Some ways to lose weight lemon fruit

The lemon is a fruit rich in vitamin C, is a most important beauty food. In fact, a little lemon juice can also help reduce the fat content is very effective. Purification process of dissolving effect of lemon excess fat, toxic waste to the liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin, dialysis, improve the quality of the blood, promoting metabolism, restore the digestive system improve the absorption and adjust the balance in the digestive tract.

Lemon can prevent dental diseases, such as swelling of interest, the result of bleeding, teeth whitening. Weight loss process really purify lemon toxins from the digestive system and purifies the body, it takes about 5-7 days.

Lemon juice can enjoy refreshments while reducing appetite. Therefore, please exercise 15 minutes every day, then drink a glass of lemonade is going to be very effective.

Specifically in the following method:

1. Lemon is rich in calcium shells, so that to achieve the most effective, the best thing that you should clean lemon juice, then juice. When you press a little more zest. Dilute lemon juice with 1 quart of water to no more sour, put it in the refrigerator.

2. Each drink a day for at least 2 liters of diluted lemon juice instead of water, no need to change your diet, avoid junk food simply.

3. At the same time the training should exercise 15 minutes a day to toxins excreted from the body, effectively reduce fat faster.

Lemon and vinegar are fat reduction as effective. You can drink a glass of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar after meals to reduce fat. However, lemon and apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, so it should not take the lemonade too hungry or too concentrated damage the stomach.

U of L spinal cord center brings in $13.7 million in 2011, $64.1 million since 2000

The University of Louisville's spinal cord scientists attracted more than $13.7 million in outside funding in 2011 alone, and have brought in a total of $64.1 million since 2000.

"This is tangible evidence of our effort to become a nationally recognized premier metropolitan research university," said U of L President James Ramsey. "We have taken the investment that the state has made in our program, brought in the best researchers to work on spinal cord injury, and begun to help people."

One major success story was that of Rob Summers, who played college baseball in Oregon and was paralyzed below the chest after a car accident in 2006. "In May, a team from U of L and two California universities announced that they had used electrical stimulation and rehabilitation to help (him) stand and take steps with assistance — a breakthrough with implications for millions of paralyzed people around the world," reports Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal. (Read more)

Beshear says hand over child abuse records; cabinet immediately files for more time

Gov. Steve Beshear ordered the release of "state records of children who have been killed or nearly killed as a result of abuse and neglect," reports Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader. (Photo by H-L's Pablo Alcala)

"Transparency will be the new rule," he said at a news conference Tuesday.

But, immediately after he spoke, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services filed a motion in Franklin Circuit Court asking for more time. "It also asked Judge Phillip Shepherd to sharply limit the information the cabinet must release and allow it to remove a significant amount of detail — restrictions that seem to contradict the governor's pledge of openness," reports Deborah Yetter of The Courier-Journal.

The two newspapers have been suing the cabinet to see the records, and Shepherd has twice ruled that the newspapers should be able to view them. "State law says that the child protection records are private with one clear exemption — in the deaths or near-deaths of children who have died as a result of abuse or neglect," Musgrave reports.

The cabinet argued releasing the documents would run counter to federal privacy laws and could lead to a loss in federal funding.

Attorney Jon Fleischaker, who represents the C-J, was not impressed by the governor's move. "It's a sham, in my judgment," he said.

In 2009, both newspapers sued the cabinet after being denied access to documents pertaining to Kayden Branham, a toddler who died after drinking drain cleaner that was reportedly to be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

The Todd County Standard likewise sued the cabinet when it refused to turn over documents pertaining to Amy Dye, a 9-year-old who was beaten to death by her adoptive brother. "This crime has drawn a lot of attention, has left this community dazed, confused and angry and searching for answers as to why this could have happened and why this happened," said Todd Circuit Court Judge Tyler Gill.

The motion filed by the cabinet Tuesday would exclude details of Amy's case, such as the circumstances of her adoption, the names of her siblings, information about foster care, and the termination of parents' rights and juvenile court records, "all of which were elements of Amy's case," Yetter reports.

Records that Shepherd ordered be released Nov. 7 showed evidence that state social service workers either ignored or dismissed repeated complaints by school officials that Amy was the victim of abuse. "The cabinet had initially denied it had any records, then refused to disclose them, citing confidentiality," Yetter reports.

At the news conference Tuesday, Beshear said he planned to propose legislation in 2012 to make it more clear as to what information the cabinet is subject to releasing.

To read more in The Courier-Journal, click here.

To read more in the Herald-Leader, click here.

Baptist-Trover hospital merger another example of trend

Though the proposed merger of Saint Joseph Health System, University Hospital and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare has grabbed recent headlines, another merger is under way, with Baptist Healthcare System hoping to expand its reach to Western Kentucky with the acquisition of Trover Health System in Madisonville.

"There's a lot of territory . . . and certainly Trover fits a geographic hole that Baptist has in the western part of the state," said Andy Sears, vice president of planning and development for the Louisville-based Baptist system.

Trover is made up of a 390-bed regional medical center and several clinics, resulting in the company having seven locations in six counties, reports Patrick Howington for The Courier-Journal.

"With reimbursements from government health plans set to tighten under health-care reforms, experts say stand-alone hospitals will have more difficulty keeping up than larger systems, which can spread costs and have more purchasing power," Howington reports.

During the first nine months of 2011, there were 71 deals involving 132 hospitals and totaling $6.9 billion, according to Sanford Steever, editor of Health Care M&A Report. (Read more)

To read more about hospitals merging nationwide, click here.

Move to managed care involves a steep learning curve, patients and providers tell Noelle Hunter of The Morehead News

Patients and providers are "ascending a steep learning curve as they implement Medicaid managed care," reports Noelle Hunter in a two-part series in The Morehead News. Even for a proactive patient, the changeover has its challenges, and vulnerable populations are at risk of falling through the cracks, providers say. For health administrators, it means getting accustomed to three new systems, all of which require pre-authorization before treatment can begin.

The move to managed care, which took place Nov. 1, was intended to fill a $166 million shortfall in the Medicaid budget. Gov. Steve Beshear pushed hard for the switch and estimates it will save the state $1.3 billion in the next three years. Managed care will be handled by four organizations — Kentucky Spirit, CoventryCares, WellCare and Passport — across the state. Passport was already handling the Louisville region.

When the switch took place, Medicaid recipient Mary Jo Long discovered "45 percent of Medicaid recipients were automatically enrolled in Kentucky Spirit," Hunter reports. "None of the doctors (in Rowan County) take Kentucky Spirit," Long said. Discovering this, she waited on hold 30 minutes before being switched to CoventryCares and doesn't "anticipate any problems from here," she said.

While Long was able to navigate the challenge, many patients, particularly those with mental or behavioral health issues, might find it difficult, said Kimberly McClanahan, CEO of Pathways, Inc., a drug or alcohol rehabilitation center. "A lot of our patients are seriously mentally ill and they don't or cannot always pay attention to the information they are getting in the mail about the change," she said. "When they got their first letter about the changes, it was seven pages long. A lot of our consumers just threw it in the trash."

Health administrators are likewise dealing with lengthy forms from managed care organizations. "We've essentially gone from a one-page document to a sometimes 25-30 page document that has to be faxed to the MCOs before any care can be given," said G.R. "Sonny" Jones, chief financial officer at St. Claire Regional Medical Center.

The paper overload stems from the fact that Medicaid patients must be pre-authorized before they can receive any treatment, the likely key to savings in such a system. "I was talking to a case manager who said she spent an hour and 45 minutes on the telephone trying to obtain a pre-authorization," said Charlotte Walker, administrative director for clinical operations at St. Claire.

Moreover, the existing network of providers is not extensive enough, in part because the move to managed care happened in just 120 days, as per the state's directive, "when it usually takes a year or two to develop a satisfactory network," Jones said.

Behavioral health organizations and pharmacies are also experiencing challenges, with some patients not able to access their prescriptions "because each MCO has different prescription formularies," Hunter reports.

Whether the move will indeed save money remains to be seen, administrators say. "In the long run, the financial incentives are there to pay hospitals and providers less," Jones said. "It will make it more difficult for us."

An op-ed piece in the Lexington Herald-Leader indicated likewise. "There will now be four bureaucracies, with each sopping up Medicaid money to pay for the bureaucrats needed to keep track of everything," writes Edward L. Smith, a charter member of Northern Kentucky's Mental Health/Substance Abuse Regional Planning Council. "Where will the money for the bureaucrats come from? From services, of course." (Read more)

To read Part 1 of Noelle Hunter's series Mandatory Medicine, click here. For Part 2, click here.

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day; 1.2 million Americans are thought to be infected, but only 1 in 5 know it

Friday is World AIDS Day, an opportunity to learn the facts about the virus and show support for people living with it.

In the United States, there are 1.2 million people living with the HIV infection, which leads to AIDS. Of those who are infected with the virus in the U.S., only one in five know they have it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Each year, about 50,000 Americans become infected. About 1,700 Kentuckians were diagnosed with HIV between Jan. 1, 2005 and Dec. 31, 2009; Kentucky ranks 19th in the country for the number of people who have the HIV infection.

Since the epidemic began, nearly 594,500 people have died with AIDS in the U.S. Between 1981 and 2007, more than 25 million people have died from the virus around the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of the epidemic in a Nov. 8 address at the National Institutes of Health. "The fight against AIDS began three decades ago in June 1981. American scientists reported the first evidence of a mysterious new disease," she said. "Thirty years later, we ... know a great deal about the virus itself. We understand how it is spread, how it constantly mutates in the body, how it hides from the immune system. And we have turned this knowledge to our advantage."

Most at risk are gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. The CDC estimates that though this population accounts for just 2 percent of the U.S. population, it accounted for 61 percent of all new HIV infections in 2009. But heterosexuals and people who inject drugs can also contract the disease. Heterosexuals account for 27 percent of new cases. Another 9 percent of people who contracted the virus did so by using injected drugs.

Blacks accounted for 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009, though they only represent 14 percent of the U.S. population. In 2009, the rate of new infection was 6.5 times greater for black men than it was for white men.

People can now be tested for the infection using a saliva sample and have the results in just 15 to 20 minutes. To find an HIV/AIDS prevention and service provider by county, click here.

Why is Lyme Disease Not JUST a Tick-Borne Disease Any More?

If you have been diagnosed with fibromyalia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson's disease, ALS, MS or have gone undiagnosed with a chronic affliction, please read this article. 

Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD is well known for his successful treatment of neurological illness and chronic pain with Integrative Medicine.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/27/dr-dietrich-klinghardt-on-lyme-disease.aspx?e_cid=20110820_DNL_artTest_B1

Here, he shares his latest insights into Lyme disease, including its causes, confounding factors that can make proper diagnosis elusive, and how to get around them, along with his own treatment protocol.

By Dr. Mercola

Some experts feel that almost everyone has been exposed to Lyme disease and may have it in one way, shape or form.  Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but clearly there are those who have it and are severely disabled by it.  Dr. Klinghardt—who is one of my earliest mentors in natural health and always on the leading edge—has actually suffered with Lyme disease himself, and as a result, he's passionate about finding effective natural treatments for Lyme.

The Ongoing Discovery of Lyme Disease

It's now been fairly well-established that chronic infection is an underlying factor in most chronic illnesses. Diseases such as Parkinson, multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue are all turning out to be expressions of chronic infections.

"Right at the center of that is the ongoing discovery of Lyme disease," Dr. Klinghardt says.

Lyme disease has recently received a new definition. It now refers to illnesses transferred by insects, as opposed to simply a tick-borne disease. Mosquitoes can carry Lyme disease and many other serious infections, as can spiders, fleas and mites.

"Today I take a very different approach to Lyme disease," Dr. Klinghardt says. "I look at it as nature mingling with our genes. They are trying to incorporate their genome into our genome… Most of the time it goes wrong but sometimes it goes well. This is like the point I want to make upfront; that I take this more evolutionary view of it.

… We know that Lyme spirochetes were around for a long time but something happened maybe 30-40 years ago, where the creatures became more aggressive, more penetrating, and more illness-producing than they were before. Some of us suspect it's a man-made element. Some of us suspect that the global warming may play a role in it.

I personally suspect that the exposure to electromagnetic fields in the home and the microwaves from cell phone radiation are driving the virulence of many of the microbes that are naturally in us, and makes them aggressive and illness producing. There is probably evidence for all sides of the discussion."

Why Lyme Disease is So Tough to Diagnose…

Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose using conventional tests. And there's great variation in the presentation of the disease as well, depending on where you contracted it, and whether or not you have any other coexisting infections. There is a group of seven or eight microbes that are the most common. The worst ones are Babesia microti and the different forms of Bartonella.

"Underneath that, there's often an infection with Mycoplasma. We still don't know if it's really transferred with the same bite or if the people had it all along and become symptomatic when the immune system is suppressed by the spirochetes," Dr. Klinghardt says.

Other than the co-infections, there is what I call the "opportunistic infections." The combined effect of the initial infection is an immune suppressive effect, and then the patient becomes vulnerable to all sorts of other things. The most common things people contract early on in the course if the illness are different forms of parasites, such as protozoa; Babesia itself being one of them.

There is Giardia, amoebas, Trichomonas, malaria, and different forms of infections that aren't labeled yet. There is a new one, called FL1953. Stephen Frye discovered that. It's a protozoan organism that's causing severe fatigue and illness in chronically ill people. It's almost always present in a patient with Lyme disease.

And then we find a lot of worms in people. They may be microscopic and they may be macroscopic. That means they may be visible in the stool or they may not be visible."

Common Presentations of Lyme Disease

The most simple presentation is the orthopedic forms of Lyme disease as they're typically more superficial, affecting the larger joints. Interestingly, Dr. Klinghardt injects ozone into the joint in these cases, which he claims is:

"100 percent effective if the Lyme disease or… whatever the microbe is, lives in the joint and is confined to the joint space. Simply putting ozone in the joint will kill the spirochetes, and often with one, sometimes two treatments, make the joint completely pain free. That's one form of the expression of Lyme."

When the microbes and the associated immune reactions are situated in the connective tissue, the infection presents as a "vague, dispersed pain," which oftentimes ends up being labeled as fibromyalgia by conventional doctors. The immunological expression of Lyme covers a wide variety of immune system disorders, typically with some aspect of autoimmunity.

"I did my thesis in 1976 on autoimmune diseases and how the autonomic nervous system interacts with the immune system," Dr. Klinghardt says. "We found then that the determining factor of the outcome of an autoimmune disease was the presence of microbes that were catastrophically unresponsive to antibiotics.

Any autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, we suspect has an underlying level of Lyme disease that needs to be treated appropriately before the patient has a chance to recover from the illness."

The gastroenterological presentation, where you have constant stomach problems, constipation, recurring stomach ulcers and/or indigestion, is very common, especially with the Babesia infection. This is sometimes the direct outcome of pancreatitis or hepatitis, but it can also be due to parasites acquired after contracting Lyme disease. In these cases, aggressive treatment of the parasites typically resolves the problem.

"The most startling form of the expression of Lyme disease is a wide variety of neurological illnesses," Dr. Klinghardt says.
"That is what we specialize in… We see a lot of cases with multiple sclerosis (MS)… ALS… [and] everything in between: the chronic fatigued patients, the patient with vague, undistinguishable neurological symptoms, the feeling of buzzing in the head, buzzing on the skin, crawling under the skin…"

How to Diagnose Lyme Disease

Insomnia is one of the key symptoms in many cases of Lyme disease, along with neurological symptoms such as headaches and a wide variety of pain syndromes. But you cannot diagnose Lyme disease on symptoms alone, because they're so varied.
Testing is required, but even that is not a sure-shot…

Most commercial tests designed to detect chronic infections are based on measuring your immune reaction—the presence of antibodies—to the invading microbe. However, one of the primary cells that get infected with Lyme spirochetes are the white blood cells themselves, which is a bit of a game-changer… because if your white blood cells are infected, they lose the ability to produce antibodies.

Hence it is relatively common to get a negative test result…
Dr. Klinghardt refers to this as "the Lyme paradox," because in order to diagnose Lyme disease properly with one of the accepted commercial tests, you have to first treat the Lyme disease, in order for your white blood cells to be able to mount an appropriate immune response. Only then can a lab test be used to detect the presence of Lyme disease.

"An exception to that are the test based on direct microscopy, where you're not depending on the immune responses for the patient," he explains.

However, this too has its drawbacks and difficulties. For example, the FISH test for Babesia is done on blood. But Babesia lives in the central nervous system, joints, and connective tissue. It doesn't live in your blood stream, at least not in significant amounts, so it can easily be missed when looking at blood.

To get around the many testing conundrums surrounding Lyme, whenever he suspects Lyme, Dr. Klinghardt treats his patients for Lyme disease for at least six to eight weeks, followed by a Western blot test, which measures immune response. The treatment is initially based on the clinical symptoms presented, along with a form of muscle testing he developed, called autonomic response testing (ART), which incorporates both classical neurological testing and kinesiology.

"It's not related to the applied kinesiology system that's quite distinct," Dr. Klinghardt explains. "It... may look similar… [but] we're looking for very specific reflexes that are connected to very specific illnesses. We arrive at a tentative diagnosis through history taking, through looking at skin signs; palpating the tissues; testing the normal neurological reflexes; orthopedic tests, and then we add the muscle testing as an additional tool."

Tests and Lab Recommendations

Dr. Klinghardt exclusively uses the IGeneX Lab in Palo Alto for his blood tests, and Fry Labs in Arizona for direct microscopy testing.

"I don't have a financial investment in it, but it's the gold standard in our field," he says. "They use two different antigens. The commercial labs and hospitals and so forth, they use one antigen and are notorious in under-diagnosing Lyme disease. We recommend to rather not test it than get a false negative, which will sometimes lead the patient 20 years on the wrong track. With the other co-infections, the detection rate drops way down.
… We do the FISH test [for Borrelia] at IGeneX Lab. It's a direct microscopy test which has more false negatives than the western blot.

… The leading test for Bartonella that we use is Fry Labs in Arizona. Steven Fry, who does a wonderful direct microscopy test, often comes back positive with the diagnosis of hemobartonella. Hemo means simply blood – Bartonella in the blood. Remember, he's testing the blood where the Bartonella typically does not live. It lives in the nervous system. So if you find it in the blood in small amounts it generally is an indicator that there is a high amount in other tissues in the body."

An indirect test is the CD57 test. "CD-57" is a specific group of natural killer cells that are particularly damaged by the Lyme spirochetes. Therefore, if your numbers drop to a certain level, it is an indirect indicator that you may have Lyme disease, because the only known infection to suppress CD57 is that of Borrelia burgdorferi.
Normally, your CD57 value should be over 100. If it's lower than that, you're infected with Borrelia. If it's below 60, you probably have both Borrelia and Mycoplasma, and, most likely, some other co-infections.

Dr. Klinghardt's Treatment Approach

Dr. Klinghardt takes microwave radiation and electromagnetic fields very seriously, as it can have a profound impact on Lyme disease.

"One of my primary treatments for Lyme disease is to put people in protective clothing that shields them from incoming microwaves," he says. "We shield the bedside. We turn off the wireless internet at home. We put shielding paint on the houses. That has been a more successful strategy to treating Lyme disease and to get people neurologically well than any of the antibiotics or any of the antimicrobial compounds."

He's convinced that the increased virulence we're now seeing is related to the dramatic increase in electromagnetic fields and microwave radiation from cell phones, cell towers, and all manner of wireless technologies. Therefore, EMF and microwave radiation mitigation are part of the standard protocol, as any subsequent treatment of Lyme disease will not be as effective unless these external factors are addressed.
Below is a summarized outline of Dr. Klinghardt's treatment for Lyme disease. For more information and details, please listen to the interview in its entirety, or read through the transcript.

1. First, external factors that act upon the body 24/7 are evaluated.
   This includes electrosmog, EMF, microwave radiation from wireless technologies, and molds. To test for the presence of mold, he uses the ERMI score, which is a semi-quantitative assessment of how much molds is in your home. The score should not exceed 2. However, most of his patients score between 15 and 20. For more information on mold, Dr. Klinghardt recommends www.SurvivingMold.com.
2. Once external influencing factors have been determined, they're remediated and mitigated. (For mold remediation, please refer to this previous article.)
   
   To mitigate microwave radiation, Dr. Klinghardt recommends shielding your home with a graphite paint called Y Shield outside, and use special silver-coated cloth for your curtains. These measures will compromise your ability to receive cell phone calls, so depending on your situation, you may opt to shield just your bedroom, or shield your entire home and just use a landline.
   
   All cordless telephones are removed, and patients are instructed to turn off all the fuses at night, until they have recovered from Lyme disease.
3. Next, the emotional component of the disease is addressed using Energy Psychology tools, including psychokinesiology (PK) which is similar to the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), but more refined and advanced..
4. Dr. Klinghardt begins the treatment for Lyme disease by addressing parasites, followed by "the Klinghardt antimicrobial cocktail," which addresses the Lyme spirochetes, Babesia, and Bartonella. For more details and complete recipes to all his treatment cocktails, see www.KlinghardtAcademy.com or send an email to info@KlinghardtAcademy.com. Some of the ingredients in his formula include: wormwood (artemisinin)—which has been found to be extremely effective for malaria—combined with phospholipids; vitamin C, and specific herbs.
   
   Lastly, viruses are addressed using a tincture of Native American herbs called Viressence, by BioPure.
5. Additional lifestyle factors are also addressed, including diet and vitamin supplementation.

A Word on Antibiotics

Conventional Lyme treatment hinges on long-term use of antibiotics. While this treatment can indeed be effective, there are many reasons to opt for alternatives such as those detailed by Dr. Klinghardt, as antibiotics will disrupt your gut flora, thereby exposing you to a whole host of other pathologies.

More Information

In Dr. Klinghardt's experience, the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) is by far the best and most responsible group, so to learn more about Lyme disease, see www.ILADS.org.

"Depending on where you live in the U.S., consider the treatment that is offered to you through a Lyme literate physician. Most of them have been through the training at ILADS and I do recommend that," Dr. Klinghardt says.

"But there is a level beyond that, which I'm hoping I'm introducing here. If you just do antibiotics, okay, you just do antibiotics. But if you think more holistically and do the things that I recommend, then you no longer will need to resort to antibiotics because you cover your system on so many other fronts. And with that you're not only treating Lyme disease but you're preventing cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease—you're preventing pretty much all the other things that we didn't know were associated with Lyme.
So by treating the mold, by getting electrosmog under control, by treating the infections, by treating insulin resistance, we are preparing the patient for much happy and healthier longer life, and more productive life, which is of course what I'm hoping for…"

Again, Dr. Klinghardt provides free access to all his recipes on his web site, so to learn more about his treatment, please see www.KlinghardtAcademy.com.

Corbin City Commission enacts smoking ban

The Corbin City Commission passed an ordinance this week to ban smoking in all enclosed public areas and enclosed public buildings. The ordinance will also require smokers to remain at least 25 feet from building entrances. Areas subject to the ban include bingo parlors, restaurants except for outdoor seating, and motels and hotels, "which may not offer more than 20 percent of rooms as smoking," Dean Manning of The News Journal reported. "Once the ordinance is advertised, it will become law," Becky Kilian of The Times-Tribune reports.

Tips Cooking Carrots for Kids

Tips Cooking Carrots for Kids - You may have read that vegetables including carrots needed for the child. However, how to cook it so easy and kids like to eat? On the one hand, cooking vegetables for too long will remove all the positive content in it. But on the other hand, if not cooked long enough (until soft), carrots will be difficult to chew children who are toddlers. Is processed as juice is also recommended?

According to Dr. Handy Fransisca SpA, a pediatrician and author of Healthy Food Guide Breastfeeding and Baby, the most important thing about food children eat foods with balanced nutrition. Perhaps you will ask, how to measure the nutritional balance. Roughly speaking, keep the child at each meal menu contained a variety of foodstuffs with a variety of colors. One of the important food is carrots, but it's not the only one.

For vegetables, if possible, should be eaten without cooking (but washed clean, of course). Without the ripening process, the content of enzymes and various vitamins in vegetables can be more awake. If I had to be cooked, the first option is to steamed vegetables until slightly soft. Do not really soft or wilted. The second option is to include pan-fried or boiled with water boiled in a child's menu.

For children who are aged over one year, carrots can be presented in various forms, such as an adult. If there are local and imported carrots, you better choose local carrots. The reason, delivery time is shorter, so that the freshness is stay there.

5 Benefits of Orange Vegetables Consumption

Orange Vegetables Consumption - Many varieties and types of vegetables that we can easily get in nature. The shape and color is highly variable. There are red, green, orange, yellow, and purple. Everything would be so beneficial for health.

During this time, green vegetables may be better known and be an option. But there is no harm if you start making variations with orange-colored vegetables. Health experts in Canada recommends eating orange vegetables every day. Why?

1. Against breast cancer in its early stages

Retinoic acid is a substance derived from vitamin A - which is widely available on the sweet potatoes and carrots. Research conducted by the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, showing retinoic acid-fighting properties as having breast cancer at an early stage (stage two), but not in the stage above it.

2. Increase of beta-carotene

Beta Carotene is one of the antioxidants found in vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and pumpkin. Beta-carotene have a role in regulating the immune system and keep the vision remains good. Beta-carotene is fat-soluble nutrients and a study showed that certain vegetable frying with little oil content of beta-carotene may increase by 63 percent to 53 percent in carrots and pumpkins.

3. Protect the heart

Studies show that the levels of alpha-and beta-carotene, as well as higher antioxidant can lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

4. Protect the eyes

Pumpkin and carrots are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two plant pigments that help prevent cataracts. A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology involving more than 35,000 women showed that those who received the highest amount of pigments in the diet (6716 micrograms per day) had a 18 percent lower risk of developing cataracts.

5. Boost the immune system

The content of vitamin B6 is found in carrots and pumpkins have a role in blood cell growth and protein metabolism. Not only that, this vitamin also helps the immune system produces antibodies to fight disease.

Poll finds Kentucky has the highest smoking rate in the country; a statewide ban would reduce it, advocates say

Kentucky has the highest smoking rate in the country, with 29 percent of people surveyed by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index answering "yes" to the question, "Do you smoke?" (United Press International photo by Alexis G. Glenn)

Kentucky's number is 8 percentage points higher than the national average, which remains unchanged from 2008. Utah had the lowest rate, 11 percent. The survey included answers collected from 1,000 Americans from January to June.

Smoking rates remain highest in the South and Midwest. "The findings suggested government smoking bans were effective," United Press International reports. "There were no bans on smoking in bars in all but one of the states where rates are 25 percent or higher and no bans on smoking in restaurants in all but two." (Read more)

In an op-ed piece in Monday's Lexington Herald-Leader, public health advocate Joan Buchar of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky asks the upcoming General Assembly to pass a statewide ban, and lists the benefits: Teens and preteens are less likely to begin smoking because they see fewer adults smoking. There are fewer visits to the emergency room for heart attacks in communities with comprehensive bans. And businesses are attracted to areas where bans are in effect, Buchar writes.

"Kentucky is known for its hospitality and beautiful places," she writes. "We can be known, too, as a beautiful and healthful place to live. Twenty years from now, our children will thank us for taking this bold step today." (Read more)

Abuse must be reported to officials in Ky., unlike scandalized Pa.

State law should prevent the child abuse scandal that has rocked Penn State from happening in Kentucky. (Associated Press photo: Penn State head coach Joe Paterno, assistant coach Mike McQueary and quarterback Mike McGloin.)

Unlike in Pennsylvania, where people are only required to report sexual abuse to a supervisor, in Kentucky suspected abuse must be reported to police, prosecutors or Child Protective Services. If a person fails to report it, that constitutes a crime, reports Andrew Wolfson of The Courier-Journal. "Telling your boss in Kentucky doesn't take you off the hook," said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates. "We don't let folks in Kentucky wash their hands of abuse."

Interest in the law has surfaced since a graduate assistant Paterno "saw former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky raping a boy in a shower in 2002 and told Paterno about it rather than alerting authorities," Wolfson reports. Paterno told his athletic director, but not police or other authorities. He was fired Nov. 9.

Advocates believe the Kentucky law "shows that we are all responsible," said Dan Fox, president of Family and Children's Place, a nonprofit counseling agency. Kentucky is one of 18 states with such a law. Those who fail to report abuse can be charged with a misdemeanor punishable up to 90 days in jail and a $250 fine, though prosecution is relatively rare. There were just 57 cases filed with the Administrative Office of the Courts since 2006. One case involved a Bed Bath & Beyond store, which was charged in 2008 after it didn't help a couple who had found a toddler locked in a hot van in the parking lot. The manager said getting involved was against store policy.

Kentucky had twice as many reported child-abuse cases as Pennsylvania 2009, though it has just one-third the number of children. That difference is believed to stem from the reporting laws of the two states, not because abuse or neglect is less common in Kentucky, Wolfson reports.

Pat Boone commercial about Medicare has many inaccuracies

A television commerical misleads seniors into believing the federal health-care reform law will ration and deny care and contains other inaccuracies, according to FactCheck.org, a non-partisan, non-profit service based at the University of Pennsylvania.

The ad features singer Pat Boone and is being aired repeatedly in Ohio (and presumably in Northern Kentucky) by the conservative 60 Plus Association. It claims the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will create the Independent Payment Advisory Board, made up of elected bureaucrats who "can ration care and deny certain Medicare treatments so Washington can fund more wasteful spending."Boone says,"Unaccountable bureaucrats should never have the power to deny you the care you deserve."

The board is neither made up of bureaucrats, nor can it ration care. "The IPAB is tasked with finding ways to reduce the growth in Medicare spending," FactCheck reports. "Its 15 voting members won't be bureaucrats, according to the health care law (see page 502); they will be doctors and medical professionals, economists and health care management experts."

The law also says proposals from the IPAB "shall not include any recommendation to ration health care, raise reveneues or Medicare beneficiary premiums ... increase Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance and copayments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria."

The ad says the law will cut $500 billion from Medicare, but fails to mention that cut is in the future growth of Medicare over 10 years and will come from the supplemental Medicare plans seniors can buy.  Moreover, though Boone suggests seniors should object to the $500 billion in cuts, they are meant to extend the funding of Medicare Part A by 12 years.

The ad also states Medicare will be bankrupt in nine years. "The truth is that Medicare Part A — the hospital insurance trust fund, one of four parts of Medicare — is expected to be insolvent by 2020, according to the projections from the Congressional Budget Office, or perhaps 2024, according to the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees," FactCheck reports. "Shortfalls have been projected for Part A 'almost from inception,' says a Congressional Research Service report," but Congress has always found a way to extend the program. (Read more)

Exciting New Products

We added some Exciting New Products to our Organic Skin Care Line just in time for Organic Black Friday 45% OFF Sale

• Ageless Mature Skin Toner with DMAE & Antioxidants+
• Ageless Anti-Wrinkle Lip Creme with DMAE/Hyaluronic Acid
• Anti-Aging Hand Cream with DMAE/Hyaluronic Acid
• Natural Organic Purifying Cleanser with Green Tea & Activated Charcoal
• Detoxifying Crème Masque with DMAE & Hyaluronic Acid
• Aromatherapy Bath Salts - GREAT GIFT added to our Bath & Body Line

Hyaluronic Acid is one of the most exciting ingredients on the market today. We use only the vegan type of hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the extracellular matrix of human tissue. Topically applied hyaluronic acid forms an air permeable layer and penetrates into the dermis, thus boosting the elasticity and hydration of the skin. The protective breathable barrier on the skin locks in moisture which gives the skin a youthful appearance. The cuticular layer of the skin normally contains 10-20% water, however as we age it can drop to below 10%. Hyaluronic acid comes to the rescue with its unique ability to hold more than 1000 ml of water per gram of hyaluronic acid, which is a key factor in allowing the skin to retain more water. Amazingly, hyaluronic acid adjusts its moisture absorption based on the relative humidity in the air. It is the ideal ingredient in skin care products as it adjusts to the skin’s need for a moisturizing effect depending on the relative humidity of seasons and climate of an area. Hyaluronic acid also protects the epidermis by scavenging reactive oxygen species generated by ultra violet light which would normally cause sunspots.

DMAE is found in foods and can create an almost immediate appearance in the firming and tone of the skin.  An intriguing finding in some DMAE studies was that it reduced the accumulation of lipofuscin deposits inside cells. Lipofuscin deposits are cellular pigment consisting of aggregated chucks of molecular waste. It has been demonstrated that DMAE causes some degree of skin and pore tightening. However, it remains unclear how DMAE firms the skin -- whether by stabilizing the membranes, boosting acetylcholine, reducing lipofuscin deposits or none of the above. Whatever the mechanism, the effect of DMAE is often noticeable although seldom dramatic. Besides, even though DMAE can't fully reverse the existing facial sag, it may reduce its further progression. People report a cumulative effect with continued use of DMAE. Naturally occurring substance that facilitates the synthesis of a neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a compound released from the ends of nerve fibers and it is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. DMAE also may stimulate the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, an important component of cell membranes. Phosphatidylcholine is an essential fatty acid that improves and protects cell membranes damaged by free-radicals and improves blood flow and circulation.

Kentucky second highest in antibiotic consumption in U.S.

The next time you ask your doctor for an antibiotic, or if he or she offers to give you one, think again. It might do your health no good, but could be bad for public health.

"Every time an antibiotic is used ... future effectiveness of that drug is diminished," but Kentuckians take antibiotics at the second highest rate in the country, with 1,205 prescriptions per 1,000 people, says a study by the Centers for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy. Only West Virginia had a higher rate, 1,214 per 1,000. 

Studies show 1 million antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily every year. "Though antibiotics offer no benefits for colds and other viral infections, many people, including doctors, continue to view these drugs as a quick fix," said a press release by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helped fund the study.

The problem with the overuse of antibiotics is that bacterial infections become resistant to them. To illustrate the issue, CDDEP says, "High-level penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumonia in the United States has experienced a thousand-fold increase in the last 20 years," rising from 0.02 percent in 1987 to more than 20 percent in 2004. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — known more commonly as staph — increased from about 2 percent in 1974 to 50 percent in many U.S. hospitals in 2004.

"The problem of resistance is an evolutionary game played between humans and microbes: we try to stay ahead by creating new antibiotics, and microbes develop resistance to our drugs," CDDEP reports. "Unfortunately for us, microbes evolve resistance to antibiotics faster than we can create new drugs, meaning that, in recent years, bacteria have been winning this 'arms race.'"

Though there is no cure to resistance, managing the levels at which people become resistant is possible through judicious prescribing, vaccination, hospital infection control, treatment strategies and new antibiotics. (Read more)

Retailers like Walmart, CVS getting into primary care, eyeing the prize that awaits if health reform takes effect in 2014

Last week, a document leaked showing Walmart's intention to become the country's largest provider of primary health services, but the company's interest is not unique. Drug retailers like CVS Caremark and Walgreens are eyeing the same prize: "the millions of Americans with costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease," reports Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News. CVS already has 550 retail clinics, the most in the country. Walgreens has also set up programs aimed at diabetic customers, which includes counseling with pharmacists.

The retail industry is looking at ways it can use its clout to save money and offer a primary care infrastructure that experts say will be short by 21,000 doctors by 2015, largely because of the 30 million more people becoming insured by 2014 under the federal health-care reform law. "It's sad that the existing health care establishment has not figured out a way to make primary care affordable and accessible," said Jerry Avorn, a professor of medicine at Harvard University. "We should not be surprised if someone outside of our world comes in and does it for us."

Costs at retail clinics are "roughly 30 percent to 40 percent less than similar care at a doctor's office and 80 percent cheaper than at an emergency room," Appleby reports, referring to a study in the American Journal of Managed Care. Those savings appeal to insurers. Retail clinic use by people with health insurance increased tenfold from 2007 to 2009, with clinics accounting for 7 percent of all medical visits for 11 common acute conditions, the study found. "If these trends continue, health plans will see a dramatic increase in retail clinic utilization ... particularly among young, healthy and higher income patients living close to retail clinics," the study concluded.

Patients like the clinics for the predictability, with costs made clear ahead of time. And employers — who under the new health law could get incentives to provide wellness programs for their employees — may partner with the clinics to provide blood testing, nutrition counseling and diabetes management. However, there are still many unknowns. While the clinics have proved useful for acute care, it remains to be seen how they will deal with complicated issues like diabetes management.

Some states prevent clinics from employing physicians, nurse practitioners or physician assistants. "Other states cap the number of nurses each doctor can oversee," Appleby reports. The vast majority of clinics are staffed not by doctors, but physician assistants and nurse practitioners. A report by the Convenient Care Association shows 95 percent of the clinicians are nurse practitioners. With these practitioners able to provide basic care, part of the fear among doctors is they will be left to treat only the sickest patients and won't be reimbursed accordingly.

Most of the clinics are in the South and Midwest. In January, Merchant Medicine listed 40 retail clinics in Kentucky, with more to open in 2011. The clinics "are more likely to be in areas with lower overall poverty and only 12.5 percent were in medically underserved areas," Appleby reports, though 21 percent of the U.S. population lives in those areas.

The clinics have typically offered vaccinations and simple physical exams and treatment for strep throat and ear infections, but plan to expand their services and enlarge retail's foothold in the medical world. "Think about Toyota; they didn't start off by competing with Cadillac and BMW. They started with cheap little cars but got better and better over time," said Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California Healthcare Foundation. (Read more)

Contoh Penerapan Etika Dalam Dunia Bisnis diera perdagangan bebas dan Contoh Penerapan Prinsip-Prinsip GCG pada BUMN

1. Contoh penerapan etika dalam bisnis di era perdagangan bebas saat ini:

• Tidak melakukan suatu bisnis dengan cara yang kotor/ tidak baik.
• Tidak melakukan tindakan penipuan dalam berbisnis.
• Sesuatu yang di bisniskan harus merupakan suatu bisnis yang legal (tidak berbisnis hal negatif).
• Bersaing yang sehat dalam berbisnis.
• Tidak melakukan tindakan pemaksaan dalam berbisnis.

2. pendapat terhadap pernyataan "Kompetisi adalah konsep, mereka yang berhasil adalah yang mahir menghancurkan musuh-musuhnya"

=> Saya kurang setuju dengan pernyataan tersebut. Di era sekarang persaingan dalam hal apapun sangat lah ketat sehingga di butuhkan strategi yang bagus dan baik agar berhasil dan sukses dalam berkompetisi. Mereka yang berhasil bukan lah mereka yang mahir menghancurkan musuh-musuhnya, tapi mereka yang berhasil adalah mereka yang mampu menang dalam kompetisi yang sportif dan sehat.

3. Contoh penerapan dari prinsip-prinsip GCG pada BUMN :

Transparasi (Transparency) :

- Perusahaan menyediakan informasi yang jelas, akurat, dan tepat waktu

- Mengumumkan jabatan yang kosong secara terbuka.

Kemandirian (Independence) :

- Tidak bergantung pada pihak eksternal.

- Proses pengambilan keputusan di nperusahaan dilakukan secara obyektif untuk kepentingan perusahaan.

Kewajaran (Fairness):

- Sistem hukum dan peraturan serta penegakannya yang jelas dan berlaku bagi semua pihak.

- Perlakuan adil kepada seluruh pihak pemegang kepentingan (nasabah, pelanggan, pemilik) dalam memberikan pelayanan dan informasi.

Akuntabilitas (accountability) :

- Pemberdayaan dewan komisaris untuk melakukan monitoring, evaluasi, dan pengendalian terhadap manajemen guna memberikan jaminan perlindungan kepada pemegang saham dan pembatasan kekuasaan yang jelas di jajaran direksi.

- Sistem penilaian kinerja operasional, organisasi, dan perorangan telah sepakat ditetapkan, di terapkan dan dievaluasi dengan baik.

10 Nutrition Increased Libido

10 Nutrition Increased Libido | There are a number of specific nutrients in foods that can increase libido and your sexual fantasy life. The following are some of the nutrients in foods that can increase your sexual desire and your partner:

1. Antioxidants: Antioxidants are found mainly in fruits and vegetables fresh. This substance provides protection from cervical cancer by neutralizing free radicals that the body is synthesized.

2. Vitamin A: This vitamin is found in carrots, egg yolks, butter, liver, and cheese. These nutrients are needed to maintain the epithelial tissue (comprised of sheets of cells that covers the external surface of the body) of the uterus and vagina to be always in good health.

3. Vitamin B: Women who are attempting pregnancy should be a diet rich in folic acid and vitamin B2. Folic acid may prevent anemia in pregnant women as it contributes to the synthesis of blood cells healthy. While vitamin B2 support the development of red blood cells and antibodies. It also supports the healthy development of the fetus. Sources of folic acid and vitamin B2 include bananas, meat, eggs, liver, yeast breads, spinach, fish, milk, wheat, beans, yogurt, cottage cheese, lettuce, beans, spinach, avocado, broccoli, and oranges.

4. Vitamin C: Vitamin C has benefits for the male reproductive system by increasing the quantity and quality of sperm. Under certain conditions, called agglutination, sperm can not reach the ovum. Vitamin C prevents the occurrence of such conditions. Oranges, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, strawberries, and peppers are rich dietary sources of vitamin C.

5. Vitamin E: This vitamin is found in sunflower oil, and several other vegetable oils. Vitamin E deficiency can cause neuromuscular problems and anemia. Foods rich in vitamin E include wheat germ, avocados, beans, margarine, and nuts.

6. Zinc (zinc): Zinc is vital to increase libido because it encourages the production of sperm. Oysters are a food source rich in content of zinc (zinc). Zinc deficiency is closely related to low sex drive in women and low sperm count in men. Brown rice, turkey, lean red meat, shellfish, and green leafy vegetables are the food sources that contain zinc.

7. Selenium: Selenium facilitates the production of ova and sperm. Oatmeal, lean meats, brown rice, and organ meats are a food source rich in selenium.

8. Phytoestrogens: This substance is similar to the female hormone estrogen. You can find it in soy and soy products like tofu or tempeh. Phytoestrogens are known for being as a cancer preventive.

9. Essential fatty acids: Sperm production is supported by the intake of essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid. Sources of essential fatty acids include nuts, sunflower and other vegetable oils.

10. Manganese: The hormone estrogen in women requiring manganese for its metabolism. Manganese deficiency can cause infertility in women. You can find a sufficient amount of manganese in foods such as wheat, spinach, whole grain cereal, raisins, peanuts, wheat, pineapple, and tea.

We must learn about the correlation between food and sexual health. Ginger, garlic, onions, carrots, ginseng, known for their quality improvement in sexual satisfaction. The best way to improve sexual health is through food intake. If you rely on drugs such as Viagra or other energy pill, consider its effect on changes in your normal diet.

Even the experts seem to have more questions than answers when it comes to the federal health-care reform law

By Tara Kaprowy
Kentucky Health News

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Confusion, primary care doctors overwhelmed by an influx of new patients, and employers opting to pay fines rather than health insurance are among the fears experts have about the federal health-care reform law. The experts discussed the issues this week in Lexington at the fall meeting of the Friedell Committee for Health System Transformation, a non-partisan, non-profit group formed several years ago to improve health in Kentucky.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 30 million more people will become eligible for health insurance by 2014. People who have an income 133 percent above the federal poverty level — now $14,404 for individuals or $29,326 for a family of four — will qualify for Medicaid starting in 2014. Additionally, the federal government will give subsidies to help Americans whose income is up to 400 percent above the poverty level. With them, they must buy private coverage through state insurance exchanges.

The experts see problems arising from both options. "If you look at the overall population, it's very clear that the majority of these patients are going to be in the Medicaid program," said Elizabeth Cobb, vice president of health policy at the Kentucky Hospital Association. "Since Medicaid only pays hospitals at 85 percent of cost, that's a real concern" for providers. Cobb estimated that Kentucky hospitals will lose nearly $1 billion in revenue in the next 10 years because of the Medicaid expansion, along with cuts to other federal programs.

While hospitals will feel the stretch, so will doctors, with Kentucky lacking the primary-care infrastructure it needs to support the influx of new patients, said Dr. Steve Davis, acting commissioner for the state Department of Public Health. Davis said the average age of a practicing dentist in Kentucky is 58 years, and "in a few years," the state will have 3,000 fewer primary-care doctors.

"We don't have enough clinicians to meet those needs and that's a real problem," added Kevin Shuer, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's College of Health Sciences.

Kentucky has taken no firm steps toward creating a state insurance exchange, a marketplace in which people will have to choose from a variety of plans. That will likely have to be done in the 2012 legislative session if the state opts to run its own exchange.

One reason for the delay is a lack of information, said Cris Miller, a partner in the Louisville accounting firm of Mountjoy Chilton Medley. "We know there will be four plans," each paying 60, 70, 80 or 90 percent of the covered benefit, she said. "We know the bronze plan is going to pay 60 percent of the covered benefit, but what is the covered benefit?"

Despite the unanswered questions, Julia Costich, chair of the Department of Health Services Management at UK's College of Public Health, believes Kentucky will set up a state-specific health insurance exchange, rather than let the federal government handle it, and will do so alone rather than partner with other states, since "the logistics to make that happen would be very complicated."

Costich's research shows about 400,000 Kentuckians will be eligible for federal subsidies as part of the exchange. Medicaid will eventually be included in the exchange and, after coverage expansion, the program's numbers could grow from its current 830,000 participants to 1.1 million in Kentucky. The federal government would cover the initial cost, but the state would gradually pick up a share, just as it does for current Medicaid patients.

The area of the state with the highest uninsured population is between Somerset and Bowling Green, according to Costich's research. There, one in four people under the age of 65 don't have any form of insurance. County-specific estimates show Franklin, Fayette and Jefferson counties have the lowest percentage of people without any form of insurance (4 to 8 percent) and Edmonson, Todd and Elliott have the highest (38 to 45 percent).

In 2014, employers with more than 50 employees who don't provide health coverage will be required to pay a penalty. The experts said paying the fines may be cheaper than offering insurance. According to global consulting firm Towers Watson, 3 in 10 American corporations are considering ending employee health coverage when the exchanges begin.

Though about 58 percent of Kentuckians have insurance through their employer, that's down from about 70 percent a decade ago, said Mark Lamberth, president-elect of the Kentucky Association of Health Underwriters. Lamberth said the drop is not surprising. "We've built a system that is really strapped on the back, for premium purposes, on employers," he said.

Another unknown is how accountable care organizations will work in Kentucky. Starting in 2012, providers that are part of an ACO — in which providers and hospitals team up to take care of a specific population in a coordinated way — will start receiving increased reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.

So far, there are no ACOs in Kentucky, which Miller said is not surprising. "If you know anything at all about ACOs, you know they're driven by volume," she said. "We're going to have a few in Louisville, probably as many as three in Lexington. Maybe have one in Bowling Green, one in Paducah. But I can promise you we will not have one in Pikeville, we will not have one in Somerset. There's not enough population."

With pieces of the law still undergoing legal scrutiny — the Supreme Court seems likely to decide by July whether Americans can be required to buy health insurance — and with many wondering what will remain of the law after the 2012 presidential and congressional elections, it's unclear what answers, if any, consumers might get before the end of the year. For now, "mass confusion" is what the experts are witnessing, Lamberth said. Miller agreed. "The biggest things we are hearing from our customers is fear."

Independent pharmacists say managed care costs them money

Because two of the three new Medicaid managed-care companies have slashed the dispensing fee they will pay them, independent pharmacists are in danger of going out of business all over the state, pharmacists told the interim joint Health and Welfare Committee yesterday.

But one managed-care firm said that's the cost of saving money for the taxpayers, the reason the state implemented managed care statewide. "We recognize ... there's a big change here for everyone," said Barb Witte, CEO of CoventryCares. "All health care providers are going to have to tighten their belts."

Under the traditional Medicaid system, "pharmacists were paid a 'dispensing fee' per prescription of $4.50 to $5 plus reimbursement for their actual cost of the drug based on an industry formula called the 'maximum allowable cost,'" reports Deborah Yetter of The Courier-Journal.

But the dispensing fee of CoventryCares is only $1 to $1.50. WellCare increased its fee to $3 from $1.50, but cut reimbursement for cost, making the increase only worth about 80 cents. Kentucky Spirit is still paying $4.50 to $5.

Because the maximum allowable cost fluctuates on a monthly basis, pharmacists don't know their return until they file a claim. Often, "pharmacists find they are being paid less than it cost them to buy the drug from a wholesaler," Yetter reports.

"How long will I be able to stay in business losing money?" asked Mayfield pharmacist Sam Willett. "Not very long."

Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, told the MCOs and pharmacists to come to an agreement. "There must be a way to work this out," he said. (Read more)

Fruits and vegetables in your diet in pregnancy

Why fruits and vegetables are so important:

Packed full of essential nutrients and fiber, fruits and vegetables are an important part of any healthy diet - and must appear in abundance in your kitchen when you're pregnant.

A slice of melon or a bowl of strawberries for a snack, and provide your baby with vitamins and minerals for growth while maintaining healthy, too. Pair fruit with a little protein, like cottage cheese, and you have a constant energy boost to get through a long afternoon.

The fiber content of fruits and vegetables also offers a number of benefits, including maintaining a bowel movement. This helps to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids, two common problems during pregnancy.

 How much should you eat

Whenever possible, try to eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1 / 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day. This is what counts as a cup:

* 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables

* 2 cups raw leafy greens (or 1 cup of leafy greens and 1/2 cup of other vegetables)

* 1 cup raw, canned, or frozen fruit

* 2 small bananas (less than 6 inches) or 1 large (8 to 9 inches)

* 1/2 cup dried fruit

* 1 medium to large piece of fruit (1 large orange, 1 medium pear or grapefruit, 2 large plums, 1/2 large apple)

* 1 cup 100 percent fruit juice, vegetable juice, or fruit-vegetable juice.

FDA finds more than 1,000 retailers selling tobacco products to minors, several in Kentucky

More than 1,200 retailers, including CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid, were issued warning letters by the Food and Drug Administration this year for illegally selling cigarettes to minors. FDA inspectors conducted 27,500 undercover checks by sending children under 18 into stores to buy cigarettes. These checks resulted in hundreds of letters being sent to retailers. Many of the warnings were sent to stores in rural areas where a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report found youth are more likely to use tobacco products.

Alina Selyukh reports for Reuters that under the Tobacco Control Act of 2009, the FDA was given broad authority over tobacco manufacture and sales. One of the provisions of the act "allows the agency to contract with states to inspect spots where youths could buy cigarettes or chewable tobacco." Under the law, store workers are required to check identification of anyone looking younger than 27. Selyukh writes: "FDA officials said they are on a mission to begin battling the stubbornly high U.S. smoking rates by keeping tobacco out of underage hands in the first place."

The agency posted the warning letters on its website last week along with a searchable database of all checks it conducted. The letters allow retailers to correct their infractions without fines, but repeat offenders could face fines or loss of ability to sell tobacco products of any kind. To see if retailers in your state, community or city were issued a warning letter, search the FDA database of compliance checks.

'Pill mills' proliferating in Ky.; legislators plan countermeasures

Suspected "pill mills" that feed Kentucky's "epidemic of prescription-drug abuse" have proliferated in the last two years, and "not just in Eastern Kentucky, where the problem was once most prominent," the Lexington Herald-Leader reported yesterday. "Faced with a growing problem, calls are mounting for increased regulation of pain clinics" with proposed laws for the 2012 General Assembly, said the story by Josh Kegley, Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Bill Estep.

PRESCRIPTIONS FOR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES
PER PERSON BY COUNTY 3RD QUARTER 2011

Pain-pill cases have become the most prevalent type of drug case for state police in Central Kentucky, outpacing cocaine and marijuana, Lt. Todd Dalton, assistant commander of the state police drug-enforcement unit for the eastern half of the state, told the newspaper. Dalton "said that when Florida authorities started discussing legislation aimed at curbing pill mills, clinic owners started looking to move into Kentucky." (Read more)

Health Remuneration of Passion Fruit

* Delicious passion fruit is a rich source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber. 100 g of fruit contains about 97 calories.

* The fruit is a good basis of dietary fiber. 100 g of fruit pulp contains 10.4 grams or 27% dietary fiber. Good fiber in the diet helps to remove cholesterol from the body.

* Passion fruit is excellent in vitamin C, provides about 30 mg per 100 g. Vitamin C is soluble in water at high pressure an anti-oxidant. Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against flu-like infectious agents and clean harmful pro-inflammatory free radicals. 

* Vitamin A is also necessary to maintain the mucous membranes and skin healthy. Consumption of fresh fruit rich in vitamins A and flavonoids help protect against lung cancer and oral cavity.

* Fresh granadillas are rich in potassium. 100 g of fruit pulp has about 348 mg of potassium. Potassium is an important component of the cellular fluids and the body helps regulate heartbeat and blood pressure.

* Moreover, the passion are very good source of minerals. Iron, copper, magnesium and phosphorus are present in sufficient amounts in the fruit.

Center for Excellence in Rural Health marks 20th anniversary by adding new program in medical lab science

The University of Kentucky’s Center for Excellence in Rural Health celebrated its 20th anniversary this week and announced the addition of a new baccalaureate degree in medical laboratory science, which will start next fall at the facility in Hazard.

At a ceremony honoring current and former faculty, staff and students of the center, speakers include UK President Eli Capilouto, 5th District U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers and Dr. Wayne Myers, the center’s first director and a former director of the federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

Capilouto, a dentist by trade, said “With approximately 80 percent of the center’s graduates working in Appalachia or other rural communities, it’s a testimony to the fact that this idea worked.” More than 550 people are graduates of the center's academic programs. The center also includes Kentucky Homeplace, a nationally recognized community health worker initiative; the Kentucky Office of Rural Health; and the East Kentucky Family Medicine Residency Program, a UK news release said.

Juice Recipes | Coffe Cream Jelly Juice

Ingredient to make Coffee Jelly Cream:
1. 250 ml boiling water
2. 1 teaspoon instant coffee
3. 60 g sugar
4. 1 tsp instant jelly
5. 1/4 teaspoon of agar powder
6. fresh heavy cream, beat until fluffy, to complement

How to make Coffee Jelly Cream:
1. Boil water, instant coffee, sugar, instant jelly, and agar-agar powder, stirring until boiling.
2. Pour into small cups, freeze.
3. Serve cold with spray whipped cream on top.

How to Make Ice Mushroom Juice

How to Make Ice Mushroom Juice

ingredients:
1 piece of white mushroom/mushroom ice, soak until soft, boiled briefly, remove, drain, cut into pieces and set aside
10 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
10 tablespoons lychee syrup
10 pieces of lychees, halved
1 packet of jelly white
700 ml liquid milk
100 g sugar
crushed ice to taste

How to make Ice Mushroom Juice:
1. Gelatin: Mix gelatin and sugar and stir well. Add milk, stir well. Simmer over low heat, stirring until boiling. Pour into a mold that has been moistened with water. Allow frozen. Once frozen, remove from mold, cut into dice.

2. Presentation: Arrange 2 tablespoons ice mushrooms, 2 tablespoons agar-agar, and 2 tablespoons lecy fruit in a serving bowl. Give shaved ice to taste, pour over it with sweetened condensed milk and syrup lecy.

3. Serve.

Race for city commission seat puts an end to debate over city's smoking ban, advocate and opponent agree

The Bowling Green City Commission candidate who said he wanted to rewrite the city's smoking ban ran last in the five-way race for an unexpired term on the commission Tuesday, and he and a commissioner in the 3-2 majority that enacted the ban said the result is an indicator of public opinion on the issue.

Candidate Bill Goodwin got only 682 votes, or 8.6 percent of the total. "Commissioner Brian 'Slim' Nash said he believes voters sent a message in Tuesday’s election: Citizens are satisfied with the city’s smoking ban," Andrew Robinson of the Daily News reports. "Goodwin said he spoke to a few citizens who told him the result is a clear sign there’s little support for revisiting the ordinance."

“The people spoke or the people didn’t show up,” Goodwin told the  newspaper. “It’s got to be an issue that’s dead right now. That’s all there is to it.” (Read more)

Nursing-home violations went up in third quarter, but a record 8 facilities had no deficiencies

In the third quarter of 2011, inspectors found 403 deficiencies in 56 Kentucky nursing homes, an average of 7.2, up from 5.9 in the second quarter. But no deficiencies were found in eight facilities, the first time that has happened in so many.

"I guess you could call that progress," Bernie Vonderheide of Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform told The Courier-Journal's Deborah Yetter. The non-profit organization advocates for nursing home residents and obtains this data regularly through open-records requests to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and distributes it statewide. The information is posted as part of Medicare's nursing-home comparison data.

Inspections assess a facility on the care of residents and how that care is administered; on how staff and residents interact; and on its environment. Certified nursing homes must meet more than 180 regulatory standards. The state Office of Inspector General website has more data, such as the results of inspections and the ownership of each facility.

Nursing homes with 10 or more deficiencies in the third quarter were: Christopher East Health Care Center, Louisville, 20; Glasgow Health & Rehabilitation Center, Glasgow (18); Springhurst Health and Rehab, Louisville (17); Woodland Terrace Health Care, Elizabethtown (16); Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Pikeville (16); Windsor Care Center, Mount Sterling (14); Bluegrass Care & Rehabilitation Center, Lexington (14); The Good Samaritan Society, Jeffersontown (12); Green Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center, Carrolton (12); Carmel Manor, Fort Thomas (12); Breckinridge Memorial Nursing Facility, Hardinsburg (11); Glenview Health Care Facility, Glasgow (11), Professional Care Health & Rehabilitation Center, Hartford (11); Salyersville Health Care Center (10); Stanton Nursing Center, Stanton (10); Colonial Health and Rehabilitation Center, Bardstown (10); Owsley County Health Care Center, Booneville (10); and Edgemont Healthcare, Cynthiana (10).

Nursing homes with no deficiencies were: Lourdes Transitional Care (Paducah); Westport Place Health Campus (Louisville); Carter Nursing & Rehabilitation Center (Grayson); Regional Medical Center of Hopkins County (Madisonville); Belle Meade Home (Greenville); Robertson County Health Care Facility (Mount Olivet); Windsor Gardens (Bardstown); and the Loretto Motherhouse Infirmary (Nerinx).

For the first time, inspection results were also released for assisted-living facilities. Inspectors found 19 deficiencies at Charleston Assisted Living in Danville, by far the highest number among the 10 facilities inspected. Other inspection results at assisted living facilities were: The Harrod Assisted Living, Harrodsburg (12); Highland Ridge Assisted Living, Glasgow (7); Atria Highland Crossing, Fort Wright (6); Bluegrass Assisted Living, Elizabethtown (4); Bowling Green Retirement Village, Bowling Green (4); Trinity Station Retirement Community, Flatwoods (4); The Neighborhood of Somerset, Somerset (2); Twin Oaks Assisted Living, New Castle (2); and The Village of Lebanon, Lebanon (2). There are 100 assisted-living facilities in Kentucky. (Read more)

Kentucky Youth Advocates gets $100,000 to push for income-tax policies aimed at helping the poor improve their health

Kentucky Youth Advocates is one of 12 coalitions nationwide to receive a "Roadmaps to Health" grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The non-profit children's advocacy organization will receive $100,000 for two years to build statewide support for tax policies that would help low-income families keep more of their income to pay for doctor visits, healthier diets and weight-loss or smoking-cessation services.

The 12 grantees were selected from more than 300 initial applicants. "Kentucky Youth Advocates has long been a proponent of improving economic policies for families, and promoting child health throughout the state," said Tara Grieshop-Goodwin, deputy director of the coalition. "We know income can impact health, and we are excited to ahve the opportunity to combine our economic well-being efforts with our health work and look forward to fostering partnerships between advocates from both disciplines throughout the state." (Read more)

Merger would give Jewish and St. Mary's $83 million for their assets, which would have to be used for charitable causes

If the much-debated merger between Saint Joseph Health System, University Hospital and Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare overcomes legal obstacles, it could result in a $83 million payment for Jewish and St. Mary's assets that would have to be used for charitable purposes, according to law.

The money could be used for medical causes, research and to pay for historical support for the Jewish community in Louisville. The sum would make it one of the largest philanthropic funds in the city. "That would enable parent Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services to keep supporting those causes even after effectively losing control of Jewish & St. Mary's and its roughly $1 billion a year in revenue once the merger becomes final," reports Patrick Howington of The Courier-Journal.

Stu Silberman, president and CEO of Jewish Community of Louisville, said the fund "certainly means we'll be able to continue developing new and vibrant programming to support Jewish families, Jewish seniors in need, provide Jewish education." The Jewish population in Louisville is about 8,300.

News of the money came from a financial report by Catholic Health Initiatives, which owns Saint Joseph Health System. The report also suggested the hospital merger could become final as early as Dec. 31, seven months earlier than expected. (Read more)

ORGANIC Black Friday - 45% OFF Natural Organic Products

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