medical coding training at home.
All over the world, people are becoming more and more aware of the environment. The Green Burial Movement helps those considering how they can die without damaging the planet. While death remains a taboo subject, even in death, we damage the earth. And, just like recycling bottles, newspapers, plastic and everything else, we can also recycle ourselves.
One way to do this is by donating your remains to medical science. Most people are aware of organ donation and many choose to register for this unique gift to others once they have died. Taking this one step further and donating your body not only means that organs can be harvested and 'recycled', it means that, even after death, you can go on helping your fellow man and the future.
Rather than donating parts, donating your body gives trainee medical professionals the opportunity to train on real bodies, helping them develop life saving skills and developing new technique. It may also mean that the next generation of researchers will find new treatments, and maybe even cures for killer diseases such as cancer, heart disease and more.
Why People Choose to Donate Their Body
Clearly, donating organs has huge impacts. It can help the blind to see, help those on dialysis to live normal lives, or actually save someone else's life. Organs like kidneys, hearts, livers, lungs and even the pancreas and small bowels can all help someone. Going one step further and giving a whole body enables even more people to benefit.
The Green Burial Movement
If donating your body to science isn't for you, consider the alternative of the Green Burial Movement. This movement aims to provide natural burials, without chemicals or headstones, without coffins or concrete, without killing the planet. Family and friends have somewhere to go to be with their loved one but in the peace and tranquility of a field, meadowland or forest instead of an artificial, clinical, mournful place.
The Downside of Traditional Burials and Cremations
There is another really good reason to donate your body, and that is the impact of death on the planet. Here are some facts to consider when planning your funeral:
Ten acres of a cemetery contains enough wood to build 40 homes, enough metal to build the Golden Gate Bridge and enough concrete to build a two lane highway from Montreal to Toronto, and back. That's around 600 miles. And then there is the artificially green environment, kept that way by excessive water usage. Add to that the formaldehyde used to embalm a body. Currently, around 1 million gallons of embalming fluid is buried every year, a proportion of which seeps into the ground and into our groundwater.
Now let's consider cremation. Many people believe that this is the more environmentally friendly option. Not taking up all that space, or all that water, and nowhere near the amount of metal, concrete and wood must be better. Right? Wrong. In the United States, cremations release up to 7,800 pounds of mercury into the environment every year. And each one uses enough energy to travel almost 5,000 miles. That's 83 trips to the moon and back every year.
So the alternatives really are worth considering.
How Do You Donate Your Body for Medical Research?
It is often best to discuss your wishes openly, but many find this difficult. It is easy to add your wish into your will. Clearly set out, in writing, hat your body is to be donated for research. In the UK, people should leave contact details for the Human Tissue Authority..
In the US, the official organisation overseeing body donation is the American Association of Tissue Banks. This organisation provides information on registered tissue banks across the country.
Both countries have established codes of ethics for the treatment and disposal of bodies donated so relatives can take comfort in knowing that the deceased will be treated with respect as well as helping others, and perhaps, be an integral part of finding cures for diseases that devastate the lives of others.
For further reading, go to How to Die without Killing the Planet.
medical coding training at home.