My dream for the Future

I just had a dream that we (as the people of the United States) were making a 4 trillion dollar investment in our future and creating jobs by increasing spending on infrastructure projects and education. How would we pay for it? By going back to Clinton era tax rates, closing corporate tax loopholes, and pushing individual and corporate civic responsibility campaign. Remember the whole, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," and taking care of your neighbor?

New updates coming soon!!

Friends! I have been mired down by my responsibilities at work, and making some big decisions about school, so I haven't posted as much as I have wanted, recently. I'm hoping to post on such topics as; marriage equality in New York, religious language, Adele, HIV vaccine updates, deafness, and reason. Anyways, that's what I will be writing about soon! I hope you enjoy my posts as much as I enjoy writing them. Here's a music video to entertain you while you wait. It's dedicated to Neil. ;)



The End is Nigh!

I was literally working on another (more important) blogpost when I saw this video. Oh my goodness. I loved it. This group, NMAWorldEdition, has been making videos about popular American stories for a while now. Please look at the calendar, and who 'the elect' are. It's always nice to see how other cultures view the insanity that can be American culture at times.



Get sh*t-faced? Hitler as one of the elect? Haha! So great.

Spaceships of the future... now!

Virgin Galactic just had their first 'feathered' flight. This reentry technique allows the plane to slow down enough during reentry so that damage caused by extreme heating caused by friction is reduced dramatically. No more tiles needed, no more red-hot underbellies. Watch and be amazed!




Does anyone have more information about where spaceflight is going? Who will take the lead from here? Private industry, like Virgin Galactic, or public ventures, like NASA or the ESA?

Practicing Better Medicine?

A part of preparing to begin the process of medical school involves paperwork - a mountain of paperwork. This mountain is not Everest, but it is still a mountain. Ok, maybe a hill, but it was still more than I was expecting. Most of it was just, 'sign this document stating you will consent to allow other students to learn manipulation on you. Do you promise all this background information is true, etc.' A majority of the annoying stuff to fill out was health information. I've been vaccinated, but getting the proof of vaccination ended up being ridiculously round-about.

Finally I decided to call my pediatrician to get the records, I think off of the advice Neil gave me. As someone who has moved around a few times in recent years and a future medical professional, I am a strong advocate for a centralized health records system.

This concept is not a new one. Since the internet came into being, many of our 'sensitive' documents and information about our lives have found themselves online: banking information, insurance information, credit cards, investments, shopping habits, likes/dislikes and friends. Why not have a secure system in place where we can store our health histories? Moving from one part of the country to another would be much easier (for those who don't already have their health information organized). Going from specialist to specialist would no longer require a stack of paperwork to fill out, and needed information, like familial health history, might not slip through the cracks (did Uncle So-and-so have high blood pressure or COPD?).

Even having a centralized electronic health record (EHR) for a hospital/primary care facility could help improve quality of care by catching medical errors immediately or before the treatment plan begins. When prescribing medication, walk through screens could increase patient safety as drug incompatibilities and adverse affects can be highlighted before the pen reaches the Rx pad.

On a wider level, health trends and treatments could be categorized and implemented much faster if the EHR were used in conjunction with evidence based medicine.
Privacy has been cited as a concern, but with proper password/id protection, it shouldn't be a problem. Actually, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), set up in 1996 not only helped to protect patients' right to privacy, but also set up guidelines for a paperless, centralized system of electronic health records. I have seen software systems used in academics and in medical practices that allow for information to be shared without compromising privacy standards.

More can be done to assuage privacy concerns, but I believe that the benefits of having a centralized EHR system outweigh any costs. What do you think?

Beginning

I am starting a wonderful new beginning. After moving from the midwest to Boston several years ago for graduate school, I will soon be making another leap. Yes, I made it into medical school (at last!) and will be continuing my education at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton campus. Medicine is a huge interest of mine and helping others increase their wellness has been a career goal since I was in high school. I have found that many of my interests overlap as they all have something to do with wellness; health, economics, sociology, philosophy, education, law, politics, science, civil rights... I admire constructive dialogue in all these arenas (and many more) and hope to take part in many discussions and this is why I have started this blog.

This is a learning experience for me. Let's get started!