The Terrible Urge to Tear Down the Successful

Comments: 0 - Date: December 23rd, 2008 - Categories: Uncategorized

Fairness and equality, much like communism, are concepts that pull at the hardwired nature of we humans. For reasons no doubt much to do with the evolutionary success of our ancestors, we instinctively seek to tear down those who have more than we do. Fairness and equality, again much like communism, turn into a race for the bottom when put into practice:

Creating "equality" by taking from the successful ruins the creation of wealth - very much a non-zero sum game - for all. It takes away the vital incentives and rewards for success. At the end of the process, as demonstrated by all that transpired in the Soviet Union, you are left with the same old inequalities, but now taking place amongst ruins, starvation and disease.

I noticed an exploration of one manifestation of this human urge today:

The fair innings argument maintains that for healthcare resources to be distributed fairly every person should receive sufficient healthcare to provide them with the opportunity to live in good health for a normal span of years. What constitutes a normal span of years is often defined as life expectancy at birth, but this criterion fails to provide adequate grounds for the equal distribution of healthcare across and between generations. A more suitable criterion for the normal life span is the idea that the human life span is biologically limited. Many current gerontological theories argue that the biological limit to human life spans is related to the ageing process. If technological advances in medicine can retard the ageing process by treating and preventing the diseases and disorders associated with it, human longevity will be limited only by the developments in and the successful application of medicine. In consequence, the fair innings argument will no longer be able to justify denying people healthcare resources because they have lived longer than the normal life span.

The very existence of the fair innings argument - the term coming from cricket, I imagine, refering to a decent time spent at bat, a good life lived, time to get out of the pool - is a terrible end manifestation of the urge to equality. That people talk about denying medical care to those who need it the most, and that they establish an idea of what length of life should be in defense of that aim, demonstrates that any attempt to impose equality is also a retreat from compassion and a refutation of progress.

An older paper runs along much the same lines and is open access: the basics of the fair innings argument haven't changed.

The fair innings argument (FIA) is frequently put forward as a justification for denying elderly patients treatment when they are in competition with younger patients and resources are scarce. In this paper I will examine some arguments that are used to support the FIA. My conclusion will be that they do not stand up to scrutiny and therefore, the FIA should not be used to justify the denial of treatment to elderly patients, or to support rationing of health care by age.

The whole debate has to be put in context, however. This is related to the operation of the universal health care system in the UK, a system that has long been in the doleful steady state of all such socialist, centralized systems: waste, terrible services, and - most importantly - rationing. Every taxpayer involuntarily funding this behemoth feels that they own a piece of it, and everyone has that tug on their human nature urging them to make sure that no-one gets more than they do. It's ugly, and it's why socialism fails. Along the way to failure, however, it produces dangerous ideas, such as "human beings have a fixed length of life, after which they should be cut off and left to die."

I much prefer the vanishing alternate path for health provision: a free market of competing service providers, and people taxed less, free to save and plan for their own medical needs. In that environment progress and longevity are welcome, and increased need for medicine is a market opportunity to excel in providing services.

I say if this were a privatized system, we would all say “gee it’s wonderful. All these people want more health care, this industry is thriving”. Let me put one other analogy. Suppose we made cars a government entitlement. Instead of cheering when auto production went up, we’d say, "Oh my God, we can’t afford this!". How you finance it may greatly affect the psychology and actually the freedom of the economy to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Sadly, freedom in medical choice is not the zeitgeist of this age. Worse looks more likely than better for the years immediately ahead.

Dr. Keene of AZ Offers Special 0% Interest Financing for Hair Transplant Surgery

Comments: 0 - Date: December 22nd, 2008 - Categories: Uncategorized

Coalition member Dr. Sharon Keene of Tucson, AZ has been performing first-rate hair replacement surgery in Tucson, AZ with excellent results for years.

Now, as a special incentive starting in January 2009, Dr. Keene will be offering 0% interest financing on hair transplant surgery for up to 24 months with qualified credit as an economic stimulate incentive. 

Dr. Keene is also opening a satellite office in Scottsdale, AZ.  The address is 7425 E Shea Blvd., Ste 103, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260.

Dr. Keene will offer surgical hair restoration consultations and follow up visits out of her Scottsdale office.  Call 800-840-9761 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Keene in Scottsdale.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Properly Preparing for Hair Restoration

Comments: 0 - Date: December 22nd, 2008 - Categories: Uncategorized

Hair loss can be the cause of severe anxiety and depression in some men and women. Thankfully today, men and women have options to treat it. But preparing to restore your hair involves extensive research and planning. Below we’ve provided important tips to properly prepare for hair restoration.

Understanding Hair Loss: Understanding your hair loss condition can help you develop realistic hair restoration goals. Learn about the causes of both genetic baldness and non-genetic hair loss. Consulting with a hair restoration specialist can help you determine what’s causing your balding and recommend available treatment options.

Consider Your Hair Loss Treatment Options: Learning about various hair loss treatment options and finding one that suits you can take time and careful consideration.

  • Non-Surgical Treatments: Today, two FDA approved hair loss treatments Propecia (men only) and Rogaine can help slow down or stop the progression of male pattern baldness. Low level laser therapy and alternative treatments are also available however, determining their effectiveness isn’t as well documented. The key to evaluating hair loss treatments is looking for clinical and visual proof of successful hair regrowth.
  • Hair Replacement Systems: Today’s hair replacement systems and strands give severe balding men and women an instant solution to their hair loss problem. Ongoing cost and maintenance is typically the biggest concern when considering this hair loss solution.
  • Topical Hair Loss Concealers: Topical hair loss cover-ups such as Dermmatch, Nanogen, and Toppik can be a great way to conceal your hair loss to the public. Concealers work by temporarily fattening the hair and coloring the hair and surrounding scalp to present an illusion of hair density. Concealers can be washed out and have to be re-applied after showering.
  • Surgical Hair Restoration: Today’s hair transplants can be so natural looking that even hair stylists cannot detect them. But selecting the right surgeon is vital to ensure success. Learn about hair transplant surgery and consult with an elite hair restoration physician to determine if you are a candidate.

Developing Realistic Goals: Because there is no cure for the progression of genetic female hair loss and male pattern baldness, realistic expectations must be developed and maintained. Understanding your condition and available treatment options will better prepare you for developing realistic goals. Working with a hair restoration physician who can help set and meet your goals is also helpful. For a free virtual consult with our leading hair restoration physicians, click here.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

More Evidence For Methionine as the Primary Driver of Calorie Restriction

Comments: 0 - Date: December 21st, 2008 - Categories: Uncategorized

You'll recall that experiments restricting intake of the dietary amino acid methionine - without restricting calories - demonstrate some of the same beneficial health effects as calorie restriction. This suggests that the level of methionine ingested is primarily what cues our biochemistry to produce the benefits it does under a low calorie diet that still supplies the right levels of micronutrients. See, for example:

Now here's a reversal of these experiments, in which researchers restrict all the other dietary amino acids except methionine, and come to much the same conclusion:

Previous studies have shown that the decrease in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mitROS) generation and oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that occurs during life extending dietary restriction also occurs during protein or methionine restriction, whereas it does not take place during carbohydrate or lipid restriction.

In order to study the possible effects of other amino acids, in this investigation all the dietary amino acids, except methionine, were restricted by 40% in male Wistar rats (RESTAAS group). After 6-7 weeks, experimental parameters were measured in the liver.

...

[The] results, together with previous ones, strongly suggest that the decrease in mitROS generation and oxidative damage to mtDNA that occurs during dietary restriction is due to restriction of a single amino acid: methionine. They also show for the first time that restriction of dietary amino acids different from methionine decreases mitochondrial protein oxidative modification [and] increases SIRT1, in rat liver.

Meaning that while methionine restriction accounts for much of calorie restriction, it doesn't account for all of it. There may be multiple parallel mechanisms operating, which in turn suggests that building calorie restriction mimetic drugs that capture anywhere near the entire effect of actual calorie restriction will be challenging. Meanwhile, while research groups are spending hundreds of millions to billions of dollars on research an development, you can obtain the whole benefit of calorie restriction for just about free. Just start eating less, sensibly, while ensuring that your intake of micronutrients remains optimal.

Hair Styling Options After Hair Restoration Surgery

Comments: 0 - Date: December 19th, 2008 - Categories: Uncategorized

Many hair loss sufferers are not only concerned about a natural looking hair transplant, but want to know the best ways to style their new hair.  What is the “best” hairstyle after hair restoration surgery?  Does it depend on each patient or is there a universal hairstyle best suited for the patient?  What role does hair density, hair direction, and hair characteristics play in styling your hair?

Hair loss forum member “Bleachcola12” is interested in duplicating a previous longer hair style and wants to know if this is possible after a hair transplant.  Discuss hair styles that worked for you and others on this thread.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

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