Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
Health and sickness are like the two ends of a seesaw. As one goes up, the other goes down. So health enables us to avoid some, but not all, of the swings and slides of sickness and the merry-go-round of misguided doctors, who think that health is merely the absence of sickness. But health is more than the absence of sickness, just as life is more than the absence of death. Health is the shield between life and death.
Competing interests:
I have a self-published e-book called "Peace Poetry & The LOVE Diet", which promotes peace, simplifies health, and demystifies addiction.
Re: When good care means less pay
Health and sickness are like the two ends of a seesaw. As one goes up, the other goes down. So health enables us to avoid some, but not all, of the swings and slides of sickness and the merry-go-round of misguided doctors, who think that health is merely the absence of sickness. But health is more than the absence of sickness, just as life is more than the absence of death. Health is the shield between life and death.
Competing interests: I have a self-published e-book called "Peace Poetry & The LOVE Diet", which promotes peace, simplifies health, and demystifies addiction.