Weird Health News ~ Woman Kicked Out of New Zealand For Being Too Fat

They were planning to start a new life in a new country but Rowan Trezise, age 33, has been told by the government of New Zealand that she and her husband may have to look elsewhere for a place to live, because she is too fat to be allowed into the country.

Although both husband and wife were too fat for admittance when they first applied Mr. Trezise, a submarine cable specialist who was once a member of the British Army, has managed to shed two inches from his waistline thereby meeting the standards set for a work visa.
Mrs. Trezise however has not met the goal set for her and is therefore barred.
The couple were informed that New Zealand bars overweight people because of the potential burden they pose to the national health care system. According to New Zealand Robyn Toomath, spokesman of “Fight the Obesity Epidemic” a New Zealand organization dealing with the problems posed by overweight people:

“The immigration department can’t afford to import people who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources.
“You can see the logic in assessing if there is a significant health cost associated with this individual and that would be a reason for them not coming in.”

New Zealand’s Immigration Service has not said how many people have been bared from entering the country due to their weight but according to the Emigrate New Zealand website that number is fairly high. Unless Rowan Trezise can shed the weight by Christmas the couple say they will abandon their plans to relocate to New Zealand.

Healthcare.Our Borders. Our Freedom

For years now I have been listening to all arguments about “racial profiling”. So many have voiced their opinion, the loudest voice has been against this activity contending , to distill it, that it is unconstitutional. That law enforcement must not pick out a suspect based upon race in the United States of America. The argument of unconstitutionality extents from racial profiling to “profiling” in general, in an effort to protect the rights of all American citizens. It is clear that to isolate one segment of the population, particularly when law enforcement is involved will most certainly target certain people or types and automatically exclude others thus, violating the rights of someone somewhere.

The new Arizona law in effect orders every Arizona law enforcement officer to respond appropriately if they suspect people they encounter in the course of their duties are illegal immigrants, they must now determine whether the people are in the country legally and make an arrest — as long as it is practical and doesn't interfere with an ongoing investigation. Backers of the law contend that it simply empowers local police to use existing federal immigration laws and will be applied sparingly. "



But immigrants rights groups note that the law, which passed on a party-line vote in the Legislature and was signed by a Republican governor, was backed by many political supporters of a Republican sheriff dept. And it allows citizens to sue police departments if they are not aggressive enough in enforcing it.



"This law will make every officer in the state an ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officer like the officers that Sheriff Arpaio has," said Salvador Reza, a Latino activist here.

Reza sees himself as a victim of racism, stemming back to his days in kindergarten. Maybe he has his own personal axe to grind! You be the judge.

Reza's goals go far beyond the day laborer centers he wishes to create throughout the city. He is pushing for increased Latino political representation and expanding the Xinachtil Program (Xinachtil means "seed" in the Aztec language) in the public school system to teach "traditions, culture, art and science of indigenous people."

Immigrant advocacy groups no longer promote legal immigration, citizenship, learning English or any other assimilation into this country. Hispanic-rights groups talk of reoccupation and repatriation of the southwestern United States, the land of "indigenous people."

I had the misfortune of Geraldo Rivera appearing on my TV screen this morning while I was making coffee. Had the television been within reach I'd have switched over to something more informative and rational than Geraldo's latest diatribe against the enforcement of our nation's immigration laws, perhaps something like a video of an old Rosie show. At least she didn't pretend to be unbiased. As usual, Geraldo got all wild-eyed and lathered up over all us heartless infidel scum who are hell bent on "destroying families" (you know, the ones that aren't suppose to be here), because we support enforcement of immigration laws. He even said he doesn't want anymore emails from people that disagree with his view that enforcing our nation's laws against coming into our country illegally, and who by remaining here, are breaking yet more laws.

Remember I said that The argument of unconstitutionality extents from racial profiling to “profiling” in general, in an effort to protect the rights of all American citizens. Well..this is where we began; but look where we are now. We are looking at a movement to completely tie the arm of law enforcement so that they will be unable to seek out or confront those who violate our borders. It has nothing to do with protecting our citizens at all! This is all done under the guise of considering the constitutionality of ICE and other law enforcement policies. It is a movement to stall aggressive policies in the courts indefinitely! While the Geraldos stall, more people stream across our borders. They come in vans, with ladders to scale the fences, with guns, drugs and families. They come with everything but legal documents to enter and remain in this country.

These are times when we all must pull together to protect our America and honor its laws. It is a dangerous time for us all.

It just seems silly to me if we know that we seek a white man from the Middle East 6’8” tall that we frisk a school boy from Wisconsin just to say we are politically correct.

It seems silly to me when we are looking for illegal immigrants who scale the fences in the Southwest, that come from Mexico that we pretend that we do not have that information and ask every farmer and shop keeper in Texas for ID. If you are asked to pick out all of the 3’s in a number sequence of 3.7.8.3.5.4.3.6.2.3.4.5.1.3 why would we include 5,4,6,8,1,2 in our selections? It makes no sense! Lets us embrace some common sense in America now! It is time that as Americans that we all protect our government, our families, ourselves, our culture and our borders and pray to God that we do not experience another 9/11 and that not one more person falls victim to crime perpetrated but those who are in this country illegally to begin with!

American Heart Month

American Heart Month

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation's No. 1 killer. To urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month." (Note this is not "Heart Month" or "National Heart Month.")
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is also one of the main causes of death in Canada and is killing more and more people throughout the world.

Olive Oil is good for the heart

Dietary advice for reducing heart disease risk includes eating a balanced diet with less saturated fat from red meats, more fresh fruits and vegetables, more fish, less sugar, more fiber and for many people, fewer total calories. Then you can make your heart and the rest of your cardiovascular system even healthier by adding more of these foods:


Salmon


Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart by reducing both inflammation and the risk of blood clots. These fats also work to keep your cholesterol levels healthy. Eat salmon or other oily ocean fish like tuna, sardines or herring at least two times per week. For a heart-healthy meal, try grilled salmon steaks with a green vegetable and a side salad with a sprinkling of lemon juice instead of high-calorie salad dressing.


Olive Oil


Olive oil reduces your risk of heart disease by lowering your LDL cholesterol levels. Choose olive oil for cooking, or make a nice dip for whole grain bread by pouring a bit of olive oil in a small bowl and add a bit of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of oregano.


Oats


Oats contain a soluble fiber called beta glucan that helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Soluble fiber also helps keep your digestive system healthy. Enjoy oatmeal with just a small amount of brown sugar and plenty of strawberries and walnuts for breakfast. Cold cereals made with oats are also great with low-fat milk or soy milk plus slices of fresh fruit.


Apples


Apples contain a phytochemical called quercetin which acts as an antiinflammatory and will help prevent blood clots as well. Apples contain vitamins and fiber, come in several delicious varieties and are portable. Eat an apple with a handful of walnuts or almonds as a healthy snack or add apple slices to your healthy salads.


Almonds


Almonds and other nuts contain healthy oils, vitamin E and other substances that will help keep cholesterol levels in check. Almonds are also a good source of protein and fiber. Almonds make a great snack on their own, or sprinkle slivered almonds on green beans or asparagus with lemon juice as a deliciously healthy side dish.


Red wine


Red wine contains a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to be good for your heart. Be sure to enjoy red wine in moderation. Studies show that only 4 to 8 ounces of red wine is needed each day.


Whole Grains


Whole grains provide vitamins and fiber that will help to keep your heart healthy. Make a deliciously healthy sandwich with two slices of 100-percent whole-grain bread, three ounces of lean turkey breast, lots of sliced tomatoes and avocado, plus lettuce and a bit of mustard. Switch from white pasta to whole grain pasta too.


Green leafy vegetables


Green leafy vegetables contain folate, which helps to keep homocysteine levels down, and vitamin E. Green leafy vegetables have also been associated with better retention of memory as age. Try using fresh spinach leaves or other greens for your favorite salad instead of iceberg lettuce.


Tomatoes


Tomatoes are packed with vitamins and lycopene, which has been shown to reduce heart disease risk. Add thick slices of tomatoes to sandwiches and salads or enjoy tomato sauce on whole wheat pasta. In fact, cooked tomato sauce and canned tomato sauce that you buy in the store both contain more lycopene than raw tomatoes.


Soy


Soy protein has been shown to prevent heart attacks and soy makes an excellent protein substitute for red meat, which will reduce your saturated fat intake. Add tofu to your favorite stir fry or pour soy milk on your morning cereal.

Thank You Wendy

Thank You for becoming a Carlsvilleproject Contributor.

I consider Wendy to be a friend, although we have never really met. She continues to reach out  with her messages, to touch people as she can, and to find her own way as her present recovery from cancer promises to be a long, arduous journey.
Never-the-less with pauses in her communication and the support of her many friends she continues to maintain a positive and wonderful spirit. Wendy is full of humanity and provides a kind word for anyone who would be in need of support. She lives the following definition of "life" which is: “The purpose of life is a life with purpose.” In the spirit of this creed we have published a portion of Wendy’s most recent post.
Carl

Wendy:
Just finished watching the movie Prairie Giant, a made-for-TV movie about the life of Tommy Douglas. Wow, what a great movie! Every Canadian should watch this film, and probably every North American, come to think of it.

When Baptist preacher Tommy Douglas (Michael Therriault) takes up his new post in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in 1930, he's dismayed by the injustice he sees. Soon, his desire to address the problems drives him to take his message beyond the pulpit. This drama tells the true story of how the beloved Canadian reformer went from being a parish pastor to leading the first socialist government in North America (as premier of Saskatchewan).




Tommy Douglas (1904 – 1986) is the founder of Canadian Medicare. Tommy's daughter is Shirley Douglas, Shirley married Canadian actor Donald Sutherland, and their famous son is Kiefer Sutherland.


Prairie Giant is a wonderful chronicling of the political fight Tommy pursued to ensure all Canadians had access to free health care. He was a Baptist pastor, but had to resign when the denominational heads told him he could not be a pastor and a politician simultaneously.

Contrast that with Michael Moore's movie, Sicko. Moore's documentary focuses on the greed of the HMOs - Health Maintenance Organizations - and the absolute misery they allow to happen to their members.


Of course, Canada and the States have very strong ideas about each others' medical systems. Americans seem to hear horror stories about Canadians and their socialized medicine, while Canadians hear the sheer awfulness of their victimized neighbors-to-the-south and the despicable practices of these health insurance companies. Any Americans or Canadians care to comment below or clear up some of the myths surrounding either system?

I, for one, will forever go on the record as being grateful for socialized medicine. Even though there are many obvious flaws in our system, and even though doctors in Quebec in particular do not get anything close to a fair deal from our provincial government, I cannot tell you what an enormous relief it is to be receiving free health services at such a time as this.

“We are all in this world together, and the only test of our character that matters is how we look after the least fortunate among us. How we look after each other, not how we look after ourselves. That’s all that really matters, I think.”

Tommy Douglas

It is bad enough to be faced with constant health concerns, without having to worry about bills, payment deadlines and the like.

And so, while Kiefer Sutherland is a famous actor and gets lots of notoriety, it's his grandfather tonight that I am celebrating, and tonight I am thanking God for His humble, persistent servant Tommy Douglas, who took pity on the plight of the sick and the dying and who, at great personal cost, pushed for Medicare until he saw victory in the political arena, and saw Medicare established on a federal level. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Tommy!
Sincerely,
Wendy

To contact Wendy or read Adventures With Wendy click near the arrow at the top of this post or find it on the blog roll on this site.

Is This A Health Care Red Flag For US Policy?

There may be no need to feel guilty about putting off your annual trip to the gynecologist anymore! New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists assert that healthy women should not get cervical cancer screening pap tests every year. Instead they encourage women to get the screening every two to three years. The medical group also recommends against getting a pap test until after the age of 21, even if an adolescent is sexually active.

What are the new rules for getting mammograms?

After commissioning two studies that reviewed the risks and benefits of breast cancer screening, the USPSTF announced changes to the current mammogram guidelines, which the same group instituted in 2002. For average-risk women, they recommend:

1-No routine mammograms for women ages 40 to 49
2-Every-other-year mammograms for women ages 50 to 74
3-No need for clinicians to teach women to do breast self-exams

The new recommendations against annual cervical cancer screenings are not intended to save you embarrassment or discomfort — they're meant to prevent unnecessary and possibly harmful treatments. For example, treatment of precancerous HPV symptoms that would otherwise go away on their own puts women at a higher risk of giving birth to a premature or underweight baby. Still, cervical cancer rates have dropped 50 percent since the 1970s mostly thanks to the pap test, so I hope the doctors aren't trying to fix something that isn't broken. But the authors of the guidelines explain that the same results can be accomplished with less-regular screenings.


I'll admit the idea that less screening can be better for your sexual health seems counterintuitive. Will you stick to your annual pap test or do you welcome a chance to get one less frequently?


Is this recommendation designed to protect our population’s health or is it the beginning of restrictions to cut services at the expense of early detection? Do we need clarification on this matter and if so should we hurriedly pass the bill that has been presented by the White House?

We need a better system of health care that provides everyone the health care that is necessary, at a cost that we can all afford. Is this a better solution? I for one have consistently been an advocate of universal health care from a humanitarian prospective but I am not sure that this “Change” that we are going forth with is the kind of change that we need. Again what will be the cost in terms of availability of services, or unavailability of services and money that would saddle us with an unprecedented National Debt that will affect our children and grandchildren?

H1N1 Vaccine and Pregnancy

***Consult Your Physician ***

Then YOU can make the decision that is best for you and your family.

The flu has a dangerous history for pregnant women and their babies.
In fact it has long been known as a disaster for pregnant women.

Today we are faced with a dilemma to use or to decline the use of the H1N1 vaccine that is now available for us. First Responders , Healthcare Workers and their employers are seeking answers as quickly as possible. Everyone,this season is scrabling to do what is best for themselves and their families; considering the data that is available. Find out what are the medical recommendations given your medical situation;for prevention and/or treatment? Certainly the more information, combined with a medical consult, the better. At present,although these decisions are difficult for us it is to our advantage that we now have choices that were not available during the pandemics of 1918, 1957 and 1968.

Complications and deaths from flu were much higher among pregnant women and newborns in the pandemics of 1918, 1957 and 1968 than among the general population. This appears to indicate that expecting mothers are naturally more vulnerable to the flu and it's complications. In the 1918 outbreak, 27% of flu infections in pregnant women were fatal, compared with about 10% of overall flu cases worldwide.
The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe" the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global . In the unusually severe 1918 pandemic, the miscarriage rate was an estimated 26% in women with uncomplicated flu and 52% in those with influenza and pneumonia, according to historical records. The rate of preterm birth was also about 50% in infected pregnant women.
Source: http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/

A study published in July in the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal examined 90 cases of H1N1 infection and use of Tamiflu http://www.drugs.com/pdr/tamiflu.html
with pregnant women and did not find a higher risk of birth defects than that seen in the general population.

According to the CDC {Center for Disease Control and prevention}http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/1/95.htm
"Pregnancy has been a risk factor for increased illness and death for both pandemic and seasonal influenza. The increased risk is believed to be related to several physiologic changes that occur during pregnancy. Because of mechanical and hormonal alterations that occur during pregnancy, several changes also occur to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, including increased heart rate, stroke volume, oxygen consumption, and decreased lung capacity."

Abstract:
"Planning for a future
influenza pandemic should include considerations specific to pregnant women.
First, pregnant women are at increased risk for influenza-associated illness and death.
The effects on the fetus of maternal influenza infection, associated fever, and
agents used for prophylaxis and treatment should be taken into account. Pregnant
women might be reluctant to comply with public health
recommendations during a pandemic because of concerns regarding effects of
vaccines or medications on the fetus. Guidelines
regarding nonpharmaceutical interventions (e.g., voluntary quarantine) also
might present special challenges because of conflicting recommendations about
routine prenatal care and delivery. Finally, healthcare facilities need to
develop plans to minimize exposure of pregnant women to ill persons, while
ensuring that women receive necessary care."

Reference the World Health organization for world wide concerns,plans and summits.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090429/en/index.html