About.com Health: It's Open Enrollment Time!

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Health From Kristin Kane, your About Health Editor If you are fortunate enough to have a job that provides you with health insurance benefits, it's time to sort through that pile-o-documentation from HR and make some choices about your coverage for 2011. Don't miss your deadline! Tips for those without employer-supplemented coverage are also below. Choosing the Best Option Before giving up on understanding plan details (and simply opting to flip a coin), take a read of this -- an easy-to-understand breakdown of common lingo, questions to ask about the options, and things to be mindful of when making your selection. HMO and PPO: What's the Difference? More Helpful Tips My Plan or Yours? When you officially paired up with your spouse or partner, you may have decided to pick one of your insurance plans and never turn back. Taking a closer look at each of your options again, however, may save you money. Health Reform: When You Can Expect What Changes Save More Money, You Say? More out-of-pocket expenses -- doesn't sound like a good thing. But if you do not anticipate much medical spending this year, choosing a plan that requires this may actually keep more change in your pocket (by way of lower monthly premiums). It's a decision that should be weighed carefully, of course. Should You Spring for Vision Insurance? What About Dental Insurance? How Much Money to Set Aside in an FSA Medicare Open Enrollment This is an important time for Medicare folks, too. "Since plan costs and coverage change each year, you should check to make sure that your plan still meets your needs and budget," says our Health Insurance Guide, Dr. Michael Bihari. Recent (and Future) Changes to Medicare If You Don't Have Employer-Provided Coverage Purchasing Private Insurance Tips if You've Been Laid Off Student Health Insurance Health Ads Health Insurance Employee Health Plan Health Care Health FSA Dental Health Featured Articles Follow About.com Health on Twitter! Stretching When You Have Back Pain Is Low-Carb Eating Causing You to Have Stinky Breath? Why We All Have Blind Spots Chai Spided Cider: No Dairy or Soy When Kids Sleepwalk   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More > Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. Take the quiz now >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Read/Share "What Helped My Grief" How Has Acne Affected You? "I Have Barrett's Esophagus" Advertisement

About.com Health: Health Lessons from the Chilean Miners

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Health From Kristin Kane, your About Health Editor Who could take their eyes off the TV last week as the Chilean miners were rescued? Now that they're free, there is much talk about what two months spent trapped did to their health. Some of the lessons brought to light apply even to those of us who watched the drama unfold from the comfort of our couches. You Are What You Breathe This video explains silicosis, a lung disease that has affected a couple of the rescued and that many who work in mines, quarries or with glass become afflicted with. For the Rest of Us Environmental Causes of Lung Cancer Effects of Secondhand Smoke Better Brush Up After all that time without toothpaste at the ready, many of the men surfaced with severe cases of gingivitis. Sound like the least of their worries? Several of the men underwent oral surgery to deal with the issue -- a potential fate for anyone who isn't kind to their teeth. How to Brush Your Teeth the RIGHT Way How Often Do I Really Need to See a Dentist? Take Depression Seriously A psychologist provided remote care to the workers while they were stuck in an effort to help them deal with their emotions and the potential for depression. Acknowledging that your own sadness could be a sign of something more is the first step in getting help that may have a dramatic impact on your life. I Think I'm Depressed. Now What? Difference Between Counseling and Psychotherapy Diabetics: Keep Blood Sugar in Check It is reported that the miners promised their colleague Jose Ojeda Vidal, a diabetic, a sugar-free birthday cake once they were all brought back up to the surface. That's a bit of levity in what could have been a situation made extra dangerous if he was not able to receive medication while underground. What Should My Diabetes Goals Be? When Diabetics Should Go to the ER Health Ads Health Health Food French Lessons Health Care Health Kids Health Lessons Featured Articles Get the Latest! Follow Us on Twitter New CPR Guidelines FDA Approves Botox for Migraines Add Fish to Your Diet Without Worry Inside Americans' Bedrooms Can Green Tea Combat Cancer?   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More > Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. Take the quiz now >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Read / Share Coping with Sinus Headache Job Stress Solutions Tips for Guzzling Lots of Water Advertisement

About.com Health: Now Batting: Flu Season 2010-2011

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Health From Kristin Kane, your About Health Editor I'm getting my flu shot tomorrow. Though I don't fit into any of the groups strongly encouraged to get jabbed, living in a city of millions (New York City) prompts me to take the "better safe than sorry" approach. That, and being stuck in bed with fever and chills just isn't a good look for me. No Second Shot Required Rolling up your sleeve for the regular flu shot this year means that you will be protected from the seasonal flu strains most likely to affect folks, as well as the pandemic H1N1 strain that made headlines (and headlines...and headlines) in 2009. Same goes for the nasal version. I love a good two-for-one deal. Where to Find Free Flu Shots REFUND! Did you still get sick after getting a flu shot last year? Our Guide to Cold and Flu hears that a lot. That's why she also reminds us that, while it does provide protection against three strains of influenza, it is not a defense shield against every type of respiratory illness. Mythbuster: Can You Get the Flu from a Flu Shot? Before You Pass Whether or not you get the flu shot, of course, is your choice. Still, it's important to weigh the potential consequences of getting the flu before opting out. (Tough guy or gal alert: Some are far more serious than plain old sniffles.) Who CAN'T Get the Flu Shot Important Info For... People with Asthma People with Heart Disease Pregnant Women Which Is It: Flu or Cold? It's inevitable that, at some point in the months ahead, you'll ask yourself this question. Learn some ways you can decipher one from the other. For the Little Ones Does Your Kid Need a Flu Shot? When to Take Your Child to the Doctor Before You Buy Children's Cold Medicines Health Ads Health Sick Cold Flu Flu Shot Health Cold Symptoms Health Child Health Featured Articles Follow About.com Health on Twitter! 23 Surprising Peanut Products (They're Not Food) Find a Bathroom When You Are Out Can Your Doctor Fire YOU? Common Treadmill Mistakes What Your Lab Test Results Mean   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More > Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. Take the quiz now >   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Readers Speak Out Depression in Parents of Autistic Kids Numbness from MS "How I Stopped Worrying About Penis Size" Advertisement

About.com Health: Beyond the Pink...and More Pink

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Health From Kristin Kane, your About Health Editor With stores so decked out with pink products that they could be mistaken for Barbie's dream house, it's hard to forget that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Whether you wish this month was every month, or that other health concerns got similar time in the spotlight, I bet we both agree that the more we all know about what can be done to prevent breast cancer, the better. I'll raise a pink-iced cupcake...with pink sprinkles...in a pink wrapper to that. Your Leg Up on the Disease Breast cancer thinks it's pretty smart, what with it using your body against you to spread itself faster and all. Good thing we know a thing or two about what puts us at risk in the first place - and what we can do about it. What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer? Your 20s, 30s, 40s and Beyond The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms starting at 40, but that doesn't mean that your breasts should go entirely unchecked until then. Sorting Through Confusion Over Clinical Breast Exam Recommendations Mammograms: When and How Often? Worrisome Discoveries There may be nothing more stop-in-your-tracks stunning as finding something "off" when examining your breasts. Any abnormality should be brought to your doctor's attention, but you may be relieved to learn that breast cancer is not to blame in most of these cases. Types of Breast Lumps How to Properly Do a Breast Self Exam Myth or Fact? Lots of falsehoods about breast cancer fly around, and knowing the truths about them can help you focus your prevention efforts on what's actually proven. Do Bras Cause Breast Cancer? 10 Strategies to Help You Take Action Share Your Thoughts How You Participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month "You're a Survivor When..." Memory of Someone You Lost to Breast Cancer Health Ads Health Pink Pink so What Department of Health Pink Stupid Girls Featured Articles Follow About.com Health on Twitter! The Baby Food Diet Trend Retiring Early? Health Insurance Info You Need STDs: What You May Have Wrong Healthy Pumpkin Recipes Kettlebells v. Dumbbells   More from About.com Is it a Cold or the Flu? Knowing whether you have a cold or the flu can help you treat your symptoms more effectively. More> Concerned About Your Drinking? This short quiz can help you identify whether or not you have a drinking problem. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Readers Speak Out Review the Colgate Wisp How You Explain Fibromyalgia "I'm Trying to Conceive" Advertisement