Chocolate destiny

Many people dream of chocolate, consider it an aphrodisiac and even legitimate food group. Chocolate lovers and supporters of its anti-oxidents may have reason to become concerned about a new chocolate debate in the U.S. that challenges the definition of chocolate itself. Should % cocoa in production mean some candies will be unable to be called "chocolate" food? Would this cause you to reflect more on the ingredients of what you consume? Or, do only the after-effects matter?

Currently, the U.S. rarely allows vegetable fats as ingredients of products labeled as "chocolate." BUT, this may be about to change. An industry trade group called the Grocery Manufacturers of America, has combiend with the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association of America, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and a variety of groups. They desire to incorporate cheap veggie oil and lower chocolate food value. This curious effort to lobby the FDA to weaken chocolate standards has won allies among industrial-meat interest groups. They include the National Cattlemen's Beef Assn., the National Meat Institute, National Fisheries Institute, the National Meat Canners Association. Why might such groups suddenly take an avid interest in chocolate?

Consolidated buying enables large cocoa users to wield a significant impact in economies. Big profits mean its easier for companies to take advantage of poorer nations, that rely on cocoa production as a key element in foreign exchange. ADM is a key producer of cocoa, cocoa butter and chocolate, as well as products from livestock feeds to distiller's grains and processed foods. This suggests the company is seeking a wider market influence than we imagine. As the result of ADM's efforts, Congress is leaning toward considering the latest docket agenda that would replace cocoa butter and dairy components of chocolate with cheaper vegetable fats or PGPR. This means reducing quantity of actual cocoa in the finished product and creating an unknown result. So much for encouraging public health awareness?

It's as yet uncertain if repercussions of this debate will affect companies that choose to use real cocoa butter and high quality cocoa. If markets are flooded with low-quality chocolate, the price of 'good stuff' may sky-rocket because of its increasing exclusivity. How many people realize major chocolate makers profit from unsustainable growing practices and slavery to bring you those one-dollar bars? Free trade chocolate is not the only kind that protects farmers.

Rather than eat chocolate meat because you think any chocolate is good for you, or your consumer choices don't matter, think again. The cheap stuff may become worse for your health than ever. Eating it may not support sustainable business that will positively influence the destiny of chocolate you know. Read labels! Many people hope higher cocoa % and cocoa butter content chocolate stays available. Fake chocolate is over-modified with emulsifiers and questionable sources of ingredients. The simpler the product, the less fillers, the tastier and more nutrititious it is. Chocolate lovers have the power to shape the confection's destiny.

Step away from self-sabotage

How far would you go to live your dreams? What risks do you contemplate? A sense of insecurity may cause you to avoid risks. Ask yourself why you hesitate to discover yourself. Drifting around in defeat and failure doesn't have to define your future. What looks like a mistake, isn't really a mistake at all. It's all in how you interpret it, what you choose to learn. Your family history may include serious physical illness, depression, addictions, negativity, disaster or 'wrong' choices. This track record doesn't mean you must forever identify with pain or failure. You aren't your relatives. Step away from self-sabotage. You define yourself through your own risks.

Consider the story of Santiago Munez. As an illegal Mexican-American immigrant, he worked as a gardener with his father to pay bills. His father repeatedly told Santiago he wasn’t capable of doing anything meaningful with his life and that he would always be underprivileged. When he was offered the chance of a lifetime, he chose to leave his family, his struggling life in Los Angeles and everything he knew to travel to England to a totally foreign world. His determination and belief in himself led him to exhilarating, fast-paced international soccer areans. He rose to be a star.

Consider the story of a Costa Rican boy who grew up with 17 siblings in a small apartment with a drug addicted mom. At age 15, he left for the U.S. with an older brother. About a year later, then living on the street, this 16 year old boy grew into one of the most violent gang leaders in New York’s history. At one point, a brave priest approached him to attend a church meeting. The boy reacted with ridicule. He took his gang to church, intending to disrupt the service. Yet, instead, he was moved beyond measure by a love and compassion he had never known. That turning point led him to become a missionary and evolve to counsel violent teens.

Consider the man who's relationship history includes three marriages and three divorces. After a bout with infidelity, another wife contracting cancer, and a quick fling and run to the chapel he'll seldom discuss, his view of good relationships has been severely damaged. Although employed with a stable income later in life, his self-esteem has progressively deteriorated. Yet, somewhere inside, he realized restlessness wasn't the answer. He realized hanging in limbo with a sense of self-defeat wasn't resulting in his desired reality. He took a hard look at himself, sought counselling, admitted accountability and clariifed his desires. Soon after, a kind woman entered his life. His new marriage is the most loving and meaningful yet.

Just because previous attempts to get what you wanted didn't work out, doesn't mean all is lost. You could be from a dysfunctional background, or maybe you've done things you aren't proud of. Even though you think you've repeatedly messed up, if you keep faith in your abilities, you nuture hope. If you aren't blaming the past, you may blame yourself. The only person who holds a grudge is you. You may know divorce, bankruptcy, even illegal acts. Your past choices don't have to define how you proceed from here. You decide whether you'll risk a new path. Isolate and reverse any self-defeating thoughts prevent you from doing what you aim to do.

Reach out for guidance. Learn how to put your hopes up. A positive, hopeful frame of mind will encourage you to take risks to lead a more fulfilling life. You have as many chances as you're willing to give yourself. As you give yourself another chance, you won't change the past, but you can ressurect your dreams and pursue them with new vigor. Move beyond disappointments and situations that discouraged you. You have a destiny. No matter what your perceived setbacks, you can rise above them.

Reprogram your mental computer

How often do you awaken thinking you're in for another lousy day with lousy people? Do you feel your dreams have been stolen, and heavy responsibilities unloaded on you by others? You may tell yourself it's okay make light of and exaggerate your perceived problems. Where you are now and with whom may not seem ideal. If you haven't yet learned to accept you can change your situation with your mind, you're about to discover an incredible inner power that will change you forever.

How are you being prepared for a more fulfilling life? You may be in a relationship that is painful and challenging. You may wonder how you'll make it through hardship. You may have a child with learning disabilities, a relative with serious health problems, a partner with whom you conflict. You may have stepfamily with whom you don't see eye-to-eye, you may sense interactions with friends and acquaintances are more a burden than a blessing. What kinds of obstacles do you face? How do you create your own illusions? When will you reshape them? What is your attitude?

1) No more blaming. It's not people around who have stolen your dreams and made your life harder than you think it should be. You may simply have lost or never really developed faith in yourself. The secret to strengthening relationships with yourself and others is to believe your attitude is convertible. Rechannel the energy inside.

2) Refrain from worsening your situation. If you feel guilty or afraid of more mistakes, you need to dig your heels in. As you complain, you underestimate your power to focus on the possible. As you focus on what isn't right, you permit your mindset to steal your joy. Those little things become huge. The more you talk about problems and distractions, the more depressed you'll get. Negativity drags you and other people down. Instead, focus on solutions to uplift your spirits and strengthen relationships. Attract the people you desire by talking about the qualities you seek. Discover these desirable qualities lie in people you know and in you. Learn to see it on the inside or it won't evolve into reality on the outside.

3) Stop allowing yourself to feel overwhelmed. You may have difficulties, but you are where you are to gain new insight into yourself. You have the necessary strength and resourcefulness. If you weren't in your current situation, you wouldn't have the chance to prove yourself or convince yourself that you can accomplish things you never even imagined. Shake off a sense of failure in your past. Choose to enjoy your life. Be grateful you're alive, that you have the abilities you have, and that people you meet teach you what they do about yourself. Don't give into temptation to worry. Reframe the situation based on what you gain, not on what you lose.

Empower yourself from within

You won't go anywhere today without something happening inside yourself.  You may dream of encountering people and situations, but does your life meet your expectations?  We have to stir ourselves up to get useful things out of whatever happens.  You have a reaction to every event and encounter, but are you aware?  How do you recognize the nature and impact of your reactions to the rest of your life? You have the advantage to open or close your own doors of opportunity.  The question is, do you empower yourself within as you can?

Ask yourself if your reactions are open-minded, compassionate and characterized by a desire to embrace uncertainty and make the best out of it.  Ask yourself if your reflex reaction is negative, angry, frustrated, fearful or doubtful.  Over time, you can learn to discern whether your reactions are subtle and unconscious, and whether you build up undesirable tension. What does this teach you?

If you think back to your past reactions to people you've met and events that have unfolded, you can detect the energy of your reactions, whether its built you up or dragged you down.  You can let go of mistakes you feel you've made, of triumphs which have enabled you to better yourself.  Everything that has happened, how you've been treated in relationships, what medical diagnosis has revealed, what your boss has reported, what you have felt about a sense of defeat, you can use your past to empower your future.  You have the strength you need to build a good attitude.  Your life may be difficult, but how does it make you stronger?

You may be discouraged by things you've seen and heard, yet, remind yourself that was a way to raise awareness of about what you have yet to do, but know you will inside your heart.  Consider Catherine Hamelin, an Australian physician who was so moved by health problems of fistulas in Ethiopia, she and her husband opened a women's hospital there to treat the problem.  They devoted their lives to this cause. 

Do you remember what you promised yourself? Move beyond the frustration you may feel because someone forgot what you asked them.  Don't focus on what hasn't been done for you. Recognize not what you don't have, but the skills and abilities you do, and what you have the power to do with it.  Gifts are meant to be valued and used for the betterment of yourself and others.  Be there for yourself, even if other people aren't supporting and encouraging your ideas. The insight you gain into yourself gives you strength and inspires positive people to enter and enrich your life.

Healthcare tourism: more than a joyride

The Western middle class dreams of quicker access to better healthcare. This increasingly leads people to travel abroad for medical and dental treatment. Health tourism has emerged partly due to Western systems being unable to handle growing patient numbers, inflating costs and staggering insurance demands. Health tourists are drawn abroad when outdated health systems struggle to curtail expenditure and do not always offer acceptable solutions and when private medical care remains a costly alternative. Consider how key issues of a) waiting time b) procedures & prices and c) reputation & credentials, are redefining global healthcare.

Waiting Time

Serious health problems lead people to seek ways around long waits for treatment. This is a major issue in public hospitals common in Western Europe and Canada. According to the Fraser Institute, reporting results from its annual survey, the total wait time for patients in Canada between referral from a general practitioner (GP) and treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties (and 10 provinces surveyed), grew to 17.8 weeks in 2006 from 17.7 weeks observed in 2005. In 77% of  categories surveyed, the opinion was “actual wait time exceeded reasonable wait time.”

Stage one : The waiting time between referral by a GP and consultation with a specialist rose to 8.8 weeks from the 8.3 weeks recorded in 2005.

Stage two : The waiting time between specialist consultation and treatment fell to 9.0 weeks from 9.4 weeks in 2005.

Stage three : Among the various specialties, the shortest total waits (between referral by a GP and treatment) occurred in medical oncology (4.9 weeks), radiation oncology (5.0 weeks), and elective cardiovascular surgery (8.0 weeks). Patients waited longest between a GP referral and orthopaedic surgery (40.3 weeks), plastic surgery (35.4 weeks), and neurosurgery (31.7 weeks). During the interim, tumors and other problems can escalate.

People statistically seek foreign options for life-threatening cases, but also by choice to reduce discomfort and increase mobility. In some parts of Britain and Canada, elective surgeries like hip replacements, require a waiting period of nearly a year. Quicker, easier access in Bangkok (Thailand) or Bangalore (India) allows patients to get relief in the operating room the day after arrival. Convenience incentives are as appealing as the price and included vacation.

Procedures & Prices

Governments are often unwilling to pay for private, cosmetic and alternative procedures, and affordable insurance coverage has limits. Medical tourism offers procedures at 20-80% lower medical and insurance costs, including hospital stay in private room. Consider travel in Dub ai , Costa Rica, China, Cuba, India, Hungary, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa or Thailand, where Westerners can afford cosmetic or remedial surgery combined with a vacation. Available procedures are extensive. Prospective patients are encouraged to compare shop. Promotional websites outline menus of available procedures and invite contact for details.

Dental Work

A metal-free, dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S. costs around $500 in India. In Thailand, costs for root canal & cap front tooth: 14,000Thb/US$354/ AUD$481/EU284. The Asavanant Clinic in Bangkok offers affordable prosthodontics, restorative, orthodontics, dental surgery and even basic procedures.

Cardiology

Angioplasty runs Cdn$3,000-4,000, and in the US$1,650. Compare Pruthi Hospital in Punjab, India; where angioplasty goes for US$600. Pruthi also offers a menu of cardiac procedures (i.e., pacemakers, valve replacements, cardiology CABG) with significant discounts if you bring a companion to undergo the same procedure.

Heart Bypass

George Marshall, a 73- year old British citizen, didn’t wait 6 months for a heart bypass operation from the British National Health Service (NHS) or pay £19,000 for same operation at a private hospital. Instead, he paid £4,800 for the procedure in India, including a return flight from UK. In India, Research reveals heart bypass procedures average ~US$10,000, in Thailand ~ US$11,000, and in Singapore ~US$18,000. Back in the U.S., it often costs up to $130,000 and waiting in Canada can be disconcerting. Compare gastric bypass surgery in U.S. around $10,000 -$20,000. Abroad, it’s available under US$5,000.

Heart valve replacement & general surgery

Consider the cost of a heart-valve replacement in the U.S. is about $200,000, as compared with about US$10,000 in India (including a vacation). The cost of general surgery in India, Thailand or South Africa can be as low as one tenth cost in U.S. or Western Europe, and often less.

Radiology

Although average wait for Cat scan (CT) is 4.3 weeks in Canada, thousands of Americans go north to take advantage of a new and highly-effective treatment for prostate cancer patients. Ablatherm™ high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a non-surgical procedure that uses a precise ultrasound beam to safely and effectively destroy the prostate tissue. Thailand draws many tourists for many radiology procedures: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) costs 10, 000Thb, (US$200/ EU170/ AUD$265) and multi (64-slice) CT scan costs US$300-600 in Thailand and India.

Opthalmology

Lasik eye surgery may free you from glasses or contact lenses. It’s worth $3,700 in the U.S. and considered cosmetic in Canada (not payable by Medicare). Prices abroad can be as low as U.S.$730. China, Taiwan, and India, are popular destinations for various types of cosmetic eye surgery. A menu of specialty laser eye surgeries in Apollo Hospitals throughout India ranges in price from US$700-$1,900.

Organ Transplants

Need organs? The organ trade thrives in Dubai, Bombay, China, and Singapore. Costa Rica is also quite advanced, where available organ transplants include heart and kidneys as well as bone marrow, cranial sections and livers. In India, open or laproscopic kidney transplants are US$14,500 ( £ 8,400). In India, liver transplant costs are often negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Multiple transplant costs vary widely.

Orthopedics

In some cases, health tourist care is ahead of the west. At Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vijay Bose had performed more than 400 Birmingham hip resurfacings, while the state-of-the-art procedure was still in the trial stage in the U.S. The total cost of a travel package to Chennai for the operation is less than US $10,000. Back in the U.S., a similar yet, experimental Birmingham resurfacing costs up to $48,000 . Knees giving you trouble? A knee replacement in Thailand with 6 days physiotherapy costs about 1/5 of projections in the U.S. Similar replacements can be done in the Philippines by Western-trained surgeons for as little as US$6,000.

Plastic Surgery

Looking for a full facelift? In the U.S, you’ll likely pay $20,000 compared to US$5,000 in Argentina or $1,250 in South Africa with varied perks. Iranian expatriates now follow trends to flock to Tehran for nose jobs. In that city alone, they choose among over three thousand cosmetic surgeons. Australia is also a popular destination for cosmetic surgery where services can cost less and the climate more agreeable than other Western countries.

One in ten Argentinians opts for plastic surgery. The Plenitas centre offers a team of specialists and vacations which cover not only plastic surgery, but also hair transplants, dermatology, assisted fertilization, dentistry and bariatric surgery (for obese people).

Reputation & Credentials

The quality of service and client referrals, create reputations. Some of India’s most reputable hospitals are Apollo in Chennai, Escorts in New Delhi and Wockhardt in Bangalore, where the world’s first awake coronary bypass with aortic valve replacement was performed and staff experience and published papers draw from over 14,000 successful cardiac surgeries, 15,000 angioplasties and 35,000 Interventional Cardiac Procedures on foreigners . Increasing numbers of hospitals in foreign countries such as Singapore, South Africa, Iran, and throughout southern Asia, are accredited by or are seeking accreditation from the Joint Commission International, the certifying body for international medical facilities. This seal of approval establishes a standard of care that bridges East and West and redefines the global marketplace.

Reputation of overseas hospitals is reflected by the dollars spent on growing business. South Africa drew 270 million Rand (~US$37 million) to medical tourism in 2005 and this is growing. In 2005, India made US$333 million from medical tourism when it’s estimated that nearly a half million patients visited India for medical care. By 2012, India expects medical tourism will yield about $2.2 billion or more per year. Newsweek reported (October 2006) that Bumrungrad Hospital in Thailand treated 400,000 foreign patients in 2005. The Kasikorn Research Centre reported that 1.28 million expatriates visited Thai Hospitals in 2005, generating revenue for these hospitals of around 33 billion baht (U.S$926 million).

Consultant companies have sprung up in Western countries to offer medical tourist packages including details of credentials of physicians who work in foreign hospitals. Specialist in India, Thailand, South Africa, Singapore and other respected foreign hospitals have often trained in Western countries like the U.S., U.K, Canada, Germany, France, Israel, and Australia. They have either chosen to return to their home countries to practice or were unable to obtain visas and licenses to practice where they trained.

Ultimately, aging populations with savings are not the only Westerners who choose to pump money into international health tourism. T he influx of capital represents a level of confidence in the medical professionals and procedures abroad. To benefit from healing vacations, Westerners choose to withdraw money from their economies. These people spread wealth to traditionally poorer nations which have achieved or surpassed international healthcare standards. The result is boosting the economies of medical tourist destinations and reducing stress on Western healthcare practices. It’s also shifting economic power and relocation of professionals in the global picture.

Regardless of the Western country, if a health condition isn’t life-threatening, and patients are wait-listed for procedures governments will fund, patients are apt to wait for free treatment, but for how long? The flow of money and skilled healthcare professionals are redefining traditional borders, nations and cultural barriers. Your money, your health, which country? Your choice.