Pound for Pound Challenge

I have taken a pledge to lose weight and help fight hunger by signing up for the Pound For Pound Challenge. For every pound participants pledge to lose, The Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 14¢ to Feeding America®–enough to deliver one pound of groceries to a local food bank. Maximum donation of $800,000.

Feeding America provides assistance each year to 25 million Americans at risk of hunger. I urge you to take the Pound For Pound Challenge and join me in the fight against hunger.

Thanks for your help.

Superstar CBS Reporter Blows the Lid Off the Swine Flu Media Hype and Hysteria

Posted by: Dr. Mercola November 24 2009 | 78,006 views

Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News correspondent and investigative reporter. She’s covered Capitol Hill since February 2006 and has been a Washington-based correspondent there since January 1995. She was also part of the CBS news team that received the Edward Murrow Award in 2005 for overall excellence. Additionally, she received an Outstanding Investigative Journalism Emmy in 2002 for a series on the Red Cross.

In case you didn't realize it, Sharyl Attkisson is the investigative reporter behind the groundbreaking CBS News study that found H1N1 flu cases are NOT as prevalent as feared.

In fact, they’re barely on the radar screen.

How did this startling information come about, and why is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) painting a different picture entirely? I spoke directly with Sharyl Attkisson to find out.

Read the rest of the story and view the videos here.....

I know this isn't about weight loss, but it is a health issue and I believe that we should be as educated as possible regarding all health issues. As I always say, don't believe anything you read here unless you know it to be true or you do your own research.

(Disclaimer: I don't knowingly publish anything I know or believe to be factually incorrect (ie, lies, just plain wrong, etc.), but I may post something that is incorrect because I haven't researched it, or believe my source to have already done the research. And when I do, I gladly accept correction by my readers. I only ask that you do it politely. We all make mistakes.)

More 'Safe' Water Bottles that are Actually Dangerous

More 'Safe' Water Bottles that are Actually Dangerous

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 31 2009 | 14,912 views

Not long ago, SIGG announced that their aluminum water bottles, which many people purchased to avoid the BPA found in plastic bottles, actually contained BPA. Now it has come out that Gaiam's aluminum water bottles -- the ones that were previously labeled "BPA-free" -- actually leach BPA at 20 times the levels that SIGG bottles did.

After being called out on the web on the BPA status of their "BPA-free" water bottles, Gaiam has quietly posted on its retail website data from independent lab test results that show BPA leaching levels at 23.8 parts per billion.

These findings are more than 10 times the detection limit that SIGG provided in its own water bottle testing, and over 18 times more than the leaching levels found in independent studies of SIGG water bottles.

Sources:

Mother Nature Network October 7, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about Bisphenol-A, or BPA, if you’ve paid attention during the past year. It’s been getting a lot of press for good reason.

BPA is an estrogen-mimicking chemical, invented nearly 120 years ago, that is used to make hard plastics and epoxy resins. It can be found in numerous products that most people use on a daily basis, including baby bottles, canned foods, water bottles, and microwaveable plastic dishes and containers.

The Environmental Working Group has published an interesting review of BPA, showing the timeline of BPA’s use over the years. It offers a glimpse of the reality behind nearly all chemical dangers, showing just how long it can take to get something dangerous off the market, despite the evidence of harm.

Industry uses more than 6 billion pounds of BPA a year. As a result, scientists have found that 95 percent of people tested have dangerous levels of BPA in their bodies.

This is one valid reason why you should not tolerate the suggestion that “trace amounts” of toxins are okay.

The cumulative effect of being exposed to minuscule amounts of BPA from cans, bottles, plates and all other sources over the years can eventually spell serious trouble for your health.

The biggest victims are likely to be children, who may be exposed to the chemical from the time they’re in utero, and onward, throughout their entire lives.

Why You Need to Pay Attention to BPA

In the last ten years, some 700 studies have been published about BPA -- most of them indicating serious health hazards, at least in animals. The most troubling problem with BPA is that it mimics the female hormone estrogen.

Your body is extremely sensitive to sex hormones, and miniscule amounts can induce profound changes. Therefore, scientists are afraid even low levels of BPA could have a negative impact on human health.

In animals, BPA increases aneuploidy, a defect consisting of abnormal loss or gain of chromosomes, which in humans could possibly lead to miscarriages or disorders such as Down Syndrome.

Moreover, there is evidence (among mice and rats) that even low doses of BPA can cause:

• Hyperactivity

• Early puberty

• Increased fat formation

• Abnormal sexual behavior

• Disrupted reproductive cycles

• Structural damage to your brain

In September 2008 the National Toxicology Program of NIH determined that BPA may pose risks to human development, raising concerns for early puberty, prostate effects, breast cancer, and behavioral impacts from early-life exposures, all of which you can read about in the NIH publication No. 08-5994.

It also shows that nearly all of the exposure is through the food supply, which emphasizes the importance of avoiding BPA-laced food and beverage containers of all kinds as this is how your food becomes contaminated.

It’s difficult to understand why U.S. health and environmental regulators keep insisting there is “no evidence of harm to human health after 50 years of use,” when this list contains some of the most wide spread health issues that have dramatically increased in that same time frame.

Lawmakers are Slow to Protect the Public

There has been some success in limiting the use of BPA. In May of this year, Minnesota legislature passed a statewide ban on the sale of baby bottles, sippy cups, and other children’s food containers made with BPA. Other states, including California, Connecticut, Michigan and New York, are considering similar legislation.

Some retailers have also made the wise decision to respond to consumer demand and have voluntarily eliminated some of their BPA products for sale.

It’s a good start, but clearly not enough. Hopefully, Congress will come through with their proposed legislation intended to establish a federal ban on BPA in all food and beverage containers.

Until then, it may be prudent to remain wary of companies who claim to be completely safe, while hiding the fact that their metal water bottles still contain trace elements of BPA in the lining.

Better yet, quit trying to figure out who’s honest and who’s not, and go for food and beverage containers you KNOW does not contain BPA -- namely GLASS.

That way you can circumvent the entire problem with BPA, which is that it doesn’t remain stable or inert in the plastic.

BPA leeches into whatever food or beverage you put in a plastic container, canned good, or plastic baby bottle. And if you microwave the containers or bottles, or place hot liquids or food into them, BPA is released 55 times more rapidly!

With glass you simply will not have this problem and can finally put your mind at rest.

Also keep in mind that your body IS capable of detoxing and cleaning out at least some of the toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis as long as you maintain a healthy lifestyle and take measures to limit your exposure to toxins.

Do You Know What the Recycling Symbols Mean?

If you absolutely can’t do away with your plastic containers, at least check the recycling label on the bottom of the container and opt for “the lesser evil.”

• Avoid containers with recycling label No. 7, as these varieties usually contain BPA.

• No. 3 (DEHA) and No. 6 (Styrene) are also considered unsuitable for use with food due to their toxic ingredients.

• Containers marked with the recycling labels No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 do not contain BPA, but they do contain other unsavory chemicals that are best avoided. Still, if you’re determined to stick with plastic, these four are considered to be better than the others.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Smart Plastics Guide offers more detailed descriptions of the most commonly occurring chemicals in plastic products.

The website Mother Jones also offers a handy chart that you can cut out and stick on your refrigerator.

10 Tips to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA

1. Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby

2. Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones

3. Store your food and beverages in glass -- NOT plastic -- containers

4. IF you choose to use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic container

5. Stop buying and consuming canned foods and drinks

6. Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it)

7. Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass varieties

8. If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your food

9. Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a reverse osmosis filter instead

10. Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to you, or your children’s, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA

Where to Find BPA-Free Products

Just like some retailers are ditching hazardous products, some are also increasingly marketing products that are BPA-free. Here’s an assortment of sources that carry BPA-free products:

• SafeMama.com offers a quick reference list of BPA-free sippy cups and other food storage items

• They also have a cheat sheet of BPA, PVC and phthalate-free pacifiers and teething rings

• TheSoftLanding.com offers glass baby bottles wrapped in silicone to prevent breakage, as well as an assortment of other BPA-free children’s products

• The Z Recommends blog also has a guide that lists children‘s feeding products that don‘t contain BPA

• Amazon.com‘s BPA-free section lists water bottles, baby bottles, and sippy cups.

• Rubbermaid has an assortment of containers that do not contain BPA.

• Nalgene now offers BPA-free water bottles.

• Brita, which makes water filtration products, says that its pitchers and filters don‘t contain BPA.

• SC Johnson, which makes Saran brand wraps and Ziploc bags and containers, says that it doesn‘t use BPA in its products.

Cinnamon and Honey

I received this in email. I've not done much research on either honey or cinnamon, so can't speak to the validity. I have heard that honey and cinnamon have good properties, but as to the following, well, do your research if you care to.

Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing".

When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was.

Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Cinnamon and Honey

~ Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around.~

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:

It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.

Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack.

Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat.

In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:

Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:

Take two tablespoons of cin namon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours.

- Hide quoted text -

As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:

According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase, and even a 100 year old starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:

Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:

Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful, rather than being detrimental, to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey, taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:

People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

Still Tasty

Want to know if you should keep that bottle of ketchup that's been sitting on your shelf for who knows how long?

Visit this site, Still Tasty, and find out!

Good to know information!

When Good Bananas Go Bad!

I've found that Laughter is indeed the best medicine. Enjoy!

God's Pharmacy

Even if you don't accept the religious aspect, the descriptions are very interesting. So, read and enjoy!

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born.

These are best & more powerful when eaten raw.

We're such slow learners.....

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red... The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb, and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

The Metabolically Challenged

If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you know I’ve had my difficulties losing weight (like most other Americans!)

About eighteen months ago, I started a program through my insurance company and had good success to begin with. The first five months showed successful weight loss, but then in October of last year, I hit a wall.

It began when I got tired of being on a diet. It didn’t matter that I kept telling myself it wasn’t a diet, but a new way of eating. I was bored and tired of watching and recording everything I put in my mouth and having to exercise. I am apparently somewhat lazy by nature, but there were other problems too. I had little motivation to do anything I didn’t “have” to do. And if motivated to exercise, I soon lost interest.

All this was reflected in my weekly weigh-ins. I’d lose a couple of pounds then gain them back. I knew that I wasn’t working the plan as I had been, so I accepted that the fault was mine. But, even though I wanted to lose the weight, it was getting harder and harder to motivate myself to work the plan as I needed to work it to achieve the weight loss I really wanted.

In January I started a walking program and got back into “working the program”. I was lucky that I was in an office that had a microwave, so I took my breakfast and lunch to work, microwaved as necessary, ate at my desk and then walked during my break times. My supervisors knew I was on this program (in fact, one was on the same program) and didn’t say anything thing about eating at my desk. I began to see some changes in my body, and some in my weight. My weight didn’t really change much because I was building (and rebuilding) muscle. So, while I may have lost actual weight, I also gained because I was gaining muscle weight. My counselor was aware and wasn’t too concerned because she realized why the weight loss wasn’t showing much success.

The doctor decided that I might be diabetic or insulin resistant, and if not diabetic, then pre-diabetic and sent me for an A1C blood test. I wasn’t sure about being insulin resistant, but I knew I wasn’t diabetic and I was proved right on that score. I also wasn’t insulin resistant. No one could explain why I wasn’t showing more weight loss.

In March, I was still walking and my body was showing results. My legs were looking good, starting to show a nice shape and toned muscle. Then disaster struck.

I have had plantar's fasciitis for several years, but no problems for about three years. Well, all the walking I was doing caused the plantar's fascii to revolt. My heel began to hurt while walking. I was coming up on some vacation time, so I decided to stop my daily walking and during my vacation I would rest the foot as much as possible.

While the pain lessened somewhat, I still had trouble walking. I could do the “normal” walking, but trying to maintain any walking for exercise was out of the question. There were times when my heel hurt so bad, especially on standing, that I had to just stop whatever I was doing until the pain lessened. That’s not really feasible in my work. Without saying much about what I do (my company has put out an order stating that we not say where we work or what we do. It’s not so much that what I do is classified – it’s not, although we do have to maintain certain security levels- but more about company image), I have to be able to move about freely and quickly – lives could possibly be endangered if I can’t move fast.

Anyway. In April, I finally went to the podiatrist and had my foot strapped. I knew that would do the trick. Except this time it didn’t work as well as it had in the past. After being re-strapped a couple more times, the doctor decided to put me in orthodics to give my foot the support it needed. That’s helped, but even today, I still have some daily pain. Aleeve helps. I usually take one in the morning and another in the afternoon if I need it.

Now, from March on, I haven’t been able to do my walking program. My weight fluctuated, on average, three or four pounds, gain or loss, from one week to the next. The doctor in charge of the weight program understood that my lack of walking (my chosen form of exercise) wasn’t my fault, it was due to a physical condition. Apparently, because of my foot problem, and the fact that I was following all the requirements, and went for the blood tests when they wanted, I was allowed to continue the program.

I completed the program in April, the only one in my work group who did so, by the way, but didn’t achieve the weight loss expected. So, there was joy and sadness in my “graduation”. I learned the lessons, lost nearly 50 pounds, and learned that I could do it. I was sad because I hadn't reached the goal set by the program or my personal goals.

Since I’ve been off the program, and unable to walk I’ve regained some of the weight. I knew it would happen, so it wasn’t unexpected. I knew in my heart that there was something else going on. I know as you age, losing weight is harder. I also know that my lack of motivation was a part of the problem. I stayed on the program very well for about five months. I didn’t deprive myself of anything. I learned early on that I could eat whatever I wanted; I just had to learn moderation and portion control. I knew that exercise had to be part of any weight loss program; diet alone doesn’t do it any more than exercise alone. And especially at my age and my weight.

I saw something the other day that got me wondering. Now, I know, everyone who wants to lose weight wants either an excuse why they can’t lose weight, or a magic bullet that will allow them to continue to eat and exercise (or not) as they want and still lose weight. If we’re all honest, we know that you can’t eat in excess, not exercise, and still lose weight, and that the excuses are just that: excuses to not even try.

What I saw was something called Metabolism B. This is apparently a metabolic disorder I had never heard of. I mentioned it to a friend who is also “weight challenged” and she told me it was all over the Internet. Well, that might be true, but it wasn’t where I had seen it, so I decided to do some looking around. I still haven’t done enough reading, but I seem to fit the pattern for this particular disorder.

Now, I’m not saying this is an excuse or a magic bullet, but from what I’ve seen so far, it might be something worth looking into if you have difficulty (and you’ve honestly worked “diet” and exercise programs) and struggling to lose that fat you’ve been carrying around for years.

Diane Kress, RD, CDE is the author of the best-selling book on this subject, The Metabolism Miracle. The blurb below is from the webpage for the book.

Do you keep gaining weight, despite your efforts to diet?

Do the pounds accumulate around your tummy?

Do you feel tired, irritable, and unable to focus?

Unlock the Secret of Metabolism B:

The Key to a Leaner and Healthier You

For over twenty years, weight loss and diabetes specialist Diane Kress, RD CDE, has worked with thousands of people in their quest to lose weight, get healthy, and feel their best. Over the years she became aware that a group of people (what turned out to be over 45% of people who struggled to lose weight and keep it off!) had a very similar story to tell. They dieted like anyone else, but didn’t get the results they deserved for their efforts. Even increases in exercise didn’t make a real difference in their weight loss efforts and a stubborn roll of fat around the middle became source of frustration. Not only did their weight yo yo, they began to feel less energetic, less healthy, and felt a lesser quality of life.

I read those three questions and said:

1. I lose weight, but after a while, it gets harder to lose. I get bored and lose motivation, true, but even when I’m really working a diet, it gets harder.

2. Not just yes, but HELL yes! I lost 50 pounds, but lost only two sizes and most of the weight is in my torso – including the belly.

3. I am tired all the time, no matter how sleep I get (or don’t get). I can sleep four hours or ten (or more) and I don’t feel much different. I’m generally upbeat, but little things can certainly irritate me that really shouldn’t. Unable to focus? Well, maybe, but not nearly so much a problem as the tiredness and irritability.

I found another page on the site that had more questions, and while some of them weren’t true of me, others were, and some in spades! About 45% of people who struggle to take off weight fall into this group of the metabolically challenged.

Now, I’m not saying this is the answer to my weight problems. I don’t know, I haven’t tried the program yet, but I think I will. I’m going to do more research, get the book and see what this is all about. If it works for me, I’ll let you know. I’ll also let you know if it doesn’t.

You have to be honest with yourself when on a diet/exercise plan. Are you really working the program or goofing off? If you’re really working it and not losing, there might be a reason why it’s not working for you. It could be the program isn’t right for you. Try something else. Maybe you need to mix up your exercise. If you really think about it, you’ll know the truth: you’re not working the program, or that there might be another reason for your lack of success.

New blood pressure findings from University of Cambridge published

NewsRx.com

7/23/2009

Researchers detail in 'Antihypertensive drugs and central blood pressure,' new data in blood pressure. "Recent evidence suggests that central blood pressure is a more important determinant of cardiovascular risk than brachial pressure. Interestingly, antihypertensive drugs exert different effects on brachial and central pressure," scientists writing in the journal Current Hypertension Reports report (see also Blood Pressure).

"Traditional beta-blockers, such as atenolol, appear to have an adverse impact on central pressure, despite lowering brachial pressure. This may help to explain the results of recent large outcome studies using atenolol," wrote C.M McEniery and colleagues, University of Cambridge.

The researchers concluded: "Further research is required to clarify whether other antihypertensive agents lower central pressure beyond the effects observed on brachial pressure."

McEniery and colleagues published their study in Current Hypertension Reports (Antihypertensive drugs and central blood pressure. Current Hypertension Reports, 2009;11(4):253-9).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting C.M. McEniery, Addenbrooke's Hospital Box 110, Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB20QQ, UK.

The publisher of the journal Current Hypertension Reports can be contacted at: Springer, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA.

Keywords: United Kingdom, Cambridge, Atenolol, Blood Pressure, Cardiology, Cardiovascular, Cardiovascular Risk, Drugs, Hypertension, Pharmaceuticals, Therapy, Treatment.

This article was prepared by Blood Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Blood Weekly via NewsRx.com.

To see more of the NewsRx.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.newsrx.com .

Pregnant women front of line for swine flu vaccine

Associated Press

7/29/2009

ATLANTA - Pregnant women, health care workers and children six months and older should be placed at the front of the line for swine flu vaccinations this fall, a government panel recommended Wednesday.

The panel also said those first vaccinated should include parents and other caregivers of infants; non-elderly adults who have high-risk medical conditions; and young adults ages 19 to 24.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to set vaccination priorities for those groups Wednesday during a meeting in Atlanta. The panel's recommendations are usually adopted by federal health officials.

The recommendations are designed to address potential limits in vaccine availability this fall if there is heavy demand and limited supplies.

The government estimates that about 120 million swine flu vaccine doses will be available to the public by late October. Roughly 160 million people are in the priority groups considered most vulnerable to infection or most at risk for severe disease.

Although the number recommended to get doses exceeds the projected supply, health officials don't think everyone will run out and get vaccinated. Traditionally, less than half of the people recommended to get seasonal flu shots get them. Only about 15 percent of pregnant women get seasonal flu vaccinations.

If there is ample vaccine, vaccinations also would be recommended for all non-elderly adults, the panel also voted. And if there's still plenty of vaccine, the swine flu shots and spray doses should be offered to people 65 and older. Fewer illnesses have been reported in the elderly, who appear to have higher levels of immunity to the virus, health experts say.

However, the elderly should be pushed to get shots against seasonal flu, which is a significant health risk to older adults.

Panel members say they hope swine flu vaccinations will be opened up quickly. "The only sin is vaccine left in the refrigerator," said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University flu expert, in a comment to the panel.

The panel also said if vaccine is scarce, the government could require that a much tighter group be at the front of the vaccination line, numbering about 40 million. That would include pregnant women and household contacts of small children, just like in the general priority recommendation. But the others would be children ages 6 months through 4 years, children with chronic medical conditions and only health care and emergency services workers who have direct contact with patients.

It's a worst-case scenario that officials aren't expecting, but they wanted to have a plan for it just in case, said officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that reviews the panel's recommendations.

The range of recommendations reflects how hard it is to plan for swine flu, officials said. Some health officials have compared the exercise to predicting a hurricane. The storm - or virus - is itself unpredictable; it could grow more dangerous or suddenly weaken. The availability of lifesaving supplies or vaccine can also affect survival.

"It's better to prepare and have the storm fizzle than to be sitting there with no way off the island when the tsunami rolls in," said Kristine Sheedy, a CDC communications specialist.

Variables with the swine flu virus can range from whether it mutates into a form that is more deadly, spreads more efficiently, or is better at fighting off current antiviral medications.

Variables with the vaccine include potential production problems. Production of the vaccine will be a prodigious feat: The government has already purchased 195 million doses for the coming fall and winter, which far eclipses the 125 million or so doses generally produced for seasonal flu vaccine.

Four vaccine manufacturers are wrapping up seasonal flu vaccine production and have begun production of swine flu vaccine. But another company, Sanofi Pasteur, has been more delayed and may not finish seasonal vaccine production until September, a company spokeswoman said. Sanofi is among the largest producers of flu vaccine, so those delays could have a significant ripple effect.

Packaging, distribution and other steps can take a month or more. For those reasons, the government's best guess at the moment is 40 million doses will be available in September and 120 million by around mid-October.

Health officials are pushing for the work to done quickly. There are also clinical trials taking place over the next few months to check the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, but it's possible the government will begin a public vaccination campaign before that work is complete, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, who oversees the CDC's flu vaccination programs.

Why the rush? Vaccines work when given to a patient before they're exposed to the vaccine-targeting virus, and cases may explode not long after kids get back in school, CDC officials said.

Another reason for not waiting for testing data: Health officials are thinking of the swine flu vaccine as a variation of seasonal flu vaccine, which comes out annually and does not undergo the kind of safety and effectiveness testing that new drugs and other new vaccines do.

First identified in April, swine flu has likely infected more than 1 million Americans, the CDC believes, with many of those suffering mild cases never reported. There have been 302 deaths and nearly 44,000 laboratory-identified cases, according to CDC numbers released last week.

It's not clear whether the virus in its current form is much worse than seasonal flu in terms of overall threat to the U.S. population, but it is causing more severe illness in some younger adults and children. It has a dangerous genetic characteristic that allows it to infect the lower lungs, whereas seasonal flu tends to infect the upper respiratory tract, CDC officials said.