How does that make you feel?

The high cost of breathing

 

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Are you, like me, and millions of other Americans suffering from asthma, or COPD or both and need to use an inhaler every day? You know what it is like to struggle to catch your breath while doing the simplest of everyday tasks. Sometimes just taking a shower and getting dressed in the morning leaves you as breathless as if you had been running the bases in a baseball game in your youth.

You tend to collect everything that needs to be taken upstairs on the stairs…

If you live in a two-story home you know how it is when you know you have to climb the stairs to put the laundry away or clean the bedrooms. You tend to collect everything that needs to be taken upstairs on the stairs, so as to limit the number of trips you have to make. If you have a basement you literally have to plan your chores as to avoid going down to the basement to get something that needs to be taken up to the second floor or vice versa.

…it seems to take forever to do the simplest tasks…

Outside of your home, you dread having to mow the lawn on hot and humid days and forget raking leaves in the fall! You love to work in your vegetable garden, but it seems to take forever to do the simplest tasks, as you have to stop to rest after each little action. Taking the trash out on cool nights seems like running a marathon at times, but it has to be done. You dread walking the dog even though you know it’s a good exercise for both you and the dog, but you hope he doesn’t walk too fast. You look at your neighbors riding their bicycles around the neighborhood and wish you could do the same, as they smile and wave to you.

…you secretly worry that there are not too many flights of stairs to challenge your breathing.

When friends invite you to go to a public event such as a hockey game, basketball game or concert you secretly worry that there are not too many flights of stairs to challenge your breathing. At least going to the mall is easier, if everything is on the same level or there are escalators. If you have to fly for vacations or family visits you have to make sure you have enough time to make connecting flights, so you are not forced to run from gate to gate.

You feel inadequate and feel as though you are not a whole functioning human being.

You know what it is like not being able to breathe like you once did in your youth, or maybe you are young and have never been able to breathe normally. Not being able to breathe adequately is annoying and extremely depressing. You feel inadequate and feel as though you are not a whole functioning human being. If you smoked in the past you also have feelings of guilt and anger. Why do some former or present smokers not have any breathing problems, when you do? With all of the above feelings you have another feeling, one of dependence. You are dependent upon inhalers to enable you to breathe a little better, hopefully.

You have to have no insurance and no money.

Thank God asthma and COPD sufferers have inhalers which can greatly improve our lives. Too bad we live in the Unites States though! That’s right! did you know that inhalers in other countries cost a fraction of what they do in this country? In Asia and Europe they may cost anywhere from 1/3 to 1/10 of the cost in the U.S.! (When I lived in Malaysia I paid $9 for my inhaler and now it’s $45.) How does that make you feel? Sure, ads for certain inhalers that offer $5or $10 monthly payments for eligible patients are everywhere on television or in magazines, but read the eligibility requirements found in the fine print. If you are covered by Medicare or Medicaid or other governmental programs you do not qualify! You have to have no insurance and no money.

The answer is greed!

How does it make you feel when you see ads for inhalers that offer hope in being able to breathe normally and then find out there is no way you can afford them? My pulmonologist says that most of his asthma and COPD patients cannot afford their medication and many go without. How does this happen in the richest country in the world? The answer is greed! A few years ago inhalers were affordable to most people but this all changed when the EPA banned CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) which were propellants used in inhalers, because they damaged the environment. The CFCs were then replaced by a new propellant, HFA ( hydrofluoroalkane). Because of this change in propellants, the pharmaceutical companies were able to re-patent their inhalers, thus drastically raising their price and assuring that they would continue to reap high profits for years to come! These newly reinvented inhalers, as well as all new inhalers now have patents that will not expire for another 20 years!

Our own FDA chose to aid big pharma’s profits…

For many of inhalers we use there are generic brands available, but not in the United States. Asia and Europe offer these generics and also brand named inhalers without the new propellants and that is why they are so much cheaper. Our own FDA chose to aid big pharma’s profits, rather than alleviating the suffering of our own citizens! How does that make you feel? Oh yeah, how about all of those drug ads you see on television, in the newspapers and in magazines? Who’s paying for all of those ads? You are, in the price of the drugs! How does that make you feel?

How about you?

Will things ever change for all of us who suffer from respiratory diseases? Probably not, at least not in my shortened lifetime. Things won’t change in this country until it is not possible for our politicians to be owned by big pharma and we have some kind of universal health care, like the rest of the civilized world. According to Opensecrets.org. big pharma donated over $25 million in 2018. That money was to purchase members of Congress, from both parties, to protect their profits and keep our drug prices high. Election after election our politicians promise to do something about the high cost of drugs, but nothing is ever done. And Americans continue to vote for the same lying politicians enriching themselves from big pharmacy at the expense of our failing health. That makes me feel sick and angry! How about you?

Merry Christmas to all!

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Merry Christmas to all near and far!

Dreaming of an old fashioned Christmas.

Over my 70 years on this planet I have had quite a number of Christmas ornaments and decorations, either in my parent’s homes or in my many homes all over the world. Three years ago I fell in love with a musical figurine of a small church in an old fashioned village (pictured above) and I just had to buy it. Ever since then it has become my favorite and every year I can’t wait to unwrap it, set it up in a place of honor and turn the lights and music on. It plays about six different Christmas carols, sounding like a delicate music box.

I dream of a simpler time many years ago…

It’s hard to explain the feelings I experience whenever I sit in front of it and gaze at the lights coming from the windows, as I image hearing the voices of the young carolers singing along with the music. I sort of escape into the past, years ago, even before my time. I dream of a simpler time many years ago where I am walking the snow covered paths of this small village and stop to admire the nativity scene at the church which I probably would have attended. I dream that I am young, like the youths gathered at the entrance of the church next to Christmas tree. For a while I forget my problems, my aches and pains and the stress of this holiday season and enjoy the moment.

…I probably wouldn’t have fit in…

As soon as the mini dream comes to me, it quickly disappears into the reality of the present. I smile to myself and think it would have been nice, but I probably wouldn’t have fit in back then! It was nice to dream because after all Christmas is all about dreaming.

May all of your Christmas dreams come true, at least for a little while!

Is America Really That Great?

 

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Yesterday Andrew Cuomo, Governor or New York, during a speech said that America “was never that great.This comment drew the ire and the condemnation of many American “patriots”, but was he actually right in a way? We have always been taught, growing up that “America is the greatest country in the world”. We never questioned that assertion and we never had a reason to question it. But how was that determination made and by whom? It’s like believing in God, as all religious people do. We are told He exists, but we have no proof. It’s just a matter of faith. If we don’t believe hat America is the greatest country in the world, we’re labeled as unpatriotic, ungrateful, or even treasonous. We often are told “ America. Love it or leave it”. But if we don’t believe that America is the greatest, does that mean we don’t love America?

As were were always told that America was the greatest country in the world, we were also being taught about life. In athletics we were told to always strive to do our best or to do better. In school we were always taught that we can do better. We learned the importance of corrective criticism . We were encouraged, and are still being encouraged, that we must not be complacent about anything in our lives. If that is true for the citizens of this country, shouldn’t it be true of our country?

I have traveled quite a great deal and lived in Malaysia for seven years and was always astounded by the ignorance of many Americans I spoke with concerning my foreign travel experiences. Some people actually thought that most of China had no electricity and Malaysia had no air conditioning! They were surprised to hear that Thailand and Malaysia had a thriving health tourism industry and that their healthcare systems are not only top rated, but also extremely inexpensive! I have even had people ask me if children in Asia go to school like American children! Many Americans still believe that China and India are economically very far behind that of the United States. I really do not understand how, in this interconnected world, with the Internet and 24/7 cable news and social media, so many Americans can be so ignorant! Is it because they don’t want to be educated about another country of the world or do they just don’t care? I believe that the majority of these people believe that America is the greatest, regardless of what anyone says.

So why is America so great? Let’s look at education. According to US News and World Report “Despite being home to some of the best universities in the world, the US is not considered to have one of the most educated populations. The U.S. ranks №18 in perceptions of an educated population, just above South Korea and behind Italy.” Every country in Europe and most in Asia offer completely free college tuition or substantially reduced tuition for their citizens, whereas in the United States, students graduate saddled by staggering amounts of student loan debt. Also in the US the quality of public education is dependent upon the wealth of a particular school district, with those from predominantly white, more affluent school districts faring much better than poorer non-white school districts. Children of more wealthy parents also have the luxury of sending their children to elite private schools.

Now we turn to healthcare.And we all know where we stand on this! According to Business Insider the United States does not even rank among the top 16 countries with the best healthcare. The Patient Factor has published a chart by The World Health Organization that ranks the United States number 37 out of 190 countries! Of the developed countries, the United States is the only country that does not offer its citizens free healthcare. According to Snopes , 643,000 Americans become bankrupt due to medical costs every year. In developing countries this is zero! Americans also pay much more money for prescription drugs than most other countries in the world. Because of this fact many Americans are “illegally importing drugs from other countries of the world” according to Drug Watch. This doesn’t make us so great.

Some of the saddest statistics which I see to be inexcusable are those statistics on infant mortality rate. Amazingly the United States scores much higher than comparable countries of the developing world. The Peter Kaiser Health System Tracker breaks down the ranking of the US as compared to other countries, as well as other demographics including minorities. Viewing some of these statistics is very depressing , but they also show that the US in improving slowly in some areas. We all know that the US has a high rate of drug abuse and we also have the highest prison rates of any company in the world, without referring to statistics. It’s a national embarrassment to lead the world in these two categories! We also have no reason to be proud of the number of school shootings, which have become almost common in this country. We cannot be proud of the declining attitudes in this country towards minorities and the treatment of minorities in our judicial system. We cannot even be proud of our President and Congress!

So why might we say that America is the greatest country of the world? America has the strongest and best equipped military in the world. America , for the time being is the richest country in the world with the world’s largest economy. China is close behind, but we’re still the biggest. America has some of the best universities in the world, including MIT, Harvard, Yale and Stanford, among others. Students from all over the world come here to attend these and numerous other fine institutions of higher learning. The same can be said for our world class hospitals, such as Massachusetts General Hospital, The Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson and many more fine healthcare facilities, which count patients from the world over, including numerous world leaders.

The United States leads the world in the number of entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, who have positively impacted world technology and society in general. Silicon Valley is the envy of the technology world, but is only one area of our country leading the world in technological innovation. The United States possesses an abundance of invaluable natural resources second to none in the world as well as having some of the world’s most scenic wonders, such as the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and Yellowstone National Park. Unbeknownst to most Americans the United States leads the world in production of oil, even though we also are the world’s biggest oil importer.

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How America is great cannot be easily described with statistics or with words. America is great for what she stands for. America is great because she offers opportunities and hope for those who don’t have either. In America you can become who you want to be, regardless of economic status, religion or race and even disability. America is so diverse that no matter how different you may be you can find your niche here. America is one part of the world where you can experience the food and culture of every country in the world without leaving the country. You can hear every language of the world and have the opportunity to learn that language and culture from the sons and daughters of immigrants from those countries. You can live a lifestyle in America for which you would be jailed or even executed in some countries of the world. I believe it’s called freedom. Our Constitution makes America great because of all of the rights and freedoms it grants to all people in this country. America is more than a country . It is a feeling. A feeling of pride and a desire to help others, who are less fortunate, regardless of who or what they are. America is a willingness to give someone a chance that they thought they would never have. America is the Statue of Liberty and all she stands for. America is what we her citizens want her to be.

All of those shortcomings discussed above can be fixed if we try. But first we have to admit they exist. We should never be complacent in feeling or saying that America is the greatest country in the world. We all must not accept mediocrity for ourselves and our country. We must not accept the failings of our country as normal or irreparable. We can’t just say “America, right or wrong”. We have to help America be right and just. We must strive every day to make ourselves, our town, our country better. We must resist those in this country who wish to denigrate our system of government, our Constitution and our citizens. We must denounce extreme nationalism and white supremacy, while embracing diversity. To paraphrase the US Army, “America should be all she can be”. We should never lose sight of the future.