Signs of Depression

1 bag of split peas
2 onions
2 finely chopped carrots
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
8 cups of water or chicken broth




Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter. When they turn yellow add the chopped carrots and the split peas. Continue to saute for 10 minutes. Than add the water or chicken broth. Cover the pot. When the soup starts to boil add the salt and pepper. You can add any other seasonings you prefer.

Serve with garlic bread or pita bread.







split pea soup
Turbo Tagger

A study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) found that overweight Hispanic children are at significant risk for pre-diabetes, a condition marked by higher than normal blood glucose levels that are not yet high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. The persistence of pre-diabetes during growth is associated with progression in risk towards future diabetes, according to the study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Diabetes, and is now available online.

With a population of more than 35 million, Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. Despite the fact that Hispanics are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, few previous studies have looked at physiological causes of the disease within this population.

Researchers led by Michael I. Goran, Ph.D., professor of preventive medicine, physiology and biophysics and pediatrics, and director of the USC Childhood Obesity Research Center at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, followed a cohort of 128 overweight Hispanic children in East Los Angeles. The children were tested over four consecutive years for glucose tolerance, body mass index, total body fat and lean mass and other risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The study found that an alarming 13% of the children had what the scientists termed "persistent pre-diabetes".

Most prior studies examining pre-diabetes in overweight and obese children looked at a one-time assessment of metabolic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, but fluctuations over time led to poor reliability for these tests. In the new study, Goran and colleagues examined longitudinal data to look at a progression of risk factors over four years. Children were identified as having persistent pre-diabetes if they had three to four positive tests over four annual visits. The children who had persistent pre-diabetes had signs of compromised beta-cell function, meaning that their bodies were unable to fully compensate to maintain blood glucose at an appropriate level, and they had increasing accumulation of visceral fat or deposition of fat around the organs. Both of these outcomes point towards progression in risk towards type 2 diabetes.

"What this study shows is that doctors should be doing regular monitoring of these children over time, because a one-time checkup might not be enough to tell if they are at risk for developing diabetes," Goran says.

Visceral fat, which pads the spaces between abdominal organs, has been linked to metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Increased obesity has been identified as a major determinant of insulin resistance. Lower beta-cell function is a key component in the development of type 2 diabetes, as the cells are unable to produce enough insulin to adequately compensate for the insulin resistance.

"To better treat at-risk children we need better ways to monitor beta-cell function and visceral fat buildup," Goran says. "Those are tough to measure but are probably the main factors determining who will get type 2 diabetes."

Future studies will examine different interventions, including improving beta-cell function and reducing visceral fat.

"The study provides great insight into the risk factors that lead to the progression towards type 2 diabetes in this population," says Francine Kaufman, professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at USC and head of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, who was not directly involved in the study. "Only by understanding how this devastating disease develops will be able to begin taking steps to prevent it".


Posted by: Evelyn    Source

Bariatric surgery patients treated at highly rated hospitals have, on average, a 65 percent lower chance of experiencing serious complications in comparison to patients who undergo surgery at poorly rated hospitals as per a research studyreleased recently by HealthGrades, the nations leading independent healthcare ratings organization. As part of the study, the quality ratings of hospitals performing bariatric surgery in 17 states became available today at www.healthgrades.com.

HealthGrades' third annual Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals study, which reviewed bariatric surgical outcomes at every hospital that performed them in 17 states, also observed that the complication rate for these surgeries continues to rise, increasing six percent from 2004 to 2006. One possible reason: lower volume facilities have higher complication rates.

Bariatric surgery is a general term describing several types of weight loss procedures. HealthGrades study analyzed the outcomes of the most common, including traditional open surgical gastric bypass procedures as well as newer, less invasive procedures such as "lap-banding" and laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Complications linked to gastric bypass surgery accounted for the highest rise in complications, increasing 17 percent. Comparatively, complications from less invasive laparoscopic surgery increased by just more than one percent. Complications linked to bariatric surgery include heart attack, kidney failure, stroke and post-surgical infections.

The HealthGrades study found a significant shift toward laparoscopic bariatric procedures. From 2004 through 2006, open gastric bypass procedures declined by 81.82 percent while during the same time period laparoscopic procedures increased 418.86 percent.

Meanwhile, the total volume of bariatric surgical procedures in the U.S. continues to grow rapidly. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery estimates that such surgeries have increased 1,431 percent in the last decade to more than 250,000 annually.

"The tremendous variation we are seeing in quality among bariatric surgery providers underscores the importance of readily available quality data to help consumers make a truly informed decision about where to seek care," said Rick May, MD, a senior doctor advisor with HealthGrades and an author of the study.

Additionally, the third annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals study observed that:

• A typical patient having a bariatric surgical procedure at a five-star rated hospital in one of the 17 states studied has on average, a 65 percent lower chance of experiencing one or more inhospital complications than at a one-star rated hospital and a 41 percent lower chance than at a three-star rated hospital during 2004- 2006.
  
• Five-star (top rated) hospitals performed almost twice the volume of procedures in comparison to 1-star and 3-star facilitiesan average of 526 procedures from 2004 through 2006 compared with 266 and 283 respectively.
  
• Higher volume was linked to fewer risk-adjusted complications. Facilities with an annual case volume of 125 procedures had the lowest risk-adjusted complications. Facilities performing less than 25 cases per year had the highest rate of risk-adjusted complications.
  
  
• If all patients had received their bariatric surgery procedure at 5-star hospitals (from 2004 through 2006), 5,125 inhospital complications could have been potentially avoided in the 17 states studied.

HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Ratings
HealthGrades' quality ratings for bariatric surgery at individual hospitals in 17 states were posted today to www.healthgrades.com as a free resource for consumers. Each hospital receives a star rating based on their patient outcomes for bariatric surgery. Hospitals with above-average outcomes receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating.

The study included a total of 154,451 bariatric inpatient surgery procedures performed in 680 hospitals in 17 states from 2004 through 2006. The majority of procedures were performed in four states: New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and California.

• 93 hospitals stand out as "best" performers (5-star rated).
  
• 263 hospitals were rated as "as expected" performers (3-star rated).
  
• 99 hospitals were rated as "poor" performers (1-star rated)

Individuals contemplating bariatric surgery will find both quality and cost information at www.healthgrades.com. In addition to the free hospital-quality ratings, Web site visitors can also research surgeons who perform bariatric surgery as well as medical-cost reports that detail all of the costs, including out-of-pocket expenses, for the procedure.


Methodology
For this study, HealthGrades analyzed 154,451 bariatric procedures performed in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. The states included in the study are: Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.

To make accurate and valid comparisons of clinical outcomes at different hospitals with different patient characteristics, HealthGrades risk adjusted the data using multivariate logistic regression to account for age, gender and underlying medical conditions that could increase the patient's risk of mortality or complication. The full study and individual hospital ratings for bariatric surgery and other procedures can be found at www.healthgrades.com.


Posted by: Evelyn    Source

I took a poll regarding what people struggled most with. The majority said that they struggled the most with eating healthy. Sometimes it does take one a little while to change one's bad habits. Until, one can become strong enough to resist the foods that are not good for them they must put themselves in an environment where they can make better food choices. Eating and shopping is no different.

When you know better you have to do better. So, where can you shop to make better food and health choices?

Health food stores are a great place to shop. They are small and it's easy to find what you need and you don't get so overwhelmed. I believe that you will also be more likely to try out different foods that you might of not thought of to try which are better for your health.

Here are some name's of health food stores:

1. The Natural Food Patch
2. Trader Joe's
3. Whole Foods Market
4. Wild Oats
5. The Better Health Food Store

Another store that is not a health food store but in my opinion is making an effort to give their customers better food choices is Meijer's.

Eating locally is good for your health too. You should eat foods in your locale because they contain the cure and antidote for all the little viruses, bugs, and special bacterial strains that occur in your area. Today, we are getting food from all over the world, and we don't know what kinds of chemicals they are using to treat them or what's in them.

A prime example is the salmonella problem we are now having. They don't know where the problem is coming from. That is another disadvantage of having food coming from everywhere. They don't know who is doing what.

To find out where you can buy your food locally go to: Local Harvest.

A way that you can tell if your food is grown locally is to look on the package and it will tell you if that fruit or vegetable is grown in your state. Randazzo's sells a lot of Michigan produce and they also have honey from there too. You should be able to know where your food is coming from and this is a way that you can.




Shopping, Eating Healthy, Eating Locally
Turbo Tagger

Summer is in full force. It's hot, humid, and everyone is trying to beat the heat. The most common ways to stay cool are: drinking lots of cold water, running the air conditioner or fan, going swimming, eating ice-cream, and sitting under a large tree for shade.

It's so hot and the blazing sun is beating down everywhere you turn. How do you stay cool? What else can you do?

Wear long loose-fitting clothes. Clothes that allow your skin to breathe. When the wind blows you can really feel it. Fabrics like: silk, rayon, georgette, cotton, linen, cotton gauze are great to work or relax in. Wearing long loose-fitting clothes not only keeps you cooler longer and faster it is also a protection from germs for your skin. If you are sitting at a public bench at a store or park. You don't know how many people have sat there before you. It's hot, and people have been sweating all over the seats. You don't want other people's sweat on your skin?

Long loose-fitting clothes is a protection from the sun and germs. Your skin doesn't have to pay the price. This way you can save money too, because you won't have to buy sunscreen, because your body will be covered and not exposed to the sun.

Have a fun and safe summer! Keep cool!





hot, summer, staying cool, beat the heat, long loose-fitting clothes
Turbo Tagger