Food for Thought: Words Matter

I'm pleased that the Washington Post took on the silliness of food labeling, and hope its light tone will garner attention for a rather serious problem: our food supply is sick.

Sure, it's about the best in the world, but - yikes. 

I would farm if I could; instead I read labels and fret over each item in my grocery cart. 

Here's the article and the explanation re: why kale isn't healthy. Read it and ... eat smart. 

#GoodLuckWithThat

Meanwhile, have you read Anticancer: A New Way of Life? If you have and would like to offer a review (or even just a few comments) please get in touch. 

OM-Yeah, Yoga is Better than Typing

The Blood-Red Pencil bloggers are responsible for one of my favorite posts ever - it's useful and healthful in addition to being clean and well-written. And, it's about yoga. Ahhh. I feel better just saying/typing that word: yo-ga.

Sitting and typing are not very good for our bodies. Take a break, stand up, adjust your monitor, take a deep breath, and find out why you need to move, and how to do it - especially if you're feeling chained to your desk.

You might also enjoy following the blog for "sharp and pointed observations about writing." (Get it?)

Hey, humor, puns and wordplay are what gets me through the day. And a little yoga, of course.

Great Lesson in Content

Because I really do love great content - and yoga - I want to share a sweet video, also good for writers, people who sit too long, and pretty much anyone with a neck:

It's got plenty of value simply as a how-to health piece. But you know I can't stop there. I have to point out that it's also a super example of content done right.

• It's captivating (note pleasing visuals, music that enhances but doesn't overwhelm the message)
• It's short (remember "leave 'em wanting more!")
• It's educational.
• It's sharable.

Well, if I stop now, I'll have time for a few poses before I getting back to work...so, Namaste.

Don't Love Lotus Pose?

Journalism That Makes You Feel Better

Have I mentioned lately that I love CRJ? I love CRJ.

Have I mentioned lately how I worry about what we don't know because of journalism's continuing/eminent demise? I'm worried.

That said, CRJ's always a bright spot, even on my darkest days. Read Trudy Lieberman's excellent piece at CRJ's site - all of it, for free.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love CRJ?

~Diane Stresing

Patient Shares Experience with Health Care, System

This is personal, and just barely related to writing. 

On breaking one's neck is a fascinating personal account of a traumatic injury. In it, a patient aptly describes how individual professional caregivers and the bigger system of healthcare affect the care process. It is not political. It juxtaposes the best of our medical system (the patient was saved by it) with the stupid holes/tangles that exist in the medical industry. It is worth a thoughtful read.

The author's experience in a trauma unit and then a rehab facility sounds almost identical to my own, nearly 10 years ago. It's confounding to think that we have fabulous medical care - the best - and yet apparently we have not improved on in a decade so many of the ridiculous man-made problems inherent in it.

And on the human interest side of things, Relman sure makes 90 look good!
#agebringswisdom

Writing for Health & Happiness

It's a safe bet that Timothy D. Wilson, a professor of psychology at University of Virginia, believes in the power of the pen. Wilson's studies have noted that our emotional well-being is tied to how we recall events - and more importantly, how we reshape our recollections. Some evidence suggests that writing exercises designed to essentially revise a personal "story" (read: self-image) can be life-changing (in a good way).

What the heck. Pull out a pen and a notebook and write your way to a Happy New Year.

Cheers!

Matriculate Monday: on Health

How robust is your vocabulary? Find out as the sixth Vocabula Quiz takes on health.  Just taking on The Vocabula Quiz Matriculate Monday challenge? I explain my (unscientific) reasoning here.

- - - Link not working? URL: http://www.vocabula.com/quiz/show.aspx?ID=VRquiz6

If you see this, will you recognize it?

I write medical articles for "average" readers. Also known as "consumer" articles - a term that covers a wide and bumpy landscape. The medical articles I write are fact-checked by an editor, first, and then reviewed by an MD.

In other words, I don't write the hype you're likely to see on a glossy magazine (THE SNACK FOOD THAT CAN KILL YOU! see page 64) or blurbs you're likely to hear from a newscaster at 6:59pm ("Are donuts good for you? tune in at eleven!" [big smile, cue music]).

So I'll be interested in following a story on the possible/probable link between sweetened carbonated beverages and pancreatic cancer.

I'm jaded. I'm pretty sure the nitty gritty facts (a controlled study of more than 60,000 adults over 14 years found those who consumed two or more cans of pop each week were more than 87% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who drank less pop) will be obscured in "news reports" or - more probably, and more maddening - simply ignored.

If I think about this too long, I'll start replaying Men In Black in my head; I'm thinking about the scene where K (Tommy Lee Jones) goes to the hot sheets to get some good leads on the bug that's invaded Manhattan.  The hot sheets are the National Enquirer and the like.

The irony is that while most of the "mainstream" media ignores studies like the one described above, a lot of dubious/alternative sites report on such studies to further their own agendas. (Acai berries, anyone?)

Readers beware. And journalists - is there a story in the Singapore pop study? Or is there a story in why it isn't a story? I think so.

Uh-Oh

The National Press Foundation accepted $$ from Pfizer (drug company) to offer journalism fellowships? I hope the situation is a little better than it sounds at first pass. More here on Gary Schwitzer's health news blog.