I’ve written a little bit about farmed salmon before. A few days ago, the news came out that tens of thousands of farmed Atlantic salmon escaped from their pen. There were 30,000 salmon in that pen, and they may have all gotten out. This happened off the coast of British Columbia. A spokesman for the fish farming company says what happened is “really unusual”. Small comfort. All it has to do is happen once to seriously screw up the native salmon, which are already dwindling in number.

Besides the fact that these Atlantic salmon, which are not indigenous to the area, will compete with the wild salmon for food, they could also be carrying diseases, antibiotics, pesticides, or sea lice.

The company representative, apparently in all seriousness, said if anybody were to catch one of the escaped fish, they should clean it and bake it with ginger and green onion in a 400 degree oven and serve it with fresh lemon slices. Really. Seeing that this escape will cost his company about $500,000, it’s nice that he’s so chipper about the whole thing. I like to think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but I’m not laughing.

Technorati Tags: farmed salmon, wild salmon, sea lice, farmed salmon escape, health, environment

Water fluoridation is a subject that excites at least as much passion as mercury fillings. And it’s another area where science seems to be slowly backing up what those who have been trying to stop the activity have been saying. But most people pay scant attention and probably consider the anti-fluoridation people to be extremists or wackos. However, if you take a look at what they’re saying, it makes a lot of sense. To start with, why do we add fluoride to water? Do we swallow our toothpaste? So why is it now ok to ingest something that’s only supposedly good for our teeth? I say supposedly because it’s never been proven to actually reduce the incidence of cavities.

And I don’t know about you, but I don’t chew my water. I wonder how much of the fluoride actually touches my teeth. I guess it does because over thirty percent of the kids in the US have fluorosis. Did you know that the fluoride that’s added to water is a waste product of phosphate plants? Worst of all, if you’d rather not drink water with this stuff in it, you need to spend big bucks on a water distiller or reverse osmosis purifier, because the typical carbon block filter most people have won’t remove fluoride.

Earlier I stated that there’s no proof that fluoride actually prevents cavities. This is where the fluoride proponents alway whip out the charts showing the downward trend in cavities that’s occurred since water fluoridation began. The thing that their charts don’t show, however, is that the incidence of cavities has declined everywhere at that same rate, not just in places where the water is fluoridated. You can compare cities or states in the USA, or even countries, and the rate of dental caries declines similarly everywhere regardless of whether the water was fluoridated.

So it seems to me that the prudent thing to do would be to stop pumping this poison (read what your toothpaste tube says about the fluoride it contains) into our water supply. Some people think it’s an economic justice issue because poor people who can’t afford professional tooth care can get the benefits of fluoride. Well, if local governments are convinced that said benefits actually exist, then they can spend the money they now spend on water fluoridation to distribute fluoride mouthwash based on financial need. But stop forcing a medication/poison (choose your definition, either way it’s at the very least unethical) on the rest of us.

Here’s a video that shows how a former proponent of fluoridation came to change his views:

Technorati Tags: water fluoridation, fluoride, pure water, water purification, poison, dental cavities, fluorosis, anti-fluoridation, dental care

Finally, after staunchly adhering to the position that mercury amalgam filling pose absolutely no risk to anyone, the FDA, as a result of a lawsuit, has changed the language on their website. Previously, they stated that there had never been any evidence that the fillings were dangerous for anyone. Now they say that mercury may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses. Proponents of mercury fillings will state that the mercury is inert when it’s put into our mouths, that there have never been any studies that show toxic effects from mercury fillings, and accuse the anti-mercury camp of being alarmist proponents of “junk science”. The anti-mercury camp states that it only makes sense that chewing and the passage of time will cause the fillings to wear and eventually emit mercury into our bodies, and points to tons of anectodal evidence where people have had miraculous recoveries from a myriad of ailments once they had their amalgam fillings properly removed. As has been the case all along, the American Dental Association (ADA) continues to maintain their stance of “mercury amalgam fillings are totally safe”.

It’s really hard for a layman to know where the truth lies. Personally, I’d rather be safe than sorry, and wouldn’t have any mercury amalgam fillings, knowing what we know now. I think we know enough to say not having this type of fillings put into our mouth is erring on the side of safety. If you currently have some and are thinking about having them removed, be sure to use a dentist that’s experienced with the procedure and knows what precautions to take. Done incorrectly, removing mercury fillings can cause a massive release of mercury into the body.

Technorati Tags: mercury fillings, silver amalgam, amalgam fillings, remove amalgam fillings, FDA, ADA

You probably heard or saw the coverage a few months ago about how honeybees are mysteriously dying off in such large numbers. Since there hasn’t been much, if any talk about it in the mainstream media lately, you could be excused for thinking that the bees are on the comeback trail. However, you’d be wrong. Unfortunately, the problem continues.

If somehow you missed the original stories about the problem, which has been named colony collapse disorder (CCD), you might be wondering why we care. Less bees, fewer stings, right? Well, maybe, but the honeybee does more than poke us with that stinger. A quote from no less than Albert Einstein might explain the gravity of the situation “”If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

There have been a number of reasons postulated for the decline, but no firm conclusions. People have theorized that it could be cell phone radiation, genetically modified crops, pesticides, Varroa mites, and the feeding of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to the bees, among other things. Additionally, the practice of beekeepers trucking their bees thousands of miles around the country to pollinate crops has been implicated by some as a source of stress that could eventually result in this problem.

Note that all these possible reasons, with the exception of the mites, are things that have been introduced by man. It’s beginning to look like our incessant need to mess around with the natural world is finally coming back to bite us. I’m not sure what it will take before we can step back and realize that things like large-scale industrial livestock production, genetically modified crops, excessive use of HFCS, all kinds of radiation bouncing around, and so many of the other things we do without ever thinking about the ramifications are messing up the balance of our environment. Add global warming to the mix and it doesn’t look good. Since we can’t seem to do something as simple as pass a law to stop routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock, even after we’ve seen the advent of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections such as MRSA, I’m not real hopeful that we’ll get our act together in time to make a difference.

Technorati Tags: bees, honeybees, bees dying, colony collapse disorder, CCD, HFCS, cell phone radiation, beekeepers

Hypnosis can be effective at helping one to lose weight. It seems to work especially well with people who’ve tried a number of different types of diets and haven’t succeeded. However, there are also people for whom hypnosis for weight loss has been a failure. Similar to using hypnosis for smoking, I guess. Some people attend a hypnotherapy class for smoking cessation and say they feel nothing different afterwards, while others are finally able to kick the habit after many failed attempts. Just goes to show that while we’re all built basically the same, we’re all wildly different. Anyway, there’s a new article up on the Health and Fitness Guide about using hypnosis for weight loss. Check it out!

Technorati Tags: hypnosis, weight loss, lose weight, quit smoking

For years, health and fitness experts have been telling us that we should be drinking more water. That we shouldn’t be waiting until we’re thirsty, because by then we’re already dehydrated - so we should be sipping water all day long, regardless of thirst. Stuff like this always seems to go in cycles, so predictably, lately we’ve had some individuals saying that drinking water in excess of that required to quench our thirsts is a waste of time. As with all these things, the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. We probably should try to drink somewhat more water than our thirst requires, but avoid becoming anal about it. What’s anal? Well, your definition may vary, but mine is when people go out for a casual stroll (not a brisk walk) in sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit for a half hour and take a water bottle along. Because they’re ‘exercising’ and you always have to drink water when exercising, right? Anyway, I’ve posted an article at The Health and Fitness Guide site about 6 legitimate reasons you might wanna drink water, and why you should just say no to water in little plastic bottles.

Technorati Tags: water, hydrate, drink water, drink too much water, exercise, water bottles

After Katrina, FEMA gave the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) a couple hundred million dollars to provide “Mississippi Cottages” as replacements for the infamous FEMA trailers. From what I can tell, the Mississippi Cottages are single-wide mobile homes prettied up a little to resemble a cottage. Just recently it’s come out that testing of the air in the cottages has revealed that a high level of formaldehyde is present there too. While it’s not as high as that in the trailers, it does exceed the amount of formaldehyde that the EPA calls dangerous.

Unfortunately, the level of formaldehyde in these cottages probably isn’t much higher than what you would find if you tested any conventional newly constructed home. Since these cottages are only around 700 sq. ft., a typical new home would probably allow the formaldehyde to dissipate a little more due to the larger volume of air. But the same amount would probably be outgassed into the air by the large amounts of plywood and particleboard used in cabinetry and in furniture these days.

Plywood, particleboard and medium density fibreboard (MDF) are made from sheets or pieces of wood glued together with urea formaldehyde glue. Other coutries have set limits on the amount of formaldehyde that can be emitted from these and other products, but the US has no such laws. So unless a newer house is specifically built as “non-toxic” or perhaps “green” (the latter sometimes only focusing on energy efficiency, which can make the problem worse by not allowing the gasses to dissipate), chance are there is an unhealthy amount of formaldehyde lingering in the air.

Over the course of years (how many is up for debate) the formaldehyde will completely dissipate, so older houses that have not seen recent renovation don’t have the problem. The solution? Use only solid wood or one of the newer (more expensive) forms of plywood, particleboard etc. that use non-toxic glues for all interior cabinetry and furniture. The exterior plywood used to build actual houses uses less formaldehyde than the interior versions and is probably ok unless you’re already sick from prior exposure.

Technorati Tags: formaldehyde, FEMA trailers, MEMA cottages, Mississippi Cottages, environmental illness

A number of individuals have been promoting twice-daily eating of salmon as a way to make one’s skin appear more youthful. As far as I can tell, the advice initially appeared in a book by Dr Nicholas Perricone, and has been mentioned by a number of other health and fitness experts since then. Supposedly the healthy fats in salmon tend to tighten the skin and eliminate puffiness. A number of celebrities swear by the effectiveness of the tactic. The recommended period of eating salmon two times a day ranges from three days to one month. Wow, I dunno. I like salmon, and eat it once or twice a week, but I don’t think I could eat it twice a day for a month - or even for a week.

Anyway, the type of salmon that’s recommended is wild Alaskan salmon. If the salmon you find at the store isn’t labeled as either wild or Alaskan, it’s probably farm-raised. Farm raised salmon doesn’t have the same nutritional makeup as the wild fish, and whether you’re eating salmon to improve the looks of your skin, because it has Omega-3 fats, or just because you like it, I recommend you always avoid the farm-raised stuff. Which is what the salmon in your supermarket’s fish case is, unless it specifically says otherwise.

The problems with farm-raised salmon are myriad, and are similar to the problems that exist at all high-volume livestock raising operations, such as with cattle, pigs and chickens, today. The fish are crowded into pens, causing them to swim in their own poop, which causes diseases to spread, and that means antibiotics on a routine basis. Farmed salmon actually get more antibiotics on a per-pound basis than any other type of livestock! Also, the fish don’t get wild salmon’s natural diet, but are fed pellets. Therefore they don’t develop the traditional pinkish flesh - so they’re fed synthetic chemicals to give them that color. And because of the crowded conditions, sea lice are a large problem, not only for the farmed fish, but because the occasional farm fish will escape and bring some sea lice with it to possibly infest wild salmon living in the general area. Finally, farmed fish have been shown to have significantly higher levels of cancer-causing substances like dioxins and PCB’s than wild.

So if you decide to start eating salmon on a regular basis (and I recommend you do) go for wild Alaskan. It’s more expensive, but well worth the cost. To save money, you can buy the canned version (check the label to make sure it’s wild Alaskan, as there are a number of varieties that come in cans. Buy the 15 oz. can and it’s cheaper than canned tuna. I’d recommend rinsing it before eating to reduce the sodium content, but otherwise you have a really healthy source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Technorati Tags: salmon, wild salmon, Alaska salmon, wild Alaska salmon, farm-raised fish, farm-raised salmon, healthy fats, omega-3

While aerobic machines like treadmills and ellipticals surely have their place, lack of access to one doesn’t mean one can’t train effectively. Besides old standbys like jogging, swimming, walking uphill or in loose sand, and bike riding, there’s always the good old jump rope. For a couple of bucks, you can have access to one of the best aerobic/anaerobic workouts going. You don’t have to get as good as this guy to get a great workout, but he certainly is impressive to watch. And if you’re the competitive type, well, now you have a goal

Technorati Tags: jump rope, jumping rope, rope jumping, aerobic, anaerobic workout, intervals, lose weight, get in shape, get fit, cheap workout

Just in case you haven’t heard, Nintendo is releasing their Wii Fit exercise game in the US this week. The software has already been released in Japan and has been a raging success. The key to the Wii Fit experience is what’s called a “balance board”. It’s about the size of two bathroom scales joined together. Supposedly, the idea for the balance board came from watching Sumo wrestlers being weighed. As you might expect, they’re too heavy and too big to stand on a typical scale. So they usually put two scales together and place one foot on each.

The user does most of the exercises on the board, either with their feet or (in the case of an exercise like pushups) their hands. The Wii Fit also accomodates jogging, which you do with the regular Wiimote (Wii remote) in your pocket. You can jog in place or run around your living room - but you need to be careful not to stray out of the remote’s range. The game judges users by whether or not they have an acceptable BMI (body mass index). However, the American version is more tactful than the Japanese, which tells overweight users “you’re fat”!

So how does the Wii Fit do at getting people into shape? Well, from the reviews that have already come in, it looks like it won’t replace a personal trainer any time soon, but it does seem to be a viable option for people who prefer to work out at home, or even gym goers who might want the occasional change of pace. However, that all assumes you actually have a Wii to hook the Wii Fit up to. Unbelievably, even a year and a half after the Wii was introduced to the USA, they are still in short supply. It’s not likely you’ll just sashay into your local store and pick one up off the shelf. You’re going to have to be creative. When retailers feature one in their ads, the line usually starts to form a couple of hours before the store opens on the day the ad begins. So one option is to be the early bird. Another tactic is to buy online. There are a lot of Wiis available on ebay, but you’ll likely pay more than list price. You can also find Wiis off and on at online stores like circuitcity.com or toysrus.com. The catch is that when you do find a place that has stock, you’ll most likely have to buy a “bundle”, which includes games you may or may not want in addition to the Wii console.

All in all, I think this is a great idea. Anything that gets couch potatoes up and moving has my vote. The Wii Sports games that come with the Wii were an excellent first step in this direction, and the Wii Fit takes it to the next level.

Technorati Tags: Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, fitness, Wii available

Most people are afraid they’ll gain weight if they quit smoking, but that doesn’t have to happen to you - just follow these simple tips and you can double your health benefits by quitting smoking and avoiding weight gain at the same time.

The majority of quitting smokers feel the need to have something in their mouth. Don’t succumb to the urge to just grab some fast food or junk food snacks. Instead, choose healthy foods like low-fat protein sources or fruits and vegetables. Occasionally some sugar-free candy or gum is ok.

If you feel the need to have something in your hands, play around with something like a paper clip or pencil rather than resorting to snacks like chips or chocolate bars.

Drinking lots of water can be a great solution to the need to put something in your mouth.

Exercise will make you feel better, keep you busy, and reduce stress. You don’t have to limit yourself to activities like jogging or strength training. Take up a new sport!

You can also keep yourself occupied with hobbies like crossword puzzles or knitting, or you can read a book or magazine.

One final tip that works great for people trying to quit smoking AND people who want to eat less - brush your teeth frequently. If you have a clean, fresh taste in your mouth, you’ll probably hesitate to ruin it by eating or smoking.

Quitting smoking is probably the best thing you can do for your helath. Don’t let the fear of putting on a few pounds hold you back from doing it.

Technorati Tags: smoking, quit smoking, weight gain, weight loss, health, stop smoking

Most people, even those that work out regularly, would be hard pressed to do a single one leg squat, sometimes referred to as a “pistol”. This guy has definitely taken it to the next level. Have a look.

Like I said, amazing!

Technorati Tags: one leg squat, 1 leg squat, squat, deep knee bend, leg exercise, standing jump, strength training, fitness, exercise

We all know sugar’s bad for us. Makes you fat, causes dental problems and diabetes. You may or may not know that it could be more of a villain than saturated fat when it comes to heart disease. But I bet you didn’t know it can ruin your love life!

A recent study indicates that excessive levels of glucose and fructose (forms of sugar) in the blood can disable the gene that controls your sex hormones. The research, reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) gene gets deactivated when the liver processes glucose and fructose.

So, no SHBG, no (or low) sex hormones - which can cause low libido or impotence in men and a myriad of problems, including uterine cancer, in women. Which gives us all one more reason to avoid sugar. If you’re thinking that you’ll just replace it with artificial sweeteners, I urge you to think again. There’s really not enough room here to go into specifics regarding the various artificial sweeteners, so just pop the name of your sweetener of choice into your favorite search engine and you’ll see why.

And avoiding sugar means also avoiding high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which has pretty much replaced sugar in processed foods because it’s cheaper, but is implicated in a host of health problems including obesity, as it appears to turn off the satiety signal, causing people to eat more and more.

Two sweeteners that appear to be ok in moderation are the herb stevia and the sugar alcohol xylitol. Both have less of an effect on the body’s blood sugar level than regular sugar, and according to research, xylitol actually combats tooth decay. Not just doesn’t cause it, but actually fights it! Still, use these in moderation if at all.

Basically, if you want a sweet treat that’s healthy, I’d advise sticking to fruit. Just don’t go crazy, because fructose is what makes fruit sweet, and as we saw earlier, too much of that is just as bad as too much glucose, which is table sugar. Luckily, fiber in fruit usually serves to slow the rate of blood sugar rise that occurs after eating it, as long as you eat small to moderate amounts - enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, not enough to put you to sleep or get you bouncing off the walls.

Technorati Tags: sugar, glucose, fructose, diabetes, obesity, sex, sex hormones, libido, stevia, xylitol, diabetes, heart disease, sex hormone

This is probably the best time to begin running or jogging. Getting through the initial stages of any exercise program is always the hardest part, as your body adapts to demands previously not placed on it. Starting when the outside air is comfortable gives you a fighting chance to get past the beginner stage without having to deal with the summer’s heat and humidity, or the winter’s temptations to stay inside by a warm fire. If you start now, by the time the coldest part of the winter rolls around you should be experiencing some of the benefits of newfound fitness, which will help to pull you away from that fire out onto the roads.

Read more about starting a running program

Technorati Tags: running, starting running, fitness, start exercising, jogging, start jogging

Back in December, I made a couple of posts (here and here) about how the USDA had ignored the public’s opinion and approved a genetically engineered strain of rice that had previously somehow escaped from test plots run by Bayer CropScience and contaminated the US rice supply.

Well, on Oct 5, the USDA released their conclusions regarding how the genetically engineered rice had escaped. Or should I say, their lack of conclusions. They ended the investigation, which took over 8500 staff hours and visits to 45 locations in 11 states and Puerto Rico with the admission that they don’t know what happened.

Supposedly “missing records” are the culprit here. But the USDA will take no action against Bayer. It’s obvious that the USDA feels their job is to accomodate the companies who experiment with these genetically engineered organisms, rather than to protect the public, farmers, and the food supply from errors and accidents. This is just a sampling of what’s going to happen if the USDA doesn’t come up with and enforce some strict new guidelines for GE crops.

This time, the price was “merely” a tremendous economic loss for rice growers and exporters, because other nations closed their borders when what had happened became known. Next time an experimental GE crop contaminates our food supply, we may not be so lucky. They don’t call them “Frankenfoods” for nothing.

Technorati Tags: gentically engineered crop, GE crop, GE contamination, USDA, GMO, genetically engineered rice, genetically engineered contamination, Bayer CropScience rice, frankenfoods

Resveratrol is a substance found in red wine and the skin of red grapes. You have probably heard of some of the prior research which has indicated that it has anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and life extension benefits. Now to that list we can add the possibillity that resveratrol is beginning to look like a promising weapon against type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes was formerly referred to as “adult-onset” diabetes. It causes cells to become less sensitive to the effects of insulin, as opposed to type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile diabetes), where the body just does not produce enough insulin.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that in animal studies, resveratrol improves insulin sensitivity by activating an enzyme which in turn supresses a molecule that tends to decrease insulin activity.

Of course, further testing is required to confirm that the findings will translate to different animals and humans. One encouraging finding was that much lower doses of resveratrol were required than in previous studies.

In addition to grapes, grape juice and wine, resveratrol is found in varying amounts in a number of types of berries, plums and peanuts, and nutritional supplements are widely available. An interesting sidenote is that resveratrol in many ways seems to duplicate the biochemical effects of caloric restriction, so far the only reliable way that researchers have found to extend lifespan.

Technorati Tags: resveratrol, wine, grapes, diabetes research, benefits of drinking wine, extend lifespan, insulin, caloric restriction

A new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that reducing the ‘energy density’ of your diet will help with weight loss. Energy density refers to the caloric content of foods. Items that contain a lot of bulk but relatively fewer calories per serving are foods considered to have a low energy density.

Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutritional science at Pennsylvania State University, said the take home message of the study is “Increase the water content of the foods you eat and decrease the fat content”. The study participants who ate the diet lowest in energy density lost the most weight and also got to eat 300 grams (10.5 ounces) more of food per day. Additionally, the nutritional value of the lower energy density diet was higher.

Excuse me, but do we really need a study to prove this? It is common sense (and should be common knowledge) that stuffing yourself with broccoli and celery would result in a lower calorie intake than a big meal of steak and potatoes. Of course, a broccoli and celery diet wouldn’t last long for most people, but it’s not about diets. It’s about a healthy lifestyle which will enable the attainment of a healthy weight. Lose the potatoes and have the steak and the broccoli. Make the steak organic or grass-fed beef and a reasonable serving size (not one of the humungous things you get in some restaurants), and you’ve got a healthy meal. Seems like we shouldn’t need a professor, or a study, to tell us that.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition, diet, weight loss study, weight loss research, energy density, volumetrics

A recent study has found that older people who have symptoms of depression are more likely to develop diabletes.

The study was published in the April 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Lead researcher Mercedes R. Carnethon said ‘Older adults who report high levels of depressive symptoms are more likely to develop diabetes over time than older adults who have lower depressive symptoms’.

The study included around 4,700 people over the age of 65 who were not diabetic in 1989 when the study started. The researchers scored symptoms of depression on a scale of zero to 30, and the rate of occurrence of diabetes was higher among those with a score of eight or more. Earlier studies have found a similar connection.

Carnethon postulated that there could be several causes for this relationship. ‘Individuals who are depressed may be less likely to engage in healthy physical activities that would protect against the development of diabetes. They may be less likely to sleep well, have healthy diets, all of which are risk factors for developing diabetes’

Other factors could also be involved. People with both diabetes and depression are likely to exhibit blood markers of inflammation like C-reactive protein, according to Carnethon. At this time, it’s impossible to draw a definite cause and effect link, and more research is needed to conclusively identify why this relationship exists.

Technorati Tags: diabetes research, depression, C-reactive protein, inflammation

The best treatment for acne scars is prevention (avoiding picking or squeezing spots) but saying that doesn’t help those people who have the scars. And judging from the number of people who have this problem, it’s a lot easier to preach about not picking or squeezing than it is to avoid it.

Fortunately for people suffering from acne scars, there are a number of treatments now available.

Dermabrasion uses machines with rotating diamond edge wheels for shallow scars. The machines scrape away damaged skin and allow new skin to grow in its place.

Punch replacement involves removing the deep scar and placing a skin graft over it.

See the full article about acne scars

Technorati Tags: acne scar treatment, health, dermabrasion, punch replacement, scars

We’re not talking about whether or not your health can afford a heart attack. Not too many people would say yes to that one. This is about the financial price. Heart attack costs have skyrocketed in recent years. Let’s get up close and personal with the various charges one would have to pay. First, general ambulance service. $800-$1500, sometimes even more depending on your location.

Your second heart attack cost will be an additional $100+ for ambulance medical support.

Third, emergency room services at your local hospital. That’s at least $750. Then there are emergency room professional fees, another $250 or so. Then we have $500 for laboratory tests, about $300 for EKG, X-ray drugs, etc. Plan on about $2500 for your emergency room visit.

Your fourth cost will probably be your stay in the hospital CU while they figure out what to do next. That’s around $850 a day, and you’ll probably be there one day.

If you don’t live near a major medical facility with a heart specialist on staff, you are going for a ride in a plane or helicopter. $5000-$6000.

Up to here, you’ve spent about $10,000 or so. The rest of the costs will make that seem like chump change.

Read the rest of the article about heart attack costs 

Technorati Tags: heart attack costs, health, hospital costs

Some recent research indicates that taking an afternoon nap lowers the risk of heart problems by 37 percent - at least for men, and probably for women too.

The study was the largest ever done on the health effects of napping. It included over twenty-three thousand Greeks, the majority of whom were in their 50’s. The subjects who napped a half hour at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart problems, compared to those who didn’t nap, even after allowing for possible mitigating factors such as diet, exercise and smoking.

The researchers can’t say for sure if napping would benefit women as much as men, because enough women didn’t die during the study. But they think it’s likely that women would see similar benefits.

Sleep scientist Sara Mednick agrees. She’s a professor at the University of California and author or “Take a Nap! Change Your Life”. She says most people are not sleeping well, and that the daily 20 minute coffee break would be better spent napping, and that performance on memory tasks improves more after a nap than after a dose of caffeine.

So take that afternoon nap - and don’t worry about your boss. Just show him this post or point him to the NY Times lede blog.

Technorati Tags: sleep, nap, heart health, coffee break, health, sleep research, health effects of napping

What is the body’s core?

Your body core is your body’s midsection, from the groin to shoulders. Every movement you make, be it something as simple as be it combing your hair or as taxing as running a marathon, begins from the core. An unconditioned core will limit your physical capaabilities. Our core muscles can be weakened due to sedentary lifestyles, and as a result we become subject to strain or injury. Even if you regularly work out or participate in sports, there’s a good chance that you’re not training the body core muscles.

Working the muscles in your core will improve the effectiveness of movements with your limbs. Most resistance exercise routines focus on building muscle. The idea behind training your core is to create a strong and stable base for those muscles.

Learn more about strengthening your body’s core

Technorati Tags: fitness, health, core exercise, core strengthening, core muscles

You’ve probably seen the media coverage of the recent government report that found that most Americans are still not eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.

The researchers said that even though most people are aware that fruits and vegetables can lower the risk of many diseases, consumption is still a long way from reaching the government goals set in Healthy People 2010. Their research appears in a recent issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Only 32.6 percent of adults are eating fruit two or more times per day, and only 27.2 percent are eating vegetables three or more times a day,” said researcher Dr. Larry Cohen, an epidemic intelligence officer at the CDC. These findings fall far short of the national goal of getting 75 percent of the population to eat fruit two or more times a day and 50 percent to eat vegetables three or more times per day by 2010.

Most Americans are aware of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, according to Cohen. “However, translating that awareness to actually doing it is lacking…..It could be due to lack of access, or that some people don’t like fruits and vegetables. There could also be cultural reasons,”

Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine says “The problem is compounded by price incentives and disincentives that encourage people to eat highly processed foods,” Katz said. “It may also be compounded by the popularity of low-carb diets that discourage people from eating fruit.”

I’m just wondering if the researchers counted french fries and ketchup as vegetables. If so, then this study is really bad news.

Technorati Tags: healthy diet, nutrition research, fruit, vegetables, health, nutrition, Center for Disease Control, American diet

It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to take off a few pounds or fifty, you must still eat regularly to provide fuel for your body’s processes. Forget about skipping meals, because that will just defeat your purpose, and make you miserable to boot. Eating small meals throughout the day helps maintain your metabolism “furnace” and allows your body to use fat as fuel. If you need an example, think of the old coal furnaces that had to be constantly tended by adding fuel in order to keep a continual fire going. If the furnace went out, then it took a long time to get the temperature back up to a comfortable level. Fueling your body is similar. You want to supply a constant supply of the right kind of fuel.

How do you keep your body continuously fueled? You snack. Snacking can be very healthy if you eat the proper foods. The proper food list, however, does not contain the foods typically thought of as ’snacks’ - chips, candy bars and other sugary and high simple carbohydrate foods. What the list does include are foods that add some interest, some energy, and some protein to your diet.

Read the whole article about 5 healthy snacks

Technorati Tags: health, nutrition, healthy snacks, lose weight, five meals a day, six meals a day, fitness

Saw this today in the Daily Grist newsletter:

The Weight of the World
Exposure to chemicals could contribute to obesity, studies find

Obesity is largely blamed on calories (too many) and exercise (too little), but recent studies suggest that chemical exposure may also pack on pounds. And it’s tough to diet from so-called “obesogens,” which show up in everything from pesticides to food containers. Chemicals found to produce more and larger fat cells in mice include waterproof-paint ingredient tributyltin; diethylstilbestrol, which was widely prescribed to pregnant women from the 1940s to the ’60s; and estrogen-like bisphenol A, which showed up in 95 percent of people tested by one recent study. BPA promotes fat-cell activity in utero, producing “lifetime effects” that occur at “phenomenally small levels” of exposure, says biological sciences professor Frederick vom Saal; he dismisses the chemical industry’s claim that BPA poses no health risk as a “blatant lie.” The production and use of BPA has quadrupled in the last couple of decades, in roughly the same timeline that obesity has noticeably risen. Coincidence? Fat chance.

BPA is actually used more in baby bottles than water bottles. Along with a number of other plastics, it uses the #7 recycling symbol. Most water bottles use Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE), which will show the #1 recycling symbol. While PETE won’t make you fat (as far as we know), it may kill you, because bottles made from PETE may leach DEHA and acetaldehyde, both classified as carcinogens.

Technorati Tags: health risks of plastic, water bottles, BPA, PETE, obesity, chemical exposure, health

Have you ever taken a close look at the ingredient listing on the labels of your skin care products or cosmetics? Do you know what those substances are?

Many of the skin care products and cosmetics you are buying contain ingredients that are not only harmful to your skin, but also to your health. Many are known carcinogens and are only in use because they’re cheap.

You may think that it doesn’t matter what’s in skin care products or cosmetics. After all, you don’t eat them. However, think of all the medicines that are delivered through skin patches these days. While your skin may not absorb as much of the skin care product as it does of a medicine specifically designed to be delivered through a patch, repeated application will definitely result in some of the substances in the skin care products being absorbed into your body.

The FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors states “a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA”.

And an Environmental Working Group study showed that 89 percent of the 10,500 ingredients used in personal care products have not been evaluated for safety by the FDA or any other public institution.

Read the full article on toxic ingredients in cosmetics and skin care products.

Technorati Tags: cosmetic ingredients, skin care product ingredients, toxic ingredients, cosmetic safety, skin care product safety, carcinogens, health

Everybody probably knows that too much fat in our diets is bad for our health. However, not all fats are created equal. In fact, certain fats are actually good for us in moderate quantities, and required by our body for proper function. Some of the reasons we need some fat in our diet include:

1) Provides a source of energy

2) Helps with hormone production

3) Lowers the risk of heart disease and certain cancers

4) Insulates and cushions the internal organs

5) Can help alleviate symptoms of PMS and Menopause

6) Promotes skin and hair health

7) Regulates blood pressure

8) Helps to improve brain function - especially in children

Read more about good fats and bad fats

Technorati Tags: healthy fat, unhealthy fat, diet, nutrition, health

EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques is probably the most popular of a group of techniques collectively referred to as Energy Psychology (EP). Energy Psychology looks to achieve a psycho-therapeutic end, but it works at an energetic level within the body, rather than with the functions of the mind.

There are EP methods which utilize Chakras to achieve their emotional release work. EFT belongs to a different group, which seeks to use the body’s acupuncture system. It does this by gently tapping on acupuncture points to stimulate and “open” them, allowing an increase in the free flow of energy throughout the body. This can be very important in terms of our feelings.

The prime principle behind EFT is what is referred to as “The Discovery Statement”, which states that the cause of all negative emotion is a disruption to the flow of energy in our body - thereby a disruption of energy flow within our acupuncture system.

EFT claims that, energetically speaking, our default settings are ones of wellbeing, freedom and ease. When we create resistance to the flow of energy in our body, we experience lesser degrees of wellbeing and ease.

A useful metaphor is to think of our energy system as like the plumbing in our house. Disruption within our energy system is not dissimilar to a “kink” in the garden hose. A small kink will disrupt the flow of water but not to any great degree. If we think of ourselves in this situation, we experience this minor kink as feeling less well than we would like to feel, but for the most part, we can function fully. It is just that our quality of life is less than it could be.

Read the rest of the EFT story

Technorati Tags: EFT, emotional healing, Energy Psychology, health, psychology, acupuncture, energy flow

Thinking about buying some exercise equipment? It’s always best to learn the basics before beginning a search for any product. People who don’t do a little homework before making a purchase can find themselves regretting their decision very quickly.

First, think about the type of training you actually want to do. Do you want to build muscle? Improve your cardiovascular health? Complete a marathon? Your purchase decision should depend on what it is you want to achieve.

Once you decide what your major goal is, then you can research the available options. If building muscle is your priority, then look for products that provide a total-body workout. Multi-gyms can be a good choice if they provide enough variety to exercise all the body parts. However, they can take up a lot of space, so be sure the area you have set aside can accomodate any machine you consider.

Dumbbells are also a good option because they allow you to do many exercises that can work all the muscle groups. They can mimic the actual mechanics of movement in real life applications, leading many experts to give them an advantage when compared to the machine type strength training equipment.

Read the full story on buying exercise equipment

Technorati Tags: exercise equipment, fitness equipment, fitness, health, cardio, strength training, multi-gym, dumbells

As most people know, the health benefits of moderate red wine drinking have been extensively studied. However, some recent studies on beer suggest that it may be as healthy as wine. Once again, the caveat ‘if consumed in moderation’ applies.

Of course, both beer and wine contain alcohol, and there is good evidence showing beneficial effects from that alone. Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with higher levels of ‘good’, or HDL, cholesterol. Drinkers also had lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein that promotes blood clots that can lead to stroke and thrombosis.

Alcohol also lowers insulin levels, which aids in reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

Overall, several studies (like one undertaken at the Institute of Epidemiology at the University of Muenster), suggest moderate drinking of beer helps reduce the risk of coronary disease.

But the benefits appear to be derived from more than just the alcohol. A Dutch study from the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute found a 30% increase in vitamin B6 among beer drinkers, double the increase present in red wine and gin drinkers.

More on healthy beer drinking

Technorati Tags: beer drinking,