Kidney Screening Can Save A Life
By Hilbert Morales
El Observador
This coming Thursday, March11, 2010 is WORLD KIDNEY DAY. On that day the National Kidney Foundation will once again hold free screenings, called the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) conducted all over the nation.
Those at risk may include those who have high blood pressure, diabetes, and or a family history.  According to a recent 'Dear Abby' anecdote, an individual who voluntarily went to a KEEP site learned that his kidney was not filtering properly.
This knowledge was the reason to see his doctor and prevent further kidney disease development. That individual feels that his life was saved when his doctor advised him about diet and exercise changes as well as medication adjustments. Those of you who would want to have more information regarding kidney disease and free screenings may log onto www.kidney.org.

County of Santa Clara Sues Manufacturer of Dangerous Diabetes Drug on Behalf of the People of California Suit Alleges that GlaxoSmithKline Promoted Avandia While Concealing Evidence the Drug Causes Heart Attacks
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.- The County of Santa Clara sued drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK") in federal court today, alleging GSK conducted a decade-long campaign of false advertising to promote its diabetes drug Avandia as safe and effective, while it suppressed evidence that Avandia significantly increases patients' risks of heart attacks and other life-threatening cardiovascular problems.  The complaint asserts that GSK ignored or concealed early data and studies that revealed Avandia's hazards and engaged in an aggressive and highly successful marketing strategy designed to persuade patients, doctors, and insurers to use Avandia instead of less expensive and far safer diabetes drugs already on the market.  Avandia earned GSK billions of dollars, but the complaint alleges that it caused an estimated 60,000 to 200,000 heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular deaths nationwide between 1999 and 2006.
"GSK had a duty to warn patients and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the serious health risks associated with Avandia," said Miguel Márquez, Acting County Counsel of Santa Clara County.  "Instead, it chose to conceal that information.  GSK's unlawful conduct has cost patients, their insurers, and government payors millions of dollars, and it has caused needless suffering to thousands of Californians.  This is precisely the sort of corporate malfeasance that California law prohibits."
The County's suit was filed just days after a new study by Harvard University scientists and a report from the U.S. Senate Finance Committee confirmed Avandia's risks and GSK's intentional concealment of vital facts from the public.
The County alleges that GSK was aware of Avandia's risks even before the drug went on the market in 1999, but concealed these risks from the public, the medical community, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  It even threatened legal action against a leading diabetes expert who publicly voiced his concerns about Avandia, and repeatedly ignored orders from the FDA to cease certain deceptive and misleading marketing practices.  At the same time, GSK disseminated misinformation about the drug to diabetics, their doctors, and insurers.
"Diabetes puts people at risk for heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems," explained County Executive Jeffrey Smith, M.D.  "Marketing a drug that itself causes one of the very harms diabetes management is designed to prevent is about as far from supporting patient care as a pharmaceutical company can get."
Diabetes is a major public health problem in Santa Clara County, in the State of California, and throughout the nation.  More than 3 million people suffer from diabetes in California, many of whom are low-income individuals, senior citizens and members of racial minority groups who have higher rates of diabetes in their communities.
"The actions of this drug company are simply unconscionable," said Supervisor Ken Yeager, President of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors.  "GSK risked the lives of millions of diabetics in order to increase its profits."
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the People of California and seeks monetary restitution for all Avandia purchasers in California based on GSK's alleged false advertising in violation of the California Business and Professions Code.  The County, which runs a public hospital that provides health care for indigent County residents, spent $2 million on Avandia purchases between 1999 and mid-2007.  In addition, the County and other providers and insurers have had to absorb the substantial cost of treating patients who suffered heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems that could have been avoided had GSK warned of the health risks associated with Avandia.

Because GSK's Avandia campaign was aimed at diabetics, many of whom are senior citizens and all of whom are classified as disabled persons under California law, the complaint also seeks the treble damages authorized by the State Legislature when false advertising targets one of these vulnerable populations.

The County of Santa Clara County Counsel's office will be assisted by three private firms with extensive experience in pharmaceutical litigation: Kiesel Boucher Larson of Beverly Hills, Williams Kherkher of Houston, and Woodfill & Pressler of Houston.

Healthy Habits Are All About Planning Ahead
Chef Kathleen Daelemans’ Quick Solutions For Busy Families
(NAPSA)—Fast-food signs beckon when hungry families spend hours in the car, zipping from soccer practice to debate team and doctor appointments to piano lessons.
But fries and soft drinks won’t provide the energy and nutrients that families need, says Chef Kathleen Daelemans, author of The New York Times best-selling cookbook “Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss.”
“Families today are so busy,” Daelemans says. “But curbing carbs for convenient hunger relief isn’t the only option.”
Daelemans, who herself struggled with weight loss for years before shedding 75 pounds, says the best way to stick to a healthy lifestyle is by planning ahead. That way, you won’t fall into the high-calorie food temptations.
Daelemans and TheGreenNut. org offer the following five tips for keeping families that are on the go charged in 2010:
•     Pack Snacks and Mini-Meals to Go: Keep healthful foods everywhere—in your car, in your tote bag, close to the TV. Create snacks such as pistachio trail mix by tossing pistachios with dried cranberries, blueberries and cherries. Then divide the mix among individual-sized bags and keep them in places where you spend the most time.
•     Mark Meals in Your Schedule: Take a look at your schedule at the beginning of the day and allot a time to eat. If you know you’re going to be running around all day, make sure you have quick-fix meals in your purse. Try spreading pistachio butter (blend pistachios in a food processor until smooth) in between two crackers and packing them in a bag with an apple and low-fat string cheese. Eating is important—so if you’re prone to forget, put it on your calendar, just as you do with any important event.
•     Don’t Keep What You Shouldn’t Eat: The grocery store aisles are loaded with foods that, with just a few easy steps, can become nutritious snacks or minimeals for the whole family. Keep healthy quick fixes such as instant oatmeal on hand. Pour oatmeal into a mug with some fruit and pistachios on your way out the door for a meal to go.
•     Shop Weekly: Plan what you will eat for an entire week and do all the shopping at once. If you make a list and buy only ingredients that you’ll need for the food you intend to make, you will only need to resist temptation once a week.
•     Change the Way Your Tongue Thinks: As much as you know you love chocolate cake, substitute desserts with sweet alternatives, such as vanilla nonfat yogurt drizzled with maple syrup and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios.
The Proof is in the Research
The USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston recently came out with groundbreaking research sponsored by the International Tree Nut Council, stating that consuming tree nuts (such as pistachios) is associated with a higher overall diet-quality score, improved nutrient intakes (including antioxidants and vitamins A, C and E), lower weight measures and lower prevalence of health risks.
TheGreenNut.org is part of a nutrition awareness campaign sponsored by the Western Pistachio Association (WPA). For more healthful tips, visit www.thegreennut.org.

In a nutshell: Eating pistachios can be good for your health.

Chef
Kathleen Daelemans