I confess that I am a big fan of the humorous and satirical TV series “The Simpson’s.”
In a recent episode, Homer, Marge and the kids hop on an airplane to visit their northern neighbors in Canada. The 1st thing Homer does in the city of Toronto is quite baffling. (Well, maybe not for Homer.) He runs out in the middle of the street in front of a speeding car and gets run over. Marge screams to Homer, “Why did you do that, Homer?” Homer responds quite flippantly, “Health care is free in Canada!”

Matt Groening’s writers have satirically portrayed Canadians as a nation with a wonderful and free health care system. However, is health care in Canada really free? Would Homer Simpson actually want to leave his well being to the care of our Canadian health care system?

In the newly released book “Squandering Billions,” Don Nixdorf and Gary Bannerman examine the mismanagement and inefficiency of the Canadian Health Care system. The Canadian definition of free universal health care only applies to those services provided by medical doctors and hospitals. If patients choose to get treatment from any other health care provider in Canada, they are asked to pay fully or partially out of their own pocket. ” Despite all of the obstacles placed by the system to divert patients from chiropractors, optometrists, naturopaths, podiatrists, acupuncturists, physiotherapists, for whom the patient or insurer must pay some or all of the feesas opposed to the “free” medical doctor competition -these professionals demonstrate every day that people will pay for value received. It is high time medical doctors earned the same respect for their “free” medical services to patients. Canada is the only universal access nation in the world that does not have a user fee to encourage responsible behavior by patients and service providers.

This book also demonstrates that the absolute power of medical doctors, pharmaceutical companies, health bureaucrats and hospital administrators enshrines mediocrity at the expense of patients. We have many dedicated and skilled doctors and nurses, but mistakes, inefficiency and malpractice in the Canadian health system may be causing 10 times more unnecessary death a year than the toll from traffic accidents and crime. Despite dramatic television footage and newspaper headlines reporting highway tragedies, driving is a much safer activity than hospitalization. A study by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Institute of Health Information released in 2004 concluded that 185,000 patients out of 2.5 million admitted to acute care hospitals suffer death, disability, or extended hospitalization as a result of adverse effects of treatment. Between, 9,250 and 23,750 of these people die because of preventable errors.

Homer would find out in a hurry that our “free” health care system is nothing to write home about. And should we always be relying on the system to keep us healthy or rather should we as a nation and society start taking more responsibility ourselves?

Dr. Larry Smith Chiropractor and Author of:

Embrace the Journey of Recovery:
From Tragedy to Triumph!

Embrace the Journey of Recovery will passionately reignite your spirit and teach you how to confront, conquer and powerfully triumph over any life threatening illness! Experience the remarkable story of two courageous yet ordinary individuals and their astonishing recoveries from heartbreaking tragedy. The message is simple. They transformed their lives and you can too!

To find out more about this exciting new book and to receive a free download of the Fitness Prescription DVD click here:

http://embracingthejourneybook.com/

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Restless legs syndrome or shortly RLS, is a health condition in which legs feel very uncomfortable while sitting or lying down, especially at night. Usually it makes one feel like getting up and moving around. When doing so, the unpleasant feeling of restless legs syndrome might go away, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Restless leg syndrome affects both, men and women and can begin when you’re young or as you get older. Restless legs syndrome can disrupt sleep thus leading to daytime drowsiness.

So, what causes restless leg syndrome?

Nobody actually knows the real cause for restless leg syndrome. Some research has been done and the researchers suspect it might be due to an imbalance of the brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends messages to control muscle movement.

It has also been noticed that restless leg syndrome runs in families and that stress tends to make things even worse. If there is any changes in hormonal balance, that may worsen restless leg syndrome symptoms. Also, some women experience restless leg syndrome during their pregnancy and it disappears soon after the delivery.

However, restless leg syndrome is not related to some serious medical problems, but sometimes it accompanies other conditions and some of them are peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy damages the nerves in hands and feet and sometimes it is due to chronic diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism. Also, iron deficiency might cause restless leg syndrome, it might cause or worsen restless legs syndrome.

Researchers assume that kidney failure might be the cause too, at least to some degree. This is when the kidney does not function properly, iron stores in blood can decrease and cause some of the rls symptoms. All these and some other changes in body chemistry may cause or worsen restless leg syndrome.

Some other, known causes of restless leg syndrome include muscle overexertion, prolonged sitting, dehydration, decreased potassium levels, neuromuscular disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications, also alcohol use.

If you find this article helpful, but need more information, you are welcome to visit this very informative website, where you can find a lot of information about restless leg syndrome and help yourself with this annoying health condition. There are many different ways to combat restless leg syndrome and you can find some excellent information about restless leg syndrome, simply by visiting the website below.

Sam Jackson owns very informative weblog, where you can find lots of useful information about restless leg syndrome.

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The health of a person will always be his greatest wealth. Ask any person and he will tell you why he would always prefer to be wanting in material things provided he is blessed with good health. The importance of good health should be taught to children while they are still young so that when they older, they have already gotten accustomed to a healthy lifestyle.

Some parents give everything to their children and let them eat unhealthy food. They reason out that they can allow their children to eat anything they want since they are still young and they will have all the time in the world to take care of their health when they grow old. This seems to be a wrong notion because a child lives by what he has been taught since he was a baby. Thus, a child who has been raised eating unhealthy food will always have a yen for such type of food even when he is already a grown up.

Every responsible parent should teach his children the general health tips that they should live by from childhood as well as when they become older. Training children to live right and to eat healthy food can make the difference in how they are going to take care of their health later on in life. It is always wise to teach children to drink plenty of water instead of carbonated beverage while they are still young. Water is an elixir of health. Drinking plenty of water can work wonders on the skin and on the overall health of a person.

Every child should be taught the value of starting the day right by eating a healthy breakfast. A healthy child who has proper nutrition and exercise will perform better in school than a child who neglects breakfast and exercise. Sanitation should also be part of the general health tips that should be imparted to the child. This should include regular washing of hands with water and soap. This practice can minimize the transfer of bacteria when kids are playing with unclean objects or with sick playmates.

However, parents should also make sure that kids have completed the required vaccination shots at an early age. Also ask their doctors for new vaccines that can be given to the child to avoid the spread of new diseases. Even parents should practice these general health tips to serve as good examples to their children. It is foolhardy to teach kids to practice things when the parents themselves do not lead by example.

It is also a good idea to undergo annual check ups to make sure that nothing is wrong with the person. By doing this, illnesses are easily detected and can be treated at an early stage before they get worse.

While it is true that there are illnesses that are genetically transmitted, a person should always take care of his health and the health of his family by sticking to the general health tips.

There are other things that can be done to lead a healthy life but what is important is to be aware of what one has to do and what one has to avoid to lead a healthy life.

Health is one thing you can really never have enough off, we all want to live in health but yet many do not know that basics of keeping a healthy life. There are a few things you can do to increase your health and build up a stronger immune system. If you want to find out more about health issues and further your Health Education about different heath issues, visit http://healthandcosmetics.com/ to learn more.

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