Monkey Island?

Did Marc Zabludoff's current 2007 title, Monkeys, take him back nostalgically to Kim Swent's monkey room in Downingtown..?

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Winding Down Pink Projects for This Year

Today marks the end of the neverending spin and ultimate marketing/advertising campaign focused on breast cancer for another year. I don't believe women, once again, learned much more than what is spewed all over the media during October. I'm not sure where all of this fundraisng has moved things ahead. Over the past 40 years or so, as we surely don't have a 'cure', the race is still on and the money keeps rolling in.

Jean Enerson's ad for KING 5 doesn't help either.

Well ladies (men too), part of the problem is that the hype makes you want to believe you actually did something to help cure breast cancer. In fact you really may have made it worse.

The REAL cure rate from the current strategy is about 1-2 per cent. Not very good odds.

One of the highest causative factors - proven by science - nutrition.

The other striking causative factor - also proven by science and the ONE you DO need to SERIOUSLY consider - MAMMOGRAM CAUSES BREAST CANCER!

If you follow the folly of yearly mammogram starting at age 40, by the time you are 50 your risk of having cancer cells in your breasts increases by at least 45%; your risk of developing breast cancer increases by at least 30%.

A lot for you to consider when there is long standing scientific proof to back this up; prevention is available although you aren't being told this and much more; you son't have to be one of the 40,000 (2005 statisitcs) who gave their life while in the race to cure this serious health problem.

Just think before you pink...and demand thermography!

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Tuesday Megalinks: BoSox Edition

First, a hearty “gracias” to Boston right fielder Jacoby Ellsbury for stealing a base during the World Series. Thanks to his speed and the Rockies’ total ineffectiveness, we all get free tacos from The Bell today.

Second, does Jonathan Papelbon remind anyone else of a lipless John Rocker? I can’t bring myself to root for this guy.

Third, everyone should have a David Ortiz in their lives. Big Papi is a joy to watch.

Fourth, everyone should also have a Manny Ramirez in their lives. Mostly for the nonsensical conversations and sheer unpredictability, but also ... well, as ESPN's Bill Simmons says, "I've watched Manny play left field at Fenway for the past seven years. It's not that he's loafing, it's that he only has one speed in which he does every single thing, and it doesn't matter if he's running after a rolling baseball, running toward home plate after a walkoff homer, running into traffic to save one of his kids, or running from a building that's about to blow up. He has one speed, that's it. He's almost like Michael Myers in this respect."

And fifth, the links:

Apartment Therapy Kitchen: Monkfish and the Minimalist - Choosing Ocean Friendly Seafood
Bad news: there are no longer too many fish in the sea.
Good news: there are still some left.

Being Frugal: Festival of Frugality #98
Lynnae did a really nice job organizing this week's fest. My fave: Mama Squirrel's ingenious post on making lasagna without recipes.

Consumerist: Top 10 Trans-fattiest Foods
A.k.a. White Castle Onion Rings Mean Certain Death.

Down to Earth: Developing Flavour in Home Cooking
Aussie home guru Rhonda Jean imparts about a dozen simple ways to add flava to your meals. Three cheers for Down Under!

Food News: Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticide and Produce
Extensive list of how much poison can be found on which vegetables, along with a wallet-sized guide for easy portability. (Celery! I guess I really didn’t know you. *sniffle*)

Mrs. Micah: Is it Ever Appropriate Not to Tip?
The age-old debate rages on. Good discussion after.

New York Times: Five Easy Ways to Go Organic
The Grey Lady analyzes which organics give you the best bang for your buck.

Serious Eats: Food Myths – Which Ones Make You Crazy?
My least-favorite myth: drinking soda is just as good as drinking water. No it’s not. Stop the insanity!

Time.com: My Last Supper
Slideshow featuring more than a dozen famous chefs, and what they would request for their last meal on Earth. Lots of seafood in there, and the picture of Vimal Dhar is pretty darn cool.

USA Today: Look who's cooking now: 'Gastro pups'
Look out, folks. The kids are taking over the kitchen. And they have knives.

Wise Bread: Truffles on the Cheap AND Gourmet Kitchens on a Shoestring
WB gets down and fancy with this week’s offerings. Good ideas for inexpensive luxury. (What, no caviar?)

Zen Habits: Hassle-free Weight Loss - The Zen Habits Meal Plan
Gah! Another post I wish I’d written.

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Posted in: Links

Paging Ming Tsai: Light Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Until recently, most of my efforts to make Chinese food at home have been met with repulsion, lingering depression, and perhaps some vomit. Fried rice, especially, has been a total disaster. Eggs shouldn’t be that grey. Or grey at all, really. But, convinced of my blossoming mastery over all things kitchen-related, I boldly plunged forward, repeating mistakes and cultivating culinary ignorance on a level unmatched by other mortals. It took a couple hundred soy sauce-based catastrophes to finally dawn on me that I should be CONSULTING A RECIPE. D'oh!

As it turns out, Chinese cooking (unlike scratching your nose or wanting to slap Paris Hilton) isn’t intuitive. There are principles and methods and ingredients specific to certain dishes, which themselves are specific to certain regions. Slamming a vegetable and some chicken in a pan and calling it stirfry doesn’t cut the mustard.

I’ve only just begun to approximate real Chinese food, and this recipe, adapted from Weight Watchers’ General Tsao’s Chicken, is one of the first I tried that fit the bill. Up top, the green onions, red pepper flakes, and garlic are sautéed in peanut oil, which lends the dish its spice and fragrance. Further down, the thickened sauce and touch of crisp, fresh broccoli approximates an authenticity not found in “Look, Ma! I added marinade! It’s Chinese now!” dishes. And while it’s great for dieters, it’s filling enough for regular, non-calorie counting folks, too. There are a few of you out there, right? (Hi Mom!)

I’d suggest pairing it with this egg drop soup, or just a plain ol’ salad, maybe with Sesame-type dressing. The leftovers (warmed, if there are any) are pretty sweet, too. Plus, your co-workers will wonder who got Chinese food for lunch.

Light Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
3 servings
Adapted from Weight Watchers.

3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 medium scallions, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like spice)
1/2 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 heaping cup cut broccoli florets
2 cup cooked white rice, kept hot

1) Combine broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

2) In medium saucepan, bring a few cups of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook for 3-1/2 minutes. Drain and IMMEDIATELY and run under very cold water to stop the cooking process.

3) In a large skillet, heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. Saute scallions, garlic, and red pepper flakes for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 5 more minutes.

4) Turn the heat down to medium. Pour in reserved marinade and simmer about 3 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is thickened to your liking. Do not overcook or the sauce will become gooey.

5) Add broccoli, stir, and warm through, about 1 or 2 minutes. Don't do this any sooner, or the broccoli will fall apart.

6) Serve over rice.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
387 calories, 6.8 g fat, $0.95

Calculations
3/4 cup chicken broth: 65 calories, 2.2 g fat, $0.18
2 Tbsp cornstarch: 61 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06
2 Tbsp sugar: 93 calories, 0 g fat, $0.03
2 Tbsp soy sauce: 17 calories, 0 g fat, $0.19
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar: negligible calories and fat, $0.08
1/2 tsp ground ginger: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
2 tsp peanut oil: 80 calories, 9 g fat, $0.07
2 medium scallion(s), chopped: 10 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.30
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced: 9 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
Heaping 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes: negligible calories and fat, $0.10
1/2 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast: 375 calories, 8.1 g fat, $0.99
1 heaping cup of cut broccoli: 39 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.50
2 cup cooked white rice, kept hot: 411 calories, 0.9 g fat, $0.22
TOTAL: 1160 calories, 20.5 g fat, $2.84
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): 387 calories, 6.8 g fat, $0.95

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Posted in: Mains,Meat and Fish

Merck's Grand Plan for ALL Children

This week the FDA/CDC effort to encourage you to allow your young child, at two years of age, to be subjected to yet another season of flu-shot-mania. This year, however, you are presented with a slick package to help your precious young child from the ravages of a needle; you can opt for FluMist nasal spray instead.

I've been listening to all the tv and radio ads as well as the media spin that doesn't - for a slight nanosecond - mention any health risk to this approach.

A dozen or so years ago I wrote a column for my regular Health Matters(c) column about children's health. This was an article focused on back-to-school issues and one thing I clearly indicated: It is those children who are not vaccinated that are the healthy ones.

About four years ago a small community school near where I was living in Idaho had to close down because so many of the children - all had received a flu shot - and over 90 per cent of the children came down with the flu. This was the first year FluMist was readily available. It was a $70 "shot".

I posted an excellent article about FluMist at the time sent to me by my colleague, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. Her major warning was to alert patients and Internet readers of the potentially serious complications that may come from direct and passive exposure to the new vaccine.

Flu Vaccine may Lead to Asthma in Infants - Children under the age of 3 years who receive the nasal flu vaccine (FluMist) appear to have a four-fold increased risk of asthma within six weeks following the vaccine. Researchers think it may be that these children have never been exposed to a flu virus "and might respond to this vaccine differently because of this." This is just one of the many risks of the FluMist vaccine. The flu vaccine can actually weaken the immune system and make you more predisposed to the illness. It is certainly not the answer to avoiding the flu.
caution.

FluMist contains live (attenuated) influenza viruses that replicate in the nasopharynx of the vaccine recipient. The most common side effects include "cough, runny nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fever greater than 100° F."[6] These symptoms are nearly identical to those the flu vaccine is designed to prevent. [7]

A cause for significant concern is the vaccine's most prevalent side effects: "runny nose" and "nasal congestion." It has been documented that the live viruses from the vaccine can be shed (and potentially spread into the community) from recipient children for up to 21 days, [8] and even longer from adults. [9] Viral shedding also puts breastfeeding infants at risk if the mother has been given FluMist. [10]

Dr. Tenpenny went on to write that

"... shedding via nasal secretions, the virus can be dispersed through sneezing. What is the normal physiological response when an irritant enters the nasal passages? A sneeze ... sometimes a big sneeze ... sometimes several big sneezes. Therefore, the risk for shedding--and spreading--live viruses throughout a school, church, workplace or store--especially one which is administering the vaccine.

In the section of the FluMist package insert labeled "PRECAUTIONS," the manufacturer states the following warning:

"FluMist® recipients should avoid close contact with
immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days."

“the FDA Approved thimerosal/mercury-free FLU MIST (MedImmune Vaccines, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD) vaccine may create a super strain virus plague”, warns Dr. Mark Geier.

A medical researcher at New York Medical College warned that of reservations about the commercial use of vaccines using live influenza viruses, such as FluMist. "The 'weakened' viruses in FluMist," he said, "are 'real.' Like all live virus vaccines, they are real infectious agents whose potential hazards should be fully understood by the public and by prospective vaccinees."

"Although preliminary trials have been promising," he added, "we are still dealing with a virus which in order to replicate and immunize must produce some damage to respiratory tract epithelium; such damage can pave the way for secondary bacterial infection or colonization. Of equal concern is the potential of the vaccine virus 1) to revert to virulence by mutation of its own genes, or 2) to recombine its genes with wild type influenza viruses to form yet another virus with unknown potential."

"At the very least," Dr. Kilbourne warned, "the recent release of the live virus vaccine for commercial use should be monitored closely."

Another expert in the field, one of the world's leading immunologists, Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, conducted studies that found that people who receive the flu vaccine yearly for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer's disease tenfold. He suggests the culprits are mercury and aluminum in the vaccines. Dr. Russell Blaylock believes that a new mechanism, which involves mercury and aluminum as well the over-activation of the brain's immune system caused by the vaccines, is to blame for potential problems, including encephalitis.

There are things that can be done to keep well and avoid the flu by keeping your immune system strong with sound nutrition. In addition a number of nutrients may be helpful, including selenium, vitamins E and C, zinc and the carotenoids, vitamin D3 to help prevent over-reaction of the immune system, acidophilus and proteolytic enzymes.

Please proceed with care and knowledge.

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Freedom of Choice Means Inclusion Not Exclusion

I have actively been involved in freedom of choice in health care for many decades. A great amount of my work is education to help people understand the right they have in the health care maelstrom and how to navigate troubled waters for their best interest.

Often there are meddlers, such as state bureaucracies and insurers, employers and legislators, well meaning "others" who may have a hidden agenda or other objectives to obstruct or ultimately prevent inclusion.

By inclusion I refer to those modalities that are considered health promoting but are not accepted as such by those who wish to retain control over the status quo or want you to beleive that licensing serves to protect the public's best interest.

Simply put licensing is a restrictive and limiting paradigm that serves only the bureaucracy and grants a provider the ability to bill an insurer for reimbursement (part of the slippery slope to increased cost of care).

In my work over the years as a nursing professional I have had the opportunity to "integrate" natural care into my work since the 1960s when I had a first job out of college in community mental health.

Many years later, after becoming a naturopath (first) and RN(BSc)/nurse practitioner (second), I had the opportunity to work in King Co. Community Mental Health. In my case load of 120 I enjoyed the support and opportunity to employ natural care approaches with two of my clients. One of those two, the one out of the 120 that was able to get off the drugs and out of the system, was a landmark for mental health care in King County. I suspect little has changed, even with the advent of the supposed natural care approach spearheaded by a colleague from that time.

As my lawyer-colleague writes he is not a fan of licensing, neither am I.

Yes, I do want people to have a right of choice and the freedom to have their choice. This is similar to waht I was able to work on as legislation while living in the hate state of Idaho for about five years. I'd say that this legislation should be a model for all other states in order to protect a citizen's Constitutional right of Free Speech and Freedom of Choice while not limiting those who are schooled in natural care methods to registration or forced licensure to meet some outside definition of approval/sanction.

I don't beleive in the insurance or reimbursement model for similar reasons. Why hand over your right-of-choice to an outsider sitting behind a desk 500 miles or more away with no background in the field determining or disallowing reimbursement.

I can't say as I think this is a good, or wholesome, economic model.

Public support for CAM reimbursement.

(From The Vitamin Lawyer) While I am no fan of licensing laws (˜A license is a limitation") an Iowa health reform poll shows 68% of voters want licensed CAM professionals covered in basic insurance benefits.
"A broad-ranging survey on health reform topics by the Gilmore Research Group found that 68% of voters believe basic health care benefits should include coverage for any licensed health care professionals.

Licensed professionals directly noted in the survey of 601 Iowa voters were "naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists and chiropractors." The survey was commissioned by Code Blue Now! - a national, non-partisan, not-for-profit citizen organization formed to build public consensus in health care policy.

The Iowa population was strategically selected to have a maximum influence on
the healthcare reform debate.

theintegratorblog.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=365&Itemid=189

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More Drugs A Risk for Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Another drug faced with a black box warning for a syndrome that may be fatal. Adequate amounts of vitamin E increases the flow of oxygen across the alveolar membrane which may help people with sleep disorders. A vitamin E sterile spray with lavender essential oil and colloidal silver may aid in healing the skin.
Maybe this drug should be evaluated as to whether or not it needs to remain on the market. Death is a very high price to pay for a pill.

"First described in 1922, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is an immune-complex–mediated hypersensitivity complex that is a severe expression of erythema multiforme. It is known by some as erythema multiforme major, but disagreement exists in the literature. Most authors and experts consider SJS and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) different manifestations of the same disease. For that reason, many refer to the entity as SJS/TEN. SJS typically involves the skin and the mucous membranes. While minor presentations may occur, significant involvement of oral, nasal, eye, vaginal, urethral, GI, and lower respiratory tract mucous membranes may develop in the course of the illness. GI and respiratory involvement may progress to necrosis. SJS is a serious systemic disorder with the potential for severe morbidity and even death. Missed diagnosis is common."

Modafinil (Provigil) Will Carry Hypersensitivity Reaction Warning
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
October 25, 2007

ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 25 -- The FDA said Cephalon has agreed to update the modafinil (Provigil) label to include a warning about increased risk of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and other serious rashes and hypersensitivity reactions.

In a letter to physicians, Jeffrey M. Dayno, M.D., vice president for medical services of Cephalon, warned that worldwide post-marketing revealed rare cases of serious or life-threatening rash, including SJS, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms in adults and children.

Moreover, multi-organ hypersensitivity reactions "including at least one fatality in post-marketing experience, have occurred in close temporal association to the initiation of modafinil," he wrote.

He said the drug should be stopped at the first sign of rash or other hypersensitivity reaction, and patients should be advised to immediately call their physicians.

Dr. Dayno also reminded clinicians that modafinil "is not approved for pediatric patients for any indication" and that the drug can cause psychiatric symptoms including anxiety, mania, hallucinations, and suicidal ideation.

In clinical trials in pediatric patients, the rate of rash resulting in discontinuation of the drug was about 0.8% (13 per 1,585), a rate that included one confirmed case of SJS and one case of apparent multi-organ hypersensitivity reaction. Also in the trials were several reported cases of fever along with vomiting and leukopenia.

No serious rashes were reported in clinical trials of adults (0 per 4,264), according to Dr. Dayno.

Angioedema has also been reported in patients taking modafinil, and Dr. Dayno said patients should be advised to immediately stop the drug if they experience swelling of the face, eyes, lips, tongue, or larynx and/or difficulty in swallowing, breathing, or hoarseness.

Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant that is used for treatment of sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and shift-work sleep disorder. It is also used along with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices to treat obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.

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Doctors Checking Out Early

On the WA ballotis a measure to allow customers, except for health care, to sue their insurance companies. The ads are against this and the insurance industry is letting you - once again - believe that all the wrongdoing is the fault of trial lawyers.

While I am not a big fan of lawyers I have to say - especially where health care is concerned - that the major players in the insurance industry have much more to do with increased costs, higher rates and lower coverage than a group of trial lawyers will ever fabricate.

Tort reform was a gift from the Congress to the heavy betters (sharks)on the side of the industry, freely plying their trade. Maybe you know that as "payola" if you are at least a Baby Boomer, or a better description known as buying votes.
As a former insurance industry lawyer I know says, "Insurance companies like the money coming their way, they don't like it going in the opposite direction."

Another reason, perhaps, to take more responsibility for your own health, eh?

Older Physicians Unhappy and Looking to Bail Out of Medicine
By Mark Crane, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
October 25, 2007

IRVING, Tex., Oct. 25 -- Half of physicians from ages 50 to 65 are frustrated with their practices and plan to sharply cut back or abandon patient care within the next three years, according to a survey.

Fifty-two percent of these older physicians said they find medicine has become less satisfying over the past five years, according to a survey by Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a national physician search and consulting firm.

Only 10% of nearly 1,200 responding physicians said the practice of medicine is "very satisfying," down from 20% in earlier surveys.

What's more, 44% of the surveyed physicians said they wouldn't choose medicine as a career if they were starting out today and 57% would discourage their children or other young people from doing so.

These doctors don't intend to remain unhappy for much longer, though. Almost half of survey respondents said they will retire over the next three years, seek nonclinical jobs, work part time, close their practices to new patients (18% have already done so), or significantly reduce the number of patients they see.

If that trend continues, patient access to health care could be severely jeopardized. "Almost half the physicians in the United States are 50 years old or older," said Mark Smith, executive vice-president of Merritt Hawkins. "An exodus of older doctors from medicine would be a disaster for patient care in this country."

The Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME), a panel of health care authorities, has endorsed a study predicting a shortage of 96,000 physicians by the year 2020. If only 20% of physicians in the 50 to 65 age bracket opt for retirement or nonclinical roles in the next three years, nearly 60,000 physicians would be removed from the clinical workforce, the survey noted.

"The tens of millions of patient encounters these physicians handle would have to be absorbed by younger physicians or by those older physicians remaining in clinical practice."

Why do physicians claim to be so disgruntled? Reimbursement issues were cited by 33% of doctors as their greatest single source of professional frustration, followed by malpractice worries (18%) and long hours (15%).

That represents a significant shift. In the 2004 Merritt Hawkins survey, malpractice worries were the main source of frustration (28%). Reimbursement issues were cited by only 16%.

"When Baby Boom doctors entered medicine, they had control over how they practiced and the fees they charged," noted Smith. "But the rules changed on them in midstream and now many are looking for a ticket out."

These older physicians don't have much regard for the work ethic of their younger counterparts. More than two-thirds of respondents said physicians being trained today are less dedicated and hard-working than they are.

Recently trained physicians may put a higher premium on "quality of life" issues than senior physicians often do. "We find that younger physicians today generally prefer and expect fixed hours, a good call schedule with reliable coverage, and regular vacation time," the survey report noted.

A much higher percentage of young physicians today are female than was the case in the past, and female physicians work 18% fewer hours per week than male physicians, according to the AMA. For these reasons, it may take two younger physicians to replace a more senior doctor.

On a more positive note, six in 10 older physicians said patient relationships are their single greatest source of professional satisfaction.

Also, 48% of physicians indicated that the quality of health care in the United States has generally improved over the last 20 years, compared with 33% who indicated it has generally declined.

So, the survey authors concluded, although the practice of medicine may have become problematic for many older physicians, patient care has generally improved.

The survey was mailed to 10,000 physicians across the nation and 1,175 participated, a 12% response rate. Surgical and internal medicine subspecialists comprised 47% of respondents, followed by primary care physicians (36%) and hospital-based doctors (17%).

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Classy, Squared: Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms

(First, a very happy 30th birthday to Rachel, the Cheap Healthy Gourmet. Judy Longhair, you are truly flopacetic.)

When I started on Weight Watchers, the hardest obstacle to overcome was the strict limitation on all things white and starchy. See, while carbs are filling, delicious, and generally good for society, they’re also super-high in calories. Not good for smaller butts and such. Thusly, my Giant Bowl of Spaghetti Days were officially put on notice. Bummer.

But … but … I love rotini. I adore penne. Given the chance (and a large dowry), I would elope with a piece of linguini. Subsequently, my first dietary mission was to discover a pasta dish that:

A) Would fit into the plan,
B) Was relatively affordable, and,
C) Didn’t taste like a salad sprinkled with bits of macaroni.

WW Online yielded some good options, but ultimately, it was (*gasp*) AllRecipes to the rescue. Normally, the average AR dish contains enough butter, oil, and/or lard to make Paula Deen insane with envy. (“AH’M so JEALOUS of y’all. *cackle cackle cackle* It’s makin’ me lose MAH MIND.”) Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms was a glaringly classy exception.

Simple and even elegant, it's a filling dish that tricks you into eating almost-crazy amounts of vegetables. (Devious.) I’ve played with the recipe a bunch over the last year or two, and found that fresh mushrooms, good parm, and a heavy hand with the red pepper help immeasurably. Some of the other reviewers suggest adding onions. I tried it, and it, and … foul. Blech. No good. Don’t do it.

One slight disadvantage: if you're on WW, the serving size is perfect, and makes for a full dinner. If you're not dieting, the portions are a tad small. You might want to serve a soup alongside. Perhaps THIS ONE? Aw, yeah.

Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
4 servings
Adapted from All Recipes.

1 to 1-1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (not super-thick), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
8 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2) While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. add broth and mushrooms. Cook another 4 minutes, or until both asparagus and mushrooms are tender. When finished, kill the heat entirely.

3) Pour pasta into skillet and toss with vegetables. Add parmesan and crushed red pepper and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with a little more parmesan

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
342 calories, 9 g fat, $1.25 each

Calculations
1 pound fresh asparagus: 150 calories, 1.5 g fat, $1.76
1/4 cup chicken broth: 22 calories, 0.7 g fat, $0.04
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms: 50 calories, 0.8 g fat, $0.98
8 ounces angel hair pasta: 811 calories, 4.1 g fat, $0.25
1 tablespoon olive oil: 120 calories, 14 g fat, $0.08
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese: 216 calories, 14.3 g fat, $1.50
TOTAL: 1369 calories, 35.4 g fat, $4.99
PER SERVING (TOTAL/4): 342 calories, 9 g fat, $1.25 each

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Posted in: Mains,Pasta,Vegetarian

CHG Favorites of the Week

Blog of the Week
Casual Kitchen
PHENOMENAL blog that I’ve never even laid eyes on before this week. That makes me a huge, oblivious dummy, because dude’s been putting out quality cook-at-home posts for close to a year. I’ll be consulting How to Modify a Recipe everyday for the rest of my life, and How to Tell if a Recipe is Worth Cooking With Five Easy Questions is nothing short of genius. Go. Go now. (Um … but then come back.)

Magazine of the Week
Cook’s Country
From the mad geniuses behind Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen comes Cook’s Country, a down-home culinary mag dedicated to the classics. Rachel and I (er, okay, just Rach) received a few free issues with C.I., and I was immediately impressed. Sure, the food’s good (see here), but the layout is what really caught my eye. It manages to be simultaneously modern and old-timey. Very, very pretty.

Organization of the Week
Action Against Hunger
We’ve been concentrating on local and U.S.-based food charities lately, so let’s go global this week: AAH assists the needy in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, and South America. Rated very, very highly by philanthropy evaluative groups, their approach is all-encompassing, with special focus on water and aid during crises. There are a gazillion ways to help out. Thanksgiving’s on its way. Share the bounty.

Quote of the Week
“I hate Jell-O. If God wanted peaches suspended in midair, He would have filled them with helium” – Sophia (Estelle Getty), The Golden Girls

Tip of the Week
Scraping the sharp edge of a knife along a cutting board will wear that sucker out, but quick. Next time you’re gathering chopped-up food, flip the knife over and drag the dull edge along the surface to your hand.

Untried Cheap, Healthy Recipe of the Week
Pumpkin and Smoky Bacon Risotto from The Great Big Vegetable Challenge
Is there anything better than a combination – any combination – of the words "pumpkin," "smoky bacon," and "risotto"? Maybe if you add “brie” or “chocolate”? Must ponder this…

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“Banana Chips” – Shonen Knife
Before Puffy Ami Yumi and Cibo Matto, there was Shonen Knife, the ORIGINAL Japanese all-girl punk band. Beloved by Kurt Cobain, they opened for Nirvana on the Nevermind tour, but never really blew up in the U.S. It’s a shame, because they’re totally awesome AND 90% OF THEIR SONGS ARE ABOUT FOOD. Little girls would love this band.

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Posted in: Links

More Magnesium Means Better Health

Magnesium is nature's ACE inhibitor. Lately it seems that knowledgeable ER docs are reviving very effective magnesium therapies in the acute care of heart related health problems.
"Foods high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, spinach, yogurt, wheat germ, and whole grains".
Should you choose to use supplements make sure you purchase high quality products.

(OMNS October 23, 2007) Over two-thirds of all Americans do not consume the recommended daily intake of magnesium. Even more alarming are data from a study showing that 19% of Americans do not consume even one-half of the government's recommended daily intake of magnesium. (1) It is therefore not surprising that disability and death from heart attack and stroke are the nation's leading killers.

The National Institutes of Health says, "Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes." (2) Inadequate magnesium intake has also been associated with cancer, asthma, allergies, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones, migraine headaches, menstrual cramps, PMS, tetany and cramps, and other conditions as well. (3) A list this long fully justifies increased concern about population-wide magnesium deficiency.

Foods high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, spinach, yogurt, wheat germ, and whole grains. Few Americans eat enough of these to ensure an adequate magnesium intake of 400 mg/day. Magnesium supplements are commonly available as inexpensive magnesium oxide in 100 or 250 mg tablets. For better absorption, physicians often prefer amino acid chelated magnesium tablets or magnesium gluconate. Magnesium is available without prescription at discount and health food stores everywhere. People typically start supplementation with 200mg per day and may slowly increase to 600mg per day, taken in divided doses, some with each meal. (4,5) Persons with kidney failure should not take supplemental magnesium unless directed to by their physician. Otherwise, magnesium toxicity is extremely rare. There have been no deaths from dietary supplementation with magnesium. (6)

References:

(1) King D, Mainous A 3rd, Geesey M, Woolson R. Dietary magnesium and C-reactive protein levels. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Jun 24(3):166-71.
(2) http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
(3) http://www.mgwater.com
(4) Miller T. The role of magnesium in the prevention of coronary disease and other disorders. http://www.mgwater.com/tmiller.shtml
(5) Dean C. The magnesium miracle. http://www.carolyndean.com
(6) http://www.aapcc.org/annual.htm

Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org

The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Editorial Review Board:
Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.
Harold D. Foster, Ph.D.
Bradford Weeks, M.D.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D.
Erik Paterson, M.D.
Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D.
Steve Hickey, Ph.D.

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Heart Healthy Study for Women

If you read as many medical and nutrition research articles as I do you recognize that most heart research focuses on men's health; it's certainly been this way for decades. From nutrition research from the prestigious Karolinska Institute some sound data comes to help you protect your health and your heart.

Study underscores link between lifestyle and heart disease
By Clarisse Douaud

10/24/2007- A new study out of Sweden has brought about some results that are hardly surprising, yet underscore that health is very much linked to a personal lifestyle commitment.

According to the large scale study - published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and stemming from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden - the daily consumption of vegetables and fruit combined with a diet consisting of wholegrain products, fish, beans and small amounts of alcohol can more than halve the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The study goes to show the extent to which the message is not being received by Americans, or is being ignored. And if food manufacturers want to appear committed to the health of their consumers, they have a tough task ahead of them.

"If all women lived like the healthy group, 75 percent of heart attacks would be prevented," said researcher Agneta Åkesson.

Americans are a high-risk group for heart disease, with about 64 percent of all US adults are overweight, 30 percent of whom are obese, according to the US Food & Drug Administration.

Overeating and sedentary lifestyles have been identified as indisputable contributing factors to the nation's high death rate from heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease claimed 910,614 lives in 2003 - or 37.3 percent of all deaths. This is almost double the entire death toll for all forms of cancer in the same year.

As part of the Karolinska Institutet study, the researchers analyzed the eating habits of 25,000 Swedish women and found two specific dietary patterns that correlate significantly with a healthy heart.

They claim what is new about their research is that they have mapped out the women's dietary habits instead of deciding in advance the kind of food they wanted to examine. As such, they say they were able to identify two specific dietary patterns that were clearly linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

"The first was characterised by a high consumption of vegetables and fruit, and the second by the moderate consumption of alcohol; we're talking about the equivalent of four vegetables and two pieces of fruit a day and half a glass of wine," said Åkesson.

The study was based on data from 25,000 women as part of the Swedish Mammography Cohort. These women were born between 1914 and 1948, and have been monitored since 1997 for their chances of suffering a myocardial infarction.

Source: Åkesson, Agneta et al. "Combined Effect of Low-Risk Dietary and Lifestyle Behaviours in Primary Prevention of Myocardial Infarction in Women." Archives of Internal Medicine, vol 167, no 19, 22 October 2007.

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Save 95% on Groceries, a.k.a. Why You Should Shop at Ethnic Markets

This past weekend, I paid $0.50 for a baggie of cardamom that was selling for $10.49 the next block over. The big difference between the two stores? The $0.50 folks ran an ethnic market. The $10.49 folks ran an upscale grocery store.

Six years ago, I lived in a neighborhood with two major supermarkets, both of which sold produce for above-average prices. Located 15 blocks south was a Korean-owned fruit and vegetable stand. The tomatoes, oranges, and garlic there went for half the cost of the local Key Food.

Earlier this year, a few friends needed 70 goodie bags for a promotional party. They cost about $0.34 a piece at the big-box supply store on 14th St. in Manhattan. Chinese food containers, which looked better and held more candy, went for $0.25 at Pearl River Mart in Chinatown.

It’s taken me a few years, but after Saturday’s cardamom adventure, I think I finally learned the moral of these stories: when in food-purchasing doubt, go ethnic. Whether you’re shopping for spices, produce, or supplies, those independent, family-run marts are fantastic alternatives to mega-stores. The prices are usually competitive (if not significantly lower), and the diversity of options, unbeatable. But it doesn’t end there. (Oh no – it doesn’t.) There are a bazillion other reasons why Kim’s Seafood beats out Food Lion any day of the week.

Shopping at ethic markets…

Encourages experimentation. Diversifying your diet is hard, especially when you’re locked into losing weight. If you’re looking to lift yourself from the meat-and-two-veg rut, ethnic markets are the place to be. Imagine aisle upon aisle stacked with soba noodles, yuca, and saag paneer. Even if you don’t know what any of those things are – trust me, they rule. And the store they came from can introduce your palate to all kinds of crazy flavors you didn’t even know existed.

Promotes diversity. Hey man, our families were all immigrants somewhere along the line. And according the Census Bureau, 40% of the U.S. population will be of ethnic origin by 2010. So, think of the ethnic market as a fabulous opportunity to introduce yourself to a new culture, but also, to meld that culture harmoniously into your own. While you’re perusing the shelves, take the time to speak to the proprietor or other customers. Odds are, everybody will learn something.

Reconnects you to your own culture. Are you a lapsed Swede? A part-German who’s completely ignorant of her background? A quarter-Brit with no discernible knowledge of her family’s cuisine? I am. Checking out ethnic markets gives me a good idea of what my grandparents and great-grandparents ate when they were still strolling the streets of Dublin. (Hint: potatoes, Spam.)

Helps small businesses. According to the Washington Post, family-owned ethnic grocers are losing ground as big-box supermarkets hone in on Asian, Hispanic, and African foods. Quite a few shops are even shutting their doors, and the operators’ expertise is being lost along with their leases. By buying from the ethnic market, you’re ensuring the preservation of your area, supporting a local family, and keeping that culinary knowledge alive in your community.

Ensures prepared foods are more authentic. Have you ever had sushi from CostCo? It’s excruciatingly bad. So is eggplant parmesan from Pathmark, and a burrito from Waldbaums. Oftentimes, ethnic markets will have a glass display case full of prepared foods. Try ‘em. See if you like ‘em. If you do, take some home, or try to prepare light versions on your own.

Is oh-so-hip. Eating well and frugally hasn’t always been synonymous with coolness, but it’s getting there, with lots of help from ethnic markets. According to almost every single craze-tracking source out there (magazines, websites, journals, etc.) ethnic food is consistently one of the fastest-growing trends in home cooking. (Cooking Light in particular is a big fan of meal diversification.) Buy a Ming Tsai cookbook, pick up a wok, and get with the times, man.

Makes for creative and creative gifts. Oftentimes, ethnic markets are chock-frigging-full of gorgeous tableware and cooking equipment, not to mention shelf after shelf of exotic mixes, spices, and specialty foods. And? It’s mostly pretty inexpensive. Next time you’re searching for a truly unique, out-there gift, grab a cart and go.

Can be a great bonding experience. Ethnic markets aren’t just grocery stores – they’re opportunities to spend quality time with loved ones. Teaching your kid about daikon? Learning from Grandma about what she ate in the olden days? Group-shopping for a Sunday dinner? Head for your local Indian grocer, which is a museum, a school, a library, and a food store wrapped all in one.

And last but not least (since it’s worth mentioning again), shopping at ethnic markets …

SAVES CASH. Ay-chi-wa-wa, yes. Though this might not extend to all markets/foods, you can conserve massive amounts of cash buying produce, spices, and certain ethnic specialties at the Korean place down the block, rather than the Megamart uptown. Cardamom! $0.50! Not kidding! Go!

If you’re interested in reading more about the glory of ethnic markets, these two faboo resources can help get you started:

• Wise Bread’s Tannaz Sassooni tells you what market sells which food. (Hint: Israeli = hummus!)
• After Hours’ Kathy Biehl lists a few great online ethnic markets.
  

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Posted in: Buying Food,Frugality

Vaccine Paves Merck's Road with Gold

But at What Cost?

Numerous reports of serious adverse reactions and deaths are being reported following Gardasil injections. Both Merck and the FDA are claiming it is not related to the vaccine. Oh, yes, I recall this as "blame the victim".

See related posts on this BLOG, FMI, and decide for yourself.

And did they tell you about informed consent before you opted in for this one?

Merck’s net income soars 63%
By Karl Stark, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Fueled by a doubling in its sales of vaccines, Merck & Co. today reported a 63 percent rise in net income for the third quarter.

Merck, whose vaccine operations are headquartered in West Point, Montgomery County, made more money because it cut costs by two percent as revenues rose by 12 percent.

Driving sales for the the third largest U.S. drugmaker were Merck's newer, heavily marketed drugs, including its top seller, the asthma drug Singulair, the diabetes medicine Januvia and the HPV vaccine Gardasil.

Merck's put aside another $70 million for the legal defense of the painkiller Vioxx, which was pulled from the market in 2004. Merck faces about 26,600 suits nationwide. It set aside $598 million in the 2006 third quarter. The company has not put aside any money for verdicts, a company release said.

Sales for the quarter were $6.1 billion, up from $5.4 billion in the third quarter of 2006. Net income increased to $1.5 billion from $941 million. And earnings from diluted shares rose to 70 cents from 43 cents.

Total vaccine sales were $1.2 billion, up from $555 million. Leading the vaccine sector was Gardasil, the new vaccine against the human papilloma virus, which chalked up $418 million for the quarter.

Merck's stock had risen 81 cents or 1.6 percent to $53.95 by midday.

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Tuesday Megalinks

Lots of links lost to last week’s Lollappleooza. The Casual Kitchen one is mah favorite. Dude.

Apartment Therapy: How To Plan, Cook for, and Throw a Dessert Reception
If you can get beyond the pretty, pretty pictures (ooo … shiny things …), this is solid advice on having a dessert-only wedding reception. (Step 1: Plan your face off.)

Casual Kitchen: Mastering Kitchen Setup Costs - The Economics of Cooking, Part 1
I’ll be writing more about CK later in the week, because it’s out-frigging-standing. In the meantime, read up on his theories on how to stock a kitchen. Thanks to Trent at Simple Dollar for the link.

Consumerist: Hardee's Unleashes 920-Calorie Burrito Bomb
When six Big Macs just aren’t enough.

Discount Grocery Stores
Great find from Meredith at Like Merchant Ships. This site lists several dozen salvage stores all over the U.S., where you can find deeply discounted food (up to 50% off) before it goes bad.

Serious Eats: Mario Unclogged - How to Sauce Pasta
EEEEEEE! Batali’s doing a web video series! (*pauses, looks down*) I think I just wet my pants.

New York Times: Serving Pasta? Forget What You Learned
Bittman challenges Batali! Oh, snappity snap snap.

New York Magazine: A Woman’s Place?
Awesome round table discussion about whether or not sexism is a factor in the restaurant biz, featuring seven of New York’s top female chefs.

A Penny Closer: Avoiding the Block - Get the Knives You Really Need
This is exactly the same advice my Knife Skills teacher gave during our 180-minute class. Right on.

USA Today: Proposal would slow L.A. fast-food biz
McPaper reports that lawmakers are considering putting the kibosh on new downtown f.f. joints. I’m a big fan of personal responsibility when it comes to weight, but this could be a very good move - especially for small businesses.

Wisebread: Bulk Buying 101
Massive guide to buying in bulk, with special emphasis for us apartment-dwellers.

Zen Habits: Fiscal Fitness - Eliminate Debt with 10 Successful Diet Principles
Man, I wish I had thought of this.

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Posted in: Links

Lollappleooza Postgame: Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread and the Quest for Cardamom

Ladies and gentlemen, please unbuckle your safety harnesses and exit to the right: we have officially, finally come to the end of our apple-y journey. Thank god, too, because I am appled OUT. It took about two weeks, but The Boyfriend and I chomped, spread, and spooned our way through (almost) each and every one of those 69 delicious suckers. Here’s how:

• 24 apples eaten individually
• 10 apples for All Night Apple Butter
• 10 apples for Cooking Light’s Maple-Walnut Apple Crisp
• 9 apples for Ma’s Chunky Applesauce
• 8 apples for Weight Watchers Apple Strudel (unlisted)
• 4 (very small) apples for Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread (listed below)
• 2 apples gone bad prematurely (punks)
• 2 apples left TBE (to be eaten)

I made the final recipe, Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread, this weekend after being tempted by a sweet little blog called Everybody Likes Sandwiches. The loaf came out pretty well. Crumbly and delectably-scented, it’ll make a spiffy breakfast bread for the office. ELS has a bit more, and the CHG nutritional/price breakdown is attached below, but I wanted to take the rest of this entry to discuss something far more pressing: cardamom.

I live in Brooklyn, in an area where grocery stores and bodegas (small, largely Hispanic-owned delis) dot the landscape like dandelions. 20 of them are within walking distance of my apartment. Two stock cardamom. One of them, for $10.49 per bottle. The other, for $0.50.

And this, friends and neighbors, is why everyone should shop in ethnic markets.

Ideally, obtaining the warm-flavored spice shouldn’t have been that much of a pain in the tuchus. It’s pretty prominent in Indian, Mid-Eastern, and Asian cooking, and my neighborhood is one of the most diverse on Earth. One would think the streets would be lined with it. Nope. It took a special trip to the Turkish grocers to procure a baggie of the damned stuff.

On the upside, besides the 2000% savings, that store has a new #1 fan – and not the stalky, weird kind, either. The good kind. The kind that will use the Turkish folks' spices exclusively from now on. On the downside, it's kind of a haul. And I get lost very, very easily. (Very easily.) But, no matter. A $10 savings is totally worth it.

Anyway - yeah, eat the bread. But more than that, support your local ethnic market. Everybody wins. (But mostly you.)

Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread
12 slices
Adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

1 cup oats (Quaker Old-fashioned good, but not instant)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup skim milk
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
4 small Cortland or 2 Jonamac apples, diced (or any tart apple)

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a standard-sized loaf pan. Cooking spray works, too.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

3) In a large bowl, mix milk, honey, oil, and egg. Pour dry ingredients into the wet ones, and stir until everything is just combined. Gently stir in the diced apples.

4) Pour batter into prepped loaf pan. Bake for about 45 or 50 minutes. Top should be pleasantly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
189 calories, 7.6 g fat, $0.28

Calculations
1 cup oats (not instant): 607 calories, 10.8 g fat, $0.27
1 cup flour: 455 calories, 1.2 g fat, $0.06
1 teaspoon baking soda: negligible fat and calories, $0.02
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom: negligible fat and calories, $0.08
1 teaspoon cinnamon: negligible fat and calories, $0.08
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves: negligible fat and calories, $0.02
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg: negligible fat and calories, $0.02
1/3 cup canola oil: 636 calories, 74.2 g fat, $0.20
1/3 cup skim milk: 30 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.10
1/3 cup honey: 343 calories, 0 g fat, $1.11
1 egg: 74 calories, 5 g fat, $0.26
4 small Cortland or 2 Jonamac apples: 123 calories, 0.3 g fat, $1.16
TOTAL: 2268 calories, 91.7 g fat, $3.38
PER SERVING: (TOTAL/12): 189 calories, 7.6 g fat, $0.28

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Posted in: Breads,Breakfast,Vegetarian

Canada Comment and Gardasil

Vaccination program comes with problems
(Letters) Saturday, 20 October 2007, 01:00 PST
-- Marilyn Juds Prince George

The Gardasil program by Merck Pharmaceuticals to vaccinate females between ages nine and 26 has generated much criticism. In the U.S., individual states are disputing whether the drug should be mandatory.

However, it appears, in both the U.S. and Canada parents can opt out their child for religious or ethical considerations. This fall Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and P.E.I. began HPV vaccinations of young girls. B.C. plans to begin vaccinations of all Grade 6 girls next September.

PROBLEMS:

When the drug was tested, only 1,200 nine-to-15 year-olds were studied; of them only 100 were nine-year olds.

Medical personnel merely used results in adult test scenarios to predict positive results for a younger demographic.

A Gardasil monograph states: Efficacy in this age group (9-13) has not been demonstrated.

All reported HPV vaccine trials, whether by Gardasil or its competitor, Cervarix, were funded in all or part by the vaccine's manufacturers.

According to the National Vaccine Information Center, about 60 per cent of trial volunteers taking Gardasil complained of headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting or diarrhea.

Judicial Watch is a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption. Its president, through the Freedom of Information Act, learned that girls and women often experienced "horrific reactions" after taking Gardasil: on record are spontaneous abortions and fetal abnormalities in pregnant women.

He found a further 1,637 adverse events reports, of which 371 were serious; as well as three deaths related to heart problems or blood clotting. About one-quarter of adverse effects reports indicated that females, after taking Gardasil, experienced neurological events, including grand mal seizures, movement disorders and blackouts or fainting. One 10-year old became faint after receiving the shot, fell down and broke her nose.

It was no mistake that medical authorities prefer the school as the vaccination venue. School is associated with conformity; line up and don't protest. Wide-eyed girls, at the behest of their elders, file up to be greeted by the woman with the needle. An Orwellian nightmare emerges.

Peer pressure may bring around some doubters. But this could easily backfire, depending on who and how many girls opt out. The holdouts might just be perceived as the only winners.

"The pharma corps are engaged in the systematic corruption of the medical profession, country by country." -- John le Carre, British author.

Merck sales in the U.S. alone are expected to reach $1 billion in its first year of availability.

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One Missing Link or Three?

Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually (JAMA 1998). Yet, few people receive informed consent about prescription drugs.
Informed consent is the hallmark of care, in the allopathic and more traditional natural health care.

"Informed consent can be effectively exercised only if the patient possesses enough information to enable an intelligent choice (AMA, 1999)."

Most doctors seem to take little time educating their patients about the issues involved in care and informed consent. Time is an issue of course because the insurance industry hold a tight reign on the medical industry and how doctors do their work. The pharmaceutical reps seem to be the focal point on drug information, and of course this is why I constantly hear that most people know so little about prescribed drugs and side effects. I think this applies also to doctors who seem to know so little about adverse effects and why they ignore patient complaints about the drugs prescribed.
This is a serious issue and perhaps one of the major reasons why more and more people are turning to natural health care.
The report that follows provides some good information on this issue however it seems that the doctors interviewed have ideas to help that clearly do little to offer anything to improved patient care. I am not sure computerized data offers much of a solution because data quality is dependent on the person doing the input.
Denigrating a patient's ability to understand is certainly offering little in the way of improved communication; maybe the missing factor?

Special report: Prescription medicines
Each year, people are dying in their thousands because of the side effects of prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Reported deaths are up 155 per cent in a decade – and experts are seeking new safeguards. Nina Lakhani reports
Published: 21 October 2007
Thousands of patients are dying each year as a result of side effects from pills prescribed by GPs and hospital doctors.

And while the number of deaths from suspected adverse reactions to prescription drugs has more than doubled in the past 10 years to 973 last year, medical experts warn that as few as one in 10 deaths and other serious complications are being reported.

Doctors' poor prescribing skills and repeated failures to recognise accurately adverse drug reactions in patients have seen deaths multiply by about two and half times since 1996.

Experts are calling for a revamp of the current warning systems designed to alert doctors to potentially lethal prescription drug treatments.

They believe tens of thousands of patients suffer life-threatening, disabling or other serious reactions that need hospital treatment because of a failure to spot and report many dangerous side effects and drug interactions quickly enough.

One study estimated that the equivalent of all the beds from seven general hospitals – 5,600 places – are occupied with patients suffering from drug reactions at any one time, costing the NHS more than £450m each year. Researchers believe around 70 per cent of adverse reactions could be avoided through better training, computerised prescribing systems and staff spending more time talking and listening to patients.

The latest revelations follow The Independent on Sunday's exclusive report two months ago highlighting the dramatic rise in the number of drugs that doctors are now prescribing.

The report in August showed that the NHS faced an £8.2bn bill for prescription medicines in England in 2006, as doctors issued 51 per cent more drugs than they did 10 years earlier.

But today's revelations highlight a 155 per cent rise in reported deaths from adverse reactions to prescribed and over-the-counter drugs – a far steeper increase that will shock the both medical profession and patient groups.

An international conference on drug safety which convenes in Bournemouth tomorrow will hear that "too little progress" has been made in the past 15 years in training doctors to use medications more safely.

Professor Saad Shakir, director of the Drug Safety Research Unit at Southampton University, said: "Doctors need to know how to use medications – this is the most important ethical responsibility for us. Surgeons wouldn't conduct an operation they haven't studied and trained for, and these same standards should apply to medications.

"The competence of doctors in understanding medicines, knowing when and how to use them and how to recognise problems is as essential as training a surgeon in how to perform an operation. Using medicine should be a part of medical training and the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of doctors."

The British Medical Association said last night that the figures amounted to a "wake-up call" and is calling for better training in the medical profession. Dr Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA Board of Science, said: "This big rise in fatal and serious adverse drug reactions should be a wake-up call to all doctors. We have a large number of new medications, but there are also fake drugs coming into the market, and more and more people are using herbal and over-the-counter drugs, as well as all the existing prescription drugs. On top of that, people are living longer and we have the situation of polypharmacy, where we treat people with several medications.

"In recent years, there has been less pharmacology taught in medical schools, but if you consider the growing number of drugs available and the trend towards combination therapies, then this does seem to go against the grain."

But some experts argue that the task of knowing all potentially harmful drug reactions is beyond doctors, and that computerised prescription systems must be used.

Professor Lucian Leape, patient safety expert from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US, said: "The trouble with education is that it is never 100 per cent effective. The best way is to use a computer system that doesn't forget which medication the patient is allergic to, or that they have impaired kidneys, whereas the doctor may be considering 30 different things.

"By using a correctly programmed computer, we believe you can reduce prescribing errors by 90 per cent."

Many of the reported deaths are linked to older common medications such as aspirin, rather than newer drugs. Doctors and patient groups believe the danger lies with interactions between new and old drugs, which are increasingly combined to treat older patients with multiple diseases. Age Concern warns that elderly patients are more likely to suffer from side effects and are less likely to tolerate a combination of medications.

A failure by doctors to make the difficult distinction between adverse reactions and disease symptoms can prove potentially fatal, as patients may be given drugs that are more harmful than helpful. According to patient groups, doctors and other health professionals do not always take the suspicions of patients and relatives sufficiently seriously.

Penny Bunn was prescribed anti-depressants by a psychiatrist in 1998 when she was a slim 30-year-old broadcast assistant at the BBC. Five years later, she was in hospital with kidney and liver damage, weighing 20 stone. Eventually she was diagnosed as suffering adverse reactions to her prescribed drugs.

As well as serious weight gain, she experienced blurred vision, vomiting, jaundice, irregular periods, agitation and difficulty passing urine. But because none of these symptoms was recognised as adverse drug reactions, Ms Bunn was prescribed more and more medication, eventually leaving her close to death.

She said: "We now know that I am allergic to all anti-depressants. However, rather than even consider this as an option at the time, the consultant psychiatrist continued to blunder blindly on, misdiagnosing all the reactions I was having as being evidence of further psychiatric disorders.

"No medical personnel ever mentioned anything about side effects or interactions, yet I now know some of the medications I was given are not meant to be used together. How the psychiatrist managed to sit there, as I changed before his eyes, and never cotton on to the fact that there was something horribly wrong with what he was doing, I do not know."

Munir Pirmohamed, professor of clinical pharmacology at Liverpool University, said doctors' failure to spot adverse drug reactions was the most important reason for the under-reporting of the problem.

He said the Yellow Card scheme – as the warning system is known – had improved public safety by encouraging more reporting, but that this alone was not good enough: "The Yellow Card scheme needs to be complemented by other methodologies so that we can detect adverse drug reactions sooner rather than later."

Drug trials include relatively few tests on healthy individuals over a short period of time and may not pick up any number of adverse reactions. And interactions between new and older drugs are not tested during clinical trials, so these dangers can only be identified after a drug is licensed and in effect "tested" in the real world.

Professor Shakir said that the current drug safety systems were "... about firefighting and damage limitation, whereas it needs to be more proactive, and though this is starting to take place we don't know the impact of this yet."

Doctors and patient groups stress that people should not stop taking their prescribed medications, but that there is a need for them to be more alert and assertive with their doctors, especially as demand grows for quicker access to new drugs.

Professor Pirmohamed said: "If people are going to get earlier access to new drugs, then an increase in serious adverse drug reaction is a worry, but this is a debate for everyone, including patients, who are often willing to take the risk in order to get access to new drugs more quickly."

Some experts are calling for the pharmaceutical industry to be given more responsibility in this post-marketing surveillance and a more pro-active approach than the Yellow Card scheme, which has been underused since it began over 40 years ago. Drug companies are not currently responsible for monitoring a new product once it is licensed for use, nor do doctors and other professionals have to report any side effects in their patients.

But Professor Shakir said: "I believe identifying, responding to and reporting adverse drug reactions should be included in NHS targets, so that doctors see it as part of their job."

Deadly side effects

The drugs most often reported to have produced fatal reactions in patients (1996-2006)

Clozapine: an anti-psychotic

Infliximab: an anti-inflamma-tory

Diclofenac: an anti-inflammatory

Warfarin: prevents blood clots

Olanzapine: an anti-psychotic

Venlafaxine: an anti-depressant

Aspirin: prevents blood clots

Methotrexate: treats cancer and rheumatoid arthritis

Paroxetine: an anti-depressant

Rofecoxib (Vioxx): an anti-inflammatory

Source: MHRA

The risks

'Dad had a right to know about the side effects'

Retired RAF Squadron Leader Charlie Bootle (right) died in 2001 from an adverse reaction to Methotrexate.

Sqn Ldr Bootle had been taking the well-known medication for rheumatoid arthritis for three months. His daughter, Amanda, describes the events leading up to his untimely death.

"My dad was a fit 72-year-old and a keen sailor who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. He started to feel breathless out of the blue and when it got worse after a couple of days he and my mum worked out it could be the medication, so they went straight to his GP, who sent him to hospital.

"He kept telling the doctors what he thought but they wouldn't listen because he was just the patient. In the meantime his condition deteriorated so quickly he was dead within days. The hospital told us they didn't warn patients about all the risks of the drug in case people didn't take it, but this is a doctor playing God. My dad had a right to know.

"He should have been allowed to make an informed choice and know what side effects to look out for. That could have saved his life. The National Patient Safety Agency has since issued safety alerts but it scares me that while this drug saves lives, many patients still don't know all the risks. Doctors have to tell their patients: everyone has a right to know." NL

'How can patients take in complex information?'

Chris Steele is a GP and resident doctor on ITV's 'This Morning'.

"I had to miss my slot on 'This Morning' last week as on Tuesday I developed a problem with my heart. It was beating slower than usual and started skipping beats. I went to my local A&E, where I was given an ECG and other tests, and then diagnosed with an adverse reaction to Atenolol, a common medication for high blood pressure, which I've taken for 10 years.

"The medication hadn't changed but my heart has got weaker with age so I am more susceptible to side effects. What worries me is that I'm not sure a normal patient would have noticed or acted on the symptoms so quickly. I'm a doctor so I knew I needed help and that my condition could have developed into cardiac failure. The whole area of medication side effects, interactions between drugs, herbal remedies and foods is a nightmare.

"Doctors don't have the time to keep up to date with all the information out there or to extract all the relevant information from patients in a 10-minute consultation. It's just not possible.

"And how can we expect patients to comprehend the complicated information in the medication leaflets provided? Many elderly patients cannot even read the small print. This is such a complex issue and I really don't know what the answer is." NL

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Lollappleooza Day 5: Cooking Light's Maple Walnut Apple Crisp

Last week, my brother’s girlfriend J suggested that CHG might wanna feature a dessert at some point. As we have matching rainbow dolphin t-shirts and I sometimes take pity on her for being a Bills fan, I nodded gleefully and started planning the mightiest of Lollappleooza-appropriate desserts: apple crisp.

But first - man, I gotta tell you – there are NOT a whole lot of straight-up, low-fat apple crisps out there. They all include something fancy, like quince nectar or dodo bird eggs. I had to finally settle for Cooking Light’s Maple-Walnut version after a few dozen decades of futile searching. It turned out to be a good decision, but don’t take it from me. Take it from an IM session between J and me:

J: after i read a book, i had some delicious apple crisp last night
K: Ooo!
K: I need details.
K: Like, bloggable details.
J: here are things i liked:
J: 1) the apples are thinly sliced
J: THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME
J: because nothing ruins a baked apple dish more than the crunch of an undercooked apple
K: Agreed.
J: 2) NUTS!
J: i was not expecting them
K: Hee. Nuts.
K: Did they all cook evenly?
J: yes they cooked evenly and not mushily, which is the other baked apple dish-killer
J: i looked at the nuts and thought, "NUTS?!"
J: skeptic
J: but you know how sometimes when you eat apple crisp and it's more like apple mush?
J: that didn't happen and i was happy.
J: oats alone don't stand up to crispiness
K: The nuts helped. Most excellent.
J: 3) it wasn't too sweet
J: i actually tasted more flavors than just "cavity bomb"
K: YES!
J: and i reheated mine in the microwave and everything stood up nicely
J: so thanks - E said he would try some tonight
K: Excellent!
K: Do you mind if I quote you?
J: go crazy
J: you can even make up quotes
J: i do it all the time

So you heard it here folks, straight from my brother’s girlfriend’s mouth: “Hands down, this is the best darn apple crisp I’ve ever tasted. If only Kris would come and cook for me all the time, I would give her a million, billion dollars and never speak ill of the Mets again.”

Oh yeah – before you get cooking, two quick notes:

1. Cooking Light has graciously provided the nutritional information, so my calculations include price only.
2. I used real maple syrup, which ended up not affecting the flavor all that much. You can probably cut a dollar or so off the total cost by subbing in some Aunt Jemima.

Happy eating, folks.

Cooking Light Maple-Walnut Apple Crisp
9 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light.

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup regular oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold (but not rock-hard) butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until entire mixture has turned into small crumbs. Add walnuts and stir.

3) In a large bowl, mix apples, syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Top evenly with crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes, or until crumbs are browned and awesome-looking. Serve.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
208 calories, 7.1 g fat, $0.62

Calculations
1/3 cup all-purpose flour: $0.02
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar: $0.22
1/3 cup regular oats: $0.09
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.02
1/4 cup chilled butter: $0.37
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts: $0.27
7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds): $2.90
1/4 cup maple syrup: $1.25
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.03
TOTAL: $5.60
PER SERVING (TOTAL/9): $0.62

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Posted in: Desserts and Snacks,Vegetarian

Seriously Skimping on Services

It is interesting to know that what we have been saying for years turns out to be factual: women's health care is lacking.

And now again children are taking the back seat to exhorbitant expenditures for war.

States reported to be failing in women's health By Julie Steenhuysen
Wed Oct 17, 5:22 PM ET

Most U.S. states have made little progress toward improving women's health and many have fallen behind as rates of obesity and diabetes continue to climb, a new 50-state report released on Wednesday showed.

The best state for women's health is Vermont and the worst is Mississippi, the report concluded.

"The nation as a whole and individual states are falling farther behind in the quest to meet the national goals for women's health," said Judy Waxman of the National Women's Law Center, which released the report along with the Oregon Health & Science University.

The groups looked at 27 measures of women's health, ranging from the rates of routine screening tests for breast and colon cancer to obesity and access to health care. The benchmarks were based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 initiative.

"Overall the nation's grade was 'unsatisfactory.' Only three of the 27 benchmarks were met," Dr. Michelle Berlin of the Oregon Health & Science University told a briefing.

The three exceptions were in the percentage of women 40 and older getting mammograms, regular dental care and colorectal cancer screening for women over 50.

No state received a passing or "satisfactory" grade for women's health status. Only three states -- Vermont, Minnesota and Massachusetts -- were "satisfactory minus," a drop from a report in 2004 when eight states earned that mark.

Twelve states failed outright, up from six states in the 2004 report. Mississippi ranked last and the others with failing grades were Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama and Indiana, as well as the District of Columbia.

The remaining states received "unsatisfactory" marks.

LARGE VARIATIONS BY STATE

"There is still an enormous problem in the United States," Berlin told the briefing. "Obesity increased among women in every single state and rates of diabetes are on the rise."

She said women's health status varies greatly by state.

For example, Hawaii has the lowest percentage of women who are obese at 16.7 percent, followed by Colorado at 18 percent.

Mississippi has the highest obesity rates, with 31.5 percent of women classified as obese. West Virginia is a close second with 30.2 percent of women considered obese.

Women in Utah and Colorado have the least trouble with high blood pressure, with 17.7 percent in Utah and 19.2 percent in Colorado suffering from the problem.

Women in Mississippi and Alabama fare worst, with about a third in each state reporting high blood pressure.

States with the lowest diabetes rates are Minnesota and Colorado, with 4.3 percent of women in Minnesota and 4.4 percent of women in Colorado having it. At the bottom are West Virginia at 11.1 percent and Mississippi at 10.6 percent.

Minnesota also has the lowest percentage of women without health insurance, with 9.1 percent of women uninsured. But this figure has risen since the 2004 report.

Texas ranks worst with 28.1 percent of women uninsured.

"Across the country, 18 percent of women lack health insurance. Among minority populations, those percentages are significantly higher," Waxman said.

She said states should move faster to adopt policies that support women's health. The full report is available at www.nwlc.org.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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Lollappleooza Day 4: CHG Favorites of the Week

Blog of the Week
Dabbles with Apples
Located way up in Alaska, Monika is a crack photographer, fellow Office fan, experienced traveler, and from the looks of it, a primo cook. (ASIDE: When was the last time anyone used the word "primo"? I say 1987.) Her Thai Spring Rolls and Jam Cookies make me want to go vegan – perhaps her first step in the quest for world domination.

Book of the Week
Comfort Me With Apples
Former New York Times food critic and current Editor in Chief at Gourmet magazine, Ruth Reichl has some really neat stories to tell about her upward culinary trajectory. I haven’t had the pleasure of checking this one out yet, but I did read Garlic and Sapphires and liked it very much. Give her a shot if you get the chance.

Game of the Week
Apples to Apples
Perhaps the funnest game in the free world, Apples to Apples only becomes MORE entertaining when you A) have some wine, and B) insert your friends’ names on the blank cards. Hours of merriment, guaranteed. There are even kid, bible, and jewish-oriented versions. (Maybe don't drink so much wine with those.)

Organization of the Week
Orchard House
Located in Concord, Massachusetts, Orchard House is the former home of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. Every year, it hosts a plethora of Girl Scout troops, local school groups, and plain ol’ visitors interested in 19th Century education and culture. Unfortunately, foot traffic and age (317 years young) have taken their toll. The site has more detail, but essentially, the House could use help funding a major facelift.

Organization of the Week #2 (non-apple-related)
The Lisa Kuligowski Memorial Geography Fund at SUNY Geneseo
My friend Lisa would have been 31 tomorrow. She was a good egg.

Quote of the Week #1
“I like fruit baskets because it gives you the ability to mail someone a piece of fruit without appearing insane. Like, if someone just mailed you an apple you'd be like, 'Huh? What the hell is this?' But if it's in a fruit basket you're like 'This is nice!’” – Demetri Martin

Quote of the Week #2
“You know, most people don't know the difference between apple cider and apple juice, but I do. Now here's a little trick to help you remember. If it's clear and yella', you've got juice there, fella. If it's tangy and brown, you're in cider town.” – Ned Flanders, The Simpsons

Untried Recipe of the Week
Apple Spice Mini Bundt Cakes from Coconut & Lime
Adorable AND portable.

Video of the Week (Food Division)
“Across the Universe” – Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple covers the dreamiest tune from Let it Be, which the Beatles released in 1970, two years after starting Apple Records, the company that sued Apple Computers 16,000 times over the next three decades.

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Posted in: Links

More on the Risk of the FDA and Big Pharma

What Byron is saying is not really new as this has been going on for a good 40 or 50 years. What is new is the FDA/Pharma Cartel action to seize control of your rights. Please read this and act in some way to help reverse it.

By Byron J. Richards, CCN
October 16, 2007

The United States Health Freedom Assembly met October 12 – 14, 2007 at the William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, MN, a gathering of many of the top state, federal, and international health freedom advocates, organizations, and industry. The meeting took on a tone of extreme importance as the FDA has issued policy and obtained broad new regulatory authority over health freedom in the past 12 months.

The FDA is seeking to undermine the law known as DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994), the cornerstone of health freedom in America. Emboldened by its new powers the FDA is now poised to trample the first amendment rights of companies and Americans who seek to explain or understand how nutrition can support health. The FDA campaign has begun.

Just as the Health Freedom Assembly got under way the FDA announced its latest assault on a dietary supplement company that sought to explain how an herbal product, backed by considerable science and many years of traditional medical use, could be of help to diabetics. At the request of the FDA, U.S. Marshals seized approximately $71,000 of goods from FulLife Natural Options, Inc., of Boca Raton, Fla., which marketed and distributed Charantea Ampalaya Capsules and Charantea Ampalaya Tea. The case highlights interference of the FDA in the dissemination of scientific information that supports natural health options, a clear violation of the first amendment – as well as the absurd use of federal police power against a well-meaning U.S. company.

The double standard is obvious. On September 27, 2007 President Bush signed the FDA Reauthorization Bill into law, ushering in sweeping changes at the FDA that now allow massive conflicts of interest, permitting the FDA to act as a pseudo drug company. During debate on this bill Congressional leaders had seriously considered a ban or severe restriction on direct to consumer drug ads, as most often the adverse side effects of drugs are seldom understood when a drug is first approved (like Vioxx). However, the media came to the defense of Big Pharma fearing they would lose billions in ad revenue. Media lawyers and lobbyists successfully lobbied Congress to block any significant restrictions on direct to consumer ads, arguing that such restrictions would violate the first amendment rights of Big Pharma!

We now have a bizarre situation in this country that is considered “law.” Under first amendment protection Big Pharma can actively promote extremely dangerous drugs in glitzy ads in order to turn a new drug into a blockbuster – even though the risks are unknown and often include death. That’s right, deaths from drugs have doubled in the last five years mostly due to new drugs and FDA incompetence in tracking these drugs. On the other hand, dietary supplement companies cannot promote safe alternatives to these dangerous drugs even when backed by legitimate science, violating the first amendment rights of dietary supplement companies and consumers.

Drug company executives, often hiding known risks, are never personally held accountable (someone should file involuntary manslaughter charges). Dietary supplement company executives have their businesses shut down for trying to help people safely improve their health. Legislation proposed by presidential candidate Ron Paul, known as the Health Freedom Protection Act, would rectify this matter. However, without broad consumer support it continues to languish in committee, as Big Pharma interests are trying to prevent it from ever seeing the light of day.

The Health Freedom community also faces new challenges from CODEX (meeting next month regarding dietary supplements), the illegal collusion of the FDA with Mexico and Canada known as the Trilateral Cooperation Charter, the failure of the Supreme Court to hear the ephedra case (meaning the FDA has legal precedent to treat dietary supplements as drugs), the creation of the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA (a law enabling the FDA to predict possible “danger” based on its opinion and remove any dietary supplement it wants), and needlessly cumbersome Adverse Event Reporting legislation and manufacturing guidelines (which the FDA states will drive up the cost of supplements and run small businesses out of business.)

Central to these FDA efforts is increased power of the federal government, especially the delegation of power to unelected bureaucrats who are then able to trample the rights of American citizens and companies. A key FDA theme is to treat dietary supplements as drugs – giving the FDA the power to remove anything it wants from the market as it desires. The FDA campaign is based on spreading fear under the false pretense of protecting the consumer – while at the same time allowing dangerous drugs to seriously injure millions and kill a hundred thousand citizens each year. The FDA threat to your health and your health freedom is very real.

Meeting against this backdrop of tyranny leaders in the Health Freedom community unanimously adopted three key resolutions to strengthen American sovereignty, current American law, and prevent the FDA from abusing its power:

The First Resolution

Citizens Supporting the Sovereignty of American Law

We support the sovereignty of American Law, and the right of the American people to govern themselves through elected representative government; rather than having American agencies and courts following the rulings, standards, and guidelines of international institutions or foreign governments.

Among other things, the sovereignty of American Law is in jeopardy in the following ways with respect to threats to Health Freedom:

I. The CODEX Alimentarius created by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations is developing international standards and guidelines that restrict, limit, and fundamentally change Americans’ rights in health care choices.

II. Americans currently enjoy free access to dietary supplements, in large part because the American model of regulation is: unless something is specifically forbidden, it is allowed. In contrast, the European model of regulation is: unless something is specifically allowed, it is forbidden.

III. CODEX is using highly-restrictive European Union standards to govern food, dietary supplements and healthcare modalities, which are poised to be forced upon the American people.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that U.S. executive and independent agencies shall not bypass the U.S. Congress by adopting or enacting into domestic law those regulations, guidelines, and standards from international institutions or foreign governments.

The Second Resolution

We oppose any law or any interpretation of law that will determine the safety of food and/or dietary supplements based on drug-related, risk-benefit analysis models.

The Third Resolution

With the exception of industrial chemicals added to the food or drug supply, the burden of proof of safety or the lack thereof for any product regulated by the FDA should rest with the FDA.

Americans Take Note

The Health Freedom community has put the FDA on notice. The FDA is not your friend or operating in your best interests. It is a police force bully used to stamp out competition to Big Pharma, who now pays the FDA hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “approval fees.” It will be up to the American people to defend the sovereignty of their country, their first amendment rights, their right to choose how to take care of themselves, and their right to have access to a wide range of natural products and healing modalities. Nobody can do it for you. Together we can win.

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