December 12, 2009 by admin.

By Tom Dell

With a climate that is arguably the best in the world, Spain’s Gran Canaria is rapidly establishing itself as one of world’s leading wellness and medical tourism destinations. After hearing about the local government’s new initiative to cater to this industry, we decided to pay the island a visit.

Photo: All2Well Wellness Advocate Becky walks the beaches of Las Palmas.

“Medical tourism” refers to obtaining health care and other wellness-related services across international borders. To date, more than 50 countries identify medical tourism as a national industry. Spain, with a mild climate and the seventh best health care system in Europe according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is particularly well suited to this industry.

Medical tourism is growing ever more popular among Americans. As many as 750,000 Americans travelled abroad for health care in 2007, according to a 2008 report by Deloitte Consulting. The firm estimates that medical tourism originating in the U.S. could increase by a factor of ten over the next decade. Among the factors contributing to this growth include the high cost of U.S. health care and the relative low cost of international travel.

The idea of medical tourism is not particularly new. The ancient Greeks, for example, used to travel to the small Saronic Gulf territory of Epidauria to seek out the healing god Asklepios.

Neither is the idea of medical tourism new to Gran Canaria. The first writings on the existence of medical spring water on the island date back to the 17th Century, noting that the local inhabitants drank a slightly carbonated liquid of rich mineral content that was beneficial to their health.

In the 19th century, the north of Gran Canaria became a destination for wealthy tourists of northern and central Europe who frequented the resorts of Azuaje and Los Berrazales. Although now in disuse, therapeutic water still flows in the Doramas forest surrounding Azuaje and the Los Berrazales ravine near Agaete. These iron-rich springs are said to be of great benefit for those suffering rheumatism and stomach and lung ailments.

In the 1960s, Italian Eduardo Filiputti built a heliotherapy centre in the Maspalomas Dunes. It was torn down in the 1990s, but Filiputti is still well regarded for promoting the dual benefits of sun and sand.

Today, Gran Canaria hosts many therapeutic destinations, including the following:

Corallium Thalasso Villa del Conde Hotel

With a thalassotherapy circuit surrounding modern spaces and seawater pools, this center offers a range of health and beauty treatments applied with background music and chromotherapy. There are open-air facilities and exclusive Ocean View Suites with private seawater pools, jacuzzis and sun terraces just yards from the ocean. Other amenities include a pavilion for seawater inhalations - equipped with heated beds and a reflexology pool for cold water stepping, a pavilion with oil showers, and a vitality circuit offering crystal and herbal steam baths with eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, and other aromas. There is also an ice fountain with showers of different water pressures and temperatures. For more information, call +34 928 563 232.

Seaside Hotel Palm Beach. This hotel boasts a modern, luxury wellness area among a palm grove. Services include thalassotherapy, aromatherapy, massage, cosmetics, Rasul, ozonotherapy, thymotherapy and serumtherapy services, saunas and relaxation areas. The Spa and Wellness Center offers 11 treatment rooms with views on a Japanese garden. For more information, call +34 928 721 032.

Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia. Among this hotel’s features are an indoor fitness studio, outdoor gym, and private salt water pool with jets designed to massage every part of your body. There is also a sauna and Turkish bath. Taichi, Yoga and aqua gymnastics are offered free of charge various times during the week. Other programs under the supervision of a medical specialist include those for general and internal medicine, anti-aging, physiotherapy and Chinese traditional therapies.

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort & Spa. Arguably the biggest draw of this hotel is the Aloe Spa in which one can obtain a natural treatment of body wrapping with Aloe Vera taken from nearby gardens. The relaxing 50-minute treatment moisturizes and softens the skin. Other amenities include a 24-hour gym, hairdresser, vitality pool, Turkish bath, sauna, indoor pool, and various indoor and outdoor relaxation zones. For more information, call +34 928 943 000.

For a more complete listing of all Gran Canaria has to offer, visit the Gran Canaria Spa, Wellness & Health Association web site.

Impressions 
From a personal perspective, I found Gran Canaria’s climate very pleasant, its people friendly and helpful, and its dining opportunities numerous and diverse. If there was a downside, it was the euro-to-dollar exchange rate that had me paying 50 percent more on every transaction than I would at home. Because of the relative quality of the goods and services I purchased, however, I did not feel cheated. I would definately visit the Canary Islands again.

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December 12, 2009 by admin.

By Tom Dell

Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people annually, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released December, 2009.

The leading cause of preventable death, tobacco use could kill as many as 8 million people yearly by 2030, the WHO estimates. The report also noted that second hand smoke kills about 600,000 people every year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there were about 43 million smokers in the U.S. in 2007. Although smoking-related diseases kill about 443,000 Americans annually and costs the U.S. about $193 billion a year in health care costs, the number of American smokers fell about 15 percent in the last decade. The growth of tobacco use noted in the WHO report is concentrated outside the U.S., particularly in developing countries.

Disturbingly, however, the last five years have seen the declines in American smoking slowing after being halved since 1965, according to the CDC’s November, 2009, study. “The difference between the states making the most progress and the states not making progress is really stark and shows that government policies make a difference,” Thomas Frieden, head of the CDC, told Bloomberg News. “It’s ironic that when we spend more than $7,500 per person, per year, on clinical curative care, we’re struggling to try to spend $10 a year on prevention.”

Effects on the Body

When people smoke, their heartbeats increase from 10 to 20 beats per minute and their blood pressure increases from five to 10 points as blood vessels constrict. With all that blood rushing to the heart, skin temperatures drop by six degrees Fahrenheit. Adding to all that, the body’s stress reaction causes blood sugar levels to drop.

Long time smokers are subject to some or all of the following:

• Loss of concentration and/or patience.
• Dizziness.
• Tingling in the arms and legs.
• Coughing.
• Craving.
• Tension.
• Irritability.
• Restlessness.
• Depression.

Smoking takes an average of seven years off every smoker’s life. That works out to five-and-one-half minutes per cigarette. If you are a smoker and that statistic isn’t enough to compel you to quit, perhaps some of the following information from the American Lung Association, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various Surgeon Generals will.

Nicotine

Nicotine sits at the top of the CDC’s list of the world’s most addictive substances. Heroin only makes fifth. In tobacco plants, nicotine is a poison used as a natural defense against insects.

Smoking and Women

Women who smoke more than half a pack a day might have irregular menstrual cycles or suffer infertility. In addition, menopause might occur earlier in women who smoke.

Smoking while pregnant increases the chance of miscarriage, stillbirth or premature labor. Babies born to women smokers are more likely to have birth defects or abnormalities and to develop colds, bronchitis, asthma, or other respiratory diseases. On average, babies born of women who smoke frequently while pregnant weight seven ounces less than other babies.

Secondhand Smoke

About 3,000 non-smoking Americans die of diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke annually, according to the EPA. Classified as a carcinogen since 1992, secondhand smoke contains more than 4,800 chemical compounds including carbon monoxide, ammonia and formaldehyde, according to the CDC. Many chemicals found in secondhand smoke, such as benzene, 2-naphthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl, and polonium-210, are classified as known cancer-causing agents. Cigarette smoke contains 69 cancer causing chemicals in all, according to the CDC. Even if it doesn’t give you cancer, secondhand smoke can still cause coughing, phlegm production, chest discomfort and reduced lung function.

24 states ban smoking in all enclosed public places, including bars and restaurants. As of November, 2009, these states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin (effective 2010).

The Good News

Even long-time smokers can regain their health if they quit in time. According to the American Cancer Society, when people quit smoking they experience the following:

• Blood pressure drops to normal in about 20 minutes.
• The carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal in about eight hours.
• Nerve endings start regrowing and the senses of smell and taste return to normal in about 48 hours.
• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease and cilia regrow in the lungs in about nine months.
• The chance of dying from lung cancer decreases by about half in five years.
• The risk of heart disease becomes equal to that of a non-smoker while the risk of dying from lung cancer becomes only slightly higher than that of a non-smoker in 15 years.

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