Green Options » UCSF

Did Diet Coke Cause My Cancer?

Rhonda Winter — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:27:12 +0000

Recently I have been reading very disturbing research about how Diet Coke can possibly cause cancer and kill you. The artificial sweetener that is used in most diet beverages, aspartame, once ingested, becomes a lethal poison called methyl alcohol. Small quantities of this noxious substance can lead to blindness and death; even the most miniscule amounts of this aspartame toxin are strongly linked to cancer.

This is an image of the cancerous tumor that was recently removed from my body.

Congressman Alan Grayson Succinctly Explains the Republican Health Care “Plan”

Rhonda Winter — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:36:26 +0000

Last week Florida Congressman Alan Grayson accurately and succinctly explained the Republican Health Care “Plan”: Don’t get sick. And if you do get sick, just please die quickly. His passionately honest retort against our nation’s “no-mongers” has spread across the country faster than a California wildfire.

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Brave New Films has just created this short video which clearly exposes the utter hypocrisy and obdurate cruelty of Republican health care “efforts”. I commend Congressman Grayson for his honesty and bravery. It is so incredibly rare and refreshing to hear one of our nation’s elected officials actually speak the truth and call out divisive Republicans on their bald-faced lies and obstruction.

Ironically, as I am writing this I am at present a patient at UCSF Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in the country. Three days ago I just had a big scary surgery, and have been receiving amazingly great health care, for which I am immensely grateful. Thanks to the visionary Tom Ammiano, San Francisco, unlike nearly every other place in the United States, provides universal health care coverage for all of its residents. It is now time that the rest of the nation does the same. Health care is a human right, not a privilege.

Are We on the Eve of “Creative Destruction”?

Rhonda Winter — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 05:19:28 +0000

Last Wednesday, as I was riding my bicycle down Third Street to the UCSF Mission Bay Farmer’s Market, my thoughts turned to the economist Jospeh Schumpeter and his seminal book “Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy“. Streams of loud cars and trucks blared past me on the road, some of the vehicles nearly grazing me as oblivious drivers chattered on cell phones. As I continued pedaling down the street, images of organic daikon and Schumpeter’s theory of “Creative Destruction” swirled around in my brain.

The seasonal weekly farmer’s market at UCSF Mission Bay will be held every Wednesday, from April 22 to November 25, 2009, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Labor of Love: My Son’s Water Home Birth and Congenital Heart Defect

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:23:53 +0000

One of the things I loved about working with midwives is that each visit lasted 45 minutes. From your sex life to your diet, midwives are very thorough. I have parallel care with an MD for blood work; however, I opted out of most testing. I never had an ultrasound or many of the other recommended tests, because I was committed to having my child, no matter what might be wrong with him/her. My good friend was also pregnant at the time, and she had a horrible pregnancy of constant worry and trips to the bay area for level 2 ultrasounds. She was told her child might have down’s syndrome, then was told the baby only had half a kidney. In the end, her daughter was born healthy, but I remember at the time thinking, there could be something wrong with my baby, and I wouldn’t know it. It turns out I was right.

Early in my first trimester, I got very sick with a fever (one of the hazards of being a teacher). I went from this illness to morning sickness, and lost 12 pounds those first three months. Again, the doctor and midwives were concerned I wouldn’t gain weight, but I did in the end, grossing 45 extra pounds. During my sixth month, I started having contractions. They felt a little bit more serious than Braxton-Hicks, so my midwives sentenced me to one hour of bedrest in the morning, and one hour in the afternoon. I was convinced this baby was coming early; he was five days late.