Recommendations: Geographically Dispersed Teams

In September, Cisco released “The Psychology of Effective Business Communications in Geographically Dispersed Teams,” a white paper that identifies rules for communicating to help virtual teams to work together successfully. Virtual communication ‘best practices’ recommended in the report include agreeing to protocols on response times, and establishing rules for the selection of media and the frequency of communications, especially in multi-cultural teams. Encouraging socialising and ad-hoc chats over a virtual ‘coffee machine’ by using spontaneous and richer media for communications can also speed up the development of trust. Whether you work with online volunteers or with paid staff in dispersed locations, this is a very interesting and helpful white paper. One of the things I like about it in particular is it’s focus on the cultural differences that can become exaggerated within virtual teams and lead to misunderstandings. Great stuff. Read the press release about this (it’s a good list of highlights of the white paper). You can download the Executive Summary (PDF 137.10KB)

Fragile Trust in Virtual Teams Threatens Business Performance – Research Identifies New Rules for Communication
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2006/prod_091906.html

Involving International Online Volunteers: Factors for Success, Organizational Benefits, and New Views of Community,” – includes list of all published research I know about regarding involving online volunteers successfully
http://www.ijova.org/PDF/VOL24_NO1/IJOVA_VOL24_NO1_Intl_Online_Vols_Jayne_Cravens.pdf

For practical tips on working with online volunteers, The Virtual Volunteering Project still provides great information.
http://www.serviceleader.org/old/vv/

Forty-six million Americans have arthritis in some form or another, and those who do know arthritis can be painful, slow you down, and in some cases, be debilitating. The Centers for Disease Control reports that in this country, arthritis limits the activities of more than 17 million adults.

Arthritis is among the oldest known afflictions of human beings. It has been found in the mummies of Egypt and in skeletons in excavations of other ancient civilizations.

Most anti-inflammatories offer some relief from the symptoms and pain of arthritis.
More on anti-inflammatory diets

The word arthritis means joint inflammation. Arthritis generally includes any of the more than 100 rheumatic diseases affecting the joints and other connective tissues – muscles, tendons, and ligaments, as well as the protective coverings of internal organs.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

Osteoarthritis (OA) – most common form of arthritis, affects cartilage, affects weigh-bearing joints

OA of the hands – distinct subtype of OA, very common in women, can begin suddenly and painful, progressive, classic deformities of the fingers with enlarged joints
http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=164&pg=2

Other forms of arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) – systemic autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack and inflame the membranes around various joints, usually chronic and relapsing, no known cause, small joints in hands although other joints affected, two-thirds women, often starts age 20-25

fibromyalgia, lupus,
Scleroderma, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Reiter’s Syndrome, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Gout, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Arthritis, Lyme Disease

Pictures – actually, Xrays of various forms of arthritis
http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis/radiological-degenerative-joint-disease.html

over-the-counter
analgesics (painkillers) asperin, acetaminophen, Tylenol
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, and naproxen, Aleve

prescription medications
COX-2 Inhibitors – various medications, some general relief of pain and inflammation, others specifically targeted to RA

alternative therapies

• chondroitin, glucosamine – not FDA reviewed or approved = self-medication, though many people find them effective in treating symptoms
  

  The Arthritis Foundation (AF) has refused to endorse glucosamine and chondroitin preparations until longer-term, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials are published.
  http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=164&pg=7

• SAM-e: Short for S-Adenosylmethoionine – conflicting benefits – pain relief vs. increased risk of heart disease

Learn more…

Arthritis Foundation

Arthritis Folk Remedies Endure
If they work for you, go for it. However, these should not be susbstituted for prescription medication, as there is only often-contradictory anicdotal evidence to support their claims and no medical proof of their efficacy.

Dr. Donnica – women’s health issues – Arthritis
http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=500

Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis
National Institute of Health (NIH) booklet
http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis/handout-on-health-osteoarthritis.html

Handout on Health: Rheumatoid Arthritis
National Institute of Health (NIH) booklet
http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis/handout-on-health-rheumatoid.html

Arthritis and Glucosamine Information Center – information on arthritis and glucosamine, the latest research, details on arthritis medications and treatments, and tips for effectively managing your pain.
http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/

Great New York Times article by Michael Pollan, a contributing writer, professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,”

He tackles the subject of why eating is so complicated. The short, simple answer:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

…because humans are omnivores, requiring somewhere between 50 and 100 different chemical compounds and elements to be healthy. It’s hard to believe that we can get everything we need from a diet consisting largely of processed corn, soybeans, wheat and rice.

He observers later in the article

… the main features of the Western diet: lots of meat and processed foods, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of everything — except fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

However, today, you just can’t get there from here. So where does all this other stuff – rules, hype, conflicting information, proof that this is good and that’s bad come from? From everybody who is out to make a buck, of course. After reading the article, you realize this is a very brave man…

nutritionism

government dietary guidelines would shun plain talk about whole foods, each of which has its trade association on Capitol Hill, and would instead arrive clothed in scientific euphemism and speaking of nutrients, entities that few Americans really understood but that lack powerful lobbies in Washington. This was precisely the tack taken by the National Academy of Sciences when it issued its landmark report on diet and cancer in 1982. Organized nutrient by nutrient in a way guaranteed to offend no food group, it codified the official new dietary language. Industry and media followed suit, and terms like polyunsaturated, cholesterol, monounsaturated, carbohydrate, fiber, polyphenols, amino acids and carotenes soon colonized much of the cultural space previously occupied by the tangible substance formerly known as food. The Age of Nutritionism had arrived.

THE RISE OF NUTRITIONISM

The first thing to understand about nutritionism — I first encountered the term in the work of an Australian sociologist of science named Gyorgy Scrinis — is that it is not quite the same as nutrition. As the “ism” suggests, it is not a scientific subject but an ideology. Ideologies are ways of organizing large swaths of life and experience under a set of shared but unexamined assumptions. This quality makes an ideology particularly hard to see, at least while it’s exerting its hold on your culture. A reigning ideology is a little like the weather, all pervasive and virtually inescapable.

Nutritional Care Manual
nutritioncaremanual.org

Complete Food & Nutrition Guide
3rd edition

The Health Professional’s Guide to Popular Dietary Suppliments
3rd edition

Hruse’s Food Nutrition & Diet Thearapy
11th edition

Food Medication Interactions
14th edition

Bowes & Church’s Food Values of Portions Commonly Used
18th edition

PubMed
pubmed.com

Calorie Count – nutrition data for a broad range of fresh and prepared foods
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/browse.php

Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients)
Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (2002).
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html

USDA My Pyrimid – professional
http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals
certificates
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPyramid/DevelopmentMaterials/CERTIFICATE-1.pdf
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPyramid/DevelopmentMaterials/CERTIFICATE-2.pdf

Food Intake Patterns
chart – servings of each group by total daily calorie target
includes daily calories by age, gender, activity
includes vegetable specifics
http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx
this site provides good basic information – quick calculator offers plan for current weight, and if it thinks you are over weight, for healthy weight loss
includes links to weight loss resources

• choosing a safe and successful weight loss strategy
  http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/choosing.htm
• aim for a healthy weight
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/aim_hwt.pdf

http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/MyPyramid_Calorie_Levels.pdf [pdf]
http://www.mypyramid.gov/professionals/pdf_food_intake.html

Personal USDA Pyramid-based tools, calculators, tracking
http://www.mypyramid.gov

grain servings chart
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/grains_counts_table.html
most “servings” are actually several ounces

calories used table
http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/calories_used_table.html

Calories Burned During Exercise
http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm
comprehensive list of activities and energy utilization for various body weights

• USDA guidelines recommend that approximately 60% of the Calories you consume should come from carbohydrates and approximately 30% from fat.
• Zoneâ„¢ diet recommend a ratio (40%-30%-30%) much lower in carbohydrates, but higher in protein.
• Atkinsâ„¢ and South Beachâ„¢ diets recommend even lower consumption of carbohydrates, while many other diet gurus focus on an ultra-low consumption of fats.

Nutrients, Vitamins, Minerals and Dietary Information
http://www.nutristrategy.com/nutritioninfo2.htm
includes lists of daily requirements for nutrients, and food sources

Nutrition Data
NutritionData (ND) provides a complete nutrient analysis for any food or recipe, and helps you select foods that best match your dietary needs.
http://www.nutritiondata.com
*** this is the greatest visualization tool – the triangle format allows 3 characteristics to be highlighted in a single image

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Health Canada Food & Nutrition Food Composition Database
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/index_e.html

Food and Nutrition
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
http://www.pamf.org/healthinformation/food.html

Alameda County Food Bank nutrition links
http://accfb.org/pdfs/Nutrition_Ed_Websites.pdf

American Dietetic Association
http://www.eatright.org

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca/

Summary of Dietary Recommendations for the Canadian Public
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/pol/action_healthy_eating-action_saine_alimentation-table1_e.html

British Dietetic Association
http://www.bda.uk.com/

American Academy of Family Practice – databses – nutrition information
http://www.aafpfoundation.org/cgi-bin/hepp.pl?op=view_topics&clinical_area_id=9

familydoctor.org – food & nutrition
http://familydoctor.org/x5242.xml

Cooking for Engineers
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

Power Cooking! Р9 ways to chop, saut̩, and stir your way to better health
prevention.com
Wide variety of suggestions for food preparation and cooking to prevent loss of nutrients and increase the effectiveness through combination with other foods.

The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, And Intelligence

The Brain Diet explains the connection between diet, mental health, and realizing the full potential of our intelligence. It shows how poor nutrition adversely affects our mental health and success, and what can be done to achieve our full intellectual capacity (and to help our children do the same).
Despite being just 2 percent of total adult weight, the human brain demands an enormous amount of energy and an ample flow of blood for it to work most effectively. Our ability to think, to reason, to create art and music, to develop technology and perform complex work, and much more is at stake in what we eat. The Brain Diet explains the science behind how our brains function and provides suggestions for eating a healthy diet.

Wii Sports Weight Loss?
Diet Blog

On the list of exercise ideas – I have listed “video games with movement”. It may seem improbable to link video games with exercise and even weight loss, but a gaming blogger has done a comprehensive experiment using the new Nintendo Wii.

comments on this Diet-Blog post…
Wii Sports is awesome in generating a sweat. The Boxing especially. 30 mins (for me) playing boxing is as tough as Tae-Bo. Cardio? Definately. I am already adding this gaming system to my exercise routine. Wii Sports also includes a Fitness Trainer. The system will randomly pick any 3 of the games (Boxing, Tennis, Golf, Baseball, and Bowling) and offer a great challenge.
A definate possibility for any video game lover!

Teenage Weight Loss: How and Why
Diet Blog

The book Weight Loss Confidential describes in detail how 104 young people (preteens and teenagers) were able to lose weight and keep it off for 2 years or more. Author Anne M. Fletcher interviewed 41 boys and 63 girls from the US and Canada and discovered what worked.

Weight Loss Confidential: How Teens Lose Weight and Keep It Off – and What They Wish Parents Knew
available from Amazon
Eating to Keep It Off
excerpt from the book (PDF) describing these strategies.

Nutrition News
Top 10 Sources
Lots of links to interesting nutrition blogs and individual posts.

Nutrition Alamanac
HealthNewsDigest.com
Just released – Nutrition Alamanac Sixth Edition

White Tea
Quest for a better brew
Interesting Thing of the Day
There is a good overview of the “nutition” of tea in the body of the article and links to a lot more information about tea in all colors.

Foodfacts.com
the world’s first credible and comprehensive source on food ingredients.
Diet Blog
Additional tools include a powerful diet and nutritional planner, weight tracker and food allergy alert system. There are links to a number of diseases and conditions with good descriptions and lists of foods that can affect them.