Notes to a Diabetic

Self-testing and Glucose Meters

from Ben Schwartz

Help is on the way: universal health insurance—Paul Krugman

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July 6, 2009

Dear Rudy,

We must bite the bullet and reduce costs.

SELF-SUSTAINING AND AFFORDABLE DOCTORING

ALL PIPES HAVE TWO ENDS

The U.S. system of health care is a 19th Century anarchism. The picture of the country doctor paying a call upon his patient in a horse and buggy and carrying a black bag is quaint if not bizarre. This picture must change. Dr. is the only title of nobility in the U.S. To be a doctor is to be a member of the nobility, as well as the plutocracy if not the monarchy. Laws are passed to protect the Physician and guarantee his income. We must form a self-sustaining cadre of medical technicians who will go into the streets and perform diagnostic tests and communicate patient symptoms via the Internet and prescribe affordable remedies. The vast majorities of the world can not afford U.S. style health care.
   
Health Care is the only business, which bills you AFTER the event. Health Care Insurance only raises cost of medical care and are a boon to the doctors but a barrier to life and the pursuit of happiness for a citizen.

Sick of the world, unite. There is a great cadre of persons ready, willing, and able to help the sick and malnourished.

Imagine a woman in Chad, trained to administrate a blood pressure machine, an item that costs $10.  She sets up a table and chair in Ndjamena at the local Internet cafe She charges $1. And the results are sent via the internet for analysis and proscription. All parties benefit. First, if it is determined that the patient has a problem the available remedies are proscribed, and the drug company sells its product, the women make a small profit. The same procedure can be done for diabetes, malaria, HIV, pregnancy, parasitic infections, and STPs.

Financial, ethical, and regulatory hurdles abound in the U.S. that would blockade such a plan. But in third world nations such a program is possible. Pioneers had to build their own houses as there was a clear shortage of contractors in 18th century America. Imagine if they had to obtain a building permit from the Indians?

Benjamin Schwartz
1-845 6934581

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Mon., June, 15, 2009

Dear Rudy,

Madonna adopts a child. Like a Shirley Temple movie we feel good at the end. But my friends in Africa have no water, food, or medicine. I send what I can. I am ashamed of my fellow Americans. It is The French Revolution all over again. Compassion is absent. The woman in charge of health care in my county earns $500,000 a year. I hear of no offers from U.S. doctors. SELF-HEALTH is necessary. I am researching diabetic test strips, glipizide, and glucose meters. Using the micro-economic theories of Muhammed Yusun, I believe we can organize a network of health providers. Diabetes can be controlled for pennies a day.

Bulk purchases of this product will bring the cost down to 2 cents for a 10mg tablet. Who will join with me?

Regards, Ben

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All Pipes Have Two Ends
June 12, 2009

The U.S. system of health care is a 19th Century anarchism. The picture of the country doctor paying a call upon his patient in a horse and buggy and carrying a black bag is quaint if not bizarre. This picture must change. Dr. is the only title of nobility in the U.S. To be a doctor is to be a member of the nobility, as well as the plutocracy if not the monarchy. Laws are passed to protect the Physician and guarantee his income. We must form a self-sustaining cadre of medical technicians who will go into the streets and perform diagnostic tests and communicate patient symptoms via the Internet and prescribe affordable remedies. The vast majorities of the world can not afford U.S. style health care.
   
Health Care is the only business, which bills you AFTER the event. Health Care Insurance only raises cost of medical care and is a boon to the doctors but a barrier to life and the pursuit of happiness for a citizen.

Sick of the world, unite There is a great cadre of persons ready, willing, and able to help the sick and malnourished.

Imagine a woman in Chad, trained to administrate a blood pressure machine, an item that costs $10.  She sets up a table and chair in Ndjamena at the local Internet cafe She charges $1. And the results are sent via the internet for analysis and proscription. All parties benefit. First, if it is determine that the patient has a problem the available remedies are proscribed, and the drug company sells its product, the women makes a small profit, The same procedure can be done for diabetes, malaria, HIV, pregnancy, parasitic infections, and STPs.


Financial, ethical and regulatory hurdles abound in the U.S. that would blockade such a plan. But in third world nations such a program is possible. Pioneers had to build their own houses as there was a clear shortage of contractors in 18th century America. Imagine if they had to obtain a building permit from the Indians?

Benjamin Schwartz
1-845 6934581

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Dear Rudy,

Health services are like education. They are based on plutocratic models. Need a dentist, debilitated by pain? Don't have money? Tough luck. Today almost all popular diseases can be diagnosed by self-testing. The results of the tests can be submitted by internet for prognosis and prescription. I pay $4. to Wal-Mart for 30 days of 10gr.glyburide pills. I suspect these pills cost Wal-Mart less than $l. If the system insists that I be diagnosed by a doctor I must have $400 to treat my diabetes. . . .or suffer. One woman trained to use a glucose meter can treat 400 patients for $400. If the AMA won't permit me to use my system in the U.S. we will go where they have a little more compassion.

The internet has produced a global economy if not a global philosophy. We can not endure the glare of poorer nations who suffer while we gorge ourselves on over-indulgent and unaffordable health care. Common sense rather than charity should be our motive. Charity is by definition a donation of a part of the donor's wealth. Common sense is the key to problem solving.

I hope to stay healthy and strong as to see these ideas develop.

Let's be the doodle bug and dig our little hole and trap the good young minds who care to help in this new one world.

Regards, Ben

22 May 2009

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Let us apply the brilliant model of Mohammed Yusuf, Nobel Prize Winner, to the problem of health care . . .

Dr. Yusuf’s approach is to provide a self-sustaining job to poor woman as to solve a social problem and provide a job to the woman. For example, Yusuf will lend money to buy a cell phone for a woman in a remote village where there is no phone. For a small fee she will rent the phone. She makes a living and at the same time provides a needed service to the village. It is my suggestion that rather than cell phones we supply a DIAGNOSTIC TOOL SUCH AS a glucose meter to the local woman. For a small fee she tests for high blood sugar. She can send the data by internet for evaluation and prognosis, Each woman can be trained in the use of blood pressure, HIV Tests, parasitic tests, tuberculosis, and STD’s. They need a minimum of training as well as a minimum of equipment. If we fund these women they will pay back the few dollars needed to start them.

Benjamin Schwartz  Benschwartz201@msn.com Tel: 845 693-4581

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Dear Kip and Karen,

I am delighted that you found my thoughts of value. I am a promoter and my first thought is "where is the money". The answer for me is the pharmaceutical companies.

As Willie Sutton said, "That's where the money is".

I believe I can realize 10,000 glucose meters and  60,000 testing strips as  a contribution from Phizar, Bayer, and Merck. In the hands of 10,000 women these machines will establish an entrepreneurial opportunity for these women and a life-saving opportunity to their clients. Indeed, it will promote and eventually prove profitable to the companies producing this equipment.

If you go to any television station you will see ads for "free glucose meters" Essentially, this is a ploy to sell testing strips. It is the old marketing device, sell the blades not the razor. But go one step further and provide the strips and you have opened an entirely new market. Tie-in telemedical prognosis and you have a self-sustaining grass roots medical system.

Tell me when and where you would like to meet and my son and I will buy you lunch.

I will be 77 on May 24th so don't prolong your decision as God may need me elsewhere, I don't want to sound like a sour old man, but Jesus has propounded "compassion" for two thousand years, and we still are killing each other. Let's learn from The Mammy Traders of Africa, give people an opportunity to make a living and they will provide food for their children.

Regards, Ben   845 693 4581

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Dear Rudy, as a diabetic II since I was fifty I am well aware of your problem. The tragedy is a self administered test for high blood sugar is a matter of pennies. Type II diabetes can be controlled with a glyburide which in my case is $4 for 30 days supply at Wal-Mart. This means that the medicine's real cost is probably $.25. I am now dealing with the major sharerholder of Xenomics which is a non-invasive diabetic test based on urine sampling. Africans as well as Jews, as you know, have a large incidence of diabetes. I am now trying to organize women in Africa to do the testing.

I have some very heavy support in the States. My ideas are based on my experiences in Africa. In 1960 the major pharmaceutical sold in Africa was VICK'S VAPORUB. "Mammy traders' bought Vicks for ten cents a bottle and sold it for a quarter. It was the entire medicine cabinet for Africa. Cigarettes were purchased by the pack and sold in the streets one by one. I believe I can bring the cost of diabetes testing to ten cents a pop. I don't need doctors, hospitals, or government sanctions.

As for Africa give me poor women and I will have all I need. Where in Africa is  glyburide produced? Fuck the pharmaceutical companies with their inflated prices and inhuman patents. If we can sell dope all over the world with virtual impunity we should be able to sell medicine at a modest markup. The South African Government has ignored the patent rights of the major pharmaceutical companies and produced their own HIV products.

ChickenBones should ask its readers for ideas to reduce health care costs and find social-entrepreneurs to implement these ideas. No charity please. Business makes things happen in this world. But let us do business with a heart. We can treat malaria, tuberculosis, bilharzias, HIV, STD, typhoid, tape worm, guinea worm, leprosy, and certain cancers by modern technology without doctors supervision. Poor people can not afford doctors. So let's prepare an alternative. Regards Ben
 

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Dear Rudy,

Thank you for paying attention to our concerns. You and ChickenBones are the cutting edge of intellectualism in the world. "Do chickens have teeth?" I think so. I can only imagine the trials you have gone through these last years to keep ChickenBones alive. Just as Obama is the man for the times, ChickenBones and its hundreds of contributors is the journal of the times. In America black means poor. But ChickenBones speaks for the poor of the world just as Obama is the man of the people, your journal is the voice of the people. I am trying to reduce the cost health care. If a black man whose middle name is Hussein can be elected president we can reduce the cost of health care. Call me "rat shit" or "Socialist", I don't care.

Regards, Ben

21 May 2009

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Dear Rudy,

 The world is in deep-shit. My twin sister and I was born in 1932. My mother hired a black "nanny" for fifty cents a day who raised us while my mother worked. We made it USING OUR YIDDISHA CULP. (OUR JEWISH MIND). You remind me of her, struggling to keep your baby alive in the worst of times. May I suggest that Chicken Bones has the ability to be self-sustaining. Your group of brilliant young men and women can prevail upon pharmaceutical companies to provide vast amounts of "capital" in the form of donations of diagnostic supplies. Let us use Diabetes II as an example. As you know diabetes II is prevalent in West Africa. One woman with a five dollar glucose meter can diagnose five thousand clients a year. Using the social-entrepreneur method advocated by Mohamed Yusuf she can repay the initial investment, earn a  living, and provide affordable diagnosis and treatment.

I need to expose my ideas to your audience. I am not advocating charity but rather a self-originating and self sustaining plan. The American system of "Give them cake" approach is inane and has resulted in an elitist if not callous failure. Our system is broke, and as you well know, no tickee, no washee. No money, you suffer or die. No man can see his brother starve to death and go to a church, mosque, or synagogue and profess his belief in God. Expose the problem to your readers and the institution will follow. You could be the Emile Zola of Africa.

Do I make sense, or just nuts? Ben

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Ben, sounds good! The ideas are marvelous. What is your plan? Why aren't such things being done already by those who have the money and means? Are you organizing an organization or group? What is your target country?

Will your group be in need of promotion services? As you know ChickenBones now provides such services as a means of sustaining itself. In any case keep me up with the news and what progress you're making—Rudy, 11 May 2009

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You are amazing & you must meet my friend Kip Buitoni, founder & Chief Adventure Officer of Compassionworx.com. Kip has founded a 501c3 whose main goal is to teach kids the value of compassion on a global level as well as right in their own backyards. Coincidentally, Kip is meeting with MMC this week! Coincidence? I think not! Ben, we should meet when I'm back in the states! Best/ karen

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Would really like to meet you ben! Thanks karen, ben I really enjoyed reading your piece. I have so many thoughts! Tell me when where n lets get together!

Karen my Wednesday up at mmc will be bumped since tony cant make it up there with me and I want him to see the track for the Greenwich riding club folks. Maybe we can meet in city or Westchester Wednesday?

Kip Longinotti-Buitoni, Chief Adventure Officer, CompassionWorx
kip@compassionworx.com
May 17, 2009

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Dear Karen,

This is what I do. I am an entrepreneur. I built the first textile mill in Nigeria. I produced The New York Times Supplement for Nigeria in 1960, for South Africa in 1961, I was vice=president for Tony Marshall African Research and Development Corp. I owned and operated The Fillmore East when it was The Village East, I operated The Toho Cinema, The Little Theater, The Bijou, The Ritz, and The Mercury, I started "Toll Free Shopping" with a center fold of Deep Throat and The Devil In Miss Jones in Hustler, I introduced your latest banker ponzi to a bank in Montserrat, I shipped 25 million packets of seeds to Russia, and I put five kids through college.

I never had a job and I used my head to make a living. Regards. Ben

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