My Recommendation for New Year's Resolution: Add Fish Oils to Your Diet

If you read my posts regularly, you have read about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids before. If not, I will post all the links below, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) just gave us one more reason to love this easy way to improve our health. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils might prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

For more reading:

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Can't Hurt and They Might Help - with a lot of things...
• Protect Your Brain: Eat More Salmon, Eggs and Walnuts

Inside the second post are links to all of the articles on Healthline about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and how to enhance your intake of them. If you can do one thing to improve your health this year, and want a resolution that you won't break - try doing this for yourself. Stay strong and Happy New Year.

And for all of our troops fighting overseas - let's not forget that 2007 was the deadliest year in Iraq - we lost 899 people this year - stay safe and come home soon. We haven't forgotten you.

Thank you pingnews for use of photo of funeral of Scott H. Spitzer, USAF. RIP...

Labels: omega-3's brain function, Operation Iraqi Freedom

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Global Healthbeat: Pakistan - The World Mourns Benazir Bhutto

Multiple trauma - a bullet to the neck, head injuries, shrapnel wounds from a suicide bomb detonated caused the death of former Prime Minister Bhutto of Pakistan. Educated at Harvard, she was the first female elected head of a Muslim state and campaigned for the rights and welfare of women. She had returned from exile to speak out for Pakistanis living in poverty and to fight for their freedom. In a country of 160 million people it is estimated that one third live below the poverty line.

Low levels of female literacy and a high maternal mortality rate are indicators of the reduced status of women in Pakistan. Poor reading ability and poor health are clearly related. Hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, food and clean water supplies - the basics for supporting life and health - are still not in place for most Pakistanis. 90% of Pakistani households are headed by males and the remaining 10% are extremely impoverished.

But the outright murder of women in Pakistan has been reported in the Western press for seven years now - in documentaries like Murder in Purdah and License to Kill.
According to reports in the BBC news, women are imprisoned, traded in marriage, murdered for breaking with religious traditions - and these activities are sanctioned by state institutions. Honor killings - including those of mothers by their teenage sons, daughters by their fathers, wives by their husbands - have been given state sanction as a means of social control and a deterrent to sexual immorality. A leading Pakistani Islamic scholar expains that sexual "immorality" is considered a worse crime than murder.

In the first 7 months of 2004, 151 Pakistani women were gang-raped and 176 were victims of honor killings. Almost 50% of women in jails in Pakistan are awaiting trail for suspected adultery. Yesterday, a talented, intelligent woman was murdered in Pakistan.

Merci Christiane Michaud for use of photo A sad day...Madame Bhutto.

Labels: assasination, bhutto, pakistan health, violence

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Global Healthbeat: Doctor s Without Borders Top Ten Underreported Humanitarian Crises 2007 - Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in southern Africa of 12 million people, once had the one of the best health systems in Africa. Today - due to political turmoil, 80 % unemployment, food shortages and general chaos - the health system is collapsing. Inflation is 15,000%. 3 million people have fled the country and close to 2 million people have HIV/AIDS. These unhappy statistics have given Zimbabwe's health crisis the distinction of being among Doctors without Borders (MSF) Top Ten Underreported Humanitarian Crises of 2007. BBC News and CNN have been banned from reporting and filming in Zimbabwe.

Three thousand people die every day due to AIDS in Zimbabwe, and chances of a coordinated response to the crisis are slim. In 1990, life expectancy for males born in Zimbabwe was 60 years, today it is 37 years and for females, it is 34 years. The UN has been calling for an end to human rights violations in that country since 2005. 500,000 people are reported to be internally displaced due to the razing of slums and seizures of land and property.

With refugees fleeing the country - taking with them HIV, tuberculosis and malaria - this is everyone's problem. MSF and the UN are trying to respond, but for Zimbabwe, it is just not enough.


Thank you Sokwanele-Zimbabwe for use of photo of HIV + Grace, found in a ditch, covered with banana leaves...

Labels: AIDS, health crisis, poverty, Zimbabwe

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Five Signs You Need More Sleep in 2008

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) wants us all to resolve to get more sleep in 2008. Why? You can't lose weight and exercise more, be smarter and more productive, be a better parent, better partner, better whatever - if you are chronically sleep deprived. Here are five signs you might not be getting all the sleep you really need:

1. Asleep at the wheel? If you are driving drowsy, you are probably not getting enough sleep.
2. Depressed, irritable, grumpy? Lack of sleep can mess up your mood.
3. Making mistakes and forgetting things: your brain needs sleep to refresh, regenerate and replenish. Otherwise, your short term memory and concentration may be impaired.
4. Feeling sick and run down? Your immune system needs sleep to repair itself too. Help your body fight off all the viruses trying to invade by getting sleep!
5. Drinking coffee all day long: If you are hooked on caffeine you really need to give yourself a break and get some sleep.

Most adults need 8 hours of sleep a night, teens need more. Make sure they use their computers in a common room, otherwise they will be up chatting on MySpace until midnight and then refuse to get out of bed in the morning. Sony makes a nice little alarm clock/docking station for their Ipod...that is my alternative to shouting over the bedside in the morning in 2008.

My personal prescription for sleep is early morning meditation. I am one of those fortunate people who don't need a lot of sleep. When I wake up in the wee hours, though, I like to plug in the brain wave CD's and enter a deep theta state to start my day. Tools for Wellness offers CD's for delta state training - for sleep promotion and healing.

Thank you dsanden for use of photo Father and son.

Labels: sleep deprivation

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Safe Toys for Tots: Five Tips for Giving

It's been a rough year for toy makers who have tried to cut corners by using toxic materials in manufacturing. Thousands of kids suffer toy related injuries every year. So how do we know what toys are safe?

The American Academy of Pediatricians offers guidelines for safe toy giving:

1. Avoid toxic items like small batteries, toxic paint or other materials that can cause poisoning.
2. Choose something that is solidly constructed. If it wobbles or has loose parts before you get it home, imagine it in the hands of a child. Eyes on stuffed animals should be secure. Seams should be tight. Avoid loose ribbons or anything that can result in strangulation.
   
3. Avoid things that shoot projectiles and make shrill noises. Protect children's eyesight, hearing and your sanity by not choosing these types of toys.
4. Choose large toys - too large to fit into a child's mouth, ears or nose. Look at a toy and think of the worst possible scenario. If you can think it, they can do it. Don't buy it if images of calling 911 dance into your head.
5. Hobby kits, chemistry kits and items with multiple parts are for children older than 12 and be prepared to supervise them. If you don't have the bandwidth to supervise their use of glue that could splash into their eyes, resulting in a trip to the ER, don't buy it.

Happy holiday hunting. Remember, if your kids are playing safely and contentedly, you get to relax and read a book, surf the internet, or watch the Lakers lose to the Warriors.

Thank you alexthompson for use of photo.

Labels: holiday shopping, safe toys

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Take Time Out for You - Massage Therapy

Yesterday I took time out from all the hustle and bustle of this busy season and gave myself a gift of two hours of quiet time. I had a Pohaku Massage at my favorite day spa, Refresh, with my favorite massage therapist, Paul.

Pohaku massage therapy is essentially hot stone massage. Smooth old river stones are heated and placed on the body, inducing deep relaxation and healing as an adjunct to massage. Massage therapy induces relaxation and reduces stress. Stone massage induces a sense of renewal of peace - who doesn't need that? Stone massage helps both the therapist and the recipient of the massage - the stones relief tension in the therapist's arms and hands and do the heavy work.

Massage therapy has been practiced for over 4,000 years, and is something we in Western cultures do not take advantage of often enough. As both prevention and cure, massage promotes relaxation of tissues and muscles, improves blood flow and decreases inflammation. There are few known side effects. Give yourself and someone you love the precious gift of some quiet, healing time.




Thank you jaylara for use of photo ylang ylang spa.

Labels: massage therapy

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Give the Gift of Life from Malaria No More

Honor the special people in your life with a gift of life in their name from Malaria No More. Earlier this year, American Idol fans raised $15 million for bed nets during the Idol Gives Back special. The Gates Malaria Foundation set the goal of 0 deaths and 0 infections in an October forum this year. They have also pledged $30 million for vaccine research.

Malaria is a preventable blood disease, transmitted by mosquitoes. It kills one child in Africa every 30 seconds. It is the single leading cause of death of children under age 5 in Africa. It is preventable and treatable. Together, we have helped. Let's reach out again this holiday season, and help another million children...










Thank you to Malaria No More and UNICEF/SUDAN/NOORANI 2006 for use of the photo of a Sudanese woman lies with her infant on a bed in a nutrition centre run by the international NGO Action contre la faim, in the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people, near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur State. A mosquito net is tied above the bed. UNICEF supports the centre's supplemental and therapeutic feeding programmes for malnourished children.

Labels: Africa aide, bed nets, malaria

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Pay Attention to Kids who may be At-Risk for Drinking

A new study published this month in Prevention Science identifies triggers for problem drinking behaviors in high school seniors. As kids cope with more stress at school, at home, in their relationships, in the world and their concerns about the future - be on the lookout for signs they might be turning to alcohol. Researchers identified these motivators:

• For boys - thrill seeking
• For others - to relax
• To cope with problems
• To deal with anger and frustration

Kids with more than one of the above motivating factors may be at greater risk for:

• Starting drinking at a younger age
• Having been intoxicated in the past year
• Drinking before 4 PM

Drinking patterns established when kids are teens persist into adulthood, and 75% of high school students have already tried alcohol. Alcohol use tends to peak before and after high school graduation and continues to be high until about age 25.

Maybe we need to adopt the relaxed approach of some European countries - serve a little wine to children with dinner. Educate their palate in their teen years. Allow them to drink socially with their families and loved ones. Remove the taboo, the mystique and just make it part of everyday life.

Thank you Walsh for use of photo.

Labels: alcohol use, underage drinking

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The Good Die Young: RIP Joshua Scarbary

My sister called last week to say she was on the way to a funeral for one of my nephew's dear friends - Joshua Scarbary, killed in an occupational accident on December 4, 2007. Only 21 years old, Joshua was tightening a strap on a load of PVC pipe, when the strap broke and 600 lbs. of pipe caused head trauma, resulting in his death.

In 2006 in the US, 5,703 workers lost their lives on the job. All but 428 of those who died were men. Most were aged 25 - 54 years old. Most - 3,945 - were white. Transportation incidents were the most deadly. Multiple trauma and head injuries were the most common cause of death. Transportation and material moving, construction and extraction proved the most deadly occupations.

Medical literature about prevention of occupational fatalities in these industries is surprisingly meager given the huge economic burden to society in terms of lost productivity and wages. Occupational health and safety providers need to step up their game and provide better teaching and intervention in these industries to promote workplace safety in transportation, extraction and construction industries. Losing a loved one should never be perceived as business as usual.

Joshua was near and dear to many, beloved by many. So many never had the chance to say good-bye. Josh never had the chance to be a husband, a father...never had the time to realize his dreams. We wish peace for him and his family...

Thank you manofsea for use of photo.

Labels: occupational medicine, occupational safety

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Grandma was right - Eat Your Vegetables!

Think you have no control over your cancer risk? More and more, studies are proving that watching your weight, staying active and eating fruits and vegetables significantly cuts your cancer risk.

The first President Bush may have had an aversion to broccoli. If you do, try to get over it. Researchers from Denmark found that eating broccoli sprouts helps inhibit bladder cancer. In fact, the more raw, cruciferous vegetables you eat, the less vulnerable you are to cancer. What are cruciferous vegetables? Broccoli, kale, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. Something about them stops the growth of cancer cells.

Blackberries and black raspberries have reduced the growth of some cancers in animal models, and researchers are eager to do more studies with humans to see if they, er, bear fruit. Make healthy choices every day...choose salads and fruit over processed, fatty, sugary foods. Live longer, happier, healthier....

Thank you wanko for use of broccoli image

Labels: cancer prevention

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Medicare Agency Releases List of Chronically Underperforming SNF's

Skilled nursing facilities that receive federal funding - at a cost of over $72 billion to taxpayers- are inspected annually. Criteria for review are:

• medication errors
• preventing accidents and infections
• assisting residents with activities of daily living
• assisting residents with health care needs and diets

CMS published a list of 120 Special Focus Facilities across the nation - facilities that are "chronic underperformers" in delivery of quality care to residents.

The trend of private equity firms purchasing and controlling SNF's has warranted Congressional investigation. A business model of maximizing profit at the expense of quality of care for residents with no one entity to hold accountable has nurses and lawmakers concerned about lack of transparency in the industry. Studies have shown that after acquisition, staffing levels fall and quality of care suffers as a result.

The New York Times ran an illuminating piece complete with interactive tools, At Many Homes More Profit and Less Nursing by Charles Duhigg. As a young nursing student, I witnessed first hand this type of skullduggery against the most vulnerable among us. I worked for a time at a SNF for severely disable children. One was a boy with hydrocephalus - he was age six with a tiny body and his head was about two feet in circumference. Another was an anencephalic baby. A third was a near-drowning victim whose body was contorted with severe contractures. They were fed soy bean mash mixed with Kool- Aid powder three times a day. Staphyloccoccus outbreaks were common. Range of motion exercises were unheard of. Parents who felt guilty about leaving children they could no longer care for paid a lot of money for substandard care. Just enough care to keep them alive. Just enough care to keep the money coming in. Expenditures on behalf of the patients were kept to a minimum. They could not speak for themselves. People who tried to speak out for them were fired, or discharged.

A lot of SNF's in today's world are bright, happy places that provide excellent care. It is often better for frail seniors to be in a supportive environment surrounded by others than struggling at home alone. Let's hope that this scrutiny by CMS and the media does encourage improved practices by these facilities. As the population ages, it is an important issue for us all.

Thank you noneck for use of photo at nursing home.

Labels: profits, SNF, substandard care

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World AIDS Day December 1, 2007

The good news is - not as many people have AIDS as was previously estimated - UNAIDS reports a decline of 16%, with 33.2 million people infected worldwide. New HIV infections and mortality are declining.

The good news is - AIDS is no longer the death sentence it once was. Advances in treatment now turn the disease into a chronic illness. Basketball star Magic Johnson was first diagnosed with HIV 15 years ago. Today he dedicates his life and talents to preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in the black community. Blacks make up 13% of the US population, but 50% of new HIV cases in 2004. AIDS was the leading cause of death in black women (aged 25-34) in the US in 2002.

The goals now are to halt the spread of the disease and to provide universal access to treatment. Despite the US promise of more funding to battle AIDS, protesters decried the Bush administrations abstinence-only sex education restrictions for domestic and international programs. Demonstrators also called attention to Washington DC's problem of escalating AIDS cases. The infection rate is inordinately high in this city compared to the rest of the US, the black population is the hardest hit, and children and women are among the newly diagnosed. The number of new cases is rising in Eastern Europe and France as well.

Countries in southern Africa are now the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic, and Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu called for renewed efforts toward fighting the disease at a concert in South Africa. In the US, AIDS is the leading cause of death among blacks age 24-44.

Treat every day as World AIDS Day - protect yourself, educate loved ones, and fight for universal access to antiretroviral medications and an end to poverty.

Thank you Akaogatak for use of World AIDS Day photo...

Labels: AIDS, World AIDS Day

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