• International Health Management Services Ltd.(IHMS) – A  Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) established to provide social health insurance services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and private health insurance services to individuals, groups and corporate organizations.
• Owned by Institutional investors and 19 medical practitioners
• Accredited by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as a National HMO.
• Rated among top ten HMOs in Nigeria by Agusto & Co (foremost business rating firm).
• Provider network with over 700 hospitals, specialists and diagnostic centres nationwide.
• Fully operational zonal offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu,Ilorin, Kaduna and Miaduguri.

• Financial health risk protection
• Integrated health care service provision
• Prevention and wellness program (Pro-life)
• IHMS/NHIS Social Health Insurance Program
• International Medical Evacuation
• International Medical Insurance

Article of the Month:

Maintaining a Healthy Brain
Dementia and Alzheimer's are words we don't like to think about, especially as we grow older. Is there anything we can do to prevent these tragic health problems? There are three recent studies that give insights for maintaining healthy, active brains.
The first study1 included 469 older individuals, all in good physical and mental health. They followed this group for several years to see who would develop dementia or Alzheimer's. They found that those who kept their minds active by reading, playing "thinking" board games (such as checkers, chess, cards, etc.), playing musical instruments, and dancing were all associated with a decreased risk of dementia. They found mental/social activity more important than physical activity in preserving brain function.
Several studies now show that rich social networks and participation in leisure activities that keep the brain active help keep the thinking mind in good condition.

A second study2 looked at excess body weight and the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's. This study included 392 elderly Swedish people who were followed for 18 years. They found that people who were overweight developed Alzheimer's at a higher rate than those who were not overweight. For every one-point increase in body mass index (BMI) above a BMI of 25 (upper limit for healthy weight) the risk of Alzheimer's increased by 36%. This means that obese individuals (BMI of 30+) have and increased risk of at least 2.4 times that of people in a healthy weight range.

The women in the study who developed dementia had an average BMI of 29. The average BMI of those who didn't develop dementia was 25.

A third study3 found that women who take combination hormone therapy had twice the rate of dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to women not taking the medication. This data is from the large Women's Health Initiative Study including 4,500 women, followed for 5 years. At one time it was thought that hormone therapy would reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. This clinical trial demonstrated just the opposite effect. This adds to the growing research of the increased risks due to taking female hormones after menopause.

These studies detail practical strategies for preventing dementia:

1. Maintaining a healthy weight.
2. Participate in social and effortful mental activities.
3. Don't take hormone therapy after menopause.
4. Other studies suggest physical activity to help maintain good circulation and good mental health and maintaining a healthy blood pressure (less than 120/80) to prevent strokes, a common cause of dementia.

Sources:

1. New England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2003     
2. Archives of Internal Medicine, July 14, 2003 
3. JAMA May 28, 2003, and NIH News Release May 27, 2003