A look at the history of U.S. health care and health insurance

Health insurance in the U.S. has some of its roots in the World War II shipyards of Henry J. Kaiser, who built 747 vessels for the Navy. The war made workers scarce, so Kaiser needed a way to attract them and, once there, keep them healthy. He couldn't pay them more because wages were frozen, so he offered them health care, which was provided by doctors at company clinics and hospitals. In turn, he asked employees to kick in 50 cents a week for the benefit. (Photo: Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond, Calif., courtesy of SanPedro.com/Permanente Metals Corporation)

"The war ended, the workers quit the shipyards, leaving behind hospitals and doctors but no patients," Bob Rosenblatt reports for the Los Angeles Times. "So the company decided to open the system to the public — and that's how generations of Californians who never heard of Kaiser shipyards have since gotten medical care."

Kaiser's story is just one example of how America's health insurance system developed, Rosenblatt writes. As at the shipyards, most people still get coverage through their jobs and, unlike the rest of the industrialized world, not from the government.

In fact, there has long been a fight against having the government in charge of providing care, Rosenblatt contends. In 1918, when California proposed a constitutional amendment that would have organized a state-run program, doctors said "compulsory social health insurance" was "a dangerous device invented in Germany." The amendment lost, but many presidents pursued the issue. Franklin D. Roosevelt "flirted with the idea but never threw political muscle behind it," Rosenblatt reports. Harry S. Truman asked Congress to provide national health insurance, but could not bring it to a vote.

It was the model exemplified in the shipyards that was adopted, and "health insurance became a standard feature in labor contracts," Rosenblatt writes.

Things changed in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed through a heavily Democratic Congress what Rosenblatt calls "a legislative three-layer cake:" Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B, and the federal-state Medicaid program. The legislation was controversial, with fears that doctors would refuse to see Medicare patients and hospitals would refuse to dismantle segregated wards. "The doctors didn't strike," Rosenblatt writes. "And the hospitals were immediately integrated without protest."

In 1993, President Bill Clinton wanted to extend national health insurance to everyone, but Rosenblatt says "Congress felt excluded and insulted, and the plan never came to a floor vote in the House or Senate."

President Obama did the opposite and relied on the congressional process. "Key to the plan was a mandate that everyone buy into the system; it was the best way to spread out the costs of illness," Rosenblatt writes. It's that mandate up for debate in the Supreme Court next month, but even if the Affordable Care Act is subsequently thrown out, "people already enjoy some benefits and won't want to give them up," Rosenblatt writes.

"It seems a safe bet that some provisions in the Affordable Care Act will stay on the law books," Rosenblatt concludes. "This places a few more patches on the national healthcare quilt. That's the American way." (Read more)

State and companies were unprepared for quick move to managed care, state auditor concludes

Kentucky officials and the companies in charge were unprepared for the switch to Medicaid managed care, State Auditor Adam Edelen said Wednesday. He sent the Cabinet for Health and Family Services 10 recommendations to improve the system, which provides health care for 560,000 Kentuckians who are poor, disabled or elderly.

Since the legislative session began, providers and patients have bitterly complained that the three new managed-care companies are "too slow to reimburse providers" and have "cumbersome pre-authorization processes to allow treatment," reports Beth Musgrave for the Lexington Herald-Leader. The state moved to managed care Nov. 1, a move meant to save the state $1.3 billion in three years.

In addition to the recommendations, Edelen said he will form a Medicaid auditing unit designed to improve the system. He recommended: hiring more managed-care staff to fix backed up claims payments and treatment authorizations, developing a system to measure whether providers are receiving payments in a timely way, and considering removing mental health services from the contracts. Kelly Gunning of the National Alliance on Mental Illness told lawmakers last week that she had asked mental health to be removed from the contracts in January, saying it had not worked in other states either. The companies are reportedly asking psychiatric patients to switch medications, even if the ones they are already on are working. The move has "meant that more people with serious mental illness have had to return to state psychiatric treatment centers," Musgrave reports.

Edelen said Kentucky officials "did not learn from the 1997 launch of Kentucky's first managed care contract — Passport in the Louisville area — and seemed ill-prepared to monitor and enforce the three new managed care contracts," Musgrave reports. Under managed care, the companies are paid a predetermined per-patient, per-month amount regardless of what care is needed. Because they won't be paid using a fee-for-service model — believed to be more costly — and will try to streamline care, managed care is meant to save money. (Read more)

House Judiciary Committee approves two bills to curb synthetic, Rx drug abuse

Cracking down on drugs is one of the most pressing topics of the 2012 General Assembly, and lawmakers showed they were serious about it this afternoon. (Associated Press photo by Ed Reinke of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville)

In an effort to get a handle on prescription drug abuse — and so-called pill mills that supply the addictive medications — the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that will place controls on pain management clinics, reports Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader. House Bill 4 also puts the power to police the problem into the hands of the attorney general; cracks down on prescribers who have had trouble with the law for drug-related crime; requires that the clinics be owned by people who have a medical background; and will get a detailed look at how many deaths are occurring by having coroners report any death caused from the use of drugs or drug overdoses.

"We don't really know how bad (the problem) is," said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, the Prestonsburg Democrat who filed the bill. "I think it will astound us when we get the results in because I think it might double what we think the numbers are."

The committee also approved House Bill 482, which prohibits trafficking and possession of synthetic drugs that are sold as bath salts or incense in convenience stores and other places. The measure, sponsored by committee chairman John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville, was passed unanimously.

Both bills will now go to the full House for consideration. (Read more)

Meds-for-meth compromise bill introduced

Lawmakers said they would compromise on the idea of making pseudoephedrine available only by prescription, and they have. Senate Bill 3 would only require a prescription for medicines containing the drug after a patient has bought 3.6 grams of it per month and a maximum of 15 grams per year. Gelcaps and liquid forms of the drug would still be excluded. (Associated Press photo by John Flavell of recovering addict Melanda Adams and Senate Majority Floor Leader Robert Stivers, who introduced the bill)

Now, people are limited to buying 9 grams per month and 120 grams per year of cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine, which is the key ingredient to make meth. The bill would also prevent anyone who has been convicted of a meth-related crime from buying the drug without a prescription for five years.

Last week, Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, withdrew a bill that would have required a prescription for any purchases of the drug. Stivers introduced this new bill yesterday and told The Courier-Journal it gives people who use the medicines "adequate opportunity without incurring medical expenses or the cost of a prescription to access these on a monthly basis and an annual basis."

Opponents to the bill still feel it is too restrictive, with the Consumer Healthcare Products Association continuing "to oppose burdensome restrictions to over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines that thousands of law-abiding Kentuckians rely upon for relief," Elizabeth Funderburk, senior director of communications for the group that represents makers of over-the-counter medicine and dietary supplements, told the Louisville newspaper.

Opponent Pat Davis, mother of six and wife of 4th District U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis, railed against the new proposal. "I'm not sure why they're calling it a compromise bill because I'm not sure who they compromised with," she said. She pointed out if four members of her family were to get sick with a cold, and took Sudafed to treat it for seven days, that would amount to 13.44 grams of the medicine — nearly the annual limit. "Really what this bill is is the same bill," she said. "They're throwing out a few crumbs, which they're calling 15 grams."

Jackie Steele, commonwealth's attorney for Laurel and Knox counties, told the paper that the lower limits could lead to a reduction in meth labs, but not for long. "I hope this cures it," he said of the meth-lab problem. "I don't think it will."

In London, whose Walgreens has the highest sales of pseudoephedrine in the state, Police Chief Stewart Walker agreed with Steele. "The bad guy is always going to figure a way around this," he said. "(With the compromise) you probably leave the door partly open and there's so much more room for added work."

The Senate Judiciary Committee could consider the new bill Thursday, and the entire Senate could vote on it this week, Stivers told the Lexington Herald-Leader. (Read more) For The Courier-Journal's story, by Jessie Halladay and Tom Loftus, click here.

AAR Lee V Ian, Game 2

After I had played Lee at Maelstrom games it took me two weeks of fairly high pain levels to get over it, was it worth it? My brain says no not really but to hell with that!! So we were keen to try and get another game in as soon as possible to build on our experience with the rules. This was delayed a bit by Lee getting some metal fragments in his eye but this only slowed him down (he built the terrain boards whilst off work ready for the game!!!) So rather than brave the cold of Maelstrom we played in Lee's sauna. He knows I feel the cold more than you normal folk so had cranked up the heat in his man cave. I thought I would pass out it was so warm. We also had stools to perch on so it made for a far more pleasant experience.

A quick word on the boards, lee wanted something that would also be able to be used for 28mm as well as 15mm. Looking at the texture I thought originally he had over played the 28mm and that they would not be so good for 15mm. I was wrong, the bases stood fine on them and they worked well. Lee's games room is so big that this lay out took a rather small part of his total table space. It's a fantastic games room that I hope we will use plenty more in the future.

OK same drill as the time before. 800 points (ish) and Lee was fielding the Macedonian army again and I was using the Persian. Lee has painted up a few more units whilst I have not rebased anything in the last two months but had plenty of options. Both of us learnt lessons from the last game so our armies had changed. Lee had added Elephants (4 of them) and had cut back on the light foot but mostly reduced his cavalry commitment. I had binned a unit of Hoplites and upgraded two of my Cavalry to the best I had on offer. I also had one Paphalgonian Javelin/LightSpear LC unit but it was larger that the original. Another upgrade was the Commander, I went inspired. Again the main idea was to get to know the rules rather than play for kidneys so we both were to do things, just to see that would not happen in a normal game.

At start set up, the village in the foreground was used as much because Lee had just bought it recently and painted it for the game, though it was placed as per set up, unlike the river that was added for the same reason but out of the way as it was just added for eye candy. Now given that Lee 6 weeks ago had no terrain for 15mm at all, suddenly we had plenty, we still need vineyards and olive tree groves which I need to supply but we agreed that I would do these post March 20th as I am in a painting contest. Both Lee and myself dislike the terrain set up rules that with odd dice could have all the terrain in one area, it makes a mockery of winning initiative if then dice decide where a terrain piece starts, lets face it, you have as much chance that that hill you picked will be in your opponents area as your own, and very little chance of it being in your centre. So we simply changed it so that you can place the piece but the rolls for changing it's position were still kept. Having won initiative again I went first.

Again my plan was to get the lights as far forward as possible and slow down the pike. Causing casualties would be a bonus but add a few turns to making contact was the aim of the game. I wanted to win on both flanks but overloaded my left to I hoped guarantee a quick win there. On the right I thought just a Medium Infantry should shake out a couple of lights and backed them with Light Horse bow armed and Cavalry with bow and Sword. Clearly enough.

Lee had the pike in the centre with Elephants protecting the flanks. On his right he had two BG's of Cavalry Lance and two Light Horse, one Javelin the other Lance. His left was just a BG of Cretans and another of Javelin/Light Spear. I had high hops on the flanks, no hope in the centre.

I was to move the left hand Hoplite BG onto the forward hill, knowing this would speed up contact but keen to give Lee a taste of what they could do and hoping that by then his flanks would be shredded. My camp is that sheet of plastic!! well by the next game it will be populated, finished the figures yesterday, now I just need to paint and flock the base and arrange the figures then I can hold my head high.

Oh so brave, Lee was charging them every opportunity and they just melt away, unfortunately often by far to much (AGAIN!!!), fearsome view though. Elephants can really be vulnerable as losing just one base will remove the whole unit but the -2 for shooting and -1 for Elephants really made this a difficult prospect as I could not get enough shots in and when I did Lee would need to roll a 1 to loose out. Rather frustrating as they stood up well but it all added to the fun.

Oh the first of many charges on my right flank. I did get them right up to the board edge where the Cretans would have had to face me but at this point my guys had lost their puff and the disruption they had picked up stopped them charging in. If only I had taken the LC along as well I could have netted at least one unit on that flank and the baggage, in the end nothing more than keeping two LF BG's out of the battle was achieved. Lesson learnt.

I tried being sneaky but I know I missed a rule that would not have been in my favour (I failed to step forward)I charged his Lances with a unit that could only get one base into contact so the impact phase had less effect and allowed my Javelin armed LC to fire. I had charged his LH which had evaded hence the nice looking lines. The net result was the Companions picked up a Disruption, yes Persian Cavalry did something, these were one of the two better BG's, both of which matched the Companion regiment for Quality and Armour though the guys behind were Agima and as such better quality. Note the use of my casualty marker :-)

Midgame and Lee is closing in whilst I fail to put a single dent in the attacking troops. I think next time it will be Javelin Light foot.

The lights on the right, are in fact Prodromoi Lance armed and in trouble. These also disrupted but they managed to do the same to me and I lost a base as well! But they had just 4 bases in the combat whilst I had four and that's before reduction for being lights. I had a good chance of rolling these.

OOOOps! My Cavalry get to grips with the Pike, shame really then it was really the other way round. The pike charged my lights who scarpered and left the Cavalry to take the hit. They help up fairly well but went Disrupted and lost a base. Being Cavalry they at least could get out of it.

Crunch time. My hoplites take on the whole Phalanx and hold out well. Out numbered on the dice they took their lumps and whilst Lee was causing me to loose bases I was doing the same to him but I was also losing Cohesion. The hill was all that was keeping me in it.

Push comes to shove! Close up of the action in the centre. I know I can't win but they held for a few turns, a victory in itself.

Time for Lee to have a play. In a normal game he would have waited but wanting to see if he could make a dent in me he charged up hill into my second Hoplite unit. The nett result was a lucky casualty save after becoming disrupted. The tough girls just kept taking the lumps right to the end of the game. Lee was lucky here as he should have lost them but next time, oh yes next time.

On the other flank I had a chance to charge into the rear of the other Elephants with my lights. As this is a auto drop in Cohesion I was eager to get that done. I passed my Complex test and needed 3 or more to contact so of course rolled a 2 and fell short. A shame as along with a good set of shooting rolls I could have got rid of these guys.

The game ended here. On my left I had routed the Companions and they were destined to go off board without rallying, the Lance LC had been destroyed and the same fate was soon to happen to the Javelin armed LC whilst the Agema was facing off against two fully ordered Persian Cavalry at full strength. This would leave the pike without protection as the nellies were off forward. I doubt I would have stopped the destruction of my centre though. The right was a joke with neither of us doing more than chasing each others tail. We called it a draw though it would have been fun to leave set up to continue to the end.

Lessons learnt. Most important was that we really do like these rules. I hope the Impetus rules grab me as much as these as then I will be truly happy with my Ancients gaming choices. We got used to the rule book a little more, though I am still baffled why they hide RULES in the Glossary section????? They score low on layout and order but if you want fast play rules these seem to fit really well. I am now supposed to be re-basing my ECW for the Renaissance rules sometime in the none too distant as it has fueled Lee to advance that bit further (Help anyone?) As I headed out the door Lee commented on how he needed to finish off a Naps unit that night, whilst I was more concerned with a sit down and maybe a nap happy in the knowledge of a bloody fine day.

So this is what he finished. I'm rather green with envy. Nice one Lee. thanks for the hospitality and a great day. Lets get to the next game.

Webinar on local food projects is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday

An online tool that features the local and regional food projects in the works across the country, as well as case studies that show successful partnerships between producers, businesses and communities, will be unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in a webinar at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

The "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" compass is an interactive document and map. During the webinar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan will discuss the instrument, as well as how local and regional food systems make money for local farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs. They will also discuss how responsible food systems increase the number of farms in the country and expand access to healthy food.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food was launched in September 2009. The initiative is meant to coordinate USDA resources and expertise on locally grown food.

To watch the webinar via live streaming, click here. Participate live by asking questions on Twitter to @usda and using the hash tag #KYF2. (Read more)

Video systems like Wii Fit not working against child obesity: study

Video games designed to encourage children to exercise don't do anything to prevent obesity, a study has concluded. It found that children either find a way to trick the games "into thinking they are moving around, or they make up for exercise by vegging out more later," reports Maggie Fox for the National Journal.

"It doesn't appear that there's any public-health value to having active video games available in stores — simply having those active video games available on the shelf or at home doesn't automatically lead to increased levels of physical activity in children," said Dr. Tom Baranowski.

Baranowski and his Baylor College of Medicine team studied 78 children, whom they gave the video system Wii to play with. "It's not clear whether those in the study group were more active as a result of the video games but compensated by being less active later, or if they found a way to manipulate the instruments to minimize the amount of physical activity," he said.

Other studies have shown the video systems are beneficial to some age groups, including seniors, Fox reports. The study is published in the journal Pediatrics. (Read more)

First lady didn't donate to breast cancer fund; Gov. Beshear announces collaboration to fight many cancers

Though First Lady Jane Beshear made headlines Monday when it was discovered neither she nor Gov. Steve Beshear had checked off a donation box to support breast cancer research on their state income tax returns — something the first lady has encouraged taxpayers to do — the governor announced Tuesday the formation of a foundation exclusively committed to reducing the rates of several types of cancer.

Gov. Beshear, who was treated for prostate cancer in 1994, joined members of the newly-formed Kentucky Cancer Foundation to announce their plans

to reduce lung, colon, breast and cervical cancer rates. To do so, foundation members will raise private funds and pursue grants to pay for services like mammograms, pap smears, smoking cessation programs and colon cancer screenings.

The public-private collaboration would focus first on screening 4,000 uninsured Kentuckians for colon cancer. Beshear has put $1 million for the screenings in his current budget proposal.

"Our most recent information shows more than 24,000 new cases of cancer in Kentucky each year and of those, more than 9,500 Kentuckians die from these cancers," Beshear said. "This is a real problem in our state that is affecting the lives of every family. As a cancer survivor, I know firsthand that screenings and an early diagnosis will help save our citizens from this horrible disease." (Read more)

As for the tax gaff, the Lexington Herald-Leader's Jack Brammer reports the 2010 returns show the Beshears did opt to check the box to donate at least $2 of their taxes to the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Diane L. Brumback, a Northern Kentucky breast-cancer survivor and Democrat who participated in a news conference with Beshear in January to promote the state-run Breast Cancer Research and Education Trust Fund, said Monday the first lady should stop promoting the cause "if she is not going to do as she says."

A Beshear spokeswoman underscored that the governor and first lady are very charitable. "On their 2010 tax return, you'll see they donated nearly $19,000 of their gross income — that's more than 11 percent of their before-tax income," said spokeswoman Kerri Richardson. "Not only do they donate money to many worthy causes, including those that support breast-cancer research, but they give their time and energy to promoting those charities and non-profit organizations." (Read more)

Extensive series focuses on the many faces of mental illness

Mental illness in Rowan County is the subject of an eight-part series of stories written by Noelle Hunter for The Morehead News.

With Part 1 largely an introduction to the project, Part 2 gets into the facts and figures of the disorders that fall under the mental-illness umbrella. According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, 45.9 million American adults — one in five — experienced some mental illness in the past year. In Kentucky, 180,000 people live with a serious mental illness, which includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Thomas Insell, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, described mental illnesses as "real brain disorders that result from complex genetic risks plus environmental factors." Neither prevalence nor mortality rates associated with mental illness have decreased over time. And though there have been advancements in treatments these disorders, most in the way of medication and therapy, there is still much that is unknown, Hunter reports.

That comes with larger cultural ramifications. In 2008, about 5,100 adults who have a mental illness were incarcerated in Kentucky prisons and almost 700 adults committed suicide, "almost always a result of untreated mental illness," Hunter reports.

The series is running on Tuesdays in the twice-a-week paper. Part 3 profiles a woman living with bipolar disorder; Part 4 will report on the views of clinicians and therapists; Part 5 will profile a man living with bipolar disorder; Part 6 will profile a person living with schizophrenia; Part 7 will focus on the effects on families; and Part 8 will look at treatment options and recovery. The website of the newspaper, part of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., is here.

Avoiding immunizations on religious grounds is risky: Bill Moyers

The movie "Contagion" has veteran journalist and commentator Bill Moyers thinking about how fast a deadly disease outbreak can spread, something that can be further propagated by children whose parents have declined to get them immunized on religious grounds.

All states require children to receive some vaccinations, but almost all, including Kentucky, grant religious exemptions. "Now seven states are considering legislation to make it even easier for mothers and fathers to spare their children from vaccinations, especially on religious grounds," Moyers writes.

In some places, that is affecting vaccination rates. In Oregon, the number of children in kindergarten with religious exemptions is up from 3.7 percent to 5.6 percent in the past four years. When the number of people who are not vaccinated increases, that can affect the whole population, since "a certain number of any population group needs to have been vaccinated to maintain the ability of the whole population — 'the herd' — to resist the spread of a disease," Moyers explains. In a class of 25 students, it just takes five who are unvaccinated "for the herd immunity to break down," he writes.

Recently, several outbreaks have been linked to children who have not received their vaccinations. Reuters reported 13 cases of measles in central Indiana, including two whop attended the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. "Patriot and Giants fans back East have been alerted," writes the New York-based Moyers. "So far, no news is good news."

Moyers calls the vaccination gaps "serious business," and reminds readers about serious disease outbreaks of the past, including measles, flu, small pox, polio, and whooping cough. While it's easy to be unconcerned, he says "our human herd moves on a conveyor belt of constant mobility, so that a virus can travel as swiftly as a voice from one cell phone to another. When and if a contagion strikes, we can't count on divine intervention to spare us. That's when you want a darn good scientist in a research lab." (Read more)

"The comments from vaccination skeptics on Bill's column show there are science-deniers on the left just as there are on the right," said Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues.

Benefits of Sunflower Seeds for Health and Pregnant Woman

Benefits of sunflower seeds for health and pregnant woman

Sunflower seeds for health
Who does not know the sunflower seeds? Almost all had to eat a light snack on this one. Apparently, though a small, but a lot of nutrients beneficial to the health of our bodies. Nutrients in the watermelon seeds can ward off cancer, repair and / or preventing cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and reduce levels of bad cholesterol.

Sunflower seeds from sunflower seeds. Plants from Mexico and Peru are then spread since 1700 to many countries. Flower plants were then cultivated on a large scale in Germany, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Hungary and the United States.

Sunflower plants originally cultivated as an ornamental plant. Later used as Sunflower seeds and seed oil for cosmetics products. Center of the sunflower crop in the area of ​​Central Java and East Java.

Sunflower seeds are a source of healthy fats (unsaturated) nearly 90%, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, protein and phytochemicals that are very good. Additionally, sunflower seeds contain polyunsaturated fats (linoleic acid) and single (oleic acid), a type of fat that protects the heart. Clinical studies showed that foods high in unsaturated fats are better than low-fat foods, because it increases HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers LDL (bad cholesterol).

Sunflower seeds are also the richest source of vitamin E; a quarter cup of sunflower seeds provides 90.5% of the daily requirement of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory; reduce symptoms of asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which is mainly influenced by free radicals and inflammation.


Adequate intake of vitamin E may reduce the risk of developing plaque in blood vessels and colon cancer. Also can reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes (hot flush) women experienced menopause and diabetes complications. In addition, Sunflower seeds also contain many beneficial minerals, such as phosphorus (705-755 mg/l00 g), potassium (648-689 mg/100 g), calcium (54-116 mg/100 g), sodium (3-99 mg / 100 g), iron (6.77 to 7.28 mg/100 g), and copper (0.69 to 1.75 mg/100 g).

Minerals calcium and phosphorus are very important role in the formation of bone and teeth, making it useful for preventing osteoporosis. The presence of potassium minerals are very important to balance the sodium. Potassium is hypotensive, which has the effect of blood pressure reduction.

Nutrition is no less important in the sunflower seeds are phytosterols, one of the phytochemicals. If consumed in adequate amounts, shown to lower blood cholesterol levels, heart healthy, improve the immune response and reduce the risk of some cancers. A study showed that of 27 nuts and seeds are most often consumed in the U.S., sunflower seeds and pistachios have the highest phytosterols (270-289 mg/100 g).

Sunflower seeds are also rich in folate (very good for pregnant women) and various minerals like magnesium, selenium, copper, zinc, calcium, and iron.

However, although the chemical content of Sunflower seeds play a major role for the health, the amount of consumption is still low and not continuously cause nutrient donations does not mean much to the community. Recognizing the importance of oil in sunflower seeds at this time has been processed into sunbutter.

Sunbutter a sunflower butter that can be used for cooking and making salad. Manufacture of products of flower seeds that have been done in China, Russia, Europe, and also the United States. Nowadays a lot of sunflower seeds processed into oil. Excess sunflower seed oil compared with olive oil is sunflower oil has oleic acid (omega-9) is higher. (Innk)

Sunflower | Benefits of Sunflower Seeds

Benefits of Sunflower Seeds - Kwaci derived from sunflower seeds contain vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B5, Vitamin E, folic acid, and various minerals such as manganese, phosphorus, selenium, potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, copper up.

The content of vitamin E in the Sunflower Seeds helps maintain healthy skin (smooth and help cell regeneration), healthy hair, and eyes. Not only that, vitamin E is also beneficial to enhance the detoxification of the body, prevents cancer, reduces asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, reducing risk of colon cancer, diabetes complications, and reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in blood.


Meanwhile, magnesium help nerve function, prevent bone loss and prevent muscle spasms. Selenium is beneficial for lowering blood pressure, prevent headaches or migraines, and can reduce heart disease and stroke.

Not only the seeds, other parts of the sunflower plant is also rich in benefits. According to Dr Setiawan Dalimarta, chairman of the Field Services and Applied Center for Development of Traditional Medicine (Sentra P3K) of Jakarta, sunflowers can reduce headaches, toothache, menstrual pain, or stomach pain. Meanwhile, the roots can be used to treat urinary tract infections, respiratory tract inflammation, whooping cough, and whitish. Finally, leaves are useful for malaria and anti-inflammatory.

Sunflower seeds can also be processed into vegetable oil equal to olive oil, so it can be widely used as a substitute for vegetable oil. The best quality oils obtained from seeds of varieties of black oil content ranged from 50 to 60 percent.

It turned out that Sunflower Seeds are also consumed throughout the world. Data from the Food and Ariculture Organization of the United Nations in 2005, noted that the country is Russia's largest producer of watermelon seeds, followed by Ukraine, Argentina, China, India, America, Turkey, Bulgaria, South Africa, and Serbia.

In addition to its own food, which has been peeled Sunflower Seeds can also be used as a substitute peanuts for topping chicken porridge, soup, salad, or yogurt.

Kentucky ranks next to last, Fifth Congressional District dead last in national healthiness and happiness survey

(Click on images for larger versions)

Kentucky was again next to last among the states in happiness and healthiness of its residents in 2011, ranking above only West Virginia, though precise rankings are uncertain. Eastern Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District ranked at the very bottom of the 436 districts — falling in last place in the categories of life evaluation, emotional health and physical health.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is based on a continuing national survey that asks respondents about their overall sense of well-being, physical health, happiness, job satisfaction and other factors related to quality of life.

Of the 190 cities ranked, Lexington was 95th and Louisville 152nd. Kentucky's well-being score was 63.3 out of a possible 100 points. Hawaii again ranked first, at 70.2. West Virginia's score was 62.3. Because there were fewer than 10 points between first and last place, the rankings are not precise. Kentucky ranked lowest in the country in emotional health, which is based on feelings of happiness and sadness. Respondents were also asked about "physical health (chronic health conditions, obesity); lifestyle behaviors (smoking, diet and exercise); emotional health (feelings of happiness, sadness); work environment (relationship with supervisors); basic access (health care, food); and life evaluation (how they rate their lives)," reports Nanci Hellmich of USA Today.

Results were based on telephone interviews conducted between Jan. 2 and Dec. 29, 2011, producing a random sample of 353,492 adults. The margin of sampling error for most states is plus or minus 1 to 2 percentage points, but as high as plus or minus 4 points for states with small populations such as Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware and Hawaii. (Read more)

Will birth-control mandate cost more or less? Yet to be seen

Will requiring insurance companies to provide contraception be cost-neutral, as the Obama administration claims? It is unclear, and so is whether insurance companies will make Catholic institutions pay more. These were the findings of FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, consumer-advocate project funded by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

In support of its claim, the administration cites data from Hawaii's birth-control mandate, which shows health insurance premiums "did not appear" to increase. The study also found the number of pregnancies increased after contraception coverage was required.

But when Pennsylvania considered imposing a similar mandate, a state agency found "the amount of possible savings relative to the cost of the legislation is unclear." Findings were also unclear in Connecticut when officials there looked at whether or not insurance plans saved enough because there were fewer pregnancies to offset the cost of providing coverage. A Texas study found insurance companies would not save enough because women would buy contraception on their own.

A recent survey of 15 insurance companies found six thought costs would increase and another three felt the move would be neutral in cost. None felt they would save money because of the mandate.

"Until better data are available, we're unable to conclude whether the Obama birth-control mandate is likely to result in a net cost increase or not," FactCheck reports.

ER at Louisville's University Hospital says it is pushed to brink; many other hospitals seeing more emergency patients

Louisville's University Hospital is straining to meet the vastly increased demand of patients coming to the emergency room. Last year, there were 58,010 visits to the ER to the facility, which is meant to act as a safety net for indigent care. That's way up from 33,058 in 2006.

"The safety net is frayed and getting ready to break completely," said Bill Wagner, executive director of Family Health Centers and ex-officio member of the Louisville Metro Board of Health. "The current situation isn't sustainable ... The system is broken and it's gonna get worse."

"The rising number of uninsured patients is a major driver" of the exploding ER volume, reports Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal. Between 2008 and 2010, 663,000 Kentuckians — or 15.5 percent of the population — lacked health insurance. In 2010, University Hospital received almost $69 million from federal, state and local governments to pay for indigent care, but it fell short by $20 million of the actual cost.

The strain has strapped the facility for cash to make improvements such as adding beds — to deal with overflow, 12 have been installed in the facility's hallways — or upgrading technology. Recently, University tried to merge with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and Catholic Health Initiatives to gain an influx of funds, but Gov. Steve Beshear blocked the move, since it would mean losing University as a public asset. University is now looking for other merger options.

Some of the increase in visits is due to the fact that fewer people are leaving the ER without being treated because of long waits. In 2009, 15 percent left for that reason, but "That's down to 1.7 percent this year, after a push to attend to patients immediately and get physicians to see them more quickly," Ungar reports.

But there's evidence there are just more patients coming to the hospital for treatment, as is the case in a program called First Care, meant for patients with less serious ailments, such as tooth abscesses. "Two-thirds or more of First Care patients are uninsured, and in recent years increased demand has led the hospitals to expand its beds from six to 13, become a 24-7 facility and hire a handful of new nurse practitioners," Ungar reports. "First Care cases, which are not included in the hospital's ER volume totals, rose from 8,353 in 2006 to 20,546 last year." Of those patients two-thirds or more were uninsured.

Other area hospitals have also seen increases in ER visits. From 2006 to 2010, visits increased from 45,377 to 49,462 at Kosair Children's Hospital; from 27,836 to 29,357 at Norton Hospital; and from 29,779 to 33,508 at Jewish Hospital. Some hospitals have seen slight declines, such as Baptist Hospital East, but that may be due in part to its retail clinics in Walmart and increased numbers of urgent-care centers. (Read more)

SNIPER!

This really is a cross post from my other ASL only blog. It can be great to have a project that melts two different parts of the same hobby into one, this is the case with my Sniper project. I must admit though, it's been a challenge to get exactly what I wanted but finally it's fallen into place. Selecting figures was not really too difficult, the original idea was to use sniper figures but I struggled to find figures that looked like I wanted them to. Basically I could buy a pack of 4 figures and use just one from the pack. This just did not float my boat. So I went after just riflemen, well in one of the packs it also came with a LMG so it will be interesting how that one goes down. Mostly I have gone with Artizan so far, but I also have a large number of Boltaction, though I prefer the former. What was far less easy was the picking out of bases and this is the area I have wasted the most money trying to get it right. Originally I was working with the plastic hexagonal base with the numbers painted on. The idea being that the number pointing towards you is the sniper number. This remained the cheap option right up to the end, but the main idea was using Heroclix bases. This had the advantage that they are readily available and can be picked up with a figure on them for around £1 + postage. The first ones I bought were 1st edition that was difficult to turn but would have worked though a little fiddly. Scratch a few quid. Then I ordered what looked like a base twist. I bought 16 of these but it turned out you had to hold onto the figure to turn them and what's more, they were very stiff. Figures would just come away from the base. Scratch £15!!! Only then did I find the Oreo style base, these I could still get at about the same price as long as I did not mind damaged figures (given I was cutting them off, I really did not mind!!) The problem is that the dial numbers did not have the number range I was needing (2-7) so I was going to have to replace the template. Not a major issue as I downloaded templates off the Internet but it's all time and effort. Then I discovered the Warbases casualty markers in Wargames Soldiers & Strategy issue 58. The plinth version of what I am using was being reviewed. Whilst not perfect it was close enough for me and looking on their website I saw the version I have used. The dial has a range of 1-12, plenty more than I need. The dial in fairness is slightly larger than I need but allows plenty of modeling space. the pictures below are of the bases almost finished, tufts need to be added but as I have ran out I need to nip out and get some more. I just have a few done at the bottom of the post.

Americans in greatcoats. Was a bit worried how these would come out, but rather pleased with the end result. You van see the tad for the dial sticking out at 11 O'clock. Simple system but works very well. I will do a full review of it at a later point.

Two 'Yanks' in normal battledress. These show off the decals I was talking about in the above post.The pic does not do them justice but I was in a hurry.

Much better shot. The decals (yes there are two on that arm) are between small and tiny. Company B also do 20mm decals, I don't even want to think about those!! I have painted up the 8 Yanks with a mix of uniform types and colours as they will never be used together.

A couple of Russians in winter padded clothing. I always thought of Russians in the pale brown but it seems the winter gear tended to be green. Must have stood out in the snow real nice. Again the basing needs work as you can see the figure base on the guy kneeling down.

The offensive LMG sniper, but at least he is back in the brown. With an extra mag in it's pouch hanging from his belt and a grenade stuffed in his boot I guess this guy means business.

All 21 painted and ready. Well 20 are ready, number 21 has to wait for a base (on order) and the tufts had not been added to any figures at that point. Below shows the figures from above to show off the numbers. You can also see the tufts which are by Army Painter.

Convenience, not expense, is making us avoid eating fruits, vegetables and other non-processed foods

A lack of convenience, not a high price, is the major obstacle to getting people to eat more fruit and vegetables, a study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition has found. The study analyzed the fruit and vegetable consumption in six low-income, mostly minority neighborhoods in Chicago.

"Participants who agreed that they had 'convenient access to quality' produce were more than twice as likely to eat the FDA-recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables," Sarah Kliff reports for The Washington Post. "Those who reported high cost as a barrier to the consumption of produce ended up eating just as much as those who didn't." (Post photo above by Barbara Damrosch)

The study seems to support New York Times columnist Mark Bittman's assertion that Americans are skipping nutritious food because it takes much more work to prepare, not because it's too expensive. "It's cooking that's the real challenge," he writes in a September 2011 column. "The core problem is that cooking is defined as work, and fast food is both a pleasure and a crutch." (Times photo by Daniel Borris)

Contributing to the problem, Bittman argues, is the addictive qualities of fast food and processed food: physically addictive, as a study by the Scripps Research Institute shows, and mentally addictive. Bittman cites David A. Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and author of The End of Overeating, who said manufacturers created food that was "energy-dense, highly stimulating and went down easy. They put it on every street corner and made it mobile, and they made it socially acceptable to eat anytime and anyplace. They created a food carnival, and that's where we live. And if you're used to self-stimulation every 15 minutes, well, you can't run into the kitchen to satisfy that urge."

The answer is in changing mindsets, Bittman writes, and getting "people to see cooking as a joy rather than a burden, or at least as part of a normal life." That takes education and changing the environment, which, he points out, has been done with tobacco. Cultural change can happen by celebrating whole foods, he writes. Political action would mean limiting "the marketing of junk; forcing its makers to pay the true costs of production; recognizing that advertising for fast food is not the exercise of free speech but behavior manipulation of addictive substances; and making certain that real food is affordable and available to everyone. The political challenge is the more difficult one, but it cannot be ignored." (Read more)

Judge orders Cabinet for Health and Family Services to speed up its release of child-abuse records

The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services has been given 90 days to release thousands of pages pertaining to about 180 cases of children who died or were badly injured from abuse or neglect. The order was issued Thursday by Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, who called the cabinet's reluctance to comply with state open records laws an "utter failure," reports Deborah Yetter of The Courier-Journal.

The ruling is the latest in the cabinet's fight with the Louisville newspaper and the Lexington Herald-Leader. Shepherd's ruling replaces a previous order that told the cabinet to release 1,000 pages a week, which it started doing Jan. 27. The documents released so far — which have been "heavily redacted" at the cabinet's discretion and against Shepherd's ruling — represent 15 cases.

The cabinet argued it should not be obligated to release the records since it is appealing Shepherd's decision, but the judge rejected that argument. He also said the cabinet had to list reasons for why it was redacting some information "and be prepared to defend them in court after releasing the files," Yetter reports. (Read more)

Meds-for-meth bill sent back to committee; compromise in the works, original sponsor says

The bill that would make pseudoephedrine — the key ingredient to make methamphetamine — available only by prescription was taken off the Senate floor Thursday afternoon. The bill's original sponsor, Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, said "he expects a compromise is near," reports Jessie Halladay for The Courier-Journal.

"We've probably reached some consensus on where we want to go," said Jensen, right, but declined to go into details about the compromise. Of a possible concession, he would only say, "It's not necessarily what I want and it's not necessarily what the industry wants," but would be a step in the right direction.

Senate Bill 50, which was narrowly approved by the Judiciary Committee last week, has been opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, which says it imposes an unnecessary burden on users who need the medicine for the relief of colds and allergies. Many law enforcement agencies, including the Kentucky Narcotics Officers Association, support the bill, saying it would made a big dent in the number of meth labs found in the state. The bill excludes pseudoephedrine that is sold gel-cap format. (Read more)

Kentucky receives $57.9 million to set up insurance exchange

Kentucky received $57.9 million Wednesday to help set up a health insurance exchange or marketplace — though lawmakers have made no move to make that happen. Kentucky is one of 10 states to receive this latest round of federal insurance exchange establishment funds, which totals $230 million. Of these 10 states, Kentucky received the highest sum by several million.

Of the 10 latest states to receive grants, seven of them have adopted a plan or made substantial headway, reports Richardo Alonso-Zaldivar for The Associated Press. In the exchange, considered one of the cornerstones of the new health care law, individuals and employees of small businesses can choose from several plans whose benefits coverage packages have been pre-approved by the state and federal governments.

So far, 30 states and the District and Columbia have received grants. Of those, only 13 and the District of Columbia have adopted a plan for how to proceed. States have until Jan. 1, 2013.

"Kentucky has not determined whether it will establish a health benefit exchange in light of challenges to the Affordable Care Act and the lack of federal guidance and a tangible federal exchange model to consider," said Kerry Richardson, communications director for the Office of Gov. Steve Beshear, said at the end of January. "However, impending ACA deadlines require considerable planning, evaluation, design and development of systems to address exchange issues whether the state or the federal government operates the exchange, and we are engaged in those efforts."

In September 2010, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Office of Health Policy received a $1 million exchange planning grant. In August, it received another $7.7 million to fund information technology systems. No bill has been introduced that would establish a state-based health insurance exchange so far. (Read more)

Lawmakers hear more complaints about managed care

Patients with mental illness are being denied medication, forced to try cheaper drugs that have already been proven not to work for the patient, or not getting them in time because of delays in approval. These were some of the complaints of the state's new Medicaid managed-care system, reports Deborah Yetter of The Courier-Journal.

"If this is how it's going to be, it is scary," Dr. Scott Haas, chief medical officer of the Bluegrass Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board, told the state Senate Health and Welfare Committee Wednesday. "It is dangerous, and it ultimately is going to cost us a lot of lives."

The testimony is the latest that highlights the weaknesses of managed care, which the state changed to on Nov. 1 to for 560,000 Medicaid recipients living outside the Louisville area. Executives of the three companies hired to provide the care — CoventryCares of Kentucky, Kentucky Spirit Health Plan and WellCare of Kentucky — last week pledged to do better.

The majority of yesterday's testimony focused on the system's problems in dealing with mental illness, but Deb McGrath, executive director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana, said she's been inundated with "complaints about delays or rejections in medications patients need to control seizures," Yetter reports. "Something has to be done," McGrath said. "It's just a vicious cycle." (Read more)

EL DESAFIO 2012 EL FIN DEL MUNDO

El Canal Caracol estaría ultimando detalles para el lanzamiento de una nueva versión del Desafío 2012 titulada El Fin del Mundo.

En la conducción estaris la hermosa y talentosa Margarita Rosa de Francisco y se rumora que el canal se encuentra en negociaciones con el cantante Carlos Vives para que sea el presentador oficial.

El Desafío es un franquicia que le ha brindado muchos éxitos al Canal Caracol en materia de rating, aún se desconoce si será una lucha de regiones o sí optarán por una lucha de generaciones, pero se cree que podría ser una lucha de participantes destacados de todas las temporadas de programas anteriores.

LA MODA DE LOS COLORES PASTEL REGRESA

Los colores pastel están arrasando, así que puedes rescatar algo de tu armario, pero sobre todo en tonos amarillo, verde, rosa y naranja, aunque éste último viene en versión flúor, llamado Tangerine Tango.

Estos colores pastel los podemos mezclar con otros del mismo color o entre sí; es decir, unos pantalones amarillo pastel con una camisa verde pastel o si elegimos unos pantalones menta, la podemos combinar con una camiseta en un verde más oscuro o más claro.

Dentro de estos estilos, se llevan los que emulan a los años 20, a un estilo minimal o a la dulzura babydoll,suelen ser prendas de tejidos suaves, ligeros, con encajes e incluso con estampados florales.

De día puedes llevar unos vaqueros o pitillos de cualquier color y tipo, siempre eligiendo el que mejor te siente ,para las rubias, el naranja o azul y para las morenas resaltan más con el amarillo y verde.

Para un look de trabajo, apuesta por las faldas tubo o plisadas o unos pantalones rectos acompañados de alguna camisa con detalles de encaje o minimal y no te olvides el blazer

En el look de noche no olvides tu vestido con volantes o plisado de estilo más femenino o prueba con uno de encaje o brillos entallado para convertirlo en un estilo más sexy.

Single best thing we can do for our health is exercise

In an innovative video that draws a complete picture of the answer, Dr. Mike Evans asks the question "What is the single best thing we can do for our health?"

It turns out that whether a person wants to reduce the risk of knee arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer's, diabetes, hip fractures, anxiety, depression, fatigue and low quality of life, the key is exercise.

"The best thing you can do for your health is to spend half an hour being active," said Evans, an associate professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto. "Low fitness was the strongest predictor of death."

The 9-minute video is worth a watch.

Happily, a survey shows more doctors like Evans are telling their patients to get out and exercise. Nearly 33 percent of adults who went to the doctor in the previous year said their doctor told them to be more physically active. In 2000, just 23 percent did, the survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

The survey found more women were told to do so than men, reports Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press. Of patients with chronic health issues, diabetics were told the most often. Cancer patients were least likely.

The widest margin of increase was in patients ages 85 and older. In 2000, just 15 percent were told by their doctors to exercise. In 2010, nearly 30 percent were. "It's very encouraging that doctors feel people at that age still have time to live and can make their health better," said Pat Barnes, a CDC health statistician who was the lead author of the report. (Read more)

Courier-Journal editorialists change position and join the Herald-Leader in supporting meds-for-meth legislation

The state's two biggest newspapers are in agreement: pseudoephedrine should be available by prescription only in order to curb methamphetamine production. The Courier-Journal offered its opinion in an editorial today: "Meth remains a scourge in Kentucky. It is not going to go away soon and without strong action its deadly, family-shattering impact will not diminish."

The position represents an about-face for the paper in Louisville, where the editorial board previously felt "such a restriction would create unnecessary burdens and expenses for legitimate users of pseudoephedrine."

However, with the meth problem not going away — there were a record 1,080 labs discovered in 2010 — the newspaper has changed its position, though acknowledged prescription-only will create some problems of its own: "'Pill mills' will likely dispense pseudoephedrine, just as they now illegally and unethically flood the market with pain medication, and police will have to crack down on such sales."

In December, the Lexington Herald-Leader offered its position, backing a prescription-only pills bill by Rep. Linda Belcher, D-Shepherdsville. "Methamphetamine would be a scourge if it hurt only those who ingested it. But the harm is far more widespread than that," it reads. "Highly mobile and as compact as a large soft-drink bottle, the meth-making process creates a risk of toxic exposure, respiratory injury and fire to all who come close."

The Courier-Journal backs Senate Bill 50, sponsored by Sen. Tom Jensen, R-London, and Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, which is similar to Belcher's bill. It narrowly cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, but opposition to it "has hardened" in the Senate, the editorial reads. (Read more)

Kentuckians talk about health care on new video channel

Featuring stories of Kentuckians telling their stories about their experiences with the health care system, Kentucky Voices for Health has launched a video advocacy channel.

"The mission of Kentucky Voices for Health is to advocate for the needs of the Kentucky health care consumer," Executive Director Jodi Mitchell said. "That means our main priority is helping to ensure that all Kentuckians have access to the quality care they deserve. This new video advocacy effort will ensure that legislators, media and the public can always hear firsthand about the healthcare concerns facing our state."

KVH is a coalition of more than 250 health care organizations, individuals and advocates. The stories will initially focus on stories relating to the move to Medicaid managed care. For more information, click here.

New federal rules on vending machines in schools are expected in the next few weeks

With new lunch standards set to kick in by next school year, the Obama administration is looking at its next target in the school food landscape: vending machines. New guidelines are expected to be released in the coming weeks "for foods that children can buy outside the cafeteria," reports Ron Nixon of The New York Times. Kentucky already has some rules in place, may get stronger as a result of the new guidelines. (NYT photo by Kirsten Luce)

Students eat from one-fifth to one-half of their daily diet at schools, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 20 percent of American children are obese. As of 2007 in Kentucky, more than 37 percent of children were either obese or overweight, a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows. The administration wants to ensure that students eat what is good for them and avoid becoming overweight, Nixon reports, but there is strong pushback from the food and beverage industries.

A study by the National Academy of Sciences reports that about $2.3 billion worth of snack food and drinks are sold each year in schools nationwide. Schools have a stake in the fight as well, with candy sold in fundraisers often used to help pay for sports, music and arts programs. In Kentucky, the changeover to water, lowfat milk and fruit juices caused a downturn in revenue from the machines, but in most cases it appears to have rebounded to earlier levels.

The forthcoming guidelines are unknown, but officials predict they will be similar to the changes in the school lunch program, which reduced sugar, salt and fat. Those changes were a compromise after a fight between health advocates and the food industry. Nancy Huehnergarth, executive director of the New York State Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance, said she expects another fight. "I think the food and beverage industry is going to fight tooth and nail over these rules," she said.

In Kentucky, schools are not allowed to sell food that competes with the national school lunch and breakfast programs from the minute students arrive until 30 minutes after the last lunch period. Only water, 100 percent fruit juice, lowfat milk and any beverage that contains no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving are allowed to be sold in school vending machines, as per state mandate. There are no limits as to what foods or drinks that can be sold in fundraisers. (Read more)

5 Super Foods Fighting Pain

5 Super Foods Fighting Pain | By eating "food antidote to the disease" below, you do not need to rely on the intake of vitamin supplements and health just to support performance.

1. Wheat grass

Wheat grass or wheat grass is commonly called a super food. There is strong evidence that eating in the form of wheat grass juice every day can prevent and cure certain types of cancer. Wheat grass high in micronutrient content, such as lysine, vitamin C, calcium, chlorophyll, and protein.

2. Leafy green salad

Many options greens that can be included in your daily menu, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage. However, it would be nice if you enjoy it in the form of raw vegetables or with steam. Vegetables should not be boiled because it can eliminate a lot of vitamin content. Green vegetables are very good for your health when eaten raw. These vegetables have a lot of vitamin A, C, and K, iron, calcium, and folate. They are also the largest source of fiber.


3. Juice of fruits and vegetables

Consumption of fruit and vegetable juices are the best way to get large amounts of antioxidants. To obtain maximum results, add a few pieces of garlic cloves into the fruit or vegetable juice you because garlic serves as a natural antibiotic.

4. A handful of nuts and seeds daily

Raw almonds, coconut, cashews, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds have good nutritional packaging. Why say nutritious? That's because these types of nuts and seeds contain these "good fats" (monounsaturated) the body needs to lower cholesterol.

5. Eat fruit every day

This method is quite simple and you can do it anywhere. The trick: take a piece of fruit in the bag when you leave for work. However, earlier (before breakfast), eat a piece of fruit or a handful of grapes. At noon, eat your fruits that have been re-take it, and last before bed.

Tips: Always eat fruit when stomach is empty. Pomegranates, grapes, and strawberries is a good one for your fruit consumption because it has antioxidant properties, which can fortify your body from germs.

Improve Mood Through Food

Improve Mood Through Food | Did you know that food has a major role, especially in affecting mood or mood? Worry, anxiety, or depression may be a sign that your mood is not good. But not to worry, you can improve your mood by trying some of the following foods:

1. Clam

Shellfish have vitamin B12 levels are high and serve to protect your brain to stay healthy and sharp as we age. In addition, it also has a seafood essential nutrients like zinc, iodine and selenium to balance your mood. This compound is very important to keep your thyroid levels and set the mood remains on track.


2. The blue potato

Chips of this type is quite rare to find. Please note, the blue color of the potato contains a compound called anthocyanins (also found on normal potatoes). Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that provide neuro-protective benefits, which serves to strengthen in the short-term memory and as an anti-inflammatory.

Make sure also that you eat the skin. Potato skins loaded with iodine and also may help regulate levels of thyroid and mood regulator. If possible, you should choose organic potatoes.

3. Lamb

Grazing animals has yet another level of conjugated linoleic acid content is high. These compounds can normalize stress hormones, protects brain cells and overcome dangerous inflammation, said Drew Ramsey, MD, an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

According to Ramsey, sheep meat contains heme iron (commonly found in foods of animal products) and most easily absorbed by the body. The presence of these minerals is especially important to keep your mood stable.

4. Black chocolate

Perhaps you've wondered why after eating a chocolate, body feel better? Of course, besides that it tastes good, chocolate also can make you improve your concentration and mood. When blood flow to the brain increases, it helps you feel more vibrant and energetic.

A recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that: eat at least a few ounces of dark chocolate a day in a better mood.