Obama's Health Plan Won't Matter

Being that I am a health care provider, it seems like everyone wants to know what I think about the possible reformatting of our health care system. I have given it some thought and I have come up with an answer. But before I give it to you, I must first say this.

There absolutely needs to be some kind of change in the system we have or it will continue to spiral downward and get more and more out of control. However, change does not mean better it ONLY means different.

So now my answer to the question…..it doesn’t really matter. Before anyone gets upset, let me clarify.

When I say it doesn’t matter, I mean in relation to helping out the health crisis this nation finds itself in today. The World Health Organization has us listed around 35th (+ or – 2 spots) on the healthiest nations in the world. We are number 1 in emergency medicine (what medicine was to be used for) but way down on the list for chronic, preventable diseases.

Let me ask you some questions. How many people have health insurance? I think we can all agree that most people have some form of health insurance. When are you allowed to use your health insurance? If you are thinking “when you are sick,” then you are right. When do most people go to the doctor? When they are sick or have problems, and in the mean time, do nothing until they have another problem.

You see, we currently have a sick-care system and sick insurance – NOT health care with health insurance.

We have been brainwashed for several decades now that your health is all about how you feel. If I’m not in pain/sick, then everything is good. When pain/sickness is present, now there’s a problem. When it stops hurting, the problem is fixed and all is good once again.

This just simply is NOT how your body operates. We are not machines with nuts and bolts. We are dynamic, biological systems that are constantly assessing, compensating, and adapting to the environment we are in. Unless you can think of the exact moment you experienced trauma when your pain began, then it is something that has developed over time. Even then, the scar tissue left behind from an injury will cause that area to prematurely decay if not payed attention to.

Until we adopt a system that puts more emphasis on the prevention of health problems, we will always have a messed up system. You can’t wait until your car breaks down before you decide to take care of it and expect it to perform at a very high level. We all get that with our cars and our teeth, so why do we not get that about our health.

The health care crisis in this nation has little to do with the presence or absence of a health insurance policy. The crisis originates with the thought process currently used with respect to our individual health. The government is not going to get you or your children healthy. The insurance companies are not going to get you or your children healthy. We’ve been following there lead for several decades now with vaccination, drugs, and surgeries and look where it got us.

Obviously each individual case is different, and I would never say that we don’t need any of those things. In the right circumstances it is greatly needed. If I break my arm or my appendix ruptures, don’t come at me with some herbal paste to rub on my skin. Get me to a hospital first for some pain medication and possibly surgery. After things are stabilized then I’ll probably check out your herbal remedy.

The overhauling of our system needs to start with changing our out-dated ideals of health and use some of the research we’ve been spending billions of dollars on over the last 20 years and start applying it. Then we need to develop a system that encourages the individual to be more responsible for their own health. Until that happens, we will always end up right where we are at today.

United Airlines Breaks Guitars...

Taken from Almost the Speed of Sound posted by Jeffrey.

Recently United Airlines got a huge, viral slap in the face when they broke a musician’s guitar and failed to acknowledge his lose and to compensate him for it. As a response, the owner of the guitar, Dave Carroll, a Canadian musician responded by creating a music video about it. In true YouTube fashion, this video spread throughout the Internet proving that social media yet again can have a huge impact.

Anyway, posted below is a blog entry from TheAirlineBlog which explains the whole event very well. I’ve just reproduced it for you to read or you can click here to visit the blog itself:

“Last week, a music video was posted to YouTube that was every airline PR executive’s nightmare: a catchy country-music song, professionally edited with a humorous music video, that was quickly spreading across the Internet. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but the song was called “United Breaks Guitars,” by Canadian singer Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, and describes his fight with the airline to receive compensation after United baggage handlers in Chicago damaged his $3,500 Taylor guitar.

In the last week or so, the song/video (which only cost $150 to make) has reached almost three million views on YouTube, gained prime-time exposure on CNN’s Situation Room, and was the most popular song at the band’s concert last Friday. “Everybody was calling for that song the minute we hit the stage,” Carroll said to Rolling Stone. “It was unbelievable, 1,500 people raising their hands in the air to the ‘United breaks guitars’ tag line in the chorus.”

That’s got to be causing some serious pain over at United headquarters in Chicago. It’s bad enough when a YouTube video critical of your airline (no matter how light-heartedly) garners millions of views; it’s even worse when you see that the song has had such success that over a thousand people put their hands in the air to the words of “United Breaks Guitars.” How many of them are going to have that chorus line stuck in their heads at the first mention of United? And how many discussions of the song (”Did you see that video on YouTube?”) are going to evolve into discussions about a lack of customer service on United (”You know, I flew with them last April…”) ? And it’s not over, yet - there are still two more songs on the way.

Obviously, it’s hard to blame United for not seeing this particular incident arising. I don’t think a case where someone, slighted by an airline, has turned around and released a wildly popular country song about their experiences. But it does highlight some serious customer service policy deficiencies, ones that United is seeking to rectify. United Airlines’ PR department has been working hard to respond to comments on Twitter regarding the song, and has said that the video will be used for training, and that they’ve “apologized for, have fixed, and most importantly, learned from” the mistake, too. Airlines are starting to understand the power of social media - a $150 music video can be more effective than a multi-million dollar Madison Avenue ad campaign.

Perhaps airline reps everywhere now will be thinking in the back of their minds, “Could this turn into a smash YouTube hit?” After all, it worked for Carroll - national attention and a priceless amount of free publicity. Rolling Stone has said that Bob Taylor, of Taylor Guitars, personally phoned and offered Carroll two free guitars of his choice for the second video, while other airlines have reportedly offered him free tickets.” - Thanks to TheAirlineBlog

So, important lesson to all you pilots. Unless you want some YouTube video made about you (and don’t think it can’t happen) for your antics while either at the airport or flying, you are a representative and goodwill ambassador for aviation and your airline and the airline you represent and you should strive to uphold that image. You should be above reproach and your actions and professionalism are watched and commented on whether you think they are or not. You just don’t fly airplanes, you are customer service representative as well and the future of our industry partly rests on our shoulders.

To Your Flying Success…

Jeffrey

A Small Water Slide...

This is for those that secretly wish they were at a water park instead of enjoying the office today. Pretty amazing stuff. I hope that you enjoy it.

Playing for Change

"Watching new Playing for Change video made me happy. Go for it." - Ann Curry

Ann Curry posted this earlier and I couldn't resist. She is the greatest female journalist ever. You will probably recognize some of the artists. The way in which the collaboration was developed and produced was a uniquely enjoyable type of genius. Hope you enjoy the music.

Grounds of Hope: A Vision of First Baptist Church McKinney Texas

Followers of Jesus are called to be “salt” in the world. Among the implications of that role is the preserving effect that we can have. Unfortunately Christians are often considered to be people who are “against what is wrong” rather than “for what is right.”

Injustice is wrong. We should oppose that wrong. Rather than simply standing against wrong, our “salt” function would best be exercised by actively pursuing social justice. We do not just speak against injustice; we do what we can to raise justice.

We speak up for what is good. We join the Father whose favorite creation-account words were “this is good.” Salt preserves what is good in society and culture. When we do that, when we prove that God’s concern is for those who are oppressed, the world takes note.

That is what First Baptist Church of McKinney is seeking to do through Grounds of Hope. This coffee and arts venue will become a ‘third place’ for people in the city. There every cup of coffee that is consumed will benefit persons living in poverty. And those who picked the coffee beans will share equitably in the profits of the consumed beverage.

In the process, the church will be educating an affluent society that often has no knowledge that there are ways for all of us to treat the world’s population with dignity and respect. Ways for our expenditures to benefit the most marginalized populations in the world. Ways to pursue justice.

Some will doubtless say, “What does that have to do with the Gospel?” I encourage you to ask that question. Seek the answers from the right source. Try Micah 6:8, or 1 John 3:17 or just try the heart of Jesus, Luke 4:17-21. Good News means so much more than eternal security. Let’s be as concerned about people who are living without Christ as we are about those who are dying without him. He cares about their condition here and now!

You can visit the source from which Grounds of Hope coffees will come and learn more about the vision of First McKinney and Grounds of Hope by watching their videos below.

Grounds of Hope from Andrew Heath on Vimeo.

I hope to see you at Grounds of Hope this fall…with mug in hand.

Studies show millions of US kids are lacking in vitamin D

When I came into work this morning and pulled up my homepage on the internet, one of the top stories was entitled "Studies: Millions of U.S. Kids Lacking Vitamin D." I immediately clicked on the link to read the article. The first two paragraphs are as follows:

"Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans.

About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 — about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults — have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent — 50.8 million — have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday."

This is a HUGE problem and kids are being set up for failure. Parents in general are taking a back seat to their children's health. It is assumed that they are getting all the vitamins and nutrients they need in their Poptarts, school lunches, and happy meals.

According to the article, about 70% of children have insufficient amounts of the super important vitamin in their bodies. You think we have health problems now?! Just wait and see what happens if nothing is done to correct this problem. Heart disease, cancer, viral infections, and so on will go through the roof.

I am not trying to point a finger at anyone and say you stink as a parent. I'm only trying to raise your awareness of a very serious problem that could easily go overlooked and have damaging effects to your child's health. I have 3 kids of my own and never really thought about this vitamin until Dr. Mercola started touting it's importance recently, so I'm preaching to myself at the same time.

I'm sure by now you're thinking to yourself, "So how do I make sure my child is getting enough of the good stuff?" I'm so glad you asked.

First, we need to turn off all the video games and cartoons and get kids outside playing. It's not the playing part for the vitamin D but the sun exposure. Your body will naturally make the vitamin when your skin sees the light of day. In fact, one theory behind why the flu is more prevalent in the winter is because of dips in the general populations vitamin D levels from keeping skin covered up.

Getting kids more active will have a lot of positive health benefits besides boosting their vitamin D levels. It will also help their bodies develop neurologically, promote a healthier immune system, and help prevent type 2 diabetes. Of course, regular exercise for kids does a lot more for their body then just those few things. I just wanted to hit some highlights.

Second, you need to find a high quality Vitamin D supplements for your kiddos. I say high quality because that is important in the world of supplements. In general, vitamins and herbs are still very loosely regulated. Brand X in the grocery store doesn't always make sure that what they have in their pills match what the label says on the outside and the vitamin in said pills aren't always of a good absorbable form of whatever you are taking. If you don't take the time to know who you are buying your supplements from then you are literally urinating or pooping your money away.

I would also like to point out that there is no 1 company that is the "best" with a secret formula to get you more vitamin D. There are several companies that produce quality vitamins. The company I recommend is web-based because I can't find any brands in the grocery stores that are reliable.

I hope that I have raised the awareness of at least 1 person. Have an excellent day!