There are some countries who suffer such dilemma: inaffordable medicines. Although manufaturers and governments are at its best in keeping the costs of medicines low, still not all can afford it.
Maybe because of poverty rates, of economic crisis or job scarcity. But whatever it is, medicines are much needed now because more and more people like the baby boomer generation are in need of quality cheap medicines.
To name a few of the advantages of keeping medicine costs as low as possible are:
- medical care and laboratories are rising, if medicines would come also to rise, there is little to no hope for families with low-incomes to afford any medical attention. Which counts for high mortality rates.
- medicines for accidents like adult and child trauma are important because of emergency situations. Families would have less to think about if medicines of that specific nature would be more affordable. No one wants accidents.
- Making more affordable medicines can reach out to those who really need it. Poor countries that would require medical attention has all the advantage if medicines that can help with most diseases are made available. It also encourages organizations dedicated to help such give more because of lower costs.
Although not all medicines can be made cheap, affordability is still the main concern. Keeping costs low enough for everyone creates a fighting chance to live life.
Cancer is probably one of the most dreaded causes of so much trouble to us. Be it from expenses, emotional stresses and our future, cancer, if at most, should be avoided at all costs.
There is no single cause of cancer, as doctors from the U.K. said in the article: “What causes cancer?”. It is a multi-factorial; meaning there are so many reasons that may cause cancer. Some of them are:
- Genetics
- Lifestyle
- Age
…and exposure to carcinogenic substances.
For one, lifestyle has seemed to be accelerating such effects of cancer. If we are exposed to smoke and pollution for one, we are likely to get lung cancer. There are many types of cancer, but one is common: the more abuse our body gets and as we grow older, the more we are prone to cancer.
Still according to the article, maintaining a healthy weight and good eating habits has prevented 1 out of 3 cancer cases. Meaning, a healthy lifestyle is still the preventive measure we can do today for fewer complications tomorrow.
Study also has shown that many people could not afford the many medical procedures needed for cancer. A survey conducted to cancer survivors, almost 8% of them did not get one or more of the required medical procedures. This is according to the American Cancer Society journal: Cancer.
Want to spend money on other things? Then cancer should be less of your worries, regular check-ups and a healthy way of living can make sure you have less money worries.
Whenever we feel so bad or lonely, we tend to find someone or a group that will make us feel better. These groups help to elevate our moods do that mostly by talking to us while eating, watching a movie, or over a few drinks, or just some on-on-one conversation, sans distractions.
Studies have shown the positive correlation between relationships or long talks and health. The studies show that conversation benefits our emotional health, which in turn impacts our physical health.
According to an article : “Do Deep Conversations Make Us Happier?”
“The study, which followed the conversation patterns of 79 individuals, found that those who engaged in the most small talk were the least happy, while those who had more deep conversations were happier. In fact, the results were not even close. The deep-talkers were much better off in multiple categories of mental well-being.”
Small talks are good, but deep conversations discussing problems or emotions would affect us in a big way, because they tends to make us happier. Of course, if we talk about violence and negativity that would not do us any good. But having deep conversations has been proven to help ease stress and strengthen bonds.
If you feel down or know someone who does, talking has been proven by science to help the mental well-being of a person. For relationships, communication matter, and this study proves that the more we have deep talks with partners or family, the stronger the bonds we create, and the less likely will we be to have problems and “cold-wars” that can last for years.
Be happy for advances in technology if only for the fact that they have saved you from enduring some of the more gruesome medical treatments in history. These procedures, although sometimes effective, were more akin to Inquisitorial torture tactics than traditional lifesaving methods.
Amputation
Although amputation is still a last-ditch effort today, sacrificing one extremity to save the rest of the body, in anicent times, especially the American Civil War, it was the first, and only, line of defense against fatal infection. While master surgeons in this day and age are able to skillfully clear the infected bone or muscle from one’s body with minimal pain or scarring, our bearded forefathers were not as lucky.
The staggering amount of wounded requiring amputation and the general lack of water in each army’s camps meant that the imposing bone saws were usually unwashed between surgeries. A book on field surgery practices, by Samuel Cooper, which dates back to the Civil War, recommends that: “”as little of the flesh should be cut away, as possible; but the more bone is removed, the better.”
Bloodletting
Bloodletting is one of the first documented, and most counter-intuitive, of medical procedures in the world. It seems to some that the object of medicine is to keep as much blood as possible in your body, thereby helping one to, you know, live. Bloodletting has a different goal. It was believed that blood was not recycled, and so old or stale blood would cause negative healthful effects, and it had to be removed somehow. Hippocrates (an ancient Greek philosopher) believed that women achieved the purging of their used up blood through menstruation, and so invented a system of bloodletting to even the score (“anything you can do, I can do better.”)
Although it was never proven as an effective measure against any diseases, it was still used as a panacea to treat almost every disease in the medical books leading up to the 180’0′s. There were many methods of bloodletting, including a simple incision that would be squeezed to release blood, but the most blood curdling on them all included the use of leeches. These slimy little suckers have a taste for human blood and can chug more than a frat boy at Spring Break. Often dozens were attached to an afflicted person, sucking away until he was almost bled dry.
Trepanning
Apparently you do not have to be abducted by aliens to have a hole drilled into your head. Who knew? Trepanning is also an extremely dated medical practice; evidence of such procedures has been found in skulls of neolithic origin, but whether these were signs of an attempt at healing or the result of a good old fashioned rock fight is still unclear.
Consequently, two of the pioneers of medical trepanning were the same two who helped bloodletting reach mass popularity. Although it seems gratuitous and downright foolish, evidence has shown that trepanning may have been successful. Seven of eight trepanned skulls found in Germany showed signs of healing and that the patient had survived.
Nasal Brain Removal
We couldn’t find a more detailed picture for this procedure. But even if we had, would you really want to see it? Ancient Egyptians, in the process of mummification, would attempt to remove the brain from the body. To start, with all due respect to the deceased, the embalmers would ram a sharper instrument up into the nasal cavity of the corpse in order to break the bone separating the nasal cavity from the brain cavity. Next, using one of the hooks depicted above, they would stir the brain vigorously until it began to liquefy. Then they would simply flip the cadaver over and let the now liquefied brain spill out of his nostrils and onto the floor. My apologies if you have a hard time eating tomato soup after this.
Lobotomy
The lobotomy is a procedure which, frighteningly enough, was still utilized until the 1960′s. This procedure requires severing the connections between the prefrontal cortex to the rest of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is believed to be responsible for the operation of complex behaviors, decision making, expression of personality and emotion, and social aptitude. It was believed that severing this connection would render someone suffering from a severe psychological condition (i.e bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) unable to harm themselves or others as it would level out their emotions. The lobotomy, although controversial, was successful in achieving this goal, although it would leave patient’s in a dull, emotionless, Keanu Reeves-like state permanently.
In Conclusion…
Medical breakthroughs are designed to make even the most drastic procedures quick and painless, although that was not always the case. So the next time you are whining about having to get a shot or give a tiny blood sample, remember that there are far worse alternatives.
The definitive “scientific method” is an arduous, exacting process of observation, experimentation, and documentation. Scientists are known for their precise and calculating ways, constantly tweaking variables and conditions, all designed to reach a quantifiable result based on their hypotheses. They theorize, and then prove that their theories were either right or wrong.
However, not all scientific advances were achieved by this meticulous process. Some were complete accidents. While an accident to the common man may consist of a coffee spill or a misguided e-mail, some scientists were fortunate enough to have their accidents become medical breakthroughs. Talk about dumb luck.
Here are some of the greatest achievements in the medical field which surprised even their creators.
Viagra
This little blue pill is a savior for many men, and their significant others, who were otherwise unable to perorm their “manly duties.” Just one dose of “Vitamin V” can turn a certain organ from limp to lightning in just a few minutes. However, although erectile dysfunction has plagued men for centuries and there have been many attempts at treatment, the chemical compound in Viagra has been the most effective and sure-fire way to a satisfying, embarassment free coupling. Viagra records sales in the billions, and the stygma surrounding impotence has all but dissappeared. Although it is such a successful and popular drug, it was originally developed to cure angina, a disorder that causes chronic chest pain, primarily in women. Talk about a 180.
When the initial version of Viagra was tested on a group of men, in order to determine potential side affects, one observer noted that the men suffered from frequent and spontanous erections. It was like 7th grade all over again. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer smartly marketed and sold Viagra as an erectile dysfunction treament. Although it was not very effective in curing agina, it has still helped many women find much-needed relief.
Penicillin
Mothers are constantly harping at their children to clean dishes out of their room before mold grows on them. Luckily for us, Scottish scientist Alexander Flemming’s mom never visited his workspace. Flemming was cultivating bacteria cultures, but absentmindedly left one of his petri dishes open, allowing mold to grow on the bacteria. While most would have recoiled in horror at this sight and ran for the nearest pair of latex gloves, Flemming used his discerning eye to observe that the mold was slowly dissolving the bacteria underneath it.
After extensive testing by various researchers around the globe, it was determined that penicillin could also stop the growth of, and deteriorate bacteria inside the human body. What was once thought of as simply disgusting now cures a wide variety of potentially harmful bacterial infections in all areas of the body. Thank you, Mrs.Flemming for allowing your son to be a slob.
X-Rays
Although being able to see the skeletal structure of the human body seems like something out of science fiction, the X-ray is very real and is one of the most valuable and remarkable discoveries in the history of scientific exploration. And their creation is all due to a puzzling circumstance which came from an experiment that wasn’t even medical in nature.
German physicist Willhelm Rontgen was studying cathode rays, electron beams created in insulated discharge tubes. Rontgen had wrapped one of these tubes with black cardboard, but noticed that a faint green light emanated on a flourscent screen a meter away from the tube.
Although Rontgen initially believed that there was a tear in the cardboard, allowing the light from inside the tube to sneak through. Upon closer inspection he found that this was not the case, and began to investigate further. He concluded that the light could pass through papers and even thick bound books. With the knowledge that light could pass through solid objects, the stage for the invention of the X-ray was set.
Insulin
Although insulin was not ‘invented’ per se, its discovery is one of the more remarkable accounts of scietific serendipity. Insulin is vital in the transportationg and storing of glucose into the bloodstream, which gives the body energy to complete it’s many autonomous regulating tasks. Diabetes is a condition where insulin is not produced by the pancreas, and an uneven amount of sugar intake can be detrimental, and even deadly, to its sufferers.
Two German physicists removed the pancreas from a canine in an attempt to study the animals digestive system (at least we hope they weren’t doing it just for fun), however, when the pancreas was removed the scientists noticed a swarm of flies hovering about the spilled urine. When the scientists tested the urine (again, hopefully not just for fun) they discovered that it had a high amount of sugar, which was attracting the flies. Urine with a high sugar content is a telltale symptom of diabetes. This discovery led to the knowledge that the pancreas, and by extension the production of insulin, is the key component in treating and understanding diabetes.
Honorable Mention:
-Smallpox Vaccine: Although not really an accident, the invention of the smallpox vaccine was not grounded in scientific study, but rather through the observation of a simple milkmaid. A milkmaid reported to British Scientist Edward Jenner that those afflicted with cowpox, a relatively harmless disease that people caught from contact with milk cows, did not contract smallpox. Jenner used pus from cowpox sores to create his vaccine.
-Antidepressants: During a clinical study that was all but set to prove the failure of a drug designed to treat schizophrenia, Robert Kuhn gave the compound to a patient suffering from depression. Not only did the drug boost the patient’s mood, but he took a deep dive back into depression once he was taken off of the drug.
-Botox: Botox is not a medical breakthrough in the sense that it saves lives, but some older women may disagree. The toxic bacteria Clostridium botulinum, although lethal when ingested, was used to treat lazy or “crossed” eyes. Two Canadian surgeons noticed during one of these procedures that the patient’s wrinkles smoothed out around her eye area. Now it is injected into just about anywhere a needle can fit to rid unwanted wrinkles and make one look both younger and like a wax sculpture at the same time.
Obesity is becoming a major problem in the lifestyle of many around the world, and the government and health institutions can no longer turn a blind eye to this plight. One of the key factors in helping to prevent or cure obesity is to determine the cause of obesity. Although there are many factors which can cause obesity, family factors are often overlooked.
Overeating and satisfying, albeit poor, food choices are a way many people cope with stress and depression. This type of eating is often called “emotional eating.” But what does this have to do with family?
When parents fight or have loud arguments, it is their children who are the most affected, especially when they are at a young age. Children form their life values and ideals through the actions of their greatest role models, their parents. Frequent arguing and fighting amongst the parents can cause a child to feel unsafe or uncomfortable with their home and family situation, thus leading to stress and anxiety.
Because of this stress, some children take comfort in eating. Feeling some kind of satisfaction, this is the way some children use to cope up with family violence, resulting in these children forming unhealthy eating habits, which can lead to heart problems and diabetes. Unfortunately, once these problems occur, it is often too late for the bad eating habits to be changed, as they have already been instilled in the person.
In reference to this article: “Another price of family violence: obese kids”.
“Ties between exposure to adversities in childhood and long-lasting emotional and health problems in adulthood have been established in numerous studies. This is the first study, the investigators say, suggesting a possible connection between violence directed against mothers and obesity in young children.”
Healthy family relationships can help children avoid unhealthy eating habits. Taking care of your family does not always mean taking care of their health and diet; relationships among family members should always be in check.
Many people are already aware of the various beneficial effects of a change in diet. Changing just a few meals from fast food to fruits and vegetables can greatly increase one’s overall level of health.
If changing a few things in your diet can do wonders for your health, why do some people have a hard time doing it?
The answer is simple: Habit.
If one has been eating a certain way for a long time, changing dietary habits can seem to be a daunting challenge. It takes almost all of their willpower to last a day or a week of eating healthy. After that, after feeling depression of the transition, they often go back to the normal way of eating and all is lost.
There are many healthy recipes out there that you can try little by little. It does not have to take drastic changes or torturing yourself, most people who develop the habit started small, by replacing fries and bread with fruit every so often.
Everything in moderation is important if people want to make changes for a healthier lifestyle. Whatever your goals are, whether it’s losing weight or avoiding health complications, starting small and starting now can do a lot to help you along your way to achieving your health goals.
Healthy food choices don’t have to be as hard as you think. Adopting a thing or two at a time promises longer results and benefits to your body.
In the wellness awareness generation, not all people embrace the concept. Not all would live the healthy way even if they wanted to. Why? Some things in their mind they either they can’t let go, or new information they can’t embrace.
Here are some things that can hinder the way to a healthy lifestyle.
Bad Habits. Vices and bad habits of course is the one of the best reasons why a person cannot start a good exercise routine or find the formula in the diet. No matter how hard one may try, it would take more than just sheer willpower to overcome bad habits.
Habits are formed on the mind. Dig deep in the problem and analyze the causes and effects of your bad habits. No one can do it alone, seeking help from family, friends or even professionals should be ashamed about. It only means you want change and are asking help, love and motivation to people you know who would really care.
Pre-conceived ideas. How would one learn if there are contradicting theories and notions about many other things? How can you start eating right if you cannot see the fact that too much meat, oils and preservatives can do more harm than good? Developing a healthy lifestyle is not possible if embracing new information is impossible.
If there are too many pre-conceived ideas about eating right and exercise, it is better to not think of it at the moment as there will be a clash within you. Learn about small facts in healthy food choices or exercise little by little, and do a study in it. Experts’ articles and other studies may clear up some issues, or erase some of the bad pre-conceived ideas you might be having all this time.
As you might notice most of the things that can hinder a healthy lifestyle comes mostly first from the mind. The way to a healthier or even sexier you will start from the way you think. Is you mind making your healthy living just a dream?
There are some beliefs in sleeping that it really has no exact scientific explanation why we need it. But as humans we all now how importance it is; we need sleep in order to let our muscles rest, grow and our body repair itself.
But do you notice sometimes people that do not sleep well? They tend to be groggy, lazy, and even sometimes disoriented and forgetful at some cases. Lack of sleep has a big impact on most of us. We cannot think well, reason well, to even communicate well with others.
How much sleep?
It is said that a healthy dose of sleep requires 8 hours. For some it might not be possible, because they can be contented with 4-6 hours of sleep. While these hours of sleep may hold true for adults, kids and the young generation should have sleep to help their bodies repair and grow more.
Have you noticed when you get more sleep the better you think? Studies have shown that sleep before absorbing information is a lot better than those without. So power naps whenever possible can help a lot in studying or anything that needs analysis or absorbing information.
Science has proven the benefits of sleeping in terms of the function of the mind. A great sleeping habit whenever possible can benefit not only the way the body works, but how we think as well.
Some people think maintaining the healthy lifestyle is expensive. Going organic, buying vitamins and supplements, and even exercising can be a burden to the wallet. Taken off by the costs of the healthy and active life, some prefer to save money and just keep in the low.
In the long run, health care is going to cost more. According to Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D., in the article: “Why We Must Reduce Health Care Costs”; Hospitals is where most of the money goes. Medicines, laboratories and surgeries, and even doctor’s fees are just some of the fees we pay in the hospital to try to eliminate diseases or at least make it less painful.
The doctor is right, reducing health care costs is a must because its increase in the next few years might not be affordable anymore for most people. If this pattern continues, there would be more suffering or even deaths in sight. We do not want that.
If you are thinking costs, it is more reasonable to make sure you get vitamins and minerals from food that to pay for doctor’s prescriptions. This does not mean that doctor’s support is not needed, but avoiding to pay for large hospital bills in the future can be a lot more expensive than paying for vitamins, vegetables or getting someone to help you maintain your healthy lifestyle.
Cost-efficient ways of staying healthy and active are dime a dozen. The information overload to some may be staggering because of so many advertisements.
The essence of it is to find a balanced amount of food and exercise that you can live with, along with the help of supplements to compliment that lifestyle.
Prevention is still better than cure indeed, and will cost a lot less in the years to come. As some of the richest and wealthiest persons say that it is such a waste to earn so much money to pay for your medical bills in the future.
How about people who are not rich? Can they afford such? Keeping your lifestyle as healthy as possible will make sure you wouldn’t face such dilemma.
The key is to finding the right formula to a healthy lifestyle that suits you, live with it and the rest will follow.
