[Leadership] 8:00 am
a(s+k)+goals=pbc->IR(op)
This is the cocktail napkin presentation I’m likely to do and expand when we meet. I hope you’ll find as I have, that success has a repeatable, easy to understand formula.
When followed you will live a life of constant attainment of your predetermined goals.
[The Examined Life] 1:20 am
Here please share your favorite items, or request those you’d like to see.
[For your body] 11:43 am
by Carole Jackson, Bottom Line Health
Everyone knows about calcium and fish oil, but there are a whole lot more healthful supplements out there—ones that you may never have heard of but that might do your body some good. To uncover some of these lesser-known supplements, I called five health-care providers who are experts in natural and complementary health—and each one told me about one of his/her favorites. Before you take any of these supplements, always talk to your doctor, because some might negatively interact with drugs or other supplements that you’re taking or cause unwelcome side effects. And first check your multivitamin to see if you’re already getting at least some of these nutrients.
Andrew Rubman, ND, founder and medical director of Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines in Southbury, Connecticut, said that consuming more of the mineral seleniumis a must for many people. It boosts immunity, but we often don’t get enough in our diets—sometimes because common stomach problems interfere with the digestion of the mineral. Selenium is found naturally in soil, so it’s in foods like grains and vegetables (and in some meats, since animals feed on those foods), but unless you eat a lot of those foods and have robust digestion, you’re likely deficient. Plus, due to regional variations in selenium concentrations in soil, even some foods that contain the mineral may not have much. For his patients, Dr. Rubman may prescribe four drops daily of Aqua Sel, a selenium supplement—this provides 380 mcg of selenium. Dr. Rubman prefers this brand because it’s inexpensive and well-absorbed and has a clean taste.
Richard Firshein, DO, director of the Firshein Center for Comprehensive Medicine in New York City, prescribes N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for people with certain health problems (mentioned below). NAC is a building block of the antioxidant glutathione that helps detoxify foreign substances in our liver and lungs and also fights damaging free radicals. In his practice, Dr. Firshein prescribes a daily dose of 500 mg to 1,000 mg of NAC for patients with chronic asthma or certain liver problems (usually due to excessive alcohol consumption or elevated liver enzymes), and it shows promise as a supportive treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you meet any of these criteria, ask your doctor if NAC can help. NAC is found in small amounts in a variety of protein-rich foods (such as meat, poultry, seafood and others), but Dr. Firshein says that to achieve “therapeutic levels,” it’s best to consume it in supplement form.
I spoke with Thomas Kruzel, ND, of the Rockwood Natural Medicine Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, about coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Dr. Kruzel said that it may be wise to start taking it as you get older if you find that it boosts your energy (some people don’t feel a difference, he said). CoQ10, found naturally in foods such as meat and fish, helps cells produce energy, and as we age, our bodies’ ability to manufacture CoQ10 decreases—unfortunately just as our bodies require more of it to function properly. On top of that, Dr. Kruzel said, commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering statin drugs deplete natural stores of CoQ10. So he prescribes it for patients on statins, those who suffer from fatigue and anyone who requires an extra boost (such as athletes in training). Long-term use is not necessary, he said, except for those on statins, because once you start taking CoQ10 for a little while, the body eventually replenishes its supply. For those of his patients in need, he typically prescribes between 100 mg and 200 mg per day in capsule or gel-cap form.
Jamison Starbuck, ND, in family practice in Missoula, Montana, told me why she often prescribes supplemental iodine. Iodine is a mineral found mostly in seafood that helps the body synthesize hormones, including thyroid hormone. But many of us aren’t getting enough, she said, because iodine has been slowly but steadily leaving our food stream. The chemicals in fertilizers used in modern farming and chlorine added to water bind to iodine and prevent it from being utilized by our bodies. And many people avoid foods with ordinary table salt due to cardiac risk factors, so they don’t get the healthful iodine that has been added to it. Not having enough iodine can lead to symptoms of an underactive thyroid, such as sluggishness, dry hair, a goiter (a swelling in the thyroid gland) and fibromyalgia (aches and pains all over the body). So Dr. Starbuck prescribes up to 50 mg a day in liquid form for people whom she has diagnosed by a urine test as significantly iodine deficient. Caution: Too much iodine can be harmful, So Dr. Starbuck watches her patients for adverse reactions such as headache, rash and racing heartbeat.
Richard Horowitz, MD, of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center in Hyde Park, New York, said that alpha-lipoic acid, which is found in foods such as red meat and liver, works as an antioxidant, so it fights disease all over the body. It also regenerates other antioxidants, such as vitamins A and E, and improves insulin sensitivity, so it reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and it may help reduce blood sugar levels. Dr. Horowitz typically prescribes 300 mg to 600 mg per day in pill form…while those patients with diabetes and/or cardiovascular risk factors will often be prescribed up to 1200 mg per day.
Sources: Richard Firshein, DO, founder and director, Firshein Center for Comprehensive Medicine, New York. www.firsheincenter.com twitter: @DrFirshein
Richard Horowitz, MD, Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, New York.
Thomas Kruzel, ND, Rockwood Natural Medicine Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Andrew Rubman, ND, founder and medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.SouthburyClinic.com
Jamison Starbuck, ND, naturopathic physician in family practice, Missoula, Montana.
[Leadership] 7:24 am
by the writers of Business Management Daily
Job interviews present a minefield of legal problems. One wrong question could spark a discrimination lawsuit. That’s why you should never “wing it” during interviews. Instead, create a list of interview questions and make sure every question asks for job-related information that will help in the selection process.
Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of an applicant’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. Some state laws also prohibit discrimination based on factors such as marital status or sexual orientation. If you ask a job applicant a question specifically relating to one of those characteristics, you’re subject to being sued.
Every question you ask should somehow relate to this central theme: “How are you qualified to perform the job you are applying for?” Managers usually land in trouble when they ask for information that’s irrelevant to a candidate’s ability to do the job.
To avoid the appearance of discrimination during interviews, do not ask the following 25 questions:
The following questions could result in an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit:
10. Do you suffer from an illness or disability?
11. Have you ever had or been treated for any of these conditions or diseases? (followed by a checklist)
12. Have you been hospitalized? What for?
13. Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist?
14. Have you had a major illness recently?
15. How many days of work did you miss last year because of illness?
16. Do you have any disabilities or impairments that might affect your performance in this job?
17. Are you taking any prescribed drugs?
18. Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?
19. Do you plan to get married?
20. Do you intend to start a family?
21. What are your day care plans?
22. Are you comfortable supervising men?
23. What would you do if your husband were transferred?
24. Do you think you could perform the job as well as a man?
25. Are you likely to take time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act?
Final point: If a job candidate reveals information that you’re not allowed to ask, don’t pursue the topic further. The “she brought it up” excuse won’t fly in court, so change the subject right away.
Source
Source: Business Management Daily
[Leadership] 7:15 am
Byline
by the writers of Business Management Daily
You should conduct regular appraisals of your employees’ performance for two important reasons.
First, periodic and competent appraisals reduce the opportunity for a discharged employee to claim unfair treatment. The appraisal process alerts an employee to what you expect of her, where she is deficient and how she can improve her performance.
Second, the appraisals constitute documented proof of unsatisfactory performance that will help you justify employment decisions
To make your appraisal system effective, consider adopting the following guidelines:
Beware risk of overly complex rating systems
You may also want to dump overly complex evaluation methods. If your rating system is too complicated for even your supervisors to understand, it’s time to simplify it.
Reason: When employees become confused about the evaluation process, they’ll start to believe that you aren’t treating them fairly. That suspicion may prompt a call to an employment lawyer, who’ll want to take a closer look at your system. Then, your organization is at the mercy of clever statisticians who will try to deconstruct your plan to prove discrimination.
In one recent case, two female employees argued that their employer was penalizing them for taking time off to care for their children. The women suspected that the company’s complex evaluation process somehow treated them unfairly, but they weren’t sure how. So they hired attorneys, who couldn’t figure it out either, so they hired experts. Four experts and 16 expensive depositions later, the process was deconstructed and the case settled for $600,000 in lost wages, plus $400,000 in legal and expert fees. It seems the process managed to count protected child-rearing time as a negative factor, proving the women’s suspicions were correct. Vosdingh, et al., v. Quest, No. 03-4284.
Source: Business Management Daily
[For your body] 7:15 am
by Carole Jackson, Bottom Line Health
A friend who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer gave me a book that she had just finished reading. She found it so helpful that she thought I would want to share it with Daily Health News readers. I read it over the weekend, and she’s right — it’s quite a story. It’s filled with unusual ideas that may help patients with all kinds of cancer — not only breast cancer — beat their disease. What gives the story a unique twist is that the author, Kim Allison, MD, is the director of breast pathology at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle… and Dr. Allison had been promoted into this position just a few weeks before learning, at age 33, that she had an aggressive form of breast cancer with an average five-year survival rate of only 40%.
Today, four years later, she is healthy — and the book, Red Sunshine: A Story of Strength and Inspiration from a Doctor Who Survived Stage 3 Breast Cancer, explains how she got that way. I called her to find out more.
Knowing how serious her cancer was, Dr. Allison told me, she chose a “take no prisoners” treatment plan that included chemo, radiation and surgery. She decided to have both breasts removed even though she had cancer on only one side. But those aren’t the parts of her treatment that make her story so unique and valuable… it’s the things that she did in addition to that — which doctors almost never tell their patients to do!
ADDING A SECOND APPROACH
As a specialist, Dr. Allison knew as much as anyone could about how to treat her disease medically, but she decided to also develop her own “alternative” treatment strategy so she could feel that she was marshaling every possible resource that might improve her odds of survival.
Even as a healthy person not facing cancer or any other serious illness, I found her approach inspiring. It’s important to note that Dr. Allison isn’t sure that any of the following actions helped cure her cancer, but she did tell me that they made the journey less onerous. “These strategies changed my perspective and helped me get through each day,” she said. Here are some highlights from the book and our conversation…
THREE BIG IDEAS
I adjusted my attitude. Early on, Dr. Allison decided that she wanted to consider her fight an “opportunity to grow and learn about how tough I can be” rather than just questioning why something so bad had happened to her. She decided that the poison being dripped into her veins — a potent drug called doxorubicin, nicknamed the “Red Devil” because of its deep, red color and horrible side effects — should be considered her ally, so she renamed it “Red Sunshine.” “That was an important mental switch, because it made me want to show up for treatment,” she said.
I recruited several great teams. As a busy working mother — with a four-year-old daughter, an infant son and a husband who had recently opened a restaurant — Dr. Allison needed all the help that she could get with her disease and her life. She was fortunate to have friends and family members who were available and willing to assist her. This isn’t always possible, she said, but it never hurts to ask for help. She appointed these people to be “gurus” of different things. For example, one was in charge of music (downloading tunes onto her iPod for her to listen to during chemo) and another, who still lived near her parents in California, was assigned the task of helping her parents cope from afar.
Dr. Allison’s medical treatment team included a pathologist, an oncologist and two surgeons. But she also worked with a physical therapist, who taught her techniques to avoid complications like lymphedema (swelling in the arms) after surgery… a nutritionist (who helped her eat a well-balanced diet)… a personal trainer (who helped her continue to work out by encouraging her to walk and do strength training and yoga)… a naturopath (who advised her on supplements that might help with treatment side effects)… and an acupuncturist (who helped her keep her stress and pain levels under control). This was an expensive group, no doubt, but Dr. Allison told me that many major cancer centers offer some of this support for free — and you often can get insurance to cover at least part of the cost.
I believed in “magic.” Though her career is all about science, Dr. Allison said that she was willing to believe in magic, too. She visited a shaman — a spiritual adviser — an experience she found enriching in ways that she never expected. And, with the help of her mother (who visited regularly) and a friend, she created a “healing ritual” in her backyard. “We stated out loud in a united way that I was planning to destroy the cancer that had grown inside of me. Then I burned an image of my cancer in a fire,” she said.
I’m so glad that Dr. Allison’s cancer is now considered “most likely cured,” since there was no residual cancer after chemotherapy was completed — and she’s feeling great. Only future research can determine whether or not her unusual, two-tiered psychological and medical approach can make a significant difference, in terms of fighting off cancer — but in my opinion, I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
Source(s):
Kim Allison, MD, director of breast pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, and author of Red Sunshine: A Story of Strength and Inspiration from a Doctor Who Survived Stage 3 Breast Cancer (Hatherleigh).
Uncategorized 7:08 am
by the writers of Business Management Daily
Nobody ever sets out to make a bad hire. But it happens, even to the best hiring managers.
According to Personnel Decisions International, a Minneapolis-based personnel consulting firm, here are the top reasons that companies make poor hiring decisions:
1. Hiring managers don’t take time to do the job right. Making the extra effort to put together a systematic approach to staffing will prevent hasty decisions and costly bad hires.
2. You don’t know what you’re looking for. Because you don’t know, you probably aren’t going to find it. First, define the duties of the job and the qualifications needed to fill the position.
3. You’re looking for the wrong things. Make sure the characteristics you’re seeking are the ones that make the biggest difference. “Enjoys being with people” is not the same as “provides exceptional customer service.” Make a list of the characteristics you’re looking for in each new hire.
4. The best candidate doesn’t know about the position. By not effectively marketing the job to the right candidates, you’ll find that the competition is acquiring the best people.
5. Hiring decisions are based on “gut feeling.” Handshakes, posture and grooming are important, but not reliable predictors of success. Look for fact-based indicators of an applicant’s past success. Also, hiring managers who are trained in performing job interviews are more likely to choose the best candidates than those who are not.
6. The wrong candidate didn’t get enough information to say “No.” Some candidates are a bad match. Better they should decide they don’t want the job after the first interview than after the second week or month on the job. That’s why it’s important to provide a full view of the company and the position, even the more mundane parts of a job.
7. You mistake credentials for accomplishments. Don’t be dazzled by diplomas, certifications and other credentials. Those are pieces to the puzzle, but you need to discover how the person can perform the job itself. That’s why rigorous evaluation of candidates’ skills and abilities can prevent you from hiring a poor performer.
[For your body] 7:41 am
by Carole Jackson, Bottom Line Health
It’s a mantra that we’ve heard for years—cut back on salt! But a new study dashes that advice, demonstrating that it’s not just too much salt that’s bad for our hearts but apparently also too little.
Not all of this surprised me, because many practitioners of natural medicine have long held the view that advice on salt intake should be individualized—and not simply be “less is best” for everyone. So I called the study’s lead author, Martin J. O’Donnell, MB, PhD, an associate clinical professor of medicine at McMaster University in Canada, to learn more about the research.
Dr. O’Donnell told me that his study—published in November 2011 in Journal of the American Medical Association—is the first large study to report potential heart health risks for both low and high salt intake in a single study.
Dr. O’Donnell and his colleagues examined data from nearly 29,000 men and women (all age 55 or over) from 40 countries who either had heart disease or were at increased risk for it because of prior history and co-morbidity factors such as diabetes. They looked at how much sodium was excreted in their morning fasting urine (so it wasn’t self-reported salt intake) at the start of the study. The participants were not aware that their salt consumption was being measured, nor were they asked to raise or lower their intake—they just ate the amount that they normally ate.
What the researchers found was that, over four years, those who consumed higher-than-average amounts of salt and those who consumed lower-than-average amounts of salt experienced more heart problems (including deaths) than those with an average intake.
It’s worth noting that the “average” salt consumption among participants in this study—estimated between 4,000 mg and 6,000 mg per day—is much higher than the recommended upper limits of 1,500 mg per day (the advice of the American Heart Association) or 2,300 mg per day (the recommended dietary guideline from the US Department of Agriculture). And yet in this study it was the people who consumed this much salt who had the least number of heart problems.
The study showed that those with the highest and lowest amounts of sodium excretion had the highest risk. For example, those who consumed more than 8,000 mg daily were at a 50%-to-70% higher risk of suffering a cardiovascular event over the four-year period, compared with the “average” salt group. And, not quite as alarming but still of concern, among those whose daily salt intake was between 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg, the likelihood of dying from a cardiac event related to congestive heart failure rose by 20%, compared with the “average” salt group.
Now, it’s important to note that patients who ate the least amount of salt might have been doing so because they were at very high risk for disease and their doctors had insisted that they cut back severely on salt. In other words, their risk uptick might not be due to their salt intake (or their salt intake alone), but also due to poor health. “We did some analysis to address this issue, but we can’t exclude this possibility—larger clinical trials will be the only way to truly answer this question,” said Dr. O’Donnell.
The mystery is—how could consuming a low amount of salt increase cardiovascular risk? There may be several potential reasons for this, Dr. O’Donnell said, but the most prominent hypothesis is that lower salt intake activates the body’s renin-angiotensin system, which results in narrowed blood vessels, which of course makes it harder for blood to flow to and from the heart.
This study—and others that have recently shown that similarly negative health effects may be associated with a low-salt diet—caught the attention of the government. Congress has already put on hold its plans to legislate lower sodium levels for school lunches, requesting more information from the US Department of Agriculture before putting it to vote. Dr. O’Donnell said that there is “an urgent need to establish a safe range for sodium intake.”
In terms of how much salt you should eat, talk to your doctor about your particular risk factors—and remember that the jury is still out.
Source: Martin J. O’Donnell, MB, PhD, associate clinical professor of medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
[The Examined Life] 7:04 am
by the writers of Business Management Daily
These seven phrases won’t get an admin noticed—at least, not in a good way, says Dave Willmer, the executive director of OfficeTeam.
He recently compiled a list (in Computerworld magazine) of the words your manager doesn’t want to hear:
1. “Just a heads-up … I won’t be able to finish the project that’s due tomorrow.” You’re not on track to hit a deadline? Better give your boss a warning long before the situation becomes critical. With enough notice, most savvy managers can work around a schedule snag.
2. “That’s not in my job description.” Whether it’s doing a job typically reserved for a co-worker or cleaning out the refrigerator because it smells rank, a pitch-in-and-help attitude is what managers need during a time of doing more with less.
3. “So that’s what you wanted? Whoops!” It’s better to ask for clarification at the outset, even if you fear looking stupid. What he wants, ultimately, is the task executed as he envisions. Get clear on that vision.
Bonus tip: Show that you’re thinking strategically. Ask a question that clarifies the purpose behind the task, not just the activities themselves.
4. “Dave’s being a jerk. Tell him to stop.” Have you stepped outside your comfort zone to speak directly with your co-worker about the issue? Before you drag your boss into an interpersonal dispute—no matter how annoying—be sure you’ve exhausted all other routes.
5. “I hate to say this, but Tom is the cause of the project’s failure.” Unless your manager asks you about a co-worker’s performance, avoid assigning blame to others. Bottom line: It makes you look difficult to work with.
6. “Will you be my Facebook friend?” You may be on friendly terms with your boss, but it isn’t wise to blur the boundary between your work and personal life. If you want to connect with your boss online, keep the venue professional, such as LinkedIn.
7. “I didn’t think you needed to know.” When in doubt about whether to raise an issue, put yourself in your boss’s shoes: Would you want to know about it? Will raising it help your team meet its objectives? Even telling your boss that a project is running smoothly can be helpful, since it lets him or her know you’ve got everything under control.
Source: Business Management Daily
[For your body] 1:00 pm
by Carole Jackson, Bottom Line Health
There’s promising news for people who suffer from a very intractable disease. Patients with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects the rectum and the lining of the colon, often have to turn to powerful drugs or surgery to relieve symptoms such as painful abdominal cramping and uncontrollable diarrhea—and relief does not always come. But new research shows that there’s a food that may help these patients find relief naturally—bilberries!
You’ve likely never seen these in the produce section of any supermarket that you’ve visited here in the US. Resembling blueberries in both appearance and flavor, bilberries are much more commonly grown and eaten in Europe. They’re known to be particularly high in anthocyanins—the chemical compounds that give berries their rich, vivid colors—and as we’ll see later, they also have anti-inflammatory properties.
To find out more about new research into why bilberries impact IBD, I called lead study author Gerhard Rogler, MD, PhD, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at University Hospital of Zurich and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology in Switzerland. The study was published in the November 2011 edition ofMolecular Nutrition & Food Research.
Prompted by patients who told him that bilberries seemed to improve their symptoms of ulcerative colitis, Dr. Rogler worked with researchers from around Europe to design a mouse study to see if they were right. The mice were all induced with acute ulcerative colitis, and researchers divided them into five groups, as follows…
The result: Bilberries made a big difference. One week after being on the diets, the group receiving the 0.1% extract showed no reduction in inflammation of the lining of the colon and rectum compared with the control group…the 1% extract group showed a 56% reduction…the 10% extract group showed a 43% reduction…and the group eating a diet of 20% dried bilberries had a 35% reduction.
Dr. Rogler isn’t sure why the 1% extract had the greatest effect, but the fact that bilberries may help at all is good news, because if a human with ulcerative colitis were to experience a similar reduction in inflammation of the lining of the colon and rectum, he or she would likely experience fewer and/or less severe symptoms.
There was another benefit seen for the mice that ate either the actual bilberries or the extract—big reductions in the amount of secreted proteins called IFN-y and TNF that have been shown to be part of the cause in autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Rogler called these study results “quite encouraging,” though he added that further research will be needed to confirm that bilberries would have a similar effect in humans. Future studies will also need to figure out the best amount for humans to eat and whether or not a certain amount of a bilberry supplement would work equally well.
Even though the science is young, since the symptoms of ulcerative colitis can be so severe, Dr. Rogler would encourage patients to talk to their doctors now about at least eating the dried fruit. But it’s crucial to talk to your physician first, because some parts of bilberries may interact with diabetes medications, anticoagulant drugs or supplements that contain chromium (because bilberries contain chromium, too).
How to find the fruit? You can buy dried bilberries online. If you eat them fresh, you would probably get the same amount of anthocyanins as you would in dried, said Dr. Rogler, but they’re hard to keep fresh—especially when shipped—so you’re more likely to find them dried. For example, you can buy four ounces of dried bilberries atwww.StarwestBotanicals.com, a retail herb shop based in Rancho Cordova, California, for about $13. Throw them on your cereal or salad or make your own trail mix for a delicious way to fight disease.
Source: Gerhard Rogler, MD, PhD, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at University Hospital of Zurich and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
[Leadership] 7:55 am
by the writers of Business Management Daily
Giving feedback is an important management task but certainly not an easy one—especially when the feedback isn’t all sunshine.
Negative feedback requires a manager to motivate, counsel and criticize in a way that alerts employees to where the problems lie and what must be done to solve them. Fortunately, it’s a skill that can be learned.
Follow this seven-step method whenever giving negative feedback:
1. Tell it like it is. Don’t sidestep the issue; be straightforward and tell the employee exactly what your concerns are.
Example: “I’m troubled by the way you deal with customer complaints.”
2. Give feedback immediately. Feedback is most useful when given at the earliest opportunity after a particular incident. Effective feedback allows the recipient an opportunity to correct behavior right away.
3. Paint a specific picture of how you view the situation. Describe what you see happening by using objective details, not subjective opinions.
Example: “When you get calls from irate customers, you become short with them and you don’t try to hide your own irritation.”
4. Give the lowdown of the outcome. Make sure employees understand the connection between their behavior and the negative results. This lets employees know that they can control the consequences.
Example: “I’ve received letters from customers threatening to stop using our company if they continue to receive such poor treatment.”
5. Give credit where credit is due. That way, employees will know what actions to repeat in the future. Plus, they’ll know that you appreciate the effort to do it right.
Example: “I know it can be frustrating, but I’m pleased to see that after you quickly pinpoint the problem, you immediately make a return call.”
6. Reiterate performance expectations. As a manager, it is important that you try to make employees understand what it takes for job success.
Example: “Understand that good customer service begins with fielding the complaint; it isn’t just the end result of solving the problem. Frustration-management skills are important in this department.”
7. Use feedback as a means of change, not punishment. A positive reaction is a more likely result when you correct negative behavior rather than punish the offender.
Constructive criticism: 4 helpful hints
1. Beware of communicating your frustration and anger. Otherwise, the recipient will likely feel frustrated and angry, too, and therefore, less receptive to your message.
2. Be flexible. Most situations don’t require you to dictate exactly what needs to be done or how. Giving employees room to maneuver and allowing them to make changes on their own reduces resistance to following your feedback.
3. Make your point right away. Otherwise, you risk losing focus on the feedback with too much small talk or overwhelming the employee with too many details.
4. Put the feedback in writing. It helps reduce misunderstandings, allows you to perfect your message before sending it and is a smart legal move in case of a lawsuit.
Source: Business Management Daily
[For your body] 7:46 am
by Carole Jackson, Bottom Line Health
“Keep your LDL cholesterol low” is practically a medical mantra now. It’s a greater struggle for some folks than for others — some people are able to achieve a desirable level with little or no effort, while others accomplish it by taking statin drugs. A new tool for lowering LDL emerged about 10 years ago when margarines with plant compounds called phytosterols — known to inhibit absorption of LDL cholesterol in the intestines — started cropping up in supermarkets. Could these be the ideal solution?
Better than Statins?
Phytosterols (as well as phytostanols, a subgroup of phytosterols) exist naturally in some vegetable oils, but in amounts too low to affect our cholesterol levels. Once extracted from these oils, however, they become a food additive or supplement that can deliver quite a cholesterol-lowering punch. Indeed, studies showed that consuming about two to three grams of phytosterols a day (you get this from about four to six tablespoons of the margarine) lowers total cholesterol by up to about 10% and LDL by up to about 14%.
Research had examined the effects of ingesting just two to three grams of phytosterols a day… but what would happen if you doubled or even tripled that intake? It’s known that statin drugs work to only a certain point — they have what’s known as a “leveling off” effect, which means that there is a diminishing effect — doubling the dose won’t double the result. Does this happen with phytosterols, too?
Recently, a Dutch scientist, Ronald Mensink, MSc, PhD, professor of molecular nutrition in the department of human biology at Maastricht University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, conducted a three-week study to answer that question, using the type of phytosterol called phytostanols.
Ninety-three people with mildly elevated LDL cholesterol were divided into four groups — consuming no stanols or three, six or nine grams daily. Results: The more stanols people ate, the lower their LDL dropped. The three-gram group had a 7.4% decrease on average… the six-gram group showed an 11.9% decrease… those consuming nine grams of stanols per day decreased LDL by an average of 17.4%. No adverse effects were found in any of the groups.
But Dr. Mensink urged caution despite the impressive findings — he said that more research is needed before advising any consumption increase, since we don’t yet have data on the long-term safety of consuming higher levels of sterols.
Dr. Rubman’s Advice
When I checked in with Daily Health News medical editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, he agreed that phytosterols — in the form of supplements or food additives — may be helpful. Echoing Dr. Mensink’s cautionary note, he said…
Dr. Rubman pointed out that having high LDL may not mean your body makes too much — there are other potential causes as well. It’s therefore important to work with a knowledgeable doctor who can treat the source and not just the symptom.
Source(s):
Ronald P. Mensink, MSc, PhD, professor of molecular nutrition, department of human biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
Andrew L. Rubman, ND, founder and medical director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. www.SouthburyClinic.com.
