0 Of Intellectual Enclaves and Self Reinforcing Media Crossing The Health Care Reform Divide

Watch for and report any
contrary opinions!

Theres an interesting Saturday Essay in The Wall Street Journal that describes the self-perpetuating socioeconomic-neighborhood enclaves that separate Americas "haves" and "have nots."  Its turning out that zip code is not only associated with health, its becoming associated with destiny.

Not only fascinating, says the Disease Management Care Blog, but the essay reminds it of the pernicious twin intellectual enclaves in the health care debate.  While the progressive-liberals and the market-oriented conservatives in D.C. remain stuck in their closed information loops, the political process has been boiled down to the Supreme Courts nine lawyers and vague threats to unilaterally "repeal Obamacare."   Yikes, says the DMCB, the Dark Knights Joker had it right: we deserve a better class of politician criminal.

And if you think Newt is being wacky over the media bearing some responsibility, check out this NPR interview with the author of the book The Information Diet.  Unrepentant lefty Clay Johnson points out that the news outlets are becoming less of a solution and more of a problem.  By serving pre-digested and ined reports that cater to our pre-existing biases, organizations like CNN, Fox, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal are creating an epidemic of intellectually obese brains that are hooked on the sugar and fat of what wed like to know, not what we should know.

Which is why the DMCB steeled itself, stepped outside its right-of-center comfort zone and sat through this C-SPAN broadcast of pro-Obamacare Jonathan Gruber being lobbed softballs by the fawning attendees at a Seattle Town Hall.  It makes for a spirited retread of the merits of enlightened central government, the villainy of the health insurers and the intrusion of politics, even as Dr. Gruber characterizes opponents as either 1) uneducated or 2) mistaken.  Thats why hes written this comic book designed to help both classes of simpletons.

The DMCB suspects its readers wont need to order a copy.

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As an aside, the Penn State graduate DMCB sadly notes the passing of Joe Paterno, the recently fired Penn State football coach. Despite his legendary stature, even "JoePa" was no match for the toxic Sandusky scandal.  It wasnt too long afterwards that Coach Paterno was diagnosed with what was eumphemistically characterized as a "treatable" form of lung cancer.  Occasional news reports since then described an increasingly frail 85 year old man struggling with the side effects of his cancer treatment.

Like many friends and colleagues, the DMCB wondered if the "stress" of his ignominous departure was the real cause of his death.  According to this Psychosomatics case series of 43 lung cancer patients based on used of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, baseline depression was associated with a poorer 6 month survival, but not overall survival. 

In other words, they die sooner.
 
Image from Wikipedia

0 Teens Self Breast Check for Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is a very scary for women. In The World is the cancer with the highest number of people with number two after cervical cancer. Breast cancer incidence will increase in the future. This cancer can affect anyone, especially those who have multiple risk factors such as not married, obesity, family history, hormone therapy gets old as well as radiation in the chest area. Because of uncertain causes, prevention is difficult to do as well as the difficult course of the disease is thought to make the dreaded cancer, especially women

The signs and symptoms of common cancers such as breast lumps are not breast pain or lump in the armpit, bleeding or discharge from the nipple, change in color or flavor when touched on the breast skin or nipple such as the formation of dimples or wrinkles or red rash, and change in the size or shape of the breast. If found in the early stages, which typically are sized ketch and get proper treatment, the cure rate will be higher. This is the attempt to breast self-examination (BSE) is an effective way of finding a tumor early. Patients sometimes accidentally discovered the disease, there is even research that around 90% of these cancers are found with BSE. Thus it would be of great significance when BSE more emboldened against women especially those over 30 years old (Cancer Age) is expected to be much captured early cancer cases.

In the developed countries to do breast self-awareness is quite high, so that new cases could have been caught early. In Indonesia, most people who come to the doctor at an advanced stage. Reluctance adult women see her before the onset of symptoms leading to an advanced stage of cancer and the influence of religion and eastern cultural values ​​that make women reluctant to be examined by male health workers, the ability and willingness of early detection is absolutely necessary. As a teenager who would grow up, especially teenage girls should also be able to perform breast self-examination.

For early detection of breast cancer, are advised to do BSE every month and a clinical examination to the doctor every year. As for the 40-year-old who had a mammogram a year is recommended once a year. There are three (3) important step in doing BSE, namely:

Examination in front of a mirror.

• Stand as usual in front of the mirror, take a pose like the picture
• Note the symmetry of both breasts, normal breast would look symmetrical between the right and left
• Then lift your arms over your head, see if there are any changes in breast shape, swelling, indentations, or changes in each nipple. Breast swelling is not normal, no indentation

Examination of touch in a standing position.

• Perform palpation in both breasts in turn. To do a check on the right breast, lift your right arm to the back of the head, then use your fingers to do a left hand. Take steps instead to examine the left breast.

Examination of conjecture when you lie.

•  Lie on a hard surface.

While doing a check on the right breast, place a pillow under your right shoulder. Then place your right arm behind your head. Align the left hand fingers on the right breast, and press gently in a circular motion clockwise. Start at the very top of the right breast (12 oclock position), and then move toward 10 oclock and so on, until the return to the 12 oclock position. After that, move your fingers about 2 cm close to the nipple. Continue twisting motion as before until the entire breast, including the nipple has been checked.

Do the same thing on the left breast.

Correct BSE technique must use third knuckle of your middle finger, not the tip of the finger. You are strongly encouraged to repeat the circular motion with his knuckles, along with a little emphasis. But overemphasis can lead to pressure on the ribs and will feel like a lump.

Breast self-examination should be done once a month. Women who are menstruating should perform the examination on day 5 to day 7 after the first day of menstruation, when their breasts were slack and feels softer. Get used to conduct regular inspections of each month. The goal is that you become "familiar" with your own breasts. If you are not experiencing menstrual cycle, choose one date in each month and always do a double check on that date.

If you find a lump or change in the breast that makes restless, immediately consult a doctor. If the doctor informed that the results of the examination showed no abnormalities but still remain unsettled may request a second opinion from a specialist.