Be Careful If A Label Says Natural Instead Of Organic

Another Questionable Labeling – Rainforest Alliance v. Fair Trade

Since I’m talking about questionable labeling, there is another labeling tactic that is questionable. While both Rainforest Alliance (RA) and Fair Trade (FT) labels are meant to denote that a product is certified “sustainable”, they are not the same. One would think that the organizations giving out these ratings are making independent decisions as to whether a product is harming or helping the environment and the people producing the products.

In the case of the Rainforest Alliance, you’d be wrong. As an example, Kraft Foods is listed as a RA donor to in the amount range of somewhere between $100,000.00 and almost a million dollars. A former Kraft executive is on RA’s Board of Directors.

Another example is RA donor Chiquita, which markets bananas grown in Latin America. In 2000 all of their bananas grown on Latin American farms were given the Rainforest Alliance’s seal of approval for sustainability. Yet in 2002 an investigation by Human Rights Watch found that these farms had relied on child labor, violated basic labor rights and suppressed attempts at unionization. When RA re-inspected in 2003, they maintained all the farms’ certifications.

It turns out that Fair Trade is the organization that is appropriately labeling farms and businesses that operate with sustainability standards and fair labor standards in place. So…if you see the Rainforest Alliance’s little green frog on a product’s label, I’d suggest you view it with skepticism.

Lack Of Exercise With ICU Patients Delays Recover

The number one factor in prolonging an ICU patient’s recovery and delaying the ICU patient’s return to a normal life is wasting of muscles, according to Dr. Dale Needham, a critical care specialist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. By putting patients through neuromuscular electrical stimulation and having them do simple exercises, the patients can speed up their recuperation.

Another method of helping patients get active again is a special walker that helps severely ill patients move around more easily with fewer helpers. There is also a cycle ergometer that can be used while patients are lying in bed. It can even be used with sedated or immobile patients. So…if you have someone who has to be in intensive care, make sure that ICU has an exercise regime that they use for their patients.

(Reported in The Virginian-Pilot, 09.22.09)

Employers Can Reduce Health Care Costs By 10% to 30%

A survey by Hewitt Associates found that large employers that offer employees chronic disease management programs for diabetes, heart disease, asthma and depression have reduced health care costs by 10% to 30% over a two- to five -year period.

Since we are talking about $1.3 trillion spent on managing chronic diseases, $1.1 trillion spent on lost productivity and $277 billion spent on treatment, a 10% to 30% reduction of all these costs would equal a tremendous reduction in the overall costs of health care.

With all the debate about health care and its costs, remember these statistics which show that there are real changes that can be made to lower health care costs for us all.

(Reported in Optima Health, Benefit News, 2nd Issue 2009)

Now Vitamin D As A Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis

The news about the uses of Vitamin D just keeps getting better. There are now two research studies supporting the view that Vitamin D supplementation may reduce the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

The first was reported in December 2006 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers studied 257 U.S. military personnel with MS and found that higher levels of Vitamin D in the body may reduce the risk of developing MS by as much as 62%.

The most recent study was published this year in the journal PLoS Genetics and it investigated how Vitamin D would interact with a specific variant genetic component called HLA-DRB1*1501. The presence of this variant genetic component is known to increase the risk of MS three-fold.

The researchers compared this genetic component in 322 people who had two copies of it to 168 people who did not have the variant component. They found that Vitamin D could switch on the gene by binding to the variant genetic component thereby reducing the likelihood of developing MS.

How much Vitamin D should you be taking?

• First of all, make sure it’s Vitamin D3.

• Second, get a blood test so you know what your current levels are. When I did that, I found my levels were very low.

• Third, if you are low, take a supplement containing 4000 to 5000 International Units of Vitamin D3.

• Finally, get another blood test in 4 to 6 months to confirm that your levels are at the upper end of the recommended amounts.

Personally, I have now raised my Vitamin D blood level to 49 which is where I want it to be.
 

A Thank You To Readers Who Voted On The Covers For My New Books - plus special advance ordering savings on Limited Autographed Editions....
 

You picked covers for my books Managing Your Stress In Difficult Times: Succeeding In Times of Change and Switched-On Selling: Balancing Your Brain For Sales Success, Thanks!!
   
Click here if you haven't seen the winners yet.

And now for a special pre-publication offer to my readers
(including those who didn’t vote)
 

AUTOGRPAHED COPY:  The regular price for my soon to be released book Managing Your Stress In Difficult Times (120 pages) will be $16.95. For those who order before Dec. 31 - this book is only $12.95 plus I’ll cover shipping and handling and I’ll autograph it to whoever you want.

AUTOGRPAHED COPY:  The regular price for the Switched-On Selling book (approx. 200 pages) will be $18.95. For those who order it by Dec. 31st, it's only $14.95 and again I’ll cover shipping and handling and will autograph it, too.
 

Both books will be released no later than the end of January 2010, and
we will first send you an email for autograph preference information.
To order either or both books, click here, and select your options.
 

So, stock up and save at Village Green Apothecary's Big Year-End Sale.

Now Through January 2, 2010 you can save:
 

• 35% Off Pathway Nutrition Products
• 25% Off All Other Supplements
• 20% Off Body Care Products.

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