Maoist China during the period between 1958 and 1976 was one of the world’s widest users of public health posters and announcements. It was almost impossible to go anywhere in the country without seeing some form of health poster telling citizens to do a certain thing or not do a certain thing in the interest of public health. Then, unlike now, China had a nationalized health care system. Today, China relies on a variety of health care options, including employer provided coverage (known in China as laobao yiliao) and individual health insurance policies.

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There are some health insurance companies where you feel like you are being taken advantage of at every single turn. Hidden charges show up on bills, you don’t have an easy time getting in to see your doctor, and you may spend upward of an hour trying to get the right person on the phone for customer service. This is not to say that health insurance companies exist simply to frustrate you: quite the opposite. Sometimes they just do not seem like they are doing all they can to best serve your interests as a consumer or customer. Health Net, one of America’s biggest health insurance companies serving over 6.7 million people across the country, has recently stepped up to the plate big time in the game of keeping people’s best interests (and health) at heart. In the third quarter of 2008, the insurer spent $670K lobbying with the federal government for a variety of different groups and lifting coverage restrictions.

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Bankruptcy is no picnic. Having to legally declare yourself officially broke in hopes of someday cleaning your slate and getting back on your feet isn’t easy for anyone, and there are always countless contributing, individual factors as to why someone finds themselves whispering “bankrupt.” For those who gamble away their savings, lose their homes and drink away the last of their pennies, they are left to lie in a bed of their own making. However, President Elect Obama is proposing a dramatic change in some legislature which would help those people and families who had to file bankruptcy because of medical bills. What does this mean for the average American and is it really as good as it seems?

A Bankruptcy Reprieve

If you were to take a peek at Obama’s economic agenda, you’d see this listed in a bullet point: “Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.” Taken from the horse’s mouth, or as close to that as we can get before Obama takes office, this seems like a dream scenario. If you are someone who has had to give up everything to spend down to the last penny on medical expenses for your loved one (partially covered by your health insurance or not), this may seem like the savings grace you have been dreaming of. But are all people in this scenario: virtuous, thrifty spenders who have only gone into such horrendous debt due to medical bills?

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SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, can sound downright silly to those who have not experienced it. “You mean to say that you get depressed when winter time rolls around and there’s less light? What are you, a vampire?” Sadly (pun intended), those who suffer from SAD are just like the rest of us but they feel the changes of the seasons just as much as a bear hibernating for the winter. What exactly is SAD? According to webmd.com, SAD is “a form of depression that tends to occur as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter.

What Causes SAD?

It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amount of light and the colder temperature as autumn and winter progress.” Depression, wanting to sleep all the time and sometimes a craving for starchy foods are symptoms of SAD, and while they may sound mild, imagine dealing with them for the long winter months. SAD isn’t a hopeless battle for those who suffer from it, so get some help in turning your SAD into happiness and joy.

Let There Be Light

One of the most effective treatments for SAD is lighting therapy. Light therapy comes in two forms, bright light treatment and dawn simulation. In bright light treatment, you sit in front of a light box for a specified amount of time (usually in the mornings), and you can actually buy these yourself. Plug one of these boxes in while you’re working in the morning, having breakfast or reading the paper, and enjoy its warmth for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Dawn simulation is just like it sounds: you have a certain amount of light shining on you while you sleep and it increases toward the morning hours. The treatment’s effectiveness varies, but since it’s not always practical for busy people to sit in front of a light box for a long period of time, dawn simulation seems to be the most efficient use of time for people on the go.

photo credit: Flóra

In the last post we reviewed a few of the top health breakthroughs of last year. Here, we’re continuing the series with more information about BDNF, Vitamin D, and 2009 New Year’s resolutions.

A Little More About BDNF

What is this mysterious acronym and what does it do for your body? This snazzy molecule in the body is a great find of the past year, because it is a key player in keeping nerve cells alive and helping stimulate the growth of new nerve cells. Nerves basically keep everything in your body circulating and moving, so you can imagine that their maintenance is a pretty high priority for the body.

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If you’re anything like me, and many other HBO-loving Americans, you have seen a few episodes of “The Sopranos.” Ok, if you’re anything like me you’ve sat down and watched marathons of the show on DVD for weeks at a time, but that’s besides the point. There are a few of the mobster’s mothers who have to be cared for in assisted living and nursing home, and they are not shy about mentioning how much that type of care is costing them to pay for. Even if you’ve never seen a minute of this show and don’t have anyone in your life who needs long term care, it can’t be hard to imagine that it costs an arm and a leg.

Factor in the cost of the room combined with availability of medical services and round-the-clock attention and you can understand why a year’s worth of care in a private room back in 2007 cost $74,806. If you are looking into long term care insurance to help cover these astronomical costs for a member of your family, there are a lot of things to know and consider.

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