Anger and Atrial Fibrillation

This was news to me. But timely, of course. I've got some theories about my own anger and anger management, but this is really an eye opener. Read it at

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml;jsessionid=VJNRV4PGICM5ECQFCXQCCZQ?identifier=11406

Journal Report03/01/2004

Anger, hostility linked to atrial fibrillation in menCo-authors are Lisa M. Sullivan, Ph.D.; Margaret Kelly-Hayes, Ed.D., R.N.; Ralph B. D’Agostino, Sr., Ph.D.; and Emelia J. Benjamin, M.D., Sc.M. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funded the study.
NR04 – 1227 (Circ/Eaker)

Michael Hiltzik: LA Times.

This column, from MOnday, February 6, '06 WellPoint Profit Up, Coverage Is Down

More bad news for the enemies of universal health care

We all know it's coming, in the meantime, to bolster our spirits, we got decisions like this one: Maryland's Walmart Decision.

Medicare Part D - Is this a complete hoax?

Hi, now I have a whole-nother-story cum ax-to-grind, thanks to Medicare Part D. I will be posting the story here soon, and cross posting at a separate blog just for Medicare Plan B horror stories. I anticipate there will be quite a few. In the meantime, there is finally a little something, at least, in the LA Times Editorials today. It is about vulnerable old folk who even as we speak aren't getting their prescription meds due to this wonderful new program brought to you by your local Republican law maker.

Another thing that doesn't work about our current wonderful medical non-system.

Here is something else from the LA Times, about comparing medical care costs. I haven't had time to carefully read it, but hey, duh, who didn't know about this problem. Do they mention the international competition? That is there are hospitals in Bankok and India, world class hospitals that can do a lot of your work for, oh, one tenth of the cost of getting it done here in Ameruka.

More from the LA Times

In the Opinion section today, we've got something about the Medicare drug benefit sham. And there is this one with a whole lot more on the disingenuousness of the entire Bush administration. Yeah, compassionate conservative, and also a fine example of (Republican) family values!

L.A Times, Health: As noise rises, so do the dangers.

Noise levels inside the hospital, you know, such as all of those alarms on the IV machines going off simultaneously in several adjoining rooms, drives you nuts because the nurses can't seem to get around to fixing the problems. If you ask someone other than the nurse, they can only reset it, which lasts only a few minutes. This article in the L.A. Times discusses some studies that show the effects on blood pressure and heart disease. It's a problem that many of us are familiar with, due to the irritating effects of noise in any of our daily environments. My mom certainly doesn't ever want to go to a hospital ever again. My father (4 years ago) passed away after a few hours in a quiet corner of the emergency room. Seemingly the only beeping sound was from my father's own cardio monitor. The nurses even offered to turn it off at a certain point. My father was by then unconscious, so I told them to leave it on. I wanted to know, television-style, I guess, just when he died.