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If you want to pass a drug test, it’s actually quite easy. However, there are a few things that not everyone knows about the process of hair follicle testing, urine testing and the oral test. Here are a few points to keep in mind before submitting to a drug test.
It Takes Up To Three Days To Detox
We’re not here to judge you, but we are here to say: It can take up to three days for your system to clean out. So it’s a good idea to get clean when you start applying for jobs, and stay clean until you’ve been tested. THC usually takes about a day, Opiates two to three days, and most other drugs two to three days.
Poppy Seeds Will Do It
If you love poppy seed muffins, well, poppy seeds are what they make heroin out of, and if you eat enough of them, it can show up on your test. Other seemingly harmless items can do it, too. Certain prescription and even over the counter medicines, certain exotic or delicacy foods etc. In general, as long as you stay away from poppy seeds and any medicines you don’t have a prescription for, you should do fine, though.
Skipping is Better than Failing
Let’s say a day before your testing, your roommate lit up a (medicinal) recreational cigarette. Now you’re worried that you simply won’t get the job because there may be a trace of your friend’s prescription in your body. Well, it’s better to call your would-be employer and explain that you can’t make the test today. If you fail a drug test, you DEFINITELY won’t get the job, but if you miss the test, then you can usually take it again later, and most employers won’t accept “It was my roommate’s!” as an excuse for failing the test.
September 2nd, 2010
Health insurance doesn’t have to be about a full, comprehensive policy. Sometimes, a policy that covers the possibility of an accident or major surgery is all that we really need. With catastrophic insurance coverage you can get this important coverage without the high premiums sometimes associated with regular health insurance policies.
Catastrophic insurance plans (also called major medical plans) do not cover any expenses related to preventative care, minor wound care, or any kind of health monitoring service. Instead, they cover some of the expenses associated with major, catastrophic illnesses and accidents. If you are sent to emergency room, it is likely that much of that expense will be covered by your catastrophic policy. Other expenses covered include hospital expenses like room, board and incidentals, surgical expenses, and physician expenses.
Like any insurance policy, catastrophic plans have limits and deductibles. You will be required to pay the deductible amount out of pocket, then the insurance company will step in and pay their portion of your expenses, up to the limit.
Because the insurable incidents covered by catastrophic plans are so limited, the premiums tend to be low and widely affordable. As with any policy, choosing a high deductible and low limit further limits the risk of expense to the insurance company and will result in even lower rates-but as with any insurance policy, consumers must make sure that they choose a deductible they can afford and a limit that is reasonable and still offers a relevant benefit.
Catastrophic policies are not for everyone. If you have a chronic illness or injury, a catastrophic policy can step in when a major medical incident occurs, but will not give you the day-to-day and preventative coverage that you may need in order to live a long and healthy life. But if you are unable to secure a regular health insurance policy and don’t yet qualify to join the high risk pool for your state, then it may be a helpful alternative.
August 30th, 2010
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is quite common and, according to some recent studies, steadily becoming more common. The latest estimates based on surveys of health insurance claims and counts of prescriptions suggest up to 20% of the adult population may have problems caused by acid reflux. This can show up in a number of different ways from a bitter, slightly unpleasant taste in the mouth, sometimes with difficulty in swallowing, heart burn and a persistent feeling of nausea. Traditionally, this is seen as a physical disease in which the sphincter allowing what we eat and drink to enter the stomach refuses to close properly. This allows some of the stomach acid to flow out into the esophagus. What should be a one-way system fails. Sometimes the cause is other damage to the body, whether the nervous system, the spine or the abdomen, e.g. as in a hernia. But other factors can be relevant, e.g. hormone changes during pregnancy. Because the acid is strong, it can damage the esophagus or the vocal chords. Worse, it can spill into the lungs and cause a persistent cough. In rare cases, it can actually trigger cancer of the esophagus. For this reason, no one should treat heart burn or associated symptoms as being “nothing to worry about”. It’s always advisable to have a doctor check you out to make sure nothing too awful is happening to you.
The one possible drawback to asking a professional is you might get advice you don’t want to hear. In today’s high-pressure society, we never like the idea of slowing down. All we want is the pill to cure our ills so we can get on with our lives. Except this is one of those problems most likely either to be caused or made worse by our lifestyle. Let’s start with the most annoying. “You should lose some weight.” Blah, blah! How many times have we had a doctor tell us we will be better off if we shed some pounds? They usually say something along the lines that we have been physically eating too much, often late at night too close to the time we go to bed. Or perhaps, we’re just snacking while lying on the couch. This is a problem. We were designed to eat while vertical. Eating while horizontal has the sphincter open to receive the latest batch, but the acid can just flow out round the food into the esophagus. If we go to bed too soon after eating, the esophagus still has food in it queuing to get into the stomach. Same problem of flow unless you adjust your sleeping position so you sleep on a slope to let gravity solve the problem. Then comes all the heathy food bit about less fatty food, no grease and cut down on the spices. On second thoughts,just eat less and use Aciphex. And while you’re busy, quit smoking!
Aciphex reduces the amount of acid your stomach produces. That means there’s less to escape your stomach and start damaging your esophagus. It also slows down the stomach. With less acid available, it takes longer to process the food. But that’s a small price to pay for less pain and discomfort. It should also encourage you to eat smaller portions. Aciphex as a weight loss drug? Well not entirely. But it’s always in your interests to lose weight.
August 29th, 2010
To get the scary bits out of the way, let’s review the medical reality. You can be fine when you wake up in the morning but, by the time night comes around, you can be flat on your back, pouring sweat and in a delirious condition. Malaria kills more people around the world than every other disease. About 500 million catch it every year. Thanks to good treatment less than 1% die (that’s about 3 million people) and, of those, one child dies every second in the worst affected parts of the world. When you add up the cost of treatment and the economic losses as infected people stop work, the disease is estimated to cost about $6 billion a year. This is a worldwide problem and, as global warming increases, the temperature in previously temperate parts of the world, now encourages the spread of mosquitos.
Over the last 20 years, the World Health Organization has been pushing the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, but this has produced few good results. The one high point has been the distribution of nets treated with insecticide. Hung over beds, these keep people safe while sleeping. Sadly, these are routinely taxed in African countries and are priced out of the reach of the poor who are most at risk. Most efforts to persuade countries to use the modern drugs have failed. Even though many strains of the disease are now resistant to the older drugs, local prejudices favor the continued use of the long-trusted medications. This is increasing the death rates.
So what is malaria? The name itself means “bad air”. People associated the disease with the miasma, the bad-smelling mist that hangs over swamps and stagnant pools at night. It came as a surprise when doctors discovered the mosquito was responsible. The bite of a pregnant female between dusk and dawn is the means of transmission. With this news, there was a real effort to kill off the mosquito and human deaths were reduced by 90%. But, since the 1960s, the disease has been spreading. Today, 40% of the world’s population is at risk. As a tourist, the odds now favor you traveling to an infected area.
One of the best preventative measures is to start taking Doxycycline before you travel. None of the repellents is 100% effective. You reduce the risk by wearing long-sleeved shirts and blouses, trousers, socks and shoes. It may be hot, but this is better than being bitten. Sleep under a net or with a fan to keep the air moving. There is, however, one problem with Doxycycline. It makes you more photosensitive. Make sure you stay covered up and wear a hat. Sunscreen will keep the sunburn to a minimum. If you feel ill, and develop a temperature and a headache, get emergency treatment. Doxycycline is good, but it’s not 100% effective. The only sure way of avoiding malaria is to avoid being bitten. For some, the sensible decision may be to find a safer place for the holiday. If you have no choice because work or some other commitment takes you to an at-risk area, take drugs before, during and after your visit. The symptoms may not appear for weeks or months after your return. If you fall ill back home, always tell your local doctor if you have been to an infected area.
August 29th, 2010
It’s estimated there are about four million people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the US. This is a disorder where people find their lives dominated by repeated behavioral patterns and rituals, and it’s often associated with depression. According to the International OCD Foundation, the disorder mainly affects adults with only about 2% of children and teens at risk. One of the difficulties faced by those who suffer this disorder is the element of social shame. As the condition progresses, the rituals become more dominant and so harder to hide in everyday life. Take insecurity about whether a door is properly closed. Around the home, it might not be immediately obvious that one family member is now opening and closing doors “just to make sure”. But, as the pattern develops, it will slowly reveal itself to the others who share the same space. This is not something that would immediately spread outside the home. We can lives our everyday lives without feeling responsible for checking that all the doors we pass are properly closed. The difficulty is that, once one ritual is established, others can follow. It can therefore become necessary either to explain or suffer the bemusement of people outside the home. Left untreated, this can lead to social anxiety disorder or, in the worst cases, agoraphobia.
Individual therapy is considered the best long-term hope for those with OCD. As the disorder is becoming better understood, not the least because of TV programs like Monk, it’s easier to admit the disorder and feel less hostile judgements. There are also an increasing number of support groups being established as more people with the disorder reach out for fellow sufferers and establish a network for self-help.
John Hopkins University is now running a study, looking for genetic markers that might identify a cause. With a cause, it’s always possible to look for a cure. The study involves taking blood samples from at least two generations in the hope that shared or non-shared genes may suggest where the problem lies. While we wait for news, the established forms of treatment rely on two elements. The first is medications. There are a range of drugs including Valium (Diazepam) used for this purpose and the current research suggests that, with the medication alone, the obvious rituals decline by about 40%. This is socially useful but the cost, in both physical and financial terms, makes this difficult to justify over the longer term as side effects become as much of a problem as the OCD. Drugs like Valium (Diazepam) are best used in short bursts to break the cycle of behavior. The second form of treatment is psychotherapy. This is more effective because it identifies the situations that trigger the rituals and devises ways of avoiding the trigger. If the individual is still in the family, the rest of the family is involved in the treatment both to learn more patience and to establish new household routines to reduce the number of triggers. Put the two together and Valium (Diazepam) will produce a calm and more receptive state of mind in which to go through the therapy. The combination is the most effective and the most likely to produce long-lasting improvement.
August 28th, 2010
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