Have you considered implementing promotional product advertising to attract more customers and increase profits? Here’s a pricing strategy that might seem radical at first, but upon closer inspection turns out to be a savvy marketing technique. Consider forgoing a profit on a popular product or service that you offer.

What item keeps your customers coming back for more? What would happen if you offered that item at or below cost?

Consider Gillette. Gillette sells their razors below cost. They have run numerous promotions giving razors away for free. In fact, I recently received a free Gillette razor in the mail. Gillette makes no money from their razor sales. But they make plenty of money selling the blades.

A loss leader is an item that is sold below cost in an effort to stimulate other profitable sales. It’s an excellent way to fully leverage your marketing. What product or service could you offer at a ridiculously low price knowing that when your customers decide to purchase the inexpensive item they will often also purchase other, profit generating items?

I am not suggesting that you compete on price. Competing on price is a strategy that should be left to the commodities folks. Reducing your margins across the board to a lower level than your competition will result in you being a former business owner.

By using a loss leader the objective is to diminish the barrier to entry for your potential customers. Once those barriers are taken away, people are more willing to purchase from you. They are willing to purchase the loss leader and often willing to purchase your higher margin offerings.

Think about dollar menus at fast food restaurants. These restaurants forgo normal profits on dollar menu items knowing that people will tend to also purchase food from the regular menu.

Movie theaters tend not to make any profit on ticket sales. But they make up for it, and then some, with their food sales.

Convenience stores are happy to provide low margin gasoline because lots of gas purchasers also enter the store and buy other items.

My favorite example of a loss leader is convenience stores that offer free ATMs. Customers who don’t want their bank accounts pillaged by fee-hungry businesses use these ATMs to withdraw cash. And then they attempt to walk back through the store towards the exit with wallets full of newly obtained crisp bills burning holes in their pockets.

Did you ever wonder why these ATMs are never in the front of the store? It is so you have to walk past all of the candy, soda, cookies, and other high margin items for sale. Many people cannot escape the store without making a purchase.

Implement promotional product advertising using this pricing strategy and leverage the marketing power of a loss leader.

Top Five Retirement Gifts For Men

Concern over high cholesterol has been with us for years. People talk about it all the time. But what is high cholesterol? What are the risk factors that may lead to developing high cholesterol? Could you recognize the symptoms of high cholesterol? No, probably not because there aren’t any. High cholesterol is a silent killer.

What Is Cholesterol?

Your body manufactures all the cholesterol you need. It is a fat-like, almost waxy substance that exists in every cell of our bodies. Its purpose is to make hormones, Vitamin D and other substances used in digestion. It comes in two types: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). These are carried in the blood in small compounds made of fat on the inside and proteins on the outside. Both are required for good health but within normal levels.

What Are the Risks of High Cholesterol?

When LDL levels become high, you are at an increased risk for developing heart disease. As cholesterol levels rise in the bloodstream, they form plaque on the walls of the arteries causing them to become narrow. This atherosclerosis is what is commonly referred to as hardening of the arteries. When the arteries leading to the heart become clogged with plaque, the flow of blood to the heart can be slowed or even stopped. This is known as coronary artery disease or CAD. Large build-ups of plaque can lead to angina or chest pains. If the outer skin of an area of plaque bursts, the cholesterol and fat inside are released into the blood stream. Your blood may clot as a result, which in turn can cause angina or a heart attack.

What Are the Signs of High Cholesterol?

The dangerous aspect of having high cholesterol is there are no symptoms. High cholesterol builds up silently over time and without medical testing, chances are you won’t know until it’s too late.

What are the Risk Factors for Developing High Cholesterol?

Some things that contribute to the development of high cholesterol are beyond your control such as heredity, age and sex. High blood cholesterol can run in families. Younger women start out with lower LDL than men, other factors aside, but by the time both pass the age of 55, women tend to have higher LDL. Other factors that contribute to high cholesterol are the foods you eat, your weight and your activity level. Foods high in fat or which contain cholesterol can raise your LDL. Saturated fat can increase your LDL more than any other food in your diet. Being overweight can increase your LDL too. Coupled with a lack of activity, which can lead to being overweight and you get the picture.

What Can I Do About High Cholesterol?

Adults over the age of 20 should have their cholesterol checked every 5 years or as recommended by your doctor. If high cholesterol is detected there are currently two options. The first involves making lifestyle changes that help lower the cholesterol level. These changes include making dietary changes, increasing physical activity and managing your weight. The second option, which may be used in conjunction with the first option, is cholesterol-lowering medication. There are five types most frequently used:

• Statins are very effective in lowering LDL and are safe for most people. Simvastatin sold under the brand name Zocor and atorvastatin sold as Lipitor are statins.

• Bile Acid Sequestrants are seldom prescribed alone but help when combined with other cholesterol-lowering medication

• Nicotinic Acid works to lower both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while raising HDL cholesterol

• Fibrates primarily used to lower triglycerides

• Ezetimibe lowers LDL cholesterol by working with the intestine to block the absorption of cholesterol

Evening Primrose oil taken orally is reputed to help lower cholesterol but you should confer with your doctor before taking and then follow package directions.

High cholesterol can ultimately kill you. Some factors leading to its development may be unavoidable for you. Tackle the things you can. Consult with your doctor. If medication is recommended, take it as prescribed.

Source: National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov)

One In The Best Foods From Nature Is Eggs

Designing posters, flyers, or any advertising type or promotional material will need more than simply combining pictures, colors and words to fit in, and getting the message across the public. Most importantly, it includes character, vision and creativity. All of us are gifted with such traits, although varying in nature for sure. There is no question that above all, it is consumer acceptance and gaining the market attention that will be the key to a successful marketing campaign.

The main emphasis for such promotional and advertising measures is to of course provide the needed push by products or services. Some companies would not lean towards advertising as a means of jacking up their sales and reaching their sales quota. Some would use prices, discounts, and corporate tie-ups, contests and so on to help give the exposure needed to make a product or service known. Either way, the important thing is that all efforts are done for the benefit of the finished good and for the company to study on the feasibility of continuing such product or simply killing it and moving on towards another category to market and sell.

The market is made up of different people, thus the need to be able to understand, research and study the overall impact such product or service can give to them. Class, gender, age group and bracket, all of these should be carefully studied prior to engaging in the different marketing approaches and tactics and get their various programs running and reaching the unknowing public. The response towards such tactics and strategies shall evidently be appreciated once the response on orders, product acceptance and endorsements has been made.

There are sectors that also use a certain psychology in their marketing strategies. Not to take anything away but these tactics do work. Instilling in the minds of people that a certain product or service may contain special ingredients and provide certain results once consumed or used is something that will surely gain the market attention. Further, getting some people to help in the endorsement of the product or service will also help in attracting the market attention needed to boost the performance, both in sales and market awareness, of the product as well. It should be noted, that a company will maximize all possibilities available, but all for sure on a given budget, since it is certain that companies will not spend all their assets on advertising alone, since they also have to consider the overall administration and operation of the company.

Unique Gifts For Men, Tailoring The Gift To The Man

You want to buy the best eggs you can, but you’re not sure about the cost. You don’t like that hens are raised in torturous conditions, but…

What do those egg labels mean anyway? Are “free range” eggs really worth it?

And what about egg recalls? Which eggs are the safest to eat? It may not surprise you to find that the most recent egg recall involves eggs that are raised in battery-cages, the cheapest conditions. Which is how 97% of U.S. eggs are raised.

Here’s a simple list of what those egg labels really mean and the monetary costs to you from the cheapest to most expensive eggs so you can make a more informed decision.(Thanks to the Humane Society for some info).

Farm fresh; healthy, all-natural or United Egg Producers Certified
Has no relevance to animal welfare. It’s also the cheapest option, sometimes 99 cents for a dozen. And there’s a reason. These birds are fed the cheapest food and raised more like egg producing machines than living beings, most often 6 hens to a cage smaller than the size of a piece of looseleaf paper (yes, no exaggeration).

They are raised in battery cages, while being packed into crates with their beaks burned off so they don’t peck each other to death from the over confinement and stress. But hey, it’s 99 cents a dozen.

Vegetarian Feed; Omega-3 enhanced
A slightly better diet, no mashed up cow or poultry parts, so slightly better for your own health, but as far as cruelty, these birds are still cage raised and the price can now jump to around $2.50 a dozen. And by the way, it is illegal to put hormones in feed for chickens and other poultry, so this claim, while technically true should not be used as a reason to pay more.

Cage-free
No more confined pens! Hallelujah, but still confined indoors their entire lives. but at least they can flap their little wings and walk around. A huge leap up in cruelty reduction and still around $2.50 – $3.00 per dozen. But their feed may be filled with ground up chicken and animal parts if the label also does not say “vegetarian diet.” Remember, if it doesn’t say it, it’s not there.

Free-range
A total misnomer, and you’re usually paying $4 for a dozen. The birds must be allowed “access” to the outside by are not required to actually go outside.

There is an excellent article from the excellent independent egg and chicken producer Robert Plamondon about what it really means to be “free-range” and how egg producers create situations where the birds never go out (low doors, bird territoriality). The producers do this because if they do go out, chickens need a lot of room to roam and you’re looking at $10-$15 dozen eggs if they do. What you are really looking for if free range is your thing is “pasture raised” eggs.

Certified Organic
All vegetarian organic certified diet. Also uncaged, but that does not mean outdoors. Now we’re talking $4-5 bucks a dozen.

Certified Humane
No cage, indoors, but much lower bird density and certified by Humane Farm Animal Care.

Animal Welfare Approved
A service of the Animal Welfare Institute, the compassion cops for farm animals. No cages, no beak cutting, smiles on the farmer’s faces. No chain supermarkets carry these products yet, but many independent farmers do. The web is filled with them and these egg shells can be brown or blue with dark yokes and cost around $10 a dozen or more.

Pasture raised
The birds are actually outdoors roaming around. They have pecked at insects, grass seed and flapped around on a grassy field and even in some bushes and trees. The most humane option, the best tasting option and you guessed it, the most expensive (the $10-$15 for a dozen aforesaid).

Of course, it should be noted that in virtually all commercial egg operations, the males chicks are ground up as soon as they hatch (not much in the egg-laying department) and hens at even organic farms are “re-processed” after a year (chickens can live to their teens) when they are “spent”

The best way to avoid salmonella in contaminated eggs and not be the victim of egg recalls, is to buy certified organic, pasture raised, certified humane or animal welfare approved eggs. Organic eggs are not guaranteed by any stretch, but you are less likely to be exposed to salmonella this way.

For more info: Mother Earth News, for pasture raised eggs and food Eat Wild.

Blood Cholesterol Tests – The Basics

Sifting through thousands of promotional products was not what you had in mind when you started to plan for your event. You have workers, caterers, decorators, and arrangements to coordinate. Or maybe you own you’re an entrepreneur and already wear too many hats. That’s where a promotional products consultant firm can help.

With countless on-line stores selling imprinted items and local shops shoving catalogs in your hands, the options are overwhelming. But you got deadlines and no time to fuss. If this sounds like you, then you are a perfect candidate for a promotional products consultant.

What’s the difference between a promotional products consultant firm and a promotional products store? Both will deliver pens, magnets, clocks, and much more with your logo branded. But only the promotional products consultant firm offers service. When you go on-line to order your goods, you will sort through the products that the company wants to sell to you. More products are available with more imprint options, and some of them may suit your needs better! On-line promotional products sites are like department stores with lots of generic options to appeal to the masses. But you are not like everyone else and you want something unique. A qualified promotional products consultant will get to know your company, your needs, and your style. When working with a promotional products consultant, you will receive tailor made presentations, be kept up to date on trends and new items, and get creative solutions to your marketing needs.

For example, I had a financial advisor who was looking for gifts for clients who have given referrals. Problem? The client has been giving chocolates for years. Although she knew that she wanted something more sophisticated, she also did not want to lose that personal touch. Solution? A modern wine bottle stopper that could be etched with her logo. Sophisticated and striking, the stopper mirrored the image that the client wanted to project yet was a personal gift that could be used in the home. The promotion captured much attention, and I have been receiving requests from her associates who want to do similar items.

So, how can you find a consultant who can give you this kind of service? Referrals are the best way. Ask friends and colleagues what vendors they use for promotional products and whether these vendors aid in product and imprint selection. Do they have a personal sales representative at these companies? Do these sales reps stay on top of their promotions and often come up with new and interesting ideas? You want to make sure that these companies work with their clients and are not just taking orders.

If this step results in no good leads, then you’ll want to hit the Internet and the phone book. Preferably, you will want to find a local company so that you can easily maintain a personal relationship with your consultant. I have, however, maintained some great relationships with clients who I have never met in person. Finding a good consultant is much more important than finding someone close. On-line, use terms like promotional products, ad specialties, imprinted items, and business gifts teamed with your city and state. Also, some promotional products consultant firms have niches. They may specialize in the health care industry or in trade show promotions. So, you may be able to find someone who deals only with your type of organization. On the vendor’s website can you easily find contact information? If you can’t, it’s a tell tale sign that they don’t want to be contacted personally. Are you invited to call for ideas or to schedule a meeting? You will want to stay away from sites that encourage you to just place an on-line order.

Once you find a few who seem promising, call the companies and talk to the sales representatives. A good promotional products consultant will ask you questions about your event or promotions. They should want to know about your company, to whom you’re giving the items, and what you want to accomplish. If a sales rep says to you, “just tell me what you need” or “what do you want,” move on! A promotional products consultant will be more interested in helping you than transcribing an order.

You should meet with the candidate face-to-face if possible or at least schedule a phone meeting. If you take the time choose a good consultant, you will save yourself much time and frustration later. Because you will want to continue to deal with the person on a regular basis, establishing a great rapport is a must. Once you find someone who meets your needs and with whom you feel comfortable, don’t forget to take full advantage of their services. Some of my new clients will, out of habit, start browsing for product ideas before getting me involved. Most of the time, I end up coming back with a presentation of ideas that they like better. If you just pass the project to your consultant in the beginning, you’ll save yourself time and come out with better results.

Graduate Requires A Graduation Gift

It is believed that up to one third of the world’s population is affected by Diabetes. Simply put, Diabetes is an endocrine disorder that creates a rise in blood glucose levels. Its long-term complications can involve your eyes, heart, circulation, nervous system, and kidneys.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Diabetes is brought about by a Yin deficiency. This deficiency is caused by dryness, heat and dampness that are reflected in high blood glucose levels.

You may remember that Yin and Yang are the opposing forces that make up Qi, or the energy that flows in you body. When they become unbalanced, it is believed that is when illness strikes.

In Chinese medicine, it is believed that Diabetes is very closely related to Wasting Syndrome, It can be broken down into Upper, Middle and Lower Wasting Syndrome which correlate to your lungs, stomach and kidneys.

Upper Wasting Syndrome is defined by the heat in your lungs drying up body fluids. Look for symptoms like fidgeting, excessive water intake and a dry, red tongue with or without cracks that has a yellow coat. Your pulse will feel forceful and rapid.

Middle Wasting Syndrome is defined by stomach fire damaging fluids. Look for symptoms of increased thirst, constant hunger, and a good appetite. Your tongue will be red with a yellow coat. Your pulse will feel rapid.

Lower Wasting Syndrome is divided into Kidney Yin Deficiency and Kidney Yin and Yang Deficiency. With Kidney Yin Deficiency, you should look for increased urinary frequency in excessive amounts, (frequently at night), and a red tongue with little or no coat. Your pulse will feel deep, thready and rapid. With Kidney Yin and Yang Deficiency, you should look for increased urinary frequency in excessive amounts, (frequently at night). Your tongue will have teeth marks on both sides and will be pale red with a white coat. Your pulse will feel deep, thready and weak.

You may be asking yourself, “Now what?”

Chinese medicine often relies on herbs to bring your energy back into balance. It is reported that you may respond to this type of treatment within four weeks or so. It does vary from person to person.

Herbs commonly used in various combinations for these purposes are American Ginseng, Gypsum, Anemarrhena, Scrophularia, Astragalus, Atraclylodes, Salvia Root, Carthamus, Lotus Embryo, and Lotus Stamen.

Reportedly, Chinese medicine believes that high blood glucose levels are equivalent to a lot of dampness in the body. The herbs are used to replenish Qi, your energy force, and strengthen your spleen to get rid of the dampness.

Chinese herbal combinations are available at most health food stores and at various sites on the web. Your acupuncturist can help pinpoint your diagnosis.

Always consult your health care professional before beginning any alternative health care program.

Cat Treatment

Accusations are flying fast and furious these days. Opponents of health care reform bills are called racists; supporters are called communists. Both sides claim to have facts and logic on their side; people on both sides of the debate are becoming more emotional.

One issue that inflames passion on both sides is the so-called public option, which would offer a government-run health insurance plan to people who cannot afford coverage. It is claimed that the public option will be more efficient and will cost less than private plans.

On the surface, this seems like a good idea. Why shouldn’t we use some of the wealth of this country to help those in need? How could anyone oppose that?

The issue is not that those on one side of the debate care about people and their health and that those on the other side care only about profits and wealth. Most people believe that health care costs have risen dramatically and that many people can’t afford to pay for the care they need. Health insurance premiums have also skyrocketed, meaning that many people can’t even pay for the insurance that gives them access to our health care system.

The issue is how to provide for those who cannot pay for the health services they need. In my opinion, the public option is not the best solution. Let’s review some of the arguments in favor of the public option, and why they are not convincing.

A public option is necessary because there is not enough competition among insurance plans, which is why costs are so high.

Many supporters of the public option say the high cost of health care is due to insufficient competition. Supposedly a public option will create the competition necessary to force private companies to be more efficient. Savings will be passed on to the consumers.

Are they right? Currently in the US there are about 1,300 companies that offer health insurance. In a recent article, Steve Chapman acknowledges that while some markets are dominated by one or two insurers, this does not necessarily mean competition is lacking. “If a few health insurance providers were suppressing competition at the expense of consumers, you’d expect to see obscene profits. But net profit margins in the business run about 3 percent, only slightly above the median for all industries.”1

Many factors affect health care costs, not just the cost of insurance. An aging population, advances in medical technology, high consumer demand for pricy services such as knee replacements, increasingly sophisticated prescription drugs, government regulation, and treating the uninsured are all cited as reasons for high costs.2 Other than treating the uninsured, it is not clear how a public option will address these factors that impact costs.

The public option will be less expensive, because it will not have to make a profit.

The public option is often presented as a nonprofit alternative to health care provided through private insurance. The fact of the matter is that not-for-profits do have to make enough money to stay in business. The only difference is their profits are invested in the business, not distributed to owners or shareholders. So the public option will have to make some level of profit, as do the many nonprofit insurance plans currently on the market.

What if the public option plan failed to make enough profit to survive? Do we really believe that if the public option got into financial trouble it would be allowed to fail? There is nothing to prevent Congress from allocating more funds to the public option. In that case, the bailout will have to be paid by the taxpayer. It will be difficult in that event to prove that the public option really was less expensive.

The public option will be more efficient, with lower administrative costs.
The large size of the public option plan, covering people across the country, will make it more efficient to manage, so it will be cheaper. Those who hold this position say that Medicare administrative costs per person enrolled are much smaller than the administrative costs of private plans, which proves their point.

However, a Heritage Foundation study reports that “advocates of a public plan assert that Medicare has administrative costs of 3 percent (or 6 to 8 percent if support from other government agencies is included), compared to 14 to 22 percent for private employer-sponsored health insurance (depending on which study is cited), or even more for individually purchased insurance.”3

In this study, Robert Book, Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics in the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, states that Medicare has greater than average spending per person than the average plan. This is due to the fact that most Medicare beneficiaries are elderly or have such diseases as end stage renal failure, and so are spending more on health services than a younger or healthier person. Book argues “even if Medicare and private insurance had identical levels of administrative efficiency, Medicare would appear to be more efficient merely because of an artifact of the arithmetic of percentages–Medicare’s identical administrative costs per person would be divided by a larger number for patient care costs.”4

For example: suppose Insurance Company A spends $10,000 per enrolled person per year, and Insurance Company B spends $5,000 per person per year. Both spend $500 per patient per year on administrative expenses. By dividing $500 by $10,000 of total costs, we can calculate that Insurance Company A spends 5% of its total expenses on administration. By dividing $500 by $5000 we calculate that B is spending 10%. This does not mean that B is less efficient than A because its administrative costs are a lower per cent. Since the total expenses are different, this comparison is inaccurate.

Book then explains a better way to compare administrative costs: on a person-to-person basis. “In 2005, Medicare’s administrative costs were $509 per primary beneficiary, compared to private-sector administrative costs of $453. In the years from 2000 to 2005, Medicare’s administrative costs per beneficiary were consistently higher than that for private insurance, ranging from 5 to 48 percent higher, depending on the year.”5

In other words, it is more accurate to compare by dividing total administrative costs by the total number of people enrolled in the plan. If Insurance Company C has 10,000 enrolled people and administrative costs of $5,000,000, then it is spending $500 per person. If Insurance Company D has 20,000 people and administrative costs of $9,000,000, then it is spending $450 per person, and is administratively more efficient.

Further, Book states that the Medicare administrative costs per beneficiary are higher “despite the fact that private-sector “administrative” costs include state health insurance premium taxes of up to 4 percent (averaging around 2 percent, depending on the state)-an expense from which Medicare is exempt.6

Another overlooked administrative cost is related to the fact that Medicare has to have the money to pay claims. In an article written for the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, Merrill Matthews states that the cost of raising those funds, “or borrowing it if the government doesn’t collect it from taxpayers, is excluded from Medicare administrative cost calculations. …[T]axpayers, both today and in the future, must bear those costs.”7 Medicare, the model for the public option, is looking less and less attractive.

The public option is an option, not a disguised government takeover of health care.

A report released by the Lewin Group, a nonpartisan Falls Church, Va., firm that provides consulting services to the healthcare industry concluded that “although the government won’t actually order people to leave their private insurance plans, it will induce their employers to do so. The taxpayer subsidies in the public option will tilt the economic scales so much that employers and individuals will abandon the private insurance market by the millions.”8

In other words, taxpayer subsidies will make the public option cheaper for employers. Given the cost savings, many companies will choose it for the coverage they offer their employees, leaving the workers no choice but to accept it. So the public option will become the only option, forcing people to leave the private plans they had. Once the public option becomes the only health insurance available, the government will have taken over the health care industry.

Unanswered questions

In addition, there are some unanswered questions about the public option.

How will we pay for the public option?

Recently, Nancy Pelosi said “half the bill will be paid for by squeezing excesses out of the [Medicare and Medicaid] system, and there is $500 billion dollars to do that and we’re looking for more. That can be achieved-waste, fraud, abuse, redundancy, obsolescence, whatever it is. Squeeze it out of the system; and that means out of the providers and the rest as well.”9

We’ve all heard about waste, fraud and abuse in the government for years. If there is so much money to be recovered by eliminating it, why hasn’t anyone gotten started on rooting it out? What do we need a public option for?

The second half of Ms. Pelosi’s statement targets providers. Is she saying the providers are inefficient in how they deliver services? From my career in health administration, I can attest that for years, hospitals and doctors have been making great efforts to reduce any unnecessary expenditure, in large part in response to pressure from insurance companies and the government.

And exactly from where will the squeezed out money come from? Staffing is the largest single expense in a hospital, often more than 50%. Is Ms. Pelosi suggesting that the salaries of the nurses, lab techs, and dietary workers be reduced? Supplies are the next biggest expense item. Hospitals will only be able to negotiate discounts with suppliers to a certain level, before it is no longer profitable for the supplier to remain in business.

When I was finishing my graduate work in Health Administration, the Medicare rules were undergoing a radical change, brought on by Congress. The old system paid hospitals and doctors based on procedures done or care provided to patients. The new system of payment was based on the diagnosis of the patient and what, on average, the hospital would do to treat that diagnosis. If the patient had complications that required additional care, the hospital received no extra payment. A few years later, in the 1980s, the Gramm-Rudman budget cuts went into effect. Hospitals then received 1% less payment for everything they did for Medicare patients.

Congress continues to make changes to the Medicare program, changing regulations and reimbursement. Hospitals and doctors are basically at the mercy of Congress for their reimbursement for treatment of Medicare patients, which accounts for at least half of all hospital stays.

A survey by the Physicians’ Foundation revealed that 36% of the nearly 12,000 physicians responding say that Medicare reimbursement does not cover the cost of care.10 Currently, physicians make up the difference by treating private pay patients, who have better reimbursement. If the public option is passed, will it pay better than Medicare? If it doesn’t, how will physicians be able to afford to operate their practices?

What guarantees do we have that the government will adequately fund the public option?

In the 1990s I worked in Russia to provide humanitarian aid to hospitals and doctors. I could see firsthand the results of a government controlled system. For decades, the Soviet Union’s priorities were national defense, including nuclear arms, and the space program. All other programs took second place.

During the course of my work, I walked down hospital corridors with broken tile, saw neonatal units without incubators, operating rooms that looked like they were throwbacks to the 1930s. Heroic and resourceful doctors did the best for their patients with the little they had. Lack of funding for even basic supplies left them with a system that was free for all, but with little to offer.

What if our national priorities changes? What will prevent Congress from allocating less funding for health care, from reducing benefits, from rationing care? With no private options, there will be no competition, no alternatives.

Whose responsibility is health?

Also during my time in Russia, I gave a series of seminars on health care in the US and improving quality of care. During one talk, I stated that health is primarily the responsibility of the individual. I was interrupted by the spontaneous outburst of several of the listening Russian doctors. “Oh, no,” they said. “It is the government’s responsibility.”

Will the creation of the public option, create similar dependence on the government? I do not believe that all the creators of the welfare programs in the 1960s set out to do more than help people in need. They most likely had no idea that they would be creating a class of people who, after three or more generations relying on government handouts, now believe that the government owes them the money they receive. What will prevent the public option from creating similar dependence?

The claims of the supporters of the public option have not persuaded me that it will provide health care more efficiently or that it will address the high costs of health care. It also seems to me that it will cause additional problems and have unintended consequences. The public option is a choice we can live without, and other options for helping those without health insurance should be explored.

Sources:

1. Chapman, Steve, “The ‘Public Option’ Health Care Scam,” July 16, 2009, www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/07/16/the_public_option_health_care_scam_97473.html

2. Hudgins, Jeff, “Why is Health Insurance So Expensive?” Supply House Times, http://www.supplyht.com/CDA/Archives/74ccca81c93a8010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____

3. Book, Robert A., Ph.D, Web memo 2505, http://www.heritage.org/research/healthcare/wm2505.cfm

4. Book, Web memo 2505.

7. Matthews, Merrill, Ph.D., Medicare’s Hidden Administrative Costs: A Comparison of Medicare and the Private Sector,(Based in Part on a Technical Paper by Mark Litow of Milliman, Inc.), January 10, 2006, http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/CAHI_Medicare_Admin_Final_Publication.pdf

8. Patten, David A., “Experts: Obama’s ‘Public Option’ Insurance Will Abandon 100 Million Citizens,” Tuesday, July 21, 2009, http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/obama_bad_public_options/2009/07/21/238226.html

9.Cover, Matt, “Pelosi: We’ll ‘Squeeze’ Medicare to Pay for Health Care Bill,” September 10, 2009, www.cnsnews.com/news/article/53845

10. Kunkler, Todd, “New Survey Highlights Primary Care Physicians’ Dissatisfaction, Problems Facing the Industry,” December 3, 2008, http://www.hcplive.com/mdnglive/webexclusives/survey_PCPs_dissatisfaction.

Blood Pressure Lowering Strategies

November is Pet Diabetes Awareness Month. Did you know cats and dogs can get diabetes just like humans? In fact, many pets can have their diabetes controlled just by changing their diet. Does your dog have cataracts? It could be a side effect of diabetes. Changing your dog’s diet is the first step. Sadly, as with humans, diabetes in pets is on the rise. Look for subtle changes like excessive hunger with weight loss, fatigue, excessive thirst and urination, and a lackluster coat.

According to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) deputy executive director, Janice Trumpeter, DVM, “Diabetes is a treatable condition that requires a committed effort by the veterinarian and pet owner. With appropriate pet owner commitment, monitoring and a thorough understanding of the variables that are within veterinary control, diabetes can be managed.”

Diabetes Explained
The AAHA characterizes diabetes as a disease caused by a lack of insulin. It is the body’s inability to utilize the insulin properly which then affects the levels of sugar (glucose) in your pet’s blood. Glucose comes from the food your dog eats. The food is broken down into very small components by your pet’s digestive system so their body can use it for energy.

What Goes Wrong When Your Pet Has Diabetes
According to the AAHA, insulin (which is produced by the pancreas) is required for the cells to absorb glucose. If you dog or cat has diabetes, unused glucose builds up in the bloodstream and they cannot produce insulin easily

Diabetes Can Lead to Other Health Problems
It is not unusual for dogs to develop other health problems as a consequence of diabetes. One complication from the disease is cataracts which makes the lens of the eyes opaque and can cause blindness.

Which Pets are at Risk of Developing Diabetes?
The AAHA suggests that factors (e.g. age, breed) can increase a dog’s chances of developing diabetes.

Risk factors according to the AAHA include:

• Genetics
• Obesity
• Age (The older a dog gets, the more likely they are to develop diabetes)
• Unspayed females (yet another reason to spay your female dog in addition to preventing breast cancer)
• Breed (e.g. American cocker spaniels, Dachshunds, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Pomeranians, Terriers, Toy Poodles).

Determining if your Dog has Diabetes
If you suspect your dog might suffer from diabetes, the first thing you should do is bring your dog to the veterinarian. In addition to an exam, your veterinarian will take a sample of your dog’s urine to test for the presence of glucose. If glucose is present, your pet’s blood will take blood from your dog to determine the blood glucose level.

Treating a Dog with Diabetes
Once your dog is diagnosed with diabetes you will have to inject insulin daily to control your dog’s insulin level. A change in diet (to one that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates) is also recommended to help regulate your dog’s diabetes. Daily exercise is also important for dogs with diabetes to control their weight. Click here to read “Is Your Dog Fat?” to learn how to reduce your dog’s weight.

*Source: AAHA

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How many of you take Garlic or garlic tablets/supplements for high cholesterol? In this article we discuss how a very recent study has shown Garlic to be no benefit in lowering cholesterol.

Coronary Artery Disease (blockage in heart arteries) is the most common underlying mechanism of heart attack. Hyperlipidemia (excess blood cholesterol levels and other lipids) increases your risk of having coronary artery disease (and also stroke e.t.c) and this is why it is highly recommended that people have their cholesterol checked periodically and a treatment is offered if the levels are high.

Herbal remedies have been marketed profusely as lipid (cholesterol and other) lowering agents and the top-selling herbal supplement is Garlic.

How does Garlic work?

Garlic (scientific name = Allium sativum) has a variety of sulfur containing compounds. Some of the sulfur compounds are allicin, ajoene, S-allylycysteine (SAC), diallyl disulfide (DADS), S-methylcysteine sulfoxide, and S-allylcysteine sulfoxide and they may be responsible for the various therapeutic properties of Garlic. Among the many postulated properties, a reduction in blood cholesterol levels have been inconsistently shown in various previous trials on Garlic use. Cholesterol is synthesized in liver in the body and one of the compounds Allicin has been shown to inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in liver.

What does a recent data on Garlic use in hyperlipidemia show?

In a recent important trial published in Archives of Internal Medicine(reference 1), 192 adult patients with a LDL-cholesterol level of range 130-190 mg/dl were treated with various Garlic preparations like; raw garlic(4 gram crushed cloves/day), powdered garlicsupplement (4 Garlicin tablets/day) and aged garlic extract supplement (6 Kyolic tablets/day). These adults can be classified as a group of patients with moderate (not mild or severe) levels of hyperlipidemia (high blood cholesterol). They were followed for a period of six months with timely blood tests and as a result it was found that none of the forms of garlic,including raw garlic, when given at a dose of a4-g clove per day had clinically significant effects on LDL-Cholesterol or other plasma lipidconcentrations in these adults. Although the use Garlic was not shown to be significant enough it might have another use based on its other properties.

Conclusion: Garlic is not useful for treating high-blood cholesterol in patients with moderately high levels and thus its role as a cholesterol-lowering drug should be taken cautiously. Garlic is used most commonly as dried cloves and it is widely shown to have other effects like anti-microbial and anti-cancer effects, in various past studies. These benefits of Garlic are still important and need to be scrutinized further. But as of now, in patients with cholesterol values in the tested range, it is of no benefit in lowering lipids and we should be aware of any such false claims by drug companies.

1. Gardner CD, Lawson LD, Block E, Chatterjee LM, Kiazand A, Balise RR, Kraemer HC. Effect of raw garlic vs commercial garlic supplements on plasma lipid concentrations in adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia: a randomized clinical trial. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Feb 26;167(4):346-53.

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According to PetWave.com, a website which offers information and tips on keeping pets healthy, strokes in cats are uncommon.

The symptoms and causes of these cat strokes are still detectable, however; even though these symptoms and causes are different from those found in people.

What Are the Causes of a Stroke?

Generally, a stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain has been cut off or reduced to a drastically lower level.

A cat’s stroke, however, can be brought about by factors to which a person wouldn’t typically be subjected.

A cat may have parasites in its organs, for example, which lead to this condition. Poisonous products, to which a cat is exposed, may also contribute to a stroke.

Lastly, spinal cartilage may break off and go into the cat’s brain.

Just by the nature of the cat’s activities and physical makeup, the differences between the strokes of cats and people are significant.

Cats, however, are still affected by problems similar to people, and these can be the main causes of a stroke.

These problems include brain tumors, diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and thyroid disease.

What Are the Symptoms of a Cat Stroke?

As suggested, strokes in cats are uncommon. In fact, it wasn’t until more advanced tests could be applied that strokes were even believed to take place in cats.

This former way of thinking came about because the symptoms of a cat stroke tend to resemble other disorders such as canine vestibular disease. The vestibular system is linked with balance in the animal.

Indeed, one of the symptoms of a stroke in cats involves a tilting of the head and difficulty in walking.

Other symptoms include vision loss and changes in behavior.

Generally, if a cat appears to be dragging itself onto the litter box, it is important to receive medical treatment immediately.

What are the Treatment Options?

Obviously, as in people, early diagnosis and treatment are important components in the cat’s recovery.

Veterinarians also attempt to determine what type of stroke has occurred. There is the ischemic type which has already been mentioned. Here the blood to the brain has been reduced.

There is also the hemorrhagic type in which a blood vessel in the brain actually bursts.

As in people as well, a cat’s recovery from a stroke depends on the extent of damage done to the brain.

Additionally, if the cat has heart disease, for example, it is expedient to bring this situation under control because of its link with cat stroke. Treating the overall health of a cat will help it to recover and avoid further instances of strokes.

Citation:

PetWave www.petwave.com

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