Does Colonoscopy Save Lives?

A recent study suggests it might, but it isn’t the last word.

The wisdom of colonoscopy screening seems obvious. The test enables a physician to examine the lining of the entire colon and to remove small, potentially precancerous growths called polyps during the exam. As a result, it has the potential not only to detect colon cancer early, but also to prevent new cases by removing polyps. It is generally assumed that colonoscopy saves lives because the procedure is good at detecting early disease.

A report from the National Polyp Study in the Feb. 23, 2012, issue of The New England Journal of Medicinesupports this assumption. The study included 2,602 people who had adenomatous polyps (the type most likely to progress to cancer) removed during colonoscopies that were ordered because of findings on other screening tests, symptoms, or a family history. During an average follow-up period of about 16 years, 12 people in the study died of colorectal cancer, which was less than half of the 25.4 deaths from colon cancer normally expected in a group that size drawn from the general population.

Not the final word

However, the study has significant limitations. It’s possible that the people who had polyps removed had fewer risk factors for colon cancer than the general population. They did, in fact, have a significantly lower death rate from all causes, which suggests that they may have been healthier over all or received better health care. Most importantly, this wasn’t a randomized trial, designed to compare a screened population with an unscreened one, but a study that made use of existing data to make comparisons.

Because of these limitations, Dr. Robert J. Mayer, a senior physician at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a member of the Health Letter‘s Editorial Board, says the results, while promising, can’t be the final word on colonoscopy. That may come from randomized controlled trials like the NordICC trial, now under way in several European countries where colonoscopy screening isn’t routine. The problem is that results won’t be available for another decade.

Meanwhile, colonoscopy has become the dominant form of cancer screening in this country. Some argue that the American health care system was too quick to adopt a screening test that’s invasive, expensive, and hasn’t been shown definitively to save lives. Yet colonoscopy has some clear advantages. The entire colon is visualized directly. It’s a one-stop test; all the other colon cancer screens require a follow-up colonoscopy if anything suspicious is found. Finally, because colonoscopy entails identifying precancerous polyps and removing them if they’re found, it functions as a screening test and as a preventive intervention. Colon cancer incidence—the number of new cases—has been falling in this country, and screening colonoscopy very likely deserves a large share of the credit.

Considering colonoscopy

When you consider getting a colonoscopy, you’ll want to take the following into account:

The benefits. Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death. The risk of developing colon cancer rises at age 50, the age at which guidelines recommend screening begin for most people.

The risks. Colonoscopy requires a thorough bowel cleansing with a laxative the day before the test. For the test, the patient is sedated, the colon inflated with air or carbon dioxide, and a colonoscope—a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing as well as a tool to remove tissue for biopsy—is inserted into the rectum and passed through the entire colon. Although the risks are slight, they may include kidney damage from sodium-phosphate laxatives, a reaction to the sedative, a perforation during the procedure, and bleeding if a polyp is removed.

The likelihood of a false-negative test. Colonoscopy is estimated to miss about 5% of colon cancers, most of them “upstream,” in the part of the colon farthest from the rectum.

The alternatives . Guidelines recommend colonoscopy every 10 years for people at average risk. But there are other screening methods and schedules. A test for blood in the stool can detect colon cancer at an early stage, and is supposed to be done every year. Sigmoidoscopy is similar to colonoscopy but requires far less bowel cleansing; it is recommended every five years, usually in conjunction with annual stool tests. Randomized trials have shown that sigmoidoscopy reduces colon cancer incidence and deaths from the disease, but it visualizes only the lower part of the colon (although that is where most colon cancers occur). Double-contrast barium enemas give a view of the entire colon, require cleansing prep but not sedation, and are supposed to be done every five years. They miss more polyps than colonoscopy and involve radiation exposure. CT scans of the colon—sometimes called virtual colonoscopy—are also supposed to be done every five years. They require the cleansing prep and inflation of the colon, but not sedation. CT scans are almost as good as colonoscopy at finding polyps, but also involve radiation exposure.

Individual circumstances. If you’re at higher-than-normal risk of colon cancer because first-degree relatives have had colon cancer or because you have had polyps, you should be advised to have a colonoscopy every three to five years instead of every 10. But if you’re older or have other major health problems, so you wouldn’t want to undergo treatment even if colon cancer were detected, you may want to forgo colon cancer screening, no matter what the test. Talk it over with your doctor.

Posted via email from WellCare

A Healthy Breakfast for Men!

---from Men's Health

Surprisingly, the golden arches and king of burgers may no longer be the least healthy options for dining out. According to a new study by RAND Corporation, 96 percent of main entrées at all restaurants studied—including delivery, family style, upscale, fast food, buffet, and fast casual—exceed the daily limits for calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The worst offender? Not the drive-through. On average, family style restaurants’ main entrées had 271 more calories than those at fast food restaurants.

The 18-month study examined the nutritional content of 30,923 menu items from 245 restaurant brands across the country. Take an iceberg salad, for example. It may sound like a healthy option on a steakhouse menu, but it’s the least nutritious of all salad leaves topped with fatty, salty blue cheese dressing—leaving you with a 400+ calorie starter with no real nutritional value. (Speaking of steak, if you’re working the BBQ this season, here’s yourComplete Guide to Grilling.)

Our Eat This, Not That! experts have decoded popular menu items at different types of restaurants so you can dine out without dreading the calories.

STEAKHOUSE
Eat This: Double Cut Filet Mignon
The leanest cut on the menu, with 345 calories in an 8-ounce portion. The next best cut is the top sirloin. But if your filet comes with Béarnaise sauce, don’t let this stuff get within 20 feet of your plate. It’s almost entirely egg yolks and melted butter. Besides, if you’re going to spend the calories on a steak, don’t you want to taste it?

Not That: Chicago Style Bone-In Ribeye Steak
There’s a reason why a rib eye is juicier than the other steaks: It’s the most heavily marbled of all the common steakhouse cuts. Registered dietitian and exercise scientist Alexandra Caspero from Delicious-Knowledge.com suggests ordering your steak of choice and asking for no butter on top, and go easy on the sides. “Enjoy the steak as a treat and save the baked potato for another night,” says Caspero. “Yes, the vegetable sides can be healthy, but all calories count and wouldn’t you rather save your calories for a filet over a side of ordinary potatoes?”

PIZZERIA
Eat This: Pizza Pie
An average slice of cheese pizza contains about 300 calories, so order a side salad to keep from overindulging—but beware of the dressing. Caspero says the serving size for dressing is two tablespoons. Those small containers restaurants give you on the side actually hold twice the amount. “Try a little lemon juice or ask for oil and vinegar on the side. The light dressings trade fat for sugar, so you’re not getting a healthier dressing, just a lower calorie one.” As for your pizza, avoid the most destructive toppings: pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, and extra cheese. (Here’s how to make tastier and healthier pizza on your grill!)

Not That: Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
The fastest way to ruin a lean protein or defenseless vegetable? Bread it, fry it, and smother it in cheese. An eggplant alone only has 60 calories, but by the time it’s done getting parmed, it has 1,000 calories and 68 grams of fat.

BREAKFAST
Eat this: Canadian bacon
Depending on how the restaurant prepares the meat, Canadian bacon will most likely have fewer calories and more protein than ham. And at 30 calories a slice, regular bacon trumps pork sausage every time. (Click here to see the breakfast food that tops all others.)

Not that: Highlighted specials
Avoid the highlighted specials. Although you’re saving money, you’re sacrificing control of your meal, which usually means more calories. Instead, create your own “special” from the more healthful items. Think: Two to three eggs, whole grain toast without butter, and fruit on the side.

TAPAS
Eat This: Mussels
A good rule of thumb is to gravitate toward the shellfish. Whether steamed with white wine and herbs or served with a chunky tomato sauce, the protein fills you up while the shell negotiating slows you down. A portion won’t cost you more than 400 calories.

Not That: Croquetas de Jamón
Breadcrumbs are wrapped around a filling made from a mix of flour, milk, butter, and cheese or ham, and then the whole package is deep-fried. Think: calorie bomb.

Posted via email from WellCare

Upgrading Your Deviled Eggs With A Spiced Salt

Take deviled eggs. Usually saved for holiday buffet spreads at your grandma’s house, these egg-on-egg creations are now popping up on menus at excellent restaurants across the U.S. Check out those offered by chef Robert Aikens of The Dandelion, a British pub-style restaurant, in Philadelphia.

Aikens takes the basic deviled egg recipe and fortifies it with Indian curry spices and then adds some heat with cayenne pepper and Tabasco. On top, he skips the decorative chopped parsley in favor of a spiced salt.

They’re good. So good, they may make Grandma question her recipe.

Deviled Eggs With Curry
Recipe by Robert Aikens, executive chef of The Dandelion in Philadelphia, PA

What you’ll need:
20 large eggs
2 cups mayonnaise
¼ cup lemon juice
4 ½ Tbsp dry mustard powder
1 ½ Tbsp curry powder
¾ tsp Old Bay seasoning
¾ tsp sugar
¼ tsp, plus 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
¾ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ Tbsp Tabasco
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to make it:
1. Place the eggs into a pot of simmering water and cook for 10 minutes. Then place the eggs in an ice bath and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients. Then, peel* and halve each egg, scoop the yolks into the seasoned mayonnaise, and mix well.
3. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag with a star nozzle (or a zip-top bag with one of the ends cut off) and pipe the mixing into each egg half. Finish with a sprinkling of spiced salt (recipe below).

*Having trouble peeling the eggs? Submerge the egg in a bowl of cold water and then try peeling, says Aikens. The shell will come off easier and the chips will float to the top naturally.

Spiced salt
In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup kosher salt, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1½ tsp curry powder, and 1½ tsp mustard. The leftover salt is also great for using as a dry rub, or seasoning fish. 

Posted via email from WellCare

Powerful Russian Communists in DC????

Zbigniew Brzezinski: Evil Spirit of 5 US Presidents - And Biggest Threat to World Peace

 Evil Spirit of 5 US Presidents - And Biggest Threat to World Peace 

(by Anders, from Euro-Med Website) There is a man who is more dangerous to mankind than any other living person today. His name is Zbigniew Brzezinski, a CFR-member , Arch-Trilateral Commissionist, Bilderberger. He has been the evil spirit behind 5 US presidents, including Obama - and he is obsessed with but one thought: The US is to dominate a communist one world state. 

For that purpose, he sees Eurasia as his grand chessboard, where the battle is to be won. Like any chess player, he starts by occupying the centre of the chessboard, Central Asia. 

He wants peace there, friendly arrangements, in particular with China, if possible, so that he can pursue the goal of his obsession, i.e. the purpose of the Trilateral Commission created by him and David Rockefeller: To create a world state by fusing a coming North American Union, at which he is working through the CSIS, the Union for the Mediterranean - and a Far East block which is now being created. 

His aim is a communist one world state where Russia, which he hates, is subdued by being split into 3 republics in a loose confederation - and if that is not possible - then ultimately even by WW III. He and David Rockefeller are behind the fusion of world religions for peace in the world state. In stead he collaborates with Al Gore and Gorbachev to promote the environmental Gaia religion. 

In the Agenda 21 state people in the technetronic era will be totally controlled and via artificial intelligence (brain chipping) become post-human robots. 

He has worked on, 

•selling US infrastructure like harbours 

•outsourcing US jobs 

•giving the Panama Canal to the Chinese 

•selling illegal weapons to the Soviet, Iran, Iraq, Libya 

He nurtured the Taliban and Al Qaida and ignored Islamic fundamentalism. 

Advised by Zbigniew and his son, Ian, Obama is now encircling Russia and China, which has not been so cooperative as wanted by Zbigniew, with anti-ballistic missiles which can also be used to inactivate Russian and Chinese satellites, so as to hinder retaliation after a US first strike against the nuclear arsenals of those countries. 

Russia knows and is preparing for the possibility of having to deliver a preemptive attack - according to the chief of the Russian Joint Staff, Yuri Baluyevsky. These considerations are probably being accentuated by the fact that Russia can hardly afford a fresh weapons race. 

However, Brzezinski does not believe in Russia's capacity to strike! 

Who is Zbigniew Brzezinski? 

See this video: Brzezinski is the promoter of a Communist Obama who is for a social change in the US and to end the Iraq war and redefines security. 

I have previously written about him and his vision for the world: “The Grand Chessboard”. Zbigniew Brzezinski has been called Obama's Rasputin. 

Patrick Briley 

16 Sept. 2008 

The following is very weird – and one wonders that one man has had so much influence on world affairs. Much of it is confirmed by Wikipedia. 

Zbigniew Brzezinski is Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisor. 

Brzezinski was the national security advisor for President Carter from 1977 to 1981. In 1988 he endorsed HW Bush for President and was Co-Chair of the HW Bush national security advisory task force. From 1987 to 1989 he also served on the HW Bush’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. Clinton Secretary of State Madeline Albright was a student of Brzezinski's. 

GW Bush Secretary of State, Condi Rice (also a former national security advisor), who studied under Albright’s father, shares many of the same world government views with Brzezinski and Albright. 

Zbigniew Brzezinski is an advocate of socialist world government, a goal he has promoted as a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to “guide policy makers” and as a speaker at former Soviet Premier and Communist Mikhail Gorbachev’s first World Forum. 

This State of the World Forum had interesting partners. Brzezinski is an architect of creating regions of global governance from independent nations to achieve world government. The CSIS issues the North American Integration Monitor, which hopes for a North American Union (NAU). 

The proposals for global taxes by Obama have come with the recommendations of Zbigniew Brzezinski to pay for globalization and world government. Obama has proposed a global poverty tax in a US Senate bill. 

The Climate Change Control Bill strongly supported by Obama calls for an international governing regime to monitor and regulate carbon dioxide and “carbon footprints” from discovery, to production, to consumption at a cost of $50 trillion globally and at a cost of $8 trillion for US taxpayers, all to be paid for by a global tax, whose monies will be used to establish a world government body. 

Obama's puppeteers, 

the Trilateral Commissionists, Zbigniew Brzezinski and David Rockefeller. 

Obama, Brzezinski and Al Gore have worked closely with Communist backed environmental fronts led by Gorbachev (proponent of Earth Charter, author of Manifesto for Earth), to promote the falsehood of significant global climate change due to manmade sources of greenhouse gases to scare the world and the US into paying such a global tax to “save the planet.” 

Obama’s longstanding ties with Communist, Marxist and Islamic terror mentors in the US have been well documented in the US and world press. What many do not know but need to know is that Zbigniew Brzezinski represents another one of these Islamic terror, socialistic, world government and Marxist mentors of Obama´s. 

Brzezinski openly praises Marxism in his book Between Two Ages published in 1970 - in which he describes man's behavior and mind to be totally controlled, people having artificial intelligence (brain chipping) in a "technetronic" dictatorship. Incidentally Brzezenski’s father was an ambassador to Russia from Poland during Stalin’s reign and Zbigniew worked to protect and defend some East German intelligence agents of Stasi some of whose former members later worked to enable the 9/11 hijackers and other Islamic terrorists (Hamburg cell of Atta, Alshehhi and Jarrah - hardly correct). 

Brzezinski has dual US and Polish citizenship. 

Council on Foreign Relations member, Bilderberger, Zbigniew Brzezinski co-founded the Trilateral Commission (TC) with David Rockefeller in 1973 and was its first director. 

Brzezinski selected Jimmy Carter as a member while Carter was the governor of Georgia and before Carter became US President. TC is the primary organization managing the goals of globalization to achieve world government via manipulations of economies, politics and religions of nations around the world including the US. 

According to Dr. Dennis Cuddy, Brzezinski, as TC director, advocated, in a 1973 memo, establishing means for social control over the world populations by deliberate, 

“economic and political destabilization” so that later the debt leash could be used to “strangle a rebellious nation into submission (to global governance).” 

The TC, Rice and Brzezenski have actively promoted illegal immigration and non-enforcement of US immigration laws to advance the NAU (North American Union). 

They have promoted foreign control of the US by facilitating the sell off of US infrastructure and companies to foreign governments including those from the EU, China, Russia and Islamic terror nations.

Brzezinski, Rice, the TC and their socialist friends have intentionally helped destabilize the US economy by devaluating the US dollar through the sending of US jobs overseas. They are trying to control the US energy economy via the Climate Change Control bills and to prevent US energy independence (which would stop the devaluation of the dollar) by calling for curtailing and drastically controlling production of oil. 

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s contrived leash is not limited just to money and capital; it includes controlling populations, and nations by controlling, 

•their jobs 

•their immigration 

•their food 

•their water 

•their energy 

•their politicians and governments 

•their religions 

The world government socialists like Brzezinski and Obama are promoting a “new order of religions,” an amalgamation of religions to unify and control populations and nations. 

They are including in their new order umbrella of religions Islamic aspirations for a world caliphate, Communitarianistic and New Age beliefs, the Gaia (“mother” Earth) religion of environmentalists exploited by the Communists, by Al Gore (the tree hugger) and by those who worship the created rather than the creator. 

Brzezinski worked with Republican globalists like Kissinger and US Senator Henry Bellmon (OK) to give the Panama Canal away ultimately for Communist Chinese control (Carter-Torrijos Treaties). Under Carter, Brzezinski was responsible for the severing of direct US recognition of Taiwan as an independent nation and recognizing only Communist China. 

As soon as Carter became President Brzezinski started to illegally manipulate the export control list to enable advanced US computer, military (guidance systems), energy (nuclear; coal, oil shale, tar sands conversion and synthetic fuels) technologies to be transferred and sold by US companies (such as Control Data, GE and Union Carbide) to the Soviet Union. 

Brzezinski with Osama bin Laden during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan! 

On February 2, 1979, Brzezinski wrote a memo to Carter falsely claiming that Islamic fundamentalism was not an imminent threat and would not gain prominence in the Middle East. 

Brzezinski was the architect of the formation of US CIA and Saudi training and funding for the Afghan mujaheddin network, some of which would later form the Taliban and would shelter Al Qaeda terrorists camps. 

Brzezinski, along with Clinton’s NSC advisor Anthony Lake, John McCain, Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich, was a proponent of using the Saudis and CIA to directly fund the AlQaeda and Iranian arming and training in and outside the US of Islamic terrorists from Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia to kick out the Serbs and Croats. 

Some of these same terrorists became the 9/11 hijackers?? Carter and Bzezinski are and have been “diplomats at large” along with Boren for Hamas terrorists in the Middle East and US as reflected in Obama’s pro-Islamic foreign policies. 

Zeit Kritiker: Brzezinski is Obama's puppeteer 

Even during the tenure of G.W. Bush, Brzezinski took over key sectors of the U.S. government. 

Since then, the danger of a confrontation between the United States with Russia, China, Sudan, Pakistan and more recently with Iran and Yemen has highly increased. The aggression of the U.S. toward Iran, ultimately aims at a confrontation with Russia and China. 

"The Grand Chessboard" dissipates any doubt: The US is to dominate all Eurasia. Then American high finance would in effect be in control of 70 percent of the oil and gas reserves - in order to secure American primacy for a long time. With Obama as a puppet of the Trilateral Commission, Zbigniew Brzezinski and David Rockefeller see this goal within reach. 

Moscow is well aware of this situation, the fear of Brzezinski's finger on the nuclear button does not leave Russia inactive: The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky announced in January 2008, 

"Russia would revise its nuclear doctrine, so that a nuclear first strike in certain situations would be possible." 

(WG Tarpley, Barack Obama - How a U.S. President is Made p. 166). 

Facebook Offers Best Paying Jobs in America

Facebook executives are extremely well paid. Ironically, if you are thinking to an internship at Facebook, you might end up bagging a heavy amount. According to the Business Insider, there are numerous roles at Facebook. Who gets more? The techie, geeky corner or the ones who represent the face of the   product? Seemingly, there is somewhat a balance between both categories. Below are 17 positions that are top paid at Facebook. If you fall in any of these categories, you know where to submit your next resume.

 

17. Account Executive -$62,124 per annum

16. Software Engineering Intern – $74, 700 per annum

15. Product Designer – $ 79,000 per annum

14. Site Reliability Engineer – $80,413 per annum

13. Recruiter – $80,580 per annum

12. Operations Engineer – $82,626 per annum

11. Project Manager – $98,302 per annum

10. Introductory Software Engineer – $100,000 per annum

9.  Software Engineer – $111,562 per annum

8. Business Development Manager – $115,000 per annum

7. Network Engineer – $121,500 per annum

6. Research Scientist – $123,308 per annum

5. Engineering Manager – $123,379 per annum

4. Machine Learning Engineer – $124, 197 per annum

3. User Interface Engineer – $129, 136 per annum

2. Product Manager – $130, 143 per annum

1. Senior Software Engineer – $132, 503 per annum

If you see yourself developing in any of these areas and want to make handsome money, you know what to do next!

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

June

June, named for the Roman goddess Juno, patroness of marriage and women, is a month embraced by brides and gardeners, schoolchildren and sun lovers.

Since ancient times, cultures have adopted June as the perfect time for revelry, weddings, and feasts, especially on the eve of Midsummer Day, June 24, when people from Scandinavia to North Africa celebrated the summer solstice with wild parties and bonfires.

While high school seniors look forward to the end of school and a June graduation, we remind them that “commencement” simply means a new beginning.

June offers the most hours of daylight of any month of the year. Even the most tender plants—softies like basil, impatiens, and tomatoes—are in the ground now.

Folk wisdom tells us that all of the plants will catch up by the end of the month regardless of how early we got them in the ground, thanks to the long hours of sunshine!

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

Does the Devil Cause All Temptation?

---by Billy Graham Q: Does the devil cause every temptation we face? I admit I don't do a very good job of fighting temptation. -- C.G.  A: The devil certainly wants you to give in to temptation and do what is wrong, because his main goal is to turn us away from God. When we yield to temptation, you can be sure we make the devil happy.  But the devil isn't directly responsible for every temptation we face, nor can we blame him when we give in and do wrong. Temptations come to us in many ways -- but when we give in to them, we alone are responsible for what we've done. The Bible says, "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:14).  Remember, it isn't a sin to be tempted; even Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn away from God's plan (see Matthew 4:1-11). But it is sin to give in to temptation and go our own way instead of God's way. Every sin is an act of rebellion on our part, telling God we think our way is better than His way. But that is a lie, for God's way is always best.  Don't fight your temptations alone; if you do, you will fail. Instead, ask God to help you by giving you the courage and inner strength to turn away. Begin by asking Christ to come into your life, forgiving and cleansing your sins and coming to live within you by His Spirit.  Then learn to walk with God every day, through prayer and fellowship with other believers and reading the Bible. The Bible says, "God is faithful.... When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Posted via email from Religion

Democratic National Convention Schedule

4:00 PM Opening Flag Burning Ceremony 
4:05 PM Singing of "God Damn America" led by Rev. Jeremiah Wright 
4:10 PM Pledge of Allegiance to Obama 
4:14 PM Reading the 6 Commandments Led By Chas Schummer 
4:15 PM Ceremonial 'I hate America' led by Michelle Obama 
4:30 PM Tips on Dodging Sniper Fire , Hillary Clinton 
4:45 PM Al Sharpton Leads Castrati Choir in Singing "Great Balls of Fire" 
4:49 PM Fund Raising, John Edwards 
5:00 PM UFO Abduction Survival , Joe Biden 
5:30 PM Eliot Spitzer Speaks on "Family Values" via Satellite 
5:45 PM Tribute to All 57 States "Occupyer Choir" 
5:50 PM How I Invented The Internet and Global Warming, Al Gore 
6:00 PM Joe Biden Delivers 100,000-Word Speech Featuring 23-Minute Question and 2-Hour Answer 
8:30 PM Airing of Grievances by the Clintons 
9:00 PM Bill Clinton Delivers Rousing Endorsement of Obama Girl 
9:05 PM Real Estate Tips, Barney Frank 
9:15 PM Tribute Film to Freedom Fighters at Gitmo , Michael Moore 
9:45 PM Personal Finance Seminar, Charlie Rangle 
10:00 PM Denunciation of THE N.R.A., Barbara Boxer 
10:15 PM Fund Raising Tips, George Clooney 
10:30 PM Ceremonial Waving of White Flag for Iraq & Afghanistan 
11:00 PM Obama Energy Plan Symposium/Tire Gauge Demonstration 
11:15 PM Free Gov. Blago witcz rally 
11:20 PM How I Killed Bin Laden -B. Hussein Obama 
11:30 PM Obama Accepts Tony and Latin Grammy Awards 
11:45 PM Feeding of the Delegates with 5 Loaves and 2 Fish , Obama Presiding 
12:00 AM Official Nomination of Obama by Bill Mahre 
12:01 AM Obama Accepts Nomination as Lord and Savior 
12:05 AM Celestial Choirs Sing 
3:00 AM Biden Delivers Acceptance Speech 

Note: There is one omission in the list above 
Memorial recognition of Obama's surrogate son, 
Trayvon , will be in conjunction with the 12:05 AM event. 
================================== 
OPTION : Closing with a Declaration of War on the rich 
To be decided just before the Convention

Posted via email from Global Politics

Study: Daily Dark Chocolate Prevents Heart Attacks

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

"Eat a bar of chocolate and call me in the morning." That's not exactly what patients expect to hear from their doctors, but in the future, chocolate may be prescribed to help prevent heart disease and diabetes in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Numerous studies have indicated that dark chocolate (chocolate that's at least 60 percent cocoa) is rich in heart-healthy flavonoids, but most of the studies were short-term. To see if chocolate could help prevent heart problems long-term, Australian researchers used a mathematical model to predict the health effects and cost effectiveness of eating dark chocolate daily in more than 2,000 people who were already at high risk of heart disease.

All of the participants in the study had high blood pressure and also met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical problems that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes including obesity, high triglycerides, and reduced HDL cholesterol. None of the participants, however, had a history of heart disease or diabetes and none were on blood pressure medications.

SPECIAL: These 4 Things Happen Right Before a Heart Attack � Read More.

The model showed that when all participants ate dark chocolate daily for 10 years, researchers found 70 fewer non-fatal cardiovascular events and 15 fewer fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people. When compliance levels dropped to 80 percent, the number of events potentially averted was 55 and 10 respectively per 10,000 people treated for over 10 years � still an effective therapy both in terms of health benefits and cost, said the researchers.

Previous short-term studies found that eating chocolate produced impressive improvements in cardiovascular health. One study found that heart attack survivors who ate chocolate two or more times a week slashed their risk of dying from heart disease by threefold. German researchers found that eating only one square of dark chocolate a week lowered the risk of heart attack and stroke by 39 percent, and another study found that people who ate the equivalent of a small chocolate bar each week reduced their risk of dying following a stroke by 46 percent.

And one long-term, 10-year Australian study found that women over the age of 70 who ate chocolate at least once a week were 60 percent less likely to die from heart failure during the study.

Chocolate has also been shown to reduce the risk of stroke. A 2011 Swedish study of 33,000 women found that the more chocolate the women ate, the lower their risk of stroke. The findings, which appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that women who ate more than 45 grams of chocolate a week (about 1.5 ounces) suffered 2.5 strokes per 1,000 women each year. On the other hand, those who ate the least chocolate (less than 8.9 grams a week or less than one-third of a ounce) had 7.8 strokes per 1,000 women.

Chocolate has also been shown to lower blood pressure. A 2012 meta-analysis examined the results of 42 clinical trials and found that blood pressure readings of chocolate lovers were slightly lower than those who didn't eat chocolate. The study, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found an improvement in how well blood vessels respond to increased blood flow.

According to other studies, chocolate can affect many other areas of your health including:

� Weight. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who ate chocolate regularly weighed less than those who shunned the sweet treat. Study participants ate chocolate an average of twice each week and had a body mass index (BMI) of 28 � overweight but not obese. The researchers found that even though the people who ate chocolate more frequently ate more overall calories, including saturated fats, they had lower body weights (five to seven pounds less) than those who ate no chocolate or ate it less frequently.

� Muscle strength. Research published in the journal Clinical and Translational Science found that dark chocolate boosts the mitochondria � or the fuel cells of the body � making muscles stronger and increasing endurance. In the study, patients with heart disease and diabetes ate dark chocolate bars and drank a daily beverage enriched with a flavonoid found in chocolate. After three months, their "fuel cells" showed significant improvement.

� Stress. A clinical trial published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research found that eating about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate every day for two weeks reduced stress hormones in people who were feeling highly stressed.

� Diabetes. Research at the U.K.'s Hull York Medical School found that chocolate improved the function of blood vessels in patients with Type 2 diabetes, and an Italian study found that eating chocolate weekly increased insulin sensitivity, thus lowering the risk of developing the disease.

� Brain health. A 2009 study found that people were able to count backwards better after drinking hot cocoa. The researchers attributed the results to flavonoids which they believe increase blood flow to the brain and may delay age-related decline.

� Eyesight. A 2011 study at the University of Reading suggested that the ability to improve blood flow in the brain may also increase blood to the eye's retina, thus giving vision a boost. Researchers found that eating chocolate improved performance by 17 percent, and the effects appeared to last for hours.

� Wrinkles. Scientists at European Dermatology London say a few squares daily of very dark chocolate containing high amounts of flavonoids (antioxidants found in some foods), help prevent wrinkles caused by UV rays from the sun, and may even lower the risk of skin cancer.

� Mood. Cocoa triggers the production of serotonin and dopamine � the "feel good" hormones � and also contains a chemical called phenylethylamine (PEA) that the brain produces in large amounts when we fall in love. The darker the chocolate, the more love-stimulating chemicals it contains.

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Beans, Rice and Glycemic Response.

 
Beans and rice, the classic food combo in many parts of the world, can reduce postprandial glycemic elevations in people with type 2 diabetes, according to an American study published in the Nutrition journal. A study in Nutrition Journalon the glycemic response of bean and rice traditional meals that compared to rice alone in adults with type 2 diabetes concludes that that ‘promoting traditional foods is a non-pharmacological way to manage type 2 diabetes’. Donna Winham et al gave four different test meals in random order to 17 men and women with type 2 diabetes. Three meals contained ½ cup of white long grain rice mixed with either canned pinto beans, black beans or dark red kidney beans or a control meal of 180g (6oz) of steamed white rice. The bean and rice meals produced a reduced glucose response in comparison to rice alone. All study ‘treatments’ reduced the average 2 hr postprandial glucose below 140 mg/dL or 7.8 mmol/L. The pinto and black bean and rice combinations had the lowest glycemic response overall. ‘While promoting traditional foods is a non-pharmacological way to manage type 2 diabetes, knowing which beans are most effective can help improve dietary adherence with an appropriate cultural twist’ they conclude.

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