January 2009 Archives

A report published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup. A link to the complete study is on IATP's the front page

These processed foods were found to have high levels of mercury. Foods which named high fructose corn syrup in their first two ingredients were tested.

Here is the list of those products:

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
• Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
• Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
• Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
• Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
• Market Pantry Grape Jelly
• Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
• Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
• Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
• Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
• Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
• Minute Maid Berry Punch
• Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
• Nesquik Chocolate Milk
• Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

I first read the article on Medscape Today - Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup

Interview with Dr. David Wallinga, Director of food and health at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is co-author of the new studies on mercury levels in products with high-fructose corn syrup.

Open House & Guest Student visits

Join us to hear about the exceptional programs at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine that prepare you for a career in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Prospective students are invited to attend an NYCTCM Open House for an overview of the Acupuncture school & Traditional Chinese Medicine school programs, a tour of the facility, open discussion, and information on the application process. (in the picture above, acupuncture students at NYCTCM practice pulse diagnosis)

At Saturday Open House events you are welcome to extend your visit as a Guest Student. You have an opportunity to sit in on classes, meet current students and faculty, speak with our financial aid manager and have an admissions interview. You may also have a complementary treatment in the NYCTCM Teaching Clinic.

Contact the admissions office for more information about our Guest Student Program. If Open House dates do not match your schedule contact the admissions office to arrange a date and time that is convenient for you. A personal admissions appointment can be the best way to have your questions answered and to review your prior studies for transfer credit. Day, evening and weekend appointments are available.

The Guest Student option is available on most Saturdays.

Spring Trimester dates: May 4, 2009 to August 20, 2009.

Manhattan Open House events

Location: NYCTCM Manhattan Center, 13 E 37th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10016

Thursday, February 19 and Thursday March 19, 6:30 - 8:30 pm.


Mineola Open House events

Location: NYCTCM, 155 First St., Mineola, NY 11501

Saturday, February 7 - 10:30 am to 12 noon, with an option to be a guest student after the Open House. Appointments with the Financial Aid office are available.

Contact: Please call (516) 739-1545 to reserve your spot or email

A man sorts dumplings in a kitchen at a village in Daxing, south of Beijing, China on Saturday Jan. 24, 2009. Villagers gathered Saturday to make thousands of meat dumplings in preparation for a feast to celebrate Chinese New Year... (AP Photo/Greg Baker)






A woman walks under red lanterns at a shopping mall in Shanghai January 16, 2009. Red decorations are customarily used by Chinese people all over the world to usher in the Lunar New Year, which falls on January 26 this year. The Year of the Ox is celebrated this year. (REUTERS/Aly Song)

"Today is the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, met with celebrations and observations by ethnic Chinese and others around the world. This year, we welcome the Year of the Ox, the sign representing solemn hard work and prosperity - an animal that appears aptly symbolic for these difficult times."

Here are 35 great photographs of people celebrating and preparing for this Lunar New Year festivities.

The Economic Stimulus Package may help students with tax breaks and increased borrowing amounts fir Federal Unsubsidized loans..

"Student Aid.

The legislation would... increase the annual (by $2,000) and aggregate (by $8,000) limits on how much undergraduates can borrow in federal unsubsidized loans. And it would combine the current Hope tax credit and an existing tax deduction for college expenses into a new tax credit, proposed by Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Tom Perriello of Virginia, which could for the first time be used to cover textbooks and other course materials.

And perhaps most importantly, up to $1,000 of the $2,500 annual amount of the new tax credit would be refundable, which means that families that pay less than that amount in federal taxes could still be reimbursed for the funds they spent on college. Many advocates for low-income students have viewed tax credits as flawed, among other reasons, because they are not available to students from families too poor to pay taxes."

InsideHigherEd.com for complete article.

This site allows you to search specific pages of the Stimulus Bill , The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 Source » House Democrats, January 15th 2009

Financial Aid at New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine participates in these financial aid programs.

• TAP (New York State Tuition Assistance Program),
  
• Stafford Loans,
  
• Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program and
  
• Plus Loans for Graduate & Professional Students.
  

See NYCTCM Financial Aid for more information.

TCM Student provides reference tables for acupuncture students. See Acupoint Tables, Ear Acupupoint Chart, Extra Vessel Patterns, Flow of Qi in Meridians, Ghost Points, Pulse Qualities Charts and sample TCM theory exams.

Ronald Reimer, M.D., Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla, in Mayo Clinic's Medical Edge Newspaper column of December 26, 2008, stated that "at Mayo Clinic, acupuncture has been used successfully for pain management, postoperative nausea, anxiety relief, drug addiction, insomnia and headaches, to name a few."

He tells how acupuncture is becoming more mainstream and insurance coverage is becoming more common as insurers see that acupuncture can help reduce health care costs.

Case studies on acupuncture's efficacy in tennis elbow, cancer recovery and post surgery nausea back up his statement that a growing body of research confirms the benefits of acupuncture.

Ronald Reimier, M.D. is part of the Neuro-Oncology and Neurosurgery Dept. at Mayo Clinic