That's Fit

Yuck! I just watched a little news bit about Minnesota on Fox News. They were featuring the state as it is hosting the Republican Convention in St. Paul. (That title is meant to be read with an adorable accent.)

Apparently all the folks in Minnesota aren't in "the know" about health. On display in this feature was an obnoxious amount of fried food being carried around on sticks. Mmmmm. Heart disease. Corn dogs, fried chips, fried meat and to top it off, chocolate covered bacon!

Would you ever even consider eating this? It looked pretty fowl to me, though I am fairly particular about what I put in my mouth. I can only imagine some guy sitting in a diner one day thinking, "how could I improve on this strip of pig fat? I know! Let's dip it in chocolate!"

A Minnesota patient underwent surgery to remove his cancerous kidney. The doctors did remove a kidney... but they removed the healthy one by mistake. The wrong kidney was identified for removal on a medical chart. As a matter of practice, the doctors double-checked the materials during surgery, and followed the (incorrect) medical chart to a tee. A pathologist noticed the error the day after surgery.

The hospital made a full apology to the patient (who has decided to stay at the hospital) and his family. The surgeon involved has voluntarily stopped seeing patients.

Beginning January of this upcoming new year, adding mercury to cosmetics will be a thing of the past. At least in the state of Minnesota. They are the first state to lay down a law banning the intentional adding of mercury to makeup, among other products (such as eye drops, nasal sprays and toiletries).

The reason mercury was ever in certain cosmetics to begin with was because it was used to preserve the product and kill germs. A group called the Personal Care Products Council out of Washington believes an amount that small wouldn't end up hurting you. However Sen. John Marty, who sponsored the ban, thinks otherwise. "Every source of mercury adds to [potential damage]. We wanted to make sure it wasn't here," he said.

Mercury has been known to cause complications in the nervous system, but it usually needs to be ingested. And I'm not sure which form they're talking about, but even some mercury compounds would need to be absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract to do significant damage. Either way, so long as women (especially pregnant ones) aren't eating their makeup in the morning, you shouldn't be scared to use your old products that may or may not have mercury. After all, if your mascara hasn't killed you by now, no need to panic!

Vermont's been voted the healthiest state in the US, according to this article from WebMD. Vermont took the 2007 title from Minnesota, last year's healthiest state. What's the least healthy state? Mississippi. Surprised? I'm not. Here's what sets Vermont apart from the rest of the states:

• The number of smokers in the state have dropped
• The number of people with health insurance has risen
• They have the highest percentage of children who are immunized.
  

How did your state rank?

Would you follow your doctor's orders if he promised you a (small) shopping spree at Target? Some government leaders in Minnesota think the idea just might work, and are proposing that publicly funded patients received $20 gift cards when they make progress toward controlling a chronic disease.

Under the plan, diabetics who control their blood sugar and smokers who give up the habit will earn incentives for taking personal responsibility for their health. Last year, the state started the QCare program, which offered incentive to providers and health plans who made gains on treating chronic diseases. Government leaders think the new patient incentive program could help providers reach QCare goals, and also reduce publicly funded medical care costs.

What do you think of this idea? Do you think small monetary incentives will get people to change their bad habits to good? Or is Minnesota simply throwing their money away?

That good old southern cookin' generally has a bad reputation health-wise, and it seems it deserves it. Southern states, including Florida, Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama are among the unhealthiest states in the USA, with Louisiana taking the infamous title of most unhealthy. On the other hand, Minnesota was names the healthiest state, and had Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut as its main competitors.

The list takes in consideration factors like obesity, prevalence of infectious disease, percentage of population that smokes, death rates, infant mortality rates and more. Minnesota, which has taken the top spot in this list for 11 out of the 17 previous years, boasts a high amount of residents with health insurance, low rates of premature deaths and low rates of cardiovascular deaths -- I guess the fresh air does make a big difference!