Costco Aetna Health Insurance now available in CA

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I may have told this story before[/quote]

How did your kids turn out. Did the genes improve?

[scaredyclassic]

Much thicker.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=CA renter]I think we need to start by taking *out* the stuff that’s bad for us: in our food, in our water, in our personal care products, in the packaging we use for our food, in our soil/environment, etc. Let’s start there, and see what needs to be done after that.

And, yes, we might need to give some people a type of speed [/quote]

Ok, so while we wait for policy action and pharmacological solutions, there’s no personal initiative that’s possible?

As far as cleaning our environment, how is that going to happen? “sick” people don’t seem to be calling for any change at all (like cancer patients are calling for more research).

If we are worried about hormonal changes due to chemicals in our food, then we should be avoiding packaged items at all costs. That’s individual action we can take. Think of a paper cup of coffee. The cut is manufactured somewhere with bleaching agents, adhesives, etc… Add high heat and there will surely be leaching. Same goes for food boxes, etc… Minute amounts of chemicals won’t kill us, but repeated use might affect some people who are most sensitive.[/quote]

We’re in agreement on this. Also, people who are concerned about weight, including overweight/obese people, have indeed been trying to call attention to these things in order to change them. The corporations who benefit from the marketing of all these chemical-laden foods and packages are fighting every inch of the way. Notice how the GMO labeling initiatives keep getting knocked down…how in the world can you explain that?

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=SK in CV][quote=bearishgurl]I lost an immediate family member from Stage 4 melanoma. It’s a swift and sure death. I myself have had a non-malignant skin cancer removed. This is another one of those diseases that is entirely preventable by taking personal responsibility for one’s skin in the sun and paying attention to changes in one’s skin.

[/quote]

Bullshit. It is neither a swift and sure death, nor is it entirely preventable.

My brother has had it twice. First time more than 10 years ago. Second time 18 months ago. He’s still alive, with no signs of it. Neither are all melanomas preventable.

You’re lucky you’re healthy. I’m sure you like to attribute it to your healthy lifestyle. It’s still just luck. My aforementioned brother is my twin. Thirty years ago he was a professional athlete and weighs less now than he did when he played. Never been a pound overweight. Has worked out at least 3 days a week since he was in his teens. Eats a healthy diet. Barely drinks and has never smoked (even weed). Never spent the 1,000s of hours in the sun that I did. He’s probably spent 75 days in the hospital over the last 15 years. He has now, or has had at least 4 different things that could have, or could still kill him with no notice. None of them are lifestyle related. Has a defibrillator permanently installed in his chest so he doesn’t spontaneously go into v-tach. (It’s gone off at least 3 times, maybe more, since he had it installed almost 10 years ago. He doesn’t even mention it anymore.)

So be happy and count your blessings. But don’t for a minute think that your good health is just because you took care of yourself. So do a lot of other people who aren’t near as lucky as you.[/quote]

Sure, luck is important. But I think that taking care of your body is equally as important.

I’m a little worried now… I have a small dark stain on my scalp that I don’t recall being there prior to last December. It grew a little. It feels a little thicker then the skin and is slighty itchy, but I don’t know if it’s all in my mind.

I have an appointment to have it checked out by a dermatologist tomorrow.

[CA renter]

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow, Brian. It’s always a good idea to get anything new/changing checked out right away. As SK noted, it can be curable (easily curable if caught early), but early detection, especially with melanoma is critically important.

My dad and my aunt had melanoma, and neither one died from it (they died from other, totally unrelated cancers).

No matter what they find, best to trust in your doctor’s care and try not to worry too much. Let us know how it goes when you’re back from your appointment. I’m hoping for the best, and keeping you in my thoughts!

[CA renter]

FWIW, dermatologists are beginning to think that genes play a much greater role when it comes to melanoma. Some studies seem to show that regular sun exposure (like construction workers who are outside all the time) has some protective benefits WRT melanoma. They’re still trying to figure it out. OTOH, sun exposure is a contributing factor where non-melanoma skin cancers are concerned.

[njtosd]

[quote=SK in CV]
You’re lucky you’re healthy. I’m sure you like to attribute it to your healthy lifestyle. It’s still just luck.

……

So be happy and count your blessings. But don’t for a minute think that your good health is just because you took care of yourself. So do a lot of other people who aren’t near as lucky as you.[/quote]

Just curious, SK – is your brother an identical or fraternal twin? In any event, I completely agree with you. I can’t tell whether people are more interested in patting themselves on the back for their good habits or in condemning those who they believe have bad habits. (And who knows which is which? My mother traded in butter for margarine in the 70s because it was supposed to be a healthier alternative, and it’s full of trans fats.)

If anyone has had the bad luck of inheriting bad genes (such as defective p53) they’ve got a good chance of developing a number of cancers (and other things), irrespective of diet and exercise. There are no guarantees of health or longevity in this life . . .

[CA renter]

[quote=njtosd]I can’t tell whether people are more interested in patting themselves on the back for their good habits or in condemning those who they believe have bad habits. [/quote]

I really think that people are afraid of reality — they don’t want to consider the fact that death and dying are a reality for all of us, and we do NOT get to decide when or how it will happen. A religious belief in certain health-related rituals (eating only organic/vegetarian/vegan/calorie restriction, etc.); extreme exercising; refraining from drinking or smoking, etc. is like carrying around a “good luck” charm. If they believe in it strongly enough, they think it will become reality.

While trying to engage in healthful activities and refraining from bad habits will, in the aggregate, offer more people a better chance at living longer, healthier lives, it is still nowhere near a guarantee that they will do so.

[njtosd]

[quote=CA renter][quote=njtosd]I can’t tell whether people are more interested in patting themselves on the back for their good habits or in condemning those who they believe have bad habits. [/quote]

I really think that people are afraid of reality — they don’t want to consider the fact that death and dying are a reality for all of us, and we do NOT get to decide when or how it will happen. A religious belief in certain health-related rituals (eating only organic/vegetarian/vegan/calorie restriction, etc.); extreme exercising; refraining from drinking or smoking, etc. is like carrying around a “good luck” charm. If they believe in it strongly enough, they think it will become reality.

While trying to engage in healthful activities and refraining from bad habits will, in the aggregate, offer more people a better chance at living longer, healthier lives, it is still nowhere near a guarantee that they will do so.[/quote]
Amen to that :).

[scaredyclassic]

I was talking to a guy whose grandpa I knew the other day. Smoked and drank everyvday. How much booze. A pint of hard liquor a day. Plus beer all day long. Right up to the bitter end. Died at 87

It is my opinion that survival is 80 percent attitude. If you insist on living, you live. Weak people like me get culled out. People like my wife live to be 100.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=njtosd] I can’t tell whether people are more interested in patting themselves on the back for their good habits or in condemning those who they believe have bad habits. [/quote]

What’s wrong with that?

Some people are proud to have busted ass to become rich. Some other people are proud of their degrees, jobs, religious faith, family, kids, etc… All external factors we admire.

What’s wrong with building internal discipline to eat only healthful food?

Nobody can seriously think that a fat stomach, rolls of fat, that contribute to additional weight you’re carrying around is healthy.

Plus what’s wrong with looking good? There’s pride in that.

You know you can train yourself to like and enjoy any kind of food, no matter how plain and bland it might seem.

[quote=njtosd]
(And who knows which is which? My mother traded in butter for margarine in the 70s because it was supposed to be a healthier alternative, and it’s full of trans fats.)
[/quote]

I have neither butter nor margarine at home.

[quote=njtosd]
If anyone has had the bad luck of inheriting bad genes (such as defective p53) they’ve got a good chance of developing a number of cancers (and other things), irrespective of diet and exercise.
[/quote]

Sure. But is that reason to not eat well or exercise because it doesn’t matter?

So if you have a defective gene, you don’t need to save for old age?

[quote=njtosd]
There are no guarantees of health or longevity in this life . . .
[/quote]

Cancer is one thing, but people die of preventable strokes or heart attacks.

It’s like insurance.. you can increase your odds.

[FlyerInHi]

CAr, you’re too kind.

The appointment is later today. I’ve been watching that little stain on my scalp. I dismissed it as nothing – like a small Gorbachev stain. But it grew; and BG’s “swift death” comment caused me to make an appointment.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I was talking to a guy whose grandpa I knew the other day. Smoked and drank everyvday. How much booze. A pint of hard liquor a day. Plus beer all day long. Right up to the bitter end. Died at 87

It is my opinion that survival is 80 percent attitude. If you insist on living, you live. Weak people like me get culled out. People like my wife live to be 100.[/quote]

What was the cause of death? Had he lived clean, I think that he would have lived to a couple decades longer or more (old age is never a cause of death).

87yo is nothing. I insist on living to at least 100, I’m not money hungry, but living a long time is why I need a solid nest egg. I might not get my wish… but i think that, based on family history, I might make it.

I’m 47. I think that I would enjoy watching the world for another 53 years or more.

[CA renter]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I was talking to a guy whose grandpa I knew the other day. Smoked and drank everyvday. How much booze. A pint of hard liquor a day. Plus beer all day long. Right up to the bitter end. Died at 87

It is my opinion that survival is 80 percent attitude. If you insist on living, you live. Weak people like me get culled out. People like my wife live to be 100.[/quote]

That’s the thing. Some of our dearest friends and family members made it to their late 80s or early/mid 90s…smoking, drinking, eating tasty foods, and not exercising all the way. One of them, who is now dealing with severe dementia, is 93, with no signs of his body giving up anytime soon. OTOH, of the people we know who are/were extreme in their “healthy living” habits, over half of them died by their late 50s.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi]CAr, you’re too kind.

The appointment is later today. I’ve been watching that little stain on my scalp. I dismissed it as nothing – like a small Gorbachev stain. But it grew; and BG’s “swift death” comment caused me to make an appointment.[/quote]

Are you back, yet? Glad this blog and BG prompted you to action.

Just remember, many of us have been in your shoes more times than we care to count…and we’re still here. 🙂

Hope everything went well for you today.

————–

A PSA for everyone here, including the lurkers:

If you notice a new mole, or changes in an existing mole — including thickness/texture, bleeding, itchiness, changes in size or shape or color, etc. — get it checked right away. Do not put it off or try to convince yourself that it’s nothing. It will probably be nothing, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Melanoma can be easily cured if caught early, but it can become a very serious problem if found later. Do a monthly check in front of a full-length mirror, and check your scalp, ears (all sides), bottoms of feet/palms of hands, and all “hidden” areas, too.

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