Expatriate Medical Insurance News: Women 'should be concerned about heart disease'

Expat health insurance policyholders who are concerned about heart disease should consult a medical professional.

The advice comes from the British Heart Foundation, whose research found just one in ten women aged after 50 have been to a doctor with concerns about cardiac heath.

Indeed, less than half (47 per cent) of those surveyed said they would call the emergency services immediately if they were showing signs of having a heart attack, while seven per cent said they would ignore all symptoms and carry on.

Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director for the heart health charity, commented ...

For the full story click here.

Expatriate Medical Insurance News: Passive smoking 'kills 165,000 children a year'

Overseas health insurance customers who smoke could be putting their and their children's lives at risk.

This is the warning from the World Health Organisation's researchers, who revealed that 603,000 people, including 165,000 children, die each year from passive smoking.

Second-hand smoke inhalation leads to around one in 100 deaths worldwide, causing conditions such as ischaemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, asthma and lung cancer.

Each illness can result in ...


For the full story click here.

Overseas Health Insurance News: Older people 'should get abnormal moles checked'

Older expatriate health insurance customers should get abnormal moles and skin changes checked by a medical professional as soon as possible.

This is the advice from Cancer Research UK, whose research has revealed that a failure to flag up such conditions has resulted in a significant rise in deaths from malignant melanoma among pensioners.

Expatriates living in hot climates should be careful of ...

For the full story click here.

Expat Health Insurance News: Sexual health campaigns 'should be more inclusive'

International private healthcare users should be among those targeted by sexual health campaigns.

The Terrence Higgins Trust has called for a more inclusive way to tackle sexually transmitted infections, including expanding sexual health campaigns to mature people and those coming out of long-term relationships.

"[We should] start looking across the whole of society not just certain [groups]," said Jason Warriner, clinical director of the charity.

"We know there are certain groups in society that are at a higher risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, but what we actually need to do is have a campaign that meets the needs of everybody, whether it is a young person or somebody in their 50s or 60s."

He urged anyone ...


For the full story click here.

International Health Insurance News: Exercise 'important for those with rheumatoid arthritis'

Overseas health insurance policyholders who have had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosed can manage the condition with gentle exercise and periods of rest, a charity has said.

Kate Llewelyn, head of information at Arthritis Care, noted that a successful exercise regime will contain a balance of activity and respite.

"Do a range of movement exercises at least once a day," she advised ...

For the full story click here.

Expatriate Insurance News: 'Wash hands' to avoid colds

International medical insurance policyholders are being encouraged to wash their hands regularly to reduce their chances of catching a cold, which could require costly medication to treat symptoms.

According to author and broadcaster Dr Mike Smith, getting outside in the fresh air and eating a healthy, balanced diet can help starve off colds and viruses.

"The healthier you are the better your own immune system will be. That is what overcomes ...

For the full story click here.

International Healthcare News: Walking 'can slow effects of dementia'

Expatriate health insurance policyholders who are worried about older relatives may be interested to learn that gentle exercise is thought to slow down the effects of dementia.

According to Professor June Andrews, director of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling, "there is no question that exercise does help with dementia".

The reason for this, she believes, is because ...

For the full story click here.

Expatriate Healthcare News: Take out insurance 'when booking trip'

Ensuring travellers have overseas medical insurance when they confirm a holiday option is "an essential part of the booking process", according to Trailfinders.

Lucy Balding, spokeswoman for the organisation, said: "We strongly advise all of our clients to take out travel insurance when they pay the deposit on their holiday."

Her remarks come after the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) released a survey indicating that ...

For the full story click here.

Expatriate Healthcare News: 'Vitally important' to educate youngsters about HIV

Expatriate health insurance customers living in Africa may be interested to hear that UNICEF believes it to be difficult to teach young people in the continent about their sexual health.

UNICEF's UK deputy executive director of innovation and strategy, Andrew Radford, commented: "Getting messages over to young people isn't easy. Communicating about HIV prevention is really hard. Now try and combine the two. That is an exceptionally difficult thing to do."

He noted that ...


For the full story click here.

Worldwide Medical Insurance News: Carrot 'better than stick' in relation to obesity

Providing incentives for expat health insurance policyholders to lose weight may be better than penalising them for being overweight.

This is the view put forward by Sue Baic, senior lecturer for the Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Bristol, who said it is always ...

For the full story click here.

Expatriate Medical Insurance News: Seek treatment quickly for rheumatoid arthritis

Expatriates who are showing early signs of rheumatoid arthritis should seek medical treatment as soon as possible to limit the effects of the condition, Arthritis Research UK has stated.

Jane Tadman of the charity commented: "Research has shown that aggressive early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is the best way of getting it under control before the joints are damaged, so identifying patients early in the course of their disease is therefore essential."

This could ...

For the full story click here.

Overseas Health insurance News: People 'are failing to admit obesity problems'

Living in a population where levels of obesity are on the rise is leading many global health insurance policyholders to underestimate their own weight problems, Slimming World has warned.

Jenny Caven, a spokeswoman for the organisation, noted that ...

For the full story click here.

Expat Health Insurance News: Keeping active 'can boost health'

Keeping active around the house will help elderly people reduce their risk of accidents, thereby lowering the likelihood of having to make a claim on their overseas health insurance.

This is the view of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, which noted that ...

For the full story click here.