All of us are in the same boat today and unfortunately that boat seems to be sinking. Doctor bills, dental bills, hospital bills, drug bills, chiropractor bills... and so many more. Everyone is getting squeezed. So how can we cope? What can you do, especially if you are an employer paying the ever increasing insurance premium? Well, good starts involve taking responsibility for your own health first and being proactive about your own healthcare decisions and then introduce it to your employees, if you have them. In addition, incorporating a Health Savings Account will put you on the right road.



Why don't you just stay healthy and not get sick in the first place? Not so easy though. Here are eight concepts you can introduce into your life that may influence whether you or your co workers get sick or stay healthy.

1) Promote healthy eating habits. That means eating well and staying away from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, both of which seem to be in everything these days. Sugar will lower the immune system making you vulnerable to bacterial and viral invasions.

2) Eliminate toxins from the body. The amount of environmental pollutants and poisons we've been exposed to over the years build up in our brain and organ systems creating a "toxic sludge". Getting "detoxed" is becoming more popular these days and for good reason. The body must be cleaned out from within. Infrared saunas, massage, lymphatic drainage, herbal teas and soothing baths are a few ways to "get the junk out".

3) Maintain good dental health. The dental connections to overall health are being discussed in the media with ever more frequency. Gum disease is being listed as a risk factor for heart disease as well as premature births and low birth weight babies. Obesity, diabetes, stroke, pulmonary infections, headaches, neurological disturbances, and even cancer have relationships to dental health.

4) Help reduce stress and anxiety. Who do you know that is not stressed out? Everyone is stressed to some degree but how one deals with the stress is what really affects their health. Undo pressure and tension place an unnatural demand upon our hearts and minds. Allowing for more natural methods such as biofeedback, meditation, homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, guided imagery and sleep therapies may allow you to someday wean off those very potent anti depressant, anti anxiety drugs.

5) Provide educational materials. Become informed consumers and patients. You, as a consumer, should be made fully aware of and fully understand, your diagnosis and proposed treatments. Asking questions of the healthcare practitioner about the course of treatments and how side effects may be reduced should be encouraged. The internet is a wonderful source of information but always research topics from a few different viewpoints.

6) Taking responsibility for your own health. The chief goal of us all is to live happy, productive and healthy lives. The only way that will happen is if we decide to assume the responsibility for maintaining our own wellness. The unfortunate perception is that if one ever gets sick, we can always have the drugs and surgeries to take care of that problem. Live a healthy life and you might have a longer life.

7) Nighttime is for healing. Sleep is the time when the body schedules itself for repair. It makes sense that if you don't get enough sleep, then the repair process is limited. Try limiting alcohol at night. A few hours later when the alcohol turns to sugar, you wake up and stay awake. Before bed, try reading something whose subject is not too disturbing.

8) Obtain good health insurance. There are many types of health insurance options in the marketplace from the HMOs to the PPOs to the traditional indemnity plans. Many plans do not allow you to go to certain practitioners due to plan limits or exclusions.

A shift toward consumer responsibility for health comes with the wave of Consumer Driven Health Insurance Plans (HSA, HRA, FSA, MERP) which are a combination of high deductible major medical insurance coverage with a savings plan that is earmarked for services not normally covered by traditional plans. They are designed to encourage better health and are less costly than other plans. Check them out today.

So here you have it. This is how you can save money on your healthcare expenditures and still live to a ripe old age. What a concept!