“Eat Local, Eat Organic”

Image via foleyfeatures.

A remarkable policy resolution came out last week during the American Medical Association’s (AMA) annual meting. They voted to support “practices and policies…that promote and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system.” The health part is expected, but the “ecologically sustainable” portion is a surprising huge step forward for organic and local food advocates and producers around this country.

My fellow board members at The Organic Center celebrated as word of the resolution came out. Finally, information from the AMA promoting the benefits of organic and local foods, raised in a sustainable manner, with the environment’s health, as well as our nation’s people’s health in mind. This is a significant step up from the same message of ‘get your five a day, eat less meat, more fiber and less fats’ that we’ve been hearing for years.

The report, created by the AMA’s Council on Science and Public Health, says it pretty clearly,

“Beyond the issue of poor nutritional quality are methods of food production and distribution that have additional negative effects on human and environmental health. These methods have contributed to the development of antibiotic resistance; air and water pollution; contamination of food and water with animal waste, pesticides, hormones, and other toxins; increased dependence on nonrenewable fossil fuels (including fertilizers); and a food system that is increasingly vulnerable to accidental or intentional contamination. These methods of food production and distribution are inherent parts of the prevailing agricultural system, which is may be referred to as “conventional farming, modern agriculture, or industrial farming.”

In other words, it’s time to find a new way of doing things.

As part of the AMA policy resolution:

- That our AMA support practices and policies in medical schools, hospitals, and other health care facilities that support and model a healthy food system, which provides food and beverages of naturally high nutritional quality, is environmentally sustainable and economically viable, and supports human dignity and justice.

- That our AMA encourage the development of a healthier food system through the US Farm Bill and other federal legislation.

- That our AMA consider working with other health care and public health organizations to educate the health care community and the public about the importance of healthy and ecologically sustainable food systems.

According to the same Council on Science and Public Health report “Optimal public health requires a good, healthy food supply, but the United States cannot have a good, healthy food supply without a sustainable food system.”

Samuel Fromartz, author of Organic, Inc. made an interesting reference at the end of his blog posting about the AMA resolution. He wrote on how the AMA fought with JI Rodale, an early pioneer and oft-called father of organic farming, for his over-zealous promotion of vitamins throughout the 1950’s and ‘60s. And, though it may have taken them decades, the AMA has finally changed its position and endorsed one point that Rodale had right all along: “That the way food is produced effects health.”

Ask Doctor Healthy: Why don’t my Generic pills look like the Brand-Name?

The Prescription Access Litigation blog’s resident Advice Columnist, Ask Pharmie, has been on hiatus for a while — but now he’s back! Ask Pharmie answers readers’ questions about the pharmaceutical industry, drug marketing, drug pricing, and the like. Send him your questions! (Keep in mind, he does not answer medical or treatment questions, or render medical advice.)

So, reaching into Ask Pharmie’s mailbag, here’s our latest question:

Question: I recently switched from a brand name drug to a generic version to save money. Although the generic works just as well, the pill is a different color and shape from the brand-name. This is confusing. Why don’t the generic pills look the same as the brand name pills?

Answer:
Good question! After all, generic drugs are the same medicine as the brand-name – they have the same active ingredient, and the same effectiveness. So it stands to reason that the pill would look the same, right? Not necessarily.

When a brand-name drug first comes on the market, the manufacturer has a patent on the drug that prevents any other companies from making or selling that drug. However, when the patent expires or gets invalidated, generic drug companies can apply for FDA approval to sell identical generic versions of the drug.

Generic drugs are required to have the same active ingredient and to work the same as the brand name. But this does not also mean that generic drug companies can copy the appearance of brand name drugs. If the appearance, shape, name and/or color of the drug is trademarked, it cannot be copied. Trademarks are words, names and symbols used to identify goods from a particular manufacturer. Unlike patents, which last a maximum of 20 years, trademarks never expire. While many brand name drug companies have traditionally only trademarked the names of their drugs, there is a trend towards trademarking the appearance of the drug as well.

For example, Pfizer has trademarked both the name Viagra and the well-known blue diamond shape of the Viagra pill. AstraZeneca has trademarked not just the name Nexium, but also the phrase “Purple Pill” and the characteristic purple-with-yellow-stripes appearance of Nexium.

So why have drug companies started to trademark the appearance of their drugs? In the past several years, brand name drug companies have started to make the appearance of their pills part of their marketing campaigns. By making consumers associate a particular appearance of a pill with the medicine contained in the pill, the drug company builds what’s called a “brand identity.” This helps convince the consumer that the product is superior and builds what’s called “brand loyalty.”

Drug companies use this strategy to stand out from their competitors. They also use it to try to convince patients to keep paying for the more expensive brand-name version of the medicine when a generic version becomes available. They hope that the patient will equate the look of the pill with its effectiveness. A generic pill can look “drab” in comparison, to, say a colorful Nexium pill, with its bright purple and its yellow stripes. It is a testament to how effective drug company marketing has become that consumers even notice the color of their pills!

Unfortunately, this serves to confuse patients. For patients that take many medications, the shape and color of the pill can help them remember what it is and what it’s used for. If drug companies didn’t trademark the appearance of their pills, then generic drug companies could make their pills look the same as the brand-name. This would help patients remember what each of their medications is, and avoid potentially dangerous errors (such as taking a drug at the wrong time, taking too much of the drug, missing a dose, etc).

The main thing to remember is that the appearance of a drug has nothing to do with its effectiveness. By using the color and shape of a drug as a marketing tool, brand-name drug companies are trying to fool you into thinking that these things matter, and to trick you into using an expensive brand-name drug when a less expensive one (generic or a different brand-name drug in the same category) would work just as well.

One last thing to keep in mind: The same generic drug can be made by many different generic drug companies, and each of their pills may look different not just from the brand-name pill, but from each other. If your pharmacy changes which generic drug company it buys your medication from, or if you switch pharmacies, your pills might suddenly look different than they did the last time you filled your prescription. Don’t panic! This doesn’t mean that you got the wrong pills. But, if you are at all uncertain or concerned, talk to your pharmacist. Better safe than sorry.

High Protein Diet - Top High Protein Low Carbohydrate Foods For Lean Muscles

By Barbara Knight

Protein is most essential of all the nutrients which help a person in building lean muscles. Without protein, the muscle and tissues cannot grow. A high protein diet does not only help to build muscles but also keeps a body healthier. This diet should be low in carbohydrate as it has saturated or trans-fat in it. A person must eat proteins like egg, milk, meat and cheese and he must avoid carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, pasta or rice which will make the body bloated.

Here is a diet which contains high protein and low carbohydrate to build lean muscles:

1. Milk- Milk is considered to have a complete protein which helps in building muscles. Drinking milk is a great way to achieve your daily protein target. A person must take milk in skimmed form. He should drink 2 cups of skim milk in a day which does not contain any trans-fat. It helps to speed up the muscle recovery after lot of workout.

2. Eggs- This is a healthy source of supplement and has a very high protein in it. Egg protein has an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients that feed the muscles and tissues to become stronger. The egg white contains 0 grams of fat. So the egg white is an excellent form of protein.

3. Fish- This is one of the best sources of protein. It helps a person to gain weight and build muscles rapidly. Fish must be eaten after baking it properly and should be taken 2-3 times a week. It also contains a very high amount of 3-omega fatty acids which is very helpful to build muscles.

4. Red meat- Another high protein diet is red meat. This meat is extremely lean and has a great source of protein. It contains iron and vitamins that can help for growth of muscles.

Dr Oz's High Fiber Diet - Top 3 Low Fat High Fiber Weight Loss Diets by Dr Oz

By Barbara Knight

Dr. Oz is a well known heart surgeon and suggests that a low fat diet is very good for heart as it has low cholesterol. The world cancer research fund has surveyed that this kind of diet is very good to prevent cancer and also helps in losing weight. To maintain a healthy body, low fat diet is essential for a human being to stay away from several diseases.

Taking fiber in your diet is very important for a good health. The best sources of fiber are vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grain foods. It has many benefits such as improving blood sugar control, reducing cholesterol, and lowering risk of heart disease. This will have a positive effect on the digestive system.

The five food that a person need to avoid while having a balanced diet. These are as follows:

· Trans-fats · Saturated fat · Sugar · Anything that is 'Enriched' · High fructose corn syrup
According to Dr. Oz, an individual can opt for low fat high fiber diet, but need to incorporate the following points

· Intake plenty of water. At least 8-10 glasses/day should be taken. · You should take small portions of meals and that too on time. Dr. Oz recommends eating after every 3 hours that will keep your blood sugar even. The meal should have low calorie high fiber diet which can be helpful in cutting down the body fat. · Exercise regularly and taking plenty of rest is necessary. · Add lots of fruits and vegetables to your diet. · Fiber must be added to your diet, as it will also help to reduce risk of colon cancer. · You should stop taking caffeine in your diet. · Add green tea to your diet instead of tea or coffee. · Eliminate sugar from your diet. · Oily foods must be ignored.

To conclude, one must follow this diet properly to maintain a healthy body and lose body weight quickly. It also strengthens the immune system of the body and tones the body shape, thereby providing best physique to an individual.

Work on you r odds

Just about every time we pick up a newspaper or a magazine we find a do or don't article regarding our health. There are articles on preventing cancer, heart trouble, high blood pressure and many more aliments. On other pages you will find an equal number of articles telling you what is wrong with most of the food we eat. It is a catch 22 syndrome with most of us not knowing what is right or what is wrong.

After much research and some common sense thinking I have come up with my own code of good health living requirements. Since I have reached the ripe young age of almost 77 years and my primary care doctor is not getting rich from my semi-annual visits, I have come up with a plan that will give you greater odds for living a long and healthy life.

The first thing you need to do is "move." No, not to another location, but to exercise in some small way every day, walking is great, jumping on an small indoor trampoline, (which I try to do everyday,) doing some vigorous household activity or go to the gym. Do something that requires at least 30 minutes of active movement every day and you will lower your risk for just about everything.

Every time you exercise you reduce the production of free radical cells in your body. Many diseases come from an accumulation of free radicals, these cells work on making your good cells become dysfunctional.

Use the stairs instead of an elevator, park farther away at work or when you shop, take a brisk walk around the block at lunchtime, do something to get you and your body moving.

Eat a salad and some fruit each day. Fruits and vegetables are great antioxidant fighters, blueberries, strawberries, spinach and red and green peppers are high in antioxidants. You can lower you risk of heart disease and certain cancers just by eating at least 3 servings of veggies each day and that is not hard to do.

Watch your weight. Being healthy means not being overweight, by watching the portions you eat, you can lose even those awful five pounds you have been trying to lose for years. Obesity can cause heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other diseases. Think smaller and not larger portions and you will be healthier.

Omega-3 fatty acid is of great benefit in preventing many diseases, again helping to prevent heart disease, diabetes and others. Fish is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and if you are not too fond of fish, walnuts, almonds, and flaxseed are good sources along with omega-3 supplements, if all else fails.

Wear your seat belt. Now how is that going to make you live a long and healthier life? By keeping you alive in case of an accident on the road, about 55 percent of the people killed in accidents were not wearing their seatbelts. Keep in mind the life you save, may very well be your own.

Eat whole grains like oatmeal for breakfast. Whole grain bread, brown rice and air-popped popcorn are also good for you. Whole grains along with fruit and vegetables can delay the onset of osteoporosis, heart disease and even dementia. Eating oatmeal or another multi-grain cereal for breakfast can help you to lose weight and keep it off, as it has been proven that those who eat a good breakfast tend to eat less during the rest of the day.

Learn to relax, take a deep breath and sit for at least 10 minutes each day. You deserve to relax and your body needs to relax, even if it is for 10 minutes. Stress is a silent killer and your body needs to have an opportunity to sit and do nothing. Take time to think about some of your favorite things, your garden, a book you are reading, listen to some soothing music, do something that is relaxing for you and takes away the stress and strain of the day for at least for a few minutes.

Stay smoke free! Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. Smoking is linked to at least fifteen different types of cancers and it also leads to heart disease and osteoporosis. Yes, giving up smoking can be hard, but would you rather be living a healthy life and live longer or finding yourself huffing and puffing after climbing a few steps because you could not give up that cigarette?

Get enough sleep. Did you know that night owls (those who do not think they need to sleep) are at a greater risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and a long list of other things. Us chickens, those who feel that when it is dark, we need to go to our roost and sleep will stay much healthier. Fewer than five hours a night is not good, you put your whole body at risk and who, for heaven sakes can function on five hours or less and do a good job.

Most research has shown that the average person needs between 7 ½ to 8 ½ hours each night and should get that amount on a regular basis. If you are getting the proper amount of sleep for you and your body, you will not need an alarm clock to wake up at your regular time.

Keep your bedroom an oasis for sleep, leave your work on the dining room table along with the laptop computer and let your bedroom be a place to relax and sleep.

Well, that is it for now, this is my code of requirements that has kept me very healthy for 77 years and has made my odds for living a longer and healthier life a good one. I wish you a long and healthy life and just for fun, put one or two of my ideas into practice in your life and see how much better you feel.