Cory Said:

Should President Obama lower the requirements for practicing medicine once Universal Health Care passes?

We Answered:

One form of the health care bill, had mandatory provisions for a minimum number of minorities a medical school had to have. This was regardless of the people meeting set standards or not. I am not aware if somewhere in the 2000 plus page monstrosity this little detail still exist, but I hope not (lowering the standards for entrance to med school)

Dawn Said:

How can I establish my own medicine/ health research-based company like Pfizer or Glaxo-Smith Kline?

We Answered:

If you want to actually _establish_ a company (not just work for one), then you'd better either find a way to come up with a cool hundred million, or become great friends with people who have them. Part of the reason those companies are considered giants is because of the giant resources it took to make them and maintain their standing today.

The "research and development" that they do is NOT cheap.

As for getting a job, most of them LOVE a masters student, and pay them very well to get a PhD as well. If you want a decent position within one, especially as a scientist, an undergraduate degree will not cut it.

Jessica Said:

What would you suggest as 'preventative medicine' to lower health-care costs?

We Answered:

I think the best plan for reforming health care is in Cassandra Nathan's book Save America, Save the World. You can see key points to her plan to reform the government run programs AND to offer insurance to the uninsured here:
QUALITY, ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE health care for all.
That means preventative care (physical with follow up). Real medication (no Medicare "donut holes" the really ill are ripped off again.) No bogus ridiculously low "caps" on needed medical procedures. No abuse of the ER. No paying for the silly with the sniffles to go to the doc for free. No more bankruptcies over medical bills. I want THIS plan that ends abuse of the taxpayer, takes the burden off employers, provides price transparency, and ends the rip-off of the US taxpayer at the hands of greedy insurance CEOs (which has been repeatedly documented).
http://www.booklocker.com/books/3068.htm…
Read the PDF, not the blurb, for the bulk of the plan. Book is searchable on Amazon.com
Cassandra Nathan's Save America, Save the World

There are several key elements in why that plan needs to be discussed. First it offers true preventative medicine by providing for an annual physical with follow-up visit for a reasonable co-pay. There is no substitute for folks having an age and circumstance appropriate physical--for the young and healthy it probably will involve few lab tests, etc. and focus on whatever fits for them. For those who are older (there's a reason we start doing routine screenings for certain cancers at different stages in life, for example) or have a family history that is alarming or have been exposed to something dangerous, then they need more than the average person in terms of screening.
It is always cheaper as well as far more moral to catch things early. By making the cost of an appropriate physical reasonable more people should take advantage of it.
Another feature of her plan is using group buying power, as the VA does, to get prescription meds at a more reasonable price. Appropriate medications can help control serious illnesses (such as diabetes) and reduce misery, complications, and overall health care expenditures. Isn't it interesting how common sensical notions go hand-in-hand with compassion?
The other key aspect to the plan is that it is primarily a catastrophic care plan so that people WILL bear the cost of most of their medical trips themselves. ONLY if they were to face an actual burden financially (and that's partially determined by the needs test factor--remember the premiums are even sliding-fee scale so everyone can afford them) would the insurance kick in. What that deductible that triggers coverage would be would be linked to inflation and most likely vary from state to state or such. We could also have something that recognizes that young folks making $80K a year can have a somewhat higher threshold of "catastrophe" than an 80-year-old who cannot realistically be expected to go work off medical debt and likely has less resources available to him.
Some will start screaming that's "unfair" but remember, we are replacing existing government programs and they do JUST that: Medicaid is for the poor--it's basically "free" to the user health care. Medicare costs are held lower than what most insurances would provide, so let's just admit the way things work and remove the abusive aspects to the taxpayer by shifting the majority of costs where it belongs--on to the user.
I say this as someone who has rarely had insurance, never made much money, and is and always has been chronically ill. A huge percentage of my meagre income has always gone to medical expenses.

Now your focus was on prevention--and we already have tons of information and programs out there. The notion that if it is available, people will use it or follow it is deeply flawed. EVERYONE already knows: no smoking, no drug use, don't get more than 20 extra pounds on you, exercise--at least walk--every day, eat a proper healthful diet, don't engage in casual sex, don't do stupid things like driving drunk--and what do people DO? Smoking is common, people don't want to regard pot as a drug, alcohol IS a drug and people will argue that fact, the majority of the country from children on is overweight....
To be blunt, the MOST effective form of preventative medicine is putting the bulk of the COSTS back on the person. If smokers end up needing 6 trips to the doctor beyond the physical per year and that costs them, maybe they'll find that sufficiently motivating to STOP smoking. If their health care is "free," there is zero incentive from that angle to stop--and you can see smoking figures in UHC countries--makes Americans look smoke free by comparison.
The truth is out there--but a lot of folks aren't interested in it. You can't force them to be healthy, but if they had economic consequences for bad decisions that would be a motivating factor.

Patsy Said:

Is too much medicine bad for overall health?

We Answered:

Don't think by the way you describe that you take too much.

All medicines have side effects, but the ones you mention in recommended doses are quite safe.

Elaine Said:

What are the costs of medicine, health procedures? Why is medicine in meltdown economically then?

We Answered:

I agree.

Ernest Said:

how was health and medicine during 16th century in England?(during the time Shakespeare was alive)?

We Answered:

Elizabethan Family Life - Health, Fitness, Illness and Medicines
The Elizabethan era was literally plagued by the Black Death, also known as the Bubonic plague. The Elizabethans had no idea what caused the spread of the plague ( it was carried by fleas and transmitted normally by rodents). The underlying cause of many of the Elizabethan illnesses was the lack of sanitation, especially in large towns or cities such as London. There were open sewers in the streets which were also filled with garbage. There was no running water. This was obtained from water pumps which helped to spread typhoid. Elizabethan doctors were Physicians, Surgeons, Barbers and Apothecaries. The best doctors were too expensive to employ, many would not attend cases of Typhoid or the plague. Home made potions and cures were often the only medicines available. It was the duty of an Elizabethan housewife to ensure that such medicinal recipes were available to her family. Elizabethan Food - fruit, root vegetables and many dairy products were viewed as unseemly to wealthy families. The family health of poorer families was sometimes better than wealthy families! There were no labour saving devices such as those enjoyed today so the fitness levels and strength of Elizabethan men and women were quite high.
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[edit] Health

[edit] Common diseases in the 16th century

RatsThe serious lack of sanitation in Elizabethan England, especially in big cities, gave rise to many diseases endangering the lives of the people in England. Streets were filled with rotting garbage, and animals were allowed to deficate wherever they wanted. Most of the people of the Tople land ate pigs and cows, which were known to eat garbage. This led to the attack of the sewage mouse. Sewers were blocked and rivers were contaminated by domestic waste. Epidemic diseases became increasingly common due to the growth of pests such as rats, fleas and lice, and were especially prevalent among children due to their high susceptibility to diseases.

Common diseases included:

Smallpox
Measles
Malaria
Typhus
Diphtheria
Scarlet fever
Chickenpox

Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411)As the 16th century was also a period of discovery and exploration for England, it is common that explorers and travelers contract diseases such as Malaria and sexually transmitted diseases like Syphilis in foreign countries and spread them when they returned to their homeland. However, the most devastating disease in England during the 16th century was the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death or the Black Plague, which killed an estimated 20 million people in Europe. It was suggested that the plague was transmitted by flea-bearing rats from Asia and North-western Europe. Given the poor sanitation conditions in England during that period, the pandemic spread with striking speed and eventually killed nearly one third of the English population by the end of the 16th century, though some estimates are that it could have killed up to two thirds of the population.


[edit] How were diseases treated?

LavenderAdvanced medicine did not exist back in the 16th century, therefore people sought for basic remedies to various illnesses usually by making their own medicine and potions using herbs and plants. Most people also preferred home medicine and household remedy as they were much cheaper than seeing doctors and physicians.

Examples for herbal and plant usage:

Treatment for Malaria: Cinchona, a plant derivative from Peru
Treatment for headache: Rose, Lavender and other sweet-scented herbs
Treatment for earache: Roasted onion (placed inside the ear)
Treatment for stomachache: wormwood, mint, and balm
Treatment for lung problems: liquorice and comfrey
Examples of home-made recipes to cure Bubonic Plague:

1.

"Take yarrow, tansy, featherfew, of each a handful, bruise them well together,let the sick urinate on the herbs, strain them, and drink the mixture."


Garnets believed to soothe mental illnesses2.

"Take sage, rue, briar leaves, elder leaves of each a handful, stamp them and strain them with a quart of white wine, and put thereto a little ginger, and a good spoonful of the best treacle, and drink thereof morning and evening."

People also tried to treat diseases using methods based on their superstitious beliefs. For example, some believed that the use of magic and gemstones could cure mental illnesses and emotional discomfort. Astrology was also widely practised. They also believed in the four different internal 'humours' (liquids) represented by the four elements of air, water, earth and fire, and that the disruption in the balance among the elementes would make one sick.





[edit] How long did people live?
In the 16th century, the life span was shorter than that of today. The average lifespan of an adult male was 47 years, while the life expectancy of people in London was 35 years for the richer ones, and only 25 years for the less affluent ones. Death in infancy or early childhood was common. Also, about 40% of the people died before their middle teenage years.[citation needed]

The average lifespan then was much lower than that of the present due to many factors. For example, due to the poor sanitation in England, especially in big cities such as London, epidemic diseases were widely spread. It was also very common for children to contact various diseases and die at a young age as some homemade medicine were ineffective and inadequate and many ill children were abandoned during the 16th century. Death in childbirth was also common. Moreover, due to the high costs of seeing a physician and the use of non-advanced medicine, people were unable to cure all diseases with their homemade medicine. Surgical procedures were also very basic without the use of high-tech machines and instruments. As the tools and instruments were not thoroughly and properly disinfected, wounds of patients were often infected which led to many deaths during the operations.


[edit] Diet

[edit] What did people eat?

Cartoon of meal being served to the royaltyPeople of different social status and financial ability consumed different food. The lower classes had a humble, unvaried diet consisting largely of bread, fish, cheese and vegetables. Vegetables were food for the poor as the rich considered food from the ground as lowly, while meat was a luxury for the rich. The Upper Classes had a variety of meat to choose such as venison, beef, pork, lamb and fowl. They could also choose from many different fish such as salmon, eel and different shellfish. They occasionally took vegetables such as turnips,carrots, and radishes and fruits such as apples, plums, and woodland strawberries. However, meat was still the main component of their diet. They were also fond of fancy desserts like pastries, tarts, cakes, and crystallized fruit and syrup.


Bread took up an important part in the diet during the Elizabethan era, and people of different statuses ate bread of different qualities. The Upper Classes ate fine white bread called Manchet while the poor ate coarse bread of barley or rye.

Therefore, both the rich and the poor had imbalanced diets. The lack of vegetables and fruits in their diets also caused a deficiency in Vitamin C, which usually results in Scurvy.


[edit] Was there enough food?
Trade and industry flourished in the 16th century, making England more prosperous, benefiting the Upper and Middle Classes by improving their standard of living, therefore there was enough food for them. However, the lower classes did not benefit much and did not always have enough food. As the English population was fed by its own agricultural produce, starvation and poverty were common during the 1590s because there was a series of bad harvests. More efforts were also placed on the trading of wool in the 16th century which put less attention in the agricultural aspect of the economy, resulting in further starvation of the lower classes. There was also famine in England in 1594-1600 and in Cumbria, the poorest and most isolated part of England, people died of starvation. Diseases and natural disasters also contributed to the scarce supply of food at that time.

Moreover there was the population explosion during the 16th century. Just by looking at London, there were only 100,000 people when Mary Tudor died, but by the time Elizabeth I died, the number of people there had doubled. There was also serious inflation at that time, and many people were competing for food. The wealth-gap problem was also huge. While a very small proportion of the population enjoyed their life in luxury, a large number of people could barely maintain their daily life. There were children, men and women begging in the cities and the children only earned six pence a week. With the industry in the country growing, the landlord could use his land for industrial or other purposes anytime, and the farmers would be thrown out of job. Also, even when the situation became so serious, instead of welfare, the government spent a huge amount of money on wars and voyages of exploration