[Whole Foods](http://www.wholefoods.com) will attempt to build up a system of animal-compassionate small farms, buying more local food, setting up a loan program for small farmers, opening their parking lots for local farmers to sell directly to consumers, and increasing consumer education on the subject of local food.
[Read](http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/6/29/143121/559?source=daily) (Grist Magazine)
Busy schedules, less open space, more safety fears, and lure of the Web keep kids inside.
[Read](http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0629/p13s02-lifp.html) (Christian Science Monitor)
Forgetting trivial things may sometimes be the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease, research suggests.
Scientists examined the brains of 134 older people who had appeared mentally sharp, apart from some subtle forgetfulness. They found more than a third were riddled with the protein clumps associated with Alzheimer’s.
[Read](http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/health/5120322.stm) (BBC)
This is a concern for me, because my grandmother has Alzheimer’s, and I’m starting to forget trivial things.
Somehow, I’ve managed to catch Pink Eye again. I broke down and went to the doctor and got a prescription for the eye drops that my son used. When I filled the eye drops at the pharmacy, I expected to pay the same $35 copay that I paid when I had my son’s prescription filled, but I was wrong.
Because I have insurance coverage through my work, which I cannot drop, that insurance is my primary instead of my wife’s insurance, and because of this, my wife’s insurance refused to pay. Because the eye drops are considered a tier 3 drug, and my copay is $55, I ended up paying the full amount for the prescription – $53.63.
I get penalized by my wife’s insurance company for having a job that provides coverage that I cannot opt out of. At least nobody else in the house has pink eye.
Athletes who want to gain muscle strength, may want to start with balance training before weight lifting. Sports doctors from Germany have evidence that balance training can have preconditioning effects on strength training.
[Read](http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=12556731&src=rss/healthNews) (Reuters)
A healthy dose of vegetables every day may help keep the heart arteries clear. Researchers found that lab mice given a diet full of broccoli, carrots, green beans, corn and peas developed far less artery narrowing than those reared on a veggie-free diet.
[Read](http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-06-19T122614Z_01_COL944716_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-VEGETABLES-ARTERIES-DC.XML) (Reuters)
Wendy’s plans to start frying french fries and breaded chicken items with non-hydrogenated oil starting in August. The blend of corn and soy oil has zero grams of trans fat per serving and will cut trans fat in those menu items by 95 percent.
[Read](http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2052941&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312&Business=true “Read the Story”) (AP via ABC)
Finally, it appears that my bout with pink eye is almost over. My left eye looks pretty good. The right eye is still a little bloodshot, but there has been no discharge from either eye.
A new study finds that parents who are strict disciplinarians are far more likely to wind up with children who are overweight by age six, perhaps because the youngsters over-eat as a reaction to stress.
[Read](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13141227/wid/6448213/ “Read the Story”) (AP via MSNBC)
All 3 of my kids are thin. Does that mean that I’m not strict?
It isn’t only women who face a ticking biological clock when planning parenthood. New research has found that as men age, the quality of their sperm deteriorates. The study shows that men who wait until they’re older to have children are not only risking difficulties conceiving, they could also be increasing the risk of having children with genetic problems.
[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-06-05-sperm-aging_x.htm) (AP via USA Today)
The right eye is still bloodshot, and the left eye is still pink around the eye.
The right eye is still bloodshot, and the left eye isn’t bloodshot, but it’s still pink around the eye.
Both eyes look better today.
Cholesterol is making inroads in kindergartens on piles of pizza and burgers, and children as young as 10 are taking statin drugs along with their vitamins to stay healthy. Poor diet and lack of exercise are the same factors behind rising childhood obesity, and can lead to health problems later in life, notably heart disease, doctors said.
“Cardiovascular disease can start at childhood and there’s a need for primary prevention during childhood,” said Dr. Gautam Singh, runs one of the few preventive heart programs for children at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
“We have found in our experience, as opposed to adults, that if children lose just 5 to 10 percent of their body weight, there can be a 15 to 20 percent reduction in their bad cholesterol. We see it all the time.”
[Read](http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=2006-06-02T202909Z_01_N17244362_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIZFEATURE-CHOLESTEROL-KIDS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22) (Reuters)
I’ve been amazed at how little exercise my kids get at school. Whatever happened to daily phys. ed. classes?
My left eye is still oozing and bloodshot, and now, my right eye looks worse than my left. I had to go out yesterday and refill the $35 eye drops, and even though I wore sunglasses, I still received some serious double takes.
