As has been said many times before - and in many different ways - if there was a health superhero, it would be exercise. Pretty much anything you'd care to name seems to be improved by getting enough physical activity. Among the benefits of exercise are the following: improved mood lowers risk of diabetes and other conditions lowered risk of dementia improved self esteem helps control weight builds stamina In fact, one doctor who is quoted on the NHS Choices exercise page goes as far as to say that "If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the... Continue reading

There's a lot of talk in the media about an obesity epidemic. And whil ethe UK isn't the nation with the biggest challenge in terms of overweight and obesity, we are one of the nations higher up the list 0 as are many of the western nations with developed economies. But what can we do as individuals to ensure that we keep to a weight that's within the recommended range - or rather, have a body mass index (BMI) that is healthy. It's worth noting that BMI isn't the be all and end all though - for instance athletes and... Continue reading

Interesting and helpful clip on private medicine - worth a look. Continue reading

The private medical insurance market saw encouraging news this week with the year on year subscriber figures for one of the industry's biggest players showing a very respectable increase. PMI provider AXA PPP healthcare saw an 11% increase in member numbers for 2012 for UK and international PMI combined, which is likely to be encouraging news for the industry as a whole - especially given that we're not yet hearing much talk of the recession lifting once and for all. It's interesting to note that the company's international PMI is seeing an increase in subsriber numbers, since this area is... Continue reading

If you're looking to buy private health cover, then there are a few things worth thinking about as you consider your potential purchase. The first of these is deciding on what level of cover you require. If you're new to private medical insurance (PMI) then it's a good idea to take a little time and look at the range of options available - PMI policies aren't one size fits all, giving you the opportunity to pick and choose the things you require, while also of course not subscribing to or paying for the elements of coverage you don't require. Another... Continue reading

The author of this article is Jen Jones, who writes on medical insurance and wellbeing topics. Well - here it is after all those months of winter - finally the onset of spring. Actually it's still only February, but a miraculous few days of clear blue skies - and even a touch of warmth from the sun despite chilly ambient temperature - give the impression that spring is definitely on the way. So with the better weather hopefully on the horizon, now is a good time to start thinking about spring cleaning the old lifestyle, and making it new once... Continue reading

A guide to workplace mental health issues and how to deal with was published in 2012 by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS). ACAS developed the guide in conjunction with the NHS and their Workways agency that focuses on the issues of poor mental health in the working environment and how to reduce its impact. Mental health issues currently cost UK employers around £30 billion every year due to absence, recruitment and lost work. This is a big problem and is one that is a difficult subject for some, even though it said that one in four people suffer... Continue reading

There's an interesting article on SME businesses and the government's hopes for them over at the FT which was published recently. In the article, the prime minister is quoted as having recently said that the "rate if new business creation" was faster in 2011 to 2102 "than any other year in our history". This is backed up by the figures - also mentioned in the FT article - from Companies House, showing that an amazing 450,000 businesses were registered for the most recent complete financial year - with the overwhelming majority (ninety nine and a half percent) being within the... Continue reading

This interesting clip shows how much thought goes into cancer care and how sometimes the little thoughtful things can make a powerful a positive difference. Continue reading

Interesting news story this week about the cost of smoking to UK businesses - which is actually quite a lot - at 1.4 billion pounds a year. This is down to smokers being a third more likely to take time off sick and also smokers on average taking more time off from work due to illness with an average of 2.7 further days off every year. Of course, not all smokers take more time off work - these are just averages. But reading between the lines it could well be that while at one end of the scale you have... Continue reading

A personal commitment to healthy eating can be a health insurance policy in itself, when you think about it. And a lot of healthy eating is actually good fun too, believe it or not - largely it's about being open to new eating experiences and enjoying tasty new healthy treats then forming the habit of healthy eating. Many tasty foods are good for us - from avocado to pumpkin seed, from porridge to turkey breast - there's a whole world of healthy eating out there. But perhaps we sometimes view healthy eating in the wrong way - as a kind... Continue reading

While the news that the double dip recession is finally over is encouraging, many people are still very much in a situation where budgets are still needing to be kept very much under control. Whereas in a boom time we might feel more able to splash money here and there on a new telly, a cool toaster, a futuristic kettle - or maybe even an exotic break away to sunnier climes - and all without a second thought - these days, it's a bit different. Sure, we all like to treat ourselves now and then - after all, we deserve... Continue reading

According to "The Impact of Depression in the Workplace in Europe Audit" - recent research carried out in order to assess the extent of depression within the workplace in European countries - the UK is the 'most depressed' place. A very large propoertion - just over a quarter - of British respondents stated thay had been diagnosed with depression at some point. And while this does seem to be a high number, it's still estimated by the mental health charity MIND that 1 in 6 workers is at any time suffering from stress, anxiety or depression. It has been pointed... Continue reading

Well, if there was any illusion that summer might just hang on a little longer, the temperatures have dropped and the afternoons are already just that little bit less bright. So now is a good tim eto be thinking about your autumn health and fitness regime. It's very easy to let things slide a little bit when the summer fades into autumn. There's less sunlight - and often a fair bit of rain as well. So it's not unusual to feel the motivation start to flag a little at this time of year. But the autumn is actually a great... Continue reading

The process and equipment involved for gall bladder removal under private health care. We like clear, good quality health video on YouTube - and this is a great example. Continue reading

Time was when looking at the family finances involved paper - and probably a lot of sighing as you sought out those documents, statements and so on. But these days it's a lot easier to take a look at the various policies, accounts, incomings and outgoings thanks to the magic of online banking, spreadsheets and other applications that are on your laptop. If you're looking to add to the inventory of financial products you have, it's always worth having a look around and seeing what you could benefit from - whether it's a cash ISA or a family health insurance... Continue reading

This week the government called upon organisations to improve employee mental health. This ispositive for many reasons, not least of which that mental health in the workplace has been a topic deserving of an attention it hasn't so far always received. The government's motivation for urging this change is twofold - on the one hand, any achievable improvement in the health of the public is a mast do for any incumbent administration. And on the other hand there are likely to be sound business outcomes as a positive side effect: namely that mental health problems cost £30 billion a year... Continue reading

What are the key demand drivers for private medical insurance? Getting health insurance is something different people do - and for varying reasons. So in this post weve decided to try and identify some of the main 'demand drivers' for private health cover. Obviously one of the most important is peace of mind. There are many of us who just feel better knowing that if we're covered for a certain eventuality - that if it happens we'll be able to access treatment quickly and with a minumum of hassle. In terms of our personal finances there's also a good reason... Continue reading

According to recent research conducted by the BJOG journal, drinking low or moderate levels of alcohol whilst in the early stages in pregnancy are not related to developmental problems in five year olds. It has suggested that one to eight drinks a week was not linked to harm and a standard drink in Denmark, where the study was conducted, has 12g of alcohol compared to the UK’s 7.9g. In the UK pregnant women are advised not to consume more than one or two units, once or twice a week but on the whole are advised to avoid drinking during pregnancy... Continue reading

For most of us, one of the our main objectives when embarking on any kind of purchasing expedition - be it a physical one along the high street, or a virtual one online –is to make sure we get the best deal going. Although in many cases it only really applies to the bigger purchases in life – like a lawnmower, a washing machine or a new car. For the little things a lot of us are less likely to go into any kind of comparison mode. But there are still a great many who do – given the popularity... Continue reading

One thing we've not seen occur for a very long time is industrial action within the medical profession. But with the news this week that NHS doctors are to go 'on strike' later this month, we'll be witnessing a phenomenon that hasn't happened in the UK for about forty years. I put the phrase in quotes there, as this won't be full-scale industrial action like those time you occasionally see on the news when French lorry drivers down tools and everything grinds to a halt. NHS doctors would never (and could never) refuse to work like that since very obviously... Continue reading

AXA PPP International have staked their claim and made some high profile appointments in order to become of the big three in international health insurance. The appointments have come in Spain and in Africa and have been done so under the leadership the sales and marketing director, Kevin Melton and managing director, Andrew Coombs. Also joining AXA PPP International is Derry Andrews, who is the previous managing director of Clinicare, the domestic UK private health insurance provider, who were later acquired by Groupama; Mr Andrews’s role will be the regional manager for Spain. Andrew’s was also the director for another... Continue reading

Find the best International Health Insurance to suit your needs - wherever you are in the world. Get award winning medical insurance from AXA PPP International Continue reading

Here at Medical Insurance Info, we like this ad. And thanks to the magic of YouTube, we're able to share it with you too... Continue reading

AXA PPP offer a wide range of healthcare and private healthcare solutions and policies. Continue reading