September Already 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] September Already by Davis S. Edge By now the kids and grandkids are securely ensconced in school for the fall quarter, the weather should be cooling off (at least at night), and it is only three more months to Christmas! We’re already getting Christmas catalogs in the mail!! Why, some of us have already finished our shopping! September is a special month for many people due to all the historical events that are acknowledged during this month. Some are dark memories, while others were exciting and made positive changes in people’s lives. This month in New Zealand history is special, as they were the first country in history to grant women the right to vote! Way back in 1893. Talk about progressive, they were way ahead of the curve. Are you a Tarzan fan? September 1, 1875 was the birth of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the famous British author. What would our childhoods have been without “Me Tarzan, you Jane”? And let’s not forget that silly Cheetah! Talk about monkey business! September was also the birth month of another British author, Agatha Christie, who gave us chills with her wonderful suspense novels. In the USA, our very own famous writer, William Faulkner, was also born; many think he was our very best. That’s a lot of writing success between those three. September is also a special month for those of us in the USA, as many historical events occurred this month in history. Our Continental Congress changed our name from the United Colonies to the United States. The Mayflower departed England for the new world. The Spanish explorer, Cabrillo, discovered California. The City of Los Angeles was founded. The American Revolutionary War ended, as well as the official end of WWII . September was, unfortunately, home to many dark events, such as our very own dark days of 9-11. In history, Hitler invaded Poland and started WWII. The worst hurricane in USA history struck Galveston, Texas, leaving over 8,000 dead. Eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team were murdered by terrorists at the Munich Olympic Village. Let us not forget. So, while we are enjoying one of the best holidays of the year, Labor Day, we have many things to be grateful for in the month of September. Be thankful for your labors all year long and celebrate! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Some like it hot 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Some like it Hot It sure is humid in Arizona! You know the nice thing about living in the desert, the weather. I like the hot. I’m the guy who goes and sits in the car, that’s been baking in the sun, and just sits for a few minutes to soak up the heat. Yes, then I turn on the air. Many folks think I’m nuts because I usually have a contrarian viewpoint to just about everything. Sometimes it’s actually pretty lonely because I choose not to participate in conversations that I have no actual knowledge about. Conversely, it’s not that I want to argue, I don’t. I really hate conflict. I just prefer a deep understanding of a subject before I engage. Many of my acquaintances, colleagues, and friends are avid viewers of FOX news. Some are glued to CNN. We even change the channel on the lobby Television based on our client’s preferences before they arrive. It’s kind of funny to me how the conversations are exactly the same. Both are pushing an agenda. I prefer to watch Bloomberg and the BBC if I get the chance. For whatever reason, they seem to report on a story with more in-depth information and less of a political bias. I’m actually a reader. I read 2-3 hours a day and more on weekends. Mostly curated RSS feeds. Some are the government’s official information releases, so I can read the proposed and implemented legislation directly from the source. I toss in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and USA Today, and most recently, Variety. Oh yeah, don’t forget…Atlantic magazine. These days it’s really difficult to understand the underlying focus of our political leadership. I do know one thing. The current president loves to stir the pot. Not just our pot of congress people and senators, but the pots of our closest allies and enemies. Someone once said keep your friends close by and your enemies even closer. Perhaps that’s what he is really doing. Russia, China, and North Korea are not close military allies; they are the enemy that NATO defends against. Have you ever heard the term “FRENEMY”? I’m not sure who coined the phrase but it’s a good one. Where do we get most of our manufactured goods? Most manufactured goods we consume in the United States are made in China. Some of our cool stuff comes from South Korea (KIA, Samsung, LG). So, what really happens if we have a spat with North Korea? They mess with their neighbors to the south and interrupt the manufacture of cool stuff we need, like hard drives, which are now in everything we use. What if we REALLY have a spat with China. They will hold us hostage for our inexpensive gizmos, gadgets, and they may even remove their BILLIONS of dollars stored in US Treasuries. Then there is Russia. By land mass they are huge! They have more untapped natural resources (oil, gas, minerals) than just about any country. If you were wondering, the US has the planet’s largest oil reserves, tapped and untapped, on the planet; we just choose to use up the Middle East’s resources first. Just a little FYI. The markets are doing well. Bond rates are increasing. Banks are starting to pay interest on savings. Mortgages are getting more expensive and existing home inventories decrease. Gold (and silver) is down, as it is supposed to be when stock markets are up. Hmmm, are things becoming more predictable? More normal? Is the economy actually growing? Is employment at an all-time high? Are new home construction starts increasing? “What the heck is going on? I’m enjoying the ride, how about you?” [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Together Everyone Achieves More

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] I know, I know it’s a cliché, but it’s true, really! When great teams accomplish an amazing feat once, it’s called a great victory. For instance, the Las Vegas Knights hockey team. They accomplished something never done before; they made it to the Stanley Cup in their very first year of existence. Look at the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. In ten attempts they won six national championships. Look at our office, we are associated with our brokerage firm, Futurity First. We have been the number one office, nationwide, in terms of how many people we help, for six years, back-to-back. No other firm of our type helps as many people in as many ways as we do. When folks look at amazing feats, sometimes you need to dig a little deeper into what makes these consistently high-performing groups tick. Football teams are structured similarly to a military organization. Specifically, they are broken down into subgroups of focus; offense, defense, and special teams. Each subgroup has even more subsets of specialty. The field goal kickers have their coach, the quarterbacks have their coach. The head coach manages all the coaches and drives the strategy, while the offensive and defensive coordinators focus on tactics to implement the strategy. Another example is the clinical model in healthcare. Most folks are well-served by visiting their primary care doctor annually. Some folks just need more help than their primary care physician is prepared to deliver. Everyone knows the name Mayo Clinic. They are famous for providing healthcare to thousands of people in the United States even though they have only full-service facilities in three parts of the country; AZ, FL, and MN. What made them so famous? For one thing, they pioneered the clinical model. Multiple teams to serve their patients’ needs, following a single strategy, sound familiar? They have engineered a patient experience that reduces wait time, improves outcomes, and serves more patients with efficiency. In Arizona, specifically serving the Medicare population, we have two healthcare clinical models. One serves only Medicare patients and is a couple years old; it’s called IORA care. You can now use their primary care services if you have original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) or a Humana Medicare Advantage plan. This new approach provides more interaction with patients and uses a team of physicians and non-physician providers. The original freestanding clinical model is CIGNA. This is the old guard. Cigna Medicare group facilities have been in Arizona for over 45 years. They have over 22 clinical facilities in Maricopa County, ranging from adult primary care to multispecialty centers, to their own surgery center. What is interesting is they were the first medical provider in the United States to mandate electronic medical records. This was years before the government made it law. But what CIGNA did for its patients, unlike any other provider, is they eliminated the wait time for records to move from primary care to specialty care. This saved time, inconvenience, and lives in many cases. As far as quality of care, CIGNA is also hard to match. They have over 40 NCQA certified physicians. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States that works to improve health care quality through the administration of evidence-based standards, measures, programs, and accreditation. Additionally, they have a focus on diabetes education, treatment, and management. When was the last time your doctor suggested you meet with a clinical pharmacologist? Never is my guess. Sometimes these folks are called PharmD’s because they are medical doctors specializing in pharmacology. CIGNA has seven clinical pharmacologists that reach out to patients in conjunction with their primary care physician, for patients that are being treated for either diabetes or anticoagulation therapy (also called Coumadin or Warfarin therapy). One more thing, if you are an engineer, live with one, or are just a fan of innovation, this will also be of interest. CIGNA is focused on quality patient outcomes, obviously. Quality usually costs money. Money that many providers either don’t have or feel compelled to spend. CIGNA has a vice president of SIX SIGMA. Six Sigma is a disciplined, statistical-based, data-driven approach and continuous improvement methodology for eliminating defects in a product, process or service. Even the CEO holds a qualification. By allowing engineers to eliminate waste, increase performance, and allow the doctors, nurses, and clinical teams to focus on patients, guess what. You get sustainable profits and consistently good and improved patient outcomes. That was a long route to make my point. Our practice is built on teams of teams using the principles of AGILE, LEAN, and SIX SIGMA. This provides a comprehensive strategy to help our clients achieve their goals or objectives. That’s why we have the Medicare planners, the long-term care planners, the estate planners, and the financial planners. The bottom line, teams are the key to success because…

“Together, everyone achieves more!”

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Featured Story 2 June 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Life is good. Consumer confidence is high. Housing starts are up. Bond rates are increasing. Seems like all is well with the world. From my chair, folks seem to be optimistic about our future as a nation. The rhetoric has calmed down over our new president. Federal taxes are different. Some folks will see nice savings; some, not so much. Teachers are back to work with a raise in pay close to where they were 10 years ago. The federal unemployment rate is at a record low. Millennials are getting off their parents’ couches and getting to work. Things are looking up! So, what now? As you may know, from reading years of this publication, I’m an eternal optimist. I live in my own little world. I made it myself. The company, American Retirement Advisors, was built to “see a need, fill a need.” (Name that cartoon). That’s exactly what we do. Our company was built to help folks detangle the ridiculously complex. The selfish part for me is, I like to have the correct answer to every problem I tackle. Our processes assure that we use every available option to get the correct answer for our clients, even if we are not paid for our efforts. You should see the faces on my peers when I share that little tidbit of information. I sleep very well every night in knowing we always correctly and most appropriately solve problems for nice people. And we have an improvement process in place to make adjustments as life changes. From a business perspective, the contrarian approach has paid us in bushels for every grain we gave away incorrect, but not compensated, advice. Someone way smarter than me once said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Those words have been quite golden in my experience. Our little company has helped tens of thousands of people all over the United States. We are looking to start two-way video broadcasts of our brand new Social Security workshop, as well as our Retirement Income Planning workshop, to our offices in Las Vegas, Mesa, and all over Texas beginning in June. This will allow folks a more convenient, closer to home, opportunity to get the latest information when retirement planning, as well as work with our top experts via video conference. As we grow, I am proud to say we have hired a Chief Financial Officer to help manage our growth from an internal financial perspective. More about Mike in an upcoming edition. Additionally, we are hiring more licensed client care folks to help our clients via phone, email, chat, and video calls. Operationally, we are preparing for the Medicare annual election period beginning October 15th through December 7th. Last year we were able to serve 100% of the folks that needed to make a change, without a wait in the lobby, all while having humans answer our phones. Speaking of phones, we managed over 40,000 inbound phone calls, in a 45-day period. Big numbers for a little company. To all our clients and future clients and fans of our little company, thank you for allowing us to “do what we do” for you! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Featured Story 1 May 2018

Buyer Beware!

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Featured Story 2 April 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Most folks we meet are not looking to game the system or get more than they deserve… they are just looking for value, a good trade. You know when you get something on sale, you feel like you got a great deal, when in actuality, they raised the price, then lowered it “just for you”. When folks are shopping for groceries, it is easy to shop for bargains by using the weekly newspaper or a deal shopping app. With this knowledge, you feel confident you can head out and get the lowest cost for each item by going to the stores for the exact sale item and leave. But that’s not what happens. Folks are hooked into the store and then the “non-sale” items seem awful enticing, and up in your basket. We have all been there. Probably last week. We are so used to it, we are nearly immune to the effects of the trickery. Some call it marketing, others call it the psychology of the sale. In any event, it’s there, and if you recognize what’s going on you can turn the tables to your advantage. Let’s say you want to buy a new car. You don’t need one, but it would be nice. This is when you hold all the cards. You are not in a position where you can’t get to work tomorrow due to a lack of transportation. So you can really make the purchase on your terms. You head out to test drive the car you were thinking about and the process begins. The more experienced the salesperson, the less confrontation, unless you are in a dealership with a pushy sales process. Ever wonder why it takes so long to buy a car? The dealer knows the longer you are in the dealership, the more they can charge. I’m certainly not a great negotiator. I certainly buy a new car more often then I need. I have a rule the negations cannot exceed 30 minutes. I know before I walk in, the price that the dealer paid, the average price of the vehicle paid in the last 30 days in my area, as well as the value of the car I’m trading. Pretty simple right? Yup. The internet is full of tools to aid the consumer in buying major purchases. The dealers actually send the application providers the information. They pay a fixed fee for each person that walks on the lot due to the use of the app and makes a purchase. Again, if you know what’s going on, the rules of the game, you can play to win. In our business, we exceed every measure of the fiduciary standard in the industry. In our healthcare planning practice, we share the premiums you will pay for every policy available in your zip code. No filters, no bias. You see what we see directly from the actuarial services. Our long-term care planning practice looks at every method to pay for long-term care. We look at every company offering a product or service, including government programs, and share that information. The same for legacy and life insurance planning. When we help folks prepare for retirement income, we use our proprietary method which is not available at the major banks or Wall Street firms, because our process rarely has reoccurring fees dragging on your earnings. If you ask your bank or Wall Street broker why they selected the products they placed in your portfolio, you will find they are using a short list of approved products. Each of those products have a benefit to the brokerage house, not you. Most mutual funds and variable annuities companies pay the brokerage firm large sales bonuses annually to reward their performance. I can assure you your broker has never revealed their entire list of products available and how they compare to rest of the market. We do, and we always have since I founded the firm. We share our research from every product from every company. You see how we came to the decisions, how we compiled our research, and how it is always in your best interest. If you’re a client of ours, you already know, and we thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life’s journey. If not, we can introduce you to hundreds of super nice folks that are experiencing what it’s like to have a trusted advisor. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Featured Story 1 March 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.0.101"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.0.101" background_layout="light"] Did you ever hear the phrase “It’s not my money” or “Don’t worry, it’s tax deductible”? Sometimes folks find it easy to become complacent over trivial matters. Sometimes we let the leaky faucet go a couple weeks before we get out the wrench or call the plumber. Sometimes we let the dirty dishes pile up in the sink either hoping someone else will do the dishes or we will get to it sooner or later. My point is, if you are complacent about your retirement savings, perhaps you have your money in a variable annuity or mutual funds, what happens when the market corrects? The standard answer is “I don’t worry about it”, or, “It will come back up”. Those are acceptable answers for folks that are still working and have many years until they will become reliant on their life-long savings. But what if you receive income, on a monthly basis, for your rent or mortgage, utilities, car loans, and other living expenses like healthcare, prescriptions, and food. Then what? Are you going to call the mortgage company and say “Ummm, my mutual fund accounts are down this month 20 percent, please accept 20 percent less”? Better yet -- the pharmacist, will they lower the costs of your prescriptions because you were not keeping tabs on your brokerage or IRA accounts? I don’t think so. I had the good fortune of serving on a panel at a conference in Boston several years back. The CEO of Fidelity, the Chief Investment Officer of John Hancock, and I, answered questions from a group of new financial advisors. One person asked how they protect their clients from unexpected downturns in the market. The Fidelity CEO answered, they manage risk according to standards set by their internal measures and widely accepted practices and they have very low fees on their offerings. The gentleman followed up with clarification, “so let me get this straight, you do not protect your clients against market downturns, their principal will decline just like the rest of the market”. The CEO replied, yes, and tried to make a joke. But the room fell silent. The panelist from John Hancock was a behind-the-scenes guy, an extremely brilliant number cruncher. He held the rigorous CFA™ designation. A certified financial analyst is the guy that manages the trades for pensions, mutual funds, and insurance companies. Imagine round glasses, messy hair, and a green visor. Just kidding. He stated very clearly, they actually can’t react, because that would adversely affect the markets. He continued, they have so much money invested for their clients that if they do anything outside of what the mutual funds state in their prospectus, they can be liable for market manipulation. Then the gentleman from the audience looked at me and said I have been very quiet, what do I think. I stood up and grabbed the microphone and looked out over the room of 300 to 350 folks, paused, and then stated we are in very different businesses. These gentlemen are responsible for billions of dollars of investors’ assets. They are so big that any comment they make must be pre-approved by their legal departments, so the information will not put their companies in jeopardy. I am a fiduciary, and I always have been, even before I knew what the word meant. My team and I commit to my clients that WE WILL DO NO HARM. We will move mountains to assure our clients don’t suffer the same fate as folks that follow the popular path. My fine colleagues, on the panel today, provide platforms of choice, nothing more. My job is to help our clients navigate the choice and provide information, so our clients can select the most appropriate platforms for their needs. The room got quiet again. I could hear the gears turning. Then, for the next 20 minutes, my colleagues were silent, all the questions were directed toward how can the average investor and the advisors in the room create solutions to the top concern of pre- and post-retirees today, protecting retirement income. I joked and said, come to Scottsdale, we have a workshop on that very subject. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Success Story January2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" fullwidth="on" specialty="off" next_background_color="#000000"][et_pb_fullwidth_header background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" title="Success Story" subhead="January 2018" /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" prev_background_color="#000000"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" background_size="initial"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" background_size="initial"] Spouse Retirement Option [spacer height="10px"] By David S. Edge [spacer height="05px"] While meeting with Kevin, he was concerned about what to do with the choices on his company retirement plan. There were several choices and he was confused about which one was the most appropriate for him and his spouse. They had met with another company who advised them to take the lump sum distribution for the advisors to invest. [spacer height="05px"] His wife was pushing him to take the monthly lifetime payout that would continue for her lifetime if anything happened to him. Her reason was either one of them would have this lifetime monthly income guaranteed. [spacer height="03px"] We reviewed his options on his retirement plan. [spacer height="03px"] His choices were: [spacer height="03px"] 1) Take a lump sum payout and invest the money himself. [spacer height="03px"] 2) Take a monthly payout for just his lifetime. [spacer height="03px"] 3) Take a monthly payout for him and spouse that would continue in the event he passed away. [spacer height="05px"] The issue as Kevin saw it was the monthly payout for just him was higher than the option of the payout for life with him and spouse. He would get about 25% less money in the monthly payout if he took it for both of them. Also, if anything happened to the both of them, their kids would get nothing. [spacer height="05px"] We were able to look at the financial implications of him taking the lump sum payout and what investments were available that would generate income for him and his wife. After careful review, we revealed that his lifetime payout on his pension for Kevin and Irene was the most appropriate selection for them financially. [spacer height="05px"] After discussing the options with him and his wife, Irene, they were both excited about getting lifetime income from his pension. This allowed us to make recommendations with their other retirement funds that not only created additional monthly income but would also leave something for his kids when they passed. [spacer height="05px"] At American Retirement Advisors we see our success as helping each and every client get the facts about any retirement issue so that you can make a “Fact-Based Decision”. Call us! We can help! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Success-story.jpg" animation_style="slide" animation_duration="500ms" animation_intensity_slide="10%" animation_direction="left" show_bottom_space="on" _builder_version="3.0.101" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Why Am I Me January 2018

[et_pb_section bb_built="1" fullwidth="on" specialty="off" next_background_color="#000000"][et_pb_fullwidth_header background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" title="Why Am I Me" subhead="January 2018" /][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" prev_background_color="#000000"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" background_size="initial"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" background_size="initial"] Why Am I Me? [spacer height="10px"] By David S. Edge [spacer height="05px"] Ok, Ok,…we’ve all done something goofy in our lives. And taking that inspirational moment to be silly or goofy is what can make you….you! What was that moment you did the deed and what was your inspiration? Were you showing off for that potential girlfriend or boyfriend? Was just you and some pals goofing off? Or was it a dare or a bet? Now just what made you do it? [spacer height="05px"] Currently, I have a picture on my computer screen saver that is a picture of me with a large Iguana on my head. Now, this is no small Iguana, in fact, that bugger probably weighed 15-20 pounds, (think small dog). Its tail was about three feet long and it was green and black.Many clients who see the screen saver picture can’t believe I let that ugly thing touch me. I just laugh as it was another life experience that was unexpected. [spacer height="05px"] As I recall we had just finished a business meeting and we were walking down to the beach where a local kid was renting surfboards. As we got closer we realized he had a pet Iguana. As we approached I asked the kid if I could take a picture with the Iguana. Now what I expected and what happened were two different things Now what I expected and what happened were two different things. I thought the kid was just going to stand next to me and we pose with his Iguana. Instead, the kid promptly plucks the large lizard off his shoulder and places it on mine!!!! Yikes! [spacer height="05px"] But instead of just sitting on my shoulder, lickety-split …. the darn thing crawled up to the top of my head! Thank goodness I was wearing a baseball cap! I just froze and my partner David Schaeffer (the other David in our office) was laughing so hard I didn’t think he could take the picture! But take the picture he did and now I’m the proud owner of a wonderful goofy moment in my life! [spacer height="05px"] So, what was your goofy or silly thing you did in your past? Because that thing (or in some cases many things or many moments for some of us), is what made you, you! [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Why-am-I-me.jpg" animation_style="slide" animation_duration="500ms" animation_intensity_slide="10%" animation_direction="left" show_bottom_space="on" _builder_version="3.0.101" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Health Tip January 2018

[et_pb_section admin_label="Section" fullwidth="on" specialty="off"][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label="Fullwidth Header" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" header_fullscreen="off" header_scroll_down="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" content_orientation="center" image_orientation="center" custom_button_one="off" button_one_letter_spacing="0" button_one_use_icon="default" button_one_icon_placement="right" button_one_on_hover="on" button_one_letter_spacing_hover="0" custom_button_two="off" button_two_letter_spacing="0" button_two_use_icon="default" button_two_icon_placement="right" button_two_on_hover="on" button_two_letter_spacing_hover="0" title="Health Tip" subhead="January 2018"] [/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" saved_tabs="all"] The Flu has arrived in AZ [spacer height="10px"] By Sharon Colbert-Groves [spacer height="05px"] On the local evening news, I learned that an elementary school girl has died from influenza in Maricopa County. The 2018 strain of virus is called the H3N2. It is cause for concern for younger children and older adults. The news went on to say that our current flu vaccine does protect against at least 3 different flu viruses including the H3N2, the H1N1, and two influenza B viruses. The arrival and duration of the flu vary, but it often begins in October and peaks between December and February. [spacer height="05px"] Symptoms of Flu in adults usually start with that achy/feverish/chills feeling, although some people say their first indication was a cough or a sore throat. Either way, it usually escalates into a runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and tiredness. [spacer height="05px"] What can I take for the flu? Tamiflu is a pill and Relenza is an inhaled powder. Both can cut 1 or 2 days off bedtime. These 2 prescription drugs can also keep you from getting dangerously ill, especially if your health is impaired. For most effectiveness, both must be taken within a day or so of your initial symptoms. Talk to your doctor about these meds. [spacer height="05px"] To relieve slight fever or pain, try ibuprofen and acetaminophen, found in Motrin, Advil, Tylenol, and others. If you have asthma, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, please check with your doctor before taking them. Since flu can cause dehydration, the Health and Human Services Department recommends plenty of clear fluids such as water, broth, or sports drinks.My mom always made me sip through a straw if my stomach was upset. Don’t know why, but it seemed to work for me. Drinking fluids can ease a sore throat, as well as using cough drops. [spacer height="05px"] What can I eat with the flu? I’m sure all our moms made us wonderful chicken noodle soup. It was their ‘go to remedy’. It is not just an old wives’ tale; it can aid your support system, clear nasal congestion, and have a mild anti-inflammatory effect to ease symptoms. It keeps nasal passages moist and prevents dehydration as well as fights inflammation in the throat. How long am I contagious? You’re contagious from 24 hours before “YOU” have any symptoms. You remain contagious for 5 to 7 days after you start feeling sick. Kids are able to spread the virus even longer. [spacer height="05px"] Should I go to the hospital? Yes, if you have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Definitely, if you have chest pain or severe pain in your abdomen, confusion, dizziness, or severe vomiting that won’t stop. [spacer height="05px"] If you’re fit and healthy, usually you may not need to see a doctor unless your symptoms worsen, are severe and unrelenting. The best remedy is to rest at home, keep warm, and drink plenty of liquids. Gargling with warm salt water can also soothe your sore throat. The rest of us will thank you if you please stay home from work, shopping, social events, and public gatherings. [spacer height="05px"] Remember to cover your mouth if you sneeze. [/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="left" sticky="off" align="left" max_width="250px" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" src="https://americanretirementadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Slide1.jpg"] [/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]