Japan isn’t just “the Land of the Rising Sun”… but health care costs as well. The country is taking extreme measures to curtail expenses. The thing that is confusing is they are near the bottom of any list I see ranking overweight countries (by BMI). They are 163rd on the World Health Organization’s list of overweight (22 percent of the population).

Nevertheless, Japan’s health care costs have ballooned by 68 percent between 1989 and 2006, to $370 billion a year. Without doing a thorough analysis of everything that may be causing this increase in cost, maybe 1 in 5 people being overweight is enough for government officials to take action.

.Reference resource: Click Here.

Contrary to the US, Japan’s $48-billion-a-year soft-drink industry consists for a large part of sugarless teas (with ot without health claims) rather than of sodas and other unhealthy products. This has been ascribed to the graying of the population, but I have my doubts: most buyers seem salarymen and young people, at least when you look at the convenience stores. There has always been a connection in Japan between food and health. What keeps amazing me is the sheer volume of this industry in Japan. Teas, juices, and soft drinks of all varieties take up a solid refrigerated wall in convenience stores. The number of different products is mind-boggling. As is the number of new drinks brought to market every year: 1,500! Many of these fail, of course, but the sheer logistical power of Japan’s companies is impressive, to say the least.

Here are five foods that you may not know, but which, for your health’s sake, you ought to try. Be adventurous. Your body will thank you for it.

* Atsu-age – these are cakes of deep-fried tofu, and are often available where regular tofu is available. They are probably best described as tofu for Westerners who don’t like tofu. Deep frying in oil gives them a nutty texture and crunch, yet, inside, this food retains the softness and smoothness of fresh tofu, along with all the health benefits.

* Katsuo-bushi – this is dried flakes of the cooked bonito fish, and resembles wood shavings. It is absolutely delicious when used as a stock for soup or stews. Like tofu, it is full of protein. You should find it sold in large packages at good Asian supermarkets. It is also available in powder form.

* Gobo – the English name for this root vegetable is burdock. It has been used in China and Japan for many centuries as a medicine. Many people believed it could help recovery from illness, as well as boost energy. Today it is reputed to lower cholesterol. You may find it available canned, but if possible buy it fresh and stew or fry.

* Kikuna – this is a type of edible chrysanthemum leaves, also known as shungiku. It can be eaten raw, but is more commonly included in stews, or deep-friend as tempura. Take care not to overcook, or the taste may become bitter. It is said to be good for fevers.

* Daikon – the giant white radish is one of the most common ingredients in Japanese cooking. It is commonly included in stews of all kinds, and is also a regular garnish with sushi and many other uncooked dishes. It is also often added to dipping sauces, such as for tempura. It is a short stumpy vegetable, and so ingrained is it in Japanese culture that people with fat legs are said to have “daikon legs.” The best daikon has a somewhat sharp taste, but often it is rather bland, although it is absolutely delicious when pickled. It is so important in Japanese cooking that you should be able to find it any Asian supermarket that sells fresh produce. It is especially good in aiding digestion, particularly for oily foods.

When someone goes to a hospital in Japan, insurance will usually cover 70%-80% of the costs upfront with the patient paying the difference. For more expensive treatments, the patient can receive a reimbursement for costs incurred.

By law, the insurance plans cannot deny a legitimate claim or refuse anyone regardless of preexisting conditions. Also, medical care is not rationed by age or for any other reason. Most hospitals are privately owned. However, the rates they can charge for most services and drugs are set by Japanese Health Ministry every couple of years.

People are free to choose whichever hospital they like. In spite of the fact Japanese people receive more medical care and spend more time in hospitals, Japan spends less on health care, and health insurance costs are much lower.

Negative points of the Japanese system

Doctors on average see more patients and thus spend less time with each individual patient than in the US. Hospital conditions are often not as nice as those found in the US. For example, unless paying for a private room, most patients stay in shared rooms with the patients separated by curtains. Most hospitals do not take reservations. Patients simply go to the hospital and wait their turn.

Drugs are often over prescribed. One reason for this is that since doctors spend less time with each patient, the sometimes simply prescribe drugs for initial visits instead of more thoroughly diagnosing the problem. The other reason is that hospitals sometimes can make money off the prescriptions.

Since going to the hospital is relatively cheap, people abuse the system and seek medical treatment when it is not really needed. Many hospitals are losing money since prices are often set too low. Also, there is underinvestment in some areas and the system is laden in paperwork and regulation.

While premiums are still much lower than the US, they are rising and an increasing number of people cannot afford them. However, this is often offset by programs that provide medical care for the children and the elderly. Overall, while the Japanese health care system does a good job at providing nearly universal coverage at an affordable price, it is not without it problems.

But what is their secret behind that wonderful and amazing skin? You might be asking the different Japanese skin care products that they use to maintain their skin. For sure you want to know so that you can apply it to yourself. If you are thinking about commercialized products then you are wrong. The truth is Japanese are not really into commercialized skin care products. That is one of the great things about them and maybe that is their secret.

They have remained to be very traditional when it comes to taking care of their skin. They are still into herbs and some other natural botanicals that can be found in the surroundings. The first most effective thing or Japanese skin care that they do is eating seaweeds. Yes, that is one of their favorites and it is always included on their daily meals. Seaweeds are proven to have these substances that prevent skin ageing and it has the ability to make the skin smoother.

Aside from that, Japanese men and women exfoliate by using different kinds of grains such as rice bran and adzuki beans. They are also using clays and some other rich minerals from the earth and also powdered herbs and sea vegetables which can eliminate harmful toxins from the skin. The use of oils such as jojoba and camellia oils is very important because they believe that these oils can moisturize their skin. They are also drinking plenty of herbal teas that are good not only for the skin but for the whole body as well.

The use of herbs once belonged partly to the realm of magic, in the healing rites performed by shamans and also stems from observations of the way in which animals treat themselves to various plants when sick or wounded. But careful study of herbs and their properties over thousands of years has developed Oriental herbal medicine into a highly refined and complex discipline.

Medical diagnosis is usually undertaken by practitioners familiar with both Western and Oriental medicine, resulting in a wide­ranging and comprehensive assessment of a patient’s symptoms. The yin/yang balance will be appraised, as well as the functioning of the internal organs and systems, the patient’s psychological state, diet, and lifestyle. And each of these factors will be considered in relation to the nature of the diseases or disorder involved, and its degree and speed of progression.

Following diagnosis, the therapist selects a combination of natural “herbs,” which may include mineral and animal ingredients. Western herbal therapies are often based on using a single herbal remedy at a time; indeed, most rural forms of folk medicine work on this premise. An Oriental herbal therapist will provide an individually tailored cocktail of herbs that will work in conjunction with one another, and with you, and that will probably be readapted several times during the course of treatment as healing proceeds,

Herbs are classified in a number of ways. The nature of each is said to be cold, cool, hot, warm, or neutral. This is the chi or energy value of the herb and is used to balance excess or deficiencies in the “disharmony” that constitutes the illness. The herb’s taste and smell are also evaluated, as sour bitter, sweet, pungent. salty. These characteristics are linked special affinities with different organs or body system and the related emotions that can be involved in disease. The herbs are also characterized as having a ascending or descending effect. The herbalist prescribes a mixture of herbs and tells the patient how to prepare and use them. Occasionally ready-prepared remedies such as herbal pills or tinctures may be given.

The first secret is the Japanese do not often overeat, they believe in quality not quantity. Even the food served in Japanese schools consists of small amount of rice bowl, miso soup, tofu, and vegetables.  Why we found obesity is a problem in the United States, because they are used to eat too much of quantity rather than quality. That’s why weight loss is a major concern of the North Americans.

Secondly, there is a huge amount of peer pressure on women in Japan to stay slim. Japan has societal structure which is based on how one conforms to the norms of the society. People have to do their best to fit comfortably into society, compared to Western societies. Thus, there is a huge amount of peer pressure to adjust and conform. In particular, there is tremendous pressure on women to stay thin and slim.

Thirdly, even though Japanese people spend a lot of time in their office, they still find time for attending fitness clubs, yoga classes for their health. In the weekends too, instead of being a couch potato watching TV programs, they would go on small excursions, hiking, swimming or play sports such as tennis and golf.  This life style is one of the reasons why Japanese people are fit.

The fourth secret is that, they always have healthy food that contains fewer fats and more proteins. Their diet contains fish, soya, rice, vegetables and fruits which has lots of proteins, minerals but very low fat content. They always go for not only healthy but fresh cooked food items that are full of vitamins and minerals needed for the body.  This is just opposite of the frozen food that most of the North Americans eat.

Western diet study asks us to avoid white rice and noodles like the plague, whereas, the Japanese diet contains mostly rice every day and still they are very slim. Actually, rice is nutritious, contains the carbohydrates necessary for the body.  The Japanese green tea contains  extremely low calories, and helps to cut their daily calorie intake and it also burns the fats and facilitate weight loss.  Japanese people avoid tea with milk and sugar as such ingredients add to daily calorie totals.

There is indeed no secret about how to get slim fast like the Japanese. The secret of slim and fit Japanese people lies in a combination of factors as mentioned above.  The Japanese weight loss plan lies in consuming less quantity of food which contains less fat and more proteins, giving attention to appearance, and indulging in a lifestyle which includes exercise like walking, and home cooking instead of using frozen foods.

Her psychiatric clinic located in Tokyo, Japan, which provides mental health care for English-speaking people who are residing in Japan. Especially she treats depression, anxiety, insomnia,etc. In addition, for travelers from abroad, her office is available for a consultation about jet lag remedies, too.　

The nurses in Japan also work under the doctor’s firm authority. Once you check into the hospital, and ask the nurses questions about the birth process, some of the answers could be alarming, because they could completely contradict what you hear from the doctor. Despite their confident show of authority, it does prove how little the nurses are actually empowered.

Through its universal health insurance program, Japanese bureaucrats are charged with the responsibility and power to ensure a “minimum standard of care for all.” Rules of the game, and in particular what is covered and how doctors get paid, are mainly set by the central government in Tokyo. Sound familiar? It should, as this is the direction we would be headed in within the U.S. if recent state level universal coverage proposals and federal prescription drug purchases for Medicare beneficiaries are enabled. The Journal article lists many of the downsides to the system, particularly in light of cancer coverage: * “Japan saves by requiring less training of doctors and paying them less” * Japanese “doctors say they have little time for patients” * Until recently, many Japanese cancer patients weren’t even told that they had the disease–family members “often felt it was cruel to burden the patient with information” about the cancer diagnosis. The Journal article further indicates that new classes of chemotherapy drugs and the spread of the Internet have “spawned a new class of activist cancer patients.” This patient activist movement has grown largely in response to the central government’s reluctance to embrace and approve a new class of promising cancer drugs. The article mentions that “a movement for more drugs and better care culminated in May 2005 when 2,000 patients and family members packed a hall in Osaka for the first national convention of cancer patients.” Now is the time to consider how this type of system would play out in the United States. People need to ask themselves how they would feel about the state or federal government telling them that a promising new cancer drug is, by law, simply not available to them or their loved one who is dying of cancer.