Something for everyone-Health blog

I was striving hard all these years to lose weight and maintain my figure.I tried out all means to shed the fats like running,fitness classes,yoga and swimming.But none of them proved effective to me !So i decided to take diet pill to lose my weight and found out that there were numerous diet pills and drugs available in the market.I got irritated as i was not able to decide the top diet pill among them and one cannot undergo a trial and error process in this case trying out which one is effective.So i started searching for an effective website which evaluates these pills and contains reviews on the pills.I found out a great and highly informative website on the top diet pills.It is called consumerpricewatch and it provides all the information regarding a brand of diet pill and a hundred percent fair evaluation of the top diet pills.This made life easier for me to decide the best pills based on the reviews and the evaluation scores .The criteria for evaluation were

• 1. Value
• 2. Ingredient Quality
• 3. Customer Feedback
• 4. Safety
• 5. Company Reputation
• 6. Reorder Rates
• 7. Customer Service
• 8. Product Sensation
• 9. Packaging
• 10. Long-Term Benefits
• 11. Product Convenience
• 12. Weight-Loss Potential

The pancreas is often a forgotten organ within the body. Neglected because of its size, the pancreas is a smaller organ hiding behind the stomach. A large gland, the pancreas produces hormones like insulin and secretes important fluids like digestive enzymes that help to breakdown fats, proteins, and carbohydrates within the body as they transfer into the small intestine. Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed and damages the way it functions, causing severe abdominal pain, bouts of nausea, and in some cases considerable weight loss.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is often a result of six to twelve years of daily (more than 150 grams) alcohol intake but can also be caused by gallstones or a reaction to certain medications. However, some cases of pancreatitis are a mystery. A year ago and a half ago I was diagnosed with what emergency room doctors assumed was acute pancreatitis and now a year after my surgery to drain a large cyst from my pancreas, my specialists have yet to figure out the reason for my immediate onset of abdominal pain that brought on the ailment in the first place. Even though I hope that my condition has been taken care of and that my diagnosis of pancreatitis won’t ever come back, nothing is permanent. A new study reveals that adding antioxidant supplements to the treatment of pancreatitis may help curb some of the pain involved in chronic cases.

The study, published recently in Gastroeneterology—the journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute—found that patients with CP had a lower pain ratio than when the study started.

In the double blind trial, 127 patients were split up into a placebo group or an antioxidant group and given pills accordingly to see if the pain would be lowered after six months. The researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, found that the supplements given to the antioxidant group were effective in reducing pain and levels of stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis. With 90 percent of CP patients only being able to rely on painkillers for their symptoms, this new evidence shows hope for those living day to day with stabbing pains in their left side, that can also move to their lower back, making it hard to sit, stand, or work for long periods of time.

Lead author of the study from the Institute, Dr. Pramod Kumar Garg, says that their research was hopeful not only for the patients of CP but for their employers as well. “Abdominal pain, the predominant symptom in patients with CP, is difficult to treat. The main reason for a largely ineffective medical treatment is that the mechanism of pain in CP is not well understood…. We are encouraged by our findings, as significant improvement was noted with antioxidants in respect to all the parameters of pain in this study. In addition, reduction in pain resulted in fewer man-days lost, thus providing functional employment gain to the patients. The findings should spur further research in this exciting area.”

A hopeful 32 percent of the antioxidant group became pain free and the effects were shown as early as three months into the trial. The implications of the study are twofold: first, the oxidative stress that was lessened overall was actually heightened at the beginning of the study suggesting that free radical damage could be increased with CP but the injury from free radicals is thankfully reversible. The second effect of the study is significant in showing pain relief through antioxidants as a step towards finding complete relief in CP patients, who have not been given any other medical therapy beyond copious amounts of pain killers.

With 2.3 times the drop in pain reports per day for pancreatitis sufferers, antioxidants seem to be a great sign of relief for now. More studies will undoubtedly still have to be done to find out the risk of daily antioxidant use and the reaction of those antioxidant supplements with other medications. However great antioxidants may continue to prove to be for chronic pancreatitis, the only sure ways to stop the progression of the condition are to abstain from alcohol and smoking, as well as continuing to take the regulated medications.

Land Rover one of the best car manufacturing company in the world have announced that they will release the most economical and greenest car ever"FreeLander".The free lander has been designed with the state of the art technology  with a glossy outlook , invincible body and high powered engine.The most impressive feature of freelander is that it is  eco-friendly car  reducing the pollution caused  due to exhausts.It is claimed that the land rover emits less amount of carbon and at the same time improve the fuel economy.The land rover has done a in detail analysis of the carbon dioxide  emission and have proposed that there will be a drop in carbon dioxide content from 194g/km to 172g/km.The freelander has a stylish aerodynamic design and low resistant tyres that make the journey smoother and enjoyable.It also improves the efficiency of the car in terms of fuel consumption.The start/stop cut off system is the cutting edge technology which distinguishes freelander from other cars.It has been designed in such a way that it does not switch off all of a sudden and  it stays on for sometime even during cold weather conditions.

Honestly, I have really only heard of ginseng because I have seen it on bottles of tea in the refrigerated section of my local grocery store. Sure I have had ginseng before but it always seems to conjure up images of barefoot Berkeley residents of the natural food movement trying to cure what ails them. However it seems we might be able to learn something from them soon if the upcoming new experiments prove to be true. Highlighted in a recent press release is a five-year-long plan to find the anti-cancer properties of the American ginseng plant.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) announced last week that they are giving a grant of 6 million dollars to help breakdown the restorative elements of the American ginseng plant. American ginseng plant is part of the ivy family and has been found growing in Pennsylvania and New York State as well as the Appalachians and among the Ozark mountain ranges. The American ginseng has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and is a favorite among Native Americans. Having been grown commercially in fields in Wisconsin and Minnesota, American ginseng has been in high demand for its use as a stimulant or an aphrodisiac and as treatment for type 2 diabetes and sexual dysfunction in men.

Part of NCCAM’s funding for this project is going to the opening of one of four new research centers across the United States. The first is the Wisconsin Center for the Neuroscience and Psychophysiology of Meditation which will focus on meditation’s effects on the brain as well as the body using emotion and emotional reactivity in order to help relieve stress and depression. The second clinic is at the University of California at San Francisco focusing on the meditation and the effects of metabolism and immunology through studying obesity and hormonal response therapy. Montana State University in Bozeman gets the third research center using CAM through botanical extracts against inflammatory disease and infection. The researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center have been given the final opportunity to explore the hidden healing properties of the American ginseng in the hopes that it holds the key to defeating deadly cancer. Their research center, called the Center for Herbal Research on Colorectal Cancer, will delve into ginseng’s anti-tumor effects through lab and animal trials.

This isn’t the first time ginseng has been linked to helping cancer patients, but it was specifically aimed at aiding fatigue symptoms.

Josephine Briggs, the director of NCCAM comments on these four new clinics and what their research means, “[they are] all based on strong preliminary work, apply natural-product and mind-body CAM approaches across a range of health conditions that affect the American public….Their multidisciplinary, collaborative structure increases opportunities for improving health and discovering insights into important aspects of human biology."

The University of Chicago will be applying scientific research tools and techniques to natural medicine. Using different preparations of American ginseng—known scientifically as Panax quinquefolius—to hopefully reduce the number of patients with colon cancer or prevent it altogether.

Chun-Su Yuan, M.D., Ph.D., University of Chicago’s Cyrus Tang Professor of anesthesia and critical care says that while one third of adults in America use a supplement like ginseng everyday in lieu of traditional pharmacy cures that there is still a lot of research to be done because herbal medicine investigation is, "still in its infancy," and he continues, "…we know very little about how, when or even if these products are beneficial."

Even though herbal remedies have been used by many cultures over centuries, no one has tried to use a western approach to conventional drug testing against these techniques before so it will be hard to undertake but hopefully beneficial in the long run. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the third most common cancer.

“Let us recognize that there can be no health without mental health.” Those were the profound words of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on October 10, a day earmarked since 1992 as World Mental Health Day. In his message, he also emphasized that mental health is paramount to a person’s “well-being, family relationships and an individual’s ability to contribute to society.” But on a grave note, he reminded us that because resources are not only “insufficient, inequitably distributed and inefficiently used,” a large majority of people with mental disorders receive no care at all. “Scaling-up services should be a priority,” he said.

The World Health Organization’s Mental Health Gap Action Program is designed to do just that. Launched this month, the program highlights the huge treatment gap for a number of mental, neurological and substance use disorders and identifies strategies for “scaling up” mental health care using cost-effective interventions in resource-constrained settings. Strategies include assessing an individual countries needs and resources, developing sound mental health policy and legislation, and increasing human and financial resources. The program calls on all partners, including governments, donors and mental care stakeholders to join together for advocacy and action to make this program successful.

Unfortunately, mental disorders generally ranks low on the public agenda, with most countries allocating less than 2 percent of their health budget to mental health care, according to WHO. Not only are mental health resources scarce worldwide, they are distributed inequitably among different regions. Data indicates that in developing countries, 36 percent of all mental health professionals work in mental hospitals located mostly in urban areas, far from the reach of rural population. “We need to reinforce partnerships, accelerate efforts, scale up interventions, increase investments towards providing services to those who do not have any, and the political will to see all this through,” said Dr. Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. Community and economic development can also be used to restore and enhance mental health, the doctor said.

With proper care and medication, 450 million people worldwide could benefit from treatment for diseases such as depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy and begin to lead healthy lives—even in areas where resources are scarce. For example, poor countries could provide basic treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and alcohol abuse by spending a mere 20 cents for every person in the country each year. And for $5 a year per person, the nine of ten people suffering from epilepsy across Africa who go untreated could have access to anticonvulsant drugs.

“Governments across the world need to see mental health as a vital component of primary health care. We need to change policy and practice,” said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan. “Only then can we get the essential mental health services to the tens of millions in need.”

It seems, with the hustle and bustle of today’s environment many prefer whatever is quickest, from grabbing a bite to eat at a fast food joint to in-and-out medical care. However, the quickest solution may not always be the best. Whether it is a result of rampant drug therapy or the busy lives we live, extended psychoanalytic therapy through discussion with a trained therapist has seemed to dwindle away. People may want to think again about the quick fix. In a recent study there is evidence showing “talk therapy" can be very effective in treating chronic mental problems such as depression, impulsive actions, mood instability, and chaotic relationships. Administering a drug for mental illness may give the quickest relief, but it probably won’t actually cure the cause. A continued regime of meeting with a professional to talk about one's life, tthe good and the bad, may be a better solution for long term care.

An article recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, outlined a review of 23 studies involving 1,053 patients who underwent intensive psychoanalytic therapy. Of the 23 studies, eleven were randomized controlled trials, and 12 were observational studies. The authors of the study found psychoanalytic therapy, sometimes given as much as three times a week, and for over a year, resulted in reducing the symptoms of the patient’s problems significantly compared to shorter term therapies. In fact, the number of therapy sessions was directly related back to the improvements made in the patients. The article encourages scientist to provide more testing of c therapy.

Falk Leichsenring, a professor of psychotherapy research in the department of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy at the University of Giessen in Germany and the study's lead author stated, "With regard to overall effectiveness, on average, patients with complex mental disorders were better off after treatment with long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy than 96 percent of the patients in the comparison groups. Thus, this meta-analysis provides evidence that long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective treatment for complex mental disorders." According to Leichsenring, psychodynamic therapy puts the focus on developing the relationship between the therapist and patient which is much different than the shorter-term forms of therapy. Analysis found the overall resolution of the target problems were superior for those who shared in long term treatment than compared to the other groups.

Have you ever had a doctor give you a prescription and tell you to make sure to take it all? They tell us this because you may begin to feel better before finished with the prescription, but you need the whole prescription to prevent relapse or to complete treatment. This seems to also be the same for patients with complex mental disorders. They should continue long term treatment based on the current study, even though one may feel better with only a few psychotherapy visits it is better to continue attending therapy for the best results. Because insurance companies don’t always want to pay for the long term treatment it makes it difficult for some patients to continue therapy. Some insurance companies feel medications and short term therapies are more cost effective says Dr. Charles Goodstein, with the New York University School of Medicine and Langone Medical Center in New York City. He also states "This study provides a great value for doctors and for patients, and one would hope could have an influence on policy decisions."

Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not split personality. It is a serious brain disorder—the most chronic and disabling of the major mental illnesses—that distorts the way a person acts, thinks, expresses emotions, perceives reality and relates to others. No one knows exactly what causes schizophrenia, but genetic makeup and brain chemistry may play a role. There is no cure for schizophrenia but medicines can relieve many of the symptoms. A new class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics was developed in the 1990s and has become the drugs of choice for treating children and teenagers. However, a new government study has found that these medicines are no more effective than older, less expensive drugs and are more likely to cause some harmful side effects

For the study, dubbed "The Treatment of Early Onset Schizophrenia Study" (TEOSS), researchers, led by Dr. Linmarie Sikich of the University of North Carolina, recruited 119 young people ages 8 to 19 who suffer from psychotic symptoms. They were given either Zyprexa from Eli Lilly, Risperdal from Johnson and Johnson, or an older drug called molindone, or Moban, plus benztropine, a medication often used to reduce side effects like uncontrolled shaking or tremors that can be associated with molindone. Neither the patients nor the doctors treating them knew which drug was being taken. The study was monitored throughout by a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) oversight board to ensure the children’s safety.

After eight weeks of treatment, 50 percent of those taking molindone showed improvement in their symptoms, compared to 46 percent who were taking Risperdal and 34 percent of those taking Zyprexa. Statistically, there was no significant difference among the improvements seen in the three groups. However, half of the children in the study stopped taking their drug within the two months, either because it had no effect or was causing serious side effects, including rapid weight gain. The Risperdal group gained an average of nine pounds, and the Zyprexa group gained an average of 13 pounds before the oversight board ordered they be taken off the drug. Levels of a hormone, prolactin, also rose among patients taking Risperdal, which could trigger early menstruation in girls and cause growth of breast tissue in boys.

Both the Risperdal group and the Zyprexa group also showed changes in cholesterol and insulin levels, which are known risk factors for diabetes, where those taking molindone gained less than one pound, on average, and showed little metabolic change. They did, however, have more akathisia—a movement disorder involving restlessness and need to fidget. “All three of these drugs have different side effect profiles, but the newer drugs are much more likely to cause weigh gain,” said Dr. Sikich.

Dr. Sikich points out that almost all children and adolescents now treated for schizophrenia begin treatment on the newer, atypical drugs. Prescription rates for these newer drugs have increased more than fivefold for children over the past 12 years. “Atypical antipsychotics are commonly used to treat kids with EOSS, but these results question the wisdom of that approach,” she said. “They also remind us that we need to develop safer, more effective medications to treat these children, given the limited effectiveness of both the atypical and the conventional medications.”

Study coauthor Jeffery Lieberman, M.D., of Columbia University Medical Center, noted that the TEOSS results are the first documented evidence of how newer antipsychotics compare to older ones when treating children and adolescents with schizophrenia. “Doctors need to educate families about the potentially serious side effects these drugs can have so that strategies can be put into place to address them,” he noted. The TEOSS results are similar to those found in the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE), which found the newer antipsychotics no more effective than older ones in treating adults with schizophrenia.

Representatives for Eli Lilly and Johnson and Johnson told the Times that their drugs weren’t approved to treat schizophrenia in children and that there was a need for new therapies, given the small number of options for kids. Eli Lilly spokesman, Jamaison Schuler, pointed out that the new study had not lasted long enough to pick up well established, long-term side effects associated with the older drugs, which can include rigidity, persistent muscle spasms, tremors, and restlessness.
Of the estimated 3 million Americans suffering from schizophrenia, about 1 million are children and teenagers. People with schizophrenia often have problems functioning in society and in relationships. In adolescents, the first signs can include a change in friends, a drop in grades, sleep problems, and irritability. But because many normal adolescents exhibit these behaviors as well, it can be difficult for doctors to make a diagnosis at this stage. “Schizophrenia and schizophrenia-related disorders are rare in childhood. But when they do occur, those afflicted generally have more severe symptoms and a worse prognosis than those who develop the disorder in adulthood,” said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, M.D. “The newer atypical antipsychotics are often used to treat these children, but until now, it has been unclear how effective and safe they really are in children. The side effects of the newer medications should be factored into making treatment decisions.”

The study was published online September 15, 2008, in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

I know you must be wandering about what this post is going to be related to. Just calm down and stay cool. This is just a normal post that going to provide you information on how to smell Great and sound vibrant. Just think of products that would be make you smell great, I know first
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It is easier to prevent back injury than it is to treat it. If you injured your back in the past, you
must be especially careful to avoid reinjury. You can protect your back by doing the following:

• Exercise regularly.
• Stretch (especially before exercising).
• Strengthen your abdominal muscles (to support
your back).
• Do not smoke.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Maintain correct posture (don’t slouch).
• Use straight-backed chairs and a firm mattress
that support your back.
• Lift objects by bending at your knees rather
than at your waist.
• Do not lift heavy objects.
• Avoid standing or sitting in one position for
long periods.
• Support one leg on a small stool when standing,
to flatten and relax your lower back.
• Sleep on your back with a pillow supporting
your bent knees.
• Manage your stress.

Today, couples that have chosen the path of in vitro fertilization face a tough choice at the end of the process that they never expected when they started: disposition of their remaining embryos. Once they have completed the in vitro process and no longer have need for their surplus harvested embryos, they have three basic options: donate to research, allow another couple to implant, or dispose of the remaining embryos. This can be a tough choice when it comes time.

Approximately 400,000 embryos are currently frozen in clinics around the country, with more being added daily. Many clients, finished having children, are finding it harder than they originally thought to decide the fate of the embryos when they no longer need them.

A new survey conducted of 1,020 fertility patients at nine different clinics reveals more than a little discontent with the most common options that are offered. (This survey was published in the December 5, 2008 issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility.) Among the patients that did not want any more children, approximately 53 percent did not want to donate their embryos to another couple, primarily because they did not want someone else raising their children, or they did not want their own children to worry about encountering a sibling that is unknown to them at some point in the future.

Approximately 43 percent did not want their embryos to be discarded, and about 66 percent said that they would be likely to donate their embryos for research, but that option was only available in four of the nine clinics that participated in the survey. Approximately 20 percent said that they were likely to keep their embryos frozen forever. Embryos can remain viable for a decade or possible more if they are properly frozen, but not all of the embryos survive when they are thawed.

A smaller number of the patients wished for solutions that are typically not offered. Among those possible solutions, they would have a small ceremony during the thawing and disposal of their embryos, or have them placed back in the woman’s body during her cycle when she would most likely not become pregnant, so that the embryos would die naturally.

Couples contemplating in vitro fertilization need more information earlier in the process so that they understand that they will have to make a decision about donation or disposal of unused embryos, and that this decision could be more difficult in ways that they don’t anticipate, according to Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly, who is the first author of the study and a bioethicist and associate professor of gynecology and obstetrics at Duke University. Dr. Lyler also stated that discussions about the embryos should be “revisited, and not happen just at the time of embryo freezing, because people’s goals and their way of thinking about embryos change as time passes and they go through infertility treatment.”

Some couples, due to desperation or health issues, want to create as many embryos as possible so that they can maximize their future chances of having children. At that point in time, the notion that there could be too many embryos being frozen may seem unimaginable. In a study previously conducted by Dr. Lyerly, women expressed a wide range of views about embryos: one called them “just another laboratory specimen,” but another said it is just a freezer full of embryos was similar to an orphanage.

Dr. Mark V. Sauer, who is the director of the Center for Women’s Reproductive Care at the Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan, stated that this is a huge issue and the husband and wife may not be on the same page. Some couples pay storage fees for many years, however, others just stop paying and then disappear leaving the clinic to decide whether to maintain their embryos free of charge or discard them.

State and federal regulations have made it increasingly difficult for those couples who want to donate their embryos to other couples, requiring that the donors come back to the clinic to be screened for any infectious diseases, sometimes at their own expense.

Researchers have known for sometime that overweight women seem to have increased odds of developing breast cancer, in comparison to those women who keep their weight in check. However, they weren’t really sure what the link was, other than being overweight. New research has found evidence pointing to insulin levels.

Previous research has determined that obesity increases the risk of breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women who are obese. Obesity brings along many health risks which include higher levels of estrogen and insulin. Estimates have shown that between 7 and 15 percent of all cases of breast cancer are as a result of being overweight. Previously researchers had thought the link between obesity and breast cancer was increased estrogen levels produced by fat, but now scientists have evidence that the increased risk may also be linked to raised insulin levels, also caused by obesity.

Even though the new evidence was gathered during the first study evaluating insulin levels in women and breast cancer rates, while controlling estrogen levels, the data actually shows those women with higher insulin levels who are overweight, had greater odds of developing breast cancer. The new study was conducted by Marc Gunter, Ph.D. and Howard Strickler, M.D. with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and colleagues. The group evaluated the connection between incident breast cancer and baseline fasting insulin levels in 825 women who had developed breast cancer and 816 who had not.

The women were divided into four groups based on their fasting insulin levels. The study found that those women with high fasting insulin levels had one and a half times the chances of developing breast cancer as the women with the lowest insulin levels. The group took their research a step further and took a look at those women who were not taking hormone therapy. The researchers found those women with the highest insulin levels to have increased odds of developing breast cancer of 2.4 times, compared to those with the lowest levels. Even when considering additional risk factors such as estrogen.

Obesity leads to many health risks and concerns, and a growing number of Americans fall into this category annually. The new study recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute stated that this new data suggests a higher level of insulin is a independent risk factor for breast cancer and may play a significant role in explaining the obesity-breast cancer relationship.

Expectant mothers may want to consider including foods or supplements with vitamin D to their daily diets to lower the risk of Cesarean section. A new study shows that low vitamin D levels could lead pregnant women to the surgical suite for delivery, rather than delivering via vaginal birth. Surgical deliveries or Cesarean sections (C-sections) are becoming more common, but are still considered major surgery with a six-week recovery time and should be avoided whenever possible.

Vitamin D is a necessity to building strong bones and muscles. When delivering a baby naturally, women need to have healthy abdominal muscles to help push the baby through the birth canal. A new two-year study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center researchers investigated the link between vitamin D levels in expecting mothers and C-section. According to study author Dr. Michael Holick, director of the General Clinical Research Center, "In our analysis, pregnant women who were vitamin D-deficient at the time of delivery had almost four time the odds of Caesarean birth than women who were not deficient."

The study, published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, involved 253 women with a 17 percent overall C-section rate. Of the participants, 28 percent of the women who had low levels of vitamin D and 14 percent of those with high levels of the vitamin had a C-section. Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to several other health problems. This study also noted a correlation between low levels of vitamin D and pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition to both mother and baby, where immediate delivery of the baby is required, and usually requires a C-section. Other studies have linked lacking the vitamin to higher rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

There are several natural sources of vitamin D that can be incorporated into our daily diets, including several foods such as, salmon, tuna, other oily fish, eggs, fortified cereal, and some milk that contain vitamin D. The main form of vitamin D is obtained through the sunlight. There are also a couple of vitamin D supplements called vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Researchers have found that vitamin D3 is more effective. Try to avoid taking too much vitamin D for long durations, because your body will begin to absorb too much calcium, which could cause weakened bones, and possibly damage the kidneys or liver.

While doctors still are not sure as to what the optimal level of Vitamin D levels are, it seems that higher levels are better. There is still a lot of research to be conducted to gather more data as to the links between vitamin D and health issues and even increased Cesarean childbirths. If you are pregnant or considering having a little one, you may want to talk about vitamin D supplements with your doctor.

Speaking to a standing-room-only audience at the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco this morning, Shirky explained that in going forward, we must focus on three things: information, co-ordination and collaboration. The idea expands on his recent article Health Information Technology: A Few Years Of Magical Thinking? (with Carol Diamond), which warns the health care IT establishment against the dangers of "magical thinking."

From Health Information Technology: A Few Years Of Magical Thinking:

The problem, according to Shirky, is that we are overestimating the value of individuals accessing information, and underestimating groups collaborating.

"Patients in aggregate behave very differently than when solo," Shirky explained today. "Think about what you do when you get a bad diagnosis - you fire up Google, find out who has what you have, and then talk to them. That ability, for patients to pool their resources, is a massive change to the health industry."

As an adult I've returned to various locations from my childhood and found the white picket fences, station wagons, and neighborhood shops transformed into rough, run down, and unsafe neighborhoods. This did not happen overnight. What happened in these places is the same thing that can happen in a business or your personal life. I call it the "Broken Window Effect"

Imagine the perfect "Lake Wobegone" neighborhood where everything is above average. A baseball goes through a window, but the owner decides not to fix it. Then, because the house looks a bit shabby, another neighbor leaves a junked car on the street. Then a bit of graffiti is not cleaned up. Then folks stop picking up garbage from their yards.

The can happen inside a house. One pile on the floor doesn't take too much room, so a few more piles are put around it. Before long, all floor spaces have piles on them. Maintenance items are deferred and junk is not tossed. Years pass and eventually the house is unhealthy to live in, but no one really notices because it happened so gradually.

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Scarlett Johansson doesn't mess around -- she has won a legal battle to shut down an unofficial website bearing her name.

She made a complaint against ScarlettJohansson.com after the site ran a joke competition offering readers the chance to "win a smoking-hot threesome" with the 24-year-old, reports ContactMusic.com.

A source tells UK newspaper the Daily Express, "The 'threesome' reference was meant in a light-hearted way and actually referred to her film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Going on to say, "But Scarlett clearly didn't appreciate the joke."

A representative for the site's owner, Gibraltar-based Tristan Dare, claimed the contest was published in an "obvious, overt tongue-in-cheek manner" and "attempted to parody the typical Hollywood advertisement".