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Friday, 22 April 2016

Princess Health and UK study finds e-cigarettes aren't replacing traditional cigarettes, but their sales rise as unregulated TV ads for them increase. Princessiccia

Princess Health and UK study finds e-cigarettes aren't replacing traditional cigarettes, but their sales rise as unregulated TV ads for them increase. Princessiccia

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A study led by a University of Kentucky researcher found that electronic cigarettes have not become a substitute for traditional cigarettes, but their use is increasing, especially as television commercials for the products increase, Carol Lea Spence reports for UK AgNews.

�Cigarette purchases have dropped a bit, from about 90 percent to 80 percent of all tobacco products during the past 15 years, but it�s still a big player. Other tobacco product sales are growing, though�particularly e-cigarettes,� Yuqing Zheng, lead researcher and an agricultural economist in UK's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, told Spence.

The study, published in The American Journal of Agricultural Economics, looked at the habit formation of non-cigarette products and studied usage in five categories, including: cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigarillos and cigars, Spence reports.

The study collected data from convenience stores in 30 U.S. markets, looking for evidence to support that e-cigarettes had become a substitute for traditional cigarettes. It also investigated whether consumers purchased products based on cost and advertising.

They found that when the price of e-cigarettes went up, it did not increase the demand for traditional cigarettes. And not surprisingly, it also found that the purchase of e-cigarettes increased with increased TV advertising, but not with increased magazine advertisements.

�This adds to the policy discussion,� Zheng told Spence. �While cigarettes are strictly regulated in terms of advertising, there are no advertising restrictions on e-cigarettes.�

The study also found that based on consumption patterns, all five tobacco products in the study were habit forming, and e-cigarettes had the "highest degree of habit formation," Zheng told Spence.

Zheng attributed that to three things: Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addictive; they can be used in places where traditional cigarettes are banned; and because they don't burn out, people use them for longer periods of time, Spence reports.

Zheng told Spence that there is no scientific evidence to prove e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, and noted that the study found that people will generally buy traditional cigarettes regardless of the price, but in general are "more responsive to price increases" of non-cigarette tobacco.

Princess Health and Lown Institute/ Right Care Alliance 2016 Conference. Princessiccia

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I am back from the annual Lown Institute/ Right Care Alliance meeting in Chicago.  A considerable part of the meeting was devoted to issues that may be familiar to readers of Health Care Renewal.

Shannon Brownlee, in her keynote talk, "Introducing the Right Care Alliance," called our current US health care system "corrupt."  She noted how clinical research has been "hijacked," (see our posts on the suppression and manipulation of clinical research).  She noted how the multi-million dollar compensation of CEOs whose hospitals serve - not always well - primarily poor people (see our posts on executive compensation and mission-hostile management).  She called for a national conversation to "expose the dark matter" of medicine, and right the wrongs of a new "gilded age."

The Right Care Alliance has a Vision Statement which calls for health care in which

Healthcare is a right, not a commodified privilege, and access to healthcare is universal, equitable, and affordable. Everybody in, nobody out.

There is meaningful public transparency around costs and outcomes that matter to patients and communities.

The science and practice of medicine is free of commercial bias and the profit motive.

among other imperatives.

Not to toot our own horns too much, but Dr Adriane Fugh-Berman of PharmedOut.org and I led a workshop on deceptive pharmaceutical and device promotion in the context of health care corruption.

Hopefully, much of the conference content will eventually show up on the web, but so far one nice video summary has been produced:

Thursday, 21 April 2016

Princess Health and April 21st, 2016 My Normal-Revisited. Princessiccia

Princess Health and April 21st, 2016 My Normal-Revisited. Princessiccia

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April 21st, 2016 My Normal-Revisited

Today started out rough. I wasn't feeling very well and finally, decided my best course was calling a colleague to cover my morning show. I gradually started feeling better and made it to my blood work-up lab thing. I was supposed to get this workup a month ago! I kept putting it off for scheduling reasons--and a time or two I forgot to fast. It's done and next Thursday I'll follow up with my doctor so we can go over the numbers--all of the numbers. I think it's been a year since I had this complete blood workup, so it'll be interesting to see how the numbers have developed.

I eventually made it to the studio, completed some work in production--made a midday meeting across town, then back to work--and home for a good refresher nap before my trip South to see mom.

Mom is super excited because she's getting a year membership to the YMCA. That was part of our trip this evening--taking her to the Y to turn in the membership application. She'll get her membership card on her next visit! She's super enthused and I'm overjoyed for her!

I really wanted to prepare a home cooked meal for mom. That was the original plan I had in mind. It was just getting too late in the evening. We'll do that soon, I'm sure. Tonight, we dined at our favorite Mexican place.

I made it back home--without grabbing a coffee for the return trip (unusual for me--but I already had two in one day--and I have my limits!)

I did a living room floor body weight strength training routine. It was fast, challenging and felt like a great workout. It's what I needed tonight.

Today was solid despite a rough start. I'm hitting the pillow tonight having maintained the integrity of my maintenance calorie budget, I've remained abstinent from refined sugar, I've exceeded my water goal by 40oz--and of course, I completed the above mentioned workout. I also made support connections important today.
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At the end of last night's blog page, I mentioned embracing "My Normal." Earlier today, I edited the post and included the link to an archived post all about "my normal," from October 2014. The following is a rerun of that post.

From October 21st, 2014:

One of the things I've given a lot of thought to lately is, what does it mean to be "normal?" I've concluded "normal" is a relative term. Your normal isn't my normal. We're all different.
photo Picture064.jpg
(different photo used in original post)
This guy wanted to be normal. He wanted to have a normal relationship with food. He had fixed in his mind a vision of what it meant for him to be normal, you know, like people who are of normal weight with normal eating behaviors who wear normal clothing. To him, in order to be normal, he had to simply eat less and exercise more, yeah--that would be some kind of normal. 

What this guy failed to recognize is, he was already normal. He was his normal. In order to achieve weight loss success, the perspective on "normal" had to change. It couldn't be someone else's normal, it had to be his own kind of normal. He could mimic someone else's normal for a while, but eventually his normal would override the abnormal impersonation of normal--and everything would go back to being his normal.

Okay--enough of the third person--it's annoying. What I had to embrace was my normal. I had to let go of the idea that I wasn't normal because in that, I was constantly suggesting I wasn't good enough or something was wrong with me. I am good enough and there's nothing wrong with me--as long as I'm not trying to be someone else's normal.

My normal is: I'm addicted to sugar and if consumed, it triggers bio-chemical reactions that send me searching for more and more--and not just sugary items--I'm talking loads of carbs and high fat-- it's on!! Nothing trips my trigger like sugar--it is my normal. So I abstain, one day at a time--and it's my normal and I'm okay. 

I enjoy a drink of alcohol on rare occasion, perhaps once or twice, maybe three times a year. It doesn't negatively effect me beyond a slight feeling of intoxication. It doesn't trip anything for me. That's my normal. I have close friends with decades of sobriety, who--if they tried to mimic my normal, it would ruin their lives for who knows how long, maybe even kill them before they found recovery again. That's their normal. So they abstain, one day at a time, it's their normal and they're okay.

Embracing my normal is imperative to my success. My normal means that I take extraordinary care with food. My normal means no refined sugar. My normal means I remain active in seeking and offering support. My normal requires my attention and a rock solid commitment in doing what I do for my recovery. I fiercely protect it and never apologize for it.

I know many people who will enjoy their share of Halloween candy in a couple of weeks and it'll not be a big deal at all. That's their normal. If I tried to mimic their normal, you would witness a much different turnaround on these pages.

The biggest key for me to be my best, requires me to embrace and accept my normal, not someone else's. I hope and pray I spend the rest of my life celebrating my normal. Because if I do, I can't lose. 

This is what "finding what works for you" is all about. Sometimes that statement is misunderstood to mean "Find the plan or procedure" that works for you. I'm suggesting that "finding what works" for you and me, starts with honestly defining our personal normal, then fashioning a plan that gives us what we need.

I no longer want to be some idealized version of "normal," I just want to be mine.

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:
















































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean

Princess Health and National Drug Take-Back Day is April 30; dispose of unused or expired drugs at most State Police posts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Princessiccia

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Kentuckians can get rid of their unused or expired prescription drugs Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of National Drug Take-Back Day. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. Most collections will be made at Kentucky State Police posts.

"The goal of these programs is to reduce the volume of drugs that could end up on the streets and then used illegally," says the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy website.

All but two of the 16 KSP Posts will have "Take Back" locations on-site. Post 11 will have its collection at the Laurel County Health Department in London, and Post 8 will have a location at the Morehead Covention Center.

Sgt. Michael Webb, KSP spokesperson, said in the news release that the the program is designed to be easy for citizens and offered the following tips for those interested in participating:
  • Participants may dispose of a medication in its original container or by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box located at the drop off location.
  • All solid-dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids in consumer containers will be accepted.
  • Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in original containers.
  • The depositor should ensure that the cap is tightly sealed to prevent leakage.
  • Intravenous solutions, injectables and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazard posed by blood-borne pathogens.
  • Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.
Not including this Take-Back Day, "Kentucky has collected a total of 59,719 pounds of unused and/or unwanted prescription medications at all Drug Take-Back events and locations since October 2011," says the ODCP website. For more information about the Take-Back program, contact KSP at 502-782-1780 or click here.

Princess Health and Top deputy in state health department named commissioner of Lexington health department. Princessiccia

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Kraig Humbaugh
Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, senior deputy commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, has been named the Lexington-Fayette County commissioner of health, starting in June. He will replace Dr. Rice C. Leach, who died April 1 following a battle with cancer.

�I am honored to serve and look forward to working with the Board of Health, the hard-working team at the health department and the community to make Lexington a healthier place to live, work and visit,� Humbaugh said in a news release. �It�s important that we build on Dr. Leach�s legacy and the already strong foundation that the health department has in the community.�

A pediatrician by training, Humbaugh has extensive experience in public health, including epidemiology of communicable diseases and emergency preparedness and response.

�We are very excited to have Dr. Humbaugh join us as the next commissioner of health,� Paula Anderson, chair of the Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health, said in the release. �In addition to his exceptional background in public health, he has widespread leadership experience on the state level. He also knows Kentucky and has worked closely with the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department on many previous projects. All of those attributes made him the right choice to lead our health department.�

Humbaugh earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his medical degree from Yale University. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Otago in New Zealand and received a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Princess Health and Want to avoid prostate cancer? Evidence suggests that one thing you could do, if you're a smoker, is to stop smoking. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Want to avoid prostate cancer? Evidence suggests that one thing you could do, if you're a smoker, is to stop smoking. Princessiccia

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As fewer men are smoking, fewer are dying from prostate cancer, and the trends appear to be related, especially in Kentucky.

"From 1999 through 2010, decreasing prostate cancer mortality rates were consistent with a reduction in cigarette smoking at the population level," says the report, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

The study looked at four states: Kentucky, with the highest smoking rate (24.8 percent), Utah, with the lowest rate (9.1 percent), and Maryland (15.2 percent) and California (12.1 percent), with average rates.

Researchers found that in Kentucky and Maryland, smoking rates declined by 3 percent and prostate cancer deaths declined by 3.5 percent annually. Among black men in Kentucky, there was little change in the smoking rate or the prostate-cancer death rate.

In California and Utah, smoking declined by 3.5 percent annually, and prostate cancer deaths declined by 2.5 percent and 2.1 percent respectively each year.

The report says current cigarette smoking, rather than past or cumulative smoking, is a risk factor for prostate cancer development, progression, recurrence and death. The U.S. surgeon general named smoking as a cause of prostate cancer in 2014.

Men were classified as current smokers if they reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and continued to smoke at least occasionally.

The researchers note that these findings do not prove causation, only that the two time trends were similar. They also noted that further studies should be done to include more states.

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Princess Health and April 20th, 2016 Fair Warning. Princessiccia

Princess Health and April 20th, 2016 Fair Warning. Princessiccia

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April 20th, 2016 Fair Warning

I'm opting for a rerun tonight. But not just any rerun, this one is a personal favorite--probably in the top 10 of all 1500+ blog pages you'll find published here on the DDWL.

One of the things I discovered along the many "failed" weight loss attempts in my past, was how much my own personal beliefs about myself played into the unraveling of whatever brief consistency I could muster. I didn't believe I could accomplish my dreams of successful weight loss. Further, and on a broader scale, I told myself things about me that, number one--weren't true, and number two--I believed them anyway--and number three, I allowed them to become the chains keeping me at over 500 pounds for so many years.

I put "failed" in quotations, because I no longer look at all of those past weight loss attempts in that way. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was learning valuable things in each attempt. Even my relapse/regain period was a blessing in disguise. It didn't mean I was a failure, it simply meant I had some more things to learn. And by the way--that learning, never stops. If I ever proclaim to be finished learning along this road, I'll be finished, alright, but not in a good way.

So here we go--fair warning--the following is pretty heavy stuff (no pun intended). It was written on this blog over six years ago, in August of 2009:

The Emotion Ocean and The Mix Tape of Our Mind

Since crossing the 200 pounds lost milestone on Wednesday, I've talked about the major elements of my success. It's been an amazing journey so far. But in talking with a struggling friend today, I realized something. I realized that talking about the mental changes being 80% of this battle, and talking about all of the little and big psychological gymnastics I've done to stay consistent, well, it just doesn't go deep enough. So take a big breath and let's go diving into the deep waters of our emotion ocean.

Is your past in complete command of your future? Have you given it control of your life? What are you afraid of? What is your biggest fear? Whatever your answer to the last question is, that's what's holding you back. 

I've always had a fear of not living up to my potential. Never following through. Never becoming what my teachers, family, co-workers, coaches, and comedy colleagues just knew I could be. 

Potential. 

Do I fear my potential? Or do I fear not living up to that potential that everyone is so certain I hold within? I've never had a problem convincing people to believe in me, but I've had a devil of a time convincing me to believe in myself. 

It's like I've had a mix tape playing over and over in my head for so many years. That mix tape would say horrible things to me, and it made me believe them. You'll never live up to your potential. You'll always be fat and ugly. You'll never realize any professional success in broadcasting beyond a small market level. You'll pass your horrible behaviors with food onto your children. You're worthless and not worthy of success. Who do you really think you are? You're just a poor kid from the projects that will never amount to anything special. And you're stupid, an uneducated buffoon just faking his way through life, trying to convince everyone that you really have a clue. 

What does the mix tape in your brain say everyday to you? 

I guess what I've done is this: I've hit the eject button on that old mix tape. Then, I destroyed it. It will never play in my mind again. Never. I've made a new mix tape. 

What I hear in my head everyday now is this: You will exceed your potential in ways you can't even fathom at this point. You will be healthy, thin, and handsome. Your success in broadcasting, motivational/inspirational speaking, and anything you decide you want to do is only limited by your imagination. Your example and guidance for your family is exemplary. Your worth is immeasurable and success is yours for the taking, go ahead, you deserve it. You are a man of integrity with amazing abilities of communication. You're a kid that was raised through humble beginnings completely surrounded by love and acceptance. You're a self-educated intelligent human being who doesn't have to convince anyone of anything. 

Big difference, huh? 

What we tell ourselves everyday is what we become. It's true my friend. So why after a lifetime of fighting obesity am I breaking free so wonderfully now? 

Because I destroyed that old tape and replaced it with something worth listening to. How do you make a new mix tape for your brain? 

Write it out, memorize it, burn it into your brain, and most importantly...Believe it. Maybe it's too much to replace everything all at once. Replace one at a time...transform how you think about yourself at whatever pace you're comfortable. This is what Mr. Ralph Marston is speaking of when he talks about no outside force holding you back. You're holding you back.

Your old mix tape was made over time. It is the product of your past. And if you continue allowing the past to determine your future, then you'll always get the same result. Don't allow your past to own you, OWN IT. Put it in its place. Let the past know that its effects on your future are over right now. 

Don't try to completely forget about the past. A good friend of mine told me, very recently in fact, that you can't amputate your past and walk freely into the future. Your past is your story. It's made you who you are today, good or bad. But you can immediately decide that it will no longer control your future in a negative way. And someday, that complete story that is you can and will shine as a light of hope to others. Letting them know that anything is possible, anything at all.

I honestly didn't know what I was doing when I started. But I was doing these things, accidentally stumbling upon epiphanies that would prove to be life changing for me. It wasn't until recently that a couple of good friends clarified exactly what I've done by sharing �the mix tape� analogy. Something else that they shared was something I've done without realizing for the last 327 days: I've been �acting as if...�

I've acted as if I was a normal responsible eating individual. I've acted as if I was someone who cared about exercising. I've acted as if I was someone that could share my story and help others along the way. 

Three very powerful words: �Acting as if.� Why are they so powerful? Because you become whatever you put into your brain. When you're �acting as if,� you're training your brain to accept and transform to what you desire to become. And you will.

So now you know where my resolve comes from. Now you know why my consistency level is unwavering. Now you know why I'm so passionate about sharing my story, my triumphs, and my struggles. Is it perfect? No. I've said that many times along this road. It doesn't have to be perfect. Striving for perfection is the quickest detour to disappointment. But if we continue with a positive consistent effort, and we change the way we think about ourselves...then our success is practically guaranteed, my friend. You will not be able to stop it from happening. And don't be afraid of success. Go ahead, you deserve it. And the great thing about weight loss success? It happens slowly over time, allowing you to adjust and get use to the new you. You're going to absolutely love it.

Okay--back to good ole 2016...

Um, yeah-- that. I was doing my best to be a Dr. Phil, Richard Simmons and Tony Robbins all rolled up into one.

Even still, it resonates with me in a powerful way. In the more than six years since that was written, I've learned so much more--and many of these things have reinforced the very real power behind the thoughts we nurture each day. And really, that was the point of the whole thing. We truly can effect how this all turns out by changing our personal perspective--changing what we believe about ourselves and shifting our vision toward what we desire instead of expectations built from the experiences of our past. 

There are some things about this post that I've rethought in a better way. For instance--I may have been "acting as if I was a normal, responsible eating individual," but I now know, I was trying very hard to assume a "common" normal I perceived everyone desired. I hadn't discovered and embraced "my normal" at the time that was written. The "my normal" perspective has developed over the course of this turnaround from regain. You can read more about the "My Normal" perspective in this blog post titled "Finding Our Normal" --from October 21st, 2014: http://losingweighteveryday.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-21st-2014-finding-our-normal.html

I'm letting the Tweets tell the tale of today...

Today's Live-Tweet Stream:














































Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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