“In the summer of 1968, while youth was redefining itself in Paris, San Francisco and elsewhere, a committee at the Harvard Medical School was busy redefining the end of life. Following its recommendations, almost all rich countries adopted a definition of death based on the extinction of activity in the brain, rather than in the heart or any other organ. In some places, notably America, that means monitoring the brain’s electrical chatter to make sure the whole organ has died. In others, such as Britain, the brain’s stem is regarded as the crucial part. In this case simpler tests can be applied, such as whether a patient’s pupils react to light. Either criterion, however, seems more reasonable than just registering a pulse, since it is the brain, not the heart, that makes the individual.” [editor’s note: We could say this is just the other end of the abortion debate, which asks when human-life begins … but we won’t - SAT ] (10/09/08)

http://tinyurl.com/53osub

“‘Of people currently classified as uninjured, a conservative estimate says about 45 percent of them would be able to get health insurance right now if they wanted it,’ says economist Glen Whitman. That estimate comes from a study headed by a Johns Hopkins University researcher, which separates those who could get insurance into one of two categories: Those who earn enough money to buy it, and those who qualify for existing government programs. So how about some real straight talk for a change? If we separate those who can’t get coverage from those who can, we can focus more on helping the needy. ‘So if you can get coverage,’ says Gillespie, ‘don’t wait for Washington. Go on out and get some.’ Get Some is written and produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning.” (10/09/08)

http://reason.tv/video/show/560.html

“Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama offered radically different responses to what was arguably the best question asked so far in any of this year’s debates. Addressing Obama, a woman in the studio audience … said, ‘Senator, selling healthcare coverage in America as the marketable commodity has become a very profitable industry. Do you believe healthcare should be treated as a commodity?’ Obama responded at some length, without actually answering the question. McCain did the same. Moderator Tom Brokaw pressed the point: Is healthcare in America a privilege, a right, or a responsibility? said the NBC newsman. Senator McCain? ‘I think it’s a responsibility,’ responded the Republican nominee for president. … Brokaw then turned to Obama. ‘I think it should be a right for every American,’ the Democrat declared.” [editor’s note: This SHOULD be a deal-breaker for Americans; unfortunately, most residents of the USSA (including Nichols) have no idea what “rights” means anymore - SAT] (10/08/08)

http://tinyurl.com/4nuq5d

“Unless you’ve inherited a rare genetic disorder or have been in an accident, everyone generally starts aging at a similar rate. By the time we hit our 30s, however, biologic function and performance has already started to decline for many. The rate of decline varies dramatically among individuals. While some people will lose a function as they age, others will show almost no decline at all. … Many assume that how a person ages is carved in ‘genetic stone.’ But studies continue to show that for most of us, lifestyle choices and behaviors have far more impact on longevity and health than our genes.” (10/07/08)

http://tinyurl.com/4jzenn

“Perhaps Mr. Obama is so agitated because Mr. McCain’s proposal is highly progressive. The Republican wants to readjust the subsidies that Congress channels into health coverage for business so that lower- and middle-wage workers aren’t shortchanged, as they are now. Currently, people who get insurance through their employers pay no income or payroll taxes on the value of the benefit. … But all that money props up only employer-provided insurance. For reasons of historical accident and lobbying clout, individuals who buy policies get no tax benefits and pay with after-tax dollars. Mr. McCain is proposing to make the tax benefits available to everyone, regardless of how they purchase their insurance.” [editor’s note: And this point needs to be hammered home — even if it is the only thing remotely sane about McClown, he got this one right! - SAT] (10/08/08)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122343823408914411.html

“With less than a month to go, presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to deliver a knock-out punch by hitting John McCain on healthcare. On Saturday Mr. Obama called his rival’s healthcare proposal ‘radical’ and, in swing states, he is now blasting it in TV ads. … It’s good politics for Mr. Obama. But it’s bad policy. Mr. McCain’s proposal — to give every American the tax credit businesses get for buying health insurance — is the right prescription for what ails our healthcare system. The foundation of that system — employer provided health insurance — is crumbling. … Today, 59% of Americans get their health insurance through the workplace. Twenty years ago, three-quarters of us did. With costs skyrocketing … the current path we are on is not sustainable.” [editor’s note: Which is precisely why we keep saying that this is the ONLY thing McClown gets right in this campaign - SAT] (10/07/08)

http://wsj.com/article/SB122333750424809705.html

“Seven hundred billion — sound familiar? Yes, that’s the cost of the financial-services industry bailout, but it’s also about the amount of money America is wasting every year on unnecessary healthcare expenses. … Here’s the math: We waste an estimated one-third (about $700 billion) on unnecessary procedures, unnecessary visits to the doctor, overpriced pharmaceuticals, bloated insurance companies, and the most inefficient paper billing systems imaginable. Saving that wasted money can begin with you and me. Medical experts say that 40 percent of our life expectancy can be attributed to lifestyle.” (10/08/08)

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1008/p09s01-coop.html

“Within the next 10 years, most likely sooner than later, a costly healthcare crisis will come front and center and threaten the U.S. economy at least as much as its current problems. Working on a solution based on identifying the actual problems would ease the pain, and give us time to implement better solutions than waiting until the last minute when hundreds of billions are then needed just to put a Band-Aid on a totally broken system. Like the current economic crisis, the handwriting is clearly on the wall. Unlike the current crisis, the taxpayer billions will simply be poured down a drain with no chance to recover anything. The problem is far more serious than either presidential candidate cares to acknowledge, as talking about it or how to actually solve it would cost lots of votes.” [editor’s note: This is hardly “news” to anyone who’s been paying attention, but still worth posting - SAT] (10/08/08)

http://www.naturalnews.com/024426.html

“A teetering economy already hangs over the state’s bold attempt to provide health insurance for almost all its residents. Now a new threat is forming: a spate of health-facility construction in Massachusetts that will inevitably add to the medical bills that employers and consumers must pay. This boom in bricks and mortar is coming just as new data on patients’ long waits for appointments with primary-care physicians show that the real need in the healthcare system is for more of these front-line practitioners.” [editor’s note: The real answer of course is making “skilled & competent healer” the focus of health & wellness, instead of just “licensed physician”; the AMA’s trade-unionism stranglehold is a major part of the problem, not the solution - SAT] (10/07/08)

http://tinyurl.com/4t5py5

“It’s all over the news: there’s so much caffeine in some energy drinks that they can actually be dangerous to your health. According to research conducted by Roland Griffiths, PhD from Johns Hopkins University Hospital and published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as 14 cans of Coca-Cola. Scientists and researchers are recommending that energy drinks contain a warning label because caffeine intoxication is a very real medical concern. Symptoms include anxiety, rapid heart rate, insomnia, nervousness and more. So what can you do to increase your energy levels without downing the equivalent of 14 cans of Coke?” (10/06/08)

http://tinyurl.com/434nrs