How many of you consider the importance of sleep in relation to fat-loss, injury prevention and recovery, lack of focus, and overall health and vitality?

According to a study published in the Lancet Medical Journal (1) chronic sleep deprivation may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss.

Just one week of sleep deprivation altered subject’s hormone levels and their capacity to metabolize carbohydrates.

During sleep deprivation the researchers found that the men’s blood sugar levels took 40% longer to drop following a high-carbohydrate meal, compared with the control group (well rested group).

Their ability to secrete and respond to the hormone insulin (which helps regulate blood sugar) dropped by 30%.

Additionally, the sleep-deprived men had higher night-time concentrations of the hormone cortisol, (hormone released in response to stress), and lower levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone.

These raised cortisol levels mimic levels that are often seen in older people, and may be involved in age-related insulin resistance and memory loss.

So with that in mind here are some helpful tips to getting a good night’s sleep:

1. Get to sleep by 10.00 pm if possible – as most of the physical repair in your body takes place between 10 pm and 2 am. For example the gallbladder dumps toxins during this period. If you are awake then your liver is being overworked and perhaps sending toxins into your bloodstream.

2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as soaking in a hot bath and then reading a book or listening to soothing music. Some studies suggest that soaking in hot water before retiring to bed can ease the transition into deeper sleep, but it should be done early enough that you are no longer sweating or over-heated.

3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable, cool, and without interruptions. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Also make your bedroom reflective of the value you place on sleep. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin (growth and immune boasting hormones).

4. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime like working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem-solving.

5. Avoid exposure to bright light before bedtime because it signals the neurons that help control the sleep-wake cycle that it is time to awaken, not to sleep.

6. Keep the light off when you go to the bathroom at night. As soon as you turn on that light you will immediately cease all production of the important sleep aid melatonin.

7. Eating a high-protein snack several hours before bed works for many (but not all as it depends on metabolic type). This can provide the L-tryptophan needed to produce melatonin and serotonin. Also eat a small piece of fruit. This can help the L-tryptophan cross the blood-brain barrier.

8. Avoid foods that you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for dairy and wheat products, as they may have effect on sleep, such as causing apnea, excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, and gas, among others. Additionally grains will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep.

9. Exercise regularly. It is best to complete your workout at least a few hours before bedtime. In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult. In addition to making us more alert, our body temperature rises during exercise, and takes as much as 6 hours to begin to drop. A cooler body temperature is associated with sleep onset.

10. Wear socks to bed. Due to the fact that they have the poorest circulation, the feet often feel cold before the rest of the body does. A study has shown that this reduces night waking.

11. Remove the clock from view. It will only add to your worry when constantly staring at it… 2 am…3 am… 4:30 am…

12. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. It is best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment.

13. Using dimmer switches in living rooms and bathrooms before bed can be helpful.

14. Journaling. If you often lay in bed with your mind racing, it might be helpful keep a journal and write down your thoughts before bed.

15. Avoid caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) close to bedtime. It can keep you awake as caffeine is a stimulant, which means it can produce an alerting effect. Caffeine products remain in the body on average from 3 to 5 hours, but they can affect some people up to 12 hours later. Even if you do not think caffeine affects you, it may be disrupting and changing the quality of your sleep.

16. Avoid nicotine (e.g. cigarettes, tobacco products). When smokers go to sleep, they experience withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, which causes sleep problems.

17. Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Although many people think of alcohol as a sedative, it actually disrupts sleep, causing nighttime awakenings. Alcohol will also keep you from falling into the deeper stages of sleep, where the body does most of its healing.

18. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly. If you are regularly getting enough sleep, they should be unnecessary.

19. Avoid drinking any fluids within 2 hours of going to bed. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom or at least minimize the frequency.

20. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. Make sure your mattress is supportive and have comfortable pillows. Make the room attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens that might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.

21. Listen to white noise or relaxation CDs. Some people find nature sounds like rainfall or ocean waves, or white noise soothing for sleep.

22. Herbs including chamomile and valerian are regarded as natural relaxants.

Happy Sleeping!

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

Reference
(1) The Lancet October 23, 1999, 354:1435-1439

About the Author:

Article by Craig Burton. Craig is a prominent European based holistic health and fitness coach with more than 15 years experience. Craig is a Sports Science graduate of Edith Cowan University and has postgraduate accreditations in nutrition, massage, athletic training, and corrective exercise therapy. He is the author of “The 21 Day Roadmap to Health” available at http://www.3dpts.com

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Today is the day I step into the blood bank as a walk in donor. After taking down my particulars, haemogloblin level and other parameters, I was ready to draw my blood.

I was immediately ushered to a deckchair. Next, a blood pressure instrument was strapped around my upper arm. It was then that I started to regret it.

Two of the staff workers were happily talking.

At this point in time, one of them was applying the alcohol prep on my arm. And she was still talking.

In my heart I was literally screaming. I mean… what if the alcohol has evaporated and then she starts poking in the needle? Won’t that be dreadfully painfully. Nonchalantly, they had spent 30 seconds chit-chatting. And there I was anxious like an ant on a boiling pot.

I guess people working 9 to 5 jobs need to be properly trained. In terms of medical standards, one cannot be too lax.

This brings me to the next point - are workers just working till the end of the day and pushing responsibilities just to get by day by day? Was Jack Neo ( a Singapore Chinese actor) right when he depicted government agencies pushing work from one department to another?

I guess it is that inefficient.

There is a joke circulating around the Internet stating that a dog lying on the road will be handled by different government agencies depending on when it is drawing its last breath. And it is true.

Regarding Jack Neo’s movie ( Just Follow Law ), I can only sigh and wish it isn’t true.

For information on ways to utilise your website or blog please visit The Millionaire Mind!

Please goto my blog @ http://www.therichestmanonearth.blogspot.com

If you want to earn some extra money to contribute to the family expenses and you are one of those enterprising Moms who have medical experience and some inclinations towards running a business of your own, then having a home based business that would still give you ample time to take care of the kids would be a good idea for you.

A growing number of patients who are recovering at home after their confinement in the hospital need special care from people with medical background. This could be a good opportunity for you to earn extra income without really having to work all day away from home.

How does one set up a home health services business and what are services that you could offer? Depending on your educational background and work experiences as a healthcare professional, there are many things that you can offer to patients who do not want to stay longer in the hospital. For patients who would prefer to stay at home where they can be closer to their family while recuperating, you can always offer services such as nursing care, patient education and physical therapy. If you are a registered nurse, you should not find it difficult to find clients that would need nursing care in the comforts of their homes.

If you want to work part time, it would be a good idea to find a partner who is willing to take full shift taking care of the patient so that you can still have enough time for your kids. On the other hand, if you are a physical therapist, engaging in home health services could be very lucrative for you. You would not need to spend more than a couple of hours with the patient each day to help him or her exercise. This could give you more time to have more than 1 patient and still have time for your kids at home.

Believing in good balanced diet, taking vitamins and minerals. Daily exercise, yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, drinking enough water, meditation, relaxation, positive thinking, and trying to be happy.

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A mobility scooter is a great alternative for those who may limited in their movement, but still like to be active. For a variety of medical conditions, such as severe arthritis or stroke, a mobility scooter will allows more independence. Mobility scooters have emerged for some people as an alternative to other types of equipment, such as a wheelchair. For the handicap and disabled population, a mobility scooter allows them to participate in a more active lifestyle.

While mobility scooters for the handicap are not for everyone who is disabled, they can be of assistance to many. There great for people who cannot walk long distances or are easily fatigued. Mobility scooters allow people to continue to take care of themselves and be able to run errands, such as going to the grocery store. In addition to assisting those with certain medical conditions, these scooters can also be helpful for people who have progressive condition, such as muscular dystrophy.

The changes in design for mobility scooters for the handicap have also helped to account for their increased popularity. Unlike the designs of the past, many of today’s scooters are lightweight, and some can be easily disassembled and stored when not in use, or during transport. The rise of electric power has also made these scooters more accessible. Now, instead of worrying about fuel, the electric models are simply plugged into the wall. Mobility scooters for the handicap also incorporate a variety of comfortable features. Many have a wide chair that is easy to sit in for long periods of time. There is also storage compartments, including a basket for easy access, and mirrors that give the driver an increased view. These features and more, help the driver feel comfortable and in control of their driving experience.

In some cases, scooter purchases are eligible for medicare reimbursement. Many larger companies that sell scooters will have an in-house person who takes care of the paperwork and will help you determine whether medicare will reimburse the mobility scooter purchase. A major consideration for medicare is the intended use. Usually a scooter will not be approved just for leisure or outside the home. It needs to be for inside home use, and necessary for a person to handle daily tasks. Of course, there are many other requirements, but some people are able to purchase scooters, and get reimbursed through Medicare, depending on their situation.

Mobility scooters for the handicap and disabled offer increased movement and independence. While not for everyone, many people find that a scooter has greatly increased the quality of their life, and they couldn’t imagine living without one. If you are considering mobility aids, you may want to take a closer look at an electric mobility scooter.

Amy Wells writes on a variety of consumer issues. Considering a scooter? Get accurate and informative mobility scooter tips and resources at http://www.scooters.yourtechtool.com

Occasionally there is a short-term need for a wheel chair and they can be costly to buy, even one that is used. This is when the option of a scooter rental can come in handy. Being able to rent a wheel chair for a short time, many times the price of which is covered by insurance, can help when recovering from an accident or illness.

Another advantage of a scooter rental is that if something goes wrong with the wheel chair you’re renting, it will be replaced at no extra cost with one that works. The medical supply company you’re working with should be very understanding if you need your unit replaced for whatever reason.

With that said, your wheel chair should arrive in clean and good working order regardless. With a scooter rental, it’s rare that a chair will not arrive in good, clean working order. In the event that this does happen, a simple phone call should replace the wheel chair for you in speedy fashion.

Keep Track Of Rates And Accessories

If you’re renting a wheel chair, you should also be able to rent other things you need temporarily, such as carrying totes or arms totes. Some companies will supply them free of fees as a perk to customers. Other companies may charge for their use, and you should check this out before you read from a particular company, depending on what your insurance will cover.

A scooter rental is also beneficial because there is usually no fees for pickup or delivery. You simply phone and arrange for the wheel chair to be delivered. At the end of the rental, the company should simply be happy to come and pick it up. You can also usually extend the wheel chair period if you need it longer than you originally thought.

There are many types of scooter rental units available with manual types as well as the powered wheel chair, and some companies are willing to rent you a power wheel chair for you to try in hopes that you will decide to buy one. Being able to use a power wheel chair, even on a temporary basis, can help the user see the benefits of not depending on the manual type for mobility.

Of course, “try before you buy,” or in this case, rent. You’ll need to see if the chair you chose fits through all spaces in your house and allows you to maneuver well. The rental company will likely have ideas for you if the one you chose does not fit, and they can bring you back one that does better.

Learn more about folding wheelchair ramp, water based cushions for manual wheelchairs and invacare manual wheelchairs at WheelChariot

As the world population ages, or suffers long-term effects of accidents and debilitating illnesses, the need for modifications to individual homes and businesses also increases. One of the primary changes is the addition of a wheelchair ramp to ensure safe accessibility. However, before grabbing a hammer, or hiring help, learn how to build a wheelchair ramp, with proper designs and plans.

In a pinch, many people will invent bizarre methods of getting a wheelchair into an inaccessible home or business. Maybe a couple of strong gentlemen will risk a hernia and pick up the chair. Others may grab a couple of boards and, after strategically placing the planks, roll the wheelchair over the steps. Neither practice is safe. Both methods are a temporary fix, at best. So, learn how to build a wheelchair ramp with proper designs and plans.

First, decide what type of materials needed for the ramp. Wheelchair access can be made with a pre-made metal ramp to be assembled. If building the ramp from scratch, is the ramp going to be concrete or wood? For people building a new home, a concrete ramp can be constructed when the sidewalks are poured. However, for most people, wood is an affordable and quick solution to access difficulties.

Now, with designs and plans, learn how to build a wheelchair ramp. First, the incline should not be too steep, or the wheelchair may tip over backwards, potentially causing great harm. Specifications state a one-inch incline per foot of ramp. For example, the steps into a home are 24 inches in height. Therefore, the ramp needs to be at least 24 feet long, with a rise of only one inch per foot.

In addition to length, the width of the ramp should be three feet. Naturally the ramp needs to accommodate the width of the chair. For now, maybe a child is using a smaller youth chair. The ramp still needs to be three feet wide, because he/she will eventually require an adult chair.

The length and width are correct-now what? Wheel guards are an excellent safety feature, when learning how to build a wheelchair ramp. A one-two inch high wheel guard will prevent a wheel from falling off the edge during use. At best, a handicapped individual can be stuck until help arises to get the wheel back on the ramp; at worst, slipping off the ramp can cause dangerous spills. So, the side guards are essential. In addition, rails are helpful for similar reasons. In addition, rails enable the handicapped person to pull him or herself up the ramp. Finally, a good ramp needs a little texture. In rainy or icy conditions, a wheelchair can quickly become a runaway on slick surfaces. Therefore, to provide added safety, a rough mixture of pebbles can be added to the surface concrete. When using a wooded ramp, indoor-outdoor carpet, or adding sand or texture to the varnish will provide a little more traction.

So, learn how to build a wheelchair ramp with safety in mind. Make sure the grade is not to steep, wheel guards and rails are in place, and texture has been added to the surface for added traction and safety. Use specific designs and plans, and stay safe.

Moses Wright is the owner of Wheelchair. He provides more useful information on Wheelchair Accessories And Aids and Wheelchair Holidays on his website. Webmasters are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.

The Eucalyptus plant is a very highly regarded herbal home remedy. It is used first by the Aborigines in Australia. The plant was then introduced to Western society in the 19th century by the director of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Not long afterwards, planting of this tree began to spread throughout North America and Southern Europe, as more people came to realize its many uses.

While the different plant species have slightly different uses within these remedies, they are commonly used for their antiseptic properties, and hence, effective for fighting infections. In recent research, it was found that the Russian species of the Eucalyptus plant can counteract several types of influenza viruses. Many types of Eucalyptus are known to be highly active against bacteria and to have antimalarial properties.

The Eucalyptus plant has a cool, slightly bitter, pungent, moist taste. It can be used in volatile oils, tannins, aldehydes and bitter resins as it is effective as an antiseptic, antispasmodic or stimulant. It is also well known for expelling worms and reducing blood sugar levels.

Herbal home remedies can be easily made from the leaves of the Eucalyptus plants. In traditional Aboriginal medicine, these leaves were used to create poultices to treat inflammation and wounds. Eucalyptus leaves were also used to create decoctions that were taken internally to treat various ailments.

You can also use Eucalyptus essential oils that have been created by steaming the plant’s leaves. The Eucalyptus essential oil is used in herbal home remedies for treating a wide variety of infections, including the common flu, typhoid, measles and scarlet fever. This essential oil is now available commercially although most traditional herbalists still prefer to make it themselves from fresh Eucalyptus leaves.

For use as a herbal home remedy, you can reap the benefits from Eucalyptus in the following ways:

1) Use Eucalyptus as a compress. Just soak a pad in 2ML of Eucalyptus essential oil. This oil should have been diluted in a cup of water. You can then apply this mixture to painful joints, burns, and inflammations.

2) You can also use Eucalyptus as a gargle for throat infections. To make this, you will need to dilute 5 drops of essential oil in a glass of water and mix it well before gargling.

3) If you are having chest problems, simply create a chest rub by diluting 0.5-2 ML of Eucalyptus oil in 25 ML of almond oil.

4) If you are having colds or chest infections, make an inhalant. Add 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil into a bowl of hot water and then inhale the steam.

5) Take Eucalyptus in herbal tea infusions. It’s nothing like a hot cup of herbal tea to fight your infection and soothe your chest pains.

Of course, if you are too lazy, you can always take Eucalyptus in lozenges and capsules. These can be found everywhere in supermarkets or shops selling sweets.

Evelyn Lim is the writer and publisher of a newsletter on herbal home remedies. Her free newsletter shares practical tips about what non drug remedies readers can use for their common ailments. For a free MP3 download, please visit http://www.HerbalRemedyTips.com

Part One explored how you create recurring emotional and physical pain in your life. Now learn what you can do about it! Discover why Emotional freedom technique (EFT) works and how tapping can take your life to the next level.

What if you don’t want to respond to problems in the same old way? How do we do it, when we are really ready to take full responsibility for our health on all levels? Ready to step out of all unhelpful energy reducing patterns?

There are many tools available, including EFT, forms of sitting, walking and movement meditation , cellular memory release processes like The Journey, and individual and group-work psycho-therapies. All of these will unravel the emotional and mental knots which cause unpleasant patterns to repeat themselves over and over.

I have tried all of these and EFT is my favourite! It is easy to learn, use and carry around with you. It is very similar to other helpful processes like NET and Bodytalk. EFT is fantastic because you can carry it around in your self-help tool kit, ready to use whenever issues arise.

How does EFT work?

Simply stated, you stimulate a few well-established energy points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips. The points are usually the start or end points of acupuncture meridians. While you tap, you verbally state your physical or emotional issue of the moment and that even though you have this issue, you want to heal and accept yourself. The body’s attention is being specifically brought to an issue, while stating an intention of self-acceptance, and activating the energy patterns where the old pattern has been stored. Amazingly, the body is able to rewire the system and energy flows freely once again. The process is easy to memorize and you can do it anywhere.

Get colds and flu? Here is my success story!

Over the past weekend I used EFT several times a day to completely alleviate the swollen gland, which promised to evolve into a hefty flu. I used EFT whenever the swollen glad was especially painful. I also used it whenever a negative emotion arose, because I know from experience that sinking into frustration, drowsiness or anxiety weakens my immunity further. What amazed me was that whenever I tapped the symptoms reduced. As the emotion departed the physical symptoms lessened.
EFT allows you to be creative, so when I realised that a small part, albeit very small, of me was actually wanting to get sick, I asked myself why, and realised that in the past I have used being sick to have time off or to get affection. After tapping regularly, the sore throat departed over two days and I felt great. This was a real shift for me, as usually I’d feel worse after the swollen gland. I could feel my body removing the infection effectively, without the added stress of negative emotion.

Are you ready for change? Ready to know each moment is precious?

You can do it! When you know that you truly want to leverage your time and increase energy EFT is a wonderful accessory. It is up to each individual to love themselves enough to want to step out of all the familiar energy draining habits which minimise the time spent living our purpose on earth.
My clients have found EFT helps with some of the following issues: pre-birth anxiety for pregnant mums; painful or stiff joints and limbs; candida; trauma; performance anxiety; fear of singing; relationship issues; sadness; resentment; alleviating early flu symptoms (completely!); overeating; ‘bad-habits’; nervousness; - and many more.

After several years of healing old stuff, (using EFT and other techniques), I am living a happier and healthier life. Now I am in a place in my life where I realise that my time is precious. Every living waking moment is full of potential. It is up to me to use my moments with care and awareness.

Copyright Wild health and Anna Wilde

Anna Wilde works with people who want to improve their health naturally.
Get the recipes and straight forward advice to stay motivated, eat well and be healthy.

Check out her ‘Healthy food made easy’ website.

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What people say about Wild Health:
“Fantastic quantity and quality of information.
Thanks for a lot of new healthy food ideas I wouldn’t have found anywhere else.” Maria
“This changed my life. I lost weight and feel better than ever” Brian
“I am buzzing with ideas!” Sarah

Does EFT work? Yes! I have found EFT extraordinary, when applied it to a wide range of physical pain challenges and negative emotions. The emotional freedom technique can be easy and effective. Issues like anxiety, joint and back pain, and candida can be tricky to fix. I have seen EFT work for all of them.

Why do you have difficult emotional and physical pain?

EFT is based on the premise that “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.” Because physical pains and diseases are connected with emotions the following statement has also proven to be true. “Our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pains and diseases.”

So how do you create these disruptions in your body’s energy system?

Situations arise in life which may provoke a strong emotional response within the brain. This sends chemical messages into the body and precipitates physiological response. From an energetic perspective, when you feel unpleasant emotions, and simultaneously repress some aspect of the emotion rather than acknowledging it, the body’s energy system is disturbed. This means certain meridians get momentarily ‘stuck’, and energy flow is inhibited.

How does this stuck energy affect your life?
On an energetic, subconscious and cellular level we store this response pattern. When we have other experiences which in some way mirror the initial situation, the mind/body falls into the habitual response pattern. For example, if you experienced shame and anxiety as a child during school speeches, every time we are asked to speak in public as an adult, a wave of anxiety and shame sweeps through you, as the ancient response pattern is activated. Our body is on auto-pilot response mode.

Why do you keep getting sick, even when you want to be well?
Our neural thought pathways have ’solidified’ over years of repeating the same negative messages. The subconscious kicks in quicker than new found resolutions to be well. If we always received extra special loving attention from a parent when we were sick as a child, our internal repetitive response may be to be sick in order to receive love and attention. Because the emotional payback on a subconscious level overrides the other reasons we want to stay well, the historical response pattern will sabotage our good efforts.

Over time the combination of conscious and subconscious memories stagnate into physical and emotional knots that can seem impossible undo. In fact they become such a familiar part of our internal environment, we think this is ‘just the way I am’. “I have always had a weak immune system , and I probably always will”, or “I always get nervous flying in a plane”, or “I hate my hips.”
There can also be a familiar and comfortable warm feeling that being this way I have received love or other ‘paybacks’ before, so I better stay this way. It can be a case of ‘better the devil you know’. But is it really better? Are we actually living in the shadow of our doubts and fears, not willing to believe that we can actually change and improve ALL of the deep rooted habitual response patterns?

What if you don’t want to respond to problems in the same old way? How do we do it, when we are really really ready to take full responsibility for our health on all levels? Ready to step out of all unhelpful energy reducing patterns?

Read Part Two of ‘Emotional Freedom Technique’ (EFT) to find out how EFT can work for you, and how you can be free of habits which no longer serve you!

Copyright Wild Health and Anna Moonen

Anna Wilde works with people who want to improve their health naturally.
Get the recipes and straight forward advice to stay motivated, eat well and be healthy.

Check out her ‘Healthy food made easy’ website.

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and articles like: Obesity and The War on Fat

What people say about Wild Health:
“Fantastic quantity and quality of information.
Thanks for a lot of new healthy food ideas I wouldn’t have found anywhere else.” Maria
“This changed my life. I lost weight and feel better than ever” Brian
“I am buzzing with ideas!” Sarah

It’s been an interesting few years for those that follow the relationship between the electric wheelchair industry and Medicare. Fifteen years ago, chances are you never heard of electric wheelchairs. Although they have been around for longer than that, they were not readily available until the past 10 to 12 years.

That’s when companies like The Scooter Store and Hoveround began to market the wheelchairs nationally in the same manor that diabetic supply companies promoted diabetic medical supplies that were Medicare covered. When these companies began their national advertising campaigns for electric wheelchairs, the demand for the equipment nearly tripled in under three years (from 1999 to 2002). The Medicare expenditures for these wheelchairs increased by a whopping $556 million over this time period.

This does not, however, mean that the increase has been a bad thing for Medicare. According to a 2005 independent study, the electric wheelchair industry actually saves Medicare billions annually because Medicare people who receive electric wheelchairs tend to be healthier overall and suffer fewer injuries. The study found that the rate of people with broken hips was significantly lower when individuals had electric wheelchairs.

Over the past three to five years, the electric wheelchair industry and Medicare have battled over who should qualify for this type of medical equipment and how much Medicare should pay for those that receive it. Last year, Medicare finally released what seems to be the new directive for pricing and eligibility for electric wheelchairs. Below is a brief overview.

Medicare Electric Wheelchair Eligibility

To be eligible to receive an electric wheelchair through Medicare a person must have what is considered a daily living activity need for it and that need must be inside the home. Medicare currently does not covered electric wheelchairs or scooters for people who exclusively need them outside the home.

Daily living activities include feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting and so on. What does this really mean? It means that a person must need the chair to get around inside the home for at least one of these activities. Medicare will only consider the person eligible if he or she cannot conduct these specific daily living requirements with the use of a manual wheelchair, cane, walker or freely.

How Much will an Electric Wheelchair Cost?

The pricing for electric wheelchairs differs throughout the country. Whatever the allowable price is in your area, Medicare will typically pay for 80 percent of the cost. The remaining copayment may be picked up by your supplemental Medicare insurance if you have one. If you do not, you are responsible for the remaining 20 percent (normally between $1,200 and up).

How Do I Get an Electric Wheelchair?

You need to first ask your doctor if you are eligible and if you meet the minimum Medicare requirements. If your doctor says you do, then contact a medical equipment supply company (either a local one or a national one like The Scooter Store or Hoveround). The medical equipment supply company will direct you what to do next.

For more information on electric wheelchairs and Medicare or on companies that provide electric wheelchairs such as The Scooter Store and Hoveround, visit the Medicare and Medicaid Resource Center at http://Medicare-Medicaid.com Today!