Odds and Ends

Just so you know, I already plan to repost the COPD blog tomorrow night - it was too much work to get lost on a holiday weekend. That said, it is Sunday and here are a few short points.

Cell Phones and Cancer - I would like to be able to tell you that an international study that was completed several years ago and recently published determines the risk of cancer from cell phone use. It does not. There is however, an effort in the United States to try again with a study that will track people going forward, but that will take many years to complete. What should you do in the meantime? I would suggest texting! Also you can use your speaker phone and limit your calls.

Food Companies: I don't know what is worse - what companies try to sell us or what we actually buy. This weekend as I was searching for some simple frozen stir fry vegetables I came upon a well known name brand company that was selling vegetable blends for "immune health" or "vision" or "digestion". Seriously - seriously.

Alli and Xenical: Renewed concerns and label changes for these diet drugs. They are the same drug though one is prescription and the other over the counter. All I can say is what I have always said - eat less - the side effects won't kill you.

Heard on the Street: Literally - I was running this morning and two women went by and I heard one say to the other something about getting a "potato with nothing on it or plainwhite rice. " I thought to myself, WHY? Why not eat cauliflower with lots of seasoning or spaghetti squash with Parmesan cheese? Plain potato - ick...

J&J: Johnson and Johnson is having a real hard time of it these days. Many of their products have been recalled due to problems at the plants where they are manufactured. I saw a headline about a J&J or McNeil staff member stepping down or giving up his bonus- something to that effect - over the recall. I thought, hmmmm.... not so bad when you consider the severe and fatal consequences to associates when this type of thing happens in countries like Japan or China.

Pollution: My Mom and I took a walk along a little park boardwalk at a watershed today. The sign at the trail start indicated how important watersheds were for the environment and that this was one of five that were in Florida. Most of the short walk was pristine - mangrove canopy - clear water. But we also saw
a plastic bottle and a beer can in the water as well as a skittles bag and some other food bag. Really frustrating.