A Proposal To Legalize the Sale of Human Organs

By Bob Aronson

Plan by David F. Diamond

The story of the organ shortage is all too familiar; supply just can’t catch demand. 

Since 1984 when Tennessee Congressman Al Gore (D) and Utah Senator Orin Hatch (R) authored and passed the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) there have not  been enough organs.  The act makes “Altruistic” donation the law of the land simply meaning that patients who need transplants must depend on the good will of others who upon their deaths will voluntarily donate their organs. 

 After nearly 30 years only 40% of Americans have shown that good will by registering as organ donors.  If the goal was to provide organs for all who needed them then the experiment failed.  I cannot believe that either Gore or Hatch would have supported a plan that would allow thousands to die.

Today there are about 120,000 people on the national transplant list and so far in the first 7 months of this year there have been only 11,600 transplants done. Obviously the system isn’t working the way Gore and Hatch had hoped.

So what to do?  There have been scores of proposals put forward to change the law.  Proposals which include “Opt-out” or “Presumed consent” which means everyone would automatically be considered an organ donor unless they chose to “Opt Out” (our current system is “Opt In”).   Also proposed are programs that would offer transplants only to registered organ donors; mandatory donation; compensation of sorts that would pay funeral expenses or perhaps provide scholarships and outright commercial sales of human organs.  All of those options have been discussed by lawmakers, medical ethicists and the people who run the national transplant program and they have all been dismissed as unethical, unmanageable or just plain unworkable and people continue to die.

When NOTA was established the authors made it quite clear that organ sales would not be allowed.  NOTA specifically states “it shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation if the transfer affects interstate commerce.” The penalty of breaking this law is a fine of $50,000 or up to five years in prison, or both,   So that readers have accurate information before them, here is that section of NOTA:

From the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984, as amended through February 1, 2010:
TITLE 42 > CHAPTER 6A > SUBCHAPTER II > Part H > § 274e
Prohibition of organ purchases
(a) Prohibition

It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation if the transfer affects interstate commerce. The preceding sentence does not apply with respect to human organ paired donation.
(b) Penalties
Any person who violates subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(c) Definitions
For purposes of subsection (a) of this section:
(1) The term “human organ” means the human (including fetal) kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, bone marrow, cornea, eye, bone, and skin or any subpart thereof and any other human organ (or any subpart thereof, including that derived from a fetus) specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services by regulation.
(2) The term “valuable consideration” does not include the reasonable payments associated with the removal, transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, and storage of a human organ or the expenses of travel, housing, and lost wages incurred by the donor of a human organ in connection with the donation of the organ.

For the past nearly 30 years, the prohibition against buying and selling organs in the United States has been the law of the land.   Efforts to provide financial incentives as a means of increasing deceased donation, for example, have failed because of what was determined as clear Congressional intent that organs not be placed in a commercial market.

When you consider the strong language in NOTA with regard to organ sales one would think the debate would be dead.  Well, it’s not and that’s because of what appears to be a contradiction in public policy.  The law says one thing but we seem to practice in some cases what the law disallows.   

We are prohibited from selling human organs but not hair, sperm, blood, and other “replenishable” body parts.   The question of commercialization of human organs remains unsettled; not so much because of a public desire to sell their organs but rather because of the explosive growth of the biotechnology industry.  

Advances in that arena have generated uses and needs for body tissues that were previously unimaginable. And there’s the rub.  While the law bans the buying and selling of organs for transplantation, they have not banned their use in research, education, and commercial endeavors.  So the bottom line is that you can buy body parts legally but not for transplantation.

Enter David Diamond and his proposal for legalizing the sale of human organs.  I met David on the internet.  We share backgrounds in politics and broadcasting and in trying to save lives through organ transplantation.  

By publishing his proposal I am neither endorsing nor opposing it.  I am posting it because I believe in an informed public and that he has the right to be heard and have his ideas discussed.

David has not had a transplant nor is he a candidate for one, he simply has an interest in the issue that began with a radio interview. Here’s David Diamonds story in his words:

“In 1984 I was doing a radio talk show in Memphis TN.  My guest one day was the local director of the Organ Procurement group I asked him “Well, couldn’t people buy an organ if they wanted to?”

He answered that was illegal under the new law.  The authors, he said, wanted to prevent the development of a black market.

I didn’t think to ask the logical follow-up question:  “But won’t that seriously limit the supply.”

Days and weeks and months thereafter, the question nagged at me.    Finally I began to develop a solution that I thought could solve the shortage.  And so I talked it up for 20 plus years, getting nowhere fast!  Folks didn’t want to consider or talk about such a “ghoulish” subject.

In 2008 before the Republican Presidential Primary, I had a brainstorm.  I thought, “One way to get publicity for anything is to run for President of the United States but I’ll do it on just the issue of legalizing organ sales.”

Well,  I did it on a shoestring and sure enough I got some publicity and even got a story in the Des Moines, Iowa paper.  Unfortunately John McCain got the nomination and my plan was no longer of interest to the news media.

I say the idea is still good.  I’ve tried to improve it along the way; tried to address all the obvious objections.  But I’m sure I’ve missed a few.  Now you get to give us your thoughts.  Let’s work together and create a huge supply of organs.

The David Diamond Plan to increase the supply of transplantable organs by making the sale of human organs legal in the United States.

The Federal Organ Transplant law needs to be changed.

The Federal Organ Transplant Law enacted in 1984 provides that only donated organs may be used. The following plan to increase the supply of organs for transplant was developed in subsequent years by David F. Diamond of Memphis, Tennessee.
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The shortage of organs is taking the lives of almost 7,000 people unnecessarily each year. Donation is good. It is the highest altruistic step that a person can contemplate. However, for a number of reasons, many people are not willing to donate. The solution is to provide a regulated system allowing the organs of cadavers to be sold as follows:

A. A contract can provide that when a person has decided, for whatever reasons, not to donate organs, he or she (hereafter: the provider) can commit to a plan to have the organs sold if and when the provider is brain dead. This contract will also be signed by the next of kin, spouse or nearest living relative so that that party understands the purpose of the contract and agrees that they will not oppose its implementation when the provider dies. A provider’s option to cancel the contract at any time prior to the provider’s death will be included in the contract. The use of this contract will allow the provider to leave an estate to his heirs or a designated charity. A provider, with few or no assets, might otherwise have none to leave when he or she passed.

B. The sale of organs can be conducted by a broker, attorney or individual (hereafter: an agent) designated by the provider. A licensing procedure would establish that the agent would be certified as fiscally responsible and having financial integrity. Upon determination of brain death, the agent selected by the provider, using email, fax or phones, would immediately advise interested buyers of an organ’s availability and condition, etc. Time would be of the essence, of course. Appropriate compensation to the agent, such as a commission for services provided, would be set forth in the contract. Buyers whose bids were accepted would send payment by wire transfer, cashier’s check or other means approved in the law.

C. The party designated by the provider must maintain a public record (like a broadcaster’s log which is available for public viewing) specifying the individual who gets the organs, how much is being paid and the identification of the provider. The purpose of this transparency is to eliminate the need for a black market, and to stimulate public awareness. If there is a public record, as soon as organ sales begin, the news media will undoubtedly write about it pointing out how much money was involved in the transactions and stressing how much money goes to the heirs. This will persuade a lot of additional people to agree to such a contract, thus increasing supply exponentially. Through the action of the law of supply and demand, the increased supply will cause prices to decrease to a level most people will consider reasonable. Unless you allow prices to be set by the market process you put a limit on the number of organs that might become available. Any fixed price, set by government or a special agency, would diminish the supply which would defeat the goal of making the most organs available. That would cause some individuals to decide not to participate. But if they knew that the organs they might provide are going to bring whatever the market process allows, they’ll have every incentive to take part.

D. The organs would have to be sold only for transplant to U. S. citizens in order to avoid foreigners from bidding up the price and reducing the supply to Americans. Of course, if other countries should adopt model legislation such as ours then we could reciprocate and become partners with them since their organ supply could be shared with ours.

E. The poor will not be discriminated against. They will have access to organs because the law will provide that, just as in Medicare or Medicaid presently, the government will pay for any medical procedure or supplies that the patient needs, upon a doctor’s certification that it is medically necessary. The government would buy organs on the market for those with Medicare or Medicaid unless donated organs were available. The same principle will apply for those with health insurance. And the wealthy, who may choose to be self insured, would be free to arrange for organs in the same market. Of course, people would still be free to donate organs. And participation by providers in the futures contracts would be entirely voluntary.

F. Presently those uninsured or poor, not covered by Medicare or Medicaid, have to raise tens of thousands of dollars before hospitals or transplant surgeons will help them. The added cost of an organ can also be raised in the same way, or the law can require our government to cover that cost, since it will be less costly over time than dealing with whatever the patient’s medical expenses would be otherwise.

G. The plan will require providers to have their medical records maintained by their doctors beginning at least as soon as a futures contract is signed. It would be made available immediately to any parties potentially buying an organ from that cadaver. The purpose, and the result, would be to assure a better, safer organ supply. This plan does not contemplate any sale of kidneys or parts of livers from a living person. There are risks in having such surgery and for that reason and others, we set that aside and take no position on that question. Sometimes, under current law, it is the right thing to do, depending on the circumstances. But in point of fact, the need for such organs will be adequately supplied with adoption of my plan.

=========0=========

The proposal I’m offering will be, of course, subject to improvement and modification by the federal legislature. Meanwhile, I welcome and will entertain seriously any changes so long as they do no damage to this essential requirement: We have to let the law of supply and demand work in order to maximize the number of organs that will be made available.
–

David Diamond 82, lives in Memphis, Tennessee.  He is  a retired TV and radio commercial spokesman, an actor, a freelance broadcast sports producer, and a marketing and public relations consultant.

Following four years of service (1953-1957) as a Russian language technician in the U.S. Air Force, Diamond studied foreign affairs at George Washington University in the late 1950’s. He also worked for Maryland state senator Newton I. Steers, Jr: as congressional and state senatorial campaign manager.

Other endeavors include:

·         Serving as executive assistant and deputy commissioner in the Maryland Insurance Department;

·         Legislative assistant in the state capitol in Annapolis.

·         Office manager for U.S Senator Charles McC Mathias.

·         News anchor for WTAE radio; radio/TV

·         News director for the 1973 National Boy Scout Jamboree;

·         Managed a successful congressional primary campaign for Robert Casey

·         From 1982 to 1991 he was the national commercial voice for the Levitz Furniture chain.

IF THE COMMENT SECTION IS NOT VISIBLE GO TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON THE NUMBER IN THE CIRCLE IN THE RIGHT HAND CORNER AND IT WILL APPEAR OR.…you can email David F. Diamond at david.f.diamond@gmail.com or Bob Aronson at bob@baronson.org 

Bob Aronson of Bob’s Newheart is a 2007 heart transplant recipient, the founder of Facebook’s nearly 3,000 member Organ Transplant Initiative and the author of most of these donation/transplantation blogs.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our music video “Dawn Anita The Gift of Life” on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFFJoHJwHs.  This video is free to anyone who wants to use it and no permission is needed.

If you want to spread the word personally about organ donation, we have another PowerPoint slide show for your use free and without permission. JAgain, write to me and ask for “Life Pass It On.”  I will email it to you immediately.  This is NOT a stand-alone show; it needs a presenter but is professionally produced and factually sound.  If you decide to use the show I will  also send you a free copy of my e-book, “How to Get a Standing “O” that will help you with presentation skills. Just write to bob@baronson.org and I will send the show and book ASAP.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative  (OTI).  The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.

En Espanol

Bob Aronson de Newheart de Bob es un centro receptor de trasplante 2007, el fundador de la Iniciativa de Facebook cerca de 3.000 miembros de trasplantes de órganos y el autor de la mayoría de estos blogs de donación / trasplante.

Usted puede dejar un comentario en el espacio proporcionado o por correo electrónico a sus pensamientos a mí en bob@baronson.org. Y – por favor difundir la palabra acerca de la necesidad inmediata de más donantes de órganos. No hay nada que puedas hacer lo que es de mayor importancia. Si se convence a una persona para ser un donante de órganos y tejidos puede salvar o positivamente afectará a más de 60 vidas. Algunas de esas vidas puede haber gente que conoces y amas.

Por favor, vea nuestro video musical “Dawn Anita The Gift of Life” en YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFFJoHJwHs. Este video es libre para cualquier persona que quiera usarlo y no se necesita permiso.

Si quieres correr la voz personal sobre la donación de órganos, tenemos otra presentación de PowerPoint para su uso gratuito y sin permiso. JAgain, escribir a mí y pedir “Life Pass It On.” Voy a enviar por correo electrónico a usted inmediatamente Esto no es un espectáculo independiente,. Necesita un presentador, pero es producido profesionalmente y objetivamente sonido Si usted decide utilizar el archivo. demuestro que también le enviará una copia gratuita de mi libro electrónico, “Cómo obtener un Standing” O “que le ayudará con habilidades de presentación. Sólo escribo bob@baronson.org y enviaré el programa y el libro lo antes posible.

Además … hay más información sobre este sitio de blogs de otros temas de donación / trasplante. Además, nos encantaría que te unas a nuestro grupo de Facebook, la Iniciativa de Trasplante de Órganos (OTI). Cuantos más miembros que tienen la mayor influencia en nuestra toma de decisiones.

IF THE COMMENT SECTION IS NOT VISIBLE GO TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON THE NUMBER IN THE CIRCLE IN THE RIGHT HAND CORNER AND IT WILL APPEAR OR.…you can email David F. Diamond at david.f.diamond@gmail.com or Bob Aronson at bob@baronson.org 

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We Are Killing Our Own Organs — 30 Worst Foods, 100 Best.

The key to solving the shortage of transplantable organs is to eliminate the demand for them.

“We have met the enemy and he is us,” has become a trite expression but that doesn’t make it any less true.  We are our own worst enemies.   The numbers are staggering.  We are killing ourselves in four ways:

1. We drink too much alcohol
2. We smoke too much
3. We eat too much of the wrong food

Let’s look at he facts.

1. 22.5% are current smokers, resulting in significant health problems and associated costs.
2. 8.5% of Americans abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent,.
3.  Approximately 30.4% of adults in the United States are obese,

The estimated annual medical expenditures associated with alcohol abuse total $26.3 billion.  Organs most commonly affected are the lungs, kidneys, pancreas, heart and liver.

Second,  smoking.  Medical costs caused by cigarette smoking exceed $75 billion a year.  According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and causes many diseases.  Cigarette smoking remains the single most-common preventable cause of death in the United States,  The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for more than 440,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States.

Finally obesity combined with eating the wrong foods.  A good number of these people experience some organ failure.  The direct medical costs for obesity have been approximated at $51.6 billion per year. The organs most often affected are the heart, kidneys and pacnreas.   http://abcnews.go.com/Health/PictureOfHealth/story?id=4286176&page=1

This blog is about preventing organ failure  and one way to do that is to be a little more careful about how much we eat and what we decide to consume.   There are two lists here, 1) the worst foods and 2) the best foods.

Top 30 Worst Foods in America (from Food Matters

Note from Bob’s Newheart.  While Food Matters lists 30 I am only listing ten.  You can click on their link for the rest of the story)

Today’s food marketers have loaded many of their offerings with so much fat, sugar, and sodium that eating any of the foods in this article on a daily basis could destroy all your hard work and best intentions of eating healthy. Beware! This list is brought to you by Eat This Not That and Men’s Health. http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-30-worst-foods-in-america-beware

1. Worst Meal in America

Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Guacamole Bacon Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32-oz Coke

1,810 calories – 92 g fat (29.5 g saturated, 2 g trans) – 3,450 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-threatening, life-shortening burgers in the drive-thru world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as potentially catastrophic as this. A bit of perspective is in order: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 9 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnuts, the saturated fat equivalent of 30 strips of bacon, and the salt equivalent of 10 large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

2. Worst Drink

Baskin-Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake

2,600 calories – 135 g fat (59 g saturated, 2.5 g trans) – 1,700 mg sodium – 263 g sugars

We didn’t think anything could be worse than Baskin-Robbins’ 2008 bombshell, the Heath Bar Shake. After all, it had more sugar (266 grams) than 20 bowls of Froot Loops, more calories (2,310) than 11 actual Heath Bars, and more ingredients (73) than you’ll find in most chemistry sets. Yet the folks at Baskin-Robbins have shown that when it comes to making America fat, they’re always up to the challenge. The large Chocolate Oreo Shake is soiled with more than a day’s worth of calories and 3 days’ worth of saturated fat. Worst of all, it takes less than 10 minutes to sip through a straw.

3. Worst Ribs

Outback Steakhouse Baby Back Ribs

2,580 calories

Let’s be honest: Ribs are rarely served alone on a plate. When you add a sweet potato and Outback’s Classic Wedge Salad, this meal is a 3,460-calorie blowout. (Consider that it takes only 3,500 calories to add a pound of fat to your body. Better plan for a very, very long “walkabout” when this meal is over!)

4. Worst Pizza
Uno Chicago Grill Classic Deep Dish Individual Pizza

2,310 calories – 165 g fat (54 g saturated) – 4,920 mg sodium – 120 g carbs

The problem with deep dish pizza (which Uno’s knows a thing or two about, since they invented it back in 1943) is not just the extra empty calories and carbs from the crust, it’s that the thick doughy base provides the structural integrity to house extra heaps of cheese, sauce, and greasy toppings. The result is an individual pizza with more calories than you should eat in a day and more sodium than you would find in 27 small bags of Lays Potato Chips. Oh, did we mention it has nearly 3 days’ worth of saturated fat, too? The key to success at Uno’s lies in their flatbread pizza.

5. Worst Mexican Dish

Chili’s Fajita Quesadillas Beef with Rice and Beans, 4 Flour Tortillas, and Condiments

2,240 calories – 92 g fat (43.5 g saturated) – 6,390 mg sodium – 253 g carbs

Since when has it ever been a smart idea to combine 2 already calorie- and sodium-packed dishes into one monstrous meal? This confounding creation delivers nearly a dozen Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts worth of calories, the sodium equivalent of 194 saltine crackers, and the saturated fat equivalent of 44 strips of bacon. Check please.

6. Worst Seafood Dish

Romano’s Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Sole

2,190 calories – 141 g fat (58 g saturated) – 2,980 mg sodium – 145 g carbs

Fish is normally a safe bet, but this entrée proves that it’s all in the preparation. If you fry said fish in a shell of cheese, be prepared to pay the consequences. Here that means meeting your daily calorie, fat, saturated fat, and sodium intake in one sitting.

7. Worst Chinese Dish

P.F. Chang’s Combo Lo Mein

1,968 calories – 96 g fat (12 g saturated) – 5,860 mg sodium

Lo mein is normally looked at as a side dish, a harmless pile of noodles to pad your plate of orange chicken or broccoli beef. This heaping portion (to be fair, Chang’s does suggest diners share an order) comes spiked with chicken, shrimp, beef, and pork, not to mention an Exxon Valdez-size slick of oil. The damage? A day’s worth of calories, 1 ½ days’ worth of fat, and 2 ½ days’ worth of sodium. No meat-based dish beats out the strip.

8. Worst Appetizer
On the Border Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos with Chili con Queso

1,950 calories – 134 g fat (36 g saturated) – 6,540 mg sodium

Appetizers are the most problematic area of most chain-restaurant menus. That’s because they’re disproportionately reliant on the type of cheesy, greasy ingredients that catch hungry diners’ eyes when they’re most vulnerable—right when they sit down. Seek out lean protein options like grilled shrimp skewers or ahi tuna when available; if not, simple is best—like chips and salsa.

9. Worst Burger

Chili’s Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

1,901 calories – 138 g fat (47 g saturated) – 4,201 mg sodium

Any burger whose name is 21 syllables long is bound to spell trouble for your waistline. This burger packs almost an entire day’s worth of calories and 2 ½ days’ worth of fat. Chili’s burger menu rivals Ruby Tuesday’s for the worst in America, so you’re better off with one of their reasonable Fajita Pitas to silence your hunger.

10. Worst Sandwich
Quizno’s Large Tuna Melt

1,760 calories – 133 g fat (26 g saturated, 1.5 g trans) – 2,120 mg sodium

In almost all other forms, tuna is a nutritional superstar, so how did it end up as the headliner for America’s Worst Sandwich? Blame an absurdly heavy hand with the mayo the tuna is mixed with, along with Quiznos’ larger-than-life portion sizes. Even though they’ve managed to trim this melt down from the original 2,000-plus calorie mark when we first tested it, it still sits squarely at the bottom of the sandwich ladder.

Now you know what to avoid, and we urge you to click on the Food Matters link to read the whole list.  So, if you can’t eat any of the aforementioned items what do you eat?  There’s plenty to choose from.   Health Life lists 100 and you can read them all by clicking on their link. Here are their top ten.

http://www.dwlz.com/HealthyLife/healthy50.html

THE 100 HEALTHIEST FOODS
Fruit	Fat/Calorie Breakdown	Body Benefits
(1) Apples	1 medium apple: 81 calories, 0 g fat	An apple’s 3 g of fiber help you meet your fiber goal of 20 g to 30 g daily.  High-fiber diets can lower heart disease risk.
(2) Apricots	3 apricots: 51 calories, 0 g fat	A good source of beta-carotene (which is converted to vitamin A by the body), providing the equivalent of 35% of the RDA for vitamin A
(3) Bananas	1 medium: 105 calories, 0 g fat	Bananas are a great source of potassium, which plays a key role in heart health and muscle function.  Plus each one has 2 g of fiber.
(4) Blackberries	1 cup: 74 calories, 0 g fat	This fruit boasts a whopping 10 g of fiber in a single cup.
(5) Blueberries	1 cup: 81 calories, 0 g fat	Blueberries help prevent and treat bladder infections by making it hard for bacteria to stick to urinary tract walls.
(6) Cantaloupe	1 cup, cubed: 84 calories, 1 g fat	An antioxidant double whammy, with 68 mg of vitamin C and enough beta-carotene to cover 65% of your daily vitamin A quota.
(7) Cherries	1 cup: 84 calories, 1 g fat	A good source of perillyl alcohol, which helps prevent cancer in animals.  Heart-protective anthocyanins give cherries their color.
(8) Cranberry juice	1 cup: 144 calories, 0 g fat	Fights bladder infections the same way blueberries do.
(9) Grapefruits	1/2 fruit: 39 calories, 0 g fat	A good source of vitamin C and a compound called naringenin, which helps suppress tumors in animals.
(10) Purple grapes and juice	1 cup seedless: 113 calories, 9 g fat	Offer three heart-guarding compounds:  flavonoids, anthocyanins and resveratrol.  (Green grapes are not rich in them)

If you insist on eating meat there are some good choices you can make…we’ll jump ahead on the list to give you a sneak preview.

74) Beef	3 oz, cooked: 150 to 280 calories, 5 g to 20 g fat	Beef is a good source of both CLA and iron, but since it’s also high in saturated fat, have it no more than three times a week.
(75) Chicken, without skin	3 oz, cooked: 162 calories, 6 g fat	Remove the skin and you’ve got an excellent, low fat source of protein.  And 3 oz provides 38% of the RDA for the B vitamin niacin.
(76) Lamb	3 oz, cooked, trimmed of fat: 175 calories, 8 g fat	Lamb, like beef, is also a good source of CLA.  Ditto beef’s saturated fat warning and weekly consumption recommendation.
(77) Lean pork	3 oz, cooked, trimmed of fat: 140 calories, 4 g fat	Fat-trimmed pork tenderloin has one-third less fat than even lean beef.  And it boasts 71% of the RDA for thiamine.

If Healthy Life doesn’t offer you enough good food ideas, here are some other excellent resources for you to peruse.

• http://tinyurl.com/lcmlalt
• http://tinyurl.com/lqg7ce8
• http://tinyurl.com/k2zzypk
• http://tinyurl.com/m9ojjbx

Bob Aronson of Bob’s Newheart is a 2007 heart transplant recipient, the founder of Facebook’s nearly 3,000 member Organ Transplant Initiative and the author of most of these donation/transplantation blogs.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our new music video “Dawn Anita The Gift of Life” on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFFJoHJwHs.  This video is free to anyone who wants to use it and no permission is needed. 

If you want to spread the word personally about organ donation, we have another PowerPoint slide show for your use free and without permission. Just go to http://www.organti.org and click on “Life Pass It On” on the left side of the screen and then just follow the directions. This is NOT a stand-alone show; it needs a presenter but is professionally produced and factually sound. If you decide to use the show I will send you a free copy of my e-book, “How to Get a Standing “O” that will help you with presentation skills. Just write to bob@baronson.org and usually you will get a copy the same day.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.

En Espanol

Puede comentar en el espacio proporcionado o por correo electrónico sus pensamientos a mí en bob@baronson.org. Y – por favor, difundir la palabra acerca de la necesidad inmediata de más donantes de órganos. No hay nada que puedas hacer lo que es de mayor importancia. Si usted convence a una persona de ser donante de órganos y tejidos puede salvar o afectar positivamente a más de 60 vidas. Algunas de esas vidas pueden ser personas que conoces y amas.

Por favor, consulte nuestro nuevo video musical “Dawn Anita The Gift of Life” en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFFJoHJwHs YouTube. Este video es libre para cualquier persona que quiera usarlo y no se necesita permiso.

Si quieres correr la voz acerca de la donación de órganos personalmente, tenemos otra presentación de PowerPoint para su uso libre y sin permiso. Sólo tienes que ir a http://www.organti.org y haga clic en “Life Pass It On” en el lado izquierdo de la pantalla y luego sólo tienes que seguir las instrucciones. Esto no es un espectáculo independiente, sino que necesita un presentador pero es profesionalmente producida y sonido hechos. Si usted decide usar el programa le enviaré una copia gratuita de mi libro electrónico, “Cómo obtener un pie” O “que le ayudará con habilidades de presentación. Sólo tiene que escribir a bob@baronson.org y por lo general usted recibirá una copia del mismo día.

Además … hay más información sobre este sitio de blogs sobre otros donación / trasplante temas. Además nos encantaría que te unas a nuestro grupo de Facebook, la Iniciativa de Trasplante de Órganos Cuantos más miembros que obtenemos mayor será nuestra influencia con los tomadores de decisiones.

Artificial and Bioengineered Organs Can End the Shortage

There are over 117,000 people on the U.S. Transplant list and hundreds of thousands more around the world.  The shortage of transplantable human organs is severe everywhere and it is unlikely the supply will ever even come close to the demand.  To depend on organ donation to save the lives of those who need organs is just plain unrealistic, that’s why we must devote as much time, energy and money as we can to develop alternatives to human organs…and there are many.

In the coming weeks, Bob’s Newheart will explore the alternatives to human organ donation and how soon they might be available.  There is no end to the number of ideas  scientists, engineers and researchers have but it takes time to sort through them, find the money for further research and then send each through some kind of trial.  The time from concept to practical use is usually quite long but there are many alternatives already in the pipeline.   Below you’ll find just a few and we will expand on them in weeks to come.

A Heart Without a Pulse

As many as five million Americans suffer some form of heart failure, but only about 2,000 hearts a year become available for transplant. The obvious solution to that scarcity is to build an artificial heart, and how hard could that be? The heart’s just a pump, after all, and people have been making pumps since the Mesopotamians invented the shadoof to raise river water 3,000 years before the birth of Christ.

To understand why they still haven’t succeeded, pick up a two-pound barbell and start curling it. Two pounds: nothing. But see how long you can keep it up. Twenty minutes? An hour? Two? Your heart does that all day and all night—35 million beats a year—for as long as you live, without ever taking a rest. Manufacturing a metal and plastic heart capable of beating that way for more than about 18 months has so far proved impossible.  But, now, there’s the possibility of a continuous flow artificial heart and it’s working well in experiments.

Growing Organs in a lab

In June 2011, an Eritrean man entered an operating theater with a cancer-ridden windpipe, People had received windpipe transplants before, but this one was different. His was the first organ of its kind to be completely grown in a lab using the patient’s own cells.

The windpipe is one of the latest successes in the ongoing quest to grow artificial organs in a lab. The goal is deceptively simple: build bespoke organs for individual patients by sculpting them from living flesh on demand. No-one will have to wait on lengthy transplant lists for donor organs and no-one will have to take powerful and debilitating drugs to prevent their immune systems from rejecting new body parts.

Scaffolds for Tissue Repair

Researchers are making use of advances in knowledge of stem cells, basic cells that can be transformed into types that are specific to tissues like liver or lung. They are learning more about what they call scaffolds, compounds that act like mortar to hold cells in their proper place and that also play a major role in how cells are recruited for tissue repair.

Tissue engineers caution that the work they are doing is experimental and costly, and that the creation of complex organs is still a long way off. But they are increasingly optimistic about the possibilities.

Bioartificial Liver

Boston company HepaLife is working on a “bioartificial” liver using a proprietary line of liver stem cells. Once the patient’s blood is separated into plasma and blood cells, a external bioreactor unit with those stem cells inside can reduce levels of toxic ammonia by 75% in less than a day.

Bioartificial Hand

SmartHand is a bioadaptive hand that can actually feel. Its 40 sensors communicate back and forth directly with the brain using nerve endings in the arm. The hand sends its sensory input to the brain, and the brain sends instructions for movement to the hand. The result? It can pick up a plastic water bottle without crushing it, or pour a drink without spills.

BioLung

MC3 BioLung is a soda-can-shaped implantable device that uses the heart’s pumping power to move blood through its filters. It’s designed to work alongside a natural lung, exchanging oxygen from the air with carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. So far, it’s been tried on sheep, where six of the eight animals on the BioLung machine survived for five days. Human trials are expected within the next couple of years.

3D Organ Printing

Organ printing, or the process of engineering tissue via 3D printing, possesses revolutionary potential for organ transplants.

The creation process of artificial tissue is a complex and expensive process. In order to build 3D structures such as a kidney or lung, a printer is used to assemble cells into whichever shape is wanted.

For this to happen, the printer creates a sheet of bio-paper which is cell-friendly. Afterwards, it prints out the living cell clusters onto the paper. After the clusters are placed close to one another, the cells naturally self-organize and morph into more complex tissue structures. The whole process is then repeated to add multiple layers with each layer separated by a thin piece of bio-paper. Eventually, the bio-paper dissolves and all of the layers become one.

Using the patient’s own cells as a catalyst, artificial organs may soon become mainstream practice among treatment centers worldwide. As the health of the nation delves down to record negatives, organ printing may be the establishment’s answer to a number of preventable conditions.

The above alternatives to human organs are but the tip of the iceberg.  Medical science and technology are on the verge of incredible breakhroughs  that will extend life and, at some point, end the need for human organ donation, anti-rejection drugs and maybe even invasive surgery. 

There is no way human organ donation will ever be able to meet the demand for organs.  Even if donation were mandatory there likely would not be enough healthy organs to be able to provide one for everyone who needs one.  That’s why Facebook’s Organ Transplant Initiative and Bob’s Newheart strongly supports more government and private investment in developing mechanical organs, bio-mechanical organs, organ re-generation, organ cloning and other technologies like 3D printing. 

Bob Aronson of Bob’s Newheart is a 2007 heart transplant recipient, the founder of Facebook’s nearly 2,500 member Organ Transplant Initiative and the author of most of these donation/transplantation blogs.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on http://www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

If you want to spread the word personally about organ donation, we have another PowerPoint slide show for your use free and without permission. Just go to http://www.organti.org and click on “Life Pass It On” on the left side of the screen and then just follow the directions. This is NOT a stand-alone show; it needs a presenter but is professionally produced and factually sound. If you decide to use the show I will send you a free copy of my e-book, “How to Get a Standing “O” that will help you with presentation skills. Just write to bob@baronson.org and usually you will get a copy the same day.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.

 Espanol

Bob Aronson Newheart de Bob es un receptor de trasplante cardiaco 2007, el fundador de Facebook, casi 2.500 Iniciativa miembro de Trasplante de Órganos y el autor de la mayoría de los blogs de donación / trasplante.

Puede comentar en el espacio proporcionado o por correo electrónico sus pensamientos a mí en bob@baronson.org. Y – por favor, difundir la palabra acerca de la necesidad inmediata de más donantes de órganos. No hay nada que puedas hacer lo que es de mayor importancia. Si usted convence a una persona de ser donante de órganos y tejidos puede salvar o afectar positivamente a más de 60 vidas. Algunas de esas vidas pueden ser personas que conoces y amas.

Por favor vea nuestro video “Gracias desde el fondo de mi corazón Donante” en http://www.organti.org Este video fue producido para promover la donación de órganos por lo que es libre y no se necesita permiso para su uso.

Si quieres correr la voz acerca de la donación de órganos personalmente, tenemos otra presentación de PowerPoint para su uso libre y sin permiso. Sólo tienes que ir a http://www.organti.org y haga clic en “Life Pass It On” en el lado izquierdo de la pantalla y luego sólo tienes que seguir las instrucciones. Esto no es un espectáculo independiente, sino que necesita un presentador pero es profesionalmente producida y sonido hechos. Si usted decide usar el programa le enviaré una copia gratuita de mi libro electrónico, “Cómo obtener un pie” O “que le ayudará con habilidades de presentación. Sólo tiene que escribir a bob@baronson.org y por lo general usted recibirá una copia del mismo día.

Además … hay más información sobre este sitio de blogs sobre otros donación / trasplante temas. Además nos encantaría que te unas a nuestro grupo de Facebook, la Iniciativa de Trasplante de Órganos Cuantos más miembros que obtenemos mayor será nuestra influencia con los tomadores de decisiones.

Human Organs From Pigs — But You’d Have to Kill One to Get One.

What if we could end the organ shortage tomorrow and everyone on the list could get a transplant within a few weeks?  Would you be willing to endorse this new source of organs?  If the source were a pig would you be willing to kill it to save your own life?

Xenotransplantation is the process of transplanting organs from animals into humans and historically that hasn’t worked too well. The human immune system immediately and violently attacks organs from animals and even our most powerful immunosuppressant drugs are ineffective but scientists are working on the problem because if we could use animal organs (ethical questions aside for now) we could end the organ shortage almost immediately.

The answer may lie in raising transgenic animals – animals that carry genes from other species or in the case of humans, animals that have been genetically modified so that their organs are transplantable into human beings.

According to www.actionbioscience.org  Transgenic animals are not a pipe dream either, they are already being produced.  The majority has been mice but scientists have also produced rabbits, pigs, sheep, and cattle. The primary question is not if we can raise pigs to produce organs for humans but when that is likely to happen and it’s possible it could happen relatively soon.  In Korea scientists have already cloned a genetically altered pig with hopes of using its organs in humans but that has, to my knowledge, not yet been done successfully.

There are distinct medical applications to the process of transgenics and providing a ready supply of transplantable organs is one of them.  Presently there is a single protein that can cause rejection but researchers think they can eliminate that problem in the not too distant future by replacing it with a human protein.  It is also possible that animals could be raised to be disease resistant which would benefit both the animal and humans to which some animal diseases can cross.

Pigs are currently thought to be the best candidates for organ donation. The risk of cross-species disease transmission is decreased because of their increased phylogenetic distance from humans. They are readily available, their organs are anatomically comparable in size, and new infectious agents are less likely since they have been in close contact with humans through domestication for many generations.

Aside from growing organs for transplantation, milk producing animals are desirable, too, because they can be used to producenutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals.   Products such as insulin, growth hormone, and blood anti-clotting factors may soon be or have already been obtained from the milk of transgenic cows, sheep, or goats. Research is also underway to manufacture milk through transgenesis for treatment of debilitating diseases such as phenylketonuria (PKU), hereditary emphysema, and cystic fibrosis.

So, yes, there are great possibilities with transgenic animals but there are also ethical concerns that must be addressed.  For example:

• Should there be universal protocols for transgenesis?
• Should such protocols demand that only the most promising research be permitted?
• Is human welfare the only consideration? What about the welfare of other life forms?
• Should scientists focus on in vitro (cultured in a lab) transgenic methods rather than, or before, using live animals to alleviate animal suffering?
• Will transgenic animals radically change the direction of evolution, which may result in drastic consequences for nature and humans alike?
• Should patents be allowed on transgenic animals, which may hamper the free exchange of scientific research?

Animals like pigs offer hope for the thousands of people languishing on the national transplant list.  Unfortunately these things take time and while scientists and then politicians and bureaucrats investigate the possibilities thousands will die waiting for organs.  The altruistic system that we have in place in America just isn’t enough.  We must do more to save the lives of those who need organs.  Hope lies in xenotransplantation, regenerative medicine, therapeutic cloning and artificial organ development.  We must keep that hope alive by support these efforts.

Bob Aronson of Bob’s Newheart is a 2007 heart transplant recipient, the founder of Facebook’s nearly 2,500 member Organ Transplant Initiative and the author of most of these donation/transplantation blogs.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on http://www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

If you want to spread the word personally about organ donation, we have another PowerPoint slide show for your use free and without permission. Just go to http://www.organti.org and click on “Life Pass It On” on the left side of the screen and then just follow the directions. This is NOT a stand-alone show; it needs a presenter but is professionally produced and factually sound. If you decide to use the show I will send you a free copy of my e-book, “How to Get a Standing “O” that will help you with presentation skills. Just write to bob@baronson.org and usually you will get a copy the same day.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.

Addictions Are Killing Us & Government Is Profiting From Them

This blogsite is all about organ donation/transplantation issues.  Substance abuse (tobacco, alcohol, drugs) kills more organs than any other cause.  That’s why we continue to bring it to your attention.  We hope you will talk about it with your elected officials. (The author, Bob Aronson, is a former smoker (1991) and a recovering alcoholic (1982).  He also received a heart transplant in August of 2007. 

I have long said that the best way to eliminate the organ shortage crisis is to reduce the demand for transplantable organs.  The only way we can do that is to live healthier lives.  But living healthier means sacrifice and for some the sacrifice is just too big, especially if you are an addict.

“Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap Between Science and Practice.” Is a new report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.  Just released it offers a harsh look devastating national problem. http://tinyurl.com/7o67a26  The largest preventable public health problem in the United States is substance abuse and addiction.  They are the leading causes of preventable death and the numbers prove it.

In 2009 about 2,5 million Americans died —  nearly 600,000 of them were attributable to alcohol, tobacco or other drugs.  600.000 of them.  Let me put that into perspective.  When the Luxury liner Titanic sank in 1912 1500 people died.  It would take 400 Titanic sinkings every year to total the 600,000 killed by alcohol, tobacco and drugs.  That is one more than Titanic sinking every day of the year.  Can you imagine the outrage if ships were headed to Davey Jones Locker that frequently.  But there is no outrage over the numbers killed by drugs, none.  Politicians don’t even talk about it, the issue is not one that comes up in political campaigns and is certainly never a topic of political debate.

As taxpayers we are concerned about how our money is spent and you will often see politicians make a huge issue out of a million dollar cost overrun but can you name one that has made an issue of the $468 billion dollar yearly cost of addiction and substance abuse?

Worse yet, the recent report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA Columbia) indicates that  only one in 10 people with addiction to alcohol and/or drugs report receiving any treatment of any kind, ever.  None, zippo, nada, niente, nothing. . Can you imagine the outrage if the neglect included  heart or lung disease, cancer(s), asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, or stroke and other diseases of the brain?

The Columbia University report is one of the most comprehensive ever and it clearly indicates that Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disability in this country…number one.  Ahh…but wait there’s more.

• 40 % of traffic fatalities involved someone under the influence
• Prescription drug overdose deaths are up 500 percent since 1990
• Increased risk of heart and lung diseases
• Cancer and sexually transmitted diseases are up
• There’s more parental substance abuse which affects children performing poorly in school and developing behavioral problems.
• There’s more domestic violence, child abuse, unplanned pregnancies and financial problems.

The Columbia report also points out that there are 80 million people in the U.S. that are 12 and older that are abusing substances but not yet addicted.  It says these people represent a huge opportunity to intervene before disaster strikes but there is no program for intervention so it is likely these people will just be added to the growing list of casualties.

Apparently one of the big reasons for the lack of action in the U.S. is that about a third of us believe that addiction is simply a lack of willpower and self-discipline and that people should be able to control their habits..  While the medical community long ago accepted addiction as a disease many in the public do not and that accounts for some of the lack of action.

Another reason for the lack of action is money.  Local, state and federal governments collect a lot of tax money from the sale of alcohol and tobacco.  In 2009 the Feds collected about $7 billion dollars in cigarette excise taxes.  Billions more are collected by local and state governments and while some of the money goes to smoking cessation programs it is nowhere near enough.

So here’s the dilemma.  If government makes a serious effort to get people to quit smoking or to get into treatment for other addictions these people will quit buying the products that generate tax revenue and that means they will have to raise taxes elsewhere or cut spending.  They are not inclined to do either.  All politicians like to talk about lower taxes but the taxes they will not reduce or eliminate are the ones they collect on products that are killing us.

We must get a handle on this problem because it will ruin us far more quickly than any other threat facing us.  This report is well worth reading and when you are done  take an additional step.  Get in touch with every politician you know and turn up the heat to do something about this national disgrace.

Bob Aronson of Bob’s Newheart is a 2007 heart transplant recipient, the founder of Facebook’s 1800 member Organ Transplant Initiative and the author of most of these donation/transplantation blogs.

You may comment in the space provided or email your thoughts to me at bob@baronson.org. And – please spread the word about the immediate need for more organ donors. There is nothing you can do that is of greater importance. If you convince one person to be an organ and tissue donor you may save or positively affect over 60 lives. Some of those lives may be people you know and love.

Please view our video “Thank You From the Bottom of my Donor’s heart” on http://www.organti.org This video was produced to promote organ donation so it is free and no permission is needed for its use.

If you want to spread the word personally about organ donation, we have another PowerPoint slide show for your use free and without permission. Just go to http://www.organti.org and click on “Life Pass It On” on the left side of the screen and then just follow the directions. This is NOT a stand-alone show, it needs a presenter but is professionally produced and factually sound. If you decide to use the show I will send you a free copy of my e-book, “How to Get a Standing “O” that will help you with presentation skills. Just write to bob@baronson.org and usually you will get a copy the same day.

Also…there is more information on this blog site about other donation/transplantation issues. Additionally we would love to have you join our Facebook group, Organ Transplant Initiative The more members we get the greater our clout with decision makers.