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LOOK: Michelle Obama Dances With D.C. School Kids!

2013-05-24T20:15:57Z

WASHINGTON -- Failure is OK, but continuing to work hard is more important, Michelle Obama said Friday.

That was the message the first lady delivered to students at an elementary school where the arts are being used to help boost student performance. The school is located in Anacostia, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.

Mrs. Obama said failure was not an impediment for her and shouldn't be for them.

She also encouraged the students to "try new things and not be afraid to fail, because we have all failed."

"You're looking at the first ... I have failed at things. Things have been really hard for me at times," Mrs. Obama said at Savoy Elementary School. "But all I had to do was keep going and keep working hard."

To further illustrate her point, she pointed to Kerry Washington, star of ABC's "Scandal," as another example.

Mrs. Obama said the actress, who was sitting in the audience for the visit, is a big star these days because she chose to keep perfecting her craft instead of becoming discouraged by rejection during her career.

"She spent a lot of time practicing and working and trying out for things and having people tell her `no,' `no, thank you,' `you're not good enough, you're not pretty enough,'" the first lady said. "Could you imagine somebody telling Kerry that she wasn't pretty enough, she wasn't tall enough, she was too short? That's all performing is, is rejection."

Washington, who is the school's arts ambassador, later said she wasn't sure how that came to be.

"It might have something to do with playing Olivia Pope and having a principal Pope," she joked. Olivia Pope is her character on "Scandal" and Patrick Pope is the school's principal.

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Online:

Turnaround Arts: http://turnaroundarts.pcah.gov

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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap

WHO Is Helping Saudi Arabia Investigate SARS-Like Virus Before Haj

2013-05-24T20:15:45Z

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, May 24 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that it would help Saudi Arabia dig deeper into deadly outbreaks of a new SARS-like virus to draw up advice ahead of the annual haj pilgrimage, which attracts millions of Muslims.

The U.N. agency, which is not currently recommending any restrictions on travel to the kingdom or screening of passengers at airports or entry points, will sent a second team of experts in the coming weeks, WHO director-general Margaret Chan said.

The virus, which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, emerged in Saudi Arabia last year and has been found in 33 people there, killing 17. They are among 44 cases and 22 deaths worldwide, according to the WHO, which has called it the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

"Without that proper risk assessment, we cannot have clarity on the incubation period, on the signs and symptoms of the disease, on the proper clinical management and then, last but not least, on travel advice," Chan told the WHO's annual ministerial meeting in Geneva.

The WHO, which sent a first team to Saudi Arabia this month, will provide a fresh risk assessment ahead of this year's haj, which takes place in October.

"We need to get the facts clear and get the appropriate advice to all your countries where your pilgrims want to go to Mecca. It is something quite urgent," Chan said.

Millions flock to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the haj, although pilgrims come and go all year round.

CENTRED IN MIDDLE EAST

The virus has also been found in Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, while isolated cases have been exported to France, Britain and Germany by visitors.

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that tighter controls had helped to stamped out a MERS-CoV outbreak in a hospital in the eastern region of al Ahsa, which infected 22 people, killing 10.

"Certain infection control measures were applied because we thought there was some transmission happening in the areas where the patients were clustered. These included the ICU (intensive care unit) and the haemo-dialysis unit," Saudi Arabia's Deputy Health Minister Ziad Memish told the Geneva talks.

The measures included separating patients or increasing the distance between them, and reduction of direct contact.

Many questions remain about how the new virus spreads and what the vector may be, ranging possibly from animals to surface contamination. Saudi and WHO officials say there has been some contagion between people, but only where contact has been close and prolonged.

Saudi authorities have collected a large number of samples from bats, camels, sheep and cats for testing, Memish said.

Asked about the risk factors for contracting the disease, Memish said: "It seems like being a male is a risk factor, being old is a risk factor; having underlying diseases including diabetes, heart disease and renal failure seem to be putting people at risk." (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Dr. Gail Gross: Tips for a Stress-Free Family Summer Vacation

2013-05-24T20:08:10Z

Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer travel season for many families in the United States. Family vacations are not just about getting away -- they're about coming together. However, travel can be an expensive, time-consuming, stress-inducing exercise without proper preparation. When planning a family vacation the most important thing to remember is to include the entire family in the financial and destination discussions.

If you're one of the many families getting ready to get away from it all this summer, here are some tips for a stress-free summer vacation:

Tips for a Stress-Free Family Summer Vacation

* Be all-inclusive. Help children feel invested in vacation planning by giving them five possibilities of places you would be comfortable going on vacation, and then letting them choose from those structured, pre-approved choices. Work with each child to contribute realistic outing ideas for the vacation. Select at least one activity from each child's wish list, depending on your time and budget.

* Let your children know the rules. Discuss appropriate travel behavior well in advance.

* Set limitations. Give children a set amount of spending money upfront that they can use to buy souvenirs.

* Plan for a rainy day. Make sure you have a few indoor activities available in the event of inclement weather.

* Don't overdo it. There is no need to take the family on expensive trips to exotic locations to have a great time; there are numerous vacation spots close to home that can be just as enjoyable.

* If traveling on a plane, schedule night flights so that your children are more likely to sleep the flight away.

* Bring a variety of familiar favorites on flights. Help create a comfort zone for your kids on the plane and keep them busy by bringing along their favorite snacks, favorite quiet toys, favorite books, and favorite blanket.

* Have reasonable expectations. Children get cranky and tired; don't let their mood swings discourage you.

* Plan well, but pack a go-with-the-flow attitude. Schedule as much as you can beforehand, but once your travels are underway, come to expect the unexpected - a suddenly tired child, transportation delays, unplanned but exciting detours -- and go with the flow. Flexibility, along with a positive attitude, can go a long way in ensuring your family has an enjoyable summer vacation.

Sarah Hodgson: Teaching Your Dog to Come

2013-05-24T19:58:32Z

There is a great line in a book by French writer Antoine De Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince. In a final exchange between the fox and the Little Prince, the animal reminds him, "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes ... You become responsible forever for what you've tamed."

I can't say exactly why, but I'm reminded of this quote each time I read about new research being shared on the cognitive ability of dogs from institutions including Duke University and Barnard College.

Back when I started my dog training business in 1989, the general consensus in educated circles was that dogs did not, and moreover could not, have independent thoughts. Though us dog lovers stood by our claim that dogs have both personality and feelings, the naysaying scientist scoffed at us every time.

But times, they are a changin'. At Barnard, researcher Dr. Alexandra Horowitz (author of New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog) leads a team of budding scientists as they track and record the intricacies of the social, play, and olfactory abilities dogs exhibit in naturalistic settings. Dr. Michael Tomasello heads a similar team at Duke University, and has published reports on his various theories and findings. Quite entrepreneurial, Dr. Tomasello has made his cognitive trails available online at Dognition.com, and is collecting data from all corners of the globe. The download options cost between $40 and $140, and provide a list of exercises to determine the degree to which your dog is attentive to and influenced by your hand gestures and expressions.

Have I preformed the Dognition test on my brood? Not yet. I'm not sure I need a series or exercise to convey what I already know -- that each one of my four dogs is brilliant and perfect in his or her own way. Still, it might be fun.

Which brings me to another longstanding fact that science now supports. Dogs are near-sighted. Utterly so. The average dog has the equivalent of 20/80 vision. While a dog's vision is tested on grey strips versus a letter chart, a dog can distinguish lines at 20 feet that are large enough for someone with normal human vision to recognize at 80 feet. While a dog's eyes have decidedly more rods versus cones than a human and a greater visual span (240 percent versus 180 percent radius of human sight), a dog's visual sense is more attuned to motion rather than color or definition.

So how do dogs recognize each other at great distances, and how do their social interactions equate to living with people who cannot keep paced with them? Often a visual example of normal dog interactions can drive the point home faster than a thousand words. To help my clients grasp this, I often bring one of my dogs to my private lessons to show my human clients the subtlety of canine interaction. A five-minute romp can illustrate wonders words can never describe. Dogs run side by side and rarely vocalize to each other unless to initiate play, settle a dispute, or alert to a distraction. They never ever stand still, stare, and bark at another dog -- that would be considered confrontational and bizarre.

A less confident dog will visually look to or reference a more self-assured dog. How do they figure out who is who? Through subtle, but generally consistent body cues exhibited during the early introductions. Once their roles are established -- which can take as little as five seconds or as long as a minute, depending on the dogs -- they exhibit a comfortable camaraderie, mixing play with side-by-side exploration.

The more confident dog does not need to bark at the top of his/her lungs, or assertively chase or pin the gentler dog -- his/her confidence reveals itself organically through their interaction. This is the best model out there for people interacting harmoniously with a dog, versus the authoritative model that asserts one's needs to physically dominate a dog to maintain respect.

The cue "come" is like the human phrase equivalent "huddle!" It's the ultimate invitation to reconnect. An attitude of play and camaraderie will go further in helping a dog learn to come than using fear and intimidation. As dogs are a lot like children who are drawn to fun and play, I start off using treats and toys to create a positive association to the cue "come!"

But there's one missing piece dog lovers shouldn't forget -- a well-researched truth the scientists routinely point out. Dogs are terribly near-sighted. While they're acutely aware of fast-moving objects and can see at 240-degree angles (we can only see at 180-degree angles), they still blur images together until they cannot be distinguished. For a dog who is beckoned by an otherwise still form, the cognition can get skewed.

As no dog is born knowing the definition of "come," they must be taught to associate the word to the action. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. If the word is used alone, "come," when shouted, sounds more like a loud bark than a direction. "ComeComeCome" sounds more like a distress signal than an invitation to join you. Heaven forbid your voice escalates with impatience or you start chasing your dog to get his attention. In this dramatization, you stop being the loving, kind you that your dog trusts. You've transformed -- through one incorrectly-issued cue -- into a crazed version of yourself. To a dog who knows no better, it seems as if you've been possessed by an imposter. Life can be utterly confusing when you're a dog.

But there is good news. "Come" is an obtainable goal if you match scientific knowledge with a few positive-reinforcement-training tips.

Take a moment to wave your arms above your head. Stretch them high and wave them like you were in charge of directing jets on the tarmac. I know I know it's silly -- trust me; I call this move the "Human Exclamation Point." By pairing the "come" with an easily recognizable and exciting signal, your dog will be able to distinguish you from the background. Whenever I call a dog at a distance, I wave my arm high above my head as I call out its name and yell, "come," generally always running away from the dog to excite its curiosity.

By embellishing your dog's return with treats, toys, and positive interaction, you'll start to notice that not only does your dog return to you, but that he's more than happy to do it!

So, big thanks to the scientists who are just now confirming and normalizing our longstanding belief that dogs, like people, are capable of feeling, thoughts, and a range of personalities. We dog lovers will resist being catty in saying, "We told you so."

Instead we simply extend a hand and a metaphoric tail wag: Welcome!

Stay tuned for my followup post, "Does Your Dog Need Glasses?" where I will explore confusing phenomena, ranging from leash aggression, stair and car resistance, to poolside reactivity. Each of these things has one thing in common -- near-sightedness.

For more by Sarah Hodgson, click here.

For more on pet health, click here.

Stars Rock Red, White & Blue Bikinis

2013-05-24T19:32:23Z

Happy Memorial Day!

Today we are honoring all the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces and all those brave individuals who have fought for our country.

Memorial Day also symbolizes the kick-off of summer as many people head to the beach to ring in the upcoming season.

So in honor of this national holiday, let's check out some of our favorite stars sporting red, white and blue bikinis:

12 Dogs And Kid Spooning Sessions That Could Change The World

2013-05-24T19:22:37Z

Because they are not just man's best friends...

(Click here for more of this guy.)

Another Compounding Pharmacy Tied To Reports Of Potentially Contaminated Injections

2013-05-24T19:10:01Z

WASHINGTON — Government health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday the problems involve seven patients who received steroid injections from Main Street Family Pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy in Newbern, Tenn.

Tennessee health officials said the pharmacy has agreed to recall all of its sterile products, which are generally injectable prescription drugs. Officials from the FDA and the Tennessee Department of Health have been inspecting the Newbern pharmacy since Wednesday.

"The pharmacy staff and management have been cooperative," state regulators said in a news release.

An employee reached at Main Street Family Pharmacy on Friday afternoon could not immediately provide comment.

The injections contain methylprednisolone acetate, the same drug at the center of last year's deadly outbreak of fungal meningitis. More than 55 people have died and over 740 others have been sickened after receiving contaminated injections from a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. The steroids are typically used to treat pain.

Federal authorities have identified five cases in Illinois and two more in North Carolina. The five patients from Illinois had skin infections in the hips and buttocks while at least one patient in North Carolina appears to have a fungal infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"There's no indication at this time of meningitis or other life threatening infection," said Joseph Perz, a health-care epidemiologist helping to lead the CDC's investigation.

The FDA recommends doctors stop using any sterile drugs distributed by the pharmacy immediately.

Main Street Family Pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy, which means it mixes custom formulations of drugs based on doctors' specifications. Compounding pharmacies have long operated in a legal gray area between state and federal regulations. Since last year's outbreak, the FDA has stepped up inspections of compounding pharmacies across the country, triggering several national recalls of potentially contaminated medications.

The Tennessee Department of Health said it's too early to tell how many people may have received the injections under scrutiny. According to pharmacy records the drug was shipped to medical facilities in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas

The Main Street Family Pharmacy was licensed by the Tennessee board of Pharmacy in 1985, and later licensed as a manufacturer and distributor in 2010.

Compounding pharmacies have long been overseen by state pharmacy boards, with regulations varying widely from state to state. Over the last 20 years some compounding pharmacies have grown into larger business, operating more like manufacturers by shipping thousands of doses of drugs across state lines. The FDA has occasionally tried to assert its authority over these operations, though it has repeatedly been challenged in court by pharmacy owners.

Legislation moving through Congress would give the FDA direct oversight over these so-called compounding manufacturers, with the aim of preventing future national outbreaks tied to compounded medications. While Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have coalesced around a bill, the House has not reached any such agreement.

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Mike Stobbe contributed to this story from Atlanta

Keri Lynn Ford: 5 Fitness Moves That Prove You're In Top Shape

2013-05-24T18:15:12Z

The following compound movements are incredibly challenging. These specific exercises require a combination of strength, flexibility, balance and, in some cases, a bit of endurance. While these aren't exactly beginner moves, they can definitely highlight where your fitness regimen may be lacking. If you are unable to hold your own body weight, focus on strength gains. If you have limited range of motion and you have trouble keeping correct form due to stiffness, practice your flexibility. If you have trouble keeping your balance, build a stronger core and lower back. If you are easily winded without completion of the exercise, train your heart and lungs for stamina.

Incompletion of Some or All Exercises = Room for Improvement

Completion of Most or All Exercises = Good Level of Fitness

Completion of All Exercises, With Possible Extra Repetitions = Excellent Conditioning

1) Jack Knife Push Ups for 10 or more reps. Begin in a push up position with your hands directly under your shoulders. Press up through the straight-arm plank position into a jack-knife by quickly snapping your feet and hands together into a toe-touch motion. Land back in plank position and begin to lower your body down into a push up. This is one complete rep.

2) Lower Body Drag for one length of an aerobics room (or 75 feet each way), for six reps. Begin on a smooth floor surface, such as tile or wood, and make sure you are wearing socks. Start in a straight-arm plank position with your hands directly in line with your shoulders. Keep your feet together and place the top part of your foot on the floor surface so your lower body will slide easily on the floor. Walk the distance of the room length using only your arms to propel you forward. One length of the room, or 75 feet a single direction, is one complete rep.

3) Handstand Wall Walk Press for five or more reps. Begin in a straight-arm plank position with your hands directly in line with your shoulders and feet together against the base of a wall. Now start to walk your feet up the wall while keeping your core tight as your body becomes parallel to the ground. Once you approach a full handstand position, you will need to walk both your hands backward and your feet upward until your body is almost against the wall. Push up once and touch your head to the ground. Now descend the wall by walking your hands forward and your feet back down to the starting position. This is one complete rep.

4) Divebombers for 10 or more reps. Begin in the downward dog position with your feet about hip-width apart. Now bend your elbows and "dive" your nose toward the floor between your hands while you move your body forward and straighten your arms. Envision your head and upper body gliding under a low bar. Reverse the movement as you bend your elbows and glide back into the starting position. This is one complete rep.

5) Scorpions for five or more reps on each side. Begin in a straight-arm plank position with your hands placed wider than your shoulders and below the armpit. Keep your feet together as you lower your body down into a push up and lift your left leg up and over your body. Imagine your left foot reaching to touch your right hand. Make sure to keep your weight in your hands and keep your upper body from twisting with your lower body. Return to the starting position and do the alternate leg.

For more by Keri Lynn Ford, click here.

For more on fitness and exercise, click here.

Marcia Wieder: Balancing Act: Creating Harmony at Home and Work

2013-05-24T17:51:55Z

One of the most frequent, burning questions I get asked by my clients is how to effectively balance their career and family. We are constantly searching for the magic answer as to how much we should work versus how much time we should give back to the family at home. Unfortunately, there is no magic answer to how much is too much at work and how little is too little at home. These factors depend on you, your family's needs and the dynamic of your life. Only you can begin to know what is essential to your happiness and sanity.

What if I told you there will never be perfect balance with your family and career? Would you give up? Would you quit your job? Of course not. Please don't get discouraged, I'm only suggesting that there cannot be complete and perfect balance because our work and family worlds are in a constant state of variation. Our home and work worlds are constantly changing and colliding, expanding and contracting -- as does the tide. You can, however, put systems in place to help organize your career and bring more harmony to your home while still taking amazing care of your family so that everyone is happy (including you).

Overcoming Guilt

Most of us work because we need the paycheck so that we can provide for our families -- therefore, the first thing you need to let go of is the guilt of being away. Stop feeling guilty about work when it is a necessity. Look at work differently for a moment, stop and feel a sense of appreciation for all it provides for you and your family. When we can look at something from a place of gratitude and lose some of the negative or guilt-driven feelings associated with it, our stress will become less. We also work because we need a creative outlet and a feeling of purpose; for some, work feeds the soul. When you do what you love for a living, work can be very rewarding, and when done in moderation, having a fulfilling job translates into a happier home life.

We live in the age where we can have it all, even though balancing a career and family can be challenging for moms and dads. Here are five ways to bring balance to your home and career that will ultimately help create more happiness, ease, function and harmony in all aspects of your life:

1.) Organize: Most of us keep great calendars at work. We keep track of meetings, projects and deadlines on our Outlook calendar or in our smart phone. Take the time to keep a calendar for your home life, too, even if it's not high-tech. Have a calendar or white board available and visible to the entire family, and get your spouse and kids to help out filling in important dates. Get in the habit of writing down everything: play dates, school functions, homework, grocery lists, doctor appointments, etc. When you can easily see at a glance what's going on each day at home, it makes it easier to plan your day at work. For example: Out of milk? Maybe you can run to the grocery store during a lunch break if you can see that your son has a baseball game after work and there will be no time in between.

2.) Be Realistic: Set realistic goals for yourself and your family and keep your expectations for perfection in check. Make a pact with yourself that it's okay if the dishes sit in the sink, the laundry piles up for a few days or the oil doesn't get changed at 3,000 miles. You don't need to have a perfectly spotless house in order to have balance. Be prepared to take all that life throws at you -- maybe the car broke down, or a deadline was moved up at work or a child becomes sick. Just because something doesn't get done, doesn't mean your world has fallen apart.

3.) Set Priorities: Now that you have a calendar for work and home, it will be easier for you to see where you have extra time. In those blocks of time it's important that you do fun things with your family or for yourself, even if it's only 20 minutes here or a half an hour there. Are the kids home for a school holiday? Block out an hour or two to play a game, go for a walk or make a nice meal. Involve your kids in preparing dinner and kill two birds with one stone! Making dinner together can be a nice way to spend time with your family during the eating and preparing. Maybe your kids are at a birthday party or sleepover; take that time to recharge your battery. Take care of yourself or nourish your relationship. The household chores can wait, take a relaxing bath or go on a date night, even if it's just for an ice cream.

4.) Just Say "No": We all know how to say no, but how often do we say yes or maybe when we really want to say no? The key is to learn to say no without hesitation and guilt. Once you've set your priorities with your work and home life, it will be easier for you to say no to things you don't really have time for or want to do. Understand that you can't be all to everyone. If you have put aside an afternoon on Saturday for your kids and a friend needs your help moving, get in the habit of saying no right away. Don't sugar-coat your "no" with a "maybe" or an "I don't know, let me check and get back to you." Maybes only give you one more thing to have to deal with later, and maybes leave the other person hanging.

5.) Keep Your Commitments: Stay in integrity, build self-trust and the trust of others. It's easy to over-commit at work and with your family. You want to do it all. The most important tip to take from this post in regaining control and balance in your life is to keep your commitments. If you are courageous and selective about the things you commit to, I promise you that your life will get easier. You will be able to free yourself from undue stress and guilt if you can reduce the amount of things you agree to do. Stop volunteering for things when you know you have no extra time. This all goes back to organizing your time, setting priorities and being able to say no.

Juggling a successful career and happy home life will probably always be a challenge for us as a society. We have certain expectations we think we need to live up to, and we tend to get overly judgmental with ourselves when we think we miss the mark. Be kind to yourself knowing that you're doing your best in the moment and practice forgiveness when things at home (or at work) get chaotic.

To receive four free world class training videos with proven methods that have helped thousands of people achieve their dreams go to: http://dreamuniversity.com/

For more by Marcia Wieder, click here.

For more on less stress, more living, click here.

New Meat Labeling Rules Go Into Effect

2013-05-24T17:45:27Z

MILWAUKEE -- Shoppers in the U.S. will soon have more information about where their meat comes from after new federal labeling rules went into effect Thursday.

The rules require labels on steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat to say where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. Earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture rules only required that countries of origin to be noted, so a package might say "Produce of U.S. and Canada." Now, the label will specify "Born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States."

The new rules apply only to cuts of meat such as steaks and roasts, not to ground meat.

The USDA has required country of origin labels on seafood since 2005 and on meat and other products since 2009. The new rules for meat are meant to bring the U.S. in line with World Trade Organization standards after the organization determined the old labels discriminated against livestock imported from Canada and Mexico.

President Barack Obama's administration had asked the meat industry in 2009 to voluntarily provide the additional information on labels. The new requirements come after the WTO's appeals body in June upheld the organization's earlier decision.

The meat industry and grocery stores have protested the changes, saying they are a hassle and could lead to higher prices. The National Grocers Association issued a statement expressing its "strong frustration" over what it sees as "unnecessary" regulation.

"The costs of this new change will far exceed the benefits intended and will result in no meaningful consumer benefits," the group's president and CEO, Peter Larkin, said in a statement. "Congress must take action now and create a legislative fix."

The USDA estimates the labeling change will cost somewhere between $53.1 million and $192.1 million to put in place. The National Grocers Association said it expected it to cost at least $100 million as companies buy new signs, labels and labeling machines.

Cargill, one of the nation's largest meatpackers, protested the rules in a letter sent previously to the USDA. It said the U.S. is heavily dependent on cattle born elsewhere but sent to feedlots and slaughterhouses here, and that was more true after last year's drought dropped the U.S. herd to its lowest level in decades.

Cargill said it had already idled a meatpacking plant in Texas because too few cattle were available and the problem would only get worse as imported cattle became less attractive to companies seeking to avoid the need for multiple labels.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said it didn't think the rules would satisfy Canada and Mexico, the nation's top trading partners, and it feared retaliation with taxes or other restrictions on U.S. beef.

"While trying to make an untenable mandate fit with our international trade obligations, USDA chose to set up U.S. cattle producers for financial losses," the association said in a statement. "Moreover, this rule will place a greater record-keeping burden on producers, feeders and processors through the born, raised and harvested label."

The rules have had support from other farmers' organizations, along with consumer and environmental groups. Nearly 230 signed an April letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, including the National Farmers Union, U.S. Cattlemen's Association and Center for Food Safety.

The National Farmers Union issued a statement Thursday praising the Obama administration for "providing more information on the origins of our food, instead of simply watering down the process."

"Consumers want and have the right to know where their food comes from," it added.

The new labels will begin showing up gradually in grocery stores. Meat processed or packaged before Thursday can still be sold with older labels, and the USDA is allowing meat companies to use up any of the older labels they already had printed.

Mark Hyman, MD: The One Diet That Can Cure Most Disease: Part I

2013-05-24T17:26:33Z

If I told you there was one diet that could cure arthritis, fatigue, irritable bowel, reflux, chronic allergies, eczema, psoriasis, autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease, migraines, depression, attention deficit disorder, and occasionally even autism and that it could help you lose weight quickly and easily without cravings, suffering, or deprivation, you might wonder if Dr. Hyman had gone a bit crazy.

But it's true. And the story goes like this.

Food is medicine. Bad food is bad medicine and will make us sick. Good food is good medicine that can prevent, reverse, and even cure disease. Take away the bad food, put in the good food and magic happens.

The problem with current medical thinking is that it treats diseases individually, requiring specific diagnoses and labels: "You have migraines," "You have depression," "You have psoriasis." And then you get the migraine pill, the antidepressant, and the immune suppressant.

What if you didn't have to treat diseases specifically or even need to know their names? In fact, I often see patients -- like one I saw yesterday -- who came with 20 pages of analysis from a dozen doctors from the Mayo Clinic. Her "diagnoses" were "muscle pain, fatigue and insomnia," and she had been given no recommendations for treatment. Not very helpful!

I recently saw a patient treated at Harvard by multiple specialists. She was on 42 pills a day for severe allergies, asthma, and hives. She even died twice and had to be resuscitated after anaphylactic shock. In just a few short weeks, simply by changing her diet, she got off all her medications, and her allergies, hives, and asthma were gone.

Another patient, who suffered for decades with reflux and irritable bowel and whose symptoms weren't controlled with acid blockers and "gut relaxers," got complete relief from his symptoms one week after changing his diet.

What if you could just treat the whole person with dietary changes, upgrading the information given every day to your body through food? Food is information carrying detailed instructions for every gene and every cell in your body, helping them to renew, repair, and heal or to be harmed and debilitated, depending on what you eat. What if you could send messages and instructions to heal your cells and turn on healing genes? And what if, by some simple changes in your diet, you could get rid of most of your chronic symptoms and diseases in just one week (or maybe two)?

That is entirely possible. Some people call it detox. Some people call it an elimination diet. I call it the inclusion and abundance diet.

I call it UltraSimple!

The best part of this approach is that you don't have to trust me or any "expert." You simply have to trust your body. It will tell you very quickly what it likes and doesn't like.

If you are constantly putting in information that is making your body toxic, sick, and fat -- hyper-processed industrial junk food, sugar, flour, chemicals, additives, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, inflammatory foods, or what I call anti-nutrients -- it acts like poison in the body. It inflames your gut and your cells, leading to whole-body inflammation that you experience as pain, allergies, headaches, fatigue, and depression and that leads to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease.

This one diet, The UltraSimple Diet-- getting the junk out, getting inflammatory foods out, adding healing, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory foods -- has the power to heal in a way that medication can't and never will be able to.

I have used it for decades with tens of thousands of patients with remarkable results. We are beginning studies at Harvard that will look at how to tackle the toughest diseases with a simple change in diet.

This approach can work faster and better than any medication. The power of this simple diet change -- getting rid of the bad stuff and putting in the good stuff -- can often reverse the most difficult-to-treat medical problems and give people the experience of profound wellness, even if they don't have a serious illness. It is something everyone should try just once. Most of my patients say, "Dr. Hyman, I didn't know I was feeling so bad until I started feeling so good."

Let me share a story, one that is very common in the world of functional medicine, which is the science of treating the roots causes of disease, the science of creating health.

One patient, a medical school professor and doctor, came to see me after struggling for years with psoriatic arthritis. He was crippled by pain and inflammation, despite taking powerful immune-suppressing drugs, including an ibuprofen-like drug, chemo drugs, and a drug called a TNF alpha-blocker that suppresses the immune response so much that its side effects include overwhelming infection, cancer, and death. Still, he wasn't better, and at 56 years old, he was planning to quit. He couldn't operate any longer and could barely walk up the stairs. He had psoriasis all over his skin, and it was destroying his joints. He also had reflux, depression, canker sores, constipation, and trouble with concentration. His liver function tests were abnormal, and he was overweight.

He had a horrible diet. He ate oatmeal with milk and sugar for breakfast, tuna with soup and cookies for lunch, and fish or meat with vegetables and potato or pasta for dinner. He snacked on cookies and protein bars. He avoided chocolate and fatty foods. He ate out more than five times per week and craved sweets and caffeine, consuming three to four cups of coffee and one diet soda per day. He drank about 12 alcoholic beverages per week, including wine and the occasional scotch.

So I put him on The UltraSimple Diet, getting rid of industrial food, caffeine, alcohol, and sugar and adding whole, real foods. I also got rid of the most common food allergens and sensitivities.

At his first follow-up visit, he arrived pain-free and said he hadn't felt so good in years. He reported an 80 percent reduction in pain, could climb stairs more quickly, and was no longer limping. All his pain and stiffness were gone. His hands had been swollen and difficult to open, but now the swelling was gone and he could operate again. And he had quit all his medications after the first visit (even though I told him not to). His reflux and migraines were gone. His mood had improved, and he was less irritable. He was no longer constipated. And he lost 15 pounds.

If there is one thing I could encourage everyone to do, it is to take just one week to see just how powerful a drug food can be. There is nothing to lose but your suffering. It doesn't take months or years to see change. It happens in days or weeks.

In my next blog, I will explain exactly what this diet is, why it works, and how it heals your body. And I will show you how to get started.

Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below -- but remember, we can't offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a five-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

For more by Mark Hyman, M.D., click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

George C. Carpenter: Psychiatry Must Be a Science, Not an Art

2013-05-24T17:14:43Z

The American Psychiatric Association held its annual meeting in San Francisco this week to discuss current trends and advancements in the field. One of the hallmarks of the conference was an update of the organization's manual for diagnosis and treatment, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), often referred to as "the bible of psychiatry." This handbook has served for years as the definitive guide to both diagnosis and treatment, allowing psychiatrists an easy mode to search for symptoms and assign corresponding medications, a sort of trial and error that has become standard practice for the modern psychiatrist. It is the great textbook of the art of psychiatry.

Symptom-based diagnosis was for decades the only method known to physicians in all fields of medicine. Doctors, without corresponding laboratory data to confirm suspicions about root causes of illness, would analyze symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, or fever and assign drugs accordingly. But as technology has advanced, so too have our methods of diagnosis. From blood tests to genomics to full-body scans, doctors now have the ability to search for and treat many root causes of disease. Trial and error, for the modern physician, is outdated, costly, even dangerous. Our advancing ability to measure pathophysiology has saved millions of dollars and millions of lives.

Psychiatry, however, remains stuck in the past. Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, recently took the bold step of dumping the DSM-5 for its lack of scientific validity. Insel said, "Indeed, symptom-based diagnosis, once common in other areas of medicine, has been largely replaced in the past half century as we have understood that symptoms alone rarely indicate the best choice of treatment." He continues, "The diagnostic system has to be based on the emerging research data, not on the current symptom-based categories." So why haven't our methods changed?

The answer is that it's both difficult and expensive to study the brain. As of yet, not nearly enough data exists to design a new "gold standard" of diagnosis based on cognitive performance or biological markers. Furthermore, as many in the field accept the DSM as an effective enough method of diagnosis, many of those performing new research are looking for immediate, rather than long-term solutions to this problem. For decades, researchers have been rejecting results because they do not fit current DSM categories and standards, wasting millions of dollars and countless hours of work. With government studies showing that as few as 12.7 percent of those suffering from mental health disorders receive even minimally effective drug treatment, however, the stakes are too high to continue to accept the status quo.

This challenge has driven many entrepreneurs and private companies to build better systems to guide treatment and give those suffering with mental health issues the same quality of care enjoyed by patients in almost all other fields. Capitalizing on developments in the field of electroencephalography (EEG), companies like CNS (Central Nervous System) Response have developed databases of brain response that can be used to more effectively assign medication and predict adverse effects. Though the fundamental technology has existed for more than 80 years, with 75 peer-reviewed studies confirming its utility in prescribing, only recently have these results been applied at the point of care. Under Dr. Insel's direction, the NIMH has turned its research focus away from DSM categories and toward neurophysiological markers of response made possible by advances in computing power, neuroimaging, and crowdsourcing of physician outcomes. It's time the rest of the field catch up.

As every other medical field has been driven by high tech and dynamic science, psychiatry has spent decades refining the art of trial and error. With more patients every year suffering from mental health disorders, it's time to take the lessons we've learned in the rest of medicine. We need to not only join Dr. Insel in asserting that "patients with mental disorders deserve better," but we need to start using the technologies we have today to bring better treatment to those suffering from mental illness.

So many of the stories we read every day -- school shooters, ex-professional athletes with depression, military suicides -- transit through multiple treatments with medications... and fail.

We have scientifically valid instruments -- today -- which can help physicians dramatically reduce trial and error. It's time to use them.

For more on mental health, click here.

For more by George C. Carpenter, click here.

Paula Conway: No, Thank You

2013-05-24T17:13:53Z

The year I graduated from high school, my mother had this notion that I needed to "come out" to high society in Washington, D.C. via the National Debutante Cotillion and Thanksgiving Ball. A debutante I would be. I was thrust into a whirlwind of parties, teas, and an unending stream of thank-you notes. Today, I have several careers, among them writing. And I absolutely hate thank-you notes. I hate writing them and I hate receiving them.

The debutante forum and society events lasted through my college days. I learned not only to write thank-you notes, but how to write the proper RSVP. I never could understand why I had to RSVP in writing, and why it had to be so long.

"Ms. Paula Wenger regrets that she will not be able to attend the garden party at the British Embassy on June 5 at three o'clock in the afternoon."

Note, I had to write out "three o'clock." Really? Wouldn't a phone call do? There was one young woman in my debutante class whom I swore would go on to be a national morning television host or wife of a senator. She always spoke in floral and meaningless soundbites, and she loved writing those thank-you notes. She shared with me once that she would write them the very evening of the party or event as to not forget a detail or let time lapse. So diligent. Her notes always came on Crane paper with even penmanship end to end, exact borders, and they always had color. She did not have the illustrious career I anticipated, and her husband is not a senator, but she to this day writes the best thank-you notes.

Over time, I began to realize why I hated writing thank-you notes. They're obligatory and perfunctory. I got one recently in response to a gift I sent a friend and his wife. Naturally, he didn't write it, his wife did.

"Paula, it was so lovely of you to think of us and send us the gorgeous crystal bowl. We are so looking forward to seeing you in June."

There are facts in there: It was a crystal bowl, I will be seeing them in June. And it says "thank you." It also went straight to the garbage.

Rudely, I once told a friend to stop sending me thank-you notes. She was thanking me for everything, all the time, and each one was more boring than the next.

Then there's the microcosm of thank-you notes that quicken my pulse. I remember one from a friend in Dallas, primarily because it had a furry pink cupcake on the front and she knows I love cupcakes. First impression: She thought about me specifically and took the time to find a card in the shape of a cupcake. Inside, "The boys cried on the plane home. We can't stop talking about you and John, we can't wait to come back. A Broadway show, the amazing food you make, always, popcorn nights with extra butter, kitties sleeping with us, and girl, YOU. You're just da' bomb to be around. We can't thank you enough, so we won't." Now that has oomph and heart. I still have it. Another in my collection, "A purple peony and a red rose, so lovely and vibrant. But they're in your garden and not mine, because all my flowers die the minute I plant them. I'm just jealous as hell. Can't wait to have dinner again." I liken a well-thought-out "thank you" to The Great Gatsby: a mediocre plot line at best, draped in dramatic and colorful prose, equals a classic.

But when I send a gift, host a guest, or go out of my way in some way for someone and don't get a thank-you note, that's another story. I take note. I think less of the person. My high society thank-you note training tells me that's so very wrong. I'm a thank-you note hypocrite: On one hand, I don't want the thank-you note because I know it will be disappointing. I also don't want to write one. And on the other hand, if they don't send one, I'm pissed. How do you tell someone how to say thank you? The thank-you note should not be pavlovian. Don't think so much, or so little, think about why you are thankful, and what you love about this person. Give it color, depth, and meaning.

I've come to realize that like any gift, a thank-you note is not about you, it's about the receiver. It's true that you should send one, but the thought behind it is what counts. It all comes down to the edit: not that you are simply saying "thank you" for what was given, but that you've thought of this person beyond the four walls of the paper you are writing it on. Think before you start writing.

I am grateful for all the bad thank-you notes I sent and received, and while I dread them still, I read them hoping that someone will surprise me and send one that strikes a chord, like that fluffy cupcake thank-you note that sits on my office desk. And for each one that is poorly executed, I am thankful for being reminded how important they are, both in sending or receiving, and in meaning. I'm thankful for two decades of thank-you notes, up and down, since my debutante days when it all started, and thankful for being reminded daily that sending a good thank-you note will help those in peril, struggling with finding colorful words and meaning in their writing.

Summer is coming, and my husband and I already have a full dance card. I'm already thinking about my thanks. In the end, I must thank my mother for tossing me into the frenzy of thank-you notes. I went kicking and screaming, but now I truly understand the meaning behind the thank-you note and I strive to make the world a better place, one thank-you note at a time.

Mom, thank you.

For more by Paula Conway, click here.

For more on emotional intelligence, click here.

BEFORE/AFTER PHOTOS: Schools And Medical Center Decimated By Tornado

2013-05-24T16:56:54Z

Google has shared satellite photos taken before and after the devastating tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013.

The interactive below compares images of Briarwood Elementary School, Plaza Towers Elementary School and Moore Medical Center taken on April 29, 2013 with images collected on May 22, 2013.

Tragically, seven children at Plaza Towers died during the storm. Although Moore Medical Center was destroyed, all patients and staff survived. No fatalities were reported at Briarwood Elementary either, and multiple videos have emerged capturing frantic, relieved reunions following the storm.

Click here to view more before/after Oklahoma tornado photos.

What Causes 'Infantile Amnesia'

2013-05-24T16:21:06Z

Scientists -- and parents -- have long wondered why we don’t remember anything that happened before age 3. As all parents know, no matter how momentous an event is in a toddler’s life, the memory soon drifts away and within months there isn’t even a wisp of it left.

Now a new study shows that “infantile amnesia” may be due to the rapid growth of nerve cells in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for filing new experiences into long-term memory. The study was presented Friday at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience.