>> InsureMyTrip.com can help you find and compare these policies. RISKS ON SHORE
Significant portions of the typical cruise vacation take place off the ship—and that’s where many cruise health risks can be found… n Don’t rent a motor scooter unless you have extensive experience riding them. Scooter rentals are common in many cruise ship ports, but scooters are dangerous for novices, particularly in parts of the world where road conditions are poor and traffic rules lax.
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I read in a recent issue of Bottom Line/Personal that acupuncture can help dogs with diabetes. Does it work for people, too? Acupuncture can strengthen the d igestive system and help people with diabetes metabolize food more efficiently. It also can fight fatigue, nerve damage caused by diabetes and excessive appetite, thirst and urination. Recommended: Several sessions a week for one month. If after a month the treatment is helping, you can taper the sessions to once a month or so. Answer from: Fred Lisanti, ND, naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist and founding director, Integrative Med Solutions, Eastchester, New York. www.IntMedSolutions.com
My health insurer refuses to cover an ambulance bill. What can I do to get reimbursed—and to avoid similar problems in the future? First, call your insurer to find out why the claim was denied. The problem may be a simple clerical error. If not, additional documentation may be required to confirm that the situation was truly a medical emergency and that other means of transport were not advisable. You may need to ask both the ambulance company and the emergency room physician for the documentation. Important for all: Review your insurance policy’s ambulance coverage. How is a medical emergency defined? Does the policy cover transportation between health-care facilities—for e xample, from hospital to hospital
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n Be picky about restaurants. When cruise ship passengers get food poisoning, it’s usually because of something they ate onshore, not aboard ship. Many restaurants and roadside food stands in common cruise destinations such as the Caribbean pay insufficient attention to cleanliness and food safety. Lean toward restaurants where you can walk into the kitchen to confirm that the staff is wearing gloves—even better if you see them washing their hands—an indication that the restaurant takes food safety seriously. Drink
only bottled or canned beverages, and make sure that the cap still is on the bottle when it arrives at your table. n If you’re flying to the cruise departure point, be sure to move around the plane. Remaining in one’s seat for the duration of a long airline flight significantly increases the risk for blood clots. Such clots can be fatal if they reach the lungs—particularly if this happens aboard a cruise ship, where medical care is less extensive than in a hospital. Simply strolling around the aircraft’s cabin every few hours greatly reduces this risk.
or to a nursing home? Are air ambulances covered? How big are your copayments? Does your insurer have a network of ambulance providers and charge more if you go out of network? If the policy does not seem to meet your needs, consider looking into other insurers at open-enrollment time. Another option: Joining a local ambulance organization, which may cover some or all of unreimbursed ambulance costs. Membership fees vary by region but may be less than $50 annually.
deprived, in which case, you should go to bed instead of watching TV.
Answer from: Charles Inlander, consumer advocate and health-care consultant, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania. He is founding president of the People’s Medical Society and author of 20 books, including Take This Book to the Hospital with You (St. Martin’s).
When I fall asleep on the couch, often while watching TV, I seem to sleep more deeply than I do when I am in bed. Is there any reason for this?
Answer from: Timothy I. Morgenthaler, MD, professor of medicine in the Center for Sleep Medicine and department of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
I had a bad nose job that left me with a bump. How can I get it fixed? Microdroplets of liquid silicone can be injected into low areas to plump them up and disguise the bump. Most patients require three or four short treatments at six-week intervals. Advantages over a second surgery: No anesthesia…no swelling or bruising… less downtime…and it is significantly less expensive—a nose job can cost from $7,000 to $12,000. The full round of silicone treatments typically costs about $2,000 to $4,000. Silicone filler is permanent, unlike such temporary fillers as Juvederm and Restylane. Note: Silicone has gotten a bad reputation because of breast implant risks, but this product and technique are different—and safe.
There are four possibilities. First, if you have sleep apnea, sitting upright or semi-upright helps keep the airway open, which can make a difference in your ability to stay asleep. Answer from: Robert Kotler, MD, rhinoplasSecond, if you know you do not sleep tic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, cliniwell in bed or have bad associations with cal instructor at the David Geffen School of sleeping there—for example, knowing Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, and author of The Essential Cosmetic Surgery that you worry about work when you are Companion and Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosin bed—then it may be harder to sleep in metic Surgeon (both from Ernest Mitchell). www. bed than to sleep somewhere else, such InjectionRhinoplasty.org as the couch. Third, there may be environmen- Have a difficult question? Ask our experts… tal factors, such as an uncomfortable Send it to Readers Ask, Bottom Line/Personal, mattress, a noisy neighbor or a partner Box 436, Stamford, Connecticut 06904-0436… who snores loudly, that make it difficult or via e-mail to Karen@BottomLinePersonal. com . We regret that we are unable to pubto sleep in bed. lish answers to all questions or respond to all Finally, you just may be sleep- letters personally.
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