This is Reform?

Myth #10: The new Health Care Reform Bill is ‘Reform’

New regulations and taxes do not count as reform.  Where’s the patent law changes for lowered cost of pharmaceutical products?  Where’s tort reform to lower the cost of malpractice insurance?  Where is any change to the health care system that lowers the cost of health care?

One of the most absurd claims is that by forcing chain restaurants to post caloric content on all menu items, people will make healthier decisions when ordering food.  That sounds great in theory, but what about the new mindset of those relying on the government to make basic decisions.  I’m talking about those who now say to themselves, “I don’t have to worry about my health anymore.  I have insurance.  Obama will give me a pill.”  This squashes any gains made by the bill.  This bill removes incentive to make wise decisions and be healthy.  Do not underestimate the stupidity of the weak minded masses.

As some of  you may suspect, parts of the 2000 page bill have nothing to do with health care at all.  Please explain to me what the government taking control of student loans has to do with health care-aside from taking work and quality health insurance away from bank employees who will be laid off by the thousands in coming years.

This bill instead is a written plan on how we’ll use tax money to pay for our record spending on health care.  It’s a change in the distribution of funds, but not a change health care itself.  It’s time to stop the lies.  The only certainty about this health care bill is that it was never about health reform.

Are you 9 Digits from Cognitive Impairment?

Can playing Sudoku decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?  The answer is: sometimes.

Brain exercises like Sudoku require certain neural pathways to communicate in order to solve.  As the brain works to solve the puzzle, new connections are formed between neurons, however, while Sudoku and even crossword puzzles can exercise the brain, if it’s done frequently the brain is no longer challenged and the activity loses its potential ability to delay or even prevent the loss of mental function because new connections are not developed.

For this and other methods for preventing Alzheimer’s disease visit Healthy Place.

If you don’t know how to play Sudoku and you want to learn, click here.

I don’t SEE any hair on it…

Who doesn’t practice the five second rule? Certainly no one in my circle of friends. How reliable is it though? Could dangerous pathogens really hop onto my food if it hits the floor for a brief moment in time? Is food poisoning even common? Let’s find out…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that in the United States, food poisoning causes about 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and up to 5,000 deaths each year. One of the most common bacterial forms of infection, the salmonellae organisms, account for $1 billion in medical costs and lost work time.

A study by food scientists recently dropped food (pieces of bologna and slices of bread) on the floor for intervals of 5-60 seconds. The 5 second samples contained an alarming 1,800 types of bacteria! Without frequent sterilization of surfaces, you’re probably better off not eating food fallen for only one second.

If you don’t have time to sterilize your floors on an hourly basis, check out these tips on effective, but quick cleaning.

Keep it cool hot head…

If you’ve bundled up for cold weather in the past have probably heard the following: You lose 85% of your body heat through your head.

Are you kidding me? If that was true, I could throw on a ski-mask and run around the frosty winter wonderland all day in my birthday suit.

After a bit of research, I traced this myth back to a military study on uniformed soldiers in cold weather.  Yes, 85% of their heat loss was through the head but that was because the rest of their bodies were well protected.  If you were covered head to ankle, the majority of your heat would be lost from the feet.  At least the head has thick hair to keep it warm.

If you are going to be spending extended amounts of time in cold climates, here is a simplified list of recommendations for dressing the part:

• avoid wearing cotton, linen, or any absorbent material against your skin
• have a second layer for warmth (wool or fleece)
• bulky outer layers
• protect extremities (nose, fingers, ears, etc.)
• warm, dry socks
• waterproof shoes

The detailed list is available at eHow.

Danger Dogs…

If you ask people how rabies is transmitted, 9 times out of 10, the answer is dogbite. In reality your chances of getting rabies from a domesticated dog in the US is only slightly more likely than becoming a werewolf.
Because of successful vaccination programs, dogs are no longer the primary carriers of the rabies virus.  Rabies among coyotes is also in decline since rabies innoculated food sources have been dropped into coyote habitats with some success.

As you can see on the map provided, much more likely is zoonotic transmission of rabies from raccoons (number one culprit), skunks (second most common transmitter of the virus), foxes, coyotes, and bats (rarely).

For this and more information contact the Humane Society.

Stomach Bugs…

For decades people believed that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, alcohol, and spicy foods.  It wasn’t until 1982 that Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren discovered a bacterium that can inhabit the acidic human stomach.  It is called Helicobacter pylori and it is the cause of the vast majority of peptic ulcers.  H. pylori buries itself in the mucus lining of the stomach where the immune system cannot touch it.  It then secretes protective enzymes as well as a toxin that kills the cells in the wall of the stomach.  This is the actual cause of the ulcer.  Increased stomach acid and even stress can further irritate the ulcer, but thanks to Nobel Prize winning doctors Marshall and Warren, we know the real offender is H. pylori.