The Medical Tourist

Laura Moser went all the way to China to have people stick needles into her for her shoulder complaint. She said she felt better, but that the effects were fleeting. Now, I have some medical tourism to do of my own, but I won't be going to China. I need some dental work done, and I've heard that Hungary is the place to go.

I'm confused by her article though. She had what it seemed to be a shoulder injury sustained when she ran with a heavy bag on her shoulder. Even if chinese medicine is her bag, shouldn't she have gone to a bonesetter instead of an acupuncturist?

While I was over at Slate I also read an old piece about how drinking all that milk and chowing down on all those calcium tablets might not be doing women any good at all. It seems that there is evidence the human body gets used to high levels of calcium in youth and becomes profligate with it in old age, causing osteoperosis. Also, the excessive consumption of animal proteins cause more calcium to be sacrificed to neutralize all those amino acids. Now, my mom is a vitamin pill pusher. Everytime I see her she would come up with a new handful of supplements I supposedly need to take. The only pills that are on her list every year (in increasing quantities) are those giant white calcium pills. It would be ironic if they actually make osteoperosis more likely in my old age had I took them. Of course, the article was 5 years old, so the official position on calcium supplements could have flip-flopped even further since that time.