July 26th, 2008 cate
From the iht:
“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a bill banning trans fats in restaurant food, making California the first U.S. state to ban the use of the cooking oils linked to artery-clogging cholesterol.
The new law, modeled after a ban implemented in New York City, prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, by the state’s 87,000 restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods sold in the state starting in 2011.
Trans fats, found in processed and fried food, candies and cookies, are vegetable oils that are treated with hydrogen to extend the shelf life of products. The oils have been linked to LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries. New York began a ban on trans fats in all restaurants in December 2006.
“Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
Diets high in trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site.
Restaurant companies including McDonald’s and KFC already use cooking oils in the U.S. that are free of trans fats.”
Posted in articles, body, dangerous / warnings, diet, fitness, general, healing, health, healthy recipes, kids, news, parenting, people, politics, real food, setting goals, you should know | No Comments »
July 26th, 2008 cate
From nyt:
“Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.
The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco will kill up to a billion people in the 21st century, 10 times as many as it killed in the 20th.
This time, most are expected to be in poor countries like Bangladesh and middle-income countries like Russia. In an effort to cut that number, Mr. Bloomberg’s foundation plans to commit $250 million over four years on top of a $125 million gift he announced two years ago. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is allocating $125 million over five years.
Since 1999, the Gates Foundation has spent more than $2 billion on AIDS programs and about $1.2 billion on malaria. Mr. Gates has just left his Microsoft post for full-time foundation work and said he intends to form partnerships with other philanthropists.
The announcement was made at a joint news conference at TheTimesCenter in Midtown Manhattan attended by foundation staffers and foreign students enrolled in a tobacco control program at Johns Hopkins University that is supported by Mr. Bloomberg. He has campaigned against smoking for years, but this is a new direction for the Gates Foundation.
Thanking Mr. Gates, Mr. Bloomberg said, “I’m an optimist, but I’m also a realist….”
Read the rest
Posted in general | No Comments »
July 25th, 2008 cate
From reuters:
At least 1,013 people died of overdoses in several U.S. cities from 2005 to 2007 after illegally injecting the highly potent painkiller fentanyl, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The fentanyl, at least some of which came from Mexico, was sold illegally by drug dealers on U.S. streets, sometimes mixed with cocaine and heroin, according to a report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Chicago area had the most deaths with 349, followed by Philadelphia with 269, the Detroit area with 230. Other deaths were reported in St. Louis, Missouri, and the states of Delaware and New Jersey. Emergency medical personnel reported finding some victims with the needle still in their arms, not having completed the injection because the drug was so powerful, said retired CDC public health service officer Dr. Stephen Jones, who wrote the report.
The fentanyl caused perhaps hundreds of other deaths not reflected in the official tally of 1,013 deaths, Jones said in a telephone interview. “I think this is an extraordinary episode of fatal drug overdoses. But it’s got to be recognized as part of the bigger problem of the increasing numbers of drug overdose deaths in the United States.”
The number of deaths from drug overdoses and other cases of unintentional drug poisonings jumped from 11,155 in 1999 to 22,448 in 2005, the CDC noted, with powerful painkilling drugs playing an important role. The fentanyl used in Chicago and Detroit was believed to have come from an illicit production facility in Toluca, Mexico, that was shut down by authorities in May 2006, the CDC said. Fentanyl is used medically to treat pain in cancer patients and others but also is abused for recreational use. “One gram of pure fentanyl can be cut into approximately 7,000 doses for street sale. Manufacture of (fentanyl) requires minimal technical knowledge, and recipes for making (fentanyl) are available on the Internet,” according to the report.
“The unknowns of what somebody can obtain on the streets and misuse are a very obvious message from this outbreak,” Nick Reuter of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said in a telephone interview. Jones said the recent deaths marked the worst known outbreak of U.S. fentanyl deaths. An earlier series of deaths in the 1980s included at least 110 fatal overdoses, he said
Posted in articles, body, dangerous / warnings, general, healing, health, medication / prescription drugs, news, pain, you should know | No Comments »
July 24th, 2008 cate
From forbes:
Marital Strife
Research has shown that married people tend to have fewer sleep problems than those who are divorced. But it turns out the quality of the marriage is important, too. New research out of the University of Pittsburgh indicates that happily married women had fewer troubles falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings and more restful sleep compared with unhappily married women.
Being With Baby
Most new parents lose shut-eye waiting for their babies to learn to sleep through the night. But new research from Penn State University shows that parents’ sleep and their satisfaction with the infant’s night-time behavior was worse when the infants spent any part of the night with parents vs. those who slept apart. This was true even of parents who endorsed the concept of co-sleeping with their babies.
Health Concerns
Are worries about cancer keeping you up at night? New research out of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Long Island University in Brooklyn shows that a significant number of women worried about cancer, none of whom had a history of a physician-diagnosed cancer, had trouble sleeping.
A Sleep Disorder
In cases of sleep apnea, the throat is blocked during sleep, preventing sufficient air flow to the lungs. The blockage may be caused by the relaxation of the throat muscles, too much fatty tissue in the throat–an obesity-related problem–or a naturally small airway. The condition leads people to snore as well as temporarily stop breathing during sleep, causing them to momentarily awaken.
Father Time
Sleep patterns change as we age. Health experts say that between the ages of 50 and 60, people tend to sleep lighter and wake up more frequently. More trouble falling asleep is also a common complaint. Some sleep disruption is also due to the pain or discomfort of chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, that affect the aging population.
Heart Disease
While poor sleep can contribute to heart disease, poor heart health also can upset your night’s sleep. According to research reported in the Harvard Heart Letter in 2007, people with heart failure may wake up due to breathing troubles, a result of fluid buildup in the lungs. Some people may also experience angina or chest pain, atrial fibrillation and palpitations at night, which can disturb sleep.
Too Busy
A hectic daily schedule can wreak havoc on your ability to get a good night’s sleep, particularly if you don’t make time to decompress for a half hour or an hour before climbing into bed. Most people need to spend some time processing what’s happened during the day and planning for the next to help them wind down.
Depression And Anxiety
It’s estimated that 40% to 50% of people with insomnia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. New research out of the Centers of Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the University of Rome La Sapienza shows the connection is present in children, too. A study looking at more than 100 children ages 7 to 11 who had a major depressive disorder and 200 of their healthy peers showed that 82% of the depressed, medication-free children had trouble sleeping, vs. 5% of the control group.
Medication
One option for people dealing with depression is to take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants that affect serotonin levels. But the medications can cause insomnia, a double whammy considering that many people who face depression already have difficulties sleeping. If you’re having trouble sleeping, it might be worth it to talk to your doctor about your prescriptions.
Environment
Whether we’re just born that way or it’s a side effect of insomnia, some of us are more sensitive to noise at night than others. The temperature of your bedroom can also have an impact on how many winks you get. It’s also believed to be better to have a cool rather than warm bedroom. Some studies have shown that it’s the cooling off effect you experience after drinking warm milk or taking a warm bath that helps you feel sleepy.
You’re A Woman
Women tend to have higher rates of insomnia than men. Research suggests a host of reasons. Certain phases of a woman’s period, pregnancy and menopause all cause hormonal changes that can cause sleeping problems, not to mention the discomfort associated with pregnancy for many and the sleep deprivation often associated with child rearing.
Too Much Napping
You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by taking a nap after a restless night’s sleep. Think again. Experts say that napping during the day decreases your overall drive for sleep, which builds throughout the day, and may make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
Staying In Bed
If you’re trying to sleep but having no luck, do yourself a favor and get out of bed. People tend to think that by sticking it out in bed, rather than getting up and doing something, they at least have a chance of falling asleep. But lingering can increase performance anxiety. After a while you may begin to associate lying in bed with your struggle to fall asleep rather than a restful snooze.
Late Night Eating
Eat a big meal before bedtime and you’re asking for a restless night’s sleep. Your body may be too focused on metabolizing your meal to relax. If the meal happened to be a big plate of pasta you could wind up waking up hungry in the middle of the night. Experts recommend eating snacks throughout the day so you don’t overload at dinner and making sure you don’t hit the hay until at least three hours after dinner.
[source]
Posted in articles, body, depression, diet, environment, fitness, general, healing, health, healthy recipes, lifestyle, online self help, organic, pain, real food, recommendations and favorites, sex | 1 Comment »
July 23rd, 2008 cate
Beets. You either love ‘em or leave ‘em. I love ‘em, thankfully. You might like to know that beets are incredibly good for you. They’re high in folic acid, potassium, calcium and antioxidants (betacyanin). And the beet greens (or tops) are more nutritious than the beets. The greens contain significantly more vitamin A, iron, potassium and calcium than the roots.
The juice of the beet is high in vitamin B1, B2, C, natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, copper, chlorine, iodine and bioflavonoids. Many health professionals believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber restore the health of the kidneys and gallbladder. It’s considered excellent for cleansing these organs. Finally, because the beet is a fibrous root it’s wonderful for eliminating constipation.
Now, what can you do with beets:
1. shred or roast beets then and throw them into salads.
2. slice the roasted beets and put them in sandwiches, maybe on a nice baguette with goat cheese, arugula, and salt and pepper.
3. make borscht.
4. Make your standard risotto and throw in roasted beets at some point during the cooking process. Or dice raw beets and put them in right at the beginning. They turn the grains a beautiful color. I might serve this with simple grilled fish, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with lots of fresh herbs. This meal might be a good way to get rid of the beet greens, too — they’d be nice sauteed and served on the side with the fish and risotto. (What to do with beet greens would take up a blog entry of its own!) If you can get your hands on the nutty, chewy grain farro, you can make a fantastic risotto-style beet farro.
5. chop beets and make a pseudo tabbouleh with bulgur, chopped mint and parsley, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, and plenty of s&p. Couscous (not a grain, but that’s OK) tossed with beet chunks, liberal chopped basil, feta, olive oil, vinegar, and s&p is a nice side.
6. Am I crazy for imagining that beets might be good rolled in nori with brown rice, creamy goat cheese, wasabi, and chives for a beet maki?
7. Beets are also good in pasta. Caramelize some onions and toss them with spaghetti, some Greek yogurt, chunks of beets, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle lots of grated pecorino on top.
8. raw beet salad – Peel beets and grate them (a food processor will keep the juice contained). Add pistachios or hazelnuts; dress with orange zest and juice, and olive oil. Add bits of goat cheese and chopped parsley.
9. beet tart with phyllo, feta, and herbs.
10. Beets are so versatile, because they pair well with so many things: herbs such as mint, greens peppery and mild, cheeses soft and hard, citrus, creamy things, cumin.
[source]
Posted in articles, body, diet, general, health, healthy recipes, online self help, organic, real food, recommendations and favorites, safe products, you should know | No Comments »