Here’s a grand example of how Congress can talk out of both sides of its mouth. On one side they are concerned about making Health Insurance more affordable; and on the other, they want to make it just a little more difficult for us to manage our own healthcare. First of all, this story does not mean that HSAs really lose any of their benefits, but it is simply the Congress trying to “save” tax dollars by making it more bureaucratic to save money in an HSA. It’s complete nonsense and is further evidence that those in Congress that talk about Health Care “affordability” only want that affordability to exist within the framework of Socialized medicine:

This week, the House passed legislation that included a provision to require every HSA transaction be reviewed and verified as a legitimate medical expense. Democrats say this is to ensure that consumers are using their tax-free withdrawals for a knee replacement, rather than a new iPod. In reality it adds a layer of bureaucracy that could sharply reduce the appeal and cost savings of HSAs.

A key player here is Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark, whose main purpose in politics is to give the U.S. a government-run health-care system. He is a known opponent of HSAs – once comparing them to “weapons of mass destruction” – because they introduce more individual choice into the health-care marketplace.

Pushing for the provision was a company called Evolution Benefits, which has patented a system for the substantiation of health-care expenses. Evolution’s lobbyist, John McManus, was the former staff director of the Health Subcommittee under Republican Bill Thomas. The company first lobbied for the HSA provision, then withdrew its support when Republicans began to focus on its role. But Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel helped make sure the provision was in the bill, which passed largely on partisan lines.[emphasis mine]

But hey…we want to keep “Special Interests” out of Washington, right? If we as health-care consumers want to continue to have control over our health-care without the Government making it difficult for us, we need to make sure this provision does not pass. Call YOUR Senator, and while you’re at it, call the three that are running for President, and make sure this bill is stopped.

Choosing the Right Rollator

ARE YOU A BOILED FROG???

I’ve been told that if you want to boil a frog (you would have to be pretty hungry to try this) that you must first put him in cool water, and slowly turn the heat up.  You see, if you put the frog in hot water, it will jump out when if feels the heat.  If you start with cool water and slowly turn up the heat, the change in temperature is gradual, and therefore, the frog doesn’t realize what is happening until it is too late!!  I have found that many of us are suffering this same fate.

It happens like this.  One day you wake up, and you can’t believe how bad your health has become.  You feel and possibly look much older than you are.  You are unable to enjoy life the way God intended.  Medications don’t seem to work as well as they did when you first started taking them.  Hobbies, sports, work, and family activities are not as enjoyable as they once were because you don’t have the energy, or it is too painful to do them anymore. You feel as if you are aging at warp speed.  You don’t understand how you got into this mess.  This is the “Boiled Frog Syndrome.”—the heat was turned up, and you didn’t even notice.

Health, whether good or bad is a process, not an event.  When we stop doing the things that are good for us, or we are overwhelmed by physical, chemical, or emotional stresses, we begin to lose optimal function.  Over time this leads to poor health and eventually symptoms.  You can’t develop symptoms or abnormal physiology until after you have lost your health!  This process takes time, unless the body is subjected to a large trauma (car accidents, falls, sports injuries, etc.).

Most of the people I work with fall into the “Boiled Frog Syndrome.”  They tell me that they have either felt bad for a long time or performed some minor/repetitive activity such as:  bending over to pick up a pencil, folding laundry, making the bed, vacuuming the carpet, or using the computer.   Good health or bad health is a process, not an event.

Many of us in the United States have become pill poppers.  This is due to the fact that pills/drugs/medications will typically cover up symptoms quickly.  This “quick fix” mentality comes at a high cost, both physically and financially.  Covering up symptoms without correcting the underlying cause allows the problem to get worse, leading us to the “Boiled Frog Syndrome”, and thus, declining health.  The worse our health becomes, the longer it takes to get it back, and the more it costs us in life enjoyment.

I would encourage you to continue or begin your chiropractic corrective or wellness care plan and continue other healthy activities such as:  exercise, proper nutrition, stress reduction techniques, and quality rest.  A healthy lifestyle should still continue even after you feel better.  Symptoms will often go away long before the spine is fully corrected.  The choices you make today will affect the quality of your life tomorrow.  So, choose wisely, and don’t become “A Boiled Frog!”
           

Sonak Family Chiropractic
Sterling, Virginia 20164
703-406-0200
www.drwill.net

The March edition of the Financial Times is out:

READY FOR A PEP TALK?

With all the economic bad news, the natural reaction might be to cut your losses, cut your expenses and retreat. But even in bad times, asking the question “How can I be most productive in this moment?” may yield some surprising alternatives to simply hunkering down.

SOME INTERESTING NOTES ON LIFE INSURANCE

• Why even fee-based financial experts need help from life insurance agents

• Why one of the fastest-growing demographics in life insurance sales are people over 70

• Why a presidential campaign may have been rescued by a life insurance policy
  

AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE DEBT SNOWBALL

What’s the best way to pay off credit card debt? A look at a popular conventional approach, and a thought-provoking alternative.

THE ENROLLED AGENT

Enrolled Agents are tax experts empowered by the licensed by the U.S. Treasury to represent taxpayers before the IRS. With audits of high-earning individuals rising significantly, this article gives several reasons why you might want to know an
Enrolled Agent.

For the full version of the articles in PDF form, click here.

Elon Spring Open House
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Please note that this event is for high school juniors and transfer students. Registration is required for attendance.

Schedule

8 a.m. Check-In and Continental Breakfast Koury Center Concourse
8:45 Welcome and Admissions Information Session
9:30 a.m. Campus Tours with Elon students
11 a.m. Exploring Majors with faculty
12 - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch* and Special Interest Sessions:
•Study Abroad
•Fellows Programs
•Internships
•Campus Life
•Financial Planning and Scholarships

*Free lunch for prospective students ($7.25 for other family members, and $4.50 for childrenunder 12)
Please call 800-334-8448 if you have any questions.

Kym and Krysten Norris of the locally owned “n2Design” have been selected as part of the national team to spread the word about autism:

ASA Launches “Bounce for Autism” this April!
New Nationwide Event to Raise Awareness, Support Families Affected by Autism

ASA and Pump It Up, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing franchise of giant indoor inflatable playgrounds for private parties, are pleased to announce the launch of “Bounce for Autism,” a new nationwide, community-based fundraising event that combines family fun with raising awareness and support for autism.

Kids, families and friends of all ages can “bounce” at a Pump It Up location, and all proceeds raise funds to support autism. Participants form a “Sock Squad” - their team of bouncers committed to raising funds to help improve the lives of all affected by autism. They ask friends, family and community members to support the cause by giving a donation to sponsor them. Best of all, “Bounce for Autism” gives people on the autism spectrum the chance to support their own cause and head their own teams in a safe, supportive and fun environment. Learn more about how it works at:

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=bounce_about_how

Check out the ASA website for their full national calendar in April, and for more information on how you can help here locally contact:

Kym and Krysten Norris of n2design.

Below are some notes on the February edition of the Financial Times.

IF YOU SAVE TOO MUCH, DOES IT HURT THE ECONOMY?

According to some prominent economic thinkers from the past century, individual saving can actually make bad national financial situations even worse! So right now, with the sub-prime mortgage crisis, high fuel prices and shaky stock markets, should you consider cutting back on your saving?

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU CAN’T PAY YOUR MORTGAGE, OR YOUR PROPERTY TAXES – OR THE NATIONAL DEBT?

A brief overview of “innovative” ways to solve desperate financial circumstances. But will they really work, or just delay inevitable financial pain?

LARRY KING’S LIFE INSURANCE PROBLEMS

Life settlements can be a legitimate way to immediately leverage the financial value of insurance on your life. But the strategy has consequences, as talk show host Larry King found out. A report on his legal proceedings gives some insight to the unique value of life insurance.

PREDICTING YOUR PERSONAL FINANCIAL FUTURE

Economic forecasters have all sorts of formulas and indicators to predict the future. Similarly, there’s a simple way to gauge your financial future. Read an excerpt from John McCormack, on how he can tell if someone is going be financially successful.

For the full article click here.

Here is another example of how something we thought we knew and were sure of really might not be the case.

What if bad fat isn’t so bad? No one’s ever proved that saturated fat clogs arteries, causes heart disease–By Nina Teicholz.

Mens Health–updated 12:54 p.m. ET, Thurs., Dec. 13, 2007–Suppose you were forced to live on a diet of red meat and whole milk. A diet that, all told, was at least 60 percent fat — about half of it saturated. If your first thoughts are of statins and stents, you may want to consider the curious case of the Masai, a nomadic tribe in Kenya and Tanzania.

In the 1960s, a Vanderbilt University scientist named George Mann, M.D., found that Masai men consumed this very diet (supplemented with blood from the cattle they herded). Yet these nomads, who were also very lean, had some of the lowest levels of cholesterol ever measured and were virtually free of heart disease. Scientists, confused by the finding, argued that the tribe must have certain genetic protections against developing high cholesterol. But when British researchers monitored a group of Masai men who moved to Nairobi and began consuming a more modern diet, they discovered that the men’s cholesterol subsequently skyrocketed. Read the rest of this entry →

Here’s To Your Health In The New Year.

This time of year brings the joy of holidays, family and lots of food. Unfortunately, all those wonderful holiday treats come at the expense of our health and waistlines. We all know that as our weight increases, so does our risk for chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and hormonal problems.

As the New Year approaches, let’s talk about what you can do to invest in your health and your future. To shed those unwanted pounds and improve your health you must make a conscious effort to burn off more calories than you take in. To get started, we suggest you keep a food diary for one week. Write down everything you eat without making changes to your normal routine and add up your calories for each day. Use food labels, information on recipes or websites for restaurants you visit to calculate the calories, and don’t forget to check the portion size.

To lose 1 pound per week you must cut 500 calories from your diet per day or burn 500 extra calories per day by exercising or some combination of the two. As always, before starting any diet or exercise program, consult your health care provider. Even little changes make a difference. Start now. This year give yourself the gift of health. This is the most important gift you can give to yourself and to the ones who love you.

This is an interesting site about Free-Market medicine.

I particularly like this article where David Gratzer (author of The Cure) explains what the real problem is, and why socialization is not the answer. It begs the question: if we ARE in a market-driven system, why is it that costs don’t go down like other high-tech fields? The answer is: we’re NOT in a market-driven system. And it’s tough to argue that a truly market-driven system definitely wouldn’t work. So shouldn’t we try it first?

A lot of the rest of the site has videos that dispel some myths about the current system…like the number of people that are uninsured by choice, and the extent of the safety net for those who don’t have a choice.

A sister site, On the Fence Films, has a video about a brain surgery patient from Ontario which illustrates the flaws in a single-payer system.  Many of the arguments for “rationed care” simply comes to this:  only poor people are important, and those with jobs and money should have to wait just like everyone else.  Tell that to this gentleman.  The dirty truth is…even a poor person in the U.S. with no “coverage” would have better “access” than this middle class family in Ontario.  And our private system would eat the bill.

In addition, missing from the conversation of Government Health Care is the fact that local governments and non-profits have been an effective solution so far for those without private coverage.  Like the Loudoun Free Clinic, where anyone in the county who makes less than 200% of poverty can get FREE health care.