iGuard: Monitor Your Meds
October 4th, 2007
In case you missed it, Anderson Cooper recently aired a fairly surprising story on how many drugs are available and prescribed in the United States that are not reviewed and sanctioned by the FDA.
According to CNN,
Every year, doctors write approximately 65 million prescriptions for drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates prescription drugs.
These drugs, some of which the FDA admits could be dangerous, slip through a “black hole” in the drug approval system, according to one U.S. congressman.
“There’s a regulatory black hole that makes it possible for the pharmaceutical companies to get these drugs to the stores that sell them without the FDA being able to monitor it,” said Rep. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Dr. Walter over at Highlight HEALTH has an interesting solution — check out iGuard, which claims to be the fastest and easiest way to get personalized safety alerts and updates about your medicines.
According to their website, iGuard is a powerful communication tool designed to:
Alert you and your doctor (if you choose) about important safety information for the drugs you are taking.
Distribute risk ratings that help you understand drug risk today, and in the future as new safety information emerges.
Facilitate communication between you and your physician about medication risks and monitoring.
Provide an easily accessible summary of your medicines and conditions for your own records and to use in coordinating care across all your physicians.
Help researchers identify safety problems faster.
Support family members and caregivers who are responsible for dependents in monitoring safety.
It’s fast, it’s personalized, and best of all, it’s free. Five minutes of registration could save your life — click here to sign up today!
Thanks for the tip, Dr. Walter!
Consumer Consequences: The Game
October 3rd, 2007
Not that the death of the planet isn’t entertaining on its own, of course, but global warming is always so much more fun when you can turn it into a computer game! No?
American Public Media — producer of public radio programs like “Marketplace” — has put together a light-hearted little game called Consumer Consequences that lets you “find out if you are living a sustainable life.” (Hint: you’re not.)
Select your avatar, select your neighborhood, and Consumer Consequences asks you a series of questions about your lifestyle — do you recycle? do you take public transportation? do you fly first or economy? As you play, it will show you how many “Earths” of natural resources it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans if everyone lived like you.
Once you find out what a resource hog we all are, the game gives you a chance to modify your choices and reduce your footprint.
According to the website,
Consumer Consequences is built using data that represents average U.S. consumer habits. When you answer the questions, you increase or decrease your score, which is expressed in global acres.
If you divide the number of global acres by the number of people on the planet (6.6 billion), then each human’s fair share is 4.5 global acres. So, if your lifestyle requires more than 4.5 global acres, you’re using more than our planet can sustain.
I gave up when halfway through I found out I had already blown through 6.1 Earths. I must admit that it’s a bit self-defeating when you see how much you (I) consume and realize how hard it is to make the lifestyle changes that are really necessary in order for life to be sustainable.
But enough wallowing in self-pity! Get on over to Consumer Consequences and remind yourself why you feel guilty enough to read my blog! 
TOMS Shoes: Buy One, Give One
October 1st, 2007
It may be a little late in the year for these beachy espadrilles, but the folks at TOMS Shoes are providing a great incentive to buy a pair in October — if you buy a pair before October 31st, a second pair will be given to a child in South Africa!
From the TOMS’ website,
Inspired by a traditional Argentine shoe and challenged by the continent’s poverty and health issues, Tom’s was created with a singular mission: to make life more comfortable. TOMS accomplishes this through its unique shoe and commitment to match every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need.
Just a few days remain before the 2007 South Africa Shoe Drop! Help them surpass their goal of 50,000 shoes and order yours today!