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Psoriasis Risk Factors
Learn How to Use Your Health Savings Account to Find Your Risk for Dozens of Diseases
Health Savings Accounts are a key aspect of what is known as “consumer-driven healthcare”, in which you the consumer – not the insurance company, your employer, or the government – are making the primary decisions about your own healthcare. When you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you are in control – you can see the doctors you wish to see, get the kind of treatment you want, and get the tests that you need done in order to assess your risk and guide your decisions. Anything not covered by your insurance can be paid for tax-free from your HSA.
Having your genome scanned is now an affordable option that can give you valuable information about your risk for dozens of diseases, including breast cancer, colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis, and more. And you can pay for it from your HSA, with tax-free dollars.
Why Test Your Genes
Our genetic heritage is determined by our DNA, which contain thousand of genes that provide instruction to the cells on how to operate. When mutated genes are inherited, genetic disease may develop. Single-gene diseases such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s disease occur whenever the gene itself occurs. Multifactor diseases are those in which there is a genetic “susceptibility” to getting the disease, but where environment also plays a part.
Many people choose to get their genome sequenced if there is a history of breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, or some other disease in their family. If you are proactive about taking care of your health, the information you receive could guide you to better eating or other lifestyle habits.
There are also companies that will test how you will respond to various prescribed medications, including whether you will experience side effects from antidepressants or pain relievers. One example is a family who ordered a genetic test for their three year old son who wasn’t responding to some medication after his heart surgery, and received a laboratory report listing all the drugs her son couldn’t efficiently metabolize.
You Just Spit in a Cup
Getting a test done is easy. Order online, and in a few days a home test kit will arrive in the mail. Spit in the container, send it back, and in a few weeks you’ll have more details about what you’re made of than you ever thought.
Unless you have a single-gene disease, the results will only show risks, and will not tell you for sure whether you will get the disease. Most degenerative disease is the result of lifestyle and environmental factors in combination with your particular genetic risks. In most cases, lifestyle is the most important factor. Remember that the foods you eat and the exercise you do actually changes which of your genes are expressed.
It’s Your Health
There is a great struggle going on over control of this nation’s healthcare. On one side are those who believe that the best way to manage costs and provide the best care is to give control to the individual. And of course on the other side are those who wish to have the government take control.
While knowing your own genome should be your right in the 21st century, certain powers don’t want you to have this ability. Access to genetic testing is already outlawed in New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
Currently we still have the right to take tax-free money from our HSA, get our genome scanned (or spend that money on any other medical treatment, diagnostic, or preventive service), without anyone from the government or any insurance company knowing anything about it or having any say.
Millions of people with HSA plans take advantage of this fact – getting alternative treatments like acupuncture or homeopathy, choosing their own tests so they can manage their bone density, cholesterol metabolism, or other health issues. And now, let’s add genetic testing to the list. The greater this number grows the greater our healthcare freedom will be.
Take Responsibility
Health, like wealth, is really about personal responsibility. Just as the government cannot make us all wealthy, similarly it cannot ensure your good health. Neither can the insurance companies and neither can your doctor. It is up to you. Knowing your own genetic risk factors might be valuable information that could add years to your life.
One word of caution – be careful about who you share your genetic test results with. Insurance companies would love to have this information, as would certain nefarious government agencies and other bad guys.
About the Author
By Wiley Long - President, HSA for America (http://www.health--savings--accounts.com) - The nation's leading independent health insurance firm specializing in individual and family HSA Plans that works with Health Savings Accounts. Please link to this site when using this article.
The safety of commercial sunscreens has received a lot of press lately. All segments of the population are affected, but children and breast cancer patients seem to carry the highest risks. Below is a summary of health findings related to non-organic sunscreens.
Of great concern to researchers is the use of nano particles in sunscreen. These are extremely small particles that can pass through membranes that have been able to block previous manufactured materials. The health risks of nano particles are not fully understood as they are the result of relatively new technology. The bottom line is finding how far toxins can go at this small size.
One harmful sunscreen ingredient that stands out is oxybenzone. This chemical helps to protect the skin and makes it easier for other chemicals to be absorbed into the skin. When mothers have been exposed to oxybenzone during pregnancy, there has been an increased instance of low birth weight among baby girls. Other negative health factors that occur more frequently include cell damage, allergies, and hormone disruption.
To the relief of many, the FDA announced plans for ensuring the safety of sunscreens back in 1978. Unfortunately, these plans amounted to good intentions and were never completed. Today the public must remain skeptical towards the claims of many sunscreen companies.
Five out of the six active ingredients in sunscreen have been found to mimic estrogen in the human body. Risk groups for these effects include children and breast cancer patients. All of these chemicals were examined in actual breast cancer cells.
SPF ratings provide the public with a measurable assessment of a sunscreen's effectiveness. However, these ratings do not take into account UVA ultraviolet rays, which can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer. Though not an issue of toxins, many sunscreen products leave the user under-protected and under-informed in this area.
The verdict is still out regarding the health risks of commercial sunscreens. All parties would benefit from further clarification on the part of the FDA, and, if a consumer does not want to wait, organic sunscreens provide a safer alternative.
To explore safer organic sunscreen products, visit the sunscreen section of the Organic Food eStore at http://www.OrganicFoodeStore.com
