Beware of Identity Theft When You Travel

Summer is here and probably you are already traveling or still planning a vacation. Here we are giving a few tips that you must consider in these days of identity theft and other kinds of frauds while you are out in the middle of your travel:

Interact with trustworthy companies only for your travel needs. If you're not sure about a company's reputation, check it out with the Better business Bureau ( BBB) or the Attorney General's office in the state in which it's based.

Leave your Social Security Number at home. Don't pack any ID that has your number on it. If it's on your medical insurance card, or other document you must have, keep the card very secure.

Be telephone Smart. Don't give out your credit card number over.

Tame the Internet. Don't feel obligated to fill in every part of a website form. If you can't access the site without providing personal information--such as a home address, your age, or your credit card number -- go to another site.

If you are using a public computer in a hotel or airport, make sure that you properly log out from your bank of email accounts and that the browser does not remember your log-in name and password. A simple technique is to close down the browser and open it again and check if the sites you visited are still remembering your account information.

Pay by credit card. Not only does this protect you financially-- if you don't get travel product you were promised, you can request that the charges can be removed -- it also protects your identity better than payment by check or debit card.

Prune your wallet. You don't need all your credit cards on a trip. Take just two. Leave one Locked in the hotel safe and carry the other in a front pocket, secured with Velcro or some other pick-pocket-deterring fastener. Also, don't bring checks or a checkbook with you

Educate yourself. To learn about the latest scams, check out the Identity Theft Resource Center's website at http://www.idtheftcenter.org/ or call the center at (858) 693-7935.

Use passwords. Protect your cell phone, PDA, and laptop computer with passwords. If the objects are lost or stolen, your data will remain hidden.

Health Resources: Diabetes

Diabetes affects over 150 million people in the world today. According to American Diabetes Association,"There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease". Here are some resources for the diagnosis and treatment of Diabetes:

American Diabetes Association: For diabetes-related questions or to request a diabetes information packet, you may email: AskADA@diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC):

Tel: (800) 860–8747, Email: ndic@info.niddk.nih.gov

Diabetes Exercise & Sports Association :

Tel: 1-800-898-4322, Email: desa@diabetes-exercise.org

American Dietetic Association: For information about food and nutrition.

Tel: (800) 877-1600

International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet Clinic—St. Louis Park.

Tel: (888) 825-6315

Joslin Diabetes Center (affiliated with Harvard Medical School).

Tel: (617) 732-2400

American Association of Diabetes Educators:

Email aade@aadenet.org Tel: (800) 338-3633

Diabetes123 : http://www.diabetes123.com/

Website "Information about Diabetes" : http://www.informationaboutdiabetes.com/

Setebraid Services

Insulin Pumpers : http://www.insulin-pumpers.org/

Websites focused on Kids:

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International,

Children with Diabetes

Resources: Skin Care

Summer is slowly spreading its presence all over the country. Everybody loves the warmth of the sun, but when you leave your skin unprotected from from its damaging rays, you're playing with fire. So, as you are planning to pack for a summer vacation, make sure you include the following: sun-protective clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Plan your itinerary to avoid direct sun exposure from 10 am to 4 pm.

Also, become familiar with all moles and blemishes on your skin so you can identify any changes. A changing, new or unsightly mole may require medical attention. Be familiar with symptoms and preventive measures of skin cancer from the following resources:

Skin Cancer Foundation (800) SKIN-490

American Cancer Society (800) ACS-2345

American Academy of Dermatology (866) 503-SKIN

If you are doubtful about your moles and blemishes, you may go for a skin cancer screening. A useful listing of all public skin cancer screening locations can be found in this Skin Cancer Screening Map .

Also, you may wear specialized dresses for protection from sun. Coolibar.com, SolarEclipse.com, SunPrecautions.com, SunProtectiveClothing.com are some of the leading companies in the business of sun protective clothing.

Recycle Ink cartridges and Cellphones

Today is Earth Day. ...And, among so many things that we can do for our beloved earth and its environment, we can at least start with some small steps first.

Please care to recycle your old cell phones and empty printing cartridges and help in keeping thousands of tons of potentially hazardous plastics and metal out of landfills and incinerators per year. You may find the following facts interesting:

o 78% of homes have inkjet printers.
o Only 5% of inkjet cartridges are recycled.
o 300,000 cartridges end up in a landfill each year.
o 5000 tons of plastic and metal goes into landfills each month from ink cartridges and cell phones.
o It takes 1000 years for industrial grade plastic to decompose.
o There are approximately 200 million cell phone users in USA.
o 18 months is the average life of a cell phone.
o 140 million cell phones were disposed of last year.

You may earn cash or make a fund-raiser campaign, while recycling ink cartridges or cell phones by using the service of freerecycling.com or fundingfactory.com among others. Office product chains like 'Office Depot' or 'Staples' also give you $3 coupon in exchange of a cartridge. To get more comprehensive information about recycling various potentially hazardous products, visit the non-profit organization, Earth911.org.

E-visits : Health Care Goes Online

In many cases of illness, the best care still calls for actual human touch. Still, in some special situation, if you're sick, you may not feel like wasting time in a doctor's office waiting room. And here comes a solution for such cases.

With the penetration of internet into all aspects of our daily life, health care couldn't remain aloof from all those advancements. Nowadays, more and more physicians are conducting online exams, and a growing number of insurance companies are supporting the concept. It's projected that one in five office visits could be eliminated through online communication. Recently, some of the biggest insurance companies, including Aetna and Cigna, started reimbursing doctors for E-exams.

The visits utilize questionnaires to help the doctor properly diagnose any problems in the patient. All of it is documented in the patient chart to refer to for future visits and care. The American Academy of Family Physicians also supports the idea, but stresses that only non-urgent medical issues can be handled this way. E-visits are best suited for people with easy to diagnose aches and pains, or for established patients who have previously received care from the physician's practice and now need follow-up visits.

E-visits should be a payable physician service. Usually, the patient initiates the process and agrees to e-visit service terms, privacy policy, and charge for receiving asynchronous care from a physician or other qualified health professional. Thereafter, electronic communication occurs over a HIPAA-compliant online connection, which includes the total interchange of online inquiries and other communications associated with this single patient encounter.

The physician appropriately documents the E-visits, including all pertinent communication related to the encounter. The physician or other qualified health professional has a defined period of time within which responses to an e-visit request are completed.

So, next time you are sick, may be putting your hand on the mouse would be a more convenient idea ....

Tax 2007: New Benefits for Homeowners

Foreclosure Benefit: Before 2007, taxpayers often owed income tax on the value of their home loan after that loan was cancelled through a foreclosure proceeding, otherwise known as "cancellation of indebtedness income." But now homeowners who went through foreclosure in 2007 have Congress to thank for the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007. So, for 2007 tax return, if you had cancellation of indebtedness income on your principal residence (Note: Not investment property), the first $2 million goes income-tax free. For more details, visit IRS webpage on this topic.

Mortgage Insurance Benefit: If you purchased mortgage insurance contract for a home loan in 2007, you may be able to deduct your premiums. You must itemize to take this perk. If you qualify, the value of your insurance premiums is treated as deductible mortgage interest. The benefit starts phasing out if adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000. For more details, visit IRS webpage on this topic.