New government standards for the “Grass-fed” label on meat, not poultry, will go into effect on Nov. 15th.

Cattle will be considered “grassfed” if they get 99 percent of their total calories from grass. They may not eat any grain.

While some claims may not be verified, producers can also elect to be “USDA verified” and consumers who
want the most assurance should look for both labels, Yonkers-based Consumer Reports advises.

Beef from only grass-fed animals contains about half the saturated fat of corn-fed beef, and higher levels of two potentially beneficial fats: omega-3 fatty acids, also found in fish, and conjugated linoleic acid, which some studies have suggested helps protect against obesity, clogged arteries, and possibly diabetes, according to the non-profit consumer magazine’s November issue.

Grass-fed beef is usually raised without antibiotics, hormones, or rendered animal byproducts, which may harbor mad-cow disease. Organic beef is always raised without those ingredients; however, the animals might eat grain, in addition, which would diminish the nutritive benefit described above.

Halloween can be fun for kids and scary for parents. For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together some helpful tips to ensure that tonight’s festivities don’t turn into a nightmare.

Plan Safe Costumes
Make sure masks fit the head so your child can see clearly. If your child wears facepaint or make-up, test a small area of the skin before applying. Help children select costumes that are soft and fit well so they can move around safely.

Offer Healthy Treats
Instead of candy, offer healthy snacks like raisins and trail mix or safe non-food treats. Inspect all treats before allowing them to be eaten. When in doubt, throw it out!

Ensure Safety on the Street
Decorate treat bags or sacks with reflective tape. Have each child carry a flashlight so drivers can see them. Keep porches and walkways clear of candles, decorations, and other possible obstacles. Teach children that they must not enter homes for treats. Be sure your child knows your home phone number and how to call 9-1-1 (or the local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

Get Physical Activity
Use trick-or-treat time and other Halloween activities to get your daily dose of physical activity. Kids should get 60 minutes and adults should get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most, preferably all, days of the week.

Follow these safety tips for a fun and safe Halloween!

Inmates at the Westchester County jail are getting better and quicker medical care thanks to newly-purchased technology, officials say.

Emergency room doctors at Westchester Medical Center are examining inmates just down the road at the Valhalla complex using teleconferencing machines. Doctors can talk about a diagnosis and examine inmate long distance saving a trip to the hospital.

It’s part of the county’s effort to use technology to provide better care, save money and improve efficiency.

“Using this technology doctors at the medical center can examine patients at the jail without them having to make a trip to the emergency room,” said County Executive Andy Spano.

“It’s better for the patient because he or she gets treated sooner. It’s better for us because we cut back on the cost of unnecessary trips to the hospital and its safer for the correction officers who don’t have to risk possible injury if an inmate should try to escape in transit,” he added

The county spent about $80,000 on three units, each complete with two teleconferencing screens — one at the hospital and another at the jail.

Since the program began on March 15, more than 50 patients have been examined and visits to the emergency room have been cut in half, county officials said.

How do you know that every kid in the neighborhood is sick? When your pediatrician offers you the next available appointment—at 9:45 at night!

I called the group of Rockland doctors that I’ve used for years as soon as my 11-year-old daughter came home from school Monday afternoon not feeling well. The group has a policy of offering sick kids an appointment the same day. But I was told a little after 4 p.m. that the doctors were booked until 9:45 p.m.

I declined the appointed (9:45 p.m. is well past my daughter’s bedtime and pretty close to mine) hoping that she would be better in the morning. She wasn’t.

They offered me a 10 a.m. appointment today. I took it. Diagnosis? Croup most likely caused by mold and other stuff floating around the air this time of year, the doctor said. She should be better by tomorrow – Halloween.

Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has reached an agreement with one of the nation’s largest health insurers, CIGNA HealthCare as part of an industry-wide
investigation into doctor ranking programs.

Under the agreement, CIGNA will enhance its doctor ranking program,
fully disclosing to consumers and physicians all aspects of its ranking
system. CIGNA will also retain an oversight monitor known as a
Ratings Examiner (“Rx�) who will oversee compliance with all aspects
of the agreement and will report to the Attorney General every six
months.

Doctor ranking programs are a rapidly growing practice within the
health care industry. CIGNA’s program alone operates in 28 states
across the country. Major insurers nationwide either operate or are in
the process of developing these programs. Today’s doctor ranking
agreement marks the first such agreement between a major insurer and a
state attorney general.

Physician groups have complained that the ranking systems merely steer patients to doctors who charge the lowest fees and perform the fewest procedures, without regard for quality.

Under the agreement, CIGNA will:
â—? Ensure that rankings for doctors are not based solely on cost
and clearly identify the degree to which any ranking is based on cost;
â—? Use established national standards to measure quality, including
measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum and other
generally accepted national standards;
â—? Employ several measures to foster more accurate physician
comparisons, including risk adjustment and valid sampling;
â—? Disclose to consumers how the program is designed and how
doctors are ranked, and provide a process for consumers to register
complaints about the system;
â—? Disclose to physicians how rankings are designed, and provide a
process to appeal incorrect ratings;
â—? Nominate and pay for the Ratings Examiner, subject to the
approval of the Attorney General, who will oversee compliance with all
aspects of the new ranking model and report to the Attorney General’s
office every six months. The Ratings Examiner must be a “national
standard setting organization� and will be national in scope,
independent, and an Internal Revenue Code § 501©(3) organization.

People are worried about the super bug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA. In response, the state Department of Health has prepared fact sheets about the bacterial skin infection. The department is also telling schools and universities about the steps they can take to prevent spread of the disease.

The two groups who care about what you eat plan to come together next Tuesday night.

The Westchester Rockland Dietetic Association will host a networking event at Antun’s Restaurant in Elmsford on Oct. 30 from 6 to 7 p.m.

The goal is for the people in the restaurant business to meet each other and local nutrition experts.

Free raffles will be offered to restaurateurs – good for one hour free menu consultation with a Registered Dietitian.

And, they will have wine and cheese.

For more information contact Diane Lombardi at 914-831-7298.

A New Zealand company is reporting success in treating Type I diabetes with transplants of insulin-producing cells from pigs. The company, Living Cell Technologies (LCT) announced this week that one of two patients taking part in a trial of the method in Russia has been able to stop taking insulin injections.

The therapy involves transplanting live micro-encapsulated pig islets injected into the abdominal cavity of people with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease not caused by poor diet.

According to the company, two patients have been implanted with their first dose of the insulin-producing cells and are due for a second dose 6 months later. The transplant does not require immunosuppressant drugs.

The first patient was injected with his first dose in June. That patient was able to reduce his daily insulin requirement by 40 percent.

The second recipient was implanted with her first dose of in September. One month later, the patient was no longer taking insulin injections.

LCT is scheduled to present its findings at an international biotechnology conference in New York in November.

Sen. Charles Schumer today will call for $5 million in emergency funding to combat MRSA, or these antibiotic resistant staph infections we’ve been hearing so much about in recent days.

The mild strains of the potentially deadly “super bug” has been found at Iona College and other upstate New York schools around the Finger Lakes region. A recent report written by doctors at the Centers for Disease Control sounded the alarm when it was found that the bug killed more people in 2005 than AIDS.

It is for this reason, Schumer says, the funding must be added to the fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Service appropriations bill now being considered on the Senate floor.

Schumer will also send a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to discuss incentives for pharmaceutical companies to create new antibiotics, according to a news release.

On November 13th The Westchester Medical Group will host a free educational talk: “What You Need to Know About Diabetes Prevention.”

Elizabeth DeRobertis, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator, will cover facts about preventing Type II diabetes and how to manage pre-diabetes.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at 210 Westchester Avenue, Third Floor Conference Room, in White Plains. Call 914-681-3103 to register.