Curious about your Health

About Tramadol

2011-09-03T23:44:00.000-07:00

Tramadol is a synthetic medicine or analgesic (pain killer). Its exact mechanism is unknown but similar morphine. Like morphine, tramadol binds to receptors in the brain (opioid receptors) that are important for the transmission of pain sensation over the entire body. Tramadol, like other narcotics used for pain treatment can be abused. Tramadol is not an anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and has no increased risk for stomach ulcers and internal bleeding that can occur with NSAIDs.
how should I take tramadol?
It has introduced nearly three decades since the Tramadol in the market as a centrally acting analgesic. It is alleged to have low opioid properties and potential for opiate addiction in patients low. This study was designed in order to visit the suspicion of possible abuse of tramadol in patients Babol pharmacies to examine one of the largest cities in the north of Iran.
Under the supervision of pharmacists, a questionnaire was designed to monitor drug abuse completed for each patient, the Babol in pharmacies tramadol for six months (August 2007 to February 2008) requested. The data obtained were used descriptive statistics and a comparison with the results to be calculated from other countries.
Of 162 patients (or someone on his behalf), which a pharmacy tramadol, 92 (56%) patients ask, do not have a prescription. At least 103 (64%) patients reported dependence criteria (for example, in the sense of mental well-being, not able to stop taking the drug, more than two weeks after the application of tramadol). A total of 145 (89%) patients were younger than 30 and 90 (55%) patients under the age of 18 years. About 63% of patients reported a history of drug or drug abuse. Most patients without restriction (88%) had abuse / dependence criteria.

before taking tramadol
SIDE EFFECTS: Tramadol is generally well tolerated and side effects are usually temporary. Commonly reported side effects are nausea, constipation, dizziness, headache, dizziness and vomiting. Less frequently reported side effects include itching, sweating, dry mouth, diarrhea, skin rash, blurred vision and dizziness. Some patients who received tramadol have reported seizures. Abrupt withdrawal of tramadol may be anxiety, sweating, insomnia, chills, pain, nausea, diarrhea, tremors and hallucinations.
Conclusion: Patients in Babol tramadol pharmacies seem to have a high potential for abuse of drugs, to have no particular recipe. The high prevalence of persons under 18 years in search of tramadol could be a global trend. We further recommend that meet the public support for the pharmacies to the attacker of tramadol in northern Iran.

Healthier lifestyles are a solution to rising health

2011-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

Health care is expensive. Costs continue to mount despite recent efforts at health care "reform."

Sally C. Pipes, the president, CEO and Taube Fellow in Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute, argues in Forbes Magazine this week that the best way to lower costs is through expensive "medical innovation" (technology). Pipes claims that innovation alone will "minimize doctor visits, specialist referrals, round-the-clock care, trial-and-error surgeries" and other procedures in order "to deliver more value for less money in the long term."

It is true that less use of the health care system in general will reduce costs. But does that mean we'll actually be "healthy"? Innovation cannot make us healthier. The only way to achieve that is to live healthier lifestyles, and by doing so, we will all lower our own health care costs and, in turn, the nation's.

First lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign, encourages that Americans should be eating better, and if we were, we'd be a lot healthier. Nutrition alone can save America, as NaturalNews.com's Mike Adams has stated: "cutting out the wrong foods, like those that are microwaved, fried or genetically modified and eating fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and a minimum of meat and animal products (including dairy foods), is a great start".

Preventative measures also contribute to overall wellness. Exercise and regular physical activity not only raises serotonin levels in the brain, which leads to feeling better as well as physical fitness and weight loss. One of best and most high-profile fitness campaigns going today is the NFL's Play 60 initiative, which targets young children and teens (okay, adults too) and encourages them to engage in a physical activity for at least an hour a day.

As a long-time supplement user, I can attest that vitamins, herbs and spices have improved my health. Herbs like Ginger, have been found to improve gastric function and reduce risk of atherosclerosis; a combination of other herbs and spices have been found to contain "more disease-fighting anti-oxidants that most fruits and vegetables," according to Fitness Magazine.

Even natural sunlight, in moderation, has a host of health benefits, as many researchers have discovered. Aside from being a great source of Vitamin D, which the Mayo Clinic says aids in the absorption of Calcium, which in turn protects you from osteoporosis, hypertension and several autoimmune diseases. According to Partners International Medical Aid, sunlight is also responsible for lowering cholesterol by as much as 30 percent.

But what about mammograms, C-T and MRI scans, and all other means of medical testing? Don't they serve to lower the costs of health care by keeping you healthier? As NaturalNews.com's Paul Louis wrote in November 2009, "medical devices can be hazardous to your health by overexposing you to higher health care costs as well as dangerous radiation levels". And while the government "has occupational limits for radiation exposure," he says, "here are no government restrictions on the amount of radiation exposure for medical testing." "Over-testing has been a worsening problem as well, which exposes patients to ever higher doses of radiation, thereby increasing their risk for cancer", Louis says.

And there is the cost factor; MRIs, for example, cost a couple thousand dollars each, on average. How is increased use of such technology supposed to make health care less expensive? Pipes says, "Reducing hospital stays is crucial to lowering health care costs." But accomplishing that goal using natural health solutions is a cheaper, quicker alternative to perpetuating an already expensive, expansive health care system. Innovation, while important, should not take precedence over proven low-cost alternatives aimed at preventing illness in the first place.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032211_health_care_costs_lifestyle.html#ixzz1WhpZHAPx

My interview with Patch Adams. What's your gesundheit?

2011-09-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to talk to him about his approach to health, but the voicemail I received in response to my inquiry took things in a totally different direction.

"If you want to talk about how the government has ruined our chances of survival as a species...if you'd like to use this topic as your approach to an article on health, then call me." Patch Adam's voice was intense and not at all what I expected from my experience of his character as played by Robin Williams in the movie Patch Adams.

"I'm a nerd," Patch told me when I called back. "I'm sitting here in my small apartment and all I see are books. All I do is read and study and I can tell you that we are heading toward extinction. In another 25 years the demise of the human race will be unstoppable - too late! But nobody cares."

Patch turned his attention to the newspaper I publish, Healthy Times. "I'm looking at your Healthy Times Newspaper here and I don't see any advertisers that really offer health to your community. What I see are a bunch of businesses that want to make money and are using health and wellness as their angle. If you want to promote health, I have a plan for you," the passion in his voice began to rise. "Require all of your advertisers to offer a free community health day at their practice or place of business. For just one day, they must offer their services for free to anyone who shows up. Advertise it in your newspapers and watch how the community responds. Then you will be promoting health!"

Patch was on a roll, "Everyone is focused on money and power and it is killing us. The environment may not be recoverable. The economy is not sustainable and real health care should be free. This is what I have always strived to offer. When they made the movie about me, they promised that my free hospital would become a reality. It is the only reason I agreed to do it, but it never happened."

Was I beginning to detect tones of resentment in his voice? Is this comedian/doctor who travels the world dressed in a clown suit really a cynic? Patch's dream of making the Gesundheit! Institute the world's first free health care system with a hospital that offers 100 percent free service has been a work in progress for decades. Garnering support has been tough and progress, while ongoing, has been slow.

During our conversation I silently wondered if the lack of support over time has worn on Patch or if the reverse were true. Does Patch's natural contrarianism prevent him from forging the partnerships that could make his dream of a new health care society come to pass? Either way, the project continues to this day, with Patch's free hospital as the flagship dream. This from his website, patchadams.org:

The Gesundheit! Hospital Project

The Gesundheit! Institute started in the 1970s with a pilot project that is described in Gesundheit! by Patch Adams, M.D., and was the basis for a motion picture. The Gesundheit Hospital is a proposal for a model health care system aimed at changing society: a forty-bed rural community hospital in West Virginia, where care is free and is based on compassion and friendship.

What I took from my interview with Patch had little to do with health and a lot to do with what drives this man to change the world. It begins with an uncommon intelligence and perspective on where the problems lie and a clear vision of where things need to go. It is fueled by the deepest kind of dissatisfaction and anger with the status quo.

What difference do you want to make in the world and what are you willing to sacrifice for it?

Patch Adams holds onto his dream of free health care that begins with Gesundheit! (which means "good health"). Whether or not it comes to pass, Patch has given his life to the mission and has made an impression along the way. Given the popularity of the movie about his medical school days, it seems he could have capitalized on his fame and built a commercial empire. Instead, he used it to help his radical cause continue limping along. No selling out for Patch.

What about you? Where is your passion for a better world and how are you making efforts toward realizing it? What's your Gesundheit? It doesn't matter (so much) what it is. I don't believe in offering free health services to the masses, as Patch Adams does. However, Patch is an extraordinary example to anyone with a dream. He is one of those rare souls who simply won't sell out. He refuses to trade his dream and his values for money, fame or the approval of the powers that be. This quality of person is extremely rare and a gift to the rest of us, regardless of our personal beliefs.

If you don't have a personal cause that you won't sacrifice for any amount of money or fame, you are not alone. Most people are merely "working for the weekend" and don't want to be bothered with radical ideas or risk sacrificing the luxuries of a steady paycheck and regular Sunday barbecues just to champion some personal cause that stands little to no chance of making a difference.

Look at Patch. Millions around the world know his name and in 40 years he has still not broken ground on his free hospital. What's the point? This line of thinking catastrophically misses the point! The difference you make in the world has less to do with what you accomplish on the outside and everything to do with what you stand for and who you become. Patch Adams' failures make most people's successes look bad.

Health care reform: Revolution or evolution - What did we get from the affordable care act?

2011-09-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

So what do we Americans really want when it comes to health care? Wouldn't it be nice to have health care reform that provided affordable health insurance for everyone and shifted the focus of the health care industry from managing diseases to promoting wellness and vitality? Sure, we were outraged by the fact that this did not happen, but we're still asleep at the wheel when it comes to taking action to change this situation.

What has become more clear with each passing day is that without radical health care reform, the future of medicine in the US will continue to operate far below its potential. Quality of health care will continue to be split into two groups. The first group will provide mediocre health care at best. Of course, it will be offered to the uninsured middle and lower socioeconomic classes. Under the Affordable Care Act there is no increase in funding to pay for this! So what do you suppose will happen to the already poor quality of Medicaid health care? Both the quality and quantity of health care will have to be compromised. It will be nothing comparable to the best private health care plans such as what Congress and the wealthy have. Millions more will be pressured to choose a plan from state-run exchanges that present health insurance plans from the same old greedy private insurers, and untold millions more will not have access to any insurance at all!

The second group gets the best health care possible. Of course only the privileged and the wealthy can get this insurance program because it is unaffordable for the rest of us. Money talks! It gets you in the hospital you want, the doctor you want, the tests you need in a timely way, any treatment there is, and there are no exclusions, long lines, or red tape that gets in the way of getting the best care possible on the planet. Overall, however, for the rest of us there is no sensible reason to predict that we can rise significantly above our present lowly WHO ranking of 37th in the world in overall quality of care. We need radical health care reform for this to happen and that has never been an option.

It's been said that our thinking has to evolve to a new and higher level if we want real change in any area, including health care reform. So what is that new and higher level, and how do we achieve it?

This higher level could evolve from pondering and taking action to resolve questions like: Can we act at the grass roots level to develop healthy programs that would prevent disease and promote wellness? Do we need government to take care of our health care needs? Can we take responsibility for taking care of ourselves by living a healthy lifestyle and stopping the massive pollution of the planet? We have become so brainwashed that we believe we can rely on the medical profession to take care of us if we don't?
It is time we begin appreciating that as consumers we have a lot of power. We have been so vulnerable to advertising that have forgotten to think for ourselves and make intelligent choices about what we purchase. We have fallen victim to clever advertising that we know does not tell the truth and entices us to buy products that are often unhealthy, unnecessary, and environmentally unfriendly. We have forgotten that corporate America is completely dependent on how we spend our dollars.

So, how can we change this scenario? Should we clean out Congress and replace it with honest politicians by voting every incumbent out of office? At least it takes a certain amount of time for the new faces in DC to become corrupt. Is it realistic to create legislation prohibiting Big Pharma and the insurance industry from its disregard for service and its greed for profit that has finally become so obvious? Is it possible to safeguard our precious medical research by prohibiting the publication of scientific literature because of conflicts of interest that lead to lies or distortion of research data? Can we force Congress to provide the financial support the FDA needs to make it an independent agency that can regulate Big Pharma without having an incestuous partnership that jeopardizes its regulation of drugs, cosmetics, household products, and even the food we eat? Can we pass laws that prevent the pollution that puts us at risk for poor health and injures our environment? Is the answer going to come from legislation or through inspiration; from law enforcement or education? Or both?

Pogo was right after all; we have found the enemy and they are us! It has finally become clear that we are waging a war against ourselves! We have become brainwashed to worship the almighty dollar and have forgotten our true purpose in life -- that of loving one another and living in community where we all pitch in and take responsibility for our social, economic, political, legal, spiritual, and medical practices. We have forgotten that true community embraces and rewards for giving and graciously accepting, but not for narcissism and taking. We have forgotten the principles of the village where every person is interconnected and an inseparable part of the whole. We have replaced this philosophy with one based on competition and have placed our own self-serving desires above that of the community. So where do we go from here?

The pitiful squeaks of the enlightened few are barely decipherable above the powerful roar of corporate America. Today's politicians beg us for votes and make grandiose promises to serve us as their primary objective, but in the final analysis their pocketbooks and their hearts are owned by corporate America.

Feds to start directly targeting drug company execs in health care fraud schemes

2011-09-01T05:46:00.001-07:00

(NaturalNews) The days of drug companies simply settling out of court every time they break the law may soon be coming to an end. In a move that represents a significant shift toward punishing individuals for crimes rather than faceless corporations, federal officials say they will begin personally going after CEOs and other company executives whose companies fraudulently bilk Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs out of millions of dollars, or that falsely market dangerous drugs.

When a 1996 law was passed that banned drug companies convicted of felony charges from further participating in any federal health programs, Big Pharma quickly devised creative ways to get around it. As a result, drug companies for years have been able to continually break the law without much consequence by simply settling for a few million dollars, and continuing on with shady dealings that raked in a whole lot more (http://www.naturalnews.com/001867.html).

But now, company execs could face criminal charges for crimes committed by their companies, even if they claim to have had no awareness that any crimes were being committed. And drug companies will no longer be able to skirt by after breaking the law -- if they cheat the government health system, they will lose any eligibility to participate in it. After all, ignorance of the law or of the illicit dealings of one's company have never been a legitimate excuse for anyone else to evade justice -- why should it be any different for drug companies?

"When you look at the history of health care enforcement, we've seen a number of Fortune 500 companies that have been caught not once, not twice, but sometimes three times violating the trust of the American people, submitting false claims, paying kickbacks to doctors, marketing drugs which have not been tested for safety and efficacy," said Lewis Morris, chief counsel for the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), to The Washington Post.

"To our way of thinking, the men and women in the corporate suite aren't getting it. If writing a check for $200 million isn't enough to have a company change its ways, then maybe we have got to have the individuals who are responsible for this held accountable. The behavior of a company starts at the top."

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2011-05-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

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Choosing the Right Cockring Sex Toy

2011-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

In the selection of cockring to the right, we must consider whether it is for personal use or for use with a pair. This is important because if the purpose of sex toys is for personal use only as we only have to talk about your personal preferences on how you want to become sexually excited and encouraged to attend.
Most of the cheaper sex toy are made in China from one of the five largest U.S. companies. But the "buzz" as the terms Longhurst, is forced to adapt. In business, perception is often more powerful than facts, is still awaiting his verdict on phthalates and human, most manufacturers offer versions of a few large silicone toys and much more rubber glass, metal and elastomer (something like wetsuits) , the phthalate-free.

"In two years it will be fewer cockrings products on the market," predicts Longhurst. "But there will always be a demand for good jelly vibrators and dildos and a good atmosphere to be. Manufacturers and retailers to improve the progressive and will phase out the use of phthalates. There are many better alternatives."
Producers and distributors, and probably most consumers of sex toys, not as in control of a variety of reasons, not least, is that no one wants to give the government has no control over sex. While consumerism, sex toys in a parallel universe, trying to find its own way. Now he is faced with a scientific question, but it is the need to conduct research face.
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HHS releases new plan to prevent and treat viral hepatitis

2010-09-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

(NaturalNews) Viral hepatitis remains a public health challenge in the United States. Approximately 3.5-5.3 million persons are living with the condition, and millions more are at risk for infection. Hepatitis, which is largely preventable, is the leading cause of liver cancer. Without appropriate care, 1 in 4 persons with chronic hepatitis will develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

In January 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on hepatitis, explaining the barriers to hepatitis prevention and treatment. In response to this, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) just released the Viral Hepatitis Action Plan -- Combating the Silent Epidemic: US Department of Health and Human Services Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis. The Plan is meant to result in:

- more people being aware that they have the condition

- a reduction in new cases

- a complete elimination of mother to child transmission of Hepatitis B

Although viral hepatitis is a leading cause of infectious death in the U.S., many people are unaware they have the condition because often time they don't feel the symptoms, or the symptoms are there, but just feel like the flu.

Here's a quick overview of viral hepatitis:

Hepatitis A - found in the feces of infected persons. Hepatitis A spreads from one person to another by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. This can happen when people do not wash their hands after using the toilet and then touch other people's food. Typically, milder symptoms than hepatitis B or C. Illness from hepatitis A is usually brief, and infection with the virus does not lead to chronic liver disease or liver cancer.

Hepatitis B - found in blood and certain body fluids of infected persons. Hepatitis B spreads when a person who is not immune comes in contact with blood or body fluid from an infected person. Hepatitis B is spread by having sex with an infected person without a condom, sharing needles during injected drug use, needle sticks or sharps, exposures in a health care setting, or from an infected mother to her baby during vaginal birth. Exposure to blood in any situation can be a risk for transmission. There are usually no symptoms until there are serious liver complications. When symptoms do appear, they may include high fever, jaundice and abdominal pain chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.

Hepatitis C - also found in blood and certain body fluids of infected persons. Hepatitis C spreads when a person who is not immune comes in contact with blood or body fluids from an infected person. Hepatitis C is spread through sharing needles during injected drug use, needle sticks or sharps, exposures in a health care setting, through organ transplants that have not been screened, or less commonly from an infected mother to her baby during vaginal birth. It is possible to get hepatitis C from sex, but it is uncommon. Infection with the hepatitis C virus is the number one reason for liver transplant in the U.S. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.

There is a simple blood test to check for the Hepatitis virus.

Hopefully, with the guidance of this plan and the collaboration of policy figures, stake holders, and health care practitioners we can reduce the transmission of this silent epidemic.

To read the action plan please see http://www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/...

Data source: The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Risk Factor Survey (www.cdc.gov/reach)
Data source: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm)

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2010-05-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

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Health care reform: Revolution or evolution - What we can do to control our destiny

2010-01-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

(NaturalNews) Health care reform is considered by many Americans to be the most important domestic issue in America, but is it really? Indeed it is important, but is it more important than the loss of our democracy and the loss of the voice of the people? Is it more important than the pollution, poor quality food, and high levels of stress that are causing much of the epidemic of chronic diseases that now affects 50% of all Americans? Is it more important than fighting the two wars we've been engaged for such a long time? And at a much higher level, is it more important than solving the global issues of preventable disease and hunger?

We have partially awakened from our trance and are starting to address some of these issues. We're screaming about our lost rights but are feeling helpless about creating change because we don't have faith that we can make a difference as individuals. We have forgotten that the only way change ever occurs is with an idea and someone to represent it. We must remember that if it is worthy, others eventually will see and follow.

Is there hope? Is it too late? There are very worrisome signs that our government is so far out of the hands of "we the people" that it no longer does much good to "write to our Congresspeople!" In fact, even voting in many respects no longer offers much choice; does it matter in any substantive way whether you vote Democratic or Republican? Is there that much, or even any for that matter, difference between the two parties as far as corruption is concerned? Has either party come up with a solution to our health care issues that is sensible? Have we become involved with a colossal struggle characterized by politics so polarized that we have lost sight of what we're trying to accomplish. Why is it that every single Democrat votes one way and every single Republican votes the other on health care reform? Is anyone in either political party thinking for themselves? Is following political party lines more important than working together to make America a better place? Are we doomed to crumble under the weight of our own corruption as have so many empires of the past?

Perhaps Gandhi had the answer when it comes to effecting social transformation. Our natural instincts are to fight against what we believe is wrong. However, where has this gotten us? Into fights! Sometimes there is no other option, but generally, even when this works, it causes change through fear and dominance rather than inspiration. How about we behave by becoming the change we want to see? That was what Gandhi proposed. There's no fighting involved in this approach. But, it may be more difficult to change our behavior rather than do what comes so naturally to us; fighting back. Change through inspiration tends to be lasting because it comes from within and is what we choose. Change through fear and dominance may impose change, but it is not likely to be lasting because it is not our choice. It leads to revolution, not evolution.

What if we took action at the local level and engaged in community programs based on good things such as developing programs that support a healthy lifestyle? What if we began participating in local government to create policies we believe in? What if we created educational programs that teach the golden rule first, and then how to build community? What if we learned to listen and care about everyone in our community? What if we spent our dollars to achieve these goals and refused to spend them on what we don't believe in? What would happen if we took this kind of responsibility?

The answer is obvious! We'd control our destiny. We'd take back democracy without the firing of a single shot. We would become leaders rather than followers and would elect only those Congresspeople who would represent us completely. We would stay in constant contact with our elected officials and participate in all governmental decisions. We'd eliminate any corporate or private business that did not offer service as the first priority because we would not purchase their goods or services. We'd be teaching our children how to get along with one another and live in community. We'd have health care that we could afford and would encourage wellness rather than react for the most part only after we get sick. In short, we'd be healthier, much happier, and make decisions that benefit our community. We'd have meaningful purpose in our lives. We'd also have far more financial resources to allocate to whatever projects we believed in.

The choice is ours: reacting to corruption with outrage, or being the change we want to see. Do you support revolution or evolution?

Health Care Reform: Revolution or Evolution - The change we need

2009-03-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

When Barack Obama was elected to the presidency of the United States, many of us felt a sense of hope we hadn't experienced in decades. We were convinced that a new era of transparency was unfolding, and that America would finally resolve its most important social, economic, and political disparities. We sensed a turning point in American history, a social transformation of major proportions. We imagined the rebirthing of the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. At the very least America had already taken a giant stride forward by electing its first ever African-American president!

While this "high on America" feeling swept across the land, a highly sophisticated narcissistic and evil counter movement to sustain the status quo was also gaining momentum. A small and powerful segment of the wealthy elite who run the business and politics of America for their own personal gain had no intentions of allowing "the change we need" to take root and upset their economic and political control. It wasn't "the change they needed!" When Barack Obama took his oath of office, the massive financial power of these massive giants was fully capable of purchasing and controlling the US Congress, and only Congress would determine what health care reform would mean. Since that time, nothing has changed this frightening scenario. Nothing!

Make no mistake, what is happening in health care reform is not at all different from what is happening in the reform of any other sector of our society -- be it business, law, religion, politics, science, or sports. The fact is that despite our hopes and great expectations, up until now "the change we need" remains far more a dream rather than reality. Fortunately, at last, many Americans are awakening to this reality and are outraged. However, outrage alone is insufficient to create the change we need.

Being a veteran physician with several decades of experience has given me an insider's perspective on why and how medicine has lost so much of its heart and soul and become a coveted business enterprise that is far more about return on investment than service. Yet I continue to have faith that the "change we need" is possible. We have the tools and power to make it happen today, but we haven't stepped up to the plate and used them. We've been in such a deep trance that we've failed to appreciate that we have always been in position to change how America operates in every way at the deepest level. We have been living under a spell cast by corporate America and those wealthy elite who control it.

The Affordable Care Act was little more than a token for health care reform. It did little beyond rearranging the chairs on the deck of a sinking Titanic. President Obama failed to educate and rally the public, and especially his political base, and few people in Congress understood the full implications of the long, convoluted, and poorly understood Affordable Care Act. Don't think this was done by accident. It was deliberate. Even worse, too many legislators focused primarily on how much money and power they could get in return for selling their vote. Big Pharma, big hospital chains, and the insurance industry did stellar work in investing their money and promoting their narrow, self-serving "solutions" in the US Congress and even the White House. Their return on their minor investment promised to be exceptional. And relatively speaking, the money they spent on lobbying and campaign contributions was merely their pocket change. What a cheap way to buy Congress and guarantee the status quo.

Big Pharma and the insurance industry invested in an excess of $500 million in "donations" to Congresspeople in 2009 that are nothing less than outright bribes. Let's do the math. There are 435 members of the House and 100 members of the senate. That comes to 535 people divided by $500 million dollars. Hmmm, that's nearly a cool $1 million per Congressperson! It is impossible to follow the dotted lines and come to any conclusion other than Congress has an allegiance to preserving and enhancing the status quo for Big Pharma, the insurance industry, and the very wealthy who control them and many other highly profitable industries. The value of a political soul in 2009 had a price tag of less than $1 million per Congressperson. What a steal when one considers that a total health care budget of $2.3 trillion was at stake!

Why are emergency rooms disappearing across America?

2008-10-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

The number of emergency rooms has fallen by more than one quarter over the past 20 years, yet visits have steadily risen over the same period, causing backlogs in remaining ER's that leave patients waiting sometimes for hours.

According to a first-of-its-kind study by the American Medical Association, from 1990 through 2009, the number of urban ER's fell from 2,446 to 1,779, a drop of 27 percent. The biggest reasons for the decline, the study's authors found, were market forces; most of the emergency rooms that were closed were being operated by for-profit hospitals. As healthcare became more expensive - and as the economy grew progressively worse in the past few years - profit margins fell. Closing ER's seemed like the easiest way for hospitals to save money.

And yet, over the same period, emergency room visits climbed by 35 percent, Dr. Renee Hsia, an emergency physician at the University of California, San Francisco, who worked on the study.

"This shows that the market forces very much are at play in our healthcare system," she told Reuters. "My opinion is that when we rely on a market-based approach, we can't expect resources to be distributed in an equitable fashion."

Hsia says other studies show that ER overcrowding affects how well patients do. She also said when things are left up to market forces, "these are the effects that we see."

Hsia herself may be a victim of the very market forces she decries, for truth be told, part of the problem with access to emergency rooms is the health care system itself. Without better education of, and access to, more natural treatments and less reliance on traditional medicine - when tends to worsen the overall health care system - then perhaps ER visits would decrease to the point where overcrowding would become a thing of the past.

In one New York study of women emergency room patients, 56 percent had tried alternative medical treatments, and an astounding 87 percent of them said such treatments were effective. They included chiropractic care, massage therapy, herbs, meditation, and acupuncture. Yet, the effort continues to criminalize alternative medical treatments and practitioners.

The phrase "home remedies" should not carry negative connotations. The fact of the matter is, natural health care provides a wealth of safe, viable options for medical consumers. Sticking to the current system, as evidenced by ER overcrowding, is just another sign the old system is failing.

Governor of Idaho signs sweeping new order banning Obamacare

2008-06-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

In another blow to the federal healthcare "reform" monstrosity known as "Obamacare," Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, a Republican, has signed an order banning portions of law.

State Republicans had already passed a so-called "nullification" bill, which Otter said would have been too restrictive in terms of offering state residents better choices, and opted instead to sign an executive order that he said would negate that issue.

"The (Republican) bill went further than what the authors intended it to do," Otter said. "It basically said you couldn't plan anything that looks like 'Obamacare.'"

In a letter to state Attorney General Lawrence G. Wasden, Otter said the legislation "can impose regulations and requirements that discourage or make it impossible for insurers to offer affordable health coverage to individuals and small employers in Idaho."

The Idaho governor's order is the latest in a list of legislative actions taken by states against the measure. As of this writing, 28 states are plaintiffs in lawsuits aimed at stopping the implementation of Obamacare on some level.

Federal courts have ruled both ways on it, but one of the most recent rulings, by U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson in Florida said the law was unconstitutional, saying no American should be forced into buying health insurance.

"I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the act with the individual mandate," Vinson wrote. "That is not to say, of course, that Congress is without power to address the problems and inequities in our health care system. The health care market is more than one-sixth of the national economy, and without doubt Congress has the power to reform and regulate this market. That has not been disputed in this case."

"While the individual mandate was clearly 'necessary and essential' to the act as drafted, it is not 'necessary and essential' to health care reform in general," he continued. "Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional, the entire act must be voided."

If anything Obamacare perpetuates corporate health care and Big Pharma, which both work in collusion to keep a "medical consumer" mentality within the industry. That forces most people to remain hooked on a system that does not promote healthier lifestyles which would, in turn, require less dependence on the healthcare industry in the first place.

Whether the issue is the "must-buy-insurance" mandate, the top-heavy and expensive new rules and regulations or the law's reliance on a failed system, Obamacare is an abomination. So, any setback the law suffers is a good thing.

Obamacare failure now evident as health care costs rise nationwide

2008-05-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama's signature health care law was supposed to accomplish a couple of things. First, it was supposed to ensure that all Americans had access to quality healthcare; and second, it was supposed to reduce overall healthcare expenditures.

In a word, the law - while admittedly not yet fully implemented - has not led to either goal, and in fact, costs overall are skyrocketing.

These claims were substantiated in a recent subcommittee hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee. Brett Parker, a finance officer for a small business in New York City, in testimony before the subcommittee, said the law hasn't "locked in costs, and instead increased them, while loading job creators with mandates, regulations, new taxes and burdens."

"Rather than solve the problems in the health care system, [the law] ignores costs and instead redistributes money from producers in order to fund vast new entitlements and expand old ones - this was not an improvement over the status quo, it was a step backwards," Parker told lawmakers.

Costs for health insurance, medical services, medicines - all of it - continue to rise, despite the massive piece of legislation that is "Obamacare." And, as they do, all Washington can do is argue over why.

But maybe rising costs shouldn't surprise us. After all, there were a few models on which to base portions of Obamacare before the latter was unfairly put upon Americans more than a year ago.

In Massachusetts, under former governor and prospective GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney, a healthcare measure was passed that included an individual mandate (under threat of penalty) and other provisions similar to Obamacare. The law was supposed to accomplish the twin goals of ensuring all state residents and lowering health insurance and actual costs. "Every uninsured citizen in Massachusetts will soon have affordable health insurance and the costs of health care will be reduced," Romney wrote in The Wall Street Journal. Neither goal reached fruition.

In fact, current Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and current state lawmakers are still dealing with rising healthcare costs. But didn't "RomneyCare" solve those problems?

About as well as Obamacare has solved the nation's healthcare delivery and cost problems.

The keys to lowering your healthcare costs remain the same as they always have: you've got to improve your lifestyle. That starts with a better diet, getting enough exercise, a good regimen of supplements, and plenty of rest.

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