~C4Chaos

Got Big Waistline?

Be thankful you don't live in Japan.

"Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population." [read more]

International Nurses Day

Doctors rock. But nurses are often the people who connect with patients day in and day out. So here's to all nurses on International Nurses Day. Here's a video tribute to you.

Thanks for all your valuable and compassionate contributions to society. Special thanks to those nurses fighting for universal health care. And special thanks to ~myDakini for taking care of me. :)

Nurses for Universal Health Care

Nurses in California continue to fight and make a case for universal health care. Watch them featured on Bill Moyers Journal. Check out the video and transcript.

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GERI JENKINS: When you have 60 percent of the healthcare in this country being delivered by for-profit corporate entities, whose mi-- major focus is their bottom line, then you better hope there's a nurse there to make sure you're okay and to look out for you and advocate for you when you're at that-- those-- most vulnerable moment in your life.

ROSE ANN DEMORO: Since nurses are in every community across the country, and since they're such a trusted profession, we think we're structurally situated to actually change this hit system systemically for once and for all. And we're not gonna stop until that happens.

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Godspeed to all those nurses. Here's a prayer for universal health care, however which way we get there.

Dreaming of Gross National Happiness

Imagine a world where the driving force is people's well-being and happiness instead of insatiable economic growth which puts strain on our environment. Bhutan is already doing it. It's called Gross National Happiness (GNH).

"While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance."

Will developed nations eventually follow suit? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, check out this video. It's free to dream.

In Sickness and for Health Insurance...

The rising cost of health insurance coverage, as well as the absence of universal health care here in the U.S., is one of the main reasons why people are chained to their jobs. Some people are finding ways to get health insurance, through marriage.

"After 12 years of unwedded bliss, two friends of mine recently got married. The reason: Her job offers health insurance benefits to married couples but not unhitched cohabiting ones. Now it turns out these two may have been at the leading edge of a trend. According to a new poll, 7 percent of respondents said they or someone they lived with decided to get married in the last year in order either to have access to health insurance benefits or to give their new spouse access." [read more]

I find this to be a sad state of affairs. It makes me wonder whether some people continue to stick with a bad marriage just to get health insurance. I won't be surprised. A lot of people stay with crappy jobs because of good health insurance coverage.

I'm fortunate enough to have good insurance in a job that I like. I wish I could say the same thing for millions of Americans who have big problems paying for health care.

People get sick around the world. But compared with other developed capitalistic societies, the sick people in the U.S. tend to be sicker, and with more chances of going bankrupt.

...'till a better health insurance coverage, do us part.

A Prayer for Universal Health Care

(Screenshot from the FRONTLINE documentary, Sick Around The World. Every American ought to watch this program to raise their awareness on universal health care.)

When I saw SiCKO it appealed to my emotion. It was a very effective propaganda. Its aim was noble and I generally sympathized with its message. But it was biased. It presented the ugly side of health care in the U.S. while elevating the rosy image of health care in other developed countries. Nevertheless, Michael Moore proved to be successful in raising consciousness on the issue of universal health care (or lack thereof) in the U.S.

But if we are to skilfully tackle the issue of universal health care a better approach would be to look at the pros and cons of universal health care in other countries, learn from their experience, and then copy the model(s) that would be applicable to the U.S. and its unique culture and free-market economy. And that's exactly what FRONTLINE did in the documentary, Sick Around the World. Watch it. It's free.

I've watched it twice already. I've learned a lot of things about different universal health care models by reading the accompanying transcripts, interviews, analysis, discussions, and Q&A with journalist T.R. Reid. It's the best documentary on health care I've seen. I won't be surprised if T.R. Reid wins yet another Pulitzer Prize for the book based on this documentary.

What I particularly like about this documentary is that, even if T.R. Reid is an advocate of universal health care (the screenshot above is Reid writing a prayer during his visit to a Japanese shrine), he did a more balanced presentation than SiCKO by taking a more professional journalistic perspective, talking to the heads of states, politicians, economists, doctors, and patients, and asking sharp questions on the pros and cons of each health care system he investigated. There's no emotional drama involved. It's purely an intellectual and investigative journey.

The result? The more I watch the documentary the more I'm convinced that universal health care in the U.S. is indeed possible. Changing the current messy health care system would not be easy, of course. It would require bold political moves, radical changes to the free-market that drives our broken health care to make it more efficient, but most importantly, we need to have a shift in our collective moral values and philosophy in accepting health care as basic human right.

The latter point, as it stands right now in the U.S., is one of the main stumbling blocks for achieving a truly universal access to health care (not to mention lobbying by insurance and drug companies who would be greatly impacted by government regulation). This point of contention is still hotly debated. There are valid points raised by opposing voices. However, looking at developed countries that had already implemented universal health care, their (consensus) answer to the question of health care as basic human right is a resounding, yes! So the first step is to get beyond the hurdle of this philosophical roadblock. T.R. Reid covered this philosophical point succinctly during his interview with the current president of Switzerland, Pascal Couchepin.

"Now, see, that's striking for an American, because we would certainly say everyone is entitled to an education, everyone is entitled to legal protection if you get in trouble with the law, but we don't say that everyone is entitled to health care."

"Why? Because it is a profound need for people to be sure that, if they are struck by a stroke of destiny, they can have a good health system."

"... So if you ask the people of Switzerland, is everyone entitled to decent health care, the Swiss would say?"

"Everybody has a right to health care."

Unfortunately, Americans are still divided on this. I find it ironic that the richest nation in the world, where majority of people work their asses off, and where vacation days are laughable compared to other developed nations, the notion that "everybody has a right to health care" is still not accepted unilaterally. If we are to take baby steps towards universal health care, this is the first baby step to make: everybody has a right to health care. Other developed countries had already made the leap while the U.S. has been paralyzed in its tracks, thanks to ideological clashes and business as usual self-interests.

In the meantime, the leading presidential candidates are just "tinkering at the margins of a system that needs fundamental change." There's House Resolution (H.R.) 676 looming on the horizon. Whether the U.S. will get there remains to be seen.

For now, here's a prayer for a true universal health care in the U.S.

Comparing the Messy U.S. Health Care With Other Capitalistic Democracies

I watched the eye-opening FRONTLINE health care documentary last night. Very insightful. The program is now freely available online. It's a must-see. Also check out the interview transcripts and health care comparisons between other capitalistic democracies.

(Note: See also T.R. Reid's interview on Charlie Rose. I owe Charlie Rose a big one for alerting me on this documentary. Every American should see this to raise their awareness on the issue of health care.)

No health care system is perfect. But successful models for (universal) health care systems already exist. It's disheartening to see the U.S. trailing far behind, still debating on issues that other developed countries had already learned through trial and error.

Sick Around the World

I have previously riffed and ranted on the (universal) health care on my blog. See here, here, here and here, or check out my riff and rants on http://coolmel.gaia.com/blog/tags/health+care

According to Consumer Reports, "Americans have lost confidence in the U.S. health-care system and yearn for reforms that will free them from worry about losing coverage if their circumstances change or if they fall ill." That's not news, of course. Almost everyone in the U.S. agrees that the health care system is a f***ing mess. Politicians, business people, doctors, health practitioners, and citizens still argue about ways of achieving true universal health care. The debates between free-marketers and "socialists" rage on. In the meantime, the U.S. is the only remaining industrialized country without some form of universal health care for its citizens. Go figure.

In the documentary movie, SiCKO, Michael Moore painted a bleak picture of the U.S. health care while presenting a rosy version of universal health care systems in Canada, France, Britain, and even Cuba. Some people were appalled by Moore's biased presentation and propaganda. For those who feel like Moore's presentation was biased, check out the FRONTLINE's journalistic take on this controversial topic. Looking forward to watching it tonight!

FRONTLINE presents
SICK AROUND THE WORLD
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS

"FRONTLINE TRAVELS TO FIVE COUNTRIES IN SEARCH OF A UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM THAT COULD WORK IN THE U.S.   

"FRONTLINE teams up with T.R. Reid, a veteran foreign correspondent for The Washington Post, to find out how five other capitalist democracies--United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland--deliver health care and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures. In Sick Around the World, airing Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), Reid turns up remarkable differences in how these countries handle health care--from Japan, where a night in a hospital can cost as little as $10, to Switzerland, where the president of the country tells Reid it would be a "huge scandal" if someone were to go bankrupt from medical bills." [read more]

Here are previews via Youtube -- trailer, preview Taiwan, preview Germany.

So what is the U.S. waiting for when it comes to universal health care? Maybe this PBS documentary can inform us some more.

UPDATE: The program is now freely available online. See FRONTLINE: Sick Around the World. For a transcript of the interviews, see Five Capitalist Democracies & How They Do It.

Understanding the (Universal) Health Care Debate in the U.S.

There's no doubt that the top three issues in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election are Health Care, Iraq War, Environment. But arguably, the health care issue is the most important. Why? Because health care directly affects every citizen in a country--from economics and business (i.e. per capita spending) to national security (i.e. dealing with pandemics). This election gave me the opportunity to delve deeply into the health care debate and look at it from different perspectives--philosophical, political, geopolitical, ethical, economic.

The political and ethical debates on health care are too polarizing because of varying values of people (i.e. conservatives, progressives, etc.). For example, from a philosophical perspective, the main point of contention is whether health care is a basic human right or not. Although I personally lean more towards the argument that "health care is a basic human right" (i.e. in order to practice the basic liberties, one has to be healthy, therefore health is fundamental), I prefer not to focus on this argument because this is too ideologically-driven and would result only in time-wasting ideologically-driven debates instead of reasonable discussions based on statistical data, facts, and research. So I prefer to focus my research more on the economic arguments on health care.

Majority of Americans agree that the current health care system in the U.S. is a mess. The debate is how to fix it. From an economic perspective, the main point of contention is whether a government mandated system of universal health care should be implemented in the U.S., or whether the government should take a back seat and leave it to free market mechanism to fix the health care system. The more I look into this issue, however, the more I'm convinced that a not-for-profit solution is more efficient and sustainable in the long run. No need to argue whether health care is a human right or not.

Case in point: In 2006, Yes! Magazine published an issue entitled, Health Care For All. Below are links to quick health care facts and options.

Just the Facts -- "Who loses, who wins, and who pays?"

Health Care Options at a Glance -- a comparison of socialized, single-payer, nonprofit multi-payer and corporate health care.

There are also a couple of articles that make a case for not-for-profit universal health care.

Has Canada Got the Cure?

"Should the United States implement a more inclusive, publicly funded health care system? That's a big debate throughout the country. But even as it rages, most Americans are unaware that the United States is the only country in the developed world that doesn't already have a fundamentally public--that is, tax-supported--health care system.

"That means that the United States has been the unwitting control subject in a 30-year, worldwide experiment comparing the merits of private versus public health care funding. For the people living in the United States, the results of this experiment with privately funded health care have been grim. The United States now has the most expensive health care system on earth and, despite remarkable technology, the general health of the U.S. population is lower than in most industrialized countries. Worse, Americans' mortality rates--both general and infant--are shockingly high."....

"The facts are clear: Before 1971, when both countries had similar, largely privately funded health care systems, overall survival and mortality rates were almost identical. The divergence appeared with the introduction of the single-payer health system in Canada.

"The solid statistics amassed since the 1970s point to only one conclusion: like it or not, believe it makes sense or not, publicly funded, universally available health care is simply the most powerful contributing factor to the overall health of the people who live in any country. And in the United States, we have got the bodies to prove it." [read more]

Health Care: It's What Ails Us

"The shocking facts about health care in the United States are well known. There's little argument that the system is broken. What's not well known is that the dialogue about fixing the health care system is just as broken."....

"The public debate around universal health care proceeds as if it were a wild, untested experiment -- as if the United States would be doing something never done before.  Yet universal health care is in place throughout the industrialized world."....

"With all the support and all the good reasons to adopt universal health care, why don't we have it yet? Why do politicians refuse to talk about the solution people want?

"It could be the fact that the health care industry, the top spender on Capitol Hill, spent $183.3 million on lobbying just in the second half of 2005, according to PoliticalMoneyLine. com. And in the 2003–2004 election cycle, they spent $123.7 million on election campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics." [read more]

Sad but true. Maybe that's why Obama, Edwards, Hillary, Romney, Schwarzenegger don't support Single Payer.

That said, although the single payer solution is more efficient than the current health care mess in the U.S., there are other more effective solutions out there (i.e. France's nonprofit multi-payer system). But the reality in the U.S. is that, only H.R. 676 (aka "Medicare for All", which is a single payer solution) is tackling the root of the health care problem. That's why I favor it more than Hillary Clinton's or Barack Obama's health care proposals.

Yes, we can change the health care system in the U.S. for the better. But the question is, how? Right now, most reasonable fingers (backed by statistics, economics data, and supported by research instead of ideologically-driven) point to a not-for-profit health care system solution, whether it's single payer or multi-payer. Think about it.

Why Single-Payer Not-For-Profit is Better Than Mandates

HR 676 - The Single Payer Solution

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

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Colorado's 208 Commission Reinvents the Broken Wheel

"DENVER, February 1, 2008 -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health reform plan that included mandated health insurance purchases crashed and burned early this week on the West Coast legislative highway. But undaunted by that most recent defeat for mandates, Colorado's Blue Ribbon Health Reform panel -- the 208 Commission -- decided to recommend mandates to the Colorado General Assembly on Thursday afternoon even though achieving universal coverage through mandates is already a failed model for reform."

Ten Lessons For the Candidates from the California Healthcare Fiasco

"Proponents of the California bill promised that they had learned from the Massachusetts debacle and fixed its myriad flaws as they crafted revised version after revised version in closed door meetings. One thing they may have learned — roses don’t grow in the dark."

Mythbusting Canadian Healthcare, Part II: Debunking the Free-Marketeers

"Government-run health care is inherently less efficient -- because governments themselves are inherently less efficient.
"If anything could finally put the lie to this old conservative canard, the disaster that is our health care system is Exhibit A.

"America spends about 15% of its GDP on health care. Most other industrialized countries (all of whom have some form of universal care) spend about 11-12%. According to the WHO, Canada spends a bit over 9% -- and most of the problems within their system come out of the fact that it's chronically underfunded compared to the international average.

"Any system that has people spending more and getting less is, by definition, not efficient. And these efficiency leaks are, almost entirely, due to private greed. There is no logical way that a private system can pay eight-figure CEO compensation packages, turn a handsome a profit for shareholders, and still be "efficient." In fact, in order to deliver those profits and salaries, the American system has built up a vast, Kafkaesque administrative machinery of approval, denial, and fraud management, which inflates the US system's administrative costs to well over double that seen in other countries -- or even in our own public systems, including Medicare and the VA system."

Why Obama, Edwards, Hillary, Romney, Schwarzenegger Don’t Support Single Payer?

"The majority of the American people want a single-payer health care system — Medicare for all.

"The majority of doctors want it.

"A good chunk of hospital CEOs want it.

"But what they want doesn’t appear to matter.

"Why?

"Because a single-payer health care plan would mean the death of the private health insurance industry and reduced profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

"Presidential candidates John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Mitt Romney and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger talk a lot about universal health care

"But not one of them advocates for single-payer — because single-payer too directly confronts the big corporate interests profiting off the miserable health care system we are currently saddled with."

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All the more reason to support H.R. 676 (aka Medicare For All).

The question is: Who would more likely to sign the bill, Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama? Some say it's Hillary Clinton. Hopefully, both of them would.

Busting the Myths of Canadian Health Care

I've been recently riffing on the issue of universal health care on this blog. My post, Is Universal Health Care Totalitarian Coercion, had generated insightful and heated discussions on the subject. As usual, most of the discussions are driven by ideological differences. Nothing wrong with that. More often than not, we take sides on issues based on our ideology.

On my part, I do my best to look at the issue of universal health care from as many perspectives (economic, political, philosophical, moral, ethical, religious, scientific, experiential, comparative) as I can and then use my own *moral compass* (as influenced by the moral zeitgeist) to pick a side. This doesn't mean that I shut my door on the side which I don't agree with. In fact, I continue to evaluate the arguments from both sides to see if my reasoning for the side I've chosen still holds. But so far, based on all the information I've gathered and my own moral compass, I pick the side of universal health care (whether it's single-payer insurance or not, though I'm leaning more towards single-payer insurance).

Case in point: When it comes to universal health care, one of the most common comparisons made is between Canada and the U.S. health care system. Here's a very insightful comparison by someone who is "both a health-care-card-carrying Canadian and an uninsured American citizen who regularly sees doctors on both sides of the border." It's a very informative essay with less political and ideological bullshit.

Mythbusting Canadian Health Care -- Part I

"2008 is shaping up to be the election year that we finally get to have the Great American Healthcare Debate again. Harry and Louise are back with a vengeance. Conservatives are rumbling around the talk show circuit bellowing about the socialist threat to the (literal) American body politic. And, as usual, Canada is once again getting dragged into the fracas, shoved around by both sides as either an exemplar or a warning -- and, along the way, getting coated with the obfuscating dust of so many willful misconceptions that the actual facts about How Canada Does It are completely lost in the melee.

"I'm both a health-care-card-carrying Canadian resident and an uninsured American citizen who regularly sees doctors on both sides of the border. As such, I'm in a unique position to address the pros and cons of both systems first-hand. If we're going to have this conversation, it would be great if we could start out (for once) with actual facts, instead of ideological posturing, wishful thinking, hearsay, and random guessing about how things get done up here.

"To that end, here's the first of a two-part series aimed at busting the common myths Americans routinely tell each other about Canadian health care. When the right-wing hysterics drag out these hoary old bogeymen, this time, we need to be armed and ready to blast them into straw. Because, mostly, straw is all they're made of."

Read more.

To those who have experience with U.S. and Canadian health care systems (or other countries with universal health care): What do you think of the above article? Is it fairly accurate, or otherwise? Feel free to riff on it on the comment section.

Is Universal Health Care Totalitarian Coercion?

Previously, I speculated that Hillary Clinton would win most delegates on Super Tuesday and also pointed out that Clinton's health care plan is more universal than Obama's (as analyzed by Paul Krugman).

And there goes Matthew Dallman in the comment section using the phrase "totalitarian State coercion". Here's exactly what he said:

"If it is a mandate that comes from the federal government, it is by definition totalitarian State coercion."

My knee-jerk reaction is that, why the heck equate universal health care with "totalitarian" and "coercion"? There are other sound arguments against universal health care but using scare words such as *totalitarian* and *coercion* are, to me, just plain silly.

As a case in point, let's look at Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

"Americans can keep their existing coverage or access the same menu of quality private insurance options that their Members of Congress receive through a new Health Choices Menu, established without any new bureaucracy as part of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). In addition to the broad array of private options that Americans can choose from, they will be offered the choice of a public plan option similar to Medicare. "

Does this strike you as totalitarian or coercive? Ok, granted Hillary's health care plan involves mandates which requires that everyone have insurance. As Krugman explains:

"But the big difference is mandates: the Clinton plan requires that everyone have insurance; the Obama plan doesn’t.

"Mr. Obama claims that people will buy insurance if it becomes affordable. Unfortunately, the evidence says otherwise."

Ergo, Clinton's health plan is more universal than Obama.

So let's go back to Matthew Dallman's argument and dissect the phrase "totalitarian state coercion." I'll start with the word "coercion." Coercion is already a strong negative word. But I'll use a more generic definition, such as "the act of compelling by force of authority." By this definition, mandates *could* be seen as a form of coercion (but without the threat or intimidation). Next word is "totalitarian." Again, totalitarian is also a strong negative word. So I'll use a more generic definition, such as "of, relating to, being, or imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute control over everything."

So what's my point? My point is that, even with the more generic definitions of "totalitarian" and "coercion" the phrase "totalitarian state coercion" when used to describe universal health care (whether it's Clinton's plan or Edward's plan) is a lame and poor choice of words argument.

First, the only compulsory requirement is that for all citizens to have a health insurance, but within that requirement there are lots of options to choose from. Not to mention that the wealthy could always pay for insurance from a "broad array of private options." People have freedom to choose from other health plans, so where is the totalitarian coercion? I doubt that the citizens who are enjoying the benefits of universal health care in other developed countries are suffering under a coercive totalitarian nation.

That said, I don't think that Matthew is equating universal health care with totalitarianism (Goodness! I hope not!). What I'm saying is that Matthew has committed another instance of poor choice of words in arguing against universal health care. The essence of Matthew's argument is this:

"Dude. I don't have to come up with a plan (though I favor private insurance made more affordable by free market principles) because I'm not running for president."

(Um yeah, I don't expect Matthew to come up with his own health plan. I can't even imagine him running for president.) In short, Matthew is more in favor of private insurance via free market principles. Fine.

What I expect from an intelligent guy like Matthew is to come up (or point to) sound arguments supporting why health insurance via free market principles is economically and ethically better than universal health care alternatives. Using scare phrases like "totalitarian state coercion" is just poor taste. (Unless of course he could dance around and give a better definition for totalitarian and coercion to justify his use of those words in the context of this discussion. I doubt it.)

In the meantime, allow me to rehash this video of Tony Benn. He makes a very compelling argument for universal health care, economically and ethically. It's a bonus feature from the documentary movie, SiCKO.

P.S. Dear readers: Feel free to riff on this discussion as well. I'd especially like to hear from those people who live in countries with universal health care.

P.P.S. I've also riffed on the moral hazard argument against universal health care. Check out this previous entry: Tony Benn and the Bogusness of Moral Hazard.

Tony Benn and the Bogusness of Moral Hazard

The 2008 Presidential election is now on the way yet I continue to wonder why no leading candidates has a true universal health care in their policies (i.e. as proposed by Kucinich). If we look at other industrialized nations -- Canada, France, Britain, Norway -- universal health care is a no-brainer. There's an article by Malcolm Gladwell wherein he addressed this issue. Gladwell explains that the health care mess in the U.S. is not only driven by politics but by the idea which health economists call, "moral hazard."

""Moral hazard" is the term economists use to describe the fact that insurance can change the behavior of the person being insured.  If your office gives you and your co-workers all the free Pepsi you want—if your employer, in effect, offers universal Pepsi insurance—you'll drink more Pepsi than you would have otherwise.  If you have a no-deductible fire-insurance policy, you may be a little less diligent in clearing the brush away from your house.  The savings-and-loan crisis of the nineteen-eighties was created, in large part, by the fact that the federal government insured savings deposits of up to a hundred thousand dollars, and so the newly deregulated S. & L.s made far riskier investments than they would have otherwise.  Insurance can have the paradoxical effect of producing risky and wasteful behavior.  Economists spend a great deal of time thinking about such moral hazard for good reason.  Insurance is an attempt to make human life safer and more secure.  But, if those efforts can backfire and produce riskier behavior, providing insurance becomes a much more complicated and problematic endeavor."

In other words, the moral hazard argument is based on distrust and fear that the American people would abuse a universal health care system if you give it to them. How nice to treat your citizens.

Gladwell concludes his article:

"The issue about what to do with the health-care system is sometimes presented as a technical argument about the merits of one kind of coverage over another or as an ideological argument about socialized versus private medicine.  It is, instead, about a few very simple questions.  Do you think that this kind of redistribution of risk is a good idea? Do you think that people whose genes predispose them to depression or cancer, or whose poverty complicates asthma or diabetes, or who get hit by a drunk driver, or who have to keep their mouths closed because their teeth are rotting ought to bear a greater share of the costs of their health care than those of us who are lucky enough to escape such misfortunes? In the rest of the industrialized world, it is assumed that the more equally and widely the burdens of illness are shared, the better off the population as a whole is likely to be.  The reason the United States has forty-five million people without coverage is that its health-care policy is in the hands of people who disagree, and who regard health insurance not as the solution but as the problem."

Exactly!

Here's one person who blows the moral hazard argument out of the water. Check out this interview with Tony Benn, a giant political figure and retired member of the British Parliament. This video is a bonus feature from the documentary, SiCKO. Take note that Benn is not spouting political platitudes or theories. Universal health care had been established in Britain in the wake of World War II. So Benn knows what he's talking about, in theory and, more importantly, in practice. Also, notice Benn's healthy interpretation of Christianity, putting it in a socialist context. Here's one of my favorite quotes in the interview: "Economic language classifies us according to our money and not our need." Very fluffy.

So the questions are: Why do the leading U.S. presidential candidates don't have the guts to change the American health care system? Why do Americans continue to put up with the messy system? Kucinich knows the answer. He's ballsy enough to propose to change the system. And that's why he's *not* a leading contender in the 2008 presidential election. Dirty politics and greedy big business suck.

SiCKO: Deleted Scenes from Utopia

I'm still high from watching SiCKO. I'm flabbergasted why the U.S. can't pull its act together when it comes to universal health care as a basic right of its citizens. Moral hazard my ass.

The deadly dance of politicians, big business, media, and uninformed citizens continue to perpetrate the mess of the American health care system. Among the top issues in the 2008 Presidential election universal health care is arguably more important than Iraq, or even Global Warming. There's a reason why Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chose health issues as its top priority. It's just the most ethical thing to do. Too bad Dennis Kucinich doesn't stand a chance of winning this election. He's the only presidential candidate who is ballsy enough to take on this very important issue. Here's what Kucinich has to say about it.

For those who think that the benefits of universal health care in Canada, Britain, France, and Cuba were grossly over-hyped in the documentary SiCKO, well, here's another industrialized country which was deleted from the movie. Because it's just too good to be true.

"This is a scene from Michael Moore's movie Sicko about Health Care that Michael Moore decided to remove from Sicko because no one would believe it. There were many TV News hour hosts that were making fun of Michael Moore, calling his documentaries names, such as "a cartoon" (that one was directed at Sicko directly by some random wannabe doctor), or telling their audiences that Michael Moore is dead wrong because the health care in France, Canada and the UK is terrible. Then the other host calls Sicko "a terrible propaganda" saying that Michael Moore is not even any good, blah blah.

"Based on those attacks against his person and the movie, Michael Moore decided to remove one of the scenes he had filmed and formerly intended for it to be a part of Sicko. It was the scene about Norway. The country that shines much brighter than Canada or any other country when it comes not only to health care, but also any other care for their citizens. Michael Moore knew they couldn't handle it, scene about France itself seemed too good to be true, so he decided to remove the scene about Norway from Sicko entirely."

I'm now dreaming of visiting Norway.

Obesity by ZIP Code

There's a new interesting study from the University of Washington which highlights property value as the strongest predictor of obesity.

"University of Washington researchers recently found wide disparities in obesity rates among King County ZIP codes. The rates range from less than 10 percent in parts of central Seattle and Bellevue to more than 25 percent in some south county neighborhoods.

"The strongest predictor of obesity rates wasn't income or education but property values, the study found. Each additional $100,000 in median home value for a ZIP code corresponded with a drop in obesity of 2 percentage points.

"It's further evidence, experts say, that weight isn't solely about individual behavior and that the environment you live in matters.

"'If you have this mind-set that obesity has to do with the individual alone, then ZIP codes or areas really should not come into this. But they do, big-time,' said Adam Drewnowski, director of the UW Center for Obesity Research."

Read more.

I think it just make sense. Expensive neighborhoods have more access to parks, well lighted sidewalks, fitness centers, yoga studios, upscale grocery stores selling fresh fruits and organic everything. Not to mention that affluent people are more likely to care about their physical appearance than people who frequent the junk food aisles at Walmart.

But I think a bigger factor is the layout of the neighborhood and the overall appearance. People are more likely to walk around a safe well-lit neighborhood with parks and views than in dark neighborhoods with high crime rates. I'm lucky enough to be in a walking city where I feel safe walking at night after eating dinner. In fact, it's 9pm and I'm on my way to do a 3-mile walk, like now.

Juice Fast: The Aftermath

I'm finally done with the five-day juice fast! Woohoo! Today I start eating again. I'm taking it easy on my stomach by consuming yogurt and oatmeal. For dessert, there's a slice of Filipino delicacy called halaya waiting for me in the fridge. Sarap!

So how did I do it?

During the five-day juice fast I used a product called Ab Trim. It's a product recommended to me by a friend. The product includes Amino acids as primary source of protein along with vitamins and colon cleansing capsules. But don't take this as recommendation. It's the first and only colon cleansing product I've used so I have no comparison to make. There are other colon cleansing products out there to choose from. It's also important to remember that colon cleansing is an alternative medicine which most (conventional) medical doctors don't recommend. So make sure you do your research and consult your doctor before taking the plunge.

So what did I get from this experiment?

All in all, I lost 1 inch off my waist, 2 inches off my stomach and I'm 6 lbs. lighter. Not bad. Not that dramatic either. But I was already slender to begin with. So, percentage-wise, those figures are significant.

I've also learned self-discipline when it comes to food. For five days I kept with a schedule of taking supplements and drinking juice every three hours. I'll continue to follow this schedule by eating six small meals a day.

And finally, I feel that my body feels lighter and cleaner.

I'll resume my regular weightlifting schedule tomorrow. I'll be more mindful of what I eat from now on.

Juice Fast Day 5: The End is In Sight

I'm on my fifth and final day of juice fasting. Yesterday I went out to take photos for a charity event. It was the first time I felt a  sensation of hunger because I did a lot of walking. The concession stand was very tempting. I had free access to food all day but all I got was water. I think that's why I felt very hungry. Water didn't cut it. I had to drink two glasses of juice to fight off the hunger and cravings.

Since I'm on the last day of the diet, I'll just take it easy and stay home the whole day. I have enough supply of juice to keep me full. I'll just read books and watch cable movies to pass the time. I also want to make sure a toilet is always accessible. I've already earned enough frequent flier miles to the bathroom since I started with the diet. It feels like a 5-day enema session.

Tomorrow I'll start eating again. I'll resume with soft foods like yogurt and oatmeal. Hmmm, oatmeal…

Juice Fast Day 4: Still Alive and Kicking

I'm on my fourth day of juice fasting. I took a two-mile walk along the lake yesterday. It was another perfect weather here in the Emerald City. People smiling as they cruise around in their convertibles. Women parading their legs with their high-heels and mini-skirts. Nice. Men walking half-naked displaying their washboard abs. Show offs! Sailboats floating across Lake Washington with the sunset as backdrop was a sight to behold.

The aroma of restaurant food, pastries and coffee filled the sidewalks. The cravings seemed overwhelming. I felt a sensation of hunger. So I went home early to avoid the smell of pizzas, pastries and coffee. And then I read Michael Crichton's Travels. That guy is an excellent storyteller.

Juice Fast Day 3: Don't Look At the Nuts

I'm on my third day of juice fasting. Yesterday was a breeze. I didn't feel hungry at all. But I was almost tempted to go for the cashews and mixed nuts on my kitchen counter. They all kept shouting: Eat me! Eat me!

I resisted the urge. It's revealing how cravings kick in even if I wasn't hungry.

I have a weakness for salty and spicy foods. I've already given up junk foods like chips. But just to get the cravings out of the way, before starting the juice fast, I consumed half a bag of Lay's and half a bag of red fiery uber-spicy Cheetos.

I didn't finish the bags of chips. Right now they're staring at me in the face. I have no plans of eating them when I'm done with my fast. Be gone! So there. They're in the trash now.

But the nuts will stay. I'll just avoid looking at them.

Juice Fast Day 1: Taking the Plunge

So I took the plunge and started juice fasting today. I've never tried it before. I only do fasting once a year, on Good Fridays.  But this time I'm going all out for a 5-day juice fast. The goal: detoxification.

As much as I want to lose the remaining body fat in the abs area, my primary reasons for detoxification is to clean up my body, relieve stress, and increase my energy. I've been feeling down and sluggish lately. I have very low energy. It could purely be psychological but I think that a big part of it is physical. So I'm hitting it on both domains.

For the psychological: I'll read more "happy" and personal development books and do short meditation sessions. I also need to get out more and mingle with people. For the physical: I'll do body detoxification with a 5-day juice fast. It is important to rest while doing the juice fast so I'll just take short walks along the lake. I'll resume my regular exercise program as soon as I'm done with fasting.

I've heard from friends that the first two days of the fast is the most challenging. During the third day is when you'll experience a surge of energy. And your poop will look weird too. I'm looking forward to it.

Prepping Up for a 5-Day Juice Fast

Getting ready for a 5-day juice fast. It's about time I give this bodymind some cleaning up.

Obesity Due to Social Networks

Have you seen the latest study saying that the obesity can be contagious? Check out the social network animation. Apparently, you could get fat if you have fat friends.

via NYTimes

"Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, researchers are reporting today. When a person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too.

"Their study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved a detailed analysis of a large social network of 12,067 people who had been closely followed for 32 years, from 1971 until 2003. The investigators knew who was friends with whom, as well as who was a spouse or sibling or neighbor, and they knew how much each person weighed at various times over three decades. That let them examine what happened over the years as some individuals became obese. Did their friends also become obese? Did family members or neighbors?

"The answer, the researchers report, was that people were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. That increased a person’s chances of becoming obese by 57 percent."

And check this: "Proximity did not seem to matter: the influence of the friend remained even if the friend was hundreds of miles away. And the greatest influence of all was between mutual close friends. There, if one became obese, the odds of the other becoming obese were nearly tripled."

What da?! At first this study sounds ridiculous, but based on my personal experience, I can say that it has a ring of common sense to it. The old adage "birds of the same feather flock together" comes to mind. I got hooked into exercising because me and my good friend used to be workout buddies. I have relatives and acquaintances who are obese but I don't have close friends who are obese. Of course I'm not picking friends based on their weight, but that's how it turned out. I don't have many close friends either.

However, before even thinking about ditching your obese friends. Take note that:

"...the investigators say, social networks are not the only factors that affect body weight. There is a strong genetic component at work as well.  Science has shown that individuals have genetically determined ranges of weights, spanning perhaps 30 or so pounds for each person. But that leaves a large role for the environment in determining whether a person’s weight is near the top of his or her range or near the bottom."

So, what do you think about this study based on your experience and your network of close friends?

For me, I think it's more like the state of mind and the model of reality that we adopt. So don't even think about blaming your friends for your own weight. Take responsibility for your own health and make friends with everyone.

Health is Indeed Wealth!

It's ironic that in spite of the longer working hours in the U.S. its healthcare system pales in comparison with that of other developed countries.

Case in point: Check out this report from The Commonwealth Fund.

“Among the six nations studied—Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last, as it did in the 2006 and 2004 editions of Mirror, Mirror. Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last on dimensions of access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity. The 2007 edition includes data from the six countries and incorporates patients' and physicians' survey results on care experiences and ratings on various dimensions of care.”

So whether you like Michael Moore or not, I think it would be interesting to see his latest docu-film, SiCKO. Yep, it's propaganda, but there are truths in that movie that people in the U.S. need to be aware of. How accurate is SiCKO? I don't know, but the fact that the California Nurses Association is supporting the movie says a lot! Election time is coming so expect politicians to make sweet promises on healthcare.

You Too Can Look Like a Spartan

Yesterday I posted a quick review of the movie 300. Near the end of the review I made a tongue-in-cheek comment about how the casting director picked the people who will play the role of Spartan soldiers. Then a fellow Zaadzster, William, sent me links about the training that the cast went through. Whoah! That's so hardcore!

Here's a link to the Gym Jones so-called program. And here's the YouTube video:

I want to look like a Spartan too! But my lazy ass says, nah :)

Thanks William!

How Fit or Fat is Your City?

I'll let Dr. Sanjay Gupta do the talking…

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta tackles the obesity epidemic in a cross country tour for the second year. He heads out again in 2007!     • Flash: America's growing waistlines  • Health Library: Obesity: Causes and complications

Woohooo! Seattle is number 8 on the fittest city. But man, we dropped from number 1 in 2005. And my kind of town Chicago is chunkiest! Hmmm… I miss those deep dish pizzas…

Just Press Play: DONE!

Today is Press Play event. I got in touch with my inner athlete and conquered Volume Two of Cardio Coach training in the gym. It was an awesome workout!

The day is still young so if you feel like it, you can still participate in the Press Play event by doing your cardio workout today.

Thanks Coach!

Note to Self: Tomorrow is Press Play Event

I'll wake up early tomorrow and do my cardio at 9:00am (12 PM EST) so I can participate on this very meaningful event. And if the weather is good, I think I'll also run outside. WOOT!

Yep. Tomorrow, January 27 is Press Play event. If you still haven't done so, check out this challenge from the Cardio Coach. And to inspire you some more, go watch this video of Jim MacLaren.

Here's to better health!

Cardio Coach: My First Impressions

I just got back from the gym. Today is my cardio day. I've been working out consistently for more than a year now. But my cardio workout could use more improvements. My cardio workout is derived from HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), which I've learned from my Absolution program. It's very effective. Incorporating HIIT in my workout three times a week enabled me to maintain my weight even after I stopped taking fat burning supplements. I do my cardio workout mostly on treadmills during winter and run around the park during warmer seasons. I prefer doing cardio using a treadmill because I can control the pacing and the incline. Here's how I do it:

1. reset the timer to zero. warm up: first two minutes walking pace at 3.5 mph speed.
2. run like the wind at 9.5 mph for one minute.
3. back to walking at 3.5 mph speed for one minute.
4. repeat step 2 and 3, alternate between running and walking. do this until the timer reads 20 mins.
5. by this time i'm already gasping (very) hard for oxygen, so i catch my breath and drink lots of water.

As effective as this cardio workout is for me, I sometimes find it monotonous. It lacks variety and fun. Enter, the Cardio Coach. Check out this video promo:

I met Sean O'Malley (aka Cardio Coach) when he joined Zaadz. He posted an insane gesture/challenge on his blog:

"The gesture - From now (Jan 5th) until the 27th, anybody who wants to use Cardio Coach and is a member of the zaadz community can get it at no charge. If you get one and like it, you can come back and get another (up until the 27th).

"In Return - verbally commit that you will give much consideration to participating in the Press Play event on the 27th.... Press Play day has the potential for amazing things."

I took Sean's challenge, sent him an email and asked which of his cardio workouts is right for me. He recommended Volume 2. So I clicked the promo link, downloaded the mp3s, saved them on iTunes, created a Cardio Coach V2 playlist, and synchronized it with my iPod Nano.

Here's what happened on my first session with the Cardio Coach:

NOTE: Before starting with the program I recommend that you check out the Quick Start Guide to determine your fitness level and familiarize yourself with your exercise equipment of choice. And of course, check with your doctor too :)

Volume 2 consists of eight mp3 files: Intro, Warm up, Challenge 1, Challenge 2, Steady State/Rest, Challenge 3, Cool down, and Coaches Notes. I didn't bother checking my heart rate using the treadmill's panel. Since I've been doing cardio for a while now I have a good idea of how to pace myself. So as soon as stepped on the treadmill I selected the Cardio Coach V2 playlist and hit play. I used the tempo of the music as my pacing and listened to the voice instructions. At first I thought that this would be a piece of cake. So I pushed myself more.

For Challenge 1 and Challenge 2, I manually adjusted the incline to 5.0 and the speed to 7.5 mph during the challenge intervals. Man! Big mistake. By the time Challenge 2 was completed, I was already sweating like Jack Black in a sauna. I underestimated the program and overestimated my capacity. Duh. During the Steady State the Cardio Coach gave me the option to continue with the third and final challenge or to "veer off to the beaten path" and skip it. I seriously considered giving up and calling it a day. But I visualized the Cardio Coach behind me shouting at the top of his lungs, calling me a wuss if I give up! Rats. So I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers and proceeded to Challenge 3.

For Challenge 3, I manually adjusted the incline to 6.0 and the speed to 5.0 mph and kept my pace for the next five challenge intervals. I thought that I would never complete the challenge but the Cardio Coach's voice guided me and provided the feedback that I needed to focus on the challenge at hand. By the time I finished Challenge 3 I felt like Homer Simpson about to have a meltdown. My shirt was all wet, my perspiration was dripping from my head off the back of my neck, I'm gasping for oxygen--all signs of an awesome cardio workout! The workout lasted for almost 40 minutes, including cool down. I felt great! I still feel great as I write this!

So starting today instead of listening to Guns N' Roses during my cardio workout, I'll do my workout with the Cardio Coach. The pacing provided by the music alone is worth it and the guided voice instruction helped me to focus and gave me timely feedback to push myself even more. Give it a try.

Thanks to Sean for this gift of fitness! I'll be joining you on January 27!

~C (for Cardio Coach rocks!)

How Do You Picture A Healthy World?

absolution completion
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

Props to my Flickr buddy, O Caritas, for the heads up. GE is running an ad called, how do you picture a healthy world.

Send us your photos and stories of how you stay healthy and the whole world could picture you in Times Square when we celebrate World Health Day 2006 this April.

But before submitting your pics, heed the warning of the Flickr denizens. I wish GE adopted Creative Commons licensing, but anyway, I still think it's a good idea. So I'm gonna have fun with it and submit one of my pics. And since you can optionally include a story, I'm gonna give Absolution a shout out. Oh yeah, Ken's books too.

The Absolution program (or any other authentic fitness program), when engaged with passion and commitment, changes the person's lifestyle and outlook in life. The old habits of unconsciously sabotaging one's health is peeled away. Stress and depression are kept in check by high metabolism and optimism. Where the program ends, a new zest for life begins. I've only just begun. If I can get these results in 3 months, what more in 6 months? a year? a lifetime? Maintaining my optimum health is no longer a fad but a constant injunction. I will keep up with the routine of exercising, eating healthy, and taking supplements for as long as possible. This bodymind is leaner than ever. The next goal is to really bulk up. Ryan Reynolds watch out!

Let's see if my exhibitionism gets through GE's censorship.

Integral Fitness Solutions

"Integral approach to fitness" based on latest research? Interesting. A fitness solution with AQAL flavor.

...if we take a step back and look at all the issues involved in becoming overweight, it is apparent that there is more to it than poor diet and lack of exercise. There are actually four major areas of our lives that contribute to our issues with body weight: our bodies, our psyches, our cultural beliefs, and our social structures. Addressing all four areas of our lives is the foundation of the Integral Fitness Solution.

I'll keep an eye on this and see what I can add to my fitness program.

My Kind of Nursing Home

I don't see myself getting old. But sometimes I imagine that when I do get old and left alone in a retirement home, I would spend my last days in meditation and contemplation. I guess there's a better alternative to it.

Caregivers in Copenhagen have found that pornography and prostitutes have a greater calming effect on their elderly patients than traditional medical treatment such as drug therapy.

Staff at the Thorupgaarden nursing home in the Danish capital have been broadcasting pornography on the building's internal videochannel every Saturday night for several years. And if videos and dirty magazines don't relieve the tension, residents can ask the staff to order a prostitute for them.

As Tom Leykis always say, "Forget Viagra. The only cure for ED (erectile dysfunction) is YG (young girls)," or HW (hot women).

Thanks for the link Ottmar. I'm filing this under Health and Fitness.