However, the political parties and various experts argue over which plan to take to make this universal health care coverage for everyone – rich or poor – become a reality. Should the government take over medical insurance? Should government just use the money instead to pay private medical insurers? Should there be a combination of the two systems? Should there be a totally new universal system?

Most working-class Americans already have medical insurance in some form. Employers usually offer medical benefits through health maintenance organizations (HMO) or preferred provider organizations (PPO). In many states, their government runs medical programs like Medicaid or Medicare have shown to be efficient and responsive to the needs of the population and is seen as a preferred and better choice.

Basically, medical insurance should cover medical expenses should its members need care in exchange for a premium. However, that is where the similarities stop. Various companies offer varying premium scales, but also offer very different coverage schemes. This is where terms like pre-existing condition (a sickness or symptom already existing before signing up to insurance) comes in and complicates matters, especially for a member that is already being rushed into a hospital and requiring medical care fast.

Insurance companies are able to pay for these bills since not all the people paying premiums get sick, if at all. In fact, they make an effort to enlist gym buffs and health-conscious individuals exactly for this end. They also contract with specific doctors, institutions and health care providers with their large number of members, ensuring a reduction in cost. They also try to eliminate unnecessary procedures that patient ask for and focus instead on annual medical check up to discover ailments at an early age and prevent it from worsening and costing too much.

There is no universal formula in choosing the best health care plan. This is what Washington has been trying to do for decades and failed. Each service and provider is unique and only the client and patient know their needs and choose the best plan for them.

In order to choose the best plan, one must consider the medical coverage offered by the insurer. Does it include regular checkups? Or only those that require trips to the emergency room? Furthermore, inquire on the health providers and doctors that are in the network of the provider. Check their names and their records. If they are the best in their field, then it should be an easy choice. If the doctors are from some small inner city clinics no one has heard of, then you should start to be cautious.

One consideration is your lifestyle. If you are a health buff, then you can perhaps go to medical insurers that focus on prevention. If you keep a rather dangerous job, then choose one that will not give you headaches in case the worst happens.

The final consideration is of course, the premiums. Many employers shoulder these expenses, but you should also consider if your family is covered. For those who had to pay out of their own pockets, this is a big consideration. No one will pay a high premium for a service no one wants to avail. Who wants to get si

What is the primary level of prevention? This includes the different ways on how to prevent illness and promote health (e.g. performing regular exercises to promote a good respiratory status, eating different kinds of vegetables and fruits to gain necessary nutrients for a healthy life. On the other hand, the secondary level of prevention deals with diagnostic procedure and planning on ways how to treat the current health condition (e.g. an individual who was suspected to have a breast problem was sent to her doctor to confirm if she has breast cancer, a man who was diagnosed with respiratory tuberculosis was given a set of medication to treat his health condition). What is all about the tertiary level of prevention? The tertiary level of prevention deals with health maintenance (e.g. a man with arthritis was encouraged to do regular exercise, an individual with second level hypertension was taking maintenance drug to lower his blood pressure to normal level).

What is the common factor that brought people to a poor health status? It is no other than smoking. This cannot only target to those individuals who smokes but also the people surrounding him or her. Smokers are now found worldwide, and they greatly influenced the young generations. Today we can see a lot of young people who smoke. Experts said that the second hand smokers will have a greater risk of getting into certain respiratory problems that those who smoke. This is because the smoke inhaled by the second hand smokers is not filtered. Unlike the primary smokers, the smoke that they inhaled from a stick of cigarette passes through a filter which limits the unhealthy components from getting into our system. Smoking can also result to different environmental problems. Just like environmental pollution and global warming.

A single stick of cigarette contributes to a big body that yields into several problems (especially health related problems). How can sticks of cigarettes affect our health status? We all know that a single stick of cigarette is composed of a tar and nicotine. After it is ignited it will produce carbon dioxide. What is tar? This is a carcinogen found in cigarettes. This is a substance that can cause cancer. It means that the more you smoke the more you get the risk of having cancer (common target is the respiratory system).  What is nicotine? This is also a substance found in a cigarette stick the can cause addiction and increases the level of cholesterol in our system. This is why some people find it hard to stop smoking. What does carbon dioxide do in our body? As it enters our system it will bind and deactivate the oxygen in our body. This means that the more we smoke the lesser the oxygen that circulates into our body.

What are the major health problems that you get when smoking for several year? You will acquire different problems in your system. Just like coronary thrombosis, cerebral thrombosis, blockage of blood supply in extremities, and problems with the kidney’s arteries. Coronary thrombosis is a clot formation in the heart’s blood vessels. In this case, the heart will pump blood in a limited amount. This can cause further heart problems and increase the heart’s demand for oxygen.

The cerebral thrombosis is another major health problem that you get upon smoking for years. This is a condition wherein there will be a clot formation in the blood vessels that supplies blood to our brain. As the clot formation increases it will eventually block the blood from passing through a vessel. This will limit or block the blood supply to our brain, which may lead to the brain cell’s death and paralysis. What happens when blood supply in the kidney is limited? This will lead to a poor function of the body to eliminate waste, especially components that are pollutant to our system. Eventually there will also be an increase blood volume that results to hypertension. A hemodialysis is necessary when the kidney completely fails to function.

Yoga and its associated practices have been known to combat diseases.  At the same time, it increases your body’s flexibility and increases the lubrication in your ligaments, joints and tendons.

Yoga practitioners also attest that yoga “massages” all body organs by stimulating it.  It is also believed that yoga gives a practitioner a sense of awareness, detoxification, improved blood circulation, anti-aging effects, and energy.

For beginners, however, it can be daunting.  If one is not taking classes and is doing it on his or her own, these tips might help.

1. Get into the spirit.

Remember that yoga is more than just an exercise regimen. It can help you with your personal outlook and attitude towards life.  However, to last longer in the practice and acquire yoga as a lifelong habit, you should start with the right attitude: no ego and an accepting mind, coupled with an open heart.

2. Consider the logistics.

You can practice yoga just about anywhere you want.  However, choose a place that‘s clean, quiet, free of distraction, and has good ventilation.  Wear comfortable and stretchable clothing.  You can opt to wear socks.

There are also people who like to do yoga in the buff; this is fine, and in some circles, encouraged.

For added support and comfort, you might want to use a yoga mat or a blanket.

3. Follow the Empty-Stomach Rule.

It is best to eat nothing two hours before your yoga session and to abstain from drinking fluids 15 minutes from the start of your session.

4. Strike the yoga pose!

There are countless yoga poses, and it would be fruitless to try and do them all in one sitting.  If you are just a beginner, it is best that you avoid the complicated and difficult poses and just stick to the basic and simple ones.

Here are some sample poses you can try.

Sukasana: This is the pose that you see on most yoga books and is a very comfortable pose that helps you meditate.

Knee to Head: This position helps you stretch your hamstrings.

Down Dog: This pose is a great way to strengthen your body while also helping you rest.  It is also a good stretch exercise.

Extended Side Angle Pose: This pose stretches your legs, hamstrings and groin area.  It will also help open the shoulders and chest.

Squat: This opens your groins and hips.

The Staff: This allows you to improve your alignment while also fortifying your legs.

Happy Baby:  This pose helps you rest on your lower back while also stretching your hamstings.

Corpse and Up the Wall Poses:  These restorative positions will help you rest after your workout.

Make sure to consult a yoga professional or research on the Internet for a recommended set of poses you should do and get instructions on how to do them properly.

5. Schedule your session.

A good yoga session does not have a required time period.  You could do yoga for as short as 30 minutes.  Just be sure you allow yourself time for actual exercises, breathing and mediation.

You could do yoga in the morning after you wake up to help revitalize your body and mind, while you can do your meditation and breathing exercises at night to help you rest.

Be sure to warm up first before starting your poses.  After you have sufficiently conditioned your body, you can proceed to do the standing poses, sitting poses, twists, supine poses, balance and inverted poses and then the backbend poses.

After these, you should cool down with the finishing poses.

Yoga Precautions

*      As with any exercise, you should exercise care, when doing yoga.  You should be focused on each movement, carefully moving to attain any position.

*      Do not strain yourself and stop doing a pose if it causes you even mild pain.  You should do yoga for yourself, and as such, you should not compete with anybody.  Remember that the extent and intensity of the stretching you do is secondary only to the technique that you use.

*      Mind your posture.  It is best to do each exercise perfectly, achieving the right posture each time.

*      Execute the poses in order, because each pose is meant to help strengthen and balance various muscle groups.

Because of this, it is worth the time and effort to consistently remind people to give priority to their health.

The following are some simple reminders on how to put priorities in one’s health:

1. Invest in health insurances. There are some people who have doubts on the effectiveness of health insurances or other insurances, for that matter. Although they cannot be blamed because of reported insurance scams, but still they should be made to realize the benefits it can give if they only have genuine health insurance companies. This is very useful, especially if one has no enough cash every day. Illnesses and accidents occur unknowingly; hence, it helps that someone has an insurance to pay hospital and doctor’s fees.  Also, health insurances can give someone some sort of security – what if I will get sick and have to be admitted, but I don’t have enough money? What if one of my family members gets into an accident and need to be operated immediately but my money is not enough to pay the dues? It is in this matter that a health insurance is ideal for people to have. One will never know its importance until it becomes important.

2. Follow doctor’s prescriptions.  There are just stubborn people who always want to have it their way, than, follows doctor’s advices.  Also, there are others who are scared to take medicines for reasons that it might lead to some complications. It should be embedded into the minds of people that medicines are there to cure illnesses or prevent the further spread of viruses in the body. Medicines can be extremely expensive, but one can always ask his/her doctor for an alternative of that expensive medicine (something that is generic and not “branded”). What is important here is that one is really taking his/her medicines. This is for the sake of one’s health as well as longevity.

3. Take time to relax.  Human body is not a machine wherein it can function non-stop.  It needs to rest and be rejuvenated after a long day of work.  A well-relaxed body and mind can produce a good thoughts and active body.  Also, a good relaxation will relieve someone from stress, which is the number one killer nowadays.

4. Observe a healthy lifestyle.  A healthy lifestyle means regular exercises, zero vices (such as too much alcohol and smoking), balanced diet, and enough rest. A healthy lifestyle can strengthen someone’s immune system as well as keeps the mind alert and the body energized.