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Looking for happiness

 
We’re just slightly more than a week off from wishing nearly everyone in the world Happy New Year. But, have you ever wondered why? Why is it important to have a Happy New Year or a Happy Birthday? In a country whose very foundation is built around a few simple ideals the most important of which include “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” why haven’t we as a nation truly developed what that means?

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New studies indicate vitamins and supplements may be ineffective or worse

Perhaps you’ve heard this a time or two? Eat right, exercise, get plenty of sleep and…take your vitamins. Americans believe in their vitamins. We have entire stores and quite big ones at that dedicated to the belief that we can protect our skin, our brains, our colons, our hearts, and our bones by taking supplements or vitamins to take the place of the dietary needs we are missing out on in our fast-paced world. We do so by handing over $28 billion each year to the U.S. Vitamin and Supplement Industry and we do so in droves.

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Technology and training can delay day for surrendering car keys

The first commercially available automobile became available with the creation of the Model T in 1908.  By the 1950s, construction had started on the national highway system to connect the country by road—just in time for the Boomers to come of legal age to drive.  The Baby Boomer generation’s fascination with the automobile prompted motels, drive thru eateries and hour-long work commutes.  Perhaps because that fascination is threatened now by the Boomers’ aging bodies, at no other time has there been as much emphasis on driver safety as now.

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The benefits of walking include disease prevention and protecting your pocket book

I attended a Memory Wellness program this week.  The conversation was about the benefits of programs for Alzheimer’s patients.  I’ll write more about that next week.  However, one of the things that really stood out for me was how much of an improvement researchers found in Alzheimer’s patients when they participated in an exercise program, particularly when the exercise included walking. 

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Why your hospital status matters if you end up in the ER

 
When a person experiences a serious medical condition the usual response is to hie off to the nearest hospital emergency room.  Once he or she reaches the ER, the hospital has four options for care.  The patient can be admitted as an inpatient, transferred to another facility, discharged home or placed under observation.

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Soaring hospital costs make even the simplest procedure too costly

 
Do you have a story like this one? I’d like to say that stories such as mine simply don’t happen anymore but the truth is that they happen all the time. A story by Elisabeth Rosenthal in The New York Times looked at a modest medical procedure-stitching a wound closed. By her estimates, the cost of a single stitch begins at around $500 and climbs from there. It’s quite hard to get an accurate look at prices because hospitals charge a variety of behind the scenes costs. A trip to the hospital for treating a cut finger won’t get you charged just for stitches. You’ll also get charged a facilities fee, plus inflated prices for everything from gauze to Tylenol to the doctor. In a follow-up article , Rosenthal looked at the prices for an ambulance ride, which also shoot for the moon.

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Hospital prices reach for the stars

Do you have a story like this one?  I’d like to say that stories such as mine simply don’t happen anymore but the truth is that they happen all the time.  A story by Elisabeth Rosenthal in The New York Times looked at a modest medical procedure-stitching a wound closed.  By her estimates, the cost of … Read more

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