Coventry Health Care - The Benefits And Advantages

Coventry Health Care is a massive company that has proved to be very effective over the years for a number of people seeking health insurance. They manage various insurance companies, PPOs, HMOs and worker compensation companies and can thus offer a hug variety of health care service products that is unrivalled elsewhere. Coventry Health Care does not restrict you as to what type of cover you can have because they cater for individuals, government agencies, small companies, large companies and can thus cater for all of your health care needs.

The Benefits Of Coventry Health Care

The first major benefit of searching for Coventry Health Care is that it is so easy to find information on them. All you have to do for a good insight into Coventry Health Care is go to their website. Everything you need to know is on there for you to have a good look at. There is a comprehensive guide to their services and the product they offer as well as a lit of offices that you can call or visit for further information. As they are so accessible you can have complete confidence that you will know exactly what the terms and conditions of the policy that you take out are.

When you have a health care policy with Coventry Health Care, you can be sure that you are in safe hands. There is no hassle like that associated with other companies because you only have to phone Coventry Health Care instead of having to phone around several different companies before speaking to the right person if you go with another provider. Owing to customer complaints in the past, Coventry Health Care have made it so that the consumer gets the best deal possible by putting everything under one specific roof for ease of contact and use. You get convenience as well as comprehensive health insurance, and all at a lower cost!

Coventry Health Care is a consumer friendly company that re more than willing to help their customers through any medical situation or problem. Regardless of what your wants and needs are, they can really help you because of their sheer range of products and focus on customer confidence. You can simply call them up to discuss your options, and they will then tailor the policy to your needs. Do not be surprised if they ask you question after question because they take pride in knowing that all of their customers are well covered and very satisfied. Check Coventry Health Care out online or call them today for peace of mind!

Aurora Health Care- The Best Non-Profit Health Care

Aurora Health Care offers a variety of services for an individual to tap into. Aurora Health Care is a health care provider with some prestige and a great reputation to live up to, and also doubles up as a one-stop shop for jobs in the healthcare sector. Aurora Health Care also offers classes and advice on all aspects of health care. In truth, it actually provides a far better level of care and information than any of its competitors do, and that can only be a positive thing!

Aurora Health Care provides a service for both registered patients and those that are no registered as well. If you do register with them then you can request emergency and same day appointments as well as simply asking for advice from time to time. However, non-registered patients have to wait for appointments, although they can still make them as and when necessary. They cannot ask for emergency service, and so should actually call an ambulance if needed.

All Of Your Health Care Needs

Aurora Health Care does not stop at simply providing appointments. It can in fact take care of all of your needs, including providing convenient pharmacies. There are many Aurora Health Care pharmacies located around the country, thus making it easier to request a prescription or a refill as and when you like. You may find one on a high street, in a clinic or hospital, or even at your local supermarket if it is big enough to include several independent stores.

Aurora Health Care may host women's services at a clinic or pharmacy too. Obviously women have more specialist problems than men do as a result of reproduction and so Aurora Health Care has quite rightly provided a specialist service that is dedicated to the health care of women as a result. Alongside that is a specialist service for seniors too. In old age, everybody's health will dramatically decline over a period of time. This service deals with cancer, arthritis, mental degeneration and a whole host of other ailments that a senior may need from time to time or as a part of ongoing care.

Aurora Health Care also specializes in cancer care because the care for individuals with cancer is often neglected by health insurance companies. It can be so expensive and so draining on a family's income that it is better to invest in health insurance that does cater for that eventuality.

Of course, Aurora Health Care is not just limited to the elements set out above but they are often the tings that individuals look for in a service. It is definitely worth considering Aurora Health Care because they cater for so many needs, including any that you may have right now!

The Health Care Crisis Statistics

The Health Care Crisis Statistics in today's world shows a major increase in medicine and health. The insurance headlines in the news have skyrocketed among the top statistics over the past few years about how high the cost of insurance is in America. There are some key factors that make up the health care crisis statistics in America today. The key factors are legislation, capital, constitution, health insurance, industry, health care, health care system, news, and Medicaid. The legislation is one of the key factors of statistics in America today. The reason why legislation is a key factor is because it controls the laws and marketplace that insurance companies have to abide by when providing care to people in America.

Capital is another key factor because as the statistics in health care increases in America the more people will have to pay to maintain their health insurance and care in America. Therefore the capital in America will always increase because of the growing statistics in the United States of America. The constitution is another factor in the growing statistics in the United States today. In order for the health care statistics to grow at the rate they are now in America to have a significant effect on long term health care is due to the constitution. Health insurance is one of the biggest key factors that continue to increase statistics in the world. Whether you have insurance, or not you still are subject to the cost of inflation due to health insurance in America. The ways that a different industry provides, or sells health insurance to companies is a major contributor to the statistics in America.

Health care is the number one hot spot in America that consistently continues to raise the marketplace value up with the average annual premiums that are being charged to people in the United States. The health care system in more ways than one are producing more astronomical premiums for individuals that pay for insurance coverage, and as a result more people fall into the slot of being uninsured in America. The news covers a great amount of detail in the health care field to uncover the national health insurance crisis in the world today. Medicaid alone accounts for about 20% of the statistics in America. Let's look at some more detail aspects of the health care crisis statistics in America today. The US spends over four times as much on health care as it does on defense spending in America. Health insurance and cost for medical treatment are escalating faster than any other segment of the economy. It has everyone worried such as employers, employees, retirees, and politicians in America.

In 2006 alone, small employers' premiums rose by 8.8 percent, and companies with less than 24 employees saw an increase of over 10% for the year. The average annual premium charged by insurers for family coverage averaged $11,500 in 2006. Employees paid out almost $3,000 of that, amounting to 10 percent more than in the previous year. A full-time, minimum-wage employee makes just over $10,000 a year, meaning that the total premium for health insurance coverage was more than the worker's annual wage. According to the National Coalition on Health Care, employee's insurance premiums increased by 73% from 2000-2005. Inflation over that same period was 14%. Wages rose 15%. Premiums are skyrocketing to the point that they're close to going into orbit! As of October, 2006, over 46 million people were uninsured. We're not talking about deadbeats, either. The vast majority of the uninsured are working people with families. They may not be offered insurance through their employer, or they cannot afford the premiums.

Many self-employed people are uninsured, and the astronomical premiums for individual insurance put them off the playing field all together--or before existing conditions prevent them from getting insurance that will cover them for the very conditions they will most likely need care for. Many people have found that a home-based business is a very effective way to get the cash rolling into their medical-savings-account with money to spare. I have personally found out through many another people that a home based business is the way to go in America today.

National Security And Global Public Health

By Melvin J. Howard

Global public health securitycovers a wide range of complex issues, including the health consequences ofhuman behavior, climate change, weather-related events and infectious diseases,as well as natural catastrophes and man-made disasters. Many people don’t thinkof national security when it comes to health care. But lets go back inhistory Europeans brought the first diseases against which theNative Americans had no immunity. Chicken pox and measles, though common andrarely fatal among Europeans, often proved fatal to Native Americans, and moredangerous diseases such as smallpox were especially deadly to Native Americanpopulations. It is difficult to estimate the total percentage of the NativeAmerican population killed by these diseases. Epidemics often immediatelyfollowed European exploration, sometimes destroying entire villages. Somehistorians estimate that up to 80% of some Native populations may have died dueto European diseases. Inaddition to the diseases brought over by the first wave of immigrants toHawaii, leprosy, whose origin is not known and for which there has never been acure, had a profound effect on the public health of native Hawaiians. Becauseof the social stigma attached to the diseases (it was mistakenly thought to bea venereal disease) as well as its extreme contagiousness, lepers were isolatedon the island of Molokai beginning in 1886. For 16 years, a Belgian priestnamed Demian Joseph de Veuster provided medical care for these patients, whomthe medical community refused to treat, before succumbing to the illnesshimself in 1889.

Compared toHawaiians of European and Asian ancestry, native Hawaiians have continued tobear the brunt of the archipelago's health problems. Whereas Hawaii as a wholeboasts the longest average life span of any state (males live an average 75.37years, females, 80.92 years), the death rates of native Hawaiians at all agesare above average. The infant mortality rate for native Hawaiians is 6.5 per1,000 live births. In addition, native Hawaiians experience high rates ofdiabetes and hypertension. Health workers consider poor diet a major factor,and economic problems undoubtedly contribute to this situation.

Then there was thedreaded Black Plague or Black Death, the most severe epidemic in human history,ravaged Europe from 1347-1351. It is thought that as many as 25 million people(one third of Europe's population at the time) were killed during this shortperiod,. Thousands of people died each week. This plague killed entire familiesat a time and destroyed at least 1,000 villages.Once a family member had contracted the disease, the entire household wasdoomed to die. Parents abandoned their children, and parent-less childrenroamed the streets in search for food. If the people weren't dead they ran awayin vain attempts to save themselves. Victims, delirious with pain, often losttheir sanity. Life was in total chaos. The Black Death struck the Europeanpeople with very little warning. They did not understand the causes of infectiousdisease, or how they spread. They did not have the ability to understandwhere this sudden cruel death had come from. And they did not know whether itwould ever go away. The Plague was a disaster without a parallel, causingdramatic changes in medieval Europe, contributing to what is called the Crisisof the Fourteenth Century.

National Security 

The Obama's administration National Security Strategy, is a 52page document intended to guide U.S. military and diplomatic policy for years,is to eliminate the need for the U.S. to strike first or take unilateralmilitary action," the policy puts "heavy emphasis on the value ofglobal cooperation, developing wider security partnerships and helping othernations defend themselves." The strategy also outlined the importance ofimproving the U.S. economy for national security "through bettereducation, national debt reduction, a stronger U.S.clean energy industry, greater scientific research and a revamped healthcare system. In the strategy President Obamawrites that the U.S. Armed Forces "will always be a cornerstone of oursecurity, but they must be complemented." Obama adds, "Our securitydepends on diplomats who can act in every corner of the world ... development expertswho can strengthen governance and support human dignity. Part of the documentfocuses on promoting national security through globalhealth and related efforts. "Thefreedom that America stands for includes freedom from want. Basic human rights cannot thrive inplaces where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, orthe medicine they need to survive," the document states, noting the U.S.role in assisting with efforts to achieve the U.N. Millennium DevelopmentGoals.

The strategy cites examples of how the U.S. aims to"promote dignity ... through development efforts." They include, theGlobal Health Initiative (GHI), U.S. foodsecurity programs and leadership inhumanitarian crises. The U.S. "has a moral and strategic interest in promotingglobal health. When a child dies of a preventable disease, it offends ourconscience; when a disease goes unchecked, it can endanger our own health; whenchildren are sick, development is stalled," according to a section of thedocument that focuses on the GHI. On food security, the document states thatinstead of simply providing aid for developing countries, we are focusing onnew methods and technologies for agricultural development. This is consistentwith an approach in which aid is not an end in itself – the purpose of ourforeign assistance will be to create the conditions where it is no longerneeded. We are promoting child and maternal health. We are combating humantrafficking, especially in women and girls, through domestic and internationallaw enforcement. And we are supporting education, employment, and micro-financeto empower women globally. Global public healthsecurity depends on actions to prevent and respond to threats that endanger thecollective health of the global population. Those threats have an impact oneconomic or political stability, trade, tourism, access to goods and servicesand, if they occur repeatedly, on demographic stability.

Environmental threats to global health security

Non-occupational human exposure to arsenic in theenvironment is primarily through the ingestion offood and water. Of these, food is generally the principal contributor to thedaily intake of total arsenic. In some areas arsenicin drinking water is a significant source of exposure to inorganic arsenic. Inthese cases, arsenic in drinking water often constitutes the principalcontributor to the daily arsenic intake. Contaminated soils such as minetailings are also a potential source of arsenic exposure. Inorganic arseniclevels in fish and shellfish are low. Foodstuffs such as meat, poultry, dairyproducts and cereals have higher levels of inorganic arsenic. Pulmonaryexposure contributes to smokers and non-smoker alike, and more in pollutedareas. The concentration of metabolites ofinorganic arsenic in urine (inorganic arsenic, MMA and DMA) reflects the absorbeddose of inorganic arsenic on an individual level. Exposure ofthe general population to arsenic occurs mainly through food and water and inmost areas, food is the main source. Arsenic in food is mainly in the form oforganic arsenic, which is generally thought to pose less health problems thaninorganic arsenic. About one-quarter of the arsenic present in the diet isinorganic arsenic, mainly from foods such as meat, poultry, dairy products andcereals. Fish and shellfish contain the highest concentrations ofarsenic, but the proportion of inorganic arsenic in fish is very low, below 1%.In some areas, where levels of arsenic in groundwater are high, drinking watermay be the main source of intake. In drinking water, arsenic is present inthe more toxic, inorganic form. Contaminated soils such as mine tailingsare also a potential source of arsenic exposure.

Urbanization, increasing international trade and travel hascontributed to the rapid spread of viruses andinsects that carry them. For instance, dengue causedan unprecedented pandemic in 1998, with1.2 million cases reported to the WHO World HealthOrganization in 56 countries. Since then, dengue epidemics havecontinued and have affected millions of people from Latin America to South-EastAsia. Globally, the average annual number of cases reported to WHO has nearlydoubled in each of the last four decades. Surveillance is crucial for public health securityand without it, it is impossible to detect and respond to emerging healththreats. For instance, HIV and AIDS had perhapsbeen occurring for many years in Africa and Haiti but had not been detected dueto inadequate surveillance and health systems in these developing countries. Thisnew disease was only brought to international attention when the first fewcases appeared in the United States. Even then, the disease was not detected bysurveillance systems but by chance, when epidemiologists noticed an unusualnumber of orders for drugs to treat a rare infection thatis common in AIDS cases.

The behavior of individuals at all levels – politicalleaders, policy-makers, military commanders, public health specialists and thegeneral population – can have major health consequences, both negative andpositive. Threatsto public health security such as natural disasters, epidemics ofinfectious diseases, chemical and radioactiveemergencies or other health events, can have one or more causes. The causes maybe natural or man-made, environmental or industrial, accidental or deliberate,and in many cases related to human behaviour. Public health is undermined notonly by human action but also by the lack thereof. Complacencyand a false sense of security can tempt governments to reduce spending onpublic health and to scale down prevention programmes with potentiallydisastrous consequences for collective global health.

Healthcare and College Students

Guest post written by Cyndi Laurenti

Imagine being sick for weeks at a time, orfalling and injuring your knee so badly you can hardly walk even after days ofrest. Now imagine not being able to get checked out by a doctor because youdon't have health insurance and simply can't afford it otherwise.Unfortunately, this is an all too common problem for many people in America,and young people pursuing higher education from online undergraduate degrees to PhDs havebeen hit the hardest.

After graduating high school, many students choose to go on to college in orderto increase their odds of a better future. This is both beneficial to studentsand to the country, as these young adults will be the future workers andleaders of America. College isn't cheap, however, and most students have littlechoice but to take out loans or work multiple jobs just to afford their books.

Attending college full time while also working is nearly impossible in itself.Many students choose to work part time or to switch jobs during the summer whenthey can return home for awhile. Because of this sort of work situation,there's very limited room for the professional advancement that might includebenefits such as health insurance for working college students.

Without health insurance from jobs or parents, students can only pay for itthemselves. For most, this is simply unfeasible. These young adults areadjusting to living on their own, paying bills, car insurance, book costs, andmore, usually while only working for minimum wage.

For working students, it can easily comedown to a decision between paying the electricity bill, paying for food, orgetting health insurance. While healthcare may be important, the cost ofinsurance easily gets pushed aside by more pressing priorities. Needless tosay, paying healthcare costs out of pocket is also likely to be out of thequestion, so students are likely to simply go without regular, non-emergencyhealthcare.

Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with good health. Of course, with thecost of medical care in this country so expensive, many ignore warning symptomsuntil emergency care is required. For example, let's say a college studentbecomes sick one day with a worse-than-usual cold. He doesn't have money tospare for a doctor visit, so decides not to go for a checkup but instead totough it out. Weeks go by and the initially harmless illness develops intopneumonia. One night, when the student is unable to breathe, an ambulance iscalled and he is rushed to the hospital. The medical bills are suddenly throughthe roof. The college student, already up to his neck in debt, simply has noway to pay for it.

These situations are all too common across the country. As of 2008, 1.7 millioncollege-age students were uninsured. Because of this, many people arebeginning to worry about the long-term effects of this demographic goingwithout healthcare.

Currently, Americans have an averagelife expectancy of 78 years. This is mostly due to the superb medical carewithin the country. Around 100 years ago, before doctors treated patients on aregular basis, the life expectancy was only 47. With young people unable to payfor routine medical care, many worry preventable illness will wear down thebody, causing the life expectancy of this generation to be the first todecrease in the last century.

It's simply impractical to expect college students to pay even more than theastronomically rising cost of education, which will saddle many with debt formost of their lives. These young adults are American's future. Unless somethingis changed to make healthcare more easily available to students, they'llunnecessarily face declining health over the coming decades. The high cost ofhealthcare combined with heavy student debt doesn't bode well for the nation'shealth as the new generation comes of age.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

While she figures out her next careermove, Cyndi Laurenti works as an online writer and editor. Her primaryinterests are education, technology, and how to combine them. She enjoys thetrees and beaches of the Pacific Northwest, and looking things up on otherpeople's iPhones.

Doc take the afternoon off let's get a drink and talk

My Doctor Needs A Doctor

By Melvin J. Howard

I was watching a episode of House MD which by the way is one of my favorite TV shows. What I find fascinating about the show is that it exposes all the flaws of the main character for the whole world to see not only in the work environment but in his personal life as well. We seldom forget that doctors are people to with their own problems from dating, family conflicts to business and professional set backs. Just imagine after years and years of intensive medicaltraining, nights without sleep, rigorous exams and a demanding workload, youmade it, you became a doctor. You also have another full-time job, as a mom ordad. Now the reality has set in and you wonder how on earth you can continue inthe medical profession and have a balanced family life. It's not what youimagined. With increased patient loads, the stress of dealing with insurancecompanies and HMOs and piles of paperwork, you're burned-out, unenthusiasticand your personal life is suffering. You fulfilled your dream, but how can thisbe? Is it just you? What can you do?

"It is becomingincreasingly difficult to manage a medical career and a personal life, which isreally nonexistent and has been for some time now". One doctor says,"Most of the doctors I know are frustrated being in the profession. Manywould leave if they found a way to support their current lifestyles. Most areso locked into their earnings that they cannot conceive of leaving medicine,despite the unhappiness. Finding an alternative career that allows them to paythe bills and add balance to their family life can be extremely difficult,especially when student loans can top $100,000. Many doctors aren't living afancy lifestyle with bulging bank balances. Like working women in otherprofessions, financial priorities include childcare, loans, mortgages, familyexpenditures and so on. Even if available, cutting back hours simply isn't anoption for many many physicians.

To find an alternative isdifficult if not impossible a young doctor, only four years out of residency,in a low-paying specialty (family practice) and has a astronomical student loanpayments to make ($125K-something that the older physicians in previouspractice did not understand at all) which pretty much precludes a young doctorfrom decreasing their  hours/workload asmuch as they would like to. And even if they could have afforded to just cutback on hours, the partners in their practice would not tolerate it withoutextreme penalty. Managed care changes, HIPPA laws, malpractice lawsuits andMedicare regulations have also contributed to physician stress. "I believethat medicine is incredibly demanding (even part-time). Patients expect far toomuch. Managed care expects us to solve unsolvable problems with less than 15minutes per patient", says another family practioner with two school agechildren. She goes on to say, "Despite working only 2-3 days per week, Istill feel like giving up medicine all together because of the awful workingconditions... I honestly don't know too many doctors who enjoy medicineanymore".

Another member describes herday, "I see close to 60 people a day in my ob-gyn practice. Don't ask howI do it because at the end of the day, my head is swirling. I do this becausethat is the only way I can make my overhead and actually take home enough topay for the nanny and student loans. It is ridiculous." So why practice atall?Many doctors still love whatthey do, love interacting with patients, love diagnosing them, teaching themand getting patients to take care of themselves. "It feels good when theytell me I'm the best doctor in the world... I love trying to figure out how toadd quality in to the work I do every day" says one single mom physician.

Another member says,"what a privilege it is to practice medicine... But that privilege comeswith a huge responsibility. I must be continuously vigilant that I ampracticing the kind of medicine that I was trained to do (i.e. being thoroughand spending time with patients). There are no shortcuts to providing goodcare. Hyper efficiency does not exist in the world of good medical care.. Andno one can sustain good medical practice when they are burned out.".

In the biggest study of marrieddoctors to date, the American College of Surgeons surveyed nearly 8,000 of itsmembers, 90% of whom were married. Of those, half had spouses or partners whodid not work outside the home. About a third of the double-income couples wereactually double-doctor duos, and in about a third of those marriages, bothpartners were surgeons. In fact, the study notes that something like 50% offemale surgeons are married to physicians. This is in keeping with currentmarital trends. Plus it just makes sense. Who's better atunderstanding the stresses and strains of a physician's life than anotherphysician? Luckily, there are more femalesurgeons than there have been before, so there are more aroundto marry. 

And since medical students are busy particularly those training to besurgeons are more likely to socialize among their own. No wonder that the studysuggests surgeon-surgeon marriages are on the rise.

You'd think that two-doctorfamilies would be idyllic: not only are both parents well-paid and competent athandling Baby's late night fever spike, but they're also able to appreciateeach other's latest bit of O.R. gossip and compete to beat Gregory House at thecorrect diagnosis.

But, it turns out, not so much.Surgeons in dual physician relationships had greater difficulty in balancingtheir parenting and career responsibilities," than those who had partnerswho stayed home or worked in other areas, finds the study, which was authoredby Liselotte N. Dyrbye, an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo ClinicCollege. Specifically, two-doctor couples were more likely to delay havingchildren and to feel that their work did not leave enough time for a familylife.

For surgeons married to othersurgeons, the picture was even grimmer. They were more likely to report thatchild-rearing had slowed their career, and they were more "likely to stayhome from work to care for a sick child and more often surrogated theircareer" in favor of their partner's career, the study said. Half thesurgeons married to other doctors said they had experienced career conflictwith their spouse and only about a third of them thought they had enough timefor their personal lives. Closer to 40% of doctors married to non-doctors feltthat way. Despite this, individuals from the two-surgeon families felt about thesame amount of burnout and depression as surgeons married to non-surgeons. Thisdoesn't stop the study from concluding that "the higher prevalence ofdepressive symptoms and clinically significant lower mental quality of lifeamong surgeons married or partnered to surgeons suggests that the work-lifehurdles could be taking a toll on their mental health."

 An extensive body of literaturedemonstrates that the life of a physician's spouse (until recently synonymouswith a physician's wife) is fraught with stress and links such stressesprimarily with the spouse's occupation. The role of physician conflicts withthe role of husband and father and that the structure of medicine makes thecuring and caring roles mutually exclusive. The role strain, role conflict,susceptible personality type and loss of self-esteem as stress factors. Many authors havetestified that marital conflict is a major source of stress in the lives of physicians'spouses. The role conflicts between the physician and his wife, particularlyregarding the division of time between professional and family tasks, seem tobecome rigid rather than negotiated. Over time, the spouse often comes to feelneglected, lonely and painfully aware of a lack of individual and personalmeaning in her life. In addition, the physician's status in the community andprofessional world often seems to contrast sharply with that of the spouse, whomay feel that she is "one down" and is the losing competitor in themarriage. Power issues, expressed through the physician's greater flexibilityand control over money and other resources, may contribute to marital discordbecause the wife's power is usually limited to family and social relationships.Thus, the physician's spouse often struggles with confusion over identity andthe effects of role strain.

The physician-husband'sdirective professional role, if carried into the home, may be a major source ofmarital stress, which in turn may lead to psychiatric disorder in eitherpartner. Many authors have identified psychiatric disorders such as depression,anxiety, suicidal tendencies and psychosocial stress as major health problemsfor physicians' many observed that physician's wives admitted to hospital fordepression or drug and alcohol abuse wereoften angry and hostile because they felt neglected by their husbands andemotionally unfulfilled .Also, physicians' wives may come under significant butperhaps covert stress because their concerns and complaints about their healthoften seem to be ignored or minimized by their husbands and other health carepersonnel. Despite being surrounded by medical expertise, physicians' spousesreceived surprisingly poor health care. According to a study physicians' wivesfelt that their husbands minimized their own families' medical problems.Medical crises often developed as a result of this attitude. In a comparativestudy of the number of obstetric, pediatric and psychiatric complications ofphysicians' wives and teachers-lecturers, it was observed that nurses onpostnatal wards failed to report mild psychiatric problems among thephysicians' wives.

In recent years the physician'sspouse has come under a new stress. Historically, physicians and their spouseshave held an honoured and unique place in society. However, this esteem for themedical profession is being eroded as its members become increasingly involvedin business and union-like activities. In response to this inimical environmentmany physicians work harder and show greater commitment to their patients, butat a cost to their personal life-style; many of the wives silently grieve theloss of public esteem and feel anonymous and forgotten by contemporary society.

Life Style Diseases

Effects on world health and the economy

By Melvin J. Howard 

Next week, the U.N. General Assembly will hold its first summiton chronic diseases  cancer, diabetesand heart and lung disease. Those account for nearly two-thirds of deathsworldwide, or about 36 million. In the United States, they kill nearly 9 out of10 people. They have common risk factors, such as smoking and sedentarylifestyles, and many are preventable. This is only the second time in thehistory of the UN that the General Assembly meets on a health issue (the lastissue was AIDS). The aim is for countries to adopt a concise, action-orientedoutcome document that will shape the global agendas for generations to come.

Non-Communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and pandemic influenzaattract a lot of attention, but the NCDs are more deadly, accounting for 63percent of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization(WHO). The U.N. General Assembly will convene a special session on NCDsSeptember 19–20 of this year in New York with the goal of adopting an action plan for theinternational health community to attack the problem. This session emerges fromthe growing realization that premature deaths from these health problems impedeeconomic development. These diseases can entrench an individual or a family inpoverty because of the inability to work or the cost of medical treatment.Expand those individual difficulties to a broader scale, and they can inhibitnational economic progress. The global cost of NCDs from 2005 to 2030 isestimated at $35 trillion, according to a World Bank study.

Worldwide,stroke and heart-related diseases account for nearly half of all noninfectiousdisease deaths 17 million in 2008 alone, WHO says. Next is cancer (7.6 milliondeaths), followed by respiratory diseases such as emphysema (4.2 million).Diabetes caused 1.3 million deaths in 2008, but that’s misleading — mostdiabetics die of cardiovascular causes. The U.N. chose to focus on those four diseases and theircommon risk factors: tobacco use, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diets, physicalinactivity and environmental carcinogens.

Europe and North America. Too much eating, toolittle exercise and smoking: heart disease and diabetes dominate. Cancers thatare more prevalent with age breast and prostate reflect long life spans inthese regions where treatment is widely available. In Eastern Europe and theformer Soviet Union, lung cancer is the dominant cancer in men. Europe has thehighest smoking prevalence in the world: 29 per cent. Asia. Southeast Asia has the lowest rates of obesity in theworld, even lower than Africa. Yet in China, where only 6 per cent of thepopulation is obese, nearly 4 in 10 people have high blood pressure. China alsohas three times the death rate from respiratory diseases as the United States.Many areas also have high rates of infection with HPV, a sexually spread virusthat can cause cervical cancer. In India, the government has launched anaggressive diabetes and high blood pressure screening project. There are 51million diabetics in India, the second-highest incidence in the world afterChina. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer in India among men; inwomen, it’s cervical cancer. Central and South America. Cancerprevalence patterns largely resemble North America except that cervical cancerdominates among women in certain areas. Access to care is much poorer in manycountries. Volunteers for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told ofconditions at a hospital in Honduras, where there are more than 700 new cancercases every year for two oncologists to handle.

THE MONEY THE POLITICS THE COMPANIES THE FIGHTS BEHIND  THE CONFERENCE 

The World’s Mental Health

Chance are you know someone close to you with amental illness

By Melvin J. Howard

It all starts with the brain emotional memoriesdiffer from normal memories in that they result from traumas. They arefrightening at the time, but even worst, these memories can become enduring anddistort our outlooks thereafter. They appear to react more strongly to negativethan positive events. Emotional memories are locked in a separate neuralcircuitry in the brain, mediated primarily by two of the limbic organs, thehippocampus and amyagdala. According to WHO (World Health Organization), mentalhealth is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes hisor her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productivelyand fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or hercommunity". WHO stresses that mental health "is not just the absenceof mental disorder".

Mentalhealth (disorders) can affect anyone Doctors, Lawyers, and even Politicians

Experts say we all have the potential for sufferingfrom mental health problems, no matter how old we are, whether we are male orfemale, rich or poor, or ethnic group we belong to. In the UK over one quarterof a million people are admitted into psychiatric hospitals each year, and morethan 4,000 people kill themselves. They come from all walks of life. According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, USA) mentaldisorders are "common in the USA and internationally". Approximately57.7 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder in a given year, which isapproximately 26.2% of adults. However, the main burden of illness isconcentrated in about 1 in 17 people (6%) who suffer from a serious mentalillness. Approximately half of all people who suffer from a mental disorderprobably suffer from another mental disorder at the same time, expertssay. In the UK, Canada, the USA and much of the developed world, mentaldisorders are the leading cause of disability among people aged 15 to 44. Themost common forms of mental illnesses are:

Anxiety disorders - Most people with an anxiety disorder will tryto avoid exposure to whatever triggers their anxiety. Examples of anxietydisorders include: Panic disorder - the person experiences suddenparalysing terror or imminent disaster. Phobias - these mayinclude simple phobias - disproportionate fear ofobjects, social phobias - fear of being subject to the judgment ofothers, and agoraphobia - dread of situations where getting away orbreaking free may be difficult. Obsessive-compulsive disorder - theperson has obsessions and compulsions. In other words, constant stressfulthoughts (obsessions), and a powerful urge to perform repetitive acts, such ashand washing (compulsion). PSTD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) -this can occur after somebody has been through a traumatic event - somethinghorrible and scary that the person sees or that happens to him or her. Duringthis type of event the person thinks that his/her life or other people's livesare in danger. The sufferer may feel afraid or feel that he/she has no controlover what is happening. Mood disorders - these are also known asaffective disorders or depressive disorders. Patients with these illnessesshare disturbances or mood changes, generally involving either mania (elation)or  depression. Expertssay that approximately 80% of patients with depressive disorder improvesignificantly with treatment. Examples of mood disorders include: Majordepression - the sufferer is not longer interested in and does notenjoy activities and events that he/she previously got pleasure from. There areextreme or prolonged periods of sadness. Bipolar disorder - alsoknown as manic-depressive illness, or manic depression. The sufferer oscillatesfrom episodes of euphoria (mania) and depression (despair). Dysthymia -mild chronic depression. Chronic in medicine means continuous and long-term.The patient has a chronic feeling of ill being and/or lack of interest inactivities he/she once enjoyed - but to a lesser extent than in majordepression. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) - a type of majordepression. However, this one is triggered by lack of daylight. People get itin countries far from the equator during late autumn, winter, and early spring.Schizophrenia disorders - The sufferer has thoughts that appearfragmented; he/she also finds it hard to process information. Schizophrenia canhave negative or positive symptoms. Positive symptomsinclude delusions, thought disorders and hallucinations. Negative symptomsinclude withdrawal, lack of motivation and a flat or inappropriate mood.

Treatmentsand strategies for mental health problems

There are various ways people with mental healthproblems might receive treatment. It is important to know that what works forone person may not work for another; this is especially the case with mentalhealth. Some strategies or treatment are more successful when combined withothers. The patient himself/herself with a chronic (long-term) mental disordermay draw on different options at different stages in his/her life. The majorityof experts say that the well-informed patient is probably the best judge ofwhat treatment suits him/her better. It is crucial that healthcareprofessionals be aware of this.

Often people wait a longtime before they ask for help they and their family feel that something iswrong but they don’t know what. They also may be reluctant to ask for help inaddition, diagnosing a mental disorder can take time months or even years.Observations by family and friends in the disturbance in your behaviour are thefirst indicators. This should be followed up with psychological tests of anexperience health professional your doctor or a specialized mental healthprofessional such as psychiatrist or psychologist. There are a number ofreasons people struggle with mental disorder they simply don’t know what’swrong they just feel different. Or they feel the can beat it on their own.Exasperated family and friends are at their wits ends to deal with the issue.Yet we know that the earlier people get help, the better the outcome. One wayto get the help you need for yourself or someone you know is to educate yourselfabout what a mental disorder looks like.

As reported by (Reuters) - Europeans are plagued bymental and neurological illnesses, with almost 165 million people or 38 percentof the population suffering each year from a brain disorder such as depression,anxiety, insomnia or dementia, according to a large new study. With onlyabout a third of cases receiving the therapy or medication needed, mentalillnesses cause a huge economic and social burden -- measured in the hundredsof billions of euros -- as sufferers become too unwell to work and personalrelationships break down. "Mental disorders have become Europe's largesthealth challenge of the 21st century," the study's authors said. At thesame time, some big drug companies are backing away from investment in researchon how the brain works and affects behavior, putting the onus on governmentsand health charities to stump up funding for neuroscience. "The immensetreatment gap ... for mental disorders has to be closed," said Hans UlrichWittchen, director of the institute of clinical psychology and psychotherapy atGermany's Dresden University and the lead investigator on the European study.

Help Yourself

Alterations in lifestyle, which may include a better diet, lower alcohol andillegal drug consumption, exercise and getting enough sleep can make enormousdifferences to a mental health patient's mental health.

Diet and mental health

Itis an accepted fact that food affects how people feel, think and behave. Mostexperts accept that dietary interventions could have an impact on a number ofthe mental health challenges society faces today. So, why is it thatgovernments and public health authorities in developed economies invest solittle in developing this knowledge? The evidence is growing and becomingmore compelling that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatmentof people with mental health problems, including depression, ADHD (attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder). Experts are talking about an integratedapproach, which recognizes the interplay of biological, psychological, socialand environmental factors - with diet in the middle of it as being key.Individuals can do something about their diet themselves and improve theirmental health. 

It is estimated that in the UK people eat 4 kilogramsof food additives each year. Scientists are not sure what effect decades ofsuch consumption may have on the brain. Governments are reluctant to fund,conduct or publish rigorously controlled large-scale studies, which look at theeffect of additives on human mental health. Changing farming practices haveintroduced higher levels of different types of fat into our diet. For example,chickens reach their ideal weight for slaughter twice as quicklytoday compared to three decades ago - this has changed the nutritional profileof meat, according to a report by the Mental Health Foundation (UK). Threedecades ago a typical chicken carcass used to be 2% fat - today they are awhopping 22%. The omega-3 fatty acid content in chicken meat has dropped whilethe omega-6 fatty acids have risen. The same is happening to farmed fish.

Ourbrains' dry weight consists of approximately 60% fat. Our brain cellmembranes are directly affected by the fats we eat. Saturated fats make ourbrain cell membranes less flexible. Saturated fats are those that harden atroom temperature. 20% of the fat that exists in our brain is made up ofessential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6. The word essential here meanswe cannot make it ourselves, so we have to consume it in order to get it. Fatty acids perform crucial functions in the structuring of neurons (braincells), making sure that optimal communication is maintained within the brain.Nutritionists say omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids should be consumedin equal amounts. If we consume unequal amounts there is a higher chance ofhaving problems with depression, concentration and memory. It is crucialomega-3 intake is kept up. While one study shows a link between omega-3 intakeand mental skills, others show there are benefits for cardiovascularproblems, diabetes, ADHD, and a whole host of other problems:

Trans-fat, which has appeared in growing quantities into much of the food weeat over the last few decades, assumes the same position as essential fattyacids in the brain. In other words, the proper vital nutrients are not able toassume their right position for the brain to function effectively. Trans-fatsare commonly found in cakes, biscuits, shortbread, some pastries and many readymeals. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are made from amino acidswhich we often have to get by eating it. If you want to feed your brain withgood stuff eat less intensively farmed chicken and meat, and go for organicchicken and non-farmed oily fish, such as tuna, sardines, trout, orsalmon.

Run, jog, walk get out of your car and exercise
 
A Harvard University study found that exercise may help people withdepression by enhancing body image, providing social support from exercisegroups, a distraction for every day worries, heightened self-confidence frommeeting a goal, and altered circulation of the neurotransmitters serotonin,norepinephrine, and the endorphins. Even a very small amount of additionalexercise has been seen to have an important impact on mental health. Exercise can boost an exercise-related gene in the brain that works as apowerful anti-depressant. Apparently, though only 5% of GPs (generalpractitioners, primary care physicians) use it as one of their most regulartreatment responses, compared to 92% who use antidepressants as one of theirmost popular treatment responses. If you have a mental disorder, remember that you can do the exercise yourself.You do not need to wait for your doctor to "prescribe" it for you.Perhaps you should initially check whether you are in acceptable physicalhealth to do exercise. If you are not, insist that your doctor help you devisean exercise plan that suits you. There is evidence that very moderate alcoholconsumption may aid mental health in some cases. However, the evidence isoverwhelming that excessive alcohol has a very bad impact on people's mentalhealth. Whatever your attitude is to alcohol, remember that alcohol will notresolve your mental health problems nor any other problems you might have, andwill most likely make them worse if you are not very, careful. 

ANSWERING LIFE'S QUESTIONS

Life just what is it?

By Melvin J. Howard

I have just finished the book by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow (author of The Drunkard's walk) also a good read called The Grand Design. I am a big fan of science and scientist some of whom might not be household names yet like Mr. Hawking. But are no less important to answering life’s most perplexing questions. In their book, Messrs. Hawking and Mlodinow take you on a tour of fundamental physics and cosmology, laying the foundation that our universe is only a tiny part of a much larger picture, the multiverse or the M Theory. The universe we see is big, with over a hundred billion galaxies, but it's still finite. The multiverse idea suggests that there are other regions, equally impressive in size, where conditions might be quite different, right down to different physical laws or different numbers of dimensions of space. To think not to long ago for scientist just to even ask the big questions like what if the earth is not the center of the universe they put their life in jeopardy. Some even waited until they were on their deathbeds to publish their work out of fear they would be persecuted and prosecuted. Sounds far fetch in this day and age of revolutionary technology but the dogma was the law of the land. I for one have many questions and curious about the world in which we all share.

        

For instance I know the binary code for Melvin J. Howard is 01001101 01100101 01101100 01110110 01101001 01101110 00100000 01001010 00101110 00100000 01001000 01101111 01110111 01100001 01110010 01100100 but what is my code for life? Who am I, how did we get here, what are we doing here, what is real, is space and time an illusion, what happens when you die? What is the difference between black, white, brown and yellow people or is there any difference at all? Why do people fall in and out of love? Why do some people commit horrific crimes is it chemical or biological? What happened before the universe began? Why can some people smoke until they are 90 and some get cancer not ever picking up a cigarette? Why do I feel the sense of a loved one even though they are miles apart? Are thoughts just chemical reactions? Are there other worlds? Scientist, doctors, biologist and physicists have answered some of these questions but there plenty more work to be done. So scientists are hard at work trying to find the answers. Some like Messrs. Hawking and Mlodinow trace the logic of quantum mechanics, general relativity and superstring theory, showing how a variety of existing universes isn't merely possible but arguably natural. In string theory, space inevitably has extra curled-up dimensions that we can't see. But there are many ways for dimensions to curl up, and each of them leads to different "laws of physics." Then there's inflation, not the kind that the chairman of the Fed is trying fight off the (Monetary Kind). But in this kind that predicts that an extremely tiny region of space can blow up into a universe-sized domain. Modern cosmologists believe that inflation, once it starts, can keep going forever, continually creating new "pocket universes" with different conditions in each one. Without research none of these discoveries would have never been made. Medical or scientific research is crucial in understanding where we come from and where we are going. What makes our body and the universe tick what’s in our genes?

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, has an elegantly geometric structure that allows it to play its crucial role as the chemical carrier of an organism's genes. Each DNA molecule is made up of two very long polymers connected by the bonding of hydrogen atoms and coiled in the shape of a double helix. Each of the two polymers contains many structures called nucleotides, which, in turn, may be further broken down into three parts: deoxyribose (a five carbon sugar), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. There are four different nitrogenous bases that might be present: thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine. These four bases are the foundation of the genetic code. Sometimes represented as T, C, A, and G, these chemicals act as the cell's memory, instructing it on how to synthesize enzymes and other proteins. These four nucleotides encode everything an organism needs to live and protects this information with incredible accuracy. In a human being, each cell holds 46 separate DNA molecules, each containing, on the average, about 160 million nucleotide pairs, yet this massive amount of information is stored and replicated almost flawlessly.

Proteins not only make up the structural bulk of the Homo sapiens body but also include the enzymes that carry out the biochemical reactions of life. They are composed of units called amino acids linked together in a long string; each string folds in a way that determines the function of a protein. The order of the amino acids is set by the DNA base sequence of the gene that encodes a given protein, through intermediaries called RNA; genes that actively make RNA are said to be “expressed.”

The Human Genome Project was to seek not just to elucidate all the proteins produced within a Homo sapiens (“ Human beings “ ) but also to comprehend how the genes that encode the proteins are expressed, how the DNA sequences of those genes stack up against comparable genes of other species, how genes vary within our species and how DNA sequences translate into observable characteristics. Layers of information built on top of the DNA sequence will reveal the knowledge embedded in the DNA. This data will fuel advances in biology for the next century.

WHEN DO WE KNOW WE EXIST?

Every facet of human existence and survival is held in place by the assumptions we maintain regarding ourselves and the universe around us. Can you imagine the impact on society if suddenly we had to come to terms with the fact that everything we think of as solid and real is actually an illusion? Not here at all, or only here if we agree that it is here. Religion and philosophy have evolved, as consciousness has tried to understand itself and explain its relationship to what it sees as the physical universe in which it seems to operate. Great thinkers and teachers from different religions and philosophies throughout time have described their view of who we are, where we are, and what we are doing here. In the past few years scientists and scholars in a variety of disciplines have been making concerted efforts to answer an ancient question, namely, How exactly do the physical processes in the brain cause consciousness i.e. when do we become aware? Is it when one are all of the following:

hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, pleasure, pain

·  attention, presence, perceptiveness, experience, memory

·  intuition, responsiveness, sensing the grain and flow of things

·  self/reflexive awareness, self-sense/identity, proprioception/body-sense, 

authenticity

·  interest, openness, curiosity, passion, purpose, intention, desire, will, 

engagement, courage, commitment

·  attitude, bias, perspective, worldview/paradigm, assumption, belief

·  feeling, emotion (all emotions), reaction, sentiment, bliss, joy, misery,

  suffering, hope, etc.

·  care, compassion, empathy, mutuality, resonance, appreciation, 

loving-kindness, friendship

·  intelligence, learning, reflection, analysis, synthesis, pattern-seeking, information processing, understanding

·  knowledge, information, ideas, understandings, models, designs

·  concepts, language, names, articulation, metaphors

·  certainty,arrogance, uncertainty, doubt, confusion, humility, agreement, 

dissent

·  ethics, morality, integrity, principles

·  choice, values, decision-making, judgment, evaluation

·  imagination, aesthetic sensibility, vision, story, ingenuity, inspiration

·  wisdom, spirit, enlightenment, transcendence, a sense of the sacred, awe, 

wonder

·  humor, amusement, enjoyment, playfulness

·  mystery, ambiguity, nuance, sense of paradox

·  forethought, anticipation, worry, plans, strategy, tactics, guidance,

  predictions, scenarios (future-sensing)

·  management, direction, governance, leadership (bridging between decision, will, and plans with real action in the world, supporting the ability to act).

Can consciousness be explained in terms of brain activity? What makes a mental state be a conscious mental state?  The laws generating all chemical, biological, neurological processes are now perfectly known. Never before in history, science has been able to explain the principles, which originates all biological processes until now. This represents a true turn in history. All that physics will discover in the future will have nothing to do with the biological processes in our organism, or any other organism. Even if there are still some things not perfectly known in astrophysics, these astrophysical processes do not affect biological processes, which are due uniquely to the laws of quantum electrodynamics.

IT’S IN THE MATH

The laws of physics consist of a system of mathematical equations. The mathematical structures exclude the possibility that these equations can be modified; in fact, even a slight change in a mathematical equation would generate radical changes in all its solutions. They have already found billions and billions of correct solutions from the laws of physics; if we changed them, we would suddenly cast away all these correct solutions. On the other hand, every day they find a systematic experimental confirmation of the laws of physics on ever-new systems. To hypothesize that the laws of physics are wrong would be equivalent to say that all these billions and billions of systematic and quantitative experimental confirmations are only a lucky coincidence. The laws of quantum electrodynamics, discovered in the beginning of last century, have never been changed. On the basis of the number of experimental tests, scientist can say that quantum electrodynamics is the oldest scientific theory in history. This one is for all the researchers out there job well done. Now more then ever funding is key to advance further studies in all of these fields. Whether this ambitious conception is actually correct remains unclear. The important lesson of "The Grand Design" is not so much the particular theory being advocated but the sense that science may be able to answer the deep "Why?" questions that are part of fundamental human curiosity.

The Fountain Of Youth

What will it be?

By Melvin J. Howard

The blockbuster drug cabinet is currently looking pretty bare these days, and big pharma is getting jumpy. Many recent blockbusters act on certain enzymes to inhibit their production of an undesired chemical that causes problems like high cholesterol. But the enzymes available for such targeting are pretty much used up by now by all the existing blockbusters. In addition, it will be hard to improve on existing treatments for the 5 main ailments that currently dominate the top 20 drug lists - heartburn, arthritis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and low spirits (depression). So what next?

Operating in the favor of big pharma profitability is the aging of the rich world populations with money to buy prescription drugs. This aging in the West will drastically increase per capita spending on prescription medicines in the coming years. Finding effective medication for the degenerative altzheimers disease or even osteoporosis would be like hitting the jackpot. But with few warm leads on such cures, investing R&D monies in this area is certainly very risky.

In it's efforts to produce a blockbuster for the over 65s, one of the biggest drug giants Pfizer has been working on the elusive "fountain of youth" pill, also known as the "frailty pill". By stimulating the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormone, this drug aims to reverse the degenerative process that comes with aging and make old people feel young again this would give a whole new meaning to the phrase sex, drugs and rock and roll where 70 is the new 50 and age is nothing but a number. Taking the trend set by drugs such as Viagra, Rogaine and Paxil to a whole new level, this drug promises to be the ultimate "lifestyle drug" for the baby boomer generation. But so far the clinical trials have not produced the desired results.

Nevertheless, if the drug companies could get the youth pill to work then, by playing on one of the deepest of human fears, they will have struck gold. Consumers might start taking such medications at the first signs of old age and then be taking them for the next 50 years!

Another strategy we are likely to find interesting enough  is the use of 'gene hunting', where researchers try to discover the genetic roots of chronic diseases and thereby devise treatments. But payoffs from gene technology are not expected for another decade or so. In the midst of this current drought in the blockbuster drug pipeline, many industry watchers have noted that increasing consolidation has actually made the drug industry less efficient at producing more drugs.

But that's not the worst of it, by far. The patented medicine model, while contributing much to the welfare of the western world over the past century, has itself aged and entered a seriously degenerative phase. It is not making much sense in our globalized markets, and maybe it's time for it to die out and reboot. Today, people all over the world, regardless of nationality, political ideology, or wealth, should seriously be questioning the suitability and sustainability of the old contemporary patented medicine model.

Cutting CO2 Emissions Brings Savings in Health-Care Costs

Or What I Call Global Carbon Flows BC  (Before Coal)

By Melvin J. Howard

 

Environmentalists are in favor of cutting the emissions of greenhouse gas, claiming that investing in this cause further would ensure an increase in health-care savings of around thirty billion euros annually. Cutting the CO2 emissions by 30 percent, instead of just 20 percent that have been settled upon currently, with 2020 set as a deadline, would be to Europe’s benefit. The estimation was made by two campaign groups, “Health Care Without Harm Europe” and “Health and Environment Alliance”, who published the study. The two anticipate that less time would be taken off work as a consequence of suffering from illnesses, less consultations and medicines would be needed and improvements in life expectancy would be registered due to the heightened cut into greenhouse gas emissions. These are the factors that would generate savings in health-care for Europe. According to the researchers, people’s well-being would be increased as a result of the rise in the quality of air. Europe would agree to cut into the emissions further so long as other polluting countries such as China and U.S. would make the same commitment. Discussions on whether to rise the percent have already started. 

Most developed nations have ratified the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including all 25member states of the European Union, as well as Canada and Japan. By ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, these countries have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a significant amount over the next decade. The U.S. refused to ratify the Protocol. In anticipation, this pro-Kyoto world is gearing up for compliance and is implementing new regulations, markets and market mechanisms - indeed a whole new way of doing business globally. Will the U.S. now be left out of the developments in the global carbon markets that have taken place mostly outside of the United States, and get very little attention in this country. These developments include the world's first international market in carbon-based financial instruments, national taxes and levies on corporate energy use, and even a tax on cow farts yes that’s right I said cow farts and even burps in New Zealand!

But first, let’s start with a refresher on the cycle we can't afford to ignore anymore the global carbon cycle. Just like with the water cycle in the carbon cycle, only a tiny fraction of carbon on earth actually participates in the carbon cycle relevant to us earthly creatures. And just like the water cycle, any carbon we have in our bodies today has certainly done the rounds over thousands or millions of years: through plants, soils, other animals, the ocean and the atmosphere. And you can forget property rights when it comes to carbon! When the carbon in us is ready to depart, it will just go off and be somewhere else. Before the industrial revolution got underway, global carbon flows ran as follows:

ü      Carbon in the air, stored as carbon dioxide (amongst other gases), is used by plants in photosynthesis and becomes part of the plant. Some of these plants get eaten by animals and the carbon in them is then used in various molecules to make body tissue and to burn up energy. Other plants, or parts of them, like leaves, just get old and die. This decomposition releases some carbon back to the atmosphere, as does the process of respiration by animals. The other 99.9 Before fossil fuel use by humans entered the scene, losses of carbon from the earth and into the air from decaying vegetation and animal respiration, in the form of various gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, were pretty much balanced by carbon storage or "sequestration" by plants during photosynthesis. The carbon cycle chugged along in this balance between about 1000 AD and the early 1800s, and so the amount of carbon in the air stayed pretty constant over this time period since the middle ages. To give you an idea of magnitude, this annual exchange was about 100 million gigatons of carbon (where a gigaton is a billion tons), from the earth into the atmosphere, balanced by an equal exchange from the atmosphere back to the earth.

How Carbon Accounts become Unbalanced

ü      But then came the industrial revolution, powered by the burning of carbon rich fossil fuels, and accompanied by massive clearing of forest land for agricultural and other purposes. These two activities have extracted another 7-8 gigatons of carbon out of the earth's sources per year, of which the oceans and the world's forests have decided to absorb just over half of this release. So the remaining 3-4 gigatons of carbon has nowhere to go but into the air. Over the past 250 years, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 30. An excess of carbon gases, like carbon dioxide and methane, are known to trap heat in the biosphere, making things toastier for all of us. This so-called "global warming" has many known and unknown impacts on climate. That humans have significantly increased the amount of carbon gases in the atmosphere, and that these gases do contribute to temperature increases is generally not in dispute between the two main parties on either side of the Kyoto Protocol. What is under debate is the degree to which global warming is caused by natural versus man-made factors. The fairly recently discovered indications that the middle ages may have been warmer than the current ages, has the leadership in the US scrambling to promote studies to show that natural causes are a primary contributor to climate change. Satisfied that human activities are contributing to climate change, the countries that have now ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming are trying to do what they can to get as much as possible of this excess carbon out of the atmosphere by implementing mechanisms designed to reduce overall carbon emissions.

The naysayers team, reluctant to give up their high carbon diets, led by the United States and Australia, are diverting significant resources into figuring out how carbon wastes can be buried underground or in the sea in a process known as artificial carbon sequestration. The U.S. has also developed a interest in the climate in medieval age when temperatures were much warmer than they are today. If only they can understand why we were so toasty, they can cast doubt on the idea that human induced greenhouse gases are largely responsible for climate change.

The carbon market.

In this new carbon market a monetary value is assigned to a carbon gas emission allowance. Such an allowance could only have a monetary value if there are a finite number of such emission allowances and the total amount allowed in the market is close to, or even below, the total amount that is currently being emitted. For this market to exist in the first place there must be someone or some body, most likely a government body, that sets the total number of allowances for the market. This is exactly what the European Union has done. It has used the "cap and trade" approach to moving towards Kyoto targets. Under the EU emissions trading scheme the EU member states will set limits on carbon dioxide emissions from energy intensive companies by issuing allowances for the amount of gas each is allowed to emit. The total number of allowances will reduce each year until the final target is reached. This list of companies includes approximately 10,000 companies accounting for about half of the EU's cabon dioxide emissions and encompasses the following industries: steel, power generation, oil, paper, glass and cement. A company that is able to lower its emissions at relatively low cost, may sell its excess allowances and hence, the argument goes, the emissions market will act as a catalyst towards finding lowest cost emissions reduction solutions. Other companies that have difficulty meeting their targets inexpensively can buy these excess credits in the market, at whatever the prevailing market price is. In effect then, they are providing the financing to the seller of the credits for the seller's emissions reductions efforts, since this was cheaper than reducing emissions in their own operations. And, if companies decide to neither meet their targets nor buy credits in the market to offset their excess, they will have to pay large fines to the government, well in excess of the market price of credits. Hence the incentives are there for companies to either comply or buy credits, thus ensuring that the total amount of emissions will remain below the target.

This method of allowing the market to cut emissions quickly where it is cheapest and easiest to do will presumably have the least detrimental effect on the health of the economy, an issue largely driving the non-believers" approach to man-made climate change.

It’s a miracle that a bunch of 25 countries as diverse as the European Union and who were at war with each other not so long ago, could unite over a proposal that is bound to bring some shocks to their local economies. Even the European environmental community seems fairly pleased with the EU's approach to global warming.  But, like all such complex agreements involving so many and varied parties and lots of different political interests, this one is not without controversy or room for abuse. During the discussions leading up to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, some of the most controversial provisions had to do with the ways in which companies and/or countries could accumulate excess greenhouse gas credits other than by cutting emissions below their target level. Some of these so-called "Kyoto Mechanisms" included:

1. Creating "Carbon Sinks": Such as planting new forests, or even certain types of timber farming; 
2. Joint Implementation Projects: Which means funding emission reductions projects in other industrialized nations;
3. Clean Development Mechanisms: Which means funding "clean energy" projects in developing nations.

Many people fear that credit accumulation or emissions offsets gained under these methods may be the most wide open for abuse and therefore may not bring about real change in the battle to stem the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The original EU Emissions Trading Scheme, that began trading in 2005 did not provide for these Kyoto Mechanisms. But a Directive proposes an amendment allowing two of these mechanisms - Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism Projects in other countries as methods to accumulate carbon emissions credits. Climate Action Network in Brussels discussed their concerns about these mechanisms. Nevertheless, these developments in Europe have really made the EU the world leader in trying to stem man-made contributions to climate change, and without these efforts it is possible that the Kyoto process would have collapsed after the U.S. pulled out.

The United Kingdom set up the first national emissions market of its own, similar to the EU "cap and trade" mechanism. The UK actually plans to significantly exceed, or do better than, its Kyoto targets and they have gone further than just capping, trading and fining violators.The British government imposed a Climate Change Levy in the form of a tax on business use of fossil fuel based energy sources. Relief on this tax can be gained by meeting certain targets in the emissions trading program.

Different countries face very different challenges in meeting their Kyoto targets. For less populated and more agricultural-dependent countries like Australia and New Zealand, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use are not the main problem areas.Though one doesn't like to talk about these things in polite company, believe it or not, cow and sheep burps and farts are a much bigger problem! Cattle and sheep grazing and their subsequent emissions of smelly gases as by-products of the digestive process, contribute an abundance of the most potent of the greenhouse gases methane. In fact, farm animal farts and burps account for about one half of all greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand.

Unlike its neighbor Australia, the country of New Zealand has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and had to do something about these smelly air bubbles. In a move that was far less socially acceptable than either the pops themselves or Britain's Climate Change Levy, the New Zealand government took the drastic step of taxing farmers for the natural bodily functions of their farm stock they introduced the world's first tax on farting that’s right farting! Needless to say a farmer's rebellion got underway. Across the Tasman pond, Australia has some similar problems, but more broadly faces the reality that greenhouse emissions have increased over the last decade primarily due to land use changes, including deforestation and agricultural practices. As forest land is cleared and burned to make way for agricultural and other uses, and under certain types of agricultural practices, much carbon that was stored in plants and soils is released back into the atmosphere.

As carbon markets emerge in other countries, you can expect to see the U.S.-based investment banks and brokers getting involved, despite the fact that the U.S. is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. You can also expect some rumbles from multi-national companies based in Europe that also do a lot of business in the U.S. Furthermore, the companies that have start complying with the European rules and who are spending money to comply, will be able to green-wash or brag about their image with some legitimacy. This, in conjunction with growing shareholder activism on climate change in the U.S. will apply significant pressure for change in this country.

It is likely that even U.S. based companies across the financial, energy, and other sectors will be significantly impacted by the Kyoto Protocol, even without ratification by the U.S. There may also be a concern from many companies that they are missing out on opportunities in new markets, such as the carbon markets and new energy markets, because the U.S. is not a party to the agreement.

It's time we move out of the Dark Ages after all, there is green in going green!