While health reform is being debated in Washington D.C., here are some tips on how you can save on healthcare cost.
Advice on how to save both money and time on health care costs for you and your family.
The top priority: eat a healthy diet
Avoid any foods that list high-fructose corn syrup (or any other sugar) as one of its first three listed ingredients-unless it is a dessert.Choose foods containing three or more grams of fiber per 100 calories. (For example, whole tomatoes have more fiber than peeled tomatoes, which have more than tomato juice.)
Never eat any foods containing trans fats (the unsaturated fats often found in fast food, snack food, and fried food)
Ways to save on Health Care Costs
Stay healthy and save money by making sure everyone in your family is being proactive:Eat a healthy diet-in addition the guidelines above, eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, and if affordable, organic food; and reduce consumption of meat.
Exercise every day for one hour-at all ages, whenever possible.
Reduce stress levels by simplifying your life-including yoga, meditation, and prayer.
Get adequate sleep-seven to eight hours every night, and more for children.
Maintain a healthy weight-an imperative throughout life!
Discover a meaningful purpose for your life-and live it!
Practical approaches that will save you both money and time
For routine health issues and for primary care, consider seeing an integrative physician, or a naturopath, chiropractor, or Chinese medicine practitioner.
If illness strikes, engage first in safe, less invasive, more natural treatment approaches that do not depend on expensive pharmaceutical drugs or surgeries that can cause serious side effects.
Reserve seeing your MD physician for acute issues that come up when these simpler, safer, and commonsense approaches fail.
Reframe your relationship with health care
Remember, each of us has the primary responsibility for our own health. Teach responsible self-care to your children and your entire family.
Search for health-care practitioners who are willing to work as a team with CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) practitioners as well as mainstream practitioners.
Don’t give away your authority when making important treatment decisions. Always stay in the loop with your caregivers; do your own research and remain your own authority.
Get a second opinion when you have doubts about your diagnosis or treatment.
How to be a better patient
Partner with your health-care practitioner and family members in making important decisions about treatment.Learn about the central role of your emotions and your thinking in illness and health.
Learn from your illness; find out why you became ill and what you can do to prevent a recurrence. Illness is essential feedback for learning about who you are, for deepening your wisdom about life, and for creating a healthier lifestyle in the future.
