A Cancer Healthy Diet
A recently published study by the University of Manchester in England linked being overweight with an increased risk of certain kinds of cancer. View article
Allergy Alert
Winter is over, and signs of new plant life are everywhere. You step outside, take a deep breath — and are hit by a sneezing attack as your eyes begin to itch and swell. Suddenly, you are unable to ... View article
Anemia Watch
Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells. As you may know, red blood cells are used by your body to transport oxygen to your ... View article
Antibiotic Resistance
MRSA has been in the news quite a bit in the past year. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that there were more deaths from MRSA in 2006 than from ... View article
Are You At Risk for A Stroke?
How much do you know about strokes? Did you know that women are more likely to die from a stroke than breast cancer? If you are a man, did you know that you are more likely to have a ... View article
Blood Pressure
Do you know if you have high blood pressure? Knowing if you have high blood pressure or hypertension is important to your overall health. Untreated, high blood pressure can cause a ... View article
Cervical Cancer
A Pap test is the most important test you can have to screen for cervical cancer. This test helps identify changes to the cells of your cervix before the changes progress to cervical cancer... View article
Child's Vision
About 50 percent of children with vision problems are not properly treated according to the Vision Council of America. One of the reasons is that vision tests and vision screening exams are ... View article
Cholesterol
Why is a cholesterol test an important part of your annual physical examination? First it helps to determine your chances of having heart disease... View article
Crohn's Disease
Did you know that one of every 500 people have Crohn's Disease? Crohn's Disease is a life-long condition with symptoms that come and go... View article
Food Poisoning
Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 5,000 Americans die every year from something they ate? The news concerning illnesses caused ... View article
Generic Drugs
On average, brand name prescription drugs cost about three times more than the generic drugs. Sixty percent of brand name drugs today have a generic equivalent. So, if you haven't thought of ... View article
Going On Vacation — Don't Forget Your Id Card
We all pack many sources of ID in our wallets, briefcases, purses and backpacks as we start planning for vacation. Everyone has the usual ones — a driver's license, credit cards, or maybe a passport. As you sort through your pieces of ID to decide what to take on your vacation, don't forget your Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan ID card. View article
Got High Cholesterol? Be Aware Of Your Cost Effective Treatment Options
When a physician performs a lipoprotein panel on you, readings are reported for cholesterol and triglyceride count. If these indicate you have an excess amount of lipids in your blood, you might have hyperlipidemia. View article
Health Tracker Helps You Manage Diabetes
If you are one of the 24 million Americans with diabetes, you know the struggle. Its tough enough managing injections and prescription drugs. It's even harder tracking your progress as you strive to control blood sugar and improve kidney function... View article
Immunizations
Why are immunizations so important? Many dangerous childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, German measles or rubella, whooping cough, chickenpox, polio, and tetanus may cause ... View article
July is Juvenile Arthritis Month
Almost 300,000 children under the age of 18 in the US have some form of juvenile arthritis. View article
Key Facts About Swine Influenza (Swine Flu)
As you may be aware, the public health community has been monitoring a new influenza virus of swine origin, commonly referred to as Swine Influenza (Flu)... View article
Kicking The Habit Starts With The Blue Health Assessment
You may have tried to stop smoking before. If so, you know what others suggested: patches, gum, and quitting cold turkey. Nothing seems to work and where hope falters, the addiction advances. View article
Lean more about H1N1 Vaccinations
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) alerted the public to the pandemic nature of a different type of influenza (flu). This new type of flu is called the 2009 H1N1 Flu. It is also known as the Swine Flu. View article
Mammograms At No Cost To You
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 2008, 70 percent of women covered under the Service Benefit Plan received a mammogram to detect early signs of breast cancer. Are you one of those who have taken this vital step to protect your health? View article
Medical Costs
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has updated the Medical Cost Reference Guide and it is now available online at ... View article
Meningococcal Meningitis
Each year, about 3,000 people die from meningococcal meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a form of meningitis caused by specific bacteria which causes swelling of the ... View article
Men's Health — Prostate Cancer
Did you know that the main risk factor for prostate cancer is age? It is rarely seen in men under the age of 45 and the risk of getting prostate cancer increases after the age of 50.
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Preferred Providers
One of the easiest ways to lower your out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare is to use Preferred Providers. When you use Preferred hospitals, physicians, pharmacies and other types of ... View article
Preventing Hepatitis
In the United States, the rate of new Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B cases is declining due in part to immunizations for these viruses. However, there are still about 30,000-40,000 new cases of ... View article
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second must common form of cancer in men in the US. In terms of cancer related deaths, only lung cancer causes more deaths among men. As men live longer, more men are ... View article
Shingles
There are about one million people with shingles that seek medical treatment each year. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's... View article
Walking For Your Health
Should you take the stairs or the escalator? Park close to the door or choose a parking space further from the door? We can all make every day choices to be more physically active...
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What You Should Know About Kidney Disease
One in nine American adults, about 20 million people, has chronic kidney disease. It is the ninth leading cause of death - more than 50,000 people die of kidney disease every year. With an aging ... View article
Women's Heart Health
When it comes to heart health and symptoms, women really are different. Not in every way, but in some important ways... View article