0 Medicares Expenses Increased by 0 4 Really And Its All Because of the Affordable Care Act

If youre the head of Google and you want to teach about the internet, North Korea is a swell place to visit.  If your goal is air travel safety, the 787 Dreamliner is the plane for you.  If you would like to get the puck from an opposing professional hockey player, saying "please" helps.  And if Medicare costs dip, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) obviously deserves the credit.

Writing on an HHS website, Richard Kronick and Rosa Po announce that 2012 Medicare expenditures per beneficiary grew only by 0.4% over the 2011 baseline.  They credit the ACAs value-based payment (VBP) system, attacks on fraud and abuse, reduced payments to Medicare Advantage plans, cutting hospitals payments and "innovation."

The Disease Management Care Blog isnt too sure about that.

1. This Kaiser Health News article notes the VPB program withholds 1% of hospital payments and uses that fund to award bonuses in what is really a zero sum game.  And this Health Affairs article suggests the overall financial impact of VPB on hospitals is quite minimal anyway. 

2. While there have certainly been some big fraud and abuse busts, theres plenty of reason to still be skeptical about the ability of Medicares ossified bureaucracy to catch up with the sophisticated criminal enterprises that are routinely fleecing billions from the U.S. taxpayer.

3. As for the one-time payment cuts to providers and insurers, the DMCB is confident that theyll figure out ways to get their money back.  They always do.

4. The innovations are in demonstration phase.  Its too early to tell.

In addition, the DMCB is surprised that Medicares 2012 insurance claims were ready to be rolled up and quantitated in early 2013. Check out this telling quote from the website:

"2010 and 2011 statistics are calculated on a calendar year incurred-basis. 2012 statistics are calculated on a fiscal year cash-basis, because calendar year incurred-basis data are not yet available." (bolding from the DMCB).

Last but not least, the DMCB believes the lackluster economy has probably had the biggest impact on consumers willingness to use their Medicare benefit.  While Kronick and Ro state" Medigap" insurance benefits have protected the beneficiaries from the financial pain of Medicares out-of-pocket expenses, the expense of using a hospital or seeing a doctor is more than the sum of all those medical bills.

Is the DMCB being too skeptical?  Perhaps, but this particular HHS spin is built on assumptions that are backed by associations that are biased by partisan loyalty.  Taxpayers deserve better.

Image from Wikipedia

0 Earthing Why Reconnecting With Nature May Be All You Need

Today I want to talk about something a little different. At first glance, it may seem incredibly hokey. Okay, it WILL seem incredibly hokey. But just stick with me here for a moment... I think theres really something to it.

Im talking about earthing... the process of grounding your body to the earth. Direct contact, no socks or shoes. Skin on earth. (Or with the assistance of a grounding system, as youll see later.) Believe it or not, theres good science to back it up... and not just through subjective measurements either... there are real, objective, measurable changes that take place in the human body when we connect with our earth. Reconnecting with nature in this way has been shown to reduce cortisol (a stress hormone), improve blood flow, and regulate our sleep cycles, among other things. Allow me to explain a little more...

The surface of the planet is electrically conductive, with the exception of extreme environments like deserts (1, 2). Essentially, the earth is teeming with electrons which, through direct contact with the ground, can have an impact on our internal bioelectrical environment.

Okay, complicated... I know. Lots of big words you tried to forget as soon as you finished your last chemistry final. Just know this... our bodies are electrical circuits. Our lives and our wellness depend on these circuits running properly. The beat of our heart, the function of our organs, the free-flowing nature of our blood, the ability to think and move... all of this is dependent on electrical impulses.

Now, if making direct contact between our bodies and the earth provides a transfer of electrons, or electrical potential, do you think this might have an effect on how our bodies operate? It just might... when you think about it, the notion isnt so crazy.

Luckily, some really smart people out there are putting earthing to the test. Heres what we know.

Earthing may improve cardiovascular health.
A recent study looked at the effect of earthing on blood viscosity (3). In a healthy body, our red blood cells maintain a negative charge on their surface, repelling other red blood cells away like a magnet. This is what allows our blood to flow freely through our body. Without this negative electrical charge, our blood would clot and life as we know it would end. Viscous blood, like that which would occur if this electrical charge were diminished, is associated with several problems, including hypertension and diabetes. We dont want that.

After 2 hours of earthing treatment via an earthing system (electrically connects you to the earth, without you actually making direct contact with the earth), subjects showed an increased surface charge on the their red blood cells, indicating improved cardiovascular health. To quote the study itself, "Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events." Talk about bang for your buck.

Sleeping grounded may reduce chronic pain.
Subjects who suffered from sleep disturbances and chronic muscle/joint pain were given either a night-time earthing treatment or placebo. Most of those who were given the grounding treatment reported reduced pain, while most of those in the control group did not (4).

Earthing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby reducing stress.
In a double-blind study, those who were treated with a 2-hour grounding session showed markers of reduced stress and increased rest and relaxation. The results were immediate upon beginning the treatment, and they faded slowly after the treatment ended (5).

Sleeping grounded reduces cortisol and regulates your sleep cycle, and may improve sleep, pain, and perceived stress.
In this study, 12 subjects who complained of sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress were asked to sleep on a grounded, conductive mattress (6). After 8 weeks, the subjects showed reduced overnight cortisol levels, and a normalization of the 24-hour cortisol profile (cortisol ebbs and flows throughout the day).

In addition to these objective measures... subjectively reported symptoms, including sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress were reduced or eliminated in nearly all subjects.

Earthing may reduce risk for osteoporosis.

One study found that just one night of grounded sleeping significantly reduced renal excretion of calcium and phosphorous, two important minerals in the degenerative disorder osteoporosis. In addition, this one night of sleep also had a significant effect on blood levels of iron, sodium, potassium, and magnesium (7). 

Earthing may promote antioxidant activity.

Theres even a theory out there that earthing can help protect our cells from oxidative damage. The electrons picked up from the earths surface may act as antioxidants, preventing the damage caused by free radicals (8). More antioxidant capacity means healthier cells, less disease, and healthier aging.

Okay so thats sort of a random hodge-podge of information. Lets bring it all together, shall we? Here are the benefits of earthing, as we currently understand it...

• Improved blood flow and cardiovascular health
• Possible reduced chronic pain
• Reduced stress
• Enhanced relaxation and recovery
• Reduction in markers of osteoporosis
• Possible increase in antioxidant capacity

Pretty cool huh? Plus, its easy to do, and theres really no risk of harm... just walk around baoot. You have no reason not to try it. Take off those shoes, get your feet dirty, go for a walk, swim in the ocean... if you wanna get a little crazy, lay out in the grass naked for a while. I cant think of a better way to get those electrons! Or if you want to get really serious, get yourself one of these earthing kits and give it a go!

But even if youre skeptical, think of it this way...

Being outside makes us happy.
In addition to all that, doesnt nature just bring a smile to your face? I mean, whens the last time you lounged around outdoors on a beautiful day and had a horrible time?? Id bet thats never happened. At the very least, spending time outdoors is therapeutic because of the happiness factor. Whether its the sun, the ocean, or walking baoot in the grass, theres something about being outside that makes us feel good. I think we should take that as a sign that were doing something good for our bodies, dont you?

0 Simple Fitness Tips to Accommodate All Lifestyles

An area that every single person should be concerned with is their fitness. When it comes to this, its important that your decisions are sound. If you are struggling to maintain a good fitness routine, read the following article for some ideas.

First, it is important to incorporate some cardiovascular exercises into your fitness regimen. This is important for numerous reasons. First, it ensures that your heart remains strong and healthy. Second, it helps you lose fat or maintain your current weight.
Because your heart rate is elevated with cardio exercise, it is proven to be of the best weight-loss methods. You may think that cardio is simply running outside or on a treadmill, but the truth is there are so many other things you can do to get a good cardio workout. For instance, you could try riding a bike outside, playing a sport, or even just dancing to your favorite songs. All can help elevate your heart rate, increasing your metabolism. If you have bad joints, you should consider using an elliptical machine, which has been proven to be one of the best weight-loss machines for those with weak joints. Cardio workouts can be accomplished virtually anytime and anywhere.

Although cardio exercise is extremely important, you should not forget to include some resistance training as well. This is important for building lean muscle, which helps to keep your metabolism high and burn off fat. Although you may be afraid of resistance training because you do not want to get bulky, you should not let this stop you. Although it is true that resistance training can do this to you, it wont if you maintain a healthy diet and incorporate some cardio workouts as well. In fact, if you dont do resistance training, you could end up burning a lot of muscle as well as fat, which can cause you to look deathly sick. If you are prone to injury, you dont even have to use weights. You can use your own body weight, such as push-ups or pull-ups, to do resistance training.

Make sure you dont forget to workout the lower back. Many weightlifters focus on the "mirror muscles", such as the chest, shoulders, and biceps. However, all parts of the body should be worked out, and that includes your lower back. If you fail to workout this part of your body, it will get weak. When you have a weak lower back, you are prone to serious injury. Lower back injury is a very serious matter that can be prevented by working it out. Try doing some supermans and lat pull-downs to workout this muscle.

Whenever you workout regularly, its important that you eat right. This includes eating before and after your workout. About an hour before your workout, you should consume a light snack that contains long-lasting carbohydrates, such as brown rice, oatmeal, or a whole-wheat bagel. Include some protein as well. After your workout, you should consume foods with a higher glycemic index because your body needs fast-absorbing carbohydrates during this time, especially if your workout was intense. These foods include white rice, mashed potatoes, and cereal. Also, make sure you include protein. Protein is an important macronutrient for a healthy body.

When working out, its important not to just do a workout whenever you have free time. If you are a busy person, you will probably struggle to find free time and make an excuse that youre too busy. Instead, set a time for your workouts and stick with them, no matter what. It really doesnt matter what time of the day you workout, just as long as you actually do it. If you workout best in the early morning before work, do it. If the best time for you to workout is after work, then do that. Just make sure you incorporate a workout into your day somewhere.

Finally, keep in mind the golden rule whenever you are in the middle of your workout: always breathe. Never hold your breath. This is important for many reasons. First, you can get dizzy and faint if you do not breathe. Second, your muscles require oxygen in order to function. In order to receive oxygen, you have to breathe. Breathing deeply can actually help you get through extremely difficult workouts. Remember to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Living a healthy lifestyle does not have to be difficult. Utilize the tips provided above, and you can plan out your fitness regime with success.

Article by: Jeffrey Long

Simple Fitness Tips to Accommodate All Lifestyles