Posts Tagged ‘Health’
Thanks to NY Daily News!
Are you too promiscuous to be an organ donor?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention might think so.
Newly proposed guidelines take donors’ sexual activity into account. Organs coming from anyone who had sex with two or more people in the past year would be deemed “high-risk.”
The proposal is designed to protect recipients from sexually transmitted diseases. But some fear it will do more harm than good.
Some are arguing that the rule will limit the amount of organs donated by certain groups; especially from young people.
With the new guidelines, every college student in America will be high risk. Right now, it’s probably a prostitute or a guy with a needle in his arm. Next time, it will be just a young guy.”
What is more important, quality of quantity?
Thanks to the LA Times!
The list of problems for America’s schools just got a little heavier.
School systems across the country have implemented bans or restrictions on access to soda and other sweetened drinks in recent years. All in an effort to combat childhood obesity.
State laws that ban soda in schools — but not other sweetened beverages — have virtually no impact on the amount of sugary drinks middle school students buy and consume at school…”
Research published this week shows students across the country are drinking the same amount of sugary drinks, no matter the limitations.
Further complicating the issue is some schools’ reluctance to get rid of vending machines, which have become a source of funds when budgets are tight.
Any other ideas?
President Obama has beaten one of his biggest challengers…
Smoking!
The president had been public about his bad habit in the past and has tried to quit since taking office. Now, having received his official check-up, his physician certified him as “tobacco free.”
The president is in excellent health and ‘fit for duty.’ All clinical data indicate he will remain so for the duration of his presidency.”
The report also noted healthy eating and exercise for the commander-in-chief.
Now how will he deal with the stress of this economy?!
- Thanks to Rolling Stone.
Victims memorialized after it all comes tumbling down in Indiana.
Fat…and healthy? Check out what this new study could mean for you.
Fierce debates take place in the Eurozone. Is the Euro going under?
Somali refugees aren’t getting their food aid. Find out why.
Ever wonder what happens when you hurl your girlfriend’s Hamster out the window? We finally have your answer!
Image Thanks to the Mirror!
A quiet weekend in Britain? Increased police presence prevents weekend riots.
Mandate or can’t-date? An appellate court strikes down individual healthcare mandate and a prediction of what comes next.
Losing a good one: trailblazing women’s health advocate Bernadine Healy passes away.
Super PAC strikes! Stephen Colbert’s political action committee puts out its first campaign ad.
Ernie and Bert – should they or shouldn’t they? Get married, that is!
Stop the Photoshop! The American Medical Association says it may be hazardous to your health.
The American Medical Association (AMA), the premiere organization of physicians in America, adopted a new policy discouraging advertisers from using photo alterations
in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image.
What are some examples of such “unrealistic expectations”? Let’s take a look at a few examples…
Heads aren’t usually supposed to be wider than one’s waist, regardless of what this altered Ralph Lauren ad suggests.
Generally hip and leg bones are aligned and attached – unless you’re modeling a Victoria’s Secret halter dress.
And finally, what already slim model doesn’t need a few additional inches photoshopped off of her waist?
These are just a few examples of the type of Photoshopping the AMA policy is seeking to target. The organization cites
a large body of literature [that] links exposure to media-propagated images of unrealistic body image to eating disorders and other child and adolescent health problems.
The organization’s newly-adopted policy encourages advertisers to work with child health groups to develop guidelines for ads in youth-oriented media that discourages photo editing.
Is this AMA policy a step in the right direction or too little too late?
Should policies only focus on the health impact of photo-altering in teen magazines – or should the AMA and other public health advocates be considering broader issues and audiences in the modeling and advertising industry? Tell us what you think!
All images are property of the author, ForeverPlaid.
Ahhh, Switzerland. Home to cheese, alps, and chocolate. Life must be good there, right? USDemocrazy dispatched a foreign correspondent to find out for sure. Read on for part one of two on Swiss life… …read more.
Courtesy USA Today
If you have just had a hamburger and are now feeling a little qweezy… GOOD NEWS!!!! You are not alone!!! Bad beef has a few other folks feeling funky too!!
According to an USA Today article, meat-packing giant Cargill has announced a second recall on 22,723 pounds of tainted ground beef from a Beef Packers Inc. facility in Arizona.
We at USDemocrazy breathed a sigh of relief at the recall news…until…
We learned that recalling meat is, well, a beefy problem.
It appears that once meat leaves the meat-packing facilities, it gets widely dispersed, renamed, repackaged and radically relocated. In other words, hard to track down.
Thanks to Google Images!
Now that winter is beginning and everyone is going to be coming down with colds and illnesses, how can we be sure to stay healthy?
To answer this question we at USDemocrazy set out on a desperate Web search for heal-all remedies.
We came out empty handed… but not empty headed. We stumbled across a surprising and important scientific discovery in another area of health!
First, make sure you have plenty of the ABCA13 gene around… …read more.
Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Courtesy of The Muppet NewFlash
Who doesn’t love a furry puppet who is smart and can tell you how to count and say the alphabet??? ( kinda sounds like our editor at USDemocrazy without the “smart” bit…)
Our favorite gang of Muppets, who are lovable puppets that live on Sesame Street, are celebrating their 40th Anniversary! (Can you count to 40?… let’s do it together…!)
Don’t bother asking how to get there- no one will answer your question even if you sing it to the world EVERY DAY! Although there are many shows that may currently surpass Sesame Street in popularity- its longevity is unmatched. …read more.
Flip-flops may be popular, but they aren't your foot's best friend. Courtesy: http://trendliest.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/flipflops.jpg
Tip 2: Stop worrying about swine flu.
Despite frequent swine flu media frenzies, the virus seems to be behaving just like the regular seasonal flu – with mild symptoms and quick recoveries. The majority of deaths attributed to swine flu appear to have been triggered in persons already suffering underlying chronic conditions.
No. You don't need one of these. Courtesy: http://guestofaguest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/swine-flu-masks.jpg
Tip 3: Feel good about your body.
Glamour magazine recently featured a plus sized model and everyone’s talking about her! Will less than model-perfect women finally be accepted for their bodies?
We hope so, especially after this alleged case of a Pittsburgh girl being bullied into anorexia by her male classmates.
Tip 4: Plan a play-date with some friends.
Sad news. Today’s Americans are lonelier than ever and this loneliness is disrupting our sleep, eating habits and overall levels of happiness. Newsweek says we’re coping with this loneliness in unusual ways. Think Tom Hanks’ character in the movie Castaway.
Beat this trend, get off of Facebook or Twitter, and spend some face to face time with your friends! Even if you’re broke, you don’t need to sit at home and mope. There are plenty of fun things you can do for free!
Tip 5: Visit the farmer’s market to avoid this stuff.
Even when populated with guys like this, the farmer's market is still worth going too! Courtesy: http://rvforsaleguide.com/images/los-angeles-farmers-market-picture.jpg
Eat cheap, simple and healthy during the summer months by visiting farmer’s markets which generally sell produce at lower prices than the grocery store.
While you’re at the farm you might want to pick some berries in the process. These small but mighty bursts of antioxidants have also been named one of the 10 Best foods for your heart.
QUESTION:
What is the surest way to make a healthy person sick?
ANSWER:
Ask them about their health care.
Yes folks, health care is back the news… and this time it isn’t about swine flu! Er… we mean H1N1 virus…)
Just this week, President Obama met with business leaders in health care to talk about trimming their mega-huge budgets.
The health care community is acknowledging their mega-huge problem and, as the Washington Post says, are:
Volunteering to “do our part” to tackle runaway health costs, leading groups in the health-care industry have offered to squeeze $2 trillion in savings from projected increases over the next decade, White House officials said yesterday.
So we’re all on the same playing field, right? Congressman Patrick Kennedy from Rhode Island posted on the Huffington Post, that:
The recent outbreak of the swine flu serves as a stark reminder about the need for comprehensive health care reform in this country. Every citizen in this country should have access to affordable, high quality health care.
Affordable, high quality health care! Who can argue with that?!? How do we get it!?!
That’s where the arguing starts…
Janet Adamy at the Wall Street Journal gives her thoughts here on one option, taxing health care to sustain health care:
The idea of taxing employee health-care benefits to raise money for an overhaul of the health system is gaining strength in Congress, although it drew criticism from Barack Obama when he was campaigning for president.
The NYTimes released their editorial on the situation. They say there is a middle of the road plan, and that’s letting the government toss its hat into the health care plan system:
It should be possible to design a system in which public and private plans could compete without destroying the private coverage that most Americans have and for the most part want to keep.
One thing is for sure. What we’ve got now just isn’t going to cut it in the long run.
Former Clinton budget adviser Matt Miller, referring to the talks between President Obama and health care businesses, weighs in over at the Daily Beast:
Even if this goal were achieved over the next decade, America’s health-care system would still be radically inefficient compared other advanced nations.
So, what is the path ahead for health care? The path will be about as straightforward as the Burma Road (pictured below for all you history enthusiasts).
But where will it lead? Have any ideas?
Keep up the good work. America still likes Obama.
Take a chill pill. ANGER IS DEADLY!
Cheech & Chong would be proud. California looks into taxing marijuana.
