Carrie-On's Comments (177)

“Without diminishing the seriousness of mental illness, it is NOT projected to be the 2nd leading cause of death in the world by 2020 - we have enough diseases ready to take that place,. Other than cancer (#2), it will be nudged out by respiratory illness/infections this decade (smoking, pollution, infections, etc).

By 2030, suicide, homocide and war move up for some nations/income levels, but there is no indication that mental illness will be the 2nd leading cause of death. However, violence is up there - and something that is not spoken about especially in the USA. More over, mental illness has dramatically increased in the U.S. this past decade - is it any wonder!

Health is a topic close to my heart, and I keep stats on it's etiology and progress overall, and frankly respiratory deaths (now #3) should be a RED FLAG for our world. Next year is the world Year of the Lung, and we should all pay attention to our respiratory health--soon to be in #2 spot.

Having served for many years on a state mental health commission, the shocking fact that our budget kept decreasing (instead like all budgets - increasing) sent a clear message to me that mental health was of no concern to governments in general.

Thus, with all due respect to Glenn Close, the facts are incorrect.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_part2.pdf (see #8)”

“Mental health is the basis for all health in the body! Great contribution!

Like the woman who donated her kidney, and now her insurance company won't cover her because of "Pre-exisiting" conditions! OUT WITH ALL HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES.”

“I would like to have the budgets of each states' Foster Parent programes investigated! It is shocking what is "COVERED" and paid out by some programs, while those against "Freedom of choice" do nothing to adopt and/or take care of children who need parents, and homes. The children with "special needs" foster parenting programs pay out huge sums in some states and, get this, that income to the foster parents is NOT considered when they apply for aid (such as Food Stamps, education), etc. because it is paid by the "state."

Don't we wish . . .”

“Doctors are not hog-tied to write prescriptions!”

“And, thank YOU, hayness -- I am in total agreement, in fact, I would go another inch and say if people are not affected by "situations" that is a red flag signaling mental illness.

With the nation the way it has been the past 9 years, more and more people are depressed - it's becoming a full-time effort to move the walls aside from DC on down to the politically-driven communities. One power-monger begets another. Some depression is healthy.”

“Thank you! And, the survivors are, today, in large numbers suffering from the "late-effects" of polio, or post-polio syndrome (quite like ALS).”

“Politicians will NOT fly in the face of their "finaciers!" That is why this so-called reform has hit the mats. It's simple as outlined herein - remove the profit motive, and stop CMS from paying any for-profits; purchase DME directly from manufacturers (Even Japan told Toshiba there MRI was too d . . . . expensive and make a less costly one - they did at 1/10 the cost several years ago, which we will be getting in the US next year!).

To make a profit, see cars, homes, carpeting, farm products, planes, services, etc . . . but leave life and health ALONE!”

“That is called Propaganda, NCAVsub2. The irrational paranoia is nothing but revangism - neither Conservative or Democrat - just loud protestors to anything, about anything.”

“There always has been a price tag on Granny, and on the disabled. Health care in America is an oxymoron. Read some medical malpractice court case transcripts sometime. Shocking isn't the term for them.

BTW thus far, there has been NO Obama plan, so don't blame him - he has spoken about reform, but really needs to stop all for-profit involvement in health care, by Executive Order, or at least (hence the huge paid for OUTCRY by the regangists) all funds from CMS going to any for-profit entity, with the exception of medical equipment manufacturers - IOW: NO MIDDLE MEN.”

“They have risen because of the cost of for-profit medcial supply vendors, and home health care companies proliferating in those states, totally uncontrolled, leaving a trail of damages, patient abuses, overcharges, high costs, and excessive salemanship pressures on the healthcare consumers. BUSINESS AS USUAL.

The costs have risen because of the business moguls taking over hospitals so now its about competition for filled 'beds,' replicated services, over-purchasing of high-priced equipment (which MUST be used to pay for it!), tests, et al instead of a goal to decrease the number of "beds" needed. Nothing is patient-centered, preventive­-centered, it's business-centered.”

“AND, every doctor has at least 2 lawfirms - they love lawyerss, so what's the problem?”

“AMEN, Matt - I just wrote on that, above. It's a horror down there. My husband's cousin just went through an unimaginable situation out in west Texas . . . and LIVED. Few could believe that she survived, too - including 2 medical experts.

With drug allergies listed on red wristbands, and a Medic Alert bracelet on, having given out on paper everything for the doctors, interns, residents, and fellows to be aware of - to all of them - some idiot anesthesist gave 2 drugs on the list during a surgical procuedure - IV, no less! Worse, 8 hours later, awakening (!!!!), she tried to call one of us - gaging, inaudible on long distance -- back in a room, left ALONE - she could NOT get help!!!! Short of it - after being discharged we had to fly her out of there to another hospital in Texas where it was all recorded - no one ever checked her ability to breathe, or the resultant secretions and my cousin has a neuromusuclar condition, and cannot breathe on her own easily, if at all. Outcome - merely trying to communicate with the offending institution has done NO good - no response to certified letters.

She will never be the same. In fact, she's terrified of ever going near another hospital, and still coping with the results of whatever they did to her to bring her 'BACK.' No one will say what it was either. IOW - be grateful. It broke”

“Tort Reform does not belong in health care reform at all. More over, most medical malpractice cases are based on "the standard of practice in the community.­" When the standard is marginal, at best, that leaves health care consumers and/or their family, loved ones with no protection whatsoever.

If the public knew the extend and number of horrific mistakes, "accidents," and errors in hospitals today, with each if not killing someone, leaves them terrorized for life about ever going into another hospital, they would not question patients rights, nor reparation.

Who pays when errors occur? The patient, their insurance companies, and everyone around the injured, killed. And they pay forever.

Look at Texas - the state's being flooded with re-cycled doctors (once sued and lost) who's medical malpractice insurance has gone sky-high, but not in Texas so they move there! Things are a mess there, medically, too. But with Tort Reform there ($250K) that takes up 3 "expert witness" testimonies so there are few if any cases now and the patients die on . . . and on . . . and on . . . Lose someone you love to an atrocity - a stupid error caused, for example, by someone merely talking too much, when he should have been thinking!”

“Dr. Hyman, I've been waiting for an article on this - thank you. I was present at the first presentation of (film production) lack of cholesterol receptors, but even back then it seemed obvious there was more to CVD than we realized.

Amazingly, entering a major medical center (they think!) recently, with more than normal LDL, HDL, all other chemistries normal (always have been in fact), no hypertension (hypo-in fact), IOW - nothing found of concern; however, what was ordered for this 1 RX human: Crestor, and something for Hypertension, and "just a blood thinner." After insisting on a REFUSAL in writing, I was informed, "Everyone gets them here . . . " I'd have died!

At the same time, I consume nothing in a bag, box, bottle, or can (except EVOO, perhaps!). ;-)) And, exercise because I HAVE to - once one starts on an exercise they love it's hard to stop doing it!

Now, question is how to not grow older with a perfect heart? Pondering the ticker hanging on, keeping me going tooooo long is about as bad as the converse - at my age.”

“Glacial, I do NOT believe you wrote that! THINK. READ. ASK. DECIDE. But do not say it has not been "properly tested."

I do agree with not wanting anything to do with RDIF, but if that's your 'case' join Dr. Albrecht's efforts.”

“I had polio! I survived after not knowing who or where I was for many weeks, waking in an iron lung. Today, the late-effects are mine - and unbelievable, worse, the medical community for the most part hasn't a clue what to do for us, much less how to NOT give us drugs, and treatments we cannnot have, or - we die!

Do not ever without a vaccine from a child, or yourself. The cost from the effects of the disease, and late-effects on the nervous system are untold. The entero virus is a potent, unpredicable, evil, organism - that includes measles, mumps, Rubells, polio, chicken pox, and coming down the pike, "bird flu."”

“Absolutely! I survived the Hong Kong crisis that hit the midwest in summer '57, and was the only one left literally standing in a group of about 103 people after 3 days. It was terrible! How I withstood it, I'll never know and often wonder if the fact that my mat. grandfather died in the 1918 epidemic, and my mother had a slight "case" of it then, at age 3, but did survive (of course!).

I never want to go through such a horror-filled experience like 1957 again! In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined anything like it (I was the youngest in the group, too - summer employement). Ambulances were literally lined up hauling people out!”

“Eh, Salk was before Sabin , please!!

And look what the Sabin did to so many with his immunizations in the 60s - they contracted Polio - he was relentless in his battle for fame against Dr. Salk.”

“You are right on, imwithsarah! It only takes watching on night show, or the "TV News," or morning talking heads groups, what matters is women's hemlines, their legs, their attire, the men . . . they wear the same outfits, day in and night out and their contracts are still renewed.

In re women and responsibilities - they need to 'get smarter;' leave the kids with 'him,' and take sabbaticals, long ones - the kids will still come 'back' to Mama, like they do the errant Papas. Again, it is all back to simple equity.”

“Simplistic, at best - but not for the majority of the populace. True, for those who have spent time on introspection and had the TIME to do so, in fact.

It is perhaps many of us who can impart to our sisters that they must "put perfume under their own noses first" (my quote) and treat themselves as their own best friend, first and foremost - or they cannot do anything for anyone else in a healthy manner IF that is what they wish to do. Such is not necessary though, and like men, not all women are adept or desire to . . . "creating love and happiness for others and to feel appreciated for doing so." Some, indeed, are not looking for appreciation, only the opportunities and respect for their being.”

“I 'hear' you, johnnymk - from the other side of the fence.”

“ahhh "liberal. . . " never forget your power! Act on it, any where. Ask yourself when wondering what is going on, "Would I treat myself THIS way?" If not, treat yourself perfectly!

And, do not forget that women who bow the lowerst are the most encumbered, not loved.”

“"faux realities" hit the scene heavily when form overtook function, and/or form dictated essense, as the ticky-tacky life in replicated housing with 2 cars in every driveway became corpoate goals featherd by the ad-world. Everyone fell into that, including women, and men but it seriously impacted on women who would have at least been able to express outrage by more bra burning.

Where is Eleanor Holmes Norton, now?”

“When the DRGs created "PMS" and did not tell women that it is a psychiatric diagnosis, not a medical dx. that signalled a rapid decline in how women were viewed. Sad, but true. Gone was the day when a women felt she could curl up on a sofa with a heating pad 1 day a month if needbe - instead, she kept on going . . . and going. . . .and going . . . to prove herself, instead of being good to herself.”

“well put, yappnmutt - in essence, the mobility of the female populace (into the work force) diluted women's support milieu drastically, and the change in city planning also interrupted a great deal of the common grounds women-at-home sought out to meet one another (i.e. park areas).

Without continued resources for gathering, sharing, and meeting new peers women's roles became more and more singular, and . . . solitary, as the culture changed into the nuclear family.

When I moved from the Boston-area in the late 60s to the SW, I felt totally isolated; and was! It was a terrible shock! In fact, I recall doing research on the "plight" of women in the SW, education attainment and goals reached, because I could not fathom how women could function solely inhouse without external intellectual stimuli, and peers - all of whom where a support-structure for me in grad school, concurrenly as a parent, and a spouse, and wage-earner. We were all very different, but in fact, quite similar - "back East."

Women in the SW appeared to dive into homemaking, a self-isolation of sorts, other than being mobile with automobiles because there was virtually no park land in the cities of the SW in each neighborhood. Such was not a mandate to developers - it was a corporate free for all, regadless of environmental and social impact.”