Shop 'Til You Drop Generic Drugs

This can't really be emphasized enough - use generic drugs as often as you can, unless of course your doctor has insisted on no substitutions. And even then, ask about that. You see, doctors don't really give much thought to the price of your drugs unless you point blank ask them.

This isn't to say they aren't getting better at understanding that their choices for drugs for patients does ultimately cost someone some significant bucks if they aren't prudent in their prescribing.

The bottom line here is that health care administrators, government agencies, and insurance companies etc. are starting to put limits on the dollars for drugs prescribed. If you stop to think about that, it only makes sense because costs are spiraling right out of control. Think billions of dollars in deficit for the US health care system.

This is an interesting area actually as drug companies are smart and market directly to consumers. Their main goal is to convince them they need the "newest" drug on the market because it's better. Don't believe that for one minute. Often the newest drug these days is a remake of the old one that worked just fine thanks a bunch.

The only reason drug companies oppose generic drug manufacturers is because they will lose market share and profits will suck like a vacuum. There is nothing wrong with generic drugs. They're the same drug as the original patented one, perhaps formulated slightly differently. E.g. the coating may not be gelatin

Don't be sucked in by the lure of a newer, better, more effective drug. If the old one is tried, tested and true, then why not use it? One thing is for sure; it's a darn sight cheaper than the patented new drugs.

Yes it's true - even when it comes to prescribing drugs the ka-ching is the driving force behind managing expenses. Learn to manage your own personal health care budget by asking for generic drugs at the pharmacy or better yet, ask your doctor to give you a script for the generic version of the drug you need.

Richard Cantu is with Texas Health and Life, a Texas health insurance and Texas life insurance agency in Texas. To learn more, visit http://www.texashealthandlife.com

Medicines to Keep Health and Away From Heart Attacks

Medicines are what people turn to whenever they start feeling something. For headaches, chest pains and even hang-over, people take the aspirin. Did you know that aspirins lower the chances of having a heart attack? However daily aspirin use is not for everyone. There are directions in the labeling of the aspirin regarding its use and for what it is for. Reducing the chances of a heart attack is not among them. Having sufficient medical knowledge would make enable you to use aspirin to reduce heart attacks. Health is sustained and prolonged with the advancement and development of many effective and cheap medicines. Many people use medicines whenever they feel sick or even before they feel sick. Certain vitamins and medicines allow people to keep their health and stay away from diseases.

Heart attacks and medicines almost always appear in the same sentence. There are medicines to avoid and prevent heart attacks. This is brought to us by the technological advancement that man has achieved over the years. Although, some medicines before where proven to have negative effects when taken by a person with a heart condition, doctors try to warn their patients about them. Some medicines even cause heart complications.

This just says that even though medicines have been proven to improve health, it is not a perfect solution to prevent heart attacks. The best way to really prevent heart attacks is to exercise daily, live a healthy life by not smoking, by drinking moderately and eat a healthy diet. Never forget to get general check up every once in a while.

Don't let Panic control you! It's possible to overcome: http://panicattacks-away.blogspot.com

Does a lack of enough money really contribute to stress?

Have you ever woken in the middle of the night with your head pounding away, and your heart trying to do a new version of the Cha-Cha?

I have, and it's a scary experience when your heart is beating so fast and so irregularly that you can actually feel it making you sicker and sicker. And you can feel your blood pressure going up every minute.

That night I ended up in the emergency room at the local hospital, with nothing wrong with me physically, just a huge overload of stress that had thrown my body into total disarray. Yes the medical team did have to pump me full of drugs to bring everything back to normal, and they did have to temporarily stop my heart and restart it before they could get it to return to a regular beat ... but there wasn't anything wrong with me physically if you understand the differentiation I'm trying to make. It was all just about the stress!

So, what was I so stressed about?

Money. Or to put it more correctly, a lack of money!

Back then I had debt up to my ears, credit cards I couldn't pay, mortgages that I was potentially defaulting on, and not enough money to even put food on the table. I had seriously stuffed up.

I wasn't just making-ends-meet ... I was seriously at risk of financial self-destruction.

I'd lie awake at night wondering how to solve the problems, and worrying myself sick because I didn't know to solve them ... and I was constantly scared of the impending "executioner's sword" I could feel hanging above my head.

So the stress in my body grew and grew. And it almost killed me.

All because of a lack of money. And it's not just me that has struggled with money-related stress. A poll by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that money issues were the top reasons for holiday-related stress. And a lack of money also contributes to stress at other times as well.

The survey found that 61% of Americans listed "lack of money" as the top cause of holiday stress followed by the pressures of gift giving, lack of time, and credit card debt. Survey results also showed that younger people were more worried about a lack of money compared to people over the age of 35. Maybe the demands or the stresses are higher when you are younger with a new family etc.?

In the end I did find a way forward, and it worked. I found out how to increase the money coming in, and decrease the money going out ... and now my stress is at the correct level, so no more middle-of-the-night trips to the emergency rooms. Both my wife and I now sleep very well.

No matter how you look at it, not having enough money creates increased levels of stress ... and that has many flow-on effects in other parts of our lives, including our ability to work.

Having extra money to use every week means that we can pay our bills when they fall due, and we can do more for all those around us ... and that results in less pressure and less stress to deal with.

Enough Money = Less Stress. It's that simple!

Howard Woolston is a writer based in Wellington, New Zealand with a number of books and articles published over the years.

For more information, and to contact the author please go to http://www.INeedMoreMoneyToday.com