Comments on: Healthcare quickie http://www.staresattheworld.com/2009/11/healthcare-quickie/ Holding it together, one day at a time... Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:18:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Griffin http://www.staresattheworld.com/2009/11/healthcare-quickie/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Griffin Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:26:41 +0000 http://www.staresattheworld.com/?p=88#comment-15 Speaking of Orwellian nightmares in relation to medicare, let's add Groupthink. I saw a program the other day, W5 I think, on multiple sclerosis. Apparently a doctor in Italy has discovered a physical reason for the disease, and an explanation for the uncharacteristic iron deposits that appear in a patient's brain. MS has always been considered a neurological disorder. This doctor realized (after his wife contracted it) that the major vessels delivering blood away from the brain were always dangerously narrowed in all MS patients. He hypothesized that the narrow vessels actually caused blood to back up into the brain, and eventually deposit iron where it shouldn't be. An almost too-perfect explanation, but the medical community refused to support him because MS is classified as a neurological disease. Obviously the overall picture is more complicated, but the fact that the medical community is rejecting outside-the-box thinking speaks to fundamental problems in the dna. The socialization of profit motives in the system is a retarded prospect. Big Pharma contains a lot of evil but the fact still remains it costs billions to research, develop and test these drugs. Everybody is always touting cheap generic alternatives. Without the original drug there is no generic. In any case, giving control to the government never allows individuality, creativity, innovation, etc. to flourish, which is exactly what the medical industry needs. Regulation, fine. Government control, no thanks. <blockquote>Aurini: "Without the original drug there is no generic." Brilliantly put.</blockquote> Speaking of Orwellian nightmares in relation to medicare, let’s add Groupthink. I saw a program the other day, W5 I think, on multiple sclerosis. Apparently a doctor in Italy has discovered a physical reason for the disease, and an explanation for the uncharacteristic iron deposits that appear in a patient’s brain. MS has always been considered a neurological disorder. This doctor realized (after his wife contracted it) that the major vessels delivering blood away from the brain were always dangerously narrowed in all MS patients. He hypothesized that the narrow vessels actually caused blood to back up into the brain, and eventually deposit iron where it shouldn’t be. An almost too-perfect explanation, but the medical community refused to support him because MS is classified as a neurological disease. Obviously the overall picture is more complicated, but the fact that the medical community is rejecting outside-the-box thinking speaks to fundamental problems in the dna.

The socialization of profit motives in the system is a retarded prospect. Big Pharma contains a lot of evil but the fact still remains it costs billions to research, develop and test these drugs. Everybody is always touting cheap generic alternatives. Without the original drug there is no generic.

In any case, giving control to the government never allows individuality, creativity, innovation, etc. to flourish, which is exactly what the medical industry needs. Regulation, fine. Government control, no thanks.

Aurini: “Without the original drug there is no generic.” Brilliantly put.

]]> By: Andy http://www.staresattheworld.com/2009/11/healthcare-quickie/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Andy Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:34:24 +0000 http://www.staresattheworld.com/?p=88#comment-14 Thanks for the post, brother. I'm glad to hear your opinion on this matter. While I disagree with your assessment of the Canadian medical system, I respect your approach to this contested problem. Good stuff, man. <blockquote>Aurini: I'm just glad that I've learned enough first aid that I haven't had to visit a doctor in the past eight years. Not voluntarily, anyway. Our healthcare might not be as awful as an Eastern European Soviet Bloc country, and I'm sure as hell not saying that the American HMOs with their government protectionism are the true way, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of the medical innovations are coming out of the US private market. I think both countries could do better.</blockquote> Thanks for the post, brother. I’m glad to hear your opinion on this matter. While I disagree with your assessment of the Canadian medical system, I respect your approach to this contested problem. Good stuff, man.

Aurini: I’m just glad that I’ve learned enough first aid that I haven’t had to visit a doctor in the past eight years. Not voluntarily, anyway. Our healthcare might not be as awful as an Eastern European Soviet Bloc country, and I’m sure as hell not saying that the American HMOs with their government protectionism are the true way, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of the medical innovations are coming out of the US private market. I think both countries could do better.

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