Pill-Popping Nation

CBS News' Sunday Morning show aired an interesting piece last weekend concerning our nation's drug consumption. It began with a startling statistic: the United States makes up just 5 percent of the world's population, but it accounts for a whopping 42 percent of the world's spending on prescription drugs — more than $250 billion just last year. Many people seem to be taking pills for both ailments they actually have and ailments they worry about having.

Other notes from the segment include:
-The average TV viewer is bombarded with an estimated 10 prescription drug ads a day.
- At Brand Institute, Inc., a Miami marketing firm, naming, or re-naming, syndromes for drug companies is 20 percent of the business.
-Every dollar spent on advertising pharmaceuticals produces more than $4 in sales.

My feeling on the topic is that prescription drugs have an important place in our health care system and often contribute greatly to patients' quality of life. The problem that we are facing now is that the industry has become more concerned with the marketing and business aspect of the field, when the focus should always be on what is best for the patient.

Aside from each drug's individual side effect on the body's general health, it is very difficult to determine the interactions that go on between each of the multitude of drugs in a patient's body at one time, which adds to the danger of pill-taking.

Read the full story here.
CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Posted by Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.
Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs

Study: Diet Foods Making Kids Fat

I have long thought that diet foods and diet drinks were strange substances. How can something like Diet Coke® have under one calorie? Read all the chemicals...er...ingredients listed on the label...

Diet Coke®: Carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, sodium saccharin, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors (vegetable source), citric acid, caffeine, potassium citrate, aspartame, dimethylpolysiloxane. PHENYLKETONURICS: ASPARTAME CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE.

Yikes.

Also, how can drinking something that tastes sweet but does not contain carbs be good for your body? It fools the pancreas into releasing insulin to metabolize carbs/sugar that is not there. A new study links diet food to obesity in children, and this should raise alarm. Here is the link to the story. Carbs are okay, and everything in moderation should enable you to have a happy relationship with food. But don't think that drinking Diet Coke in place of regular coke solves your weight problem.

Posted by: Michael Pingicer, M.S., L.Ac.

Work + Life Fit Reality; The Concept, The Blog, The Book

I found this great website and blog about making work & personal life fit. It contains tips, articles and professional services for single people, married people, people with kids and businesses.

Here is info from the website:

"Mission
To positively change the cultural conversation to show that work and life can fit together in a way that benefits both the individual and the organization.

To move individuals beyond limiting “all or nothing” beliefs to:
Recognize the countless work+life fit possibilities that do exist
Take the lead to strategically manage their “fit” throughout the transitions in the work and personal life
To help organizations recognize that work+life fit flexibility is a/an:
Strategic business imperative critical to success in the 21st century
Employee initiated, manager supported process, not a policy or benefit.
To create strong work+life fit partnerships between individuals and organizations."

"As one of the leading thinkers and freshest voices in the work+life dialogue today, Cali Williams Yost offers credible, expert opinions for news/feature articles and broadcast and web programming. Cali can comment on work+life issues from both the organizational and individual perspectives further distinguishing her from other sources on the topic.

While the topic of “balance” dominates most work life media coverage, Cali believes in today’s “New Work+Life Fit Reality,” the idea of balance is a myth, and that it’s not up to companies to resolve work+life challenges, but individuals in partnership with their employers. As President of Work+Life Fit, Inc., she counsels corporations, organizations and individuals.

In 2005, her critically acclaimed book, Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You (Riverhead/Penguin Group, 2005) was published (See Reviews). She is a frequent speaker and publishes a weekly blog.

No longer just a human resources or working woman’s issue, today work+life fit is an important strategy affecting all aspects of the business and individual’s life cycle. Cali can address the work+life topic in a variety of contexts as well as comment on new research."

Posted by Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.

Self-Care Techniques for Capoeiristas: The Seminar

Self-Care Techniques for Capoeiristas

When: Tuesday August 21th 8:30 p.m.
Where: Raizes do Brazil Capoeria Brooklyn
Flatbush Avenue, 2nd Floor
Cost: $20(sign up before Aug 15th and pay only $15)
100% of the proceeds for this event benefit Raizes do Brasil Capoeria
Brooklyn's Batizado.

"Curadeira" Juliette Aiyana will give a one hour interactive class teaching self-care techniques including;

- Self-massage & acupressure
- Stretches for areas that commonly get tight due to Capoeira training
- Use of liniments, muscle plasters and baths for muscle sprain/strains, tendon and bone pain.
- When to push through pain vs. when to break
- Keys to hydration
- Sports nutrition

Liniments and plasters will be sold at the event and all profits will go toward the Batizado.
Participants should wear comfortable clothing and bring a notebook and pen.

Curadeira is an author and natural health educator who has been a practitioner of Chinese medicine since 2001. Her practice Aiyana Center for Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs is in Union Square.

How To Lose Weight

The NYC Department of Health Issued this New, Free PDF Health Bulletin.

How to Lose Weight
10 Weight-Loss Tips That Really Work
Small Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

Health Bulletin #51 is one in a series on issues of pressing interest to all New Yorkers. All Health Bulletins are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese, and many are available in other languages. For copies, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/health.

Posted by:Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac. Author of Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management An Evidence-Based Integrated Approach. Her book is about acupuncture weight loss, Chinese herbs and Chinese and Eastern food therapy for weight loss.