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A BETTER FUTURE

HEALTH

Issues of health and related shelter are central to the challenge of providing an adequate standard of living for all members of the human family. These issues cannot, however, be tackled solely as technical or economic problems. Providing adequate shelter and achieving health for all will require a shift in values, a commitment to equity, and a corresponding reorientation of policies, goals and programs. Concerned about environmental problems in your community? Do the research, speak out, join together, and support efforts to stop pollution and protect human health.

Environmental Defense Fund, Health Effects - Using information from scientific sources and regulatory agencies, Scorecard provides listings of the chemicals that can cause cancer, harm the immune system, contribute to birth defects, or lead to any of nine other types of health impacts. Chemicals whose health hazards are widely recognized by authoritative scientific organizations are separated from chemicals whose health hazards are suspected on the basis of more limited data.

Medical Ecology - Medical Ecology is an emerging science that defines those aspects of the environment that have a direct bearing on human health. The concept of ecosystem functions and services helps to describe global processes that contribute to our well-being, helping to cleanse the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Environmental degradation often leads to alterations in these aspects, leading to various states of ill health.

World Health Organization - The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO's goal is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.

The Faces of Poverty - More than one billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day. Another 2.7 billion struggle to survive on less than two dollars per day. Poverty in the developing world, however, goes far beyond income poverty. It means having to walk more than one mile everyday simply to collect water and firewood; it means suffering diseases that were eradicated from rich countries decades ago. Every year eleven million children die—most under the age of five and more than six million from completely preventable causes like malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.

Eat Well Guide - Consumers looking to buy meat, poultry, dairy and eggs from sustainable family farmers can now turn to the Eat Well Guide, a free online directory officially sponsored by the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE).

Sustainable Table - Sustainable Table is a new way to learn about healthy foods for you and your family. Sustainable Table is a consumer campaign developed by the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE). It was launched to help fill in the gaps in the sustainable food movement, and to help direct consumers to the leading organizations who are working on the issue. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by all the problems surrounding our food supply, Sustainable Table celebrates the joy of food and eating.

The Meatrix - The Global Resources Action Center for the Eenvironment’s (GRACE) critically-acclaimed, record-breaking flash animation film on the dangers of factory farming. The response to both the film and the guide was so overwhelming, and the feedback so supportive, that plans were immediately implemented to make the guide even more comprehensive and user-friendly.

Trust for America’s Health - Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. As a nation, we are stuck in a “disease du jour” mentality, which means we lose sight of the bigger picture: building a public health defense that is strong enough to cover us from all points of attack – whether the threats are from a bioterrorist or Mother Nature.

Connection Between Environmental Toxins and Breast Cancer? - More than 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the United States, and 20 percent are likely to die from it. Breast cancers among women have climbed steadily in the United States and other industrialized nations since the 1940s. More than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have any of the known or traditional risk factors such as family history, hormonal factors, or a fatty diet, and researchers suspect that widespread exposure to environmental toxins is triggering the surge.

Care2 - Over 2 million members who care2 make a difference. See topics on environment, health, human welfare, animals, education, women and more.

Alternative Medicine - Two systems of health care are available in this country today: conventional Western medicine and alternative medicine. Conventional practitioners are medical doctors who practice by the book, and commonly align themselves with the multi billion dollar pharmaceutical industry. But there's no question that alternative medicine works better for just about everything else, especially for chronic degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and for more common aliments such as asthma, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, and sinusitis. Alternative medicine also focuses on empowering the mind and body to achieve optimum health in order to prevent illness. The site represents the collective wisdom of thousands of alternative physicians and practitioners worldwide who are practicing the medicine of the future today for your benefit.

Simple Living Institute - The Institute's mission is to scientifically research and develop working organic farms with effective soil, water, and wildlife conservation; to publish findings for the scientific and general community; and to provide cooperative education experiences empowering individuals and organizations as responsible stewards of their well-being and the environment.

Health Care Without Harm - Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labor unions, environmental and environmental health organizations and religious groups. Their mission is to transform the health care industry worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment.

Society for Women's Health Research - The Society for Women’s Health Research is the nation’s only non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health of all women through research, education and advocacy. The Society encourages the study of sex differences between women and men that affect the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

Silent Spring Institute: Researching the Environment and Women's Health - SILENT SPRING INSTITUTE is a non-profit scientific research organization dedicated to identifying the links between the environment and women's health, especially breast cancer. The Institute is a groundbreaking collaboration of scientists, physicians, health advocates, and community activists, and a leading edge research institution using multi-disciplinary, state-of-the-art approaches.

National Women's Health Network - The National Women's Health Network improves the health of all women by developing and promoting a critical analysis of health issues in order to affect policy and support consumer decision-making. The Network aspires to a health care system that is guided by social justice and reflects the needs of diverse women.

Cancer Control & Population Sciences - The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) of the National Cancer Institute aims to reduce the risk, incidence, and deaths from cancer as well as enhance the quality of life for cancer survivors. The Division conducts and supports an integrated program of the highest quality genetic, epidemiologic, behavioral, social, and surveillance cancer research.