Saturday, February 18, 2012

News and Events - 17 Feb 2012




16.02.2012 20:13:00

This post is the sixth in BlogHer’s 
Inspiration to Fitness series.  To start from week one, 
click here.

I can't believe this is the second to last week of our

Inspiration to Fitness
 challenge!  I hope that by now you are feeling stronger, healthier and have more energy throughout your day.  I hope you are also learning that a great workout doesn't have to take all day!

 

One of the biggest mistakes I see new exercisers make is working out for too long.  There is really no reason to be exercising for over an hour unless you are specifically training for something like a marathon or triathalon.  Even then, you wouldn't be training for that long every day.  The reality is, you can get a fantastic workout in under sixty minutes, and many times in less than thirty.

But you have to be focused!

Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your workout and your time.



watch


Focus - One thing I see way too much of at the gym is a lack of focus.  Taking time between sets to check your iPhone for text messages or update your Facebook status will extend your workout and not in a good way.  Take a few minutes before starting your workout to get focused.  Think about what you are about to do and why you are doing it.  Leave behind everything that is not absolutely necessary for your workout.  If you are using your iPhone as an iPod, use it only for the music.  If you don't need it, leave it behind.

 

Focus.

Be prepared - Wandering around the gym trying to figure out what exercises you want to do will result in a longer than necessary workout with minimal results.  Come in prepared.  Write out your exercises (or memorize them so that you can go from one thing to the next without interruption.  If you expect the gym will be busy, write down backup exercises in case the equipment you need is taken.

Use your entire body - Get better results faster by using your entire body in each exercise.  Instead of just doing a bicep curl, do a lunge into a bicep curl.  Instead of using a machine that pinpoints one part of the body, use your body as the machine to do mountain climbers or a deadlift into an overhead reach.  Using your entire body will not only maximize your workout time, but it will also increase your post-workout calorie burn.

Use proper form - Maintaining a neutral spine and a strong core will not only protect you from injury, but will also help you maximize the effectiveness of each exercise in a shorter amount of time.  When you use a cardio machine, make sure to stand up straight and use your entire body.  Don't rest your arms or lean forward on the machine.  Maximize your calorie burn by using proper form.

Vary the intensity - We talked about this last week.  You can get a better workout in 20 minutes of interval training than 30 minutes or even more of a low intensity steady-state training.  Challenge your body by varying the intensity of your workouts, and get better results in less time!

Workout in circuits - This is what we have been doing during this entire challenge, and that's because it works.  Circuit training is a technique that challenges the heart and muscles by performing back-to-back exercises without rest.  Choose 5 or 6 exercises that work the entire body and perform them in a row with no rest in between exercises.  Take 2 minutes to rest, then do the circuit again.  Perform 2-3 circuits, and you've had a fantastic workout!

Speaking of workouts, here are yours for this week:

Your 3 days of cardio will include 2 days of interval training and 1 day of steady-state training.

On the interval days, I want you to do this:

-5 minute warmup RPE of 3

-90 seconds RPE 5

-60 seconds RPE 7-8

-90 seconds RPE 5

-60 seconds RPE 7-8

-90 seconds RPE 5

-60 seconds RPE 7-8

-90 seconds RPE 5

-60 seconds RPE 7-8

-5 minutes cooldown RPE 3

On your steady-state day, I want you to do this:

-5 minute warmup at an RPE of 3

-20 minute workout at a moderate pace RPE 5-6

-5 minute cooldown at an RPE of 3

Your strength workout includes more plyometric training and some advanced moves.  If there are any moves that you feel uncomfortable doing, feel free to substitute one of the exercises from previous weeks.  Remember, you are to do 15 reps of each warmup and core exercise and 8-12 reps of each strength exercise.  Complete 2-3 sets of the strength circuit with no rest between exercises and 2 minutes rest between circuits.

Dynamic Warmup



dynamic warmup arm circles


Make huge circles with your arms as fast as you can.  Do 15 forward, then 15 backwards.



jumping jacks


Do 15 jumping jacks. Make them big, remember this is a dynamic warmup!



pogo hops


Jump a few inches off the ground and land on the balls of your feet.  Continue for 15 repetitions.



dynamic arm swing


Standing with feet together, bring arms in front of your body and cross one over the other.  Swing them open then quickly back in front of your body.  Make big moves and complete 15 repetitions.

Core Exercises



plank


From a push up position, rest your weight on your forearms instead of your hands.  Form a straight line with your body from your shoulders to your ankles.  Hold yourself in this position by keeping your core tight and bellybutton drawn in.  Hold for 30 seconds.  Work up to holding the plank for 60 seconds or more.  If your lower back starts hurting, check your form.



single leg hop with stabilization


From a standing position, raise left foot slightly off the ground and balance on your right foot.  Pull your bellybutton tight to your spine and take a small hop forward.  Stabilize your body, then take another small hop.

 

Repeat for 15 repetitions then switch to the right foot.



bicycle crunches



***Please refer to the previous post about checking for diastasis before doing these or any other abdominal exercise***

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet on the ground and hands behind your head.  Engage your abdominal muscles and slowly lift your feet off the ground until your knees are bent at 90 degrees.  Contract your abs as you raise your head and shoulders off the ground.  Bring your left elbow toward your right knee while at the same time extending your left leg.  Squeeze.  Slowly bring your left leg back in, and bring your right elbow toward your left knee while extending your right leg out.  Squeeze.  Repeat for a total of 30 repetitions (15 each side .

Strength Exercises



plie jump


From a standing position, position your legs wider than hip-width apart with toes pointed out.  Engage abdominal muscles as you lower into a plie position and hold.  Drive up through your heels, jumping into the air, then land softly onto the balls of your feet and repeat.



narrow pushups


From a hands and knees position, engage your abdomen and move your shoulder blades down and back.  Get into a push up position, but place your hands close together.  Lower down into a push up, keeping body straight and core tight.  Push back up and repeat.



lunge to balance


From a standing position with feet hip-width apart, step forward into a lunge.  Keeping core tight and hands on hips, lower until back knee is an inch or two off the ground.  Make sure front leg is at a 90 degree angle and the front knee doesn't extend past the toes.  Push back up to a standing position, keeping the front leg in the air, balancing on the back leg.  Hold for a few seconds, then extend front leg back into a lunge position.  Complete all repetitions on one side before switching legs.



tight arm circles exercise


Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart.  Tighten your core and bring shoulder blades down and back.  Extend arms straight out to the sides.  Make small forward circles with your arms keeping them nice and straight.  Circles should be small and fast. Do 60 repetitions going forward, then reverse and do 60 repetitions going backwards.  You should feel this exercise in your shoulder muscles.



side lunge


Standing with feet hip-width apart, step out to the side with your right foot.  Keep left leg straight and bend into a lunge in the right leg.  Push through the right foot and back into a standing position.  Make sure left leg stays straight and right knee doesn't extend past toes.  Complete all repetitions on the right before switching to the left leg.



mountain climbers


Get into a push up position with hands below shoulders and feet extended out.  Tighten abs and bring shoulders down and back.  Bring left foot up towards hips, then jump to switch legs.  Continue jumping and switching legs while keeping spine and core stabilized.  Do 30 repetitions (15 each leg .

Stretching



shoulder stretch


From a seated position, extend your right arm across your body in a straight line. Reach your left arm up and pull gently back on your right arm, stretching the shoulder. Hold for 30-60 seconds then repeat with other arm.



butterfly stretch


Sit with your legs in a diamond shape, the soles of your feet together.  Sit up nice and tall with abs engaged. Push knees towards the floor and hold,
but do not bounce
.  Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds.



door chest stretch


Standing in a doorway, place hands on either side of the doorway at chest level. Take one step forward and allow the chest to stretch. Hold for 30-60 seconds.



quad stretch


Stand on your left leg and grab your right ankle directly behind you.  Keeping knees together, pull ankle towards your body really stretching out your thigh.  Make sure to keep your right knee facing straight down, don't let it go out to the side.  Hold for 30-60 seconds then repeat with left leg.



kneeling hip flexor stretch progression


From a kneeling position, bring left leg out front with foot flat on the ground. Push body forward through the hips, stretching that right hip flexor. Hold for 30 seconds, then bring right arm straight up, slightly twisting body to the right and leaning to the left to go further into the stretch. Hold for 20 more seconds then repeat process on opposite side.



glute stretch


From a kneeling position, cross right leg in front of body while extending left leg back. Place hands on floor and sink into the stretch. You can extend even further into the stretch by walking hands out front and bringing chest towards the floor. Hold for 30-60 seconds then repeat on opposite side.



child's pose


From a kneeling position, bring your arms out in front of you, sink your hips back into your heels, and rest your chest on your knees. Sink into the pose and relax all of your muscles. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

Foam Roller (optional



foam roller it band


Lie on your right side and place your right hip onto the foam roller. Place your hands on the floor for support. Cross your left leg over your right with foot flat on the floor. Roll from your hip towards your knee in small movements. If you come across a spot that is particularly painful, hold the position for 30 seconds before moving on. Repeat on opposite side.



foam rolling the piriformis


Sit on foam roller with it positioned under your right glute. Cross your right leg over your left and lean into the muscle. Roll back and forth in small movements while shifting your body slightly to roll all of the muscle. If you find a spot that is particularly painful, hold for 30 seconds before continuing. Repeat on opposite leg.



foam rolling the back


Lie faceup with foam roller under your upper back and feet flat on the floor. Roll from the top of your back to the middle of your back in small movements with your hips elevated off the floor. If you find a spot that is particularly painful, hold for 30 seconds before moving on. Be sure not to roll your lower back as this could cause injury.


foam roller calves

Sit on the floor with your legs stretched in front of you.  Place the foam roller under your right calf.  Cross your left leg over your right ankle.  Use your hands behind you for support and raise your body off the ground.  Roll forward and back on your calf muscle.  Repeat on opposite leg.

* Don't forget to leave a comment on my
Buyer's Guide telling me which products you would love to own for a chance to win!




15.02.2012 21:40:00

Banner

A one-day event on Thursday, March 29th 2012.

To be held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London, SE1 7JN


Why this meeting?

 

The UK government is striving to curb levels of national debt, and healthcare systems are even more vulnerable than usual to spending cuts.

This meeting therefore hopes to consider a whole series of questions on the subject of value in healthcare, including: :

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If we have to choose what to spend money on in healthcare systems, can we identify where we find value in those systems?

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Should parts of the healthcare system be cut back?or even axed?

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Alternatively, should investments in healthcare be applied? If so, where?

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How can healthcare be made more efficient, without comprising the health of patients?

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And how can preventive medicine be encouraged, so that populations become healthier, and less likely to need expensive services from healthcare systems? Surprisingly, little or no hard data exists across Europe’s fragmented and opaque healthcare systems to help policymakers gain answers to these questions?which are all centered around the subject of the values we hold in healthcare.The only widely-recognised tool in the measurement of value in health is health technology assessment (HTA , as practiced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE .But the methods and processes of both HTA and NICE have been challenged by various categories of healthcare stakeholders.Policymakers at NICE hold contrasting views, for example, to doctors, patients and industry on what value society expects from healthcare systems.The stark truth is that no consensus exists about what we?the disparate healthcare stakeholders?want from healthcare systems.


Hence, this unique conference

On Thursday, March 29th 2012, Engage Health will be bringing influential healthcare stakeholders together at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, London. The aim is to gain an understanding of what society sees as value for modern-day national healthcare systems.As part of the dialogue, Engage Health has invited speakers from outside the UK to provide insights about how their countries’ healthcare systems attempt to draw the greatest value out of the money spent on nationalised healthcare.The meeting will look at HTA as a case study, and contemplate the problems of developing tools that hope to measure value within healthcare

.


What will happen at the meeting?

The meeting’s programme includes presentations from patient groups, senior policymakers, commissioners, industry and providers. The meeting’s conclusions will be published as a WHITE PAPER, to stimulate further debate and action.[The White Paper written after the Engage Health Alliance meeting in Brussels in November 2011, entitled ‘A Crisis in Healthcare?Closing the Stakeholder Gap’, will be publicly available on the Engage Health Alliance website from late February 2012 onwards, so that you can get an idea of what an Engage Health Alliance White Paper looks like, and hopes to achieve.]


Who is speaking?


Confirmed speakers currently include:


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Josie Godfrey, Head of Policy and Co-ordination, National Specialised Commissioning Team, NHS.

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Brian Griiffin, CEO Medco International.

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Aidan Halligan, Director of Education, University College London Hospital [provisional].

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Henry Purcell, Senior Fellow in Cardiology; Director, Cardiovascular Pathology of Obesity Research Group, Royal Brompton Hospital, London; and Editor-in-Chief, British Journal of Cardiology.

l



Katja Rupp, Manager, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Versicherte und Patienten e.V. (DGVP [German Society for Insured Patients].

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Karen Taylor, Director, Centre for Health Solutions, Deloitte UK.

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Mark Wilkinson, Director, Life Sciences Innovation, NHS.

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Andrew Wilson-Webb, Chief Executive, Rarer Cancers Foundation (RCF .

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Alexandra Wyke, CEO, PatientView, will talk about the results of a study among 500 patient groups on the meaning of value in healthcare.


How you can be involved in the discussion

With the help of a number of facilitators, participants at the meeting will be split into a number of cross-stakeholder groups. Each of the groups will be challenged with the task of maintaining the UK NHS budget at its current level over the next five years?while improving both the life expectancy of people with chronic illness, and their quality of life. In designing any health-reform packages.

At the end of the final session of the meeting, each cross-stakeholder group will report its findings to the conference.


TO READ THE FULL AGENDA, please
click here


TO REGISTER for attendance, please
click here.

Engage Health Alliance Europe,

Add:      12 High Street, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 3EJ, UK

Tel:        +44-(0 1438-870-066

Email:  



events@engagehealth.eu


Web:     



http://www.engagehealth.eu


PatientView, is a co-founder of the Engage Health Alliance Europe

 

 

 

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15.02.2012 19:21:16
This visual food diary reveals every bite she ate during a 24-hour period.
Vegetarian egg quiche, toast, banana, grapefruit
"I had two pieces of toast with jam, a banana, and half a
grapefruit with two egg mini quiches, which contained vegetarian sausage, goat cheese, arugula, and olives."
Side salad with dressing
"For lunch, my husband and I went to an Indian
restaurant. I ordered a side salad to start and tasted the restaurant's two trial dressings."
Vegetable Korma with Rice
"I also had the Vegetable Korma with rice. I had about three times what is shown here. Normally, I would have an afternoon snack, but lunch was so big that I didn't need one."
Kale salad, beets, goat cheese
"For dinner, we went out again to a vegetarian restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. I ordered the Warm Kale Salad, which had kale, beets, carrots, craisins, goat cheese, and some sort of dressing.
Potatoes
"I also picked at my husband's potatoes!"
Greek yogurt, puffed brown rice, banana
"Last but not least,
right before bed I ate Greek yogurt, puffed brown rice, and a banana."

As the all-star health and food blogger behind
Healthy Tipping Point, Caitlin Boyle sticks to a 
vegetarian, mainly gluten-free, half-organic, whole foods diet. Though she's now eating for two, Boyle's daily grub is still full of nourishing fruits and veggies.

read more




16.02.2012 21:27:35
Simple and scrumptious recipes to make right now!
Savory Mexican Oats
Think oatmeal is just for breakfast? Turns out the warm cereal makes a nourishing lunch or dinner option as well. For a unique twist on oats, blend a steel-cut variety in your slow cooker with healthy veggies, like corn and red peppers, and enjoy its chewy consistency and unbeatable flavor. You'll never look at oats the same way again!

Time: 2-4 hours or until oats are cooked through


Temperature: Low


Yield: 3-1/2 c.


Recommended Slow Cooker Size: 4 quarts

Ingredients:


1 c. steel-cut oats


1 c. salsa


2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped


2-1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth, no sugar added


1 c. frozen corn, thawed


1 c. red pepper, chopped

Directions:


Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker, cover, and cook as directed below.

Nutritional Content:


Serving size: 1/2 c.


Calories: 86


Total Fat: 1 g.


Saturated Fat: 0 g.


Trans Fat: 0 g.


Cholesterol: 2 mg.


Sodium: 181 mg.


Carbohydrates: 16 g.


Dietary Fiber: 2 g.


Sugars: 2 g.


Protein: 3 g.

Bananas Foster
Give bananas foster an easy, healthy makeover in your slow cooker. A combo of rich ingredients such as honey, cinnamon, and rum extract steep bananas in flavor and won't wreak havoc on your daily calorie intake.

Time: 1-1/2 to 2 hours


Temp: Low


Yield: 4 servings


Minimum Slow Cooker Size: 4 quarts

Ingredients:


1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted


3 tbsp. honey


Juice from 1/2 lemon


1/4 tsp. cinnamon


5 bananas, medium firmness, cut into 1/2 in. slices


1/2 tsp. 100% rum extract

Directions:


Add and combine the first four ingredients to the slow cooker. Add banana slices, toss gently to coat with honey mixture. Cover and cook on low 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add rum extract to bananas and stir to combine. Serve bananas foster as a topping or enjoy as a standalone dessert.

Nutritional Content:


Serving size: 1/2 c.


Calories: 141


Total Fat: 3 g.


Saturated Fat: 2 g.


Trans Fat: 0 g.


Cholesterol: 0 mg.


Sodium: 1 mg.


Total Carbohydrate: 32 g.


Dietary Fiber: 3 g.


Sugars: 21 g.


Protein: 1 g.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Craving chocolate? Indulge in a slice of this rich cake, which will only set you back 104 calories. Made with pared-down ingredients like unsweetened applesauce and egg whites, this satisfying treat is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth. Plus, cooking the dessert in your slow cooker ensures an irresistibly moist texture.

Time: 4 hours, or until a knife inserted in the middle pulls out clean


Temp: Low


Yield: 16 servings (cut like a pie


Recommended Slow Cooker Size: 4 quarts

Ingredients:


1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour


1 tbsp. baking powder


1/2 c. honey


2 egg whites


1/3 c. peanut butter, no sugar added


2 tsp. pure vanilla extract


1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder


3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

Directions:


Line the bottom of your slow cooker with cut-to-fit parchment paper and spray the inside using an oil sprayer. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until well combined. In a second large mixing bowl, whisk together all your wet ingredients, and then combine the two bowls. Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.

Nutritional Content:


Serving size: 1/16 of the entire recipe


Calories: 104


Total Fat: 3 g.


Saturated Fat: 1 g.


Trans Fat: 0 g.


Cholesterol: 0 mg.


Sodium: 123 mg.


Carbohydrates: 19 g.


Dietary Fiber: 2 g.


Sugars: 10 g.


Protein: 3 g.

BBQ Pulled Pork
When you need a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, take a stab at this savory dish. Thanks to 4-6 hours of slow cooking, the recipe yields incredibly tender pulled pork soaked in a delectable barbecue sauce. Chili powder and cumin add a spicy and scrumptious kick!

Time: 4-6 hours or until internal temperature of meat reaches at least 165 degrees F. Meat should easily pull apart when done.


Temperature: Low


Yield: 8 servings


Recommended Slow Cooker Size: 4 quarts

Ingredients:


1 15 oz. can tomato sauce, no sugar added


1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar


1 tbsp. garlic powder


1 tbsp. onion powder


1/4 c. honey


1 tsp. ground cumin


1 tsp. chili powder


1 tsp. ground cinnamon


4 pork loin top loin chops

Directions:


In your slow cooker insert, mix together all ingredients except the chops. This will create the barbecue sauce. Please note that this makes a lot of sauce. If you feel it's too much, simply save some of it for another use. But do not reduce by more than half. Place the chops in the sauce and cook as directed.

Nutritional Content:


Serving size: 1/12 of the recipe


Calories: 146


Total Fat: 2 g.


Saturated Fat: 1 g.


Trans Fat: 0 g.


Cholesterol: 35 mg.


Sodium: 426 mg. (This can be lowered with low or no-sodium tomato sauce.


Carbohydrates: 15 g.


Dietary Fiber: 1 g.


Sugars: 10 g.


Protein: 18 g.

Cinnamon and Pecan Bread Pudding
Made with butter, eggs, and of course, lots of bread, standard bread puddings are loaded with calories and carbs. Try this melt-in-your-mouth recipe for a tempting treat that keeps you a tad more trim than the traditional kind. The result is a custardy confection studded with heart-healthy pecans and packed with antioxidant-rich spices.

Time: 2 hours


Temp: High


Yield: 12 servings


Minimum Slow Cooker Size: 5 quarts

Ingredients:


2 eggs


3 egg whites


3 c. 1% milk


1/4 c. raw honey


1 tsp. pure vanilla extract


1/2 tsp. cinnamon


9 slices whole-grain sandwich bread, cut into bite-size pieces

Directions:


Add the first six ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Lightly spray the inside of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Cut bread into bite-size pieces. Place one layer of bread on the bottom of the slow cooker, add the filling and distribute evenly, then add the remaining bread pieces. Pour egg mixture over bread, ensure all bread is moist. Cover and cook on high 2 hours or until bread has soaked up most of the liquid. If desired, sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon and sucanat.

Filling Ingredients:


1/4 c. raw honey


2 tsp. lemon juice


1/2 c. raw pecans, chopped


1 tsp. cinnamon


1/8 tsp. nutmeg


1/8 tsp. cloves


1/8 tsp. allspice

Filling Directions:


In a small mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients.

Nutritional Content:


1 serving = 1/2 c.


Calories: 198


Total Fat: 9 g.


Saturated Fat: 1 g.


Trans Fat: 0 g.


Cholesterol: 38 mg.


Sodium: 128 mg.


Total Carbohydrate: 25 g.


Dietary Fiber: 25 g.


Sugars: 16 g.


Protein: 6 g.

Want to eat healthier and lose weight? Meet your new best friend:
the slow cooker! This
kitchen appliance whips up wholesome, low-maintenance meals while infusing every dish with tons of flavor. We asked authors Tiffany McCauley and Gale Compton for five mouthwatering recipes (out of 155 straight from their

Skinny Ms.

read more




15.02.2012 5:50:52



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The Pulse of Natural Health






A weekly e-newsletter edited by Deborah Ray and Craig R. Smith and published by the Alliance for Natural Health USA.  Stay informed on what is hot in Washington and about decisions affecting natural health and your health freedom.





 (It's Free!




 

February 14, 2012

Can We Succeed in Pushing Back Against Dangerous Genetically Engineered Foods?

February 14, 2012


GMO-free
Yes! There are more and more anti-GMO campaigns across the country—with your help this effort can succeed!

Genetically engineered food is the biggest uncontrolled experiment ever conducted on humans. Nearly all of our processed food contains genetically engineered ingredients. A handful of biotechnology companies dominate the US market and claim there is no safety risk to consumers, animals, or the environment. The evidence suggests quite the opposite. Remember the animal studies that showed
sterility by the third generation?

We’ve partnered with numerous campaigns and combined efforts to stop the GE food take over of our food supply. All of us need to keep taking action to support these campaigns. The federal government, no matter which party is in power, is unwilling or unable to stand up to the GE industry, so citizens must do it instead. The only reason major food manufacturers stopped contaminating the European food supply with GE food sources was because European citizens voiced their objection to GMO in massive numbers.

Here are some of the major campaigns for which we need your support:






Petition the FDA to Label GMOs, with Congressional Support






The Center for Food Safety, on behalf of over 400 organizations and businesses, has filed a
Citizen Petition with the FDA which states that GE foods are being mislabeled because consumers are mislead as to their origin and cannot differentiate GE foods that have known health problems from non-GE foods.







This petition challenges FDA’s claim that GE foods are “substantially equivalent” to non-GE foods and that they therefore do not need to be labeled. According to the petition, non-GE foods that are not labeled as such are in fact misbranded—which FDA must, by law, take seriously.







When FDA first stated this “substantial equivalence” policy in 1992, 98% of the public comment opposed it. Despite the fact the FDA has received strong pushback against their stance, FDA has never bothered to address any concerns, nor has the agency ever completed or released any information assessing the human health or environmental effects of genetically modified organisms.







On February 6, a
Dear Colleague Letter supporting the Citizen Petition was sent by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR .
Please contact your senators and representative today and
ask them to sign the Dear Colleague letter!











Take Action!







Please note that because members of US Congress only accepts messages from residents of the districts they represent, this alert is restricted to US residents.




California GMO Ballot Initiative


In October we reported on
a California ballot initiative to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. Labeling is a big deal. You may remember the devastating quote from a Monsanto employee: “If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.” Of course,
we
would say that’s a good thing!







ANH-USA has partnered with the campaign, and we’re doing our all we can to support the efforts. The campaign needs 500,000 valid signatures. Signature collection officially starts on Feb 18, but the campaign is signing up volunteers for signature collection trainings right now. Please go to the
LabelGMOs.org events page, sign up, and make a change.







You can also visit the
Organic Consumers Fund to learn more.


State Bills on GMOs


In addition to California’s ballot initiative, there have been bills in a number of states requiring the labeling of GE foods.







Hawaii:









  • HB2746, Relating to the Labeling of Genetically Engineered.





  • HB216, Relating to Food Labeling.





  • HB2034, Relating to Food Labeling





  • SB2443, Relating to Food Labeling; Genetically Engineered





  • SB2891, Relating to Food Labeling









Hawaii Residents Action Alert





New York:







Four bills introduced in 2011
still need your help.







Vermont:








HB722, An Act Relating to the Labeling of Food Produced with Genetic Engineering









Vermont Residents Action Alert




Washington:








HB2637 and
SB6298 would require labeling of GE foods. Both bills have broad grassroots and bipartisan support.








Washington Residents Action Alert

 




 

We’d love to hear your comments about this article—just add your thoughts below—but remember that the messages below are only seen by ANH-USA readers, not members of Congress or the President. Click the button above to send your message to the Congress and the President!

Please note that because members of US Congress only accepts messages from residents of the districts they represent, this alert is restricted to US residents.

Editors
Deborah A. Ray, MT (ASCP
Craig R. Smith


The Pulse of Natural Health. Thisnewsletter is copyrighted material (© 2012 by Alliance for Natural Health USA but we hope you will forward, copy, or reprint it without prior authorization.Just remember to note the source and date, and please link to original contenton the ANH-USA website.

The information in The Pulse of Natural Health is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Readers are advised to consult a qualified professional about any issue regarding their health and well-being.

 

 

 

 

 



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Deborah Ray

 

ANH-USA Vice President Deborah Ray has been bringing quality health information to radio listeners since 1982 and has been consistently named among the top 100 most important talk radio hosts in America by
Talkers Magazine
.
Visit her blog on the ANH-USA website.

 

 

 




 




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2012







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15.02.2012 3:00:00

Belk, Inc., has announced a $1 million gift over five years to establish a boutique in the new
Duke Cancer Center that will provide fashions, cosmetics and other items selected for the specific needs of cancer patients.

The donation for The Belk Boutique at Duke advances a long-standing commitment to breast cancer awareness by the Charlotte-based department store chain, and partners Belk with one of the nation's leading cancer centers to provide a one-of-a-kind experience to patients and families.

"We are extremely grateful to Belk for this generous gift to the Duke Cancer Center," said
Victor Dzau, MD, president and chief executive officer of Duke University Health System. "As we have worked to build a model cancer center with patients at the forefront of our mission, The Belk Boutique is the perfect addition to give patients everything from clinical care to personal care."

In announcing the donation, Bill Roberts, chairman of Belk's Northern Division, said Belk is deeply committed to the fight against cancer.

"Supporting Duke, one of the foremost cancer research and care institutions in the country, is the perfect opportunity for us to deepen our existing commitment to breast cancer," Roberts said. "We hope The Belk Boutique at Duke Cancer Center will give patients the power to look and feel their best during their fight against cancer."

The Belk Boutique is located on the ground floor of the new, 267,000-square-foot Cancer Center, which will open to patients on Feb. 27.

A spacious, elegant storefront, the boutique will offer a place where cancer patients can find grooming tips and advice, plus products such as wigs, hats, turbans and scarves that will enhance their self-image during cancer treatment.

In addition, The Belk Boutique will have two private vanity stations, including fitting rooms for prosthetic devices staffed by a professional prosthetic fitter. The private rooms may also be used for massage, acupuncture and other alternative therapies.

The Belk Boutique will continue and build upon a Duke program to loan personal care items that was started more than 15 years ago by the
Duke Cancer Patient Support program.

"The Belk Boutique expands on a wonderful tradition at Duke to provide healing on all levels," said Michael Kastan, MD, PhD, executive director of the Duke Cancer Institute. "With the generosity of the Belk gift, patients and their families will have a unique resource at the Belk Boutique that will complement the outstanding clinical care provided in the new building."

About Belk, Inc.

Belk, Inc. is the nation's largest privately owned mainline department store company with more than 300 fashion department stores in 16 contiguous Southern states and sales totaling $3.5 billion in its past fiscal year.

Belk is committed to the ongoing effort to cure breast cancer, supporting and donating to breast cancer awareness and research efforts in the communities it serves.

About the Duke Cancer Center

A premier clinical facility for patient-focused, research-driven cancer care, the new Duke Cancer Center building is designed to transform the treatment experience for patients with cancer and their loved ones.

The seven-story building will feature three floors of clinical services, with additional space for research and education. With its ability to focus on the full constellation of patient needs, the new Duke Cancer Center will streamline and coordinate patient access to information about participation in the Duke Cancer Institute's cutting-edge clinical trials, optimizing the advantages of cancer care at Duke.




14.02.2012 18:06:38

14-Feb-2012

V. NarayanaMurthi

CHENNAI : India has 19 per cent of the world’s children and around 480 million of the country’s population is below 18 years of age. However, it is yet to formulate a mental health policy for children. The prevalence of various psychiatric disorders (behavioural, emotional, and developmental has ranged from 8 to 12.5 per cent throughout. Among them, as much as 90 per cent of the children do not have access to mental health management.

Dr Paul Russell pointed out that there was big lacuna on the part of the Central government which has introduced as many as 18 national health programmes focusing on the physical health of children, but none on mental health needs. Formulation of a well-defined, long-term mental health policy for children is need of the hour.

http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/Mental-health-policy-for-children-needed/363191.html

14-Feb-2012

Mental health issues among kids up

“It was a disaster waiting to happen,” said Dr Paul Russell, professor of Child Psychiatry attached to the Christian Medical College (CMC in Vellore, referring to the recent incident in Chennai in which school teacher Uma Maheswari was stabbed to death by her student on the school premises. “It is just the tip of the iceberg; urgent measures need to be taken to ensure the mental well-being of children,” he warned. Quoting studies in India, he said around 25 per cent of school children suffer from mental health issues.

Russell, who has practiced child psychiatry at CMC since 1991, is presently authoring two books on mental health issues among children and adolescents. He noted that early intervention can save children from turning violent and unstable, and in turn, becoming a burden to families and society. “There is a huge need for resources, infrastructure and manpower to tackle the situation, as the ratio of expert help available in the country is only 0.03 for a population of one lakh individuals as against the ideal 2 per 60,000 recommended by WHO,” said Russell. He added that there were only 15 qualified specialists in child psychiatry in the whole country. While four of these specialists practice at CMC, the others work at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS , Bangalore, Zion Hospitals in Mumbai and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chandigarh.

Studies indicate that a majority of children develop psychological problems due to family circumstances, the educational system and the school environment, which are currently in volatile states. This causes children to suffer from problems of psychosis, mood swings, anxiety disorders, autism, intellectual disability and other development and emotional disorders. However, it is important to identify children with such issues early. Parents, fearing social stigma, complicate the situation by hesitating to seek help for their children. 

“This, coupled with the lack of government attention on the issue cause bottlenecks,” admits Russell.  “Since over 40 per cent of the country’s population is below the age of 19, managing the mental health needs of such a huge population is going to be a huge task,” he warned. While one way is to produce more experts which is time consuming and expensive, an alternative is to train teachers who can play a vital role in identifying disorders among children.Instead of using corporal punishment, teachers, who sometimes spend more time with children than parents, need to learn positive behavioural correction techniques to handle problem-children.

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16.02.2012 10:03:45
Recent revelations on the privatised health and elderly care sectors in Sweden make for an excellent example of the worst excesses that the profit-motive can lead to in formerly state-run sectors.

To outsiders, Sweden is known as a model economy; home to successful export-orientated companies and haven of social peace and justice. Yet, recent revelations around grievances in the privatised health and elderly care sectors make of Sweden mainly an excellent example of the worst excesses that the profit-motive can lead to in formerly state-run sectors.

Over the past two or three decades Sweden has indeed had the doubtful privilege of being quoted by the ultra-conservative US Heritage Foundation as an example for pension reform and the country has privatised large parts of the social services sector including primary education. Certainly one of the most extreme examples of market-optimism and anti-statism comes from the Stockholm County Council. Between 1998 and 2002, when a centre-right alliance controlled the county, public property for SEK 30bn has been sold off in the region of Stockholm and 25% of the social services have been outsourced to private providers. Deregulation and privatisation have particularly touched the health system including care for the elderly. By 2008 all of Stockholm’s major hospitals had become public limited companies (plc and 100% of Stockholm county’s wards were in private hands. The outcome of this situation provides an impressive and depressing summary of everything that critics of neoliberalism think is wrong with private provision of public services.

Shortly after the first wards in Stockholm were sold to private providers it became clear that the privatisation did not have the promised effect of brining down costs for the county council. Rather than decreasing, the costs of health services rose by as much as 12% in one year, leaving the council with a deficit of SEK 2.4bn by 2004, while the now private wards made handsome profits. Even more disturbingly: the shareholders of the now incorporated wards – in many cases the formerly council-employed GPs – paid themselves dividends amounting to as much as a million SEK per year (Dagens Nyheter March 3, 2007 . The source of these profits in the health service sector were tax payers’ money because the County Council continues to pay the health bills of its citizens. Former county council employees became thus entrepreneurs and tax-made millionaires within a couple of years after privatisation.

Soon, critical voices started to make themselves heard. The Council was accused of selling off the wards basically at the inventory price – not including any goodwill as would be the case in a takeover of a business by another. The Council justified this sellout of state property as a subsidy to start-up companies, which the new private wards were considered to be.

Yet, by 2007, the Stockholm County Council saw a need for action in face of increasing costs. The problem was quickly diagnosed, a solution found and the stage set for the second act of this Nordic drama: The raising costs were explained not by the increasing profits that went into private pockets, but by a lack of competition. There were simply not enough private providers on the ‘market’ and competition was not fierce enough. The Stockholm County Council elaborated hence a new programme called “Ward Choice Stockholm”. In a strive to bring down costs, Ward Choice Stockholm – that entered into force on January 1, 2008 – aimed at stimulating competition between health care providers, by cutting subsidies and making payment of services dependent on some simple metrics. The new metric that would determine how much the Council paid health care providers was the number of patients that they treated in a given period of time. Higher payments for socio-economic underprivileged areas – where language problems and other problems related to poverty make treatments more difficult and hence time consuming – were scrapped. This put pressure on health care providers to lower costs as best they could. Among the measures used by the private providers to attract new ‘customers’ were longer opening hours (evening opening , a free health check-up on registration (worth SEK 200 and freebees for new ‘clients’.

As so often, free competition between private providers did not lead to innovative solutions – other than freebees on registration – but greatly favoured the economically and politically powerful over other market participants.

Thus, in an open letter published in the Dagens Nyheter (DN – close to the liberal Folkpartiet – five GPs accused Filippa Reinfeldt – then Stockholm’s conservative County Commissioner of Health Services and wife of Sweden’s PM, Fredrik Reinfeldt – of favouring major players in the industry by attending their opening ceremony of a new ward (DN 21 October 2008 . The health care provider in question was Carema Care one of the four largest – and stock market listed – health care providers in Sweden.

Yet, from the Council’s perspective the increased competition soon started to bear fruits: in 2008 a private drug abuse clinic – Maria Beroendecentrum – lost a bid for renewal of its contract with Stockholm’s County Council to Carema Care. During Maria Beroendecentrum’s appeal over the regional Parliament’s decision to favour Carema’s bid, Folkparti county counsellor Birgitta Rydberg explained that the council was actually happy with how Maria Beroendecentrum had run the facility, but that Carema Care had promised to run the same facility for SEK 35m less (DN November 8, 2011 . This is a striking example that oftentimes competitive markets do not create a level playing field for perfect competition among equal participants, but that political influence or economic power (size help a lot in order to have an even leveller playing field for oneself.

To be sure one could argue that Carema Care, as a very large provider of health care services, simply was able to run said ward more efficiently due to economies of scale. A powerful argument indeed. Yet, over the past months it has increasingly become apparent that the reason for Carema Care’s competitive pricing may have a wholly different source than economies of scale: Since early October 2011, Dagens Nyheter run a series of articles about alleged shortcomings in the caring standards at two of Carema Care’s nursing homes in Stockholm. DN had been granted access to reports from nurses in different elderly care homes run by Carema Care complaining about working conditions and the standard of the facilities. The complaints concerned mainly cost cutting in terms of not replacing staff, cutting the budget to buy such basic necessities as toilet paper, soap and incontinence pads. The company had also ‘made redundant’ cleaning staff at one home, asking caring staff to do the cleaning themselves. The only exception being the day before announced inspections when a professional cleaning service provider would be brought in.

The reports on caring standards at Carema Care have grown worse by the day ever since: from rather harmless cost-saving schemes such as the introduction of a sensor in patient’s incontinence pads that allowed it to reduce the number of incontinence pads used by measuring the degree of dampness of the diaper [sic!], to cases where a patient had to sleep on the floor for several weeks because her bed was broken and could not be replaced, to truly horrific cases where the ward personal was aware of continuous sexual assaults on one elderly patient by another patient, but did nothing to prevent these assaults over a number of months!

Carema cannot fundamentally reject most of these claims. In a first reaction to the story about an elderly women sleeping on the floor, Kerstin Stalskog the company’s responsible for elderly care – in a statement full of (unintended irony – declared that there was no lack of beds in the concerned home, but that the ‘customer’ [sic!] had chosen to sleep on the floor (DN November 3, 2011 . (It remains an open question whether that is the sort of choice that free-marketers had in mind when they introduced ‘Ward Choice Stockholm’.

Carema Care has since created a weblog in order to address the numerous issues raised against it. The company now denies that a patient had to sleep on the floor and points out that the company had known about many of the grievances revealed by DN and it had started to take measures to improve the situation. Yet, a documentary on a public TV channel about the company, further added to the list of grievances. Revealing notably that a secret bonus programme was in place, which incentivised the managers of Carema’s homes to compete with other divisions in bringing down costs. (Carema has since announced that the bonus programme in its ‘elderly care’ division would be put on hold and a new system will be adopted based on quality indicators rather than costs .

The reason why these grievances went unnoticed for so long, has to do for one with the fact that Carema Care had a reputation among its employees of doing anything to keep staff in line. In at least two cases, it sued former employees for break of professional secrecy. Moreover, the public authorities contributed their bit to hush up any complaints from Carema’s employees or inspecting nurses did they dare speak up. Dangens Nyether reported that at least in one case a report by an inspector was altered in order to embellish the situation described. Entire paragraphs had been cancelled and others had been rewritten.

Why should the British public care about this tale from the North? Beyond, the obvious lessons to be drawn from the Swedish horror stories in the context of the current debates about the Health and Social Care Bill, the UK play a direct role in the changes in Swedish welfare services. Indeed, Ambea – the holding company that owns Carema Care – was owned between 2005 and 2010 by the London-based private equity and venture capital fund 3i. The fund bought the holding in 2005 for SEK 1.85bn and resold it in 2010 for approximately SEK 8bn to Triton – an investment fund owned by several Swedish citizens – and KKR – the famous US private equity firm.  When the company was taken over, KKR and Triton also extended large loans to the company and loaded it with external debt. Overall, Carema Care has debt to service amounting to SEK 8bn, approximately half of which stems from the two private equity firms that own Ambea. What is more, the loans from KKR and Triton were made at an interest rate of 12% - well above the current market rates for such a loan. This device allowed the owners to create artificial tax deduction, because any profits Carema Care would make were wiped out by interest payments. This allowed the owners to channel Carema Care’s profits around the Swedish tax authorities, because the interest payments were booked as ‘capital income’ in an off-shore tax haven rather than declared as taxable profits from a productive activity. After it has become clear over the last weeks that most major private health care providers pay literally no income tax in Sweden, the centre-right government has promised a tax reform for 2013, making this sort of internal loans at above-market rates illegal.

The Carema Care scandal illustrates in impressive fashion the discrepancy between what market-believers promise when they initiate privatisations and deregulation policies and what the actual reality of competition is. To be sure, for 3i’s, Triton’s and KKR’s investors the deal was by a very far shot worth the while…but the belief in efficient markets and that individual actors’ selfish and profit-seeking behaviour in a market place will ultimately lead to optimal outcomes for societies as a whole seem laughable at best and dangerously cynical at worst in face of the transformation of healthcare in Sweden. The Carema case – which also touches other major healthcare providers such as Attendo – shows once again that privatisations are mainly about transferring public money to private individuals.

Country or region: 
Sweden
Topics: 
Economics



16.02.2012 5:01:13
Elizabeth O'Shea

This week, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal finished hearing submissions from Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA and others opposing a planned new coal-fuelled power plant for the Latrobe Valley.

The plant will be powered by a combination of brown coal and natural gas, known as 'syngas', with an estimated lifespan of 30 years. The application seeks to challenge the approval for a 300MW plant given by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA .

Syngas has been promoted as a modern form of energy production, which supposedly poses less of a threat to the environment and public health compared to traditional coal-based power production. DEA intends to argue that the reality is this technology has similar adverse health implications locally and globally to all coal-based power generation.

When assessing the environmental impacts of a project it may be required to approve, the EPA is legally obliged to apply the precautionary principle and the principle of intergenerational equity. Both principles are set out under the Environmental Protection Act 1970. The precautionary principle means essentially that if a project threatens serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of full scientific certainty about this threat should not prevent steps being taken to prevent environmental degradation. The concept of intergenerational equity requires that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations.

The adverse health and climate effects of burning coal for power are well documented. When coal is burnt for power, as it will be in the syngas plant, substances are released into the environment, including sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and particulate pollution. These contribute to chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory disease and premature death. Particulate pollution is a mix of solid and liquid particles suspended in air that can be inhaled deep into the lungs. It causes inflammation and damage which can worsen asthma and decrease lung function. The most vulnerable in our community are the very young, the old and those with chronic medical conditions. Currently, there are considered to be no known 'safe' levels of particulates according to the World Health Organisation.

Coal combustion also releases toxic trace elements, including mercury. Once released, mercury deposits in soil and waterways and accumulates up the food chain, particularly in fish. Mercury is known to affect the human nervous system and exposure during pregnancy is concerning because it may harm the development of the unborn child's brain. This is one reason why pregnant women receive advice to restrict their intake of certain fish.

The worrying potential adverse health effects of coal-fuelled power plants such as the proposed syngas plant suggest that the precautionary principle has not been applied by the EPA.

The coal industry also contributes disproportionately to global climate change. This in turn threatens the health of all Australians. According to the WHO, climate change is one of the greatest threats to public health. It will affect some of the most fundamental pre-requisites for good health: clean air and water, sufficient food, adequate shelter and freedom from disease.

Changes to our weather patterns will subject Australians to more severe heat waves, droughts, fires, floods and storms, which we are particularly familiar with in Victoria. Such events further strain our health and health services. We are already seeing some changes consistent with climate predictions. In the Victorian heat wave of January 2009, there were 374 excess deaths in the days leading up to Black Saturday.

The effects of climate change will be felt for generations to come, potentially robbing our children and their children of healthy, stable, productive environments. Their right to intergenerational equity is not being respected.

Coal continues to be promoted as a cheap way to produce vital energy in economically tight times. But when the health and environmental externalities of coal combustion are considered, it is perhaps the most expensive energy source. A recent study from the Harvard Medical School estimated that the full life cycle adverse effects of coal are costing the US public a third to a half of a trillion dollars annually (over $US1,000 per year for every American . Taking the conservative estimates from this Harvard study effectively doubles to triples the price of electricity from coal for Americans.

The hidden cost of the coal industry highlights the need for comprehensive life cycle costing for both present and future energy projects. Currently, the proposed syngas plant has not been subjected to this kind of modelling. The proposed syngas plant will be built thanks to $50 million in taxpayer's funds from the Victorian Government and possibly another $100 million from the Federal Government. Yet the time has passed for us to be spending money on a coal-fuelled power plant when there are alternatives for power generation that will have significantly less impact on human health now and into the future. The people of Latrobe Valley deserve better.

Australia no longer mines and processes asbestos due to the known health risks, while other countries do. It is well documented that decreasing our reliance on coal and the subsequent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions will improve human health and save public health costs. It is time our policy makers put these models into practice and aimed towards a safe future climate, for all of us.

Elizabeth O'Shea is responsible for Maurice Blackburn's Social Justice practice working on cases which address issues of community concern and further the public good. View her full profile
here.




16.02.2012 0:17:48
Simon Tatz

Why does it cost almost $2,000 to achieve happier, more joyous lives?

I refer here to the registration fees for the Happiness and its Causes conference at the Sydney Town Hall in March this year.

Shouldn't the pathway to happiness and contentment be open to all, especially those on low incomes, the unemployed, the homeless, people with physical disabilities and those left untreated and unhappy because of our struggling mental health system?

The Happiness conference is proclaimed as "the world's leading conference examining the varied causes of a happy and meaningful life."

Keynote speakers include "world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Sogyal Rinpoche; founder of positive psychology Dr Martin Seligman; acclaimed ethicist, philosopher and author, Peter Singer; pioneering researcher into successful ageing Ellen Langer; playwright and National Living Treasure, David Williamson; ground-breaking journalist, Ita Buttrose; best-selling author Peter FitzSimons; mother and media personality, Jessica Rowe; the world's leading Feng Shui practitioner, Lillian Too; interfaith minister Stephanie Dowrick, comedian Ahn Do and two of Australia's most popular broadcasters Angela Catterns and Wendy Harmer."

The topics look promising, if not rapturous:

  • Happiness – In Your Hands
  • Happiness & A Meaningful Life
  • The Upside of Down
  • Happiness, Meaning & Work
  • Flourishing: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness & Well-Being
  • Happiness, Love & Children

The workshops will no doubt be very useful for the vulnerable at risk in Australia who would greatly benefit from attending such seminars as:

  • The 16 Guidelines for Life
  • Living In Harmony – Starting With Ourselves
  • Mindful Living for Health and Happiness
  • Ten Keys to Happier Living

All seem very impressive – and the Buddhist teacher I'm sure will be inspiring and inspirational.  No doubt there are many who want to know if felicity and harmony are just a thought away and how we can create a more blissful world.

Conferences cost a lot to stage but at $1,855 for the two-day 'gold pass', this is a bit much for those on welfare, or the many struggling to pay for basic goods and services or obtain access to a proper health service. It's a bit much for carers who can't access respite services so they can find out how to be happy while providing 24-hour, seven-day-a-week care to someone with complex health problems.

The poor, welfare recipients and the disabled can always skip the Happiness and its Causes Conference and settle instead for the Happiness & Its Causes 2011 DVD set at just $150. Last year's causes for happiness may still be valid.

This annual conference is widely endorsed by many fine organisations and questioning its worth will produce a chorus of criticism.  Those attending will insist that they come away with a wealth of knowledge and insights to be shared with colleagues and, hopefully, the people they treat or represent.

Yet having attended my share of health-related conferences, I am always left wondering why the very people they are aimed at hardly ever attend?

I haven't been to a Happiness conference, as working for a non-profit organisation means money is tight. When you factor in airfares, accommodation and transport, it can cost about $2,500 for a two-day event, a sum not unusual for conferences in the health sector.

I am, of course, guilty of attending the conference 'merry-go-round', where one often sees the same people giving the same presentations to the same audiences.  We fly to nice locations, stay in up-market hotels, enjoy the conference dinners and gatherings, collect a designer showbag of papers, maps, flyers and really cheap pens, and go home thinking we have made a serious contribution to society's betterment.

Conferences like Happiness and its Causes are worthwhile and informative and are mostly a good for those who attend. But these happenings are almost always staged way beyond the means of those who would arguably most benefit from some educational information or spiritual or emotional guidance.  

Inequality is one of the main causes of unhappiness, and there is certainly an inequality in terms of who can afford conferences like this.

Workshops would arguably benefit from the homeless, the dependents and those other 'outsiders' who could bring different and perspectives and lived experience to bear.

People with mental or physical health problems are not necessarily 'unhappy'.  But the notion that there is an answer to unhappiness suggests that the cheerless and joyless need only attend a conference like this and they will find either betterment or a sense of rapture.

Despite the realities of shortfalls in mental healthcare funding, the lack of health services in regional and remote Australia and the ongoing workforce shortages in community managed care services, happiness is just $2,000 and two days conferencing away.

If there is a science of 'happiness' and its mysteries can be unlocked, shouldn't this boon be provided for free, or at least not at a cost beyond the means of most Australians who fall into the 'unhappy' category?

For some in mental health, however, there is support available so that mental health consumers and carers can attend conferences. The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA , with funding from the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA , runs the Mental Health Conference Funding program. This ensures that every conference funded has a reasonable participation of mental health consumers and/or carers.

This isn't simply a plug for DoHA and the MHCA; rather, I cite this as an example of a program that ensures that the consumers and carers are as much a part of the organisation whole as those who administer the services.  Surely that principle should be the norm?

I genuinely hope that the Happiness and its Causes conference goes well. It is being run with the best of intentions. But I wonder how Aboriginal people living under the intervention feel about paying $2,000 to find out that "happiness is in your hands"?  I wonder if the thousands of Australian families affected by suicide wouldn't appreciate a seat at the table of good cheer?

Simon Tatz is the Director of Communications at the Mental Health Council of Australia. These views are entirely his own. View his full profile
here.




15.02.2012 5:46:43



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February 14, 2012

FDA Isn’t Listening—Time to Turn Up the Heat!
A champion of supplements in the House sends a warning to FDA. Persuade others in Congress to join him with our Action Alert!

FDA Isn’t Listening—Time to Turn Up the Heat!

February 14, 2012


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A champion of supplements in the House sends a warning to FDA. Persuade others in Congress to join him with our

Action Alert!

As we reported last week, FDA has flatly refused to listen to the Senate, rejecting the call of Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA and Orrin Hatch (R-UT to withdraw its disastrous New Dietary Ingredient draft guidance and start over. You may recall that Harkin and Hatch are the original drafters of DSHEA, the law that requires supplement manufacturers to submit notifications whenever an NDI is introduced into the marketplace. FDA’s job was to articulate how those notifications are to be submitted, but
they ignored the original intent of Congress and created a de facto approval system for any supplement or ingredient created or changed over the past eighteen years.

Now Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT has composed a letter to FDA expressing regret over FDA’s dismissal of Senators Hatch and Harkin’s request and reiterating that Congress did not intend to give FDA pre-market review of new dietary ingredients, nor did it intend to permit the agency to treat dietary ingredients in the same manner as food additives.

The letter goes on to articulate the legal problems with FDA’s proposal, and strongly urges FDA to withdraw its guidance and instead design a fair and workable NDI notification system. It also requests that FDA refrain from taking any enforcement action that is based solely on positions articulated in the draft guidance that are not unequivocally grounded in the law.

Rep. Chaffetz’s letter to FDA ends with a warning that, in the unfortunate event that FDA does not withdraw this guidance as requested, legislation to clarify current statute will be considered. Let’s show FDA that the House means business—that there is support from Democrats and Republicans alike to withdraw the draft guidance altogether, so that consumers won’t lose access to thousands of supplements.







Please write to your congressional representative and ask that he or she sign onto Rep. Chaffetz’s letter to FDA.
Reiterate the serious concerns with NDI guidance—how it severely threatens access to thousands of supplements, even though supplements have a proven safety record (unlike FDA-approved drugs!







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14.02.2012 23:39:17
The federal government recovered almost $4.1 billion stolen in health care fraud schemes during fiscal year 2011, Obama administration officials announced Tuesday. The figure is up 58 percent from 2009.



16.02.2012 4:33:35
Although reports have been swirling regarding Chinese hackers
breaking into Nortel's computers for over ten years in order to steal trade secrets, I have been unable to confirm such a breach took place. I have tapped into a few high-level sources and they were unaware of anything like this happening - the internal
Nortel employees would almost certainly need to know if such an attack was taking place.

After all,
reports say that even Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski had a computer which was compromised.

One of the reasons Nortel went bankrupt had to do with Chinese competitors Huawei and ZTE undercutting Nortel on price for carrier wireless and other products. So it easy to understand why many would easily believe that Nortel had been hacked.

And hacks from China are not unusual - they have happened to numerous US companies and even government agencies.

But again, would you not let your company workers know if this was the case?

Siobhan Gorman has a
story in the Wall Street Journal on what happened at Nortel and it seems there is enough information to make you believe the hack was real. But still, I remain skeptical that the breach if it happened was on such a massive scale. I reached out to Siobhan in order to see if there are any public documents which would enlighten us. I will advise you if I hear of anything - please drop me a line if you know of anything as well.

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    NHS Choices
    14.02.2012 20:30:00

    Scientists are a step closer to harnessing a technique that “literally mends broken hearts”, according to the Daily Express. The newspaper says that the simple procedure “uses patients’ own cells to regrow muscle damaged by a heart attack”.

    This story is based on an early-stage trial that examined the safety of using stem cells to heal the scars and cardiac tissue damage experienced after a heart attack. In the study researchers recruited patients who had recently had a heart attack and took a sample of healthy tissue from their hearts. They then used the tissue to grow stem cells that could turn into any type of heart cell and injected them directly into the hearts of 17 patients. Next they assessed the safety of the treatment over 12 months and compared the results from these patients with those from eight patients who received standard care. The researchers determined that the approach was safe. They speculated that there may be some interesting clinical results, such as a reduction in scar tissue and an increase in new heart tissue. However, as this was a trial of the technique’s safety, the effectiveness of the process will need to be examined in further studies.

    This small, early-stage study identified a potential application of stem cells for the treatment of heart attacks, but a great deal of additional research is required to see whether or not this therapy will literally mend broken hearts.

     

    Where did the story come from?

    The study was carried out by researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, the EMMES Corporation and The Johns Hopkins University in the US. It was funded by the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Heart Stem Cell Center.

    The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet.

    Despite some contradictory reporting on the degree of scarring reduction, the research was covered appropriately by the media, with The Daily Telegraph, BBC, Daily Mail and Daily Express all reporting that this was an early-stage study designed to investigate the safety of the procedure. The Daily Telegraph also mentioned the need for further research to determine the long-term implications of the study.

     

    What kind of research was this?

    This was a small phase I clinical trial designed to assess the safety of using stem cells found within the heart as a treatment for repairing the damage experienced following a heart attack. Such small, early-stage studies are required to ensure that a procedure is safe and feasible before larger studies to assess the effectiveness of the treatment are started.

    Although stem cells can be obtained from a variety of sources, the stem cells used to treat this study’s participants were derived from their own bodies rather than embryos or foetal tissue. Treating a person using their own stem cells may provide an effective therapy as the cells are not at risk of being rejected. This study used a type of stem cell called a cardiac-derived cell (CDC , which is found in a layer on the surface of the heart. These particular stem cells can grow, or differentiate, into any type of cell found within the heart tissue.

     

    What did the research involve?

    Researchers recruited 31 patients who had had a heart attack within the previous 30 days, 25 of whom were included in the study’s final set of analyses. These patients were randomly allocated to receive either cardiac-derived cells (CDC or standard care.

    All of the patients had shown a reduction in a measure called the ‘left ventricular ejection fraction’ (LVEF . The left ventricle is one of four chambers of the heart, and is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body. LVEF is a measure of the amount of blood the left ventricle is able to pump in one heart contraction.

    The researchers took a sample of healthy heart tissue from the patients in the group allocated to receive CDC treatment. They used this tissue to grow CDCs, which were later injected directly back into the particular artery that had been involved in their heart attacks. This injection occurred between 1.5 and 3 months after the heart attack.

    Participants in both the CDC and the standard care group had been given a scan using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI at the start of the study, which provided an image of heart damage following their heart attack but before treatment. Researchers followed up the progress of the participants two weeks after the start of the study, then again at one, two, three, six and twelve months. The researchers assessed several safety measures at these follow-up points, including any instances of death immediately following the CDC injection, sudden or unexpected death, and a range of heart-related safety outcomes such as another heart attack, the development of new tumours of the heart and being admitted to hospital for heart failure.

    Although this was primarily a trial assessing safety, the researchers also collected data on a range of relevant clinical factors in order to form a preliminary idea of whether the treatment might prove effective or feasible. This included conducting additional MRIs at six and twelve months to determine the extent of heart damage, scarring and the amount of healthy heart tissue in the left ventricle.

    The researchers then compared the proportion of patients in each group who experienced any of the study’s predefined negative outcomes. They also compared the degree of heart scarring and the amount of healthy heart tissue between the two groups.

     

    What were the basic results?

    The researchers found that no patients in the CDC group experienced complications during the cell injection procedure or in the day after. The researchers further determined that:

    • At six and twelve months, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the proportion of patients who experienced a serious adverse event (CDC group: 24%, standard care group: 13%, p=1.00 .
    • There were no deaths in either group, and no patients were admitted to hospital for heart failure or for another heart attack. No patients were found to have developed heart tumours.

    When assessing preliminary effectiveness data, the researchers found that:

    • At baseline (the start of the study the average scar size (proportion of the left ventricle that was scarred was 24% in both groups.
    • The proportion of the left ventricle that was scarred did not significantly change in the standard care group between the start of the study and six months (difference in size: 0.3%, p=0.894 , but significantly decreased in the group given CDC treatment (difference in size: -7.7%, p
      <0.0001 .

    • At twelve months, patients treated with standard care still did not experience a significant difference in scar size from the start of the study (difference in size -2.2%, p=0.452 , while the CDC-treated group had a decrease in scar size of 12.3% (p=0.001 .

    • Similarly, at six months, the standard care group showed no significant difference in the amount of healthy left ventricle tissue (mass difference 0.9g, p=0.703 , but this significantly increased in the CDC group (mass difference 13.0g, p=0.001 . This pattern held at 12 months.

    • No patients in either group demonstrated significant changes in LVEF at six months.

     

    How did the researchers interpret the results?

    The researchers conclude that the results of this safety trial offer a preliminary indication that it may be possible to regenerate heart tissue that has been damaged during a heart attack. They say that the apparent ability of CDCs to reduce both the amount of scarring and to generate new heart tissue is promising, but requires further research.

     

    Conclusion

    This was a small, early-stage clinical trial that was designed to assess the safety and feasibility of using adult cardiac-derived stem cells to treat patients who have suffered a heart attack. While it has helped support the safety of the technique, it is too early to tell whether this will be a viable and effective treatment. The study should be seen as leading the way to larger trials of the technique, rather than directly supporting its use in an everyday medical setting.

    The study’s analysis looked at data from just those participants who successfully completed the trial according to the original criteria laid down by the researchers (25 of the 31 patients randomised . While this approach is commonly used to assess the safety of a treatment, it is not the best approach for assessing effectiveness. Further trials designed to determine the effectiveness of the technique will need to be larger and in their data analysis they will need to include all participants who started the trial, not just those who adhered to particular rules or procedures. Analysing all participants is of paramount importance during trials of effectiveness (which are typically larger than safety trials , as it allows researchers to assess factors such as whether patients will realistically be able to complete a treatment if it is given in a clinical setting.

    Based on this initial study, it is unclear how the CDCs might regenerate a heart damaged by a heart attack. Additionally, it is still not known whether such a ‘repaired’ heart will affect cardiac functioning in a significant manner. The researchers say that although there were reductions in scar size after CDC treatment, there was not significant improvement in cardiac function, as measured by LVEF. The reasons for this are unclear.

    While this study was a randomised controlled trial, its primary aim was to assess the safety of the procedure and it is too small to provide much indication of whether or not the therapy will work. Like a  similar safety trial published last year, the study indicates that treating patients who have recently had a heart attack with CDCs is safe, and research can move on to larger phase II trials. Phase II studies are designed to determine the effectiveness of a therapy in a highly controlled setting. Phase III trials are larger still, and are required to confirm the safety and effectiveness findings of the previous studies. It is only once a therapy or treatment has found significant results in each of these phases that it can move on to be used in wider patient populations. This process can take many years, and is by no means certain.

    Links To The Headlines

    Scarred hearts can be restored to health with stem cell treatment, say researchers. The Daily Telegraph, February 14 2012

    Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars. BBC News, February 14 2012

    How a heart's own stem cells could be used to heal it following a heart attack. Daily Mail, February 14 2012

    Grow your own muscle to mend damaged heart. Daily Express, February 14 2012

    Links To Science

    Makkar RR, Smith RR, Cheng K et al. Intracoronary cardiosphere-derived cells for heart regeneration after myocardial infarction (CADUCEUS : a prospective, randomised phase 1 trial. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, February 14 2012

    NHS Choices
    16.02.2012 13:19:00

    Children’s breakfast cereals are “so full of sugar they should be in the chocolate biscuit aisle of supermarkets,” the Daily Express has warned.

    Several newspapers have reported the findings of a survey into the nutritional content of popular UK breakfast cereals, with most papers focusing on the high sugar levels in children’s cereals.

    The survey comparing the nutritional content of 50 UK breakfast cereals included top selling brands and supermarkets’ own-brand equivalents. It found that overall, 32 out of the 50 were high in sugar, and that 12 out of the 14 cereals (86% aimed at children had excessive levels of added sugar. The survey also reported some good news: that most cereals have reduced their salt levels over the last few years.

    The survey also found inconsistent nutrition labelling and ‘per serving’ information with different serving sizes between brands, as well as a lack of traffic light labelling.

    The nutritional value of cereals, particularly those fortified with vitamins and minerals, means that they can still play a part in a health balanced diet. However, these findings should serve as a reminder to people who eat cereal to be careful with the amount of sugar, fat and salt they eat in all meals of the day.

     

    Why are sugary cereals in the news?

    The independent consumer watchdog Which? has published its latest analysis of the nutritional value of breakfast cereals. It last investigated cereals in 2009. For the latest survey, it compared the sugar, salt and fat content of 50 cereals, based on the manufacturers’ information.

    In order to compare different cereals across the board, Which? used the cereals’ nutritional value per 100g to compare cereals across the board, rather than the nutritional content of different portion sizes recommended by manufacturers. They included top selling branded cereals and supermarkets’ own-brand equivalents for the most popular ones (which were Kellogg’s Special K, Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Kellogg’s Cornflakes . They also compared the results against their previous investigation into cereals.

    Criteria for whether cereals are high, medium or low in fat, sugar or salt, is based on the traffic light labelling criteria, developed by the Food Standards Agency.

     

    What cereals had the most sugar according to the Which? report?

    The survey found that 32 out of 50 cereals were high in sugar. The official traffic light labelling system defines this as more than 12.5% sugar (12.5g per 100g . In only two of these cereals this was due to the fruit they contained, for the rest it was added sugar.

    Among cereals aimed at children, 12 out of 14 were high in sugar. Of the two that were not high in sugar, Rice Krispies had a medium level of sugar, while Weetabix was the only breakfast cereal that is specifically promoted to children to have a low level of sugar.

    The cereal highest in added sugar was Kellogg’s Frosties, which is 37% sugar. Own-brand chocolate rice cereals from several supermarkets came a close second at 36% sugar. These included:

    • Tesco Choco Snaps
    • Sainsbury’s Choco Rice Pops
    • Morrisons Choco Crackles
    • Lidl Crownfield Choco Rice
    • The Co-operative Choco Snaps
    • Asda Choco Snaps

    These were followed by:

    • Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
    • Kellogg’s Coco Pops
    • Honey Monster Sugar Puffs

    These all had 35% sugar.

    Several supermarket brands of honey nut cornflakes had 33.6% sugar. Even cereals marked as ‘healthy’ such as Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Flakes (22% and Special K (17% , were high in sugar. Alpen Original Muesli had 23.1% sugar, although this included sugar from fruit, while Dorset Cereals Simply Delicious Muesli had 16.8% sugar, though this was all from fruit.

     

    What about salt?

    Which? said that most cereals have seen big reductions in salt content since 2009, because manufacturers have reformulated their products to meet salt targets. Morrisons Honey Nut Cornflakes, Tesco Special Flakes and Kellogg’s Coco Pops have all seen significant cuts in salt levels.

    Only eight of the 50 cereals analysed did not meet the 2012 target of a maximum of 1.1g salt per 100g breakfast cereal. These were:

    • Asda Cornflakes
    • Lidl Cornflakes
    • Kellogg’s Cornflakes
    • Marks and Spencer Cornflakes
    • Tesco Cornflakes
    • Nestle Cheerios
    • Kellogg’s Special K
    • Rice Krispies

     

    Which cereals contained the most fat?

    The report did not summarise cereals’ fat content but most cereals were low in fat (3% or less fat, according to the traffic light system , though several contained medium levels of fat (between 3 and 20% . Those with the highest levels were:

    • Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Clusters (15%
    • Quaker Oat So Simple (8.5%
    • Dorset Simply Delicious Muesli (7.4%
    • Alpen Original Muesli (5.8%
    • Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes (5%

    Several other brands and own-brand equivalents contained between 3 and 5% fat.

     

    Which was the healthiest cereal?

    The report said that Nestle Shredded Wheat was the healthiest cereal with low levels of sugar, fat and salt. Quaker Oat So Simple Original and Weetabix were the only other cereals that were low in sugar. However, Quaker Oat So Simple contained medium fat levels (8.5g per 100g and Weetabix contained medium salt levels (0.65g per 100g .

     

    What else did the report find?

    The report also found that nutritional labelling in supermarkets is so often inconsistent. Eight of the 50 cereals investigated had no front-of-pack nutrition labelling and only 14 included traffic light labelling. Which? says that different serving sizes add to the confusion, as do claims about healthier aspects of some cereals (such as being low in fat when they were high in sugar.

     

    What does 'Which?' conclude?

    Which? suggests that cereal manufacturers should produce a wider range of healthier products and label nutritional content simply and clearly.

    Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “More action is needed by retailers and manufacturers to provide a wider choice of healthier cereals,” and he urged the Government to encourage cereal makers to take action over sugar levels and improve labelling.

     

    Should I be worried?

    Consumption of high levels of added sugar is associated with tooth decay and, similar to consumption of high levels of fat, increases the risk of being overweight or obese. There are also various associated health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Excess salt is also associated with increased risk of high blood pressure and associated cardiovascular problems.

    Furthermore, there is the likelihood that children will become used to the taste of high-sugar cereals and find healthier ones less palatable. It is important to look at the food labels when shopping and try to choose cereals and other food options that are lower in salt, sugar and saturated fats where possible. Adding fresh fruit to cereal can make it more appealing and also increase its nutritional value.

    Compared with a full English breakfast, the average cereal is still probably a better option, and indeed, most breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals. However, there are many other healthy breakfast options, such as scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with a glass of orange juice. For more ideas about better breakfasts, use the  Change4Life: healthy breakfasts ideas generator.

    Analysis by Bazian.

    Links To The Headlines

    Children's cereals so sugary 'they should be in a supermarket's biscuit aisle', says watchdog. Daily Mail, February 16 2012

    Cereals in sugar alert. The Daily Telegraph, February 16 2012

    Children's sugary cereals 'bad as chocolate biscuits'. Daily Express, February 16 2012

     

    15.02.2012 0:00:21
    Roughly 20% of the antibiotic prescriptions written in the United States for adults each year are for sinus infections. That's an impressive statistic, given that doctors and public health officials have long doubted that antibiotics can successfully treat the condition.
    16.02.2012 22:27:11

    It hasn't been the greatest week, health wise. My baby (he's 3 now, but he's still my baby had a double ear infection and we were up with him for 2 nights in a row, then a fever/cough for the night after that which means I skipped 3 days of exercise because I didnit get up early in the morning and I didn't make myself go in the evening. I also had the "my body wants something, I don't know what it is", so I'm just going to eat.i Ever have that? I know I was tired, and I could have used a good nap instead of chocolate animal crackers and stale tortilla chips (with cheese , which were totally NOT worth the calories, but. they were there.

     

    But this is life! And, I've got to deal, because circumstances will never be perfect for eating right or exercising. I picked myself up this morning and met Jillian downstairs and it felt SO good. It always does. When it's over, that is. That you DID it even when you really, really didn't want to. And let's be honestO.who ever does? So, I'm going to get back on the wagon.

    This week, since I wasnit so motivational, I really want to share some inspiration from real women in my life. I love talking to people and hearing their stories and what worked for them. And by hearing them or reading them, they help me discover things that might click for me.

    And do you know what? Not one is exactly the same, but they are all similar in one way: they decided it was time to change and they WORKED for it. None of them said it was easy.

    ready for change

    * My sister-in law, Maryn, (32 years old decided it was time for a new beginning when they moved to a new city. She lost 20 pounds by following Body for Life, exercising 6 days a week, weight lifting, watching protein/carb ration, and drinking lots of water. She's kept it off! Favorite snacks: chocolate mint protein shakes, clif bars, granny smith apples with peanut butter.

    You can read more about her journey on her blog.

    maryn pics

    * My mom (59 yrs old has lost 21 pounds over the past 5 years by joining Curves, walking, eating smaller portions, and listening more to her body.  Favorite snacks: special k light chips with jalapeno yogurt dip from Costco, 1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese mixed together with a little fruit cup, sesame rice crackers with laughing cow light cheese, light pudding cups,  slice 1/2 of banana and mix it with 2 Tbs. lite chocolate syrup some fat free cool whip.

    my mom (in the middle with my sil and sister {below}

    mom 1

    * My friend, Cari (below, 28 yrs old lost 57 pounds last year!! She cut calories, drank almost a gallon of water per day, and bought a treadmill. She slowly started walking for 30 minutes, and worked up to running over an hour. She didn't tell anyone in her family and they didn't even recognize her at the airport when she came to visit! Favorite snack: strawberries with a handful of spanish peanuts or a sugar free chocolate jello for a treat.

    cari pics

    *my mother-in-law, Danielle, (60 yrs lost had great success with weight watchers and using a 1/4 carbs, 1/4 protein, and 1/2 vegetables ratio on her plate. She had a knee surgery, so she really worked on her eating since she couldn't exercise vigorously. She lost almost 20 pounds over the past couple of years and tries to avoid white bread/rice/pasta and focuses on whole grains. She also makes the most amazing chocolate cheesecake, but I watch her and she just has a small slice and she's satisfied with that. Favorite snacks: nuts, sugar free protein bars, fruit, greek yogurt.

    my mother in law, Danielle

    danielle 1

    Some more encouraging stories:

    Amanda @ Kevin & Amanda

    Jennifer Hudson on Oprah!

    Shelley @ House of Smithis

    Melissa @ Melissa's Heart and Home

    Aren't they inspiring? I hope they have encouraged you like they do me. Will you tell me what iclickedi for you in the comments? What keeps you going when your workout shoes and leftover chocolate cake are sitting there?

    BlogHer's Inspiration to Fitness page is here~you can join us on the road to health anytime.

    PS! Have you left a comment for a chance to win Polar FT7 fitness watch?

    16.02.2012 18:02:35
    As parents struggle to encourage healthy behaviors, our sugar-filled, sedentary surroundings resist every step.
    2012-02-14 06:06:21
    Chronic exposure to air pollution, even at levels typically considered safe by federal regulations, increases the risk of stroke by 34 percent and may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, according to two separate studies published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. In one study, researchers studied more than 1,700 stroke patients in the Boston area over a 10-year period, and found exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM , generally from vehicle traffic, was associated with a significantly higher risk of ischemic strokes on days when the EPA's air quality index for PM was yellow instead of green. The researchers focused on tiny particles with a diameter of 2.5 millionths of a meter, less than 1/30th the width of a human hair, referred to as PM2.5. These particles come from a variety of sources, including power plants, factories, trucks and automobiles, and can travel deep into the lungs.  They have been associated in previous studies with increased numbers of hospital visits for cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks. "The link between increased stroke risk and these particulates can be observed within hours of exposure and are most strongly associated with pollution from local or transported traffic emissions," said the study’s senior author, Dr. Murray Mittleman, a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Any proposed changes in regulated pollution levels must consider the impact of lower levels on public health." "Considering that almost everyone is exposed to air pollution and is at risk for stroke, that's actually a pretty large effect," said lead author Gregory Wellenius, ScD, an Assistant Professor of Community Health at Brown University. The researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 1,700 patients who went to the hospital for treatment of confirmed strokes between 1999 and 2008. They matched the onset of stroke symptoms in each patient to hourly measurements of particulate air pollution taken at the nearby Harvard School of Public Health's environmental monitoring station. The researchers then abstracted data on the time of symptom onset and clinical characteristics to estimate the hour the stroke systems first occurred.   The team included only strokes confirmed by attending neurologists, and did not rely upon insurance billing codes, which can sometimes be vague. They compared this data with Harvard's hourly measurements of pollution within 13 miles of 90 percent of the stroke patients' homes to allow for close matching in time of exposure and stroke onset. "We think that this study is novel in that it has high-quality data on both air pollution exposure and stroke diagnosis," Wellenius said. The team was able to calculate that the peak risk to patients from air pollution exposure occurs 12-14 hours before a stroke. Such information may be useful to researchers who want to trace how PM2.5 might be working in the body to increase the likelihood of stroke. The researchers also found that black carbon and nitrogen dioxide, two pollutants associated with vehicle traffic, were closely linked with stroke risk, suggesting that pollution from cars and trucks may be particularly important. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States. An estimated 795,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke every year, resulting in more than 135,000 deaths and 829,000 hospital admissions. The researchers estimate that reducing PM2.5 pollution by about 20 percent could have prevented 6,100 of the 184,000 stroke hospitalizations in the northeastern U.S. in 2007. Although the researchers acknowledge their results need to be replicated in other cities, they note that Boston is considered to have relatively clean air. "The levels of PM2.5 in Boston are lower than those seen in many in other parts of the country, yet we still find that within these moderate levels the risk of stroke is higher on days with more particles in the air," Mittleman said. Meanwhile, a separate study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggests that chronic exposure to particulate air pollution may accelerate cognitive decline in older adults. The large, prospective study found that women who were exposed to higher levels of ambient particulate matter over the long term experienced more decline in their cognitive functioning over a four-year period. These associations were present at levels of PM exposure typical in many areas of the United States. The researchers concluded that higher levels of long-term exposure to both coarse PM (PM2.5-10 and fine PM (PM2.5 were associated with a significant acceleration of cognitive decline. The study is the first to examine changes in cognitive function over a period of time, and whether exposure to the size of particulate matter is important. Jennifer Weuve, MPH., ScD, assistant professor of the Rush Institute of Healthy Aging and the principal investigator of the study, and colleagues evaluated air pollution, both coarse and fine, in relation to cognitive decline in older women.  They used a study population from the Nurses' Health Study Cognitive Cohort, which included 19,409 U.S. women ages 70 to 81 over a 14-year period dating back to 1988. "Very is little known about the role of particulate matter exposure and its association with cognitive decline,” said Weuve. Exposure to particulate air pollution is known to be associated with cardiovascular risk, which may itself play a role in causing or accelerating cognitive decline, the researchers said. "Unlike other factors that may be involved in dementia such as diet and physical activity, air pollution is something we can intervene on as a society at large through policy, regulation and technology," said Weuve. "Therefore, if our findings are confirmed in other research, air pollution reduction is a potential means for reducing the future population burden of age-related cognitive decline, and eventually, dementia," she said. Both studies are published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. --- On the Net:
    15.02.2012 1:30:39
    Approach diet and fitness like you do dating, and you'll fall in love in no time.
    Figure Out What You Want
    Before you start dating, you have to think about what you’re looking for in a relationship: Someone to grow old with? A date to your cousin’s wedding? Just a fling? Once you figure that out, you can decide whether you should join an online dating site or just hit up the local bar at last call. In the same way, you should figure out what you want from a health and fitness plan.

    Do you want to get in shape and stay in shape for the next 10 years? Lose 5 pounds by your cousin’s wedding in August? Lose 20 pounds by your high school reunion next weekend? (We don’t recommend that last one. Once you know what you want, it’s easier to figure out the best way to get it.

    Do your research
    Let’s be honest: It’s 2012. Before you go on a date, you Google and Facebook the person you're meeting. It’s good to know what to expect going into a date and you may not want to waste your time with someone you know won’t work for you.

    Likewise, you should do your research before you start a new health and fitness plan. Read health and fitness magazines, check out books from the library, or follow reputable blogs. That way you don’t have to waste your time in the gym completing a plan that won’t get you the results you want. Only fools rush in, right?

    Get a wingwoman
    Most women don’t go to the club alone; they grab a couple friends before heading out on the town. That’s because when it comes to hitting on someone, it’s nice to have a wingwoman to help you out and make you look good. Similarly, a good wingwoman can make all the difference in your new healthy lifestyle. Taking a girlfriend with you to a Zumba class can boost your confidence, and having a gym buddy for early morning workouts is seriously motivating.

    If you don’t have a real-life gym buddy, don’t underestimate the power of online communities. Your perfect wingwoman might be someone you find on Twitter or in a weight-loss forum.

    Play the field
    Although some people do marry the first person they ever kiss, many of us enjoy our time playing the field. And just like you might need to date a bunch of people to figure out what you like—and don’t like—you might need to try several types of workouts before you find the one that really makes your heart race.
    Don't get caught up in type
    While it’s good to know what you’ve liked in the past, it’s important to keep an open mind. Maybe you didn’t think you liked dark-haired men (or spin classes , but then you meet one that just makes you fall hard. When it comes to working out, remember that a different instructor, a different time of day, or just a more positive outlook can make a big difference in the kind of results you get.
    Get used to heartbreak
    Falling in love usually comes with some rejection, but you take the good with the bad and don’t give up because of one horrible date. So why would you give up on a diet or exercise routine because of one doughnut binge or one missed run? With both dating and diet failures, it’s tempting to run straight for the pint of ice cream and sweats, but the most successful people in both cases are the ones who let go of their regrets and let themselves move on.

    Love is in the air, but whether you’re attached or single, you can definitely fall in love with your new healthy lifestyle.

    Ah, it's February: the month of love poems, flowers, and romance. In the process of going from a very happy-to-be-on-the-couch “before” to a can’t-get-enough-veggies “after,” I’ve found that falling in love with healthy living is very much like falling in love with a person. So rather than stress about all the mixed signals and cryptic text messages, shift your focus and apply all the rules of dating to your health and fitness goals. 

    15.02.2012 15:30:07
    As children are getting bigger, their clothing, furniture and other objects that support their weight are also expanding.
    16.02.2012 22:33:40
    Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT announced today that they have successfully completed the first trial of a drug-releasing microchip in humans.
    15.02.2012 15:38:45
    A brief uptick in traffic-related air pollution may be enough to increase a person's short-term risk of stroke, new research suggests.
    16.02.2012 22:55:47

    Almost two years ago, I wrote my first blog post. As soon as it went live, I thought, I have quite possibly just ruined my entire life.

    This was about a year after I went home sick from my job and then never went back. The whole experience still felt painfully raw. I was filled with shame for letting people down, for abandoning the career I’d worked so hard at. I didn’t know how to explain the fact that I was so completely burned out that it wasn’t a choice to stop working, it was a physical necessity. Like most professional women, I had always taken great pains to appear confident, together, in control, and I didn’t know where to begin with the truth. Instead I told people that I was “just really exhausted,” as if I needed a lot of sleep, not a year of medication and intense therapy.

    During that year, in between the meds and the therapy, I did a lot of writing and reading and thinking. It became increasingly important, for reasons I will explain, that I share what I was writing about with others.

    I thought about starting a blog, but realized all those people I worked with would probably find it. (Of course they would. They’re web consultants. They spend most of their time on the Internet . They would lose any remaining respect for me. Or maybe even get angry, thinking my experience somehow reflected negatively on them.

    And what about when I did start working again? What if potential new clients and coworkers read things I’d written and decided they didn’t want to work with me? I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to get freelance work when I needed it.

    By that time, I had realized that my nervous breakdown was not some isolated incident, or simply a flaw in my character. Trying to work full-time and raise three very young kids is terrifically hard for most people. The struggle to support a family and still have time to see them was the central angst of most of the women I knew.
    I also knew, by then, that it doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of countries where women are guaranteed paid parental leave (actually, make that all developed countries except for the U.S. , and generous sick pay. There are many places where people are not expected to work punishingly long hours, where it’s the norm to take a month vacation in the summer, and where part time work is more abundant and less frowned upon than it is here.

    But the biggest reason I decided to write about my experience is because I don’t think we can truly solve our problems until we understand them. What discussions of “work-life balance” usually leave out are the throbbing, chaotic, emotional realities of what life is like when you don’t have it.

    I launched my blog in March 2010 and held my breath.

    A few days later I got my first email from a former coworker. He thanked me for being so honest. He said that even though he didn’t have kids, he, too, was in an ongoing battle to keep work from kidnapping his life. Then I got a similar email from another former coworker. And then, one from a former client who told me he’d quit his job for the same reasons I had described.

    Flash forward two years …

    So far, 17 former coworkers or clients have contacted me through email, phone calls and blog comments to show their support for what I’m writing about. I can’t tell you how gratifying that is.

    And so far, (knock on wood! , I’ve had a steady stream of freelance work coming in, which in this economy is something to be grateful for. If anyone has decided they don’t want to work with me because of the things I write about, well, I’ve been too busy to notice.

    In fact, some of my more interesting job leads have come, not in spite of my blog, but because of it. One entrepreneur who runs a local agency practically stalked me with job offers after reading this Mother’s Day post. He, too, was struggling with how to keep work from swamping his life. Just the other day, I mentioned in a blog post that I was in between freelance contracts. Almost immediately, I got a Twitter message from someone I haven’t talked to in years. “I LOVE your blog!” she said. “I’m looking for freelancers. Interested?”

    Career “experts” would tell you to never be as frank as I’ve been. They’d advise you to transform your nervous breakdown into a ‘sabbatical,’ or perhaps an ‘ethnographic study of the behavioral health care system’ — anything to hide the fact that you were not in complete control of your life at all times. But I didn’t follow that advice, and here’s what I’ve learned instead: When you speak open-heartedly, when you are authentic about your own experience, when you are honest about what went wrong, a lot of people will like you and want to work with you , even more than if you pretend to be floating sublimely above the messiness of your life.

    I’ve worked at places that spent ridiculous sums on company retreats and internal “messaging campaigns” to get people to work together better. But imagine how workplace culture would be transformed if everyone decided to stop posturing, playing stupid turf wars, and desperately trying to look like flawless mannequins and instead inhabited their own humanity and the truth of their experience.

    Last week I got a call from a recruiter. I frequently get calls from recruiters, so this one struck me as unusual. Instead of launching straight into his project pitch, he said something about being a new dad.

    That’s odd , I thought, Recruiters never do that. But then he brought it up again a minute later.

    It dawned on me that he’d been reading my blog. Rather than scaring him away, he was eager to find a way to work together. Soon we were deep in conversation about the sacrifices you make to be home with your kids.

    You know what? That’s really cool. It’s really cool to be yourself in a job interview.

    This is my career advice:


    • Stop pretending to be bulletproof, invincible, and perfect.

    • Stop pretending your personal time doesn’t matter.

    • Know your limits, and be honest about them.

    • Inhabit your own humanity at work, warts and all.

    It will feel weird at first, but you will be giving permission for others to do the same. You might find that work becomes a healthier place to be.

    * * *

    Cross-posted from Working Moms Break and the Huffington Post

    * * *

    Find me here: Email | RSS | Facebook | Twitter

    career counselor

    Credit Image: JD Hancock via Flickr

    15.02.2012 21:12:16
    A counterfeit version of the anti-cancer drug Avastin may have been purchased and used in a number of medical facilities in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.
    2012-02-16 04:12:52
    [ Watch the Video ]Is weight loss “contagious”? According to a new study published online in the journal Obesity, teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other’s weight loss, suggesting that shedding pounds can have a ripple effect. Researchers from The Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight. “We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions,” said lead author Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. “In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support.” Obesity remains a common, serious and costly disease in the United States. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no state has met the nation’s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent. Obesity and its associated health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, continue to have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year. To promote cost-effective weight loss initiatives, online team-based weight loss interventions are increasing in popularity as a way to encourage weight loss in large groups of people. The current study is the first to examine the effects of teammates and social influence on individual weight loss during one of these weight loss competitions. The findings are based on the results of the 2009 Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI campaign, a 12-week statewide online weight loss competition designed by study co-author Rajiv Kumar, M.D. Participants joined with a team and could compete against other teams in three divisions: weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps. The weight loss competition included 3,330 overweight or obese individuals (BMI of 31.2 or greater , representing 987 teams averaging between 5 and 11 members each. The majority of these individuals enrolled in all three divisions. Weight loss outcomes were clearly determined by which team an individual was on. Participants who lost clinically significant amounts of weight (at least 5 percent of their initial body weight tended to be on the same teams, and being on a team with more teammates in the weight loss division was also associated with a greater weight loss. Individuals who reported higher levels of teammate social influence increased their odds of achieving a clinically significant weight loss by 20 percent. This effect was stronger than any other team characteristic, Leahey said. “This is the first study to show that in these team-based campaigns, who’s on your team really matters,” she added. “Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts.” However, Leahey noted that individual characteristics were also associated with weight outcomes. Obese individuals had a greater percentage of weight loss than overweight participants. Team captains also lost more weight than team members, possibly due to their increased motivation and engagement in the campaign. Leahey says that future weight loss team competitions may consider requiring team members to share the leadership role. “We’re all influenced by the people around us, so if we can harness this positive peer pressure and these positive social influences, we can create a social environment to help encourage additional weight loss,” she said. Leahey is a researcher with The Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior (research at Alpert Medical School. Additional co-authors of the study include Rena R. Wing, Ph.D., director of The Miriam Hospital’s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Alpert Medical School; and Brad M. Weinberg, M.D. and Rajiv Kumar, M.D. co-founders of ShapeUp, Inc. --- On the Net:
    16.02.2012 3:51:37
    Last Saturday, singer Whitney Houston died at the age of 48. The toxicology reports are yet to be completed, but it's reported her death was caused by a combination of prescription drugs and alcohol. Houston struggled for years with her addiction to both legal and illicit substances. Her tragic death brings the spotlight on addiction, and subsequently the war on drugs, into the public conversation in a visceral way. At the same time, the very definition of addiction and how it's perceived by the medical community receives a long overdue revision; addiction is a disease of the brain, not a moral failing or lack of willpower. Hopefully, global drug reform will also be formulated with that understanding in mind, rather than the punishment approach, which simply does not work -- not for those addicted, not for their loved ones, and certainly not for society. ~ jw

    How the Death of Whitney Houston, and Countless Others, Could Have Been Prevented

    My first reaction to the news of Houston’s death was to wonder if anyone ever taught her the basics of how-to-use-drugs-and-not-die. Essentially, we’re willing to let people die because we’re so fearful that teaching people how to use drugs in a less risky way “enables” them to keep using drugs. But shouldn’t we do whatever is necessary just to keep people alive? Alive long enough to help get them into drug treatment. Alive long enough to work through their troubles. Alive long enough to help them find some measure of peace in their lives.

    Read the full editorial at: AlterNet

    NPR's This American Life Takes On The Police

    Stories about people who have the right to remain silent... but choose not to exercise that right—including police officer Adrian Schoolcraft, who secretly recorded his supervisors telling officers to manipulate crime statistics and make illegal arrests.

    MORE

    "Attractive Undercover Cop Poses As Student And Entraps Teens To 'Sell' Her Marijuana"

    Last year in three high schools in Florida, several undercover police officers posed as students. The undercover cops went to classes, became Facebook friends and flirted with the other students. One 18-year-old honor student named Justin fell in love with an attractive 25-year-old undercover cop after spending weeks sharing stories about their lives, texting and flirting with each other. One day she asked Justin if he smoked pot. Even though he didn't smoke marijuana, the love-struck teen promised to help find some for her. Every couple of days she would text him asking if he had the marijuana. Finally, Justin was able to get it to her. She tried to give him $25 for the marijuana and he said he didn't want the money -- he got it for her as a present. A short while later, the police did a big sweep and arrested 31 students -- including Justin. Almost all were charged with selling a small amount of marijuana to the undercover cops. Now Justin has a felony hanging over his head.

    Huffington Post

    Tony Bennett is Right: Legalizing Drugs Would Save Lives

    It doesn't matter if you're hooked on alcohol, Xanax or illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine -- prohibition for some drugs stigmatizes all people struggling with addiction. Period. Addicts are not defined simply by their drug of choice nor the drug that is or is not their ultimate cause of death. Their entire lives are tragically plagued by the stigma that criminalization heaps upon them, and the marginalized underworld prohibition thrusts them into.

    That is a painful and deadly component of the experience of anyone unlucky enough to live with a disease that, unlike cancer, our government tries to battle with handcuffs.

    Read the full editorial at: Huffington Post

    North America

    Obama's War on Pot

    In a shocking about-face, the administration has launched a government-wide crackdown on medical marijuana

    "Over the past year, the Obama administration has quietly unleashed a multi­agency crackdown on medical cannabis that goes far beyond anything undertaken by George W. Bush. The feds are busting growers who operate in full compliance with state laws, vowing to seize the property of anyone who dares to even rent to legal pot dispensaries, and threatening to imprison state employees responsible for regulating medical marijuana. With more than 100 raids on pot dispensaries during his first three years, Obama is now on pace to exceed Bush's record for medical-marijuana busts. "There's no question that Obama's the worst president on medical marijuana," says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. "He's gone from first to worst.""

    Read more at RollingStone.com.

    >

    Marijuana Law Reform at the Statehouse 2012

    "Each year, these bills are easier to introduce, there is less controversy, and the media reaction is generally neutral to positive," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of NORML. "Baby boomers, medical marijuana, the Internet, and the state of the economy have all had an impact, even, finally, on legislators and their staffs," he explained.

    "Before 1996, nobody invited NORML; now our staff is regularly going to meetings requested by legislators around the country," St. Pierre recalled. "First, we couldn't get them to return our phone calls; now they're calling us. Everything is in play because of activists around the country doing years of work."

    Read the full article at: Stop the Drug War

    New Definition of Addiction Stirs Up a Scientific Storm

    Indeed, the new neurologically focused definition debunks, in whole or in part, a host of common conceptions about addiction. Addiction, the statement declares, is a “bio-psycho-socio-spiritual” illness characterized by (a damaged decision-making (affecting learning, perception, and judgment and by (b persistent risk and/or recurrence of relapse; the unambiguous implications are that (a addicts have no control over their addictive behaviors and (b total abstinence is, for some addicts, an unrealistic goal of effective treatment.

    The bad behaviors themselves are all symptoms of addiction, not the disease itself. "The state of addiction is not the same as the state of intoxication," the ASAM takes pains to point out. Far from being evidence of a failure of will or morality, the behaviors are the addict's attempt to resolve the general "dysfunctional emotional state" that develops in tandem with the disease. In other words, conscious choice plays little or no role in the actual state of addiction; as a result, a person cannot choose not to be addicted.

    Read the full article at: The Fix

    Should Officials Be Allowed to Search Students' Bras for Drugs?

    A divided state Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in favor of the student, finding the search was “degrading, demeaning and highly intrusive.” The state appealed that decision. The state Supreme Court decision is expected to affect 1.5 million public school students.

    Powell said the search was not unreasonable because there was “a compelling governmental need” that outweighed the rights of individual privacy, she said. The school’s primary responsibility “was to promote the health and safety of students,” she said.

    Read the full article at: The Washington Post 

    Europe/UK

    Health Alert Over Drug Sold as “Safe Ketamine”

    Methoxetamine, known as MXE or "mexxy", mimics the effects of the banned anaesthetic ketamine, and its use has grown over the last six months in Britain as well as northern Europe, say charity workers.

    A survey of drug trends published in November showed that the use of both ketamine, which is a class C drug, and methoxetamine, its "legal doppelganger", is on the rise in several areas of the UK.

    Read the full article at: The Independent 

    Mobsters Without Borders [documentary]

    This documentary film investigates the European leader’s cocaine importing network stretching from Calabria to Milan, Italy and from Costa del Sol, Spain to Ruhr Valley, Germany. Infiltrating sectors such as real estate and healthcare to government contracting and marketing to laundering illegal drug trafficking and weapons smuggling profits, Calabrian mobs permeate economies across the European Union.


    Latin America

    Mexico Seizes 15 Tons of Methamphetamine

    “The big thing it shows is the sheer capacity that these superlabs have in Mexico,” said Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration. “When we see one lab with the capability to produce such a mass tonnage of meth, it begs a question: What else is out there?”

    Read the full article at: New York Times

    Off the Beaten Path, Chile Still Caught in Drug Supply Chain

    Sharing a border with two of the world's top cocaine producers -- Bolivia and Peru -- makes Chile's involvement in the narcotics trade a virtual inevitability. However, unlike its northern neighbors, Chile is strictly a drug-consuming nation. With Brazil and Argentina, it accounts for two thirds of cocaine consumption in Latin America and the Caribbean. Alone, it makes up 10 percent, according to the UN's 2011 World Drug Report.

    Read the full article at: InSight

    Middle East

    No Help for Kashmir's Female Drug Addicts

    "Keeping in view the social stigma which female drug addicts face, it is important to set up a de-addiction centre for them," said Sameena (name changed , a 22-year-old college student and former drug addict.

    Sameena said she began with glue sniffing "for fun" during her school days and then moved on to opiates. Fear of social stigma and lack of facilities forced her parents to take her outside Kashmir for treatment. Sameena has been under medication for 11 months now.

    Read the full article at: IPS News

    Other News

    New Exile Nation Video: Lynette Shaw

    Lynette Shaw was the owner of the very first legal cannabis dispensary in the State of California, which she opened in Fairfax in the early 1990s. A key figure in the fight to legalize medical cannabis, Shaw's life as an activist began when her home was raided by police, after a dealer turned her in. But that's only one small aspect of her extraordinary life story, recounted here, which at one point saw her living underground while authorities scoured the world for her, after she became a suspect in the 1980 overdose death of actor John Belushi.

     

    Lynette Shaw from Charles B Shaw on Vimeo.

    View the entire extended interview archive for The Exile Nation Project.

    Newsletters and Weekly Features

    14.02.2012 22:55:48
    chocolate hearts

    I recently started reading the book, Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!? What stuck out to me was a list of recommended foods that are both ?nutritious and can help maintain heart health. I plan on incorporating these ?items into my diet throughout my weight-loss journey and beyond:??

    Fish: Think salmon, tuna, or herring. Baked or broiled is the way to go.? Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which helps to lower blood ?pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

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