Why I Support Single-Payor Health Care
As a medical anthropologist and college professor, I study health care systems around the world, and a single payer system (some countries have additional private sector options) is the only system that can assure a baseline of adequate care for all of its citizens. We have that system in Medicare, and we need to expand its effectiveness to the entire US population. There is such unbelievable waste and greed in the present hodge-podge "payor" system! Just the savings alone of eliminating these "continuous denial methods" would provide a baseline of care for everyone, and do so with a seamless network of electronic medical records -- something that is vastly needed to update and optimize medical access and care.  
​Please wake up, America. You're in a trance. You've believed the hogwash about "socialized" medicine being an evil that will eradicate your choices. There is still choice under Medicare. In fact, there are better choices with 30% savings.  The US ranks among the lowest in industrialized nations in life expectancy and  infant mortality.  We can't keep doing the same thing, expecting different results. Our nation's greatness was founded on a strong middle class, educated and empowered through efficient public systems.

Happiness is Hot--Even When the Dollar is Not
Some unexpected findings from the economic downturn are turning up, and ironically, they all point to emotional highs. Medical anthropologist Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, reports, “People are determining what matters most, enjoying a period of introspection and shoring up your personal resilience.  Happiness and quality of life are stacking up as higher priorities, as evidenced by a halt in high-end spending, and less attention paid to “high maintenance” vacations or resort travel. 
 Jordan cites higher rates of cancellation among non-essential business travel, increasing webinar traffic and an interesting resurrection of low- or no-cost entertainment from the Great Depression generation: poker night, card games, potluck dinner parties and yes, even bowling leagues.
 “Think of the activities that your elder parents or grandparents talked about doing ‘back when we didn’t have a pot to pee in’ as the expression goes, and you’ll see a resurgence of  belt tightening that goes beyond the simply shopping less, and instead revives a quest for meaningful social interactions and purposeful living.”

Declining Fertility Confirmed in Austrian Study
Austrian Government Study Confirms Genetically Modified 
Threaten Human Fertility and Health Safety 
Advocates Call for Immediate Ban of GM Foods and Crops
​A long-term feeding study commissioned by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, managed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, Family and Youth, and carried out by Veterinary University Vienna, confirms genetically modified (GM) corn seriously affects reproductive health in mice. Non-GMO advocates, who have warned about this infertility link along with other health risks, now seek an immediate ban of all GM foods and GM crops to protect the health of humankind and the fertility of women around the world.
Feeding mice with genetically modified corn developed by the US-based Monsanto Corporation led to lower fertility and body weight, according to the study conducted by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. Lead author of the study Professor Zentek said, there was a direct link between the decrease in fertility and the GM diet, and that mice fed with non-GE corn reproduced more efficiently.
In the study, Austrian scientists performed several long-term feeding trials over 20 weeks with laboratory mice fed a diet containing 33% of a GM variety (NK 603 x MON 810), or a closely related non-GE variety used in many countries. Statistically significant litter size and pup weight decreases were found in the third and fourth litters in the GM-fed mice, compared to the control group.  

Do you have a deficiency of Crestor?
NO, you don’t. Results of a Crestor-sponsored study found that normally healthy people should take Crestor, even without higher cholesterol  Really??? 
Be skeptical, people. Here’s why: Crestor, one of the most powerful statin drugs made by AstraZeneca, was heralded by a company press release, (which was picked up by numerous media outlets without question, except for ABC) for bringing about a 56% reduction in cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, etc.)  most likely due to a reduction of these pro-inflammatory substances such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin and cytokines. 
This 56% is one of those sneaky statistical smokescreens--sounds better than it is. The difference between one group taking Crestor and another taking a placebo was actually 2.8% versus 1.6%. In other words, a 56% difference. It’s better to analyze the composite outcome, which tells you that if you had 100 people on Crestor, about .77 would have a cardiovascular event within a year, compared to 1.35 out of 100, for those not on the drug.  

Talk to your doctor about alternative therapies!
Watch my video produced by BetterLife Media.

Cyclic Exercise Still Reaps High Marks
I’ve found two exercise researchers duplicating the type of exercise championed by Dr. Irving Dardik, primary researcher of the LifeWaves method.  Check out Al Sears, MD (www.alsears.md.com) and the work of  Dr. Juris Terauds of University of Alberta at www.xiser.com. Greater fat-burning can be accomplished with short bursts of high intensity exercise paired with rest states.  
​Journal of Applied Physiology = Feb 10th, 2005. This study tested the effectiveness of Burst Training on the cardiovascular system. Subjects of average beginning fitness levels performed 16 minutes of high-intensity sprinting over a two-week period. When retested after two weeks, endurance had doubled.

Tour Bhutan with me in 2009-2010
We may be spiritual beings living in a physical dimension, but to a medical anthropologist like me, we are ultimately social beings, and since paleolithic times, we  live best when surrounded by 10-15 people in close contact and support. When that number falls below 4, we see early pathology of mind and body and spirit. The societies where people live longest and happiest are pointing out this archaic wisdom in their quiet, undeniable ways.  We need strong social networks, in addition to eating well, exercising, and building resistance to microbes.  I'm putting together a health education exchange to Bhutan next May/June.  If you're interested in sharing your knowhow with the wonderful health ministry of newly minted Republic of Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness outweighs GNP, let's go.  Contact me at [email protected].   Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, Chair, Professor, Integrative Health, California Institute of Integral Studies (415) 785-7987

eBrandAid.com to the rescue
With over 20,000 food items sold today in grocery stores and a growing number of companies using marketing buzzwords, such as “organic,” ”fat free,” “all-natural,” and “light,” one needs to read the fine print to find out the true story behind the product. While today’s healthy shoppers are savvy enough to bypass the front label and go to the nutrition facts, consumers don’t have the time or the knowledge to understand what really matters: the ingredient list.eBrandAid.com was founded by a team of expert label readers toprovide consumers with entertaining, yet reliable and easy-to-follow information that reveals the truth behind popular grocery store brands.
 eBrandAid (www.ebrandaid.com) has been providing free email tips to subscribers since its inception in November 2007.  The site’s mission is to help shoppers have a healthy, stress-free experience in finding tasty and nutritious products while avoiding being tricked by misleading food labels. The site consists of three rotating features: Label Lessons, The Doctor Is In, and BestBrands.  Each section provides  extensively researched information on junk ingredients found in popular brands and offers tips that cut the time spent in the aisles.  

HealthWorld Online
Jim Strohecker is a hero in the fields of self-care, wellness, health and holistic medicine. He’s been a backbone of these industries for decades and runs a terrific website and affiliate program at HealthWorld Online. Call 310-823-9553  or visit  www.healthy.net

Adderall Part of the Evolving Amphetamine Abuse
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Wellcorps International, one of the nation's leading social, health and environmental advocacy groups, today released a major paper on the history and evolution of amphetamine and anti-depressant use in America. The paper can be found in its entirety at http://www.wellcorps.com.
Authored by Wellcorps Founder and President Tony Rich and clinical medical anthropologist Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, the paper delineates the history and widespread, medically-prescribed use of amphetamines by Americans and offers alternative, holistic approaches to kick starting the brain.
"From 1935, when Benzedrine Sulfate first appeared to entice doctors to prescribe amphetamines to housebound women tired of their daily drudgery; to the chemical manipulation and rebranding of it into the fastest selling drugs to children and young adults, the history, evolution and morphology of amphetamine use in America is disturbing and eye-opening," said Rich.

HOLISTA...natural products you can trust.
HOLISTA is a line of health store quality products formulated by WN Pharmaceuticals, a family business with over 50 years experience. I found this company in Canada, and visited their state-of-the-art labs, their agricultural fields in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, and met the founders and team of medical and nutritional experts.  I can assure you that HOLISTA’s products are manufactured to meet and exceed Good Manufacturing Practices , the FDA and International Quality Standards.

Welcome to my blog

 I'm probably the first medical anthropologist you ever met, and I predict we're going to have a long and happy relationship. Why? Because I search for healing remedies around the world, so you don't have to.I wade through yuck, scale mountains, scrounge through snake-infested jungles in my quest to find natural medicine that really works.
As a health expert, I'm continually asked about natural alternatives for drugs or herbs that lower cholesterol, or vitamins that make you sexy -- you name it! Newsweek and USA Today called me a health trendspotter. But I've been called worse.
I'm also editor of AMERICAN FITNESS Magazine, so I'm asked about the best DVDs for yoga or programs for weight loss, the top secrets for anti-aging (hate that word, let's call it enhanced wisdom ), the top spas and resorts. (BTW, don't do this posture at home.)
​For years, I've been pretty dumb about answering each of these questions individually. Now, thanks to my business partner Julie Robinson, we're assembling all my favorite picks in one place....www.doctorspicks.com. Our mission at Doctor's Picks is to be the premier wise gatekeeper to the often-confusing globalized market of expanding health options. We do the research for you, so you have more time to live well, enjoy life and take the dogs out for a walk!
I'll be back soon with health tips and hot items. Stay strong, be adventurous! Dr Meg

So much research abounds about the healing force of animal companions in your life...don’t be without one or more if you possibly can!
Animal totem is a concept used in many native wisdom traditions to signify a special relationship with the spirit of an animal, helping to guide you through significant times.  Sometimes your totem is simply a reminder of the strengths or values you wish to embody.
Learn more from Phillip Scott at http://www.ancestralvoice.org/

It was a pleasure to run into this fellow on the island of St Vincent.  He was an enthusiastic spokesman for the healing therapies of his elders--the Caribs--the earliest known native residents of the Caribbean chain of islands.  
He is showing me trumpet leaf, a local broad leafed plant that is used for coughs, colds, flu, nasal blockages, head congestion, asthmatic conditions and more.  
A tea is made with the dried, ground up leaf, brewed to a certain strength for at least 20 minutes, then sipped all day long.  The steam from the tea is most beneficial.  Wrapping a towel around one’s head and inhaling the aroma is a sure fix for clearing up clogged nasal passages.
I’ve not had much luck in convincing companies to strike a fair trade deal with the Caribs, in order to cultivate, harvest, and market their local cold and cough remedy--but I haven’t given up yet.
I hope to give my friend some good news soon.  His island was hard hit in recent hurricanes.  It seems only right that his society should benefit from conscious global trade, now that they are swept up in the dire consequences of more frequent and harsher storms, possibly due to climate change.