More on the Obesity Epidemic

This comes from an article in Employee Benefit News, that discusses a presentation made by cardiologist James Rippe -

"But since 'obesity is not a reimbursable diagnosis,' Rippe explains, it tends to be significantly under reported as a medical condition. Doctors aren't trained to tell patients that their disease is being fat, so they cite specific diseases that often result from excess weight, such as diabetes, heart disease and muscular-skeletal pain, Rippe explains. "

"In fact, obesity is listed only on 0.3% of claims submitted by physicians, but it causes 40% to 70% of hypertension cases, over 50% of blood lipid problems, over 80% of Type 2 diabetes and almost 100% of metabolic syndrome cases. Over the past decade, the prevalence of obesity has grown by more than 40%, according to Rippe."

Driver's Ed from TMQ

Writer of the wonderful column "Tuesday Morning Quarterback" (TMQ), Gregg Easterbrook, has some excellent advice for young drivers and those responsible for them. I have never liked following or having people follow me in a car. You should get directions and meet at your destination, and not travel by caravan. You should always have a pen and paper in your car, but if you happen not to, just write a text message before leaving, so that a passenger may read the directions to the driver, or the driver can quickly consult them to refresh his or her memory. Here are his thoughts -

Driver's Ed Should Teach Kids Not to Drive in Caravans: People who, like me, live in the Washington, D.C., area were shocked in mid-June when a terrible car crash took the lives of two girls and two young women, all recent graduates of the same high school. People who live in New York state were shocked less than two weeks later when a disturbingly similar terrible car crash took the lives of five girls who were all recent graduates of the same high school. In both cases, the victims were on their way to graduation celebrations -- a beach week and a lakeside week. All the victims were beautiful teenagers or young women, and few events seem sadder than the death of beauty in youth because it is assumed -- whether truly or falsely -- that the world lies at the feet of the young and attractive. Alcohol was a factor in the first crash, an autopsy showing the driver legally intoxicated under Virginia's strict standard for those younger than 21; cell phone use while driving is suspected in the second. The tragedies did have one thing in common, however: In both cases, the crashed cars were traveling at highway speed as a caravan of carloads of friends headed to the same destination, and in both cases, it was the lead car that crashed.

AP Photo/Dan Elliott

Alcohol, drowsiness, cell phone use -- and caravan-driving -- are causes.

Here's a safety rule that ought to be taught in driver's ed: Do not travel in caravans! Caravan driving is more stressful than regular driving, especially for the lead driver, as she must look in her mirrors constantly to see whether the trailing car remains in view. Caravan driving tends to cause lead drivers to take intemperate risks to avoid getting blamed for causing the following car to become lost. And if those in the trailing car are using their phones to provide running commentary to the lead car, another layer of distraction is created. Police found that in the New York tragedy, the driver's cell phone received the text message "what are you doing?"about 30 seconds before the crash; the driver might have been attempting to text back when she lost control. On congested highways, it is nearly impossible for two cars to stay right together with the first driver leading the second. Use MapQuest, use GPS, use good old Rand McNally, agree to meet at a certain place and time -- but don't drive as a caravan! Distraction is a principal cause of crashes by young drivers, and few road situations distract a young driver more than attempting to lead a high-speed caravan.

Clip No More

This is the kind of thing that you think everybody knows about (like having a AAA card), but not everybody does. If you buy something at an online retailer, you should go to a search engine and type, for example, "Toys R Us Online Coupon" or "Borders Coupon". That will direct you to a site such as Q-Pon Central or Coupon Cabin. It might only be a couple of bucks that you save, but why not save a couple bucks?

Cancer and Weight Gain

So, if you're overweight as a child, you're more likely to be overweight as an adult. And if you're overweight as an adult, you're more likely to get cancer, in particular, women are more likely to get breast cancer, according to a recent study by the National Cancer Institute, and outlined in this article in U.S. News and World Report.

"'This is just one more very important piece of evidence demonstrating the importance of weight gain to the development of breast cancer,' said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La."

The article makes an important point in stating that, just because it has become common in our society for people to gain weight as they age, does not mean that it is natural or healthy.

If You Exercise You Know This Already

A new study finds that exercise is basically as effective as medication in treating depression. Plus you're not putting crap in your body. This article is from ThirdAge, a publication for old fogies that I read.

Surprising Cancer News

This seems like fantastic news to me. Cancer death rates, and incidences of cancer in general, have fallen.

"U.S. Cancer Death Rate Continues to Fall"

"According to a new report, cancer death rates fell by 2.1 percent each year from 2002 through 2004 -- almost double the 1.1 percent annual decline recorded between 1993 and 2003."

From the People Who Brought You Yummy Toothpaste

I'm sure Michael Moore would be absolutely shocked to find out the following -

Brits Resort to Pulling Own Teeth

"England has a two-tier dental care system with some dentists offering publicly subsidized treatment through the National Health Service and others performing more expensive private work.

But more than three-quarters of those polled said they had been forced to pay for private treatment because they had been unable to find an NHS dentist. Almost a fifth said they had refused dental treatment because of the cost."

Some used pliers to remove their teeth and others glued broken crowns back in. I had a buddy in college who did that once. The glue thing, that is.

Virgin Money

Richard Branson's Virgin Corporation has acquired Northern Rock. This is another one of those "why didn't I think of that?" products to arrive on the Internet. Loans among friends and relatives are getting some help from technology. Check out Virgin Money.

Change, It Is A-Comin'

From today's New York Times.com -

More Doctors in Texas After Malpractice Caps

"Four years after Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment limiting awards in medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors are responding as supporters predicted, arriving from all parts of the country to swell the ranks of specialists at Texas hospitals and bring professional health care to some long-underserved rural areas."

E. Coli, Again

The whole "solutions" moniker that so many companies have employed in this country has amused me for some time, but this is a new high (low?). Cargill Meat Solutions Corp has just announced another ground beef recall because of e. coli contamination. So, it seems that it would be best to continue to avoid ground beef, to be on the safe side. Meat Solutions? Seriously, is that laugh-out-loud funny or what? Meat Solutions. Ha!

The article I read comes from Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy.

Incidentally, I have "Health and Wealth Solutions for Your Business" as the subtitle for our WhealthWatcher$ presentation materials.

Oh, and if you were to read the entire CIDRAP article, you would discover that there is a beef industry website called "Meatingplace.com". How funny are these beef people?

Frucall

As if it weren't already hard enough for brick and mortar retailers to compete with online merchants, now comes Frucall (for "Frugal Call", I assume). Call 888-DO-FRUCALL (888-363-7822, since the last 2 "l's" are superfluous) and enter a product's ISBN, UPC, or bar code number to get competitors' prices. Or if you're a texter like I am, then you can send one to FRU11 (37811).

I don't know how I feel about the ethics of this, but it is probably just a reality of the modern marketplace. I know that I can only try shoes and sunglasses on in a store, and if I don't buy stuff from those stores, then someday I won't be able to try things on in stores. Makes you think...

Alli is Your Enemy

You may have seen commercials touting the next big thing in weight-loss gimmickry: Alli (pronounced "ally"). I wonder if it will sound as sexy when I put it this way- "Half the power of Xenical with 80% of the side effects." or how about "Not quite as much gas or oily discharge as prescription Xenical"? Because Alli is a lower dosage Xenical that can be sold over-the-counter. It is being marketed along with a program of diet and exercise. Revolutionary!

This article on WebMD explains the drug and program well and contains comments by some of the physicians involved in developing Alli's accompanying program.

This is nice -

"The new drug is not an appetite suppressant. Instead, Alli works by blocking the absorption of fat in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. But the blocked fat has to go somewhere, which is why many a candid commentator has said not to take Alli on a first date or wear white pants while taking it."

NOTE: People are buying it. According to PharmaTimes, analysts project, based on sales of $155 million in the first half of 2007, that sales of Alli could be $1 billion a year.

HealthVault

Does anyone else think it's funny how often we combine words now? HealthVault, UnitedHealthcare, WhealthWatcher$... those are just a few of the prominent names who have done this.

Well, Microsoft has stepped into the fledgling electronic medical records (sometimes called "electronic health records") business. We'll see if this one grows roots. Nothing else has made much of an impact yet. Problems facing the adoption of electronic medical records include privacy concerns of consumers, guarded insurers, and the fact that only about 20% of doctors and hospitals keep electronic records. They're usually just pieces of paper in a folder.

Check out HealthVault and see if it's any good. I'm about to do so myself.

E. Coli is the Topps

Even though most of the tainted beef has likely already been consumed, you might want to avoid ground beef for a little while. Check your freezer as well.

From USA Today -

"The product, mostly preformed patties, was distributed nationwide. The packages have the establishment number 9748 and sell-by dates of Sept. 25, 2007, through Sept. 25, 2008. The plant has halted production, and the investigation continues. A recall list is at www.toppsmeat.com."

Simple Rules of Being Healthy

I have quite the sweet tooth so I have trouble following the second tip, but I thought these were good rules to follow. Please read below:

WHAT YOU CAN DO

A surprising "diet trick" to make belly fat go away is to add a third mantra to the classic "eat less, exercise more" weight-loss formula. To banish belly fat and return to an optimal weight, Dr. Rubman says it's also essential to reduce stress. Though that may be easier said than done, Dr. Rubman says consistent practice of the following strategies can help your spare tire melt.

• Emphasize high-quality, low-glycemic carbohydrates in your diet. The glycemic index is a measure of how fast a carbohydrate raises your blood sugar. To keep blood sugar on an even keel, the majority of carbs you consume should be healthful, low-glycemic ones, such as most fresh veggies and fruits.
• Make sweets only an occasional treat. The goal, of course, is to cut back on high-glycemic carbs. These lead to fluctuating blood sugar levels, which cause food cravings. Avoid these by saying no to candy, cookies and soft drinks, as well as fast foods, processed foods, chips and white bread.
• Monitor food combinations. When hunger strikes, quiet your appetite and boost your energy with a healthful protein/carb combo. For example, try nut butter and whole-wheat crackers... low-fat yogurt and granola... a fruit salad sprinkled with walnuts... or turkey breast, lettuce and tomato tucked into a pita. Protein/carb combinations tend to reduce the impact of high-glycemic index foods by slowing their absorption and thereby reducing the speed at which they're converted to glucose and then fat.
• Exercise, exercise, exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise three to five times a week can help people lose weight and ward off heart disease and diabetes -- it also keeps stress in check. My personal favorites are biking, skiing (a cross-country ski machine works too) and brisk walking.
• Practice effective stress management. A great diet and regular exercise can be unfairly sidetracked by the high levels of cortisol that accompany ongoing stress, so it, too, needs to be regulated. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga and Tai Chi really do bring results. Personally, I find that just taking short breaks can smooth out my day enormously -- instead of pouring a cup of energy in the form of coffee or tea, I head outdoors for a 10-minute walk in the fresh air and sunshine.

Really, you can think of that spare tire as "excess baggage" you don't need to lug around. In addition to eating right and exercising regularly, anything you can do to reduce stress will lighten your load -- in every way.

Source(s):

Andrew L. Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.