Saturday Throwback: Recession-Proofing Your Diet - Food Strategies for a New Economy

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives. This one comes from March 2008, and includes then-timely Elliot Spitzer and J.D. Salinger-being-alive references. Oh, Comedy. You are a cruel mistress.If you’ve been to the supermarket in the last few months, the rising cost of food isn’t exactly an Elliot Spitzer-level surprise. Grain prices are up, dairy products have become a luxury, and meat … well, cheap beef is rarer than a J.D. Salinger sighting these days. CNN, MSNBC, and the newspapers are finally picking up on it, too, with more stories about global grocery shortages and ludicrous shipping expenses. It appears we’re headed for a...

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Caregiving and Youth

By R. Scott Benson, M.D.I met a remarkable young woman last week. Sarah (not her real name) was only 15 years old so she couldn’t get a summer job, so she offered to help with her grandmother who had recently returned home from a brief hospital stay. Sarah was pretty excited about the opportunity since she always felt that she was her grandmother’s favorite.After a few weeks Sarah had what she described as a pretty typical panic attack. Her parents weren’t particularly surprised since Sarah had had some problems with anxiety when she started middle school. Those problems resolved with brief therapy. They quickly arranged for a reevaluation aware...

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Posted in: Alzheimer's Disease,R Scott Benson MD,Seniors

Plumped Chickens Not Natural

If you can take the time to read my comment below the article, you might also think about this:  From a nutritional standpoint, there are nutrient combinations in some meat that do not commonly occur in other foods. For example, it can be difficult to find other foods with the combination of significant amounts of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, and iron that you find in meat.Processed poultry often is filled with such additives as soy broth, salt water, or other substances in a method referred to as "plumping".  Frozen turkeys also are subject to this.  Consider too that the water used in this process may be fluoridated so you...

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Posted in: Chicken,natural food labels,plumping

More on Health Insurance Reform

UPDATE: 3 August - Health Insurance Reform, how it plays out Covering New Ground in Health System Shift http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/health/policy/03insurance.htmlMedicare Reform Means Some Seniors Face Benefit CutsSee full article from DailyFinance: http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/medicare-reform-means-some-seniors-face-benefit-cuts/19578216/?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2Fstory%2Fmedicare-reform-means-some-seniors-face-benefit-cuts%2F19578216%2F&icid=sphere_copyrightUPDATE: 2 August - Judge Gives Virginia OK to Press On With Health Care Lawsuit Against FedsU.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson...

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Posted in: health insurance reform,healthcare access,healthcare costs,Obamacare

Calcium and Bone Health

UPDATE: 4 August - NattoPharma says calcium research highlights vitamin K roleBy NUTRA staff reporter, 04-Aug-2010Related topics: Research, Minerals, Vitamins & premixes, Bone & joint health, Cardiovascular healthNorwegian vitamin K supplier NattoPharma has backed the role of vitamin K in calcium metabolism following the controversial British Medical Journal meta-analysis linking calcium consumption and increased risk of heart attack.The article has drawn widespread industry criticism for inappropriately “cherry picking” data, but NattoPharma says regardless of that fact, the research highlights...

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Posted in: bone health,calcium,heart attack

Monsanto: The evil corporation in your refrigerator

The case for real food -Monsanto: The evil corporation in your refrigeratorWhen we consider the rogue's gallery of devilish, over-sized, greedy and disproportionately powerful corporations, we generally come up with outfits like Microsoft, Bechtel, AIG, Halliburton, Goldman-Sachs, Exxon-Mobil and the United States Senate. Yet somehow, Monsanto, arguably the most devilish, over-sized, greedy and disproportionately powerful corporation in the world has been able to more or less skulk between the raindrops -- only a household name in households where documentaries like Food Inc. are regarded as light Friday evening entertainment. My house, for example. But for the most part, if you were to ask an average American for their list of sinister corporations, Monsanto probably wouldn't make...

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Two New Drug Risk Warnings from FDA

Estradiol Spray May Pose Risk for Kids and Pets - Menopausal women who use a spray form of topical estradiol (Evamist) to control hot flushes should avoid touching children and pets with treated areas of the skin, the FDA warned.The agency said it had received eight reports of children ages 3 to 5 who showed breast enlargement and other signs of estrogen exposure after contact with women using the product.Directions for use of the product -- approved in 2007 -- call for it to be sprayed onto the inside of the forearm."Patients should make sure that children are not exposed to Evamist and that children do not come into contact with any skin area where the drug was applied. Women who cannot avoid contact with children should wear a garment with long sleeves to cover the application...

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Posted in: 2010 vaccine guidelines for children,breast enlargement,daptomycin,estradiol,natural health for pets,pneumonia

Top 10 Links of the Week: 7/23/10 – 7/29/10

It’s been a sweet seven days over at headquarters (Note: my futon), between a Lifehacker link and post on the most excellent Get Rich Slowly. But the week is never complete without ... THE LINKS!From Get Rich Slowly1) Get Rich Slowly: How to Use a Food Dehydrator to Preserve Your HarvestClear, informative, extensive post on the wide world of dried fruits and veggies. I swear, Kris’ summary of methodology, practical uses, and advantages will convince you to buy a dehydrator by the time the article is over.2) Eatocracy: The Great Lunch SwapI love this idea: co-workers Tommy and Callie made lunch for each other for three days, and it was a total,...

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Posted in: Links

Phytoplankton Population Drops

The decline - about 1% per year - could be ecologically significant as plankton sit at the base of marine food chains. Algal blooms can be imaged from spacePhytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950Researchers find trouble among phytoplankton, the base of the food chain, which has implications for the marine food web and the world's carbon cycle.The amount of phytoplankton - tiny marine plants - in the top layers of the oceans has declined markedly over the last century, research suggests. Writing in the journal Nature, scientists say the decline appears to be linked to rising water temperatures.They made their finding by...

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Posted in: food chain,Nature,phytoplankton,plankton,plankton declines

The patient is the best historian

Medical education is a form of brainwashing, not too different than educating future lawyers.  Most higher education is not far removed, because it is the major way, just as in the days of the Guilds, that a trade or profession was continued.  Keeping the education process in a narrow perspective fosters the culture in that field, and perpetuates the lack of growth and change, new ideas, or new approaches.One thing that used to be a Golden Rule in health care was the importance of listening to your patient.  Today, this is not always possible because of the tight control of the bottom line over health care practices by administrators and insurers, as well as the pharmaceutical companies.  I listen to my clients and often hear them tell me of their frustration with doctors...

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Posted in: belief,doctors,health,listening to patients,patients

Veggie Might: Sprouted Quinoa and Mango Tabouleh

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian. She continues CHG's No-Cook Month.Remember last week when we sprouted quinoa in glass jars with only water, cheese cloth, rubber bands, and our devotion to Not Cooking? Oh, those were giddy days. Well, this Dear Readers, is the joyous, hip-shaking result.Quinoa sprouts are quite tasty on their own: fresh, crunchy, and a bit nutty. They have the essence of alfalfa or mung bean sprouts but retain their recognizable quinoa flavor. You can use the sprouts to top sandwiches or salads, grind them into flour for baking, cook them like any other grain...

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Posted in: Mains,Sides,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

Transplantasi Wajah

APA ITU TRANSPLANTASI WAJAH? Transplantasi wajah adalah suatu proses transplantasi kulit untuk menggantikan kulit wajah pasien dengan kulit donor atau kulit pasien itu sendiri. Transplantasi wajah ditujukan bagi mereka yang mengalami kerusakan kulit wajah dikarenakan kebakaran, penyakit, trauma atau cacat lahir. Proses transplantasi :1.Sang pasien yang mukanya sudah hancur akan di gantikan dengan kulit wajah sang pendonor.2.Wajah sang pendonor akan di pasangkan ke wajah sang pasien .Sang pendonor bisa dari saudara Pasien , kerabat dekat , atau pacar sekalipun. Umumnya di lakukan oleh Pendonor yang sudah meninggal,namun jika pendonor itu...

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Posted in: face off,transplantasi wajah,transplantasi wajah Oscar