Medical Tourism to Appalachia? + Cool Stuff & New Blogger

Medical Tourism

Many of us who direct our own health care get lab tests to see our levels of vitamin D, triglycerides, hormones, etc. Living here in freewheeling Indiana, I can order my own, but at least one member of Dr. Davis's Inner Circle drives from Pennsylvania to West Virginia for labs since Pennsylvania makes you get a doctor's permission slip. Coincidentally, one of my neighbors with special medical needs sees a doctor in Kentucky.

Photo from Pixabay.

Others may be joining them in their medical tourism to Appalachia. New York's 80,000 health care vacancies, brought about by the new governor's vaccine mandate, are supposed to be filled by national guardsmen and health care workers with foreign or out-of-state licenses. There was already a shortage of health care workers, and there are bound to be inefficiencies in bringing in a bunch of new staff. Meantime, there are hospitals in Kentucky allowing health care workers to have weekly testing in lieu of vaccination. Likewise in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio, which aren't in Appalachia, but close to the Kentucky border. They're an hour's drive from my house should the hospital systems here in Indy--all of which have vaccine mandates--be full up. Lawsuits are in the works against the federal mandate (OSHA hasn't written the rules yet), but most hospitals aren't showing any sign of correcting course. Hesitant health care workers just need "more education."

Alternatively, there may be a free market health care provider at a more convenient location to you. (I don't have any affiliation with them.)

Cool Stuff

Shortages are still on, but I've found or made a few things I love.

Stick Blender

I like the idea of making my own mayonnaise or hummus because I don't use seed oils, but cleaning the blender or Cuisinart is such a hassle that I often buy an acceptable (and expensive) version or do without. But the stick blender I just bought makes it faster and easier. It came with a small bowl and blade, so I can mix hummus, remove the S blade, and put it straight in the refrigerator. When I blended canned coconut milk, I only had to clean the blade and stick. There was no liquid splattering around, like there is with egg beaters, no blender to take apart and clean, and no lumps. I bought the Oster--I decided against the Cuisinart because reviewers said it now has an inconvenient safety switch on top that you have to press while using. It would take both of my child-size hands to operate it.

Lypo Gold

This is an enzyme to help digest fat, but it also has enzymes for protein and carbohydrate digestion. It's made a major difference in how I feel--my stomach is calmer after meals, my heart isn't pounding, and it completely cured my diarrhea. I buy it from Amazon (I'm not an affiliate with them, either). It's expensive, but it has a high number of enzymes.

Homemade Kimchi

This is almost as easy to make as yogurt and has the benefits of Lactobacillus brevis: it's good for GI health, helps normalize blood sugar, reduce allergies, and has other benefits. I used jalapeño peppers instead of Korean paprika (I'd have to go out of my way to find it, whereas jalapeños grow in the garden). But while I was massaging the cabbage and daikon radishes with salt, it occurred to me that I was sterilizing the jars, as the recipe called for, while rubbing the ingredients with my hands, also as the recipe called for. Next time, I will just wash the jars, same as I do for yogurt. Course correction--it's a wonderful thing!

New Blogger

Alex Berenson, investigative journalist, book author and former New York Times reporter, has been blogging about the unreported truths of the pandemic and especially COVID vaccines since before he was kicked off of Twitter for observing that the vaccines are really just symptom relievers. He's paying special attention to places like Israel and the UK where they vaccinated widely and early. If you like spicy takes and miss lively comment sections, head on over to Unreported Truths.

Comments

An Objective Book about Other Childhood Vaccines

Today's decision by the CDC to add COVID shots to the schedule of childhood vaccines has some people concerned about the rest of the vaccines on the schedule. Contrary to fact-checker claims, adding COVID shots to the schedule means children will be required in about a dozen states to get a COVID shot to attend public school. Indiana isn't one of them--our childhood vaccination law doesn't mention the CDC and such a requirement could run afoul of our ban on COVID vaccine passports. But even freewheeling Indiana has some vaccine requirements and this kerfuffle has people wondering how safe those vaccines are. There's a book called Vaccines: Truth, Lies and Controversy by Peter C. Gotzsche, DrMedSci and co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration, about the safety and efficacy of all those vaccines, including COVID and others. Cochrane was founded to "to organise medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions involving healt

Battered Cod and my Eclipse Pictures of my Colander

If you miss battered cod on a low-carb, grain-free diet, here's a recipe that'll satisfy your craving. It's based on a Dr. Davis recipe. Battered cod and cole slaw Ingredients 1 pound cod fillets 2 eggs 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/2 cup ground golden flaxseeds 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder Instructions Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the cod into 1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and butter. Beat continuously--don't let the butter cook the eggs. In a shallow bowl, combine the flaxseeds, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Coat each piece of cod in the egg mixture and then roll in the in the flaxseed mixture. Place on the baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, turning once. Eclipse Crescent Shadows Today was the total solar eclipse, and my house was in the "path of totality."

Eclipse Glasses, Probiotics for Heart, Muscle Recovery

Are your eclipse glasses fake? The total solar eclipse over North America is almost here, and Indianapolis is in the "path of totality," meaning the moon will completely block the sun here. A lot of people have gotten special glasses to safely look at the eclipse. But the American Astronomical Society says , "counterfeit and fake eclipse glasses are polluting the marketplace." Some of the counterfeit glasses appear to be safe, the society says, but others are fakes that are no more effective than sunglasses. One of the counterfeits they describe matches the glasses someone gave me. I don't know where she got them, and she's not someone I'd trust to perform adequate due diligence. I just got over an eye injury and I don't need another one--I'll try the pinhole method instead to see crescents during the eclipse if it's not too cloudy. Picture from Pexels . Heart Centered Probiotic I started getting scary heart palpitations several years ago

Diabetes Down, COVID Curiosities, New Glasses after Accident

Diabetes Down Despite Dietitians' Directions Last Sunday when I wrote about the grifters over at EatThis.com, which calls itself "Eat This, Not That," I was worked up enough to tweet to their medical expert board members if they stood by the site's article flogging sugary drinks and fast food for St. Patrick's Day. The site has over 1,300 articles, mostly puff pieces, on McDonald's and a news feed full of "the most important breaking news" on Doritos, burger joints and Chips Ahoy! I asked a dietitian who responded to me what exactly the "not that" part was in "Eat This, Not That." Important news about what you should eat! I was worked up until I remembered the saying, "You can't cheat an honest man." Meaning that this con, like a lot of others, requires some dishonesty on the part of the mark. Every Joe Six-Pack knows that cookies, chips and coffee-flavored milkshakes from Starbucks aren't health food. It takes s

My New Diet: How it's Going

Saturday I started a new diet to heal my cavities. It involves eating mostly foods high in vitamins A, D and K (fat-soluble vitamins) and calcium and phosphorus. I'm eating zero grains, but still eating a few chocolate candies (as in, three or so dark chocolate kisses per day) at work. To that end, on Saturday I bought a quart each of half-and-half and cream, two dozen eggs, liver, several tins of sardines on sale, and a bunch of salad ingredients. It's Monday and I'm already down to eight eggs and I've gone through half the cream and half-and-half. (I still have three-fourths of a pie dish of low-carb flan I made tonight with the dairy and eggs, and I fed a few of the eggs to my dog.) There's liver thawing in the refrigerator for tomorrow night and a can of sardines in my lunch (I already ate one can of sardines Saturday when I wanted a quick, easy snack). In other words, it's been incredibly easy to eat this food. I also changed my toothpaste to Xyliwhite(TM)

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

Search This Blog