All My Wealth Won't Buy Me Health

Two health stories are in the news this week. One involves the case of mad cow disease found in a Holstein cow in Washington State. When U.S. officials suggested that the cow might have come from Canada, I naturally thought that, once again, our government was trying to put the blame on someone else, but it turns out that it did come from Canada. Despite the fact that the Holstein cow was born before both the United States and Canada started banning beef by-product-based cattle feed in 1997, that doesn't change the fact that the United States has the worst meat inspection standards of any country in the industrialized world. Who is the government going to blame for that?

Also, the U.S. government, while often known for acting foolishly, proved today that it's not completely insane. The Food and Drug Administration banned the diet supplement Ephedra after tests showed how much strain it can put on the heart. Now people trying to lose weight will have to do so with these two new, radical concepts - diet and exercise!

There's no quick fix to weight loss, folks. Even that surgery Al Roker had ought to be reserved as a last resort, and you still have to watch what you eat afterwards.