pastebin - pastes related to care

These are full quotes taken from a forum site of which I am a part... the site is a cross section of people from around the world.  A thread was started for people to tell their medical stories, the good and the bad. This is a personal issue for me, not a political one.  I wanted to know what was going to happen to my family in a more socialized health care system.  There has been a lot of ignorance on both sides of the political spectrum so I wanted human answers to my questions.  This is incredibly insightful because these aren't quotes from a documentary with an agenda; they real people telling real stories... read through them and make a decision for yourself.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I live in Victoria, BC, Canada, and when I was twenty years old I fell down a flight of forty stairs at a local night club, cleanly breaking my ulna and nigh-shattering my radius. It was bad enough that I required steel plates and pins which remain in my forearm to this day. I broke it on the Friday night, stayed in a small but comfortable ward in the hospital with four other patients until my surgery on the Sunday morning. I stayed in the hospital the Sunday night, then asked if I could stay the Monday as well and talk to a physiotherapist about what I should do to have the bones heal as quickly as possible with minimal muscle damage/loss. They obliged. I wasn't feeling so hot after talking to physio, so I was offered a further night's stay at the hospital, which I accepted. So in all, I was in hospital from Friday night until Tuesday morning.

 

Total cost to me for a three day hospital stay, surgery, and eventual rehabilitation: if I recall correctly, I paid $50 for my full-arm cast.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I live in Massachusetts, where health care is mandatory. Since I run a start-up business and don't make a ton of money, I was able to sign up for the state health care plan.My doctor works 3 minutes from my office, I was able to pick her myself. I have a $10 co-pay, and since I'm a healthy male, my visits are infrequent. I love my state run health plan.

 

 

African American Hair Structure

What's different about our hair?  Why do we need different products and routines?  African hair is made of the same “stuff” as non-African hair.  The difference lies in the way those components are put together or the structure of our hair.  The structure of our hair can cause it to be more prone to breakage and dryness.  Because of this, black hair care needs are different from those for other types of hair.  Our hair can have up to twice the amount of “cuticle” or outer layer.  Our hair is kinkier which makes it more difficult for the oil secreted from our scalps to reach the ends of the hair.  But, keep in mind there is a continuum of hair types.  Especially since most of us are of mixed heritage, African American hair and bi-racial people's hair can vary widely.  Even within a single head of hair, there are different hair types.   So, there is no one solution for the care of all African American hair.  However, it is helpful to know, generally, what type of hair you have.  This link http://www.ourhair.net  will take you to a site where you can determine your hair type.  Intuitively, you might think African hair is "tougher" than Caucasian hair and can handle more stress or abuse.  After all, it is coarser and thicker.  Actually, African hair (especially if treated like European hair) is more fragile than Caucasian hair.  For this reason, we suggest using products made especially for our hair, whenever possible.  Today, there is a wide range of excellent products made specifically for the needs of African American or Textured hair.

 

Back to top

 

The parts that make up your hair are:

 

    Cuticle: Outer layer of the hair. It is made up of layers of scales which interlock with the cells of the hair's inner root sheath to firmly anchor it in the follicle.  This is a thin and colorless layer.  Black hairs cuticle layer can be twice the thickness of that of white hair.