The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Studies in medicine and health are making a real difference as people are living longer and overcoming many once-fatal diseases thanks to new medications, better medical help and healthier lifestyles. A word of caution though Ð many studies are financed by drug companies and others with a financial interest, so one should take the glowing results with a grain of salt. Consider the results of the international study on Rampiril, a high-blood pressure drug marketed as Altace. It included over 5,700 Canadians and showed a 22 per cent decrease in heart and stroke problems, and a 40 per cent reduction in type 2 diabetes. Surely a wonderful result, but has it really been better than aspirin? Cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes are still a major health problem. A new study has been released fibromyalgia Ð a disorder with pain, fatigue and aching, more common in women for which there is no cure. The study of 1,427 women, half of whom were given ant-depressants, found that those who took the medication had had less pain, fewer sleep problems and a better quality of life. Another study from England claims that if you want to quit smoking, physical exercise can help eliminate nicotine cravings, as the exercise is suspected of causing changes in brain activity. The answer? Join a fitness club and quit smoking! A third one out of California is a no-brainer. Researchers found that "good dietary habits begin at home." Teenagers whose parents eat healthy food with lots of fruits and vegetables follow their parents' eating habits, but the reverse is true, if their parents eat fast foods and drink soda, so do the kids. A final and very interesting report from Health Canada in 2007 dealt with male obesity. It found that 56 per cent of males sampled were obese or overweight, compared to 40 per cent for women. Why? One researcher claims that men stuff themselves, eat more of the wrong, and the reason is their women encourage them to "eat like farmers." One weight-loss expert claims the weight-loss industry is run by women for women. He claims that men are different and do not have as much social pressure to stay trim or as much nutritional knowledge. He also claims it is more dangerous to be a fat guy as men store the fat around their waists, affecting internal organs with more danger of cancer. Start eating healthy and lose weight, guys! Masking Many economists are saying that the present recession is merely masking the problem of there not being enough workers in the country. They are predicting that by 2016 more workers will be leaving the workforce than entering. The reason is simply the low Canadian birthrate and the looming retirement of baby boomers. Predictions are that after 2016 the workforce will be in a steady decline as will the economy with less money to pay for needed services. Even today many businesses are advertising for workers. The solution? Most likely a great increase in immigration of skilled workers. Huge numbers of Canadians and others have purchased or rent time shares for holidays. With a time share you buy weeks or points at a location at a fixed cost and with an annual fee. This writer has one at Clear Lake and gets 10,000 points a year, which can be used in places around the world with companies such as RCI. The one I have is forever, and I am free to rent it or sell it, plus I received free no-interest financing and other incentives to buy. The company encourages you to give friends/family free nights and if they attend the sales pitch, you get $100 for each one. It's the old referral game. Recently I have been getting e-mails and phone calls to sell or rent the time share Ð lots of them. One of them was from Mike at Timeshare Registry International, based in Florida. Mike says the big buyers and renters are from Europe with their high currency, and that they usually rent first and then buy. He claims the market is booming and he could rent my points for about $1,200 US per week, and sell it for as much as I paid, only in US dollars. There is a 10 per cent marketing fee that is returned if they do not sell your place. It sounds okay, but how did he get my name and obviously others? They buy lists from resorts of people who have attended presentations and bought or not bought. He said his company paid $30,000 for the list they are using. Now we know how they get our names. Telemarketers forever! Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
