THE MYTH OF TOXICITY : The belief that cholesterol is bad and should be kept as low a s possible.
Cholesterol is bad. Right? Nowhere is this as evident as in advertising.
Know your body facts: Cholesterol is a major component of the body. It is an integral component of cell walls. It forms the backbone of many important hormones required by the body.Include estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and cortisol. Cholesterol is the precursor for bile acids, which are important for digestion, and for vitamin D. Cholesterol is chemically a ringed-carbon compound with a backbone that forms the basis for all steroid compounds in the body.
Cholesterol is a very important part of the body. How important is it?
If you want to have a functioning brain, it becomes very important. It is found in high concentration in brain tissue. Any attempt to limit it or to lower it too great can actually create major problems. In fact, this is the main reason that cholesterol treatment in children used to be considered controversial - children's brains are still developing and there was concern that brain development might be stunted if cholesterol synthesis in the body was blocked. Notice that sentence again.The human body naturally synthesizes cholesterol. The human liver accounts for approximately 50 percent of all cholesterol synthesis, the gut for 15 percent and the skin for a large portion of the remainder. It is so important that virtually all cells with a nucleus in the human body have the capability of synthesizing cholesterol.
WARNING: High cholesterol count in the body is due to cellular prolonged dehydration. Attempts to lower the cholesterol number by anti-cholesterol drugs will only worsen the situation. Use re-hydration to properly hydrate the body to restore itself back to normal cholesterol production.
The fact that cholesterol is manufactured by the human body puts obvious limits on the amount you/your doctors can reduce cholesterol numbers by limiting dietary intake. The body needs cholesterol. It manufactures approximately 500 mg per day. It keeps cholesterol circulating in the blood. This is why, if put on a no-cholesterol diet, worse if on anti-cholesterol pills, the blood levels of cholesterol do not go to zero. The body will manufacture what is needed for cell repair, for the creation of the hormones in the human body, and other vital functions.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
THE NEED TO KNOW
Cholesterol Blues
I try to be so healthy. but, my labs results .. i am so distraught ... MY CHOLESTEROL!
Forget about your cholesterol.
You're a doctor. How can you say that ! Isn't cholesterol the main cause of heart disease ?
No. That's not accurate.
Doesn't cholesterol kill you?
That's a myth.
What?
It's a myth. Now that I have your attention, let's talk real heart facts.
Forget about cholesterol. These are the last words you expect to hear from a doctor. In counseling patients in our clinic, we realize that most are very reluctant to accept this message. This is understandable considering all they have previously heard and read about cholesterol. Given all the mental conditioning they have had, it is hard for them to accept that their cholesterol levels are only minimally important. However, a close examination of the scientific research on cholesterol and heart health yields some startling revelations. Focusing on cholesterol has actually detracted from promoting real heart health.
How did we get to such a confusing state?
What are the myths about cholesterol that have become ingrained in our culture? (The Myth of Toxicity; The Myth of causality; The myth of Risk; The Myth of The magic Bullet)
What does an informed person need to know to take care of his or her heart?
1. It takes much more than cholesterol molecules flowing through your bloodstream to cause heart disease.
2. Cellular dehydration can cause body natural cholesterol overproduction. remedy: proper re-hydration daily.
3.Few people know that cholesterol, in and of itself, is benign.
4.Cholesterol plays at most a minor role in heart disease.
*This post intends to enlighten readers about cholesterol and heart disease. Armed with factual knowledge, it may give you cause to challenge your physician. but, more importantly, it may give you pause before refilling your prescription for cholesterol medication:drugs.
This may challenge what you know and believe. Understanding uncommon knowledge will allow you to discriminate fact from fiction.
Letting go of myths can be challenging. Given the high rates of heart disease (cellular dehydration), the number of cardiovascular (premature) deaths eah year, and the dramatic failure of public health efforts, your need to know may save your life ! and your family wealth :i.e., you.
I try to be so healthy. but, my labs results .. i am so distraught ... MY CHOLESTEROL!
Forget about your cholesterol.
You're a doctor. How can you say that ! Isn't cholesterol the main cause of heart disease ?
No. That's not accurate.
Doesn't cholesterol kill you?
That's a myth.
What?
It's a myth. Now that I have your attention, let's talk real heart facts.
Forget about cholesterol. These are the last words you expect to hear from a doctor. In counseling patients in our clinic, we realize that most are very reluctant to accept this message. This is understandable considering all they have previously heard and read about cholesterol. Given all the mental conditioning they have had, it is hard for them to accept that their cholesterol levels are only minimally important. However, a close examination of the scientific research on cholesterol and heart health yields some startling revelations. Focusing on cholesterol has actually detracted from promoting real heart health.
How did we get to such a confusing state?
What are the myths about cholesterol that have become ingrained in our culture? (The Myth of Toxicity; The Myth of causality; The myth of Risk; The Myth of The magic Bullet)
What does an informed person need to know to take care of his or her heart?
1. It takes much more than cholesterol molecules flowing through your bloodstream to cause heart disease.
2. Cellular dehydration can cause body natural cholesterol overproduction. remedy: proper re-hydration daily.
3.Few people know that cholesterol, in and of itself, is benign.
4.Cholesterol plays at most a minor role in heart disease.
*This post intends to enlighten readers about cholesterol and heart disease. Armed with factual knowledge, it may give you cause to challenge your physician. but, more importantly, it may give you pause before refilling your prescription for cholesterol medication:drugs.
This may challenge what you know and believe. Understanding uncommon knowledge will allow you to discriminate fact from fiction.
Letting go of myths can be challenging. Given the high rates of heart disease (cellular dehydration), the number of cardiovascular (premature) deaths eah year, and the dramatic failure of public health efforts, your need to know may save your life ! and your family wealth :i.e., you.
The Power of Prayer ...marching on...
http://theinnozablog.blogspot.com/2010/07/power-of-prayer-to-lord-god-for.html
He Can and Will Answer
14.Three or four years ago we asked you to pray for our grandnephew i Hungary. He was suffering from a rheumatism which the specialists in Budapest could do nothing about. The medications the boy (11 years old) was taking were so strong he hardly ate. Since a year ago, however, he surprised the doctors by turning around completely. He no longer needs the strong medicine. We praise the Lord for it and thank you for your prayers. We feel so very close to you all. - O.H., Germany.
15. Just a note to say how much we appreciate you and your family. We have been blessed since we started supporting your outreaches. Your letters always encourage us.
I wrote you a few weeks ago for prayer. I had terrible pain in the right side of my chest which went right through to my back. It was in the area of my gallbladder. The pain was so bad I could hardly sit, walk or stand. I could not sleep on my right side. I was desperate, but all the pain has gone now and I know God has healed me.
I asked you to pray for our daughter and her family in Australia that they would be able to sell their house and find another. Praise the Lord , they sold within one or two days ! Then their offer on a new home was accepted right away too. They are so excited. The real estate agent said they had never seen a deal go so smoothly. Truly, God will bless those who bless the Jews (Genesis 12:1-3). -B.& E.E., Canada.
16.May God bless you all. You helped us to pray for my son-in-law, who was laid off from work for half a year. Now the same company has rehired him. We received many blessings through your intercession. - M.C., Sweden
17.God's mercy and goodness can't be measured. I was about to end my marriage then ended up in the hospital for 10 days and nearly had a stroke. I was healed. Now we have celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary together . - L.N., Germany.
18.I praise God for answered prayer regarding kidney problems during my pregnancy. I April I delivered a healthy baby girl and I had only one kidney ache since then. - S.L., Canada.
19. For 17 years I suffered from extreme allergies, which kept me from eating almost anything. Nothing with preservatives, nothing out of tin cans, no salted meats, no potatoes. My skin looked leprous. I was dismal from the doctors and specialists who tested me endlessly but had no solutions. I would sit on the edge of my bed at night and weep.
You prayed for me at the Temple Prayer Wall and now I can report of a great miracle. our Almighty, merciful Father in Heaven has healed me. The allergies have completely vanished and I can eat everything. I can smell again, though doctors said i would never recover. I thank Him(God) every day and thank you with all my heart. -L.U., Switzerland.
20. I wrote you in January about my dire financial circumstances. The following weekend my situation was reversed. I found a job where I was even able to recover all my losses during the time I was unemployed. God is faithful ! He is deserving of honor and glory. My faith in Him has grown through these trying times. -D.L., Germany.
21. Dear Dr.Goldberg, Shalom ! At work, I learned that my boss's six-month-old boy, who has been suffering from a severe illness, was wonderfully healed. The family is not religious and was completely surprised. When I returned home, I found your letter in the mailbox, in which you wrote me that you were praying for the boy. -D.N., Sweden.
22.We pray fro Israel and want to bless your nation and work. The Lord has performed a great miracle for us, beyond our asking and understanding. We were able to purchase 1.5 acre [6,100 sq.m.] of land with a house for ourselves, which we had prayed for a long time. I remembered that we had asked you to intercede for us. My while family thanks you and praises the Lord for His wonderful provision. -H.B., Canada.
23. I experienced a great miracle. My feet were healed and my stomach ailments, which plagued me for over 30 years, have almost completely disappeared. I thank God and you for answered prayer. -D.O., Germany.
24.Thank you for praying for me. I was able to save my horses from being slaughtered and they now have a good new home. Also, I was able to find mt dream horse, an Andalusian, I call him Zion.
25.Thanks for your prayers. I have received the 6,000 Swedish crowns which I urgently needed. O.L., Sweden.
26.For along time, I was unable to sleep peacefully at night. But from the very day I wrote to thank you forpraying for me, I was able to sleep again wonderfully. -G.B.,Germany.
27.Thank you for praying for my co-workers. I have a Bible Study at work at noon on Tuesdays. We have been collecting money in a jar and all agreed to send it to you to help needy Jews in Israel. - S.F., Canada.
28. Thank you so much for our letters. In our evangelical church there is division. Only a handful of people have a vision for Israel and understand its situation. Many believe they can please Jesus without standing with Israel. The ancient prophecies are never read anymore, they are all passe. The pastor never mentions Israel. But we are standing with the God of Israel and with His covenant people unwaveringly. -S.D., Switzerland.
29.
30.
31.
.....Thank you for your prayers. You let us know you really care.
He Can and Will Answer
14.Three or four years ago we asked you to pray for our grandnephew i Hungary. He was suffering from a rheumatism which the specialists in Budapest could do nothing about. The medications the boy (11 years old) was taking were so strong he hardly ate. Since a year ago, however, he surprised the doctors by turning around completely. He no longer needs the strong medicine. We praise the Lord for it and thank you for your prayers. We feel so very close to you all. - O.H., Germany.
15. Just a note to say how much we appreciate you and your family. We have been blessed since we started supporting your outreaches. Your letters always encourage us.
I wrote you a few weeks ago for prayer. I had terrible pain in the right side of my chest which went right through to my back. It was in the area of my gallbladder. The pain was so bad I could hardly sit, walk or stand. I could not sleep on my right side. I was desperate, but all the pain has gone now and I know God has healed me.
I asked you to pray for our daughter and her family in Australia that they would be able to sell their house and find another. Praise the Lord , they sold within one or two days ! Then their offer on a new home was accepted right away too. They are so excited. The real estate agent said they had never seen a deal go so smoothly. Truly, God will bless those who bless the Jews (Genesis 12:1-3). -B.& E.E., Canada.
16.May God bless you all. You helped us to pray for my son-in-law, who was laid off from work for half a year. Now the same company has rehired him. We received many blessings through your intercession. - M.C., Sweden
17.God's mercy and goodness can't be measured. I was about to end my marriage then ended up in the hospital for 10 days and nearly had a stroke. I was healed. Now we have celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary together . - L.N., Germany.
18.I praise God for answered prayer regarding kidney problems during my pregnancy. I April I delivered a healthy baby girl and I had only one kidney ache since then. - S.L., Canada.
19. For 17 years I suffered from extreme allergies, which kept me from eating almost anything. Nothing with preservatives, nothing out of tin cans, no salted meats, no potatoes. My skin looked leprous. I was dismal from the doctors and specialists who tested me endlessly but had no solutions. I would sit on the edge of my bed at night and weep.
You prayed for me at the Temple Prayer Wall and now I can report of a great miracle. our Almighty, merciful Father in Heaven has healed me. The allergies have completely vanished and I can eat everything. I can smell again, though doctors said i would never recover. I thank Him(God) every day and thank you with all my heart. -L.U., Switzerland.
20. I wrote you in January about my dire financial circumstances. The following weekend my situation was reversed. I found a job where I was even able to recover all my losses during the time I was unemployed. God is faithful ! He is deserving of honor and glory. My faith in Him has grown through these trying times. -D.L., Germany.
21. Dear Dr.Goldberg, Shalom ! At work, I learned that my boss's six-month-old boy, who has been suffering from a severe illness, was wonderfully healed. The family is not religious and was completely surprised. When I returned home, I found your letter in the mailbox, in which you wrote me that you were praying for the boy. -D.N., Sweden.
22.We pray fro Israel and want to bless your nation and work. The Lord has performed a great miracle for us, beyond our asking and understanding. We were able to purchase 1.5 acre [6,100 sq.m.] of land with a house for ourselves, which we had prayed for a long time. I remembered that we had asked you to intercede for us. My while family thanks you and praises the Lord for His wonderful provision. -H.B., Canada.
23. I experienced a great miracle. My feet were healed and my stomach ailments, which plagued me for over 30 years, have almost completely disappeared. I thank God and you for answered prayer. -D.O., Germany.
24.Thank you for praying for me. I was able to save my horses from being slaughtered and they now have a good new home. Also, I was able to find mt dream horse, an Andalusian, I call him Zion.
25.Thanks for your prayers. I have received the 6,000 Swedish crowns which I urgently needed. O.L., Sweden.
26.For along time, I was unable to sleep peacefully at night. But from the very day I wrote to thank you forpraying for me, I was able to sleep again wonderfully. -G.B.,Germany.
27.Thank you for praying for my co-workers. I have a Bible Study at work at noon on Tuesdays. We have been collecting money in a jar and all agreed to send it to you to help needy Jews in Israel. - S.F., Canada.
28. Thank you so much for our letters. In our evangelical church there is division. Only a handful of people have a vision for Israel and understand its situation. Many believe they can please Jesus without standing with Israel. The ancient prophecies are never read anymore, they are all passe. The pastor never mentions Israel. But we are standing with the God of Israel and with His covenant people unwaveringly. -S.D., Switzerland.
29.
30.
31.
.....Thank you for your prayers. You let us know you really care.
Have you seen these people :
Mr Lim Eng Wai, Mary Loo Bee Geok, Lim Beng Mai, Kallyana Sundram s/o Somasundram, Tanm Low Bin, Major(Ret'd) Alan Lie Ie Hoat, Isabel D'costa, K.M.Rajagam, Lynette Chua Mui Pheng, Tong Foong Kai, Chua Yuet Foon, Madam Wong York Yeow, Chandu Sreedharan, Lim Polly, Mrs Pitchayan Valliammal,, Chelliah s/o Supramaniam, Veronica Goh Bee Neo, Alphonsus Cherry Quah, Ong Cheow Eng Terry, Lee Teck Seng, Raymond Lua Ek Chan, Madam Lau Ah Mei, Alice Kandiah, Augustine Seah Keng Hong, Mr Ong Chong Beng, Bibi Pal.
You can see their faces on THESUNDAYTIMES August 1, 2010 ,pages 33, 34 & 35, OBITUARIES.
Times flies , and we are already into the second half of 2010 !
We cannot redeem time that has passed, but we can certainly seize the day (read the previous post)by making the most of what is to come. Amidst our busyness, we are usually confronted with the brevity of life when a friend or loved one is terminally ill or when we attend funerals one too many .
"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand . My entire lifetime is just a moment to you ; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it."- King David prayed in Psalm 39:4-6.
We lived on borrowed time. Each one of us has an expiry date. In fact, our time on earth is to fleeting, which will one day be gone, just like a vapor. In the Creator-God's perspective, one's entire life span is at best the width of his /her hand (measure your own hand and see ), and the difference between life on earth and life in eternity is just a breath away !
We busy ourselves with the pursuit of our career, wealth and life's other distractions such that often times we neglect LORD GOD and the key relationships in our lives, only to be disappointed by the futility of such pursuits at the end of our lives. Ultimately, life is not measured by how much wealth one has, but in the values that last.
The brevity of life ought to motivate us to live purposefully for LORD GOD.It si the length of day that count, but the depth of our life that matters to Him. It is not how many years we live on earth, but the impact we make in the lives of others that makes our lives significant.
Knowing that our days are numbered, we aim to live lives of significance and purpose. "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." . Investing in the eternal things of LORD GOD will reap eternal rewards and true significance.
Seize the day , today. Rest In Peace. Awake from religious myth.
Myth defined :
2a: a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially ; one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society < seduced by the American myth of individualism Orde Coombs> No one dies alone.
2b: an unfounded or false notion.
You can see their faces on THESUNDAYTIMES August 1, 2010 ,pages 33, 34 & 35, OBITUARIES.
Times flies , and we are already into the second half of 2010 !
We cannot redeem time that has passed, but we can certainly seize the day (read the previous post)by making the most of what is to come. Amidst our busyness, we are usually confronted with the brevity of life when a friend or loved one is terminally ill or when we attend funerals one too many .
"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand . My entire lifetime is just a moment to you ; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it."- King David prayed in Psalm 39:4-6.
We lived on borrowed time. Each one of us has an expiry date. In fact, our time on earth is to fleeting, which will one day be gone, just like a vapor. In the Creator-God's perspective, one's entire life span is at best the width of his /her hand (measure your own hand and see ), and the difference between life on earth and life in eternity is just a breath away !
We busy ourselves with the pursuit of our career, wealth and life's other distractions such that often times we neglect LORD GOD and the key relationships in our lives, only to be disappointed by the futility of such pursuits at the end of our lives. Ultimately, life is not measured by how much wealth one has, but in the values that last.
The brevity of life ought to motivate us to live purposefully for LORD GOD.It si the length of day that count, but the depth of our life that matters to Him. It is not how many years we live on earth, but the impact we make in the lives of others that makes our lives significant.
Knowing that our days are numbered, we aim to live lives of significance and purpose. "And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." . Investing in the eternal things of LORD GOD will reap eternal rewards and true significance.
Seize the day , today. Rest In Peace. Awake from religious myth.
Myth defined :
2a: a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially ; one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society < seduced by the American myth of individualism Orde Coombs> No one dies alone.
2b: an unfounded or false notion.
by 2020, we will be ........
1. I thank Members for speaking on, among others, special needs children and health promotion. Speaking of health promotion, last month, two UK researchers revealed preliminary findings suggesting that it was possible to be bored to death. Before Members get worried about their own health since all of us get bored from time to time, let me qualify that statement. What the study found was that people who regularly feel bored are more prone to becoming unhappy and unmotivated. This in turn can lead them to adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking, drugs or drinking, which increase their chances of dying from conditions such as stroke and heart diseases.
2. Most Singaporeans I know have the opposite problem: they are so busy they hardly have time to feel bored! We are a time-starved people: work deadlines, family commitments, and countless errands to run. Small wonder that we often hear people grumble, “I wish I had more time for the things that matter in life.”
3. Good health is one such thing that matters to all age groups, as Dr Fatimah Lateef has rightly pointed out. MOH invests heavily in health promotion precisely because it is the crucial first step to good health. It is much better to keep healthy rather than seek treatment when conditions develop. This is why our preventive healthcare budget has increased by 67% over the past decade to $112m in FY10. Our aim is to help Singaporeans of all ages – children, adolescents, adults and the elderly – have the means and ability to lead healthier lifestyles. We want to nip chronic health problems in the bud and reduce the disease burden on our ageing population. I think many members have alluded to the silver tsunami that is coming and asked how we are going to manage it. It is a tall order which requires hard work from us all, but it is worth doing.
The Case for Workplace Health
4. Unfortunately, when we need to prioritise our time, a healthy lifestyle is often the first to go. Many Singaporeans, stressed from work, often do not eat healthily or exercise regularly. Worse still, they succumb to high-risk habits like smoking and heavy drinking, mistakenly viewing them as a pressure-reliever or lifestyle choice. They do not realise or may ignore the fact that it could cause them greater pressure both financially and emotionally when health conditions develop down the road.
5. This is why there is a strong case for healthy lifestyles to be advocated at the workplace. The outreach strategy is sound as 2 out of 3 Singaporeans aged 15 years and above are working. I spoke briefly about workplace health in last year’s budget, and I will spend more time outlining our plans for workplace health promotion this year.
6. The business case for improving workplace health is simple. Healthier workers mean less absenteeism and lower medical costs for the company – the first step to boosting productivity and bottomlines. Healthy, active employees are also good “walking advertisements” for a company’s work ethos and culture, which helps in talent recruitment and retention. Healthy and alert employees also contribute to a safer work environment. Indeed, more local companies are recognising the value of good workplace health programmes and have taken steps to implement these.
7. NatSteel is a good example. I visited them last month and was impressed by the fruits of their employee wellness programme. They have wisely banned the sale of cigarettes within their premises and extended the lunchtime break to encourage participation in on-site health programmes. I was told that they actively take part in programmes to promote the good health of their workers Employees are also given subsidies and other incentives to participate in healthy lifestyle activities. There have been tangible results: the average days of medical leave taken has fallen from 3.4 days in 2005 to 2.3 days in 2009. With more motivated and healthier staff, the monthly average resignation rate has also fallen from 0.9% in 2005 to 0.7% in 2009. For comparison, the monthly average for the manufacturing industry is double that, at about 1.6%.
8. One employee’s effort in keeping himself healthy left a lasting impression on me. Mr Arumugam Kerisnasamy, a security guard, has a family history of chronic diseases. Determined to keep these diseases at bay, he put himself through HPB’s “Lose to Win Challenge” and NatSteel’s own “Weight Optimisation Challenge” late last year, losing 8 kg over a four-month period. Mr Arumugam continues to exercise and watch his diet. He now weighs 96 kg, 11 kg less than when he first started. His fitness level has also improved considerably. During my visit, he shared how grateful he was to NatSteel for their support and encouragement in his weight loss journey. He also told me that he was driven by the strong desire to take charge of his own health so that he can better his work performance and provide for his loved ones. I think we all have much to learn from Mr Arumugam.
More Support for SMEs
9. Some SMEs may want to roll out similar measures like NatSteel, but they lack the scale, resources and infrastructural support to do so. MOH and HPB recognise the constraints faced by our SMEs and will do more in the coming year to help them.
10. Today, several industrial and commercial landlords, e.g. Ascendas Services, CapitaLand Commercial, JTC Corporation, HDB and Mapletree Investments, participate in HPB’s WHP@SMEs’ Doorstep programme. A simple but popular programme, it conducts health screening and health programmes for SME employees at the doorsteps of industrial parks and commercial buildings where the SMEs are located. This is how HPB brings the program to the doorstep of the companies. It has been well received and we intend to roll this out to more locations over time.
11. I agree with Mr Ong Ah Heng and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang that we can do more. The National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health co-chaired by Mr Lucas Chow and Mr Yeo himself has recommended to MOH a slew of measures to better support our SMEs in workplace health promotion. Let me mention a few we have implemented or are considering in the coming year:
12. To help SMEs who face budgetary constraints in starting workplace health programmes, the TriComm and HPB have introduced an enhanced SME Grant since May 2009. The grant now funds up to 90% of the cost of such programmes, capped at $10,000 per application. HPB also recently relaxed the grant guidelines to allow funding for off-site health programmes, such as basic health screening at CDMP-GP clinics and chronic disease intervention programmes. HPB has committed up to $180,000 to 22 SMEs under this enhanced scheme. I encourage more SMEs to sign up for the scheme.
13. Money alone cannot fully address the situation. SMEs often lack dedicated manpower and protected time to implement workplace health programmes well. To help them, HPB will introduce a workplace health package this month where pre-selected vendors will deliver the packaged health screening and interventions, covering four key areas of healthy lifestyle -- physical activity, healthy eating, mental wellbeing and smoking control. Companies simply have to choose their preferred activities from among the health interventions in these four areas. Some members have raised the concern over mental well being of employees and at company level, this is one way HPB is reaching out to employees, to help them through activities.
14. We also know that the work demands of each sector are different. Some sectors, like Hospitality, Wholesale & Retail, and Transport & Logistics, face greater challenges in implementing workplace health initiatives. For example, in the hospitality sector, it is hard to get service staff who work different shifts to get together to exercise, especially those who work the night shift. To address this, HPB and its partners will be adopting a more customised approach, by tailoring outreach activities and capacity building sessions tailored for specific industries. Industry workgroups, comprising representatives from trade associations, unions and private companies, will be set up to provide feedback on the needs and challenges of their respective industries.
15. Within Government, HPB has already started working with other agencies to align and streamline our promotional efforts. For example, HPB and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have been working closely to integrate workplace health promotion into the Workplace Safety and Health legislative framework, as well as the Guidelines for Re-employment of Older Workers. They will also be engaging employers, employees, healthcare providers and insurers to pilot a health management framework linking corporate and individual health to appropriate incentive systems. This will be an exciting area for development as we push for greater productivity in our workforce.
16. I know I can count on unions and trade associations, like NTUC and the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation (SMa), to step forward and lend us their support. NTUC has already partnered HPB to launch a weight management programme next month to promote healthy living at the workplace. SMa will also hold a kick-off event in May 2010 where some of their SME members will pledge their commitment to implement workplace health programmes. So we have the union and associations to help us in promoting weight management with their members and employees. As we intensify our engagement efforts with SME leaders and associations, I hope more will do the same and motivate their members to improve workplace health.
Updating Smoking Control Legislation
17. Let me move on to our smoking control efforts. Singapore is a pioneer in this area on several counts. We were the first Asian country to ban tobacco advertisements in 1971. In 2004, we again led Asia by using graphic warnings on cigarette packs to discourage smokers from lighting up. To date, we are one of only nine countries in the world recognised by WHO for our nationwide network of smoking cessation services.
18. Nevertheless, smoking is an issue that will take years to address and we will persist in it. We already have some successes. Less contraband is being hawked on the streets, in no small part due to Customs’ vigorous enforcement efforts. Many public places are also going smoke-free, thanks to NEA’s smoking ban. Over the years, smoking rates dropped from 20% in 1980 to 12.6% in 2004, but the latest figure of 13.6% in 2007 shows a slight rebound. So we still have a lot of work to do.
19. This is mainly due to an increase in smoking amongst certain population segments, in particular young adults. The smoking rate for young males, aged 18 to 29 years, has increased from 18% in 2004 to 25% in 2007. For young females, the increase was from 7% in 2004 to 9% in 2007. I am concerned about this trend as young adults might not fully appreciate the negative consequences of being hooked on smoking.
20. Besides stepping up HPB’s public education efforts, we intend to augment HSA’s regulatory arsenal by updating the Smoking (Control of Advertisement and Sale of Tobacco) Act to current operating realities. The Act was last amended in 2003 and the latest proposed amendments are to incorporate more stringent tobacco control measures in response to an increasing trend of smoking among young adults, and the emergence of new tobacco products. After extensive public and industry consultation, we are planning to ban misleading labelling, and lower the maximum tar and nicotine limits, among other changes. I look forward to Members’ support for the amendment bill when we table it in this House later.
Detecting and Preventing More Diseases
21. Minister Khaw earlier spoke about our considerations in making screening more affordable through the use of Medisave. I shall now update the House on the clinical developments.
22. The Integrated Screening Programme was introduced in June 2008 to facilitate appropriate health screening for Singaporeans aged 40 years and older at CDMP-registered GP clinics. Five conditions are currently covered: diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorders and obesity – all risk factors for hearts attacks and stroke -- as well as cervical cancer. The programme has served Singaporeans well by lowering the cost of screening through bulk purchases and subsidies for lower-income Singaporeans.
23. We are looking at including colorectal cancer screening under the Integrated Screening Programme. Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer here: 1500 Singaporeans become afflicted with this disease annually. Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in every 20 men and 1 in every 30 women will get colorectal cancer. Last November, we started a pilot in Queenstown, Tiong Bahru, Bishan and Ang Mo Kio where Singaporeans aged 50 years and older were invited to go for colorectal cancer screening at CDMP-GP clinics. To date, 416 participants have completed the screening, and 39 participants (9%) were referred for further assessment. We also intend to step up efforts to increase awareness and uptake of colorectal cancer screening among Singaporeans.
24. Cervical cancer is another noteworthy disease that we are tackling. Pap smear screening is key to detecting this cancer at its early and even pre-cancerous stages, when treatment is most effective. Vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an interesting new approach, though not without limitations. For example, it is only effective against 70% of cancer-causing HPV viruses, and there is limited data on its long-term effectiveness. The Expert Committee on Immunisation is reviewing the evidence on HPV vaccination and will report its findings to MOH subsequently.
Improving Our Children’s Health
25. Good health also boils down to eating enough and eating right. A balanced diet is crucial to improving physical wellbeing and our resistance against diseases.
26. But we must guard against too much of a good thing. Chinese New Year is just over and like other festivals, some of us would have suffered from the side-effects of over-eating. Imagine the ill-effects of our kids over-eating on a daily basis! Childhood obesity is fast becoming a problem in developed countries. Left unchecked, it would lead to our children developing all sorts of chronic illnesses that they would have to live with the rest of their lives. The problem is becoming so severe in America that it has caught the attention of President Barack Obama. He recently set up a taskforce under the First Lady to tackle this growing problem.
27. In Singapore, we have made obesity the focal point of our National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign last year, and this will continue in 2010. As a lead up to the campaign proper, HPB will launch a weight loss reality TV challenge, similar to the highly popular Lose to Win Challenge in 2009. Community and workplace stakeholders will also be engaged to champion health programmes to provide supportive health promoting environments for optimal weight management.
28. We know that food advertising to children is a problem, and are working with industry stakeholders to address this. To complement these efforts, HPB is developing guidelines on food marketing to children in schools and will continue health education efforts in the school setting. HPB will also work with MOE to instil a culture of physical activity among our young, so as to build lifelong habits for a healthy lifestyle.
29. Mrs Mildred Tan asked specifically if MOH will consider banning trans fat in food sold here due to the increased risk of coming down with cardiovascular diseases from consuming it. I share her concern. Today, 3 in 10 adult Singaporeans exceed WHO’s recommended daily limit of < 2 g of trans fat a day. Two thirds of these people are younger adults aged 18 to 39. Our children, especially those who snack frequently, are affected as well. We clearly need to limit the intake of trans fat in Singapore before it gains a foothold in our daily diet.
30. Regulating trans fat is a complex issue. We have adopted a more cautious, voluntary approach so as not to create trade barriers, reduce consumer choice and bring about unintended increases in food prices. The concerns that we raised in 2006 are still valid but we are looking at some ways to ensure more people are informed about their choices. After carefully studying the experiences of other countries and taking into account our local situation, we are now prepared to take targeted steps to control the problem.
31. The experts tell me that a total ban is not practical. Many of the catchy headlines we read about trans fats bans in New York and California actually refer to limiting trans fats to very low levels. We will do likewise. We are considering limiting the trans fat content in fats and oils to not more than 2 g of trans fat per 100 g of product. This is in line with the practice of developed countries which have implemented trans fat reduction measures.
32. For other food products besides fats and oils, HPB will continue its approach of engaging the food industry and encouraging all of them to voluntarily reduce the trans-fat content in their products. Response has been encouraging, especially from larger players in the market. Some companies that have voluntarily reduced trans fat in their products are Gardenia, Sunshine, FairPrice, Lam Soon and Nestle. SMEs like Al Dente Food Pte Ltd have also come forward to partner us in this effort. I look forward to the support of other industry players on this and other healthy eating initiatives like HPB’s Healthier Choice certification.
33. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about the state of myopia in Singapore. Myopia develops mainly in childhood, but stabilises as we get older. Many of us will recall that one generation ago, fewer children wore spectacles. The proportion of school children in Singapore with myopia is indeed high but has also stabilised over the past 5 years. Today, about 30% of Primary 1 school children or two-third (66%) of Primary 6 school children have myopia.
34. The causes of myopia are not well defined, although studies have identified risk factors like near work and protective factors like regular outdoor activity. Local research is on-going to gain more insights into risk factors and causes of myopia. Our schools have taken the necessary measures to manage the problem but a large part of the solution depends on habits at home. Through the National Myopia Prevention Programme, MOH and HPB help tackle both sides of the equation by educating parents, educators and children themselves on good eye care. Vision screening for pre-school to secondary school students is also provided through the Programme. We must collectively press on our efforts to delay the onset and reduce the progression of myopia in children on these fronts. But we acknowledge that it is challenging.
35. As these recent cohorts of children age, myopia will inevitably become more prevalent among adults. The concern is that myopia may predispose older adults to other eye problems. HPB will encourage seniors to go for vision screening as part of a broader suite of elderly functional assessments which it will roll out soon. We are also augmenting optometry and optician services nationwide to deal with problems as they emerge.
36. Fortunately, myopia is a problem easily correctable by spectacles or contact lenses. With affluence, many adults have also gone for the more costly option of laser surgery or LASIK. The technology is evolving. Surgeons are now able to make more precise, three-dimensional measurements of the eye that better guide their reshaping of the cornea. However, as with any surgical procedure, patients have to be carefully assessed for suitability, and LASIK itself carries risks that patients should be aware of. At our public hospitals, the success rate of improving vision in adults via LASIK is more than 98%, though not all will achieve perfect vision. This is comparable to results overseas. Rates of serious complications are low, but side effects such as dry eyes are common, occurring in up to half of all patients.
More Resources for Special Needs Children
37. Besides mainstream schoolchildren, I want to highlight another group that we are devoting more resources to: special needs children. Dr Lam Pin Min and Dr Amy Khor have raised some good questions about our plans to support this group of children. Since 1991, the Child Development Programme has helped identify and treat children with developmental problems in their early childhood. Under this programme, child development experts from KKH, NUH and three community-based clinics work together to provide diagnostic and early intervention services for special needs children, aged 0 to 6, complementing MCYS and MOE’s efforts under the wider Enabling Masterplan on Disability. Through these efforts, and the determination of patients and their families, many have risen above their developmental difficulties. Some ex-patients have since secured places at our tertiary institutions and even participated actively in National Service.
38. I have seen our healthcare professionals in action. They are doing good work and coping relatively well despite the huge caseload of some 5,200 patients, including 2,000 new cases annually. However, certain support services like psychological counselling, and speech therapy are stretched as we had only catered for a projected total caseload of 3,200 patients, with 1,200 or so new cases per year. This was the global norm as recently as 3 years ago.
39. This rising trend in workload, which experts attribute to increased awareness and better diagnostics, is not unique to Singapore. The situation is exacerbated by a global shortage of trained manpower, which has led to a resultant increase in waiting times worldwide. We acknowledge that parents have to wait for their children to go for screening but this is not a problem just in Singapore but also faced by many other countries. This is why we are injecting $46 million into the Child Development Programme, to help us expand capacity and bring down waiting times for these early childhood developmental services. It will cover our needs over the next four years and is on top of the $16 million already committed from 2007 to 2009. Most of these monies will go towards the training and recruitment of child development manpower, especially psychologists and speech, language and physiotherapists.
40. But let me add that the holistic management of children with special needs is a complex issue. Multi-agency efforts across the social, educational and healthcare sectors are required for the child to reach his or her full potential, as I am sure Mr Ong Ah Heng is aware. In the majority of children with special needs, such as those with severe mental retardation, autism, and cerebral palsy, medical intervention plays only a limited and supportive role compared to the provision of social and educational support measures. These children require early placement in special schools where they can receive appropriate training and education. The Child Development Programme which I have just outlined caters to those with mild to moderate problems. The most appropriate developmental setting for this group is in the mainstream: integrated and inclusive schools where they can receive educational, social and community support as well as therapeutic intervention from healthcare professionals.
Raising the Quality and Standard of Traditional Chinese Medicine
41. Before I conclude, let me address Ms Ellen Lee and A/Prof Paulin Straughn’s questions on raising the quality and standard of TCM in Singapore. Today, MOH does this through raising the standards of TCM training courses and continuing professional education of TCM practitioners. Since 2006, MOH has worked with the two main local TCM colleges to replace certificate and diploma courses with higher-requirement Bachelor’s courses, jointly conducted with top TCM universities in China. NTU’s School of Biological Sciences has also started a double degree Biomedical Science and Chinese Medicine course with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Its first batch of 59 students will graduate this year. Taken together, these measures have augmented the pool of TCM practitioners with degree-level training from 101 in 2006 to 164 in 2009.
Conclusion
42. There is a saying “Health is wealth”. This is true in more ways than one. By staying healthy, one need not spend so much on medical bills and have more for his or her other pursuits. But besides that, keeping healthy will enable an individual to have a higher quality of life, which he can enjoy with his loved ones. This is something that no amount of money can buy. I urge all Singaporeans to take the simple first step of taking control of their diets and start exercising so that by 2020, we will be a healthier and "wealthier” nation.
Healthy Singaporeans, Resilient Nation
09 Mar 2010
By SPS Hawazi Daipi
Venue: Parliament
2. Most Singaporeans I know have the opposite problem: they are so busy they hardly have time to feel bored! We are a time-starved people: work deadlines, family commitments, and countless errands to run. Small wonder that we often hear people grumble, “I wish I had more time for the things that matter in life.”
3. Good health is one such thing that matters to all age groups, as Dr Fatimah Lateef has rightly pointed out. MOH invests heavily in health promotion precisely because it is the crucial first step to good health. It is much better to keep healthy rather than seek treatment when conditions develop. This is why our preventive healthcare budget has increased by 67% over the past decade to $112m in FY10. Our aim is to help Singaporeans of all ages – children, adolescents, adults and the elderly – have the means and ability to lead healthier lifestyles. We want to nip chronic health problems in the bud and reduce the disease burden on our ageing population. I think many members have alluded to the silver tsunami that is coming and asked how we are going to manage it. It is a tall order which requires hard work from us all, but it is worth doing.
The Case for Workplace Health
4. Unfortunately, when we need to prioritise our time, a healthy lifestyle is often the first to go. Many Singaporeans, stressed from work, often do not eat healthily or exercise regularly. Worse still, they succumb to high-risk habits like smoking and heavy drinking, mistakenly viewing them as a pressure-reliever or lifestyle choice. They do not realise or may ignore the fact that it could cause them greater pressure both financially and emotionally when health conditions develop down the road.
5. This is why there is a strong case for healthy lifestyles to be advocated at the workplace. The outreach strategy is sound as 2 out of 3 Singaporeans aged 15 years and above are working. I spoke briefly about workplace health in last year’s budget, and I will spend more time outlining our plans for workplace health promotion this year.
6. The business case for improving workplace health is simple. Healthier workers mean less absenteeism and lower medical costs for the company – the first step to boosting productivity and bottomlines. Healthy, active employees are also good “walking advertisements” for a company’s work ethos and culture, which helps in talent recruitment and retention. Healthy and alert employees also contribute to a safer work environment. Indeed, more local companies are recognising the value of good workplace health programmes and have taken steps to implement these.
7. NatSteel is a good example. I visited them last month and was impressed by the fruits of their employee wellness programme. They have wisely banned the sale of cigarettes within their premises and extended the lunchtime break to encourage participation in on-site health programmes. I was told that they actively take part in programmes to promote the good health of their workers Employees are also given subsidies and other incentives to participate in healthy lifestyle activities. There have been tangible results: the average days of medical leave taken has fallen from 3.4 days in 2005 to 2.3 days in 2009. With more motivated and healthier staff, the monthly average resignation rate has also fallen from 0.9% in 2005 to 0.7% in 2009. For comparison, the monthly average for the manufacturing industry is double that, at about 1.6%.
8. One employee’s effort in keeping himself healthy left a lasting impression on me. Mr Arumugam Kerisnasamy, a security guard, has a family history of chronic diseases. Determined to keep these diseases at bay, he put himself through HPB’s “Lose to Win Challenge” and NatSteel’s own “Weight Optimisation Challenge” late last year, losing 8 kg over a four-month period. Mr Arumugam continues to exercise and watch his diet. He now weighs 96 kg, 11 kg less than when he first started. His fitness level has also improved considerably. During my visit, he shared how grateful he was to NatSteel for their support and encouragement in his weight loss journey. He also told me that he was driven by the strong desire to take charge of his own health so that he can better his work performance and provide for his loved ones. I think we all have much to learn from Mr Arumugam.
More Support for SMEs
9. Some SMEs may want to roll out similar measures like NatSteel, but they lack the scale, resources and infrastructural support to do so. MOH and HPB recognise the constraints faced by our SMEs and will do more in the coming year to help them.
10. Today, several industrial and commercial landlords, e.g. Ascendas Services, CapitaLand Commercial, JTC Corporation, HDB and Mapletree Investments, participate in HPB’s WHP@SMEs’ Doorstep programme. A simple but popular programme, it conducts health screening and health programmes for SME employees at the doorsteps of industrial parks and commercial buildings where the SMEs are located. This is how HPB brings the program to the doorstep of the companies. It has been well received and we intend to roll this out to more locations over time.
11. I agree with Mr Ong Ah Heng and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang that we can do more. The National Tripartite Committee on Workplace Health co-chaired by Mr Lucas Chow and Mr Yeo himself has recommended to MOH a slew of measures to better support our SMEs in workplace health promotion. Let me mention a few we have implemented or are considering in the coming year:
12. To help SMEs who face budgetary constraints in starting workplace health programmes, the TriComm and HPB have introduced an enhanced SME Grant since May 2009. The grant now funds up to 90% of the cost of such programmes, capped at $10,000 per application. HPB also recently relaxed the grant guidelines to allow funding for off-site health programmes, such as basic health screening at CDMP-GP clinics and chronic disease intervention programmes. HPB has committed up to $180,000 to 22 SMEs under this enhanced scheme. I encourage more SMEs to sign up for the scheme.
13. Money alone cannot fully address the situation. SMEs often lack dedicated manpower and protected time to implement workplace health programmes well. To help them, HPB will introduce a workplace health package this month where pre-selected vendors will deliver the packaged health screening and interventions, covering four key areas of healthy lifestyle -- physical activity, healthy eating, mental wellbeing and smoking control. Companies simply have to choose their preferred activities from among the health interventions in these four areas. Some members have raised the concern over mental well being of employees and at company level, this is one way HPB is reaching out to employees, to help them through activities.
14. We also know that the work demands of each sector are different. Some sectors, like Hospitality, Wholesale & Retail, and Transport & Logistics, face greater challenges in implementing workplace health initiatives. For example, in the hospitality sector, it is hard to get service staff who work different shifts to get together to exercise, especially those who work the night shift. To address this, HPB and its partners will be adopting a more customised approach, by tailoring outreach activities and capacity building sessions tailored for specific industries. Industry workgroups, comprising representatives from trade associations, unions and private companies, will be set up to provide feedback on the needs and challenges of their respective industries.
15. Within Government, HPB has already started working with other agencies to align and streamline our promotional efforts. For example, HPB and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have been working closely to integrate workplace health promotion into the Workplace Safety and Health legislative framework, as well as the Guidelines for Re-employment of Older Workers. They will also be engaging employers, employees, healthcare providers and insurers to pilot a health management framework linking corporate and individual health to appropriate incentive systems. This will be an exciting area for development as we push for greater productivity in our workforce.
16. I know I can count on unions and trade associations, like NTUC and the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation (SMa), to step forward and lend us their support. NTUC has already partnered HPB to launch a weight management programme next month to promote healthy living at the workplace. SMa will also hold a kick-off event in May 2010 where some of their SME members will pledge their commitment to implement workplace health programmes. So we have the union and associations to help us in promoting weight management with their members and employees. As we intensify our engagement efforts with SME leaders and associations, I hope more will do the same and motivate their members to improve workplace health.
Updating Smoking Control Legislation
17. Let me move on to our smoking control efforts. Singapore is a pioneer in this area on several counts. We were the first Asian country to ban tobacco advertisements in 1971. In 2004, we again led Asia by using graphic warnings on cigarette packs to discourage smokers from lighting up. To date, we are one of only nine countries in the world recognised by WHO for our nationwide network of smoking cessation services.
18. Nevertheless, smoking is an issue that will take years to address and we will persist in it. We already have some successes. Less contraband is being hawked on the streets, in no small part due to Customs’ vigorous enforcement efforts. Many public places are also going smoke-free, thanks to NEA’s smoking ban. Over the years, smoking rates dropped from 20% in 1980 to 12.6% in 2004, but the latest figure of 13.6% in 2007 shows a slight rebound. So we still have a lot of work to do.
19. This is mainly due to an increase in smoking amongst certain population segments, in particular young adults. The smoking rate for young males, aged 18 to 29 years, has increased from 18% in 2004 to 25% in 2007. For young females, the increase was from 7% in 2004 to 9% in 2007. I am concerned about this trend as young adults might not fully appreciate the negative consequences of being hooked on smoking.
20. Besides stepping up HPB’s public education efforts, we intend to augment HSA’s regulatory arsenal by updating the Smoking (Control of Advertisement and Sale of Tobacco) Act to current operating realities. The Act was last amended in 2003 and the latest proposed amendments are to incorporate more stringent tobacco control measures in response to an increasing trend of smoking among young adults, and the emergence of new tobacco products. After extensive public and industry consultation, we are planning to ban misleading labelling, and lower the maximum tar and nicotine limits, among other changes. I look forward to Members’ support for the amendment bill when we table it in this House later.
Detecting and Preventing More Diseases
21. Minister Khaw earlier spoke about our considerations in making screening more affordable through the use of Medisave. I shall now update the House on the clinical developments.
22. The Integrated Screening Programme was introduced in June 2008 to facilitate appropriate health screening for Singaporeans aged 40 years and older at CDMP-registered GP clinics. Five conditions are currently covered: diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorders and obesity – all risk factors for hearts attacks and stroke -- as well as cervical cancer. The programme has served Singaporeans well by lowering the cost of screening through bulk purchases and subsidies for lower-income Singaporeans.
23. We are looking at including colorectal cancer screening under the Integrated Screening Programme. Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer here: 1500 Singaporeans become afflicted with this disease annually. Over the course of a lifetime, 1 in every 20 men and 1 in every 30 women will get colorectal cancer. Last November, we started a pilot in Queenstown, Tiong Bahru, Bishan and Ang Mo Kio where Singaporeans aged 50 years and older were invited to go for colorectal cancer screening at CDMP-GP clinics. To date, 416 participants have completed the screening, and 39 participants (9%) were referred for further assessment. We also intend to step up efforts to increase awareness and uptake of colorectal cancer screening among Singaporeans.
24. Cervical cancer is another noteworthy disease that we are tackling. Pap smear screening is key to detecting this cancer at its early and even pre-cancerous stages, when treatment is most effective. Vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an interesting new approach, though not without limitations. For example, it is only effective against 70% of cancer-causing HPV viruses, and there is limited data on its long-term effectiveness. The Expert Committee on Immunisation is reviewing the evidence on HPV vaccination and will report its findings to MOH subsequently.
Improving Our Children’s Health
25. Good health also boils down to eating enough and eating right. A balanced diet is crucial to improving physical wellbeing and our resistance against diseases.
26. But we must guard against too much of a good thing. Chinese New Year is just over and like other festivals, some of us would have suffered from the side-effects of over-eating. Imagine the ill-effects of our kids over-eating on a daily basis! Childhood obesity is fast becoming a problem in developed countries. Left unchecked, it would lead to our children developing all sorts of chronic illnesses that they would have to live with the rest of their lives. The problem is becoming so severe in America that it has caught the attention of President Barack Obama. He recently set up a taskforce under the First Lady to tackle this growing problem.
27. In Singapore, we have made obesity the focal point of our National Healthy Lifestyle Campaign last year, and this will continue in 2010. As a lead up to the campaign proper, HPB will launch a weight loss reality TV challenge, similar to the highly popular Lose to Win Challenge in 2009. Community and workplace stakeholders will also be engaged to champion health programmes to provide supportive health promoting environments for optimal weight management.
28. We know that food advertising to children is a problem, and are working with industry stakeholders to address this. To complement these efforts, HPB is developing guidelines on food marketing to children in schools and will continue health education efforts in the school setting. HPB will also work with MOE to instil a culture of physical activity among our young, so as to build lifelong habits for a healthy lifestyle.
29. Mrs Mildred Tan asked specifically if MOH will consider banning trans fat in food sold here due to the increased risk of coming down with cardiovascular diseases from consuming it. I share her concern. Today, 3 in 10 adult Singaporeans exceed WHO’s recommended daily limit of < 2 g of trans fat a day. Two thirds of these people are younger adults aged 18 to 39. Our children, especially those who snack frequently, are affected as well. We clearly need to limit the intake of trans fat in Singapore before it gains a foothold in our daily diet.
30. Regulating trans fat is a complex issue. We have adopted a more cautious, voluntary approach so as not to create trade barriers, reduce consumer choice and bring about unintended increases in food prices. The concerns that we raised in 2006 are still valid but we are looking at some ways to ensure more people are informed about their choices. After carefully studying the experiences of other countries and taking into account our local situation, we are now prepared to take targeted steps to control the problem.
31. The experts tell me that a total ban is not practical. Many of the catchy headlines we read about trans fats bans in New York and California actually refer to limiting trans fats to very low levels. We will do likewise. We are considering limiting the trans fat content in fats and oils to not more than 2 g of trans fat per 100 g of product. This is in line with the practice of developed countries which have implemented trans fat reduction measures.
32. For other food products besides fats and oils, HPB will continue its approach of engaging the food industry and encouraging all of them to voluntarily reduce the trans-fat content in their products. Response has been encouraging, especially from larger players in the market. Some companies that have voluntarily reduced trans fat in their products are Gardenia, Sunshine, FairPrice, Lam Soon and Nestle. SMEs like Al Dente Food Pte Ltd have also come forward to partner us in this effort. I look forward to the support of other industry players on this and other healthy eating initiatives like HPB’s Healthier Choice certification.
33. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about the state of myopia in Singapore. Myopia develops mainly in childhood, but stabilises as we get older. Many of us will recall that one generation ago, fewer children wore spectacles. The proportion of school children in Singapore with myopia is indeed high but has also stabilised over the past 5 years. Today, about 30% of Primary 1 school children or two-third (66%) of Primary 6 school children have myopia.
34. The causes of myopia are not well defined, although studies have identified risk factors like near work and protective factors like regular outdoor activity. Local research is on-going to gain more insights into risk factors and causes of myopia. Our schools have taken the necessary measures to manage the problem but a large part of the solution depends on habits at home. Through the National Myopia Prevention Programme, MOH and HPB help tackle both sides of the equation by educating parents, educators and children themselves on good eye care. Vision screening for pre-school to secondary school students is also provided through the Programme. We must collectively press on our efforts to delay the onset and reduce the progression of myopia in children on these fronts. But we acknowledge that it is challenging.
35. As these recent cohorts of children age, myopia will inevitably become more prevalent among adults. The concern is that myopia may predispose older adults to other eye problems. HPB will encourage seniors to go for vision screening as part of a broader suite of elderly functional assessments which it will roll out soon. We are also augmenting optometry and optician services nationwide to deal with problems as they emerge.
36. Fortunately, myopia is a problem easily correctable by spectacles or contact lenses. With affluence, many adults have also gone for the more costly option of laser surgery or LASIK. The technology is evolving. Surgeons are now able to make more precise, three-dimensional measurements of the eye that better guide their reshaping of the cornea. However, as with any surgical procedure, patients have to be carefully assessed for suitability, and LASIK itself carries risks that patients should be aware of. At our public hospitals, the success rate of improving vision in adults via LASIK is more than 98%, though not all will achieve perfect vision. This is comparable to results overseas. Rates of serious complications are low, but side effects such as dry eyes are common, occurring in up to half of all patients.
More Resources for Special Needs Children
37. Besides mainstream schoolchildren, I want to highlight another group that we are devoting more resources to: special needs children. Dr Lam Pin Min and Dr Amy Khor have raised some good questions about our plans to support this group of children. Since 1991, the Child Development Programme has helped identify and treat children with developmental problems in their early childhood. Under this programme, child development experts from KKH, NUH and three community-based clinics work together to provide diagnostic and early intervention services for special needs children, aged 0 to 6, complementing MCYS and MOE’s efforts under the wider Enabling Masterplan on Disability. Through these efforts, and the determination of patients and their families, many have risen above their developmental difficulties. Some ex-patients have since secured places at our tertiary institutions and even participated actively in National Service.
38. I have seen our healthcare professionals in action. They are doing good work and coping relatively well despite the huge caseload of some 5,200 patients, including 2,000 new cases annually. However, certain support services like psychological counselling, and speech therapy are stretched as we had only catered for a projected total caseload of 3,200 patients, with 1,200 or so new cases per year. This was the global norm as recently as 3 years ago.
39. This rising trend in workload, which experts attribute to increased awareness and better diagnostics, is not unique to Singapore. The situation is exacerbated by a global shortage of trained manpower, which has led to a resultant increase in waiting times worldwide. We acknowledge that parents have to wait for their children to go for screening but this is not a problem just in Singapore but also faced by many other countries. This is why we are injecting $46 million into the Child Development Programme, to help us expand capacity and bring down waiting times for these early childhood developmental services. It will cover our needs over the next four years and is on top of the $16 million already committed from 2007 to 2009. Most of these monies will go towards the training and recruitment of child development manpower, especially psychologists and speech, language and physiotherapists.
40. But let me add that the holistic management of children with special needs is a complex issue. Multi-agency efforts across the social, educational and healthcare sectors are required for the child to reach his or her full potential, as I am sure Mr Ong Ah Heng is aware. In the majority of children with special needs, such as those with severe mental retardation, autism, and cerebral palsy, medical intervention plays only a limited and supportive role compared to the provision of social and educational support measures. These children require early placement in special schools where they can receive appropriate training and education. The Child Development Programme which I have just outlined caters to those with mild to moderate problems. The most appropriate developmental setting for this group is in the mainstream: integrated and inclusive schools where they can receive educational, social and community support as well as therapeutic intervention from healthcare professionals.
Raising the Quality and Standard of Traditional Chinese Medicine
41. Before I conclude, let me address Ms Ellen Lee and A/Prof Paulin Straughn’s questions on raising the quality and standard of TCM in Singapore. Today, MOH does this through raising the standards of TCM training courses and continuing professional education of TCM practitioners. Since 2006, MOH has worked with the two main local TCM colleges to replace certificate and diploma courses with higher-requirement Bachelor’s courses, jointly conducted with top TCM universities in China. NTU’s School of Biological Sciences has also started a double degree Biomedical Science and Chinese Medicine course with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Its first batch of 59 students will graduate this year. Taken together, these measures have augmented the pool of TCM practitioners with degree-level training from 101 in 2006 to 164 in 2009.
Conclusion
42. There is a saying “Health is wealth”. This is true in more ways than one. By staying healthy, one need not spend so much on medical bills and have more for his or her other pursuits. But besides that, keeping healthy will enable an individual to have a higher quality of life, which he can enjoy with his loved ones. This is something that no amount of money can buy. I urge all Singaporeans to take the simple first step of taking control of their diets and start exercising so that by 2020, we will be a healthier and "wealthier” nation.
Healthy Singaporeans, Resilient Nation
09 Mar 2010
By SPS Hawazi Daipi
Venue: Parliament
Friday, July 30, 2010
About Conventional Hormones
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thoughts About Conventional Hormones
I just returned from a lecture where I was teaching doctors about bioidentical hormones. I presented the data on the Women’s Health Initiative and I was thinking about the results of this study on the flight home. I thought I would share some of these thoughts with you.
The Women’s Health Initiative was a large study involving over 16,000 women who were randomly assigned to take the conventional, synthetic hormones Premarin and Provera or placebo. The study was supposed to last for 8.5 years, but was stopped early (at 5.2 years) because the women in the treatment group (those taking Premarin and Provera) developed serious side effects. Compared to women who took a placebo, those in the treatment group had a 26% increase in invasive breast cancer, a 41% increase in stroke, a 205% increase in Alzheimer’s disease and a 2100% increase in pulmonary embolism. Due to these problems, women were told to stop taking the hormones.
Those numbers were not a big shock to me. Those of us who had been writing and speaking out against the use of conventional hormones knew they were problematic. For nearly 25 years, before the completion of the Women’s Health Initiative, the powers-that-be assured women that conventional hormone replacement therapy was safe and would not lead to increased breast cancer rates. In fact, women were told that taking these synthetic hormones would prevent heart disease. At best, those statements were wishful thoughts, at worst they were lies. During this time there were many studies which pointed to problems with conventional hormones. However, doctors continued to prescribe conventional HRT to more and more women. Unfortunately, now we are left to deal with the side effects.
In my lecture, I presented data (from the Women’s Health Initiative) to the doctors about the numbers of women who developed breast cancer during the five years the subjects took the synthetic hormones. The data showed breast cancer rates increasing about 26% during this time (as compared to women who did not take synthetic hormones). Next, I showed the doctors a graph of the breast cancer rate for a 2.5 year period after the women were told to stop taking the synthetic hormones. Breast cancer rates were reported to fall 27% during the time women stopped taking the synthetic hormones.
So, let’s think about these numbers (as I was thinking about them on the flight home). Specifically, I was thinking about the 26% increase in breast cancer for those women given synthetic hormones and an almost identical decline in breast cancer rates after the women stopped taking them.
What conclusions can you draw from this data? A reasonable conclusion is that no woman should ever receive these items, under any condition. However, that was not the FDA or conventional medicine’s conclusion. They concluded that women should be still be treated with these medications if they need them, but they should only take them for the shortest time needed. What is the data that supports using conventional HRT for the shortest time needed? You can guess the answer to this question; there is no data supporting that statement.
I say the FDA should have removed these toxic hormones from the market. There is absolutely no indication to use these items when there are natural, bioidentical versions available. The bioidentical hormones are clearly safer. Furthermore, they are effective at treating the signs and symptoms of menopause. In the first edition of The Miracle of Natural Hormones, written in 1999 (before the Women’s Health Initiative), I advised women to avoid conventional hormone replacement therapy because there was an increased risk of side effects. My second edition of this book provides more information on the safety and efficacy of bioidentical, natural, hormones and a further analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative.
What can we take away from all of this? We need to go back to using science and common sense. Common sense would dictate that when there are natural, bioidentical versions of hormones available, there is no need to consider using a synthetic version. Science does support this common sense argument.
posted by Dr. David Brownstein @ 6:17 PM
http://drdavidbrownstein.blogspot.com/
Thoughts About Conventional Hormones
I just returned from a lecture where I was teaching doctors about bioidentical hormones. I presented the data on the Women’s Health Initiative and I was thinking about the results of this study on the flight home. I thought I would share some of these thoughts with you.
The Women’s Health Initiative was a large study involving over 16,000 women who were randomly assigned to take the conventional, synthetic hormones Premarin and Provera or placebo. The study was supposed to last for 8.5 years, but was stopped early (at 5.2 years) because the women in the treatment group (those taking Premarin and Provera) developed serious side effects. Compared to women who took a placebo, those in the treatment group had a 26% increase in invasive breast cancer, a 41% increase in stroke, a 205% increase in Alzheimer’s disease and a 2100% increase in pulmonary embolism. Due to these problems, women were told to stop taking the hormones.
Those numbers were not a big shock to me. Those of us who had been writing and speaking out against the use of conventional hormones knew they were problematic. For nearly 25 years, before the completion of the Women’s Health Initiative, the powers-that-be assured women that conventional hormone replacement therapy was safe and would not lead to increased breast cancer rates. In fact, women were told that taking these synthetic hormones would prevent heart disease. At best, those statements were wishful thoughts, at worst they were lies. During this time there were many studies which pointed to problems with conventional hormones. However, doctors continued to prescribe conventional HRT to more and more women. Unfortunately, now we are left to deal with the side effects.
In my lecture, I presented data (from the Women’s Health Initiative) to the doctors about the numbers of women who developed breast cancer during the five years the subjects took the synthetic hormones. The data showed breast cancer rates increasing about 26% during this time (as compared to women who did not take synthetic hormones). Next, I showed the doctors a graph of the breast cancer rate for a 2.5 year period after the women were told to stop taking the synthetic hormones. Breast cancer rates were reported to fall 27% during the time women stopped taking the synthetic hormones.
So, let’s think about these numbers (as I was thinking about them on the flight home). Specifically, I was thinking about the 26% increase in breast cancer for those women given synthetic hormones and an almost identical decline in breast cancer rates after the women stopped taking them.
What conclusions can you draw from this data? A reasonable conclusion is that no woman should ever receive these items, under any condition. However, that was not the FDA or conventional medicine’s conclusion. They concluded that women should be still be treated with these medications if they need them, but they should only take them for the shortest time needed. What is the data that supports using conventional HRT for the shortest time needed? You can guess the answer to this question; there is no data supporting that statement.
I say the FDA should have removed these toxic hormones from the market. There is absolutely no indication to use these items when there are natural, bioidentical versions available. The bioidentical hormones are clearly safer. Furthermore, they are effective at treating the signs and symptoms of menopause. In the first edition of The Miracle of Natural Hormones, written in 1999 (before the Women’s Health Initiative), I advised women to avoid conventional hormone replacement therapy because there was an increased risk of side effects. My second edition of this book provides more information on the safety and efficacy of bioidentical, natural, hormones and a further analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative.
What can we take away from all of this? We need to go back to using science and common sense. Common sense would dictate that when there are natural, bioidentical versions of hormones available, there is no need to consider using a synthetic version. Science does support this common sense argument.
posted by Dr. David Brownstein @ 6:17 PM
http://drdavidbrownstein.blogspot.com/
Prolonged Cellular Dehydration caused DNA mutation
Common Cancer Types
This list of the most common cancer types includes has been compiled using statistics from the American Cancer Society and other sources.
The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type:
Cancer Type (Estimated New Cases) <Estimated Deaths>
Cancer Type-Bladder (67,160) <13 br="">Cancer Type-Breast (Female -- Male) (178,480 -- 2,030) <40 --="" 450="">
Cancer Type-Colon and Rectal (Combined)(153,760) <52>
Cancer Type-Endometrial (39,080) <7>
Cancer Type-Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer (43,512) <10>
Cancer Type-Leukemia (All) (44,240) <21>
Cancer Type-Lung (Including Bronchus) (213,380) <160>
Cancer Type-Melanoma (59,940) <8>
Cancer Type-Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (63,190) <18>
Cancer Type-Pancreatic (37,170) <33>
Cancer Type-Prostate (218,890) <27>
Cancer Type-Skin (Non-melanoma) (>1,000,000) <<2>
Cancer Type-Thyroid (33,550) <1>
References
American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2007. Also available online. Last accessed January 18, 2007.
This list of the most common cancer types includes has been compiled using statistics from the American Cancer Society and other sources.
The following table gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type:
Cancer Type (Estimated New Cases) <Estimated Deaths>
Cancer Type-Bladder (67,160) <13 br="">Cancer Type-Breast (Female -- Male) (178,480 -- 2,030) <40 --="" 450="">
Cancer Type-Colon and Rectal (Combined)(153,760) <52>
Cancer Type-Endometrial (39,080) <7>
Cancer Type-Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer (43,512) <10>
Cancer Type-Leukemia (All) (44,240) <21>
Cancer Type-Lung (Including Bronchus) (213,380) <160>
Cancer Type-Melanoma (59,940) <8>
Cancer Type-Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (63,190) <18>
Cancer Type-Pancreatic (37,170) <33>
Cancer Type-Prostate (218,890) <27>
Cancer Type-Skin (Non-melanoma) (>1,000,000) <<2>
Cancer Type-Thyroid (33,550) <1>
References
American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2007. Also available online. Last accessed January 18, 2007.
Preserving Life in You through Word
I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have
preserved my life.-- Psalm 119:93
Much like the rules parents have for young children -- don't
drink what's under the cabinet, don't play in the street, don't
walk out from behind parked cars... -- God's guidance is not to
restrict us, but to protect us. His commands, both positive and
prohibitive, are for our protection and perfection. By them we find
life and have it preserved. (The Old Testament Law had all sorts of
cleanliness laws that did not make any sense at all until thousands
of years after they were written when we began to understand
bacteria and viruses. All through these years, the Israelites were
preserved by God's command when they had no real understanding why
God had given the laws in the first place.)
preserved my life.-- Psalm 119:93
Much like the rules parents have for young children -- don't
drink what's under the cabinet, don't play in the street, don't
walk out from behind parked cars... -- God's guidance is not to
restrict us, but to protect us. His commands, both positive and
prohibitive, are for our protection and perfection. By them we find
life and have it preserved. (The Old Testament Law had all sorts of
cleanliness laws that did not make any sense at all until thousands
of years after they were written when we began to understand
bacteria and viruses. All through these years, the Israelites were
preserved by God's command when they had no real understanding why
God had given the laws in the first place.)
Fact Sheet: Irradiation Using Electron Beams
What is electron-beam irradiation?
* E-beam irradiation uses an electron 'gun' to send high-speed electrons into a food. The electrons smash into molecules in the food as well as bacteria, damaging their DNA and creating free radicals and new chemicals. Nuclear irradiation uses nuclear materials that emit high-speed gamma rays, which have the same effect on food.
* E-beam irradiation is a fairly new technology, joining x-rays and gamma radiation. Until 2000, almost all food irradiated in the U.S. came from facilities using radioactive cobalt-60.
Other than the environmental risks, how does it differ from irradiation using nuclear materials?
* Because the electrons can be propelled at higher speeds, giving the beams more energy than gamma rays, e-beam irradiation can do more damage to the food than nuclear irradiation.
* E-beam irradiation is cheaper to use because the facilities do not require thick walls, containment pools or disposal of radioactive materials. Also, the food can travel through the irradiation facility much more quickly because e-beams have higher energy and penetrate more quickly than gamma rays.
* The choice of which irradiation method to use depends on several factors, especially the size and shape of the food to be irradiated. E-beams penetrate approximately one inch, so they are suited for evenly shaped, flat material like hamburger patties. For large, irregularly shaped foods (e.g., a whole turkey carcass) nuclear or x-ray irradiation is necessary.
* Unlike nuclear irradiation, e-beam irradiation may induce a trace amount of radioactivity in certain foods
* Both kinds of irradiation can injure workers exposed to the radiation.
* Both kinds of irradiation are offshoots of military technology. E-beam irradiation was developed for Star Wars. Nuclear irradiation began with "Atoms for Peace" in the 1950's. Its main advocate is the Department of Defense, which sees nuclear irradiation as 1) a commercial use for nuclear power plants (cobalt-60 has to be manufactured in a nuclear reactor), 2) a way of disposing of nuclear wastes and 3) a way to 'soften' the image of nuclear power.
Why we don't like e-beam irradiation
* For those irradiated foods that are labeled, the label does not reveal the source of the irradiation. Food regulatory agencies do not distinguish between nuclear and e-beam irradiation.
* If accepted by the public, e-beam irradiation will open the door for a re-introduction of nuclear irradiation. The U.S. Department of Energy is currently considering reopening a nuclear plant in Hanford, Washington, for food irradiation.
* Acceptance of e-beam irradiation by the public will support the food industry's efforts to remove all labels on irradiated foods. If labels are removed, the US will pressure countries that require labels to accept unlabeled US products. If other countries cannot enforce their labeling laws, irradiation will become much more common. And in most of the world, irradiation means only nuclear irradiation, because a reliable supply of cheap electricity does not exist. To summarize, e-beam irradiation in the US is the tip of the wedge that will lead to nuclear irradiation in most of the world.
Who is using electron-beam irradiation?
* In the US, the military-technology-transfer company Titan has built e-beam facilities in Iowa and Arkansas. They have signed agreements in Japan and Brazil to build e-beam facilities.
* US companies that have announced plans to use e-beam irradiation or buy e-beam irradiated products in 2000 include IBP, Excel, Tyson, Kraft, Wal-Mart, Emmpak, Huisken Meats, and smaller meat producers. (Kraft expects to use irradiation for its Oscar Mayer line, although the FDA has not yet approved irradiation for lunch meats.) Because IBP and Excel are two of the largest meat producers in the US, and the big contamination problem is ground beef, some of their e-beam meat is certainly going to fast-food restaurants for hamburgers.
* Because irradiated food that is sold to restaurants, schools and other institutions does not have to be labeled for the consumer, it is impossible to know how much irradiated beef and chicken is currently being sold to the public. The USDA approved irradiation for meat in February 2000, and some is already being used. Huisken, a Minnesota company, began shipping e-beam irradiated beef to retailers in Minnesota in May 2000.
* A Hawaii company is building an e-beam facility to irradiate papayas and small amounts of other tropical fruits, to open in July 2000.
* E-beam irradiation uses an electron 'gun' to send high-speed electrons into a food. The electrons smash into molecules in the food as well as bacteria, damaging their DNA and creating free radicals and new chemicals. Nuclear irradiation uses nuclear materials that emit high-speed gamma rays, which have the same effect on food.
* E-beam irradiation is a fairly new technology, joining x-rays and gamma radiation. Until 2000, almost all food irradiated in the U.S. came from facilities using radioactive cobalt-60.
Other than the environmental risks, how does it differ from irradiation using nuclear materials?
* Because the electrons can be propelled at higher speeds, giving the beams more energy than gamma rays, e-beam irradiation can do more damage to the food than nuclear irradiation.
* E-beam irradiation is cheaper to use because the facilities do not require thick walls, containment pools or disposal of radioactive materials. Also, the food can travel through the irradiation facility much more quickly because e-beams have higher energy and penetrate more quickly than gamma rays.
* The choice of which irradiation method to use depends on several factors, especially the size and shape of the food to be irradiated. E-beams penetrate approximately one inch, so they are suited for evenly shaped, flat material like hamburger patties. For large, irregularly shaped foods (e.g., a whole turkey carcass) nuclear or x-ray irradiation is necessary.
* Unlike nuclear irradiation, e-beam irradiation may induce a trace amount of radioactivity in certain foods
* Both kinds of irradiation can injure workers exposed to the radiation.
* Both kinds of irradiation are offshoots of military technology. E-beam irradiation was developed for Star Wars. Nuclear irradiation began with "Atoms for Peace" in the 1950's. Its main advocate is the Department of Defense, which sees nuclear irradiation as 1) a commercial use for nuclear power plants (cobalt-60 has to be manufactured in a nuclear reactor), 2) a way of disposing of nuclear wastes and 3) a way to 'soften' the image of nuclear power.
Why we don't like e-beam irradiation
* For those irradiated foods that are labeled, the label does not reveal the source of the irradiation. Food regulatory agencies do not distinguish between nuclear and e-beam irradiation.
* If accepted by the public, e-beam irradiation will open the door for a re-introduction of nuclear irradiation. The U.S. Department of Energy is currently considering reopening a nuclear plant in Hanford, Washington, for food irradiation.
* Acceptance of e-beam irradiation by the public will support the food industry's efforts to remove all labels on irradiated foods. If labels are removed, the US will pressure countries that require labels to accept unlabeled US products. If other countries cannot enforce their labeling laws, irradiation will become much more common. And in most of the world, irradiation means only nuclear irradiation, because a reliable supply of cheap electricity does not exist. To summarize, e-beam irradiation in the US is the tip of the wedge that will lead to nuclear irradiation in most of the world.
Who is using electron-beam irradiation?
* In the US, the military-technology-transfer company Titan has built e-beam facilities in Iowa and Arkansas. They have signed agreements in Japan and Brazil to build e-beam facilities.
* US companies that have announced plans to use e-beam irradiation or buy e-beam irradiated products in 2000 include IBP, Excel, Tyson, Kraft, Wal-Mart, Emmpak, Huisken Meats, and smaller meat producers. (Kraft expects to use irradiation for its Oscar Mayer line, although the FDA has not yet approved irradiation for lunch meats.) Because IBP and Excel are two of the largest meat producers in the US, and the big contamination problem is ground beef, some of their e-beam meat is certainly going to fast-food restaurants for hamburgers.
* Because irradiated food that is sold to restaurants, schools and other institutions does not have to be labeled for the consumer, it is impossible to know how much irradiated beef and chicken is currently being sold to the public. The USDA approved irradiation for meat in February 2000, and some is already being used. Huisken, a Minnesota company, began shipping e-beam irradiated beef to retailers in Minnesota in May 2000.
* A Hawaii company is building an e-beam facility to irradiate papayas and small amounts of other tropical fruits, to open in July 2000.
Are You one Consumer ? Or Citizen?
Citizens, Resist The Squeeze Play On Your Minds
By: Chuck Freeman Friday July 30, 2010 5:08 pm
(This is the second piece in a series. The first one, is "A Consumer Is A Subject, A Citizen is a Verb.")
"Corporate profits up, but consumer optimism sagging."
The conclusion of this headline doesn’t bother me as much as the principles named. Sometimes a different word choice can generate an entirely new meaning.
This rewrite is an upgrade: "Corporate profits up, but citizen optimism sagging." Eventually, the headline would transform into a world changer, "Corporate profits down, but citizen optimism rising."
Why am I making such a big deal of semantics? How could this possibly be a spiritual issue?
Universally, the great religions teach us that the mind is ground zero for eternal values to reign on the earth. Our identity is fundamental.
The ancient letter to Christian’s in Rome exhorts, Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed."
Fast forward two thousand years. Standing at America’s ground zero, our would-be-Emperor beseeched us to "go shopping."
I’m asking you to do two things. Numero uno. Sharpen your eyes and ears to the noun the corporate media uses to reference you. Numero dos. Every time you are referred to as a consumer (which is virtually every time) say resolutely to yourself, "Citizen."
The consequence of seeing human beings as consumers bores down not only to the marrow of our identity, but also of our literal existence.
On July 29th The United Nations General Assembly declared for the first time that access to clean water and sanitation is a fundamental human right. In a historic vote, 122 countries supported the resolution, and over forty countries abstained from voting, including the United States, Canada and several European industrialized countries.
When asked about the nations that abstained, longtime water justice activist Maude Barlow, stated it is the "neo liberal countries who have bought into this whole agenda that everything is to be commodified." When everything is commodified, people become commodities as well.
Bolivia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Pablo Solon, introduced the resolution at the General Assembly. He told of the long struggle for water rights in Bolivia, which successfully fought against Bechtel’s water privatization efforts ten years ago, then went on to say:
"At the global level, approximately one out of every eight people do not have drinking water. In just one day, more than 200 million hours of the time used by women is spent collecting and transporting water for their homes.
The lack of sanitation is even worse, because it affects 2.6 billion people, which represents 40 percent of the global population. According to the report of the World Health Organization and of UNICEF of 2009, which is titled "Diarrhea: Why Children Are [Still] Dying and What We Can Do." Every day 24,000 children die in developing countries due to causes that can be prevented, such as diarrhea, which is caused by contaminated water. This means that a child dies every three-and-a-half seconds. One, two, three. As they say in my village, the time is now."
"Everything has mind in the lead, has mind in the forefront, is made by mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, misery will follow.
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness will follow, like a shadow that never leaves."
By: Chuck Freeman Friday July 30, 2010 5:08 pm
(This is the second piece in a series. The first one, is "A Consumer Is A Subject, A Citizen is a Verb.")
"Corporate profits up, but consumer optimism sagging."
The conclusion of this headline doesn’t bother me as much as the principles named. Sometimes a different word choice can generate an entirely new meaning.
This rewrite is an upgrade: "Corporate profits up, but citizen optimism sagging." Eventually, the headline would transform into a world changer, "Corporate profits down, but citizen optimism rising."
Why am I making such a big deal of semantics? How could this possibly be a spiritual issue?
Universally, the great religions teach us that the mind is ground zero for eternal values to reign on the earth. Our identity is fundamental.
The ancient letter to Christian’s in Rome exhorts, Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-make you so that your whole attitude of mind is changed."
Fast forward two thousand years. Standing at America’s ground zero, our would-be-Emperor beseeched us to "go shopping."
I’m asking you to do two things. Numero uno. Sharpen your eyes and ears to the noun the corporate media uses to reference you. Numero dos. Every time you are referred to as a consumer (which is virtually every time) say resolutely to yourself, "Citizen."
The consequence of seeing human beings as consumers bores down not only to the marrow of our identity, but also of our literal existence.
On July 29th The United Nations General Assembly declared for the first time that access to clean water and sanitation is a fundamental human right. In a historic vote, 122 countries supported the resolution, and over forty countries abstained from voting, including the United States, Canada and several European industrialized countries.
When asked about the nations that abstained, longtime water justice activist Maude Barlow, stated it is the "neo liberal countries who have bought into this whole agenda that everything is to be commodified." When everything is commodified, people become commodities as well.
Bolivia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Pablo Solon, introduced the resolution at the General Assembly. He told of the long struggle for water rights in Bolivia, which successfully fought against Bechtel’s water privatization efforts ten years ago, then went on to say:
"At the global level, approximately one out of every eight people do not have drinking water. In just one day, more than 200 million hours of the time used by women is spent collecting and transporting water for their homes.
The lack of sanitation is even worse, because it affects 2.6 billion people, which represents 40 percent of the global population. According to the report of the World Health Organization and of UNICEF of 2009, which is titled "Diarrhea: Why Children Are [Still] Dying and What We Can Do." Every day 24,000 children die in developing countries due to causes that can be prevented, such as diarrhea, which is caused by contaminated water. This means that a child dies every three-and-a-half seconds. One, two, three. As they say in my village, the time is now."
"Everything has mind in the lead, has mind in the forefront, is made by mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, misery will follow.
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness will follow, like a shadow that never leaves."
We MUST protect her :STOP those abusers.
In her lifetime, approximately one in three women around the world will suffer violence simply because she is a woman. Sex trafficking, rape during times of war and domestic violence are destructive forces not just for women, but for entire communities. This cannot continue.
Take action Now.
The factory, hospital, and household waste that enters the sewer system is often disposed of on farmland and even used to grow food. Sewage sludge fertilizer is banned in organic agriculture because it contains innumerable toxic chemicals, heavy metals and pathogens that could harm farm workers and the environment while contaminating food. Out of 80,000 chemicals in commercial use, only 10 are regulated in sewage sludge used as fertilizer.
San Francisco, like most municipalities, struggles to find cheap ways to dispose of its sewage sludge. The city sends it to landfills, farmland in surrounding counties, and, most controversially, offered it to Bay Area gardeners as so-called "organic biosolids compost."
When the Organic Consumers Association learned that San Francisco, where Gavin Newsom was named "World's Greenest Mayor" by Organic Style magazine, was pulling off this scam to trick organic gardeners into using sewage sludge, the first person we thought would want to help was Alice Waters. Waters, the celebrity chef who founded Chez Panisse, is one of the world's most famous organic advocates. Plus, she's a Bay Area community gardener who started the Edible Schoolyard movement. We were sure that she would be appalled by San Francisco's attempt to get people to dispose of toxic sewage sludge in their organic gardens.
But, our request for help from the Chez Panisse Foundation was rejected.
We couldn't believe it when we learned why! The director of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation, Francesca Vietor, also works for Mayor Newsom as the Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), the agency responsible for dealing with the city's sewage sludge.
When Organic Consumers Association asked Alice Waters whether she agreed that food should not be grown in toxic sewage sludge, Francesca Vietor emailed San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff:
"Alice and CPF are not going to respond but it's really important for SFPUC staff to come up with answers about whether the stuff does or does not contain the chemicals that Stauber, et al, say it does, and if so, in what doses and what those dose levels mean. It's not enough, at least in San Francisco, to say it's better than fed and state regs require. Can you get these answers quickly -- as now that people are trying to oust me from the PUC -- so I can decide whether to go on the offensive against these guys."
Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation did go on the offensive against us, but the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission decided to halt their sludge-to-gardens giveaways. The decision was made by Ed Harrington, the General Manager of the SFPUC who told Vietor that the giveaway program was on temporary hold. He wrote, "We have told [Organic Consumers Association] we have no plans to do any further giveaways at this time - feel free to tell them that again. We do not want to promise anything more than that - our real concern is the larger issue of our disposal of sludge . . . on land in Solano County which they may go after next."
In their continuing efforts to defend and promote their toxic sludge giveaway program, on July 27, 2010 the SFPUC released test results they claim prove the safety of their sludge "compost." But the testing is nothing new, just the same old song and dance. The testing only reiterates how woefully and dangerously inadequate testing standards are: no testing for flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, PCBs, dioxins and thousands of other dangerous contaminants known to be present in the chemical cocktail that is toxic sewage sludge. The testing was also based on the EPA's 1989 National Sewage Sludge Survey, rather than EPA's 2009 Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, which, 20 years later, revealed that dozens of unregulated, untested contaminants were present in all samples nationally. The testing was also based on science and standards from 1976 establishing the Priority Pollutants list - 34 years ago! The SFPUC's "new and improved testing" is nothing but a smokescreen meant to deflect attention from their scam sludge giveaway, and to silence critics.
To date, San Francisco is still dumping toxic sludge on Solano and Sonoma Counties, Francesca Vietor is still both director of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation and Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and Alice Waters still hasn't taken a stand against the disposal of San Francisco's toxic sludge on gardens and farmland.
Take action. Ask Alice Waters to stand up against San Francisco's toxic sludge dumps!
San Francisco, like most municipalities, struggles to find cheap ways to dispose of its sewage sludge. The city sends it to landfills, farmland in surrounding counties, and, most controversially, offered it to Bay Area gardeners as so-called "organic biosolids compost."
When the Organic Consumers Association learned that San Francisco, where Gavin Newsom was named "World's Greenest Mayor" by Organic Style magazine, was pulling off this scam to trick organic gardeners into using sewage sludge, the first person we thought would want to help was Alice Waters. Waters, the celebrity chef who founded Chez Panisse, is one of the world's most famous organic advocates. Plus, she's a Bay Area community gardener who started the Edible Schoolyard movement. We were sure that she would be appalled by San Francisco's attempt to get people to dispose of toxic sewage sludge in their organic gardens.
But, our request for help from the Chez Panisse Foundation was rejected.
We couldn't believe it when we learned why! The director of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation, Francesca Vietor, also works for Mayor Newsom as the Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), the agency responsible for dealing with the city's sewage sludge.
When Organic Consumers Association asked Alice Waters whether she agreed that food should not be grown in toxic sewage sludge, Francesca Vietor emailed San Francisco Public Utilities Commission staff:
"Alice and CPF are not going to respond but it's really important for SFPUC staff to come up with answers about whether the stuff does or does not contain the chemicals that Stauber, et al, say it does, and if so, in what doses and what those dose levels mean. It's not enough, at least in San Francisco, to say it's better than fed and state regs require. Can you get these answers quickly -- as now that people are trying to oust me from the PUC -- so I can decide whether to go on the offensive against these guys."
Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation did go on the offensive against us, but the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission decided to halt their sludge-to-gardens giveaways. The decision was made by Ed Harrington, the General Manager of the SFPUC who told Vietor that the giveaway program was on temporary hold. He wrote, "We have told [Organic Consumers Association] we have no plans to do any further giveaways at this time - feel free to tell them that again. We do not want to promise anything more than that - our real concern is the larger issue of our disposal of sludge . . . on land in Solano County which they may go after next."
In their continuing efforts to defend and promote their toxic sludge giveaway program, on July 27, 2010 the SFPUC released test results they claim prove the safety of their sludge "compost." But the testing is nothing new, just the same old song and dance. The testing only reiterates how woefully and dangerously inadequate testing standards are: no testing for flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, PCBs, dioxins and thousands of other dangerous contaminants known to be present in the chemical cocktail that is toxic sewage sludge. The testing was also based on the EPA's 1989 National Sewage Sludge Survey, rather than EPA's 2009 Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, which, 20 years later, revealed that dozens of unregulated, untested contaminants were present in all samples nationally. The testing was also based on science and standards from 1976 establishing the Priority Pollutants list - 34 years ago! The SFPUC's "new and improved testing" is nothing but a smokescreen meant to deflect attention from their scam sludge giveaway, and to silence critics.
To date, San Francisco is still dumping toxic sludge on Solano and Sonoma Counties, Francesca Vietor is still both director of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation and Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and Alice Waters still hasn't taken a stand against the disposal of San Francisco's toxic sludge on gardens and farmland.
Take action. Ask Alice Waters to stand up against San Francisco's toxic sludge dumps!
The Petition?
Sign the "Food Agenda 2020" Petition - Three Food Policies Essential to Solving the Climate Crisis
1. Truth in Labeling
Tell Consumers How Food Choices Impact Climate Change
Local, organic & fair trade food and products are the climate-friendly, humane and healthy choice, but consumers should have the same right to know when their purchases have a negative impact on health, justice or sustainability.
Food labels should reveal the presence of genetically engineered ingredients and pesticide residues, the use of antibiotics and artificial hormones, the product's carbon footprint and its country of origin.
2. Green Budget Priorities
Subsidize Solutions Not Pollution!
Voters want clean energy, green jobs, and a food system that's local, organic and fair trade, but it's not going to happen as long as our tax dollars are spent on industrial food and farming, fossil fuels, and war.
U.S. taxpayer subsidies to fossil fuels and industrial food and farming amount to $60 billion a year, while resource wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost us $200 billion annually. This wasted money is enough to fast-track the conversion of the U.S. and global economy to organic agriculture and clean energy and save the world from climate catastrophe.
3. Regulations That Promote Health and Sustainability
Protect Consumers and the Environment from Hazardous Agricultural Practices
Consumers often complain that local, organic and fair trade products are too expensive. Of course, you can economize on your organic food or green product purchases if you can buy directly from the farmer or producer or buy in bulk quantities with others in your community, but there's no denying that Food Inc.'s "business as usual" practices - polluting the earth, destabilizing the climate, using toxic chemicals, cutting corners on ingredients and nutrition, and exploiting workers from the farm to the checkout counter - generate products with lower sticker prices. However if you add in the hidden health and environmental costs and collateral damage of GMOs, pesticides, antibiotics, heavily processed and packaged foods, and the climate and environmental "footprint" of chemical and energy-intensive food and farming, our cheap food system is in fact dangerously expensive.
To level the playing field for healthy, organic climate-friendly foods and products, we need to make the polluters and junk food purveyors pay for the damage they are causing to public health and the environment. We need to demand sensible and equitable regulations from our elected public officials that protect consumers and the environment, and we need these policies now, not in ten years. We can start by phasing out the inhumane confinement of animals in factory farms and eliminating billion dollar subsidies for genetically engineered crops and biofuels. We can phase out toxic pesticides, methane generating chemical fertilizers, artificial hormones, the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics, sewage sludge "fertilizer," and animal feed made from slaughterhouse waste.
Sign the Petition
1. Truth in Labeling
Tell Consumers How Food Choices Impact Climate Change
Local, organic & fair trade food and products are the climate-friendly, humane and healthy choice, but consumers should have the same right to know when their purchases have a negative impact on health, justice or sustainability.
Food labels should reveal the presence of genetically engineered ingredients and pesticide residues, the use of antibiotics and artificial hormones, the product's carbon footprint and its country of origin.
2. Green Budget Priorities
Subsidize Solutions Not Pollution!
Voters want clean energy, green jobs, and a food system that's local, organic and fair trade, but it's not going to happen as long as our tax dollars are spent on industrial food and farming, fossil fuels, and war.
U.S. taxpayer subsidies to fossil fuels and industrial food and farming amount to $60 billion a year, while resource wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost us $200 billion annually. This wasted money is enough to fast-track the conversion of the U.S. and global economy to organic agriculture and clean energy and save the world from climate catastrophe.
3. Regulations That Promote Health and Sustainability
Protect Consumers and the Environment from Hazardous Agricultural Practices
Consumers often complain that local, organic and fair trade products are too expensive. Of course, you can economize on your organic food or green product purchases if you can buy directly from the farmer or producer or buy in bulk quantities with others in your community, but there's no denying that Food Inc.'s "business as usual" practices - polluting the earth, destabilizing the climate, using toxic chemicals, cutting corners on ingredients and nutrition, and exploiting workers from the farm to the checkout counter - generate products with lower sticker prices. However if you add in the hidden health and environmental costs and collateral damage of GMOs, pesticides, antibiotics, heavily processed and packaged foods, and the climate and environmental "footprint" of chemical and energy-intensive food and farming, our cheap food system is in fact dangerously expensive.
To level the playing field for healthy, organic climate-friendly foods and products, we need to make the polluters and junk food purveyors pay for the damage they are causing to public health and the environment. We need to demand sensible and equitable regulations from our elected public officials that protect consumers and the environment, and we need these policies now, not in ten years. We can start by phasing out the inhumane confinement of animals in factory farms and eliminating billion dollar subsidies for genetically engineered crops and biofuels. We can phase out toxic pesticides, methane generating chemical fertilizers, artificial hormones, the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics, sewage sludge "fertilizer," and animal feed made from slaughterhouse waste.
Sign the Petition
This planet we are living need your awareness.
"The future of life on this planet may depend on what we eat. Factory farmed junk food is the #1 cause of climate change, but we can save the planet by going organic.
"The greenhouse gas emissions from factory farms, deforestation, industrial crop production, food processing, and long-distance distribution make the food sector the biggest cause of climate change, responsible for at least a third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Factory farmed meat, dairy and eggs alone may contribute as much as 51%!
"But we can change food system pollution into food system solutions. A worldwide shift to local, organic food production would drastically reduce food system emissions and turn the world's farmland into a carbon sink to capture and store 40% of global greenhouse gas pollution."
"The greenhouse gas emissions from factory farms, deforestation, industrial crop production, food processing, and long-distance distribution make the food sector the biggest cause of climate change, responsible for at least a third of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Factory farmed meat, dairy and eggs alone may contribute as much as 51%!
"But we can change food system pollution into food system solutions. A worldwide shift to local, organic food production would drastically reduce food system emissions and turn the world's farmland into a carbon sink to capture and store 40% of global greenhouse gas pollution."
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Promoting Water Cure
Date: March 25, 2010
From: David Braun
To: Robert Butts
Subject: promoting the water cure
Hi Bob,
About 8 months ago my family began using the water cure and the results have been nothing short of amazing! The benefits we have experienced are too many to list, for example my 10 year old son no longer has asthma and runs with his friends in the fall grass without fear of the allergy induced asthma attacks that he so often suffered from. I can sum up my own experiences by simply saying I feel 10 years younger!!
Anyhow my reason for writing you this letter was not to tell you all the details of my personal experiences although I would be happy to do that. I have a security/locksmith business that is owned and operated by myself and my family and as you know operating a business you have many opportunities to talk to people. I have been spreading this information to as many as will listen, sadly enough there are so many who either cannot or will not open their minds to the possibility that something so simple and so benign could actually hold the answers to their problems. Although my business is not as large as yours, we have been in business in our area since 1925 when my grandfather originally founded the company. We have already directed many people to the information but I would be very excited if I could perhaps help you distribute your information CD in my area. I would be happy to copy them and distribute them to people in my region if you wanted me to. I have not yet seen your cd but I’m sure it is a very use full tool in spreading the word. I am also considering renting out the books to people as you do, I have most of Dr. B’s books but would probably be interested in getting multiple copies in order to do this.
I welcome your response, and am so very great full for your dedication to the continued promotion of the incredible work of Dr. B. I cannot help but feel compelled to help in this great mission.
Regards
David Braun
(SOURCE : www.watercure2.com)
From: David Braun
To: Robert Butts
Subject: promoting the water cure
Hi Bob,
About 8 months ago my family began using the water cure and the results have been nothing short of amazing! The benefits we have experienced are too many to list, for example my 10 year old son no longer has asthma and runs with his friends in the fall grass without fear of the allergy induced asthma attacks that he so often suffered from. I can sum up my own experiences by simply saying I feel 10 years younger!!
Anyhow my reason for writing you this letter was not to tell you all the details of my personal experiences although I would be happy to do that. I have a security/locksmith business that is owned and operated by myself and my family and as you know operating a business you have many opportunities to talk to people. I have been spreading this information to as many as will listen, sadly enough there are so many who either cannot or will not open their minds to the possibility that something so simple and so benign could actually hold the answers to their problems. Although my business is not as large as yours, we have been in business in our area since 1925 when my grandfather originally founded the company. We have already directed many people to the information but I would be very excited if I could perhaps help you distribute your information CD in my area. I would be happy to copy them and distribute them to people in my region if you wanted me to. I have not yet seen your cd but I’m sure it is a very use full tool in spreading the word. I am also considering renting out the books to people as you do, I have most of Dr. B’s books but would probably be interested in getting multiple copies in order to do this.
I welcome your response, and am so very great full for your dedication to the continued promotion of the incredible work of Dr. B. I cannot help but feel compelled to help in this great mission.
Regards
David Braun
(SOURCE : www.watercure2.com)
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Avastin: NOT SUITABLE
Avastin: Stunning Reversal
Sunday, 25 July 2010
In a stunning rebuke to the former director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an advisory panel has recommended removing the approval of the drug Avastin (bevacizumab) for breast cancer. The vote was 12 to 1 to revoke the previous approval. The panel concluded that the drug was not in fact helping breast cancer patients. In 2008 I joined with Breast Cancer Action (BCA), based in San Francisco, in opposing this approval. But at the time there was no stopping Avastin's manufacturer, Genentech, and the drug has gone on to become the world's best-selling cancer drug, with worldwide sales of around $6 billion.
According to an informative article in the New York Times, "The product has at times been hailed as a near miracle" (Pollack 2010). Supposedly, the current data on advanced breast cancer corrects the initial impression of benefit that led to its 2008 approval in advanced BC. I for one was never impressed by the data in BC and argued forcefully against approval for that indication.
"I'm really not seeing that this has a benefit for patients," said Natalie Compagni Portis, the patient representative on the committee. "Hope is very important, but to offer hope that isn't substantiated I don't think is responsible." Since, no matter how FDA rules, Avastin will stay on the market for colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers, it will continue to be available for breast cancer as well. However, removing this indication for breast cancer will probably mean that insurance will no longer pay for the treatment and BC patients would not be eligible for the price reduction to $57,000 offered by the company for patients with incomes below $100,000.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
In a stunning rebuke to the former director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an advisory panel has recommended removing the approval of the drug Avastin (bevacizumab) for breast cancer. The vote was 12 to 1 to revoke the previous approval. The panel concluded that the drug was not in fact helping breast cancer patients. In 2008 I joined with Breast Cancer Action (BCA), based in San Francisco, in opposing this approval. But at the time there was no stopping Avastin's manufacturer, Genentech, and the drug has gone on to become the world's best-selling cancer drug, with worldwide sales of around $6 billion.
According to an informative article in the New York Times, "The product has at times been hailed as a near miracle" (Pollack 2010). Supposedly, the current data on advanced breast cancer corrects the initial impression of benefit that led to its 2008 approval in advanced BC. I for one was never impressed by the data in BC and argued forcefully against approval for that indication.
"I'm really not seeing that this has a benefit for patients," said Natalie Compagni Portis, the patient representative on the committee. "Hope is very important, but to offer hope that isn't substantiated I don't think is responsible." Since, no matter how FDA rules, Avastin will stay on the market for colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers, it will continue to be available for breast cancer as well. However, removing this indication for breast cancer will probably mean that insurance will no longer pay for the treatment and BC patients would not be eligible for the price reduction to $57,000 offered by the company for patients with incomes below $100,000.
Why war keep the people more healthier?
Since the end of the war there has been a marked increase in the death rate from many disease. During the war there was a marked decline in deaths from heart disease and diabetes and the general health of the nation improved. However, it must be remembered that this was a time when sugar was rationed and sweets and chocolate and many refined carbohydrate foods and fats were hard to obtain. Rationing helped to keep most people at their ideal weight or below it. Gardens, parks, and railway sidings were used to grew vegetables so that most households had an opportunity to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables. All these factors helped in improving health and reducing the incidence of many common but unnatural diseases.
Since the war we have also returned to white sugar, a high consumption of refined carbohydrate foods and fats, and for many people, less walking-exercise. Recent research has shown that there is a correlation between the incidence of heart disease and cancer of the colon with the amount of fiber in the diet. There is also evidence to show that overweight and overconsumption of sugar can increase the incidence of a form of diabetes known as "maturity onset diabetes."
Use water-cure protocol to reverse diabetes condition of cellular dehydration.
There is much to recommend the 100 percent whole-wheat loaf. It contains vitamins and minerals and it has a much higher fiber content that white bread, but it is important not to lose sight of the picture as a whole. A healthy diet daily must include all foods. The war years were full of stress and yet they still remain a rare example of what a diet should contain and show how a nation even in a time of limited food supplies.
Today, after 45th years of sovereign ruling, most of us can choose from a wide variety of foods, but we should aim to select and buy only the foods that will improve our health. it is often easier to follow a fashion and eat the wrong food than to spend a little extra time planning the menu. And yet it is this attitude which can make or break the chance of enjoying good health and healthy wealth national day.
Since the war we have also returned to white sugar, a high consumption of refined carbohydrate foods and fats, and for many people, less walking-exercise. Recent research has shown that there is a correlation between the incidence of heart disease and cancer of the colon with the amount of fiber in the diet. There is also evidence to show that overweight and overconsumption of sugar can increase the incidence of a form of diabetes known as "maturity onset diabetes."
Use water-cure protocol to reverse diabetes condition of cellular dehydration.
There is much to recommend the 100 percent whole-wheat loaf. It contains vitamins and minerals and it has a much higher fiber content that white bread, but it is important not to lose sight of the picture as a whole. A healthy diet daily must include all foods. The war years were full of stress and yet they still remain a rare example of what a diet should contain and show how a nation even in a time of limited food supplies.
Today, after 45th years of sovereign ruling, most of us can choose from a wide variety of foods, but we should aim to select and buy only the foods that will improve our health. it is often easier to follow a fashion and eat the wrong food than to spend a little extra time planning the menu. And yet it is this attitude which can make or break the chance of enjoying good health and healthy wealth national day.
The Vitamin B Complex as a Whole
Time 9:23am, counter hit @ 12041017;
time 9:41am, counter hit @ 12041100.
When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness; instead keep your head up high and gaze into heaven for that is where your broken heart has been sent to heal.
WHEN NATURAL FOOD sources supplying the entire B complex are used instead of chemically (petrochemical based) made vitamins, better results have been consistently obtained in both animals and humans. This cannot be overemphasized since each year millions going billions of dollars are spent on vitamin pills and tablets. Many preparations supply only small amounts of the common vitamins and omit the important ones. The compound may be unbalanced or incomplete. Many people take these products believing them to be a remedy for all ills, but this is far from true.
Two good reasons for using the entire vitamin B complex.
1.First, since most of these vitamins occur together in foods, no one can be deficient in one of them without being deficient in some of the others as well. This is true even though the deficiency of one may seem more prominent than any other in the group.
2.Second, the efficient action of one often depends on the presence of another in the group. Their functions are interrelated. Vitamin B12 and folic acid are a typical example.
Reasons for using natural sources. It is as illogical to treat a B-complex deficiency with one vitamin as it is to treat a protein deficiency with a single amino acid. Our body uses amino acids to make own protein, the idea that we must eat more protein from animals is a myth, for most needful amino acids for growth are supplied by plants and fruits. If you are short of the B vitamin then you MUST plan your daily diet to include the whole complex of this important group. Full health can only be built from fresh natural foods which come from the garden, the health food shop, and the green grocery store.
No single vitamin has been proved to be an antidote to infection. General health is consistently better with the complete complex, and resistance to infection is a natural accompaniment to good health.
Many of the B vitamins are found in wheat, rice, maize, rye, and oats. Ripened grains contain a high percentage of carbohydrate in the form of starch. This is found in the inner part of the grain and is called the endosperm. Sperm means life initiator. The outer layers of the grain and the germ of the seed contain protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals; all in organic form from the plant. When flour is milled by modern methods the outer husk and the wheat germ (life force)are removed, and the fine white(death) flour contains very little of these natural nutrients.
White flour is said to have a "low extraction rate." This means that if you start with 100 pounds of wheat and make 70 pounds of flour then it will have a 70 percent extraction rate; 30 pounds of bran and wheat germ have been removed. A high extraction rate of between 80 and 90 percent denotes a whole-wheat flour with much of the natural bran and germ still in the flour. Whole-wheat bread is baked from this type of flour, but many loaves which are sold as brown bread may have been baked from white flour with some bran, wheat germ and coloring added. This is seldom made up to the high vitamin and mineral content of the original wheat grain but does contain more nutrients than a white loaf.
time 9:41am, counter hit @ 12041100.
When love is lost, do not bow your head in sadness; instead keep your head up high and gaze into heaven for that is where your broken heart has been sent to heal.
WHEN NATURAL FOOD sources supplying the entire B complex are used instead of chemically (petrochemical based) made vitamins, better results have been consistently obtained in both animals and humans. This cannot be overemphasized since each year millions going billions of dollars are spent on vitamin pills and tablets. Many preparations supply only small amounts of the common vitamins and omit the important ones. The compound may be unbalanced or incomplete. Many people take these products believing them to be a remedy for all ills, but this is far from true.
Two good reasons for using the entire vitamin B complex.
1.First, since most of these vitamins occur together in foods, no one can be deficient in one of them without being deficient in some of the others as well. This is true even though the deficiency of one may seem more prominent than any other in the group.
2.Second, the efficient action of one often depends on the presence of another in the group. Their functions are interrelated. Vitamin B12 and folic acid are a typical example.
Reasons for using natural sources. It is as illogical to treat a B-complex deficiency with one vitamin as it is to treat a protein deficiency with a single amino acid. Our body uses amino acids to make own protein, the idea that we must eat more protein from animals is a myth, for most needful amino acids for growth are supplied by plants and fruits. If you are short of the B vitamin then you MUST plan your daily diet to include the whole complex of this important group. Full health can only be built from fresh natural foods which come from the garden, the health food shop, and the green grocery store.
No single vitamin has been proved to be an antidote to infection. General health is consistently better with the complete complex, and resistance to infection is a natural accompaniment to good health.
Many of the B vitamins are found in wheat, rice, maize, rye, and oats. Ripened grains contain a high percentage of carbohydrate in the form of starch. This is found in the inner part of the grain and is called the endosperm. Sperm means life initiator. The outer layers of the grain and the germ of the seed contain protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals; all in organic form from the plant. When flour is milled by modern methods the outer husk and the wheat germ (life force)are removed, and the fine white(death) flour contains very little of these natural nutrients.
White flour is said to have a "low extraction rate." This means that if you start with 100 pounds of wheat and make 70 pounds of flour then it will have a 70 percent extraction rate; 30 pounds of bran and wheat germ have been removed. A high extraction rate of between 80 and 90 percent denotes a whole-wheat flour with much of the natural bran and germ still in the flour. Whole-wheat bread is baked from this type of flour, but many loaves which are sold as brown bread may have been baked from white flour with some bran, wheat germ and coloring added. This is seldom made up to the high vitamin and mineral content of the original wheat grain but does contain more nutrients than a white loaf.
Seizing today ...
* Catching up with an old friend over a healthy meal/a glass of pure water
* Procrastinate no longer that two hours walk daily to shed the excess kilos around your waist
* To go on a date with your living spouse or kids
* To pick up a healthy book you have always wanted to read, and enjoy it ! I recommend one here "Let's Stay Healthy " by Adelle Davis.
* Joining a spiritual study or fellowship to grow spiritually and in the Word
* Going on a mission trip
Seizing the day today requires us to seize the kairos moments of significance. It means resetting our inner compass, and reordering our priorities, so that we live in view of eternity.
* Procrastinate no longer that two hours walk daily to shed the excess kilos around your waist
* To go on a date with your living spouse or kids
* To pick up a healthy book you have always wanted to read, and enjoy it ! I recommend one here "Let's Stay Healthy " by Adelle Davis.
* Joining a spiritual study or fellowship to grow spiritually and in the Word
* Going on a mission trip
Seizing the day today requires us to seize the kairos moments of significance. It means resetting our inner compass, and reordering our priorities, so that we live in view of eternity.
The Power of Prayer to LORD GOD for ....."let us say so"
Time 4:45pm hit counter at 12031462.
The million little things that drop into your hands, the small opportunities each day brings, LORD GOD (YAHWEH) leaves us free to use or abuse, and goes unchanging along His silent way.
We should continually keep in mind outstanding answers to prayer, and the deliverances LORD GOD has wrought for us in the past. They should be like evergreens in memory's garden , so that we may be encouraged amid present difficulties to "bless the LORD GOD at all times".
How much me miss because we fail /forget to remember, or because we restrain testimony! ,due to fear for man. If the LORD GOD has redeemed us, let us "say so". If He has brought us up from a "horrible pit', let us "say so". To tell another of LORD GOD's goodness often causes the embers on our own heart to glow again.
Many readers have written us in recent weeks and months with testimonies of what LORD GOD has done in their lives. You too may write us* with your needs and we will join you in prayer. We believe LORD GOD can and will answer.(* P.O.Box 23890, Jerusalem 91237. Tel:972-2-5713703,Fax:972-2-5713707)
A few excepts follow:
1.The prayers for our eldest son have been answered. After twenty years, he has taken up contact with me again as if nothing happened, and he is kind to me. Thank you for your faithful prayers for my family and myself. -G.K.,Switzerland.
2.I have found a dream home with a view over Lake Geneva in the area where I have my fondest childhood memories. It is a real find because available homes are very rare here - and very expensive. Our God is so good; even in these things He gives beyond our asking and understanding. Your prayers were answered. I rejoice every time I receive mail from you. - D.B.V., France.
3.We have received many miracles. My daughter had tuberculosis and was healed by the Lord after your prayers in Jerusalem. Also, all my ribs and three vertebra were broken when beds fell on me in a furniture shop, but I am walking again as before. I'm 83 years old. - B.T., Canada.
4.Earlier in the year, we asked you join us in prayer fro little G. It is now time you hear the outcome of much united prayer, and praise God together with us. G was in the hospital for several months and had a benign tumor removed from his brain. There were many ups and downs, even bacterial meningitis. The doctors kept delaying putting in a shunt for drainage directly from the brain to the stomach.
"This is a testimony of God's great faithfulness. G recovered quickly, attends school and is a happy, bouncy six-year-old boy. We cannot express adequately what it meant to us that you prayed faithfully and took time to write a personal greeting with biblical encouragement. -S.G., Germany.
5.In the past I requested prayer for our son who experienced years of debilitating illness due to incorrect diagnosis and wrong prescription drugs. We praise the Lord that, although his body is still recovering, his mind is now clear and he is able to read the Bible and relate again to family and friends in a normal, healthy manner. - L.N., Australia.
6. K is recovering well now. God is wonderful and merciful. He showed the doctors they were administering the wrong medication to her. Thank you for your prayers. S.U., U.S.A.
GOOD NEWS FROM ISRAEL. Though assailed on all sides by threats of war and annihilation, boycotts, and cunning lies, Israel's impervious citizens continue researching and developing new medicines and technologies, improving the environment, and protecting religious freedom.
1.Professors Marta Weinstock-Rosin and Moussa B. H. Youdim have collaborated for years on treatments for the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The results of their research, Azilect and Exelon, are now widely available. A new product of their collaboration is Ladostigil, currently in advanced clinical trials, which is an inhibitor drug designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's.
2.Tel Aviv University scientist Anat Achiron has identified the generic markers of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, which has no known cure. The testing allows diagnosis nine years before healthy adults begin showing symptoms. With so much advance notice, it is believed it will be easier to intervene and treat carriers of the disease that afflicts two million people worldwide.
3.Israel has the highest number of scientists per capital in the world, 63 percent more than the United States of America. Israel has the highest number of PhD's and the highest number of physicians and engineers per capital in the world.
4.Though a desert land, Israel is the only country that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees. Over 90 percent of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest percentage in the world. Israel developed drip-irrigation, which is now used worldwide. Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than any other nation in the world.
5.It is the only Middle east nation where the number of Christians has grown
over the last fifty years and the only Middle east nation where Christians, Muslims and Jews are all free to vote.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
7.Thank you for the prayers for our granddaughter, who has been healed of anorexia and gained 20 kg.[44 lbs]. May God be praised and thanked. - T.& L.Y.,Switzerland.
8.I wrote you a few years ago asking for God's blessing upon B. and that I would qualify for a pension after a terrible illness. Our great God heard the prayers. B married a wonderful man and now they have triplet-s three girls. Meanwhile, I received a good pension. -G.D.,Germany.
9.My husband had quit drinking and is now losing the weight he had intended to. Thanks be to our Lord, and to your prayers. - F.A.M., U.S.A.
10.God be praised for answer to prayer. The little boy who had been so ill is now a year old. He is a wonderful little child. - C.D., Sweden.
11.I want to thank you for praying for my suffering foot and my back infection. The Lord has performed a miracle. I can walk without pain and wear normal shoes again! Also the painful infection of my pelvic bone has been 100 percent healed. Thank God, I can go y=to work again. Than you for your faithful prayers.
Now my pastor has expressed an interest in hearing more about Israel together with the whole congregation. I'm so thankful to the Lord for changing men's hearts. -C.H.,Germany.
12.Our son received a promotion at the shipyard and we give our Heavenly Father praise and honor for He does answer and is never late ! Thank you again for your prayers. - W.& B.H., U.S.A.
13.Heartfelt thanks for praying. The operation on my uterus went perfectly, as did the recovery. My beauty salon is thriving. And now that the crisis is over, my husband and I are doing great again. -I.G., Switzerland.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
The million little things that drop into your hands, the small opportunities each day brings, LORD GOD (YAHWEH) leaves us free to use or abuse, and goes unchanging along His silent way.
We should continually keep in mind outstanding answers to prayer, and the deliverances LORD GOD has wrought for us in the past. They should be like evergreens in memory's garden , so that we may be encouraged amid present difficulties to "bless the LORD GOD at all times".
How much me miss because we fail /forget to remember, or because we restrain testimony! ,due to fear for man. If the LORD GOD has redeemed us, let us "say so". If He has brought us up from a "horrible pit', let us "say so". To tell another of LORD GOD's goodness often causes the embers on our own heart to glow again.
Many readers have written us in recent weeks and months with testimonies of what LORD GOD has done in their lives. You too may write us* with your needs and we will join you in prayer. We believe LORD GOD can and will answer.(* P.O.Box 23890, Jerusalem 91237. Tel:972-2-5713703,Fax:972-2-5713707)
A few excepts follow:
1.The prayers for our eldest son have been answered. After twenty years, he has taken up contact with me again as if nothing happened, and he is kind to me. Thank you for your faithful prayers for my family and myself. -G.K.,Switzerland.
2.I have found a dream home with a view over Lake Geneva in the area where I have my fondest childhood memories. It is a real find because available homes are very rare here - and very expensive. Our God is so good; even in these things He gives beyond our asking and understanding. Your prayers were answered. I rejoice every time I receive mail from you. - D.B.V., France.
3.We have received many miracles. My daughter had tuberculosis and was healed by the Lord after your prayers in Jerusalem. Also, all my ribs and three vertebra were broken when beds fell on me in a furniture shop, but I am walking again as before. I'm 83 years old. - B.T., Canada.
4.Earlier in the year, we asked you join us in prayer fro little G. It is now time you hear the outcome of much united prayer, and praise God together with us. G was in the hospital for several months and had a benign tumor removed from his brain. There were many ups and downs, even bacterial meningitis. The doctors kept delaying putting in a shunt for drainage directly from the brain to the stomach.
"This is a testimony of God's great faithfulness. G recovered quickly, attends school and is a happy, bouncy six-year-old boy. We cannot express adequately what it meant to us that you prayed faithfully and took time to write a personal greeting with biblical encouragement. -S.G., Germany.
5.In the past I requested prayer for our son who experienced years of debilitating illness due to incorrect diagnosis and wrong prescription drugs. We praise the Lord that, although his body is still recovering, his mind is now clear and he is able to read the Bible and relate again to family and friends in a normal, healthy manner. - L.N., Australia.
6. K is recovering well now. God is wonderful and merciful. He showed the doctors they were administering the wrong medication to her. Thank you for your prayers. S.U., U.S.A.
GOOD NEWS FROM ISRAEL. Though assailed on all sides by threats of war and annihilation, boycotts, and cunning lies, Israel's impervious citizens continue researching and developing new medicines and technologies, improving the environment, and protecting religious freedom.
1.Professors Marta Weinstock-Rosin and Moussa B. H. Youdim have collaborated for years on treatments for the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The results of their research, Azilect and Exelon, are now widely available. A new product of their collaboration is Ladostigil, currently in advanced clinical trials, which is an inhibitor drug designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's.
2.Tel Aviv University scientist Anat Achiron has identified the generic markers of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, which has no known cure. The testing allows diagnosis nine years before healthy adults begin showing symptoms. With so much advance notice, it is believed it will be easier to intervene and treat carriers of the disease that afflicts two million people worldwide.
3.Israel has the highest number of scientists per capital in the world, 63 percent more than the United States of America. Israel has the highest number of PhD's and the highest number of physicians and engineers per capital in the world.
4.Though a desert land, Israel is the only country that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees. Over 90 percent of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest percentage in the world. Israel developed drip-irrigation, which is now used worldwide. Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than any other nation in the world.
5.It is the only Middle east nation where the number of Christians has grown
over the last fifty years and the only Middle east nation where Christians, Muslims and Jews are all free to vote.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
7.Thank you for the prayers for our granddaughter, who has been healed of anorexia and gained 20 kg.[44 lbs]. May God be praised and thanked. - T.& L.Y.,Switzerland.
8.I wrote you a few years ago asking for God's blessing upon B. and that I would qualify for a pension after a terrible illness. Our great God heard the prayers. B married a wonderful man and now they have triplet-s three girls. Meanwhile, I received a good pension. -G.D.,Germany.
9.My husband had quit drinking and is now losing the weight he had intended to. Thanks be to our Lord, and to your prayers. - F.A.M., U.S.A.
10.God be praised for answer to prayer. The little boy who had been so ill is now a year old. He is a wonderful little child. - C.D., Sweden.
11.I want to thank you for praying for my suffering foot and my back infection. The Lord has performed a miracle. I can walk without pain and wear normal shoes again! Also the painful infection of my pelvic bone has been 100 percent healed. Thank God, I can go y=to work again. Than you for your faithful prayers.
Now my pastor has expressed an interest in hearing more about Israel together with the whole congregation. I'm so thankful to the Lord for changing men's hearts. -C.H.,Germany.
12.Our son received a promotion at the shipyard and we give our Heavenly Father praise and honor for He does answer and is never late ! Thank you again for your prayers. - W.& B.H., U.S.A.
13.Heartfelt thanks for praying. The operation on my uterus went perfectly, as did the recovery. My beauty salon is thriving. And now that the crisis is over, my husband and I are doing great again. -I.G., Switzerland.
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Sunday, July 25, 2010
defiant commiment to save people from present medical scam.
Worldwide news: more patients are dying due to correctly prescribed drugs from doctors.
A corporate culture that champions subversion, a set of values that promotes inclusion, and a defiant commitment to and belief in the unending possibility of improving one's passion - these are the ingredients for sustainable innovation. Search the "innozablog" again a defiant commitment to save the people from medical scam .
A sustainable service culture does not view service culture as an end in itself, but rather as the visible expression of an organisation values. What is likely to be the main concern when a person comes into contact with a particular service organisation?
How Dehydration caused Dis-eases
Persistent unintentional dehydration leaves its damaging impact in the fourth dimension of time. Caught in time, these Dis-eases conditions can be reversible , as you read and follow the simple rehydration daily.
Our human body manifests its water shortage by four(4) categories of conditions :
1. perceptive feelings;
2. drought-management programs;
3. crisis calls; and
4. complication of persistent dehydration.
1. Perceptive feelings of water shortage include : tiredness that is not the result of strenuous effort, such as feeling first thing in the morning that you do not wish to get out of the bed.
Anxiety, agitation, shortness of temper, depression, sleep disorder, craving for sodas, alcohol, and even hard drugs and agoraphobia are some of the ways our human brain reflects its water-conservation and water-regulation problems.
2. The drought-management and resource-management programs are : constipation, allergies, asthma, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and the autoimmune diseases.
3. Crisis calls : The newly understood regional thirst signals are : heartburn, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, migraine headache, colitis pain, fibromyalgic pains , and anginal pain.
4. Complications of dehydration are very extensive and include : obesity, hemorrhoids, cholesterol plagues and arterial diseases, and type 1 diabetes, as well as serious neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuritis, phlebitis, lymphomas, cancers, and many more.
Medicine has traditionally divided the human body study-logy into so many specialties and subspecialities based on the different body organs ' way of revealing their water shortages. Each of these groups has its own rituals for investigating within its "fiefdom." The pharmaceutical industry has accommodated physicians and has designed medications that are used in that particular "domain" of medicine. This is why, when dehydration manifest itself in more than one organ or domain of the human body, the patient is forced to see many different specialists to address his or her organ-specific symptoms. Hence the use of so many different pills and treatment procedures, in the same person, for the same underlying cause - dehydration.Here is demonstrate how water alone naturally reverses multiple health concerns.
It is never too late or too early to revise and be wise again for the rest of our journey.......
Use Water-cure. Rather be thankful for the timely warning, and do something about it.
Drink at least 10% of your own daily water-quota (31.42 ml multiply by your present body weight(kg), every 90 minutes. Use 1/4 teaspoon of sea-salt in your daily diet, for every 1250 ml water drank.
Pain is a sign/signal produced by dehydration in the human body. Pain may be common but it is not normal.
To simplify complications is the FIRST essential of success.
The resultant service culture must be underpinned by each associate understanding why he/she should serve people day in and day out, with unstinting devotion, despite often trying circumstances.
Genuine service come from the humble heart, people have to know why they are serving and saving others.
Structured Innovation : knowing where along that chain to undertake innovation.
A corporate culture that champions subversion, a set of values that promotes inclusion, and a defiant commitment to and belief in the unending possibility of improving one's passion - these are the ingredients for sustainable innovation. Search the "innozablog" again a defiant commitment to save the people from medical scam .
A sustainable service culture does not view service culture as an end in itself, but rather as the visible expression of an organisation values. What is likely to be the main concern when a person comes into contact with a particular service organisation?
How Dehydration caused Dis-eases
Persistent unintentional dehydration leaves its damaging impact in the fourth dimension of time. Caught in time, these Dis-eases conditions can be reversible , as you read and follow the simple rehydration daily.
Our human body manifests its water shortage by four(4) categories of conditions :
1. perceptive feelings;
2. drought-management programs;
3. crisis calls; and
4. complication of persistent dehydration.
1. Perceptive feelings of water shortage include : tiredness that is not the result of strenuous effort, such as feeling first thing in the morning that you do not wish to get out of the bed.
Anxiety, agitation, shortness of temper, depression, sleep disorder, craving for sodas, alcohol, and even hard drugs and agoraphobia are some of the ways our human brain reflects its water-conservation and water-regulation problems.
2. The drought-management and resource-management programs are : constipation, allergies, asthma, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and the autoimmune diseases.
3. Crisis calls : The newly understood regional thirst signals are : heartburn, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, migraine headache, colitis pain, fibromyalgic pains , and anginal pain.
4. Complications of dehydration are very extensive and include : obesity, hemorrhoids, cholesterol plagues and arterial diseases, and type 1 diabetes, as well as serious neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuritis, phlebitis, lymphomas, cancers, and many more.
Medicine has traditionally divided the human body study-logy into so many specialties and subspecialities based on the different body organs ' way of revealing their water shortages. Each of these groups has its own rituals for investigating within its "fiefdom." The pharmaceutical industry has accommodated physicians and has designed medications that are used in that particular "domain" of medicine. This is why, when dehydration manifest itself in more than one organ or domain of the human body, the patient is forced to see many different specialists to address his or her organ-specific symptoms. Hence the use of so many different pills and treatment procedures, in the same person, for the same underlying cause - dehydration.Here is demonstrate how water alone naturally reverses multiple health concerns.
It is never too late or too early to revise and be wise again for the rest of our journey.......
Use Water-cure. Rather be thankful for the timely warning, and do something about it.
Drink at least 10% of your own daily water-quota (31.42 ml multiply by your present body weight(kg), every 90 minutes. Use 1/4 teaspoon of sea-salt in your daily diet, for every 1250 ml water drank.
Pain is a sign/signal produced by dehydration in the human body. Pain may be common but it is not normal.
To simplify complications is the FIRST essential of success.
The resultant service culture must be underpinned by each associate understanding why he/she should serve people day in and day out, with unstinting devotion, despite often trying circumstances.
Genuine service come from the humble heart, people have to know why they are serving and saving others.
Structured Innovation : knowing where along that chain to undertake innovation.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Let's Stay Healthy Appeal
I like to take this time to thank you all Healthy Wealth visitors and friends who have recommended this blogsite to others.
From 9:40am till 10:10 am today, there was just a hit of 105 visitors.
Why i love to learn and love to blog about for free? Because I am human. I continue to learn :
Economics is the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.
English Literature : The real story lies between the lines.
General Paper : We don't need textbooks; the world is our textbook.
Geography? Without Geography, you're nowhere; with right Geography we know you are now here.
History is the science of what never happens twice. Your life is now a History, for you never live the same moment twice with the same feeling.
Malay Language : Berfikir sejenak, merenung masa lalu adalah permulaan yang baik dan bijak untuk bertindak. (In English: To stop and think for a moment to reflect on the past, is a good and wise move before we act)
Mathematics : The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.
Tamil Language : Knowing different cultures broadens the healthy mind.
From 9:40am till 10:10 am today, there was just a hit of 105 visitors.
Why i love to learn and love to blog about for free? Because I am human. I continue to learn :
Economics is the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses.
English Literature : The real story lies between the lines.
General Paper : We don't need textbooks; the world is our textbook.
Geography? Without Geography, you're nowhere; with right Geography we know you are now here.
History is the science of what never happens twice. Your life is now a History, for you never live the same moment twice with the same feeling.
Malay Language : Berfikir sejenak, merenung masa lalu adalah permulaan yang baik dan bijak untuk bertindak. (In English: To stop and think for a moment to reflect on the past, is a good and wise move before we act)
Mathematics : The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.
Tamil Language : Knowing different cultures broadens the healthy mind.
Take Charge Of Your Health Yourself : Survivor's Message
THE STRAITS TIMES SATURDAY JULY 24 2010 PAGE A24
Winning the fight against breast cancer. (report by daryllim@sph.com.sg)
Singapore. Ms Suriani Kasim, 39, known a Sue to her loyal fans, is a veteran DJ who talks about her battle with breast cancer as part of a new movement, Caring It Forward, by the National Healthcare Group, aimed at encouraging people to take charge of their own health.
Radio presenter Suriani Kassim radiates good cheer and optimim but her demeanour belies the heart of a survivor.
From 2008 to last year, Sue, 39, as she is known to devoted fans, battled Stage 2 breast cancer and came out tops.
The initiative was rolled out earlier this week as part of NHG's 10th anniversary celebration. Other ambassadors include Mr Raymond Anthony Fernando, 60, a social activist who ha spent 35 years caring for his mentally ill wife, and Ms Dee Dee Mahmood, 36, a fitness trainer who fought obesity when she was younger.
Ms Suriani's woes began in March of 2008, when she found a lump in her left breast.
"When I gave birth to my first son, my gynaecologist told me that the structure of my breasts was very lumpy, so I didn't think anything of it."
Now she is part of the National Healthcare Group's (NHG) new caring It Forward movement, where selected ambassadors come forward with their own tales of survival. The idea is to encourage people to take charge of their own health.
But by June, the lump had become a solid mass, and she had it checked at KK (Kandang Kerbau) Women's and Children's Hospital Singapore (KKH).
When she was told she had Stage 2 breast cancer, the shock was overwhelming.
"I couldn't hear what the doctor was saying. The tears were just streaming down my face. I just kept thinking : Why me? "
Offered a choice of treatment options, she decided on a mastectomy. One and a half weeks later, she went under the knife. The operation took eight hours. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments followed. {blogger's comment: if only she knew about www.cacare.com , perhaps she need not suffered the mastectomy}
Throughout the ordeal, her 43-year-old husband - a project engineer at a moulding company - was her pillar of strength. "He is my best buddy. We decided from the very start that we were going to get through this together."
It was not easy on him though. About a week after Ms Suriani's mastectomy, Mr Abdul Ghani Bujang's father was also diagnosed with cancer.
"It must have been really tough taking care of two sufferers at once. But he tried to show his strong side. I think he knew that I was depending on him," she says.
Her two boys, aged six and 11, also handled the situation bravely.
"My younger son laughed when he saw his mummy with no hair. he puts his toy fireman's hat on my head."
"My older son was more afraid - I think he understood that he might lose his mother. We tried to explain what we could."
As chemotherapy dragged on, there were points when she felt like giving up.
"Your tongue feels burnt, you can't swallow properly, your whole body hurts and itches like crazy," she says.
The Muslim lady found solace in her religion.
"Praying helped me talk to God. I began to see that life is full of flaws, and that I must endure all of them."
Another source of emotional support came from her listeners, who wrote in asking about her during her absence from the air. "It was important for me, knowing that there were people out there who cared for me," she says.
When she finally returned to work in November 2008, eight months after her diagnosis, and told the world her secret, the letters began pouring in.
"Some listeners wrote to me about their own experiences with cancer. Others had family members who were suffering," she recalled.
"I learnt that I wasn't alone."
So she decided to speak out against cancer. She attends support meetings at KKH, where she helps counsel fellow sufferers. And now, she is an ambassador for this new Caring It Forward movement.
Her message for women in the same boat? Understand your body and you illness so that you can make informed choices. {Blogger suggestion to all new reader to check out this website www.cacare.com , for your personal health} "Women need to take charge. They have to learn more about cervical and breast cancer."
"I didn't think it would happen to me, but it did. So do your pap smears and self-examinations often," she advises.
Her ordeal has giver her a new outlook on life.
"No matter how things go, now I know there's always a positive side to them."
Winning the fight against breast cancer. (report by daryllim@sph.com.sg)
Singapore. Ms Suriani Kasim, 39, known a Sue to her loyal fans, is a veteran DJ who talks about her battle with breast cancer as part of a new movement, Caring It Forward, by the National Healthcare Group, aimed at encouraging people to take charge of their own health.
Radio presenter Suriani Kassim radiates good cheer and optimim but her demeanour belies the heart of a survivor.
From 2008 to last year, Sue, 39, as she is known to devoted fans, battled Stage 2 breast cancer and came out tops.
The initiative was rolled out earlier this week as part of NHG's 10th anniversary celebration. Other ambassadors include Mr Raymond Anthony Fernando, 60, a social activist who ha spent 35 years caring for his mentally ill wife, and Ms Dee Dee Mahmood, 36, a fitness trainer who fought obesity when she was younger.
Ms Suriani's woes began in March of 2008, when she found a lump in her left breast.
"When I gave birth to my first son, my gynaecologist told me that the structure of my breasts was very lumpy, so I didn't think anything of it."
Now she is part of the National Healthcare Group's (NHG) new caring It Forward movement, where selected ambassadors come forward with their own tales of survival. The idea is to encourage people to take charge of their own health.
But by June, the lump had become a solid mass, and she had it checked at KK (Kandang Kerbau) Women's and Children's Hospital Singapore (KKH).
When she was told she had Stage 2 breast cancer, the shock was overwhelming.
"I couldn't hear what the doctor was saying. The tears were just streaming down my face. I just kept thinking : Why me? "
Offered a choice of treatment options, she decided on a mastectomy. One and a half weeks later, she went under the knife. The operation took eight hours. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments followed. {blogger's comment: if only she knew about www.cacare.com , perhaps she need not suffered the mastectomy}
Throughout the ordeal, her 43-year-old husband - a project engineer at a moulding company - was her pillar of strength. "He is my best buddy. We decided from the very start that we were going to get through this together."
It was not easy on him though. About a week after Ms Suriani's mastectomy, Mr Abdul Ghani Bujang's father was also diagnosed with cancer.
"It must have been really tough taking care of two sufferers at once. But he tried to show his strong side. I think he knew that I was depending on him," she says.
Her two boys, aged six and 11, also handled the situation bravely.
"My younger son laughed when he saw his mummy with no hair. he puts his toy fireman's hat on my head."
"My older son was more afraid - I think he understood that he might lose his mother. We tried to explain what we could."
As chemotherapy dragged on, there were points when she felt like giving up.
"Your tongue feels burnt, you can't swallow properly, your whole body hurts and itches like crazy," she says.
The Muslim lady found solace in her religion.
"Praying helped me talk to God. I began to see that life is full of flaws, and that I must endure all of them."
Another source of emotional support came from her listeners, who wrote in asking about her during her absence from the air. "It was important for me, knowing that there were people out there who cared for me," she says.
When she finally returned to work in November 2008, eight months after her diagnosis, and told the world her secret, the letters began pouring in.
"Some listeners wrote to me about their own experiences with cancer. Others had family members who were suffering," she recalled.
"I learnt that I wasn't alone."
So she decided to speak out against cancer. She attends support meetings at KKH, where she helps counsel fellow sufferers. And now, she is an ambassador for this new Caring It Forward movement.
Her message for women in the same boat? Understand your body and you illness so that you can make informed choices. {Blogger suggestion to all new reader to check out this website www.cacare.com , for your personal health} "Women need to take charge. They have to learn more about cervical and breast cancer."
"I didn't think it would happen to me, but it did. So do your pap smears and self-examinations often," she advises.
Her ordeal has giver her a new outlook on life.
"No matter how things go, now I know there's always a positive side to them."
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
SEMBUH BERKAT AIR (The Blessings of Water Cure)
Untuk kawan kawan saya di Indonesia, terutama warga Bandung, saya rekomen buku ini SEMBUH BERKAT AIR di studi dan aplikasi seluruh nya . Keajaiban air dalam menyembuh bermacam-macam penyakit,dehidrasi akut, depresi, penuaan, jerawat, ADD dan ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder dan Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder merupakan masalah-terkait yang terjadi dalam otak), radang sendi, kelelahan kronis, rasa nyeri kronis, kolesterol tinggi, radang usus besar, sembelit, diet dan obesitas, edema, keracunan makanan, flu, rasa panas dalam perut, insomnia, batu ginjal, sakit kepala sebelah/ migran, rasa mual pagi hari, nausea(mual), gangguan tidur, depresi pasca-melahir, berhenti merokok, kelainan afektif musiman(Seasonal Affective Disorder), dan lain lain.
Saya beli buku ini dari Toko Gunung Agung, harga Rp 18,000.
Kesibukan dan hiruk-pikuk dunia kadang membuat kita mengabaikan hal-hal sederhana yang nyata-nyata bermanfaat bagi kita. Dalam benak Anda, mungkin "air"(water) hanyalah sesuatu yang sederhana, atau bahkan sepele. Tetapi jika Anda mengetahui rahasis khasiat air, niscaya Anda tidak akan menganggapnya sebagai hal yang sepele lagi.
Buku ini (SEMBUH BERKAT AIR) akan memberikan Anda pencerahan mengenai rahasia-rahasia yang terkandung dalam air. Setelah membaca dan mempraktikkan apa yang ada di buku ini, Anda pasti akan memiliki hidup yang lebih sehat, lebih bahagia, dan jauh lebih sukses daripada sebelumnya.
Ingat selalu, sehat tubuh itu modal hidup. Jadi, jangan hilang modal hidupmu, minum air yang cukup tiap hari mengikuti formula : Setiap 90 menit, minum 10% air kebutuhan harian Anda [Kebutuhan air Anda tiap hari ialah 31.42 (dalam Mililiter) kali dengan berat tubuh Anda kini (dalam kilogram) ].
Dan untuk tiap 1250 ml air putih yang Anda minum, gunakan 1/4 sudu-teh (tea spoon) garam laut (sea salt) dalam masakan Anda tiap hari.
Happy reading and happy sharing water-cure with all your family and friends.
Saya beli buku ini dari Toko Gunung Agung, harga Rp 18,000.
Kesibukan dan hiruk-pikuk dunia kadang membuat kita mengabaikan hal-hal sederhana yang nyata-nyata bermanfaat bagi kita. Dalam benak Anda, mungkin "air"(water) hanyalah sesuatu yang sederhana, atau bahkan sepele. Tetapi jika Anda mengetahui rahasis khasiat air, niscaya Anda tidak akan menganggapnya sebagai hal yang sepele lagi.
Buku ini (SEMBUH BERKAT AIR) akan memberikan Anda pencerahan mengenai rahasia-rahasia yang terkandung dalam air. Setelah membaca dan mempraktikkan apa yang ada di buku ini, Anda pasti akan memiliki hidup yang lebih sehat, lebih bahagia, dan jauh lebih sukses daripada sebelumnya.
Ingat selalu, sehat tubuh itu modal hidup. Jadi, jangan hilang modal hidupmu, minum air yang cukup tiap hari mengikuti formula : Setiap 90 menit, minum 10% air kebutuhan harian Anda [Kebutuhan air Anda tiap hari ialah 31.42 (dalam Mililiter) kali dengan berat tubuh Anda kini (dalam kilogram) ].
Dan untuk tiap 1250 ml air putih yang Anda minum, gunakan 1/4 sudu-teh (tea spoon) garam laut (sea salt) dalam masakan Anda tiap hari.
Happy reading and happy sharing water-cure with all your family and friends.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The Chemo Scam Persists
The Chemo Concession Persists - Part II
Sunday, 04 July 2010
Last week we began an article on how the so-called "Chemotherapy Concession" has led to the more extensive (and expensive) use of drugs by oncologists. We conclude, with references, in this week's newsletter.
"In sum, far from limiting access," the changes under the law "actually increased the likelihood that lung cancer patients received chemotherapy," said Dr. Mireille Jacobson of the RAND Corporation, who was first author on the study. (Disclosure: I serve as a reviewer of scientific studies for RAND.)
The authors chose to focus on lung cancer because of the various treatment options, some of which are considerably more expensive than others. They found that doctors frequently switched drugs to choose the more expensive options. There was, for instance, an increased use of docetaxel (Taxotere), a drug for which oncologist get reimbursed about $2,500 per patient per month.
"The financial incentive seemed to have an effect where there's not strong evidence or more than one equally good treatment option," said Craig C. Earle, MD, of Toronto, one of the study authors.
Oncologists responded by treating a greater number of patients because they had been making so much money under the old system, Prof. Joseph P. Newhouse of Harvard University, another co-author, told the New York Times. "These markups were a substantial portion of their income" (Abelson 2010).
The bottom line is that some oncologists in private practice make crucial treatment decisions not based on medical necessity but on what is most profitable for themselves.
Oncologists are highly skilled professionals, who deserve our support and respect. However, the "chemotherapy concession" introduces a temptation for oncologists in private practice to prescribe according to their economic interests rather than the medical needs of their patients. This has no scientific or moral justification. Congress still needs to thoroughly investigate and fix this problem.
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
References:
Abelson, Reed. Doctors recouped cuts in Medicare pay, study finds. New York Times, June 16, 2010.
American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2010. Available at www.cancer.org
Jacobson M, Earle CC, Price M, Newhouse JP. How Medicare's payment cuts for cancer chemotherapy drugs changed patterns of treatment. Health Aff. 2010:hlthaff.2009.0563.
Sunday, 04 July 2010
Last week we began an article on how the so-called "Chemotherapy Concession" has led to the more extensive (and expensive) use of drugs by oncologists. We conclude, with references, in this week's newsletter.
"In sum, far from limiting access," the changes under the law "actually increased the likelihood that lung cancer patients received chemotherapy," said Dr. Mireille Jacobson of the RAND Corporation, who was first author on the study. (Disclosure: I serve as a reviewer of scientific studies for RAND.)
The authors chose to focus on lung cancer because of the various treatment options, some of which are considerably more expensive than others. They found that doctors frequently switched drugs to choose the more expensive options. There was, for instance, an increased use of docetaxel (Taxotere), a drug for which oncologist get reimbursed about $2,500 per patient per month.
"The financial incentive seemed to have an effect where there's not strong evidence or more than one equally good treatment option," said Craig C. Earle, MD, of Toronto, one of the study authors.
Oncologists responded by treating a greater number of patients because they had been making so much money under the old system, Prof. Joseph P. Newhouse of Harvard University, another co-author, told the New York Times. "These markups were a substantial portion of their income" (Abelson 2010).
The bottom line is that some oncologists in private practice make crucial treatment decisions not based on medical necessity but on what is most profitable for themselves.
Oncologists are highly skilled professionals, who deserve our support and respect. However, the "chemotherapy concession" introduces a temptation for oncologists in private practice to prescribe according to their economic interests rather than the medical needs of their patients. This has no scientific or moral justification. Congress still needs to thoroughly investigate and fix this problem.
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
References:
Abelson, Reed. Doctors recouped cuts in Medicare pay, study finds. New York Times, June 16, 2010.
American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2010. Available at www.cancer.org
Jacobson M, Earle CC, Price M, Newhouse JP. How Medicare's payment cuts for cancer chemotherapy drugs changed patterns of treatment. Health Aff. 2010:hlthaff.2009.0563.
Heat, plastic bottled water, dioxin, cancer
Another reminder!
No matter how many times you get this E-mail,
Please send it on!!!!
Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!
On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her breast cancer.
It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue.
Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.
So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know that just might save us!
Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle instead of plastic!
LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE!
This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center .
No plastic containers in microwaves.
No plastic water bottles in freezers.
No plastic wrap in microwaves.
Dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to cells in our bodies.
Don't freeze plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently the Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating food in the microwave using plastic containers....
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin into the food.
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Pyrex or ceramiccontainers for heating food. You get the same result, but without the dioxin.
So, such things as TV dinners, instant soups, etc., should be removed from their containers and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's safer to use tempered glass, such as Pyrex, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the styrene foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Cling film, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.
As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!
No matter how many times you get this E-mail,
Please send it on!!!!
Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!
On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her breast cancer.
It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue.
Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.
So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know that just might save us!
Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle instead of plastic!
LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE!
This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center .
No plastic containers in microwaves.
No plastic water bottles in freezers.
No plastic wrap in microwaves.
Dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to cells in our bodies.
Don't freeze plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently the Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating food in the microwave using plastic containers....
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin into the food.
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Pyrex or ceramiccontainers for heating food. You get the same result, but without the dioxin.
So, such things as TV dinners, instant soups, etc., should be removed from their containers and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's safer to use tempered glass, such as Pyrex, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the styrene foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Cling film, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.
As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!
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