BOOMTIMES!

Intended for baby boomers, and recommended for young persons who may grow old.

Sophie Vince 1889-1971

 GRANDMA

I had a rough childhood. My parents had me late in life and no amount of their love and attention could alter the fact that I was born with medical problems, some of which persecute me to this day.

However, it was a happy childhood, because of the care and affection I received. There certainly was no surplus of funds in the Ippolito household but we managed to live decently and have fun.

One of the few things I had in my favor was that my maternal grandmother, Sophie Vince, lived with us. She was a strong willed woman who raised four children, sans full time alcoholic husband, at a time when the title “single mom,” did not exist.

The term “role model” could have been invented for Grandma, and she was a true inspiration to me. This feisty, hard-working, four-foot eleven-inch dynamo taught me more about life than all my professional teachers combined, and I had some good ones.

Grandma had an outstanding sense of humor, and used it to dole out a type of wisdom that is sorely lacking in today’s society. She practiced common sense living and although she was always willing to lend someone advice she never attempted to impose her will on anyone, except perhaps on matters culinary.

She could take a joke as well as she could dish them out. As we all know, many a truth can be found in a jest, and despite being quite direct she often used this method to make her thoughts known to those whose feelings were easily bruised.

As I approached manhood my medical problems became less of a hindrance, allowing me to be more independent. My close relationship with Grandma continued however, and she cautioned me many times to take life a little slower and not to be brash.

I once told her that she was too old to understand modern life, and she replied, “Just remember, Jimmy, I made it to this age. Let’s see how far you get.”

Even at the know it all age, of 16 or 17, those words, because Grandma, for whom I had undying respect, had uttered them, resulted in a sobering moment for me.

The statement was delivered without a hint of jocularity. I recall her slightly raised eyebrows accompanied by an almost imperceptible nod, her most serious look, and it made me aware that nothing in life is guaranteed.

Extremism was not a part of her life and she did her best to be open and fair-minded towards people. As much as she endeavored to help those in need she disdained anyone who refused to help him or herself, especially those who caused their own problems and wouldn’t admit it.

I remember her as a cute, sort of self contained person who taught me to be organized, self-reliant, and to set sound priorities. Grandma tried not to bother anyone and asked only for acknowledgement of her help, not repayment.

She maintained a tight ship regarding her own life so as not to burden anyone. Prior to retiring she worked extra overtime in order to save money for her funeral and gravesite. “I don’t wanna be no pain-in-the ass to nobody, even after I’m dead,” she remarked.

Despite her diminutive size she feared no one and only expressed concern about two things. She dreaded the thought of starving to death, which she viewed as particularly awful, and was concerned about developing clubfeet. She never did explain the latter and I'm sure she knew that one was born with, and could not “develop” clubfeet.

This was her own personal joke on everyone because whenever she was asked about this supposed fear she would reply that she didn’t want to talk or think about such a horror, with a look on her face that was somewhere between concern and a grin.

Now that I’m older, I often chuckle to myself as I reflect on my precious time with Grandma, and continue realizing how sage she was. Nowadays this modestly educated woman, born 114 years ago, as of this writing, in Hoboken, NJ, would be hailed as a thoroughly modern, successful woman.

She would be seen as a hero who balances earning a living and maintaining a household while raising her children without day care centers and government financial assistance.

She possessed not a single vice, and in keeping with her sense of humor she justified the occasional wintertime nip of Christian Brothers brandy as a religious matter.

I doubt that I have measured up to her high standards but I keep trying, and I can’t thank her enough for all the good she did me.

Grandma may have left Earth many years ago, but she is still alive in my heart and mind, and I dedicate “Boomtimes!” to her.

This page is aimed at baby boomers but young people should check it out since you’re already aging. Start learning about the inevitable kids.

This is the place to find news and links to websites of interest in the currently popular “weblog or blog” style. Stay tuned for more!

DRUGS & YOU 

I knew I’d get your attention with the word “Drugs.” Not too many years ago the word “Sex” would have been used but I thought drugs would be more practical.

Unfortunately I don’t have any info about drugs that will make you feel good so I’ll concentrate on those that will help keep you from feeling bad.

During a recent four-hour commercial marathon on TV, interrupted every now and then for bits of a football game, the stomach medication, Prilosec, was hawked. “And now you can get it over the counter,” the happy looking actor said.  Great, now that it’s available OTC, your insurance company, if you have health insurance, can exclude it from their formulary.

That means that you can pay even more. Instead of forking over a co pay you’ll have to cough up a lot more. Neat huh? The drug providers think so. In fact, as more and more medications become available OTC, more and more people will start treating themselves without the benefit of a doctor visit.

“My stomach hurts, guess I’ll try Prilosec. I don’t think the steak knife sticking in it is causing the pain, I think that spicy bowl of Rice Crispies and one percent milk I had for dinner didn’t set well.”

The insurance companies will benefit from self-administered medical care too; fewer doctor visits mean less expense for them.

“Hey, that broken leg will heal on it’s own in due course. Keep the weight off it and take two of these every ten minutes. Don’t go to the doctor, it will increase everyone’s premiums and the doctor will only tell you what you already know. Fix it yourself.”

What about buying your American made RX’s from other countries? The drug companies don’t like that, and have appealed to their welfare provider and protector, the federal government, to outlaw the practice.

They claim that it is dangerous for Americans to buy drugs from foreign lands such as Canada and Mexico because counterfeit drugs of questionable quality might be substituted. I don’t know if there is any validity to this or if it’s just corporate scare tactics.

The drug companies charge what the traffic will bear. Canada’s government regulates drug prices and other country’s importers simply refuse to pay exorbitant prices so their citizens can buy what we buy, at half the price or less.

The drug companies claim that without the high profit margin of American sales they would not be able to fund research and development of new products. So, we Americans apparently subsidize the rest of the world’s drug purchases. Can we claim these dependents on our taxes?

You can’t beat the insurance or drug companies. They have bean counters, lawyers, computer geeks and whatever else it takes to keep their profits high, and your pockets empty. But you can lower your OTC drug costs, and it behooves you to do so.

Life is stressful. Corporate America makes it so but they are kind enough to provide solutions for the sicknesses they create either in RX only or OTC form via their drug companies. Oh, sorry, that’s Pharmaceutical Firms. Drugs are what are sold on the street.

Your job, or the lack of one is probably the cause of your stomach maladies, nervous and depressed conditions, eating disorders, tobacco use, inability to fall asleep, or trouble staying awake, and maybe even your sex problems, hair loss, alcoholism and allergies.

Pretty much everyone knows that generic Tylenol, acetaminophen, is available everywhere, but there are other compounds available and there are competitors among the OTC generic drug makers as well, which is good for consumers.

Read the list of ingredients, you made need a magnifying glass, and look for the “active ingredients.” If they match up with whatever name brand medication has worked well for you, it’s the same thing. The other stuff, the “inactive or inert,” ingredients don’t matter. These usually differ a bit, perhaps to avoid patent infringement.

Here’s an example: I recently did something stupid, well actually I do stupid things all the time but this one caused me to pull what’s left of the muscles in my right arm, and I strained my lower back, or upper ass, to be more precise.

I used a generic, CVS drugstore brand actually, horse liniment type cream to relieve the pain. It worked as well as the thrice-costly name brand and even imparted that familiar “injured athlete,” or more accurately, “old people,” minty aroma to me.

I apologized to my wife for the fragrance, but she said she liked it. I think she left out the: “better than you’re usual smell,” part.

These knock off preparations usually have plainer packaging and go by catchy names such as: “Just As Good,” “It’s The Same,” or “Why Pay More, Asshole?”

I don’t know if it’s just psychological but I find that the generics work better for me than the name brands. Maybe it’s because I’m feeling good about spending a lot less.

Wal-Mart, and if there are any left, other stores of its ilk, are a good starting place for your search for store brand clones of name brands. Sam’s Club, which is owned by Wal-Mart, has the same products at even lower prices. Don’t ask me why, but I’m not complaining. You can also get most of your vitamins and supplements there too, at very good prices.

There are probably similar “warehouse,” or “mass merchandiser” stores available for you who are Samsless.

Also, remember that actual “drug stores,” sell similar items at sometimes equally low prices, especially during sales.

You can find medicine in today’s drugstores if you look hard enough among the aisles of food, beer, liquor, cigarettes, automotive chemicals, shoes, clothes, beach chairs, barbeque grills, school supplies, small appliances, electronics, and so forth. Some even have a registered pharmacist.

Former prescription only drugs, which have gone OTC, are already being copied by places like Sam’s Club and sold at ridiculously low prices.

Examples are allergy and sinus medications, and stomach, actually ulcer, drugs. These babies used to cost a fortune but thanks to the drug company’s attempts to sell them OTC, at higher than necessary prices, they have been humped at their own game by equally big mass merchandisers who manufacture the same formulas and sell them for much less.

See, the members of the Corporate America Club stick it to each other too, and this time the little guy benefits.

Let’s Back Bush On This One

In the course of a politician’s career, particularly on the Federal level, and especially in the case of a President, many initiatives are proposed but few ever make into law.

For the most part the public only hears about the biggest of issues, usually the most controversial, and the most expensive.  However, many lesser-publicized proposals are proffered and among these one can sometimes find a rose among the thorns.

Such is the case with President Bush’s initiative to have American’s medical records computerized within 10 years.

Here’s an excerpt from a report published a few days ago:

"Most industries in America have used information technology to make their businesses more cost-effective, more efficient and more productive, and the truth of the matter is, health care hadn't," Bush said at a Cleveland press conference.

As part of the coordinated two-day publicity campaign to promote his digital health care plan, Bush said on Wednesday at the National Institutes of Health, "We've got 21st century medical practices, but 19th century paperwork system. Doctors are still writing prescriptions by hand. So there's a better way to enable our health care system to wring out inefficiencies and to protect our patients. So medical electronic records is going to be one of the great innovations in medicine."

This is a great idea and we should all get behind it in any way we can. Even if you are fortunate enough to be in good health the time will come when that will change.

Trust me, as a person with a multitude of medical problems, the last thing you want, when you’re hauled into a hospital, perhaps unconscious, is a mix up regarding your existing medical conditions or allergies to medications, etc.

Even the seemingly simple act of changing primary care physicians is a real pain in the ass. It’s all too easy to make a mistake with all the paperwork involved and then your medical records from your previous doctor have to be transferred resulting in opportunities for loss and mis-filing.

With computerized records all this is eliminated and your new doctor, or hospital emergency room personnel will have your complete medical history available immediately.

Yes, there are potential problems, but I believe they will pale in comparison to the benefits we’ll derive.

There will be huge savings for the medical and insurance industries that can translate into reduced costs for us. More important however will be increased efficiency that will lead to improved medical care for all of us.

The President has approved funding for the necessary groundwork but eventually more will be required and the Congress will get involved. When this happens make sure to contact your representatives and encourage them to approve it.

This is something that will benefit everyone, young and old, families and single persons.

Hopefully some well-meaning but misguided organization such as the ACLU won’t start opposing this because of their usual cry of, “invasion of privacy.”

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