Joan’s Boomer Blog

Did you miss the annual Medicare Enrollment Period? Today I have another guest post by Ross Blair, President and CDO of Plan Prescriber, Inc, with information about what to do now.

On December 7, 2011 Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) for 2012 Medicare Advantage (part C) and Medicare Part D plans ended. These plans often change prices and benefits from year to year, so the AEP was designated to allow people to review and change their coverage, if necessary.

Prior to 2011, AEP ended on December 31st. So, as you can imagine, there was some concern that the new December 7th deadline could sneak up on some people. There was understandable concern that some people wouldn’t hear about the new dates and could wind up missing AEP altogether.

We were concerned too, so two weeks after the AEP started we surveyed Medicare Part D or C recipients to find out how many knew about the new deadline. And, as suspected, the survey showed that one-in-five Medicare recipients were unaware of the new dates.

Our hope is that anyone who didn’t know about the date changes when we ran our survey somehow got the news between November 1 and December 7, and updated their drug coverage before the deadline.

But, we also know from experience that a fair number of people always miss the deadline, no matter when it is. In the past when the AEP ended on December 31, we’d get phone calls as late as January 10 from people wanting to make a “last minute” change to their coverage for the coming year. And, all too often, we had to give people the news that it can be very difficult to change your Part C or D coverage outside of AEP. It’s not impossible, but it can be difficult.

So, if you or someone you know did miss AEP this year, we created a short list of tips to help you maximize your drug and health benefits in the coming year. And, if you desperately need to change plans, there are some strategies for doing that in here as well.

What to do if you missed the 2012 Medicare Annual Enrollment Period:

1. Look for Other Drugs: If you missed AEP and you can’t change your coverage, try to optimize the drugs you’re taking to fit your current plan. Among the ten largest drug plans in the country, no single plan covers more than 79 percent2 of all available prescription drugs in 2012. We surveyed people using our web site during the last year’s AEP and found that one-in-three (34%) took a drug that wasn’t covered by their Medicare plan in eth coming year. So, if they didn’t update their coverage heading into 2011, they’d pay full price for that drug and their expenses wouldn’t count toward the “Donut Hole.”

If you’re in the same boat this year, don’t despair. The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) requires every Medicare plan with prescription drug coverage to include at least two drugs in each category and class. So, even though the plan doesn’t cover the drug you take, it must cover another drug designed to treat the same problem. Talk to your doctor to find what other drugs exist to treat your illness and discuss the possibility of switching.

2. Ask about Medicare Supplement (MediGap) open enrollment periods: If your MediGap plans I isn’t working for you any longer, and you can’t enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan outside of AEP, you may

be able to change your MediGap plan during select MediGap open enrollment periods. MediGap plans are usually medically underwritten, which means the insurance companies don’t have to accept your application if you’ve been on Medicare Part B for more than three months. AEP is the best time to drop a MediGap plan and switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. But, some states and insurance companies have created open enrollment periods for MediGap plans as well. These open enrollments allow you to update or change your MediGap health coverage without medical underwriting. But the rules change from state to state, so, if you want or need to make a change outside of AEP, investigate the MediGap open enrollment rules in your state by contacting a licensed agent.

3. Ask an expert about Special Needs Plans (SNPs): Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are available for people who are low-income, disabled and under the age of 65. There are also fifteen types of SNPs designed specifically for folks with chronic health problems. And, if you qualify for a SNP you can enroll at any time, provided one is available in your area. The SNPs designed for chronic conditions cover the following areas: chronic alcohol and other drug dependence; certain auto-immune disorders; cancer; certain cardiovascular disorders; chronic heart failure; dementia and Alzheimer’s; diabetes mellitus; end-stage liver disease; end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis; certain hematologic disorders; HIV/AIDS; certain chronic lung disorders; certain mental health disorders like bipolar and schizophrenia; certain neurologic disorders; and stroke.

4. Investigate 5 Star Medicare Advantage plans: New this year, you don’t have to wait for AEP to enroll in a 5-Star Medicare Advantage plan. The 2010 Health Care Reform law created a new ratings system for Medicare Advantage plans that begins in 2012. Plans with the highest rating of 5 stars can enroll people at any time, even after AEP is over. But, the plans are not available everywhere. The easier way to find one near you is to use a Medicare plan search engine, like PlanPrescriber.com or Medicare.gov.

5. Medicare Annual Disenrollment Period (MADP) Starts January 1: Medicare’s ADP lets you “disenroll” (cancel) from a Medicare Advantage plan if it fails to meet your needs and add drug coverage at the same time. ADP starts on January 1, 2012 and ends on February 14, 2012. If you decide to drop a Medicare Advantage, you will have the option to enroll in a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan so you don’t lose drug coverage. But, if you abandon a Medicare Advantage plan you’re giving up benefits like the network of providers who participate in that plan and a cap on your out-of-pocket spending for medical bills (provided those costs are approved by Medicare). These are two benefits original Medicare doesn’t have. So, before you disenroll in a plan, do some homework to be sure you’ll still have the coverage you need in 2012.

6. Investigate Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs): Medicare also provides SEPs for people who need to change their coverage outside of AEP. A person may qualify for an SEP if they move permanently outside of their plan’s service area; become eligible for a low-income subsidy due to a loss of income; receive incomplete information about what qualifies as creditable prescription drug coverage or lose that coverage through no action of their own; if they become eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (”dual eligible”) but lose their dual eligibility status; if they live in, are moving into, or are moving out of certain types of skilled nursing facilitis; if they receive a retroactive Medicare entitlement determination; or if they qualify for other special enrollment periods that may be authorized by the Federal Government.

If you missed the Annual Enrollment Period, don’t feel trapped in a plan that doesn’t meet your needs. If the cost of drugs, coverage or key benefits becomes more than you or a loved one can afford, there may be opportunities to make changes. The key is to be proactive, and reach out to an expert who can help you figure out what those opportunities are, and how to take advantage of them.

About the Author: Ross Blair is President and CEO of Plan Prescriber, Inc., a leading provider of comparison tools and educational materials for Medicare-related insurance products.

Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.

I am currently reading a book which made me really stop and think about my priorities in life. The book is The Power of Self-Healing: Unlock Your Natural Healing Potential in 21 Days!, which is a great book, by the way, and one I plan to review soon. However, what I wanted to talk about is one exercise in this book which can help you figure what your priorities in life are, and whether or not you’re doing anything to reach them.

The Power of Self-Healing by Frabrizio Mancini is all about daily activities you can easily do to unleash your body’s true healing potential. I’ve read many books on self-healing and the information Frank puts in his book covers many areas of daily living. He even includes the power of qigong and tai chi, which makes him tops on my list!

So here is Frank’s exercise, which will hopefully make you think about the priorities in your life and whether or not you are doing anything to reach important goals.

Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle.

In the left column, write down your top 3 priorities in your life, 3 things you want to attract into your life, whether it has to do with health, career, relationships, retirement, whatever.

In the right column, make another list of everything you do in a 24 hour period.

Compare these two lists. Do your actions on a daily basis support the priorities you’ve laid out for yourself?

This was an eye-opening exercise for me. I tell myself my number one goal is to heal my body of some of the health issues I have and create better health for myself as I get older. I know what I need to do to achieve this, yet my daily activities don’t match what I say my priority is in my life.

As part of achieving better health, my goals within that are making time for my qigong exercises which will help to heal my body. Yet, am I doing these every day? Actually, no. In fact, lately I’ve been busy and even skipping yoga classes, which are also aimed at keeping my arthritis pains from side-lining me later in life. What I need to do is spend less time on the computer and more time on my health if I truly want to reach my goals.

Getting older isn’t for sissies, I’ve read. However, I know that how well we age, whether or not we are healthy and active into old age, is about 90% within our own control, if not more. Day by day, we make choices about how to spend our time, what we eat and how we think. These daily choices take us down the road to health and healing or they take us away from that healthy, balanced self and toward debilitating illnesses like arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cataracts and eye diseases, and all the other supposed plagues of old age.

Years ago, I sold Mary Kaye products. Many Mary Kaye representatives are quite successful and in their seminars they told us to get up each morning and ask ourselves “What one thing can I do today to make my business successful?” Once you focus on that one thing, you go out and do it and you end up reaching your goal. This exercise might just let you know if you are taking the actions you need to take to reach important goals in your life.

I used this exercise to see where I am with matching my priority of health and healing with the realities of how I spend my time. However, you can use it for any goals you might be trying to reach.

If you’d like to read a comprehensive book on daily actions you can take to create optimum health and heal your body, no matter what your health issue is, I’d highly recommend The Power of Self-Healing: Unlock Your Natural Healing Potential in 21 Days! by Frabrizio Mancini. If you’d like to take charge of your health and create a better future for yourself, this is the book for you.

Do your daily activities carry you closer to your goals, or further away?

My thanks to Hay House for providing an advance copy of this book for review.

Choosing a Medicare Plan in the Face of Potential Changes to the Program The Medicare

Annual Enrollment deadline is December 7, 2011. Today I have another guest post by Ross Blair, President and CDO of Plan Prescriber, Inc, with some questions and answers to help you sort out this complicated subject.

Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) ends in just eight days on December 7. It is the one time of year when most of the program’s beneficiaries can review and possibly update their current stand-alone drug coverage or Medicare Advantage coverage. The enrollment period for 2012 is currently underway, and according to licensed eHealthInsurance agents, the uncertainty about Medicare’s future has many seniors wondering what to do. When we surveyed a number of our licensed eHealthInsurance Medicare agents, they all had the same response: the most common questions being asked during this year’s enrollment period focused on Medicare’s future.

What questions are Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers asking?

Question 1: Are Medicare Advantage plans going away - should I try to switch to a Supplement plan?

Answer: First, there was good news about the Medicare Advantage program this year. Overall, Medicare Advantage plan premiums are down four percent for 20121. Medicare Advantage plans offering prescription drug coverage and a cap on your out-of-pocket costs (two benefits not provided by “original Medicare”) continue to be available for $0 per month throughout most of the country. And, these $0 plans include a basic prescription drug benefit, which will be increasingly valuable in 2012 when popular drugs like Lipitor and Plavix are scheduled to be available in generic form.

Second, any reductions in Medicare spending could easily affect Medicare Supplement plans as well as Medicare Advantage plans. Both types of plans are subsidized in some way by the Medicare program. And, the less the government has to spend on Medicare, the more an insurance company would have to cover to fill in those gaps.

Finally, it can be hard to enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan after your first six months on Medicare Part B. If you miss those first six months, the insurance company has the option to decline your application based on your health status.

Question 2: Will my Medicare Part B premiums increase more than my Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA)?

Answer: There is actually a rule in Congress that Medicare premium increases cannot be higher than Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. The COLA for this year is about $433 dollars for most people. And, the Medicare Part B premium increase was $3.503 for most people.

Question 3: Is my doctor still accepting my Medicare Advantage plan? Is my hospital covered by this plan?

Answer: While finding a physician who accepts Medicare can be an issue, the federal government continues to monitor the quality and access standards of Medicare Advantage plans. A good agent can help you review the physicians who are accepting their Medicare Advantage plan in your zip code.

Question 4: What should Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers do this year to make sure they’re getting the best bang for their buck out of Medicare?

Answer: Don’t go on auto-pilot. A recent Opinion Research survey found that only about 534 percent of seniors on a Medicare Part D or Part C plan say they will review their coverage before 2012. Too often, Medicare beneficiaries don’t realize that Part C and D plans can change from year to year. Costs and drug coverage may change; deductibles and co-pays may change; and your health may change. So, what worked for you in 2011 may not work in 2012.

Do a quick check-up online, or get someone to help you: People tend to want to avoid a review of their Medicare coverage because it’s a hassle. But, there are a number of Internet sites that can reduce the hassle of reviewing your coverage. Sites like PlanPrescriber.com (owned by Plan Prescriber, Inc.), eHealthMedicare.com (owned by eHealthInsurance Services, Inc.) and Medicare.gov (the government website) make it easy for you to review plans and benefits side-by-side, and get a sense of what plan might work best for you. Or, if you don’t want to use the Internet, you can contact Medicare, your state department of insurance, the insurance company, or work with a licensed agent who represents several insurance companies, like eHealthInsurance.

Bring a list of drugs, doctors and bills: When working with a licensed agent, be sure to bring a list of the prescription drugs you’re taking, including the dosages and frequencies. And, if possible, have your medical bills from the past year handy as well so you can reference what you’ve been spending on health care. You also want to have the names of your preferred physicians and pharmacies handy.

Be flexible: The average Social Security Benefit is $1,2292 per month. But, a recent eHealth survey found that 79 percent of seniors said they would not change their health insurance plan to potentially save up to $100 month if it meant switching doctors. But, $100 per month is almost 10 percent of the average social security check. If your money is really tight, try to be open-minded about ways you can reduce expenses.

¹http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/09/20110915a.html

² http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/13/~/average-monthly-social-security-benefit-for-a-retired-worker

³http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/colaeffect.html

⁴ Data according to a national randomized phone survey conducted between October 28 and October 31, 2011 by Opinion Research Corporation and sponsored by PlanPrescriber.

Medicare has neither reviewed not endorsed this information.

About the Author: Ross Blair is President and CEO of Plan Prescriber, Inc., a leading provider of comparison tools and educational materials for Medicare-related insurance products.

Recently, I did an article on gourmet, or artisan, salts, which contain no iodine. Readers wanted to know, if they use these salts, where can they get iodine, which is a natural thyroid remedy, in their diet? I decided to do some research on foods and supplements which are natural remedies for a healthy thyroid and can easily be added to your daily diet.

Millions of Americans suffer from some form of thyroid disease and many more are undiagnosed. Symptoms can be vague and hard to pin down such as weight gain or loss, depression, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, rapid or reduced heart rate and more. If you are having symptoms, it’s always best to talk to your doctor, and even if you aren’t symptomatic, you can discover thyroid problems on routine blood work during your physicals. There are medications to help you manage symptoms of thyroid disease, if you have it.

If you’re suffering from a thyroid disorder, or if you’re simply concerned with keeping your thyroid healthy, you might like to know that certain foods are a natural remedy for a healthy thyroid, something you can do beyond popping a pill. I’ve compiled a list of foods which help your thyroid and you can scroll down from some of my favorite supplements and seasonings to add to your healthy thyroid regimen:

Nutrients You Need for a Healthy Thyroid

• Iodine
• Antioxidants A, C and E
• Selenium
• Copper
• Zinc
• B Vitamins
• Iron

Foods to Eat for a Healthy Thyroid My husband has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an auto-immune disease where the body attacks the thyroid.

We have discovered that the issue of foods for thyroid health depends on the type of condition you have. If you have hyperthyroid disease the following superfoods will help calm the overactive thyroid by inhibiting the excess production of thyroid hormones. However, if you have hypothyroidism, these foods are best avoided unless they are cultured:

• Brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• spinach
• broccoli
• turnips
• kale
• beans
• Indian mustards

Foods Containing Iodine for Thyroid Health

Since we know that ordinary table salt has been striped of nutrients and trace minerals so vital to the body and that gourmet salts, such as Hawaiian Pink Salt, are better for us, but contain no iodine, where can we get this important nutrient.

• Sea vegetables are becoming increasingly popular and include kelp, dulse, hijiki, nori, arame, wakame, and kombu. Try sprinkling these on your soups, salads or other dishes to get them into your diet.
• Seafood including clams, shrimp, haddock, oysters, salmon, sardines
• Eggs
• Asparagus
• Lima beans
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Sesame seeds
• Summer squash
• Swiss chard
• Garlic

Other important foods for thyroid health:

Foods containing selenium

Selenium content of food depends on the content in the soil where the food is grown. It is possible to get toxic doses of selenium, however, so I wouldn’t advise supplements, unless you talk to your doctor.

• Brazil nuts
• tuna
• mushrooms
• halibut
• beef
• soybeans
• sunflower seeds

Foods Containing Zinc

• Fresh oysters
• sardines
• beef
• lamb
• turkey
• soybeans
• split peas
• whole grains
• sunflower seeds
• pecans
• Brazil nuts
• almonds
• walnuts
• ginger root

Foods Containing Copper

• Beef
• oysters
• lobster
• shiitake mushrooms
• dark chocolate
• crabmeat
• tomato paste
• pearled barley
• nuts
• beans (soybeans, white beans, chickpeas)
• sunflower seeds

Foods Containing Iron

• Clams
• oysters
• soybeans
• pumpkin seeds
• white beans
• blackstrap molasses
• lentils
• spinach

Foods Containing Antioxidants

• Kale
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• winter squash/pumpkin
• spinach
• cantaloupe
• asparagus
• Guava
• peppers (chili, Bell, sweet)
• kiwifruit
• citrus
• strawberries
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• papaya
• parsley
• greens (kale, turnip, collard, mustard)
• Whole grains
• almonds
• soybeans and other beans
• sunflower seeds
• peanuts
• liver
• leafy green vegetables

Foods Containing B Vitamins

• Brewer’s yeast (supplements of Brewer’s yeast are very inexpensive)
• Almonds
• wheat germ
• wild rice and brown rice
• mushrooms
• egg yolks
• peanuts (with skin)
• liver
• poultry white meat
• sunflower seeds
• fish (tuna, salmon, trout)
• beans (soybeans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, garbanzos, pinto beans)
• walnuts
• bananas

One thing you’ll notice is that there is no sugary or processed foods on the list. That’s because these are not only bad for your health, they are bad for your thyroid and are best avoided. Anther thing you might notice is that you can cover several bases by adding different nuts to your diet or different veggies.

Cultured Vegetables and Your Thyroid

Since my husband can’t have so many of the veggies on the superfood list above, I learned from following the Baby Boomer Diet, to make cultured, or fermented veggies for us to eat daily. Cultured Vegetables are like sauerkraut but can contain just about any vegetable you can think of adding to your preparation. Most commercial sauerkraut has been cooked so the digestive enzymes and many nutrients are killed off so it’s best to make your own.

I’m planning another article on the benefits of cultured veggies and how to make your own. One simple way, and the way I started out, is to purchase Culture Starter by Body Ecology and follow the direction in the package.

I always prefer to get my nutrients from food but if you’d like some products which contain nutrients for thyroid health, you could try these:

• Ancient Earth Minerals contain trace minerals which nourish the thyroid and adrenal system.

• Ocean Plant Extract contains iodine, sea vegetables and seaweed from pure sources.

• Organic Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning - 2.7 oz - Flake Shake a little kelp onto your soup or salad to get iodine into your diet.

• Season’s Sea Seasonings, Organic Dulse Granules. You can also use dulse as a seasoning to get sea vegetable nutrients into your diet.

• Annie Chun’s Seaweed Snacks, Roasted Wasabi We keep a package of Annie Chun’s Seaweed Snacks on the table and munch on it throughout the day. You can also crumble it up and add to soups, salads and other dishes.

Many of these foods for a healthy thyroid may already be part of your daily diet but by focusing on foods for thyroid health, you will not only improve your thyroid but your general health as well.

Read more about Edible Seaweed Nutrition

How do you know if you have a thyroid problem? Check WebMd for Thyroid Disease Symptoms and Treatment

Today’s guest post is by Lauren Bailey and the topic is sex, baby boomers and healthy aging.

Anti-aging facial creams and a nutritious diet may help keep the wrinkles away and help keep your body in shape, but according to health experts, the real secret behind the fountain of youth may be found in the boudoir.

According to recent study conducted by HealthyWomen, a national independent organization that is dedicated to women empowerment and education, having sex at least four times a week can make couples appear 10 years younger than their actual age. Of course, the problem remains at the fact that most women have sex out of obligatory duty not pleasure, and thus don’t want have sex as often. But intercourse four times a week has many health advantages that can keep you looking younger and living longer.

Why is this exactly? Health experts say that sex causes you to release adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine-three chemicals that work to fight against aging factors such as depression and stress. They also activate the production of a special growth hormone that is specifically designed to block the absorption of free radicals in the air such as pollution and smoke that can cause deep wrinkles.

Lastly the three chemicals released during sex have also been linked to help ward of cardiovascular diseases, fight high blood pressure and improve renal function-all factors that can contribute to a longer, healthier life. But if you are not married and choose to use “casual sex” as an age-stopper, don’t forget about the importance of protection.

According to another study, there is an alarming number of baby boomers who do not engage in safe sex practices-especially among Caucasians. The study, which was commissioned by Indiana University, surveyed the sexual habits of 5, 865 people ranging between the ages of 14 to 94 and concluded that a majority of those over the age of 50 had unprotected casual sex-91% of men did not use condoms when having intercourse with a casual acquaintance, and 70% didn’t use condoms when having sex with someone they’d just met. While women on the other hand were a bit more careful, a good chunk still did not use protection.

Experts say that this behavior can partly be contributed to the fact that most baby boomers dive-into the dating market after years of having unprotected sex with a spouse and thus think that having unprotected sex with others is safe. But remember: no matter how old you are, sexually transmitted diseases are still a serious issue.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Lauren Bailey, who regularly writes for accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: blauren99 @gmail.com.

Are You Ready for the Taste of Real Salt in Your Food Again?

If you love the taste of salt but haven’t used it in years, here’s a new healthy idea! You do have options now for enjoying salt and it can even improve your health. If you’re like me, you probably gave up salt long ago because medical experts say it raises blood pressure. While using lots of herbs and spices and reducing the amount of commercial table salt we use is a good thing, one new cooking rage, gourmet salts are actually good for you.

Baby Boomers are all familiar with the need for reading glasses. It seems to catch up with all of us at some point. Today, I have a guest post by Stacie Grissom, a writer for Reading Glasses Shopper where she writes and researches everything to do with reading glasses. She has also made a few videos on how to fix your reading glasses. In her free time, Stacie loves to take pictures with her collection of old cameras, work on her DIY craft blog, and play with her three-legged dog, Bridget.

3 Tips to Help You Choose the Right Reading Glasses

I’ve been a glasses-wearer my entire life but it wasn’t until a few years ago when it really started to affect me. The summer before my first semester at college, something in me just switched and it was impossible for me to wear my contacts anymore. My contacts drove me crazy. I was always rubbing my eyes and my eyes felt as dry and itchy as the Mojave desert. For a while I was uncomfortable wearing my glasses– I felt like they made me look dorky and just took over my face.

Recently, my mom has been having trouble with her vision as well and has finally accepted that she needs reading glasses. Between my personal experience with glasses, helping my mom find reading glasses, and my day job as a writer for Reading Glasses Shopper, I feel as though I have a few glasses tips in my advice arsenal.

1. Find a pair of glasses you like. I mean really, really like.

This sounds like a stupidly obvious piece of advice, but until I started to choose glasses that fit my personality, I was uncomfortable wearing them. The day I found my funky clear-framed glasses was eye opening. (Sorry, I had to. :))

(My clear glasses and I.)

I am an extreme advocate of choosing funky reading glasses if you like them. If you like subtler glasses, the rimless reading glasses are a great option. My mom wears these and sometimes it is hard to see that she is even wearing glasses.

2. Figure out which strength of reading glasses you need.

If you want, you can go to the eye doctor to figure out what prescription you need. But there is a much easier way to figure out reading glasses’ prescriptions with this print-out diopter chart. These charts are also in drugstores if you want to try on reading glasses there to figure out if you need 1.00 reading glasses or 4.00 reading glasses.

3. Find out what type of frame fits your face shape.

Different styles of frames look good on different shapes of faces. It is important to figure out what your face shape is to make sure that you have the most flattering frame style. Check out this guide on matching frame to face shape. Another easy way to figure out the shape of your face is to stand in the mirror and outline your face with soap. Then step back and see which shape your face resembles the most. I have a roundish face so I always look for wider frames.

Stacie Grissom is a writer for Reading Glasses Shopper where she writes and researches everything to do with reading glasses. She has also made a few videos on how to fix your reading glasses. In her free time, Stacie loves to take pictures with her collection of old cameras, work on her DIY craft blog, and play with her three-legged dog, Bridget.

If you read just one book this coming year about health, diet and healthy aging, I would highly recommend The Baby Boomer Diet by Donna Gates. Baby boomers expect to live longer, and they probably will, but will they also be healthier? Are baby boomers focusing on the wrong things in their search for eternal youth, like anti-wrinkle creams or the latest vitamin supplement? The Baby Boomer Diet brings the anti-aging discussion back where it can really do some good - to improving our health from the inside out so we either don’t ever get the degenerative diseases so common today, or we can improve the ones we may have.

I’ve read many books on health, diet and fitness and I truly believe that The Baby Boomer Diet is a groundbreaking book, packed with information you’ve probably not read in other books on anti-aging, such as:

• Natural anti-aging remedies that honestly make you look and feel younger from the inside out. Did you know that if you get indigestion often and take antacids, you might be doing the opposite of what your body needs. Instead of too much acid, you may have too little. The solution? Apple cider vinegar in a little water. This is just one of many easy solutions to different health issues.
• The Baby Boomer Diet supplies one vital piece missing from most traditional
  
  

  anti-aging diets, building up the good bacteria in the gut. This book tells you how to get your digestion and your health, back on track.

• This book is packed with information about how we got where we are today, with degenerative diseases at epidemic proportions, and what we can do to overcome it. The Body Ecology Diet gives real answers, however, which will lead to real improvement.
• The Baby Boomer Diet is based on principals of Donna Gate’s other nutrition and healthy diet book, The Body Ecology Diet. The Baby Boomer Diet focuses on how to apply Body Ecology’s seven universal principles to the health challenges associated with aging
• Superfood recommendations for increased energy, vitality, and disease prevention
• As we get older, our bodies can’t absorb the nutrients in the food we eat and we lack the digestive enzymes for proper digestion. The Baby Boomer Diet explains how to eat and what to eat so we can absorb and make use of the nutrients in our food.
• The Baby Boomer Diet explains the difference between our bodies being acid and alkaline, why an acidic body fosters degenerative diseases and how we can get our bodies back to an alkaline state.

Baby boomers want to stay young-looking forever, as evidenced by the multi-million dollar

anti-aging industry. Cosmetic surgery, knee and hip replacements, wrinkle creams, diet fads, vitamin fads and more fuel this industry. But, even with this intense interest in looking younger, baby boomers’ bodies are falling apart. They suffer from degenerative diseases such as degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, nerve disorders such as Parkinson’s and dementia,  and arthritis.

Have we been focusing on the wrong things in our quest to retain our youth? Is there hope that we can really fundamentally change our body’s internal world and get to the cause of the ailments we have, rather than just addressing the symptoms?I believe the principals of the Baby Boomer Diet can do this.

After reading the Baby Boomer Diet, I embraced the principals and after a couple of months now, I have to say, I do feel more energetic, both mentally and physically. I’ve also lost weight, I think because my body is actually using the food I eat and digesting it better.

I suffer from osteoarthritis, the beginning of cataracts, and some form of neuropathy which causes tingling and numbness. Are these all gone by using the principals of The Baby Boomer Diet? Not yet, but I have hopes that these conditions will improve. However, it took me a lifetime to get my body into this condition, even though I do focus on being healthy, so I don’t expect any health issues to disappear overnight.

If you follow the Baby Boomer Diet, you will have to change your eating habits, I won’t lie to you about that, but many of the changes are simple and don’t cost a lot. Donna Gates does sell digestive enzymes capsules and probiotic drinks, etc but you don’t need to purchase these to eat the Body Ecology way. I did purchase some of these recently to use when I was traveling, because I was not eating as I do at home, and they really worked well, but you can get your probiotics many other ways too.

Donna Gates, is also the author of The Body Ecology Diet and is a renowned lecturer and nutritional consultant.  Donna combines the best of modern medical science, ancient Chinese medicine, and naturopathy to help people improve their immune system and beat candidiasis. The Body Ecology Diet is her own system of health and healing. Donna regularly appears on radio shows and conducts workshops to educate the public on medicinal foods.

My thanks to publisher Hay House for giving me the advance copy of The Baby Boomer Diet for Review.

A bone spur in the big toe! It seems every time I go to the doctor, I get another piece of news that tells me I’m getting older. This time, I’d had pain in the ball of my right foot for about two months before I finally gave up and went to the doctor at all. She sent me for an xray, which told me I had only a bone spur but arthritis of the big toe as well.

On the first visit, the doctor also gave me some cortisone pills, which can’t be taken long term, but will take down inflammation. Now I’m not for taking prescription pills of any kind, but the pain was bad, affecting my daily walks and my water aerobics, so I decided to take the pills and see what happened.

The cortisone worked all right - too well! After a day on them, all my bodily aches and pains disappeared. Little naggy joint pains in my knees and hands, which I’d just grown accustomed to over the years, were gone, just like that!

So my doctor’s recommendation was to go on Celebrix. She doesn’t know me and my anti-medication philosophy very well!

This is how I saw my bone spur situation.

1. Arthritis in an inflammatory condition. If I have arthritis in my toe, then I probably have it other places.
2. Instead of popping a pill, I need to get serious about an anti-inflammatory diet.
3. I need to find out what causes bone spurs and how to get rid of them naturally before I even think of popping a medication, which could have serious side effects.

In fact, I knew just the person I needed to go to for advice, a good friend from my yoga and tai chi class, who is also a nutritionist. When I mentioned bone spur to her, she pretty much gave me a free one hour appointment right there in the hallway of the Y, bless her heart.

What Causes Bone Spurs

Bone spurs are caused by ineffective calcium metabolism or excess calcium which allow for calcium deposits to build up and form a boney protrusion off of a bone, commonly in the foot. They are associated with arthritis and inflammation in the body and cause a lot of pain in the infected area. They can affect not only joints but nerves as well.

Excess calcium or inefficient absorption of calcium is caused by the fact that your body isn’t fully utilizing the nutrients you feed it or the fact that you’re not getting the proper nutrients in the first place. This could be due to a poor diet, getting older and other factors.

Symptoms a bone spur are:

Pain in the infected area
Swelling
Sometimes numbness and tingling if it is pressing on a nerve. If this happens around your spine, it is associated with degenerative spinal disease.

Diagnosis of a Bone Spur is most often done by xray of the painful, swollen area.

Medical Treatments for Bone Spurs

The most common medical treatment for bone spurs is surgery, which is painful and can have a long recovery time. Since bone spurs are a symptom of deeper problems affecting your entire body, however, it is best to address those issues but there are also natural remedies for bone spurs to get rid of that trouble in the short term.

Natural Remedies for Bone Spurs

Massage the area. Massage increased circulation to the area and is good for any type of arthritis. Since swelling traps toxins and debris in the joints and causes pain, massage helps release these to decrease pain and inflammation surrounding the bone spur. Deep tissue massage will help break up the calcium deposits.

Ice packs also helps decrease inflammation and therefore pain. My bone spur is in the ball of my foot, along side my big toe so I fill a quart size zip lock bag with ice, put it in a pan and rest my foot on it while I watch TV in the evening.

The spice Turmeric helps with healing inflammation, arthritis pain and bone spurs. Try 400 mg, 2-3 times a day and sprinkle it in your food as well. I use TurmericForce by New Chapter.

Apple Cider Vinegar - Apple Cider Vinegar is good for arthritis pain in general and bone spurs in particular. For arthritis, you can mix a couple of teaspoons in water and drink it. As a remedy for bone spurs, you soak the affected area in ACV for as much of the day as possible.

In the evening, warm a little ACV and pour it into a pan so you can put your foot in it. If possible, it’s also good to apply ACV to a gauze or cotton ball and wrap your foot so your bone spur area so it stays moist as much as possible.

I’ve read that this treatment can work in one week. I plan to try it myself and will report on whether or not it worked for me.

Excercise like yoga, which are gentle to the injured area help the bone spur to disappear gradually over time.

Vitamins and minerals to help heal bone spurs

Vitamins D and K promote bone health and can help heal bone spurs. Vitamin D recommended dosages range from 400mg per day up to 5,000. If you have a bone spur, you might want to consider taking about 2,000mg, which is what I now take. You can also get Vitamin D from about 15 minutes of sun exposure per day-without sunscreen.

Vitamin K can be obtained from hard cheeses like gouda (recommended on the Dr. Oz show!) Gouda also contains nutrients which are good for the heart and arteries so you don’t have to worry about high cholesterol. You can also get Vitamin K from probiotic fermented and cultured veggies and drinks. We’ve started eating homemade cultures vegetables every day with dinner.

Read more about the health benefits of cultured foods.

Minerals- Since your body is probably not absorbing and using the minerals you eat in your diet, you need to make sure you get enough trace minerals. Try drinking a good quality sparkling mineral water and using quality Himalayan Sea Salt, which contains minerals and offers many health benefits. Quality sea salt is definitely NOT to be confused with ordinary table salt which is stripped of any mineral benefits and contains many fillers and additives which lead to hypertension.

Most Americans’ bodies are in a highly acidic state from excess sugar, fast food, processed food, caffeine and alcohol. The acidic nature of our diet leaves us open for diseases like arthritis and other aging, degenerative diseases. Sea Salts added to the diet can help create a more alkaline body, while adding important trace minerals missing from so many diets now.

If you would like more information on how to create a more alkaline body and adding probiotics and cultured products to your diet, I highly recommend you order a copy of the book The Baby Boomer Diet, Body Ecology’s Guide to Growing Younger: Anti-Aging Wisdom for Every Generation, by Donna Gates and Lyndi Schrecengost.

I just finished reading this book, which comes out in October, and I thoroughly believe every baby boomer who wants to avoid all so-called age-related diseases should read this book. It should be the gold standard in anti-aging books. It also gives an eye-opening picture of how baby boomers are suffering the consequences of being the first generation to live with processed and fast food and being over exposed to chemicals, pesticides and additives in our food and water.

Donna Gates also wrote the Body Ecology Diet and many of the principals of this diet are repeated in the Baby Boomer Diet but with an emphasis on healthy aging. Stay tuned for my review of The Baby Boomer Diet. I’ll be talking more about the principals of the diet as I implement them as well.

Don’t forget, if you suffer from bone spurs, this is a symptom of a larger problem which you should address with a natural healing program such as a diet full of vegetables, less acid forming foods like those mentioned above, lots of exercise, drinking plenty of good quality water and other all around healthy living techniques.

Update on Natural Remedies for Bone Spurs

Acupuncture for Bone Spurs

I recently read that people have some success with acupuncture for bone spurs so I am giving this method a try. I had my first treatment yesterday and the acupuncturist (one I’ve been to for other health issues) told me it usually takes 2-3 treatments so I’ll give an update on the results.