Critical Illness Cover News - protected.co.uk

A sedentary lifestyle may increase the risk of breast cancer, even if a woman is not overweight, it has been claimed, which may be important news to those worried about the disease and considering life insurance.

In a study of 32,269 postmenopausal women over a period of 11 years, researchers found that vigorous activity may protect against breast cancer, BioMed Central's Breast Cancer Research journal reports.

Research leader Michael Leitzmann said that strengths of the study included "its large sample size, prospective design, high follow-up rate and availability of relevant known or suspected breast cancer risk factors. These features enabled us to minimise any effects from other factors apart from exercise".

His confidence in the results may convince some women that critical illness cover is essential, in case they are diagnosed with a serious medical condition.

Secondary breast cancer occurs when cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body, Breakthrough states.

For women worried about this and other serious conditions, getting critical illness cover may reassure them that their family could be provided with a tax-free sum of cash to ease the financial burden.

Patients have the right to be angry at being made to pay for clinically-effective cancer treatments, it has been noted, a requirement which may potentially affect a person's life insurance policy.

Furthermore, over 8,000 patients a year are not receiving life-sustaining cancer medicines because they do not meet the "exceptional" benchmark, the Rarer Cancers Forum claims.

"The public has every right to be angry that patients are being denied clinically-effective treatments for cancer, when these treatments have been recommended by their NHS doctors," says a spokesperson for the group.

Moreover, the NHS should support sufferers who have been recommended a treatment as the last available option, he continues.

Patients from deprived areas are less likely to launch an application for treatment, while primary care trusts struggling with money are financially forced to ration cancer treatments, a report by the forum reveals, a finding which may influence those worried about the disease to buy critical illness cover.

Such cover may provide a stable financial footing for those families where someone has been diagnosed with cancer.

The tax-free sum of cash may range from £100,000 to £250,000, although this depends on how much is paid in.

Men are still embarrassed to seek medical help and are afraid that they will need surgery, it has been claimed, which could have consequences for those without life insurance should a serious condition be diagnosed.

Furthermore, they are also worried that their symptoms will mean something critical, says Dr Rob Hicks, speaking on behalf of Bioforce UK, although such comments could persuade men to invest in critical illness cover to financially prepare themselves should they become seriously ill.

"They are a bit sensitive about their body and they are certainly very sensitive about those parts of the body which are below the navel and above the knees," Dr Hicks continues.

Research for the Enlarged Prostate Campaign, carried out by Tickbox.net and Opinion Matters, found that 66 per cent of men say that they would only go to a doctor after waiting to see if a problem went away.

Additionally, 78 per cent of men do not know what an enlarged prostate is.

In case a medical condition relating to the prostate, or other illnesses, is diagnosed, the family of a man with critical illness cover may receive a tax-free sum of cash in order to cover everyday expenses, including a mortgage and education costs.

People need to be able to tell the difference between working hard and working too much to avoid stress, it is claimed, which could be important for people worried about stress-related illnesses and the consequences of being diagnosed with one.

Stress at work is "the enemy of good business and the best friend of mistakes", said Paul Marsh, president of the Law Society, although one mistake people could make is not investing in life insurance should a family need financial support during difficult times.

A report by the Health and Safety Executive found that work-related stress accounted for over a third of ill health, while a total of 13.8 million working days were lost to such stress during 2006 and 2007, which could have impacted upon a household's income.

But those feeling the strain and worried about serious ailments may want to consider critical illness cover, which could provide a tax-free sum of money.

Whether it is used to pay off a mortgage or maintain a standard of living, critical illness cover may ease pressure on families affected by a stress-related condition.

People are cutting back on life insurance as a way to combat the financial turmoil in the UK, it is claimed, which could be an unwise move.

One in ten people are choosing this method of saving money, Bright Grey has found, which could potentially end up costing more in the long run.

Cutting back on life insurance and critical illness cover is "a dangerous fault to make", says Edmund Tirbutt, a freelance finance journalist.

"If something happens to your health in the meantime, you will have to pay an awful lot more for it when you have to take it out in the future," Mr Tirbutt warns, adding that stress causes a lot of illnesses and critical illness cover may bring peace of mind for people worried about money.

Research for Bright Grey by Tickbox.net found that 33 per cent of people would rely on state benefits should they be unable to work due to an illness, while 45 per cent would use savings to pay for their living costs.

For those who do not want to take a chance with their health, critical illness cover could provide a tax-free sum of cash to cover family expenses should the worst happen.

Women who are pregnant find it difficult to quit smoking because of the highly addictive nature of nicotine, it is claimed, which may impact life insurance policies because of the smoking-related illnesses that may result from the habit.

Research manager for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Amanda Sandford says: "The fact that they are bringing a new life into the world should be enough to make them stop smoking or do anything else that is potentially harmful."

Commenting on the move by Telford and Wrekin Primary Care Trust to offer incentives to pregnant women in a bid to get them to quit smoking, she also adds that rather than criticising them, pregnant women who smoke need help.

However, it may not be the baby's health that is of sole concern but also that of the mother's.

ASH states that the habit is associated with more than 50 different diseases and disorders, which those without cover such as critical illness insurance may be concerned about.

Such insurance may provide a tax-free sum of cash to financially provide for a family should a person be diagnosed with a smoking-related disease, or if the worst should happen.

The risk of a patient suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) dying is impacted upon by socioeconomic factors, a study published in CANCER reveals, which may lead to some worried about the disease to consider life insurance.

Chemotherapy reduces the risk of death, however this risk increases the poorer a patient is, the journal continues.

While NHL is a common cancer in the elderly, there has not yet been a study to address whether there are ethnic disparities between sufferers.

The research did find that elderly Caucasian patients with NHL were more likely to receive chemotherapy (52.4 per cent) than their African-American counterparts (43.2 per cent).

And this could be a potential mitigating factor taken in to account by those considering critical illness cover should they be diagnosed with cancer.

NHL is a group of cancers that affect lymphocytes, the white cells found in lymph fluid, Lymphoma Net - a help forum for patients and their families - states.

Critical illness insurance may provide financial peace of mind should a person be diagnosed with NHL, as it can give a family a tax-free amount of cash to cover expenses should a person be unable to work.

Women are not taking time to sort out financial protection should they be diagnosed with a medical condition, it is claimed, which could indicate that now is a better time than any to take out life insurance.

If an illness is diagnosed, a woman may not be able to bring in an income, Iain Mallon, director of marketing protection at AXA Life says.

This information may highlight the fact that the firm found that 40 per cent of women with dependent children do not have life insurance.

"It's [assessing the need for life insurance] not the sort of thing you get up in the mornings to do and quite often you need prompting to do that, especially with younger individuals who haven't really got to that stage," Mr Mallon adds.

And AXA Life also found that half of women living in Britain have no form of life insurance, life assurance, critical illness cover or income protection.

This situation may be changed if more women took out critical illness cover, which could ensure that a family is financially provided for in the form of a tax-free sum of cash to cover costs including a mortgage and a child's education.

Prevention rather than cure is the key to solving stress, it is claimed, which may include teaching people techniques to control their anxiety.

In news which may interest those considering life insurance, risk factors for heart disease and strokes include high blood pressure and smoking, the On Site Massage Company claims; such factors could be said to be the results of being stressed.

Furthermore, the World Health Organisation says that together, these major risk factors account for around 80 per cent of deaths from heart disease and stroke.

"People have always taken time off for stress, but you are getting more stress-related illnesses now and doctors are not actually realising what they are, so they are finding it harder to treat them," states Karl Monahan, business development manager at the On Site Massage Company.

The Stroke Association has invested £21 million over the past ten years for research into stroke prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term care, it claims.

Critical illness cover could be a policy some may want to invest in should stress bring on a serious illness such as a stroke, which may provide a tax-free amount of cash to help cover costs should a person have to stop working.

Nicotine could play a role in breast tumour development, a study published in Cancer Research says, which may be vital information for women who smoke and are considering life insurance.

A series of vitro tests came up with the findings that cell growth and migration could be potentially increased by breast epithelial-like MCF10A cells and cancerous MCF7 cells, which both express several subunits of nAChR, a nicotine receptor.

"We were able to determine that mammary cells express different subunits of nAChR and that nicotine, possibly through perturbing cell cycle checkpoints, potentiates tumorigenesis in mammary cancer-prone or cancer cells," lead author of the report Dr Chang Yan Chen, who works at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, says.

Nicotine could combine with other factors to enable tumorigenesis, although no metastasis occurs with nicotine alone, Dr Chen adds, but those concerned about the potential consequences of smoking may want to invest in critical illness cover should they be diagnosed with cancer.

The Go Smoke Free campaign by the NHS says that the habit could also lead to amputation because of circulation problems.

Critical illness cover could be one option for those who smoke, as it may ensure a family is financially protected with a tax-free sum of cash.

People with diabetes are more likely to have vision loss than those who do not suffer from the condition, research reveals, which may be important information for those sufferers considering life insurance to ensure their family is financially protected.

Around 11 per cent of American adults with diabetes have some form of visual impairment, with 3.8 per cent of these cases being uncorrectable, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, compared to 5.9 per cent of those without diabetes having visual loss.

"Our findings also suggest a strong association between visual impairment - correctable and uncorrectable - and older age, members of racial or ethnic minorities, lower income and lack of health insurance, all independent of diabetes status," the authors of the report write.

Long-term complications of the medical condition relate to the nerves, eyes, heart and kidneys, according to Diabetes UK.

Those worried about the findings may want to consider critical illness cover, which may ensure a family has enough money to live off should a person have to quit work because of any side effects of a condition.

People who fail to sufficiently save for their pensions may end up with no choice in the care they receive in later life, it is claimed, although one way people may prevent such limitations is to invest in life insurance to cover any costs which may occur.

"Failing to save may leave the reality of retirement falling short of people's expectations," says Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, which could be made worse should a serious illness be diagnosed and the financial stability of a family may be threatened.

The average cost of a four year stay in a care home will be £223,476 by 2028, according to Saga, although any medical costs that may have to be paid could be covered by critical illness insurance.

For those without such cover, statistics revealed by Age Concern, showing that around 6,000 older people with high support needs receive no informal care or services, could influence them to invest in a policy.

Critical illness cover may take the financial burden off a family should someone be diagnosed with a serious medical condition.

Such cover may help to cover the costs of a child's education or mortgage repayments, as the sum paid out could be tax-free.

People should regularly get their eyes tested because although glaucoma is not reversible, it is stoppable, a TV presenter claimed, which may be of interest to those worried about eye conditions and considering life insurance.

Commenting on yesterday's (October 9th) World Sight Day, Gloria Hunniford said that the only way people will find out if they have glaucoma - which is treatable - is if they go to the optician.

"It is very useful to have a special day and to say: 'Take care of your eyes,'" she adds, although one way to make sure your family is protected should a serious medical condition be diagnosed could be critical illness cover.

Glaucoma is the name of the group of eye diseases which could damage the optic nerve, which if left untreated, may lead to blindness.

Estimates of those affected by it stand at more than half a million people in England and Wales, although more than 70 million people worldwide could suffer from glaucoma, according to the International Glaucoma Association.

Critical illness cover could be a way to financially protect a family should glaucoma be diagnosed and income is reduced as a result.

Heart disease and diabetes could be further treated after scientists found that human stem cells could be created from sperm, which could supply repair tissue for other parts of the body, a medical journal reports.

In news that may be of interest to people with serious medical conditions and considering life insurance, the cells from sperm could be as effective as those from embryos, which may appease those who find stem cell research based on embryos as unethical.

"We conclude that the generation of human adult germline stem cells from testicular biopsies may provide simple and non-controversial access to individual cell-based therapy, without the ethical and immunological problems associated with human embryonic stem cells," the journal states.

Pancreatic, heart and liver cells could be created by removing cells from a patient's testicles, nurturing them in a laboratory and implanting them into the corresponding organ, the Daily Mail reports.

According to the British Liver Trust, liver disease includes Hepatitis C, which may be caused by factors including too much alcohol, a virus infection or the body's own immune system.

Those worried about liver disease may want to consider critical illness cover, which could provide security for a family in the form of a tax-free sum of cash.

Despite the number of female breadwinners increasing, nearly half of working women do not have a form of financial protection such as critical illness cover, research reveals, which may interest women who have not got life insurance and are thinking about it.

The study by AXA found that eight million of women who do work do not have life insurance, critical illness insurance or income protection cover.

And a statistic that could worry some women who do not have life insurance is that one in nine women could be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, AXA says, which may influence some people to get critical illness cover should the worse happen.

"The noughties is an era in which women have greater control than ever before over their lives and their finances, but they are still failing to recognise their own financial and lifestyle developments in their protection cover," Iain Mallon, head of protection at AXA says.

Furthermore, the Pink Ribbon Foundation claims that each week, 750 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK.

Concerned women may want to research critical illness cover, which could financially protect a family should a person be diagnosed with a serious illness and have to stop working.