, t...
The Best Medical Tourism Destinations
Many Americans somehow think that their medical services, hospitals and doctors are far superior to that of other countries, especially third world countries. That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, many foreign countries are known for being tops in their particular specialty. The World Health Organization recently ranked the quality of health care in over 191 countries and the United States ranked 37th. Shocked? Don’t be. Many Asian and South American countries began to specialize in certain fields to draw tourists and boost the local economy. Here’s a list of some of the top unexpected countries and what they specialize in. 1. South Korea: Specializing in spinal surgeries and cancer research, South Korea has long been a leader in medical tourism to Asia. 2. Singapore: This little Asian country is a power house in medical tourism. Ranking #1 in Asia and #6 overall on the WHO list, Singapore is the go to place for stem cell therapy...
Put Down The Pepto - Cure Indigestion The Natural Way
Indigestion can make you feel bloated and cause pain in your stomach area. It can lead to nausea, uncontrolled flatulence and burping, heartburn and acid reflux making you miserable. Your state of mind can also be a contributor to digestive problems. This means that stress and anxiety and be factors as well. Other causes of indigestion are poor diet, overeating and partaking of too much alcohol. These can lead to a heavy buildup of toxins in the body making your digestive system unable to work properly. Remember overindulgence of anything can cause indigestion. Some Ways to Minimize Indigestion Eat frequent small meals. Keep your body fueled by eating more often to keep your energy up but in smaller quantities. Eating a small meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours will lessen problems and symptoms of indigestion. Eat whole foods. Staying away from highly processed, fatty foods will help you keep the acids down in your stomach. Adding whole foods such as lean meat, fruits and vegetables are a great way to...
The Natural Way to Combat Depression
Depression is a debilitating problem for many people. But treating it with pharmaceuticals can sometimes cause more harm than good. Before resorting to chemical solutions, trying a natural approach can often help. Eat Well Diet alone may not cure depression, but a eating properly is the foundation of a healthy body. If you regularly consume highly processed foods you are contributing to the toxic buildup in your body. This buildup leads to a variety of problems, including depression. Eliminate sugars and high fructose corn syrup, controversial ingredients included in many processed foods and drinks these days. Eating too much sugar can cause highs immediately after eating, followed by a crash. This can make you feel worse than you did before you ate. It’s believed that adding more folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids can also help combat depression. You can find omega-3s in fatty fish such as sardines, salmon and tuna. Avocados, green leafy vegetables and seeds are good sources of foli...
Top 5 Considerations Before Getting Surgery Overseas
So, you are considering medical tourism as an option. Here are 5 issues you should consider before booking that flight. 1. Insurance: Most U.S. health insurance companies only cover procedures done in the patient’s home network coverage area. They generally do not cover procedures performed in foreign countries, which means that the trip and the procedure are out-of-pocket expenses. The continual increase in medical tourism, however, is forcing some insurance companies to change their stance. One U.S. insurer is offering to waive a $3,000 deductible for very expensive, hip surgeries, if the surgery is done overseas. In fact, insurance companies will probably jump on the medical tourism bus within the next decade or so, if they can see a way to save their money on your care. 2. Malpractice Laws: Be advised that the main reason medical procedures are so inexpensive overseas is partially due to the lack of medical malpractice insurance. Doctors and hospitals pass those savings on to you. The ...
6 Health Tips Every Boomer and Senior Should Know Before Traveling
(NewsUSA) – Marvin Mallon, 86, and his wife, Reva, know how important it is to plan ahead before embarking on a long journey  especially when it comes to their health. During a road trip through the United States and Canada, Marvin Mallon needed regular hormone injections to treat his prostate cancer. Thanks to his Kaiser Permanente physician, the Southern California grandfather was able to receive his treatment during a stopover in Helena, Montana. “I was miles away from my doctor, and Kaiser Permanente saw to it that I was taken care of,†said Mallon. “Older adults usually have several health concerns,†said Jose Dryjanski, M.D., a travel medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. “They should consult with their doctor or a travel clinic before going on a long trip. Being prepared is the key to staying safe and healthy.†Dr. Dryjanski offers six basic health tips fo...
The Scoop on Dental Tourism
When you mention medical tourism, most people think of cosmetic surgery. The classic nose job comes to mind, maybe, even a breast augmentation on the sly. But, did you know that 40% of all medical tourism is actually dental in nature? At first, it seems odd to fly around the world for a filling but tooth travel is so much more than just a quick trip to the corner dentist. In fact, many state-of-the-art dental procedures are not covered under insurance because it is not deemed necessary or it exceeds the maximum annual coverage for that policy. In fact, only 50% of Americans even have a dental insurance policy. One of the overriding problems is that dental insurance is set up more to cover preventative issues, like cleanings and x-rays, not repair or cosmetic issues. It is not just in the States. Europeans all have the same concerns about the health of their teeth and the cost of dental care. Unlike Americans, who often just go without, the Europeans go to Hungary. That’s right. The former S...
10 Steps to Help Older Adults Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls
(NewsUSA) – Some of the most serious injuries among older adults, age 65 and older, are caused by falling. More than 1.6 million older Americans end up in the emergency room or hospital because of a fall, according to the National Institutes of Health. Seniors who have broken a hip by falling can have trouble recovering and regaining mobility. The good news is many falls are preventable. One of the first things you can do if you take prescription medication is have your health care team review your medication. “Some prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs, or a combination of them, can make you dizzy or sleepy. Either can lead to a fall,†said ">Jaza Marina, M.D., a geriatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta. “If you fall, be sure to let your doctor know, even if you aren’t hurt. Sometimes falls are a sign of a new medical problem that needs attention.†Many underlying causes of falls can be treated or corr...