Skip to main content

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

Popular posts from this blog

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that  L. plantarum  may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have  L. plantarum  bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with  Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color.  Special equipment Quar...

Collagen-filled Low Carb Burritos

Low-carb, grain-free Mexican food is hard to find, but it's easy to make your own at home. This recipe has an authentic ingredient: carne de lengua, or beef tongue. Don't be put off: beef tongue is tender, delicious, and full of collagen. Look for it directly from farmers in your area. To cook it, cut it in 1" to 1-1/2" slices and pressure cook for one hour. Enjoy the delicious broth as a bonus. Ingredients 1 slice cooked beef tongue, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 egg wrap (I use these  from Egglife) 1/4 cup cooked black or pinto beans Chili pepper Oregano Garlic (powdered or minced) Cumin Guacamole (with no emulsifiers) Salsa Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream or homemade cream cheese  with no emulsifiers  Put the egg wrap on a plate and put the beef and beans down the middle of it. Sprinkle with the herbs and spices. Wrap, turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Spoon salsa over the burrito and sprinkle with cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream or homemade crea...

15% Off Starter Culture

Starter culture for the wonderful cream cheese I made is 15% off for the next two weeks (through June 18, 2025). The shop (BacillusBulgaricus.com) also offers rennet and starter for other cheeses, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sour cream, fermented vegetables, and more. They ship to 118 countries across six continents. The coupon code is LORI_sekd3tkb at bacillusbulgaricus.com .  Photo from Pexels .

Carrageenan: A Sickening Thickener. Is it a Migraine Menace?

Let me tell you about my ride in an ambulance last night. I woke up at six o'clock from a nap with a mild headache. I ate dinner and took my vitamins, along with a couple of extra magnesium pills. Since magnesium helps my TMJ flare-ups, I thought it might help my headache. Then I went to see my mother. A few hours later, I had a severe headache, sinus pain and nausea. During a brief respite from the pain, I left for home, but less than a mile later, I got out of my car and threw up. A cop, Officer Fisher, pulled up behind me and asked if I was okay. He believed me when he said I hadn't been drinking, but he said I seemed lethargic and he wanted the paramedics to see me. (Later he mentioned that a man he'd recently stopped was having a stroke.) Thinking I had a migraine headache, the paramedics wanted to take me to the hospital. But since I knew that doctors don't know what causes migraine headaches, and I didn't know what effect their medicine would have on m...

Getting Over Palpitations

Note to new readers: please note I'm not a health care provider and have no medical training. If you have heart palpitations, I have no idea whether the following will work for you. Over the past several days, I've had a rough time with heart palpitations and feeling physically jittery. I was wondering if I was going to turn into one of those people who can't sit still. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it would be a major lifestyle change. Kidding aside, something wasn't right and I really needed to get back to normal. I tried popping potassium pills like candy. I ate more. I doubled up on my iron dose. I went to yoga and even got on the treadmill at 6 AM yesterday. I tried the nuclear option of eating more carbs to stop peeing away minerals. Most of these things helped, but the problem kept coming back. A comment from Galina made me look up epinephrine, one of the drugs my surgeon used to anesthetize me Friday. First, the assistant at the surge...