A new report from the American Heart Association suggests that obese and overweight children can have the arteries of a middle-aged person. That in turn can put them in danger of having heart disease or a stroke in their 20s!

There are many reasons why children are packing on the pounds. For one, the calorie count is way up for kids. But it's not just fast food that's to blame. When Clark gets a Happy Meal for his son, it comes with the option of apple slices instead of fries. Many restaurants are likewise offering healthy choices.

There's also the issue of lack of exercise. Kids used to just play all the time outside, but today it seems like they're being carted around from one structured activity to the next. It's our responsibility as parents to see that our kids are active. Clark often brings his children to a soccer field to play -- even though he's not very good at the game.

Meanwhile, in a separate health-related development, Phillips has come up with an intelligent pill. The so-called "iPill" contains a microprocessor in it that can release medication at a specific spot in the GI tract. The goal is to eliminate the "chemo phenomenon," where you make a person's whole body sick just to target illness in one part of the body.

The iPill contains a wireless transmitter that senses acidity and body temperature to determine where to pinpoint the medication. Some of its expected uses will be for colon cancer treatment and GI tract disorders -- if Phillips can convince the pharmaceutical companies to buy into the technology.

The San Francisco Chronicle has a simple English explanation of the iPill. The real shocker so far is that the cost is $1,000 per pill. Once it's in mass production, however, that price would come down to about $10 per pill. Talk about the economy of scale!

In 2002, Clark slipped a disc in his back and needed invasive surgery that involved being cut open, a lengthy recovery period and a huge scar. But that kind of thing may be going the way of the dodo.

You've heard of less invasive surgeries of the arthroscopic and lathroscopic varieties, right? Well, doctors are now working on going in down your throat and using robotic equipment to take out your gall bladder, appendix or what have you through your mouth. This new technique is done under general anesthesia. Doctors can also go in (and out) through other body openings to do other procedures.

The Washington Post reports that so far there have been no major complications with this new technique. There's no more need for scarring and cutting. Surgery that was previously an in-patient procedure -- necessitating many days of hospital recovery -- can now be done as an out-patient service. But Clark sure doesn't want to be a guinea pig when it comes to this kind of stuff!

Back in the '90s, Clark first talked about breakthrough laser technology being developed for the dentistry field. He went for a cleaning shortly after and discovered his dentist was very upset with him. Several other customers heard Clark on the air and were already asking about the laser! It turns out the technology is very expensive, but it eliminates most of the discomfort for common dental procedures.

USA Today now reports that less than 10% of dentists use laser technology. Yet if people become aware of the laser, they'll ask for it and dentists may comply just to seize market share. Dentists also would be able to charge more for laser services.

Clark has an old filling that he needs replaced. Why should he go the Novocain route when he can have the laser instead? There's even a special laser for root canals that reduces discomfort and the time you're in the chair by 30 minutes.

Laser could be a very promising option for people who take care of their teeth. But 1 out of 3 people don't get dental care in the United States. We're a developed country, yet we have people with rotting teeth! Clark thinks one possible solution would be to allow dental techs to do a special 2-year program that certifies them for basic dental procedures. Such a plan has already been enacted in Alaska.

Clark recently discussed how he was furious over kangaroo court arbitrations in the corporate world. Many banks force customers into these joke arbitrations that are worthy of a banana republic. Of course, the financial institutions routinely select arbitrators that rule in their favor.

Days after his initial comments, The Wall Street Journal did a story about nursing homes that harm or kill people through negligence. Surviving family members have no recourse because they signed mandatory arbitration clauses when they were admitting their loved ones. It's getting to the point that nursing homes have no incentive to not kill people; there's nothing families can do after the fact.

The Wall Street Journal is not exactly a bleeding heart liberal publication, but they're very angry over this. So what can you do to protect yourself before you put a loved one in a nursing home? They suggest you carefully vet the admission contract and see if you can opt out of the mandatory arbitration clause. If you can't avoid it, try writing the following next to the clause: "I'm signing this because I was told that I have to." That creates the possibility that you can potentially get out of mandatory arbitration in the event your loved one is harmed or killed while in their care. The thing with the banks was bad enough, but it's a whole different story if they kill your mama.

Last year, Clark told you that nursing homes were using multiple holding companies behind the scenes to limit their liability. There are a lot of things going on in this industry that are unacceptable in a decent society, according to Clark. Interestingly, the demand for beds in nursing homes has been far lower than what demographers anticipated. That's because more families are choosing in-home care options for their elders. You need to feel confident about who's caring for your senior loved ones.

Nationally syndicated columnist David Lazarus is among the people upset about the marketing of prescription drugs on TV. Clark gets a kick out of those highly produced commercials where you see a vibrant young woman or man who explains how they were falling apart until they took that magic pill being advertised. These kinds of commercials always end with an upbeat announcer telling you about the dangerous side effects of the drug.

Doctors are put in a very difficult spot when patients come in with self-diagnoses and request a drug they've seen on TV. Unfortunately, doctors can only spend about 4-6 minutes with each patient because of managed care. That means it's difficult for them to explain at length why another medication might be better. If they try, they sometimes wind up making the patient angry because they're giving pushback. But seeing a 60-second commercial doesn't give you a medical degree like a real doctor.

Commercial speech -- like the kind in pharmaceutical TV commercials -- has a lower standard of protection than other speech under our Constitution. So Clark thinks it's not unreasonable to require that medications shouldn't be advertised until after they've been in the marketplace for 5 years and we have a clear understanding of the side-effects. That would prevent the slew of litigation that sometimes follows when a drug harms people after being prematurely rushed to market.

Back in the '90s, Clark first talked about breakthrough laser technology being developed for the dentistry field. He went for a cleaning shortly after and discovered his dentist was very upset with him. Several other customers heard Clark on the air and were already asking about the laser! It turns out the technology is very expensive, but it eliminates most of the discomfort for common dental procedures.

USA Today now reports that less than 10% of dentists use laser technology. Yet if people become aware of the laser, they'll ask for it and dentists may comply just to seize market share. Dentists also would be able to charge more for laser services.

Clark has an old filling that he needs replaced. Why should he go the Novocain route when he can have the laser instead? There's even a special laser for root canals that reduces discomfort and the time you're in the chair by 30 minutes.

Laser could be a very promising option for people who take care of their teeth. But 1 out of 3 people don't get dental care in the United States. We're a developed country, yet we have people with rotting teeth! Clark thinks one possible solution would be to allow dental techs to do a special 2-year program that certifies them for basic dental procedures. Such a plan has already been enacted in Alaska.

Do you remember when doctors used to make house calls? There is one California organization that is reverting back to the old house call system. They are saving money doing it too! The one size fits all plans just don’t work and are wasting an awful amount of taxpayer money. These creative, outside of the box ideas are the types of things that are going to change our outdated health system. It is very similar to our school system that is a one size fits all mold. One system doesn’t work equally for all.

Have you heard about the new trend in the medical industry, the “nurse-in-a-box?” These are the nurse practitioner “offices” that are popping up in discount stores and pharmacies. Walgreens is the mastermind behind this concept. The store has posted nurses in some of its stores, adjacent to the pharmacy counter. The nurse can write prescriptions and treat patients for much less than a doctor would, and the trend is growing by leaps and bounds. The Chicago Tribune reports that Walgreens is about to add 200 more. There is a list of services offered with the price right next to it in big, bold letters. Clark loves that! There is no waiting and no bureaucracy. Now, if the illness is too extreme, you are sent to a hospital or doctor. But, if you need routine care, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Clark is not a doctor and he understands nothing about medicine. But he knows about saving money. So when he talks about medical tourism, it’s a completely economic topic. You will save money if you have procedures overseas. And people are clamoring to do so. About 55,000 Americans have flown to one international hospital in Bangkok, Thailand for medical care last year. The hospital has an online visitor guide with prices and amenities. These hospitals specialize in cosmetic, orthopedic and heart surgeries. The procedures are usually 75 to 80 percent off. There is even a company called “Medical Tours International” which employs doctors who visit hospitals to check out the quality and cost of care. People are traveling to India, Costa Rica, Thailand and Brazil to get quality care at huge discounts. You may want to check it out.

When Clark was in graduate school, he worked for IBM. One of the great perks of the company was that there was an on-site doctor at the office. It was very convenient and affordable, not to mention that it kept Clark “on-the-clock” for longer each day. That was more than a decade ago, and other companies are finally catching on. In-house clinics save companies a ton of money because referrals are reduced and emergency hospital visits drop dramatically. Companies are taking more money out of our pocketbooks and paychecks because companies cannot keep up with medical care and its costs. So, getting more creative with medical care is a necessity. Companies aren’t doing it to be nice but you both can benefit.

We are in a wave of innovation regarding how people will be seen when seeking medical care. Small medical offices are opening up in convenience stores and grocery stores all over the country. The costs are very reasonable, and the services are quick. The problem with the set-ups is the continuity of care. In other words, the doctors you see have no information about you or your medical history. Some physicians have taken issue with Clark over the subject. But Clark thinks any kind of innovation is a good thing. For instance, there is a video conference call technology out there for doctors and patients. It’s called MyMD and it costs $4 a minute or $50 for 15 minutes. So, things are looking up on the medical care industry.

Going to a hospital is never a fun thing. And, with all of the mistakes going on in hospitals these days, it becomes even more nerve racking. Hopsitals are big, complicated places that need staffing every day of the year. But on Saturdays and Sundays, the experienced staff is usually not there and more people die. There is good news on the horizon, however. The Institute for Health Care improvement is changing the way hospitals handle surgery and medicine administration. In fact, the organization set a goal to save 100,000 lives with the new protocols. So far,120,000 lives have been saved! It happened just by running a place smarter.

Are you satisfied when you go to the doctor’s office? Do you typically wait a half hour or more to actually see the doctor? Part of it stems from the fact that doctors lose revenue to insurance companies and must schedule as many patients as possible to make money. So what can you do? Well, some doctors have gone the route of concierge medicine. Basically, you pay the doctor an annual fee or usually about 1,500 a year. The doctor takes a certain number of patients and he or she is available to patients 24 hours a day. The doctor makes money on the annual fee and does not deal with insurance companies at all. The other route is to change doctors’ practices so that they do functions electronically and reduce overhead as much as possible. Fewer people are hired to help in the office and doctors see fewer people to accommodate for emergency appoints. The software these doctors use schedules only one-third of the available appointments in a day. That leaves room for people who come in with urgent conditions and situations and no one has to wait. It can lead to lower income for doctors, but it doesn’t have to.

Have you ever had to wait for hours at an emergency room, while people with non-emergency types of illnesses get treated? People who don’t need to be at the emergency room go all the time. Mostly, it’s because they don’t have a regular doctor or they have no other place to go. The good news is that the marketplace is producing alternatives in supermarkets and retail stores. The first wave started about 30 years ago at the so-called “doc-in-the-box” clinics. Now, these mini clinics are popping up in warehouse clubs, Target stores and supermarkets. Think about how many of these places now have pharmacy counters, eyeglass stores, hearing centers, banks and gas stations. The next move is to put a doctor in the store. The medical shops take up about 150 square feet and, for $50 or less, you can see someone within minutes. Sometimes there are nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants on staff. If your condition is serious, they’ll send you somewhere else. But it’s a much quicker cycle of seeing people. Publix is now opening clinics in Tampa, Orlando and Miami. There are also veterinary practices that are open only on nights and weekends, so they can charge higher rates. So, these are solutions to problems we’ve been dealing with for years. The caveat you must remember is that human beings are going to make mistakes. You cannot guarantee perfection when dealing with humans.

Clark has talked in the past about medical tourism and the trend of traveling to other countries for cheaper medical procedures. People often travel to India or Thailand for surgeries that cost about three quarters of the cost in America. People who do this often have their own private nurse 24 hours a day and the care is impeccable. As a result, insurance companies in California are setting up Mexican HMOs. For non-emergency care, residents of southern California can go to Mexico to see a doctor. The plans cost about half what it costs in the States. Now, if you had to go to the hospital for an emergency, you go to your nearby hospital. But for everything else, a plan that normally costs $600 would cost $300. Blue Shield of California has one called “Access Baja,” for example. Clark is all for people going to Mexico or Thailand for medical care and to Canada for their prescriptions. Eventually, it will force American companies to reduce its medical costs, which would benefit many citizens and keep the business in our country.

Clark’s 6-year-old, Stephanie, has been taking generic ibuprofen for a cold she’s had. She has a particular kind that doesn’t taste awful. Store brands and generics have been winning out over brand label medications, in part because stores make more money and promote them more often. So, manufacturers are coming up with new, hip ways to deliver medicines to us. There sprays, strips and squares that are supposed to do the same work as the nasty tasting medicines we dread taking. It’s similar to the popular breath strips that Listerine invented as an alternative to gurgling mouthwash. All these gimmicks are designed to make it more convenient for you, so they are going to cost more. By coming up with a cute way to deliver that medicine, they can differentiate it from the other meds and charge more for them.

Where do you go when you have the sniffles or you have a sore throat? Right now, you probably have to book an appointment at a doctor’s office. But that can be a hassle because sometimes it’s hard to get an appointment or you have to wait quite a while to be seen. Well, Target, Wal-Mart and CVS hope to have the answer for you. Several newspapers report that the emergency clinics “Minute Clinic” and “Take Care” are opening numerous locations around the country. The idea is that people can walk into one of these stores and they have almost immediate medical care. The visits, which start at $25, include such things as flu shots, school physicals and strep tests. The clinics are open at the same time as the store pharmacy, so the companies are hoping you fill your prescriptions there too. That is where they make their money. So, it’s a win-win for everyone. The fear, of course, is that with no doctor present – only general medical professionals – a patient could be misdiagnosed. But Clark thinks it’s a good idea overall because it opens up health care to people who normally couldn’t afford it.

Do you think that a system or product that was below par before can get better with time? Clark does. One example is the Veteran’s Administration, also known as the VA, and its medical system. It was third-world health care and was an insult to the veterans who had defended our nation with their service. Today, the VA – now the Department of Veteran’s Affairs – is a shining example of health care. And, it’s helped leapfrog the rest of the medical industry. How? Electronic medical records. If people come into the VA and can’t remember when they were last seen or what meds they’ve been prescribed, the VA employees simply call it up on computer. It’s caused the organization to do a lot more with a lot less money. It’s hard to get the process of medicine to move forward, but the VA has shown us that it can be done.

Clark had a terrible time getting his medical records recently when he needed them for an operation he was going to have. Eventually, he had to go to an ombudsman to get his records in time. It’s absurd that, in the year 2005, people have to go to these extremes and root through files to find medical records. Electronic files would be much easier and less risky to use, and Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich are trying to move that enhancement along. When people are brought into emergency rooms these days, there is no quick way to access their medical records and doctors could unknowingly harm or kill them. It’s also easier for consumers who won’t have to search to remember when their last tetanus shot was. In addition, Blue Cross Blue Shield is introducing a new system that will allow members to access their medical records online. It’s going to be a tremendous money saver and life saver. About 800,000 BCBS members will be able to look at their records. So, in spite of the fact that medical care is modernizing slowly, it’s a start. And Clark hopes that tens of millions of people will soon have this kind of access.

It’s become very hard for individuals and small business owners to find affordable health insurance. But the warehouse clubs are starting to offer very viable solutions. Costco Wholesale, for example, is offering its own branded health insurance for small group. Because of the buying power Costco has, the company can offer group buying power and better rates for groups. We’re talking about real health insurance policies, not just some slip to go see a certain doctor. The San Francisco Chronicle also reports that Costco is going to offer individual policies. The company is going to start this in California only at first, but it will eventually branch out to other states if it’s successful. We’ll see if it works. If so, Clark expects warehouse clubs to start offering HSAs (health savings accounts). This could be a terrific thing for small businesses and for our health care system in general.

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In other medical news, Target is starting to set up “Minute Clinics,” where people can stop in and see a nurse practitioner for certain ailments. If the problem is more serious, the patient will be sent to an emergency room. But people shouldn’t have to go to the emergency room for a minor emergency and pay extreme amounts. The cost at the Minute Clinic will be between $25 and $75. So, Clark commends Target and the warehouse clubs for their efforts to help consumers.

Last winter, Clark talked about a move that had caught on in Europe, where people are traveling to India and Thailand to have surgery because it costs much less than it does in the States. At the time, Clark did a poll on the topic. More than three-quarters of people said they would not be willing to go overseas for any kind of surgery. But the portion of people who would be willing to travel for surgery is growing, according to recent news reports. One man profiled in a recent Washington Post story traveled from North Carolina to India for much-needed heart bypass surgery. He had no insurance and couldn’t afford the $200,000 bill the American hospital wanted. The hospital in Durham also wanted a $50,000 deposit up front. He couldn’t afford any of it, so he traveled to India, where he had a vacation and the tricky surgery for about $10,000. An MRI usually costs about $700 in the States. In Asia, it’s about $60. Also, Hungary has become the low cost, high quality home for dentistry. People are traveling from all over to have dental work performed there because it’s much less expensive and the care is just as good. It’s being referred to as “medical tourism.” If you or a family member is facing some type of surgery or treatment, check out these options. There is a fear that the quality of surgery is not as high. But so far, there have been no problems.

Clark has been poked and prodded since he broke his hand in a skiing fall over Thanksgiving. He doesn’t like needles very much, but he’s dealing with it. And, there is some good news coming on the needle front. According to ABC News, researchers at Georgia Tech in Atlanta have developed needles that are smaller than a strand of hair. They are designed to go into a patch, so that they deliver medicine painlessly and can be administered by the person wearing the patch. You no longer need a doctor or nurse to administer the medicine. Think about how great this development is for children who are scared of needles. Maybe more people will get the flu vaccine because of this news.

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There is also a segment of the population that has become obsessed with whitening their teeth. Dentists, who are struggling for revenue, are marketing all kinds of whitening techniques. But Consumer Reports has some warnings. It’s okay to whiten your teeth every once in a while, but if you go overboard you could damage the enamel on your teeth. Over-the-counter treatments work just fine and are not as damaging. They’re also pretty cheap at about $15 a system. Consumer Reports rated Colgate “Simply White Night” the best treatment available. Just be careful and don’t get too obsessive.