HW 26 Looking back and forward in our unit

- The initial incentive of America's healthcare system is to make sure as little healthcare as possible is received to the citizens, in order to maximize profits for the health care insurance companies( Michael Moore's Sicko
- Even people who do have and pay healthcare may not receive it, due to something the companies like to call "pre- existing conditions"( Michael Moore's Sicko)
- Decisions made in the hospital are basically made by the patient, the family and friends of the patients thoughts aren't considered much. Even if a patient has a terminal illness we must still try and picture them as a human being( Near Death the Documentary)
- In Haiti to treat a certain disease cost about $20,000, in America that would end up being $6,000,000( Michael Moore's Sicko)
    
     The source that I found the most helpful this unit was without a doubt Sicko. Just like in the last unit the movie seems to stick with me and have more of an impact on my thinking for some reason.  Michael Moore's film may have been heavily biased since he definitely had his own opinions that he was trying to get across to the viewers. However, the evidence that he showed was outstanding, he either went to the countries himself or interviewed someone that lives in another country, and he found out what he needed to find out. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder wasn't nearly as enjoyable as watching the movie for several reasons, it requires more work, it wasn't nearly as engaging, and I didn't really enjoy the book that much. What the book did provide that the movie didn't really do as well with was that it showed an inspiring journey one man made and how he really changed and bettered the lives of many patients and people in general. He went the extra mile time and time again and he even treated all of his many patients like human beings which they are, even while terminally ill.
     One possible question that could be explored could be: what are all the positive qualities of un-socialized healthcare and are they worth it? In Sicko Michael Moore basically seemed to be countering this question by showing the negatives of un-socialized healthcare. Maybe there are some really good things about our healthcare that we aren't aware of as teenagers. If were going to know the story behind healthcare isn't it best to learn the full story of both sides even, especially when it's your money. One more question that can be explored is: What steps does America have to make to change the healthcare system around for the better? I would assume its not as simple as saying make it socialized and free, but I'm more interested in what the actual steps are, and how can the average citizen make a difference if possible?

Homework #25: Response To Sicko

Precis:

     America's health care system is way more negative than positive. Profit is the primary incentive of the companies and  this definitely makes the system corrupt. Insurers make a conscience effort to not reimburse people, using the excuses of preexisting conditions or simply being unable to fit their standards. Those in America who don't have health insurance which is a lot of the people in America usually don't end up ever getting it. The United States of America definitely needs to change its health care ways, they should follow in the footsteps of countries who have a good system such as The French Republic, Canada, and England.  These countries have a system called social health care which provides either very low priced health care or free health care to the citizens. The main goal is to not deny health care to anyone.This sounds good and it is America isn't that far off from socialism since one of the main things in America is socialist the education system. 

Evidence:

     A1: The United States can "fix" its current  health care system by adopting a socialized healthcare system that will provide either free health care or low priced health care, which would increase the life expectancy to that of other countries or better.

     A2: One specific recording between President Nixon and his chief advisor stated that all the incentives of the healthcare system are towards profit and less medical care. Nixon thought this was a good idea, and now the healthcare system is set up so that people pay the companies for insurance and the companies deny you insurance and keep your money. The system basically benefits the rich and negatively affects the poor and middle class.

     B1: In the French Republic, Canada, and England health care is free basically because they have socialized medicine. Thus, statistically speaking people in these countries live 2-4 years more than us. That may seem like a little bit but it's your life and your time to be spent on Earth, you might as well stay here as long as possible.

     B2: This basically shows that the health care system is set up so that the citizens who pay for insurance or who don't end up not receiving that care because, that would be seen as a lost of profit.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aZnlElJZpA

     D: In the video listed above Nixon basically states that the doctors would be working for the benefit of the patients oppose to the benefit of the government under his new plan.This is puzzling to me how are the doctors expected to work for the patients if they basically aren't able to treat them due to restrictions that the health insurance companies placed. Americans seem to have some incredible fear of the word government. Doctors working for the government isn't as bad as it seems, and by looking at other countries it seems to be working pretty well.

Response:

     This movie made me think a lot more than I planned to. I was surprisingly  confident that the movie would positively affect me and provide lots of knowledge about the topic of healthcare which I knew very little about. I did began to question the movie especially when Michael Moore would contradict statements he made, which I'm sure was done unintentionally. I thought the evidence in general, and  the amount of evidence done was excellent. Throughout my life time I have always heard that America was such a bad place and that many of the systems were crooked and corrupt, but I never really could name more than three. You would think that systems like this were originally created with positive intentions, and over time they just slowly died down. However, that's not the case all of the time as the healthcare system was basically made to do the opposite of what it's supposed to do, provide healthcare.I certainly take healthcare for granted, I am one of the lucky ones who has a responsible, hard working, and reliable health care provider. This is mostly because I don't personally have to pay for it and its just taken care of. The most important experts from the movie was that even though we pay lots of money for health care insurance, and we end up getting treated terribly compared to people who have free health care in other countries. If anything it should be the opposite the people who are paying the most and paying at all should be receiving top class health care while the people who pay nothing or less should receive health care just not as good of health care.This is how I think and want the health care system to turn into. The most crucial ideas from this movie is I might end up moving to France, England, or Canada, preferably somewhere where they speak English still. The other idea is that if I was put into the same shoes as these countries I am almost 90% certain that I would do the same if not to a worse extent. If I end up making more than $100,000 alone or around there I will probably become a Republican because it sounds as if they benefit a lot more from things. If your rich America is a nice place to live in.

Homework #24 Illness and Dying Book Part Three

Precis:

     Paul Farmer is a doctor whose works is based upon helping those in need of medical care. Growing up poor, Farmer knows first hand what it's like to have limited resources. Paul didn't give up just because he was poor, he worked very hard and ended up attending Harvard Medical School, and spends most of his time traveling across the world, particularly to third world countries to provide medical care. Amongst the many countries Paul helped Haiti was one of them. Paul treated many people at Zanmi Lasante the name of his treatment center located in Cagne, Haiti which was free of charge. He soon met future partners Jim and Ophelia who helped him organize Partners in Health, which is basically a organization that attempts to raise money which will be spent on the battle of disease. Farmer is truly one of a kind he's extraordinarily compassionate, tries to treat his patients as human beings and not just patients, correcting twisted medical systems across the world, and being truly inspiring and influential. Paul Farmer and his book should be studied and it should be mandatory for soon to doctors.

Quotes:

      " It bothers me even to look at it... It can't support eight million people, and there they are. There they are, kidnapped from West Africa," (Pg 188). Haiti has way more people in it's country, than it can support itself. They also are so poor and technologically un-advanced they also can't support the people.

    " She thought he'd never experienced true depression, a freedom so enviable she almost resented it. I've never known despair and I don't think I ever will., he wrote me once.It was as if in seeking out suffering in one of the world's most desperate locals, he made himself immune to the self consuming varieties of physic pain."(Page 189) Ophelia basically thinks that Farmer has never been so sad it stopped him from functioning completely. Farmer is able to work through the illness and dying he deals with on a daily basis. He simply doesn't have time to help himself and his own problems.

     "Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world.. indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." (Page 164) Usually when small groups try and make some positive change to the world it works. This may be because of the chemistry that can be built with less people. They can work more on issues rather then argue and get nothing done.

Thoughts:

      In the third part of the book, things began to sound repetitive. Farmer made many wonderful things happen such as advances in fundraising for medicine and creating new programs, but it was basically the same thing that happened in the previous chapters just worded differently. Farmer’s way of approaching disease is very inspiring. Basically no one  is or should be left untreated, which is the way things should always go, but it doesn't for several reasons I won't get into now.  What makes Farmer unique from most  doctors and people of the medical field  is that money isn't a priority and every life has value, no matter what race they are, or their financial situiation

HW #23: Illness and Dying Book Part 2

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Precis:

     Paul Farmer is truly one of a kind, he would rather put other people before himself continuously. He speaks for Haiti basically and addresses a lot of their issues, for example the DOT program which actually makes patients conditions worse.With all of his world humanitarian help Paul Farmer has been able to address MDR Tuberculosis in some third world countries. Paul Farmer isn't even in it for the money, he just cares and wants to help the people.

Insights:

 " It bothers me even to look at it... It can't support eight million people, and there they are. There they are, kidnapped from West Africa," (Pg 188). Haiti has way more people in it's country, than it can support itself. They also are so poor and technologically un-advanced they also can't support the people.

" She thought he'd never experienced true depression, a freedom so enviable she almost resented it. I've never known despair and I don't think I ever will., he wrote me once.It was as if in seeking out suffering in one of the world's most desperate locals, he made himself immune to the self consuming varieties of physic pain."(Page 189) Ophelia basically thinks that Farmer has never been so sad it stopped him from functioning completely. Farmer is able to work through the illness and dying he deals with on a daily basis. He simply doesn't have time to help himself and his own problems.

"Never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world.. indeed, they are the only ones who ever have." (Page 164) Usually when small groups try and make some positive change to the world it works. This may be because of the chemistry that can be built with less people. They can work more on issues rather then argue and get nothing done.

Thoughts:

     I was saddened that WHO had flaws inside it. I was actually very surprised, more surprised than I would normally have been. Anytime the government gets involved, whatever the thing there helping with. Farmer and his dedication and love towards helping ill and dying people was amazing. Farmer is almost the very definition of saint to me. He literally treats his patients as human beings and on a much personal level than current doctors do. All doctors should read this book before they finished medical school.

HW 22 Ilness and Dying Pt 1

     Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

                                                                            Precis:

     Paul Farmer had an extremely unusual childhood. His parents were very strict, particularly his dad. Paul ended up being an extremely intelligent kid, who went to and finished college despite some tough times.Paul is a doctor and a writer today. Quite the overachiever with those two professions. Paul eventually ends up in Haiti where he tries to help the one of the poorest countries on the western hemisphere out.

Quotes:

     " I may as well say that from the moment I saw Zanmi Lasante, out there in the little village of Cange, in what seemed to me like the end of the Earth. in what was in fact one of the poorest parts of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I felt I'd encountered a miracle." (Kidder 20)

     "In Haiti. I knew per capita incomes came to a little more than one American dollar a day, less than that in the central plateau." ( Kidder 20)

     " But they blow their noses into dresses because they don't have tissues, wipe their asses with leaves, and have to apologize to their children for not having enough to eat." (Kidder 40)

Thoughts and Questions:

     Paul seems to genuinely care about helping people, he has a gift and I'm glad that he seems to be trying to use it right. Paul is someone who hands on helps people, instead of just sending money and calling it a day. It's very inspiring in a way. Paul seems to try his patients as humans and not just patients. This probably positively affects everyone a lot more.

HW 21B

To Omar,  Please post your blog so I can comment on it before 8 pm. Thank you for posting it the next day. Your most beautiful line was " she dealt with a very difficult illness in a very extraordinary way." I like how you immediately started off by saying you have never had anything more intense than what Beth dealt with. Health care is a problem that many Americans end up facing in life. People aren't invincible and you will end up getting sick or ill throughout life. One last thing I noticed that Omar did was that he noticed and explained that Beth stated we shouldn't treat doctors, patients, or nurses as tolls. Were all human beings, is basically what Beth was able to see in the hospital staff. 

HW#21

   Insights:
1. Beth's husband wasn't able to receive health care because they couldn't afford it until they applied for help
2. Beth having to deal with both of her children experiencing and dealing with her husband/ their father's death in their own unique way
3. Husband went from looking " movie star handsome" to very sick/ ill looking
4. Making the difficult choice of having to shelter her kids from their fathers death
5. Choosing to care for her husband 24/7 personally instead of relying solely on the doctors help
6.Beth and her husband never used the word death or dying with each other

Number 6:
     What I find very interesting is that Beth and her husband never used the word death or dying around each other period.  I was very unfamiliar with this. Usually every time I visited the hospital those words were mentioned, because we felt as though we had to be honest with them. There's always the possibility you can die, especially if your in the hospital.  When my family had to deal with my grandmother's upcoming death, the adults in the family had a meeting with her to let her know in about 3 months max she was expected to die as the doctors told them. Another thing that was amazing to me was the fact that Beth took the initiative to personally take care of her husband. This is something that I'm kind of familiar with but not exactly to the extent that Beth went. When my grandmother was sick in her final months my mom and my aunt took turns taking care of my grandmother, so that they could also continue their lives and support the family. One last thing I noticed was how close Beth's husband was to his children. I have always been close to my mom however, she works nights so I was babysat until age 12. There would even be some days where I didn't see my mom at all. This could have ended up very badly for me, but luckily I never made to stupid of decisions that I couldn't undo somehow.  Being close to their father must have made things immensely difficult for Evan and Josh, I have no idea how they did it.
        One idea that I thought of during Beth's presentation that I already knew but didn't really experience was life is constantly on a tilt. It can change in the blink of an eye for the better or the worse. Saying it and experiencing it is very different as some people know. No matter who you are or what you do anything can happen to you. The richest and the poorest person you know could die from cancer, get into a car crash, or just die of natural causes. No one is invincible and illness and dying is something that everyone must deal with at least once. That's just a part of being human

HW19 Family Perspectives on Illness and Dying

     In my family, in at least one member in every generation is overweight, has diabetes, or has high blood pressure.  I'm not so sure about my father's side for various reasons I don't want to get into right now, so everything said relates to my mom's side.  On my mother's side of the family everyone is very likely to develop one of the conditions I stated in the beginning, due to lack of education throughout my family.  There are only 5 people in my family that I can think of that went to college. Everyone else that didn't go, I wouldn't consider to be more educated than me. My family has plenty of smokers, which leads to strokes, cardiac arrest, and etc. On top of that due to their lack of intelligence they don't really eat healthy meals from what I know.  Because, of these diseases and other conditions developing later in life there have been many hospital visits. Most of these I didn't attend to for various reasons.  These type of experiences and just the stories I've heard from family members, makes me afraid kind of to grow old. I want to keep my youth forever, as most people probably due.
     My family ( me and my mom) is also very religious. My mom is a Christian who takes most things serious from the religion.  My mom and family members believe in going to the doctor anytime anything bad or slightly bad happens to you.  My mom mostly believes in allopathic medicine. My mom tries to force these beliefs on me very often. If I ever get a cold, fever, injure myself, or get sick she always tries to take me to the doctor which is conveniently located to us.  She understands though that doctor's aren't always right. She thinks holistic medicine is very unreliable and would probably never trust her life in the hands of holistic medicine.  This is a quote she used the other day while talking to me about this " Abdul if you got shot or stabbed where are you going to go to the hospital or to the massage therapist, see which one will 'heal you up" better."
     My mom's opinion on illness and dying are very common and about what most of society thinks.  I basically grew up with the same ideas more or less so my opinion isn't to far off hers.  The reason I believe allopathic medicine is better than holistic medicine is because it's more logical and more advanced in a way. Allopathic medicine has been changing for centuries "improving" as the years go on, and for the most part it's due pretty good lives get saved. I do however, think that both opinions should be looked at and it should be the patients choice on what type of medicine should be prescribed onto them.