Smoking is one of the worst things that you can inflict upon yourself, in actual fact it is one of the most stupid things. There may be some germ of reason for older people smoking, because back in the 1950s and 1960s the advertising of cigarettes was rife and there was little if no voice of objection or information about the health hazards. However in these more enlightened times the advertising of cigarettes and smoking is severely limited and there is plenty of information about its health hazards, not only printed on the cigarette cartons themselves, but through campaigns actively discouraging smoking that are run in the national press and on national TV.

Inheritance tax is something that all families must come to terms with at some point in time. Regardless of whether you feel it is a good or bad tax, (I guess nobody thinks that any sort of tax is a good one!) it has to be paid by law, and Spanish inheritance tax or Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones (ISD), in particular is considered by many to be quite harsh. As there seem to be several popular yet different explanations of how Spanish inheritance tax operates, I thought I would try and simplify its workings in order to help you understand it a little more, and explain why it is important that you should make a Spanish will at the earliest possible opportunity.

For families relocating to Spain, one of the most important considerations is the education of their children. The Spanish education system is good and is improving, but it's not so much the education system itself, but the ability of the child to be able to adapt, that will determine whether or not that child will benefit from the move.

Generally speaking the younger the child the better, because it is much easier for kids to adapt when they have less baggage, not only in terms of friendships, but the mechanics of the education system they are used to. But of course it's not just the changed environment that causes the concern as much as coming up and coming up against a totally new and foreign language.

Do you have high cholesterol? If you do then you are endangering your life. Now that may sound to you to be a little dramatic, but the fact of the matter is that if you have high levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your bloodstream, then your coronary arteries are being internally coated with fatty substances, in the same way that plaque can coat your teeth. This means in effect that your coronary arteries, which carry blood to your heart, are slowly being choked, thereby reducing and potentially even stopping the supply of blood. This can result in shortness of breath and heart attacks, which may prove fatal.

If you are thinking of moving to Spain and taking up permanent residency here, (perhaps even buying a  property), you will need to apply for an NIE number. NIE stands for Número de Identificación de Extranjeros, which when literally translated means "identification number for foreigners". Native Spanish citizens also have a national identification number, but rather than being called an NIE number, it is called a DNI number which stands for “Documento Nacional de Identidad”, meaning “National Identity Document”.

The Hospital USP Marbella is a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary hospital located in the centre of Marbella, Costa del Sol, treating patients from around the globe.  The hospital boasts the best in latest technology and patient facilities in a building of 10,500m2.   Facilities include a full 24/7 emergency service, ICU, Dialysis and Radiology plus physiotherapy and occupational therapy as well as a full range of specialties (listed below).

Significant investments have been made in improving hotel facilities (accommodation, catering etc), providing highly comfortable patient accommodation with many rooms looking towards the sea.  Further investment has been made in medical facilities and technology so that the hospital is now amongst the best in the private sector.  The hospital is highly efficient and has been able to attract top specialists to its staff and to incorporate new specialties so that the highest quality, most complete care is provided to patients, all in one location.

Being passionate about patient care is of great importance in the healthcare sector and this is why this year, Sanitas joined forces with the highly acclaimed Xanit International Hospital in Benalmadena, Costa del Sol.

The Xanit is no regular hospital, not just because they offer an unrivalled range of specialties and patient services, but also because of the huge investment that has been made into developing services and in attracting top consultants and physicians to their team.

Friendly care

At the Xanit International, every effort is made to ensure that you receive friendly, caring healthcare in comfortable surroundings. This is backed up by a multidisciplinary, integrated team of doctors, nurses and therapists who ensure that your care comprises of a full care pathway from start to finish, provided by professionals that you can trust. Additionally, there is a multilingual Patient Care Department who can help you with any queries or concerns that you have regarding your stay or treatment, whether it is simply an outpatient appointment or complex surgery. Finally, there are individual receptions for each department, with a team of specially trained reception staff, who can cater for visitors in a variety of languages including English, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Arabic, French and German.

The prestigious Hospiten in Estepona joined the Sanitas network of hospitals on 5th December 2011.  Conveniently located just off the main carretera in Estepona on the Costa Del Sol, the hospital boasts state of the art medical facilities in the most comfortable surroundings.

The Hospiten group started life over 40 years ago, when the first of the group´s clinics was founded in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.  In the years that followed, facilities were inaugurated throughout the Canary Islands and into mainland Spain, as well as on the other side of the Atlantic in Mexico.

Sleep deprivation can kill if the person chooses to drive. Over one hundred thousand of car accidents a year are caused by the driver either falling asleep at the wheel or the driver being too tired to react quickly or concentrate. Sleepy drivers are more dangerous than drunk drivers because accidents caused by intoxicated drivers were only fifteen thousand. With over one fourth of the American population suffering from sleep deprivation, then the numbers will continue to grow and become even more dangerous.

Sleep deprivation can also kill you through an illness. When suffering from sleep deprivation your immune system weakens significantly. You immune system needs sleep so it can catch up while the rest of your body is at rest. If the immune system is not allowed to catch up, then you may catch various illnesses. Illnesses that normally may be easy to overcome will be much harder with a weak immune system. It is possible, depending on what you get, that your body may not be capable of fighting off the illness, and if it is serious enough, you may die.

Hospital Zarzuela which is part of the Sanitas network is the first hospital in Spain to use the newest technique involving lasers in urology, called Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP) with the GreenLight (KTP) laser.