Whether it is exploding melons or pigs pumped full of steroids to produce lean meat, many in China simply do not trust what is put on their dinner tables.
This worries the authorities, anxious that people will lose trust in a government if it cannot ensure the safety of what they eat.
Little Donkey Farm worker These part-time farmers are the lucky few who have the time - and money - to produce their own food
That confidence hit rock bottom three years ago when news of China's biggest food-safety scandal broke.
Melamine-tainted baby formula killed at least six children and 300,000 others fell ill.
Wang Gang is still living with the consequences. His son - Zi Yuan - developed kidney stones after being fed the baby formula.
Mr Wang continues to worry about his Zi Yuan's health. He wants justice for his son.
"I think the government needs to bear responsibility," he says, standing in his kitchen surrounded by papers and packets of baby formula which he has kept for three years.
"Our court case keeps getting delayed. I'm boiling with hatred over this but I'm trying to control myself."
The Chinese authorities have enacted stricter policies to ensure food safety.
Wang Zi Yuan Wang Zi Yuan developed kidney stones after being fed the tainted baby formula
It includes a directive from the Supreme Court calling for the death penalty for cases in which people die as a result of poor food safety.
But regulations are often flouted in China. And with food price inflation rising, some producers will continue to cut corners in order to fatten up the bottom-line.
After a hard day's work, the group of young professionals at the Beijing co-operative farm retired to an upmarket apartment.
They cooked a meal using the fresh produce they had harvested.
"It definitely tastes better when you grow it yourself," says one of them.
But they are the lucky few, who have the time - and the money - to produce their own food.
2011年8月3日星期三
2011年6月26日星期日
Keeping hydrated, adjusting diet could help prevent kidney stones
Oh, summer in the South – lounging on the beach, swimming all day, fishing at the lake, a glass of cold sweet iced tea to cool down those hot days and warm nights.
And let’s not forget the kidney stones.
Men and women who live in hot and humid climates like the southeastern United States are more likely to develop kidney stones – those hardened masses that can pass quietly out of the body or become lodged in the urinary tract causing extreme pain.
“There is a higher incidence of stones in the southeastern United States,” said Dr. Jason Phillips, a urologist with Urological Associates of Dothan. “People who have never had stones before will move here and start making stones.”
And in the summer when it’s warmer, people may be even more prone to have kidney stones develop, Phillips said. That’s because it’s harder to stay hydrated enough to keep stones from forming. Diet also plays a role with some southern favorites on the list of foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones.
The most common types of kidney stones are made up of calcium and oxalate or phosphate – all found in a normal diet.
So what can you do?
Stay hydrated, first and foremost, Phillips said. If you’re prone to kidney stones, drink plenty of water and stay away from large amounts of tea and coffee since they act as diuretics and dehydrate you. Increasing the citric acid in your system by drinking lemon- or lime-based drinks can keep stones from forming. Avoid foods high in oxalates – peanuts, green leafy vegetables and rhubarbs, just to name a few.
A kidney stone basically develops from crystals in the urine. Normally, the urine stops these crystals from forming, but in some people the process just doesn’t work that smoothly.
Someone with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific cause. The formation of kidney stones can be linked to diet, certain metabolic and hereditary disorders, urinary tract infections and renal disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.
Having an excessive number of kidney stones can lead to other health issues, Phillips said. They can cause infections and even damage kidney tissue over time.
Treatment for kidney stones can involve a number of measures. Smaller stones may pass if a patient drinks enough water to move it along. Pain medicine might be prescribed. There are some medications that may prevent kidney stones or dissolve those that form.
Medical treatments for kidney stones include shockwave therapy for stones high in the ureters or in the kidneys, a ureteroscopy for stones lower in the ureters or bladder. And for stones too large to remove or that won’t respond to shockwaves, surgical removal through the back may be the only option.
The type of kidney stone you have will determine your treatment.
Pain associated with kidney stones can begin in the back and side as the stone moves from the kidney and into the ureter, blocking the flow of urine. Pain can spread into the abdomen and the groin as the stone moves toward the bladder.
“In order to have pain from kidney stones, it has to block something,” Phillips said. “Just having a stone doesn’t cause pain unless it’s moving or causing obstruction.”
And let’s not forget the kidney stones.
Men and women who live in hot and humid climates like the southeastern United States are more likely to develop kidney stones – those hardened masses that can pass quietly out of the body or become lodged in the urinary tract causing extreme pain.
“There is a higher incidence of stones in the southeastern United States,” said Dr. Jason Phillips, a urologist with Urological Associates of Dothan. “People who have never had stones before will move here and start making stones.”
And in the summer when it’s warmer, people may be even more prone to have kidney stones develop, Phillips said. That’s because it’s harder to stay hydrated enough to keep stones from forming. Diet also plays a role with some southern favorites on the list of foods that can increase the risk of kidney stones.
The most common types of kidney stones are made up of calcium and oxalate or phosphate – all found in a normal diet.
So what can you do?
Stay hydrated, first and foremost, Phillips said. If you’re prone to kidney stones, drink plenty of water and stay away from large amounts of tea and coffee since they act as diuretics and dehydrate you. Increasing the citric acid in your system by drinking lemon- or lime-based drinks can keep stones from forming. Avoid foods high in oxalates – peanuts, green leafy vegetables and rhubarbs, just to name a few.
A kidney stone basically develops from crystals in the urine. Normally, the urine stops these crystals from forming, but in some people the process just doesn’t work that smoothly.
Someone with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific cause. The formation of kidney stones can be linked to diet, certain metabolic and hereditary disorders, urinary tract infections and renal disease, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health.
Having an excessive number of kidney stones can lead to other health issues, Phillips said. They can cause infections and even damage kidney tissue over time.
Treatment for kidney stones can involve a number of measures. Smaller stones may pass if a patient drinks enough water to move it along. Pain medicine might be prescribed. There are some medications that may prevent kidney stones or dissolve those that form.
Medical treatments for kidney stones include shockwave therapy for stones high in the ureters or in the kidneys, a ureteroscopy for stones lower in the ureters or bladder. And for stones too large to remove or that won’t respond to shockwaves, surgical removal through the back may be the only option.
The type of kidney stone you have will determine your treatment.
Pain associated with kidney stones can begin in the back and side as the stone moves from the kidney and into the ureter, blocking the flow of urine. Pain can spread into the abdomen and the groin as the stone moves toward the bladder.
“In order to have pain from kidney stones, it has to block something,” Phillips said. “Just having a stone doesn’t cause pain unless it’s moving or causing obstruction.”
2011年3月31日星期四
Zezima: 'Jest what the doctor ordered'
You have to have the patience of a saint to deal with a devil of a patient.
That's what I learned recently when I went to the hospital for a ureteroscopy, a surgical procedure taken from the Greek words "ureter" (an extremely sensitive area of the lower anatomy) and "oscopy" (invaded by a scope the length of a boa constrictor).
The intention was to blast to smithereens a kidney stone that, because it appeared to be composed of concrete and asphalt, was barely dented by shock waves in a less invasive but unsuccessful procedure a few weeks earlier.
Despite the persistent fear that I would wake up as the lead singer for the Vienna Boys' Choir, I was in a pretty jaunty mood as I sat in the pre-op unit with my wife, Sue, who was at my side to provide comfort, support and, if necessary, information about my living will.
"Are you diabetic?" asked Janice, a nursing assistant.
"No," I replied. "I'm Italian." Janice laughed.
"It gets worse," Sue promised.
Sure enough, when Janice asked if she could take my blood pressure on my left arm, I said, "Either arm is fine. I have it narrowed down to two. Good thing I'm not an octopus or we'd have to do this underwater." "Is he always like this?" Janice asked Sue.
"Yes," Sue responded. "I just ignore him." I helpfully pointed out that I hadn't even been given drugs.
"If I gave you sodium pentothal, you'd be gabbing up a storm," Janice said.
"Please," Sue begged, "not that." "Do I have a pulse?" I asked Janice.
"Yes," she said. "It's 64. And your oxygen level is 100 percent." "I never got 100 on any test in school," I said.
"You just aced oxygen saturation," Janice replied.
"Too bad the oxygen isn't going to my brain," I noted.
Sue nodded.
Mary, a nurse, came in to continue the prep work.
"Turn toward me," she said.
"I'm taking a turn for the nurse," I told Sue.
Mary looked at Sue and said, "You're his daughter, right?" Sue chuckled. Mary smiled and said to me, "I'm giving it right back to you." She was just what the doctor ordered: nice, funny and very good at her job.
Then the doctor (or one of them) came in.
"I'm Dr. David Paul, your anesthesiologist," he said.
"What's up, doc?" I asked in my best Bugs Bunny voice.
"I'm going to knock you out," he said.
I thought Sue, Mary and Janice would kiss him.
After a brief discussion about allergies ("I'm only allergic to myself," I said), the doctor left and Brian, a nurse anesthetist, came in.
"Do you have any questions?" he asked.
"Yes," I responded. "Will you be giving me domestic beer or an import?" "You'll be getting craft beer," Brian said. "It's the best-quality brew." He should know because a friend of his owns a brewery. "By the way," Brian added reassuringly, "I won't be having any during the operation. I'll wait until tonight." "Cheers!" I said as Brian left. Then my urologist, Dr. Albert Kim, who would be performing the procedure, came in.
"Are you behaving?" he asked.
"Of course not," I replied.
"Good," he said with a smile. "See you in surgery." The operation was a success. I'm grateful to Kim and everyone at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., for taking such good care of me.
The next day, Louise called from the hospital to ask how I was feeling.
"Couldn't be better," I said. "It's been a rocky road, but the stone is gone." "Did she get the joke?" Sue asked after I hung up.
"I think so," I answered.
That's what I learned recently when I went to the hospital for a ureteroscopy, a surgical procedure taken from the Greek words "ureter" (an extremely sensitive area of the lower anatomy) and "oscopy" (invaded by a scope the length of a boa constrictor).
The intention was to blast to smithereens a kidney stone that, because it appeared to be composed of concrete and asphalt, was barely dented by shock waves in a less invasive but unsuccessful procedure a few weeks earlier.
Despite the persistent fear that I would wake up as the lead singer for the Vienna Boys' Choir, I was in a pretty jaunty mood as I sat in the pre-op unit with my wife, Sue, who was at my side to provide comfort, support and, if necessary, information about my living will.
"Are you diabetic?" asked Janice, a nursing assistant.
"No," I replied. "I'm Italian." Janice laughed.
"It gets worse," Sue promised.
Sure enough, when Janice asked if she could take my blood pressure on my left arm, I said, "Either arm is fine. I have it narrowed down to two. Good thing I'm not an octopus or we'd have to do this underwater." "Is he always like this?" Janice asked Sue.
"Yes," Sue responded. "I just ignore him." I helpfully pointed out that I hadn't even been given drugs.
"If I gave you sodium pentothal, you'd be gabbing up a storm," Janice said.
"Please," Sue begged, "not that." "Do I have a pulse?" I asked Janice.
"Yes," she said. "It's 64. And your oxygen level is 100 percent." "I never got 100 on any test in school," I said.
"You just aced oxygen saturation," Janice replied.
"Too bad the oxygen isn't going to my brain," I noted.
Sue nodded.
Mary, a nurse, came in to continue the prep work.
"Turn toward me," she said.
"I'm taking a turn for the nurse," I told Sue.
Mary looked at Sue and said, "You're his daughter, right?" Sue chuckled. Mary smiled and said to me, "I'm giving it right back to you." She was just what the doctor ordered: nice, funny and very good at her job.
Then the doctor (or one of them) came in.
"I'm Dr. David Paul, your anesthesiologist," he said.
"What's up, doc?" I asked in my best Bugs Bunny voice.
"I'm going to knock you out," he said.
I thought Sue, Mary and Janice would kiss him.
After a brief discussion about allergies ("I'm only allergic to myself," I said), the doctor left and Brian, a nurse anesthetist, came in.
"Do you have any questions?" he asked.
"Yes," I responded. "Will you be giving me domestic beer or an import?" "You'll be getting craft beer," Brian said. "It's the best-quality brew." He should know because a friend of his owns a brewery. "By the way," Brian added reassuringly, "I won't be having any during the operation. I'll wait until tonight." "Cheers!" I said as Brian left. Then my urologist, Dr. Albert Kim, who would be performing the procedure, came in.
"Are you behaving?" he asked.
"Of course not," I replied.
"Good," he said with a smile. "See you in surgery." The operation was a success. I'm grateful to Kim and everyone at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, N.Y., for taking such good care of me.
The next day, Louise called from the hospital to ask how I was feeling.
"Couldn't be better," I said. "It's been a rocky road, but the stone is gone." "Did she get the joke?" Sue asked after I hung up.
"I think so," I answered.
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