England put on a great opening show for the London 2012 Olympics.
One section included a tribute to their National Health System (NHS) that was launched in 1948 with the following three goals:
That it meets the needs of everyone, that it be free at the point of delivery and that it be based on clinical need, not on the ability to pay
An excellent article on the NHS appeared three years ago in Time magazine:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1916570-1,00.html
While we continue to debate all the pros and cons of our health care delivery system in the United States other, recently updated, statistics are also interesting to review.
While the United States remains strongly seated in the #1 position for most health care dollars spent/person, the U.S. is currently in 50th place in terms of average life expectancy:
http://www.nationalledger.com/lifestyle-home-family/life-expectancy-by-country-201-185296.shtml#.UBPhm2FfESY
While debate is still needed, action is also. A few years ago we were 38th.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
No C squared tonight
It's Friday evening.
It's the end of my first week back after our trip to Italy.
We may go out and grab a bite to eat.
Nothing fancy; just nice and simple. We will probably just go to an old stand-by, Tijuana Flats.
But, I'm looking forward to two things:
#1 Free water-there's no such thing as free water at restaurants in Italy. Even acqua di rubinetto or, as we say, tap water, was served in a Carafe (and not a large Carafe) and would be about 4 euros/Carafe.
#2 No Coperto: "the seating charge" added to every bill. It was usually anywhere from 2.50 to 4 euros/person. It was originally started years ago to cover the cost of washing the linens and providing the free stuff-like pane or, as we say, bread.
(We spent a fair amount of money but it didn't feel like it because euros look/feel so much like monopoly money!)
So, a meal out without a Carafe or Coperto (C squared)!
We had a great time in Italy but it's good to be home!
It's the end of my first week back after our trip to Italy.
We may go out and grab a bite to eat.
Nothing fancy; just nice and simple. We will probably just go to an old stand-by, Tijuana Flats.
But, I'm looking forward to two things:
#1 Free water-there's no such thing as free water at restaurants in Italy. Even acqua di rubinetto or, as we say, tap water, was served in a Carafe (and not a large Carafe) and would be about 4 euros/Carafe.
#2 No Coperto: "the seating charge" added to every bill. It was usually anywhere from 2.50 to 4 euros/person. It was originally started years ago to cover the cost of washing the linens and providing the free stuff-like pane or, as we say, bread.
(We spent a fair amount of money but it didn't feel like it because euros look/feel so much like monopoly money!)
So, a meal out without a Carafe or Coperto (C squared)!
We had a great time in Italy but it's good to be home!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
No oops-please!
My son had his wisdom teeth out yesterday.
He reported the last thing he remembered, before being put to sleep, was the nurse saying "oops."
It made quite an impression.
It was the first thing he wanted to talk about when he woke up and could talk in a manner in which we could actually understand what he was saying (after the anesthesia wore off).
We're still trying to assure him that everything went well-at least that what we were told by the oral surgeon
"Oops" is probably the number one thing you should never say to a patient.
It's been known to strike fear in even the toughest of patients.
My son's a pretty tough kid.
He reported the last thing he remembered, before being put to sleep, was the nurse saying "oops."
It made quite an impression.
It was the first thing he wanted to talk about when he woke up and could talk in a manner in which we could actually understand what he was saying (after the anesthesia wore off).
We're still trying to assure him that everything went well-at least that what we were told by the oral surgeon
"Oops" is probably the number one thing you should never say to a patient.
It's been known to strike fear in even the toughest of patients.
My son's a pretty tough kid.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
No pain for me
There are many things a physician should never say to a patient.
"This won't hurt at all," is one such statement.
Many physicians seem to overestimate their ability at performing certain procedures painlessly. The fact is, many procedures do hurt, at least a little. I can easily attest to that. I even find having my blood drawn to be objectionable at times.
The recommended terms to use are "this could be a little uncomfortable" or "this will hurt some, but it'll be over before you know it."
I still laugh about a former orthopedic colleague. He would always inform patients that the office procedure he was about to perform "won't hurt me a bit, so don't worry."
It served as a good tension relief, for the few patients who got it, when they could laugh together.
"This won't hurt at all," is one such statement.
Many physicians seem to overestimate their ability at performing certain procedures painlessly. The fact is, many procedures do hurt, at least a little. I can easily attest to that. I even find having my blood drawn to be objectionable at times.
The recommended terms to use are "this could be a little uncomfortable" or "this will hurt some, but it'll be over before you know it."
I still laugh about a former orthopedic colleague. He would always inform patients that the office procedure he was about to perform "won't hurt me a bit, so don't worry."
It served as a good tension relief, for the few patients who got it, when they could laugh together.
Monday, July 23, 2012
An expensive Pepsi
Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho recently showed up at a news conference drinking a Pepsi.
Only problem was that he had an endorsement deal with Coke at the time for $750,000/year.
Coke voided the contract.
I suspect he never thought of the consequences of his actions.
It's completely understandable given his most recent salary of $24,000,000/year.
I'm not sure if there's any interest but I'll just throw it out there...I love Coke and hate Pepsi.
Only problem was that he had an endorsement deal with Coke at the time for $750,000/year.
Coke voided the contract.
I suspect he never thought of the consequences of his actions.
It's completely understandable given his most recent salary of $24,000,000/year.
I'm not sure if there's any interest but I'll just throw it out there...I love Coke and hate Pepsi.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Does anyone use a bidet for it's intended purpose?
We stayed in 5 different hotels while traveling in Italy.
All had a bidet ( a basin near the toilet that's used to clean the genitals and anal area after using the toilet or whenever a "freshening up" is needed) in the bathroom.
All had a slightly different angle in which the water would spurt up or out. All went unused.
Upon return home I investigated a little further.
It seems many have found some good uses for a bidet while traveling. Here are a couple I came across on the internet:
All had a bidet ( a basin near the toilet that's used to clean the genitals and anal area after using the toilet or whenever a "freshening up" is needed) in the bathroom.
All had a slightly different angle in which the water would spurt up or out. All went unused.
Upon return home I investigated a little further.
It seems many have found some good uses for a bidet while traveling. Here are a couple I came across on the internet:
Friday, July 20, 2012
Some seemingly ignored Italian health warnings
We just got back from Italy. We spent time in the following cities: Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Rome. At all stops along the way we were blown away (literally) by the number of folks who were smoking. Cigarette machines, with often very young folks making a purchase, seemed to be everywhere.
The whole time I kept wondering, "do Italian cigarette packs have a health warning?"
Surprisingly they do. I would have guessed not. Here's what I found concerning the health warnings on Italian packs when I returned home:
Il fumo uccide
(Smoking kills) |
- Il fumo uccide / Il fumo può uccidere. (Smoking kills / Smoking may kill)
- Il fumo danneggia gravemente te e chi ti sta intorno. (Smoking heavily damages you and whoever is near you)
- I fumatori muoiono prima. (Smokers die early.)
- Il fumo ostruisce le arterie e provoca infarti e ictus. (Smoking clogs arteries and causes heart diseases and strokes)
- Il fumo provoca cancro mortale ai polmoni. (Smoking causes fatal lung cancer.)
- Fumare in gravidanza fa male al bambino. (Smoking during pregnancy harms the baby.)
- Proteggi i bambini, non fumare in loro presenza. (Protect the kids, don't smoke in their presence.)
- Il medico o il tuo farmacista possono aiutarti a smettere di fumare. (Your doctor or your pharmacist may help you quit smoking.)
- Specialisti del settore medico possono aiutarti a smettere di fumare. (Specialists in the medical profession may help you quit smoking.)
- Il fumo crea un'elevata dipendenza, non iniziare. (Smoking is highly addictive, don't start.)
- Smettere di fumare riduce il rischio di malattie cardiovascolari e polmonari mortali. (Quitting smoking reduces the risk of deadly cardiovascular and lung diseases.)
- Il fumo può provocare una morte lenta e dolorosa. (Smoking can cause a long and painful death.)
- Il fumo provoca il cancro della cavità orale. (Smoking causes oral cancer.)
- Fatti aiutare a smettere di fumare. (Let us help you quit smoking.)
- Il fumo può ridurre la circolazione sanguigna e causa impotenza. (Smoking may reduce blood circulation and cause impotency.)
- Il fumo invecchia la pelle. (Smoking ages the skin.)
- Il fumo può danneggiare lo sperma e diminuisce la fertilità. (Smoking may damage sperm and diminish fertility.)
- Il fumo contiene benzene, nitrosammine, formaldeide e acido cianidrico. (Cigarettes contain benzene, nistrosamine, formaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid)
I looked at a few discarded packs while there but couldn't translate the messages at the time. The few Italian words I picked up only included Grazie, Prego, Si, No, and, of course, my most frequently spoken Italian word, Gelato.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)