Is Critical Illness Insurance a Waste of Money?

A good critical illness insurance policy can provide real peace of mind knowing that you'll receive financial support should you be diagnosed with a serious illness helping you to concentrate on getting well without worrying about paying the bills.

In the UK, nearly 20% of men and 17% of women will be diagnosed with a critical illness such as heart attack, cancer, or stroke before they reach the age of 65.

Critical illness insurance won't decrease your chances of becoming critically ill, but it can help ensure that a critical illness won't have serious financial consequences for you or your family.

Most people understand the importance of life insurance. Everyone will die eventually, so it only makes sense to invest in that certainty and provide for your loved ones after your death. However, it seems that a much smaller number realise how important critical illness insurance can be. Most people think "it won't happen to me" but the unfortunate fact is, it can and does happen. Just think about your family and friends, people you know at work, and chances are you'll know of several people who have had critical illnesses.

Critical illness insurance pays out a lump sum, usually within 28 days of your diagnosis of a critical illness that is covered by your policy. The money can be used for any purpose; for example, to pay off your mortgage, adapt your house or car for wheelchair accessibility, or simply to provide income if you are unable to work.

One of the main reasons people decide not to get critical illness insurance is the expense. This type of insurance is more expensive than life insurance, because until a certain age, most people are more likely to experience a critical illness than they are to die. This means that many people put off getting critical illness insurance at the very time when it is least expensive - when they're young. The earlier you get this type of insurance, the cheaper the average premium payment becomes. Although the final premium will depend upon your medical history and personal circumstances.

Deciding whether or not you need critical illness insurance is a very personal choice, much more so than life insurance - simply because, of course, you can count on dying eventually, but you don't know if or when your health might suddenly take a turn for the worse.

Who needs critical illness insurance?

It's a personal choice, but it could be said that everyone does, because everyone has a chance of developing a critical illness, and most people will find themselves dealing with financial hardship if it happens. This is an important choice for single people as well as those with families.

If you live alone and become critically ill, without insurance you are likely to become dependent on the state, friends and family, and to suffer from the loss of income. As a general rule, if you know that you'll experience financial hardship if you become critically ill, and if you can afford the insurance, then it's a good idea to get it. This is particularly true if there is a history of a certain conditions in your family.

If you decide you do need critical illness insurance, it's important to do some research and find out exactly what types of critical illnesses are covered, and under what circumstances. All policies cover several "core" conditions such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, major organ transplant, and coronary by-pass surgery. However, some policies do not cover all types of cancer. In addition to these core conditions, individual policies may or may not cover a wide range of critical illnesses, including Alzheimer's disease, loss of limbs, sight or hearing, Parkinson's disease and third degree burns. Most critical illness insurance policies cover approximately 25 conditions, but the exact list will vary.

As such it's important to read the small print when comparing policies and be fully aware of exactly what conditions are covered and under what terms the cover will pay out. If in doubt, get advice from a professional, independent adviser who will recommend a suitable policy based upon your specific needs and budget.

Cut the cost of critical illness insurance by comparing quotes from up to 20 major UK insurers at discounted rates. Life Saver sacrifices most of the commission paid by insurance companies to keep your premiums low.

By Chris Johns
Published: 8/7/2007

Human Waste Disposal; A Survival Issue

When the subject of survival is discussed some of the more important issues that come to mind is the initial food and water supply. One of the least considered dilemmas of survival is the disposal of human waste. Human waste consists of feces, urines, toilet paper, and possibly, feminine products. Human waste poses some of the most contagious threats such as bacteria that can lead to diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.

As a female in the United States Army, I have been through many stinky field exercises. Amazingly, during many of the excursions that I have participated in there was always a portable bathroom on hand. The only bad thing about the portable toilet is that it only gets cleaned once a week so for a platoon of thirty soldiers this luxury only last for about three days. As soldiers we are always taught to rely on our basic survival skills to eliminate any human waste related incidents. Besides the possible infections linked to human waste, it also can cause for a rather undesirable work environment. Particular importance should be paid to the location of the human waste in reference to the food and water supply. It seems easy to just run off into the woods for a tinkle, but what if that wooded area is upstream to your water supply. Human feces should be placed into the ground in one of several different types of holes. The deeper the feces is buried, the better; you wouldn’t want a hard rain to uncover that treasure.

The most recent tragedies that our Nation faced were the natural disaster of hurricanes. As I watched the commentaries on the most widely covered hurricane, Katrina, I couldn’t help but wonder about the human waste issue. Considering that this mass casualty was unexpected there were no portable toilets available during the first 48 hours. Inside of the stadium where the evacuees were held there were well over 20,000 people using about eight bathrooms. These bathrooms were probably ruined after the first four hours since diarrhea is associated with stress, coupled with the bodies’ general need to void. After this particular event a good planning tool for the future would be to improve upon the human waste management issue to eliminate the possibility of some illnesses.

A nifty survival tool that I have come across in my Army career is the human waste disposal bag. It is a bag designed to take human waste and turn it into a biodegradable gelatin substance that can be tossed without any worry or damage to the environment. This solution would be ideal in a situation that demands that the waste be removed, much like the evacuee situation.

Overall, there are many things to be considered when survival is at hand. Planning for a long occurrence can be very beneficial since we are a country at war. There was a time when survival was not an issue to be taken serious, but now we all must explore our options while we are comfortable enough to do so.

Email: hurstdg@yahoo.com

By Elray Jones
Published: 11/10/2005

Two Essential Factors for Building Self Esteem

What can a person with a low self esteem do to improve their self esteem and confidence? This article explores two important factors that build self esteem.

A good self-esteem is important for building and maintaining good health and staying positive in today’s world. You can learn to enhance your self-esteem by practicing inner talk. This takes skills, which you already have within you, and you can learn to use these skills positively. You can really benefit from these techniques by applying positive thinking into your daily routine.

Self-esteem affects many aspects of our life. We need healthy self-esteem to be successful and to feel good about whom we are. Self-esteem is the foundation of our confidence and the way we perceive ourselves.

Healthy self-esteem helps us to make good decisions, and feel confident. It also benefits us physically. It helps to avoid heart problems, high blood pressure and even gives energy to do our daily duties at home. If we have a poor self-esteem it is far more difficult to be motivated to make any changes in our life. Poor self esteem is often the reason that we become lazy, overeat, make poor decisions, become depressed, and have pain.

There are things we can do to improve self esteem. Self esteem is related to the way we think, not only about ourselves, but also about life in general. By having a more positive outlook and perspective on life, self esteem can grow, and we can also become physically healthier. We can build self esteem through exercise, reading, writing, setting goals and most importantly by positive self-talk. Most people think negatively 77% of the time, and this is a major contributor to poor self esteem and performance.

Two essential factors to building your self esteem are to set goals and create a new habit of thinking positively. By thinking positively and setting goals, we will be happier with our lives and our self esteem will grow

A successful strategy to improve self esteem is to write goals on paper and start to write a journal. By digging down deep to connect with your inner self, your self-esteem can improve. Journaling is an excellent way to connect with your inner self. When you write in your journal, write your goals and create plans to achieve them. Writing them will bring them alive so you can keep rereading your goals repeatedly. The process of rereading your goals regularly enables your mind and brain to relearn previous negative thought patterns substituting them with positive thoughts.

As you start to experience success in your goals, inevitably you will feel better about yourself. This process can also relieve stress and help prevent heart disease. Changing your negative self-talk to positive can set you on the right path to success in whatever area you want to see change.

By Barbara White Published: 8/9/2007

Your Gray Hair - Where Did They Come From?

Worried about those recently appeared gray hair? Is would be useful to learn where they come from anyway. The answer may be in your age, or genetics, or even your lifestyle.

Sam has just noticed a strand of gray hair at his temple and is a bit worried. Is it the time to declare his innings or he still has the power and the will to go for more? Gray hair has been an interrogatory issue for quite long. These days’ people have their own choice when it comes to graying of hair. They can leave it as such and celebrate the natural look or dye them to conceal their graying and sport their ever young looks.

To prevent gray hair is also one of the options which people are trying out but gray hair treatment is yet to deliver confirmed results. Health, heredity and environmental factors are considered to be the factors involved in contributing to the graying of your hair but the main cause is attributed to aging.

It starts when our body stops producing melanin pigment which is responsible for giving color to the hair. Each strand of your hair grows out of a follicle that has cells filled with melanin, called melanocytes. Melanocytes pass melanin to adjoining cells called keratinocytes, which produce keratin - the chief component of hair. When keratinocytes undergo their scheduled death, they retain melanin. The pigment visible in hair and in the skin lies in these dead keratinocyte bodies. With loss of keratinocytes, the pigment of hair is gone. Also, with a period of time the amount of melanin in the keratinocytes decreases. Gray hair is simply hair without melanin. The declining presence of melanin also supposed to be contributing to lack of moisture in gray or white hair. As a result, hair becomes lighter in color and its texture gets dryer and coarser. In actual, hair never turns gray. It is the pigment melanin which is absent in them which gives them the look.

Every day, hairs fall out and are replaced by new ones. At any given time, about 85% to 90% of hairs are actively growing, while the rest are in a resting state. A strand grows for two to four years and then enters into a resting state for about two to four months. After the resting phase, it falls out and is replaced by a new hair. On an average, most people lose about 50 to 100 strands of head hair daily.

There is currently no scientific way to detect as to when a particular cell or group of cells will stop producing melanin. In the initiation stages of graying, the melanocytes are still present but inactive. Later on, they decrease in number. This natural process of graying can begin as early as our teens. In most people, however, graying first becomes noticeable in their late 30s. Some researchers have shown that gender plays a role in graying. The average male starts to gray around age 30, while women typically began to notice lighter strands around age 35. Genetics are also a contributing factor. In some families, many members develop white hair in their 20s. So is the way you live your life – you are likely to get a gray head much faster if you are prone to get tense.

In fact, a tense lifestyle is known to cause hair loss and even baldness in extreme cases. However, biological fact of life varies greatly from person to person, which lead dermatologists and geneticists to conclude that age is not the most accurate indicator of when gray hair will appear. Today there are numerous products in the market which promise to prevent gray hair. If you are not comfortable with your shade of gray, opt for dying of hair or bear your natural look that defines your maturity and wisdom. However, try natural treatments before you turn to chemicals.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The problems like male pattern baldness and alopecia are commonly found in most men of around 35-40 age group bracket. These problems have been well understood by the author. The author also gives his views on various other hair loss solutions.

Spices and digestion

There is only one body, therefore only on way to eat. One diet (central theme plus two variations, spices and herbs) can prevent and or cure most disease, as long as you know and can unite the building up and breaking down nature of the body, with the building up and breaking down nature of food, herbs, exercise, sex, gender, climate,. etc.

Spices are herbs that are not only used for taste but also medicine. They are hot and drying in nature, which in turn, aids digestion.

Digestion is a fire, enzymes and acids that transforms food, nutrients into blood. It also kills harmful bacteria, molds, parasites, etc. Too many cold, cleansing foods, drinks, milk, yogurt, salads, raw vegetables, fruits, juices, shakes, smoothies, ice water, cold drinks, sodas, etc. in the extreme tend to dilute and weaken digestive fire, enzymes and acids. It also tends to cool the lungs, causing the following pathologies:

1. Indigestion- bloating, gas, burping, stomach gurgling
2. Loose stools, diarrhea and or constipation
3. Less blood via less absorption via less digestion
4. Fatigue, pallor, coldness, shaking
5. Water, mucous, phlegm, edema, cellulite

The fire, heat of digestion rises into the lungs dissipating fluids. Weak digestion, fire tends to cool the lungs causing excess condensation (water, mucous, phlegm) to occur. Cold condenses.

Spices not only increase digestion, absorption but also dry and or prevent dampness, loose stools, diarrhea, mucous, phlegm, edema, cellulite, etc. Many women and or vegetarians tend to eat low protein, low fat, high carbohydrate (fruits, vegetables and grains) diet which is conducive to the above mentioned symptoms, pathologies. A drier diet; higher protein and fat, rice, cooked vegetables, spices help alleviate these conditions.

In Ayurvedic medicine, many spices, 7+ are used in cooking: cardamon, cumin, coriander, fennel, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, etc. each having different healing properties: turmeric (anti inflammatory, digestive aid, etc.); fennel (liver, digestion); cardamon (aids in digestion of dairy); cinnamon and ginger can be used in cookies in the prevention and treatment of colds. Spices also have their contraindications: exacerbate dry conditions.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard G. Heft, Acupuncture Physician (FL 1992-2002); author: Hot and Cold Health (July, 2007); web: www.hotandcoldhealth.net

Alternatives to morality

Some people say 'If it ain't against the law, then why can't we do it?' but there is more to life than that. There's morality. People might disagree on the details but discussing 'right and wrong' is topical in any culture. What works now? Join Mike Scantlebury in thinking about consequences.

Most people know that murder is wrong. It's ugly, and disruptive, to family as well as society. Most crucially, it's also against the law.

That last point is perhaps the most important. It means that when violent death happens, the cops are entitled to look into it, gather evidence and arrest anyone they think might be involved. The courts then have the power to pass sentence and hand out punishment. Not all aspects of life are so simple. In fact, there are times when things are clearly wrong, but because nothing about the facts are illegal, it means that there's no action. Nothing happens.

Let's think about banks. In Britain we have a well-known institution, a High Street bank that's a household name in this country. It's a large, old-fashioned body, and thanks to mergers and acquisitions, is also quite famous in other parts of the world. Not always for good stuff. Back in the 1970s, this bank was a real bad boy and many young people were calling for customers to boycott it services. Why? Because it had a reputation for doing lots of business with the evil regime in South Africa. Not everyone remembers those government people now, but they had a fearsome history of locking people up and oppressing the native population. They weren't nice people. Students in England campaigned against them, including one who is now a member of our current British cabinet. Of course, being the government of South Africa, they weren't illegal. They'd been elected. Well, they had to pass a few laws to make sure that not everyone could vote, but those who could, yes, they voted for them. They were the law, why shouldn't a bank from England do business with them?

The '70s have come and gone, but this particular bank is back in the news. Ten years ago they invented a special type of mortgage for older people. It enabled the oldsters to get money in their hands. It was based on the value of their house, and meant they would have cash for improvements. They wouldn't have to sell up and move on. At the time, it was seen as a pretty good thing, a big help for people who had assets but no ready funds. Well, as they found out in the long run, there was a catch. The interest rate on the loan was kept low by a promise – 'If you sell your house eventually, you must split the increase in the value of the property with us, the bank'. That sounded reasonable at the time and anyway, it was all a long way off, in the future. Well, 'the future' is now. A man who got too old to manage in his own house recently made plans to move into a nursing home. He sold his house and was astonished to find that the bank wanted £99,000 out of the sale. He got £12,000. It was all to do with the fact that the small print on the contract said that when it came to 'sharing', the bank got most. The actual owner got a small part of it.

Okay, it's legal, and I didn't just say that: as fine a body as the Financial Services Authority has ruled that there's nothing wrong with the deal. Oh, yeah, sure. It's just not fair, that's all. And it's being put into effect by a bank that made record profits last year, just about four and a half billion pounds. That sounds pretty clever, and admirable for shareholders. It sounds pretty stinky when you realise that they made it off the savings of vulnerable old people. That doesn't sound like anything to boast about at all.

A very wise man once said, 'Some people rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen'. He must have been thinking our High Street bank. The joke is, of course, that the boys at the bank seem to think that because they haven't broken the law, then they haven't done anything wrong. Made an obscene level of profit from an old, frail gentleman? The gents in suits seem to think that there will be no repercussions, and they can safely go on about their disreputable business. Funny thing is, over the last 30 years I've opened bank accounts with just about every bank in England, (including the Bank of Ireland and the Royal Bank of Scotland!) In all that time, I've always steered clear of the one I mentioned earlier. Why? Because of the furore in the 1970s. Even though South Africa has changed out of all recognition, I figured that a bank that could do business with the leaders of that poor benighted country had the misfortune to call their government in those days couldn't be trusted. I was right, wasn't I? The fact that we now know that this up-right institution has done the dirty on old folks in present-day England is just one more reason why I won't be risking my investments with that particular investment opportunity. If a few more customers and potential investors agree with me, then some employees in the bank's plush offices might come to see that just because you can claim that something is 'legal', it's no alternative to a dose of good old-fashioned morality.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author, with stories, novels and educational material to his credit. Some of it can be found on Lulu.com and he has recently added videos to YouTube and FreeIQ. He currently lives in Manchester, England, where he rubs shoulders with the surviving members of that iconic group of the 1980s, The Smiths. Try Mike Scantlebury at his website: http://www.mikescantlebury.com

Play Is Serious Business For Childrens' Intelligence

Too many parents consider play as simply a means of diverting and distracting their children. Playthings are often seen as a means of keeping children happy, rewarding them, keeping them out of mischief, and giving parents free time. It is actually crucial their development! Here is how you can help and have fun at the same time.

Not often enough do parents think of play and toys as fundamental aspects of a child's education, as a means through which children learn to understand the world around them, and as the primary method by which children acquire many basic skills.

Parents can help make their children's play stimulating by doing three things.

First, they can adopt an attitude of conscious, deliberate planning in which play is regarded as one of the most important aspects of their children's environment.

Second, they can see to it that their children are provided with the kinds of toys and playthings that will help develop the widest possible varieties of skills and abilities.

Third, they can assume a direct, participating role in their children's play. Planning a child's play does not mean planning each activity for every moment of the child's playtime. On the contrary, children should have maximum independence in choosing their own activities. And, within the limits of the daily routine of the home, a child should also choose the time for their activities, as well as the duration of each. Good planning makes sure that play is as varied and stimulating as possible.

A child should play at different times, with friends, with parents, and by theirselves. This play should include, within a period of about a month, all or most of the following types of activities, each geared to the age level of the child. Here are 5 of them:

#1. Games

Games are perhaps the most basic of all forms of play. From peek-a-boo to chess, from pat-a-cake to baseball, games occupy a central role in the lives of most children from infancy to adolescence. Games may be physical or mental. In general they involve the development of skills, although some lead to the acquisition of information.

#2. Arts and Crafts

Arts and crafts give children many opportunities to express their desire to make things. Crayons, paints, clay, construction paper, scissors and paste, wood, leather, felt, and cardboard are among the materials that help children develop their creative imaginative, and aesthetic abilities. Arts and crafts also develop skills in manipulation, perception, and analysis.

#3. Construction Play

Construction play involves assembling objects from what are usually prefabricated parts. It is less creative than arts and crafts, but is also useful in developing many skills. Putting together a set of railroad tracks and trains is a form of construction play, as is play with erector sets, tinker toys, blocks and the like.

#4. Projective Play

Protective play is play in which a child adds dramatic and emotional meaning to activities with representative toys dolls, trucks, soldiers, homemaking sets, and doctor kits. Its great value lies in the role playing done by the child rather than in the development of specific skills.

#5. Hobbies

Hobbies which cannot be otherwise classified will generally fall under the heading of collecting activities. Collecting stamps, coins, rocks and minerals, butterflies and insects, sea shells, and leaves are all common and popular hobbies. While some help in the development of certain skills, their greatest value is in the considerable knowledge a child can acquire in pursuing them.

Most play can be classified in one of these five groups, and, ideally, play should include all of these types. Also, as skills develop, the activities should move to a higher, more mature level.

However, a child does not automatically vary his play or develop in it. This is where the parent's planning comes in - continually making the child aware of the broad opportunities available to him in play; initiating certain activities during playtime; making suggestions when the child needs and wants them; buying toys that will, in themselves, lead to new pursuits; stimulating new interests and ideas in any of a variety of ways. The parent should not manage the child's play, but should try to nudge it in the right directions.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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