text stringlengths 1 3.86k |
|---|
local farmers say it is as good a cash crop as <unk> or <unk> a <unk> |
but they have no desire to eat a bowl of psyllium each morning and perhaps little need lean <unk> <unk> the farmers are <unk> in the <unk> <unk> world of cholesterol |
psyllium is an annual <unk> <unk> <unk> that has been used for centuries by folk doctors here mainly as a <unk> and <unk> |
as such the <unk> fiber has an almost <unk> following in northern india |
i can assure you <unk> a <unk> lawyer in new <unk> with a <unk> raised <unk> from personal experience it works |
a prominent businessman in <unk> gives a similar <unk> i have been taking it daily since N |
folk doctors also <unk> it for kidney <unk> and <unk> problems <unk> <unk> and <unk> |
some apply it to <unk> <unk> |
the plant has a <unk> stem that produces flowers and <unk> seeds |
it is the seed 's <unk> and size N of them weigh only N <unk> or about as much as two paper <unk> that explain the historical <unk> to <unk> |
the <unk> <unk> of the seed is removed <unk> and crushed the seed itself is fed to animals |
some N N of the crop which was worth $ N million last year is exported |
for decades psyllium <unk> has been the main <unk> in such <unk> as procter & gamble co. 's <unk> the <unk> brand in the u.s. and ciba-geigy corp. 's <unk> |
but some time ago researchers discovered that <unk> fibers also lower cholesterol levels in the blood |
<unk> p&g took an interest it ordered two studies on psyllium and cholesterol |
one of the studies done at the university of minnesota tested N people with raised cholesterol levels |
after N weeks the group that took three daily <unk> of <unk> saw a significant dip in their general cholesterol levels and an even larger reduction in levels of <unk> <unk> the so-called bad cholesterol |
in late N p&g asked the fda for approval to market <unk> as the first <unk> <unk> product in the |
in april the psyllium <unk> got more crowded |
general mills inc. the food giant launched a breakfast cereal called benefit containing psyllium oat wheat and <unk> bran the words reduce cholesterol were <unk> displayed on its package |
in september kellogg co. launched a competing <unk> cereal called <unk> |
suddenly on television in advertisements and on their cereal boxes americans were <unk> with news about the <unk> seed |
the flood of claims and <unk> worried consumers and actually hurt sales of the new <unk> |
this month the food and drug administration expressed concern that americans might someday in various forms <unk> too much psyllium |
currently there is a <unk> in the psyllium war |
the fda has asked kellogg and general mills to show research that their <unk> are safe |
it also ordered p&g to produce more studies to <unk> its claims that <unk> can lower cholesterol |
but the agency has n't <unk> psyllium off store shelves |
if the fda approves the new uses of psyllium other companies are expected to rush to market with psyllium products |
it 's going to be a <unk> thing says mr. <unk> of p&g in <unk> |
says psyllium exporter mr. patel i just got back yesterday from the u.s. |
in the newspapers on the radio and tv psyllium is everywhere |
but the news of the boom has yet to <unk> down to the farmers |
they only know of one use for the crop as a <unk> and with psyllium prices currently <unk> in the wake of a <unk> crop they think of the seed as a marginal crop something to grow between summer wheat crops |
psyllium 's not a good crop complains <unk> <unk> a <unk> farmer from the village of <unk> |
you get a rain at the wrong time and the crop is <unk> |
even at the basic chemicals pharmaceuticals and cosmetics export promotion council the government agency that <unk> the seed the psyllium boom is distant <unk> |
the staff <unk> about psyllium 's hefty contribution to american <unk> without quite <unk> the implications of the research on cholesterol |
the council 's annual report has psyllium on its last page <unk> with such <unk> export items as <unk> and <unk> <unk> a plant that <unk> <unk> |
in one way the psyllium middlemen the buyers and exporters are glad to keep news of the boom to themselves |
they want psyllium prices low for their purchases next year |
but there 's a catch |
sidhpur and adjacent districts are the only places in the world where psyllium is grown in large quantities |
this is partly due to the particular demands of the crop |
psyllium needs <unk> soil <unk> during the first few weeks and then total <unk> when its seeds are maturing |
small crops are grown in pakistan france spain italy belgium and brazil but their quality ca n't compare to that of indian psyllium |
big buyers like procter & gamble say there are other spots on the globe and in india where the seed could be grown |
it 's not a crop that ca n't be doubled or tripled says mr. <unk> |
but no one has made a serious effort to transplant the crop |
in sidhpur it is almost time to <unk> this year 's crop |
many farmers too removed to <unk> psyllium 's new <unk> in the west have decided to plant <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> or <unk> seeds |
mr. <unk> is thinking of passing up psyllium altogether this year in favor of a crop with a future such as <unk> or <unk> |
maybe i 'll plant <unk> seeds |
his brother <unk> whose head is <unk> in a <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> vigorous <unk> |
so when next year 's psyllium crop is <unk> in march it may be smaller than the N metric tons of the past few years right at the crest of the psyllium boom |
and the world could experience its first psyllium shortage |
<unk> co. said it completed a previously announced acquisition of <unk> manufacturing corp. a new york-based maker of <unk> <unk> and <unk> wear |
the apparel maker would n't disclose terms of the agreement |
<unk> said <unk> <unk> sr. president of <unk> will continue to head <unk> 's management group |
a seat on the chicago mercantile exchange was sold for $ N down $ N from the previous sale <unk> |
seats currently are quoted at $ N bid $ N asked |
the record price for a full membership on the exchange is $ N set march N N |
small businesses say a recent trend is like a dream come true <unk> rates for <unk> insurance initially at least |
but then they wake up to a nightmare |
the reasonable <unk> rates can be followed by increases of N N or more if a covered employee files a major claim they complain |
insurance premiums for one small maryland concern went up N N in less than two years the last increase coming after one of its three workers developed a <unk> disk |
there 's a distinct possibility that i may lose my job over this the employee karen allen of floor covering resources <unk> md. recently told a congressional hearing |
she said her employer ca n't afford the rate increases and she fears she wo n't find another job with a benefit plan covering her <unk> |
for employee and employer alike the worry is widespread |
surveys repeatedly show that small-business owners rank the availability and rising cost of health insurance as one of their biggest concerns |
the house energy and commerce committee 's health subcommittee headed by democratic rep. henry waxman of california is looking into complaints that small businesses not only ca n't keep reasonably priced <unk> insurance if claims are filed but often ca n't get coverage at all if a worker is termed <unk> <unk> |
i have an old-fashioned name for people in that position sick people who need health insurance rep. waxman says |
what we 're seeing now makes a <unk> of the idea of insurance collect premiums from the healthy dump the sick and let them pay their own bills |
some lawmakers may seek legislation to limit overly restrictive insurance policies |
the concern grows out of increased efforts by the insurers to woo the small-business market |
as larger companies increasingly <unk> or use reserves to pay their own workers ' medical bills the insurance industry has turned to the <unk> market that was once a <unk> for them |
insurance companies will offer a good rate if no one is sick but it 's a roll of the <unk> says <unk> <unk> of the small business service bureau a group representing N small businesses nationwide |
one case of cancer or a high-risk pregnancy with a sick <unk> and rates go up N N to N N |
small-business people end up paying insurance premiums worth two to three times the cost of one illness |
in addition the group says some of its member companies have been denied insurance because individual workers had medical problems that ranged from a mild <unk> condition to psychological counseling after a <unk> <unk> and <unk> |
the health insurance association of america an insurers ' trade group acknowledges that stiff competition among its members to insure businesses likely to be good risks during the first year of coverage has <unk> the problem in the small-business market |
but it says that rapid rate increases are directly tied to the soaring cost of health care |
some business analysts blame the problem on tough competition in the insurance market |
they say insurance companies use policies aimed at excluding bad risks because their competitors do |
but the general practice makes it more difficult to combine small groups of people into larger groups thus spreading the risk over a larger base of premiums |
i 'm not <unk> insurers of <unk> of duty robert <unk> of the u.s. chamber of commerce told mr. waxman 's panel |
you ca n't ask one carrier to underwrite on social grounds when that might destroy it in the marketplace |
rep. waxman and democratic sen. edward kennedy of massachusetts have proposed regulation to deal with the problem |
the proposal is just part of legislation that would require businesses to provide health benefits an idea that is strongly opposed by small business who say it would just compound the <unk> problems |
but small-business lobbyists say they support the idea included in the <unk> bill of new laws or regulations requiring greater use of community rating which <unk> rates to the use of health care by a community or other large group and is designed to prevent insurance companies from taking only <unk> small companies as... |
but first on the list of priorities says the national federation of independent business is to prohibit state laws requiring the <unk> of specialty items such as psychiatric care in basic health plans |
such requirements they argue make it difficult to provide a basic low-cost <unk> package |
before the state of wisconsin mandated that <unk> care be covered there were only N <unk> <unk> in the state now there are N says <unk> miller an <unk> lobbyist |
she contends that similar <unk> have driven up insurance costs N N in maryland and N N in california |
the <unk> association also strongly <unk> with the proposed community rating which does n't save one dollar argues james <unk> <unk> 's washington counsel |
it just makes healthy businesses subsidize <unk> ones and gives each employer less incentive to keep his workers healthy |
mr. <unk> says the <unk> is working on a proposal to establish a privately funded reinsurance mechanism to help cover small groups that ca n't get insurance without excluding certain employees |
the <unk> of the insurance problem make the outcome difficult to predict |
but to ms. allen the employee whose back problem triggered a huge <unk> increase the issue was simple |
what good is having health insurance she asked when it 's so expensive that it becomes impossible to keep after only one major claim |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.