Where medical care is free

When people get sick, in the U.S., the Philippines and many other countries, one of their worst fears is the prospect of long-term hospitalization and medical care. Medical and hospitalization costs are so expensive nowadays that many middle-class families will suddenly find themselves impoverished if a member were to be hospitalized for more than a few days. The poor will probably find themselves so deeply indebted after the hospitalization of a family member, that some will simply opt out of the commercial health system to seek help from indigenous healers.

It is unfortunate that Philippine medical authorities have patterned our health-care system after the U.S. where medical and hospitalization costs have skyrocketed as health care became less of a calling for doctors and a duty for governments, and more of a business.

Is there a viable alternative to a highly commercialized health and medical system, where only those who have enough money get properly treated?

The documentary video on national health systems, Sicko by Michael Moore, is truly an eye-opener. Every Filipino must see this video, which compares the practices of the U.S. health system and those of the U.K., France and other countries.

The U.K. and French systems appear so superior that it is a mystery why our authorities would emulate the U.S. system.

In countries like the U.K. and France, anyone who gets sick – especially if it requires immediate attention – gets treated. It doesn’t matter if you are a local or a foreigner, young or old, millionaire or pauper. You will be treated, be operated on if necessary, and be given upon discharge all the necessary medicines you ought to continue taking. In short, you will receive the proper medical treatment, for free.

The British national health system (NHS) does have problems. There are waiting lists of sick people who need medical but not emergency attention. Those who cannot wait, or who are not satisfied with the NHS, go to private doctors or hospitals, who charge them commercial rates for medical care. Dental services are excluded from the NHS, forcing dental patients to pay the same prohibitively high fees to dentists.

But, as Moore’s documentary video Sicko clearly showed, those who are not in a hurry but still need medical attention will eventually get it. While those who need emergency attention will get it immediately.

And to us Filipinos, that is nothing short of miraculous.

Cow’s milk is for calves

A recent TV breastfeeding ad says: “Dog’s milk is for pups. Pig’s milk is for piglets. What about cow’s milk? Your baby is not a cow!”

Indeed, cow’s milk is for calves, whose main need is muscular growth. Mother’s milk is for babies, whose main need is brain development.

In fact, commercial cow’s milk is bad for children (and adults too) for several reasons:

• Dairy cows are fed or injected with growth and other hormones to stimulate milk production way beyond their normal output (1)

• Because the abnormally high milk production makes them susceptible to udder infections (mastitis), the cows are also fed antibiotics. (2) The antibiotics as well as pus from undetected infections then find their way into the milk.

• The hormones in milk include estrogen, a female hormone. Lactating and pregnant cows already have high estrogen levels. Hormone can injections increase these levels further. (3)

• Estrogen in food and environmental pollutants which are chemically-similar to estrogen are now associated with early sexual maturity in girls. Several decades ago, menstruation typically started around the age of 15. Today, the average is 12, and more and more 7-, 8- and 9-year olds are reporting their mense for the first time. Menstruation marks the onset of sexual maturity, when girls start feeling stronger physical and emotional attraction towards the opposite sex as their bodies prepare them for adulthood. (4)

• In boys, estrogen causes physical changes like higher-pitched voice, enlarged breasts due to more fat, wider hips and smaller sex organs. Men who undergo a sex-change operation are regularly injected with estrogen. (5)

• Some cancers are also being blamed on high intake levels of estrogen and similar substances. (6)

When our children drink commercial cows’ milk, we are exposing them to these dangers.

There are healthier and safer sources of calcium (such as spinach, okra, tomatoes, and kamote/sweet potatoes) and protein (such as munggo/mung beans, sitaw/string beans, patani/lima beans, sigadilyas/winged beans and other legumes). Even babies eventually outgrow their need for mothers’ milk, which is the only milk nature intended for them.

Given the dangers, we surely do not need cows’ milk in our diet.

Sources:

1. L.J.Machlin, “Effect of Growth Hormone on Milk Production and Feed Utilization in Dairy Cows”, Journal of Dairy Science, Vol. 56 No. 5.

2. H.W.Barkema et al., “Incidence of Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Herds”, Journal of Dairy Science, Vol.81 No.2.

3. K.C.Bachman, “Milk Production of Dairy Cows Treated with Estrogen at the Onset of a Short Dry Period”, Journal of Dairy Science, Vol. 85 No. 4.

4. M.D.Lemonick, “Teens Before Their Time”, Time Reports, http://www.time.com/time/classroom/psych/unit2_article6.html)

5. G.New, “Long-term estrogen therapy improves vascular function in male to female transexuals”, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Nov. 27, 2007.

6. C.Ireland, “Hormones in milk can be dangerous”, Harvard University Gazette, Dec. 7, 2006.

Philippine environmental situationer

Although I wrote this situationer (download Philippine environmental situationer, 150kb) several years ago, much of what it says remains valid; and the situation is probably worse today.

What should be interesting about this situationer is that it reflects the unique analysis of the Philippine Greens, a political movement that I belong to. It is especially useful for its attempt to identify some of the roots of existing Philippine social and environmental problems, such as inappropriate technologies, population increase, overconsumption, historical reasons, etc.. As I often argue, a doctor that makes a wrong diagnosis is bound to prescribe the wrong treatment, one that may even worsen the disease.

Environmental and social activists should always do a deep analysis of the problems they see, and try to identify the deeper — and sometimes deeply hidden — causes of the problems they are trying to solve. Then the bulk of the efforts should be directed at the root causes, rather than the symptoms, of the problem.

I also introduce in this situationer a concept which I call the eco-pyramid. It is based on the social pyramid, but adds one layer on top (corporations) and another layer at the bottom (the rest of the living world).