Guide to Gift Card Giving

BBB Advice for Purchasing Valuable Gift Cards

With the holiday season right around the corner and the economy putting the

squeeze on budgets, many shoppers are going to be looking for the best gift

options this holiday season. For those looking to give gift cards to family and

friends, BBB is recommending that you do your research before purchasing a

gift card.

So far, in 2011, BBB has already received more than 440 complaints against

the gift card industry, a huge increase from the 33 complaints received in

2010. In some cases, consumers are disgruntled when they are given an

expired gift card with loaded cash that isn’t usable until the expiration date is

corrected. After sending the expired card in for replacement, the consumer is

left empty handed when the card fails to ever return to them.

“Consumers need to be on the lookout for gift cards that appear to be ‘open’

or out of their original package, and cards that state an expiration date that is

coming up or that has passed,” said Tina Waller, president and CEO of the

Better Business Bureau of South Alabama, Inc.. “Shoppers should be wary of

online auction sites that promise ‘full value guaranteed’ gift cards. It’s sites

like these that are prone to selling old, valueless cards that leave the gift

giver and receiver distraught.”

BBB recommends the following tips for both givers and receivers of gift cards:

Know the rules.

New federal rules that took effect in August of 2010 are designed to protect

consumers, and will restrict fees and affect gift card expiration dates. These

new rules apply to two types of cards: Retail gift cards, which can only be

redeemed at the retailers and restaurants that sell them; and bank gift cards,

which carry the logo of a payment card network like American Express, Visa,

or Mastercard and can be used wherever the brand is accepted.

Check it out.

Make sure you are buying from known and trusted sources.  Always check

out a business at www.bbbsouthal.org.  Avoid online auction sites, because

the cards sold there may be counterfeit or may have been obtained

fraudulently.


Read the fine print before buying.
Is there a fee to buy the card?  Are there shipping and handling fees for cards
bought by phone or online?  Will any fees be deducted from the card after
it is purchased?


Inspect the card before buying it.
Verify that no protective stickers have been removed, and that the codes
on the back of the card haven't been scratched off to reveal a PIN number. 
Report any damaged cards to the store selling the cards.


Provide the receiver with back up.
Give the recipient the original receipt in case the card is later lost or stolen. 
Also, before you buy retail gift cards, consider the financial condition of the
retailer or restaurant.  A card from a business that files for bankruptcy or
goes out of business may be worthless.  If the business close a store near
the recipient, it may be hard to find another location where the card can be
used.  A business that files for bankruptcy may honor its gift cards, or a
competitor may accept the card.  Call the business or its competitor to find
out if they are redeeming the cards, or if they will do so at a later date.


Treat the gift card like cash.
For receivers, it's important to report lost or stolen cards to the issuer
immediately.  Some issuers will not replace cards that are lost or stolen,
while other issuers will, for a fee.  Make sure to use gift cards as soon as
possible, because it's not unusual to lose or forget about them.

For more consumer tips you can trust, visit www.bbbsouthal.org.   

Three Numbers to Know to Prevent Heart Disease

The equation for a healthy heart is pretty simple: all you need to know are three numbers to help prevent heart disease.

 

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

 

If you're active and you feel healthy, you may think you've got plenty of time before you have to start worrying about medical issues like heart disease.  But don't assume that you have a healthy heart just because you haven't been diagnosed with heart disease. The beginnings of heart disease could be present in your body even if you feel well.

To know whether you’re at risk, you need to know three numbers: your cholesterol, your blood pressure, and your waist circumference.

Cholesterol Numbers

High cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular problems, such as stroke. Cholesterol is often reported as a single number referred to as “total cholesterol”. But there are both bad and good forms of cholesterol. The bad kind — LDL cholesterol — flows through your blood and sticks to the inside your blood vessels, forming plaques and making it tough for blood to flow freely and get to your heart and brain. The good cholesterol — HDL — can help to minimize this damage. Your levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol are more important than your total cholesterol level.

If your total cholesterol is too high — above 200 mg/dL — you also need to know your LDL cholesterol level. Your LDL cholesterol should ideally be below 100 mg/dL, says C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, spokesperson for the American College of Cardiology and director of the Women's Heart Center and the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. And you want your HDL cholesterol to be as high as possible; 60 mg/dL or higher is the most protective level for your heart.

Blood Pressure Numbers

High blood pressure can make your arteries rigid instead of flexible, which can also restrict blood flow to essential areas such as your heart and brain. When your blood pressure numbers go up, you're at an increased risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

Ideally, you want your blood pressure numbers at 120/80 or below. Prehypertension is considered anything above that level up to 139/89, and full-blown hypertension is 140/90 and up. If you fall into these categories, it's time to take action to help prevent heart disease.

Waist Size

You may already know that obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease — and it's a huge problem in the United States. If you carry your weight in your belly (think of a body shape like an apple), you're at an even greater risk. Women should have a waist circumference of no more than 35 inches, while men need to stay below 40 inches. Above those measurements, heart disease risk rises.

Keeping Tabs on Your Numbers

Knowing your heart-health numbers is one of the first steps in preventing heart disease.

While you may know if your waist size is getting too large, high cholesterol and high blood pressure usually don’t cause symptoms. So it’s important to have these numbers checked regularly by a family physician. If the numbers start creeping up, your doctor can advise whether you need to take medication.

The best option to prevent heart disease is to keep your heart numbers in control before they get too high. And monitoring these numbers regularly is key to a healthy heart.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

The signs of bipolar disorder can vary, but are often a combination of extreme highs and extreme lows.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

People with bipolar disorder can have a range of symptoms. Many experience dramatic mood swings, going from emotional highs to emotional lows with more normal moods in between, while others have much milder mood changes.

Bipolar Symptoms: Mania

Mania is a term that describes the emotional highs of bipolar disorder. Mania, or a manic episode, is usually characterized by feelings of extreme energy, restlessness, or irritability.
In general, symptoms of a manic episode may include:

• High energy, excessive activity, and/or restlessness
• Overly good mood
• Irritability
• Fast, erratic talking
• Racing thoughts
• Inability to concentrate
• Little need for sleep
• Feelings of power
• Poor judgment
• Reckless spending
• High sex drive
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Aggression
• Refusal to admit that there is a problem

The severity of manic symptoms can vary in bipolar disorder, and most people will not experience all symptoms. In some forms of bipolar disorder, people will experience hypomania, a milder form of mania that usually feels good. People who are experiencing hypomania often can function well and be more productive than usual. But if left untreated, hypomania can develop into severe mania or can change to depression.

If your elevated or irritable mood is accompanied by manic symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least one week, your doctor may diagnose a manic episode.

Bipolar Symptoms: Depression

In bipolar disorder, manic episodes alternate with periods of emotional lows, which are known as depressive episodes. Signs of a depressive episode may include:

• Sadness, anxiety, or a feeling of emptiness
• Hopelessness
• Feelings of guilt, feeling worthless, or feeling helpless
• Lack of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, such as sex
• Low energy
• Trouble with concentration or memory
• Restlessness or irritability
• Excessive sleeping or insomnia
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Pain or other physical symptoms not explained by an illness or injury
• Thoughts of death, or suicidal thoughts or attempts

A diagnosis of depressive episodes is made if at least five of these symptoms are present for most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or longer.

Bipolar Symptoms: Mood Swings

Symptoms of mania and depression can vary dramatically among people with bipolar disorder. All people with bipolar disorder experience mood swings, but the severity of these mood swings can vary.

In the form of bipolar disorder known as bipolar I, there are recurrent episodes of mania and depression. In bipolar II, severe mania never develops, but periods of hypomania alternate with depressive episodes.

The severity and symptoms of bipolar disorder can change over time, and the way the condition is treated may need to change as well.

If you are experiencing mood swings that are disrupting your life, speak to your doctor, who can recommend a mental health professional. Mental health professionals can talk with you about the symptoms, and diagnose and treat bipolar disorder if that is necessary.

Medication and other therapies can help you manage the bipolar symptoms and smooth out the highs and lows that interfere with living a normal, productive life.

Source:  www.everydayhealth.com