Odds and Ends





In my last blog, I mentioned that we choose an employee of the year and give them two tickets for a trip to Hawaii. An anonymous reader wrote the following: "Who decides on employee of the year and what is the criteria??"





That's an excellent question. When it was first proposed, I considered a list of specifics that someone had to meet year-round. Then one of the doctors said we should just all vote at the end of the year, and that no one can win two years in a row. Everybody seemed to feel this was fair, and more fun and less work. So that's how we decide. It's not very scientific, but so far there have been no complaints.





As a California resident, two things have made me particularly proud as of late. One is Governor Schwarzenegger's attempt to extend healthcare to all residents. The other is San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's proposal to charge big stores when they sell sugar-sweet soda. This is from an article about the latter in the New York Times:





The proposal, which was reported by The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday, would put an as yet-to-be-defined surcharge on all drinks with high-fructose corn syrup, which puts the sweet pop in most nondiet sodas and many other food products. The syrup also puts on the pounds, something city officials say strains the health care system.



“There’s a well-established nexus between obesity, which is caused by high-fructose corn syrup, and the increased health care costs for the city,” said Nathan Ballard, a spokesman for the mayor. Money raised by the fee would be spent on a variety of anti-obesity programs in the city, said Mr. Ballard, including Shape Up SF, which challenges residents here to exercise."





As a medical professional, I find this to be the kind of public policy I can get behind. Some day we may look back at all of the accepted bad habits and foods promoted in our culture and wonder just what were we thinking? (Mind you, I speak as a reformed junk food junkie--I know the power of bad eating!)

And finally, on a healthy note, I noticed a wonderful article in the Los Angeles Times about giving healthy gifts this season. It mentioned one of my personal bugaboos, which every teenager seems determined to have:





Many of the hottest holiday gifts will include ear buds -- which have practically evolved into a new body part for teenagers -- much to hearing experts' dismay. Because the devices channel sound directly into the eardrums, hours of listening to loud music or sounds through them (day after day after day) could cause permanent hearing loss.





Some moderately expensive alternatives are offered, and believe me they are worth it! Sometimes I think today's youth will be deaf by the time they're 30!





The article is a great resource for other ideas as well, from a Pilates Arc to reusable bags that avoid the lead which sometimes rubs off in vinyl food bags. It's nice in the midst of a season filled with sugary sweets and treats to give some consideration to health.





On that note, I sincerely hope everyone had a great holiday season. We closed down our office for the first part of last week, and I was kitchen-bound come Christmas Eve. I love to make dinner and see all of the relatives visit. For some people, it can be stressful, but to me, it's a great of remembering who I am and where I came from.





I'd love to hear how you celebrated your holiday, or perhaps hear some healthy gift ideas. Please feel free to leave a comment, and again, I wish you the very best!