Student Loans: My Ball & Chain

     I SHOULD BE A DOCTOR TWICE with the money I spent on my higher education, but I'm not. I was a naïve, ignorantly optimistic student who just kept on going to school. I would sign those promissory notes with impulsivity, & I did not even understand how interest accrued until my grand total reached $210,000.00; I will die with these student loans.

     I went through a time when I would cry myself to sleep worrying about what was going to happen, until I reached a point where I accepted that student loans would be my ball & chain indefinitely. I realize that sounds histrionic, but it's true. 

     If you max out several credit cards with purchases like TVs, booze, or expensive vacations, you're in much better shape than someone with excessive student loan debt. Why? In 2005, federal legislation prohibited the discharge of student loans in bankruptcy. Unless you can prove "undue hardship", there's no relief in sight (Student Loan Borrower Assistance, 2016). It's not easy to prove. Less than 1/2 of 1% of borrowers successfully  discharge their student loans in bankruptcy. "Undue hardship" has 2 required components:

1. The borrower, if forced to pay back the loan, would be unable to maintain a minimal standard of living.

1. Strong evidence exists that these circumstances are likely to persist in the future. 

     Meanwhile, the cost of higher education climbs persistently in contrast to inflation trends. Dollars are not spent on classroom instruction, however. Amenities, such as recreations centers, etc. are school priorities. My fear is that your ability to acquire a post-secondary education will increasingly depend on socioeconomic status, further exacerbating income inequality for disadvantaged students. (Washington Post, 2016)

     For anyone as ill-informed as I was when taking out student loans, I urge you to become familiar with this formula to see the true cost of your education (Dept.of Education, 2016):

Interest rate × current principal balance ÷ number of days in the year = daily interest

     I was able to participate in a rate reduction program for some private loans & the Income-Based Repayment Plan for my federal loans. Both help me keep my head above water. I hope federal legislation will offer some relief for borrowers in the future. I buy a lottery ticket every now & then; I feel certain this will pan out eventually. In the meantime, know that you are not alone if you spent way too much money on your education.

Don't Get Vaccine Advice from Jenny McCarthy

   

     The anti-vaccine movement is older than Jenny McCarthy, but the rampant misinformation still poses the same threat it did before widespread implementation of immunization programs began in the United States.  It's not surprising that measles & pertussis cases are popping up in communities where the anti-vaccine movement is strong. 

     On various discussion boards, I've debated on the side of vaccines, & naysayers often provided links to anti-vaccine websites to support their reservations. I visited these websites, & most are run by people who hardly qualify as experts in the field. The CochraneLibrary had studies negating the benefits of the flu vaccine, but the footer of the documents contain a disclaimer that these studies have a high potential for bias & offer weak data.  There were angry soccer moms with bachelor degrees in English Literature, psychologists, etc. as authors of anti-vaccine material too, but you won't find a plethora of anti-vaccine docs on the internet very easily. While I'm by no means as qualified as a physician who practices in immunology, I do have an MSN & a great deal of formal training in immunizations. I am very passionate about the importance of vaccines, so I'm hoping to clear the air. If you choose to read on, I will attempt to dispel common myths about vaccines.

MYTH: The MMR vaccine causes autism.

Andrew Wakefield published such findings in the Lancet in Great Britain. Years later, the Lancet retracted the study & acknowledged that his work was fraudulent & biased. Multiple studies followed, by other researchers, that refuted Andrew Wakefield's findings. Conclusion: There is no link between autism & vaccinations. Autism is a difficult & elusive disorder that needs goal-directed research; blaming vaccines takes energy & focus away from finding more probable causes that may direct health outcomes in the future.

MYTH: Mercury or thimerosal in vaccines is harmful.

The mercury in fish is called methylmercury, & it can potentially accumulate to harmful levels in the human body. The mercury found in certain vaccines is called ethylmercury, & it does not accumulate in the body like methylmercury. It's in very few vaccines now as a preservative to prevent bacterial contamination, etc. It's already in the earth, soil, & water, & it poses no health risks to vaccine recipients.

MYTH: The flu shot may cause the flu.

It is impossible to get the flu from the flu vaccine. However, some may experience mild flu-like symptoms 1-2 days post-vaccination that are, by no means, anywhere close to flu severity. Symptoms may include fatigue, headache, or mild fever, but I'd like to stress that it's a "walk in the park" compared to the actual flu.

I feel like I can go on forever debunking anti-vaccine garbage, but I will rest my fingers now & provide you w/links to some AWESOME websites that house accurate information on the subject at hand. There is a fascinating Frontline special that is very, very informative called The Vaccine War. Thank you for reading!

 Links:

CDC - Vaccines

Immunization Action Coalition

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center

The History of Vaccines

Ambien Tales: From Funny to Frightening

Ambien (zolpidem tartrate) is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for insomnia in the United States, despite the warnings of potential "abnormal thinking, behavior changes, auditory & visual hallucinations, sleep-driving, amnesia, & other neuropsychiatric symptoms" (Physician's Desk Reference, 2016). I took it for several years, despite a laundry list of evidence that I did not tolerate the drug well at all. The following are actual events that occurred following my nightly dose of Ambien, &, compared to some horror stories, these are merely ridiculous & funny. All ended well. While on Ambien:

1. I bought non-refundable vacation package (plane ticket, hotel stay, & bus tour to Chicago). I found out I did this after seeing an email confirmation sent around 12am from priceline.com the next day (I actually ended up going to Chicago. Had a BLAST!)
2. I posted on FB that I often go several weeks without shaving my legs. Saw and deleted @ 6:30am the next day (I lived in CO, and it was winter, BTW).
3. I wrote senators and representatives for the state of AK a long letter regarding nurse-patient ratios. I found out upon receiving letters of acknowledgement from their respective offices and when perusing my sent mail.
4. I called a few people on a few occasions, sometimes having pretty lengthy conversations. Found out when reviewing my recent call log over the next few days. Called and confirmed that I did, in fact, speak w/these people.

I'm grateful that no one was hurt in any way, and that most of my behavior just caused embarrassment or fear. 

Others weren't so fortunate:

• A 75 year old man called 911 reporting he was injured in a plane crash after taking Ambien. First responders were dispatched before it became apparent that the man was hallucinating the whole thing (ABC News, 2016). Ambien-Induced Hallucination Video
• In 2009, Julie Ann Bronson woke up in jail in here pajamas after taking Ambien the night before. She learned that she ran over 3 people while driving, including an 18 month old that incurred severe brain damage due to the accident (HuffPost, 2016). The Disturbing Side Effects of Ambien 

The horror stories could go on & on, but I think you probably get the point. I've moved on to a sleep aid that works for me without those side effects. If you suffer from insomnia & are taking/considering a sleep aid, now you are armed with the knowledge that Ambien can be a dangerous drug, so you & your doc can decide together whether it's right for you. Sleep tight!!!