Australia, I already loved you.

Amongst things I dislike most in the world, cigarettes rank very high. Top 5 for sure. Call it selfish or narrow-minded, but I just don’t want to see anyone have their lungs destroyed the same way Wegener’s has destroyed mine. (I also despise the litter, but that is another post.)

Australia* has taken the initiative in doing something the U.S. has yet to have the temerity to: Australia to band branding on cigarette packets

What a valiant effort by the Australian government who has vowed to cut their nation’s smoking rates by 10 percent by the year 2018. As a designer, this is something I can really get behind—proving to everyone that no amount of clever branding can make smoking sexy or cool.

(above) Is this the future of cigarette branding? We can only hope. From Jeromy of Creative Shift.

*My former part-time and hopefully someday (again) future residence.

Welcome to you.

It’s National DNA day — yes, that is truly a holiday — a day when students, teachers and the public are encouraged to learn more about genetics and genomics.

So what am I doing to celebrate? I just ordered my $99 kit — normally $500+ — from 23andme.com. Curious? Check it out here = 23andme.com/store (click on “+More details” to get the gist of what your package will give you)

No blood necessary, just a little spit.

Utah! Get me two!*

According to The New England Journal of Medicine, a recent medical trial of 508 patients shows that a combination of 2-drugs—biologic and immune-suppressing therapies—is much more effective than one in moderate to severe Crohn’s sufferers. Why is this so huge? It could help get severe cases under control more effectively and rapidly.

More here: webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease

*A free coffee to the first person who comments and tells me who said that line. I just saw Point Break Live! the other night, so I’ve had these lines on the brain.

Food revolution.

I was driving to work the other morning and watched someone throw an item out of their window going nearly 65 mph. Normally, this would make my blood boil not to mention warrant a very critical (yet safe) passing look at said driver.

Not too many things get me more upset than car trash, particularly cigarettes, discarded out windows onto highways, sidewalks and city streets — habits that generally prompt me to think, aloud, “If it’s too disgusting for even your car then why would you ever want that in your body?”*

However, this particular time I realized that said trash from said driver was an apple core — and while still technically littering — and still making me (safely) angry — I actually thought, aloud, “Wow. I’m so glad that person was eating a piece of fruit.”

I just finished watching my fourth episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and am shocked at the state of food consumption in the U.S. (No TV? No problem. You can watch all of the episodes here, for free-99: hulu.com/jamie-olivers-food-revolution)

Granted I live in a bubble of incredible food — even the snacks at my work are organic and fresh — learning new and healthy recipes will help anyone, chronic illness or not.

Check out Jamie’s recipes here = jamieoliver.com/recipes
Check out Real Simple’s 15-minute recipes here (these are super cool) = realsimple.com/dinner-in-15

Bon appétit!

*How cigarettes discarded onto streets are not considered highly offensive to everyone not to mention illegal (city run-off generally goes directly into the OCEAN) still gets me — but that is another tangent I won’t venture down today.

Forget your pills no more.

Vitality GlowCaps on the Colbert Report (edited) from Vitality on Vimeo.

Adherence is obviously one of the most effective weapons against relapse, but life happens and we forget things, right? Back in my freshman years of chronic illness, I was literally taking up to 30 pills a day. And while I am a self-described Type A, even I forget things on my to-do list. So, naturally, I love this idea = vitality.net/glowcaps

“About half of America is on at least one prescription medication, and most are challenged to take their pills as prescribed. GlowCap is a tool that help people stay healthy and independent, and vital.”

GlowCap just won an Medical Design Excellence Award too. Nice work. They were even on Stephen Colbert the other night too. He was hilariously harassing them of course — but I still think it’s super cool for someone like me!

Shedding even more light on obesity trends.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, if this article doesn’t make you think twice about eating or drinking anything with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) then I don’t know what will: High-Fructose Corn Syrup Prompts Considerably More Weight Gain, Researchers Find

I gave up soda years ago and avoid most processed food (regardless of my bad “gut”*) because it just, quite honestly, makes me feel bad. But this research makes me even more terrified of consuming HFCS in particular.

“A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.”

Read more here: sciencedaily.com

*That one was for you my Canadian friends.
**Thanks Ted for sending this article along!

Asking for help and now, able to get it.

One of the coolest things about the new health care reform law is the mandate that insurance companies can no longer discriminate against those of us with pre-exisiting conditions. Additionally, insurance companies can no longer drop coverage altogether mid-sickness—although I’m fairly certain there was a layer of Dante’s Inferno for that sort of sadistic stunt.

While I have always been lucky enough to have incredible coverage through my work plan, the nightmare of a life without a safety net is not lost on me and, again, one of the reasons I have so fervently supported health care reform. And many others agree: New law will provide coverage

“It's a huge step for this country to recognize that health insurance really is a right for its citizens—that it shouldn’t be a commodity that you buy if you can afford it,” said Horner-Ibler, who also is a Presbyterian minister.

Read more here: jsonline.com/business

(above) Theresa Skrzynski knows the trauma of not having health insurance. While dealing with Crohn's disease, she lost her coverage and went three months without it.