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Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:12 am  |
| Christine Northup is on PBS this morning, I've seen this program before. She's wonderful to listen to, uplifting, funny, wise, and knowledgeable. If you have public broadcasting you should check to see if it's airing in your area. |
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61 OMG! Health and fitness oriented and I take care of my skin from the inside out and use Klaron, Clindamycin, Tazorac Shikai creams, Beyond Coastal Sunscreen, Clairsonic. |
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Sat Aug 08, 2009 8:40 am |
| secretly wrote: |
| Christine Northup is on PBS this morning, I've seen this program before. She's wonderful to listen to, uplifting, funny, wise, and knowledgeable. If you have public broadcasting you should check to see if it's airing in your area. |
I totally agree with secretly, Dr. Northrup is all those things! I enjoy her shows on PBS, and ALWAYS tune in when she's on Oprah, even if it's a repeat. I'm in perimenopause, and found alot of great information in her book, "The Wisdom of Menopause". I refer to it often! |
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Nadine, age 50, live in VA; half-Asian, slight yellow tone; sensitive, dry/combo skin |
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Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:48 am |
| Dr. Northrup has newsletters you can subscribe to - one free email and the other online that you pay for. Both well worthwhile. I am a big fan also and have a couple of DVDs that she participated in. |
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havana8
Moderator
 
Joined: 09 Sep 2005
Posts: 3449
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Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:08 pm |
| trigger wrote: |
OK, so for now I've decided to go with a progesterone cream for the last 14 days of my cycle (when symptoms are at their worst) and something called DIM that's meant to help as well in controlling estrogen dominance. I'll see if that's strong enough for my particularly severe case. I did a bunch of online imbalance questionaires that all pointed to estrogen dominance. Anyone else tried this for PMS with any results? The reviews on iherb are astonishingly good...
After that I'll see if I need anything stronger and about finding a gyno that actually cares. My poor husband has taken to saying "oh you're premenstrual - that's why you're attacking me over this small and meaningless thing", which although slightly annoying, is a step forward for us. He used to take me so seriously all the time, so if I complained that the green tea and fruits he brings me in the morning in bed (I'm spoilt) aren't 'just so', he'd be distressed all day at my cruelty. Now he knows I'm imbalanced and doesn't take it personally. However, I'd love not to turn into an angry, fatigued, bloated and migrained woman in pain for the last two weeks of my cycle, and I'll continue my fifteen year quest on finding help.... |
interesting little article on DIM…
Estrogen Dominance Depends on DIM
As a woman with estrogen dominance, I know how excess estrogen levels can play havoc with my health, increasing my risk for everything from PMS and infertility to fibroids and even breast cancer. That’s why I work very hard to keep my estrogen levels in the normal range and in proper balance with progesterone and my other female hormones.
One of the best supplements to help with this is DIM. DIM (or the long fancy version diindolylmethane) is a plant compound found in Brassica vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Researchers have found that this interesting little nutrient is quite beneficial in promoting healthy estrogen metabolism.
During estrogen metabolism, the most potent form of estrogen (estradiol) is converted into estrone. Estrone then becomes either 2-hydroxyestrone (a “good” estrone metabolite) or 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone (a “bad” estrogen metabolite).
This is where DIM comes in. Research has shown that when DIM is ingested, it not only encourages its own metabolism, but that of estrogen. While it is not an estrogen or even an estrogen-mimic, its metabolic pathway exactly coincides with the metabolic pathway of estrogen. When these pathways intersect, DIM favorably adjusts the estrogen metabolic pathways by simultaneously increasing the good estrogen metabolites and decreasing the bad estrogen metabolites.
A 2000 study from Epidemiology proves this point. American researchers took urine samples from 34 healthy postmenopausal women. They then added 10 grams of broccoli a day to the women’s diets. After taking another urine sample, researchers found that this dietary change significantly increased the 2-hydroxyestrone to 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone ratio.
This is good news for those of us with estrogen dominance and elevated estrogen levels. To ensure you are getting enough DIM, you can increase your consumption of Brassica vegetables and/or take 30 mg of supplemental DIM per day, with meals.
http://blog.drlark.com/blog/nutrition-for-women/0/0/estrogen-dominance-depends-on-dim |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:07 am |
Thank you for the valuable info.  |
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65 Caucasion, history of acne, sagging, some wrinkling, rough texture. Using Dermawand, AALS, Microderm Machine,Copper Peptides |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:08 am |
| My BHRT dr makes me take DIM as well. You can get good deals on it here http://www.iherb.com . |
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"I know that only time will heal my broken heart, just as only time will heal his broken arms and legs.” --Miss Piggy |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:26 am |
| Thanks havana8 I sent that to my friend, really good info!! |
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61 OMG! Health and fitness oriented and I take care of my skin from the inside out and use Klaron, Clindamycin, Tazorac Shikai creams, Beyond Coastal Sunscreen, Clairsonic. |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:48 pm |
| secretly wrote: |
That TV commercial with the Canadian talking about how she would have died in Canada because of her brain tumor but she came to the States for world class care makes my head spin. How did she pay for it is what I want to know, she must be very rich? I would love to know who is paying for the TV spot. Yes we do have world class care but if you have any pre-existing conditions, your under-insured, or you simply can't afford the deductibles YOU DON'T GET THAT CARE. |
Wow I have not watched the commercial but I am livid!
NO ONE dies in Canada because of the waiting lists. If you have a life-threatening condition, you are treated promptly. For e.g. in Quebec, which is famous for being the worst of the provinces, usually there's a delay of 3 weeks only between diagnosis and surgery for gynecological cancers (this is the figure I know for sure).
A friend of mine broke his hand and he needed surgery to put everything in place and he got it with a 3-day delay.
Now yes, things that can wait... you usually have to wait. A friend of mine had to wait over 6 months to get his ACL (knee ligament) repaired but there's no consequence really from waiting.
Yes, if you are a young, healthy person that goes to the ER with a UTI, you'll probably have to wait 2 hours (or more!) to be seen by the doctor (you do get seen by the triage nurse right away).
BUT, having trained in both countries...in the US I've seen women whose insurance wouldn't pay for the best (and more expensive) drugs for her chemo. Two of them actually died. Would they have died with the better drug? Maybe yes, but I still felt horrible about it.
I've seen women whose insurance does not cover certain laparoscopic surgeries (they're more expensive) and have to get an open one, with the extra risk of infection and complications.
I've seen women with diabetes and hypertension who are uninsurable and don't qualify for medicaid. So they're just there, and ask you to "patch them up" as cheaply as possible since they can't afford any better.
Even though Canada has less doctors per capita and spends less money per capita than the US, it has a longer life expectancy and a lower infant mortality. Granted these things are determined by a lot more than health care.
I am personally quite against a 2-tier system because I believe that access to health care is a universal right and thus we should all have the same access to treatments and hospitals.
End of speech |
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37, light brown hair, green eyes, very fair skin. Oily T zone, broken capillaries... Current regime: Tretinoin 0.05% every night, hydroquinone 4% twice per day, lachydran every other day, random moisturizers and sunscreen |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:56 pm |
| Thank you Josee, all great info. I know we're not supposed to discuss political stuff and I won't I just have to follow up with your mention of 2 hour wait in the ER. This is not the most horrifying horror story (because there are many cases of people dying of appendicitis etc. while waiting in ERs) but the last time I went to one I was very ill, still I waited for 7 hours and I ended up staying in the hospital for 6 days. There was a guy there with a severed finger who was holding his hand up and my friend and I watched as he turned whiter and started to show signs of going into shock. To pass the time I diagnosed everyone in the waiting room that I could and my friend learned a lot about things like cellulitis! I always wonder what happened with the finger guy. |
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61 OMG! Health and fitness oriented and I take care of my skin from the inside out and use Klaron, Clindamycin, Tazorac Shikai creams, Beyond Coastal Sunscreen, Clairsonic. |
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Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:30 pm |
| Josee wrote: |
| secretly wrote: |
That TV commercial with the Canadian talking about how she would have died in Canada because of her brain tumor but she came to the States for world class care makes my head spin. How did she pay for it is what I want to know, she must be very rich? I would love to know who is paying for the TV spot. Yes we do have world class care but if you have any pre-existing conditions, your under-insured, or you simply can't afford the deductibles YOU DON'T GET THAT CARE. |
Wow I have not watched the commercial but I am livid!
NO ONE dies in Canada because of the waiting lists. If you have a life-threatening condition, you are treated promptly. For e.g. in Quebec, which is famous for being the worst of the provinces, usually there's a delay of 3 weeks only between diagnosis and surgery for gynecological cancers (this is the figure I know for sure).
A friend of mine broke his hand and he needed surgery to put everything in place and he got it with a 3-day delay.
Now yes, things that can wait... you usually have to wait. A friend of mine had to wait over 6 months to get his ACL (knee ligament) repaired but there's no consequence really from waiting.
Yes, if you are a young, healthy person that goes to the ER with a UTI, you'll probably have to wait 2 hours (or more!) to be seen by the doctor (you do get seen by the triage nurse right away).
BUT, having trained in both countries...in the US I've seen women whose insurance wouldn't pay for the best (and more expensive) drugs for her chemo. Two of them actually died. Would they have died with the better drug? Maybe yes, but I still felt horrible about it.
I've seen women whose insurance does not cover certain laparoscopic surgeries (they're more expensive) and have to get an open one, with the extra risk of infection and complications.
I've seen women with diabetes and hypertension who are uninsurable and don't qualify for medicaid. So they're just there, and ask you to "patch them up" as cheaply as possible since they can't afford any better.
Even though Canada has less doctors per capita and spends less money per capita than the US, it has a longer life expectancy and a lower infant mortality. Granted these things are determined by a lot more than health care.
I am personally quite against a 2-tier system because I believe that access to health care is a universal right and thus we should all have the same access to treatments and hospitals.
End of speech |
We don't/won't all get the same access in American if the system becomes "universal". Will Doctors in the system get the same care aas someone off the street. NO! I was with a surgeon for almost 4 years- when something went wrong in either families we were at the top of the list for care and quickly! and knowing someone helps. People come across the border to America for our health care due to quicker access, availability and success of surgery, etc. I broke my wrist - terrible break and I was in surgery in less than 12 hours. But I had good insurance. America was set up for it's freedoms and capitalism is what has made the country what it is.
Is health care a right or a priviledge? In America the government officials will ALWAYS have better care than anyone else so is that fair? Shouldn't we all have that access to care? I'm not sure, but I dont want someone telling me what my care should be or that I may have to jump a border to get it. I don't want to be dictated that I can or cannot have something done based on my age or time constraints because a government told me so. The principles on which America is founded are not based on Socialistic principles - it's about freedom.
End of speech |
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Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:40 am |
We're going to get this thread locked - but what the heck!! I happen to think health care is a human right - and for a country that loves to lecture the rest of world on its human rights or lack of, and a country that is the wealthiest in the world, I think it's terrible that health care is geared towards the rich.
An Australian comedienne tells this story of her holiday to the US. She was there with her husband and suddenly became extremely ill. She went to one hospital but was turned away. Then a friend suggested that, because she was an entertainer, she go to the Bob Hope Medical Centre (which is apparently for people in "the biz").
She's at the desk, about to keel over, and the nurse asks to see her file tapes to prove that she is an entertainer. Luckily, her husband had his laptop handy with a film of hers on it. So she's there "dying" and the nurse is watching the movie! Suddenly there is one scene in which she is standing next to Eric Banna. "Oh", the nurse cries, "It's Eric Banna, we'll get you admitted right away!" |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:31 am |
| sister sweets wrote: |
.... We don't/won't all get the same access in American if the system becomes "universal". Will Doctors in the system get the same care aas someone off the street. NO! I was with a surgeon for almost 4 years- when something went wrong in either families we were at the top of the list for care and quickly! and knowing someone helps. People come across the border to America for our health care due to quicker access, availability and success of surgery, etc. I broke my wrist - terrible break and I was in surgery in less than 12 hours. But I had good insurance. America was set up for it's freedoms and capitalism is what has made the country what it is.
Is health care a right or a priviledge? In America the government officials will ALWAYS have better care than anyone else so is that fair? Shouldn't we all have that access to care? I'm not sure, but I dont want someone telling me what my care should be or that I may have to jump a border to get it. I don't want to be dictated that I can or cannot have something done based on my age or time constraints because a government told me so. The principles on which America is founded are not based on Socialistic principles - it's about freedom.
End of speech |
Exactly! |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:53 am |
| sister sweets wrote: |
We don't/won't all get the same access in American if the system becomes "universal". Will Doctors in the system get the same care aas someone off the street. NO! I was with a surgeon for almost 4 years- when something went wrong in either families we were at the top of the list for care and quickly! and knowing someone helps. |
Actually, unless the human quality of doctors in the US is deplorable, this doesn't happen.
In Canada we get paid the same whether we treat Mr. Homeless, or whether we treat Mr. Rich.
And I can attest for every single doctor I have met in my life (and being a doctor myself I know quite a few) that there is absolutely no difference in the standard of care we give a richer person, or a poorer person. OK, if the person hasn't showered for weeks and is stinking the office, we might treat him/her faster, but that's about it.
Now regardless of whether there's a 2-tier system, or universal care, something ALWAYS happens: if you are a doctor, or married to a doctor, or really good friends with a doctor, you will get better and faster appointments. There is no way around it, 2-tier or not. And if you're really rich and famous chances are that you will also get better and faster service.
But for the VAST MAJORITY of the population, universal health care provides accessible and equal care for absolutely everyone, which is something that doesn't happen in the US.
| sister sweets wrote: |
| People come across the border to America for our health care due to quicker access, availability and success of surgery, etc. I broke my wrist - terrible break and I was in surgery in less than 12 hours. |
First of all, very few people come to America from Canada and it's people that simply don't want to wait due to the inconvenience NOT due to the fact that their life is at risk. As I said before, anyone that needs an urgent surgery gets it.
Secondly one of the reasons that people that can afford it come to the US for certain special surgeries is just because of numbers. The US has 300 million habitants while Canada has only 30 million. So usually there will be surgeons who performed way more number of surgeries (esp. of rare conditions) in the US than in Canada just because of numbers. And because there are more people in the US there are more superspecialists (i.e. people that are specialized in very particular problems). This will continue whether there's universal care or not.
If you had been in Canada and you had broken your risk, you would have been put in the next available spot and would have had to wait at most 24 hours. The difference in the US is that if you hadn't had health insurance you could have ended filing bankruptcy after the incident.
So personally, I'd rather have to go through the inconvenience of having to wait up to 24 hours (instead of 12) but knowing that everyone in my country is taken care of.
| sister sweets wrote: |
| I don't want to be dictated that I can or cannot have something done based on my age or time constraints because a government told me so. The principles on which America is founded are not based on Socialistic principles - it's about freedom. |
This is one of the biggest misconceptions of universal health care.
Firs of all, the notion that having a health insurance give you "freedom" is false. If your health insurance deems XYZ treatment too expensive (or there's a cheaper treatment available)... your freedom goes out the window. Unfortunately I saw that many times in Mass. General, especially in people in dialysis. If you had money you got XYZ stent, if your insuran ce didn't want to pay for it, you got ABC stent which had a lot more complications. As part of your training in the US, you "learn" to offer only certain treatment to people according to their money and/or level of insurance.
I REALLY don't think that's freedom at all!!
Both Canada and the US follow the same algorithms of diagnosis and treatment, so we basically get the same treatment.
In NONE of the countries that have health care the government dictates what people can or can't have. This is a misconception that's being spread by God knows who.
BTW, people love to quote Canada because we're one of the most inefficient health care systems, but if you check all the other countries that have universal health care, they all work even better and are great (Israel is a prime example). And all these countries have better life expectancies than the US and rank better in the WHO health surveys.
End of speech # 2 |
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37, light brown hair, green eyes, very fair skin. Oily T zone, broken capillaries... Current regime: Tretinoin 0.05% every night, hydroquinone 4% twice per day, lachydran every other day, random moisturizers and sunscreen |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:38 am |
Josee
Secretly
Sister Sweets
Keliu
Mpstat
What a very interesting thread! I really appreciate all of your contributions. I am so ignorant about the new health care proposal before congress. Any input or opinions expressed are of interest to me.
I'm rather new here and don't know what "locked out" means Keliu but can't someone open this thread in the Lounge section of the forums where anything could be discussed? I would love to follow this and I'm sure I am not alone. |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:33 pm |
| Josee wrote: |
| sister sweets wrote: |
| I don't want to be dictated that I can or cannot have something done based on my age or time constraints because a government told me so. The principles on which America is founded are not based on Socialistic principles - it's about freedom. |
This is one of the biggest misconceptions of universal health care.
In NONE of the countries that have health care the government dictates what people can or can't have. This is a misconception that's being spread by God knows who. |
Absolutely right! In Australia, you can see any doctor and go to any hospital you wish. You can also take out private health insurance (which the government gives you a tax rebate on) which allows you to go to any private hospital you like. However, unlike in the US, health insurance companies have no say in what type of care or which type of medications we have access too.
Like Canada, anyone, regardless of financial status, has access to all medications. Which is why many US citizens go over the border to Canada to buy their meds.
A health service should be like any other service available to a society - fire service, police, army. These organisations have nothing to do with socialism or any other political doctrine - they are merely public services, available to all. A health service should be no different.
Zoftig - before the last US election there was a very heated discussion on health care. The whole thread turned nasty apparently (unfortunately I was away at the time so I missed all the drama) but the thread got "locked" (closed down) and political discussions got banned from the Forum. Personally, I thought it was a shame because there's no harm in healthy discussion. But I think it was mainly due to some people turning nasty and insulting others. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:20 pm |
It is not that rosy in Canada.... My close friend lost her child because the tests were not done on time. They were on a waiting list, and it was too late... I can tell you it was heart breaking.... Since then she came to US, and had another child that has problems and need special extra attention some covered by insurance and some not. But for her a choice between the medical care in Canada and in US is clear.
About other countries with socialized health care I have even closer encounters. My elderly parents live in European Union with socialized health care. Some time ago my mom needed lab tests done for serious illness, and she was put on a waiting list for FOUR month. I would bring her to US, but she was in no condition to travel. Needless to say that it was a terrible time for my entire family.
Bottom line - yes you would get free health care is you are still around when a waiting time is over. |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:29 pm |
| keliu wrote: |
| Zoftig - before the last US election there was a very heated discussion on health care. The whole thread turned nasty apparently (unfortunately I was away at the time so I missed all the drama) but the thread got "locked" (closed down) and political discussions got banned from the Forum. Personally, I thought it was a shame because there's no harm in healthy discussion. But I think it was mainly due to some people turning nasty and insulting others. |
I understand now, Keliu. That's too bad.
The reason I am finding this so valuable is that I am hearing first hand from Australians and Canadians about their health care and second hand about Europe. We cannot depend (here in the US) on politicians or the media for the true, unbiased information. The rumors are even worse.
Maybe we could self monitor the discussion by reporting anything personally nasty or abusive to be removed.....or is that too much for the moderators? I simply have no idea how difficult this would be for them.
Any thoughts?....Any one??? |
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Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:26 pm |
According to EDS guidelines:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/terms.php
...discussion of religions, politics and sex have been in the past found to be problematic and hence should be kept off the forum.
Edited: those discussion can become nasty indeed, and I can see why moderators might want to stick to the guidelines, and keep the forum focused mostly on skin care. |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:12 am |
The only perfect health scheme would be one that provides cosmetic surgery for free!!  |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:26 am |
On waiting times in Australia: patients in the public system who have a non-life threatening condition have to go on a wait list. If you have private insurance, then there's no wait, of course. If your condition is serious, there is also no wait. I have never heard of anyone having to wait for tests.
Both of my parents are elderly pensioners with serious health problems. They have always received the very best of care and have never had long to wait for procedures. However, horror stories to abound - as they do in any situation.
Medications are subsidised by the government, making them accessible to anyone who needs them. Insurance companies have no say in what medications we can take, only doctors. Which brings me to another controversial question:
How come in the US celebrities are able to access inordinate amounts of prescription drugs, thereby giving themselves lethal cocktails. Of course, I'm thinking of Elvis, Health Ledger, Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson etc. etc. Is there no control on what pharmacists dole out? |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:38 am |
| Has just come on our local TV news - thousands of people in the US queuing to access volunteer health care in a huge stadium. Apparently, 49 million people in the US do not have health insurance so this organisation puts on this event in order for them to get some medical and dental care. As the reported stated, "This looks like something you would see in a third world country, not the world's richest!" |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:08 am |
| mpstat wrote: |
It is not that rosy in Canada.... My close friend lost her child because the tests were not done on time. They were on a waiting list, and it was too late... I can tell you it was heart breaking.... Since then she came to US, and had another child that has problems and need special extra attention some covered by insurance and some not. But for her a choice between the medical care in Canada and in US is clear.
About other countries with socialized health care I have even closer encounters. My elderly parents live in European Union with socialized health care. Some time ago my mom needed lab tests done for serious illness, and she was put on a waiting list for FOUR month. I would bring her to US, but she was in no condition to travel. Needless to say that it was a terrible time for my entire family.
Bottom line - yes you would get free health care is you are still around when a waiting time is over. |
Some things come in mind:
If the child really died due to the waiting time (which sometimes it's not the case, the child can die to an unrelated condition to what he/she was waiting for), then it's a case of negligence and she's entitled to compensation,etc.
The world is full of horror stories and negligence. I have a friend with really good insurance in the US whose kid needed prenatal surgery but because of the nature of the surgery, it needed approval by her insurance. She had a miscarriage while the insurance was reviewing her file.
We all hear the stories from time to time in the news from people that died while waiting in th e ER in the states as well.
So horror stories happen everywhere.
(Also a friend of mine is currently suing her parents' insurance company because they didn't want to pay for a particular chemotherapy drug for his brain cancer. She recruited statements from many oncologists saying that the drug she was requesting was obviously better and so now she's suing)
And yes, as I said before, waiting lists are not fun. Especially if you have something that is very bothersome. I think I said before a friend of mine had to wait a long time to get his knee surgery and during that time he wasn't able to work out, had to wear a brace, etc,etc. Still it is not life-threatening.
So for e.g. in the case of your parents, the standard of care of any place, public or private is that the person can wait:
a. As long as the condition is not life-threatening
b. As long as she's provided with palliative care in the meantime so that she can wait somewhat comfortably.
If a or b are not met, then you should go to the doctor (and if you don't get a response to the ombudsperson).
But we need to understand that sometimes what we think is urgent, it might not be from a medical perspective.
For e.g. my parents are both elderly. My mom has horrible arthritis so she asked to go to a specialist (btw,no one in my family believes in shortcuts so we don't use influences to get faster care). Well, she had to wait... 6 months to go to that center. It was a center that all it does is treat arthritis. So yes, the waiting was uncomfortable, but in reality it was not life-threatening and also it's not like there's much to do 
Same thing with my dad... he had a triple bypass (heart surgery due to AMI) and so when he came to Canada he was referred to a cardiologist. The GP made sure that he was stable but then it took 4 months to get an appointment. Of course we would have all preferred that appointment to be earlier, but again he was stable.
Finally, the best way of looking at health care is not looking at our particular success or horror stories. We all know that our particular experiences (or that of our families/friends) are not representative of the whole spectrum. And if you look to health care rankings, anywhere from the one done by WHO to the one done by the EU, to the one done by CIHR and every single report I've ever read (except for the ones written by conservative think-tanks in the US), countries with universal health care consistently outperform and rank higher than the US. |
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37, light brown hair, green eyes, very fair skin. Oily T zone, broken capillaries... Current regime: Tretinoin 0.05% every night, hydroquinone 4% twice per day, lachydran every other day, random moisturizers and sunscreen |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:21 am |
Finally... one more thing (sorry I can't help myself!)
Universal health care is simply... making sure everyone has access to health care.
So in reality, there's no reason why universal health care automatically means "long waiting lists". Why should that be? If you have enough doctors per capita (and the US has more than Canada, or why it should perform any different than what it's now.
Instead of insurance companies administering health care, the government will. And yes, the government is sometimes very inefficient at administering things, but not necessarily horrible. And that is why it's important to read the health care reform proposal to make see what the government is planning to do.
And also, people should take into account the fact that the US proposal is not even a single-tier proposal. Those who want to keep their private insurance will be able to do so. |
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37, light brown hair, green eyes, very fair skin. Oily T zone, broken capillaries... Current regime: Tretinoin 0.05% every night, hydroquinone 4% twice per day, lachydran every other day, random moisturizers and sunscreen |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 6:34 am |
Here's an article that relates to my earliest post which gives you an example of the type of reporting we hear about the US health system:
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2398606.htm
US healthcare becomes major election issue
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 22/10/2008
Reporter: Mark Simkin
Barack Obama and John McCain are exchanging fire over the best prescription for America's ailing healthcare system.
Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Meanwhile, America's presidential race is increasingly focusing on the country's ailing health care system characterised by huge fees and a thread bear safety net for the poor.
The recession means more and more people are going without basic medical care while charities battle to fill some of those gaps.
North America correspondent Mark Simkin travelled with one of them to rural Virginia.
MARK SIMKIN, NORTH AMERICA CORRESPONDENT: The volunteers from Remote Area Medical are America's flying doctors.
They drop into isolated and impoverished Amazonian villages to provide desperately needed medical care.
On this day though the charity touched down in the first world; half of RAMs work is done in the United States.
STAN BROCK, REMOTE AREA MEDICAL: So, here you have the richest country in the world and undeniably the best technology when it comes to medicine.
But medical attention in this country is largely a privilege of the well to do and the well insured. And so if you have none of the above, it's a tough place to be.
(To queue of people)
So nobody is jumping the line, OK. I've done 544 of these.
MARK SIMKIN: We caught up with Stan in rural Virginia.
STAN BROCK: 39, 40. In we go thanks. 40, 41.
Thousands of people drove for hours and queued through the night to get free medical care.
STAN BROCK: 156, 157.
MARK SIMKIN: They turned the local fair ground into a massive weekend clinic. Volunteers provided tests in barns, eye checks in pens, and dental work in tents.
(To public)
Can I ask you what are you here for?
VOX POP: To have my teeth extracted.
MARK SIMKIN: How many?
VOX POP: All of them.
MARK SIMKIN: We heard that again and again. This man is getting all his teeth pulled out too.
FRED MORE, DENTIST: As you can see, they were decayed right off to the bone level, which makes it a little bit harder to get out because there's nothing to hold on to.
MARK SIMKIN: The volunteer dentists removed 4,000 teeth in two days.
While a dentist drilled and pulled, hundreds of doctors and technicians held consultations, made dentures and took X-rays.
JOSEPH SMIDDY, DOCTOR: What we think is a … represents a lung cancer in the central location blocking off the lower portion of the lung.
MARK SIMKIN: The lung belongs to a 42-year-old woman.
JOSEPH SMIDDY: Yes, she's the third patient today that has the appearances of lung cancer. And we've had several with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema.
MARK SIMKIN: None of the patients knew they had a life threatening problem; they'd probably still be in the dark if the doctor hasn't bought an 18-wheel truck with his own money and turned it into a mobile X-ray unit.
JOSEPH SMIDDY: To be able to practice good medicine, great medicine, to show each patient how much you care about them as a person, to receive all cultures and nationalities and genders equally and to have money not be a barrier to care is just a wonderful feeling; it creates a joy.
MARK SIMKIN: The doctors and dentists provided more than $2 million worth of free care. The United States spends more on health care than anywhere else, but it doesn't have universal coverage.
For many people, insurance is unaffordable or unavailable. Nearly 50 million Americans are uninsured; tens of millions or more are underinsured.
VOX POP 2: Everybody pays taxes in the United States; why not have health care for everybody? They need that, they really do. They really need that.
VOX POP 3: Damn right, it's frustrating; it's terrible, it's awful. Something has to be done about this. Healthcare is gone off paces; that's ridiculous.
MARK SIMKIN: Healthcare is one of America's hottest political issues. Both presidential candidates want to overhaul the system but they want do it in radically different ways.
John McCain basically wants to deregulate the current system.
JOHN MCCAIN, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE: I'll bring down the sky rocketing costs with competition and choice to lower your premiums. Make it available to more Americans.
MARK SIMKIN: Barack Obama wants to expand the existing scheme by filling the gaps in coverage.
BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: The cost of health care for the average family since George W Bush took office has gone up 78 per cent for the average family.
LINDA BLUMBERG, URBAN INSTITUTE: I think by far the Obama plan has much greater potential to increasing health insurance coverage and also to help us improve on how we share costs between the sick and the healthy.
MARK SIMKIN: Neither candidate's prescription includes universal coverage, an approach Republican's often call socialised medicine.
LINDA BLUMBERG: I have no doubt if someone came to me and said you get to decide: Are you going to have the US system in United States or are you going to take the Australian system?
In a minute I would take the Australian system, because it gives a level of equity and a basic source of care for necessary medical services across the board regardless of who you are and where you live in the country and what you do for a living or not, that we don't have here.
MARK SIMKIN: Virginia's Governor is Barack Obama's campaign co-chairman. He thinks health care is a big election issue.
TIM KAINE, VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: When folks line up for days in advance to get basic dental and medical care, it just... we got to come out here to remind ourselves how much more work there is.
MARK SIMKIN: Is it embarrassing that such a rich country has such a big health problem?
TIM KAINE: I think it's an embarrassment for the country, and I find, you know, I've often said that I love my job but there's only one thing about my job that makes me feel ashamed and that's that Virginians pay taxes to buy me health insurance, who can't afford it themselves.
MARK SIMKIN: An Englishman founded Remote Area Medical two decades ago. Stan Brock's led an extraordinary life, appearing on a famous American TV show as the original Crocodile Hunter.
STAN BROCK: They said, well, do you think you can lasso a wilder beast or a giraffe from horseback in Africa, and I thought that sounds like a nice idea, let’s go for it.
MARK SIMKIN: He got an idea for RAM while working as a cowboy in the Amazon. He fell off a horse that had already killed two other men.
STAN BROCK: And the cowboys, who of course, were all Indians, ran over and pulled me out from underneath the horse and they said the nearest doctor is 26 days march from here.
I think it was about that time that I got the idea to bring those doctors a little bit closer.
MARK SIMKIN: That's what Stan Brock does across America. He's even willing to visit remote Australian communities if required. The Englishmen believes that expeditions like this are satisfying and frustrating.
STAN BROCK: Are you here to see the dentist or the eye doctor? I'm afraid there's no chance at all.
MARK SIMKIN: Thousands of people received help this weekend but when the space and time ran out, 1,000 more were turned away.
To get to see the dentist or the eye doctor you really need to be, I'm afraid, here about 2:00am.
Mark Simkin, Lateline. |
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Born 1950. There's a new cream on the market that gets rid of wrinkles - you smear it on the mirror!! |
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Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:45 am |
| Politics aside and back on the subject, I am starting to look into the bio-identical hormones as well. I am five years after my hysterectomy and noticing changes for sure now but my gyn does not support HRT. I am going to look at all the info myself and make my own decision. Someone suggested reading the Suzanne Summers books as a good place to start, but does anyone have a doc in Austin Texas that does the bio-replacement testing if I decide that route? |
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Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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