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Winner: $1000 Health Article Writing Contest 2010

2010-04-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

Last year in October we launched a contest on writing health articles. Of all the entries received, the followings were shortlisted for the contest.

• Swine Flu: A Pandemic Disease of 2009
• Heart Surgery Problems
• Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you
• Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine.
• Battle of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States
• Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…

Although all entries deserved some kind of prize, our selection panel had to decide in favor of one. After our revisions, the following three articles were selected.

• Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you
• Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine.
• Battle of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States

The biggest task was to honor the best article.
To guide us in this process, we used our readers’ ratings.

• Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you:
funny (5), interesting (16), cool (14), with 3 comments

• Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine:
funny (10), interesting (12), cool (5), with 1 comment

• Battle of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States:
funny (3), interesting (13), cool (6), with 4 comments

As announced it was a single prize contest of $1000 but our selection panel has decided to give certificates to 1st and 2nd runner ups.

So the 2nd runner up is Chuck Gallozzi, BA, MA in Asian Studies for his article on “Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine.”

The 1st runner up is Nicole Callsen, Elgin High School's Gifted and Talented Academy, Northern Surburbs of Chicago, USA. Her article is entitled “Battle of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States.”

And the winner of the $ 1000 Health Article Writing Contest 2010 is Dr.Seema Khaneja, MD. She is a board-certified pediatrician and completed her residency in pediatrics from NY Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1996. Her article is entitled “Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you.”

Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you

2010-03-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

By Dr.Seema Khaneja MD

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

– Proverbs 17:22

At your next doctor’s appointment, ask for a prescription for happiness.

A growing body of evidence is demonstrating quite powerfully that positive emotions are a vital factor in enabling individuals and communities to flourish in many spheres of life, including mental, social and physical well-being.

Martin Seligman, Ph.D., well-known in academic and clinical circles and a best-selling author, founded the field of positive psychology about a decade ago and directs the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Seligman has devoted his career to furthering the study of positive emotions, positive character traits and positive institutions, as well as developing clinical tools and training the next generation of positive psychologists. He feels that traditional psychology for the past 60 years has operated in a disease model, focusing on human weakness and suffering.

However, after an enlightening conversation with his 5-1/2-year-old daughter in 1997, it struck him that you would not raise a child by concentrating on her weaknesses. You would want to identify her strengths and find ways to nurture them. Seligman decided that it was time that psychology invest time in helping people live happier, fulfilling and productive lives, instead of just focusing on the things that are wrong with them, and how to fix them. He and his colleagues have conducted systematic research, which shows that there are three levels of happiness:

• Pleasure –You derive it from activities such as shopping sprees, sex, fancy cars, watching TV or savoring a chocolate ice-cream cone.

• Engagement or gratification – It’s the process where you identify your strengths or talents and participate in activities that utilize them. You may feel fully focused and absorbed in reading a good book, listening to music, fixing a bike, playing the piano, solving a crossword puzzle, jogging or riding a bike. There is a sense of time standing still and “being in the flow.” The key is to create your life – work, love, play, parenting and friendships – so that your strengths and talents are nurtured daily.

• Meaning – It comes when we use our strengths and talents in the service of something larger than ourselves, such as goodness, family, community, politics, justice or a higher spiritual power.

Seligman and his colleagues have shown that a person who uses all three routes to happiness leads the “full life,” and those who lead the full life have much greater life satisfaction. However, Seligman’s research confirms that pleasure is transitory and contributes little to true happiness. It is a life of engagement and meaning that creates lasting fulfillment and true satisfaction.

So what does the experience of happiness create for us in our lives? Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of California at Riverside, has devoted her career as a research scientist to studying happiness. She and her colleagues have reviewed the existing literature and have found that happiness does indeed have numerous positive byproducts, including higher income and superior work outcomes (greater productivity and higher quality of work), larger social rewards (more satisfying and longer marriages, more friends, stronger social support, and richer social interactions), more activity, energy, and flow, and better physical health (a more robust immune system, lowered stress levels, fewer hospitalizations and less pain) and even longer life.

Lyubomirsky and her colleagues have also discovered that happy individuals are more creative, helpful, charitable and self-confident. They have better self-control and show greater self-regulatory and coping abilities. Their research also indicates that while happiness is partially genetically determined, life situations have a smaller influence on our happiness than we think they do, and we all possess the power to enhance our experience of happiness.

Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D,, Director of the Positive Emotions and Pyschophysiology Lab (a.k.a PEPlab) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and author of Positivity, has researched a range of positive emotions -- from joy, gratitude, serenity and interest, to hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and last, but not least, love. She has developed the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, which states that positive emotions broaden, or open our hearts and minds to be more receptive and more creative. In a positive state of mind, we can find creative solutions to problems that we are unable to see if we feel anxious or depressed, states of negative emotion that tend to narrow our scope of possibilities.

Fredrickson further states that by opening our hearts and minds, positive emotions allow us to discover and build resources, including new skills, fresh connections, deeper understanding and novel perceptions. She and her team of researchers have also found that positive emotions can “correct” or “undo” the aftereffects of negative emotions. Specifically there is evidence to support that two distinct types of positive emotion – mild joy and contentment – can undo the lingering cardiac effects of negative emotions, such as increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Positive emotions also fuel psychological resiliency – the ability to “bounce back” from stressful experiences quickly and efficiently.

Fredrickson cites research on the downward spiral of depression, which indicates that depressed mood, and the negative, pessimistic thinking that it produces, impact each other mutually, and that over time this leads to worsening of moods and clinical levels of depression. Her broaden-and-build theory suggests a complementary upward spiral in which positive emotions and the broadened thinking they create also interact with each other equally, leading to considerable increases in emotional well-being over time. So if you feel good more of the time, not only will you enjoy feeling good in the moment, but you are more likely to feel good in the future as well.

Does this mean that we must banish all negativity from our lives? Fredrickson concedes that life certainly gives us plenty of reasons to feel fearful, angry and unhappy. She feels that without any negativity we risk becoming a Pollyanna, with an artificial clown smile painted on our faces, very far from being genuine and out of touch with reality.

She and her colleagues have shown that a daily 3:1 ratio of positive thoughts to negative thoughts seems to be the tipping point from which we can go from languishing in life to a flourishing, fulfilling life. The ratio seems to reflect a balance between levity, that unseen force that lifts you skyward, and gravity, the opposing force that pulls you earthward. Fredrickson writes how with unchecked levity, we risk becoming flighty, fake and ungrounded whereas unchecked gravity can leave us feeling cloaked with misery.

Fredrickson cites research that shows that married couples in solid marriages usually share a five-to-one ratio of positive to negative emotions. In marriages that are heading to divorce, the ratio is much lower, more in the range of one to one or less. She points to epidemiological data that show that only 20 percent of Americans are flourishing and the rest are languishing or just getting by, not suffering from depression or mental illness, but just living lives of “quiet despair.”

Thus one should know oneself to be of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss [Sat-Chit-Ananda]. -Adi Sankaracharya (Hindu philosopher-sage 788-820)

So how can we enjoy engaged, happy and purposeful lives? Fredrickson encourages us to learn the skill of mindfulness, which has been shown to alter the metabolism in brain circuits known to underlie emotional responding, reducing activity in circuits linked with negativity and increasing activity in circuits linked with positivity. Both Fredrickson and Seligman suggest that we limit our “media diet” – the unending images of shootings, dying, death and destruction that we consume several times a day in the pursuit to stay informed. Seligman describes this as the “CNN phenomenon of being confronted with the Titanic sinking daily.”

He feels that this does not encourage engagement with the world but can lead to heightened states of pessimism and fearfulness. Lyubomirsky cites happiness-increasing practices that are supported by scientific research. These include expressing gratitude, cultivating optimism, avoiding over-thinking and social comparison, performing acts of kindness, nurturing social relationships, developing strategies for coping, learning to forgive, increasing flow experiences, savoring life’s joys, participating in religion and spirituality, practicing meditation and engaging in physical activity.

The choice is ours and the roads are many. The key is to start where we are and make a heartfelt commitment to following our bliss, knowing that the journey will grant us gifts and treasures beyond our wildest dreams.

If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. Wherever you are – if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.-Joseph Campbell (from The Power of Myth)

References

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D

* Lyubomirsky, Sonja; King, Laura; Diener, Ed The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?. Psychological Bulletin. Vol 131(6), Nov 2005, 803-855.

* http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~sonja/index.html Accessed February 23, 2010

* http://www.edbatista.com/2009/02/happiness.html Accessed February 23, 2010

Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

* Seligman, Martin E.P. et al. A balanced psychology and a full life

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B (2004) 359, 1379–1381 1379 doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1513

* http://paw.princeton.edu/issues/2008/10/08/sections/alumni-profiles/2954/index.xml Accessed February 23, 2010

* http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0199/hirtz.html Accessed February 23, 2010

* http://www.afrboss.com.au/events/transcript.asp?eventid=463 Accessed February 23, 2010

Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph. D.

* Fredrickson, B Positivity – Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive Crown Publishers, New York : 2009

* Fredrickson, B. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B (2004) 359, 1367–1377 doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1512

* Winter, A. Finding Happiness by Cultivating Positive Emotions – Are You Happy Now? Interview with Barbara Fredrickson published in Utne Reader, September-October 2009 (excerpted from the original interview published in the Sun, May 2009)

Note: This article has been shortlisted for "$1000 Health Articles Contest."

The copyright of the article, "Prescription for Happiness: What your doctor may not be telling you " in "Interesting Health Articles & Facts" is owned by Dr.Seema Khaneja MD.She is a board-certified pediatrician and completed her residency in pediatrics from NY Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in 1996 .Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine.

2010-02-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

By Chuck Gallozzi

Health Tip: Don’t wait until you are sick before you begin practicing laughter therapy. Start today by renting comedy classics from your video store, borrowing humorous books from the library, attending comedy clubs or watching comedians on TV. Also, try exchanging jokes with family members, friends, and coworkers, and If you are visiting someone in the hospital, why not bring funny greeting cards and humorous books instead of flowers?

Image Credit : Galawebdesign
Plato’s remark that “Even the gods love jokes.” must be correct, for the value of laughter is recorded in sacred scripture. For example, the Koran states that “He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh.” By the fourteenth century, the healing power of humor was recognized by the medical community. An important French surgeon, Henri de Mondeville (1260~1320), wrote “Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient’s life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes.”

However, extensive research on “laughter therapy” did not begin until after the New England Journal of Medicine published an article by Norman Cousins in 1976. Later, in 1979, this article became the first chapter of his book, “Anatomy of an Illness.” In it he explained how he was diagnosed in 1964 with ankylosing spondylitis (also known as spondylitis, AS, or Bechterew Disease). The disease usually results in acute inflammation of the spine and can affect other areas of the body as well. Norman Cousins’ case was so severe that he was given a one in five hundred chance of recovery and a few months to live.

Realizing that negative thoughts and attitudes can result in illness, he reasoned that positive thoughts and attitudes may have the opposite effect. So he left the hospital and checked into a hotel where he took mega doses of vitamin C and watched humorous movies and shows, including ‘Candid Camera’ and the Marx Brothers. He found that ten minutes of boisterous laughter resulted in at least two hours of pain-free sleep. He continued his routine until he recovered. Thus, he proved that laughter is the best medicine, and pointed the way to mind-body medicine.

William Fry, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School and expert on health and laughter, reports the average kindergarten student laughs 300 times a day. Yet, adults average just 17 laughs a day. Why the difference? Are we too uptight, too tense? Do we take life too seriously? Isn’t it time we learned how to relax? We don’t stop laughing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop laughing. So, if we want to fly like the angels and share in their happiness, we’ll have to follow their example and take ourselves lightly.

Our five senses are not enough for ideal living. We need to use our sixth sense: our sense of humor. Humor isn’t about merely telling jokes; it’s the way we view the world. We can be sincere about life without taking it so seriously. We can laugh about our mistakes and pain. Louis Kronenberger explains: “Humor simultaneously wounds and heals, indicts and pardons, diminishes and enlarges; it constitutes inner growth at the expense of outer gain, and those who posses and honestly practice it make themselves more through a willingness to make themselves less.”

The brilliant American humorist, James Thurber, described humorists as follows: “The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people — that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature.”

The wellspring of laughter is not happiness, but pain, stress, and suffering. Socrates pointed this out when he taught, “The comic and the tragic lie inseparably close, like light and shadow.” So, we should be thankful for our suffering, for without it there would be nothing to laugh at! When we laugh at our woes, they dissolve, or at least become bearable, so that we arrive at peace and happiness. As the pragmatic philosopher and psychologist, William James said, “We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we are happy because we laugh.”

The benefits of laughter are too numerous to ignore. Now is the time to resolve that we will consciously make an effort to laugh frequently throughout the day. Of course, as we do so, let’s laugh with people — not at them. Let’s laugh at what people do, not at what people are. And let’s laugh not only to lighten our burdens, but those of everyone we meet.

Laughter’s Role in Life

When the going gets tough, how does one keep a firm footing and avoid slipping and falling into an abyss of despair? There is no better tool than a sense of humor. To support this claim, here are the words of three great men who acknowledged the power of humor to overcome adversity. First, renowned Psychiatrist, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, and 32 other books, developer of Logotherapy and Existential Psychology, and Holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl had this to say, “I would never have made it if I could not have laughed. Laughing lifted me momentarily… out of this horrible situation, just enough to make it livable… survivable.”

Second, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln interrupted a meeting by reading an amusing story with the hope of dispelling the black clouds hovering over his staff. But no one as much as smiled. Finally, Lincoln said, “Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me day and night, if I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do.” Third, like David who slew Goliath, frail Mahatma Gandhi overcame The British Empire. How did he do it? He explained, “If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.”

One of the main causes of suffering and stress is a sense of helplessness, powerlessness, or lack of control. But a sense of humor can put one back in control. For example, instead of giving in to depression, a Multiple Sclerosis patient may use humor and say, “You know, one good thing about MS is you don’t have to worry about stirring your coffee anymore.” Humor may not cure MS, but it will cure a bleak attitude and continue to make life worth living, for if we can learn to laugh at ourselves, we’ll always have something to laugh about. Even if humor cannot extend our life, it can end it on a positive note. For instance, the head of the firing squad asked the condemned man, “Before we shoot you, would you like a last cigarette?” And the prisoner replied, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit smoking!”

Genuine humor points out the weaknesses of humanity, but without contempt. It is a commentator of life, not a critic of it. Its purpose is to uplift, not tear down, and to lighten the burdens of others, not add to them. Good humor does not belittle or promote stereotypes, for it springs from the heart, not the mind. It is a shock absorber that helps us get over the bumps in life. Those with a good sense of humor have a good sense of life.

Although it is not the proper role of humor to make fun of others, self-deprecating humor is positive because it encourages humility. It also fosters courage, for that is exactly what is needed to remove the mask one normally wears and expose one’s weaknesses to all. It is because of their courage and honesty that we hold comics in high regard. When we dispense with the false notion of our self-importance, we will eliminate a major cause of suffering. With similar thoughts in mind, Francis Bacon wrote, “Imagination was given to man to compensate for what he is not, and a sense of humor to console him for what he is.” Life is not so much a path as it is a tightrope. By that I don’t mean it is a difficult road to tread, but merely that we must keep our balance. That is, it makes sense to take our work and responsibilities seriously, but not ourselves.

Much research has been done on the on the effects of humor and laughter on our health. The benefits are enormous and include boosting our immune system, reducing stress, relaxing muscles, lowering blood pressure, increasing our tolerance for pain, and hastening the healing process. By now, almost everyone is familiar with the link between our body and mind that has been proven. For example, it has been shown that our attitude is more important than our physical health in determining how long we live. That is, senior citizens with a good sense of humor and a positive attitude, but poor health, survive longer than those that are in good health but have poor attitudes.

Another way of expressing this is to say that what jogging does for the body, humor and laughter does for our emotional, mental, and physical health. Yes, it’s true; laughter is the best medicine, so we can become our own best medicine. Those with a good sense of humor are cheerful. Every day to them is a sunny one. If storm clouds should appear, they rely on laughter, for like lightning, it adds moments of brightness to the darkest days.

Use the acronym L.A.U.G.H.T.E.R. to remind you of some of its benefits. “L” stands for LIVE life to the fullest. When we share humor, we are living in the moment and spreading joy. “A” stands for an AWARENESS and APPRECIATION for the incongruities of life. The inconsistencies and ironies you face offer unlimited opportunities to laugh at them. For example, what can be more ridiculous than the way I look as I type this article? I am wearing long johns and trousers, an undershirt, tee shirt, two sweaters, a winter jacket, and a winter hat. Not to be funny, but to stay warm. You see, the heater in my house is not working, and neither is the repairman — because today is a holiday. I have to type fast just to keep my hands warm!

“U” stands for USE your brain to drain pain with laughter. USE humor to discover delight, joy, and peace of mind. “G” stands for GOOD HUMOR at all times. I repeat, at all times, for as George Bernard Shaw wrote “Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.” “H” stands for HEALTH. Laughter detaches us from our problems and releases negative emotions; it is the best medicine.

“T” stands for TRANSFORM. Laughter transforms our thoughts, which in turn transforms our feelings and body chemistry for the better. “E” stands for EXUBERANCE, which is the zest that laughter brings to our lives. And “R” stands for the RESILIENCE we acquire by learning to deal with hardship and pain, for humor is the strongest weapon against adversity.

Summarizing, a good sense of humor keeps us lighthearted, and hopeful. Like Thomas Edison, we’ll be able to say, “When down in the mouth, remember Jonah. He came out OK.” As long as we maintain our sense of humor, we’ll never be poor. How will you know if you have a good sense of humor? Frank Tyger explains, “The ultimate test of whether you posses a sense of humor is your reaction when someone tells you, you don’t.”

The Many Benefits of Laughter

1. When you make fun of yourself, you disempower those who would make fun of you and preempt possible confrontations.

2. Laughter dissolves tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief, and depression. Like crying, laughter lowers inhibitions, allowing the release of pent-up emotions. After a hearty bout of laughter, you will experience a sense of well-being. Simply put, he who laughs, lasts. After all, if you can laugh at it, you can live with it. Remember, a person without a sense of humor is like a car without shock absorbers.

3. Medical researches have found that laughter boosts the immune system. The study of how behavior and the brain affect the immune system is called psychoneuroimmunology. Though still in its infancy, this science is rapidly gaining much attention as mankind strives to understand the mind-body relationship.

4. Laughter reduces pain by releasing endorphins that are more potent than equivalent amounts of morphine.

5. Humor helps integrate both hemispheres of our brain, for the left hemisphere is used to decipher the verbal content of a joke while the right hemisphere interprets whether it is funny or not.

6. Laughter adds spice to life; it is to life what salt is to a hard-boiled egg.

7. Develop your sense of humor and you will find you are more productive, a better communicator, and a superior team player.

8. Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you share your sense of humor, the more friends you will have.

9. Humor brings the balance we need to get through the turbulence of life comfortably.

10. Laughter is even equivalent to a small amount of exercise. It massages all the organs of the body, according to Dr. James Walsh.

11. A sense of humor can help you accept the inevitable, rise to any challenge, handle the unexpected with ease, and come out of any difficulty smiling.

The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed. Don’t wait until you are sick before you begin practicing laughter therapy. Start today by renting comedy classics from your video store, borrowing humorous books from the library, attending comedy clubs or watching comedians on TV. Also, try exchanging jokes with family members, friends, and coworkers, and If you are visiting someone in the hospital, why not bring funny greeting cards and humorous books instead of flowers?

Note: This article has been shortlisted for "$1000 Health Articles Contest."

The copyright of the article, "Interested in Mind-Body Healing? Laughter Is the Best Medicine." in "Interesting Health Articles & Facts" is owned by Chuck Gallozzi,B.A.,M.A.in Asian Studies.Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Battle of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States

2010-01-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

By Nicole Callsen

Many people consider the United States to have the best health care system because they have the top per capita spending of health care, with over $6,000 per capita.However, America is the only developed nation where medical bankruptcies occur. In comparison, Canada spends less than $2,000 per capita on health care, yet provides all its citizens with equal coverage at no cost (More Bad News, June 2009). The Canadian health care system is truly superior to that of America’s, due to the affordable cost per individual, the healthy outcomes of the nation’s population, as well as the availability of health care.

The affordability of health care truly differs between the United States and Canada. Every year, some 700,000 Americans go bankrupt due to the medical bills. Studies have shown that in 2006, approximately 19% of those under 65 years of age did not obtain necessary medical treatment in the prior 12 months period because of its expense, compared to the 3% of those under 65 who had health insurance (More Bad News, June 2009). In contrast, Canada provides equal health care to all its citizens at no cost. However, there are some just causes as to why America’s health care is so costly. They are medically advanced compared to the majority of the world, possessing the most recent technology and medicine. This can be extremely beneficial to those with unique diseases, such as AIDS or leukemia. America’s advanced technology is really only helpful to those who can afford such costly care; if a person cannot afford the medicine or does not have insurance, America’s medical system is at no obligation to provide the care.

Thus, America may have more advanced medicine than Canada, but the benefits of America’s health care system truly only affect those who can afford it.

A second reason as to why the Canadian health care system is superior is that overall Canada’s population has a healthier outcome in life. The life expectancy rates of both males and females are higher in Canada: the men’s rate is 77.4 years, and the women’s life expectancy is 82.4 years. On the other hand, the United States’ rate for men is 74.8 years and for women it is 80.1 years (Healthcare Care System Grudge Match, October 2007). Overall, Canada has healthier rates in the obesity of males and females, as well as those with health conditions (i.e. heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma). One may argue that the increase in Americans with heart disease is found to be caused by their lifestyle, instead of by problems with the American health care system. However, this proves that their medical system is not educating the American public on how to live a healthy lifestyle, thus the health care system is to blame for these increased disease rates.

The availability of health care is one of the most important reasons why Canada’s system is superior to that of the United States. All of the Canadian public can receive immediate health care at no cost, while in the United States medical facilities are allowed to turn someone down if they do not have insurance or the ability to pay for the care. One of the reasons why many feel Canada has an inferior health care system is due to the lack of availability for elective care. Statistics show that the percentage of people receiving treatment for their conditions in Canada is slightly lower than that in United States. However, this does not prove America’s health system is better. The main reason for unmet need in Canada is because the wait was too long or the general treatment was unavailable, while in the America, most people who don’t receive treatment fail to do so because of cost considerations (Health Care Grudge Match, October 2007). This shows that while elective care is more available in the United States, it is really only available to those with insurance. Hence, the United States health care system is unethical, only providing care to those who can afford it.

The Canadian health care system is able to provide free health care to all its citizens, spending less than 10% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on health care. On the other hand, the United States ranks number one in spending per capita, spending over 15% of their GDP on health care, yet more than 700,000 Americans file medical bankruptcy each year (No Country for Sick Men, Sept. 2009). Canada’s health care system is truly superior to the United States’ system, providing affordable health care for all its citizens, which is available equally to all.

Works Cited

“More Bad News.” June 2009: Health Care Online. Web. Desertbeacon.blogspot.com

O’Neill, June, O’Neill, Dave. “Health Care System Grudge Match: Canada vs. U.S.” Oct. 2007. Web. Healthcare—economist.com

Reid, T R. “No Country for Sick Men” September 2009. Web. Newsweek.com

Note: This article has been shortlisted for "$1000 Health Articles Contest."

The copyright of the article, "Battles of Health Care Systems: Canada vs. United States" in "Interesting Health Articles & Facts" is owned by Nicole Callsen, Elgin High School's Gifted and Talented Academy, Northern Surburbs of Chicago, USA. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Swine Flu : A Pandemic Disease of 2009

2009-11-27T00:26:00.000-08:00

By Vipin Chauhan

Swine Flu is a respiratory disease of pigs, caused by H1N1 virus, a strain of influenza A type virus. This new strain appears to be a result of re-assorting human influenza, avian influenza, and swine influenza viruses; its 80 – 120 nm in size and roughly spherical in shape, with a viral envelope surrounding the central core. H and N refers to heamagglutinin and neuraminidase, glycoproteins present on the surface of the viral envelope.

Swine Flu was first detected in Mexico. As of November 1st 2009, more than 199 countries worldwide have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1, totaling over 482,300 cases with at least 6,071 deaths. In India, through November 8th 2009, confirmed cases were counted at 14,477 and deaths at 485. On August 3rd 2009, a 14 years old school girl died of swine flu in Pune, Maharashtra; this was the first case detected in India.

Influenza can be spread in three main ways: by direct transmission, through aerosols, and through hand-to-mouth transmission. The most common symptoms of the disease are chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are neuraminidase inhibitors designed to halt the spreading virus in a human body. These drugs are recommended by CDC but should be taken only after the diagnosis. Molecular technique is used for rapid diagnosis of swine flu. This involves RNA extraction and then detection of four genes (Human influenza A, Swine A, Swine H1and RNase P) trough RT-PCR. If these genes are expressed, it’s presumed that H1N1 virus is present in the sample.

Good personal hygiene habits, like hand washing and avoiding mucous release by spitting, covering the nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, are effective measures in reducing influenza transmission. There are two administration forms for the vaccine containing the novel swine flu virus; one is the injection with the killed form and another is the live modified virus in the intranasal spray. Because this is predominantly a young people’s illness, the vaccine is currently being provided to the pediatric population and to pregnant women. As more vaccines become available, other groups should also receive it. Just like the regular flu season though, it will still be a challenge to cope with this emerging worldwide problem.

NOTE:“Get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best protection we have against flu. Seasonal flu vaccine is now available and initial doses of 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine are also available, with additional doses available later this year.”-CDC H1N1 Flu

Note: This article has been shortlisted for "$1000 Health Articles Contest."

The copyright of the article, "Swine Flu, a Pandemic Disease of 2009" in "Interesting Health Articles" is owned by Vipin Chauhan,Department of Microbiology and Immunology,SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Heart Surgery Problems

2009-11-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

By Dorothy Baughman

It has been over two years since I experienced open-heart surgery. No biggy, many people have had an operation that put them in the ‘zipper club’ as some of my friends said.

But me? I was a picture of health at 66, albeit a bit heavier than I would like. I just thought my little chest tightness and shortness of breath was due to age and the fact that I kept my youngest grandchildren quite a bit. So when I told this to my doctor at an appointment for something entirely different, he panicked and sent me to the cardiologist. I still was not upset but the next day’s heart catheterization did bother me a bit; three discovered blockages and I was off to surgery the next morning. It seemed I had no choice. I was a sick woman. Two bypasses of 60 and 70% were fixable and one blockage was unfixable at 100%; it had made a new route on its own.

My family did not show it in front of me, but my husband of 47 years and my three children were thunderstruck. Mama had never been sick like this, just an occasional migraine or so. Oh and the Christmas she fell down the attic steps and broke two ribs. But still, nothing major.

The usually calm, old me, panicked when I entered the CCU. The throat tube was still in and I was still strapped down. I couldn’t say or move a thing. One finger on my right hand was free. All the TV shows that I had seen with the pathologist about to do an autopsy on a live person flashed through my head. I kept moving my finger up and down until a nurse looked my way from the counter.

“Oh, honey, you’re awake, let me get that tube out.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. From that moment on, it was uphill for me.

Several months had passed since the surgery occurred, when I began to have symptoms I didn’t quite like. I was no longer interested in my usual hobbies, even my freelance writing. I didn’t want to go anywhere and missed church for just too many months to count. The only seemingly bright things I had were my two youngest grandchildren whom I had taken care of quite a bit from their babyhood to toddler years. These kinds of things get a person down and out. I had not been told much of anything except the extent of my blockage; well, many people have it worse. I would never have known what went on while I was under, until I looked it up on the internet. I then found out that my depression was rather common from the heart/lung machine or so the author of the article said.

My family doctor gave me an antidepressant and I felt some better, nothing to brag about. I still could not write and was not very interested in anything. This went on for over a year. I also was not in line for cardiac rehab either. My cardiologist said it was not necessary since the insurance wouldn’t pay and I couldn’t afford it.

After going through all this, one morning I got up and decided I would give the computer a try. There’s no use wasting a good computer. I worked all day with marketing my already written things since I had been a freelance writer for many years; I had gobs of material. I suddenly felt pretty much myself again.

Maybe the antidepressant had finally kicked it, or all the praying my family and I were doing about my situation had reached its mark. I think the Lord just got tired of me dragging around.

One of my points is the fact that no one tells the heart patient what may or may not happen, at least not in depth. I had my whole world turned upside down for almost two years and did not have a clue for awhile what was going on. For one thing, everyone in my opinion needs the rehab to get them used to exercise that helps. A person with pain and the ‘don’t care’ attitude is not going to do this on his own.

Additionally, patients need more education in their heart bypass procedure and its aftermath. This is also needed in the adverse effects of medication. My sleeping meds gave me horrible nightmares where I heard things like my husband calling me, my cat meowing, and the doorbell ringing. Needless to say, when I found out that the meds were making me crazy, I quit taking it.

I really think every patient that is facing major surgery of any sort should be more aware of the ins and outs of his or her condition. I had one of the best surgeons in our state and apparently, he fixed me physically, but when he told me after the cath that he had an opening at six the next morning, did I want to go on with it, I felt as though I were making a hair appointment!

I am as good as I will be at my age of 69 at this point, although my short-term memory is still a bit shaky. The prolapsed memory was the only thing anyone mentioned. One of my friends who had heart surgery was not aware of this until she talked to others and me about it.

Heart surgery is a wonderful thing and saves many lives and I am grateful that my problem was caught before a major heart attack.

I still hold the opinion that even though doctors and other health caregivers are extremely busy, more education in this field should be necessary. One really should not have to go to the internet for health information.

Note: This article has been shortlisted for "$1000 writing contest."

The copyright of the article, "Heart Surgery Problems," in "Interesting Health Articles" is owned by Dorothy Baughman. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…

2009-10-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

By Louise Selisny
What are you wearing right now? If it’s a cotton garment then there is a strong chance that it was produced using cotton grown and picked in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is the world’s second largest exporter of raw cotton and the picking season is now well underway. Most people will associate the Uzbek cotton industry with forced child labour and unfair monopoly practises – important issues both – but often under reported is the enormous environmental impact our quest for ever cheaper cotton is having.

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous region in the west of Uzbekistan and is home to the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was once heralded as the ‘fish basket of Central Asia’ and could reliably account for 20% of the annual catch of the Soviet Union. The now dusty little town of Muynak was formerly the proud focal point of this great epicentre. As well as being a strategically important launching post for Soviet Union Allied Forces in the Second World War, Muynak was also once a thriving fishing port. It harboured an active fleet of 300 fishing vessels and supported the employment of around 10,000 workers in one fish canning factory alone. What’s more, the inspirational beauty of Muynak constituted a mecca for many significant Soviet Union artists and writers, including the Ukrainian rebel poet Taras Shevchenko who crafted some of his most important works whilst overlooking its bountiful shore.

Now, whilst many fishing centres across the world have witnessed a decline or loss in fish, Muynak has witnessed a loss of its sea. The Aral Sea has quite literally fled its shore and has left a sad twisted row of metal giants slowly rusting in a ships graveyard. To get a glimpse of the Aral now you have to use a ‘good strong Russian’ jeep and drive nearly 160km over sun scorched sea-bed. The only signs to evidence the once mighty waves are tiny sea-shells that now lie scattered and stranded across the yawning desert gulf. This pained earth belches forward over 43 million tonnes of dust each year and is responsible for a raft of respiratory related illnesses in the region including drug resistant Tuberculosis.

As well as the dust from the sea-bed, toxic chemicals make their way to Muynak via what’s left of the incoming waterways. Leached agrochemicals, including those banned in most other countries, washes into Muynak every day. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found significant levels of organochlorines, including PCBs, dioxins and DDT in everyday samples of beef, fish, eggs, milk, potato and rice. The NATO Science Programme found that this toxicity has led Karakalpaks to have DNA mutations 3.5 times the average as well as the highest rate of oesophagus cancer in the world. The people of Muynak have a life expectancy over ten years lower than the national average. The Secretariat for the Complex Social Protection of Family, Mothers and Children states that the region has the highest rate of infant mortality in the country and a Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) report highlighted direct links with the environmental pollution and escalating cases of people suffering with hypertension, heart disease, anaemia, various cancers and kidney disease. It can be seen that both internal and external independent bodies concur that pollution caused by the cotton industry is literally killing Karakalpaks.

Perhaps one of the most poignant facets to this crisis is that it was man-made. Unlike most countries which have rivers that lead to the sea, Uzbekistan has rivers that flow towards and drain into the interior. The Syr Dar’ya and Amu Dar’ya Rivers feed into the Aral Sea - which is not in fact a sea but a large freshwater lake. In the 1960s Soviet Planners began to divert these watercourses in order to irrigate cotton crops. The Environmental Justice Foundation estimates that on average 20,000 litres of water is extracted to produce 1 kilogram of cotton – or 14,000m3 per harvested hectare. The effect of the diversions has been catastrophic, causing the once world’s forth largest body of water to haemorrhage 90% of its volume and nearly 75% of its surface area. The Aral Sea now covers fewer than 18,000 square kilometres - less than a tenth of its original size. The water that does remain is both hyper-saline and heavily polluted by toxic agricultural chemicals used in cotton cultivation. The World Bank also highlighted the bitter irony which sees almost 60% of the diverted water lost in the maze of inefficient, decrepit and broken irrigation systems – neither reaching its intended destination or the thirsty plains of the Aral desert.

This ecological disaster is particularly affecting the people of Muynak and the Karakalpak region as a whole as the Aral Sea once tempered the climate in the area. Due to the massive reduction in the Aral Sea the local climate has been dramatically altered. Today the crop growing season has reduced by two whole months, the winters are much colder and the summers much hotter and drier. This has created a negative feed-back cycle. Hotter summers create more heat that evaporates more of the remaining water. What’s more, the waters have begun to stagnate, with deeper saltier water being unable to mix the less salty top water. Consequently, the top water is bearing the brunt of the sun’s heat and thus being evaporated even more quickly. So the climate gets even hotter and growing seasons further reduce. This has led to an increase in the number of cattle in the region as local farmers attempt to mitigate the situation they find themselves in. This is increasing soil erosion as the already sparse vegetation is being overgrazed and consumed. This both reduces soil productivity and increases the amount of toxic dust that is blown over the region as there is less vegetation left to bind the fragile earth. People get sicker and the land more degraded. And, lest we forget, this is all a man-made problem – the rivers upstream are being diverted to irrigate thirsty cotton crops. Cotton that is then sold cheaply to make low-cost products for sale in countries like the UK. So how is that cotton shirt you a wearing feeling now? A little dirtier perhaps?

However, although there is much destruction and disease in the region there is also much hope. The little town of Muynak is not dead and nor have its inhabitants given up, quite the contrary in fact. I was lucky enough to be invited to the annual Independence Day celebration. My day began with an offering of peace and a handshake from a three year boy who was intrigued by my fair skin and western clothes. The whole community was congregated in the banner bedecked town square. Women dressed in their finest attire with golden thread that glistened in the sun chattered in groups as children flew kites and ate ice-cream. Everyone took their turn to dance in splendid traditional costume – particularly striking were the little girls who stole the show with their charming choreography and outfits fashioned from the Uzbek flag. Children teemed around me in order to practise the English they were learning in school as well as laugh at my flailing Uzbek. It was a wonderful day completed with a visit to the Nukus Museum of Art, a veritable treasure trove, containing a spectacular assortment of 1920s and 1930s avant-garde Russian and Uzbek art. Wondrous antidotes to the Communist inspired School of Socialist Realism grace every inch of space and reflect a people of passion, vibrancy and expressionism.
It was clear to me that the people of Muynak share the fighting spirit of the Karakalpak region and with assistance from the international community they are taking steps to address the environmental problems that have been thrust upon them. One of the most exciting projects is that funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. They sponsor the German Society for Technical Cooperation to work in conjunction with Uzbek scientists to strategically plant bushes and fodder plants, including the Black Saxaul, Salsola Richteri and Calligonum Caput-Medusae. This dedicated coalition has so far covered 27000 hectares with vegetation. Zinovy Novitsky is the project’s scientific adviser and he explained how, “forests create oxygen, kill microbes, and improve climate and landscape.” The main improvement in the case of the Aral Sea bed is that the roots of the shrubs grow parallel to the ground, thereby binding the mass of sand, dust and salt. The body of the shrub growing above ground helps to prevent erosion and also operates as windbreaker, decreasing wind velocity on the surface by up to 70%. Put simply, these shrubs and trees act as a barrier line of defence against the toxic dust storms and the debilitating diseases they bring with them.
This initiative also brings vital jobs to the area and workers assisting with the planting earn about $80 US dollars a month. It is estimated that to make a lasting difference the team will need to cover about 600,000 hectares – with limited funds the team are currently working at a rate of about 30,000 hectares a year. It is hoped that within 5 years or so the shrubs with produce seeds that will be spread by the wind thereby making the task much easier as man and Mother Nature work together. The project is costing about $150-200 per hectare in monetary terms but will doubtless pay immeasurable dividends on completion.
So it can be seen that the little town of Muynak is not so hopeless, but hoping. Hoping that the international community will follow the German vanguard and pledge assistance where it can before all is consumed by and lost to the desert forever.
Note: This article has been shortlisted for "1000 $ writing contest ".
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$1000 Health Articles Contest

2009-03-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

Prize money: Single $1000 prize for the best article.

Topic: Any topic falling in the broad category of "interesting health articles or facts,” appealing to the laymen or general population.

Participation Criteria: Anyone who is willing to work hard, research ideas, and present entertaining healthcare articles of scholarly merit.

Length and format: 250 words and greater

Submission Mode: Through e-mail submissions only at khushnoodul@yahoo.com; additional required details include email, name, age, and education. Article submission will be confirmed with a response e-mail to the sender.

Rules:
· Submission will be accepted October 15th, 2009 through March 1st, 2010.
· Any number of submissions per contestant will be accepted.
· Participants must be above 18 years of age.
· Language for articles is limited to only English.
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· Quotes and references must be marked and properly cited to avoid plagiarism.
· Articles must be factual but can vary in style including being scholarly to being candid or even satirical in composition.
· If an article is felt as subpar of healthcare scholarly standards, we reserve the right to reject the article and our decision will be non-negotiable. Still lenience will be shown and if we feel that only slight changes need to be made for the article to pass our standards, we might contact the sender to edit their piece.
· Articles will be published online on interesting-health-facts.com as they are received throughout the contest duration.
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Result Announcement: April 2nd, 2010

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