Wow...
This would be an entirely different story if it was in the United States.  A tragic situation however, I really wish the story eluded more to why the man needed surgery.
Was his skull cap diseased anyway?
lots of questions... no real answers, but...

I think this article shows quite nicely the difference in social expectations in the US health care system vs that found in a more socialized system.

$4,000 for a skull cap?

Would you like to have a robot help you talk to your doctor?  In Japan they actually have invented such a thing.  The Japanese Muu Socia robot.

I really hope it never comes to this for me and my patients. :)

But who knows...  Maybe the government will decide to mandate all Docs carry one of these little critters in ordered to be paid by Medicare.
You know... to improve healthcare quality.

I recently found this Site and Thought I would share....

it is a site dedicated to putting like minded people together to form specific support groups.  Great idea.
If your looking to talk to someone about a special problem, then give them a try.

dailystrength.org

Finally today....

Just wanted to share one more site I recently found.

icyou.com

Some interesting videos on many different health topics.
Good stuff, but as always, remember that the information is not "validated" and is not guaranteed to be factual.
Watch, Enjoy, and be suspicious. :)

Getting even basic health insurance coverage has become quite cumbersome.

I will be honest... I'm a health care professional and I hardly understand the whole mess.

I can only hope that this sight can help some people understand the system and their options. 
Another Argument for a single payer system?

Foundation for Health Coverage Education

Let me first start by saying that I often dismiss Gallop polls.  I believe they are usually performed via telephone and therefore biased purely due to limited number of people that will actually sit and participate in these surveys.  To be honest, I worry about the credibility of someone that is not "to busy" in life to participate in these surveys. 

Regardless, Gallop polls are flung around in the media constantly as verbal fodder, and whether I like it or not they do have an affect on the viewing public. 

This poll released yesterday (as flawed as it may be) certainly points toward a problem. 

Pharmacists Continue To Rank High In Gallup Poll, USA

Not that I believe teachers, nurses, and pharmacist do not deserve their ranking, I do!  But that physicians did so poorly.  The professionals that should be the most connected and personal adviser someone has, comes in 5th.  Well, maybe I should be happy the profession is "in the top tier" but somehow I feel disappointed. 
I'm sure I could postulate for hours about why we physicians have fallen from public grace in recent years but honestly it is of little consequence.  The entire health care system is broke and Doctors as the health care leaders must take responsibility.
Responsibility to get back in touch with our patients. 
Responsibility to remove insurance and corporations influences on our relationships.
Responsibility to be accountable to our patients and to earn their trust again.

i don't know... just what I think.

I should not act surprised to hear that people are beginning to look to YouTube and Wikipedia as "reliable" sources of information, but honestly, I'm shocked and even disgusted by it. 
I even hear that college students are even using references to Wikipedia for college papers and research.  This is terrifying.

This recent Canadian report suggest that YouTube videos (related to vaccinations) are filled with faults and these misinformed videos are viewed MORE often than educated videos.

YouTube as a Source of Information on Immunization: A Content Analysis

The Internet is a wonderful thing and I FULLY support online research.  However,  we must view all information as suspicious and consider it's source.  Wikipedia, YouTube, and other openly populated informational sights can be a good starting point of information, but they should not be considered factual without further study.
What makes Wiki and YouTube great, is also it's downfall. 

Remember:  Knowledge determined by the majority does NOT make it true.

I think Galileo & Copernicus would agree with that.

Interesting little website that shows the Presidential hopefuls and how much money they have accepted from Special Interest groups.

Everyone should see this and understand what influences their choice for president.

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=K02

I for some time now have been telling my patients, "it's better to be Fat and Fit then to be Thin but a couch potato."

I'm constantly trying to educate patients to exercise for the sake of being fit and feeling better, not just to lose weight.  Sure, weight lose is a natural byproduct of exercise and healthy eating but that should not be the driving force. 

With recent studies suggesting that people with a little extra weight actually having lower all cause death rates

(Cause-Specific Excess Deaths Associated With Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity-JAMA)

and

This study supporting that being fit is more important than actual body weight

(Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Adiposity as Mortality Predictors in Older Adults)

I think we may be seeing a shift in American healthcare away from the "Loss weight at all cost" mentality.  Constant fad diets and schemes to "melt" away fat abound in our image conscience society.  But do they improve our mental or physical health.  I just somehow doubt it. 

We are physical creatures and before long, hopefully, we will understand the importance of movement and exercise and not worry so much about the extra weight.