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The Importance of Dental Health for Pregnant Women Pregnancy hormones can actually affect a woman’s dental health. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the physiological changes that women experience during pregnancy can result in the following dental health issues: Gingivitis Gingival lesions Tooth enamel erosion Loose teeth Periodontitis There’s also the risk of infection, including gum disease and tooth decay, and all of these issues can in turn affect the health of the baby. Then there are some of the daily routines that pregnant women often go through that can affect their dental health.  This can include taking certain prescribed medications, such as medications for high blood pressure, asthma or diabetes, which dry the mouth and can in turn result in gum disease, bacteria growth and tooth decay. Why Maternity Plans Should Include Dental Coverage The Cigna study showed that 63 percent of the surveyed pregnant women believed they had excellent dental health before pregnancy—this number dropped to 55 percent during their pregnancy. Also, 43 percent of those surveyed didn’t even bother going to the dentist for a check up during their pregnancy period. The main reason? They were worried about the costs. This is a problem since pregnant women are more likely to develop a dental health issue—which, left untreated, could grow into a bigger problem that will be more costly to treat. By including dental coverage in your maternity plans, you’ll be encouraging pregnant women to get a dental check up. Dental health is often ignored during pregnancy—but it shouldn’t be, as pregnancy can affect the health of women’s teeth. For more information about maternity plans and California medical plans in general, contact The Benefits Store today.

Getting a Flu Vaccine The best way to prevent the flu is by getting vaccinated with a flu shot as soon as you can. Ideally, you should go get your flu shot during the fall—early fall if possible. However, you can still get vaccinated any time during the winter as well. The only danger is that you might catch the flu before you get a chance to get vaccinated. Remember, getting vaccinated for the flu is a lot different than getting vaccinated for other illnesses. Unlike many other vaccines, you’ll need to get the flu vaccine every year. This is because the vaccine is designed differently each year in order to combat the flu strains that health experts believe will be most widespread. There are different flu strains that are more common in certain areas every year, which is why even though you may have been vaccinated for a certain flu strain last year you will need to get vaccinated again this year. Other Flu Prevention Tips In addition to getting your flu shots, you should also take care to be extra clean during the flu season. Because so many people may be carrying the flu virus, you should always wash your hands after you touch potentially dirty surfaces or shake hands with somebody. When you do touch potentially dirty places, avoid touching your face afterwards. You should try to get vaccinated for the flu before winter hits. We will continue to provide you with advice concerning your health insurance, so be sure to contact The Benefits Store for information concerning all California medical plans.

While the risks associated with these mosquitoes is still rather low, it is still imperative that precautions are taken to limit their spread. Both species, which can be identified by a distinct black and white striped pattern on their legs and thorax, are also more aggressive than typical mosquitoes, heightening the danger. They carry infectious diseases such as the dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. Neither chikungunya or dengue fever have any treatment or vaccine. Most recently they have turned up in 10 of California’s 58 counties. The typical California mosquito will become most active at dusk and dawn, but the two new species to be on the lookout for will often stay active throughout the day. They will also readily enter buildings. To keep themselves safe, and also help keep these two species at bay, the public should take the following steps: Apply mosquito repellents to your skin when you plan to be outside. Effective deterrents need to include DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and/or oil of lemon eucalyptus to both clothing and skin. You should wear long-sleeved clothing, long pants, socks and shoes during the times when mosquitoes are most active. Make use of air conditioning to cool your home or business; eschew open windows or doors that could allow mosquitoes entrance. Eliminate potential mosquito-breeding grounds, such as any source of standing water. These species need only a teaspoon of standing water to lay eggs. At the Benefits Store, we know that keeping your family happy and healthy involves a large measure of prevention. Keeping you informed on the latest health news and information helps us all take better care of one another.

The Prenatal vaccination for whooping cough is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for all expectant mothers. In the past, the CDC recommended the vaccine was only given to mothers who had not previously been vaccinated. Studies such as the one conducted by the CDPH are responsible for this change, making it clear that a simple vaccination can potentially save the lives of thousands of infants. Pregnant women should be given the vaccine during the third trimester, starting at 27 weeks. Exposure to the vaccine will cause the mother’s body to produce the necessary antibodies to fight off the disease, while also passing off some of these antibodies to the unborn child. These antibodies will then provide crucial early life protection against the disease until the child receives additional vaccinations at two months. While the vaccination may not prevent the disease itself, the antibodies will provide protection from more serious complications and significantly reduce the child’s risk of death. A whooping cough vaccination can be given at vaccination clinics, doctor’s offices, and pharmacies. Providing adequate health care to both mother and baby during the course of the pregnancy is vital to the lifelong health of the child. For more information on this and other important medical and insurance issues, contact The Benefits Store today.

The biggest problem with unregulated colored contacts is that folks who do not normally wear contact lenses do not know how to properly care for them. Because of this, they may not be cleaned correctly, and when this happens, dirt and germs get in the eye when the lenses are inserted. This can cause some pretty severe infections, and if even microscopic particles get between the contacts and your eye, they can scratch the surface of your eye. It is not unheard of for people to have severe damage to the cornea which can cause pain and even blindness. There is also an issue with the legality of non-prescribed contact lenses. As of 2005, it is illegal for anyone to sell contact lenses to a customer without a prescription. This hasn’t stopped greedy retailers from continuing to offer them for sale however. They are also available online, but they have been made illegal for a reason. If you want to wear colored contacts, the only way you should go about getting the product is to see an optometrist and get an actual prescription. You do not need to have corrective lenses; the eye doctor will just want to make sure that you will be fitted with a pair that will correctly fit your eye. This will also allow you to eliminate the possibility of getting an improperly manufactured pair from an unlicensed seller that could cause you pain and even blindness. If you have any questions regarding vision insurance, or whether colored contacts will be covered under your plan, please contact The Benefits Store and we’ll be happy to help you.

As the rules stand now, people can purchase health insurance coverage after the enrollment deadline if special circumstances apply, such as a change in employment, the birth of a new child, marriage and divorce. Exceptions were also made for uninsured people looking to get coverage at the same time as they did their taxes or for those who had technical problems with the insurance website. Insurers believe that the rules concerning signing up for healthcare insurance outside of the official enrollment period are way too broad as they stand, allowing people to take advantage of the fact. According to a top federal official, the administration plans to eliminate some of the criteria for late sign-ups in addition to making the criteria language clearer to help cut down on costs. A New Task Force Andy Slavitt, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, believes that tightening the existing rules will help ensure that the special enrollment period will serve its original purpose. A new task force will be implemented to make sure that people are honest in regards to health insurance purchases. The task force will even terminate health insurance coverage for any consumers that enrolled outside of the official deadline without having a legitimate reason for doing so. Rules for special enrollment periods are set to become much stricter. For more information concerning the Affordable Care Act or for advice on how to enroll, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

WHO estimates that between three million and four million people throughout the Americas will be infected with the Zika virus over the course of this year. The virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has broken out in 29 countries so far. Because it is connected to a neurological birth disorder, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that pregnant women not travel to these countries. In fact, health officials in these countries have even begun recommending that female citizens avoid getting pregnant for upwards of two years. The U.S. Defense Department is currently offering pregnant employees and their beneficiaries that are stationed in affected countries voluntary relocation. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, called the viral outbreak a pandemic in progress. The following are important facts that everyone should know about the Zika virus: What is it?—The Zika virus is similar to the yellow fever, dengue and West Nile viruses. However, there are no vaccines or medicines to treat the Zika virus as of yet. What does it cause?—The virus is linked to microcephaly, which is a neurological disorder that causes abnormally small heads in newborns, which can lead to severe developmental problems or even death. There were only 146 cases of microcephaly in 2014. Since the outbreak, there have been 404 cases since November 2015 in Brazil alone. Learn more about the condition by reading this article about microcephaly. How is it spread?—The most common way that it’s spread is through Aedes mosquito bites. However, the CDC reported that the latest outbreak was transmitted via sex. Be sure to avoid traveling to areas currently dealing with a serious Zika outbreak. Here at the Benefits Store, we aim to keep you updated on all the newest health-related news.

Such structured environments did not exist before for those suffering from dementia. Many people simply did not know how to handle those that suffered from dementia other than by levying restrictions on their day-to-day lives as a way to protect them. However, the success of the dementia villages in the Netherlands has led many people in the U.S., as well as in England, to explore ways in which they can create a dementia-friendly environment in which those suffering from dementia can still remain involved in both social and cultural activities, thereby maintaining their quality of life. A Familiar Environment The dementia village in the Netherlands is a residential facility outside of Amsterdam that looks like a normal community—it boasts parks, a post office, a restaurant, a grocery store and other amenities that elderly residents with dementia can use at their pleasure. There are 152 residents with moderate dementia that live in groups of six or eight along with one or two caretakers. There’s only one door out of the town, thereby limiting the risk of residents wandering away. The familiar environment created by the dementia village may be more restrictive than typical communities, but it provides dementia patients with more freedom than they typically have, thereby allowing them to maintain some semblance of independence. Whether or not dementia villages are set up in the U.S., the country can certainly learn many lessons from their success. For more information regarding advancements in dementia and other health issues, be sure to visit The Benefits Store today.

Yolo County Zika Case The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that an individual recently tested positive for the Zika virus after returning to Yolo County from another country. Many health professionals have recommended that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas where the Zika virus has been found; however, people are now beginning to worry about the virus spreading from Latin America into parts of California. Adding to that particular worry is the fact that the Los Angeles Daily News recently reported that the Southern California mosquitoes, which are small black and white striped mosquitoes, can carry the Zika virus as well. Even though these mosquitoes are found across the state and despite the fact that a Zika virus case was recently reported, health officials still believe that an outbreak of the Zika virus throughout the state of California is highly unlikely. Safety Precautions Even though a Zika virus outbreak is reported to be highly unlikely, it is still a good idea to take precautions. Women who are pregnant should reconsider traveling to areas where Zika outbreaks have been reported. Zika outbreaks have occurred throughout South America as well as Mexico. Anyone that has traveled to these locations and has shown symptoms of the Zika virus, which include mild fever, joint pain, rash, headaches and conjunctivitis, should be tested as the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted as well. Here at the Benefits Store, we aim to provide California residents with up-to-date information about important health news in addition to providing health insurance advice.

The way the eTNS works is that it sends a weak electrical current through the patch while the patient is sleeping. The current helps to stimulate the cranial nerves running through the forehead. This, in turn, results in signals being sent to the parts of the brain that control thinking, behavior and mood. These parts of the brain also include the amygdala, the autonomic nervous system and the medial prefrontal cortex, all of which display abnormal activity in patients suffering from PTSD. Promising Trial Results The trial consisted of 12 patients with the average age of 53 suffering from PTSD. These patients were survivors of domestic abuse, car accidents, rape and other traumatic events. They underwent eight weeks of eTNS outpatient treatment by wearing the patch for eight hours every night as they slept. These patients continued previous treatments of their PTSD as they underwent the trial—treatments that included medication, psychotherapy or both. The patients completed a questionnaire before and after the trial that the researchers could use in order to assess how severe their symptoms were prior to the eTNS treatment and compare them to their symptoms following the treatment. They found that, on average, their symptoms were reduced by more than 30 percent, and the severity of their depression was reduced by more than 50 percent. Following the success of the first trial, researchers are planning to collaborate with the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System to conduct a trial consisting of 74 veterans. Results of the trial to treat patients suffering from PTSD using eTNS proved successful and could provide a new way to help PTSD patients. Be sure to visit us at the Benefits Store today to keep yourself informed about new medical news and healthcare information.

Previous researchers linked chronic inflammation, which is caused by an overactive immune system, to Alzheimer’s. The new findings show that inflammation is not actually a result of Alzheimer’s, but is actually a key driver of the disease. Researchers conducted an experiment in which they compared the tissues of healthy brains with those of Alzheimer’s patients. They found that the brains of Alzheimer’s patients contained higher levels of microglia, which suggests brain inflammation. The molecules that regulate these levels of microglia within the brain became more active as the severity of the patient’s Alzheimer’s increased. In a second experiment, the chemical GW2580 was given to mice that had a condition similar to Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that the chemical helped to reduce memory loss as well as reduce behavioral problems in these mice. Researchers then provided these mice with inhibitors that prevented the microglia from multiplying. Once the microglia levels stabilized, the progression of the disease stalled. The inhibitor helped to prevent the breakdown in communication between the brain’s nerve cells, which is what Alzheimer’s patients usually experience. The tests that were conducted on mice have shown a particular pathway that is active in the development of Alzheimer’s. Researchers are now planning on using the results of these experiments in order to develop a safe and suitable drug that can be tested on humans. The findings have also shown that both diet and lifestyle may play an active part in preventing Alzheimer’s since they could possibly help to fight inflammation. Alzheimer’s disease continues to be a serious problem for millions of Americans. Fortunately, new research could result in the development of drugs that may prevent the disease. To keep up to date with medical news, or for information about healthcare, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store.

Avoid balloons: Balloons may seem like a lot of fun as a child, but they can be quite dangerous for children under the age of eight. This is because they can easily choke on or suffocate on balloons that are broken or deflated. Avoid toys with small parts: If you are buying a toy for a child under three, avoid giving them toys that contain small parts so that they won’t swallow them, as they can cause choking. Provide safety gear: If you are getting a riding toy for a child, such as a skateboard, a scooter, or roller skates, then make sure you also provide safety gear (such as a helmet and knee pads) that properly fit the child. Throw away packaging: The packaging or plastic wrapping for many toys can become a safety hazard if you don’t discard it immediately. Supervise battery charging: If you give a young child a toy that requires batteries, make sure that they understand that they need an adult to supervise the battery charging. Always read the instructions and warnings on any toy that comes with batteries. Some chargers don’t have mechanisms to prevent overcharging, which can be dangerous if a child attempts to charge a battery. These are a few safety tips to keep in mind for National Safe Toys and Gifts Month. We want to provide you and your family with important health and safety information, so contact The Benefits Store for advice and information concerning all California Medical Plans.