Republicans to Officially Present Alternative to Obamacare

Changing Winds?

By Katie Pavlich – TownHall:  Republicans have voted more than 50 times to repeal or alter Obamacare as the popularity of the legislation continues to be nearly non-existent. In the process, Republicans have been criticized for failing to present an alternative piece of legislation to replace Obamacare. More than a dozen alternative plans have been crafted on the Hill, but Republicans haven't been able to rally around a single plan. Now, that's changing as Republican prepare to present Americans with an official alternative to the Affordable Care Act:

The plan includes an expansion of high-risk insurance pools, promotion of health savings accounts and inducements for small businesses to purchase coverage together. The tenets of the plan — which could expand to include the ability to buy insurance across state lines, guaranteed renewability of policies and changes to medical-malpractice regulations — are ideas that various conservatives have for a long time backed as part of broader bills.

But this is the first time this year that House leaders will put their full force behind a single set of principles from those bills and present it as their vision. This month, House leaders will begin to share a memo with lawmakers outlining the plan, called “A Stronger Health Care System: The GOP Plan for Freedom, Flexibility, & Peace of Mind,” with suggestions on how Republicans should talk about it to their constituents.

The timing for this legislation is great for Republicans who just came off of a special election win in Florida where Democrat Alex Sink lost by running on a fix, don't repeal platform. Not only can Republicans running for election in the fall run against Obamacare, a law that will only continue to make the lives of Americans worse and more expensive, they can run on a new alternative.

Technorati Tags: GOP,ObamaCare,Change,Hope,Healthcare,Republicans Unite,ACA,Affordable Care Act,PPACA,Alternatives,ObamaCare Alternatives,Election 2014,2014 Elections

Healed After 19 Years: A Christmas Eve Miracle

CBN.com/700Club: Easter weekend 1993, Ema McKinley lost her balance and fell from a storage loft at work. Her foot was lodged between boxes and her body hung upside down until a coworker found her and called 911. “My head hit something very hard and I did not come to until the next day.” remembers Ema.

As Ema healed from the wounds she received in the fall, she developed widespread reflex sympathetic dystrophy, known as RSD, a chronic and progressive nerve disorder that left her entire body in severe pain.  “I partnered up with God because this accident was bigger than I could handle and I knew that I needed to know Jesus more in my life now than ever before,” says Ema.

Eventually Ema was bound to a wheelchair. Cathy Ruggeberg has been her caregiver for the last 18years. “She could not walk at all she was in her wheel chair 24/7 with the exception of toileting and she’s been like that for many, many years.”

“Eventually that pain got so bad in that foot and in the left hand that the foot started to grow crooked.” says Ema.

Ema’s left hand closed into a fist she was unable to open. Her neck and spine twisted to the left leaving her body in an awkward and painful position.  Her son Jason, saw how hard life had become for his mother. “It was difficult to see her just doing daily things. You could see the pain in her face,” says Jason. “It’s hard to see somebody go through that, much less a family member.”

Through the years Ema maintained a positive attitude despite her painful situation. Cathy Ruggeberg remembers, “No matter how rough her life was physically she’s always had a bright smile on her face and always been so warm and encouraging and the other thing I’ve never seen waver is her faith.”

“I kept pressing forward each and every day, knowing that Jesus was going to give me that strength; that He was going to be there for me and He never let me down. He was there for me,” says Ema.

Blood clots formed in her legs, which posed life threatening issues. Doctors wanted to amputate both of  her legs, but Ema refused. “I never gave up. I kept praying and thanking God for my healing because I had that much faith in my Jesus to know that someday He was going to give me that healing.”

The night before Christmas Eve 2011, Ema fell out of her wheelchair. For eight hours she lay on the floor in excruciating pain, crying out to Jesus for help. Ema says that Jesus came into her room and reached out to touch her. 

“What I saw was the most awesome white robe,” says Ema. “I knew Who that was. Our human eyes can hardly look at it, it’s so bright white. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel that left foot going from this position to this position. Jesus was straightening out that crooked foot. I knew my neck was being straightened. My spine was being straightened. That left hand that had been a clinched fist for over 18 years – Jesus started to take those fingers and open them up. I could take that hand and I could flex it and use my fingers. Jesus was now kneeling on one knee right beside me and He extended His hand out to me, asking for mine.”

“And then we stood up together and even though the bones were sounding and cracking like crazy He still had a hold of my hands. Then I knew I had to start walking and use those feet and legs. And I did.”

Just a few hours later, Ema’s two sons and her grandchildren came over to celebrate Christmas Eve, unaware of the miracle their mother just experienced.
Jason remembers that day clearly. “I could see down the hallway a little bit, and here she comes walking and it’s like, ‘No way.’” “I hadn’t seen my mom out of a wheelchair since my wedding in 1993. At that moment everything I knew was different because she’s supposed to be in the chair but she’s walking.  It was a surreal moment seeing her walk. It’s like, it’s a miracle. There’s nothing else it could be.”

“We kind of got through hugging my two sons. I went over and grabbed those two grandsons, and I gave them a big hug for the first time in all those years,” says Ema.

That night Ema and her family were in awe of God’s love and power as they celebrated her Christmas miracle. Ema says the being able to stand and walk on her own has changed her life forever. Although she still has RSD symptoms, she and her family believe that God is in control.

Today with her son Jason, Ema joyfully shares her story of how Jesus heard her prayers and forever changed her life on Christmas Eve.

“This is such a story of hope. This miracle is not just for my mom; not just for our family, but it’s for everybody,” says Jason. “Whatever difficulties people may be facing, there’s always hope.”

“Jesus has never let me down,” says Ema. “He has always been there for me. In His Word it says He will never leave us or forsake us and I knew that and I trust His word. I’m no longer the crooked lady with the broken body in the wheelchair. I’m known as the lady with the Christmas miracle!”

Turning back time: ageing reversed in mice

Aging…No longer inevitable, for mice (Image: Design Pics Inc/Rex)

New Scientist: Imagine if we could turn back time. A team that has identified a new way in which cells age has also reversed the process in old mice whose bodies appear younger in several ways. The discovery has implications for understanding age-related diseases including cancers, neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes.

One way all mammalian cells produce energy is via aerobic respiration, in which large molecules are broken down into smaller ones, releasing energy in the process. This mainly occurs in the mitochondria – the "powerhouses" of cells. Mitochondria carry their own genomes, but some of the cellular components needed for respiration are produced partly by the nucleus, so the two must coordinate their activities.

As we age, mitochondrial function declines, which can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. To investigate why this decline occurs, Ana Gomes at Harvard Medical School and her colleagues compared the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) – molecules that convey genetic information around a cell – for the cellular components needed for respiration in the skeletal muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice.

They found that the level of the mRNA in the nucleus did not change much between the young and old mice, whereas those from the mitochondria appeared to decline with age.

Similar changes were seen in mice that lacked a protein called SIRT1 – high levels of which are associated with calorie restriction and an increased lifespan. These mice also had higher levels of a protein produced by the nucleus called hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α).

What was going on? It appears that communication between the nucleus and the mitochondria depends on a cascade of events involving HIF-1α and SIRT1. As long as SIRT1 levels remain high and the two genomes communicate well, ageing is kept at bay. But another molecule called NAD+ keeps SIRT1 on the job; crucially, the amount of NAD+ present in the cell declines with age, though no one knows why, leading to a breakdown in communication.

Turning back time

The team wondered if this aspect of ageing could be reversed by increasing the amount of SIRT1 in the cells. To find out if that was possible, they injected 22-month-old mice twice daily for a week with nicotinamide mono nucleotide (NMN) – a molecule known to increase levels of NAD.

At the end of the week, markers of muscular atrophy and inflammation had dropped and the mice had even developed a different muscle type more common in younger mice. Together, these features were characteristic of 6-month-old mice.

"We found that modulating this pathway can improve mitochondrial function and age-associated pathologies in old mice, and therefore it gives a new pathway to target that can reverse some aspects of ageing," says Gomes.

"This paper clearly demonstrates that NAD+ production is a sort of 'Achilles' heel', [a lack of which] significantly contributes to ageing, and also that this problem can be ameliorated by boosting NAD+ production with key intermediates, such as NMN," says Shin-Ichiro Imai, at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

Journal reference: Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.037

Valerie Harper in Remission… Valerie, Snooki, Leah Remini and 9 more join 'Dancing With the Stars' Cast for Season 17

If there was ever an argument for positive thinking and determination as a cure, or at least a slowdown, for Cancer… Valerie Harper is it!!

Valerie Harper appears to be beating cancer and the actress has also made a decision to appear on Dancing with the Stars for 2013.

Valerie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer earlier this year and given only a short time to live.  But she fought back and is winning the battle, her cancer is close to remission.

So - why risk that and compete?

In an interview with AARP The Magazine over two days in July, Harper, 74, said, "As long as you’re alive, you can do something."

Many fans are anxious to see Valerie dance and expect a lot of tears and cheers for Harper as she competes on ABC's season 17 of DWTS.

The entire cast was revealed Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

© AP / Valerie Harper

Sept. 4, 2013, 9:08 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Busy cancer patient Valerie Harper leads a class of 12 amateur hoofers in the upcoming 17th season of "Dancing With the Stars."

The cast was revealed Wednesday on ABC's "Good Morning America." For the reality show that has reached an increasingly older audience, ABC added an injection of youth with reality stars Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi of "Jersey Shore" and  Sharon and Ozzy's son, Jack Osbourne.

Harper has defied odds with her survival since being diagnosed earlier this year with brain cancer. She recently filmed a movie role and joined a Nick at Nite reunion of "The Mary Tyler Moore" cast.

Other contestants are singer actress Christina Milian; actress Elizabeth Berkley "Glee" actress Amber Riley; and "King of Queens" actress Leah Remini.

Also on the show this season…

Reality star Jack Osbourne will also give dancing a shot.  If you remember, his sister finished in 3rd place several years back.

Other contestants are Bill Nye the Science Guy

"Pretty Little Liars" actor Brant Daughert

Former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson

"High School Musical" actor Corbin Bleu

Country comic Bill Engvall

Bing: Valerie Harper's cancer is close to remission

(Image: WENN)

Technorati Tags: Cancer,Cancer tips,DWTS,positive thinking,positive attitude,prayer,Valerie Harper,remission,brain cancer,hope

Thoughts on Death and Dying and Health Updates

Hi, healers! I have been super busy, especially now that the orientation of my hospice/hospital field placement is over, and I am acquiring my independent case load. My first written up and completed psychosocial assessment at the agency was called "beautiful," so I think I am starting off strong this school year :-) So far, my tasks are psychosocial assessments, support and counseling for families and patients in the home setting, inpatient setting, and oncology unit, and the facilitating of therapy groups, particularly children's bereavement at the moment. I am learning so much from my supervisor, who is compassionate with a brilliant mind, and the other social workers on the unit. It is a really an incredible team to be a part of, making the work environment ideal.

Each time I explain to someone that I am working in a hospice/hospital setting, I get the same reaction, which is, "That must be so depressing. I couldn't do that," when in fact, it is the total opposite. Through disease, I have learned so much about myself in the past six years, and now through death, I am learning so much about life.

To be sitting next to someone who is actively dying and who knows he/she is actively dying (They may have 6 months or two weeks to live.) is a deeply profound and spiritual experience for me. It is where I feel the transitory nature of life and recognize that our bodies are only places to house the soul for a short time. We are not our physical bodies.

Through death, life has become MORE precious and beautiful to me. At 25 years old, through illness, I have been forced to examine aspects of myself, life, and my relation to others, the world around me, and beyond, which most people never do in several lifetimes. Facing death and terminal disease at my placement has allowed me to go deeper into these examinations, creating even more love and appreciation for my time on this earth in THIS body.

As I mentioned above, working in this agency is a deeply profound experience for me, and it has only been a month. I feel my growth will know no bounds by the time I am done next summer. I sense many spiritual awakenings coming, so stay tuned and keep up with my journey. I think you each will benefit from my experiences in your own ways.

As for my physical health, I am doing SO well. Better than I ever imagined. Still not 100%, but I am able to function at the level I need to right now without any pain medications. To give you an idea of where I am, I still can't "exercise," but I can perform my daily duties without being in excruciating pain or taking any opiates. My field days are extremely demanding (hospitals are HUGE. lots of walking and a long commute), but I continue to defy the odds. You know me! At this rate, I will be in full remission in no time!

I am sending prayers out to all of my healing friends xoxo

Happy Healing!

Source:  Going Down Swinging:  A RSD/CDPS Blog

What Matters Most

At Thanksgiving, Anne, a family friend, looked and sounded great.

Today she is dying of cancer. In the last few weeks she has lost her eyesight. Half her face is paralyzed. And she has refused more chemo, describing the results of last week's MRI as "just horrible."

When I walked into Hallmark, I told the clerk I was looking for a special kind of card.

"It's for someone who isn't well," I said. "And she knows she isn't going to get better."

The clerk nodded, said she knew just what I needed and led me to a special section with headings like "Hope," "Strength," and "Serious Illness."

Standing there reading the messages in those cards, thinking of all the grief-stricken people out there selecting them - or (worse) receiving them - is enough to make you want to sob.

I finally settled on "May you gather strength from the love of those around you," scrawled a note about how I'd love to stop in if she felt like visitors, and dropped it in the mailbox.

When he began teaching at Cornell, the Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov said he knew just two things: One, life is beautiful, and two, life is sad. The reason life is sad, he said, is because it's going to end.

Yet death, our most unwelcome visitor, can also do us a favor. It can remind us, the mourners, what's most important.

As Jack Kerouac observed, "Pondering on death, with or without wine - brings enlightenment."

Too many of us spend our days moving with the hustling crowd, mindlessly doing more or less what everyone else is doing, acting like we have all the time in the world. That is, until we get a wake-up call and learn that someone close to us has had a bad accident or is suddenly very ill.

Increased awareness of our own mortality needn't lead to fear and anxiety, however. We can use it as an opportunity to answer the question posed by poet Mary Oliver, "Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Do you know? Or are you so consumed with projects, deadlines, and responsibilities that you haven't given it much thought lately?

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. And this realization is a good thing.

Viewed from the prospect of eternity, we are really no more durable than the mayfly. Many spend their time just as frivolously. Others are bored. As author Susan Ertz quipped, "Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon."

Greek mythology, on the other hand, gives us the story of Tithonus, a Trojan who was granted immortality by the gods but grew to hate his life.

Whatever path he chose, he could always take it later. Whatever options he faced, ultimately he could have them all. Time became meaningless, oppressive even. He lost his ardor for life. In the end, he petitions Zeus to release him from eternity. He begs for mortality so that, once again, his choices might matter.

Each of us has been granted an incomparable gift, a brief stay on this little blue ball. How will you spend it? To what end will you use it?

These are the most important questions we can ask ourselves. And the answers can be read in the way we live our lives.

"Death is not the greatest loss," Norman Cousins warned. "The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live."

Doctors generally observe that terminal patients who have truly lived their lives - who have strived and loved and taken risks - generally have an easier time with their dying.

Patients in nursing homes routinely express more regret for the chances they never took than the ones that worked out poorly.

Singer Bono, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and granted numerous awards for his activism for world poverty, said in a recent interview, "I'm tired of dreaming. I'm into doing at the moment."

He is someone who has chosen to live life on his own terms and in service to the values that matter to him most. It is unlikely that you or I will ever accomplish as much. But that's okay.

For most of us, born without the immense talents of a da Vinci or Beethoven or Lincoln, the true measure of our lives is not what we achieve - and certainly not what we accumulate - but rather who we are, the number of people we touch, and what is grieved in our absence.

As the novelist E.M. Forster observed, "Death destroys a man, but the idea of death saves him."

Carpe Diem, Alex Green

Source:  SpiritualWealth