More Diabetes Danger

The New York Times has a story today about the government cutting funding for diabetes research at a time when death rates from diabetes are rising. No other major disease has rising death rates, and researchers say diabetes has always been underfunded, according to the paper.

“The number of Type 2 diabetics in the United States has doubled in the past two decades, to an estimated 20 million, when undiagnosed cases are included, making the disease the country’s fastest-growing public health problem. Epidemiologists predict that one in three American children born in 2000 will join the ranks of those afflicted with Type 2.”

The government has earmarked $1.1 billion to the National Institutes of Health to study diabetes next year, less than a quarter of what is spent on cancer research and down more than a million dollars from last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has a budget for diabetes of around $63 million, of which around $700,000 may be cut next year.

The New York Times has gotten a little diabetes happy this year, writing all sorts of stories about this disease that has blossomed along with the obesity epidemic in America. About 95 percent of people with diabetes have Type 2, which is linked to being overweight and inactive. It’s good that someone is paying attention to this disease, because if there isn’t a huge public health surge in terms of prevention, in the next generation there really will be a crisis as the nation has to deal with workers who are blind and have lost limbs because of diabetes.

Everything You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know…

Brazilian Waxes, Lazy Ovaries & Outrageous Orgasms by Lisa Sussman
Ulysses Press, 224 Pages, $14.95

Sex is one of those topics that everyone is interested in but no one really wants to talk about. Which is a shame, because so much of your potential pleasure in one of life’s most pleasurable activities comes from understanding what’s going on and having open communication with your partner about how things are going. Knowledge is power.

Lisa Sussman gives women all the power they need in her entertaining and educational book Brazilian waxes, Lazy Ovaries & Outrageous Orgasms: Embarrassing Questions and sassy Answers on Women’s Sexual Health. Set up in a question and answer format with numerous sidebars, tidbits, trivia and quizzes, this book provides an immense amount of information on all sorts of sexy topics.

From breasts to vaginas, periods to orgasms, safe sex and pregnancy to STDs and male sexuality, this book has it all. You’ve probably wondered some of these things before. Others you might not have known to question. Either way, you’ll find out all you need to know about your body’s sexual health, and maybe even a little more than you wanted to know.

This book is great for women who missed “the talk” when they were growing up, or who want to scare their young daughters into not having sex, or at least educate their older daughters about how to approach sex in a healthy way that will result in happiness in bed and health all around.

My favorite part of this book is the little fun facts sprinkled through, such as that women should have 21 minutes of foreplay to guarantee orgasm, that women who weigh over 155 pounds should get a higher-dose pill to protect against pregnancy, and that a Viagra pill is consumed somewhere in the world every three minutes.

The book also provides resources for more information on many of the topics in the book, making it an excellent and approachable resource on sexual health and well-being. If you’ve got some sexy questions (or is this normal? questions) you’re afraid to ask your doctor or your girlfriends, ask Lisa Sussman instead. This book can give you real piece of mind and a good education on things they didn’t tell you when they separated the girls and the boys that day in grade school.

New Anti-Smoking Pill Approved

A new pill to quit smoking has been approved for sale by the FDA this week and will go on sale later this year. The new drug is called varenicline and has shown that it can help more than 1 in 5 effectively quit smoking when used as directed.

“It’s a welcome new addition. It’s like with cancer or heart disease or high blood pressure or diabetes: The more effective treatments you have, the better off patients are,” said Dr. Steven Schroeder, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who is active in smoking cessation efforts.

Varenicline works in two ways, by cutting the pleasure of smoking and reducing the withdrawal symptoms that lead smokers to light up over and over again.

Source

Low Calorie Recipes Week

If you are looking to make some low calorie meals, here are a few ideas for you from Chefs. They are low calorie recipes that is sure to please the taste buds.

1. Fish and Vegetable Skillet
2. Honey Dijon Spinach Salad
3. Ham Salad Sandwiches
4. Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treats
5. Italian Pizza Bread

More like this at chefs.com.

Corn, a healthy alternative

Did you know that corn bread is more nutritious than even wheat bread? or that if you mix in beans and corn together (as in corn bread and chili) that you have a complete protein by mixing them?  Corn is one of the healthiest vegetables you can incorporate into your diet - whether fresh ears, creamed corn, corn kernels, or corn bread. The fresh silk that grows in the ears can even be eaten raw right from the cob/ears, added to salads, or beneficial even dried from most herbal shops. The silk tones the bladder - well recommended even simply by steeping one teaspoon of silk per cup of water for 5 minutes, take one tablespoon every two hours, and you’ll be amazed at what imporvements you’ll see in your bladder. Corn silk also helps (homeopathically) for cystitis and kidney conditions, and corn smut for hemorrhage and lack of tone in the uterus.   So think about corn, its an amazing gift from the earth all around.

Schools Without Soda

I was very happy when I read the stories about a new deal to keep soft drinks out of elementary schools and to limit the size and sugar quantity in drinks sold at schools across the board.

This deal, brokered in part by Bill Clinton, will keep regular sodas out of schools, limit diet sodas to high schools and allow only bottled water, low fat and nonfat milk and 100 percent fruit juice to be sold in elementary schools.

Drink companies agreed to the deal because it keeps at least some of their products in the schools. Regular soft drinks and other products can be sold at extracurricular events like school plays and sporting events.

This is a huge good step toward making our kids healthier. Schools these days seem to be built around making kids overweight, what with the lack of healthy food choices, the abundance of sugar and caffiene and the limitations on physical education or even just recess.

Obviously there’s much more that needs to be done to curb the tide of overweight youth, but I’m glad to see current and former governors of my home state (that would be Arkansas, Bill Clinton and our current governor Mike Huckabee were both involved in the announcement of this deal) have taken such a firm stand in favor of public health.

Parents need to take this a step further and not allow kids to drink things at home that they won’t be able to get at school. If kids aren’t caffienated and overly sugared at home or at school, I think the state of health in this country will improve dramtically. If parents would also make their kids go outside and play, so much the better.

Lunchtime Inspiration

Thanks to Nava Atlas and her wonderful newsletter, I have a new favorite blog (other than the Niner Niner blogs, of course).

It’s called Vegan Lunch Box. Basically, it shows what this great vegan stay-at-home mom made for lunch that day for her “shmoo.” There’s a picture every day and a rating of how he liked whatever he ate.

I want to move into this family, right now. The food looks amazing and delicious (and, of course, incredibly healthy). The bento box lunch boxes are colorful and beautiful, and full of beautiful and delicious looking foods.

Even if you aren’t vegan, this site can provide a lot of inspiration. Just look at some of the pictures and think about if your plate ever looks that colorful (even taking away the colorful boxes the food is placed in). I’m also completely inspired by a mom who has a kid who eats soba noodles, daikon and edamame. Good going!