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Now that's odd
Apr. 14th, 2006 07:35 pmA Japanese friends asked me what Americans call "ningen dock" and how often they have it. I suggested that we don't really have a word for this, but it is close to "medical checkup." Further, Americans really don't do it like the Japanese do.
In Japan, just about everyone goes to ningen dock at least every two years, and often every year. I'm well past the threshold, they expect me to go yearly. This is a one or two day physical checkup, with samples, blood, sonogram (?) of your intestines, cardiogram (which they have trouble with - I have too much chest hair, and the sensors keep popping free :-) and my personal nemesis, the barium pictures of your interior (here, drink this, now this, try not to let too much gas escape, now hold on while the gadget turns you upside down and rotates you, there, now hold your breath, we're going to turn you again, hold, there).
Anyway, they check you and everyone else out fairly thoroughly on a regular basis. Avoids having problems sneak up apparently.
So we talked about it, and I realized that the closest thing is probably the American dental check, with regular dental hygiene. Of course, Japanese don't usually go to the dentist until their teeth are falling out!
And in talking about why Americans get their teeth checked but not their liver, while Japanese get their liver checked but not their teeth, we realized that the insurance coverage is responsible. In Japan, insurance companies require ningen dock and pay for it. In America, health insurance covers dental cleaning, but not health checks.
We decided that the insurance and medical/dental companies from the two countries need to talk, and get us all on regular ningen dock AND dental hygiene.
But what do we know, we're just academics sitting in our ivory towers.
In Japan, just about everyone goes to ningen dock at least every two years, and often every year. I'm well past the threshold, they expect me to go yearly. This is a one or two day physical checkup, with samples, blood, sonogram (?) of your intestines, cardiogram (which they have trouble with - I have too much chest hair, and the sensors keep popping free :-) and my personal nemesis, the barium pictures of your interior (here, drink this, now this, try not to let too much gas escape, now hold on while the gadget turns you upside down and rotates you, there, now hold your breath, we're going to turn you again, hold, there).
Anyway, they check you and everyone else out fairly thoroughly on a regular basis. Avoids having problems sneak up apparently.
So we talked about it, and I realized that the closest thing is probably the American dental check, with regular dental hygiene. Of course, Japanese don't usually go to the dentist until their teeth are falling out!
And in talking about why Americans get their teeth checked but not their liver, while Japanese get their liver checked but not their teeth, we realized that the insurance coverage is responsible. In Japan, insurance companies require ningen dock and pay for it. In America, health insurance covers dental cleaning, but not health checks.
We decided that the insurance and medical/dental companies from the two countries need to talk, and get us all on regular ningen dock AND dental hygiene.
But what do we know, we're just academics sitting in our ivory towers.
