Women Blog

What Women Want, Think Should Be Done and at What Cost?

A new poll released Wednesday by the Independent Women’s Forum shows that only 16 percent of women believe that health care should be Congress’s top priority and that a majority (51 percent) is unsatisfied with what they have read, seen, or heard about the proposals being considered today. The poll, conducted by WomanTrend, a division of the polling company(TM) inc., surveyed 800 women registered to vote and was conducted between October 19-25, 2009.

In this poll, women were given the opportunity to answer, in an open-ended fashion, what questions or advice they have for their Members of Congress and for the President on health care. Concerns about paying for reform, controlling costs, eligibility, and what is included and excluded from the actual legislative proposals dominated as some of the central “themes” for women.

Key findings:
– Government is not the solution: 61 percent of women think the private sector does a better job of providing choice in health care.
– Change for thee, but not for me: 75 percent want few to no changes to their own healthcare (40 percent — be modified, but mostly left as is; 35 percent — be left as-is).
– No egg timers: 43 percent of women say that Congress and the President should enact healthcare reform “only when quality legislation is developed, even if it means there is no deadline.” Less than three in ten think it needs to happen by the end of the year.
– Too expensive: Only 10 percent say that $1 trillion or more should be spent on health care reform. Most put the acceptable amounts in the thousands (16 percent), millions (24 percent), or billions (16 percent).
– Concerns with waste: 77 percent say government spends money in a mostly inefficient way and 55 percent believe CBO projections underestimate how much will ultimately be spent on health care reform.

The Independent Women’s Forum commissioned this poll to gain a better understanding of women’s attitudes toward the health care system and proposed reform, and how they will affect women’s health care choices.

This poll and the executive summary can be found at www.iwf.org.

Source: Independent Women’s Forum

One of the things you want to look into if you are a work at home mom building your internet business is ‘article marketing’. Submitting articles to various article directories is a great way of providing links back to your site, thus building popularity to your site.

Many online marketers use article directories to build back links to their websites. When a page has many links back to it it helps to find favor with search engines - a SEO expert will tell you that. An article directory which has a high page rank is the best place to submit articles to as this helps to boost your page’s rank such as Ezinearticles. How it works is that, when people like your articles, they will publish them on their websites and that will grant you (the author) more back links and publicity.

Writing articles is something every work at home mom can do. Having said this, don’t writing a bunch of articles for your home office projects in one day and submit them to a few directories in one day. Doing that can alert Google on your sudden surge of traffic and that may cause your websites to be de-index for a while. Go easy with your submissions.

Last but not least, be careful about using PLR articles for your projects. Make sure you edit them and not copy them exactly as duplicated content is never a good thing in SEO. According to some SEO experts, Google would consider the site which is higher ranking to be the originator of the article and your site’s page rank may suffer. Besides, duplicate articles could be rejected by the article directories and your account can be banned.

Since the whole idea is to build links for your websites, use anchor text that relates to the keywords you are targeting. This will help you attain a better position in the SERP’s (search engine result pages). For instance, if your home office business is on business insurance, then you want to make sure that the keyword is present in your article. But don’t overdo this.

These are some basic tips on article directory submssion for every work at home mom who want their websites to rank well in the worldwide web. If you put in sufficient efforts in article marketing by learning how to write decent quality articles, it will bring in terrific long term results if you don’t give up.

Leading Obesity Experts and Entertainment Industry Executives Develop fitsmi.com for Teen Girls and fitsmi.com/moms for their Moms to Fight the Teen Obesity Epidemic

Professionals from the entertainment industry have teamed with leaders in obesity treatment to create the first web destinations that offer affordable and accessible weight management support to overweight teen girls and their mothers. By combining social media with fashion, food, exercise and fun, Fitsmi (www.fitsmi.com) helps teen girls make healthy behavioral changes and improve their self-esteem. Fitsmi for Moms (fitsmi.com/moms) gives mothers of overweight teens the advice and support they need to help their daughters. These new services are debuting at The Obesity Society annual meeting in Washington, DC.

“After listening to many teens and their moms talk about the help they wish they had, our team created a destination that treats an overweight teen girl first as a teenager and helps her feel better about herself in a world that makes being overweight an emotionally painful experience. It’s designed to help a teen girl feel connected, supported, motivated and inspired to make healthy changes,” says Fitsmi’s founder and CEO Linda Frankenbach, who herself was a teen who struggled with her weight. “Teen girls are the mothers of tomorrow and it is so important they learn what to do to be healthy. In doing so, they will be better equipped to help their future families stay healthy.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, 40% of the 12 million teen girls in the US are obese or overweight. As these numbers continue to climb, it is clear that girls dealing with the physical and emotional challenges of being overweight have few affordable and accessible places to get effective sustainable help.

Fitsmi reaches girls online where they’re comfortable, leveraging social media and creating a safe community with a wide range of features, from help with fashion and shopping to support from peers and advice from professionals. To keep teen girls interested and engaged, Fitsmi’s content is infused with attitude, style and humor. Fitsmi offers teens a small-step approach to behavioral changes that are simple to use. It does not force a teen into a rigid, unsustainable diet plan but gives her the flexibility to choose and track a set of effective behavioral changes that work best for her.

Fitsmi also offers a companion site for mothers who need support from experts and other mothers who have been there. Fitsmi for Moms includes: expert advice, coaching skills, professional counseling and connection with other parents to help moms successfully support their daughters and to help turn a potentially difficult parenting situation into a positive mother/daughter team effort.

Fitsmi can be used in many ways. It is designed for use by teens and moms who do not have professional help. It can be a resource for pediatricians and GP’s who don’t have affordable programs to offer their overweight patients. Fitsmi can also be customized to fit a clinician’s own treatment approach. Additionally, Fitsmi will be offered to corporate wellness programs and through school based health initiatives.

Fitsmi is included in the healthcare database of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. This database is provided as a resource to clinicians and others.

“Fitsmi answers a crucial need of all adolescent weight management programs — a way to keep girls motivated and on track after they leave a program,” says Barbara Snyder, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Adolescent Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Fitsmi is the first program I have seen that really addresses the whole girl. And I usually don’t use this term, but fitsmi.com is ‘cool’.”

Fitsmi’s Scientific Board of Advisors, comprised of leaders in the research and treatment of obesity have been instrumental in creating Fitsmi’s holistic approach and are actively involved in helping Fitsmi roll out to clinicians and teens across the country. The response to Fitsmi from medical professionals working on obesity has been overwhelmingly supportive.

The early responses to Fitsmi from its closed beta teen users have also been very positive. A Fitsmi member, age 17 said, “I really like the concept of the site. It has helped me in many ways already, and changed my tactics on ‘becoming skinny’ (which I’m starting to consider calling it, becoming healthy, which is my main goal, really). I find that the site is really inviting, it’s being realistic, and could really help a lot of teens, tweens, and even young adults.”

Source: Fitsmi

Be prepared to avoid food-allergy horrors at Halloween

The haunted happenings of Halloween are upon us and soon we’ll be carving pumpkins, dressing in costumes and telling spooky stories. But if your child has a food allergy, what’s at the bottom of his or her trick-or-treat bag may be more frightening than any ghost or goblin.

According to a new national survey of 678 moms of children with food allergies – whether to peanuts, tree nuts, milk or eggs, eight out of ten say Halloween causes a great deal of anxiety because they fear their little ones might eat candy containing peanuts or another allergen.(1) Their anxiety is heightened by the fact that food allergies can cause a potentially life-threatening severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is caused when an allergic reaction becomes so severe that a person may stop breathing. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict when a child with food allergies might experience an anaphylactic reaction.

According to the survey, 40 percent of moms said that this time of year makes their children feel alienated because the child can’t fully engage or participate in Halloween activities.(1) The fear is so great that nearly half of these moms said they are thinking about having their child skip trick-or-treating altogether.

In spite of these concerns, less than half of moms surveyed are adequately prepared to handle a life-threatening allergic reaction – 43 percent of moms surveyed said they carry or have immediate access to an epinephrine auto-injector, such as EpiPen® (epinephrine) and EpiPen® Jr Auto-Injectors 0.3/0.15 mg.(1) EpiPen® Auto-Injector is a self-administered medicine that is used in the emergency treatment of a severe allergic reaction, including an anaphylactic reaction.

“The Halloween season can be an emotionally troubling time for children with food allergies because they are often faced with the temptation of delicious treats they can’t eat and parties they can’t fully enjoy. Halloween is also a frightening time for many parents who fear that their child might accidentally eat an allergen-containing piece of candy or treat while at school or out trick-or-treating,” said Stacy DeBroff. “But there’s no reason your son or daughter needs to miss out on all the fun this Halloween. With a good plan, they can still have an enjoyable time and be prepared.”

The new survey was conducted by Mom Central, a one-stop web resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions. Dey Pharma, L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc.  sponsored the survey. A total of 678 moms of children with a known allergy completed the online survey.

The survey also found that:(1)

– 61 percent of children have been prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector; however, only 23 percent of them carry it with them at all times.
– One in five moms is unsure how they feel about their school’s emergency plans in place to deal with a severe allergic reaction.
– While many moms feel they have good information on food allergies, they also expressed a clear desire for more: 78 percent of survey respondents say they would benefit from additional information on food allergies and how best to prepare for and treat allergy-related medical emergencies.

“Parents of children with food allergies need to be vigilant throughout the year, and at Halloween when the temptation for sweet peanut-based or chocolate treats may be especially high. Even a child who has experienced a mild allergic reaction to foods in the past may be at risk for a more severe allergic reaction – or even anaphylaxis – in the future, so it’s vital that every parent and child is prepared,” said Dr. Phil Lieberman, Clinical Professor, Medicine and Pediatrics University of Tennessee College of Medicine. “Whatever you do this season, make sure you know if you or your child has allergies that are severe enough to put them at risk for anaphylaxis, and if they are, be sure to ask your healthcare provider if you or your child should have access to and carry an epinephrine auto-injector like EpiPen® Auto-Injector. In the case of an anaphylactic emergency, prompt administration of this medication can help save the child’s life.”

Tips for an Allergy-friendly Halloween

For parents of children with food allergies, monitoring Halloween candy is just one way to avoid an accidental allergic reaction. Stacy DeBroff from Mom Central offers additional tips for enjoying an allergy-free holiday:

– Find Allergy-Free Activities: With a little research, you can find many festive activities right in your own backyard. Take the family pumpkin picking, on a hayride or for a scavenger hunt.
– Bring the Fun to Your Child: Consider hosting your own costume party for your child’s friends. Invite everyone over for pumpkin carving,
bobbing for apples, spooky stories, a scavenger hunt and other Halloween-themed games. This way, your child can still have fun and you can control all the goodies that are being passed out.

For those children who do go trick-or-treating, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) offers these helpful tips:

– Never Go Alone: Always accompany younger children trick-or-treating and have older children go out with friends.
– Inform Others: Make sure all the adults and friends in your group know about your child’s food allergies and what to do in an emergency.
– Pack Medication: While out for Halloween, make sure you or your child is carrying an epinephrine auto-injector. Make sure your child’s friends or other adults know how to administer this medication.
– Provide Safe Snacks: Provide your close neighbors and even your child’s teacher at school with safe treats or even non-food items like stickers that can be given to your child.
– Check the Goodies: Carefully read labels or check the candy company’s Web site to make sure the product doesn’t contain something that can cause an allergic reaction. It’s important to remember that the ingredients of ‘fun size’ candy bars may differ from the regular-size bars.
– When in Doubt, Throw It Out: If you can’t find information on a treat’s ingredients or are simply not sure if it’s safe, then throw the candy away or stick it in a treat jar that is out of the reach of the child.
– Avoid Snacking: Eating dinner before trick-or-treating might curb your child’s urge to sneak goodies from the bag.

Food Allergies

Food allergies are three to four times more prevalent among children than adults and are a leading cause of anaphylactic reactions, causing an estimated 30,000 emergency room visits and 150 deaths annually.(2) Studies of deaths from anaphylaxis caused by food allergies have found that nearly half of all such deaths occur in children aged 10 to 19. Even though most of these children had known allergies to food, most of them were not carrying their self-injectable epinephrine or had never even been prescribed the medication.(3,4) Unfortunately, the vast majority of deaths from anaphylaxis occur in people who do not receive epinephrine in time.(5)

Parents of children with food allergies should consult their healthcare provider to learn more about the causes of allergies, possible medical treatments, and emergency action plans in the case of an anaphylactic reaction. Additional information about allergies and treatment can be found at the Center for Anaphylactic Support(TM) (http://www.epipen.com/CAS). The Center for Anaphylactic Support(TM) provides a range of free information and support services for people with severe allergic reactions and their caregivers.

(1) Mom Central Survey, September 2009.

(2) Report of the Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, 2003. www.niaid.nih.gov.

(3) Bock SA, Munoz-Furlong A, Sampson HA. Fatalities due to anaphylactic reactions to foods. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001; 107(1): 191-93.

(4) Bock SA, Munoz-Furlong A, Sampson HA. Further fatalities caused by anaphylactic reactions to food, 2001-02. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007;119(4):1016-18.

(5) Sampson H, Mendelson L, Rosen J. Fatal and near-fatal anaphylactic reactions to food in children and adolescents. N Engl J Med. 1992;327:380-84.

Source: Dey Pharma L.P.

Firm supports growth of high-potential women-owned businesses

Ernst & Young LLP is proud to announce the nine winners of the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women(TM) competition, an annual program designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential businesses founded by women entrepreneurs. The winners were selected from a competitive pool of applicants residing across the US by a diverse group of independent judges. They will participate in a customized program designed to build and foster critical relationships, enhance leadership skills and expand business know-how. For more information on the competition, visit www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen.

“Ernst & Young LLP created the annual Entrepreneurial Winning Women program to help successful women entrepreneurs realize the full potential they envision for their companies,” said Maria Pinelli, Americas Director, Strategic Growth Markets, Ernst & Young LLP. “Through the program, we aim to give outstanding female entrepreneurs targeted and customized knowledge and business insights as well as access to highly influential networks of investors, advisors, and top entrepreneurs to quickly accelerate the growth of their businesses.”

The nine winners receive complimentary participation in the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum 2009, which takes place November 11-15, 2009 in Palm Springs, Calif. The Strategic Growth Forum, dubbed by Forbes.com as one of the “Seven Get-Ahead Executive Retreats,” brings together more than 1,300 of the nation’s most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to share growth strategies and discuss current economic challenges. Speakers this year include business luminaries such as Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com; Angela Braly, President and CEO, Wellpoint Inc.; David Liu, CEO of The Knot Inc.; Patrick Lo, Chairman and CEO of NETGEAR; Jim McCann, Founder and CEO of 1800flowers.com; and H. Lee Scott, Jr., Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

This year’s Entrepreneurial Winning Women award recipients are:

Carole Borden – C.B. Transportation (Chester Springs, Penn.) provides single-source trucking and distribution management services throughout North America. By linking major manufacturers and retailers with an extensive network of trucking companies, railroads and warehouse facilities, C.B. Transportation offers price stabilization and greater visibility and control with a broader range of equipment and services than carriers alone provide. With the company experiencing double-digit growth in the last three years, Carole expects C.B. Transportation to triple in size over the next five years and to be among the most prestigious transportation providers in the nation.

Michelle Tunno Buelow – Bella Tunno (Charlotte, N.C.) is a baby and children’s “necessory” company dedicated to the balance of fashion, function and philanthropy. With three fully owned brands, a licensing partnership and multiple international distribution partners, the company offers funky and fun baby basics that are sold in more than 4,000 upscale boutiques and department stores internationally. With benevolence at its core, Bella Tunno donates a portion of all proceeds to the Matt Tunno Make a Difference Fund. Moving forward, Bella Tunno intends to introduce its disposable baby product line in grocery and restaurant channels, launch additional subbrand partnerships and create a celebrity-designed charitable line.

Sherry Stewart Deutschmann – LetterLogic (Nashville, Tenn.) is a premium letter shop providing printing and mailing services for businesses nationwide. Since starting operations out of a basement in 2002, the company now occupies a 27,000-square-foot facility and serves clients in 41 states. LetterLogic’s mission and culture of putting employees first has resulted in unprecedented success and growth with 100% client retention. Entrepreneur magazine named LetterLogic one of the Top 50 Fastest-Growing Female-Led Businesses in North America in 2007 and 2008. Sherry expects to grow the company to annual revenues of $100 million by 2018.

Talia Mashiach – Eved Services (Chicago, Ill.) is a software-enabled service company providing comprehensive, event and destination management. Having operated as an in-house partner for more than 30 Chicago-area venues since 2004, Eved uses its proprietary technology to work seamlessly with event companies and hotels to select and manage vendors on a one-stop basis. Customers range from major corporations and destination planning companies to small, independent hospitality businesses. Eved is now evolving into a software-as-a-service company. Talia expects that nationwide and global deployment of the company’s proven technology platform will lead to significant growth over the next five years.

Karen Pecora-Barbour – The Barbour Group LLC (Westminster, Md.) is a commercial insurance and bonding agency specializing in construction bonds and related services. As the first woman-founded surety agent in the state of Md., The Barbour Group provides bonding and insurance to contractors for projects located throughout the US and internationally through the U.S. Department of State. The company has initiated, authored and driven landmark legislation in Md. and on Capitol Hill to open up the barriers to bonding faced by many small business contractors. The Barbour Group has been named among the Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises in 2006 and 2008, with Pecora-Barbour awarded the U.S. SBA Person of The Year Award in 2008.

Vicki Raport – Quantum Retail Technology (Minneapolis, Minn.) creates and delivers advanced software solutions to solve the demands of modern retail. The company’s proprietary inventory management solutions quickly optimize forecasting and advanced order planning, replenishment and allocation and assortment and product range planning activities. With its customers typically achieving significant and measurable return on investment within six months of implementation, Quantum enables large retailers to improve the performance of every product at every store to drive sales and profits, increase service levels and release working capital. In 2009, Inc. magazine ranked Quantum Retail the eleventh fastest-growing, privately-owned software company — with a three-year growth rate of 963.4%.

Shabnam Rezaei – Big Bad Boo (New York, N.Y.) is a media production and distribution company dedicated to teaching children about different cultures through entertainment. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver, the company’s first animated TV series, Mixed Nutz, will debut on PBS and many other stations worldwide this January. The creative team’s first direct-to-DVD product, Babak & Friends – A First Norooz, told the story of little Babak who is stuck between his Iranian and American cultures and featured Emmy Award winner Shohreh Aghdashloo. Big Bad Boo is currently in production on 26 episodes of a new series, 1001 Nights, and is launching its online retail distribution channel at oznoz.com.

Jennifer L. Scully – Clinical Resources LLC (Atlanta, Ga.) is a healthcare staffing company specializing in the growing senior care market. The company places experienced nurses and healthcare professionals in permanent, temporary and interim positions nationwide in hospitals, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Clinical Resources continues to expand its customer base among health payers, pharmaceutical companies, and health information technology companies. For 2010, the company is on pace to build critical mass in its service areas and to expand its presence in large corporations providing occupational health nurses, as well as pursuing government contracting opportunities.

Susan Wilson – The Judgment Group (Stevensville, Md.) purchases, enforces and recovers portfolios of unpaid court-ordered money judgments. Having pioneered the recovery of distressed assets to support the civil justice system, The Judgment Group’s proprietary solution combines advances in personal information and technology to locate where judgment debtors bank, work and own property. The company then navigates and leverages the power of the legal system to garnish, lien and levy those assets to get judgments paid and justice served. A winner of American Express and Count Me In’s Make Mine a Million $ Business award, The Judgment Group was named one of Working Mother magazine’s Best Women-Owned Companies for 2008. Looking ahead, the company is focused on creating a secure technology-driven trading platform to buy and sell personal information.

“Our research and experience clearly demonstrates the benefits of experienced role models and access to business-building networks for women entrepreneurs looking to jumpstart their company’s growth and success,” noted Billie Williamson, Ernst & Young LLP’s Americas Inclusiveness Officer. “This competition merges Ernst & Young’s long-standing support of entrepreneurs worldwide with the firm’s internal and external efforts around inclusiveness and women’s advancement.”

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women program is conducted in collaboration with several women’s business organizations and universities including the Women’s Presidents Organization, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the Committee of 200, Babson College and its Center for Women’s Leadership and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. For more information on the program, visit www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen.

The distinguished panel of judges for the 2009 competition included:
– Renee Amoore, President and CEO, The Amoore Group
– Nancy Briefs, President & CEO, Eleme Medical
– Janet Chien, Founder & Principal, Dyad Systems and Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women 2008 participant
– Lyn Kirby, President & CEO, ULTA
– Pamela O’Rourke, President, ICON Information Consultants
– Laura Pearl, Managing Director, Ceres Venture Fund
– Bernee Strom, Chairman and CEO, WebTuner
– Kathleen Utecht, Founder, Cahootie by Green Rock Entertainment and Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women 2008 participant

Source: Ernst & Young LLP

In a culture that values super-model-Barbie-doll-celebrity-of-the-moment ideals, how does a woman cope when dealing with a round belly, gray hair and flabby arms?

The October issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource looks at American cultural pressure on youthful appearance and offers ways to accept the changes of aging — wrinkles and all.

At any age, those bad moments in front of the mirror can seep into a woman’s psyche, leading to low self-esteem, emotional distress, anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The inevitable changes of aging lead to a whole new set of challenges. The changes, from wrinkles to weight gain, are normal and natural. But in the United States, they often are seen as disastrous.

Accepting the changes that come with an aging body creates a solid foundation for self-esteem and contentment. Consider these ways to develop the beauty of self-acceptance:

Remember that self-worth is more than appearance: Seeing oneself as a whole person, rather than a collection of parts that need improvement, can boost self-worth. Consider the people you admire most. Are their bodies perfect? Does it matter?

Emphasize good health: Regular exercise and healthy eating promote physical and emotional well-being.

Say yes to a sex life: Anxiety about appearance may cause women to withdraw from intimacy. But, sexual intimacy reduces stress, improves sleep and supports connectedness.

Appreciate the body as it is: A body that runs, walks, dances, works, laughs or dreams is to be admired — no matter what shape it is.

Think positively: Renaming body parts can help change negative self perceptions. Consider “soft belly” instead of “fat stomach.” Spend time with others who accept their body size and appearance.

Spend time and energy on affirming activities: Affirmation may come from a session of stretching or yoga, or cooking a meal for an older relative.

Many women find that aging brings a newfound sense of self-acceptance and freedom from the need to conform to social standards. When women feel good about themselves, they carry a sense of confidence and openness that makes them beautiful inside and out.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Advances in hearing aid design and technology mean more and better choices for consumers. The October issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource covers the pros and cons of various styles, from those that are barely noticeable to others that resemble the latest phones and come in stylish colors.

Most of today’s hearing aids work by providing more amplification for soft sounds and less amplification for loud sounds, making soft and average conversational speech loud enough to hear. Digital technology allows for smaller hearing aids that can be programmed and adjusted to better match an individual’s unique hearing loss, usually with better sound quality, less feedback (squealing) and better noise reduction.

In general, the smaller the hearing aid, the less powerful and flexible it is and the shorter its battery life. For hearing aids that tuck completely in the ear canal, the battery life is three to five days. For styles that are larger, batteries last up to two weeks. Because each situation is unique, an individual may not be a candidate for all styles and types of hearing aids.

Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource offers these tips for buying a hearing aid:

Start with an audiologist: This hearing specialist will conduct a thorough evaluation for various tones and words and suggest the most appropriate type of hearing aid.

Understand the adjustment period: Most states require a 30- to 45-day adjustment period to allow time for rechecks with an audiologist and any needed reprogramming in the hearing aid. During this time, hearing aids can be returned. When hearing aids are returned, patients are typically still charged a fee for fitting.

Check the warranty: It should cover parts, maintenance and repairs for a specified time.

Beware of misleading claims: Hearing aids can’t restore perfect hearing or eliminate all background noises. Free consultations may not be the source of unbiased advice, especially when the provider is selling only one brand of hearing aid.

Plan for the expense: Medicare doesn’t pay for hearing aids. Some insurers pay for part or all of the cost. Costs can vary considerably, up to several thousand dollars.

Allow adjustment time: It takes time, patience and practice to get used to wearing a hearing aid.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Questions Remain on how Aggressively to Treat

Doctors and their patients with a specific type of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are successfully employing treatments to beat the disease, with 10-year survival rates approaching nearly 100 percent.

But questions remain on how aggressively to treat this cancer. The October issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource lays out the issues and treatment choices.

DCIS occurs when abnormal cells multiply and form a growth within a breast’s milk duct. The cells are considered cancerous but have remained in place within the milk duct. “In situ” means “in place.”

More than 62,000 cases of DCIS are diagnosed in the United States annually, making it the most rapidly increasing type of noninvasive cancer. The majority of DCIS cases — about 90 percent — are discovered during routine mammograms. DCIS usually has no outward signs or symptoms.

DCIS isn’t considered life threatening, but, if not detected and treated, it can progress to a more serious form of invasive cancer. The best treatment approach is still being debated.

Lumpectomy or mastectomy: Most women with DCIS are good candidates for a lumpectomy, where a portion of breast tissue is removed. However, there’s a slightly higher chance that the cancer will return after a lumpectomy than after a mastectomy, which involves removal of breast tissue, skin, areola and nipple.

Mastectomy is commonly recommended when the area of DCIS is large or in several parts of one breast. Women may choose this option if they can’t have or don’t want radiation. Some women choose to have both breasts removed to prevent recurrence or a new cancer.

Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is almost always recommended after a lumpectomy. Research has shown that it significantly reduces the chances that DCIS will recur or progress to an invasive form of cancer. Radiation is usually given five days a week for five to six weeks. Some research has questioned whether this approach is overly aggressive, particularly for older women with small, slow-growing tumors.

Tamoxifen therapy: Tamoxifen is a synthetic hormone that can be used to help treat or prevent the development of breast cancers. It’s approved as therapy after surgery or radiation to prevent recurrence of DCIS or a new cancer in the opposite breast. But, some doctors don’t recommend it because no evidence shows that tamoxifen improves long-term survival with this type of cancer. Taking tamoxifen can result in side effects such as hot flashes. And tamoxifen may increase the risk of blood clots and cancer of the uterus.

Researchers are attempting to better understand which women with DCIS are at highest and lowest risk of recurrence. That information would help in determining the most appropriate treatment. In the meantime, patients and their care providers should discuss the pros and cons of all treatment approaches.

Source: Mayo Clinic

If you have been earning money from home, then you would know that niche marketing is key to a profitable online business.

So what exactly is niche marketing? Niche marketing is selling specific products or services to a limited audience. One person with a computer, an internet connection and a good idea can go into business for himself on the Internet and target the people who would be most interested in what he has to sell and do all of the above on a very limited advertising budget.

For example, if you have concocted a shampoo formula that will take chlorine out of a person’s hair, you can’t compete with giant companies that sell shampoo but you can narrow your market down to a niche and target sales to those who have swimming pools. You buy a domain, get a server, and build a website to advertise your product JUST to people who have swimming pools. Or it may be a niche on colon cleanse and you need to target those who are real serious about health issues.

Finding the right niche for what you have to sell isn’t really all that difficult if you are working to earn money from home. Just think about who the people are who would be most interested in what you have to sell.

Parents should take extra care in selecting toys for young children and supervising their play during the holidays, according to a leading eye surgeon.

According to Dr. Mark Borchert, director, The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, certain toys, such as BB guns, pose a particular danger for young children. “While a BB gun pellet may not break the skin of a young child, it can puncture his eye very easily. Unfortunately, every Christmas I see young children in our emergency room who have had an eye destroyed by a BB pellet.”

The eye surgeon said parents with young children should avoid toys that shoot projectiles, have parts that fly off or can be shattered into sharp pieces. He added that scissors, rubber bands and deflated balloons — often left out at holiday time — should be collected, since they can be dangerous in the hands of younger children.

It also is a good idea to explain to a child how a new toy is properly used and to promptly throw away broken toys.

The Consumer Products and Safety Commission reports that more than 230,000 toy-related injuries are treated at U.S. emergency rooms annually. Of those injured, approximately one third were under the age of five, and three quarters were under the age of 15. More than 45 percent of injuries were to the head and face.

Dr. Borchert noted that during busy holiday times, young children are at higher risk for injuring their eyes because they often have less adult supervision.

“If you are hosting young children in your home, be sure to get furniture corner protectors for tables, cabinets and windowsills. Young children are prone to falling into low-lying objects,” he added.

If you suspect your child has suffered an eye injury look for these symptoms:

– There is blood in the clear part of the eye;
– Your child has obvious pain or trouble seeing;
– One eye does not move as well as the other;
– The eye has an unusual pupil size or shape.

If your child’s eye is injured, he should be seen immediately by your family physician or an emergency room doctor. A physician should use an ophthalmoscope to look inside the eye to check for damage that may not be readily apparent. Corneal abrasion, bleeding in the eye, damage to the lens, retina or even optic nerve, are all possible depending on the type of blow the eye receives.

If necessary, the child should be seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist. A child under the age of five is at increased risk of permanent loss of vision from eye injury because the immature brain may lose the ability to see even if the eye is repaired.

Source: The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles