May 3rd, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: American Journal of Public Health, Arby's, Burger King, Canada, Corporate Responsibility, Corporations, Diabetes, Diet and Nutrition, Dietetics, Europe, Fast Food Nation, Fast Food Stock, food, Food and Nutrition, General Medicine, Health Insurance Companies, Healthcare Legislation, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare reform, Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, Inc., Insurance Industry, Internal Medicine, Investment, Jack in the Box, Life Insurance Companies, McDonald's, Obesity, Overweight, Primary Care, Private Health Insurers, Privatization, Processed Foods, Stock, Stroke, United States, US, Wendy's
1 Comment »
A new article published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that U.S., Canadian, and European insurance firms hold $1.88 billion of investments in fast food companies like Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s/Arby’s Groups. Both health insurers and life insurers have substantial holdings in these companies.
A person just needs to read “Fast Food Nation” or watch the documentary “Food, Inc.” to understand the negative impact of processed foods on the health of our country.
The evidence is so compelling that the new health reform legislation is requiring fast food and chain restaurants to disclose calorie counts on their menus. Ironically, the new legislation will also add millions of customers to the health insurers. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
May 3rd, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: ACP, American College Of Physicians, Anger, Bipartisan, Doctors, Healthcare Law, Healthcare Policy, Healthcare Politics, Healthcare reform, Hope, Internal Medicine, Internists, Mark Blumenthal, Medicare SGR, National Journal, Rancor, Stat, Uncertainty
1 Comment »
I just got back from a wonderful week in Toronto, Canada. No, I wasn’t up there to take tips on how to impose socialized medicine on an unsuspecting public, notwithstanding what some of you may incorrectly-surmise about my political leanings.
Rather, I was there to attend ACP’s annual scientific meeting, during which I had the opportunity to serve as faculty for three separate scientific sessions that discussed the impact of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACPA) of 2010 on internists and their patients. Several hundred ACP members attended these sessions.
And guess what? Rather than encountering doctors who were angry at the new law and ACP’s support for it, I instead found an engaged and curious group of internists who are looking at health reform in a reasoned, measured and open-minded way. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
May 1st, 2010 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
Tags: Adipose Tissue, American, CAD, Caloric Intake, Cholesterol, Coca Cola, Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes, Diet and Nutrition, Dr. Kelly Brownell, Elevated Blood Pressure, Fat, Food and Drink, Health Economics, Health Effects, Heart Disease, High-Calorie Drinks, Increased Blood Triglyceride Levels, Insulin Resistance, New England Journal of Medicine, Obesity Epidemic, Overweight, Pop, Public Health, Soda, Sugar Consumption, Sugar Intake, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Sweetness, Tax System, US, Weight Gain
No Comments »
We are a nation stricken with an epidemic of obesity, which contributes to the incidence of diabetes and heart disease. Each of these has been linked to consumption of sugar intake, and in particular, sugar-sweetened beverages.
There’s nothing evil about sugar — it’s just that too much of it in certain forms is bad for you. For the purpose of definition, sugar-sweetened beverages contain added, naturally-derived caloric sweeteners such as sucrose (table sugar), high-fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates. Read more »
This post, American Obesity And Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
May 1st, 2010 by DaveMunger in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research, True Stories
Tags: Blood Pressure, Calcium, Calories, Carbohydrates, DASH diet, Diet and Nutrition, Dietetics, Food and Nutrition, General Medicine, Iron, McDonald's, Nutrients, Protein, Saturated Fat, Sodium, Super-Sized, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Weight Gain
1 Comment »
This week I’ve been trying to eat according to the DASH guidelines for lowering blood pressure. It actually hasn’t been too difficult — partly because I’m not following their strictest guidelines, which call for just 1,300 milligrams of sodium and 16 grams of saturated fat a day. I’ve been shooting for 2,300 milligrams of sodium and 22 grams of saturated fat.
In 2003, I tried a somewhat different “diet,” which in some ways was more difficult to follow, even though it only lasted one day. My son Jim (then age 11) and I ate every meal at McDonald’s for an entire day (yes, this was before Super Size Me). We recorded the experience on the Web. I thought it would be interesting to compare my day at McDonald’s to a typical day on DASH. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Daily Monthly*
April 29th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Depression, Internal Medicine, Internet-Based Treatment, Jan Bergstrom, Karolinska Institutet, Mental Health, Panic Disorder, Psychiatry, Psychology, Self-Help Program, Sweden
No Comments »
According to a doctoral thesis to be presented by Jan Bergström at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via the Internet is just as effective in treating panic disorder as traditional group-based CBT. It’s also apparently efficacious for the treatment of mild and moderate depression.
Access to conventional CBT is limited in Sweden, so an Internet-based CBT was developed in which the patient undergoes an Internet-based self-help program and has contact with a therapist by email. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
A new article published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that U.S., Canadian, and European insurance firms hold $1.88 billion of investments in fast food companies like Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s/Arby’s Groups. Both health insurers and life insurers have substantial holdings in these companies.
