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A number of teens have a beef with meat

18 Jan 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Saint Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians reminds readers that the body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" in this Sunday's second reading. Apparently a growing number of teens--at least one in 20 in a recent survey--have decided that meat does not belong in the temple of their own bodies and have become vegetarian. Some attribute the rising popularity of the practice to graphic online videos on YouTube of animals being slaughtered for meat. According to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 367,000 teens, or one in 20, follow a diet that is either vegetarian or vegan. Vegetarian diets exclude meat, but the name is sometimes loosely applied. Some self-described vegetarians eat fish or poultry on occasion. Vegans cut out animal products of any kind, including eggs and dairy products. Other surveys suggest the rate could be four to six times as high among older teens who have more control over what they eat than younger teens do. Anecdotally, adolescent vegetarianism seems to be rising in part due to YouTube animal slaughter videos that shock the developing sensibilities of many U.S. children. But there isn't enough long-term data to prove that, according to government researchers. Information on children's diet habits in the CDC survey was gleaned from about 9,000 parents and other adults speaking on behalf of those under 18. "I don't think we've done a good job of counting the number of vegetarian youth, but I think this is reasonable," Amy Lanou, a nutrition scientist at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, said of the government estimate. She works with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a vegan advocacy group. Vegetarians say it's animal welfare, not health, that most often causes kids to stop eating meat. "Compassion for animals is the major, major reason," said Richard Schwartz, president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America, an organization with a newsletter mailing list of about 800. "When kids find out the things they are eating are living animals-and if they have a pet . . . ." Source: An article by Mike Stobbe for the Associated Press

Children jewish vegetarians of north america physicians committee for responsible medicine amy lanou vegan cdc centers for disease control youtube meat vegetarians teenagers richard schwartz

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Eight is more than enough

08 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

God promises Abraham abundant descendants in this Sunday's reading from the Book of Genesis. The recent and widely reported birth of octuplets in California, however, is sparking concerns that fertility clinics nationwide may be ignoring federal guidelines with regard to embryo implants. The tabloid-friendly tale of Nadya Suleman, the so-called California "Octomom," continues to stir debate. Although the doctor who supervised in-vitro fertilization for Suleman, 33, is regarded by many in the field as having violated professional norms, U.S. health records indicate a large majority of fertility clinics disregarded implant guidelines in 2006, the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported. Citing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the newspaper said 80 percent of U.S. fertility clinics in 2006--the most recent year for which records are available--did not follow embryo implant guidelines set in 1999 by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. "Assisted reproduction is a multibillion-dollar business," Marcy Darnovsky of the Center for Genetics and Society in Oakland said. "Like other commercial enterprises, it needs rules." Along those lines, a Georgia state senator introduced legislation this week to limit the number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman's uterus during in-vitro fertilization procedures in that state. Sen. Ralph Hudgens said his legislation was inspired by Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets after reportedly being fertilized with six embryos. Suleman had six children at the time the procedure was performed. State lawmakers in Missouri are considering a similar bill. Source: Articles by United Press International and CNN

georgia missouri center for genetics and society marcy darnovsky us centers for disease control and prevention in-vitro fertilization nadya suleman embryo implants fertility clinics octuplets ralph hudgens

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Swine flu goes global

03 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles assures us that Jesus brings healing, and healing is what the world needs at the moment as it is confronted with the threat of a swine flu epidemic. The World Health Organization raised the flu pandemic alert level to a 5 at a Wednesday meeting, signaling that the outbreaks pose a risk of reaching pandemic proportions. The maximum level is six. The number of deaths in Mexico as of Tuesday morning was at least 150, with another 2,400 people sickened. WHO has confirmed 66 cases in the United States and 105 in seven other countries. In an interview with CNN, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirmed the flu death of a 23-month-old child in Texas--the first death outside Mexico. Mexico has suspended all schools until May 6, and in Mexico City other public venues have closed and public events have been cancelled. The U.S., the European Union, and several Asian health commissioners have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico. In an age of widespread air travel, it is difficult, if not impossible, to contain a newly emerged infectious agent, and that is proving to be the case with swine flu. "At this time," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO, "containment is not a feasible option." The name of the flu has caused some controversy. Dr. Nikki Shindo, a WHO flu expert, said WHO affiliates around the world will consider a request from the Food and Agriculture Organization to stop calling the disease swine flu, because the virus is not food-borne and has nothing to do with eating pork. The World Organization for Animal Health, which handles veterinary issues around the world, issued a statement late Monday suggesting that the new disease should be labeled "North American influenza," in keeping with a long medical tradition of naming influenza pandemics for the regions where they were first identified. Source: Articles by the Associated Press and Keith Bradsher for the New York Times and Thomas H. Maugh II for the Los Angeles Times

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“Liquid candy” leads to weighty problems

04 Sep 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Loving one another fulfills Jewish law because love “does no evil,” explains Saint Paul in this Sunday’s selection from the Letter to the Romans. But not all “loves” are benign. A new study has shed light on America’s increasing love affair with sugary beverages, which in part explains the growing problem of obesity, especially among the young. Over half the people in the U.S. drink a sugary beverage a day, said the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Males ages 12 to 19 guzzle the most sugary drinks, about 273 calories' worth per day on average. And 70 percent of boys ages 2 to 19 consume sugary drinks on any given day. Sugary beverages have been implicated as contributors to obesity, especially among the young, and that in part explains why the world is becoming a heavier place. Obesity rates worldwide have doubled in the last three decades, according to three new studies being published in the British medical journal The Lancet. People in the Pacific Islands, such as American Samoa, are the heaviest, one of the studies found. In developed countries, Americans are the most obese and Japanese are the slimmest. In 1980 about 5 percent of men and 8 percent of women worldwide were obese. By 2008 the rates were nearly 10 percent for men and 14 percent for women. An additional 1.5 billion adults worldwide were overweight. On the heels of the CDC study on sweetened drinks, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced it's taking part in the “Life’s Sweeter With Fewer Sugar Drinks” campaign, whose mission is to get people to drink fewer sugary beverages. The campaign's goal is to broaden the battle against sugary drinks from health experts to civic organizations, youth groups, civil rights groups, and others, said CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson. "The enormous health and economic benefits that would result from drinking less 'liquid candy' will be supported by a broad cross section of America. Not since the anti-tobacco campaigns has there been a product so worthy of a national health campaign," Jacobson said. Sources: Articles by Jeannine Stein for the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press

young people obesity centers for disease control and prevention center for science in the public interest sugary drinks life’s sweeter with fewer sugar drinks michael jacobson

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Colorado farm’s cantaloupe can’t be trusted

02 Oct 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

There is trouble in the vineyard of the Lord in this Sunday’s readings. The gospel’s vineyard owner faces a workers’ revolt, while the reading from the Book of Isaiah asks why a carefully cultivated vineyard brings forth only wild grapes. A deadly outbreak of listeriosis linked to a cantaloupe farm has health officials asking what went wrong in the harvesting process on a Colorado farm. So far at least 13 people have died and 72 people have been infected in 18 states. "This is the deadliest outbreak of a food-borne disease that we've indentified in more than a decade," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The outbreak has been tentatively traced to Jensen Farm in Holly, Colorado. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said consumers who have cantaloupes produced there should throw them out. If they are not sure where the fruit is from, they shouldn’t eat it. Government investigators are continuing to search for the root cause of the outbreak, examining the possibility of animal or water contamination as well as the Jensen farm's harvesting practices. In the meantime the number of people sickened is expected to rise because it can take up to two months for those infected with the bacteria to develop listeriosis. "We do anticipate there will be a rising number of cases in the days and weeks to come," Frieden said. Listeria generally only sickens the elderly, pregnant women, and others with compromised immune systems. The CDC said the median age of those made ill is 78 and that 1 in 5 who contract the disease can die from it. Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, often with other gastrointestinal symptoms. There are four different listeria strains associated with the cantaloupe outbreak, something the FDA considers unusual. "The reasons for that are under investigation," said FDA senior advisor Dr. Sherri McGarry. The FDA said the latest outbreak is yet another reason to fully implement the Food Safety Modernization Act. The act was signed into law on January 4, but when the FDA’s budget was slashed by the U.S. House of Representatives, it became unclear how the agency would pay for a new, modernized food safety inspection process. Sources: Articles by Christina Caron for ABC News and the Associated Press

centers for disease control canteloupes listeria sherri mcgarry jensen farm colorado thomas frieden fda food and drug adminstration food safety cdc food safety modernization act

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Which doctors will weigh in with obese patients?

05 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus healed many people during his public ministry, and this Sunday’s gospel is a prime example. Even though a third of Americans classified as obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention need medical care, receiving the proper diagnosis and treatment for their condition may depend on what kind of shape their doctor is in. Physicians with a normal body-mass index (BMI) or weight-to-height ratios are more likely to discuss weight loss with patients than overweight doctors, said researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Physicians were about nine times more likely to diagnose a patient as obese if they thought the patient's BMI was equal to or higher than their own. Researchers surveyed about 500 primary-care doctors during the study. They also found physicians of normal weight had more confidence in giving diet and exercise counseling and were more likely to feel patients would trust their advice. Obesity costs nearly $150 billion every year because of health problems that severely overweight people can develop such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Source: An article by Newsroom Solutions via OzarksFirst.com

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Meningitis outbreak worries health officials

21 Oct 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s first reading speaks of the infirmity and affliction of the Lord’s “suffering servant,” while scripture commentator Alice Camille helps us make sense of suffering in this week’s "Exploring the Word": “None of us can be persuaded that suffering is a good thing, only that it is possible to harvest something good even from the experience of personal anguish.” U.S. health officials are struggling to make sense of a nationwide meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid injections, hoping they can control the disease’s spread and lessen the anguish of those infected.The Centers for Disease Control announced four more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 19 since the outbreak began last month, with some 250 infections having been reported in 15 states thus far. The outbreak has been tied to steroid shots used for back pain made by a specialty pharmacy, New England Compounding Center (NECC), in Framingham, Massachusetts.The scare has prompted a host of federal and state investigations, and on Tuesday evening U.S. Food and Drug Administration agents searched NECC offices in the Boston suburb and emerged with documents. Health authorities have scrambled to contact nearly 14,000 patients at risk of meningitis and to remove all the products suspected of being contaminated from the shelves. The Framingham raid came as pressure increased for investigators to determine how the product was contaminated and who is responsible.Homily hint: The meningitis outbreak serves as a reminder that the general public can be at the mercy of tainted foods, medicines, products, and pollutants that can cause serious harm. Encourage parishioners to make their safety concerns known to those who wish to represent them in public office. Sources Articles by Ryan Jaslow for CBS News and Svea Herbst-Bayliss and David Morgan for Reuters

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When the smoke clears, lives are saved

04 Nov 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the first reading this Sunday Moses encourages the people of Israel to “keep, throughout the days of your lives, all [the Lord's] statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life.” Two new studies give evidence that statutes banning smoking in public places also are good for one’s longevity. When smoking is banned in bars and workplaces, the number of people who suffer heart attacks and die drops within months, according to the studies."We should now accept this as fact," said Richard Hurt, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic who led one of the studies. Tobacco industry arguments that secondhand smoke isn't a major risk factor for heart disease, he said, are "just nonsense" because the only risk factor that changed in those 18 months was secondhand smoke.About half of states have laws banning smoking in all indoor public spaces, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Others may ban smoking in restaurants but not bars and casinos or let people smoke if the space is ventilated.Researchers found the bans not only save lives but also lower the cost of medical care for heart attacks, stroke, and other smoking-related illnesses. It's the best evidence yet that large, swift improvements to health occur when secondhand smoke is banished. Total indoor smoking bans were associated with a 15 percent decrease in hospitalization for heart attacks, a 16 percent decrease for stroke, and a 24 percent decrease in hospitalizations for lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The stricter the law, the fewer people landed in the hospital."It's just a gigantic effect," said Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at UCSF and a lead reasearcher on the study. "There's nothing else you can do that's going to have that big an effect that fast."Homily hint: Many smokers know how bad smoking is for them but struggle with not having yet kicked the habit, while nonsmokers may not be aware how truly harmful secondhand smoke is. Tough love seems called for—enacting strict bans on smoking in public places while extending a compassionate hand to help those caught in the web of addiction break free. Sources: Articles by Nancy Shute for NPR and CNN

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“Holiday blues” more myth than reality

16 Dec 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” exhorts Saint Paul this Gaudete Sunday, while in the first reading Israel is encouraged to “shout for joy” and “sing joyfully.” But how can that happen when so many people are depressed during the holidays, right? Not exactly, according to a new study revealing that the popular myth that suicides spike during the holidays is just that—a myth. There are in fact fewer suicides in the months of November, December, and January than in other months.The University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, which analyzed 1999-2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found suicides actually peak in the spring and summer, not at the holidays. "There is still this sort of ironic thought that maybe there are people not happy at this time," said Annenberg's Dan Romer. He adds that songs and movies focused on the "holiday blues"—including the perennial favorite It's a Wonderful Life—also perpetuate the myth.The center, which has tracked the media's reporting of suicides since 2000, looked at stories that linked suicides and the holidays. In 1999, 77 percent of those stories said, erroneously, that suicides increased over the holidays, and the proportion remained about the same last year even as evidence to the contrary was published.Stories perpetuating the myth are not only wrong but dangerous, leading depressed people to believe that suicide is common in their situation, said David Litts of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.Media coverage needs to be more balanced, Litts said, and should include ways to prevent suicide, such as recognizing warning signs, as well as stories about people who got through dark times. "The number of people who positively adapt to life-stresses far outweighs the number of people who do not," he said, urging anyone contemplating suicide to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Those who know someone in distress can call as well.Homily hint: Though it is good to hear that the number of suicides does not rise at this time of year, we all know that even one suicide in far too many. Encourage those gathered to be especially attentive at this time of year to those who are alone, depressed, or have recently lost a loved one. Source: An article by Cathy Payne for USA TODAY

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Will the flu fly high this winter?

20 Jan 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The gift of healing is one of the many gifts of the Spirit enumerated in this Sunday’s reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians. Health experts are hoping that the preventative power of a flu vaccine—though limited—may be enough to heal a surge in cases this winter. “The vaccine is not perfect, but it’s the best tool we have,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden.This flu season struck hard about a month earlier than usual, but despite all the news reports about overcrowded emergency rooms, it’s too soon to say whether it will be worse than normal, said health officials. “Only time will tell,” Frieden said.Following a week of reports about influenza vaccine shortages and jam-packed hospitals, CDC officials added a dose of perspective. They said the number of states reporting “high” levels of flu activity has actually dropped from 29 to 24—although that could still change. There’s been an uptick in states reporting some moderate activity, and the virus has spread nationwide: A total of 47 states reported regional or widespread outbreaks.“It’s just about everywhere,” said Jeffrey Shaman, a professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “It’s a very intense transmission season—probably the most intense we’ve seen in a decade.” That means the virus spreads aggressively, but experts are still divided on whether this year’s flu is especially dangerous, so it’s too early to know the full impact. While spot shortages of vaccines have been reported, people seeking a vaccine should be able to get one, even if they have to check a few locations to find it, said health officials who encourage people to get the vaccine even though it takes about two weeks for the full protection to kick in. “Better late than never,” said the CDC’s Frieden.Homily hint: As many parts of the nation struggle through the hard winter months, faith communities can make a high priority of outreach to elderly and infirm members as well as those who lack shelter in the surrounding community. Encourage members to call on a homebound neighbor or friend in coming days. Source: An article by Brett Norman for Politico

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