Natural Health Newsletter from Alternative Health Insurance Services   Features on Alternative Medicine and Natural Therapies   March 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you for your enthusiastic response to the new format of our newsletter.   I was particularly touched by the positive comments and support regarding The Elaine Anestos Gorman Foundation, created to raise consciousness about inflammatory breast cancer.  We will continue to update you in each newsletter about whatever progress the Foundation is making.   Future issues will bring you information and resources from some well respected people that have expressed a willingness to provide content for our newsletter..   I hope you continue to find the information included to be of value and always welcome any thoughts, suggestions, comments, etc.   To our existing clients, thank you again for your continued support.  To those receiving our newsletter for the first time, I hope you enjoy it and thank you for the opportunity to be of service.   Sincerely,   Steve Gorman     Study: Men on common painkillers risk high blood pressure Men who take any of the today's common painkillers on a regular basis have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study. The study of use of aspirin, acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs showed at least a 26% greater hypertension risk. Of particular concern were Cox-2 inhibitors, the American Heart Association said in guidelines designed to deal with the issue.  The Washington Post (2/27)   Report: Complication rate higher with planned C-section births Women who arrange planned Caesarean-section births face the risk of severe complications, according to a new Canadian report. Researchers say the rate of complications, such as major bleeding, infection and blood clots, is three-times higher for those who have planned Caesarean births compared to those who plan natural births.  Yahoo!/Reuters

Chilli extract may stop fat cell growth Capsaicin, the compound that gives red pepper its heat, could inhibit the growth of fat cells, says a new laboratory study... Read   Study: Vitamin A may reduce risk of gastric cancer Consuming high levels of vitamin A can influence the risk of developing stomach cancer, according to researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The Sydney Morning Herald (2/27 Presented Research Suggests That Flavanols in Cocoa May Offer Benefits to the Brain A presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) suggests that a special cocoa made to retain flavanols may have the potential to help maintain healthy brain function. Internet Resources: Press Release on NPIcenter Study: High doses of zinc linked to urinary complications According to an article in Scientific American, citing research published in the Journal of Urology, a secondary analysis of a trial involving 3,640 adults between age 55 and 80 years of age with the retinal disease, macular degeneration indicates that that there was a significant increase in hospital admissions due to genitourinary causes in patients on zinc vs. non-zinc formulations. Internet Resources: Article in Scientific American Abstract in Journal of Urology   Watercress may protect against DNA damage, cancer A regular intake of watercress may protect against DNA damage in blood cells, considered an important trigger in cancer development, by 23 per cent, new research suggests... Read     Navy study shows higher doses of calcium, vitamin D reduce stress fractures in young women Accordng to an article on Signonsandiego.com, a study of naval recruits, with results presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society's annual meeting, indicates that very active young women who took higher-than-recommended doses of calcium and vitamin D supplements for eight weeks (2,000 milligrams of calcium and 800 international units (IUs) of vitamin D daily) had fewer stress fractures than women who were given placebo. Internet Resources: AP Article on signonsandiego.com   More companies encourage workers to get healthy Businesses looking to cut health costs lean on workers to adopt healthy habits, sometimes hiring health coaches to help. Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. hired Whole Health Management and opened a medical and fitness center to encourage healthier lifestyles for its entire work force. BusinessWeek (2/26)   Study In Osteoporosis International Indicates Vitamin K2 Supplementation Improves Hip Bone Geometry and Bone Strength Indices in Postmenopausal Women In the double-blind, placebo controlled study, scientists at VitaK and the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CARIM), both at Maastricht University, The Netherlands, tested whether high vitamin K2 intake promoted bone mineral density and bone strength, determining that supplemental vitamin K2 improved bone mineral content and femoral neck width, but not bone mineral density. Internet Resources: Press Release on NPIcenter   Study: Many in cancer drug trials use herbs, supplements According to a Reuters Health article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the use of herbal medicine is common among patients with advanced cancer who are participating in early-stage clinical trials (phase I) of experimental drugs. Internet Resources: Reuters Health Article on ScientificAmerican.com Abstract in Journal of Clinical Oncology   Dental, heart health related Oral hygiene and general health are strongly related, and recent studies in fact show that neglecting dental care can damage the heart. Periodontal disease, or inflammation of the gums, can increase the risk of development and progression of coronary artery disease.  FOXNews.com (2/27)   High fat dairy may boost fertility - study Women who consume high fat dairy products like ice cream may significantly reduce their risk of becoming infertile, new research from the US claims... Read     FDA advises caution when purchasing drugs online The FDA warned last week that many consumers who ordered sleeping aids and other medications via the Web were instead sent a schizophrenia drug. The medications were ordered from a number of online sites, and some of the buyers ended up in the emergency room. Forbes/Associated Press (2/18)   The Elaine Anestos Gorman Foundation As many of you know, my wife, Elaine, passed away the end of August 2006, so it has been a difficult time for me. Thank you to those who have sent me positive thoughts and energy.I am pleased to be able to say that the people I have the opportunity to work with are the most compassionate and caring people I could wish to have in my life and have provided me much comfort during this ordeal.  I know that I have said this before, but don't feel I can ever say it too much. We have established The Elaine Anestos Gorman Foundation for the purpose of raising consciousness about inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).  IBC is an advanced and accelerated form of breast cancer usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds.  Some women who have inflammatory breast cancer may remain undiagnosed for long periods, even while seeing their doctor to learn the cause of her symptoms. The symptoms are similar to mastitis, a breast infection and some doctors, not recognizing IBC, will prescribe antibiotics. If a response to antibiotics is not apparent after a week, a biopsy should be performed or a referral to a breast specialist is warranted. Since our last newsletter, IRS has asked for some additional documentation to process The Foundation's application for tax exempt status.  By the time of our next newsletter, I hope that The Foundation will have received IRS approval and will be ready to commence operations. Sincerely,   Steve Gorman

Quick Links... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Visit Our Website: www.alternativeinsurance.com     LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS WE PROVIDE AT NO EXTRA COST: http://www.alternativeinsurance.com/html/freechiroaccubenefit.htm http://www.alternativeinsurance.com/html/FreeCard.htm     TO RECEIVE A FREE QUOTE FOR HEALTH INSURANCE: http://www.alternativeinsurance.com/html/individual_quote.htm     LEARN MORE ABOUT HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (HSA): http://www.alternativeinsurance.com/html/healthsavings.htm

FREE ACUPUNCTURE & CHIROPRACTIC BENEFIT

Alternative Health Insurance Services now includes a free benefit for our individual and group clients that provides up to 20 acupuncture and/or chiropractic visits per year with a $20 co-payment for each visit. This complimentary benefit is a bonus for doing business with us and is included with most of the health insurance plans we offer.

We have contracted with Landmark Healthplan of California, Inc. to provide a combined chiropractic and acupuncture benefit that utilizes Participating Chiropractors and Acupuncturists. A directory of these providers may be found on the Landmark website at www.LandmarkHealthcare.com or from Alternative Health Insurance Services.

Participants will have a co-payment of only $20 per visit and can receive up to 20 visits per year. Treatments must be medically necessary to treat an injury or illness. After an initial visit, subsequent visits need to be pre-authorized by Landmark. Each participant will receive a Schedule of Benefits and other materials that fully describe their benefits, limitations, and exclusions.

This benefit is being provided at no cost to California clients of Alternative Health Insurance Services who are actively participating in a permanent health insurance plan where commissions are being paid to either Alternative Health Insurance or Steve Gorman. These benefits are being provided only to each primary policyholder and their spouse/partner.

This program is only available as a complimentary benefit to clients who have purchased their health insurance plans through Alternative Health Insurance Services and can not be purchased as a "stand-alone" benefit.

NEW VISION BENEFITS are now available from America's largest provider of eyecare coverage.  Normally these benefits are only available to employees of large companies, but you can participate through our special program.  For more details, click on the Vision Benefit link on our website.