No problem :)

As for your question, infection implies pathological invasion of the host. Otherwise you are merely colonized with the organism. For example, many people have MRSA present inside their nose, but that doesn't mean they are infected. And yes, you do have a symbiotic relationship with your bacteria, especially the skin and gut. Just have a look at wikipedia for lots of fun facts.

Basically. If you somehow lost them all in the same proportion, this might not happen. The general problem is that you take, for example, an antibiotic like clindamycin that selectively kills anaerobes of the gut but not Clostridium Difficile. Now all of a sudden you have created a selective pressure that favors the growth of C.diff, and you develop an infection with pseudomembranous colitis.

And get off my lawn! </sarcasm>

Anyway, I look forward to your RCT comparing not being a sissy to placebo.

I agree with your overall point, however I would not consider significant weight gain to be "useless rubbish." It can be a sign of many diseases if put into context.

Interestingly enough, many people are on low-dose rat poison - it's called warfarin/coumadin!

I don't disagree except for the webcam part. If there's a lesion that needs to be looked at, they need to just come on in. A professional camera often can't do a rash justice, much less some crappy webcam.

I see your point, but if the diagnosis is wrong because the evaluator had incomplete data, I fail to see how this is better. If someone diagnoses GERD (acid reflux) rather than a peptic ulcer with the potential to bleed because the person would never come in for an endoscopy, I see that as worse.

*Disclaimer: I'm not sure if endoscopy is warranted for suspected PUD off the top of my head - treat as a hypothetical that could apply to many situations*

While I sympathize, there are reasons some of this takes place. What if on a macro level, anyone could just order a B12 test? You would likely have lots of unnecessary tests driving up costs for everyone. So insurance shouldn't necessarily be faulted for that. Now the $25 per visit does suck, so you would think they could come up with some kind of "package deal" for everything. Sorry :/

One shortcut for your situation: why not just ask for the shot and ask the doctor to forgo the lab test. Getting a shot of B12 isn't going to hurt if you're not B12 deficient. If the symptoms persist, you're going to go to the the follow-up appointment anyway, and it can be addressed with the lab test then. That may or may not be possible, but it's a thought.

It does seem like a virtual appointment (or just a phone call) might fit your situation if she is asymptomatic after the shot.

If this is what your doctor does, you need to find a new one.

Perhaps your symptoms didn't warrant a blood test. There are hundreds of tests than can be ordered, they all cost money, and none of them are perfect. If someone has a cold, should blood tests be ordered? Of course not. The likelihood is that the person will get over their symptoms in a few days on their own. Ordering blood tests in this situation, on a macro level, will result in lots of false positives that lead to further work-up of non-existent problems. This leads to patient anxiety, possible iatrogenic diseases, and (even more) skyrocketing health costs.

Sometimes tests are negative. That doesn't mean they shouldn't have been ordered. Many other people had your symptoms, got your tests, and had a far different result.

I'm sorry but you don't seem to know much about a proper physical exam. While USB sensors would work, I think they are pretty impractical except for your pulse ox example. If someone requires an EKG they should be coming in anyway. As for devices for auscultation (thoracic "listening") or a light for visual inspection: wishful thinking. There is a lot of technique involved in auscultation that is difficult for a professional to do, let a lone a patient without experience (or the ability reach around to their back). And I certainly would not want to rely on a crappy webcam for visualizing the body.

I find this comment pretty amusing. One of my med school professors likes to go on and on about how aspirin would never get FDA approval in modern times to be an OTC medication. It has tons of effects besides analgesia that were only recognized in modern times. Your second reference is to "cold medicine" which often includes acetaminophen, most recently known for overdose issues that might get it removed from combo drugs, or pseudoephedrine, which is basically semi-controlled because of the ability to make illicits.

Anyway, when "controlled substances" are mentioned, I think they are referring to scheduled drugs like narcotics rather than something like a beta-blocker.

yes, cellphone price fixing is bad. but consumers -chose- to pay sky high cellphone rates. no one made them... It's easier to see the crime in relation to products you think about as over priced.

dude... big entertainment (yes, these GREAT big games, like GTA, Gears of War, Modern Warfare, Uncharted, etc.... They take millions of dollars to develop. GTA 4 cost TONS and was worth every penny.

They gotta be driven by profits, and people gladly pay for good games. Its not something that really *needs* to be done for free. People love games like they love everything else they do a lot of in life. You like to skate, you buy skateboard and wheels n stuff. YOu like to rock climb, you get into it, you buy the gear and spend money going places that are nice for it. You get into some solid new games and, well, why not pay for it!

I'm not saying its not a great option to have or for people to do. I'm just saying that we all pay gladly, and aside from early buyers being kinda treated like beta testers on many games, we're pretty happy! Games are REALLY good now. They are a little too easy, but still VERY good. I'm in movies now man. That's what its like. I'm in a van damme movie. I'm all hero.

Its nuts. Games are worth every penny. Artists earn it hardcore. The coders make stuff happen thats never been done in software before. They make visual fx that are amazing.. the whole industry drives shader standards and gfx processor development needs... even when many are pirating some games, it doesn't matter really. The great companies that invest a lot end up taking the cake so long as its not wasted on jets and CEO bonus. I don't even know if that kinda stuff happens in the game industry. I'd guess the good companies are just playing smart.

All hail iD, Epic, EA (yeah, i hate ot say it), Infinity Ward, Nintendo, capcom, acclaim, sony, naughty dog. etc etc etc. Thank you!

And the only reason that the primary method of providing healthcare is insurance is because of government tax laws for businesses.

If it weren't for that, everyone would still pay for medical expenses out of pocket, with some people choosing to have disaster-level insurance for major procedures, just like they do for car wrecks, unexpected death, and home fires.

There is a problem with people who have chronic, recurring problems. The thing is, at that point that person is essentially a charity case - whether it's charity through higher premiums everyone else pays or through a government mandate, they are someone who costs more to keep alive than they will produce with their life. The insurance model breaks down. That is still not a particularly good reason for trying to still ram them into an insurance model of any sort, government or otherwise.

Personally I'd love a purely free market approach, untied from employment, for the vast majority of people to cover unexpected horrible events, and possibly a government funded program that yes, rations funds, to pay for the charity cases.

Or maybe he has bradycardia (some people need pacemakers eventually), the beginnings of heart block, or some other conduction system disturbance. Fit athletes may have low resting HR, but one wouldn't necessarily just go around banking on that. Especially if experiencing symptoms like light-headedness or fainting, one might want to see a doctor. An EKG might need to be performed to assess for any abnormalities. (This is not medical advice, etc.)