Safe & Ready April 26, 2011
Posted by acroanmph in Public Health.Tags: Emergency management, Emergency Preparedness, Mountain House foods, Survivalism
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Are you prepared?
Alright, preppers and survivors! Based on my recent poll results, this post is dedicated to all of you who indicated Emergency Preparedness as one of your top three public health topics of interest. There’s a lot of ground to cover before the world ends, so without further ado…
I’ve avoided this particular topic in the past because there are so many variables. What kind of disaster are we preparing for? How long do our supplies need to keep us alive? Do we plan differently based on whether it is summer or winter? Is it a local, national, or global crisis? Will there be any resources available anywhere in the world? Is it a simple storm that caused power outages for several days, or is it a nuclear or bioterrorist attack which could draw out the “final days” for many months? Would it be safe to venture outside? The required amount of endless supplies would fill my garage, or my house even, so I think, “Voila! I’m prepared. My emergency preparedness zone is my house.” Which, as we all know, is a cop out. How to prepare, exactly, is a conundrum that makes my head spin and frankly, results in complete lack of preparation.
Alas, I have unearthed some tips and techniques to simplify the daunting task of an Emergency Preparedness.
- Find out from a local agency which disasters are most likely to occur in your area and what type of community plan is in place.
- Use the AAP site to help create a family disaster plan, supply checklists and even family evacuation tips.
- Homeland Security offers blank contact cards and a family communications plan form, and a site for a putting together an emergency kit, making a plan and staying informed.
The likelihood of large-scale disasters is proving to be a sudden, increased cause of terror for many people. The manufacturers of Mountain House freeze-dried foods (you know, the pouches we love to take camping) are sold out! From the Mountain House website:
As you know we have removed #10 cans from our website temporarily. The reason for this is sales of #10 cans have continued to increase… We expect this situation to be necessary for several months although this isn’t a guarantee..Orders with #10 can foods or food reserve units are processing in about 28 business days due to the extremely high demand that has been caused by our nation’s current political & economic uncertainty as well as high inflation fears. We anticipate prices will soon rise as are all food prices worldwide.
Uncertainty of all kinds has prompted a renewed interest in readiness. From ancient to new age predictions, extreme weather and global economics, elevated threat levels, we are worried. The preppers movement has a network in every state for survivalists who depend on self-reliance, and a site that gets over 5,000 hits per day.
Stock up on your supplies, complete the checklist, devise a plan with your family and hope for the best. While even the most prepared of us wouldn’t stand a chance against a tsunami, wildfire or volcanic eruption, these calamities are rare. It is likely we would be able to sustain ourselves until the situation improves or help arrives, and that is the point.
Optimistic About Ending Malaria April 25, 2011
Posted by acroanmph in Global Health.Tags: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Malaria, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, West Africa, World Malaria Day
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It’s overwhelming, at best troubling, the countless catastrophic ailments plaguing less developed countries. Will an avenue of health ever be glimpsed by these populations just so they can achieve a sustained ability to lead normal, productive lives? How much more assistance can the rest of the world provide while simultaneously dealing with their own issues? The outlook need not be bleak.
Malaria is one of the top three world-wide killers affecting 300 million people, according to the CDC, and two years ago killed over 1 million, mostly children. Every 45 seconds an African child dies from this mosquito-borne disease. In this six-minute video, Bill Gates explains the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to eradicate the disease from the planet. It’s an inspiring, optimistic view of the probability of global eradication with a sustained effort.
No short-term eradication prognosis, but a high chance in the long-term. While scientists continue to work to produce a vaccine for the ever-mutating organism that causes Malaria, there are simple ways you can help. Widespread use of bed nets is a simple, cheap, effective prevention tool used by 70% of the population with astounding results. One DDT-treated net costs $5 and lasts for 5 years. Alone, bed net use has decreased prevalence of the disease by 50%-80% in tropical and sub-tropical nations.
The United Nations program Nothing But Nets asks for donations before West Africa’s rainy season begins in May.
Malaria No More has donated 2.6 million nets in the last five years and is hopeful for complete bed net coverage within he next four years.
The Gates Foundation continues major funding for a malaria vaccine at Seattle BioMed.
Click here for a breakdown of Malaria disease basics and statistics in an article by fellow health writer Puja Chandra, published via blog.persify.
On this fourth annual World Malaria Day, lives are depending on our help. Donate if you can, spread the word if you will.
Calcium for Bone Health–Not What You Thought April 19, 2011
Posted by acroanmph in Public Health.Tags: Calcium, Dairy product, Health, Horsetail, Osteoporosis
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Keep drinking your milk, but don’t expect it to prevent bone loss. Calcium is an essential nutrient required for bone function, but it will not stave off osteoporosis (a decrease in bone density), or make weak bones strong. Michael Castleman, medical journalist, has compiled some surprising statistics relating calcium intake to bone fractures:
- Four worldwide epidemiological surveys show that the nations that consume the most calcium have the highest rates of hip fracture.
- One epidemiological study correlated hip fractures with the amount of animal and vegetable protein various countries consume. As animal food consumption increases, so do hip fractures.
- Since 1975, 136 trials have explored calcium’s effects on osteoporotic fracture risk. Two-thirds of these studies show that high calcium intake yields no reduction in the number of fractures—even if people begin taking calcium (with vitamin D) during childhood.
- In one study, Harvard researchers surveyed diet and hip fractures among 72,337 older women for 18 years. They concluded, “Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet appears to reduce [fracture] risk.”
- Another Harvard team analyzed seven trials that followed 170,991 women for several years and found “no association between total calcium intake and [reduced] hip fracture risk.”
- The people of Asia and Africa consume little to no milk after weaning, and their fracture rates are 70% less than those in the U.S.
The calcium our bodies require for strong bones does not come from dairy products or other animal proteins. In fact, it is these dietary items that cause many life-threatening diseases commonly plaguing Americans: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, strokes. The proper form of calcium and other nutrients to support bone health come from fruits and vegetables which have low acid content. High protein diets, including all dairy products and meat, increase acid in the blood which draws nutrients and calcium from bones in order to make it more alkaline. This, of course, weakens bones resulting in osteoporosis and bone fracture.
This is an important issue, as half of all U.S. women over the age of 50 will suffer some type of bone fracture, most likely in the hip.
Dietary Tips
Imagine your plate divided into fourths. One fourth may have one serving of protein (the size of your palm or a deck of cards). One fourth may have one serving of carbohydrates, and the other half should be loaded with a variety of fruits and vegetables. The protein or carb portion of your plate may frequently be replaced with additional greens.
For an herbal bone strengthener, try horsetail. It is rich in silicone which promotes growth and stability of the skeletal structure. This is also helpful for healing bone fractures and not only preventing osteoporosis, but reversing it.
Also important for strong bones – Vitamins C, D, K and potassium.
Read about a non-protein, good source of calcium in Blackstrap: The Healthy Molasses.
Sources:
Castleman, Michael, Building Bone Vitality, McGraw Hill, 2009.
Heinerman, John, Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs, Prentice-Hall, 1988.
Malawi: Hardest Hit by HIV April 12, 2011
Posted by acroanmph in Global Health.Tags: AIDS, Antiretroviral drug, Health, HIV, Madonna, Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa
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Malawi HIV/AIDS prevention campaign
In the sub-Saharan inland country of Malawi, one million of its population of 14 million are infected with HIV/AIDS, the primary cause of life expectancy being only 43 years.
Additionally, over two million orphaned children lost both parents to AIDS and have become a burden to the country for basic needs and education. Orphanages feed whoever shows up, often 2,500 children each day at each site.
Being the fourth poorest country in the world, this agricultural subsistence population suffers from the deadly loop of poverty-disease-poverty. The constant struggle is for Malawians to stay healthy enough to go to school or work the fields, but most people are too sick to work or must care for sick family members.
Malawi, Africa
Between 1985 and 1993, HIV prevalence increased in women over the age of 15 from 2% to 30%. President Banda ruled for 30 years and refused to acknowledge the disease or help prevent it through education. In 1994, President Muluzi took office and put HIV at the top of his agenda including a more liberal climate making discussions about disease prevention more likely without the fear of persecution. By 2002, 70% of hospital deaths were due to HIV/AIDS or related opportunistic infection.
The prevalence rate hovers at 11%(rural) -17% (urban), whereas the global average is 1%. However, a world-wide response to Malawi’s condition has resulted in financial assistance, increasing the availability of testing, counseling, and antiretroviral drugs with an emphasis on reducing mother-to-child transmission.
Madonna founded RaisingMalawi.org in 2006 to aid the vast number of orphans with obtaining food and nutrients to avert severe malnutrition, skills training and education, and medication. Here is how one orphanage is coping:
One Love, a campaign established through the Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication, addresses in 10 African nations the harmful aspects of multiple sexual partners. The National Strategic Framework (NSF) has implemented several prevention and care programs, a National AIDS Policy was established, and today it is illegal to knowingly transmit the virus.
An increase in prevention education, funding, training, (healthy) human resources, transportation to and from medical facilities are still required in Malawi to decrease disease prevalence.
Trickery, Manipulation and $50: A Plan for School Cafeterias April 5, 2011
Posted by acroanmph in Public Health.Tags: Brian Wansink, Childhood obesity, Food and Brand Lab, School lunches, School meal
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To combat the growing child obesity issue plaguing the U.S., chefs, consumer behavioral psychologists and school districts have come together to “trick” kids into making healthier decisions for school lunches.
Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980 and calorie counts in school lunches also rise. This only holds for the U.S., however. School lunches tend to reflect national traditional eating habits. A typical school lunch in the Philippines, for example, consists of boiled pork with a liver dipping sauce served with rice. In Japan, steamed vegetables, noodles, egg, bacon, watermelon, bread and milk is customary, while U.S. school lunches regularly include pizza, fried chicken nuggets and fried chicken patty on bun, and chocolate milk. The small, unopened package of baby carrots usually gets “recycled” for another day.
Various professionals have already tried to make headway where school lunches are concerned. Chef Jamie Oliver attempted to change our nations lunches single-handedly in U.S. towns ranked with highest childhood obesity rates. Unfortunately, despite his altruism and enthusiasm, this approach fails as people feel forced to change against their will.
What works? An alteration of the eating environment which encourages healthier eating under the idea that it is a choice. Brian Wansink, a Cornell University professor specializing in behavioral engineering, director of its Food and Brand Lab, and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think offers this example. “You want your kid to eat carrots? Then give her a choice between eating celery and carrots. If you just offer carrots, she’ll feel that you are forcing a vegetable on her. If you give her carrots and celery, she’ll pick carrots and think it was her idea.”
“People say, ‘You are tricking people, that’s manipulative!’” he says. “But the truth is any eating environment is manipulative in that it will lead you to eat a certain way. So let’s create environments that nudge people to do the right thing.”
In his Smarter Lunchrooms Initiative, he guarantees an improvement in eating behaviors with choice and presentation. For less than $50, schools can implement just two changes that will increase healthier choices. One is making fruit visible. “Take it out of the nasty steamer pan under glass and put in a nice bowl that you buy at a rummage sale or TJMaxx and put it in a nicely lit place at the end of the line [not the middle or the beginning]. That doubles the amount of fruit people take, resulting in a 70% increase. Second, with vegetables, we find that simply putting a little menu card calling something “creamy corn” versus “corn,” or “crunchy carrots” versus “carrots” [and placing it at the beginning of the line] will lead to a 28 percent increase in kids taking vegetables.”
Over 1,400 schools have expressed interest in these changes. But he is measuring success by the schools who make these two changes and report sales to him. He’s aiming for 10,000.
In this video, Dr. Wansink explains subconscious patterns which generally cause us to eat more than we think.
Trickery works wonders at home too, creating healthier and happier family members. If you happen to be the “chef,” seeing how you can trick your diners into making better choices is a fun challenge. If you’re a regular household diner, you can look forward to the variety and attractive presentation you’ll be receiving.
On this topic:
USDA Funds Research on Improving Child Nutrition Programs Through Behavioral Economics
