10 Weird Resuscitation Techniques From 200 Years Ago

Mental_floss presented this list that started with “1. Rubs and marinades”, went on to “2. Sticks and whips” and “3. Blowing smoke”, and included 7 more techniques of old time medical practice.

If you have a cardiac arrest today, and are revived by the wonders of modern medicine, you should thank your lucky stars that you’re alive. You should also give thanks that your resuscitation took place today, rather than 200 years ago. Because back then, techniques of bringing back the dead were far less effective. And much more bizarre.

Read the entire article HERE.

 

 

Three 20-Year-Olds Build Their Own Version of Healthcare.gov

According to TheVerge –

A trio of programmers in San Francisco have built their own version of Healthcare.gov, the federal insurance marketplace that has had serious technical issues since launching on October 1st, over the course of “a few late nights.” HealthSherpa allows users to browse health insurance plans available in their zip code, and even calculates what federal tax subsidies they may be eligible for. The government site does not allow users to browse plans like this, instead requiring everyone to register and fill out an application. The site does not attempt to do most of the complex functions of Healthcare.gov, including verifying identity and submitting applications. It’s more of a demonstration of how one aspect could have been designed better. “They got it completely backwards in terms of what people want up front,” Ning Liang told CBS News. “They want prices and benefits, so that they could make the decision.”

Visit TheHealthSherpa HERE

How To Save On Drugs [comic]

original source

Mitt Romney Gets Homer Simpson’s Vote [video]

The Real Reasons US Healthcare Is Overpriced [infographic]

Go to the infographic

View the infographic HERE

Arizona Governor Initiates Death Panels

(Reuters) – A pacemaker and defibrillator fitted to carpenter Douglas Gravagna’s failing heart makes even rising from the couch of his Phoenix-valley home a battle. But it is not congestive heart failure that is killing him, he says. It is a decision by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to stop funding for some organ transplants as the state struggles to reduce a yawning budget deficit. “She’s signing death warrants — that’s what she’s doing. This is death for me,” says Gravagna, 44, a heavy-set man who takes 14 medications to stay alive. Gravagna is among 98 people denied state Medicaid funding for potentially life-saving transplants and at the forefront of a harrowing battle over the state’s public finances.

Continue reading HERE.

Why The US Needs Healthcare Reform [comic]

GOP Freshman Demands Obamacare NOW!

Politico reports –

A conservative Maryland physician elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform surprised fellow freshmen at a Monday orientation session by demanding to know why his government-subsidized health care plan takes a month to kick in. Republican Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist who defeated freshman Democrat Frank Kratovil on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, reacted incredulously when informed that federal law mandated that his government-subsidized health care policy would take effect on Feb. 1 – 28 days after his Jan. 3rd swearing-in. “He stood up and asked the two ladies who were answering questions why it had to take so long, what he would do without 28 days of health care,” said a congressional staffer who saw the exchange. The benefits session, held behind closed doors, drew about 250 freshman members, staffers and family members to the Capitol Visitors Center auditorium late Monday morning,”.

Continue reading HERE.

DUMMR notes that Mr. Harris is of Polish descent – citation HERE.

 

 

Are You Fat? In Japan It’s Illegal

GlobalPost reports –

TOKYO, Japan — In Japan, being thin isn’t just the price you pay for fashion or social acceptance. It’s the law. Concerned about rising rates of both in a graying nation, Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women. Under Japan’s health care coverage, companies administer check-ups to employees once a year. Those who fail to meet the waistline requirement must undergo counseling. If companies do not reduce the number of overweight employees by 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015, they could be required to pay more money into a health care program for the elderly. An estimated 56 million Japanese will have their waists measured this year.

Continue reading.