Will Clower on The Culture of Health

Obama Full Court Press on Healthcare Reform

2009-07-20T09:13:00.002-04:00

Obama applies Full Court Press to pass healthcare reform. Bush tried that on Soc Sec reform and lost big. He's walking a fine line and needs to find a middle ground before the internal bickering and hand wringing grind progress to a halt.

President Is Set to 'Take the Baton'

By Michael D. Shear and Shailagh Murray

Six months into his presidency, Barack Obama may have no greater test of his ability to translate personal popularity into a successful legislative agenda than the upcoming two weeks.

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Join Our NEW Mediterranean Wellness Social Network

Dr. Clower is the award-winning author of The Fat Fallacy, The French Don't Diet, and Founder of The PATH Wellness Programs

See Dr Clower's interview with Barbara Walters!
www.willclower.com/media/wmv/ViewClip.wmv

t: 412-363-5201
f: 412-363-5202
e: will@willclower.com

New Starbucks sandwiches

2009-07-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

These things stay in that case all DAY. Makes you wonder when they
were actually make and, given that they seem to have such a long shelf
life, what they're made with.

They obstruct

2009-07-19T11:06:00.000-04:00

Top Republican: Health care overhaul too drastic

I want to know what their solution is.

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16048/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=yPoy7SkO

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I thought you should see this story

2009-07-19T11:02:00.000-04:00

150-pound Minn. cupcake sets Guinness record

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16032/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=DgKfBjxp

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My fmrs Mkt

2009-07-17T16:12:00.000-04:00

This is my market. There is a rugby scrum around the veggies.

Another reason to love Fridays!!

WillClower’s iPhone has shared a Huffington Post article with you

2009-07-17T16:03:00.000-04:00

Healthcare stalled ... For now. But don't think this president isn't going to fold. They want more time; he's going to ask what they want it for; then Obama will give it to them in some form. This is just a tactic.

WillClower's iPhone has shared a Huffington Post article with you:

Red Alert For Health Care: Gang Of Six Centrist Senators Demands Delay

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Friday Afternoon

2009-07-17T15:48:00.003-04:00

Heading to my Farmers Mkt. to get bread, smked salmon, salsa, and veggies.

Here is the link ... support YOUR local fmrs mkt!! It's good for everyone.

Find YOUR local Fmrs Mkt here: http://www.localharvest.org/

Starbucks Serving Beer?

2009-07-17T11:43:00.003-04:00

The starbucks company is going to start serving beer and wine.

What will that mean for states like PA, that requires you to go to a separate beer store -- where you can only buy beer if you buy it by the case, and a separate wine store??

RadioWill Show July 15 Recordings

2009-07-17T11:10:00.002-04:00

This was an incredible show. If you want to know about healthcare, and the healthcare debate, we have got the info for you.

Below, we have interviewed a US Congresswoman (arguing the Dem side), a healthcare policy expert from the Heritage Foundation (arguing the Repub side), and a Washington DC lobbyist making sense of it all.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!!

Opening rant: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246024.mp3

Conversation with PA Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246025.mp3

Conversation with callers: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246026.mp3

Continued conversation with callers (after the 4 PM Newsbreak): http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246028.mp3

Conversation with Greg D'Angelo of the Heritage Foundation: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246036.mp3

Continued rant: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246047.mp3

Conversation with Lobbyist Gwen Mayes: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-246050.mp3

America's Fattest States: Mississippi Still Tops List, But Alabama Closes In

2009-07-02T09:51:00.001-04:00

America's Fattest States: Mississippi Still Tops List, But Alabama Closes In

Posted using ShareThis

Summer time

2009-06-30T13:33:00.000-04:00

I love this time of year. It's about being outside, eating olives and
fresh cherries on the porch, and relaxing just a bit more that you
normally might.

This is a shot outside of my front door.

The "Heart" Affects The Heart

2009-06-30T08:27:00.005-04:00

Two new studies show that problems with the mind can play a significant role in problems of the heart.

Anxiety and depression can increase the incidence of angina, the chest pain that sends many people to the doctor, said Dr. Mark Sullivan, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington.

There are so many factors that affect our overall health, and the linkage between your "heart" and your heart.

The article below points this out. Unfortunately, as you will read, their solution is all about prescribing antidepressants.

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"The overwhelming focus in the United States has been on ischemia," the blockage of heart arteries, Sullivan said. "That is pretty unique in the world. The rest of the world takes a much more multi-modal approach to chest pain. Ischemia is not the only or most important cause of what patients are feeling."

Stress tests and similar measures are properly used to assess ischemia in people with angina, Sullivan said. "But in addition to the kind of diagnostic studies done with stress tests, patients who have a lot of angina should be screened for anxiety and depression, because they could be very cost-effective targets for intervention," he said.

To prove that point, Sullivan and his colleagues studied 191 people with known ischemia who underwent stress testing and heart imaging. They found that 36 percent reported no angina in the previous month, with 35 percent reporting monthly incidents.

Of the 30 percent who had daily or weekly angina, psychological assessments, including a self-reporting anxiety and depression questionnaire, showed that 44 percent had significant anxiety and two-thirds had significant depression.

It's not clear whether the psychological problems were heightening the effect of angina or vice versa, Sullivan said. What is clear is that physicians treating people with angina can use "fairly simple screening tests" to determine the presence of anxiety or depression and treat those conditions if necessary, he said.

"This is something many cardiologists tend not to be comfortable with," Sullivan said, so another physician could be called in to handle the problem. Referral to a psychiatrist is not necessary, because "at this point in time most primary-care physicians are comfortable with making an initial trial with treatment," he said.

The new study was not designed to show whether treatment by such measures as antidepressants could relieve chest pain, Sullivan said, but his group is considering such a trial.
Another report in the journal linked depression with poor outcomes for people with both heart failure, the progressive loss of ability to pump blood, and the abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.

"Many studies have shown that depression is a predictor of mortality after a heart attack or in congestive heart failure," said study author Nancy Frasure-Smith, a senior research associate at the Montreal Heart Institute. "Most studies have shown that differences in severity of heart disease between people who are depressed or not depressed do not account for the difference. One hypothesis is that people who are depressed don't get as good treatment for their heart disease."

To test that hypothesis, Frasure-Smith and her colleagues assessed 974 people with heart disease for depression -- which was found in 32 percent of them -- and then assigned them to get either standard medical care or a heightened degree of care.

The study showed that "depression is at least an indicator of patients who are at higher risk of mortality even when given the best care we know how to," Frasure-Smith said.

Nevertheless, the case against extra care for such people is not proven because "there are no trials assessing treatment for depression in people with congestive heart disease and atrial fibrillation," she said. "Newer antidepressants are more effective, and if you give these people extra care, they may get better."

More information

Depression and its treatment are described by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.SOURCES: Mark Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, University of Washington, Seattle; Nancy Frasure-Smith, Ph.D., senior research associate, Montreal Heart Institute; June 29, 2009, Circulation, online

(SOURCES: Mark Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., professor, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, University of Washington, Seattle; Nancy Frasure-Smith, Ph.D., senior research associate, Montreal Heart Institute; June 29, 2009, Circulation, online)

FDA: Acetoninophen can kill the liver

2009-06-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

This article looks at the whole issue of prescription meds -- it was
shocking to read that acetominophen from things like Tylenol are the
#1 cause of liver disease!! Incredible.

FDA weighs options to reduce painkiller overdoses

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=trS4c0e4

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Article healthcare costs

2009-06-25T13:49:00.001-04:00

Key senator says $1 trillion health bill possible

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7731/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=x3Iv3rZ6

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Mediterranean Diet For Life

2009-06-25T10:02:00.004-04:00

The Mediterranean Diet does it again. This time, being linked to a longer healthier life.

Researchers at the University of Athens Medical School looked at the eating habits of more than 23,000 Greeks. They found that consuming vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and olive oil, keeping alcohol intake moderate and avoiding too much meat ... was linked to a longer healthier life.

Interesting.

In their study, they found that eating lots of fish and going light on dairy products does NOT seem to increase longevity.

Very interesting.

Following a Mediterranean diet, so-called because it is based on the traditional eating habits of those in that region of the world, has been shown to improve health and help people live longer in several studies, but this report -- appearing June 23 in the online edition of BMJ -- analyzes the main components of the diet.

More information
The American Heart Association has more about Mediterranean diets.

Eat Right, Live Longer

2009-06-24T07:25:00.004-04:00

There is a new drug that can lower their risk of death by up to 25 percent over a 10-year period.

This pharmacy phenom is called ... eating well, just like your mother said. Here is the full article from HHS.

Information from a National Institutes of Health/AARP database including more than 350,000 men and women, looked at the link between dietary habits and their risk of death.

They divided the participants into five groups, depending on how closely they followed the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The highest fifth of these scores showed a risk of dying that was 20 to 25 percent lower. There were gender differences, too, with the women who ate the healthiest reducing their risk of death by 25 percent and men reducing it by 20 percent.

Healthcare Costs

2009-06-23T08:04:00.003-04:00

There is an inflection point. A moment when we are driven more by avoiding the pain of the costs than fear of changing things.

This article articulates what is at stake for us in the healthcare debate.

That we are slow to change is a good thing, in a way. It means that we are willing to see our current system to its Titantic demise before we jump ship. We certainly aren't flighty, changing healthcare systems before we give them a change to succeed or fail.

But now is the time, I think, when people look at the system and hope for improvements, hope for better service at better prices. This will provide a greater good for a greater number.

Healthcare Reform: The basics

2009-06-23T07:35:00.004-04:00

The times, they are a'changing.

Whether you're on the right or left or somewhere in the middle, you've probably got an opinion on the coming changes that we can expect to our healthcare system.

This is a great summary from NIH.gov.

The part I like the best is that which emphasizes prevention. Yes, we want to be able to treat illness. However, we don't want to create a system that looks at "treatment" as a business model.

We currently suffer from what is called "over-utilization" of the system -- not by patients, but by doctors. Here's the incentive: the more you treat, the more you get paid.

Whether you think this is right, wrong, or indifferent, the bottom line is that costs skyrocket when "treatment" becomes a product rather than a process.

One-A-Day False Claims

2009-06-19T07:46:00.002-04:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A consumer advocacy group on Thursday threatened to sue Bayer Healthcare if it continues to claim its One-A-Day vitamins for men reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says the company's ubiquitous TV and radio ads misleadingly claim that a key ingredient of One-A-Day Men's Health Formula and 50+ Advantage helps prevent cancer.

The group says a study backed by the National Institutes of Health found no evidence the ingredient selenium prevents prostate cancer in men.

"The largest prostate cancer prevention trial has found that selenium is no more effective than a placebo," said David Schardt, the group's senior nutritionist. "Bayer is ripping people off when it suggests otherwise in these dishonest ads."

Researchers halted the study of 35,000 men last October after it became clear that selenium did not prevent prostate cancer, according to the group.
Bayer said Thursday the claims on its vitamins have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"We stand behind all claims made in support of our products," said Bayer spokeswoman Trisch McKernan.

Bayer's One-A-Day brand of vitamins had sales of $191 million last year, according to the company's annual report.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest also sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday asking regulators to halt Bayer's marketing of the vitamins. The German conglomerate has run at least 11 television ads and 9 radio ads suggesting One-A-Day vitamins can help prevent prostate cancer, according to data from VMS advertising monitoring service.

The letter argues that Bayer's advertising violates a 2007 agreement with the FTC requiring the company to back up all claims on One-A-Day vitamins with scientific evidence. Bayer entered the agreement after paying a $3.2 million penalty to settle claims that its advertising misled the public about the weight loss benefits of its vitamins.

A spokeswoman for the FTC said Thursday the agency has not yet received the group's letter.

Product recall

2009-06-16T13:11:00.001-04:00

FDA says Zicam nasal spray can cause loss of smell

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_7736/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=VUxwJRN6

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Keep Your Testosterone Up

2009-06-15T07:51:00.004-04:00

"Macho macho man ... I want to be, a macho man". Those of you as ancient as I am, recognize this funny song of the 70's.

It turns out that keeping your macho nature in tact, by preventing plumetting testosterone levels, can be affected by your food.

Of course, and didn't we expect this would be true? Elements of our physiology are linked together. If you change one factor, it will ripple into many other factors -- even to your macho dreams.

This interesting study makes the point.

Basically, high sugar content can cut a man's level of circulating testosterone by about a quarter.

Each of the men in this study drank a sugary solution, which typically triggers a spike in blood sugar levels. They then had their testosterone levels tested. Simple, right?

The researchers found that, regardless of whether the men had diabetes or not, blood levels of testosterone dropped by as much as 25 percent after they drank the sugary drink. This trend continued for more than two hours after the glucose was ingested.

In fact, 15 percent of the 66 men with normal testosterone levels before the test had low testosterone ("hypogonadism") at some point during the test.

Staying away from over-sugared foods is a good idea for about a thousand reasons. And, if you're a guy with concerns about your manly man-ness -- or don't want to get hypogonadism for ANY reason!! -- you need to check the ingredient list for additive sugars.

Health Claims Exposed ... the data are IN

2009-06-11T09:45:00.003-04:00

Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.

Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer.

All proved no better than dummy pills in big studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The lone exception: ginger capsules may help chemotherapy nausea.

Here is the full report from AP.

RadioWill Sin Tax?

2009-06-08T18:05:00.004-04:00

Should we tax soda? Should we tax hydrogenated oils? To what extent does this make sense?

My radio show starts tomorrow!! I'll be speaking about this and many more health related items, on my show, Tues from 5-6pm EST.

Call in and let me hear from you:
(412) 333-1360

Listen live:
www.pbrradio.com

RadioWill Alternative Medicine

2009-06-07T15:09:00.004-04:00

I want to talk for just a second about the distinction between "conventional medicine" and "alternitive medicine".

More importantly for you ... what does it mean, and how do you know what to do?

Here is the link to the audio ...

Looking forward to your thoughts,
Will

Alternative Medicine Infiltrates Conventional Medicine

2009-06-07T13:05:00.003-04:00

The more important question is ... why?

What is it that conventional medicine is lacking, such that alternative medicine can step in and offer a solution?

We can talk all day about the merits of acupunction versus crystals versus chiropractic versus aromatherapy or homeopathy ... but conventional medicine is losing market-share to alternative therapies.

Why?

AP IMPACT: Alternative medicine goes mainstream
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
At one of the nation's top trauma hospitals, a nurse circles a patient's bed, humming and waving her arms as if shooing evil spirits. Another woman rubs a quartz bowl with a wand, making tunes that mix with the beeping monitors and hissing respirator keeping the man alive.

They are doing Reiki therapy, which claims to heal through invisible energy fields. The anesthesia chief, Dr. Richard Dutton, calls it "mystical mumbo jumbo." Still, he's a fan.

It's self-hypnosis" that can help patients relax, he said. "If you tell yourself you have less pain, you actually do have less pain."

Read More...