You said: "even though i am a skeptic about chanting, gris gris and juju cures, i never negate the power of suggestion."
Those aren't supposed to work on the body, or at least not directly. They are supposed to work on the mind, emotions, cultural background etc, which will then help the body do its job, or at least not fight it. It's analogous to explaining the treatment in the language (to quote the old Episcopalian prayer book) "Understanded of the people." Because to many traditional people, the ways of our health care system are not only alien, but in some cases, repugnant. Heavens - even to me, reared in the system, they are often repugnant. http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/ "'Earth is just a starter planet.' Stephen Colbert" >From: jon louis mann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: Killer Bs Discussion <brin-l@mccmedia.com> >To: Killer Bs Discussion <brin-l@mccmedia.com> >Subject: U.S. health care >Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 10:37:47 -0700 (PDT) > >"Why do we behave the way we behave? What has become of us? Where is >our soul?" >DUMPED ON SKID ROW - Hospitals drop homeless patients on the city's >Skid Row. >-- jlm > >--The first thing that comes to mind is that this is an expect-able, >albeit immoral, response to the mess that hospitals find themselves in >with regard to treatment of the indigent. >... what is needed is a system in which everyone can get a Chevy, but >you have to pay your own money if you want a BMW. The system we have >now is that... (sic) once a patient is in, they must be afforded the >best care available... This is an overwhelming cost to the hospitals. >(sic) > >i just had routine microsurgery for my lower lumbar region and the bill >was well over $20,000. my in network portion is over $10,000. they >kicked me out after one day with very little followup. i would have >been better off spending the money on prevention and seeking >alternative medicine. > >i suppose hospitals have to compensate for losses when they provide >services for indigent patients like my alcoholic and homeless brother. >the hospital wanted me to sign a release to take him off life support, >but i couldn't do it. miraculously his liver recovered, probably due >to the expensive intensive care he received. the last time he tried to >go into rehab he was refused, so he robbed a bank for $100 and went to >the police station to turn himself in. he spent thirty months in a >federal detention center, which is the longest he has been sober in >forty years... the insurance and pharmaceutical companies seem to be >doing quite well, which is part of the reason my brother became >addicted to prescription medicine when he worked for a think tank and >had great coverage. > > >--This problem is a good one for discussion here. However, it will not >be solved by polemics that provide simple stories with heroes and >villains like that provided by Moore. There is a hard way out for >this, just no easy way out. >Dan M. > >i think michael moore has done a real service with his controversial >documentaries. he doesn't pretend not to have an agenda when he has >louis armstrong singing "it's a beautiful world" with a collage of all >the world's inhumanities as background, or bush sitting dazed like a >deer in the headlights for seven minutes while america is under attack. > the message is much more powerful than rants by dennis miller or bill >o'reilly, who also have an agenda. > >i very much like the idea of a string of simple health clinics staffed >by medics, med techs, nurse-practitioners, and physician assistants - >with doctors on call, so they can be free for important emergencies. i >do believe there are some good alternative medicine resources, and some >out right snake medicine scams. there are plenty of quacks in the >medical profession, as well and doctors who think they are god, or are >in the profession for the money. even though i am a skeptic about >chanting, gris gris and juju cures, i never negate the power of >suggestion. >--jlm > >Knowledge is Power > > > >____________________________________________________________________________________ >No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go >with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. >http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail >_______________________________________________ >http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
