Mike Alexander

Does Drinking Carbonated Beverages Lead to Osteoporosis?

Soft drink consumption has been thought to have negative effects on bone
density, but study results have been inconsistent. This has important
implications to the more than 10 million Americans, mostly women, who
have osteoporosis as well as those who are at risk for osteoporosis. The chief
concerns related to soft drinks are that 1) they displace milk in the diet
which is a rich source of calcium and 2) some contain phosphoric acid which
binds with calcium to impair its absorption.

When taking factors related to calcium metabolism and bone development into
consideration (age, calcium intake, exercise, use of tobacco and alcohol,
estrogen status, etc.) some studies have found no association between bone
density and intake of any type of carbonated beverage. On the other hand, one
study has shown that in teenage girls, consumption of colas and other
carbonated beverages tripled the risk of bone fractures compared to girls who
did not drink carbonated beverages. This is particularly disturbing since
adolescence is a crucial time for bone development that provides protection
against osteoporosis later in life.

One of the most recent and largest studies on the subject involved the
Framingham cohort, a population of individuals in the Framingham,
Massachusetts area who have served as subjects for a number of long-term
studies. Findings from this study indicated that in women, but not in men,
consumption of more than 3 servings of cola per day resulted in significantly
lower bone density readings as compared to those women who drank only one
serving per day. Non-cola beverages, on the other hand, did not seem to affect
bone density in...
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Health Tip: Does FDA Approval Assure the Safety of Medicines?

Have you ever heard anyone speculate that if aspirin had to undergo FDA
scrutiny for approval as a new drug, that it would never pass? Perhaps
this is an overstatement, but it does point out that the same
medications most of us consider to be perfectly safe can lead to serious
side effects in certain situations.

This concern also extends beyond just prescription medication.
Over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies and drugs sold as
"nutritional supplements", all have potential risks. To compound this
situation, there is also the possibility that two medications that may
not cause a problem by themselves can interact and produce an adverse
reaction.

Almost every week I hear about a medication that has been taken off the
market, found to be linked to previously unknown problems, argued about
in court cases or that has received the FDA's "black box" warning,
indicating that the drug carries more risks than most other prescription
drugs. In recent years, the arthritis medication, Vioxx, the
anti-depressant, Serzone and the diabetes medication Rezulin among
others, have been taken off the market. This is in spite of... Click here to sign up to eDocAmerica and read more of this article.

Health Tip: Seeking a Cure for Multiple Sclerosis

This week, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hopes to raise awareness about MS, an incurable, debilitating disease of the central nervous system, through an educational campaign. Tragically, symptoms of MS usually begin in early adulthood and affects almost 400,000 people in the United States. Unless you have a friend or family member with MS, you may not know much about this disease. Today's Health Tip will look at the causes, clinical features and treatment of MS.

_What causes MS?_ There is no known cause for MS. Many experts consider it to be an "autoimmune" disease, meaning that the body attacks itself.
What causes the body to do this is not well understood but could relate to a number of factors including genetics, environmental triggers, or …Click here to sign up to eDocAmerica and read more of this article.

Shingles---"Chickenpox Redux"

What is Shingles? Shingles, known in medical jargon as herpes zoster, is an outbreak on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox - the varicella-zoster virus. Following about of chickenpox, the virus retreats into nerve fibers and becomes dormant. Shingles occurs when the virus becomes reactivated. What causes the virus to become active again is poorly understood, but it is most often associated with aging, stress, or an impaired immune system.

What are the symptoms of shingles? The first sign of shingles, even before the occurrence of a .... Click here to sign up to eDocAmerica and read more of this article.

Health Tip: Antibacterial Soaps

In 2005, an FDA advisory panel overwhelmingly concluded that there was no evidence that antibacterial soaps were more effective than regular soaps for preventing infection. Why then does the American public seem obsessed with use of these products? And what about the possibility that use of antibacterial products could lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant superbugs?

The number of products containing antibacterial agents in use today in households in the US has .... Click here to sign up to eDocAmerica and read more of this article.

Health Tip: Coffee's "Perks

As an insurance executive one of my biggest goals is to keep people healthy. That's great for the client, my companies, and for the economy in general. With that, I'm continuously looking for quality information that you can use in order to stay healthy.

Over the past 20 years, thousands of studies have been done examining coffee's impact on health. Not only does this research overwhelmingly suggest that moderate coffee consumption doesn't cause harm, it may even offer some health benefits. Moderate coffee consumption is defined as three or four cups a day, which provides around 300 to 400 milligrams of caffeine. While it's a stretch to consider coffee as a "health food", consider the following benefits that have been found to be associated with coffee consumption:

+ People who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely .... Click here to sign up to eDocAmerica and read more of this article.

Why Open an HSA in 2008?

#1 Deduct up to $7,600 on Your 2008 Tax Return - Possibly Even More Than the Deduction Amount. You can deduct your HSA contribution and save money even if you do not itemize your taxes. With deduction amounts of up to $7,600 (family maximum contribution of $5,800 plus two $900 catch up contributions) the tax savings can be substantial. For 2008, you can deduct up to the government maximums ($5,800 family and $2,900 single) even if your deductible amount on your insurance is less. This creates a great opportunity for some to buy the lowest HDHP plan and then fully fund the HSA.

#2 Take A Full Deduction Even if you Start Your HSA Mid-Year. You can take a full deduction ($5,800 family, $2,900 single plus catch-up) even if you start mid-year. In order to get the full deduction amount, you must start your High Deductible Health Insurance no later than December 1, 2008. Caution: A penalty applies if you fail to maintain high deductible coverage for a testing period.

#3 Transfer Money from Your IRA into Your HSA. You can roll money from your Individual retirement account into an HSA to fund the HSA. You are limited to the amount you are eligible to contribute to your HSA for the year and you cannot make a double contribution. This is a once in a lifetime option. You must do this as a trustee-to-trustee transfer to be eligible.

#4 Pay for Eligible Medical Expenses Tax Free. If you have an HDHP you must open your HSA before you incur any medical expenses. Use your HSA to pay for eligible medical expenses tax free. See HSA Resources' Eligible Medical Expenses list for a list of eligible and not eligible expenses.

#5 No Use it or Lose it Provisions. There's no need to spend the end of the year stocking up on glasses, contacts and other things you don't need just so you can spend everything left in your health care account. With an HSA the fund belong to you. There are no use it or lose it provisions. Any unused funds stay in your HSA for your benefit in the future. Even better, earnings on the HSA are not taxable. See our Distribution Worksheet for a complete list of eligible distribution reasons.

#6 Take Control Over Your Medical Spending. HDHPs and HSAs give you more control over your health care expenses and let you use your money in your best interests. Take charge in 2008. HSA Resources does not control how you spend or save your money, although we do our best to give you the tools to make the right decisions. See our HSA Guide for more information.

#7 Start Accumulating Savings for Retirement. Use your HSA funds for retirement at age 65 and get basically the same tax treatment as IRAs and 401(k)s. A better choice may be to use the money to pay for health insurance premiums after you are age 65, long-term care insurance or Medicare premiums after age 65 - all approved tax free reasons for your HSA Resources HSA.

#8 Simplify Your Life - Stop Submitting Receipts - Use a Debit Card or Checks to Pay Expenses. We make it easy and convenient for you to access your money with free starter checks, a free debit card and free electronic transfers. Access your money in a manner convenient to you - our HSA is not designed to regulate you or check on how you are using your funds.

#9 Keep Your Medical Expenses Private in 2008. HSA Resources does not share your medical receipts with your employer. Your medical expenses are private. However, you do need to save your receipts for tax purposes and we provide the form to help you, see our Medical Expenses Tracking Sheet.

#10 Start Earning Interest for Medical Savings in 2008. Tired of deferring money each year into a medical reimbursement account that pays no interest? And then takes your extra money at the end of the year? HSA Resources pays interest on all checking account balances. The interest rate increases as your balance increases.

Download the next 10 reasons to open an HSA in 2008.