"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without a new post to laugh to..."

Ok, ok. So I know it has been a while since I posted, but between break, and all the work I had to complete for school, I have just been busy, busy, busy! But anyhow, I wanted to share my opinions with you all about an article that was in the Yale Daily News that can be found here. The article discusses the unsanitary nature of the college past-time known as beer pong. I don't know about you, but communicable disease has always been something that I have always had a pet peeve about. Drinking, eating, licking, smoking ANYTHING after ANYBODY, especially another college student has never been particularly interesting to me. In a time where H1N1, and countless other disease run rampant, I cannot believe that people are so nonchalant about, and willing to engage in such reckless behavior. What is even worse, is that when I decline to participate in these activities, I am looked to as a prude, rather than as someone who values their immune system. But anyways, I just wanted to leave you with that thought.

Whitney

Pardonne-moi!

Please excuse my absence! I know I promised that I would update you all on my fast progress, but I got SO BUSY last week that I wasn't able to. So I made it through the juice fasting portion remarkably well. I did however cut it short, because I just really wanted to eat food again:-/ Instead of juice fasting for 8 days, I only made it about 5 1/2. Now I can eat fruits, veggies, oats, and beans for the next two weeks. This is MUCH better! I feel great! My energy is up, my mind is clear, and I just feel overall healthier. I highly recommend fasting for improved health!

Anyhow, as I am sure you have heard the President released his own health care reform plan just yesterday. Just when we thought all hope on health care reform was lost with the election of Republican Scott Brown to the late Ted Kennedy's senate seat and the dismantling of the Democratic filibuster-proof supermajority, the President wants to make sure he keeps health reform on the public agenda. Thursday, there will be a Health Reform Summit, and I will definitely post a blog on my views on it. Until then...

Love. Peace. and Health Care Reform.

Mrs. O takes on the big O...

Hello all!

So two days ago, as I opened my web browser, CNN.com (my homepage) pops up. I then see a picture of the most fabulous woman in America, First Lady Michelle Obama, and an article about her campaign to end childhood obesity. I think to myself, not only is she amazing, she is smart enough to stand behind an issue of great importance to the health status of future adults. Ok, enough with my idolizing.....

In the video seen here, the First Lady makes some really wonderful comments about how vulnerable children, and oftentimes their parents are to food and drink that cause obesity. Many of the key points she made suggested the use of policy to influence a downward trend in childhood obesity.

1. Our kids didn't do this to themselves- federal policy promotes nutritionally lacking school lunches, lack of recess, and tons of foods filled with sodium, corn syrup that are marketed marketed towards our children

2. We must offer parents the information and tools needed to make healthier food decisions for their children. Passing laws that require the dissemination of nutritional information is often a powerful policy instrument. For instance, requiring vending machines to clearly display nutritional information on the products it sells.

3. Encouraging the FDA to pass legislation to improve health literacy by improving nutrition labeling to make them easier to understand

4. Updating and strengthening the Child Nutrition Act which sets the standard for what our children eat in our schools by adding an additional $10 million over the next 10 years

5. These laws will change the norms of society so that healthy living and eating become generational and socially normal and acceptable and these traits are passed on to our future children

These are just a few of the ways we can use policy to influence not only childhood obesity, but other behavioral issues that pose a threat to the health of Americans.

Hopefully, Americans can look at the fabulous Mrs. O and her beautiful children and see that they in fact hold the power to their and their children's healths.

Peace.

Whitney.

Holistic Healing and Alternative Medicine: Does It Have a Place in Healthcare Reform?

Hey everybody. So I have been contemplating undertaking a 21-day spiritual and prayer fast. No, I have NOT lost my mind! And I know what you're thinking: "She is just trying to get her body right for the Bahamas!" Well this fast will definitely help me in my bikini body goal, but this fast means more to me than that. My pastor has been educating my church on the power of fasting not only for an increased spiritual connectedness with God, but also, its power to heal the body from certain ailments. During this fast, for the first 8 days, I will be undertaking a "juice fast". During this time I will only drink water and 100% vegetable and fruit juices, and doing saltwater flushes at night to aid in digestion. This is going to be a challenge, because I LOVE to eat. The next 3 days I will be reintroducing solid foods to my body with soft fruits and simple carbohydrates. The remaining 10 days I will be eating baked fish, oatmeal, nuts, and 75% of my diet will be uncooked fruits and vegetables. NO DAIRY products during this time, as it can disrupt the detox! The theory behind this is that my body will detox from all the toxins we consume on a daily basis, and because my body will not have to contribute energy towards digestion, it can put more energy into restoring and healing the body. Additionally, to help deal with the hinger pains I will surely feel, I will increase my prayer regimen during this time to feed my "spiritual stomach", if you will. It is my hope that my spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health will benefit as a result of this 21-day fast.

I mention this because this type of holistic or alternative medicine is many times discounted by many physicians and people who only believe in evidence-based medicine. There are many centers in this country that deliver these types of services, but are expensive, and many insurance plans do not cover them. I do agree that in a time where we are struggling to cover the basic health needs of Americans, maybe we should not pay for holistic medicine. However, we cannot forget to emphasize the importance of taking the time to not only focus on the absence of disease in our society, but to promote the mental, social and emotional health of Americans as well. The power of fasting can put people who fast in a better emotional and spiritual place, which can do wonders for mental health issues, such as depression, but also manifest itself by causing us to take better care of ourselves, because we feel better about ourselves. So much research has been done proving that good social, mental, and emotional health can have incredible benefits on physical health.

I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress. I plan to begin the fast February 15 and end March 7.

--Whitney

Bahama Mamas and Papas

So I have some exciting news: I am going to the Bahamas for spring break!!! Yipee! I am talking sipping drinks on the beach, feeling the sun on my skin, and partaking in some delicious Caribbean dishes. Now of course, I have to get my beach body together, because I want to look awesome while lying on the beach! In order to reach my bikini body goal, I have been upping my already intense workout routine, and watching what I eat (this part not so much).

Luckily, I have the options of working and eating better. I can go buy workout DVDs (Jillian Michaels is a BEAST!), go use the state-of-the-art facilities here at Yale, and I have the means to go the grocery and buy healthy foods, like fresh fruits and veggies. Because I have the ability to do these things, I will be rewarded with my beach body, and a feeling of accomplishment. However, some people, for whatever, do not have the ability to control their weight at easily as I am. Do they deserve to feel like failures?

This is an opinion brought up recently in an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Wellness Programs and incentives for healthy lifestyles have, as of late, been a burgeoning concept in healthcare. By giving people incentives to lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking, and drop other unhealthy habits, it is the hope of employers and the government, that chronic illnesses associated with unhealthy lifestyles will be decreased, and health care costs will decrease. This is all well and fine, but wellness programs con sometimes forget that not everybody has the tools needed to kick their bad habits, and often, they are punished for it, not assisted to help them reach healthier goals. Additionally, what about those who really try to get that proverbial beach body, and lose weight, but genetics stand in their way? Should they feel like failures because they could not reach a certain goal?

I think that wellness programs are awesome. For me, the incentive of looking good on the beach is enough for me to want to get in better shape. But I also can do so, relatively easy. Sometimes, incentives to be healthy are not enough. Empowering people with assistance, and attempting to eliminate barriers to healthier behaviors are needed to supplement incentives to live healthier lives.

--Whitney

Could this be the end? It's only my first post :-/

Tomorrow's special election for the late senator Ted Kennedy's seat in the US Senate could bring any hope for health care reform to a screeching halt. The race has gotten all too close for the Democratic candidate, Martha Coaxley, who was at one point thought to be a shoe-in for the seat, which has been held by a Democrat for decades. If elected, Coaxley would maintain the current 60 vote majority held by the Democratic party, which is crucial for the passage of health care reform.

However, as health care reform (as promoted by Dems) is staunchly opposed by Republicans, election of the GOP candidate for the seat, Scott Brown, would be catastrophic, as he would certainly not vote in favor of current reform efforts, thus paving the way for the GOP to filibuster the bill, which they have made very clear they are prepared to do.

Now I must admit that I really do not care about who wins the senate race tomorrow. While I do consider myself a committed member of the Democratic party, I will be able to sleep just fine tomorrow night if Scott Brown were to win. Trust me. (Actually, I might have nightmares about not being able to blog about health care reform anymore, but I will get over it...in time:-) What I find far more telling about tomorrow's election is what it will imply about current health care reform.

First of all, Mass citizens know more about the implications of current health care reform than most, being that the legislation being proposed is partly based on the Massachusetts health care overhaul of 2006. By voting for a Republican, the people of Massachusetts are essentially voting against health care reform, presumably because they do not like the impact of the health care reform efforts in their state, and do not want the same reform to be implemented across the US.

Secondly, what does this say about the strength and validity of the Democrats current health reform plans that one election holds its fate in the balance? Election of Scott Brown would force Democrats to enter into more bipartisan talks with the GOP if any health care reform is to be passed.

Now, being that I think the proposed health care reform legislation is terrible and watered-down, and will do very littl eto actually cut the incredibly ridiculous costs of health care in this country, I would like to see this bill stopped in its tracks by the election of Scott Brown. However, there is no way that Dems and Republicans will be able to come up with a health reform bill that is any better, therefore, Scott Brown's election would lead likely to no reform at all. So, unfortunately, I believe that tomorrow, the people of Massachusetts will be voting for the lesser of two evils. I can imagine them now, in their voting booth, thinking to themselves, Do I vote for Coaxley so that SOMETHING gets done about health care in this country, albeit, trivial, or do I vote for Brown and watch health care reform go up in smoke, possibly never to return again?"