First of all, I am on an almost all-liquid diet to get me through the weekend without having to eat ibuprofen like candy. I’ve given myself permission to exist on smoothies, tomato soup, creamed spinach (I now, many of you hate it but I love it), meatless pasta, mashed potatoes, yogurt, scrambled eggs and ice cream. That should help me make it to the dentist visit.
Next, let me expand on my review of SiCKO with my own impressions of health care. I think we have a multitude of problems here – many of which are outlined in the movie. I am particularly impressed and totally agree with the movie NOT blaming doctors or health care givers at all. It is my firm belief that they should be able to make as much money as they can. But I also believe their hands should not be tied by someone sitting behind a desk making the decision as to what procedures and tests and medications are OK to be used to treat an ill patient. People who are so afraid of government run health care go on and on about personal choice. How socialized medicine takes that away from the patients. First of all, that is an overstatement as anyone who lives in countries with government run programs can attest to. Secondly though, the trade off is that doctors have lost THEIR ability to choose the best way possible to treat their patients. Rather a contradiction here. The cost to our nation of NOT insuring or NOT treating everyone to the best of our ability is much higher than guaranteeing their care would be. Imagine if we focused on PREVENTIVE health care? I really loved the example in the film of the British doctor who would receive a bonus based on patients who lost weight, lowered their BP, or quit smoking. And how about this? How about we teach people to live a healthy lifestyle that is NOT dependent on pharmaceuticals? I had a high cholesterol reading last year. What did I do? Go to my doctor as the ads suggest and ask about Lipitor? No, I changed my eating habits and worked in some more aerobic exercise and gradually brought it down on my own. I think that is another part in this whole mess – insurance companies should not be for profit and neither should pharmaceutical companies. Nothing has disgusted me more over the last 10 years than watching the proliferation of drug ads on TV. Ask your doctor about Flonase/Lipitor/Viagra!! UGH!! No, let your doctor properly diagnose you, look into how YOU can heal yourself, and then if that does not work, let your doctor recommend the best possible solution for your situation! Pharmacuetical companies should not be selling their drugs to you directly (by pushing you through ads), nor should they be selling to doctors!! The results of the drug via research and testing should be enough. Lastly, I think we as Americans have got to take control of our eating habits. We eat too damn much. Portions are freaking HUGE. Not only do we rely too heavily on processed foods and turn a blind eye to the hormones and preservatives put in our food, we also just eat too much of it! SP is a great example. He actually eats a very balanced and healthy diet. But he eats in such huge quantities, most of it later in the day, and he cannot lose the 20-25 pounds that he thinks he should lose. He works out every day. But he will never lose any extra weight because he cannot stop eating monster portions. And he is not unique at all! Our culture is all about excess and it is killing us. So there you have it – from my humble little brain, life experiences and observations.
1. We need guaranteed, no cost health care
2. We need to be focused on and reward preventive health care – wellness many companies call it.
3. We need to reduce the quantity of food we eat at each sitting and clean the crap out of our food supply.
There – now get out there and get on it everyone!!!
🙂 I shall now go back to sucking my meals through a straw until I my dental appointment which originally had to be put off because it cost too much money! It still costs too much, but it just needs to get done.
Trees & Flowers & Birds! 
AMEN!!
And I’m sorry about your dental woes!
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My family and I went to TGI Friday’s last night. They have a new section on their menu where they have some items but in smaller portions.
BRILLIANT idea if you ask me, I wish more places would do that.
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Preach it, sister!
People may think doctors are overpaid, but I don’t think they understand how much you have to spend (i.e. borrow) and how many years of training you have to go through to become a doctor! Plus the long hours and stress you have to endure. Anyone who knows anything about it can tell you that you don’t become a doctor for the money!
And this whole thing about having “choice” in healthcare makes me want to puke. As if people have choices now?!? Sure, let me “choose” an insurance plan with a $5000 deductible! Let me “choose” one of the doctors on your list!
I get really angry about that whole thing because when my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, we wanted to get her to a gynecological oncologist who wasn’t in the local network (the local network DIDN’T HAVE ONE). The bureaucrat told us that she’d have to wait 3 months until the open enrollment period began to change whatever details of her plan would allow her to do that. My sister said to this moron, “She may not be here in 3 months.”
She got to the specialist, after my sister spent a couple of DAYS on the phone. The fact that things like that can happen and anyone still thinks this system is working — grrr, it makes me want to throw things!
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