Oh, Silly Facebookers...

Stating the facts will not change anything, it will only raise your frustration levels.

Oh, by the way, I did repost.

Just a thought.

Take Two Asspern and Shaddup

Excellent piece in yesterday's PG:

Sunday Forum: Suck it up, America

We have become a nation of whining hypochondriacs, and the only way to fix a broken health-care system is for all of us to get a grip, says DR. THOMAS A. DOYLE

It's obvious to me that despite all the furor and rancor, what is being debated in Washington currently is not health-care reform. It's only health-care insurance reform. It addresses the undeniably important issues of who is going to pay and how, but completely misses the point of why.

And

In a single night I had patients come in to our emergency department, most brought by ambulance, for the following complaints: I smoked marijuana and got dizzy; I got stung by a bee and it hurts; I got drunk and have a hangover; I sat out in the sun and got sunburn; I ate Mexican food and threw up; I picked my nose and it bled, but now it stopped; I just had sex and want to know if I'm pregnant.

And

At a time when we have an unprecedented obsession with health (Dr. Oz, "The Doctors," Oprah and a host of daytime talk shows make the smallest issues seem like apocalyptic pandemics) we have substandard national wellness. This is largely because the media focuses on the exotic and the sensational and ignores the mundane.

And

Our society has warped our perception of true risk. We are taught to fear vaccinations, mold, shark attacks, airplanes and breast implants when we really should worry about smoking, drug abuse, obesity, cars and basic hygiene. If you go by pharmaceutical advertisement budgets, our most critical health needs are to have sex and fall asleep. Somehow we have developed an expectation that our health should always be perfect, and if it isn't, there should be a pill to fix it. With every ache and sniffle we run to the doctor or purchase useless quackery such as the dietary supplement Airborne or homeopathic cures (to the tune of tens of billions of dollars a year). We demand unnecessary diagnostic testing, narcotics for bruises and sprains, antibiotics for our viruses (which do absolutely no good). And due to time constraints on physicians, fear of lawsuits and the pressure to keep patients satisfied, we usually get them.

Or

The human body is exquisitely talented at healing. If bodies didn't heal by themselves, we'd be up the creek. Even in an intensive care unit, with our most advanced techniques applied, all we're really doing is optimizing the conditions under which natural healing can occur. We give oxygen and fluids in the right proportions, raise or lower the blood pressure as needed and allow the natural healing mechanisms time to do their work. It's as if you could put your car in the service garage, make sure you give it plenty of gas, oil and brake fluid and that transmission should fix itself in no time.

Dr. Thomas A. Doyle is a specialist in emergency medicine who practices in Sewickley (tomdoy@aol.com). This is an excerpt from a book he is writing called "Suck It Up, America: The Tough Choices Needed for Real Health-Care Reform."

Let me see if I understand this. Is the good doctor suggesting that the health care system is being misused? That changes in our own personal conduct can have a direct effect on our health and, by extension, the cost of health care in this country? That responsibility and common sense can affect change than can never be legislated? Really?

Common sense driven responsibility- what a concept.

WANTED

Burglar Steals 2-Year-Old Cancer Patient’s Donations

What kind of a lowlife douchebag steals money intended for a 2 year old with cancer?
I've known this little boy's father for years and hope and prayers go out to Little Ethan and his family.
If you are interested in making a donation to help Ethan and his family, please go to any PNC branch and donate to the Ethan Loney Fund.
Donations are also accepted at:

Ethan Loney Trust Fund

Dollar Bank

PO Box 765

Pittsburgh, PA 15230-0765

If you have any information about this theft, please contact Crafton PD.
Finally, to the lowlife douchebag: feel free to email me at the link in my profile. Let's get together so I can "enlighten" you as to the error in your ways. Please.

NFL Breast Cancer Awareness Sunday

The NFL is proud to support the fight against breast cancer

Throughout October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel to raise awareness for the campaign, as well as on-field pink ribbon stencils and special K-balls and pink coins. All apparel worn at games by players and coaches and special K-balls and pink coins will auctioned off at NFL Auction (www.NFLAuction.NFL.com), with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society and team charities. This is an issue that has directly touched the lives of so many in the NFL family, and we are committed to helping make a difference in breast-cancer prevention.

Steelers take the NFL's campaign for breast cancer awareness

Shiny, florescent-pink-trimmed football shoes with silver cleats sit in the next locker for his buddy Hines Ward to wear tonight. Similarly toned shoes, most of them completely pink with white or black trim, also will be worn by Steelers teammates Ben Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes, Ryan Clark, Lawrence Timmons, Willie Gay and a host of other players around the National Football League. Many Steelers also will wear pink gloves and wristbands for their 8:20 p.m. game against San Diego in Heinz Field. Ribbon pins and white-and-black Steelers ballcaps with pink-lined bills will be donned by coaches along the home sideline.

And from Steelers.com...

Hope and prayers go out to all those affected by not only breast cancer but all forms of this dreaded disease.

You have to wonder just how much time and money it will take to find a cure. Obviously, it is just a matter of time and money.

Increasingly, however, comes the need to be more and more creative in how you get your cause to the front of the the public's conscience to get your share of the dwindling donation dollar.

Case in point: Along with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, arguably the most well-known charitable cause is the MDA and its major fundraising effort- the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

Over the years, the Labor Day telethon alone has raised nearly $1.6 Billion but, admit it, when you think of Muscular Dystrophy you think of Jerry Lewis, not necessarily his "kids"

Well known. Hard working. Some would say cultural icon. He's been doing the telethon thing for decades and his contribution cannot be understated. However, the man is in his eighties. What to do when the man cannot carry on the good fight? How do you keep the cause in the public's mind? Advertising. I believe this is where it may be time to think outside the box. Take, for instance, this ad from Rethink Breast Cancer , a Canadian cancer awareness group, to support it's fundraising event- Boobyball.

Or perhaps this ad from the folks at Yoplait:

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The point, sophomoric examples aside, is this: in these days when health and healthcare is on the tip of everyone's mind, it's important to remember your favorite cause year-round, not just on designated "awareness months" or traditional holiday times. And, to that end, some charities need to be more creative in getting the message across to achieve funding in order to defeat these diseases.

I think.