You may not know this already, but when planning on traveling abroad you cannot take your local insurance with you. You will need to purchase an international insurance plan offered by a multinational insurance company. While they may be hard to track down, it is the best way to assure that in the event of an accident or illness you will be able to acquire medical attention if needed.

Many of these plans will cover you up to six months in another country. When you speak with the insurance company, be prepared to give an extensive list of information to them. This will range from health problems you've had in the past ten years, your hereditary conditions to substance abuse, and almost everything else-if it has anything to do with your health be prepared to disclose the information. If you are planning on traveling with more than one family member, then be prepared to give information for each family member as well.

Being active makes a person healthy and strong. It is not just for people who have a weight problem but for everyone who likes to stay fit.   

There is a lot a person can do such jog or walk every morning, play basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, then one can sign up and workout in a gym.

People workout for 3 reasons;

The first is that the person is overweight and the only way to lose those extra pounds will be to reduce ones calorie intake and at the same time workout in the gym.

The second is that the person is underweight and the only way to add extra pounds is to have more calories in ones diet and workout.

The third is just for fun and to keep that person in shape.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and gain or lose weight.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Here are some benefits of exercising;

1.    It is the easiest way to maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death.

2.    Studies have shown that it makes a person feels happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety.

3.    An active lifestyle makes a person live longer than a person who doesn’t.

Working out for someone who has not done it before should be done gradually. Endurance will not be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be beneficial to the person.

It is advisable to workout regularly with a reasonable diet.

A person can consult with a dietitian or a health professional to really help plan a good diet program. It starts by evaluating the lifestyle and the health of the patient before any program can be made.

Afterwards, this is thoroughly discussed and recommended to the person which usually consists of an eating plan and an exercise program that does not require the use of supplements or one to purchase any expensive fitness equipment. 

A good diet should have food from all the food groups.

This is made up by 2 things. The first is carbohydrates. The food that a person consumes should have vitamins, minerals and fiber. A lot of this can come from oats, rice, potatoes and cereals. The best still come from vegetables and fruits since these have phytochemicals, enzymes and micronutrients that are essential for a healthy diet.  

The second is fat which can come from mono and poly saturated food sources rather than animal fats. Since fat contains more than double the number of calories in food, this should be taken in small quantities to gain or lose weight.

Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

The most recent shocking news related to Atkins diet UK is while dieting Atkins, people don't feel the drive to eat more.
British population is largely enjoying Atkins diet
Though The United Kingdom doesn't have to tackle serious issues regarding overweight and obesity, there are enough British dieting. It is said that about two fifths of the British population are currently dieting in some form or another - 58% have tried dieting in the past five years. An estimated three million people in the UK have tried the controversial Atkins Diet, suggests a poll; 7% of men and 10% of women had given it a try. Despite all the warnings coming from dieticians, the Atkins diet is extremely popular, as it is in the United States. Why on earth is this diet so largely voted ? Nutritionists are puzzled and are trying to explain this. The public already knows that Atkins is more effective than standard diets (those low-fat or controlled-calories diet) in losing weight; no one could persuade them to give up Atkins. Up-to-the-minute research point out that, in the Atkins diet, lowering appetite is the one responsible for losing pounds, not ketosis. Atkins diet UK has recently given some challenging topics to talk about.

I've got a confession to make. I play basketball. I play it very poorly and can't make very many of the shots that I shoot at the basketball hoop. I have a feeling that I am not alone in the world at being a rather poor basketball player. However, one thing that I'm not bad at is comparison shopping. I've mastered the ancient art of comparing prices between merchants and can usually ferret out a fairly good deal with a little bit of leg work. Basketball hoops are no different than other items when it comes to shopping for them. There are some tips you should know before embarking on your journey to shop for a basketball hoop.

1)New or Used. You really might consider buying a used basketball hoop if you are interested in value. However, make sure you are buying one that hasn't been banged up too bad. Years of basketball practice can only make your rim bent and dirty. Ebay can be a great place to buy used equipment and basketball hoops are regularly for sale on Ebay.

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of golf courses all around the world.  With the popularity of the game rising, you can find golf courses in even the smallest of towns – or, at the very least within a short driving distance.  Have you ever wondered what golf courses are ranked as the top golf courses in the world?  Here’s a short list in no particular order:

* Augusta National; Augusta, Georgia – Home to the Masters Tournament, Augusta is one of the most beautiful and popular golf courses to play.  It was planned and designed by golf legend Bobby Jones and architect Alister Mackenzie.  It is a very exclusive golf club and open only to members and their guests.

* Pebble Beach; Pebble Beach, California – This has been a perennial favorite golf course among pros and amateurs alike.  It hosts an annual celebrity pro-am tournament that brings all sorts of celebrities to play with pro golfers.  It is a public course, but be warned, it isn’t cheap to play here!

Contact dermatitis is a physical reaction of the skin to certain allergens or substances that potently cause allergies or reactions.

The skin infection is brought about by the effects on the skin of certain irritants.

There are basically four kinds or classifications of contact dermatitis that are usually diagnosed by doctors and dermatologists. These are irritant contact dermatitis (ICD), allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), photocontact dermatitis (PCD) and contact urticaria.

Those types or classification of contact dermatitis can be hardly identified and distinguished by ordinary people, but the nature and cause of the skin infection can be determined through them.

A trivial fact about contact dermatitis is that in the United States, most recorded and diagnosed cases occur more in adults than children and the elderly.

Causes of contact dermatitis

Various allergens or allergy-causing substances can be cited for the onset of contact dermatitis. But reported cases of such skin infection points out to several factors or things that trigger the reaction.

The most common sources of contact dermatitis allergens are soaps and perfumes. It is because the use of such substances is somehow inevitable that make the problem hard to contain.

Contact dermatitis can also be caused by your skin’s reaction to drool, to detergents, to several allergy-causing foods and to lotions especially those with harsh ingredients.

Some plants are also identified to produce enzymes that may lead to the onset of contact dermatitis. Among these plants are poison ivy.

There are also about 3,000 chemicals that are identified to cause contact dermatitis. Among them are those that are based on common metals like mercury, chrome and nickel.

Some cosmetics can also irritate the skin and trigger the appearance of contact dermatitis manifestation in the skin. Permanent hair dyes, eye shadows, lipstick, clothing dyes, sunscreens and nail polishes are the identified cosmetic lines that cause such skin infection.

Manifestations of contact dermatitis

Several symptoms are pointed to the onset of contact dermatitis. However, it should be noted that for different individuals, the symptoms may vary. To be sure, further advice and check up from a dermatologist should be obtained.

Contact dermatitis occurs when there is swelling or mild redness in the skin. The appearance of the infected spot could clearly not be mistaken for common insect bites.

There is also blistering in the affected skin area, as well as itching. It is surely contact dermatitis when there is a temporary thickening or scaling in the infected skin portion.

Treatment and prevention

To treat contact dermatitis, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology advises people diagnosed that have the skin infection to do the following simple, yet effective remedies.

- Wash thoroughly the infected skin part with soap and ample water. Immediately do this at the initial appearance of symptoms.

- Throw away or carefully wash all clothing and objects that have come into contact or touched plants or chemicals that contain contact dermatitis allergens.

- Relieve and soothe skin inflammation or the infected part with a cold compress especially if the blisters break or crack.

- If the symptoms show severity, do not hesitate to consult a physician or dermatologist.

Baths using lukewarm water are also known to help soothe and rapidly control the skin infection.

As for the prevention, the best way is to avoid all identified allergens.

Pneumonia is inflammation and infection of the lungs, causing difficulty breathing, cough and chest pain. Pneumonia can either affect one or both lungs and there are various forms of the disease. The most common causes of pneumonia are: pulmonary infection with viruses (influenza, herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus), gram positive bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes) and gram negative bacteria (Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Pneumonia can also be caused by infection with mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma pneumoniae), small infectious agents that share the characteristics of both viruses and bacteria.

When pneumonia is caused due to infection with viruses, the disease is usually less serious and generates milder symptoms. The symptoms of viral pneumonia resemble those of flu or cold: cough, headache, difficulty breathing, nausea, muscle and chest pain. Most people with viral forms of pneumonia don’t need any medical treatment, as the disease clears on itself within a few weeks. If the symptoms intensify, it is a sign of complication and therefore medical intervention is required.