14 November 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for greater support to developing countries in preventing diabetes, which kills at least one million people every year, and in increasing access to health care.

In a message marking World Diabetes Day, Mr. Ban noted that the illness can make other diseases worse, and can have a terrible impact on maternal and child health.
“In some countries, the rapidly rising burden of diabetes is a factor in faltering progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” he said, referring to the pledges world leaders made to slash a host of social ills, including extreme hunger and poverty, infant and maternal mortality, and lack of access to education and health care – all by 2015.
At the same time, the Secretary-General noted that Type 2 diabetes is preventable. It is among the so-called “lifestyle diseases” – along with cardio-vascular disease and some cancers – attributable to unhealthy diets, a lack of exercise, tobacco use and the abuse of alcohol play.
“This means that effective strategies and plans of action will not be limited to the health sector alone,” he said. “Rather, they should involve many areas of government and a wide range of actors, including civil society and the private sector.
“Prevention can help reduce poverty, promote economic productivity and keep countries on track in their efforts to achieve the MDGs,” he added.
More than 220 million people worldwide have diabetes, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), which adds that a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay the onset of the disease.

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Attorney General Eric Holder today announced formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The guidelines make clear that the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws, while underscoring that the Department will continue to prosecute people whose claims of compliance with state and local law conceal operations inconsistent with the terms, conditions, or purposes of those laws.
"It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal," Holder said. "This balanced policy formalizes a sensible approach that the Department has been following since January: effectively focus our resources on serious drug traffickers while taking into account state and local laws."
The guidelines set forth examples of conduct that would show when individuals are not in clear and unambiguous compliance with applicable state law and may indicate illegal drug trafficking activity of potential federal interest, including unlawful use of firearms, violence, sales to minors, money laundering, amounts of marijuana inconsistent with purported compliance with state or local law, marketing or excessive financial gains similarly inconsistent with state or local law, illegal possession or sale of other controlled substances, and ties to criminal enterprises.
Fourteen states have enacted laws in some form addressing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Click here to read a copy of the guidelines.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice

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The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has rejected the inclusion of a government-run insurance option in legislation aimed at reforming the nation's health care system.
After hours of debate, the committee Tuesday voted against amendments proposed by Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Charles Schumer of New York to include a public option.
Supporters of the public plan say consumers need a low-cost alternative to private insurance companies. But the plan has encountered fierce opposition from members of the public and from conservative Republicans, who argue that such an option will force private insurers out of business.
Opponents also say the public option would lead to socialized health care in the United States.
The Finance Committee has been considering numerous amendments to a 10-year, $856-billion overhaul plan offered by Montana Democratic Senator Max Baucus, the committee chairman.
He introduced his proposal nearly two weeks ago, after spending several months unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a compromise between a handful of Democrats and Republicans.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as three committees in the House of Representatives, have passed health care reform bills that include an optional government-run insurance plan.

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President Barack Obama made an unprecedented move Thursday, appearing on a conservative radio talk show program to answer questions about his controversial health care reform plan.
'Broadcasting from the cradle of liberty, this is the Michael Smerconish Program,' said the program host. The White House transformed its Diplomatic Reception Room into a radio studio Thursday, as President Obama took to the airwaves to promote his health care plan. He spoke directly with listeners of a nationally-syndicated radio program hosted by Michael Smerconish.
'I guarantee you, Joe, we are going to get health care reform done,' said President Obama.

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MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A slim majority of Americans continues to favor moving forward on health care reform now despite an intensifying ad war and a political climate of contentious town hall meetings that coincide with rising concerns about the reform effort, according to the August Kaiser Health Tracking Poll.
Fifty-three percent of the public believes that tackling health reform is more important than ever, compared to 42 percent who say we cannot afford to take on health care reform right now. The gap between those points of view has narrowed in recent months as criticisms and doubts about reform plans seem to be registering. Sixty three percent of the public say they are 'hopeful' about reform, 41 percent are 'afraid' and 46 percent are simply 'confused'."

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AUSTIN, Texas, PRNewswire-FirstCall -- Whole Foods Market and Chef Ann Cooper, the nation's "Renegade Lunch Lady," have joined forces to transform lunch in schools across the country with the "School Lunch Revolution" campaign. This national effort, which launches during the back-to-school season, aims to enable schools to revolutionize and improve the way children eat. The free, first-of-its-kind Lunch Box Web site - thelunchbox.org - provides the necessary resources for food service directors to make tangible changes in their cafeteria menus.

Chef Ann Cooper's Lunch Box Web site is the most comprehensive, easily accessible and FREE set of resources available to help schools replace frozen processed foods with fresh, natural, made-from-scratch foods in a realistic, cost-effective manner.

"One in three children born in the year 2000 will have diabetes, and 30 percent of them are overweight, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC also says that the cost of treating diabetes in the United States is estimated at $174 billion each year," said Cooper. "The reality is we're going to pay now or pay later with rising health costs and poor health."

More than 30 million children eat a school lunch that is federally funded through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) every day. On average, only 90 cents per lunch is spent on food. That, combined with free commodity foods, like cheese and ground beef, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Distribution Program and many children are eating mostly frozen, processed, packaged foods. With no national standardized limit on sugar or other ingredients like artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, it is not uncommon to find hamburgers, French fries chocolate milk and popsicles offered as a typical school lunch.

 

SILVER SPRING, Md., PRNewswire-USNewswire -- The Obesity Society would like to make known its response to recent criticism regarding President Obama's nomination of Dr. Regina Benjamin, his candidate to serve as the next Surgeon General. Critics have suggested that because Dr. Benjamin is overweight, this sends the wrong message from the person who will be the public face of America's health initiatives.

A person's body weight provides no indication of an individual's character, credentials, talents, leadership, or contributions to society. To suggest that Dr. Benjamin's physical appearance discounts and discredits her qualities and accomplishments is inappropriate, unjust and wrong.

The criticism of Dr. Benjamin is an unfortunate example of the weight bias and stigmatization that is pervasive in North American society. The prevalence of weight discrimination in the United States has increased by 66% in the past decade, and is now on par with rates of racial discrimination.