How should Health Care in the US be reformed?

In the paper published by the American Benefits Council, “Ten Prescriptions for Reforming Health Care Quality, Cost and Coverage”, they address the necessary changes needed to improve the US Health Care System. They focus on 10 aspects of the system to improve quality, reduce the cost, and extend coverage. To improve quality they recommend that, “health care providers should be equipped with comparative clinical performance information to support continuous improvement in patient care” (13). They also advocate in reducing cost by giving favorable tax treatment for individuals that obtain their health insurance from independent insurance companies (4). This can also increase coverage as more individuals would be able to afford health insurance. Also, the American Benefits Council supports that “mechanisms should be established to connect them [Individuals with no health insurance] to an appropriate source of coverage” (16). In all, the American Benefits Council sets up a clear and systematic way to improve Health Care in United States.

Regulating Drug Research

Julio Sotelo's article Regulation of Clinical Research Sponsored by Pharmaceutical Companies: A Proposal found in the Public Library of Science presents one way to deal with the regulation of research funded by pharmaceutical companies. Sotelo argues that pharmaceuticals are a major commodity with lots of money invested in new drugs which can lead to unethical regulation in order to make a profit. The suggested solution is to create a third party committee that will select the institution to conduct, the amount of research funding the institution will receive, etc so drug companies are not directly sponsoring research institutions. Sotelo provides one option in dealing with the pharmaceutical companies' involvement in drug research.

Government Funding for Medical Research: What's the right amount?

In the article "Race for Medical Cure Also a Contest of Funds", writer Daniel Q. Haney highlights the federal government's spending on varying physical illnesses, such as cancer and AIDS. The article, which was written in 1992, states that the government funded about $2 billion each for cancer and AIDS, despite the number of casualties from cancer being approximately 25 times higher to that of AIDS. The writer suggests that a major factor to AIDS receiving so much funding, aside from its "clear health emergency," has much to do with advocacy from "single-disease pressure groups." Several people with varying opinions on the matter are interviewed in this article, with particular emphasis on whether the funding used to find a cure for AIDS is too high or too low.

To Breach or not to Breach?

According to an article on Life & Health Library by Kim Oppenheimer and Greg Swanson, published in February of 1990, the law has required physicians to “breach confidentiality” when threatened with violence on others or the patient himself. This is required to protect the general public from harm. However, often patients are not well-informed as to which information will be disclosed and there are many gray areas. For example, should the physician disclose information on male “extra-marital” affairs to his spouse? In this case, one article implies that physicians attempt to withhold information from their spouse but suggest health checkups – kind of breaching, but not really. This is one of many responses to confidentiality breaching.

Organic vs. Conventional food

Eating organic and "natural" foods is often equated with a healthy lifestyle in advertisements ( see Kashi blogpost). This is a controversial topic, with some saying there are no conclusive health benefits to eating organic over conventionally grown food.

The article Nutritional Differences in Organic versus Conventional Foods: And the Winner Is... appears on Scientific American's website as a blog post. It sets out to clear up the controversy between organic vs. conventional foods, but ends up saying as of now the results are inconclusive because of extreme variability in the studies that are meant to evaluate health differences between organic and conventional foods.

None the less, In the article The Truth About Organic Foods on RedBook's website advises readers to go organic if the can afford it based on the advice on a website representing Farmers Markets. This is a biased source, because Farmers' Markets often sell organic produce.

Vitamin G. Daily Health and Fitness Blog, Should Diet Commercials be regulated like booze or tobacco ads. The writers stance is a little more than now. They believe that taking diet ads off the air wont cure eating disorders or bad body images, but overtime the regulation will increase more body diversity in commercial. Other hopes include decreasing the use of photo shop. With Regulation commercials will produce more responsible ads. "They're going to help create a sea change in the way little girls and young women feel about themselves. When you start tallying all the little different changes up, that's when I think you start to see a real difference." The article highlights that issue of strictness of commercial regulation.

Who should define Mental Illness?

Mental Illness is a term that is widely used to classify people who stray from what is normal. In the article, "Inside The battle to Define Mental Illness," Al Frances says that mental illness is, "virtually impossible to define precisely with bright lines at the boundaries." So we ask ourselves, Who should be the ones to define this interesting term? Frances argues in the article that the APA, or American Psychological Association, has the right to define this term but if there work proves to be "disastrous," he feels that it will lead to a change in who can define mental illness. It makes sense for the APA to define this term because it seems that this organization will have the most knowledge on the subject, but maybe others feel they have more of right to define this controversial term.

Is high fructose corn syrup considered a natural product?

According to a article on foodnavigator-usa.com titled "HFCS is not natural, says FDA," the FDA has not formally defined the term "natural" so that it can be properly placed on labels containing high fructose corn syrup. A representative from the FDA informed foodnavigator-usa.com that they object to placing the term 'natural' on products containing high fructose corn syrup. The article then goes on to inform readers that the FDA currently does not restrict the use of the term natural, except on certain products. But using the term 'natural' is misleading to consumers because the article also says that the term 'All Natural' is the third most frequent claim on products and the fourth most popular on beverages. So it is a controversial issue as to whether high fructose corn syrup is considered a natural product. This article describes some reasons why high fructose corn syrup should not be considered natural.

"Physical Education in America's Public Schools"

Childhood obesity has been an issue of concern in America for the past several years. In "Physical Education in America's Public Schools," from the University of Michigan website, Kathy Speregen outlines the history of the issue and emphasizes that it is a growing issue. She notes the effects and dangers of childhood obesity: "Children who are overweight or obese experience many symptoms which effect their learning in schools. Not only do weight problems lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems, asthma, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and diabetes, but children who are overweight miss as much as four times as much school as children of normal weight." These are just a few of the several ways obesity negatively affects children. Speregen offers some solutions to the issue. She asserts that state legislations are responsible for being proactive about the problem. Speregen claims: "Daily physical education has declined and the prevalence of being physically active during physical education classes have remained the same. Other ideas include a few states that are considering measuring each students Body Mass Index and/or requiring schools to send a health report to parents, similar to an academic report."

High Cholestrol in America

The issue of high cholesterol in America is one that affects more than 98 millions Americans over the age of 20. So when looking at the controversy of what can Americans do to lower their cholesterol, my research led me to the American Diabetes Association. The ADA is "leading the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those affected by diabetes".

The ADA recommends 5 steps that may lower your cholesterol: quit smoking, lose weight if needed, exercise, eat a low-fat and low cholesterol diet, and increase monounsaturated fats in your diet. The final recommendation the ADA makes is to talk to your doctor about prescription cholesterol-lowering medication.

Rebuild the Doctor-Patient Relationship

The article, "Rebuilding the Doctor-Patient Relationship," was published by Rob Mitchum on The University of Chicago Medical Center's blog. This article explains how the doctor-patient relationship remains important to everyone involved in the medical community. In the article, a medical student, Rebecca Levine, said, "In this increasingly technological world, we have many diagnostic and therapeutic tools that are very advanced. But that doesn’t mean we can lose sight of the most important aspect in medicine, which is our patients." The doctor-patient relationship cannot be lost in this new age of technological advancement, and this article explains how a healthy relationship between doctor and patient can be beneficial to everyone.

Should people eat organic foods?

According to this article in a personal blog by Chrys Ostrander, there are at least ten concrete reasons to eat organic foods. These reasons include environmental, personal health and overall energy saving benefits. She utilizes pathos in her argument by posting a picture of her own child eating a seemingly organic salad at the top of the page and making a specific appeal to parents. She says, "Children are, as a rule, more vulnerable to toxins than are adults...Children, we hope, do have many healthy years ahead of them." She believes that organic foods are safer, more nutritious and can actually prevent harm to the environment, such as soil erosion. She also combats the classic argument of organic foods being more expensive by saying that on a larger scale, the conventionally grown products are costing more money. She also makes several points related to the farmers. According to the author, organic farmers save energy, innovate on-farm research, and promote bio-diversity. This is just one example of an argument regarding whether or not people should eat organic foods.

A Professional's Opinion on the Battle of Who Should Define Mental Illness

According to blog post summary of Gary Greenbergs article "Inside the Battle to Define Mental Illness," published December 27, 2010, definitions of certain illnesses are starting to change according to the writer of the DSM-IV. The DSM-IV is the book of all mental illnesses; this book pretty much defines every mental illness that you can think of, and is used my many physicians and psychiatrists to diagnose mental illnesses. The writer of the DSM-IV, Al Frances, notes in this article that some of these mental illnesses are starting to be questioned by psychoanalysts. Since many physciatric patients are questioning these physciatrists/physician diagnosis, the authority of these proffessionals is declining. The article suggests that the DSM may soon be "revolutionized or rendered obsolete."

Stricter FDA Regulations on Drug Advertisements

Even though the FDA has implemented regulations on drug advertisements, it seems that most drug companies circle around these laws in order to promote the advantages of their drug, while distracting audiences from the possible health risks.

According to a report by Shreema Mehta in The New Standard, published in August 2007, states that although companies are required to submit their advertisements to the FDA, "the agency does not review them before they are released to the public." Actually, according to a report from a Government Accountability Office, the FDA only reviews a small portion of these submitted drug advertisements with an inconsistent criteria that is followed to determine whether it meets FDA approval.

With the challenges that the FDA has received regarding drug advertisements, the FDA is now going through Congress in hopes that they will begin to charge drug companies to help fund the FDA approval process. If this is passed, FDA is believing that they will be receiving $6 million from these drug companies. It is hopeful that with these additional funds coming into the FDA, that the process of approval will be stricter, making it harder for companies to find their way around the already standing laws and regulations.

Implementing Fitness in the Schools

Newshour Extra has designed a personal fitness plan that they hope to implement in the school system. The need for students to exercise a physically healthy lifestyle in the US is not being implemented the correct way. This fitness programs serves to improve this issue. The programs main goal is to provide an avenue for students to participate in and establish life long health and fitness habits.

There are a series of 12-15 classes for the students, each with a series of learning objectives that will be utilized in the activities. The overall goal of the entire course is that the students will create there own fitness plan to be implemented in their daily lives in the future.

Having a Healthier Diet!

According to Easy Tips for Planning Healthy, Maya W. Paul, Melinda Smith, and Jaenne Segal give their top 10 researched tips for having a healthier diet. This article was published on a nonprofit website called HELPGUIDE.org that provides expert advice for health related issues. This article gives 1o tips for planning a healthy diet and "sticking to it." They start off by discussing ways to set up yourself for success. Tip 2 says that moderation is key! It is important also no only what you eat, but how you eat. It is stated to, "Fill up on colorful fruits and vegetables" and "Eat more healthy carbs and whole grains." Fats are allowed but make sure to enjoy the healthy fats and avoid the unhealthy fats. Protein needs to be put into perspective, and understand all of the benefits that come with proteins. It is essential to add Calcium rich foods to your diet for strong bones. Limiting sugars and salts is crucial to having a healthier diet. Make sure to plan quick and easy meals ahead so that you are able to stay focused and unstressed about eating healthy. If you are choosing to try and have a healthier diet, these tips are sure to lead you in the right direction. They are all very well researched facts and by using them you will overall benefit your diet.

Childhood Obesity Prevention

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, seventeen percent of the nation's children are overweight. While many argue that every individual has the freedom to live and eat as they please, the problem of childhood obesity is causing an array of serious health problems within the youth and is costing the U.S. an estimated $150 billion per year in treatment for obesity related illnesses and conditions. Currently, the impact of prevention efforts seems to be somewhat ineffective, and the only way to fix this is to involve everybody. The US Department of Health and Human Services has provided checklists for parents/guardians, teachers, and the community in order to take steps to provide a healthier future for our nation's youth.

FTC Argues for Mail-order Drugs to Keep Costs Down

According to a report by Lynne Taylor in the PharmaTimes, published in August of 2011, the New York State Assembly has passed the Anti-Mandatory Mail Order Pharmacy Bill (Bill 5502-B). This Bill, “which would allow patients to choose where to buy their prescription drugs would” also have negative consequences according to the Federal Trade Commission: it would “reduce competition, leading to higher costs and, potentially, reduced consumer access to medicines.” The National Community Pharmacists Association wants the bill to become law, but the Federal Trade Commission argues that this law would drive up costs for New Yorkers who need prescriptions, since the bill limits access to cheaper mail-order pharmacies. The FTC believes that mail-order pharmacies provide the consumer choice and competitive costs that can keep drug costs down for patients. This is just one position on the controversial of question of how to reduce prescription drug costs.

1988 McDonald's Salad Commercial

Do you think McDonald's salads are healthy? Believe it or not but, McDonalds has been advertising their salads for over 20 years in a manner to portray them as the healthy choice. In this 1988 McDonalds ad, these salads are portrayed as the healthy choice for active lifestyles through the use of many visual and audio stimuli. Whether this salads are actually healthy is debatably as different individuals may have different idles of what is healthy and some point to the McDonald’s Nutrition Guide as proof that the salads aren’t that much better than the other meals. Regardless, McDonald's ad portrays these salads has healthy and the ad can be broken down into three component mediums: the voice over jingle, the display of active individuals, and the images of fresh fruits and vegetables.

First, the voice over jingle in this ad is a strong medium of persuasion in this ad. The McDonalds ad starts with a women’s voice giving the command to “Listen”, this grabs the reader’s attention and after a few seconds of a visual montage gives the command to “Listen to the taste”. This is a strong use of logos as the logical argument to listen to the taste of the salad as a way to lead the audience to the conclusion about the appetizing nature of the salad. This also conveys that their salad is just as appetizing as another other foods. This is important because with any food product the way it tastes is important to the consumer and will be. In addition, the ad jingle repeats the phrase “good times” with the added phrase of “fresh all day at my place” when referring to McDonalds locations. This is a pathetic appeal as it conveys a sense of harmony and enjoyment when eating the salad and referring the McDonalds’ as “my place” gives the added benefit of making the store locations more inviting and home feeling. This is significant to the ad as making a “healthy” food product enjoyable would be viewed favorably by an audience looking to make healthy food choices.

Second, the montage of active individuals plays an important part to the overall effect of the ad. The display of individuals riding their bikes, being outside in workout cloths, and eating the salad with a basketball at hand all establishes a situated ethos as individuals that live active life style will tend to know what healthy food choices to make. This is important to the ad because it gives the McDonalds salad also a sense that it is truly healthy because individuals that are active and look healthy are eating the salad. There is also a pathetic appeal as individuals eating the salad seem to be happy and enjoying themselves like the family at the end of the ad and the women clacking her umbrella against the fence. This gives the added presumption that eating the salad will make you happy along with being healthy which would entice a viewing audience that is not happy with what they are eating to consider a McDonalds’ salad in order to feel happy and healthy

Lastly, the use of fresh fruits and vegetables images as transitions between scenes of the ad provides important rhetorical appeals to the ad. More specifically, the tossing of wet tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce establish a sense of invented ethos with the salad as it conveys that wholesome and nutrient dense ingredients are used in making the salad. This adds to the overall credibility to the salad that it is healthy as the ingredients look healthy. This aspect also provides a logical appeal as the images of the fresh fruits and vegetables lead the audience to the conclusion that the same fresh fruits and vegetables are used in the salads they are purchasing as a result these salads are fresh and healthy. This important because it attracts health based consumers to McDonalds for their on-the-go salad needs.

In the end, this 1988 McDonalds ad used audio and visual stimuli to express their rhetorical argument about how healthy their salads are. The air date of this ad also shows that healthy food phenomenon isn’t just a recent occurrence but has had a few decades to develop to what it is today. Although one could argue whether these salads are actually healthy, McDonalds likes to portray them that way to attract the newly forming health consumer base. Ultimately it’s up the consumer to decide if what McDonalds has to offer is healthy by their individual standards.

Cheerios Advertisement

The Cheerios ad above is the most basic and easily understandable advertisement regarding a product whose main message is its benefits to your health. The ad is very simple so the uses of rhetoric can be easily seen and observed for analysis. This advertisement is found on many Cheerios cereal boxes and because of the message of lowing cholesterol we can conclude that the intended audience is an older person with high unhealthy cholesterol levels. The ad is a brightly colored ad with high contrast images including, the Cheerios brand name, and the description of the cereal being “Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal, the “you can lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks” message, and a bowl of cereal in the shape of a heart in the background. You can also make out the smiling faces of what looks like a father and his son. By using these images the Cheerios Company is able to use logos, ethos, and pathos to make the argument that their cereal improves your health by lowering your cholesterol and indirectly states that someone who is in better health is happier.

The logos appeal is one that is easily found and can almost be said as common sense. The message saying “you can lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks” is a great example of syllogism. Since the intended audience knows that high cholesterol can eventually cause cardiovascular and heart disease, which is the leading cause of death, then a cereal that promises to lower these fatal levels then they can conclude that if they buy and eat the cereal then their cholesterol levels will decrease.

The ethos appeal deals with whether or not the Cheerios Company is worthy of our attention, and because of the professionalism of the advertisement the intended audience may find Cheerios worthy. The hope of the Cheerios company is that some of the intended audience will conclude that if they have the money and resources to create a professional advertisement that is as clear and concise then they have the money to do proper research and thus a trustworthy source. And in this way they succeed. If this advertisement didn’t look professional then I wouldn’t want it but since it does I have an inclination to buy it and I’m not even part of the target audience.

Lastly the pathetic appeal deals with the audience’s emotions. The most generic example of this is the color choosing of the ad. Yellow is a very happy bright color that has proven to make people feel happier. Accompanying the bright yellow color is the heart shaped bowl that is used to promote feelings that are commonly associated with the heart; these including love, compassion, happiness, ext. Both of these parts of the advertisement is important in making a persuasive advertisement but it’s the picture of what looks to be a father and his son in the background that provides the greatest pathetic appeal.

In conclusion, because of the good use of logos, ethos, and pathos this Cheerios ad is both persuasive to its target audience and a good example of rhetoric appeal. The health benefits of this advertisement are so clearly stated and along with the bright colors and pathetic appeal the advertisement is extremely persuasive and effective in reaching their target audience. So much so that those outside the target audience, people including myself, find it persuasive as well. I find myself craving Cheerios now.