Where there's smoke,there's ire?

Friday, May 29, 2009

I need some advice. I have a relatively new friend who has recently started smoking and I’m not sure if I should try to do something about it. I try to practice compassion and remain nonjudgmental toward my friends and loved ones, but smoking is a huge pet peeve of mine. Having never been a smoker myself, I view it as a disgusting, destructive habit and I simply can’t understand the appeal. On the other hand, I’m not without my own vices, so who am I to judge anyone else for theirs? Besides, my friend is a smart adult who has all the facts. He’s informed of the well-publicized dangers of smoking and has chosen to go ahead and light up anyway. Is it really my place to say something?
This isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation. My best friend has been smoking since before we met, over 16 years ago. I’ve watched him try to quit at least six or seven times, without success. His father, a chief pathologist at a well-known hospital, has warned him over and over of the dangers he’s exposing himself to, but nothing seems to be sufficient motivation for him to quit for good. He always starts up again within a few weeks of trying to quit. At this point in our friendship, I’ve pretty much stopped trying to convince him to give up smoking - I guess I’ve resigned myself to the fact that he’s a smoker and will always be one. But facing this dilemma with another friend has brought the issue up in my mind once again.
What do you think? Should I just keep my opinions to myself or should I express my concern and try to convince him to quit? And can any of you ex-smokers share your experiences with successfully giving up cigarettes?

CUTTING HEALTH CARE COST

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The United States spends about 16 percent of the country’s gross domestic product on health care, significantly more per capita than any other nation. It is the only industrialized country that does not mandate access to health insurance for all citizens.
Since taking office, President Obama has said he would reform the health care system so that Americans can gain access to more affordable health care. Many presidents, with varying degrees of success, have tried to implement major health care changes. Health care has been among the most debated political topics since World War II as there are disagreements over whether all Americans should be required to have health insurance and over how much of a role the government should play in providing health care.
The Obama administration has said that reducing health care costs will play an important role in strengthening the American economy. On May 11, the president came a step closer to meeting that goal, by gaining support from an unlikely ally: health care providers. Representatives from hospitals, the insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies and others came to the White House to discuss ways they can help reduce health care costs by $2 trillion over the next decade.
“What’s brought us all together today is a recognition that we can’t continue down the same dangerous road we’ve been traveling for so many years; that [health care] costs are out of control; and that reform is not a luxury that can be postponed, but a necessity that cannot wait,” Obama said.
By working together with health care providers, the president hopes he will be able to bring about significant reforms. President Obama has said he seeks a health care system in which all people can have coverage, but that does not mean the United States will switch to a system used by many European countries and Canada in which citizens are automatically given taxpayer-supported insurance.
For more on the health care debate in the United States, see “Reforming Health Care Will Strengthen Economy, Obama Says.”

Aloe Vera - The Homicide of Hair Loss

Saturday, May 9, 2009

So you’re going bald. Maybe you are even already bald. Well, there’s millions things you can do. You can elect for surgery, take the medications, and use the laser hair therapy. You’ve even tried lemon juice and an assortment of other natural cure-alls. Well, have you tried Aloe Vera? It’s natural and proven to help with hair loss and hair rejuvenation.
Many people use Aloe Vera for thicker and healthier hair. It works. You can apply it to any part of the scalp and it can promote hair re-growth or prevent hair from falling out. Aloe contains anti-inflammatory which help stop hair loss. There are a lot of people out there that just don’t believe such a cheap and easy to use product can prevent hair loss. Native Americans have been using this product for centuries and you very rarely see a Native American that is bald or that has a bad head of hair. They are known for their full and shiny heads of hair.
Large amounts of money are spent on hair rejuvenation products with no results or some nasty side effects. People just don’t believe such an affordable thing you can buy at the super market can re-grow hair or prevent you from losing it in the first place.
Aloe Vera is found in many shampoos and conditioners. It can be rubbed in and left for a bit of time and rinsed out and it will help make your hair healthier and keep those wonderful follicles producing hair.
It can be used to lose stress as well. It helps the blood flow to the hair. You may already be using it in your brand named shampoo or conditioner and just don’t know it. This herb is a wonderful thing that can keep you from buying wigs or doing that super comb over we all love to look at.
An Aloe Vera gel containing coconut milk with a small amount of wheat germ oil used as a shampoo can promote healthy hair and hair growth and maintenance. Aloe Vera conditioners contain the right amount of natural herbs and oils and with proper use help out your hair so much it is indescribable. Each one is pH balanced, prepared without alcohol, and petroleum based ingredients. Aloe Vera jojoba helps you to have healthier and shinier hair.
I hope you got as much out of reading this article as I got out of writing it. It is obvious that Aloe Vera products are good, not only for the person losing hair, but even for the person that just wants to have a nice, healthy and shiny head of hair. It is such an affordable and simple solution there’s no reason you shouldn’t go out and grab some right now. There’s no reason not to try other solutions, but Aloe Vera can definitely help, even if you’re not going bald.
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Just How Bad Is U.S. at Controlling Health-Care Costs?

Thursday, May 7, 2009

“You can’t fix the economy,” President Obama has said, “without fixing health care.” Which makes sense, given the soaring costs and wastefulness of the American health-care system, right?
Wrong, says Shikha Dalmia, a senior analyst at the Reason Foundation. After crunching some numbers at Forbes.com, she concludes that countries with universal coverage have fared worse economically than the United States in recent years as well as during the current financial crisis. And she says these countries generally haven’t done a significantly better job of controlling health-care costs, either:
Indeed, between 1990 and 2003, the rate of growth of America’s per capita spending [on health care] was 3.6%, only a little bit higher than France, Germany and Japan’s–but significantly lower than England’s 4.2%. That’s striking given that England engages in the most aggressive rationing known to the free world, routinely delaying care to patients unless they are critically ill.
However, Canada, which too indirectly rations care for many specialized treatments by putting patients in queues, has succeeded in limiting per capita spending to 2.4%. At best, then, universal coverage has a mixed record in controlling health care spending increases, even after resorting to rationing.
All in all, there is no major industrialized economy with universal coverage that has performed as well–let alone better–than the United States in the last decade. Universal coverage might not be the cause of their inferior performance. But the crucial point is that there is zero evidence that it has put them on a more solid footing. Before applying this exotic therapy to America, Obama needs to offer more than mere hunches that it will work. He needs to offer actual evidence.
Do you agree? Or can you provide the evidence to support Mr. Obama is right?