In a study that is bad news for adherents of the Atkins Diet and health-food advocates, most of the benefits of caloric restriction were found to be due to reduction of fats and proteins. The study, though, used fruit flies as subjects, so there is no proof yet that the same effect holds for mammals, particularly humans.

Also Read: Preventive Healthcare and Health Insurance

In the study, the fruit flies were divided up into four groups. Group #1 received a regular diet -- yeast and sugar. Group #2 was calories restricted, about 43% of the calories in the unrestricted diet, consisting of equal parts yeast and sugar. Groups #3 and #4 received more calories, about 72% of the unrestricted diet, with #3 getting more yeast than sugar, while #4 had more sugar than yeast.

The flies in group #2, on the typical caloric restriction diet, lived 82% longer than those in Group #1, as would be expected. Group #4 lived 65% longer than #1, but group #3 only lived 9% longer than group #1.

Stated another way, reducing caloric intake by 28% through reducing fat and protein intake increased life expectancy substantially, but reducing caloric intake by 28% through reducing sugar intake had only a slight beneficial effect.

Personally, I don't understand why the second group was not given the same amount of calories as groups three and four, it would have made the comparison more valid. Flies living on mostly sugar received 79% of the benefit (compared to only 11% for the flies eating mostly yeast) but they only reduced caloric intake by roughly half as much as group #2.

I'd be surprised if these findings extend to mammals. Of course we will have to wait some time to find out, since studies of mammals, which live several years (compared to fruit-flies that live several weeks) naturally take longer. Here at Longevity Blog we hope somebody is preparing a more thorough study of lab rats, with diets high in fats only, high in protein only, and high in sugars only, compared to both unrestricted and a control group getting the same calories as the study groups.

Dude, you have a huge zit on your forehead!” Has this ever happened to you or to any of your friends? It can get to you. Especially when you’re in school where everyone is going to hear about it and start talking about you, or at least that’s what school feels like to me. Acne is a tough thing to have to deal with, but at least you’re not alone.

Statistically, if you have acne, you’re among more than 70 million people in the United States who have suffered from this skin condition at some time in their lives. It is so common that acne affects about 80 percent of Americans 20 to 30 years old. During the teenage years, acne is more common in boys than in girls, but in adults it’s more common in women.

Also Read: [url=https://www.swadl.in/blogs/641587890a14c68eb77e03a5/Medical%20Debt%20Trap%20-%20Pushing%20Indians%20In%20Poverty]Medical Debt Trap[/url]

Acne is a skin condition that can impact you physically, emotionally, and sometimes socially. It affects you physically by causing blackheads, whiteheads, and inflamed red growths to form. It can get to you emotionally because if you have acne, you tend to become very self-conscious and you begin to think that people are talking about you behind your back. It sometimes, depending on the people around you, can affect you socially. Many people won’t care and will like you for who you are. However, not everyone is nice; it’s just a fact of life.

Acne is most common in teenagers, but it can occur during adult years. Many teens think that acne is a problem caused by bacteria from sweat or dirt. My friends believe this and to be honest, I did too, until I did some research. I learned that acne is actually a problem of swelling and inflammation that occurs when the tiny holes on the surface of the skin, called pores, become clogged. Each pore is an opening to a follicle. A follicle contains a hair and an oil gland. These glands help lubricate the skin. They also help remove old skin cells. When the glands produce too much oil, the pores can become blocked. This causes debris, inflammatory cells, dirt, and bacteria to build up. The blockage is called a plug or comedone. You can tell if it’s a whitehead if the top of the plug is white. If the top of the plug is dark, then it’s a blackhead. If the plug breaks open, the material inside causes red bumps and swelling to form. The pimples may enlarge to form firm, painful cysts if the inflammation is deep in your skin.

Acne can appear on the arms, legs, and your butt (LMAO). However, it most likely will appear on your face and shoulders. The symptoms are blackheads, crusting of skin bumps, papules, cysts, pustules, scarring, whiteheads, and redness around skin eruptions.

Here are some ways to minimize outbreaks.


-Try not to wear baseball caps, tight headbands, and other hats too often.
-Stop any urge to scratch, pick, squeeze, or rub the pimples. It may lead to skin infections and scarring.
-Avoid touching your face with your hands or fingers.
-Stay away from greasy cosmetics or creams.
-Take off your make-up at night.
-Look for some water-based products that have been tested and proven not to clog pores and cause acne.
-Clean your skin gently with a nondrying, mild soap.
-Remove all make-up and dirt.
-Shampoo your hair daily, especially if it’s oily.
-Comb or pull your hair back to keep the hair out of your face.


If you have tried everything I’ve mentioned and your blemishes still haven’t cleared up, you should try over-the-counter medications that you apply to your skin. They may contain some chemicals that work by killing bacteria, drying up skin oils, or causing the top layer of your skin to peel. Examples of the chemicals are Benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. A small amount of exposure to the sun may help a bit, but it really just hides it. Don’t get too much exposure to the UV rays, though, as it increases the risk of skin cancer.

If pimples are still a problem, CALL A DOCTOR ALREADY!!!! Your doctor may prescribe stronger medications and discuss other options with you. Antibiotics may also help.

For girls or young women whose acne is caused by or made worse by hormones:
A pill called Spironolactone may help.
Birth control pills may also help. However they can make acne worse.


Minor procedures and treatments may also be helpful.
You can have a laser procedure called photodynamic therapy.
Your doctor/dermatologist may also suggest injecting cysts with cortisone or a chemical skin peeling.
Your doctor/dermatologist may also suggest dermabrasion, which is the removal of the top layer of skin.


Acne usually goes away after the teen years, but it may last into middle age. The condition often responds well to treatment after 6-8 weeks, but may flare up from time to time. Scarring may occur if severe acne is not treated. Some people, especially teens, can become very depressed if acne isn’t treated.

Also watch these youtube videos. It gives a lot of helpful information that is easy to understand about acne.

A cashless health insurance policy settles your claim directly with the hospital, so that you don’t have
to pay the bills from your pocket at the time of discharge. But this is a layered process and can take
some time. Yet, insurers boast of quick claims approval time. Both statements can be true. Read on to
know how.

For a cashless settlement in health insurance, the process of making a claim starts with getting pre-
authorization from the insurer. This is merely an acknowledgment by the insurer that the claim is
payable. It doesn’t give any guarantee that your claim will be cleared.

Read More: [url]List Of Documents Required[/url]=https://claimtherapist.com/blog/27

You and the treating doctor need to fill the pre-authorization form. You need to fill in the personal and
insurance policy details. Then the form is sent to your doctor for filling in details of the ailment and
treatment. The form is then sent to the billing department to give an estimate and then it is sent to the
insurer, with the necessary documents.

The insurer reviews these documents to pre-authorize the claim. And this is where the insurers boast
of a quick turnaround time.

Read More: [url]Claiming Health Insurance?[/url]=https://claimtherapist.com/blog/25

But keep in mind that the insurer may still ask for additional documents at this point itself, by typically
putting in a query. This query must be replied to in order to approve the claim, and that could take
time.

Pre-authorization approvals usually mean that an initial amount has been sanctioned by the insurer
along with admitting to paying the claim subject to the final bill from the hospital.
So it’s at the time of discharge that the insurer actually pays. Non-payables will have to be paid by
you.

In some cases, hospitals may demand a security deposit—especially in cases of unplanned events
where admission cannot wait for pre-authorization from insurers.

Pre-authorization has now comparatively become a quick process, but claim filing and settlement at
the time of discharge can still be (and is) a lengthy process.

For instance, in order to process the claim, an insurer will need the discharge summary that is
provided by the hospital, which itself can be a long process.

Once the discharge summary and hospital bills are sent to the insurer, it will investigate and scrutinise
the bills before settling them. And this may take time because the final claim undergoes several levels
of scrutiny.

For you, this means a longer waiting time before you can finally leave the hospital.
It’s important to know that when an insurer promises quick approval of claims, it may not mean that
you will also be able to walk out of the hospital with all your bills paid by the insurer in no time. It
simply means a quick turnaround on whether the insurer has agreed to accept the claim and not
process the claim.

The final claim is still subject to adjudication by the insurer.
Don’t want to wait for such long hours? Get SWADL - it saves both your time and money!

Also Read: [url]All About Non-Medical Expenses[/url]=https://claimtherapist.com/blog/26

Are you a person who pays their income tax honestly and wisely? Then you must know that it’s
always smart to avail all tax deductions available under the Income Tax Act.

Today, let me tell you about another such deduction that you can avail if you’ve got a health insurance
policy.

Yes, you read it right! Your health policy not only allows you to save big on medical expenses but also
offers tax benefits on the premium paid by you.

Your health insurance premium is tax deductible under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. This
means the premium amount gets deducted from your taxable income. Hence, the applicable tax also
decreases. (feels good to know this, right!)

Deduction is applicable depending on the type of plan with a maximum limit of Rs 1,00,000.
Wondering what type of plan your policy falls under? I’ll not leave you with half information, read on.
Deduction is available for self & family plans and for dependent parents.
● If you have a self and family health plan, where age of all members incorporated is below 60
years.

Maximum deduction is: Rs. 25,000

● If you have a self and family health plan + plan covers parents, where age of all members
incorporated is below 60 years -

Maximum deduction is: Rs. 25,000 + Rs. 25,000 = Rs. 50,000

● If you have a self and family health plan + plan covers senior citizen parents, where age of
members other than parents is below 60 years -

Maximum deduction is: Rs. 25,000 + Rs. 50,000 = Rs. 75,000

● If you a have a self and family health plan + plan covers senior citizen parents, where age of
even one member other than parents is above 60 years -

Maximum deduction is: Rs. 50,000 + Rs. 50,000 = Rs. 1,00,000

With everything concerned with policies and government provisions, there are always some points
that you must know! Let me give you some critical information here!

- To claim the deduction, you have to go cashless! Meaning, please ensure that you don’t pay
your premium in cash. The payment mode can either be cheque, debit or credit card, UPI or
netbanking.

- Premium payment receipt must be available.

- Premium should be paid from the taxable income of the person availing the deduction. If it is
paid on behalf by any other person, deduction can’t be claimed.

- Deduction claimed must be as per the limits mention in the Income Tax Act (as stated above)

- Premium should be paid within the same financial year. This means the date on the payment
receipt should fall within the financial year for which tax is payable.

- Temporary receipts given by agents cannot be used.

Another disclaimer you shouldn’t miss - tax benefits and deductions are subject to change as per
Income Tax Laws.

So, the next time you file for Income tax, make sure to avail the tax benefits from paying health
insurance premium!