UK Smokers Beware

I look at medical news from all over. Usually I am concerned that the FDA in the USA is leaving the path of do no harm in favor of money. so what else is new. This little tidbit in the news is from the UK which has a government funded medical program that provides medical care to everyone. Those who live there and can afford it, provide themselves with a private medical insurance policy to insure they get care when needed.

Should Smokers Be Refused Surgery? Science Daily
Last year a primary care trust announced it would take smokers off waiting lists for surgery in an attempt to contain costs. In this week's British Medical Journal, two experts go head to head over whether smokers should be refused surgery. Read the entire article at Science Daily.


What happens when the insurance companies in the USA decide that certain people are too costly to receive care? Currently, they just raise the rates for everyone and double the rates for the high risk groups. They decline to cover certain procedures and or days in the hospital.

I see the potential for socially acceptable diseases and smoking and obesity do not fall into that group. This is a very good time to take the responsibility for your own health back into your own hands.

I for one, will do all I can to provide you with information. I will be reactivating the Supplements part of my Answers For Your Health web site and I will be adding a new category - Stress. It is a chicken and egg question. Stress is the ultimate cause of dis-ease and a deficient immune system allows stress to thrive and destroy. Control stress and improve the immune system, easier said than done, but I hope to give you some easy to do answers.

I start back on my old night shift hours this week. I did cut back to 10 pm instead of midnight or 1 am. That should allow me to get my needed sleep. I will still be watching the grandchildren during the day but with the holidays over and everyone returning to normal routines, I will be able to return my attention to this blog and my website.

I want to share a compliment I received during Christmas. I was working at the store. I had finished ringing the order and was loading the groceries into the lady's cart. We never have enough baggers for every register. The older woman remarked to her daughter about me having to load the 40lb bag of dog food and the 4 cases of sodas and well as the other stuff. I laughed and said no problem. She turned to me and said:"When you get to be my age you will understand why you can't do that anymore. I can hardly walk and I can't lift anything. Just wait. I am 52 and when you get to be my age you won't be able to do anything either." I just smiled at her and said I hoped she got to feeling better. I did not tell her that I am 59. I did not thank her for her unintended compliment. I wanted to tell her that changing her attitude would make a world of difference, but that is not my job --- at least not at the store.

until next time - smile
Sharon
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