21–30 of 30 posts
What a Puritan. "Hey! She thinks she'd be happier if she was taller? How can I stop that legal adult from making a decision I disapprove of?" What's the compelling basis for us collectively to stop her?
I believe that Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) also travelled to Russia to have one of his legs lengthened (he previously suffered from some pretty severe back problems). So there are reason for lengthening legs beyond wanting to be taller. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=149273
I wonder why he felt the need to go to Russia. There are many competent physicians in the US doing Ilizarov procedures.
What a Puritan. "Hey! She thinks she'd be happier if she was taller? How can I stop that legal adult from making a decision I disapprove of?" What's the compelling basis for us collectively to stop her?
How about the burden on an already overwhelmed medical system because doctors are focusing on nonhealth related distractions.
(Besides, the laws of economics tend to ensure that supply will match demand when the market is left alone. If we weren't working so hard to disconnect all the market forces that go into causing that Econ 101 result, maybe our system would be less "overwhelmed". The food I purchased today did not take food out of your mouth; the medical services this woman purchased don't have to take medical services from you.)
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How about the burden on an already overwhelmed medical system because doctors are focusing on nonhealth related distractions.
The "already-overwhelmed" medical system in Russia? Paid for out of pocket (I assume, the article doesn't say but I have never heard of an insurance that would pay for that )? (Besides, the laws of economics tend to ensure that supply will match demand when the market is left alone. If we weren't working so hard to disconnect all the market forces that go into causing that Econ 101 result, maybe our system would be l…
I'm not arguing that we should stop the practice, just offering some legitimate reasons to limit this kind of practice.
It is true though, that if more doctors are performing non-health related procedures, there are fewer doctors to do health related issues.
The question is: How much should doctors be doing to make people better than normal, or intentionally abnormal versus doing things to make people not abnormal?
Plastic surgeons are already limited in what they can do. This article for instance: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/mar/11/health.lifeand... which talks about wings, horns, tails and the like, "If the medical-ethics board allowed it..."
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The "already-overwhelmed" medical system in Russia? Paid for out of pocket (I assume, the article doesn't say but I have never heard of an insurance that would pay for that )? (Besides, the laws of economics tend to ensure that supply will match demand when the market is left alone. If we weren't working so hard to disconnect all the market forces that go into causing that Econ 101 result, maybe our system would be l…
The supply may match demand if the supply of doctors weren't limited by the AMA. And I wasn't speaking only of Russia, I was speaking in general and especially about the U.S. I'm not arguing that we should stop the practice, just offering some legitimate reasons to limit this kind of practice. It is true though, that if more doctors are performing non-health related procedures, there are fewer doctors to do health re…
No, that's only true instantaneously. It's not true across a time span where the number of doctors can adjust to market conditions.
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It looks horrible too. A family member has undergone a similar one in Russia, although in her case it was a necessity (she could not walk a mile without her feet starting hurting). They break your bones and install fixtures with metal rods driven through your feet/ankles/shins. Then they use these fixtures to control the way your bone fragments knit back together over a period of several months. It is hard to imagine…
Many intelligent people spend many hours every week of their lives and many dollars doing things for purely cosmetic reasons: putting on makeup, picking out clothes, buying clothes, painting interior walls, waxing and detailing their cars, taking photographs of things because they're beautiful (rather than because they need to remember something about them), painting on canvases, performing plastic surgery, getting t…
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It looks horrible too. A family member has undergone a similar one in Russia, although in her case it was a necessity (she could not walk a mile without her feet starting hurting). They break your bones and install fixtures with metal rods driven through your feet/ankles/shins. Then they use these fixtures to control the way your bone fragments knit back together over a period of several months. It is hard to imagine…
Pretty sure everyone's feet start hurting after walking a mile, especially if you drive everywhere. Instead of getting surgery, how about spending a few minutes working out and building up your legs? A few wall squats, a bunch of jumping jacks, and some towel hopping and you'll be just fine, without involving surgery that'll screw up your life 20 years later.
She doesn't drive.
Maybe I should have been more specific. The family member I was talking about had a condition called hallux valgus since her early teens. When she got older it became so severe that she could not walk extended periods of time without seriously hurting.
The surgery does have consequences, like problems with blood circulation and occasional numbing. But she is glad she did it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Many intelligent people spend many hours every week of their lives and many dollars doing things for purely cosmetic reasons: putting on makeup, picking out clothes, buying clothes, painting interior walls, waxing and detailing their cars, taking photographs of things because they're beautiful (rather than because they need to remember something about them), painting on canvases, performing plastic surgery, getting t…
It wasn't a question of time and dollars, it was a question of pain and discomfort. What I meant, going through all that pain and discomfort for being a few inches taller - that's what I found hard to understand.