Health Notes.

Hope this day has been and will be a good one for you. Today on the blog we have health issues on the agenda but first I want to ask for some positive thoughts, prayers, and vibes for Dona. I received an email from her husband, Frank, also known as The Shankster. He told me that Dona got some bad news last week and is having tests today. Let's get those famous blog healing powers in high gear and in Dona's direction!

Now on to three health subjects.

First up is that the AMA wants more accuracy from insurance companies. One in five claims is filed in error. Yup, we all suspected that the insurance companies filed our claims wrong and now we have proof! You can read the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_he_me/us_med_ama_insurer_report_card

Next up is that some blood pressure medicine can cause cancer. Just be aware and double check your medication to make sure yours isn't on the list. If your blood pressure medicine is on the list it would be a good idea to consult with your doctor about a change in medication. You can read the article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_blood_pressure_pills_cancer

The last health note is kind of sad but a sign of the times and the economy. Cancer survivors are delaying treatments because they can't afford the treatments. I find that just tragic. Certainly there has to be a way to help them. Here is the article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100614/ap_on_bi_ge/us_med_cancer_costs

As always your comments are appreciated.

WHO AM I

I was born in Missouri in 1906.and died in Paris in 1975. Both my parents were former slaves. I dropped out of school at age 12 and lived as a street child in the slums of St. Louis, sleeping in cardboard shelters and scavenging for food in garbage cans. I was married five times and adopted twelve children. My family was referred to a The Rainbow Tribe. I was decorated for my undercover work for the French Resistance during World War II. I was the first American-born woman to receive the French honor, the Croix De Guerre. I helped a lot of people who were in danger from the Nazis get visas and passports to leave France. Later in 1941 I went to the French colonies in North Africa; the stated reason was my health but the real reason was to continue helping the Resistance. From a base in Morocco I made tours of Spain and pinned notes with the information I gathered inside my underwear (counting on her celebrity to avoid a strip search.) Later I toured to entertain Allied soldiers in North Africa. I even persuaded Egypt's King Farouk to make a public appearance at one of my concerts, a subtle indication of which side his officially neutral country leaned toward. Later I performed at Buchenwald for the liberated inmates who were too frail to be moved. After the war I was a civil rights activist. I made charges of racism against the Stork Club in New York, where I had been refused service. Actress Grace Kelly, who was at the club at the time, rushed over to me and, took me by the arm and stormed out with her entire party, vowing to never return. We became close friends after the incident. I refused to perform for segregated audiences and integrated the Las Vegas nightclubs. I am better known in France then I am in the United States and although I am most remembered as a singer I was also a dancer and was the first African-American actress to star in a major motion picture. I was bi-sexual having a confirmed affair with Frida Kahlo. Ernest Hemingway called me "… the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." Who Am I?