Economies of the world, still reeling under the effects of recession, are witnessing con artists trying to trick people out of their hard-earned money by offering them fake plans such as fake health insuranceplans .

Before you buy any health insurance plan, it is highly imperative for you to ascertain authenticity of the plan. This is because a fake medical plan can exacerbate your financial problems.

From Foxbusiness.com:

Tips for avoiding health insurance scams

These scofflaws can be skillful and convincing; they try to reel you in by pretending to work for big, trusted insurance companies. Here’s how to protect yourself.

* Check the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud’s watchlist of health plans to avoid. Even if a company is not on the list, be wary.

* Get the Web site and phone number for any company you’re thinking of doing business with. Investigate the company.

* Get the list of providers who participate in a company’s plan and call them to ask if they’re really part of this plan; ask which of services are eligible for the discounts or coverage. Avoid any company that won’t give you a provider list.

* Read the entire policy, including the fine print, along with a trusted friend or family member. (You should be able to get your enrollment fee refunded if you cancel within 30 days.) Avoid any company that won’t give you a copy of the policy they’re selling.

* Do not respond to plans offered through faxes from strangers, e-mails, telemarketers or door-to-door salespeople.

* Call your state’s insurance department to check the license of every company and insurance agent you deal with. Investigate them also through your state’s consumer protection office and attorney general’s office.

* Get salespeople to explain all costs, including enrollment fees, monthly charges, deductibles, coverage maximums and any other expenses. Calculate exactly how a plan would affect your out-of-pocket costs so you don’t end up spending more than you save.

* Don’t buy anything you don’t understand. Avoid aggressive sales people or those who make you feel dumb.

* Beware of “guaranteed coverage,” or promises of a specified percentage of savings (”30% off!”) and of pressure to close a deal fast because “time is running out!”

* Be suspicious of large upfront costs. Compare costs among several health insurance plans. Genuine health insurance, unfortunately, is expensive, says Quiggle. If you’re offered something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Remember, it is better to buy a genuine health insurance at a slightly higher price than opting for a fake, cheap insurance plan.

According to two new studies, deficiency of Vitamin D is common in patients with a variety of rheumatic diseases.

Dr. L. Idolazzi, of the Rheumatology Unit, University of Verona, Italy, said that patients with a wide range of rheumatic diseases usually experience deficiency of vitamin D, a fact that was disclosed after making use of several clinically accepted measures of disease activity.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

A further study assessing response to vitamin D supplementation found that taking the recommended daily dose did not normalise vitamin D levels in rheumatic disease patients.

“We have seen in studies that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, and our results have confirmed this using several clinically accepted measures of disease activity,” said Dr. L. Idolazzi, of the Rheumatology Unit, University of Verona, Italy.

“What we need to see now is a range of long term studies, which examine the clinical response of patients to vitamin D supplementation,” Idolazzi added.

Results of the three studies were presented recently at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.

In today’s busy times, most of us suffer from sleep disturbances. Stress, excess workload, and hectic schedules are just a few factors contributing to sleep disturbances and the earlier we make changes to our lifestyle, the better.

Small measures such as taking a hot milky drink, a bath, switching off the computer, listening to soothing music, and meditation can considerably improve quality of sleep besides helping us in realizing our dreams with added zeal and power.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Experts say the surroundings could be rearranged to create an atmosphere more suited to sleep. Sleeping with the television on should be avoided as the waves disrupt sleep patterns.

To sleep well, there needs to be a fractional temperature difference between our body and our brain, a warm body and a cool head. If a person prepares for sleep well before midnight (between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.), he stands a much better chance of getting a good sleep.

Vital deep sleep occurs an hour or so after a person drops off. So one can optimise the quality of this initial stage by going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Experts also say that one should have breakfast within half-an-hour of waking. This not only stimulates body metabolism, but when one eats a healthy breakfast, the person starts to create the perfect internal chemistry for optimal sleep.

It is always good to keep a gap of 90 minutes between eating dinner and going to bed. A heavy meal late in the evening disrupts sleep pattern.

In addition to that, we can even emphasize upon exercises for half an hour so that the body can get relaxed, breathing is improved, body appearance gets better, and sleep is induced.

According to a new research, parents trying to run a combination of job and raising child feel up to 11 years older than their stay-at-home counterparts.

An average juggling parent of 46 years will have the energy and fitness levels of a 53-year old, as per a study by insurer PruHealth.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

The study by insurer PruHealth found that the average 46-year-old juggling parent will have the fitness and energy levels of a 53-year-old.

But the average 46-year-old parent who chose to remain at home full time will feel four years younger than their actual age due to a healthier lifestyle, reports the Telegraph.

Experts also found that working parents drink and smoke more, but exercise and sleep less than average adult.

They also get less than six hours sleep a night compared to 25 per cent those who care for their kids full time.

PruHealth chief executive Shaun Matisonn recommended that small steps to health such as walking the children to school or snacking on fruits rather than on crisps can help parents to stay in good shape.