Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The 101 Best Things to Do For Your Body

Women's Health magazine consulted more than 70 authorities on health and wellness to find the 101 best things to do for your body... now.
Live till you're 120. Be happy 24/7. Never have another cold. OK, so we exaggerate. But follow our tips, and you'll come pretty damn close. Read more

Monday, August 25, 2008

10 Tips for Beautiful Skin

Leslie Barrie at Savvy Miss shares 10 tips for beautiful from dermatologists Dr. Tina Alster Dr. Marsha Gordon.
Whether you live in Laguna Beach or Louisville, your skin is bound to get weathered over the winter months. Renowned dermatologist Dr. Tina Alster and St. Ives’ consulting dermatologist Dr. Marsha Gordon share their tips for fabulous winter skin. Read more

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

How Your Mind and Body Work Together

Deb Shapiro, author of YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND, Decoding the Emotional, Psychological and Spiritual Messages that Underlie Illness, explains how vital the role of your mind and emotions are to your health.
In Woody Allen's movie, Annie Hall, Diane Keaton wants to know why he isn't angry. "I don't get angry," Allen replies, "I grow a tumor instead."

I recently had a burst appendix and I am immensely grateful for medical intervention that saved my life. I know that illness is real, that accidents happen, and how medicine can help. So I am not writing this to try and convince you that the sole reason for your illness is in your mind, and that you must have done something wrong or are to blame for being ill. Nor I am not saying that simply by understanding how the mind and body work together that you will be able to miraculously cure yourself of whatever it is that ails you.

What I am saying is that the role of the mind and emotions in your state of health is a vital one. Read more

Monday, August 18, 2008

Next Time You are Sick, Take out the Vinegar

Mairi Beautyman, features editor at TreeHugger.com, says the next time you are sick,take out the vinegar. It's good for everything from fevers to acid reflux. Also check out TreeHugger for 62 Uses for Vinegar.
I recently was laid up with tonsillitis, which came with a very high fever -- it actually reached 105.4 (go to the hospital if your fever stays this high). At this point, the slightly terrified friend who was taking care of me suggested his mother's apple cider vinegar sock trick.

Smelly vinegar on my feet? Now, in any other state I may have objected to this, but I'm passing it on because it really seemed to work. I also found four additional medicinal ways to use this magic stuff. The jury is still out on whether it is the cure-all we all are looking for, but several studies around the world suggest good things. Read more

Friday, August 15, 2008

The Pill Makes Women Choose Bad Mates

A new study suggests that taking birth control pills can change a woman's sense of smell and in turn, could affect her ability to find the perfect mate,
Birth-control pills could screw up a woman's ability to sniff out a compatible mate, a new study finds.

While several factors can send a woman swooning, including big brains and brawn, body odor can be critical in the final decision, the researchers say. That's because beneath a woman's flowery fragrance or a guy's musk the body sends out aromatic molecules that indicate genetic compatibility. Read more

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Half Of Overweight Adults May Be Heart-Healthy

A lot of people, especially women, obsess about their weight - and sometimes other people's. The conventional wisdom is that overweight people are heart attacks waiting to happen, so they should be badgered and shamed to lose weight "for their own good." However, a new study suggests that about half of overweight people have perfectly health hearts.
You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people _ about half _ have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed. Read more

Monday, August 11, 2008

How Massage Therapy Can Help Your Migraines

A migraine headache is not only painful and distressing, but can also disrupt your life if it stops you from working or going about your daily routine. It can be difficult to focus or concentrate when you have a headache; relief from the pain is sometimes the only thing you can think about. Steve Ross and Olivia Rosewood explain how massage therapy can be used to relieve the pain of migraine headaches.
I have been a massage therapist for 15 years, and I love to help dissolve pain. I believe that joy, freedom, strength, and mobility are normal states of being for humans -- anything that deviates is the body shouting for help. Pain, vomiting, dizziness -- not to mention irritability -- are just a few of the symptoms I've heard about from clients who suffer from migraines. There is no worse feeling in the world than not knowing how to help. Dreaded, unpredictable, and even demobilizing in some cases, I felt so relieved when a study was published with real findings on the effect that massage can have on relieving migraines. Read more

Friday, August 8, 2008

The Antidote to Diabetes

Vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, mustard greens, and brussels sprouts, may undo diabetes damage.
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.

A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane.

It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage. Read more

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

5 Things to Know about Sleep

Americans are supposedly sleep-deprived, but are we actually a nation of zombies? You'll rest easier knowing these recent sleep-related findings.
Here are five recent findings that might help you rest easier:

1. We sleep better than we think we do

For most of us, sleep deprivation is a myth. We're not zombies. The non-profit National Sleep Foundation (which takes money from the sleep-aid industry, including drug companies that make sleeping pills) says the average U.S. resident gets 7 hours a night and that's not enough, but a University of Maryland study earlier this year shows we typically get 8 hours and are doing fine. In fact, Americans get just as much sleep nowadays as they did 40 years ago, the study found. Read more

Monday, August 4, 2008

Is Ice Cream an Anti-Depressant?

Why do people always eat ice cream when they're depressed? A new study shows that while ice cream may not be an anti-depressant, the brain chemical that motivates you to eat it may be.
Some patients with depression will eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream at night before they go to bed. They feel comforted -- at least briefly -- by the high-calorie treat. Of course, it doesn't take too many nights of this before the pounds start piling up.

New research published in the journal Nature Neuroscience this month may shed some light on the biological relationship between depression and appetite. While it does not show that Ben and Jerry's is an antidepressant, it does suggest that a brain chemical, that motivates the consumption of the ice cream, may be. Read more

Friday, August 1, 2008

7 Diet Myths Exposed

Find which diet tips are bogus and which are for real. Women's Health exposes seven diet myths and replaces them with diet tips that a normal person can actually use.
Most of the time, nutritionists and dietitians are full of brilliant ideas that help you eat healthier, stay slimmer, and live longer. But every once in a while, food gurus forget that the rest of us have limited time, funds, and willpower. That's when they spit out wonky bits of wisdom like "Ask your waiter to wrap half your entrée before you start eating." Yeah, he'd be happy to--right after he sticks his thumb in your salade Niçoise. We collected seven of the hardest-to-swallow expert suggestions and replaced them with equally healthy tips that a normal person can actually use. Because unless your name is Jessica Seinfeld, you're not going to spend every second fretting about what goes on your plate. Read more