Health
Health is a very important issue. To inspire others and to help others is part of a goal of our lives. Strong health has a manifold of benefits. We know this. Regardless of our age, sex, nationality, creed, or physical ability, we can bless others and in doing that, we bless ourselves. It is true that exercise can help to prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. Calories are burned when we engage in physical activity. The more intense the activity, the more calories are burned. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator or increasing household chores can burn calories too. Exercise can combat health conditions and diseases. Being active can boost high density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol and decrease unhealthy triglycerides (a type of fat or lipid found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, particularly "easy" calories like carbohydrates and fats, you may have high triglycerides which is called hypertriglyceridemia). So, Exercise can keep the human blood to run smoothly. That can decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Regular physical activity can help people prevent or manage many health problems including concerns like stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, and certain types of cancer, arthritis, and falls. Physical activities stimulate brain chemicals that make people more happy and relaxed. Exercise develops more brain functions and grows intelligence. It can boost confidence and self-esteem. It can improve muscle strength, endurance, and give more oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and the cardiovascular system. The heart and lungs work more efficiently after exercise. Regular physical activity can improve sleep and exercise is just plain fun. It is important to note that exercise is diverse from running, treadmill, lifting weights, and stretching. Also, doctors and fitness experts can help anyone with exercise plans. 30 minutes of physical activity every day is great to follow too. Trying something new is exciting as well in terms of exercise.
Lynn Griffith has written information about 20 herbs that can be effective in the treatment of cancer. She has listed studies too as information. We know that herbs have been used as medicine to help humanity for thousands of years. Like always, people should talk with a qualified doctor to discuss options, dosages, etc. before using herbs and other forms of medicine. One great herb is astraglus. Astragalus is known to improve the human immune system and stimulate the bodies’ natural production of interferon as well as identify rogue cells. The MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas conducted research that concluded that taking Astragalus with radiotherapy doubled survival rate times. Red Clover, as said by Royal Marsden cancer centers, found that it has the ability to fight against estrogen driven cancers, including breast and prostate cancers. Echinacea is an herb that is a powerful immune system booster and is well known for its impact on colds. Research also indicates that it could be helpful for brain tumors due to its ability to increase white blood cells.
Human Health and the Heart
The human heart is one of the most important organs of the human body. The heart beats constantly. Scientists say that the heart beats about 100,000 times every single day. The heart on average is about the size of the human fist, but it has the very important purpose of keeping blood flowing throughout the 60,000 miles of blood vessels that feed human organs and tissues. That is why when there is damage to the heart or its valves; the heart has to work harder just to keep up with the body’s demand of blood. So, the human heart is very critical in the development of the human body. To exercise, to eat healthy, well balanced meals, and to take time to sleep will allow the heart to be in great shape. Each heart of a human being is different. They aren’t identical. It is a fact that heart disease is the biggest killer of both men and women in America according to the American Heart Association. To massively decrease the risk of heart disease, experts has always said that we shouldn’t smoke, keep our blood pressures and cholesterol levels in check, and watch for the sings of trouble with our hearts. There are other forms of great advice to strengthen heart health. A great laugh can send 20 percent more blood flowing through your entire body. This can decrease stress. Laughter is a good heart medicine. Eating fish can reduce cardiovascular disease as well. "Twice a week, swap a less-healthy protein such as a beef, pork, [or] lamb, which carries a higher risk of saturated fat and cholesterol, for a leaner protein such as fish," suggests Dr. Castelli. "Good fish options include sardines, anchovies, salmon, herring, mackerel, trout and even canned, white tuna." Isometric exercises or exercise when you contract large muscles without moving the body part can improve the human heart. People should move. A blood pressure monitor is an easy way to keep an eye on blood pressure and it can monitor the human heart (including our health in general).
The Human Lungs
The human lungs are vital in the body. They are essential for human life. They work all of the time to pulling in air and dumping out substances too. Breathing brings in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide (or a waste product of metabolism). We have to breathe in order for us to talk and sing. They help us breathe literally. Medical conditions related to the lungs include asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. These illnesses can cause the lungs’ airways to be inflamed and cause difficulty breathing. Real advice that I have learned in dealing with asthma years ago include eating more apples, cleaning areas, and experiencing fresh air on a consistent basis. Bronchitis and pneumonia can have temporary damage to lungs. Permanently damage to lungs is definitely caused by something serious like COPD. The lungs are made up of hundreds of thousands of branching tubes that end in tiny air sacs called alveoli. There are over 300 million of these tiny sacs in our lungs. They cover about the surface area of a tennis court to keep up the respiratory demands of the body. The membranes of these tiny air sacs are also thinner than tissue paper to maximize the exchange of gases. The lungs are part of our immune system. Pollutants and infection causing microbes are captured by the mucus in the lungs and shuttled upward into tiny cilia for us to cough or swallow. Sneezes are another way the lungs help rid us of infection or pollution, often before these invaders even pass beyond the sinuses. Smoking destroys those cilia that help to remove infection and pollutants. This causes clogged airways. Exercise can improve the cardiovascular system and makes the lungs’ jobs easier. Clean water can keep the lungs hydrates and the mucus flowing. It keeps blood flowing to and from the lungs. Onions can help the lungs and the heart to reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, and fight infection. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and kale have been shown to halt the progression of lung cancer and cut the risk of developing lung cancer in half. They are rich in chlorophyll that cleans and builds blood, and full of some very effective antioxidants. Apples have flavonoids, vitamin E, and vitamin C all help the lungs function at their best. Apples are rich in all of these and those who eat several a week have healthier lungs. Pomegranates, peppers, garlic, grapefruit, and other foods can help with lung health as well in numerous ways.
The Flint, Michigan Water Crisis
One of the most terrible stories in the world is about the man-made disaster of lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan. This represents how bad and exploitative American capitalism is. There has been the systemic lead poisoning of its city residents. Very few residents have bottled water and it was only recently when the Governor of Michigan Rick Snyder classified this event as a state of emergency. Snyder is a notorious reactionary who is anti-union, etc. There is now a federal probe into the toxic levels of lead in the city’s water supply. Many people may be charged with their role in his crisis. This crisis was a long time in the making. The catastrophe will have a “multigenerational impact,” according to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, director of the Flint Hurley Medical Center’s pediatric residency program, who revealed the doubling and tripling of lead in the blood of city children since April 2014. Because exposure to lead can cause permanent neurological damage, Dr. Hanna-Attisha said, “In five years, these kids are going to have cognition problems. Seven to 10 years, they’re going to have behavioral problems.” This is so tragic. Flint Michigan is a major American city with a population of a little over 102,000 people. It is the birthplace of General Motors too. The city's state appointed emergency manager wanted to save money by cutting Flint off from the Detroit water system, and then to draw water directly from the Flint River. The Flint River is heavily polluted from decades of industrial waste. The river water corroded the city’s antiquated pipes, which led to the leaching of lead and copper into the water supply. This caused the massive lead poisoning in the Flint, Michigan areas.
Tasked with slashing costs and keeping payments flowing to the Wall Street banks and big bondholders who hold the city’s debt, Emergency Manager Darnell Earley and city officials ignored resident complaints about the color, the foul smell and the taste of the water coming into their homes. They insisted that it was financially impossible to reconnect to the Detroit water system. Then, along with state officials, they constructed a wall of lies denying any deleterious effects from the Flint River water. Last year, many studies that showed the dangerous levels of lead in water have been ignored by governing authorities. Testing done by the state Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) of residents’ water was performed in a slipshod manner that minimized the levels of lead in the samples. When further tests showed lead levels above the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) action levels, the results were statistically doctored to bring them under the EPA threshold. Even after the city’s remaining GM plant publicly made its own arrangement to reconnect to Detroit water because the city’s water was corroding its engine components, state and local officials continued to stonewall residents. This is a crime. Dr. Stockman in Ibsen’s Enemy of the People, Dr. Hanna-Attisha, Virginia Tech Universitym Professor Marc Edwards, and other public health experts, who raised alarms as early as last June, were subjected to a vicious smear campaign by high-ranking state officials. The governor’s office denounced Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s data for being “spliced and diced.”
The state of emergency has not resulted in any serious measures to address health issues, many of which are in any case irreversible. Even though Flint has been reconnected to the Detroit water system, lead continues to be leached from service lines, pipes and fixtures into drinking water, which will remain unsafe to drink for months. To add insult to injury, residents are still being charged hundreds of dollars for the poisoned water and many are being threatened with shutoffs for past due bills. We see billions of dollars sent to Wall Street and the military industrial complex while a minor amount of money is sent to help the residents of Flint, Michigan (which is a city that once had the highest per capita income in America in 1960. Austerity and deindusralization harmed the city). Synder is responsible for this along with other authorities. The deprivation of the most elemental necessities of life—clean water, public education, a decent job, health care, a pension—is an indictment of the capitalist system. We live in a nation that 20 billionaires control wealth equal to the wealth of 152 million people. Some people want to arrest Governor Synder. The super wealthy control every level of government.
The people of Flint, Michigan are fighting back against lead poisoning too. So, don't get it twisted.. Flint is known for its workers who enacted the 1936-1937 occupation of the General Motors (GM) plan, which inspired the many sit downs (which was executed by the labor rights movement) that happened in America during the 1930’s and the 1940’s. They or the citizens of Flint demand action and justice. They knew that it was wrong for the Michigan state government (because that state authority wanted to use austerity measures to cut public services to fund big business interests) to force Flint to change its water supply from Lake Huron (which served the city for five decades) to the Flint River. The contaminated water is found in the city’s homes, schools, businesses, and public buildings. According to the World Health Organization, kids exposed to high levels of lead are in risk of anemia and decreased bone plus muscle growth. Lead exposure to human beings can damage reproductive organs and the nervous system. It can be deadly for children too. That is why the Governor and others should be arrested point blank period. One documentary called “Undrinkable: The Flint Water Emergency” shows the truth about the Flint water crisis in great detail. The documentary was made by local high school students at Davison Community School. Flint residents said that Sada Brandt mentioned that, “The only way that it's going to get fixed is if they fix the pipes at this point, because they've already corroded the pipes so badly."
Another bad situation is that residents of Flint continue to pay for the poisoned water in high rates. Many residents are in hue debt because of it. Unemployment and poverty are serious problems in America and in the world. Today, the median annual household income in Flint is about $27,000--less than half the national average. Snyder’s austerity policies have weakened public infrastructure, gutted the power of union and community organizations, and grew corporate power. There is right to work legislation, which was passed by Michigan's governor. State appointed managers violate the democratic rights of people in Michigan. Emergency managers exist in Detroit, Flint, Pontiac, Allen Bark, Benton Harbor, Ecorse, etc. 50 percent of Black Michiganders (who have a rich culture of resistance) live under emergency management as compared to only 2 percent of the state’s white population. Many people of Flint have organized water bottle drives to collective hundreds of thousands of bottles from working class donors. Neighbors have helped each other with boiling water for washing and bathing. Protesters have existed in city call to demand change. They have chanted, "Save the children! Lead free!" An energetic crowd then marched through City Hall, yelling, "What do we want? Clean Water! When do we want it? Now!" A multiracial crowd continue to protest in the city in other places too. People of all colors want accountability and they desire clean water to return to Flint, Michigan. "Snyder has been trampling our democracy for years," said Nayyirah Shariff, an activist with the Flint Democracy Defense League in an interview on Democracy Now! "Really ever since he's been in office, and specifically since Flint has had an emergency manager in December 2011."
"Our City Council wanted to go back to [getting water from] Detroit," Shariff continued, "and our emergency manager, Jerry Ambrose, said it was inconceivable because it was going to cost too much money. And the culture of the emergency manager is money trumps everything. It's more important than people's lives." Flint native Michael Moore wants Snyder to be arrested for his role in the disaster. In August of 2014, Shariff have talked in a rally to fight water contamination and water consumers’ debt. She said the following words: “…We need to form solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are fighting the water war around the country...We need to bring up the people who are suffering in silence and say: Welcome to the movement, we are here for you, we will fight with you and for you to get rid of this emergency manager, get rid of Snyder and anybody who is a puppet for the corporate regime to privatize water…” Another activist Claire McClinton have talked about the great history of Flint, about how Flint came to elect an African American mayor, how it passed open housing, and how the emergency manager represents the banks including the corporations. The emergency managers represent big business that want to increase corporate profits at the expense of human lives. This corruption is a bipartisan affair. Republican Snyder shut off the water supply of 150,000 household in Detroit. Democratic Governor of California Jerry Brown forced cities to reduce water consumption by 25 percent while safeguarding the water access of wasteful and dirty agribusinesses in the Central Valley. Even the current President facilitated an enormous boom in hydraulic fracturing for natural gas despite the documented poisonous effects of fracking on the country's precious, life-sustaining groundwater. So, the fight for environmental justice is real in our generation. The courageous people of Flint want corporate austerity to be gone and justice to exist for all.
Universal Health Care
I do believe in universal health care. Universal health care means that every human being should have the right to have access to quality, affordable health care without exception. We don’t want a corporate based scheme. We want real universal health care in the world. There is a new Kaiser poll showing that 58 percent of the public are in favor of Medicare for All including 81 percent of Democrats. Universal Health care systems have worked worldwide. Cuba has a universal healthcare system. In June 2015, Cuba became the first country in the world to receive validation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to successfully achieve the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. Given the global scale of the HIV/Aids epidemic, where an estimated 1.4 million women living with HIV become pregnant each year, the potential global health impact is phenomenal if the world can learn from Cuba. The WHO said: “Eliminating transmission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achievements possible. Cuba’s success demonstrates that universal access and universal health coverage are feasible and indeed are the keys to success, even against challenges as daunting as HIV.” Cuba sent many doctors to help people in West Africa to fight the Ebola outbreak. Cuba not only has a world class healthcare system. It has great biotechnology and medical research. According to the World Bank, the United States spends almost 20 times what Cuba spends per head per year ($8,553 to $431) on healthcare and yet Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the US and a similar life expectancy. If the US had the same infant mortality rates as Cuba, it would save thousands of US children’s lives each year. Cuba’s socialist policies involving medicine has worked. Cuba’s vaccine development continues to be among the best in the world. The Molecular Immunology Centre of Havana, a Cuban state-owned organization, is the creator of Cimavax and has also developed vaccines for meningitis B, hepatitis B and dengue fever. These drugs are free and universally available for patients in Cuba. This has happened despite the blockade of Cuba by Western forces and today more peaceful diplomatic relations are made between America and Cuba. France has a strong universal health care system. In its 2000 assessment of world health care systems, the World Health Organization found that France provided the "close to best overall health care" in the world. Also, the big lie promoted by reactionaries is that any form of universal health care is a monolithic plan. The truth is that universal health care can be implemented in multiple ways. The common denominator for all such programs is some form of government action aimed at extending access to health care as widely as possible and setting minimum standards. Most implement universal health care through legislation, regulation and taxation. We know that the Affordable Care Act is mixture of good things and bad things in it. In fact, its components have been hatched from the conservative establishment Heritage Foundation back during the 1980’s. Similar plans have been advanced by GOP Presidential candidate Bob Dole in 1996 and Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney shortly thereafter. The ACA bill was written by the health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. The ACA has no public option. That is why I do believe that the ACA should be improved upon (in a revolutionary sense) by making it a universal health care system.
Inspiration
A very important point is to be made too. It is very important to not only love health, but to love people too. Love is the universal, holy force that can improve hearts and it recognizes our common humanity. No amount of health information should be used as a justification to hurt people because of their physical appearance. Regardless of our physical image, we are entitled to dignity, respect, and justice unconditionally. Beauty is diverse never monolithic. This is why I send all of the respect in the world for fitness experts like Tiffany Rothe, Jeanette Jenkins, Lenda Murray, Mocha Lee, Ernestine Shepherd, and so many other great human beings who love health and believe in treating their neighbors as themselves. I wholeheartedly believe in the true principle that all human beings are created equal. Therefore, I do encourage you to achieve your goals. We live on this Earth and we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should always encourage each other and inspire each other. We are born on this Earth with gifts and our unique personalities and attributes are profound blessings in the Universe. When we promote equality, we mean it. Equality is not just a word. It is concept that must be adhere to if the world is to reach its highest potential. So, keep on following your dreams. We will win in the end.
Conclusion
Serena Williams gave an excellent, magnificent speech. It was filled with eloquence, power, truth, and love. She loves us and we love her as a Sister, and as a great philanthropic black woman. Her words enrich our souls since they speak the truth that a black woman has the right to play tennis, a black woman has the right to fulfill her aspirations, any black woman has the right to rise. Our history is filled with stories of resiliency, hope, and inspiration. Serena is passionate about her principles and she has stood up for herself, black women, black people in general, and anyone else who desires to fulfill their dreams. She is a very beautiful black woman and she is the GOAT. She is the greatest of all time. Her quoting Maya Angelou sums it all. Serena is shining her light and she isn't done yet. She will continue to win tennis matches. She will continue to make a difference in society.
The abolitionist movement was one of the most important parts of the black liberation struggle. The Underground Railroad involved thousands of brave human beings who desired to end the evil slavery system in the Americas. Their stories should be honored and remembered. Hundreds of slave revolts came about in the 19th century too. Abolitionists included not just strong people like Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Henry Highland Garnet, Garrison, John Brown etc. It also included unsung heroes like Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, the Grimké sisters--Angelina and Sarah, J. W. C. Pennington, William Still (whose daughter Caroline V. Still Anderson was a great black physician), and other human beings opposed oppression. So, their stories of bravery and sacrifice inspire us today. We live in a world where economic inequality and police terror are abundant, but we carry onward because truth will prevail.
Our ancestors defeated the Confederacy and we will defeat the New Jim Crow in the future. It may not be easy, but we will prevail in the end. The antebellum period was an emotional time period for us as black people. Subconsciously and consciously, we feel emotional about that time period, because it was so brutal and so harsh. We will wait and see what this miniseries (about the abolitionists) from WGN America will entail. One important thing is that we should research this time period and understand that we should be inspired by our black ancestors to continue on the work that they have laid for us. We are inspired by our black ancestors and we will never forget their courage and their passion for justice.
By Timothy
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