Well I’m a fan of these medical student videos. So here’s another one. Enjoy.
Archives for 2008
Slow Month
February 27, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Well it has been a very slow month — at least for this site, anyways. The school side of my life, on the other hand, has been pretty busy. Although, as I sometimes say, it’s nothing to write home about. The business has not involved anything really interesting. Not that the human body isn’t interesting, because it totally is.
I actually do have a couple draft posts that I started but I have yet to finish them. Most of the drafts are very short.
But one thing of interest that did happen this month was Family Day for the first years. But Maybe that can be another post…
It Left Me Feeling… SICKO
February 12, 2008 by 7 Comments
Courtesy of MichaelMoore.com
I guess I’m slow. I’ve heard that before. But I finally got to see Michael Moore’s documentary on the American Healthcare System. This was my very first Michael Moore documentary. I didn’t watch bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 9/11.
Prior to watching this film I thought that Michael Moore was pretty obnoxious. Not that I’ve ever met the guy. He just came across that way to me. He seemed confrontational. But maybe you need to be that way to produce an effective documentary.
Throughout the film, Michael Moore introduces the audience to various Americans. We get to meet them and find out about their difficulties in the system of medicine that Americans seem to have accepted.
As a documentary about the atrocities of the American healthcare system, one would expect to see the negatives. And Mr. Moore does not fail to deliver. He presents one tear-jerking story after another and with his sarcasm points out how broken our system really is.
At one point he brings a group of Americans who have health problems resulting from their work at Ground Zero of on 9/11. These rescue workers had many problems that they just could not afford to deal with back home. Moore took them to Cuba where they were treated free of charge.
I consider this film to be an argument for Universal Healthcare. As an argument, I didn’t expect an unbiased view. Even so, Michael Moore did point out some of his critics. And one can easily find the opposing viewpoints with a quick Google search.
Without getting into a debate about the merits or pitfalls of universal medicine, I previously wrote that there are two entities that keep America from going the route of universal healthcare. Those two are (1) doctors and (2) Big Pharma. (see my post: Reforming the U.S. Healthcare System for more).
Overall, I think it was an excellent film for anyone interested in healthcare in America. Is it a good generalization of the state of things in this country? I don’t know. My mother had cancer a couple years ago and was very well taken care of by her insurance (not going to name them, but the founder is briefly mentioned in the film). Maybe my mom was the exception and not the norm? I just haven’t been in and around the hospital system to know. Nevertheless, the film does offer one viewpoint and its probably that we should take a look at.
The Writing On The (Bathroom) Wall
February 10, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Well I’ve seen the writing on the wall. Granted, it was on the wall of a bathroom stall. And no, I won’t write about what I was doing in there (although my intelligent readers should be able to figure that one out). But this is what it said:
School Socks
Crime Spays
Man… I find the weirdest things amusing during test weeks… But some things happen with perfect timing. I saw this quote during exam week (last week). It appeared to have been written by more than one person. I don’t think the original author meant to write that crime spays — at least I hope not. And I blame the “socks” on bad handwriting. It probably did say “sucks.”
Oh, and if you were wondering, I was in the stall to get some toilet paper…. Runny nose… You believe me, right?
*****
Tomorrow is the the first day of lectures after an exam week. In a way, we’re starting fresh. Gotta try to do a better job of keeping up this time. Getting behind is sooo ridiculously stressful. It just snowballs. Because you get behind on one day. And then the next day its hard to catch up. Then you think the weekend is catch-up day but if, for some reason, you can’t catch up on the weekend… well, like i said, SNOWBALL.
I’m gonna try to sleep earlier now. I went to sleep around 10:30 PM towards the beginning of the school year. I think that worked out well. Not sure why I stopped. But I’ll try it again.
Here we go.
Britney Spears Now In Doctors’ Hands
January 31, 2008 by 4 Comments
Related Posts: Dr. Phil, have you heard of… HIPAA?
Gabriel Bouys / AFP-Getty Images file
I really don’t want to turn this into a gossip column. And I definitely don’t want to turn this into a cebrinews site. But a couple weeks ago I did post about the medical debacle between Britney Spears and Dr. Phil.
I posted because it was, in my opinion, an example of very poor judgment on Dr. Phil’s part. You can read that post if you want. I’ve linked to it above.
Anyways, this post is just a little more medical news. A follow-up, I suppose.
In Dr. Phil’s non-professional (since he claims his visit was just as a friend and not a pscyhologist), Britney Spears needs serious mental help. At least that’s what he said before. Anyways, it appears she just might get the help she needs. Good for Brit.
Britney Spears has been placed under a 72-hour “mental health evaluation hold.” For complete details, click the picture above. It’ll take you to the news story.
Sorry for not summarizing. I’m stressed. Finals next week. And now, its back to the books!
Hillary Healthcare 2.0
January 25, 2008 by 5 Comments
Related Posts: Reforming the U.S. Healthcare System
In the January 8, 2008 New Hampshire Primary, Sen. Clinton edged her opponent Sen. Obama by just 3 percent. With Clinton’s recent New Hampshire win following Obama’s strong showing in Iowa, the race is anything but decided.
How will the 2008 Presidential Elections affect the American healthcare scene? Should Hillary win the November Presidential Election, what can we expect?
According to Hillary Clinton’s own website, her plan, which she calls the American Health Choices Plan, would cover each and every single American and will improve “healthcare by lowering costs and improving quality.”
So far, it sounds like an excellent idea.
The Hillary Plan is has five objectives. Again, from her website, they are:
- Offer New Coverage Choices for the Insured and Uninsured.
- Lower Premiums and Increase Security
- Promote Shared Responsibility
- Ensure Affordable Health Coverage For All
- [Be] A Fiscally Responsible Plan That Honors Our Priorities.
Who could be against such a plan? It’s definitely an ambitious plan. Is it too ambitious? From what I’ve heard, it has been toned down a lot since HillaryCare, the plan Senator Clinton was pushing for in 1992.
One of the things she hopes to do is to guarantee access to healthcare coverage. Under this plan “insurers must offer coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium” and furthermore, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Fabulous, no?
I just wonder how she intends to do this. Ask nicely? I doubt it. This would have to be mandated by federal law. And will the industry kindly step back without sending their lobbyists in?
Usually, a tipping point must be reached before significant change can happen. If Americans are fed up with the current situation, and their congressional representative are in tune with their constituents, maybe this is possible. I hope that is the case. I also worry that I’m just being optimistic or that I am underestimating the resolve of corporations to keep making money.
The objectives are noble. Coverage for all. Budget savings for the federal government. Tax breaks that will help the working person afford healthcare. Guaranteed coverage.
But HillaryCare 2.0, as some have started to call it, is not without its critics. They claim that this is just socialized medicine repackaged for an American audience.
If, come Inauguration Day, we begin to say Madame President, Hillary Clinton can begin trying to implement her plan.
Details of the plan can be found at HillaryClinton.com.
I Want A Bionic Eye!
January 22, 2008 by Leave a Comment
I WANT a bionic eye! Well who wouldn’t? If you’ve seen the television show on NBC, then you know what the bionic eye can do.
I read an article over at MSNBC.com titled “Vision of the future seen in bionic contact lens.” It looks like we, and by we I mean we as a society, may be getting closer to bionic eyes. Or, at least, bionic contact lenses.
As I understand it, a contact lens has been made at the University of Washington that has circuitry embedded in the lens. The researchers hope to one day be able to use the lenses to project an image at the retina.
In effect, the user, and the user only, would be able to see images projected by the lens into their own eyes.
Check out the story for more. (I’d summarize here but I’m trying to avoid the whole copyright infringement thing… for legal reasons).
