Fema Admits Responsibility for Slow Response to Trailer Toxins
Fema has been found to not only arrange for hurricane Katrina victims to live in trailers that were releasing formaldehyde but the fact that they did not bother to check these trailers before they moved people into them is bad enough. However after residents complained that they were experiencing such symtoms as nose bleeds, fainting, and not feeling well, it took Fema another two years to investigate what was causing these illnesses. Formaldehyde is known as a cancer causing chemical, it has a strong smell but is invisible because it’s colorless.
At first there were over 134,000 trailers, today the numbers are down to about just over 3,000. Fema does claim responsibility and says that they have made major changes in how they operate and do not anticipate this kind of chaos in future emergencies.
I remember seeing pictures and news reports of these trailer residents being forced to stay in these trailers behind high chain link fencing with soldiers or police on the other side. If I am remembering that correctly, shame on you America.
Denny’s Sued Over Too Much Sodium
The Denny’s restaurant chain is being sued by a New Jersey man and the Center for Science in the Public for the high amount of sodium in most of their food. Denny’s is responding by saying the suit is silly and has no merit.
The truth is that Denny’s has food on the menu that contains over 5000 mgs of sodium. In case you don’t know the recommended daily maximum amount is around 2300 or 2400 mgs. So it’s possible to consume a couple days worth all in one meal. For those who are salt sensitive and have high blood pressure or heart problems this amount of sodium can be very dangerous and in some cases even deadly. The suit wants to force Denny’s to list the sodium content on their menus.
I don’t think that’s asking too much, in fact as someone who needs to watch their daily intake of sodium, carbs, and calories, I would love for restaurants to list nutritional information for all their foods, even if it be on a separate menu page. I think we’re all entitled to know what we’re consuming.
On the other hand we can’t blame Denny’s for our own ignorance. The truth is when you eat at a restaurant you should know that they prepare the food for taste and not health. They will add extra fats and sodium and whatever else it takes to make the food taste the best. That’s a given. An adult
in this day and age should know that and take responsibility for their decision go there and eat. You can’t tell me that some people would consider a meal of sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and toast to be good for their health.
Another consideration is portion size. I vacationed last week, where my sister took me out to eat almost daily. At most of the restaurants we went to I couldn’t finish the meal and had to ask for doggy bags. Understand also that I am not a thin person and am very capable of eating a lot. The point is that if portions were cut the sodium content would certainly be lower without altering the recipe.
Warning Labels on Hot Dog
A vegan group wants to put warning labels on hot dogs saying that eating them can cause cancer. The hot dog industry is against doing so and that is not surprising.
It’s good that vegans can do without meat in their diets because I believe it is healthier for you to stick to fruits, vegetables, legumes and so forth. However, to scare people away from a hot dog now and then is not only over reacting but is forcing their beliefs and practices on others.
You would think by now most people would know that hot dogs and other processed meats are not the healthiest things to eat, and if you don’t know that you should do a little research and then decide for yourself.
There was a time in my life when I was having irregular heart beats and day by day it was getting worse. When I went to my doctor she suggested that I stay away from hot dogs and processed meats and foods. At first I thought this was just a silly cop out. I was sure that there was a problem with my heart and that eliminating those foods from my diet would be useless.
I was wrong. A few days of more healthy eating and and cutting those foods out of my diet and I was back to normal. Now I also believe that because this worked for me it does not mean it would happen to everyone. We all have different chemical makeups and all our bodies need different things.
For instance, salt may be very bad for some people like myself. If I use too much salt I tend to swell up and have an elevated blood pressure. My husband at 55 years old has a very normal blood pressure and uses a ton of salt on his food, even tipping the salt shaker into his mouth alone at times. His system is different than mine and maybe his body actually needs all that salt.
I eat hot dogs maybe once every couple weeks, the same with lunchmeats and I have felt fine since. Eat foods in moderation and in smaller portions and I don’t think you will have to worry about getting cancer from such food.
The UK and Their Plan to Handle Swine Flu
The UK has a wonderful idea to treat swine flu sufferers and take the overload that’s expected away from their health care resources as in doctors visits and hospital visits. They are almost ready to institute a program by which swine flu victims can get medication by calling or going to the website of their new Pandemic Flu Service.
They have a series of questions that will be asked to determine if a person has swine flu and they have many safeguards in place so they can make sure the person is only getting the medicine for themselves and not multiple doses. The person will be given a number and will work through a flu friend to get the medicine needed.
I think this is a great idea and I hope they have a lot of success with it. Who knows, maybe if it works well there other countries like the US may adopt a similar program. I believe it will save a lot of money and provide faster care for the flu sufferer than waiting for a doctors appointment or a turn at the ER. If the number of flu victims rises this kind of plan will certainly take the strain off health care providers.
How Bad Sunburn Can Get
This past week I had the chance to see just how bad sunburs can be. A teenager I know went on vacation and where he was the temperature hovered at about 105. Him and his family stopped at a lake and swam the whole day without using sunscreen of any kind. The boy turned very red on his back and shoulders and was in a lot of pain so the family returned home cutting short their vacation.
He was given a cream and ended up having second degree burns. On about the third night after the burn he developed large and small blisters and woke up saying that it itched him. The family in desperation to make him more comfortable from the iching put some aloe vera on his back. They had only squirted a couple spots and had not even rubbed it in yet, when the teen started screaming that it felt like his back was on fire. Not knowing what else to do for him, they took two washcloths and wrang them out in cold water. They put one on his back and the other in the freezer and them alternated the cloths about every five to ten minutes for about three hours. He started to feel relief right away and as the minutes ticked by beagan to feel better and better. He was then able to sleep peacefully. The next morning the back looked a lot better and he felt a lot better.
When the skin began to turn brown from bright red the aloe vera worked to soften the skin and felt great.
The sun seems to me to be a lot hotter and more damaging than it was when I was a teen so the point is use sunscreen when out in the sun and limit your sun exposure.
New Study on Health Insurance
A new study finds what we’ve all known for some time, most Americans that try to buy personal health insurance end up not getting any simply because they cannot afford it. That translates into three out of four people, about 57% said they couldn’t find insurance that would meet their needs and that they could afford.
About 47% said they simply didn’t find a plan that fit their needs, and another 36% said they couldn’t get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, or had conditions that insurance companies would not cover.
They also found that people who did buy individual plans ended up paying a lot more for premiums and deductables than those people who had insurance through their job.
The numbers are staggering, people with individual health care coverage paid an average of over $6,700 , whereas those who had insurance from work paid only$2,250.
People need to have health insurance that they can afford and will cover the conditions that they need covered. This all seems to so simple and yet will we ever get there?
Soldiers and Mental Health
A new study has shown a sharp increase in metal health disorders to over 37% of those returning home and seeking treatment. Among the mental disorders are alcoholism, depression, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Some of these conditions not surfacing for a year or so after the soldier has returned home.
Experts are concerned that these numbers are going to match the post Vietnam era.
As much as the old administration would have us believe that soldiers are just inanimate chess pieces to be moved into action when needed, the rest of us are painfully reminded that a soldier is a person, a human being, and as such can only take so much. Most of us are not brought up and raised to be killing machines and to see people we know being shot and blown apart. This exposure to such danger and brutality takes a toll on the normal human mind. This increase in mental problems should have been anticipated and planned for, but instead our government when done with the soldier is simple done with the soldier and all the problems he brings back with him or her, are theirs to deal with on their own. How dare they? These soldiers need to be treated and helped so they can return to their families and society with as much normalcy as they can manage.
Plainview Milk Product Recall
The Plainview Milk Products Cooperative recalled voluntarily it’s whey protein, and instant nonfat dried milk because of possible salmonella contamination.
There in no need to panic because there have been no illnesses and these products were not sold to the public.