health

If you are trying to lose weight or get healthy, the 100-Calorie packs diet plan may seem like a great way to go. The 100-calorie packs diet plan is comparatively basic - restrict your food consumption to the 100 calorie packs commercially available. 100 calorie packs aren't as effective as they may seem. Technological study says they're more expensive and less effective. Resource for this article - 100-Calorie packs diet - An expensive way to cost yourself a diet by MoneyBlogNewz.

Facts on the 100-calorie pack diet plan

Losing weight, at its base, is a basic mathematical equation. With your calories, take in less than you are burning. That’s how you lose weight. About 3,500 calories have to be taken out if you're going to lose a pound. Cutting out calories can happen with 100 calorie packs diet plan. This is the idea. Several think that it is easier to limit the amount of food eaten with 100 calorie packs. This makes it so that weight could be lost.

You will find the 100 calorie pack diet that does not operate with science

The 100-calorie packs diet plan seems to appear sensible, however research simply doesn't sustain it. Eating out of these mini-packs really makes it more likely that a dieter will over-consume, eating two or more of the 100-calorie packs. Dieters who are eating out of full-size packs actually tend to eat less than those eating out of 100-calorie packages. Sometimes you just have to stop yourself when eating out of a large bag. This is because you know that you can’t eat it all and have to stop.

What 100 calorie pack diet programs will cost you

On average, 100-calorie packs can run 200 to 300 percent of the cost of a full-size package of food. Do you actually want to diet and cut calories with 100-calorie packs of food? Then there is a way to do it that isn’t too expensive. Purchase oneself the full size packages of food. Then, you can split it into 100-calories of food. You can change the packs to fit your diet better too. They could be packs with 150 or 200 calories instead. A lot of money could be saved this will. It will even be a better way for you to diet. Several want the “quick solution” that seems to come with the 100-calorie packs diet plan. However, you’ll be much better off losing weight by eating fewer calories than you expend.

Facts from

Technology Slice

technologyslice.blogspot.com/2011/01/100-calorie-packs-diet.html

 Talk about missing the mark! 

Granted, some polls are far better than others and many of them you simply cannot trust because they are skewed to make a person appear to be ahead or behind.  Such an example would be one of CBS fame that printed “0% of African Americans disapprove of Obama.”  The flaws are obvious given the very person alone currently writing this.  On the flip side of the coin are polls that just simply show what is on people’s minds and allow you to make what you want of them.  One such poll revealed some startling concerns of the American people in terms of their priorities.   As Obama Bashing becomes as much as a leisurely past time for many as does Bush Blaming for others, it becomes apparently clear that the Obama Bashing opportunities have been handed forth on a silver platter trimmed ornate gold.

The top three priorities for Americans this year are; strengthening the economy, improving the job situation and defending the US against terrorism.  Clearly the administration has done too little and many will even argue that they have failed because so much attention has paid to three other areas; the stimulus, health care reform and cap and trade legislature.  It is here is where they have missed the mark.

A year after the stimulus, the president is passing words on a spending freeze; something many of the best economists argue should have been done a year ago.  Blow after blow suffered by health care reform was met by steadfast Democratic determination to get it passed.  The ever echoing words of the president in regards to whether or not people want it have come to fruition.  In fact, the people “who want it” has dropped steadily since 2005!  (60, 59, 56, 54, 52 to 49% each year respectively ending in the 2010 survey of “providing health ins to the uninsured”).  Not only does the word “mandatory” begin to make sense since fewer each year were actually listing this as a top priority, it makes sense why the arguments and rhetoric behind it have become so intense.  The administration has insisted on an issue that was actually dead in the water before it started.  Because of this, they used everything from race baiting to emotive desires like “broken” and the “American Holocaust” to incite and interest that clearly was not there to begin with!

Picking up the tail end of American issues of priority was “dealing with global warming” at 28%.  As with its issue predecessor of wasted time and effort of providing insurance, it too dropped markedly over the course of the last several of years.  In 2007 38% of Americans identified this as a top issue and it steadily declined to 35, 30 and to 28 percent this year.  Perhaps this is because we suffered a severe winter making it difficult to support such allegations that man is warming the planet by driving too much, or even because Obama said his plan would “cause electricity prices to skyrocket.”  Then again it may be that people have been brought to remember a not so recent attempt of such cap and trade style taxation with the ever thinning ozone layer at the hands of our gluttonous ways only to discover it was mere cow farts.  Who knows and who cares?  The bottom line is that the Obama administration has sorely missed the mark of the concerns of the people despite the fact that the people’s interests in their (the administration’s) agenda has been decreasing over the past years.  Imagine if you would, where would we be today if the administration’s priorities were that of the people they are representatives of?

Of the bashings befallen Obama, the most consistent is that he is too self-centered to put the people’s agenda before that of his own.  An ego maniacal narcissist or not, at least half the accusation is completely true.   You simply cannot hit the mark if you are aiming at the wrong target!

If the stimulus were replaced with fiscal conservatism then instead of now, and the efforts on health care reform and cap and trade legislation would have been focused on the top the American issues of concern, Obama may not have hit the bull’s eye, but he would have at least been within the mark.

As we listen to rhetoric coming out of DC, it is not clear whether or not Obama actually gets it.  The mixed signals are everywhere from Obama stating on his radio address that health care pushes in the future will be harder and more focused, to him saying he has lost touch with his base.  Of concern is the fact that he feels he must get in front of the people more.  441 speeches in 2009 and he thinks getting in front of a teleprompter more frequently will aid this problem is only a testimony to narcissistic tendencies.  T he American people want the rubber to actually meet the road, not be told the rubber is going to.  We have heard that four hundred and forty one times with far too little to show for it.  Speaking about it 500 times in 2010 will literally be more of the same.

The spark is gone, the honeymoon long since over, and the president’s influence has proven to do more damage than good.  It’s not just the polls we are talking about, it is expectations.  The American people expected much because he told them much was to be delivered.  Then he kept telling and telling while the whole time the delivery van was going in a direction the American people felt was on an unneeded route to nowhere.

The Obama Promises Delivery Van is now stopped on the side of the road on a rural route with no American homes on it.  He has the map with the target destination on it; the question is… can he read it not?

Crossposted from the Sunlight Foundation.

Last week, Jake wrote that "it is utterly imperative that the final version of the bill be online for the public to view for at least 72 hours." The House Majority just announced that they will do just that (via #HealthReformNow):

Pelosi and Hoyer say final health reform bill will be online for 72 hours before House vote so Members and Americans can review #hcr

This is a great development and another big win for those who have called for the bill to be available to the public for 72 hours throughout this whole process. The Sunlight Foundation has called for the health care bill to be available to the public for 72 hours at each point that versions have come to the floor. In each of these instances the majority has acquiesced and posted each version, from the House bill to the Senate bill, for at least 72 hours prior to consideration. Those of you who have signed the Read the Bill petition and put the pressure on Congress to be this transparent have been vital in ensuring that we have access to this major bill before lawmakers consider, debate and vote on it. Earlier this week, Ellen explained the importance of the 72 hour requirement:

Think of posting something on line for 3 days as a ‘safety valve’ – a final chance for citizens, media, lawmakers and lobbyists alike to look at the whole package giving everyone one last opportunity to raise questions and concerns about the bill. If readers are in an advocacy mode they have time to mobilize others in support or opposition, and/or take action in whatever form they see fit. There is no measure more important to debate in the open than health care, and this is a moment when we all need to be champions for public, online disclosure and engage with our government. With 72 hours, the buck can actually stop with citizens the way our Founders intended. We know that Congress do it because congressional leadership has already done so at other critical points in this debate.

Of course, we still need to make sure that this promise is kept and that won't be done until the bill has been online for 72 hours and then brought to the floor. Let's keep it up.

Disclosure: I am the online organizer and outreach coordinator for the Sunlight Foundation.

<!--Session data-->

Pelosi did it. Health reform passed the house 220-215 late saturday. Whatever my personal disagreements with her I have to grudgingly admit she's a decent speaker, her arm twisting in this situation is exceptional. Thank god for Harry Reid. 

Nice round up of why it's the worst bill ever here.

I received a copy of this request -- from UHCAN Ohio to promote government healthcare reform -- we must communicate our opposition!!!!

Request for Proposals for Targeted Media in Southwest Ohio UHCAN Ohio and the Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage is engaged in a campaign to inform the public about the importance of federal health care reform and reduce the fear that is being created by opponents of health care reform who are spreading misinformation. We are looking for a media/communications consultant who can secure for us earned media opportunities to spread a positive message on health care reform and inform the public on the many areas that are rife with confusion. Our target market is the eight counties of Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland and Warren. We desire to mount a media campaign over the next three months that will cross print, broadcast, cable, and internet media. We are looking for opportunities to reach a broad swath of the public and of interest groups, such as business or religious constituencies. The pace of federal health care reform efforts has dramatically accelerated since early June 2009. If meaningful health care reform is to happen two needs must be met:(1)   Voters need to remain positive about reform, even as contentious debate arises over details of reform (such as the public health insurance option and the financing of reform) and as opponents of reform undermine public support with fear mongering.(2)   Federal legislators need to hear from voters that they want to see federal action on health care this year and that they care about affordability, quality, and health care security for all Americans. For voters to remain positive about health care reform, they need to receive positive messages and reliable information that reinforces the benefits they will derive from health care reform.  Meeting the Need for Clear Messages that Reduce the Fear Being Engendered by the Opponents of Health Care Reform.  People get most of their information from broadcast, cable and internet media, as well as people (family, friends, co-workers and others) who repeat to them what they heard in the mass media. The opponents of health care reform are spending millions of dollars on persuading the public that health care reform will result in a “government takeover” and “get in between them and their doctor.” The proponents of health care reform need to find ways to gain earned media to let people know that health care reform will protect and improve their choices.  We are looking for a PR consultant local to Southwest Ohio who will secure opportunities in Southwest Ohio across media types for UHCAN Ohio and Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage staff and partners to discuss health care reform.  We need a PR consultant to secure for us these opportunities:1.      Appearances on radio talk shows2.      Appearances on “drive time” radio programs3.      Appearances on broadcast and cable TV4.      Articles in daily and weekly newspapers targeted at the general public5.      Articles in specialty newspapers, such as those targeted at religious communities or the business community6.      Connections made through social networking sites including the blogosphere Time Frame:·         This will be a three month contract taking place between August and October.  Contractor Responsibilities:·         Contractor will pitch stories and potential interviewees to the media. Contractor will identify blogs that discuss health care (among other topics) that have a readership in Southwest Ohio and refer Client to those blogs.  Client will be responsible for furnishing the person(s) to be interviewed, and for developing messaging around health care reform. Client works with a communications organization in Columbus, and has some outside technical assistance from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on messaging. Client primarily needs a consultant who has local connections and can secure media exposure.  Please submit a brief proposal to UHCAN Ohio stating(1)   Your history of securing media for small groups and not-for-profit groups(2)   Your history of handling communications that are part of a campaign(3)   Your history of working with health care professional or advocacy groups(4)   The plan you would undertake to secure significant earned media coverage in the next three months in Southwest Ohio on health care reform (including how you track media hits)(5)   Your fee. Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage is a consumer-based coalition seeking fundamental health care reform benefitting consumers. It is staffed by UHCAN Ohio. Information about UHCAN Ohio and OCHC can be found at their web sites:www.uhcanohio.orgwww.ohioconsumersforhealth.org Proposals should be submitted no later than 5 PM

Should the news site label its columnists and editors as "doctors" when they don't have medical degrees?

Peter Lipson, an internist who specializes in the prevention and treatment of illness, doesn't remember exactly when he first began criticizing health-related articles at the Huffington Post, but his agitation has reached its apogee over the past few weeks. During that time the health section -- placed within the larger "Living" tab -- has published articles claiming possible links between vaccinations and autism, a piece on colon cleansing and detox, and a swine flu article stating that Americans should "stay home as much as possible," "avoid public places unnecessarily," and "get some surgical face masks and wear one when you need to be in public places, even if you feel a little foolish and until others have caught on."

Lipson is a blogger for ScienceBlogs, run by Seed Media Group, and has been writing a series of critical pieces attempting to debunk the claims in many of these articles. He isn't the only one; several of the other science bloggers under the same domain have been piling on as well, and recently two of them have gone after the credibility of "Dr." Patricia Fitzgerald, a " licensed acupuncturist, certified clinical nutritionist, and a homeopath," who has received a "Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and a Doctorate in Homeopathic Medicine." She also -- to the science bloggers' disdain -- happens to be the Huffington Post's "wellness" editor (an email sent to the website requesting comment for this piece was not returned).

"Part of it is a misrepresentation of qualifications," Lipson told me in a phone conversation. "They started putting the word 'Dr' in front of everyone's name -- more or less for anyone who has a doctorate in something or other -- and Patricia Fitzgerald claims to have a doctorate in homeopathy, whatever that is. Homeopathy is a completely discredited fantasy. When you give that kind of credibility -- I mean first you invite them to a well-known mainstream outlet, you let them call themselves a doctor when they're not really qualified, and then you let them interview other people and present them as professionals -- it just layers on and layers on."

It would be different if they admitted up front that these stories were all editorial in nature, the internist said, and presented them as such. He compared the method of fact checking in the health section of HuffPo to that of the Gray Lady. "They need to exercise some kind of journalistic integrity," Lipson said. "When you read the New York Times, whether you agree with what they do or not -- people can argue about the quality having gone down -- but when you read the editorial pages and you read the news, you know there's some editing going on. You know they don't just say, 'write whatever you want and we'll throw our name above it.' They have real editors."

As a point of reference, Fitzgerald recently wrote a post about actress and former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy and her book, Healing and Preventing Autism. "Jenny McCarthy and thousands of concerned parents, doctors, and health advocates aren't just waiting for an official cure," Fitzgerald wrote. "They're finding answers, and getting results." (italics in the original) The article states that McCarthy promotes "biomedical intervention" and the actress claims that "thousands of children have improved with this type of therapy."

Inevitably, the article does touch upon McCarthy's claims about possible dangers from the "excessive" use of vaccines. Fitzgerald writes at the end of this section, "The autism-vaccine link is being studied because there are actual concerns that warrant these studies. Some studies support the use of certain vaccines, while other studies do not. Often there are conflicts of interest within studies. It can make anybody's head spin trying to sort through these studies."

Given that the vaccine-autism links are widely rejected by the scientific and medical community, this "two-sideism," as Lipson calls it, is infuriating. "It is irresponsible and it's immoral," he said. "They're allowed to write whatever they want -- I make that clear. But they should show some editorial fortitude that there are some lines that you shouldn't cross. It's an idealogical problem."

Simon Owens is a media journalist and social media consultant. Email him at simon.bloggasm@gmail.com or read more of his writing at his blog

Forty-seven million uninsured. An HMO withholding approval to save a dying young woman. One in six dollars spent in America going to health care (1) (notes below), which is 4.3 times more what America spends on national defense (1). Despite that, one in four Americans saying health care is a serious national problem in 2008 (2). Not less than 81% of Americans "dissatisfied" with health care in America (3). The specter of socialism looming as 64% of Americans recently polled say it is the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage (3).

Let's not exaggerate the problem. The number of uninsured grew from 12 millon in 1989 to where it stands today mostly because of legal and illegal immigration (4), making the uninsured a one-time problem. We all know how Michael Moore gets hysterical. His last movie made much of the fact that Cuba's health care system has a lower infant mortality rate than America's, but undeniably America still leads the world in health care, with the finest hospitals, doctors, professionals, and innovations in the practice of medicine.

Yet it is clear that something must be done. If the trend keeps up, the middle class will have to make extraordinarily difficult kitchen table decisions: cut back on health insurance or food or education. Some large American companies increasingly feel at a disadvantage. They feel they have to pay for their employees' health care, when their foreign competitors do not. Obama supports "single-payer," which is a soft way of talking about socialized medicine (5). An Obama presidency coupled with a Democratic congress would likely mean the end of free market health care in America.

In these shaky times, the political tide in 2008 is dredging up a leftist economic policy. The tide is strongest in health care. Our goal must be to ride this wave to the extent we must, while steering the country into the safe cove of market economics. The free market will not stay free without a fight.

Socialism does not work. I speak as an ex-socialist. It took me years to shake off the blinders and see the light. Socialism could only work if human beings were infinitely flexible, so that if you could imagine it theoretically, it could work in real life. That's where socialism's problem starts. Human nature is not something we can change, as I eventually came to realize. People like to buy and sell what they want. People want to take risks. They want to own a tiny little bit of the world and have it as their own. People want to control their own destiny, and not be told what to do in every aspect of their lives. People want wealth, even just a little wealth, but socialism does not deliver the goods. Socialism has been tried. It has failed. Most dramatically, East Berliners voted with their feet, turning the monicker of "democratic socialism" into a bad joke. With the sole exception of the starvation state of North Korea, every former socialist country in the world now looks to China as their model. The China model, love it or hate it, has nothing to do with state ownership of private property. It has at its core the private ownership of property, and the freedom to buy and sell as you please. Socialism's inevitable failures are costly. Over 100 million lie dead from communist rule. There is no faster way to stifle innovation and destroy the quality of people's lives than to rip people's freedom away from them. The government must let people live their own lives. Socialism slices away human freedom, and so is unacceptable.

The experience of Britain's National Health System, with a country of rotting teeth, antiquated care, and long lines, and of Canada's national system, with the long waits for basic care and Canadians hopping the border for simple medical procedures, tells us more than we need to know.

Socialized medicine, or "single payer," would wreak an untold disaster upon the health and quality of life of Americans. Our country has led the way forward against disease, disability, and injury. Smallpox and polio are all but wiped out. The art of medicine has advanced to an unbelievable degree, with much thanks to Americans. Great institutions of American health care are renowned throughout the world: names like Sloan-Kettering, Mayo, and Johns Hopkins. Socialized medicine will take decisions out of doctors' hands, and prevent them from innovating and providing the best care. Socialism would take the art out of medicine and turn clinics and hospitals into factories. The quality of health care in America depends on patients, doctors, and nurses all being free to be at their best. Expanding government will increase taxes, hurt the economy, and take the freedom out of health care.

Take a look at the list of the Nobel Laureates in Medicine and you will see that there is one country that has dominated that famous prize, especially since World War II, and that country has a free market medical system. Of course, it is the United States of America (6). If we allow socialism to take root in America, there is no telling what damage will eventually be done to medicine and the American way of life. Even if we cast out socialized medicine after only a few years, those years will be lost, and whatever is lost will have to be rebuilt. Our institutions are so valuable and vulnerable, we can't risk throwing it all away for the pipe dream of socialism.

Our health care problem today is a case of market failure. Disease and injury being what they are, people will always need health care, and they won't be in a position to bargain much over the price. The markets for health insurance and health care have broken down. Health care costs have spiraled out of control, and are heading north. The price of health care has grown disproportionately to the quality of care. We must find a way forward to uphold our free market system, resolve this market failure, and keep America great.

This blog will focus exclusively on health care policy. It will argue for a market-oriented approach to health care reform. Free market basics will be stressed like being able to choose whatever doctor you would like no matter what your insurance is, and being able to get health insurance for your family at a decent price. Common sense also matters. Health insurance companies are private companies. They need to have the incentive to minimize costs while maximizing the health and well-being of their insurance customers.

The pressure to adopt socialized medicine is already large, and will grow larger. Obama has hinged his campaign on a promise he can't keep: he says will make our health care system perfect. Americans just might be desperate enough to believe he has a miracle under his sleeve. The trouble is, people don't understand why he is wrong. The voters don't understand the most basic principles of economics: scarcity, and the law of supply and demand. 

McCain must have a savvy response to the health care crisis. The first part of the response is that Republicans care about health care, deeply want all Americans to have access to good health care, and will work hard to achieve that. This is emotional, and comes out of human compassion. The second part of the response is a smart, market-oriented policy to get us there. That's where this blog comes in.

Thank you to TheNextRight.com for the opportunity to start this blog. I am taking the name of Xenophon here to honor that figure who is associated with a long and successful struggle to survive against great odds.

(1) http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml

(2) http://www.health08.org/polls.cfm

(3) http://www.gallup.com/poll/4708/Healthcare-System.aspx

(4) http://www.cis.org/articles/2005/back1405.html

(5) http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/19/obama-touts-single-payer-system/

(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Physiology_or_Medicine