In this article, a member of the restaurant industry puts out the word that, yes, you can have your cake or hollandaise or Bloomin' Onion, but make sure you get some exercise. Otherwise, the armada of finger waggin' nannies will come to your door and raid your cabinets.
I'm currently into a program with a dietician that emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and the like. I feel 100% better. At first, I missed caffeine and pancakes and that heavenly coffee roll with the white icing they sell at work, but then I discovered for half that amount of calories, I could have two slices of whole grain bread, peanut butter, and yogurt and be completely full hungry at 11am. I don't have those urges to raid the vending machine, except for the $2 Clif bar I buy. I even think I've lost weight.
That doesn't mean the health Puritans should slap the occasional cheeseburger and fries out of my hands. Sure, show me (not lecture, hector, cajole or anything resembling finger wagging) better food choices and their advantages, but unless you want a counterlecture on why strangers should mind their own damn business and not dictate their dogma to people, you'll walk right on by and shut your damn mouth.
In fact, I think a lot of what motivates these health Puritans (I'm looking directly at you, Tom Friedman of the CDC, the biggest nanny-state prick on the planet) is that they fear that the lower classes will discover that the foods that the upper classes take for granted are actually a lot better, and demand for these boutique foods will skyrocket. Hence, keeping the poor fat and happy on HFCS and cheap food is better than growing more food that gives out continuous energy, and charging an obscene amount for fruit ($3.99 for a half pound of pineapple at Au Bon Pain, when you can get a whole pineapple for 99 cents a pound and cut it up yourself?) and veggies kinda defeats the purpose of "beating obesity."
Which brings me to another point: health Puritans can't stand the sight of people who aren't perfect in weight and proportion. Most of the time it's the heavy and obese, but wouldn't it be nice if these dingalings cast their jaundiced eye on anorexic and bulimic girls, who sometimes are so underweight that they look like Holocaust death camp survivors? And for what purpose do these young girls count calories, exercise to exhaustion, and then wonder why their hair is falling out and their friends and parents are pleading them to stop losing weight? Fashion? To get that cute boy from her biology class to notice her? Being anorexic is just as bad as being obese - unless the goal of the health Puritans is to have a class of wafer-thin automatons who only survive on lettuce and water.
So the point of his letter, save the author's reputation, is to do what the great Julia Child did: be as much pain in the ass to the health Puritans as possible. Proclaim loudly and proudly that an entire stick of creamery butter makes the pies much better tasting, not some "weak as water" stand in. Incorporate as much liquor as Julia did, but not to the point where your entire dinner party is blitzed when the dessert comes around - including the children. And while your vegetarian friend looks at you in horror as you devour that 1/3 pound Angus burger, blithely mention that Julia Child lived till she was 92, and not on Gardenburgers and soy milk.
Then, after the dishes are cleared, head outside for a walk.
8/01/2009
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A Scotsman tells the truth about the cult of stupidity
Craig Ferguson, the wily yet funny Scot (and now American citizen) from the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tells the New York Post about how the United States "celebrates" (quotes mine) the cult of stupidity.
In the past twenty years, we have certainly let ourselves be ruled by emotion, escapism, and empathy, not by science, rationality, or sophistication. It not only shows up in our music and entertainment, but by our philosophy and literature. Is it any wonder how American Idol (to me the most fixed show since the game show scandals of the 1950's) is a popular show while you can't find three people to sit down and watch Masterpiece Theatre? Do you wonder why contestants fail at Jeopardy! while they'll rush right up and try to beat an unseen Banker on Deal or No Deal?
Probably one of the best indicator of how far we've come along in two decades is MTV. In 1981, MTV brought forth new acts and cutting-edge music. A World Premiere Video of more than eight minutes was a huge thing. MTV Contests actually had music-related prizes in them!
Today, you get cuts of videos, plus 23 hours of social-conscience filler, plus old and washed-up rock stars getting their fifteen seconds of fame. On VH1 it's no better - a better name for that network would be All Trashy And IQ Deficient Losers Who Desperately Need Real Jobs.
We've stopped at becoming individuals with individual tastes and individual thoughts. There are still Americans who are creative, innovative, and smart. But they're derided as outcasts and are shoved well behind the curtain while overpaid athletes and B through Z starlets, bimbos and himbos are showered with money, hand over fist.
America doesn't suck. Not in the least bit. The only thing we have to do is rescue it from those who profit from celebrating the stupid, silly, superficial elements that feed into it - Hollywood and Washington would be great places to start.
In the past twenty years, we have certainly let ourselves be ruled by emotion, escapism, and empathy, not by science, rationality, or sophistication. It not only shows up in our music and entertainment, but by our philosophy and literature. Is it any wonder how American Idol (to me the most fixed show since the game show scandals of the 1950's) is a popular show while you can't find three people to sit down and watch Masterpiece Theatre? Do you wonder why contestants fail at Jeopardy! while they'll rush right up and try to beat an unseen Banker on Deal or No Deal?
Probably one of the best indicator of how far we've come along in two decades is MTV. In 1981, MTV brought forth new acts and cutting-edge music. A World Premiere Video of more than eight minutes was a huge thing. MTV Contests actually had music-related prizes in them!
Today, you get cuts of videos, plus 23 hours of social-conscience filler, plus old and washed-up rock stars getting their fifteen seconds of fame. On VH1 it's no better - a better name for that network would be All Trashy And IQ Deficient Losers Who Desperately Need Real Jobs.
We've stopped at becoming individuals with individual tastes and individual thoughts. There are still Americans who are creative, innovative, and smart. But they're derided as outcasts and are shoved well behind the curtain while overpaid athletes and B through Z starlets, bimbos and himbos are showered with money, hand over fist.
America doesn't suck. Not in the least bit. The only thing we have to do is rescue it from those who profit from celebrating the stupid, silly, superficial elements that feed into it - Hollywood and Washington would be great places to start.
7/16/2009
Followup to "In Praise of MinuteClinic..."
As you may recall in a past post, I went to the CVS MinuteClinic to have earwax removed. I was hearing better, but somehow my mind was like, "just for your own safety, don't sleep on the right ear." I've been waking in the middle of the night, so my sleep cycle has been way off.
My 6 week appointment was due at the PCP and I arrived for my appointment early. He was running good this time, and in between talking about my weight (lost 5 pounds!) I mentioned my ear.
Unlike the NP, who used a WaterPik, my PCP used a giant syringe, which he loaded a warm solution and placed it into my ear canal and flushed it. It was actually a little more painful than the WaterPik, but it actually does a better job. There was only temporary hearing loss, but he discovered a huge plug that the NP couldn't get out.
The PCP had a huge curette that looked like tweezers. He told me to hold still, and then, a rush of air went to my ears. The giant plug was finally out. Now my hearing is 100% better.
I will still use the MinuteClinic when the PCP isn't around.
My 6 week appointment was due at the PCP and I arrived for my appointment early. He was running good this time, and in between talking about my weight (lost 5 pounds!) I mentioned my ear.
Unlike the NP, who used a WaterPik, my PCP used a giant syringe, which he loaded a warm solution and placed it into my ear canal and flushed it. It was actually a little more painful than the WaterPik, but it actually does a better job. There was only temporary hearing loss, but he discovered a huge plug that the NP couldn't get out.
The PCP had a huge curette that looked like tweezers. He told me to hold still, and then, a rush of air went to my ears. The giant plug was finally out. Now my hearing is 100% better.
I will still use the MinuteClinic when the PCP isn't around.
7/08/2009
Cult of Personality - worship at your own risk
The only Michael Jackson I really liked was the MJ between 1979 (when "Off the Wall" came out) and 1983 ("Thriller"). That MJ was cool and had his music tighter than a drum and it sounded good. I couldn't moonwalk like him, but it was good music.
As he got through his 30s and 40s, MJ got more and more eccentric. Whispers of his Peter Pan complex and his prediliction for having young boys in his bed began to leak out. At first, people began to dismiss it as "Michael being Michael," or "aw, that's cute." When young boys came forward and started alluding that MJ was sleeping with these young boys, and much more than REM sleep. Then the whispers became screams, and suddenly the Jheri-curled dancer who made Thriller the best selling album of all time - 47 to 109 times platinum - transformed into an ugly, creepy pervert of a man.
During that time when MJ could do no wrong, and much like a blind parent who denies their child is committing these sins, their legions of hardcore fans still believe MJ is innocent. I myself think that some of the kids who came forward took advantage of MJ's Peter Pan complex, and MJ's fame could never, ever be tarnished, so payoffs were necessary to keep the press away - the same press who would singlehandedly destroy MJ if they were allowed to. The tabloids and the paparazzi do it with a malignant pleasure and accuracy that would make a dedicated sniper take notes.
There is a very dark side to this kind of idolatry, and that is to zealously and fervently protect the idol by any means necessary. The heckler's veto works wonders - mention that MJ was a pedophile and you're immediately branded a racist. The Manson family were experts at keeping up with Charles Manson's warped wishes - Squeaky Fromme could make a master class on how to carry on the Manson Family tradition by attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. North Korea has the market cornered on idol worship, as does Cuba, Libya, Zimbabwe, Iran, and many other dictatorships. (Unfortunately, Saddam Hussein is no longer available for comment.)
The press did wall-to-wall coverage of MJ's funeral, and I found it a disgusting display of excess. Even though MJ was the biggest record seller of all time, there are bigger - much bigger - fish to fry than to have a Hollywood-style funeral. If the press pursued other problems in our country and the world as fervently or more so than they did MJ's funeral, can you imagine the real, tangible change that could happen? If Lindsay Lohan breaks a nail, or Britney Spears forgets her underwear again, or we get the sad backstory of an American Idol contestant, or a rapper gets shot, or some kind of kitschy propaganda that we're supposed to practice but the celebrities do not it's immediate news. It's infotainment. The economy, wars, and other things gets shoved aside - which is really too bad.
That's it in a nutshell: the press raises lowlifes, douchebags, murderers, guerillas, floozies, corrupt, and the just plain evil to superhero status. It's a disgusting and disturbing trend done for one thing and one thing only: ratings. Snatch away the above low-hanging fruit and ban access to society's idiots, and the press is left to twist in the wind until another trendy story comes along.
Ironically, the people who deserve to be idolized don't want it. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Richard Phllips, the Armed Forces, whistleblowers, nurses, EMT's, cops, firefighters, and many others sacrifice fame and glory because they don't want to be seen as spotlight hoggers. They just do their jobs, and they get their due applause when it's warranted, then go home. And they're modest - they don't cock their eyes and faces into some kind of Botox-laden pout and shift their bodies into model poses so the cameraman doesn't see the stains in their shirts or the runs in their nylons.
In our non-celebrity lives, we have our own, far more benign version of idolatry, which if we don't temper with reality we become obsessesive, infatuated, and then zealous, sometimes ending in "if I can't have you, no one else will." Love crushes are those harmless times of worship where we take our unrequited love and elevate them to a god-like status. More often than not, the object of your infatuation knows your designs and is flattered, but often it ends with a little bit of disappointment. When the crush gets blown into bigger-than-life status - just like Michael Jackson - it can be devastating to learn that the crush is not a nice person at all, and is likely using your infatuation as a springboard to someone else, or just for their own shallow entertainment. It shows more insecurity and manipulation than anything else.
Whoever you make your hero, beware the cult of personality. There are no perfect idols in the world; just a lot of false ones. Barry Gibb wasn't kidding when he talked about his baby brother Andy's "first fame," which brought him riches and Victoria Principal to his front door. What destroyed Andy Gibb? Drugs and a heart attack from myocarditis - all because he wanted everyone to love him.
As he got through his 30s and 40s, MJ got more and more eccentric. Whispers of his Peter Pan complex and his prediliction for having young boys in his bed began to leak out. At first, people began to dismiss it as "Michael being Michael," or "aw, that's cute." When young boys came forward and started alluding that MJ was sleeping with these young boys, and much more than REM sleep. Then the whispers became screams, and suddenly the Jheri-curled dancer who made Thriller the best selling album of all time - 47 to 109 times platinum - transformed into an ugly, creepy pervert of a man.
During that time when MJ could do no wrong, and much like a blind parent who denies their child is committing these sins, their legions of hardcore fans still believe MJ is innocent. I myself think that some of the kids who came forward took advantage of MJ's Peter Pan complex, and MJ's fame could never, ever be tarnished, so payoffs were necessary to keep the press away - the same press who would singlehandedly destroy MJ if they were allowed to. The tabloids and the paparazzi do it with a malignant pleasure and accuracy that would make a dedicated sniper take notes.
There is a very dark side to this kind of idolatry, and that is to zealously and fervently protect the idol by any means necessary. The heckler's veto works wonders - mention that MJ was a pedophile and you're immediately branded a racist. The Manson family were experts at keeping up with Charles Manson's warped wishes - Squeaky Fromme could make a master class on how to carry on the Manson Family tradition by attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. North Korea has the market cornered on idol worship, as does Cuba, Libya, Zimbabwe, Iran, and many other dictatorships. (Unfortunately, Saddam Hussein is no longer available for comment.)
The press did wall-to-wall coverage of MJ's funeral, and I found it a disgusting display of excess. Even though MJ was the biggest record seller of all time, there are bigger - much bigger - fish to fry than to have a Hollywood-style funeral. If the press pursued other problems in our country and the world as fervently or more so than they did MJ's funeral, can you imagine the real, tangible change that could happen? If Lindsay Lohan breaks a nail, or Britney Spears forgets her underwear again, or we get the sad backstory of an American Idol contestant, or a rapper gets shot, or some kind of kitschy propaganda that we're supposed to practice but the celebrities do not it's immediate news. It's infotainment. The economy, wars, and other things gets shoved aside - which is really too bad.
That's it in a nutshell: the press raises lowlifes, douchebags, murderers, guerillas, floozies, corrupt, and the just plain evil to superhero status. It's a disgusting and disturbing trend done for one thing and one thing only: ratings. Snatch away the above low-hanging fruit and ban access to society's idiots, and the press is left to twist in the wind until another trendy story comes along.
Ironically, the people who deserve to be idolized don't want it. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Richard Phllips, the Armed Forces, whistleblowers, nurses, EMT's, cops, firefighters, and many others sacrifice fame and glory because they don't want to be seen as spotlight hoggers. They just do their jobs, and they get their due applause when it's warranted, then go home. And they're modest - they don't cock their eyes and faces into some kind of Botox-laden pout and shift their bodies into model poses so the cameraman doesn't see the stains in their shirts or the runs in their nylons.
In our non-celebrity lives, we have our own, far more benign version of idolatry, which if we don't temper with reality we become obsessesive, infatuated, and then zealous, sometimes ending in "if I can't have you, no one else will." Love crushes are those harmless times of worship where we take our unrequited love and elevate them to a god-like status. More often than not, the object of your infatuation knows your designs and is flattered, but often it ends with a little bit of disappointment. When the crush gets blown into bigger-than-life status - just like Michael Jackson - it can be devastating to learn that the crush is not a nice person at all, and is likely using your infatuation as a springboard to someone else, or just for their own shallow entertainment. It shows more insecurity and manipulation than anything else.
Whoever you make your hero, beware the cult of personality. There are no perfect idols in the world; just a lot of false ones. Barry Gibb wasn't kidding when he talked about his baby brother Andy's "first fame," which brought him riches and Victoria Principal to his front door. What destroyed Andy Gibb? Drugs and a heart attack from myocarditis - all because he wanted everyone to love him.
7/04/2009
Good food vs. social Puritanism
I've never been to the South Street Diner - at any hour - but as far as I know, it's open 24 hours a day.
It may be no longer - either in hours or existence - if the city of Boston decides to close it down after 2am.
Why? Well, the bars close at 2am, and those sober enough to walk down and get a greasy repast to absorb their booze are "too noisy," according to some wealthy residents who live two doors down from the diner.
I will side with those residents on that case because I've seen my share of obnoxious drunks in my time - ones who can't assemble a single coherent sentence thanks to liquor tongue and engage in numerous Dutch courage fights to assert their temporary bravado, and wonder why they're in handcuffs at the end of the night.
Where I will not side with these yuppies is the sheer amount of arrogance and entitlement they think they possess - that it will take only two people to rid themselves of what they think is a "nuisance." Maybe they shouldn't have bought their ultra-expensive apartments if they knew they'd be next to a diner that does an excellent business. Since downtown apartments are very hard to come by, the cachet of having one puts you in an enviable position. It doesn't give you the right or power to control the activities of everything and everyone else around you (see: The North End Italian festivals, the South End, Central Square, etc.).
If the diner were much more upscale (or trendy, as in "slow food" or "organic") and it were open 24 hours a day, there would be no problem. In fact, the people would be in the restaurant feasting on exclusive foods and expensive beverages that the ordinary person at South St Diner could never afford, regardless of the degree of obnoxiousness and intoxication. The place would be celebrated by upscale foodies across the area, yet a minimum wage worker couldn't even afford the appetizer or even the side dish.
So it goes with all food - the cheaper the food item, the more disdain it generates from those who think they know better. Control food, and you control the masses - or even better, "If I can't have it, neither will you." Only a selfish, myopic, sociopathic asshole possesses those beliefs - and I can bet that they were denied those treats when they were younger. The movement to tax sodas, foods and the like is not to reduce obesity or improve health, but an effort by the insecure to hustle those who are not like Abercrombie & Fitch models out of society - Stepford people writ large. (You notice there isn't as big a movement for anorexia and binge-purging? God forbid we should tell young girls who constantly starve themselves to less than 70 pounds that it's equally dangerous?)
I'm hoping the South St Diner situation works out in the diner's favor. Otherwise, the blame for putting people out of business won't lie with economics - it will lie with people who are more scared for their property values than for making a living.
UPDATE 7/8 - The diner stays open 24/7 - because the complainants never bother to show up.
It may be no longer - either in hours or existence - if the city of Boston decides to close it down after 2am.
Why? Well, the bars close at 2am, and those sober enough to walk down and get a greasy repast to absorb their booze are "too noisy," according to some wealthy residents who live two doors down from the diner.
I will side with those residents on that case because I've seen my share of obnoxious drunks in my time - ones who can't assemble a single coherent sentence thanks to liquor tongue and engage in numerous Dutch courage fights to assert their temporary bravado, and wonder why they're in handcuffs at the end of the night.
Where I will not side with these yuppies is the sheer amount of arrogance and entitlement they think they possess - that it will take only two people to rid themselves of what they think is a "nuisance." Maybe they shouldn't have bought their ultra-expensive apartments if they knew they'd be next to a diner that does an excellent business. Since downtown apartments are very hard to come by, the cachet of having one puts you in an enviable position. It doesn't give you the right or power to control the activities of everything and everyone else around you (see: The North End Italian festivals, the South End, Central Square, etc.).
If the diner were much more upscale (or trendy, as in "slow food" or "organic") and it were open 24 hours a day, there would be no problem. In fact, the people would be in the restaurant feasting on exclusive foods and expensive beverages that the ordinary person at South St Diner could never afford, regardless of the degree of obnoxiousness and intoxication. The place would be celebrated by upscale foodies across the area, yet a minimum wage worker couldn't even afford the appetizer or even the side dish.
So it goes with all food - the cheaper the food item, the more disdain it generates from those who think they know better. Control food, and you control the masses - or even better, "If I can't have it, neither will you." Only a selfish, myopic, sociopathic asshole possesses those beliefs - and I can bet that they were denied those treats when they were younger. The movement to tax sodas, foods and the like is not to reduce obesity or improve health, but an effort by the insecure to hustle those who are not like Abercrombie & Fitch models out of society - Stepford people writ large. (You notice there isn't as big a movement for anorexia and binge-purging? God forbid we should tell young girls who constantly starve themselves to less than 70 pounds that it's equally dangerous?)
I'm hoping the South St Diner situation works out in the diner's favor. Otherwise, the blame for putting people out of business won't lie with economics - it will lie with people who are more scared for their property values than for making a living.
UPDATE 7/8 - The diner stays open 24/7 - because the complainants never bother to show up.
6/20/2009
In praise of CVS MinuteClinic, or your wax out in a jiffy
This might seem like the grossest thing in the world, but it's also the least harmful healthwise.
Over the past two decades, my love for music has given me occasions of earwax impaction, thanks to headphones and the like. The first time I had it in 1992, my right ear was plugged solid, and when ExpressCare in Hyde Park was still open, I got my ears cleaned out and all I could see was this brownish-yellow plug of hard wax. A thing of beauty - if you're into cerumenical exorcism.
Over the past week, my right ear has been full of wax. I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, one ear plugged. Today, rather than shelling out $100 to go to the ER, I went to the MinuteClinic over at Porter Square in Cambridge. I actually went there yesterday to check out the joint (not before seeing a bum nearly get run over on Somerville Avenue and enter the CVS on a mission only he understood) but as the Minute Clinic closed at 7, I decided to return today.
I got there around 3:30. I signed in my information at the kiosk, and as there was no one waiting to be served, the very nice Nurse Practitioner took me not 5 seconds later. (If only this could happen at my PCP, who takes me one hour later than scheduled!)
After filling in my health details (and took my pulse and BP) she performed the procedure. She had a device like a WaterPik for the ears and sounded like a Crest SpinBrush. Both ears were plugged pretty good, but the right one was giving me the most trouble.
The left ear went first. After a few seconds of blasting through the thick goo that was my earwax, my left ear was clean. I was, to paraphrase the mighty Kate Jackson, "in the land of CFH (cerumen free hearing)."
The right ear, on the other hand, was more difficult. First, it was irrigated with the WaterPik, then some of the wax was extracted with a curette. Once the curette hit the sensitive part of my ear (to the point where I said "Ouch!") she stopped and gave it another hit with the WaterPik. Then she stopped and said, "there is still a little bit wax is right near the membrane - I don't want to go any further because I might rupture, but you can continue using the ear drops or salie solution to soften it some more. It will likely come out on its own, but come back here if it doesn't." (She laughed when I said, "How come I know a lot more about my ears versus my blood pressure and weight?")
I still feel a little bit of fullness in that ear (about 80% CFH), but with the Similisan Ear Wax relief (which made my earwax removal much more pleasant), I believe she will be correct. Once I lay my ear on the pillow, maybe the fluid/wax will roll right out and I'll get that great rush of air to my ears - that 100% CFH.
The CVS MinuteClinic is a godsend and a convenience that can't be beat. Even if you don't have health insurance (I paid my copayment), the prices for certain situations are far more reasonable than you would have to pay at an ER, although not all situations can be covered at the MinuteClinic. (Have a snakebite? Have a gash? Have H1N1? Not recommended.) It is also much faster to be seen at a MinuteClinic for a minor health situation versus the inconvenience of scheduling an appointment with your PCP to be told, "It'll clear up in a couple of days." And PCP's can't be seen on weekends, after hours, or other inconvenient times unless you're in a life-threatening situation.
It could be why MinuteClinics haven't shown up in Boston - the mayor doesn't want "retail infirmaries" treating people with minor illnesses. This is because MinuteClinics would compete directly with "world class" hospitals and doctors for patients at a much lower cost and would diminish the role of the PCP as the gatekeeper of all health issues. It doesn't make sense for people with minor injuries have to wait for care from their PCP, especially on the weekends, or have to shell out a much higher copay at the ER. The "continuum of care" will still be there; it just took the urgency of the situation and the ambition of the patient to take action.
That is why I made the choice to have my earwax situation taken care of now, rather than waiting two weeks for my PCP to do the same thing and have my ears plug up worse. This is why I had to go to Cambridge to do it, and I'd do it again above Mayor Menino's (and my PCP's) objections. In some cases, the People's Republic of Cambridge does the right thing for its people, even if they're not full time residents.
Over the past two decades, my love for music has given me occasions of earwax impaction, thanks to headphones and the like. The first time I had it in 1992, my right ear was plugged solid, and when ExpressCare in Hyde Park was still open, I got my ears cleaned out and all I could see was this brownish-yellow plug of hard wax. A thing of beauty - if you're into cerumenical exorcism.
Over the past week, my right ear has been full of wax. I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, one ear plugged. Today, rather than shelling out $100 to go to the ER, I went to the MinuteClinic over at Porter Square in Cambridge. I actually went there yesterday to check out the joint (not before seeing a bum nearly get run over on Somerville Avenue and enter the CVS on a mission only he understood) but as the Minute Clinic closed at 7, I decided to return today.
I got there around 3:30. I signed in my information at the kiosk, and as there was no one waiting to be served, the very nice Nurse Practitioner took me not 5 seconds later. (If only this could happen at my PCP, who takes me one hour later than scheduled!)
After filling in my health details (and took my pulse and BP) she performed the procedure. She had a device like a WaterPik for the ears and sounded like a Crest SpinBrush. Both ears were plugged pretty good, but the right one was giving me the most trouble.
The left ear went first. After a few seconds of blasting through the thick goo that was my earwax, my left ear was clean. I was, to paraphrase the mighty Kate Jackson, "in the land of CFH (cerumen free hearing)."
The right ear, on the other hand, was more difficult. First, it was irrigated with the WaterPik, then some of the wax was extracted with a curette. Once the curette hit the sensitive part of my ear (to the point where I said "Ouch!") she stopped and gave it another hit with the WaterPik. Then she stopped and said, "there is still a little bit wax is right near the membrane - I don't want to go any further because I might rupture, but you can continue using the ear drops or salie solution to soften it some more. It will likely come out on its own, but come back here if it doesn't." (She laughed when I said, "How come I know a lot more about my ears versus my blood pressure and weight?")
I still feel a little bit of fullness in that ear (about 80% CFH), but with the Similisan Ear Wax relief (which made my earwax removal much more pleasant), I believe she will be correct. Once I lay my ear on the pillow, maybe the fluid/wax will roll right out and I'll get that great rush of air to my ears - that 100% CFH.
The CVS MinuteClinic is a godsend and a convenience that can't be beat. Even if you don't have health insurance (I paid my copayment), the prices for certain situations are far more reasonable than you would have to pay at an ER, although not all situations can be covered at the MinuteClinic. (Have a snakebite? Have a gash? Have H1N1? Not recommended.) It is also much faster to be seen at a MinuteClinic for a minor health situation versus the inconvenience of scheduling an appointment with your PCP to be told, "It'll clear up in a couple of days." And PCP's can't be seen on weekends, after hours, or other inconvenient times unless you're in a life-threatening situation.
It could be why MinuteClinics haven't shown up in Boston - the mayor doesn't want "retail infirmaries" treating people with minor illnesses. This is because MinuteClinics would compete directly with "world class" hospitals and doctors for patients at a much lower cost and would diminish the role of the PCP as the gatekeeper of all health issues. It doesn't make sense for people with minor injuries have to wait for care from their PCP, especially on the weekends, or have to shell out a much higher copay at the ER. The "continuum of care" will still be there; it just took the urgency of the situation and the ambition of the patient to take action.
That is why I made the choice to have my earwax situation taken care of now, rather than waiting two weeks for my PCP to do the same thing and have my ears plug up worse. This is why I had to go to Cambridge to do it, and I'd do it again above Mayor Menino's (and my PCP's) objections. In some cases, the People's Republic of Cambridge does the right thing for its people, even if they're not full time residents.
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