Today's free-market death panels of the insurance companies

The Ed Show on Aug. 27th hosted a journalist, Froma Harrop, who revealed how the free-market health insurance companies, as currently constituted, are the real death panels. While 18,000 people die prematurely from lack of access to health care, there are many insured Americans who are denied treatment from their health insurance companies and as a result die from lack of treatment. Ms. Harrop spoke of her husband's difficulty in getting his liver cancer treated and that the delay imposed by their health insurance company could have been the factor in his death.

Another good source of the extent of the free-market death panels is Michael Moore's Sicko.

Health nazis

I'm a believer in good health. That said, I can't believe that the Cleveland Clinic has a policy that they won't hire smokers, and that the CEO of that organization would want to have a policy of not hiring obese people! This is discrimination, pure and simple. People who are addicted to cigarettes need help, and not being able to get employment is probably not helpful. These kinds of tactics remind me of the wellness programs promoted by the insurance companies, designed purportedly with a concern of reducing health care costs. Their real intention is not prevention, since that is not what the health care industry is set up to promote. What they want to do is convince us that we are to blame for the health care crisis, not the gargantuan insurance industry with their extremely wasteful administrative costs and bloated profits.

It should also be noted that Obama is promoting this Clinic as a positive trend in reducing costs.

Illuminating health article in Time

I usually don't buy Time Magazine; the news analysis is usually not that good, like most mainstream publications. But the other day when perusing the checkout aisle selection at the supermarket, I noticed the article "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," by John Cloud, and after skimming the first few paragraphs, I couldn't resist buying it. Cloud argues that moderate exercise, including any sort of "movement" (walking to work, climbing stairs, gardening, etc.) is undoubtedly good for the body. But he also argues that exercise is not a good prescription for losing weight. What health care workers need to focus on more is diet. Studies suggest that many people who are on strenuous exercise programs overcompensate after a workout, because they are hungry, by consuming more calories than they expend through exercise. The body has evolved to do this, he argues. Obese people would be much more successful if the focus is on food choices.

These conclusions are exactly right, I believe. This accords with my experience and with others I know. I've been exercising for over 2 years now, and while I'll continue for its healthful benefits, I've been most successful losing weight when focusing on my diet and having the will power to restrict my caloric intake.

Take a look at the article if you get the chance. It documents some important studies and is nuanced in its position.

Fighting allergies revisited

In the last week my allergies have gotten noticeably better. I'm only guessing, but I think the biggest factor is that I've stayed away from yard work for over a week. About a week and a half ago, I moved a large pile of sticks and logs that was probably sustaining a good deal of mold. This week I'm back in the yard again, but this time I'm prepared with my mask and Benadryl.

Fighting allergies

Last fall, my first here in Bloomington-Normal, I experienced my worst bout of allergies ever. I've heard before, in casual conversation, that one develops allergies to a new place over time, which goes against my own experience. It seems to me that my allergies were always the worst when I first arrived in a new geographical location and then got better over time. Whatever the situation, they were bad last year and now I'm starting to get bad allergies again as summer ends.

Why my allergies are bad now, I have no idea. There are too many factors. In our recent move, we could've kicked up dust around the house. It could've been the hours of yard work. To combat them I've taken generic equivalent to Claritin, which didn't help much, and tried a home remedy suggested to me by a doctor - eating honey produced 150 miles of your home. Honey produced in your area is supposed to contain pollen picked up from the bees, which your body will produce antibodies against.

My current plan, besides taking the locally produced honey, is to take a break from the yard work and see if that clears it up a little. Eventually, though, I'm going to see a doctor who specializes in allergies. This year, I'm not taking this problem lying down!

Am I more susceptible to pain?

Wow, this NY Times report makes me wonder of my own sensibility to pain, being a redhead. Some scientists are saying that the same gene that gives redheads their red hair and fair skin also causes them to be more susceptible to pain. For that reason, redheads require more anesthesia and local pain killer when they go to the dentist or have local surgery! What surprises me is that I thought that I was fairly resistant to physical pain. And I've never had a problem at the dentist's office. This really makes me wonder....

David Kessler on Democracy Now

Amy Goodman's interview of David Kessler, former FDA commissioner, speaks to the corporate food industry's purposeful manipulation of our food desires, promoting an addiction for sugar, fat and salt that is as insidious as the machinations of the tobacco industry.

In listening to Kessler, I thought fascinating the new neuroscience work in explaining the nature of addiction, how in large part it is caused by the development of neuronal networks associated with pleasure centers. Gratification of these pleasure centers over time leads to well-worn neuronal networks that "program" us for certain behaviors. Once programmed, deprogramming is very difficult, which explains the extreme difficulty in overcoming our addictions. And according to Kessler, this is why fad diets will not work. What does work, he says, is a new outlook on food in our lives.

Kessler's view confirms the notion of the importance of developing good habits in the early years of childhood. In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotles argues that good living amounts to forming the right habits, aided by rational reflection. I believe Aristotle was right, and that freedom from addictions is necessary (but not sufficient) for freedom. But Aristotle did not have to contend with the power of corporations. Indeed, corporate power is the gargantuan obstacle to freedom here in the U.S.

Mayo Clinic website

Today I noticed that the Mayo Clinic website has a great collection of health and fitness tips, including a great number of articles answering common questions. After some acquiring some more experience browsing these medical sites, I intend to review them and site their pluses and minuses.

Rotator cuff regimen

It's been about a week since I started my regimen to heal my rotator cuff injury, performing exercises at home and taking a anti-inflammatory medicine. I'm not sure if I've made all that much progress, especially since I recently moved and had to lift heavy boxes for a number of days. Hopefully in the next week, with continued exercises and anti-inflammation medication, I'll start to see some results.