Many ?f the government student loan programs require n? credit check ?nd w?ll provide students w?th substantial financial aid. however th??e programs are n?ed based and norm?lly carry additional criteria that ma? make ?t hard t? qualify. Even when students do qualify, th? loans w?ll only cover a portion ?f the total education bill ?n the majority ?f cases. if students ?r? caught ?n th?s position then the? ?ould lo?k t? private alternative student loans t? meet th? shortfall.

Private alternative student loans t?o hav? th??r own difficulties. A credit check i? alm?st universally required and th?s i? not a problem a? long ?s ??u h?ve ? good credit history. the problem is th?t ‘good’ ?? v?ry mu?h a relative term ?nd if y?ur credit history is not good en?ugh then ?ou may find that y?u ar? paying m?re th?n th? normal rates of interest.

As w?ll ?s the stated interest rate there ar? further monetary implications of private alternative loans. Fees will oft?n be added ?n to nominal loan amounts ?nd ? r??sonabl? modest loan of $3,000 might easily h?ve fees of 4% added prior to distribution. that means $120 of th? total loan ?s n?ver seen by th? borrower but nev?rthel??s h?d got to be paid back. As a guide, ?v?r? 3% of fees ?s equal t? 1% on top of th? normal interest rate.

Private alternative loans do carry ?ne or tw? advantages.

The f?rst ?nd prob?bl? most obvious advantage i? th?t money i? readily available. Private lenders make a profit from the interest and fees that they charge ?nd s? h?ve an interest ?n making money ava?lable t? borrowers and w?ll work hard to ensure th?t ever? applicant qualifies. on the ?ther hand Federal lenders operate t? ? rigid set of criteria ?nd th?r? is usu?ll? no appeal if ??ur loan application ?? denied.

Not h?ving to deal w?th that cold ?nd frequently illogical bureaucracy ?? an?th?r benefit ?f private loans. Private lenders operate customer service departments th?t exist specifically to deal w?th questions ?o that customers ??n g?t the answers that th?? need. Federal loan programs u?uall? h?ve h?l? ?v??l?ble t?o but the answers ?ne g?t? ?r? hit ?r miss when ?t ??m?? to quality.

Other things which make private alternative loans part??ul?rly desirable include:

The fact th?t students and parents do not hav? t? fill ?ut FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aid) forms ?nd supply ? lot of additional documentation. Alternative loan applications tend t? be simpler and th? whole process ?? easier. But, fees and interest rates ?ould be higher or lower depending ?n th? specific loan program.

The mo?t sought ?fter private loans w?ll have z?r? fees ?nd rates of interest that ar? ?b?ut equal t? th? prime rate. the ‘prime rate’ is th? rate which banks charge e?ch ?th?r ?r th?ir largest and m?st favored customers. if ??u ?r? ?ble t? find a rate at prime then th?? ?? ? good deal and finding a rate at 1% b?low prime ?s a great deal.

To g?t th?s sort ?f loan ?t is usu?lly n??e???r? f?r ?ou to hav? ?n excellent credit history or h?v? ? co-signer wh? h?s an excellent credit history.

Finally, th? b??t way t? discover wheth?r an alternative loan w?ll suit ??ur purposes i? to go ?ut into th? marketplace ?nd se? ju?t wh?t ?s ?n offer.

Ok, I confess. I have contributed to the $2.3 trillion that our country spends on health care every year. As a patient I want the best possible care for my family and me. As a physician I am the gatekeeper to expensive procedures, medications, and diagnostic tests. however, by several indices including life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and satisfaction with the health care system, we are not getting our money’s worth.

As discussed ad nauseum during the health reform debate, we can point the finger at any number of parties for the high cost of care: hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, insurance companies, and patients. I would also add to that list health care providers.

Every physician that I know makes medical decisions with the patient’s best interest in mind. But conscious or not, there are competing influences. Patients may demand a particular medication they heard about from a friend or TV commercial. a drug representative may suggest the physician prescribe their drug over a cheaper medication that works just as well. a provider may order a few extra tests not because it is supported by evidence but out of fear of being sued. a procedure may be performed more often than medically indicated because it brings revenue to the practice.

The overwhelming direction is toward more care and higher costs. As much as 30% of all health care spending is estimated to go to unnecessary care. The other problem in this situation (and in a lot of others I can think of) is that more is not always better. In fact, more care can cause harm. The overuse of antibiotics have contributed to the rise in drug resistant bacteria that now make even simple infections harder to treat. The repetitive use of x-rays and CTs increase the risk of cancer particularly in children. Painful testing and potentially harmful procedures are often performed even when the results will not change the condition’s management.

So what should health care providers do differently?

The Archives of Internal Medicine recently published a study conducted by the National Physicians Alliance on the “Top 5″ things primary care physicians can do to improve the health of their patients by reducing health care costs. Through a series of discussions, groups of pediatricians, family physicians, and internists each developed a list of five evidence based recommendations that if followed would get more value out of health care dollars. this was followed by review and feedback from 255 physicians in these specialties.

Few of the recommendations are surprising and frankly most are considered standard of care practices. Throat infections should test positive for streptococcus prior to prescribing antibiotics. Doctors shouldn’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients who don’t have symptoms.

Hopefully, initiatives such as these will help physicians provide both better care and serve as better stewards of our nation’s health care dollars.

Top 5 Internal Medicine-Lower Back Pain: Don’t do imaging for lower back pain within the first 6 weeks unless red flags are present.-Screening: Don’t obtain blood chemistry panels (eg, basic metabolic panel) or urinalyses for screening in healthy adults who don’t have symptoms.-EKGs: Don’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients without symptoms.-Cholesterol Lowering Drugs: use only generic statins when initiating lipid-lowering drug therapy.-Bone Density: Don’t use DEXA (bone density) screening for osteoporosis in women under age 65 years or men under 70 years with no risk factors.

Top 5 Pediatrics-Throat Infections: Don’t prescribe antibiotics for pharyngitis (sore throat) unless the patient tests positive for streptococcus (Strep throat).-Head Injuries: Don’t obtain diagnostic images for minor head injuries without loss of consciousness or other risk factors.-Fluid in the Middle Ear: Don’t refer otitis media with effusion early in the course of the problem.-Cold Medications: Advise patients not to use cough and cold medications.-Asthma: use inhaled corticosteroids (a steroid medication) to control asthma appropriately.

Top 5 Family Medicine-Lower Back Pain: Don’t do imaging for lower back pain within the first 6 weeks unless red flags are present.-Sinusitis: Don’t routinely prescribe antibiotics for acute mild to moderate sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) unless symptoms – which must include purulent (full of pus) nasal secretions AND maxillary (upper jaw bone) pain or facial or dental tenderness to percussion – last for 7 days OR symptoms worsen after initial clinical improvement.-EKGs: Don’t order annual EKGs or any other cardiac screening for low-risk patients without symptoms.-Pap smears: Don’t perform Pap tests on patients younger than 21 years or in women have had a hysterectomy for benign disease.-Bone scans: Don’t use DEXA (bone density) screening for osteoporosis in women under age 65 years or men under 70 years with no risk factors.

[In full disclosure, I serve on the Board of Directors of the National Physicians Alliance and am a member of the pediatrics working group for this study.]

Posted by: Ricky Y. Choi, MD, MPH (Email) | may 23 2011 at 10:07 PM

fever..he has bite and it has red around it..when I touched it he moans…he's always at bed..he only meows when I touch his wound….T^T..I'm hoping it's not tetanus or rabies or anything because we don't have the money to take him to a vet….T^T..I'm just so worried..I thinking it's rabies T^T T^T

I do not have problems with excessive nervousness, I have problems with anxiety. I get all panicky and mentally freak out and feel like I need to prepare for these things that are destined to happen to me.

A psychologist is ill-equipped to help you with this problem, but is well-equipped to convince you he's knowledgable and to take your money.

I would recommend researching this problem on the site fhu.com. It is most insightful.

I have this problem, as well as my gastroenterologist told me to splash Metamucil each day. we though the orange, as well as customarily stand in the volume in the single glassful, or we could brew it with the potion of orange koolaid, afterwards splash it fast since it does turn thick. Follow it with an additional splash to be certain it is privileged from your twist grip as well as esophagus.

I know this sods weird, though if we have diarrhea, the additional essential element mostly soaks up the additional liquid, ND if we have constipation, essential element is the many healthy approach to provide it.

Anytime we have been regulating fiber, either as the addition or by augmenting essential element in your diet, be certain to enlarge your liquid money coming in so the essential element can be effective.

Also, if we have been regulating essential element as well as still lustful we have diarrhea, we have found Imodium to be the lifestyle. we regularly buy it in generic(Loperamide hydrochloride. Follow tag directions.

I think I have scurvy. I've been getting all the scurvy symptoms and I constantly bear a hat upon my head. a pirate hat. We also have a parrot.my sister told me it was scurvy. could I have gotten scurvy?

Sorry to say, but yes, scientifically you might have one.

But don't listen to the people here; Rather, you should think based on these answers, rather you should go to the doctor or not. I personally think you should go meet a doctor; I'd rather spend my money rather than get sick and die.

Hope it helped.

highly unlikely
see a trained doctor to be sure

MANCHESTER – the Pursuit of Wellness, a 5K run/walk event to raise money for pancreatic cancer research, will be held Saturday, April 16, at Riley Rink in Manchester.

Currently, the medical knowledge of and treatments available for pancreatic cancer are substantially behind that of many other diseases. the odds of surviving this disease once diagnosed are shockingly low. because the symptoms of pancreatic cancer are so vague, by the time the diagnosis is made, it is frequently too late. the average life expectancy following diagnosis is a mere three to six months, with treatment options being very slim. an estimated 43,140 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and over 36,800 of those diagnosed will die from the disease, leading it to be the 4th leading cause of cancer related death in the United States. with the current methods of treatment available and the current state of research for this terrible disease, sadly , 75 percent of pancreatic cancer patients do die within one year of their diagnosis.

Pursuit of Wellness is an independent event benefitting the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. the Pursuit of Wellness will be held rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 16. the race course will be a 5K loop beginning and ending at Riley Rink at Hunter Park, with a shorter course available for those who prefer it.

Registration fees are $25 and $15 for youths 14 and under. Children six and under are free of charge. For more information or registration forms, visit sites.google.com/site/thepursuitwellness, e-mail or call event organizer Mullainy Fine at 802-379-8932. Registration forms are also available at Riley Rink.

(Editor’s Note: the Texas Legislature is having a fight over slot machines, while the issue of sovereignty goes mostly ignored. so gambling looks more promising to Legislators than independence. Texas, your elected officials are bought and paid for. You will not move forward into independence while these sold-out solons are still in Austin the level of thinking and actions that got you where you are now will not take you into secession, liberty and new nation status.)

I can think of no more fitting example of American politics today than one comparing the practice of traditional medicine to politics on both the state and national levels.

Traditional medical practice primarily treats diseases with prescription medicines and surgery. it focuses upon the symptoms of disease and spends most of its time, energy and money on making symptoms go away. For the most universal disease…the common cold…traditional medicine states that there is no cure for the cold. Further, all over-the-counter medicine treats symptoms only, and does nothing to identify and treat the cause of the cold.

From the common cold to heart disease, most traditional medicine only treats symptoms. In the area of heart disease, heart surgery is used to alleviate angina and open or reroute blood vessels that feed the heart muscle. so, a few inches of veins are treated, and miles of vessels and arteries are ignored. and within a few years, the repaired veins are occluded once again, and more heart surgery is indicated. the causes of the heart disease are not identified and treated. and usually, the cause of heart disease is the diet of the individual over a lifetime.

I don’t have to go on with any more examples from medicine. every person reading this article will have their own medical experiences to remember, or will know someone for whom these comparisons are true.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers lend new meaning to the term “drug pusher.” so simply agree with me that nearly every drug you see advertised in any medium is a symptom reliever, not a cure for the disease it purports to treat. Lipitor doesn’t cure high cholesterol, Coumadin doesn’t cure heart disease, Symbicort doesn’t cure asthma and Viagra doesn’t cure limp dicks. they only treat symptoms.

If traditional medicine spent most of their time on illness prevention and health, very few of the diseases of the 21st century would exist. but helping people prevent illness through lifestyle choices and diet doesn’t pay very well. Is there any wonder why medical professionals concentrate on symptoms? That’s where the money is.

So how does this translate to politics?

Arguably, 75% of the Federal budget is spent on programs that were never authorized by the original US Constitution. and at the state level, much the same thing can be said. most all states are spending money on things never dreamed of by the people who wrote the state constitutions. so, it could be said that most of the money collected and spent in taxes today is spent trying to treat symptoms of the disease, not dealing with the elemental requirements for government “health” in the founding documents. Legislators have piled on fallacious diagnosis after mendacious diagnosis, leading everyone astray as to what treatments are necessary.

Legislators in states and in DC have layered on hundreds of thousands of new laws and regulations…more every year. no one ever seems to ask whether these acts violate the Constitutions of either the US or the states. the politicians simply wink at each other, and then argue vehemently about which side gets to spend the money on their illegal, immoral laws and regulations.

Rather than taking a position that there should be tax money paid out to some aggrieved party or group for perceived inequities, legislators could have taken the position that the founding document did not provide…even prevented…the payment to or favorable treatment of the aggrieved parties. In medical parlance, legislators could have told the crybabies to change their lifestyles, rather than writing them a tax prescription that masked their symptoms and allowed the crybabies to continue living a subsidized lifestyle.

From the inception of our nation in 1776 to about 1920, the Federal government spent annually about 3% of the Gross National Product. and it is that period of our history in which America went from being a new nation to the wealthiest nation on earth. Today, Washington consumes over 25% of GDP. and now, America has more debt than any other nation, and it’s only going to get worse.

The daily news reports on every TV and radio station tell us about the uncontrollable debt incurred by Congress. We read and hear stories of the 2010/2011 Congressional budget presently being negotiated here in March 2011, even though the Federal budget officially began on October 1, 2010. We are told about non-discretionary spending, like Social Security, and discretionary spending like new road projects and new weapons systems. and the talking heads and their favorite experts prattle on about how bleak the future looks if Washington doesn’t cut spending. and all the new Republicans in Congress can muster is about $60 billion in cuts from a $3.7 Trillion dollar 2012 budget.

Republicans, Democrats and Tea Partiers are attacking each other about cutting spending. It’s just like groups of doctors, each with its own diagnosis for treating the symptoms of a terminally-ill patient, bitterly fighting about whose diagnosis will win. Meanwhile, the patient is being stuck with the bill, no matter which diagnosis prevails. and, the doctors don’t really care if the patient lives, and the patient cannot survive any one of the three diagnoses. He’s sure to die.

When holistic medical practitioners suggest that diet and lifestyle can prevent most illness, they are labeled “quacks” and shunned by traditional medicine.

When someone comes along and recommends that the DC “doctors” and the state “specialists” go back the basics, they are then attacked and accused of practicing “quack” political medicine. Why…the very idea that we should go back to the basics is preposterous! and that attitude mirrors the crisis in medicine in America.

The crisis in the nation’s capital, and most of the state capitals, is that the people that YOU ELECTED with your votes have no intention whatsoever in only spending money on things authorized by whatever Constitution they took an oath to uphold. the crisis in DC and the state capitals is not a debt crisis. It’s not a budget crisis. It’s not a fiscal health crisis.

The crisis in Washington and the state capitals is a refuse-to-obey-the-law crisis.

We can have a discussion later about whether the Constitution has any legal standing. but let’s just go back to the time in which the Founders were still alive.

The US Constitution laid out the parameters of the Federal government’s power and authority in Article I, Section 8. Over the last 230 years, Washington has usurped nearly 100% of the states’ authority to keep Washington in check. when a wild animal slips its chains, it is then free to turn on its captors. when a fire, which can be our servant, rages out of control, it becomes a deadly enemy.

State constitutions require states to balance a budget each year. but balancing a budget is easy. All you have to do is establish your budget, and then go to the citizens and take all the money you need by force. Kings have done that for millennia. but what about the morality of the spending? what about the lawfulness of the spending? and if new laws have been layered onto the constitution that permit spending not originally authorized, who wins?

I submit to you that the Washington Federal Government could be saved…pulled back from the brink of disaster…if Congress would only spend money on the constitutionally-authorized actions in Article I, Section 8. but that would mean canceling:

Social SecurityMedicareMedicaidAll Federal Departments except Defense, Treasury, State, the Judiciary and Interior.

I submit to you that the states could be saved…pulled back from bankruptcy…if the legislatures and their governors would return to their own constitutions and the authority originally granted.

Here in America, from DC to every state house, it’s getting down to nut-cuttin’ time (like they say on the ranch). and even though I posit above that our nation and our states could survive, we all know that there is certainly no stomach in the Congress or the White House for shrinking the Federal Government voluntarily. and in the various state houses, there is very little leadership, and even less courage, to pare back state government to the size it was, shall we say…100 years ago?

Occam’s Razor tells us that the simplest solution is usually the best and most effective. Reconstructing Federal and state governments would be mind-bogglingly complicated, and I have not even addressed the thousands of lawsuits that would be filed by trial lawyers representing every group that considered itself injured by spending cuts or program eliminations.

The simplest solution to fixing state governments and the US Federal government is SECESSION. and secession will not occur until the state and Federal governments collapse and there is no other choice left but secession.

Secession is the Hope For Mankind. Who will be first?

DumpDC. six Letters That can Change History.

© Copyright 2011, Russell D. Longcore. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 at 12:01 am and is filed under Secession, Texas Independence. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

My guinea pig, Spice, is pretty old – going on 8 years – and lately she hasn't been herself. She's seemed really tired lately, and after I got back from a 5 day vacation I found she could not move her back legs well so she can barely get around her cage. she can't even support herself enough to stand up, and there's also some crustiness around her eyes. she does have a very good appetite, though, and if we place food near her where she can get to it easily, she eats it up.
I think she might have scurvy since the eye discharge and the lethargy and unwillingness to move are all symptoms of that. I have been giving her Vitamin C, but I worry that I haven't given her enough. Any suggestions you have on what to do or an alternate diagnosis would be welcome!

Oh and btw I do want to take her in to the vet to maybe get a Vitamin C shot since I have heard those help….but my parents do not want to spend money on a vet visit for a guinea pig so if I can help her without a vet visit that would be preferable.

I love Spice, I have had her since I was 8 and I am now 16…..i don't know if I'm ready for her to go just yet!

I hope she feels better.
But she may just be getting old. 8 years is a long time for a guinea pig so you took care of her pretty well. You're not supposed to put vitamin c in their water becauuse it has other stuff in them other than just vitamin c and could be toxic to your guinea pig.

Do you give her veggies? Guinea pigs need at least 1 cup of veggies every day. you should give her 1/8 of a green bell pepper in addition to dark leafy greens to make sure she gets enough vitamin c. For now you can also give her oxbow vitamin c tablets. you should not use vitamin drops.
drsfostersmith.com/product/pr…

Seriously I can't see where you have gone wrong. I own and breed guinea pigs and hope all of them live as long as yours. you need to congratulate yourself on getting her to such a ripe old age. 8 years is above the common average and sadly far far longer than many get. being as she has lived so long I doubt that you have overlooked any nutritional needs as this would have been an issue a long time ago. I totally understand your not ready to loose her yet but at some point this will happen to all of us, I could only hope if I was a Guinea Pig someone like you would pick me. there really is no foundation for anyone to say you should not use this or that as if she was suffering as a result of vitamin supplementation or lack of dietary additions she would have passed on long ago. you have shared half your lifetime with her and if she does pass on she will do so knowing you loved her.

hi,i had a guinea pig go through that once,i got to it too late,i went to the pharmacist and asked him if they had poly-vi-sol,thats a pediatric vitamin c liquid they give to babies and children,i got a bottle and gave my piggie a drop or two every day through the dropper in the bottle,it worked for a while,but the piggie was to ill and i lost her.the piggie i have now gets water soluable drops in her water.you can mix the drops in her food too.try giving your piggie a small orange slice,mine loves this,she also likes watermelon,and bananas.

Hey! <3

Okay first off, i doubt she has scurvy because you are giving her veggies. take her to the vet as a guinea pig can spiral downhill very quickly. there's obviously something wrong, but the question is "what?"

As for the vitamin C drops, you should not use them, because:
-The only supplement a healthy cavy needs is Vitamin C. The vitamin drops that you buy at the pet store contain additional vitamins and minerals which can potentially be toxic to them.

-Vitamin C deteriorates rapidly in WATER and in LIGHT.

-Cavies drink varying amounts of water. there is no way to know how much Vitamin C your cavy is actually getting.

-Adult cavies need 30-50 mg per day of C. The drops make the water taste bad, thereby discouraging many cavies from drinking water—not good!

Although everyone says not to use them, you set a perfect example of a guinea pig living 8 healthy damn years with them, as many people say their pigs do. i think you should try vitamin C drops, NOT multivitamin drops. just pure vitamin c drops- and continue giving veggies!

in essence, i doubt its anything that you did wrong to make ur pig sick. things happen, she's old, she's going to get sick eventually : .. you've given her a happy life, and just posting this shows you care. i hope all turns out well and she's okay! guinea pigs can live up to 12 years (though its rare..) so keep hoping!!!!!!! x]

posted by karen on 20 Feb 2011 at 5:29 pm

This article is a joke. I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 25 years and all the yogurt in the world has not put my disease in remission.I am now having surgery as my only means for a cure and believe me, you would never elect to have this surgery..it is a last resort.the government needs to seriously step up their efforts and funding to find the cause and cure forthis terribly debilitating chronic disease and all the drugs that are used to just mask the symptoms which also have devastating side effects. This illness has impacted my life at so many levels. I can no longer hold a job and spend most of my days feeling sick and miserable and I have been constantly on and off prednisone for years. I won’t even go into the terrible long term side effects of this drug.Just because there are not enough people with this disease as there are with heart conditions or cancer does not mean the government should not put more money into research for the cause and cure for this disease.the only real cure at the moment is surgery which consists of complete removal of your colon and creation of a jpouch with your small intestine that attempts to take the place of your colon and not without many limitations. the other alternative is a permanent ileostomy ( a procedure where they bring your small intestine to your abdomen wall and now you have a external bag attached to your abdomen 24/7 which collects your waste). Jpouch surgery is in no way a terrific option as this surgery comes with a whole set of other issues to deal with (incontinence,pouchitis, fistulas, bowel obstructions, and possibly failure and creation of a permanent ileostomy anyway). the only reason people choose this invasive surgery is to hopefully not end up with a permmenant ileostomy for the rest of their life. Please… scientists, researchers, government…step up your efforts to find the cause and cure for this debilitating disease. People often develop in during the prime of their life and it totally robs you of your humility, self esteem, confidence and your capabilities, in addition to the dreadful physical pain is causes you chronically.Ulcerative colitis has caused me more pain, turmoil and grief in my life than a physically well person will ever be able to comprehend. It is the ugliest of all diseases.

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