last updated:
Wednesday, 26-jul-06
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Bob
Krauss
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OUR
HONOLULU
First footsteps of Polynesians' ancestors tracked
By Bob
Krauss
Advertiser Columnist
Posted
on: Sunday, July 23, 2006
Bishop Museum chairman of anthropology Tianlong
Jiao has returned from China with solid evidence
that the first voyages of the ancestors of
Polynesians were made between the South China
Coast across open ocean to the Penghu Islands,
100 miles away in the Strait of Taiwan.
It is the first direct archaeological link
established for the beginning of the epic saga
of prehistoric Pacific Ocean voyaging.
click image for a larger view
The people who made the voyages were early
Austronesians, ancestors of Polynesians, and
the evidence is stone tools excavated at a
site called Damaoshan on the small, offshore
island of Dongshan on the South China Coast. "We compared stone tools with local materials," Tianlong
said. "Lab analysis indicated that none of
the stone tools was made of local materials.
This means they must have been imported." A new isotope analysis comparing the composition
of the tools with material from surrounding
areas including Guangdong Province, Fujian
Province, the Penghu Islands and Taiwan showed
that the stone came originally from the Penghu
Islands, Tianlong said. Adz stone from Penghu
also was used on Taiwan. "We believe the Damaoshan people went to Penghu
and brought back material," he explained. "This
is the first evidence of ocean voyaging in
the Taiwan Strait. I consider this the first
stage of Austronesian seafaring. The evidence
indicates continuing contact across the Taiwan
Strait, and helps us understand why the material
cultures are so similar." Another groundbreaking aspect of the Damaoshan
dig was the participation of archaeologists
from Taiwan in an excavation on the Chinese
mainland, the first time that Taiwanese and
mainland Chinese scientists have worked together
on the China coast. Tianlong said Bishop Museum
is acting as a bridge to bring mainland China
and Taiwan together. The excavation at Dongshan was made possible
through a $25,000 grant to the Bishop Museum
from the Taiwan-based Chiang Ching-Kuo foundation.
Taiwanese archaeologists who participated were
Dr. Li Kuang-ti and Dr. Tsang Cheng-hwa, an
expert on pottery. It is his opinion, based
on pottery, that the cultures at Damaoshan
and on Penghu are so similar as to be one people. Tianlong explained that the Damaoshan site
was a fishing settlement. Its people relied
heavily on the ocean for food and tools. Today
the site is about 700 feet above sea level. One indication of the significance of the
excavation is a grant to Tianlong's anthropology
department at the Bishop Museum of $270,000
that was recently approved by the Luce Foundation
for collaborative research on South China coast
in neolithic cultures. Bill Brown, president
of Bishop Museum, said 18 institutions in the
United States applied for the grant. Only two
applications, including Bishop Museum's, were
approved. The Bishop Museum department of anthropology
has also received a grant from the Freeman
Foundation to exhibit the artifacts found in
the Damaoshan site. University of Hawai'i archaeologist
Barry Rolett, who helped to initiate the excavations
in China, said adzes found there could have
been made in Samoa. The exhibition, being organized
by Tianlong, will open at Bishop Museum next
year. Tianlong said he is in agreement with a theory
of Austronesian dispersal espoused by leading
Pacific archaeologists Patrick V. Kirch of
the University of California Berkeley and Peter
Bellwood of the Australian National University.
The theory outdates the idea that Melanesians,
Micronesians and Polynesians are separate races. The new concept is that they are all descendants
of the Austronesians, who originated on the
South China Coast to become one of the great
seafaring cultures of the world. A chronology now widely accepted is that the
Austronesians first voyaged from the South
China coast to Taiwan around 3000 B.C. The
next leg to the Philippines around 2500 B.C.
may have been by outrigger canoe because root
words for the outrigger canoe appear in the
language at this time. From the Philippines, the Austronesians went
in several directions, reaching Indonesia about
500 B.C. and Madagascar about A.D. 500. A segment
of Austronesians reached the Mariana Islands
in Micronesia in 2000 to 1500 B.C. Another Austronesian offshoot began in the
Bismarck Archipelago northeast of New Guinea.
It was called the Lapita culture. The Lapita
people began a rapid movement around 1500 B.C.
that reached the Solomon Islands in Melanesia
about 1300 B.C. and New Caledonia around 1200
B.C. By 900-800 B.C. the Lapitas had sailed east
as far as Samoa and Tonga, where they died
out. It is believed that Polynesians evolved
on these islands. The Polynesian gods appeared
at this time and perhaps the double voyaging
canoe that permitted the Polynesians to make
voyages of thousands of miles. The Polynesians found the Marquesas and Tahiti
by A.D. 700, Hawai'i and Easter Island by A.D.
900, and New Zealand by A.D. 1200. The first step in the voyaging saga was 100
miles from Damaoshan to Penghu. A paper about
the dig establishing the link will be published
next year, Tianlong said.
Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073. |
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Salave'a
is warrior in the trenches for Redskins |
By
David Murray on July 25
Real Football
Joe Salave'a is surrounded by high-priced free agents on the defensive line in
Andre Carter, Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin; Some think his days as a
starter for the Washington Redskins may be coming to an end. But don't count
this warrior out just yet.
Salave'a contributed greatly to the Redskins' magical run and return to the playoffs
in 2005. He had his best season as a pro despite playing on a painfully injured
foot. A number of new defensive tackle hopefuls will be on hand to challenge
the veteran for his spot when training camp opens July 30, and only time will
tell if Big Joe can hold off the youngsters once more. |
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click
on image to view larger (AP
Photo) |
The
Cancer Lessons of Lance Armstrong
TIME - July
26, 2006 - 4 hours ago
With a few notable
exceptions, the treatment of anyone whose
cancer has spread throughout the body has
been more about prolonging lives by a few
months than about curing the underlying disease.
But the amazing ... |
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click on image for a larger view |
Pacific
: 26/07/2006
@ 09:40
Tropical disturbance
close to Hawaii expected to dissipate
(Tahitipresse) - What was once Hurricane Daniel is now a tropical disturbance
and is expected to dissipate by Thursday, the Honolulu-Advertiser announced.
A high pressure area far north of the Hawaiian Islands will result in light to
moderate trade winds through the rest of the week, according to the National
Weather Service.
Passing showers and clouds will affect mainly the windward areas.
Weather forecasters had earlier predicted that Daniel would directly hit the
Big Island.
Tropical Storm Daniel was the first of the season to enter Hawaiian waters. |
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Samoa wins international
praise
17/07/2006 | Radio Australia
Sport
Samoa has been praised at the end of the 2006
Commonwealth, Oceania and South Pacific weightlifting
tournament, run alongside the inaugural Pacific
Rim event.
The four day event attracted 130 lifters from 31 countires, the sport's international
president Dr Tamas Iyan suggesting bigger things lie ahead for the Ocenaia Weightlifting's
Apia headquarters.
Oceania Weightlifting Federation general secretary, Paul Coffa was annointed
as Commonwealth weightlifting's general secretary.
Radio Australia's Brendon Telfer says the Chinese where surprised by the smaller
nations.
"China won ten of the 15 categories on offer but did not have it all it's own
way, with medals going to Suzanne Hiram of Nauru, Nadeene Latif of Australia,
Shi-chen Huang of Taiwan and Hye-Jin Choi of Korea in the women's and Manuel
Minginfel of the Federated States of Micronesia in the men's," Telfer said.
"At the Commonwealth and South Pacific levels, medals where spread, with the
Pacific closing the gap on the bigger nations."
With 31 countries and 130 lifters in Samoa over four days of competition, IWF
president, Dr Tamas Iyan was impressed and endorsed the tournament, indicating
Samoa could host a world championship sometime in the future."
Telfer said it was an important test event for next year's games, with hotel
and transport issues flagged 14 months from the regional event.
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SAMOA:
Weightlifting Heavies Impressed With Samoa
Friday: July 21, 2006
By Peter Rees, Pacific Magazine
Oceania Weightlifting Federation (OWF)
general secretary, Paul Coffa, has hailed
the recent Commonwealth, Oceania and South
Pacific Weightlifting Championships hosted
by Samoa a resounding success.
Coffa, a leading force in the sport within
the region for many years, told PacNews that
the outcome from the past week's events have
been huge endorsement for Samoa ahead of
it hosting next year's South Pacific Games.
"I am still trying to recover from this
event," he told PacNews. "It was huge. Samoa
had never seen anything like it. The media
exposure was phenomenal. And the television
(coverage) was even bigger.”
Coffa said the event was telecast live to
China with a viewing audience in excess of
300 million people. There was added interest
with Chinese weightlifters taking part as
the event incorporated the first-ever Pacific
Rim International weight lifters from outside
the Oceania region taking part.
The Chinese, as expected, dominated winning
10 of the 15 categories, but the Pacific
lifters also did well. Nauru women's representative
Suzanne Hiram and Manuel Minginfel of the
Federated States of Micronesia were the sole
winners from the Pacific nations with Australia,
Taiwan and Korea getting the other overall
winners in their categories. New Zealand
failed to win any medals in the main division
confirming the rising status of the Pacific
Islands as a weightlifting power.
The tournament, which was a test event ahead
of the 2007 South Pacific Games, ran for
four days finishing earlier this week, with
over 130 lifters from 31 countries flocking
to Samoa.
According to Coffa, the international weightlifting
community was also shocked at how a small
Pacific island nation could host an event
of that magnitude.
"Dr. Tamas Ajan, the President of the International
Weightifting Federation could not believe
how good the event was," he said, referring
to the attendance at the event by the sports'
highest ranking official.
Coffa was also rapt with the local response
given many were rugby fans and have never
watched a weightlifting event.
"I involved the villages at no cost and
they loved every bit of it. At some stages
the new stadium was packed," he remarked.
Coffa is based in Apia full-time running
the OWF training institute. |
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New
deep Ocean Spa opening Sept. 1st at Bora
Bora
Tourism : 25/07/2006
@ 15:42
(Tahitipresse) - The InterContinental Resort and Thalasso-Spa Bora Bora announces
that the much-anticipated Deep Ocean Spa by Algotherm will open on September
1st. The Deep Ocean Spa will be the very first Thalasso Spa in the world to utilize
the benefits of deep-sea water and minerals extracted from the Pacific Ocean
at a depth of more than 3,000 feet in all of its signature treatments.
Designed by Algotherm, developer of spas and Thalassotherapy centers around the
globe, the Deep Ocean Spa sets a new world standard for marine treatment and
therapy centers.
The 13,200 square-foot spa complex houses 14 treatment facilities for deep sea
water hydrotherapy, beauty treatments and gentle energy therapy, according to
an Intercontinental Media release.
The highlight is the spa's glass-floored overwater Spa Suites where individual
guests or couples can admire maritime flora and fauna during treatment sessions.
There are also areas for relaxation with breathtaking views of the ocean, steam
baths and showers to awaken the senses, outdoor Jacuzzis, a gym, a tea lounge
and a boutique.
The Deep Ocean Spa offers tailor-made experiences and allows guests to choose
from a variety of a la carte treatments, book half-day or full-day "Discoveries" as
well as multi-day packages.
The new Intercontinental resort opened May 1st and features a number of unique
attributes. The innovative eco-friendly air-conditioning system deploys a 7,874
-foot pipe (the deepest ocean pipe in the world) to a depth of 3,000 feet off
the reef of Bora Bora. The pipe pumps ice cold, deep-sea water through a titanium
heat exchanger, transferring the cold into the fresh water circuit that then
powers the air conditioning throughout the hotel.
The resort features 80 overwater villas. The resort's Deep Ocean Spa by Algotherm
will be the first in the world to use mineral-rich deep seawater extracted from
3,000 feet below sea level in its signature treatments (opening scheduled for
September 2006). The resort will also be the first hotel in French Polynesia
to feature an overwater wedding chapel with a glass bottom floor (opening scheduled
for September 2006).
The InterContinental Resort and Thalasso-Spa Bora Bora will be the fourth resort
in the portfolio of InterContinental French Polynesia resorts. The collection
also includes the InterContinental Le Moana Resort Bora Bora and InterContinental
resorts in Tahiti and Moorea.
Owned and operated by Richard H. Bailey and his company, Tahiti Beachcomber
Société Anonyme
(TBSA), the existing InterContinental Resorts have all recently completed multi-million
dollar enhancements over the course of the last five years. |
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Ohio
Takes a 'Stand' Against Smoking
July
26, 2006
By
Mike Beirne
CHICAGO -- The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention
and Control Foundation and its “stand” marketing
campaign will roll out by September the
mobile version of its "Debunkify" effort.
The Debunkify van will hit the state's back-to-school college crowd by camping
near campus bars and satisfying late-night cravings by dispensing pizza slices
in branded boxes.
In keeping Debunkify 's tagline "Kill the myths, before they kill you" the van
crew will try to correct misperceptions like Ohioans’ overestimation
about the number of smokers and the underestimation about the deadliness
of second-hand smoke. Those two notions were discovered from foundation focus
groups and case study findings.
Actually, 80% of Ohioans don't smoke, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, and second-hand smoke kills one nonsmoker every 10 minutes, according
to a California EPA report. The Surgeon General recently confirmed the deadly
effects of secondhand smoke. The van also will reach the high school graduate,
straight-to-work crowd with stops at factories in the mornings with coffee and
donuts and during the lunch hour with more food.
"Believing false information encourages Ohio kids to use tobacco," Sarah Cooper,
a “stand” student mentor, said in a statement. "The more of their
peers they believe smoke, the more likely they are to start smoking, too."
"Debunkify" launched during mid-June as a grassroots campaign with teen teams
anonymously planting orange cutouts of people, removable orange stickers
and chalk outlines in high traffic areas around the state. Outdoor and transit
ads eventually appeared followed by the July debut of myth-busting site Debunkify.com.
Providing additional support were last week's airing of two TV spots created
by Northlich, an agency with shops in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.
One illustrates the threat of second-hand smoke ("sitting in a nonsmoking
section for two hours is like smoking one and a half cigarettes) by showing
a snake slithering from the smoking to the nonsmoking section of a diner.
The second spot shows models in orange gowns pointing out in game show fashion
the legions of nonsmokers around us.
A 2001 Tobacco Free Kids report found that all but three states (Tennessee, Michigan,
North Carolina) and Washington, D.C. were using money from the 1998 Master Settlement
Agreement for some kind of tobacco prevention activity. That agreement settled
lawsuits against cigarette manufacturers by states that sued for reimbursement
of Medicaid payments made to sick smokers. Also, about 26 states have a paid
media campaign for smoking prevention, according to American Legacy Foundation
estimates.
An independent 2006 survey over a three-year period commissioned by the Ohio
foundation found that youths who identified with the “stand” campaign
when first surveyed were 34% less likely to try smoking two years later. |
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Expert
says Kiwi food
causes weight gain
The Government must make healthy food more affordable to
avert a mounting obesity problem, an international expert says. <<read more>> |
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Speed is
Key
--Six Steps to
Surviving Stroke
Heart Attack Facts
--Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack |
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Are you likely to get heart
disease? Is obesity in your future?
Your risk of developing many diseases and
health conditions is partly written in your genes.
One day soon you’ll be able to visit
the doctor, have some blood drawn and find
out more about your health risks for the
next 5 or 10 years through a method called genetic
testing. But we still have
many things to learn about genes before that
vision becomes a reality. >> click
here to read more << |
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"It's
NO Magic Pill"
A prescription diet
drug that blocks the absorption of fat is "no
magic pill" but will nevertheless help control
calorie intake, the drug manufacturer said
Monday as the Food and Drug Administration
considered whether to approve the pill for
over-the-counter sales. >>>click
here to read more<<< |
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 Why
Drink Alcohol To Cut Your Diabetes Risk?
One of the more popular topics
that emerged during 2005: The dubious
value of drinking alcoholic beverages for
your health. A new study has linked the
moderate consumption of alcohol each week
(5-30 grams) to a sharply lower risk of
type 2 diabetes.
Because the lion's share of type
2 diabetics are women, researchers evaluated
the health of some 16,000 female patients,
who had no symptoms of this dreadful disease
at the start of the study. Over about six
years, more than 750 women succumbed to
diabetes.
Interestingly, patients who drank excessively
or not at all had a much higher incidence
of type 2 diabetes than those who drank
no more than what amounts to three
alcoholic drinks a week.
I suspect that's a fluke -- as
I pointed out in
a similar study last year -- because
the benefit probably comes from a component other
than alcohol. In fact, I believe the
alcohol contained in beverages such as
red wine is poisonous and can mess
up your hormonal balance.
If you want to get your diabetes
under control or protect your health from
it, I urge you to follow this simple three-step
plan:
Yahoo
News December 29, 2005 |
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 Debunking
the Barbie Myth
One of the intangibles that
can affect your health just as badly
as making the wrong food choices: A poor
body image. However, a long-standing
contributor to this problem -- the
$2 billion Barbie doll industry --
may not be the primary culprit, according
to British researchers.Despite being
blamed for a wide range of social ills,
scientists don't believe the Barbie doll
is viewed by young girls as an icon for
perfection at all. In fact, many girls
in the study played with their dolls in
very destructive ways, believing
their Barbies to be childish, inanimate
objects, certainly not objects worth
mimicking.The article argues, rightly,
kids really do understand the difference
between the real world and the unreal
one inhabited by Ken and Barbie dolls,
and that blaming a doll on a child's
poor eating habits is shaky science at
best.That said, body image -- the way
in which your outside appearance matches
how you feel on the inside -- is certainly
a hugely important part of optimizing
your emotional health, as it can guide
you in making the right choices. But,
where do you get started?One of the most
effective tools that can help you make
this transition to better health -- without
the need for a drug -- is one of
the simplest to learn: The Emotional
Freedom Technique, the energy psychology
tool I've used in my practice for more
than six years.
Live
Science December 30, 2005 |
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 Reduce
Gum Disease with Grapefruit?
It appears two grapefruit a
day may help keep the dentist away. A
recent study of 58 people with chronic
gum disease showed that after eating
two grapefruit each day for two weeks
everyone (including smokers) experienced
elevated vitamin C levels.The study explains
that vitamin C promotes wound healing
and reduces damage from unstable free
radical molecules thus aiding in the
repair of gums. Word to the wise, protein
types, who usually don't do well
with citrus fruits, should not consume
grapefruit as it might actually increase
gum disease. The bioflavanoids in grapefruit
that produce this benefit would be best
obtained from other fruits like blueberries,
apples and grapes and almost all vegetables
including broccoli, greens and onions.
You may be wondering if you could get
the same benefits from a vitamin
C supplement. Though I consider most
supplements safe and some beneficial,
there is no substitute for getting vitamins
through good food choices.I encourage preventing
gum disease naturally. It's particularly
important not to use regular toothpaste
as it contains fluoride,
a dangerous poison not intended for humans. Chicago Tribune January
1, 2006 |
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 How
to Reach a Live Person When You Dial Big
Companies
If you've ever wondered how
to get around those annoying
automated phone systems most
all major banks and retailers use to
screen calls, there's little known codes
that let you get past them and go straight
to a live operator.Blogger Paul English
has posted a comprehensive cheat sheet
that offers tricks for finding a live
operator at dozens of frequently called
companies, including the hard-to-find
ones like Amazon.com.His
site lists codes that you can dial as
soon as the automated system picks up
your call so it can be routed directly
to a human. It also helps you foil the
new breed of customer service hotlines
that ask you to say aloud your request.A
nifty workaround: Saying the
words ''agent'' or ''operator'' will
usually redirect you to a live operator
at most companies.
Paul
English.com |
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 FDA
Finally Studies Mercury in Canned Tuna
Last month, I told you about
the awesome three-part report by the
Chicago Tribune about the very lax federal
standards governing the mercury content
in the fish -- both
canned and fresh -- you buy at the
grocery store. Apparently, the
FDA read it too...Not surprisingly,
during the last week of 2005, the FDA
announced a probe, based on reports some
canned ''light'' tuna -- a product sanctioned
by the agency as a ''safe'' choice --
includes the yellowfin species that
often contains high
amounts of mercury.It's certainly
hard to avoid canned tuna with yellowfin,
considering food manufacturers produce
some 1.2 billion cans of light
tuna annually, and only one producer
(Genova) lists yellowfin on its light
tuna label.As I've said many times, fish
would be a nearly perfect food --
full of protein, essential nutrients
and healthy fats -- if mercury wasn't
a part of the picture. If you're at all
skeptical about the mercury levels in
the fish you eat regularly, I strongly
recommend using a terrific calculator
created by GotMercury.org.Chicago
Tribune December 31, 2005 Registration
Required
Seatlle
Post-Intelligencer December 31, 2005 |
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 Does
Staying Up Later Reduce Your Chances of Heartburn?
Did you know cutting back on
your valuable sleep time -- a proven
tool for fighting
obesity -- can help you prevent heartburn?
Sounds strange to me too...
Japanese researchers have determined
a shorter gap between evening meals and
bedtime elevates your risks of gastro-esophageal
reflux disease (GERD). Based on a study
of some 450 patients (including some
150 who suffered from heartburn), those
who hit the sack less than three hours
after their evening meal were almost 7.5
times more likely to have heartburn.
Instead of moving back your
bedtime, however, you can treat your
heartburn far more effectively by making
some simple lifestyle changes, like,
for example, staying away from acidic
and sugary soft drinks.
Two other important variables:
- Knowing your body's unique
metabolic type so you'll have
a better handle on the right mix
of protein and carbohydrates (vegetables)
you should be consuming every day.
- Reducing, with the plan of
eliminating, grains
and sugars from your diet.
Yahoo
News December 27, 2005 |
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 Dangerous
Offender, Obesity, is Tied to Alzheimer's?
I frequently write about two
of today's most devastating epidemics: Alzheimer's and
obesity. A recent study supports what
I've known for a long time – the
two are related. Researchers observed
a strong correlation between body mass
index and elevated levels of beta-amyloid,
the sticky protein substance that builds
up in the Alzheimer's brain and plays
a major role in destroying nerve cells
and cognitive behavioral problems associated
with the disease. Instances of Alzheimer's
are increasing at an incredibly disturbing
rate. Experts estimate it will affect
nearly 8 million people in the United
States alone
by 2030. The good news, Alzheimer's in
nearly 100 percent preventable if
you follow these guidelines:
Jefferson
Hospital News December
29, 2005 |
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 Doctors
Discuss Deadly Obesity Surgeries
With the lethal obesity
epidemic on the rise, it is no
surprise dangerous weight
surgeries are as well. Americans
are willing to risk their health, even
life, for a quick pound-shedding fix.
In a recent article, doctors
discuss which of the popular procedures
is safest and best. As I would expect,
some also alluded to the additional benefits
of diet
drugs - the sad, deadly result of
a profit-over-health mentality.
Ignoring obvious, far safer
approaches to weight loss, doctors discussed:
- Gastric
bypass – stomach
stapling surgery with a 2 percent
or higher mortality rate and other
significant effects including:
malnutrition, anemia and osteoporosis Laparoscopic
band – an adjustable
stomach band with a .1 percent
mortality rate and side effects
such as vomiting and cramps
- Biliopancreatic diversion – cutting
off part of stomach and rerouting the
intestines, the riskiest option with
up to 5 percent mortality rate and
nausea, pain, weakness, sweating, diarrhea
are among the effects
With over 31 percent of American
adults considered obese, obviously something
drastic needs to be done. I urge, don't
go under the knife! Take a more holistic
approach:
USA
Today |
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 The
Word is Spreading: People Are Skipping Flu
Shots
Despite all the scare
tactics being used by federal health
officials and some shortages, Americans
may be indeed getting wiser about the
toxic pharmaceutical cocktail known
as the vaccine, according to a new
report.In just one example, some 30
percent of New York City patients
offered flu shots refused them, according
to recent surveys. That's much lower
than figures collected by the CDC last
year, when only 55 percent of
whites and 45 percent of blacks
over age 65 were vaccinated.Interestingly,
the focus of this piece is an attempt
to "debunk the urban legends" that
scare patients away from vaccines.
Yet the most important concern -- exposing
you and your children to the
mercury-laden chemical thimerosal --
is saved for last and given little
attention (mercury-free vaccines for
children are difficult to find too).Considering
a recent investigation by the FDA into
the deaths of 12 Japanese children
was linked to Tamiflu,
your best protection against the flu
definitely isn't a drug or vaccine.To
learn more about some effective ways
to protect your family from the flu
without the need for a toxic drug,
I urge you to read my
winter flu protocol.
MSNBC
December 29, 2005 |
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 Could
a Generic Zocor ''Hurt'' The Statin Market?
Last week, I told you about
Pfizer dodging a bullet when its cash
cow, Lipitor, was protected from the
generic drug market for
five more years by a federal judge.
An astute look at the mega-pharmaceutical
landscape in yesterday's Chicago Tribune
shows how the soon-to-be-generic status
of another worthless statin drug -- Zocor --
will be a boon to the conventional drug
paradigm at the end of the day.With Zocor
moving to generic status in June, this
statin will cost close to half as much
($2 a pill) at the retail level. And,
because one statin isn't any better -- if
not worse -- than any other, health
care plans as well as pharmacies will
likely be encouraging patients to use
the cheaper generic instead.Another advantage
for a generic Zocor product: The looming
disaster that is the
Medicare drug benefit package.Truth
is, you can enjoy the same benefits you
receive from a statin drug -- generic
or not -- without taking one by
making simple
lifestyle changes which include modifying
your eating habits based on your body's unique
metabolic type.
Chicago
Tribune December 29, 2005 Registration
Required |
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 The
Cancer-Fighting Power of Vitamin D
I frequently tout the significant
benefits of vitamin
D and am very happy to see more studies
supporting its importance. A recent report,
based on findings from 1966-2004, indicates
that vitamin D can reduce the risk of
colon, breast and ovarian cancers, among
others, by as much as 50
percent.The primary role of vitamin
D is to keep the balance of calcium and
phosphorus in the blood, in turn keeping
bones strong, according to experts. Its
lesser-known role is regulating cell
growth and determining cell development,
which is why a deficiency in vitamin
D may promote cancerous, rather than
healthy, cell growth. Just a reminder,
I have also discussed the anti-inflammatory
effects of vitamin D and its role in
preventing: heart
disease, 16 types
of cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes,
rheumatoid arthritis, bone diseases,
chronic muscle pain, weakness and even Parkinson's.Researchers
recommended getting your daily intake
by eating processed
foods, and tended to downplay the
easiest and best source – sunshine.
Because it can be difficult to get quality sun in
the dead of winter, another good source
of vitamin D is cod
liver oil. American
Journal of Public Health December
27, 2005Yahoo
News December 28, 2005 |
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 Why
Are Your Car Seats SO BIG?
To meet the "growing needs" of
their customers -- a polite way to describe the
obesity epidemic -- a number of foreign
automakers like Honda have redesigned
some of their 2006 models to fit the
wider bodies of Americans.Domestic car
companies claim they've been making those
accommodations for a while, but Ford
recently took the next step: Using nine
different body types, including the
frame of an morbidly obese man, to
guide them during the computer design
phase.Ford's justification for bigger
seats stems from the growing girth of
oversized Americans, up nearly 30
pounds over the past 38 years. The
company is also considering inflatable
bladders to help passengers of all sizes.So,
if you've been wondering why cars are
getting bigger and more expensive for
no good reason, now you know.
Besides, with the impact of smoking and
obesity erasing
years off the lives of Americans,
car manufacturers are probably seeing
the market for their products shrinking...
USA
Today December 28, 2005 |
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 Site
Helps You Track Your Amazon Purchases For
Price Drop Credits
You know how much of a fan I
am of Amazon.com and
all the wonderful things they do. Only
one problem: What happens when the price
of a book or CD you bought on Amazon
last week drops?Like
most retailers -- brick and mortar or
on the Web -- Amazon will refund the
difference up to 30 days after you bought
it, but you'd have to check their site
from time to time. Then, if the price
drops, you'll have to contact them to
get that credit.AmazonCreditsYou.com is
a site long in coming that will do the
dirty work of monitoring those purchases
for you every day. If the price drops,
the site sends you a link that takes
you where you can get your credit. It's
as simple as completing a one-line form.
AmazonCreditsYou.com |
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 Are
You Watching Sports Instead of Playing Them?
Here's an interesting non-medical
factoid that goes far toward explaining
why the
epidemic of obesity has grown by
leaps and bounds in America, particularly
over the past 30 years, that makes perfect
sense to me: People like to watch sports far
more than playing them. This and
other similarly disheartening factoids
were recently compiled in the latest
Statistical Abstract about various aspects
of American life collected by the U.S.
Census Bureau.It's no surprise, people
are opting for staying home in front
of their big screen TVs hooked up to
24/7 sports cable networks filling dead
air time with reruns of "classic" sporting
events, World Series of Poker tournaments
and celebrity sports news. (By the way,
TV viewing was up for the eighth straight
year too.)One sports sociologist
offered an interesting explanation as
to why adults are more interested in
being spectators than participants: Adults
may have taught children not to play
sports if they aren't good at them, intentionally
or otherwise by the way kids are
treated by coaches on sports teams.Just
more proof, if you want to nip obesity
in the bud, you'll want to place limits
on your child's TV viewing immediately and get
them moving today. I also have many
resources on my Web site that can help
parents get moving with an
exercise plan of their own too.
Yahoo
News December 21, 2005 |
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 Big
Company Breadwinner: Barley Products Can
Claim Heart Benefits
Looks like major food producers
will be able to deceive you with yet
another flawed health
claim – foods containing whole
or milled barley grain reduce the risk
of heart disease. The FDA recently ruled
companies can begin advertising the benefit
on product packages. To qualify, the
food must contain a minimum of 0.75 grams
of soluble fiber – shocking considering
the Whole Grains Council set the standard
at a minimum
of two grams, if not four or five
grams. The misleading claim is as backwards
as the Food
Pyramid. More than 75 percent of
Americans would benefit from severely
limiting or eliminating all grains – refined,
whole, sprouted or otherwise – from
their diets. This is particularly true | | | |
