Ebola UPDATE: This Is Getting Serious!

     I don't like to be reactionary and I don't like to panic, but thanks to a website called Natural News.com, there are some facts about the recent Ebola outbreak that I think you should know.  First, the family of Dr. Kent Brantly, the American doctor who has reportedly contracted Ebola while working in Liberia, has been quarantined in Abilene, TX.  His wife, Amber, and their two small children, who returned stateside, are under a 21-day watch for development of symptoms of Ebola.  (LATEST UPDATE:  Dr. Brantly is being moved to the U.S. for further treatment.  I honestly don't know if this is a good move or not.  While I want the best care for him, does this present a greater possibility of spreading the disease here at home?  My prayers are with him and his family.)
     That being said, I don't have to tell you what this could mean if any subsequent members of the Brantly family develop the disease.  This could potentially become a domestic national emergency scenario.  If there is a case of Ebola in Abilene, TX, what are the chances that it spreads?  Could an entire city be put under quarantine?  What is the likelihood that martial law is enacted to "protect the populace"?

     Secondly, I want to introduce you to TEKMIRA, a pharmaceutical company that is a self-proclaimed world leader in RNA interference (RNAi) delivery technology via nanotechnology.  INTERPRETATION:  genetic manipulation using nanotechnology.  Why am I telling you this?  Would it raise any suspicions on your part to know that TEKMIRA just received a $1.5 million cash contribution from Monsanto?  Or that one of their partners is Bristol-Meyers Squibb?  Or that this same pharmaceutical company also received a $140 million contract from the Department of Defense, and was granted a Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the development of it's vaccine, TKM-Ebola?
     Is this all coincidental, or do they know something we don't?  Wherever Monsanto is involved, you can bet that there is some underlying benefit to their bottom line.  In this case, the Wall Street Journal speculates that should an Ebola epidemic become reality, this deal could be worth over $86 billion for an effective Ebola drug.
     And I'm sorry, but are we taking all the necessary precautions to stop this horrible disease from becoming rampant in our country?  OK, we've quarantined a family in Texas, but what about the President going forward with a summit meeting in Africa this next week?  It seems to me that the continent of Africa is on the verge of panic, closing down borders and airline travel, yet we are going to endanger our government officials, and then possibly bring the disease back to our shores?  The subject of the vulnerability at our southern border should be obvious to everyone, yet I don't see precautions being taken.  How is it moral or ethical to maintain an "open borders" policy, when the world is experiencing a global Ebola outbreak?  The fact that the Department of Defense has dispensed Ebola Detection Kits to National Guard teams throughout all 50 states, doesn't really give me much comfort.  Detection kits won't stop the spread; they will just identify the current case.  I want some real prevention!
     Then, just in case you haven't seen this bit of news as reported by The Daily Mail, here is something you might want to pay attention to:  "Nigerian health officials are in the process of trying to trace 30,000 people, believed to be at risk of contracting the highly-infectious virus, following the death of American Patrick Sawyer in Lagos."  Just how in the world is that going to be accomplished?  And if this scenario isn't enough to scare you, consider this fact from the Public Health Agency of Canada:  "It takes just ONE aerosolized organism (a microscopic virus riding on a dust particle) to cause a full-blown infection in humans. This is why one man vomiting on an international flight can infect dozens or hundreds of other people all at once."  And now there is a potential for 30,000 people to be infected?  Multiply 30,000 by 12 or 100 and you can see where I'm going with this!
    The purpose of this post is not to unnecessarily scare you, but to inform you.  I believe that the MSM is down-playing this too much, and the government is not being forthcoming with their information or plans.  So I want you to know where it stands today, and to take as many precautions as you can ... and I would put prayer at the top of that list.

Revelation 18:4    Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;"
   

There's a Difference Between Condemning and Prohibiting

      

     In a twisted vote last week, the California State Assembly Health Committee voted down a bill that would have outlawed the practice of sex selection through abortion.  I say "twisted" because opposition to the bill by all of the Democrats on the committee came because they saw the bill as a prelude to broader abortion restrictions.
     Citing U.N. statistics that estimate upwards of 200 million girls around the world have been aborted merely because they were the wrong gender, supporters of the bill explained that countries like India and China are dominated by a male-child mentality, with mothers preferring future working men and family providers over the "burden" of baby girls.  You would think that would be enough to make sure that gender selective abortions never become the law of our land, wouldn't you?
     Add to that the very real possibility that women in countries like China and India, where sex-selection and late-term abortions are illegal, may now be coming to California to get the procedure done, capitalizing on the state's loose abortion laws. Assemblywoman Shannon Grove stated her support for the bill, which would outlaw gender selection abortions: "It's outlawed in India, but allowed in California; and people from other countries are coming to California because it's taxpayer-funded."
     So was it her warning, or perhaps a moral outrage that swayed her colleagues?  Not a chance!  "The way the bill is crafted, it seems to be a significant roll back on a woman's right to choose and that's not something I'm prepared to support," said Assemblyman Rob Bonta.  Another member of the Committee stated, "My constituents do not support this particular effort in restricting access to reproductive health services or interfering in that relationship that a woman has with her physician."  What are these people thinking?!?
     This statement will give you an idea exactly where they are coming from … Chairman of the Assembly Health Committee Dr. Richard Pan reportedly called the practice of gender-selection abortion "abhorrent," but still voted against the bill, saying, "It actually criminalizes the discussion between a physician and their patient around reproductive choices."
     They actually see this issue as being about reproductive choices? REALLY?  The sad fact is that although they voted down the official bill (Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act  or AB 2336), Democrats then introduced a resolution to condemn sex-selection abortion--but not to outlaw it!
     I guess they feel they've done their duty by introducing a resolution (ACR 149) condemning the practice of gender-selection abortion and designating the month of May as "Femicide and Gendercide Awareness and Prevention Month." Yeah, let's just make a lot of noise and call attention to ourselves,  but not really do anything about ending this evil practice.  There!  We've addressed it, so let's move on.  And, by the way, don't we all feel better now?
    But a spokesman for Assemblywoman Grove said it best, "The authors of this resolution oppose sex-selection abortion in theory, and will condemn it in a resolution. Yet they will not support a bill to actually outlaw the practice."
     You and I both know that leaves the door open for this sinful procedure to continue.  We can no longer point to the ignorance of Third World countries; nor can we say we are a country that safeguards women's rights --- it's all a sham!  When we knowingly and deliberately refuse to prohibit such a vile and obscene practice, and pretend that "condemning" it is enough; then we deserve whatever retribution God deems appropriate.  He will not turn a blind eye to our wickedness.  I can promise you that.

Ezekiel 23:7    "Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked."

MERS: It's Here!

   

     One of the most terrifying scenarios we can imagine is threatening the health of our nation.  The deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has now struck a second victim in Florida.  This deadly disease has infected 572 people worldwide, with 167 dying from the disease.  That is a 29.2% case fatality rate.

     The first case in the U.S. was a man who had worked as a health care provider in Saudi Arabia before traveling by plane to London and Chicago, and then by bus to Munster, Indiana.    He was discharged on Friday, with health officials hoping that was the end of MERS in America.  This second case in Florida has dispelled that optimism.
     The man in Florida also worked in Saudi Arabia and had returned home to Orlando to visit family.  At the moment, he is reported as responding to medical care and his prognosis is good; largely because his symptoms were mild and he was not coughing when he arrived at the hospital.  

    What is concerning to me is that the opinion of the World Health Organization concerning the seriousness of the disease, as well as its method of transmission, changes rapidly.  In February of 2013, WHO announced that "the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission appears to be very low".  But just three short months later, in May 2013, they warned that the MERS virus is a "threat to the entire world".  Further, they are investigating the clusters of cases where transmission of the virus has been from infected patients to healthcare personnel; a reversal of their opinion that it had not yet mutated to a person-to-person transferral system.  The Indiana case certainly seems to lead to that conclusion.

     But you should know that the real danger of this disease is fourfold:  it is spreading; it often masks itself as flu-like symptoms; there is no vaccine; and there is no cure.  To the first point, while Saudi Arabia is ground zero, with 483 of the cases, the disease has been identified in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Malaysia, Oman, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and now the U.S.  What's more, it is now apparent that the virus spreads from person-to-person through close contact, but might also be transmitted to humans from animals, according to the Center for Disease Control.

     Symptoms of the MERS virus include fever and cough, which are also symptoms of the flu. MERS can also cause diarrhea and shortness of breath, and can lead to pneumonia and kidney failure.  These symptoms are particularly dangerous for the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions, with nearly one-third of those infected dying.  You should not delay seeing your doctor if these symptoms persist.

     There is no effective treatment for the disease, and no vaccine is available.  All that doctors can do is address the symptoms.  You can see why this could potentially become a modern-day plague.  I personally know of many men who work in the oil-related industry in Saudi Arabia and frequently travel back and forth to visit family.  And since both cases in the U.S. have originated with American workers returning home for family visits, it seems to me we could have a recipe for disaster as this disease continues spreading.  And it is not lost on me, that both Old Testament and New Testament prophets in the Bible foretold that plagues and pestilence would decimate the earth's population.  

     I'm sure there are those who think that plagues are of the ancient world; that with our technology and advances in medicine, we will never be subject to such an epidemic again.  That might be true if it were not that the God of the Universe is in control, and His divine judgment takes many forms.  I pray that this deadly disease can be stopped in its tracks.  The fact that it has broached our shores should be cause for grave concern by all Americans.  

Ezekiel 5:12    "A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword."

     

Shame On The VA!

     I believe it is not too contrived to suggest that how a nation treats those who are willing to fight and die on behalf of its citizens, is a measure of how decent is that nation's heart.  And, my friends, I am heartsick over the way our veterans have been treated in their hour of need.
     As FrontPageMag reveals in a pointed article, the Veterans Affairs Department can no longer hide its abominable conduct toward our military veterans who seek the medical care they are due and have been promised.  Last month, at a hearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs, lawmakers from both parties accused VA officials of allowing veterans to die, due to delayed or withheld medical treatments at VA facilities.  That is unacceptable and loathsome!
     It is heart-breaking to hear stories like that of Gulf War Veteran, Barry Coates, aged 44.  Testifying before the House Committee, Mr. Coates said he is dying of cancer because a simple medical procedure was delayed at several VA facilities, including the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA medical center in Columbia, South Carolina.  Mr. Coates testified after being a part of an in-depth investigative report by CNN.  After suffering for more than a year from rectal bleeding and seeking a diagnosis, he was told he had hemorrhoids.  Now, his condition is terminal.
     But he is not the only veteran who was harmed because of lack of proper medical care by the VA.  The CNN investigation revealed that veterans waiting months for simple gastrointestinal procedures -- such as a colonoscopy or endoscopy -- have been dying because their cancers aren't caught in time.
     Because of the scrutiny, the VA has confirmed six deaths at Dorn tied to delays. But sources close to the investigation say the number of veterans dead or dying of cancer because they had to wait too long for diagnosis or treatment at this facility could be more than 20.  That is 20 too many!  And more than likely that number is much higher!
     Here are some further facts that are truly appalling:  In July 2011, a hospital physician sent a warning to VA administrators that the backlog for Dorn patients' gastrointestinal appointments had reached 2,500, and patients were waiting eight months -- until February 2012 -- for appointments.  Just several months later, in December of 2011, that backlog had grown to 3,800 patients.  It wasn't until September of 2013, that the VA's inspector general affirmed details of the delays at Dorn in stark language, stating that 700 of the delays for appointments or care were "critical."  
     Now, do you want to here what is even more disgusting?  Taxpayer money was actually given to fix the problem in September 2011, but only a third of the $1 million appropriated by Congress was used for its intended purpose at Dorn: to pay for care for veterans on a waiting list.  The explanation that the VA "redirected those dollars to go somewhere it was needed" is not good enough.
     You should know that the South Carolina VA medical center is not the only guilty facility.   Internal documents at an Augusta, Georgia VA facility showed a waiting list of 4,500 patients.  The same holds true for facilities across the country.  At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.  A retired VA doctor, reported that there's an "official" list that's shared with officials in Washington and shows the VA has been providing timely appointments. And then there's the "secret list"; the real list that's hidden from outsiders, where wait times can last more than a year.
     Yet, while veterans were getting sick or dying due to inexcusable delays, administrators got bonuses, not demotions, according to congressional investigators.  And it all makes me disgusted, angry, and very sad.
     As upset as I was over the lack of medical care that my own WW II veteran father received at local hospitals, I shudder to think of how he would have been treated in the VA system.  But the thing that is glaringly apparent is that the VA Administration (and our federal representatives) have neglected the system for far too long.  Proper updates in equipment, psychological treatment, and manpower have not been implemented.  They are overwhelmed with Vietnam Vets, Gulf War Vets, and now a growing and complicated set of medical needs from two ongoing wars that have lasted over 10 years.  Sadly, I do not think things will get better in time to save the lives that hang in the balance today.   As a country, we are out of money, and our veterans are once again sacrificing their lives -- unnecessarily and tragically.  As a nation, we have failed them; and that speaks to our moral decline as well as our misguided policies and mistreatment.

1 John 3:17     "But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"
   

WHO Predicts Global and Deadly Antibiotic Resistance

     The World Health Organization released a frightening report on the state of public health.  For years now, we have been warned that our love for antibiotics would eventually result in their ineffectiveness. Apparently, that time is on our doorstep.  This forecast is no longer merely a threat; according to WHO's latest report, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country. They say it loud and clear ... Antibiotic resistance–when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections–is now a major threat to public health.
     The WHO bases this announcement on analysis of data they received from 114 countries, world-wide.  To me the most startling news was the reality of antibiotic resistance in seven different bacteria responsible for common, serious diseases such as bloodstream infections (sepsis), diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and gonorrhea.

     Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Security, made this statement:  “Without urgent, coordinated action by many stakeholders, the world is headed for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been treatable for decades can once again kill.”  Look at it this way ... there could soon come a day when you get an infection from a cut or scrape you received working around your house or garden, and it could kill you.  Think I'm exaggerating?
     Dr. Fukuda went on to say, “Effective antibiotics have been one of the pillars allowing us to live longer, live healthier, and benefit from modern medicine. Unless we take significant actions to improve efforts to prevent infections and also change how we produce, prescribe and use antibiotics, the world will lose more and more of these global public health goods and the implications will be devastating.” [my emphasis].
     But think about it.  We all know someone who rushes to the doctor with every sniffle, headache and upset tummy.  They refuse to leave the doctor's office without a prescription for an antibiotic; whether they need it or not.  They have what I call "the magic pill" syndrome.  They are not willing to let their body heal itself in time.  It's just part of our instant gratification, gotta have it now, culture.  And we will pay the price.
     The key facts of this report were nothing less than astonishing and certainly alarming.  The report focused on the ineffectiveness of "last resort" antibiotics; those given when everything else has been tried.  These are just some of the findings:
•  Carbapenem antibiotics have long been used as a last resort to treat life-threatening infections caused by a common intestinal bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae.  Now the WHO reports that resistance to this family of antibiotics has spread to all regions of the world.  K. pneumoniae is a major cause of hospital-acquired infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, infections in newborns and intensive-care unit patients. In some countries, because of resistance, carbapenem antibiotics would not work in more than half of people treated for K. pneumoniae infections.
•  Another family of antibacterial medicines -- fluoroquinolones -- were hugely effective in the 1980s, when these drugs were first introduced, and resistance was virtually zero.  They were commonly prescribed for the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli.  Now today, because of overuse, there are countries in many parts of the world where this treatment is now ineffective in more than half of patients.
•  Did you know that more than 1 million people are infected with gonorrhoea around the world every day?  Third generation cephalosporins were the "go to" drug for treatment of this serious disease.  If untreatable, gonorrhea can eventually lead to joint infections, heart valve infections, and infections around the brain (meningitis).  Now consider the implications when these antibiotics fail to cure the disease, which is happening in Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Norway, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
•  Antibiotic resistance causes people to be sick for longer and increases the risk of death. For example, people with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are estimated to be 64% more likely to die than people with a non-resistant form of the infection. Resistance also increases the cost of health care with lengthier stays in the hospital and more intensive care required -- which increases your chance of getting more infections!
     It appears that the World Health Organization took their fact-finding mission seriously.  They compiled data and reported on the regions of Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific ... and they came up with a common thesis:  treatment with standard antibiotics do not work, and drug resistance must become the highest priority of health agencies around the world.
     And in case you're inclined to dismiss this report as a method to encourage the development of even more antibiotics for the drug industry (I will admit, not easily shrugged off), please read what England's Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies had to say.  She described the growing resistance to antibiotics as "a ticking time bomb", and said the danger should be ranked alongside terrorism on a list of threats to the nation.  That's enough incentive for me to try to build my immune system as strong as it can be, and to develop a health regimen to avoid infections whenever possible.  The rest is up to the Good Lord.

Revelation 6:8    "I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals."
  
   

The Justina Pelletier Story: Your Children Are Not Your Own

     Not since the Terry Schiavo case, has a family's battle over healthcare for a loved one been so contentious.  Until now, this story has been confined to local news outlets and sporadic coverage by the MSM.  But, defying a gag order, the father of 15-year-old Justina Pelletier is relating his family's nightmare in hopes of saving his daughter's life.  This might be just another sad story of a young girl battling a life-threatening situation, except that it looks as if it is the State of Massachusetts that is threatening her life.  Here are the facts, as reported by the Fox News outlet in Connecticut, the NYDailyNews, and TheBlaze

Justina, in a wheelchair
at the state psychiatric ward

     Justina, along with her older sister, Jessica, suffer from mitochrondrial disease.  Gastrointestinal disorders, learning disabilities, and extreme fatigue and muscle weakness are among its symptoms. The disease causes the body to have trouble converting sugar and oxygen into energy.  Justina was diagnosed with the disease by doctors at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, in 2011.
     In early February, 2013, Justina's parents took her to Boston Children’s Hospital with an apparent case of the flu.  Contrary to their desires, they say doctors at the hospital wanted to change her treatment regimen. Those physicians believed Justina had somatoform disorder, a psychological disorder that said the symptoms she experienced were all in her head. The Pelletiers, however, disagreed and believed she should continue treatment for mitochondrial disease, the disease she was diagnosed with and had been treated for by doctors at Tufts Medical Center.
     When the Pelletiers went to Boston Children’s Hospital on Valentine’s Day 2013 to have their daughter discharged and taken to Tufts, they were served with a 51A form instead — one that accused them of medical abuse. Essentially, they were accused of treating their daughter medically in a way that she didn’t need, and they called the cops.
     What resulted, for the Pelletiers, is the loss of custody of their daughter.  Justina was placed in a state psychiatric ward for nearly a year.  This January, she was transferred to a temporary residential program in Framingham while the court battles continue.  Justina’s parents have only been allowed supervised visits with their daughter, which only last for one hour every week. They say her condition has deteriorated during her time at the psych ward.

Justina, last year at ice-saking competition
before her nightmare began

     Until her medical troubles started, Justina was a normal young girl. She loved figure skating and her family, who live in West Hartford, Connecticutt.   Justina’s older sister, Jessica, was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease by Dr. Mark Korson, chief of metabolism at Tufts. When Justina started feeling sick in 2010, her parents took her to Tufts for an evaluation. She eventually came under the care of Korson, who diagnosed her with the same disease as her sister, then treated her with a “vitamin cocktail” and a number of other prescription medicines.
     Her condition seemed to be looking up until that fateful day in February, 2013 when she came down with the flu.  Her doctor, Mark Korson, recommended that the family take the girl to a colleague at Boston Children’s Hospital.  Justina was taken by ambulance to Boston Children’s, where a young emergency room doctor told the family that he “didn’t believe” in mitochondrial disease. A medical team at the hospital came up with a new treatment plan, which Lou Pelletier says was created without input from doctors from Tufts.
     When the family refused to sign this new plan, and attempted to check Justina out of Boston Children's, that's when their legal nightmare began.  The State took custody of their child, and they are fighting to get her back.
     After the family went to local media with their plight, Judge Joseph Johnston put a gag order on all parties involved in the hearings.  But earlier this week, Lou Pelletier, made a bold decision to break that gag order, by appearing on TheBlaze.  "She is going off a cliff," Lou Pelletier said of his daughter, who is now confined to a wheelchair. "She looks awful and is pale and her hair is falling out. Her gums are receding and she has no body strength.  She is pretty much paralyzed below the hips."
     As of yesterday, the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families has filed contempt of court charges against Lou Pelletier.  When asked if he regrets talking with the media, Pelletier said, “we’re all in” at this point.  "We are David, not against Goliath, but against two Goliaths— Boston Children's Hospital and the State of Massachusetts.  To me it's a hopeless cause, and the only way to win is in the court of public opinion.  I need to save my daughter.  If we don't do something, she is going to die."
     For an entire year now, the Pelletiers have fought to have Justina transferred to Tufts for treatment.  She has been able to sneak notes out to her parents, in which she writes that she is in extreme pain.  Can you imagine what that does to a parent's soul?  “I have a right as a U.S. citizen to take my daughter to what doctor I want to, and it’s been taken away,” Linda Pelletier said.  Her husband adds, " There are people with the power to stop this now ... the governor of both states, the attorney generals, the DCF commissioners all have the power, executive authority, to stop this.  The system has failed.  I am battling the medical world that thinks it knows everything."
     Unfortunately, I don't believe the Pelletier family's legal battles will be the first for Americans.  As our medical care is increasingly being dictated by the State, we can expect that medical decisions will not be our own.  Life, which is precious in God's sight, will be controlled by costs, bureaucracy, and a system that is soulless.  Welcome to the New World Order!

Comment:  Since Lou Pelletier defied the gag order, and spoke directly to national media outlet, TheBlaze, citizens have been outraged over this family's nightmare.  Naturally, their legal fees have bankrupted the family, and donations can be made at freejustina.com.

Psalm 82:3-4    Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

The Sorry State of Future Medical Care

    A frightening article on The End of the American Dream website detailed perhaps the worst part of the Obamacare debacle:  the tremendous doctor shortage that we will soon be facing.  According to the article, right now, the U.S. has close to a million doctors, and about half of them are over the age of 50. To put this all into perspective, most Americans don’t realize that we already have a shortage of doctors in this country; close to 20,000 nationwide.
     But remember that with half of the doc population over 50, many if not most of them will be retiring soon; and with the ACA disaster, you can likely count on sooner than later.  So, it is now being projected that we will need an additional 52,000 primary care physicians by the year 2025.  And that figure only denotes primary care physicians!  Overall, the American Association of Medical Colleges has projected that we will experience a shortage of more than 150,000 doctors over the next 15 years.

     And if you think that the ACA isn't a huge factor, just consider this fact:  a Physicians Foundation biennial survey of 13,000 doctors found that 60 percent would choose to retire today if they could. This is up from 45 percent when the survey was done in 2008, two years before the law was enacted.
     But besides the issue of retiring doctors, what if current doctors just decided not to accept Obamacare patients?  What if your current policy is canceled because it doesn't meet the minimum standards as set forth in the law, and you are forced onto one of these policies (that's if you can even afford them!)?  A poll conducted by the New York State Medical Society finds that 44 percent of MDs said they are not participating in the nation’s new health-care plan.  Another 33 percent say they’re still not sure whether to become ObamaCare providers.  Only 23 percent of the 409 physicians queried said they’re taking patients who signed up through health exchanges.  So even you somehow miraculously obtain a new government health care policy, there is no guarantee that you will find a doctor to accept it!
     We have to face it, folks!  As the article points out, we are entering a time when the U.S. medical industry is experiencing a massive transition.  Gone are the days of the friendly family doctor that would care for you and your children from the cradle to the grave.  Those old school physicians are slowly but surely leaving the profession.  And the relationship between doctor and patient has been savaged by the federal government, state governments, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and health administrators.  It just ain't what it used to be!
     So what is the solution?  How will we overcome the doctor shortage?  Well, I can tell you that higher premiums from those who are producers will not adequately cover those who are the takers.  Average citizens will be unable to afford health insurance and will just stop going to the doctor.  I guess fewer patients = less need for more doctors, right?  At least that's how the government probably solves this mathematical equation.  Living to a ripe, old age suddenly doesn't seem so attractive anymore.

Jeremiah 8:22     "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?"

Lungs For A Little Girl: A Picture Of Our Future?

     This last week, we all watched with anticipation, the battle between the government's Department of Health and Human Services, and the family of a 10-year-old little girl who were racing against time to save her life.  You know the story --- Sarah Murnaghan, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, was only weeks away from death and was being denied a lung transplant that could potentially save her life, because she didn't meet the age requirement of 12 to receive adult donor lungs.

     The controversy developed when Sarah's family challenged the transplant policy that made children under 12 wait for pediatric lungs to become available or be offered lungs donated by adults only after adolescents and adults on the waiting list had been considered. The problem was that pediatric lungs are rarely donated, and Sarah's condition was deteriorating rapidly.
     The contractor that supplies the lung donations, United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), balked at overruling the "Under 12 rule", which gives transplant priority to patients aged 12 and older over younger patients, regardless of condition.  Sarah's doctors felt she was a candidate for adult lungs, which are available in larger numbers.  When UNOS refused to consider Sarah's dire situation, or the opinions of her doctors at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, her family took her case to the Department of Health and Human Services.
     The Secretary of DHHS, Kathleen Sebelius, refused to intervene in the lawsuit brought by Sarah's parents, saying that medical experts should make transplant decisions. But guess which medical experts she wants to make these life-and-death decisions?  Not the patient's doctors, but the "medical panels" of the government institutions.  It's not as if Sarah's parents wanted to push her to the top of the list over other suffering adults; they just wanted their daughter to have a chance to receive lungs based on her condition and the availability.

     Thankfully, more compassionate hearts came into play.  Federal Judge Michael Baylson ordered Sibelius to lift the Under 12 rule for Sarah, and allow her to be given priority over older patients based on the severity of their condition, though only for ten days.  The family didn't have long to wait, and by mid-week Sarah had received her lung transplant and underwent successful surgery.  She has a long recovery ahead of her, but that word, "recovery", wasn't even a possibility before the judge's ruling.
     I understand that there are many sides to this controversy.  There must be regulations in place to keep corruption and money from interfering with the process.  But here's my concerns and fears:  the human factor is often ignored in these cases.  Rules must be followed, but when we have a chance to save a life -- without endangering another -- why wouldn't we be inclined to do that?
     Perhaps because we have created such huge bureaucratic, rule-making systems that no longer come in contact with the humans they are supposedly servicing.  In Sarah's case, the executive committee of the Transplant Network held an emergency meeting regarding her circumstances, but resisted making emergency rule changes for children under 12 who are waiting on lungs, instead creating a special appeal and review system to hear such cases.  They had the capability of giving Sarah the immediate help she needed, but chose to create another burdensome system!
     Of course, we now have bioethicists who have become part of the decision-making process, as well.  They are supposed to provide moral discernment as it relates to medical policy, practice, and research.  But where were they when Sarah needed them?  Most likely caught up in the red tape of some committee!
     Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan, of the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, had this to say, "In general, the optimum road to a transplant is still to let the system decide who will do best with scarce, lifesaving organs. And it’s important that people understand that money, visibility, being photogenic … are factors that have to be kept to a minimum if we’re going to get the best use out of the scarce supply of donated cadaver organs."  In other words, folks, organ donations are going to be scarce in the future, and we can't let your personal story influence "the system".  You need to remain a number in the network, where some faceless panel or committee can decide whether you live or die.
     I understand that we can't save everyone; that every life is precious and worthy of consideration.  But when we have the chance to bend a rule that doesn't exclude someone else from the medical help they need, why would we subject a fellow human being to a needless death?  Have we become a society where convenience and procedural correctness trumps our humanness and empathy for our fellow man?  How many more Sarah's are in our future?  How long before each of us is faced with this bureaucratic indifference?

Matthew 7:12    "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them ..."




   

The Tourniquet That Saved Lives

     If you are new to my blog, then I urge you to read a post from last August, titled Would You Know How To Handle A Medical Trauma?  And if you are a loyal follower, then please re-read it.  In this post, I talked about a class that I attended in which I learned how to use a SOF Tactical tourniquet.  As it turns out, this tourniquet is responsible for saving dozens of lives at the Boston Marathon last week.
     Because there were so many members of the military on hand, they had in their possession these life-saving devices, and if you go back and watch some of the video from the terror attack, you can actually see these tourniquets being applied.  And various news sources were quick to take note.  Hopefully, their reporting will make more people aware of this critical devices, and take steps to obtain their own.
      FoxNews reported, "Although tourniquets have been used to stem blood loss since at least the time of the Roman Empire, modern military surgeons had grown to doubt it. There were no good studies proving their benefit. And there was a common belief that some tourniquets could do more harm than good, cutting off blood and oxygen to limbs and resulting in amputations."  But I can tell you that after my several visits to our Wounded Warriors, the tourniquet has saved lives that would have been lost in past wars.  And Nicholas Yanni is now a believer.

    Fox went on to report that Nicholas, who is from Boston, was with his wife and friends watching another friend cross the finish line when the explosion occurred. Yanni's wife had an injury to her lower left leg. Another woman with them had a leg injury, too. Yanni ducked into a nearby sports store for T-shirts that they tore to create a tourniquet.  The blood flow was stemmed until she was transported to Tufts Medical Center, where repairs were made to her lower left leg; a result of shrapnel from the blast.
     Brennan Mullaney, a Captain in the Army Reserve, served 15 months during the “surge” in Iraq, and is fully aware of the damages to life and limbs from IEDs.  He was running in the Marathon, when his military experience was put into effective use.   “When we’re deployed, we all carry tourniquets — nice ones,” said Mullaney, now a graduate student at Tufts University. “When you see missing limbs, the first thing all of us know [to do] is to tie a tourniquet.”
     The Military Times reported that Hospital workers saw “many patients come in with tourniquets. Some had multiple tourniquets. They definitely saved patients’ lives,” said Michael Yaffe, a trauma physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where 24 patients were treated.  “A lot has emerged from the Iraq and Afghan wars,” adds Yaffe, who is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. “A tourniquet is a standard piece of equipment for a soldier to carry now. They might wear one out on an assignment and not tighten it unless they have to.”

     And that's the point I want to make to you.  Although make-shift tourniquets of T-shirts were used in Boston, the better solution is to have a SOF tourniquet handy.  As I learned in the trauma class, a tourniquet should be a standard piece of equipment that you keep in your trauma kit.  And that trauma kit should be with you at all times!  Because there were people who adhered to this principle, countless lives were saved in Boston.
     This is something simple you can do to make sure you are always prepared.  But I want to further advise you to be sure and find out how to properly administer a tourniquet.  Be responsible!  But, for once, the media was the source for disseminating valuable information, and I advise you to take notice!

Psalm 107:19-21    "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.  He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men."

Sacrificing Our Children At The Altar of Madness

     The Reuters news agency released a startling report a couple of days ago that "a Presidential ethics panel has opened the door to testing an anthrax vaccine on children as young as infants."  After the obvious backlash from .... oh, let's just say, anyone who is ..... SANE!, the official Commission who proposed this ridiculous experiment is attempting to back off.

     That would be the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, who, while claiming they would have to overcome "numerous hurdles", has nonetheless sent the proposal to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who will ultimately decide whether to take the steps the commission recommended.  Whew!  That gives me some sense of relief that reason will prevail!  How about you?
     This is the same Kathleen Sebelius who has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood; received major campaign contributions from notorious (and deceased) abortion doctor George Tiller; and who, as Governor of Kansas, vetoed a bill that would have strengthened that state's late-term abortion laws.  So forgive me, if I don't exactly have a lot of confidence that she will make the proper moral decision.
     Back to the anthrax experiments on our children.  It's kind of hard to follow the path to how we ended up at this monstrous notion.  Apparently, this ethics commission took up the issue after the National Biodefense Science Board recommended the testing in 2011.  Just who is this Science Board?  Well, this federal advisory board [to the HHS] was created in 2006 to make recommendations on a variety of federal disaster preparedness and response issues. The issues include the effectiveness of the National Disaster Medical System and federal management of the research into the medicines, vaccines and equipment needed to protect our populations's health from bioterrorism and pandemic disease.
     Here's the caveat: the National Biodefense Science Board required that the study receive a go-ahead from a bioethics panel.  Enter our Presidential ethics panel, mentioned above.  This so-called "ethics panel" stipulated that "Many significant steps would have to be taken" before a pediatric anthrax vaccine trial could be considered; yet it appears that the "seeking of knowledge" trumps the safety of our children.  Ethics panel Chair Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, was quoted at a news conference as saying, "Balancing the need to protect children against the need to know, for instance, the safe dose of the vaccine, made this 'one of the most difficult ethical reviews a bioethics board has ever conducted' ".
     Not difficult enough, it would seem.  Vera Sharav, founder of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, predicted that such a study would cause "moral harm for us as a nation and suffering for the children. They should have said, 'thou shalt not.'"  Absolutely!

     What kind of ethics panel could even consider subjecting infants to the effects of anthrax vaccines?  It is not only immoral, but repugnant!  Yet while the presidential bioethics panel conceded that "there is no prospect of direct benefit to children" who participate in an anthrax-vaccine study, they are still willing to subject the children to a vaccine in which the side effects in children are unknown.  Who do they think they are?  Dr. Frankenstein?
     Because of the outcry over testing on infants, one suggestion has been to begin the study on 18-year-olds.  "You'd work your way down from 18-year-olds," said Dr. John Parker, a retired army major general and chairman of the biodefense board. "If it were safe you'd go to 17-year-olds, then 16-year olds." After each round showing minimal harm, "you'd ask permission to move on to younger children."
     The youngest age for testing is not clear, said Parker, "but the immune system of very young children is different from older people's."  Results in 16-year-olds or even 5-year-olds might not reveal whether the vaccine is safe in babies, who would therefore have to be studied, too.
     Jeanne Guillemin, author of a 2011 book about anthrax attacks, titled "American Anthrax," says that  data collected by the U.S. Army on the side-effects experienced by soldiers, should be enough to dismiss any such studies on children --- of any age.  In the largest study of the anthrax vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2008 that in 1,563 adults who received the vaccine, there were 229 "serious adverse events" such as cardiovascular disease, intracranial aneurysm and seizure, though only nine were blamed on the vaccine. Much more common were milder reactions such as soreness near the injection site, itching, fever and malaise.
     That's all I need to hear!  From my understanding, most forms of the anthrax disease are lethal.  So why in the name of Almighty God, would a supposedly humane ethics panel even consider the risks of any such tests on children?  But I think I've answered my own question.  There is nothing humane or ethical about a board of government bureaucrats who could suggest such a proposal.  And I don't care if a majority of the board are doctors!  Many of them are part of the Atheistic Elite who see us plebes as fodder for their scientific egos.
     As a closing comment, I thought you would find this fact interesting:  Under a 2005 law, children in an anthrax-vaccine study would be prohibited from seeking damages through the legal system.  Does that really surprise you?  But out of the goodness of her heart, the Ethics panel Chair, Amy Gutmann "strongly recommended that a plan be put in place to compensate any children" who are harmed.  Kind of sounds like they are expecting some sort of negative outcome, doesn't it?  All I can say is, Hide your children!

Proverbs 8:13    The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way; And the perverse mouth I hate.

 

A Stitch In Time .....

     A few weeks past, Peace-Loving Warrior and I worked to orchestrate a beginner's Suture and Wound Care class for a group of our friends and associates who were interested in knowing how to handle different open wounds.  We just happened to have a couple of friends (one a doctor, the other a veterinarian) who agreed to show us the basics of suturing.  NOTE:  Neither professional was there to promote our practicing medicine on our own.  We all knew that whenever possible, these measures should be undertaken by a medical doctor.  And I am not advocating that this post will in any way render you capable of supplying such medical care.  It is not my intention to give you a step by step of the intricate maneuvering of your hands.  That is simply too hard to render in print. I am simply telling you about my experience. 

     Our little group was mainly interested in learning this technique from a SHTF scenario.  We wanted to know when to leave a wound open and when it was necessary to close one.  We didn't want to get deep into grave or critical wound care; but be able to manage simple suturing and know how to properly care for wounds. Here is some of the information we learned:

 When to leave a wound open:                                     

 • when the wound is dirty or contaminated                 

 • when it is already infected (red, hot or swollen)      

 • when the wound is over 8 hours old                       

 • when the wound is a large or gaping injury  

When to close a wound:
• when you are sure the wound is clean
• when the wound is not infected (for sure)
• when there is not dead or burned tissue
    (you may need to cut out the bad tissue)
•  when the wound is less than 8 hours old
•  when the wound is deep
•  when skin edges are close, but not close enough
•  when wound is across a joint  

     We were advised that there are several ways in which to close a wound, including butterfly closures, Steri-Strips and surgical glue, but our group was mostly interested in learning the techniques of suturing.  We began by covering the basics as far as cleaning the wound.  We knew we could research this on our own, and most were knowledgeable that both Betadine and water, along with an irrigation tool were useful for cleaning wounds.  If Wet/Dry dressings needed to be applied, then we were instructed that water is best; maybe with a little Betadine as an antiseptic. Honey, lavendar oil and of course, triple antibiotic ointment are good supplements. Sterile gauze should be applied as the dressing, and changed at least twice a day.  And it was a no-brainer that gloves were mandatory.   

     But it was the hands-on of needle and thread that we were most interested in.  The day before, PLW and I had purchased several dozen pigs feet from the local market and we got quite a few stares as we stood in the checkout line.  But pigs feet are the closest semblance to human skin, and once everyone got past the thought of what they were working with, we settled down to our task.  And it was really simpler than I thought it would be!
     Everyone had purchased a suture kit and a box of 3-0 nylon suture thread on Amazon, at the combined price of about $25.  So we all donned our gloves, received our pigs foot and went to town.  We made an incision in our foot with a surgical scalpel.  We cleaned the area with alcohol, and injected both sides of the cut with 2 ml of antiseptic before we began suturing.  Holding the forceps in our left hand, and the needle holder in our right hand, we began about 1/4 inch from the laceration.  We lifted the skin flap and inserted the needle at a 90° angle, which minimizes the size of the entry wound and promotes eversion of the skin edges.  After the needle pierces one side of the wound, it is inserted through the opposite side and the suture needle and thread are pulled through.  In general, the 2 sides of the suture should become mirror images, and the needle should also exit the skin perpendicular to the skin surface.

As you can see, my attempt on the right is much
more even and symmetric.  I got better over time!

   Then we were shown a simple technique of tying a square knot and clipped the thread, leaving about a 1/4 inch of it hanging.  We made three to five sutures on our cut and then subjected our pigs foot to another laceration.  It didn't take more than two or three tries to get the hang of the simple suture technique.  I'm not saying that I became adept after one short lesson, but the procedure is not as mysterious or frightening as it was before I took needle in hand.  It is still a very serious situation to be faced with an open wound and the possibility of infection, but knowledge is powerful.
     We also had the opportunity to work with a stapler, and I found that much faster and simpler.  And medical staplers are also available online.  All in all, it was a positive experience and worth the time to become familiar with the instruments.  I would recommend that you research this yourself, and if possible, find a medical professional who is willing to show you the technique.  You can also watch videos on the procedure at www.doomandbloom.net.  Of course, PLW is hoping he never has to be the recipient of my suturing skills, but at least I know it is something I can do if faced with an emergency and no doctors available.

   
Luke 5:15     "Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses." 

Sudden Outbreak of Shingles?

     OK, it's Saturday morning, and maybe my mind has wandered a bit outside my normal range of topics.  But I can no longer ignore what I'm about to talk to you about.  There will be some who will see me as donning my conspiracy theory hat, but I ask you to hear me out.
     About three weeks ago, PLW began complaining of a persistent earache, and then a burning sensation on his neck.  Within a day or two blistery-type lesions appeared on the back of his neck.  Within another two days or so, he had a full-blown case of the shingles .... "the worst" the doctor had ever seen.  We had a couple of scary days, as the lesions progressed to his face, and we worried about his eyes--- shingles can cause blindness.  Now, you need to understand that shingles are usually a by-product of stress, although a trauma or injury to the body can also be the culprit.  But since, if you know PLW, he rarely gives into stress, we credited a weekend project that involved him lifting sixty 80-pound bags of concrete as the source of the outbreak.

     I have to tell you, that I have never seen him so sick or in so much pain.  He also ran a 102-degree fever, which the doctor could not explain.  A late administration of an anti-viral drug stopped any further outbreak, and a neuro-gel prescribed by another doctor helped deaden the nerve endings and bring him some relief.  I  have never him in so much pain.  He said it felt like the stings of a hundred scorpions and he could now understand why those inflicted in the Book of Revelation by the stinging locusts would want to take their own lives.   I would have chalked it up to just an unusual event in our lives except for what happened in the coming days.
     First of all, the rare cases of shingles that have come into my sphere of family and friends, have always been among what our culture would term "the older population."  In fact, shingles usually happens to people over 60 and closer to 70 years of age.  Yet PLW is 10-20 years younger than those age groups.  Then the fact that two weeks later, his sister is diagnosed with shingles.  And just this week another friend of ours has come down with a severe strain of shingles that causes a palsy in the facial muscles.  His concern is that sometimes that muscle tone does not return.  The curious thing is that all these people are far younger than the average age of shingles patients.
     As you can imagine, I started wondering about this "coincidence."  And I began to hear about more and more cases of people popping up with the shingles.  Even ten years ago, you only heard of the occasional case of shingles, and then usually among the elderly.  Now, I was hearing about multiple cases, and all of them in the recent past.
     Then just yesterday morning, a very good friend forwarded me an email with a most interesting link.  it was of a Youtube video that talked about the rising number of shingles cases and questioning whether it could be in conjunction with the increasing number of sighted chemtrails.  The doctor in the video, Dr. Edward Group, is a natural healing proponent and comes with a pretty good case of credentials.

alleged "chemtrails"

     And just in case, you're not familiar with what chemtrails are, Wikipedia defines the term "chemtrails" as coming from the words "chemical trails" in the same fashion that the term "contrail" comes from the words "condensation trail." It is a term coined to suggest that airplane contrails are formed by something other than a natural process of engine exhaust hitting the cold air in the atmosphere.  Long labeled a "conspiracy theory" by so-called "scientists", there are those who sincerely believe that the criss-crossing of condensation trails in the sky are actual aerial sprayings containing chemicals such as barium and aluminum salts, polymer fibers, thorium, or silicon carbide.
     Whether you believe this as fact or call it a hoax, you cannot deny the countless reports from concerned citizens who have witnessed these strange, wispy cloud formations in the sky.  Just Google "chemtrail" and see that this subject is not treated lightly.  Read the myriad of articles and look at the images, then decide for yourself.  The fact that reports come from all over the globe, and that "official" responses to the allegations have been somewhat vague, only serve to lend more credibility to the witnesses of actual events.  For instance, in Britain, when the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was asked "what research her Department has undertaken into the polluting effects of chemtrails from aircraft", the response was that "the Department is not researching into chemtrails from aircraft as they are not scientifically recognised phenomena...".  Not that they don't exist; they just don't recognize them and therefore aren't studying them.

accepted contrails

     And in a response to a petition by concerned Canadian citizens that "chemicals used in aerial sprayings are adversely affecting the health of Canadians," the Government House Leader responded by stating, "There is no substantiated evidence, scientific or otherwise, to support the allegation that there is high altitude spraying conducted in Canadian airspace. The term 'chemtrails' is a popularized expression, and there is no scientific evidence to support their existence."
     Hmmm, "no substantiated evidence" and "no scientific evidence" are terms I would be willing to apply to Global warming, as well.  So, excuse me, if these denunciations aren't exactly convincing.  And we've seen how the "scientific evidence" for Global Warming has been increasingly challenged.
     Then in 2001, United States Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced legislation that would have permanently prohibited the basing of weapons in space, and he listed chemtrails as one of a number of exotic weapons that would be banned.  So why enter them into the Congressional record if they don't exist?
     I will assert that I am highly unqualified to prove the validity of chemtrails, but I will tell you that I have seen them.  These supposed "condensation trails" have appeared in the sky, been highly visible and lasted far longer than the trails from commercial airliners.  I cannot say that they are the definitive cause of the recent and unprecedented outbreak of shingles among a population that is normally not susceptible to them.  But I will tell you that I witnessed such "trails across the sky" a few weeks before PLW became so frighteningly ill.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  But if I continue to hear of more cases among younger members of our community, then I just might have to start wearing a tin-foil hat.

Psalm 41:3     "The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness."

My Prescription Saga Continues

     Remember about a week ago when I told you about my troubles with getting a prescription filled at Walmart?  Well there's a new twist to this seemingly unremarkable story.  I visited with the small, independently-owned pharmacy in the little town about 20 miles from my home.  The owner/pharmacist was only too happy to accept my business and assured me that there should be no change in my Blue Cross coverage.  We were mutually satisfied with our new relationship, and I made plans to pick up my prescription the next day.
     When I went to pick up the medication the next day, I was given the wrong one.  My doctor specifically requests that my medication be name-brand, not a generic substitute.  No problem, they would correct it and I could pick it up later that afternoon.

     When I returned, I was surprised to find that the medication was $10 more than it was at Walmart.  I just assumed that Walmart was able to get a huge discount, due to their volume, but just wanted to make sure there wasn't another mixup.  By this time, the friendly neighborhood pharmacist recognized me, and was always courteous and patient.  His understanding was that there shouldn't be any difference in price, since it was regulated by Blue Cross.
     He looked into the cost breakdown, noting his actual cost for the medication, what Blue Cross was willing to allow him, and then what my part of the cost would be.  The deep frown and puzzled look gave me a clue that something wasn't kosher.  He asked, "How much were you paying for this medication at Walmart?"  I told him, "$7.57."  He said, "Something's not right .... the medication costs me $24.75; for it to cost you $7.57, they would pay me $17.18 ---- but they're only paying me $7.25, which is why your price is $17.50 ($10 higher than at Walmart).  Let me give them a call and see why there's such a discrepancy."
     Of course, it took awhile to get through to the Blue Cross customer service representative, and this kind gentleman patiently explained his questions, and then I saw his jaw clench and sparks begin to shoot from his eyes.  I listened to his end of the conversation .... "So you're telling me that regardless of the U.S. government and FDA regulations, you are going to consider this drug as a generic, and refuse to pay me the name-brand price?"  I could tell by his reaction, that he didn't get the answer he wanted.
     He hung up the phone and shook his head in disbelief.  "They admitted that your medication is a brand-specific thyroid medicine, but they have arbitrarily decided that they will treat it as a generic, and only pay me that amount.  If I charge you the Walmart price, then I am losing $10."
     I could see that we had a dilemma before us.  One of us was going to be out $10.  I told him I would check with my doctor and see if he would allow me to switch to the generic version.  I already knew the answer .... generic brands are allowed to have a greater variance in the dosage.  With a thyroid condition, my doctor wants me to have a consistent dosage which guarantees a uniform level for my thyroid.  After much thought, I returned to the pharmacy and told the owner that I had decided to absorb the cost myself.  It was worth it to me to support a small business owner and receive exemplary service.  I was through with the Walmart "attitude" and besides .... if I insisted on forcing him to lose money, then he would soon go out of business and Walmart would be my only choice.  No thank you!
     He maintained that it wasn't fair, but I held my ground and said I was comfortable with my decision.  After all, PLW and I are small business owners, and we need to support each other, because heaven knows, when the full impact and knowledge of Obamacare comes crashing down around our heads, we are all going to have to make adjustments.
     So I guess my point to this whole story is that Big Insurance is pretty much making up their own rules at this stage of the game; what will it be like for us consumers when we are pitted against them AND the Federal Government?  Better get your ducks in a row, folks.  Talk to your physicians and make a plan.  Be prepared for changes like we've never seen before.  It's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Romans 15:2     "Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up." 

They've Finally Said It .... Death Panels!

     In a New York Times op-ed piece, lawyer and economist Steven Ratner opened his feature article with the bold statement, "We need death panels."  Before we explore this declaration, we need to answer the question, Who is Steven Ratner?  Mr. Ratner has a noted and distinguished resumé.  He recently served as the "Car Czar" in Barack Obama's administration; he served 20 years as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley; he has been an economic counselor at the NY Times, writes a monthly column at the Financial Times, and is the economic analyst on MSNBC's Morning Joe.  So you would think he has his finger on the economic pulse of our country.

     I guess that depends on what direction you want the country's economy to proceed.  Mr. Ratner was appointed Counselor to Secretary of Treasury, Timothy Geithner, and became the lead auto adviser in determining how to handle the insolvencies of General Motors and Chrysler.  He apparently was the man behind the plan for American taxpayers to pony up $82 billion in taxpayer "investment".  This plan ultimately resulted in the closure of 2,000 dealerships and the loss of tens of thousands of auto industry jobs.  So when this man says we need death panels, we better pay attention.  His words could result in major public policy changes.
     These particular words strike fear in the hearts of every American who instinctively knows that ObamaCare includes these morally repulsive panels.  Now to be fair, Ratner softened his initial statement by saying, OK, maybe not "death panels" per se, but rather ... "rationing".  That's supposed to make us feel better???  And his article showed exactly who he has in his crosshairs ..... Medicare recipients.  Since I am officially in the Baby Boomer generation, Medicare is on the horizon.  Although it's not in my near future, if ObamaCare remains law, I will be subject to such "health care resource allocations."
     Please know that I am aware that we are facing rising costs in the treatment and care of our elderly, as the Baby Boomer generation approaches their declining years.  But, as I read Mr. Ratner's opinion piece, I was flabbergasted.  He predictably chastised Paul Ryan for his plan to increase competition as a solution, while also chastising President Obama for his vague plan of creative ideas, as-yet-to-be determined innovations, and lessening reimbursements.  Because, you see, Steven Ratner thinks all this is political maneuvering, and the solution is easy and simple:  "reducing the cost of treating people in the last year of life."  He doesn't even try to sugar-coat it!

     He goes on to say that yeah, yeah, he knows it's hard to lose an aging parent.  But it's simply not cost-effective to try every treatment available, regardless of the cost or success rate; especially since these procedures cost Medicare more than a quarter of the program’s budget.  It imposes such a huge cost on society, and well .... Grandma just isn't worth it.  And besides, other countries have already adopted systems that ration care, so why shouldn't we?  He even quotes some program in Great Britain that came up with a "quality-adjusted life year system" that puts a price on the health care costs of sustaining that last year of Grandma's life ---- $48,000.
     It's all about numbers for Steven Ratner.  The acceptable number of 79,000,000 Baby Boomers equals increased costs of medical care as they age; and if you can eliminate that last costly year of their lives, why, just think how many $48,000 drains on the system can be avoided?  According to Ratner, these Death/Advisory Panels should at least be able to "recommend" changes in the cost or services available.  Interpret that to mean a big fat "NO!" to end-of-life options.
     I just can't wrap my head around how one man can cultivate a philosophy that promotes such disdain for our aging population.  It's irreverent, disrespectful and godless.  And I would venture to guess that godlessness is probably at the root of this man's reasoning.  It's the only thing that makes sense.  If one has asked God into his heart, it is unthinkable to put a price on a life.  And that's what this is; reducing each of us down to dollars and cents.
     The last sentence of Mr. Ratner's article says, "We may shrink from such stomach-wrenching choices, but they are inescapable."  Mr. Ratner, I doubt that you include yourself in the masses that you so indifferently condemn to sub-standard care, but I pray that men like you could somehow learn that mankind is not in control of their own destiny.  There is Someone else who is in charge of every minute we are here on this earth.  And while, you, Sir, may have power over the institutions that govern our care, and you may be able to determine if I receive a procedure that could prolong my life, I am grateful that you will never have command in the next life .... this existence is temporary, and eternity awaits me.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-12       "I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live."

Would You Know How To Handle A Medical Trauma?

     Medical Trauma is something I never felt I needed to be too concerned with.  After all, you just call 9-1-1, right?  An EMS unit shows up, takes over, and you or your loved one is treated on the spot, or transported for further medical treatment.  But we all need to realize that it is entirely possible that you might be the first responder  ---- or the ONLY responder ---- if the SHTF.
     With those concerns in mind, PLW set about finding how many people would be interested in learning some basic medical techniques, and then locating some medical personnel that would be willing to teach a non-licensed group, within the bounds of what the law allows.  We really wanted to find someone who had both medical and military training, since they were likely to have knowledge of the kinds of wounds that any of us might encounter at the scene of a car accident, a hunting accident, or accidental shooting at the gun range.

     So, for eight hours this last Saturday, I was part of a group of people who took this responsibility seriously.  We were taught by a husband/wife EMS team who have also served as Military Medics, both overseas in the War on Terror and stateside, in the National Guard.  While they made it clear that there is a difference between Civilian Trauma and Combat Trauma, there are many similar scenarios.  We could learn from their treatment techniques and possibly help save a life.
     Obviously, if TEOTWAWKI occurs, severe injuries will result in loss of life.  But there are some injuries that we, as civilians and non-medically trained personnel, can do something about:  1) Bleeding from extremity wounds,  2) Lung trauma (Tension Pneumothorax in medical jargon); and 3) Airway Obstruction Trauma to the face or airway.  Just knowing how to react and treat these three types of injuries can help you to save your own life or that of your buddy or loved one.
     The first thing we learned was how to treat bleeding from a wound to an extremity.  We learned how to identify whether that wound required a tourniquet (in the case of arterial injury) or combat gauze (due to profuse bleeding; a venous injury).  We learned where to apply a tourniquet and how to correctly apply it; and which tourniquet they recommended.  We practiced applying them to each other; one to the arm, one to the leg.  We learned what it should feel like and how to apply it quickly.  Additional information was given on how long to leave it on, feeling for a pulse, and when in a crisis, it's "Life over Limb."
     Watching a video on applying combat gauze was most helpful.  It was one thing to have someone tell you to stuff the wound, layer the gauze, while continuing direct pressure, and holding that pressure for at least three minutes .... and it's another thing to see what that actually looks like.  That picture in my head will serve me well if I'm ever confronted with a compressible hemorrhage.  If you are interested in watching this video, you can click here.  (WARNING:  THE VIDEO IS GRAPHIC, but this was an actual military training exercise performed on a pig, showing the use of combat gauze and demonstrating the proper technique. If blood isn't your thing, please skip it.)
     We learned about treating sucking chest wounds with a Chest Seal or HALO, which helps stop bleeding and the devastating results of a collapsed lung.  We also learned how to apply a nasopharyngeal tube (to a medical dummy), in case we are ever confronted with an airway obstruction.  We learned how to recognize shock and prevent hypothermia.  We learned how to assess a penetrating eye trauma, and construct an eye shield out of a dixie cup.

SOF Tactical Tourniquet

     And finally, we learned how to build our own "blow out kit."  This kit is something that you can keep with you as part of your BOB, and it includes many items you may already have, (such as ace bandages, thermal blanket, tarp, etc); while introducing new items that are more medically-related (SOF Tactical tourniquets, Quik Clot, Chest Seal, etc).  You can buy already-assembled kits and supplement them with necessary items like stethoscopes, scissors for cutting away clothing, and gatorade mixes for dehydration.
     But most importantly, get together a group of like-minded people, seek out expert medical training and put together a kit that will enable you to attend to a variety of trauma and medical situations.  Our professional medical team is going to put together an extensive 2-day CPR course for us in the fall; expanding on what we learned this first session.  I just don't think we can go wrong in having this information.  It only makes us more prepared for the eventual emergencies and crises we will be facing.  

1 Peter 2:24       “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”