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Here's to Your Health:  Small rant about the medical profession  |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 15 2007 : 07:13:03 AM
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Does it seem to anybody else that the medical profession only wants to dose us with pills and treat our symptoms and not tell us how to avoid the avoidable?  I guess with flu season coming on, I've been thinking about this. Yesterday, I went to a 'Health Fair' sponsored by our nursing department. There were lots of tables with information and candy, lots of candy. No healthy anything. No water, no apples, no nothing. No one advocating changes in diet. No one demonstrating exercise. No advocates for a daily walk. My little community college is in the middle of the inner city, surrounded by fast food and vending machines on campus. My husband has diabetes. Honestly, after living with him for twenty something years, I am convinced that he caused it himself by eating so much horrible fast food and all the junk and getting so little exercise.
Ok, thanks for listening.
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2007 : 07:48:50 AM
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I understand totally. Mine is diabetic as well, and genetics did him in, but those huge plates of pasta and cookies that we used to eat didn't help either. And yes, it does seem like they just want to throw pills at us. The pharmaceutical companies are making money hand over fist on our poor health. I do not for one second doubt that you didn't find anything about preventative measures for healthy living at the "Health" fair...they should just call those things "pill fairs" and be done with it.
Wishing you joy in small things and peace in your heart
Annika
http://panzymoon.wordpress.com/ |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2007 : 11:26:51 AM
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Funny, I was just thinking about this a few weeks back--well, ok, more toward the end of summer, but....our grocery, Remke, had a little health fair thingee set up when you walked in the door--blood pressue monitoring, etc..It was Saturday am, and I'd just come from my early jaunt to the Farmer's Market and I needed to get milk and some staples. So, in I went. I allowed them to check my blood pressure and they exclaimed how great it was, and that I looked so healthy--they were large gals. I mentioned that we grow a lot of our own veges, and that I had just gotten back from the farmer's market for some additional items, and hormone/antibiotic meats. Blank stares. "Where's the farmers market around here?" said these two nurses. Duh. When I left, I saw one sneaking a smoke break. Doubld Duh.
Miss Bee Haven, you should write a letter to the dept. head. I'm serious. Tell them what you saw. Better yet, tell them what you DIDN'T see.
I believe, too, that our health now, suffers from the ease of convenience and over processed foods--my great grandmother ate head cheese for cryin' out loud, and EVERY part of the fried chicken legs, thighs, whatever and she lived to be 94, and was still moving, going to church, cooking, you name it.
"She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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GaiasRose
True Blue Farmgirl
2552 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
2552 Posts |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2007 : 4:17:29 PM
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That's why I'm so reluctant to go to doctors unless its really necessary. Even then I too wish they would TAKE THE TIME and figure out what's causing the problen to begin with!
Same goes for vets- and is why I support (but sadly have no one to go to) wholistic practices. This way of thinking does try to find and fix the underlying CAUSE!
It's all a money making racket tied in to drug companies.
I'm still for private practices though and want NOTHING to do with socilized medicine! The governments hands are in enogh of our business already! That's a little too scary |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2007 : 9:49:53 PM
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I agree with the drug company thing. As I sit here with three prescriptions I am trying vainly to get off of.
Our health fairs at my work are about the same.
Since I have gone as organic as possible, and drink more water (and lose more weight and feel better) my friends have noticed I am not as cranky and my skin looks fantastic.
I swear it is the junk they put in our foods-they cause a plethora of problems, but I won't rant about that here, it would be moot because I am sure you all pretty much agree.
My friends of course think I am a crazy hippie now. LOL
But it got them to thinking a little.
So, write that letter!!!! Plant a little seed- that is all it takes.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 04:57:02 AM
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You all hit the nail on the head! When I was much younger, I swore I would never be a "health nut" but my own health problems forced me to. How stupid I was! But I have learned that changing your diet can fix the "plethora of problems" for the most part. At one time, I was on 6-8 different medications depending on the severity of my problems. Since changing to whole foods and organic meats and dairy, I no longer take any of those pills and have not been treated by a doctor for almost 3 years! Two more years without treatment and I will be able to get life insurance. Finding a good doctor who doesn't just throw pills at you is extremely difficult. I haven't found one yet.
I guess the point here is that we have to take our health into our own hands. Read all labels carefully and if it has a bunch of junk in it - you really don't need it (and you're better off without it). I've learned to either make it myself, find an organic version or simply do without. I and my family are much better off. If I could only get dh off the sugar!
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 8:59:23 PM
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Oh, Lisa, sugar is my weakness too. Especially if it is paired with chocolate.
After posting in this thread last week, I was thinking over our health fairs at work in the past. There were doughnuts and coffee being served. Ironically, the lady in HR who runs the health fair is about as wide as she is tall too. LOL
How silly is that?
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2007 : 11:27:06 PM
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I had a really eye opening experience my first visit to my pulmonary specialist 6 months or so ago. I was talking to the nurse..she was putting info in the little lap top computer..my file I guess...asking a zillion questions..and was shocked that I have breathing problems and have never smoked..and wasn't surprized that both my parents smoked while I was growing up...meanwhile she said she should really quit smoking...uh, really?? She had just told me she has two small kids. Hmmmmmm I don't get it. What a funny place for her to work and still smoke when she sees the results of smoking all day long!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9375 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9375 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2007 : 05:00:18 AM
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Here, here! I agree that just about every doctor you find unless it is someone really old who is still in practice is just pushing those pills, shots etc. Our doctor won't give out a prescription for just anything but he's always pushing the shots and invasive type testing for every little thing.
Suggested my daughter get the shot they now have to supposedly prevent cervical cancer. She is not interested as she has no reason to be worried about it yet. If you know what I mean. But they want girls from 9-26 to get it. I was just reading an article about how mammograms every year are not the way to go since the effects from them can actually cause cancer. Stick to your instincts on good health girls. I too believe diet is a major part of our health since it is things that we eat to nourish our body and if it isn't nourishing food what good is it?
Well, I'm climbing down off the soap box now.
www.torismimi.blogspot.com
www.torisgram.etsy.com |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2007 : 06:28:45 AM
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Jenny - For many years, I used to administer certification tests for nurses. Also for Respirstory Therapists. These groups were the WORST for standing outside the building smoking before the test. And in the restrooms during the test. I never understood that, either.
Kate - most all the ladies at the booths at my health fair were overweight, too. And the school nurse has gone to great expense and used lots of her time(she and I did the painting) to get two exercise rooms in the basement of one of our buildings. She got equipment donated and access is easy all during our work day. But everyone I tell about exercising, is astounded to hear about this benefit. I've never seen anyone else using the rooms except for me, the nurse and our friend Linda. And on an upper floor, people pay hundreds of dollars to have a 'lunch' meeting once a week and talk about the Weight Watcher's program! :D
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
Edited by - Miss Bee Haven on Nov 20 2007 06:30:48 AM |
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2007 : 7:56:47 PM
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Janice, what a shame.
I don't exercise as much as I probably should. I at the very least take the stairs whenever possible, and park in the back forty in parking lots whenever possible too.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2007 : 06:11:21 AM
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And Kate - I sure understand about the sugar thing. I call it the 'sugar monster' and it's chased me my entire life. My mother met my father when she was working in a bakery. And her mom, my grandma, was a German pastry baking woman. We still have some german bakeries in Louisville. This time of the year(oh, the cookies...the Charlotte Russe...)is the worst!
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
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aimeeravae
True Blue Farmgirl
341 Posts
Aimee
Deer River
MN
USA
341 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2007 : 08:05:50 AM
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Dr. Joe (chiropractor and good friend) told me to watch the movie "Sicko" by Micheal Moore.
Girls watch this movie! Its one of the best medical documentaries I have ever seen.
Aimee
http://laplantewardklopf.blogspot.com/
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jo Thompson
True Blue Farmgirl
603 Posts
Jo
the mountainside of the Chugach
in Alaska
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2007 : 11:34:05 AM
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You should see the crap they feed us at my hospital....... and I'm supposed to work. I won't even walk into the cafeteria anymore. I take all my own food, and then they provide me with chocolate all day because they can't give us lunch breaks. And they wonder why I'm unstable (just joking!) jo
"life is drab without a lab"
http://web.mac.com/thomja/ |
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julia hayes
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
julia
medical lake
wa
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Nov 21 2007 : 1:13:38 PM
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my dear friends.. I know...I know..the medical profession seems to have taken such a dramatic turn from the care of the patient to something else. But allow me to offer this perspective...the whole pill pushing concept...for every one patient that wants to do all the right things and avoid medication..there are 10 who have no desire to change their lifestyle in the least and simply want to take a pill that will "fix" the problem. Not only that but there are so many people who "say" they'll do one thing and do just the opposite knowing full well they shouldn't...It is my personal belief that prescribing medication has become the one positive thing that doctors can do that factors out all the destructive things people already do so well to themselves. Doctors can say that at least they did something and no one can say they were negligent. They threat of mal-practice for any little thing is very very real and the insurance paid is unbelievable. I know my pediatrician's practice stopped doing OB because they couldn't afford the malpractice insurance.. OB's are responsible for kids until they are 18!! can you imagine..people can sue their OB doctors for things that have happened to their kids and make a case that it may have somehow been connected to something that happened at the birth. Amazing!
I'm in no way trying to invalidate your feelings.. The medical profession is really hard and getting harder the more people try to privatize it..Insurance companies dictate A LOT...as hard as that is to believe..someone with no medical training whatsoever can dictate to a physician what she or he can or can not do based on what the insurance will pay for! Sometimes medication is prescribed first because that is what the insurance dictates before any investigative tests and therapies will be covered. Its incredibly discouraging!
It terms of people working in the health fields and not doing healthy things..well, this takes a great deal of compassion to my mind. I think about the many, many times I make choices, particularly with food.. I think about that little extra piece of pie, I know I shouldn't have but I eat it anyway..the icecream...the candies..hmmmm and I wonder why this extra weight won't come off. I know better and yet the temptations are great and my will power isn't always there. I think about my mom who was a nurse for years and years and is a chain smoker. She knew better..still knows better to this day but her addiction to nicotine is so much greater...not to mention that we've learned that the cigarette companies added substances to make them more addictive..what else is being added to our food??? I wonder...Unhealthy choices are just everywhere and they are advertised so much that it isn't a wonder people don't make different choices despite what they know...the convenience of the unhealthy choices just cater to our needs so often and don't they have that all figured out! When was the last time you saw an advertisement that said, "this is what a healthy portion looks like and this is an example of a well balanced meal... Nope...instead we have fitness centers built in strip malls surrounded by fast food chains...What does that do to one's psyche? I wonder.....
It would be nice to place blame on the medical society for the many problems that define our health but it is my belief that it is only a small part to a greater systemic problem. Collectively we must become savvy consumers...savvy growers of our food...savvy farmer's market supporters, savvy buy locally shoppers and most importantly savvy consumers of our health. The more engaged you are in your own health care the better...the more you know, the more you question the better..
People just do what's convenient and easy which isn't always the healthiest. They also do what everyone else does..It takes so much more effort to do things differently not to mention probably more money. People forget that other people are craving more than the status quo. Therefore, we women can be a tour de force when it comes to our consumables..We can positively effect change by setting a better example and speaking up when our needs are met and we'd like something different. Most importantly, we can be inspired by those who've already paving the way!
Those are my 2 cents!
blessings in health, Julia Hayes
being simple to simply be |
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La Patite Ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
623 Posts
Jenn
CA
USA
623 Posts |
Posted - Nov 24 2007 : 10:17:50 PM
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I hear ya gurlz. It's hard to be healthy when the medical community keeps sending you down the wrong path.
Two weeks ago I went to my Gyn for an annual check-up. Since I hadn't had a blood test in a few years he suggested I get one. And - oh by the way we should probably start you on medication to lower your cholesteral as a precaution because your getting older (46) and your cholesteral is bound to go up.
The problem is I don't have high cholesteral. So why would I want to take something with those side effects when I don't need to. When I asked him about natural supplements he told me he was a big advocate of pills and why waste my time and money on natural things that wouldn't work anyway.
So I asked him if he was recommending the pill that had sudden death as a side effect - needless to say he wasn't happy.
Guess I'll have to find a naturalpath or something. Unfortunately my med insurance wont cover it so I'm out of pocket again. |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2007 : 09:52:43 AM
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OK, here's a small voice asking you to consider the other side -
I am sitting in the hospital cafeteria right now. My 74-year-old father had congestive heart failure. He also has an abdominal aortic aneurism, and high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and diabetes. His arteries in his heart were 99% blocked.
Granted, if my dad had not eaten all the processed food he has eaten in his life, and stuck to fresh fruits and veggies, and lean meat instead of hot dogs, he might never have developed all those conditions. But now that he has them, I am mighty thankful for all the miracle drugs that the doctors are able to use to save his life. I'm not about to call them pill-pushers, for sure.
I think of our AMA doctors as "emergency use only" - use the homeopathic medicines and keep healthy with fresh local diet and exercise and fresh air -- but if that fails because of genetics or availability of junk food or environmental factors, those doctors with their miracle drugs sure have their place.
I think the problem comes in only when finances and economics are considered. It costs so much to develop those drugs and get FDA approval, that it is hard to justify their development for a limited population. That is when doctors get turned into drug pushers by the pharmaceutical companies, but where would we be if those companies stopped developing the drugs? It would be wonderful if they would just develop helpful drugs because they are "good" but let's face it, it takes the profit motive to make the change.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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bohemiangel
True Blue Farmgirl
2087 Posts
Bridget
Ligonier
pa
USA
2087 Posts |
Posted - Dec 05 2007 : 09:47:28 AM
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OMG I agree you guys, I also love natural remedies...what's that cough medicine isn't that healthy and honey is better....hmmm DUH. When I was 17 I had panic attacks and depression and they put me on Paxil right away, it worked then but now I'm "addicted" at least my body is to it now. I also was put on Seroquel (antipsychotic for OCD thoughts) and that is powerful stuff.....I will never put my child through that! Nothing a lil bit of love nature and meditation spirituality wont help
**~~Farmgirl Sister #60~~**
"... to thine ownself be true." |
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Here's to Your Health: Small rant about the medical profession |
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Small rant about the medical profession
