Today's News: Notes on today's news

The truth shall free us. It will also improve mental health. In today's news, One in five Californians say they could benefit from mental health care. That's not surprising. Most everyone, if the truth be told, could benefit from some type of mental health care.

Who in their right mind could function in such a topsy-turvey world and not be a little touched in the head by it? As I see it, those spunky California free thinkers, those one in five who thought they needed help are by far healthier than those who blithely go on their way thinking they have no need of such help.

Today's Headline: Notes on news headlines

Today, July 26, 2010, there is no specific headline that glares out a me when I read the morning's news. This then is the end of this blog. And to end it is nothing short of common sense on my part. Why should I write about what other have already headlined, why can't I create my own headline and rave and rant about my own misgivings as a human being. Isn't that what makes up a great portion of the news today?

One story today made me think, and think and think. The man who had the desire to tell his wife he loved her slightly before their plane crashed in a lake. Two days later a message found floating in a water-proof medical bag was found and read. Great guy, great doctor, great message. It was heartwarming and astonishing and thought provoking. First, love in such times is always heartwarming. It is astonishing in its effort to get a message to a world so in need of something other than fear about health care. And it thought provoking that in all there are over a hundred articles relating the news of the found love message.

What does that say about us? It says we are in need of reassessing our ideas of health care. So much of it is in the hands of our Father who created us, and that is what I read between the lines in that note. God is love, and in any way He knows how, he tells us that. In fact, he loves us so much, he probably wants to send us all to the Mayo clinic for an evaluation.

Today's headline: is knee surgery always necessary?

Is knee surgery always necessary is the question implied by an article from Reuters? Their words: "Most people who have a common knee ligament injury fare just as well with intense physical therapy as they do with surgery, according to a study comparing the two techniques released on Wednesday".

My thoughts: Impatience and a rush to judgment is no way to heal. Time often takes care of much of what we fret and worry over. This problem is not the case of older knees that are deteriorating because of age, but sports injuries where tissues are livelier and are more able to heal themselves, given time, is what the question is all about. The article and the questions raised are interesting.

Apply that thought to many medical problems and maybe the health care industry will be more in line with what responsible medicine was meant to be. Time heals many wounds and it also heals minds that too often want quick fixes when a better option would be less invasive surgery and rest, symptomatic treatment and a belief that given a chance, bodies sometimes heal themselves without invasive surgery or even dangerous drugs.

T

Today's Healine: Google buying Wind Power

What? Google preferring wind power over solar? I never thought I would see the day when my all time favorite Internet source finder, Google, would get so wind blown. Of course, I must confess, that came a few days after I slightly scorned roof top wind farms -- in some article. Whatever, it's their dime and what I say costs nothing. And that's one big reason I think they are so great, they are extremely generous with their resources. And, as an afterthought, the wind is also free. Maybe Google can tame it somewhat! If anyone can, it will be Google.

For penance, I will be quiet for the rest of the day.

Today's headline: Doctor's notes

Doctor's Notes: Should you read them, By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times.

This morning's headline takes me back many years. It takes me back to the time when I, as a nurse, wrote on patients' charts. The notes concerned the patients' condition and were written for no other purpose than to inform others on their progress. There was no question about who should read the charts, the care givers, including the doctor, or the patient. Absolutely allowing patients to read their own charts was out of the question. The patient was not sufficiently knowledgeable to understand the terminology; and if they were of the medical profession, all the more reason to keep them from reading their own charts.

We watched those who worked in the medical field carefully. We understood they would, if they could, read their own charts. It was up to the doctor to tell them what they needed to know. This was a medical morality issue, what to tell patients and what not to tell patients. It never occurred to any of us in the sixties that at some future date there would be a problem people wanting to read their own medical charts.

That time has come. The law states now that patients are owners of their medical information and they have rights and should be allowed to read it if they should so wish. What do I say? I have been both a health care worker and a patient. I understand the reasoning on both sides. I am in favor of not allowing patients to read their own medical records as a choice, not as an option. The doctor is the own to explain the procedures as well as they can and that should be sufficient.

It is my belief that the law missed a few points. Should it become necessary to prove a case in court, by all means, bring in the records, and bring in the medical personnel, but otherwise, what's the excuse for being so noisy about has been written. So what, if every word may not be to their liking, that is the way it is. There is no way we will be able to control what others say or write about us, nor should we try. As I see it, this is an impediment to progress of the health care reform. Read more. . . .

Today's headline: Homebuilder Confidence in U.S. Falls to Lowest Level in a Year

Home builder Confidence in U.S. Falls to Lowest Level in a Year. by Business Week, is my choice for today's headline. Why? It gives me a chance to put in my two cents worth about homes and home building.

My two cents worth: When the market was booming, and money was cheap, why were such monstrous home being built? Extra large home made sense if a family had several children, but these extra large homes for one, two, or three people? What was the reasoning behind that? Surely, it was not for need, one person needs a little extra space of course, and shouldn't a private bedroom for everyone take care of that? Aside from that, a kitchen, bathroom, living room, a porch or patio, a garage, seems reasonable. But why all the extras?

Why all the extras when the future homeowners were having to mortgage their future and the future of their children -- or child -- to show off in this way, is questionable. It should have been questionable then. If the builders were rich, then it is simply none of my business how they spend their money, housing, or whatever, but how many of the big home builders were spending money they did not own, nor had any hopes of earning is beyond me.

And to compound that problem, why where they allowed to borrow when they could not afford to borrow? Where were the regulations that prevented that? Not that I am alone in my questioning of that, many other also have such wonderful hind sights about what went wrong. Fortunately, for a few of us, we knew we were poor, did not especially like it, but accepted it without denial. We were not envious, we could hardly believe our eyes -- and our eyes -- at the building boom.

The next problem is, what is to be done about it? People need homes. Should we go to the extremes and start building an elaborate outhouse to live in? That headline also surfaced over the week end: Not called outhouses, but the size is about the size of the average green house or tool shed. These houses actually compact doll house size homes that a few hardy souls are living in. Read all about them.

After reading about these cute little homes, they do make a lot of sense. Of course in no time, one would feel cramped living in a such a small space, but the ones advertised, had all the necessities. In a small, 8 foot by 14 space or there about, one could have a bed, a stove, a bathroom with shower and toilet, a space to eat, closet space, etc.

The idea is to have nothing extra of course. One could not squirrel away all their too small or too large clothes, pack away items of sentimental value, have more than three pairs of shoes, buy sale items and stash away, nor do any of the foolish things regular homeowners do. But they do have shelter, a place to sleep and they are warm. Yet, I ask: Where would one put that occasional visitor, how safe are them in storms, and what would keep some thief from hitching their station wagon to one and stealing it while one is at work one day?

Yet, aside from those unanswered questions, a few more reasons a small tool shed like house may be a good investment. A whole bunch of them placed together on a vacant city lot to house the homeless; they can be moved when one wishes to locate elsewhere; weekly cleaning could be done easier.

If doubters still aren't convinced, consider this: They are probably, inch for inch, every bit as roomy as many efficient apartments, and parked in some family members back yard, much less expensive. They would make excellent nanny houses, or a depository site for an occasional guests, or even as rental property for travelers. Think about it. Even living in one might make one reconsider their hoarding lifestyles.

Today's headline: Foot care

High heels shrink calf muscle fibers so states a British Study.

"UK researchers say they have uncovered why women who often wear high heels can find it painful to wear flat shoes."

Fox news warns that women who have worn high heels should not switch to flat shoes.

Of course we have always known that wearing high heels consistently was not good and the the muscles would be altered in some fashion; what we did not know is that the calf muscles fibers, as shown by the British study, was thirteenth percent shorter.

Controversial advice about treatment abounds. It is highly unlikely that women, even those who prefer to wear high heels to work, will live wearing them around the house. And how about gardening, and walking for exercise. At times, even the most urbane of women must resort to flat shoes. What advice for them?

Alternate flats with heels and massage the muscles in attempts to soothe the tightened muscles and gradually get them to become more flexible.