Should you worry about genetic discrimination?

Sometimes, doctors may recommend to a patient to test for a specific gene for a particular disease that seems to be prevalent in that patient's family. For example, in hereditary breast cancer, two genes are commonly tested for breast cancer risk assessment. They are two tumor suppressor genes named "BRCA1" and "BRCA2" that are involved with DNA repair. Women with an altered BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene are up to eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than those without mutations in those genes. Fortunately, there are treatments that would significantly decrease this risk.

However, despite the potential medical benefits, many patients are worried that genetic testing can result in discrimination. Genetic discrimination is when one is treated unfairly because of differences in his/her DNA that increases the chance of getting a certain illness. Patients worry about their genetic information affecting their health insurance and/or their employment. Therefore, it is important to know some basic facts about the law:

1) Established federal laws: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA keeps genetic information confidential, prohibits the exclusion of an individual from group coverage due to genetic predisposition, prohibits charging a higher premium, and establishes that a predictive genetic status is not a pre-existing condition.
2) New federal law: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). This was signed into law by President Bush in May 21, 2008. GINA protects people from discrimination by health insurers and employers on the basis of DNA information. This law prohibits the use of an individual's genetic information on setting eligibility, premium or contribution amounts by group and individual health insurers, and forbids the health insurer from requesting or requiring an individual or family member to undergo a genetic test or requesting genetic information. Similarly, employers may not use genetic information to make decisions in hiring, firing, job assignments and promotions. However, it should be noted that GINA does not cover life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance.
3) State governments also have specific legal protection against genetic discrimination. The degree of protection from these laws varies widely among the different states. Federal laws set a minimum standard of protection that must be met in all states. They do not weaken the additional protections provided by any state law.

Every one of us has several DNA differences that could increase or decrease the chance of getting a particular disease. It's important to remember that these DNA differences don't always mean someone will inevitably develop a disease, just that the risk to get that disease may be greater. As more genetic tests become available, and more preventive treatments discovered, these laws are extremely important to protect patients' rights and allow patients to have access to optimal medical care with less worry about genetic discrimination.

Should you worry about genetic discrimination?

Sometimes, doctors may recommend to a patient to test for a specific gene for a particular disease that seems to be prevalent in that patient's family. For example, in hereditary breast cancer, two genes are commonly tested for breast cancer risk assessment. They are two tumor suppressor genes named "BRCA1" and "BRCA2" that are involved with DNA repair. Women with an altered BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 gene are up to eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than those without mutations in those genes. Fortunately, there are treatments that would significantly decrease this risk.

However, despite the potential medical benefits, many patients are worried that genetic testing can result in discrimination. Genetic discrimination is when one is treated unfairly because of differences in his/her DNA that increases the chance of getting a certain illness. Patients worry about their genetic information affecting their health insurance and/or their employment. Therefore, it is important to know some basic facts about the law:

1) Established federal laws: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA keeps genetic information confidential, prohibits the exclusion of an individual from group coverage due to genetic predisposition, prohibits charging a higher premium, and establishes that a predictive genetic status is not a pre-existing condition.
2) New federal law: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). This was signed into law by President Bush in May 21, 2008. GINA protects people from discrimination by health insurers and employers on the basis of DNA information. This law prohibits the use of an individual's genetic information on setting eligibility, premium or contribution amounts by group and individual health insurers, and forbids the health insurer from requesting or requiring an individual or family member to undergo a genetic test or requesting genetic information. Similarly, employers may not use genetic information to make decisions in hiring, firing, job assignments and promotions. However, it should be noted that GINA does not cover life insurance, disability insurance and long-term care insurance.
3) State governments also have specific legal protection against genetic discrimination. The degree of protection from these laws varies widely among the different states. Federal laws set a minimum standard of protection that must be met in all states. They do not weaken the additional protections provided by any state law.

Every one of us has several DNA differences that could increase or decrease the chance of getting a particular disease. It's important to remember that these DNA differences don't always mean someone will inevitably develop a disease, just that the risk to get that disease may be greater. As more genetic tests become available, and more preventive treatments discovered, these laws are extremely important to protect patients' rights and allow patients to have access to optimal medical care with less worry about genetic discrimination.

Dr. Mai Brooks is a surgical oncologist/general surgeon, with expertise in early detection and prevention of cancer. More at www.drbrooksmd.com, thecancerexperience.wordpress.com and progressreportoncancer.wordpress.com.

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What Is A Squeeze Page And What Is So Special About Having One?

There is a lot of confusion these days with what a squeeze page actually is, especially with budding internet marketers and new businesses. Basically, it is simply another name for a single web page or as some experts out there like to call it a landing page, even though this term is not really correct.

So what is the point of having one?

The single aim of having a squeeze page is to collect the names and e-mail addresses of the people who visit this page. And once you start collecting a list of potential customers to your data base or auto-responder (an automated e-mail message service provider) you can then work at building a business relationship with them in the hope of selling your services and products to them in the future.

In short, the real gist behind a squeeze page is that you want the visitor to leave it as quickly as possible.
Yes, it might seem to be a bit of a paradox to go to all that trouble to get someone to visit your squeeze page and want them to leave it as quickly as possible, but it is true.

In other words you give the visitor two choices.

Either they give you their details or leave.

That is it.

So when you design a squeeze page you do not need it being too fancy offering loads of choices and other things to read as this will only distract the visitor and before you know it they have left without giving you their details.

By the way, it is okay to use video on these pages as well.

Why Would People Want To Visit Your Squeeze Page?

Obviously, you have a niche you are or will be specialising in whether it is a product or service and preferably in a red hot hungry market.

And people will visit your page, because you have some vital piece of information on there about a certain topic they are interested in or you are giving away something of value to them for free in exchange for their details.

Let us take this example, if someone was searching how to lose weight quickly and your squeeze page came up in their on-line search. And when they clicked through to it, your page was all about losing weight quickly and also offering a free guide called ??7 Ways To Lose Weight Quickly??.

But to get this wonderful guide full of fantastic information you have compiled, the visitor must give you their first name and primary e-mail address.

And then once you have their details and they have received your free guide or whatever you are giving away free, be it by digital download or physically posting it to them, you can then start what is termed as E-mail Marketing. And you then start building up an ongoing relationship with them by sending out frequent e-mails with bits of useful information and your link to either a sales page to buy something from you or to an affiliate??s site.

Nig Boanas (a.k.a The Squeeze Page Writer at www.thesqueezepagewriter.com) is a freelance copywriter and internet marketer himself.

A chance meeting with one of the top UK??s Internet Marketing legends, Tim Lowe and along with his recommendation was the outcome of The Squeeze Page Writer.

Nig uses a mixture of clever copywriting, emotional triggers and persuasive NLP techniques in squeeze pages which make a powerful combination with direct results in getting readers to respond.

If you??re looking for help with a squeeze page simply visit www.thesqueezepagewriter.com and claim a FREE ??How to Kick Start Your Copy...?? and Squeeze Pack right now.

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How To Get A Clue About Sewing - An Overview

This Dare to Escape topic gives basic information on getting started with sewing. It covers ideas on how to find fabric, instructions, patterns, and a good sewing machine.

The Least You Need To Know About Sewing

I confess that I do not know a great deal about sewing. When I was in junior high (that dates me), I took a course called Home Living. They taught us guys and gals how to do basic sewing stitches. But, believe it or not, when I was a boy scout, there was a merit badge in there somewhere for knowing how to sew and stitch. Sewing is not a skill that belongs strictly within the female ranks and everyone should know how to do some very basic sewing. What is the least you need to know about sewing?

We need to know the elemental items of Sewing 101 in order to begin. Depending upon what it is you need to do, whether you need to create something from patterns, screen print a t-shirt, or maybe you need patterns for free quilting, or dressmaking patterns, you have to know what tools and materials go into making the creation that you want.

That may sound like a screwy approach to getting the sewing tools you need, but it is really just like anything else. When I learned to play guitar, I learned my first three chord song. Then I learned a second song that had a couple of extra chords. After so long of doing this, before you knew it, I had a complete collections of chords in my head and I could play almost any song I wanted to play at will from this collection.

This is what will happen with your sewing. You may start off wanting to make a t-shirt. You will need the fabric, the thread, the band material, the patterns, and the instructions on how to sew it together. Next you may want to make a pair of jeans. For that, you will need different material and tools. After you have targeted a dozen things to make, you will watch your sewing tools increase exponentially, but at least you will not have tools you never ever use. Following this method will be a little expensive at the outset because you are going through "tooling up" costs. But, once you have been doing it for awhile, you will find that you have most of what you need, and that you need to pick up the occasional item or two.

So, what is the least you need to know about sewing? You have to know the actual things you are going to need to make something. That will involve at the least, sewing thread, a machine, a fair knowledge of how to use that machine, fabric, and patterns with detailed instructions, along with any other materials that the patterns call for.

You may want to know what fabric stores exist in your area. More importantly, you may want to know where the thrift stores are. I have seen so much thrown away in the dumpsters in the back it is unreal. If you are not so persnickety that you are willing to look for a bargain in less than normal circumstances, you can certainly find them.

How To Get Fabric for Sewing, for Knitting, for Free Quilting

As I just mentioned, thrift/second hand stores are great places to pick up deals on fabric for almost anything. Too many people worry about what fits and what does not fit in a second hand store. You should not worry about such things because you are probably going to cut it up into pieces that you can use for your projects anyhow. Depending upon your project, you should be able to find patterns in these places as well for all sorts of things like free dressmaking patterns, swatches for free quilting, and you can even find yarn for knitting. Usually there is a section that stores books and I just bet that there is something there that covers how to sew as well.

And now that we have been inside the store, let us not forget to ask if they have stuff that they want to get rid of that they cannot sell and they cannot store any longer. Even if some stores are not willing to admit this, the fact that the dumpsters in the back alley are stuffed with patterns, fabric, beat up old garments they cannot sell tell the real story. Do not be afraid to show up at garage sales late on Saturday afternoon and ask if they are unloading anything for free. People have certainly done it at my garage sales, so I know they must have some success at doing this.

If you have never done any creation sewing in your life (as opposed to mending sewing), you may want to look into getting a Sewing/Fitting Course so that common beginner mistakes can be avoided. Like anything else, it takes a few projects under your belt before you feel confident to know where your strengths and weaknesses are. And it never hurts to be able to look ahead into the difficulties before you invest a lot of time and energy into a prospective project you may not be able to complete.

If you walk into a thrift store, a craft shop, a craft chain store, or other like Mom and Pop type establishments, you will begin to notice items that you could easily make from the things you throw away.

Knitting is a completely different discipline, and usually does not require a machine. You will be doing everything for knitting by hand, but you will still need patterns of some kind. These patterns may not be as plentiful as a pattern for sewing, but you should be able to find them, even online, if not as in your favorite fabric store.

How To Get Free and Almost Free Sewing Patterns

I just went to my favorite search engine, Google, and typed in "free sewing patterns" in the search field. You should see the results! There were 541,000 results for this. Now most of these patterns are of the downloadable variety, which means whether they are dressmaking patterns, or a pattern for free quilting, or even a screen print, you will download the patterns file, print it off on your printer, and sometimes have to tape the pattern together if it requires a sheet that does not fit on the standard letter sized paper.

I typed in "Free Dress Patterns" in quotes and I got 251,000 results. In other words, you can specify, pretty much, whatever it is you want to make, and there is a free pattern online that you can download. When I typed in How To Repair Sewing Machine in all quotes, I got 21,000 results. If your machine is on the blink, and you are feeling handy enough to tackle it, well chances are you can find the answer you need for whatever that problem is online, using a search engine.

Also, the more you use your imagination, the more things you will be able to make out of junk. Think of the things you currently use, or have ever used, that were made of cloth, or yarn, or just old rags. How much of any one item could you make if you would but just recycle one material?

Of Course, You Will Need A Sewing Machine

There is a lot of good information out there. There is probably a lot of bad information out there too. This is something you will want to take your time to get to know. A sewing machine is going to be around a very long time. It would help if you have a friend who is a seamstress (or seamster) who knows something about sewing machines, their ease of use and their ease of repair.

There are great deals online, but do not forget that local thrift shop, pawn shop, or garage sale. Before you ever learn how to sew, you will need a machine to do it with at some point.

Finally, you will make a decision, hoping it is the right decision. Right decisions come from correct investigations and not from emotional choices. Whether you decide to buy your machine new, or decide to buy it used, do your homework.

It will always help to go read a sewing circle forum and look for a thread that references their various machines. What have been their problems? What machines do they like the most? Are the beginning seamstresses using a less advanced machine than the pro's? You may even want to join one of these forums. The last time I went to buy five pairs of pants and five shirts, I spent $200. And that was on the bottom of the line clothing. If you want to start saving some real money every year, money you never think about, then start sewing with free or almost free material, learn how to sew with dressmaking patterns or whatever it is you may find yourself needing.

Learn how to sew and you will save a TON of money!

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Dare To Escape
http://daretoescape.com

Alex spent a lot of time living in the country, but then found himself trapped in the city for decades. He writes about self-reliance and living off-grid in the wilderness. His articles are reminiscent of Thoreau, but practical enough for modern times.

Dare To Escape
http://daretoescape.com

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Forums That Allow You to Talk to Other People About the Issues That Is Important to You

If you want to post an opinion about any relevant topic, then Rochester Forums are the platform to present your ideas to the other participants. The forums generally are a medium and a discussion ground on which a huge array of topics can be discussed. If you are stuck in a problem, you can post your query at the Rochester Forum NY and you will get reply for your query from the other participants. There may be many forum members who have encountered the same problem and they can give a possible solution to it. If you post any question on the NY Rochester Forum, you will get many related answers.

There are many hot and debatable issues which are given a discussion platform on Forums Rochester NY. It is the place for the residents of the Rochester where they can raise any issues related to their neighborhood or locality. A small change can make a big difference and create a wave in society. The basic intention behind constructing a forum platform is to let people present their ideas.

There are many topics which are posted on the Rochester site like travel, leisure, sports or any political issue. If you want any information, you can join the Forum Rochester NY and post your views on it. The website of the Rochester Forums can serve as a nice tourist guide to the people who want to visit the places nearby to the vicinity. Beside the political and local issues, social topics are also put up in the forum site which can bring a social change.

There is no demarcation line about the issues which are to be discussed and you can raise any point which you think vital to be discussed.

It is quite natural that there will be disagreement between various individual and it is welcomed by the forums. The basic purpose of the forum is to create awareness among the individual and to make aware about the phenomena that is going round. There are many forum sites and you can participate on any of these forums by being a member of it. The small contribution you make to the society can make big difference. It is also a good medium of gathering information.

Rochester NY Forum provides opportunities for the individual to put their ideas before the people and provide relevant information about the things going round the area of Rochester.

There are lots of hot and controversial issues which are specified a debate platform on forum Rochester NY. Know more information regarding forum Rochester log on to rocville.com

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