In this challenging economy, many people have curbed discretionary expenses like vacations, entertainment and shopping excursions. Unfortunately, many folks - even those with medical insurance - are also cutting back on healthcare services they can no longer afford, including preventive care, check-ups and medications for chronic conditions.

This short-term budgetary fix could have disastrous long-term effects, as easily treated or preventable conditions morph into much more serious - and expensive - illnesses.

While our government wrestles with solving the national healthcare crisis, here are a few suggestions for stretching your healthcare dollars and ensuring your family receives proper care:

Use your plan wisely. Most health insurers supply educational materials on preventive care such as quitting smoking, weight loss and chronic disease management (like diabetes and high cholesterol). Many even provide financial incentives for completing treatment programs, getting immunizations and using generic drugs, since these practices save money in the long run.

Check your carrier's website for details, or visit the HHS's "Prevention" site (www.hhs.gov/safety) for information and web links on such topics as fitness, nutrition, risky behavior modification and much more.

Free screenings. Many pharmacies, clinics and health organizations such the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org) and the American Academy of Dermatology (www.add.org) provide free screenings for illnesses such as kidney disease, skin cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Search "free screenings" at www.hhs.gov for nearby screenings.

Bargain with providers. Before going without needed care, speak to your doctor, dentist or hospital about your financial difficulties and see if they'll work with you to reduce fees or allow installment payments. They may also be able to suggest alternate treatments or connect you with programs that will help pay for your care.

For example, most pharmaceutical companies offer patient assistance programs (PAPs) that provide uninsured and low-income people access to drugs they couldn't otherwise afford. Ask your doctor, pharmacist or clinic how to proceed, or visit Partnership for Prescription Assistance (www.pparx.org), which has enrollment information on over 475 public and private PAPs, including links to Medicaid programs.

Laid off? File for COBRA. Under the 2009 economic stimulus plan, the government will pay 65 percent of the cost of COBRA coverage for up to nine months for employees laid off between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009. Granted, coverage is still expensive, but far less so than if you were uninsured and incurred a serious accident or illness.

Use public resources. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) helps fund over 7,000 community health centers serving millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans. Patients pay based on what they can afford for services such as routine checkups, maternity care, immunizations, prescription drugs, and dental, mental health and substance abuse care.

To learn more about this program and find the closest HHS-supported center, visit http://bphc.hrsa.gov. In addition, many university teaching hospitals and dental schools operate clinics on a sliding payment scale.

Medicaid. Many uninsured people not yet eligible for Medicare can obtain medical coverage through state-administered Medicaid programs. To learn more, visit www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidGenInfo.

Don't let financial worries cause you to ignore your family's health needs. Resources are available; you just need to seek them out.

MADISON, Wis. - When diabetes educator Eva Marie Vivian sees overweight minority children, she sees a generational tragedy unfolding.

Type 2 diabetes was virtually unheard of in children a generation ago, but now as many as 3,700 young people were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in a single year ? a diagnosis much more common among Native American, Hispanic or African American children. At current rates, it is estimated that one in three children born in the year 2000 will eventually develop diabetes. And it's not just the diabetes -- cardiovascular disease, kidney and eye damage, and other complications can follow uncontrolled diabetes.

"A 12-year-old with Type 2 diabetes may develop coronary artery disease by age 35,'' said Vivian, associate clinical professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. "We're talking about a generation of children that might not outlive their parents."

Vivian says that some heavily Hispanic zip codes in Los Angeles have rates of childhood obesity approaching 90 percent. And her recent research in Madison, Wis., shows that things aren't much better in the Midwest. She recently screened 86 children (63 percent African-American, 34 percent Latino, 3 percent white) in community settings such as churches and food pantries. She found that 54 percent were overweight or obese, conditions that can set them up for developing Type 2 diabetes, in which the body becomes resistant to insulin.

"While more than half of the children were overweight, it's interesting that only 10 percent of parents reported that they thought their children were overweight,' Vivian said. "It may be because many of the parents are overweight themselves."

So, is this merely a case of children inheriting bad genes? No.

"Genes may load the gun, but your environment and lifestyle pull the trigger,'' Vivian said.

As part of her screening, she queried parents about the factors causing children to gain weight. What she learned is startling:

• · About 31 percent of the children consume fast food more than twice a week
• · 86 percent watch more than two hours of television.
• · Among the obese and overweight children, television watching was more than three hours a day.
• · The parents themselves reported being too busy with work to prepare home-cooked meals.

Vivian's research is aimed at identifying factors that people can change to lose weight and reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Her work is funded by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), part of a national effort to get medical research more quickly from the laboratories into the community.

She has just received a second grant to create a community-based intervention program that will go into the neighborhood centers with programs for children and parents. While the children would be in exercise classes led by trained instructors from the UW School of Kinesiology and formerly overweight teenagers who have successfully changed their own lifestyles, parents would be learning about healthy shopping, cooking and family lifestyle changes.

"One problem is that some parents also eat unhealthy foods, and the children follow their parents,'' Vivian said. "The good news is that when you ask adults to change their lifestyle, they're more likely to be receptive if it involves helping their children."

Is Your Child At Risk For Diabetes?

1. Is your children African-American/black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American or Asian/Pacific Islander?

2. Does your child have a sister or brother with diabetes?

3. Does your child have a parent or grandparent with diabetes?

4. Has a health care provider told you your child is overweight or do you feel your child is overweight?

5. Does your child (between ages 10 and 19) get little or no exercise?

6. Does your child have a dark skin patch around the neck or in the armpits?

7. Has a doctor said your child has high blood pressure?

8. Has a doctor said your child has high cholesterol?

9. Has your daughter had irregular periods, excess facial hair or unusual weight gain?

If you answered yes to two or more questions, your child may be at risk for having or developing diabetes. You should talk to a health care provider.

An alternative health detox spa in Davenport featuring medicinal hydrotherapy, alkaline drinking water and orthomolecular medicine for the treatment of alcoholism is now receiving clients.  Michael Grady, Director of Atlantispa in Davenport, said that the spa is one of only a handful in the United States to feature both specialized hydrotherapy and orthomolecular medicine in one setting.

The spa features medicinal detoxification hydrotherapy involving full body immersion in water treated with far infrared heat, essential oil, trace ozone, ultrasonic bubbles, vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide.  Detoxification is further enhanced with alkaline drinking water with over 50 natural trace nutrients.  Orthomolecular medicine, or vitamin mega-dosing with niacin and vitamin C, works in a complementary way to help rebuild the body's defenses. "The program intention is to remove what's dangerous and install what's healthy. Studies show that our treatments are effective and with no harmful side effect," says Grady.

Clients can expect a higher than average rate of long-term sobriety through this unique program, in addition to helping with other health programs. The average treatment length is 18 to 36 visits, at an average cost of $50 per visit.

The treatment center, located at 235 West 35th Street in Davenport (above Nick Tarpein Martial Arts) is flexible to accommodate client schedules from early morning to late evening. For a free assessment, contact Atlantispa at 563-445-7331.