If you care to share any interesting tidbits and facts, pertaining to fitness, nutrition and/or health, send it to TheAwarenessGroup@Earthlink.net along with the source information.
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WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHILD?
Disturbing News - It is REAL
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Exit Debt - Must have service for Debt Management
http://womencentral.msn.com/fitnesshealth/articles/LTVfitness.asp - 10 exercises to do without leaving the front door.
Talk the food anxiety quiz at: www.allhealth.com/quiz
A Healthy Eating Site of Interest: http://www.healthyhealing.com
SUPPLEMENTS... NEED GOOD PRODUCT? Here is a great source: http://affiliates.pillstore.com/store/AbsForLife
Information on INJURIES. Check out this informative site. http://gemedicalsystems.com/.
POISON CONTROL HOTLINE: Reach a poison control center anywhere in the nation, officials announced January 30. Officials launched the national hotline, 1-800-222-1222, and applauded it as an overdue coordination of the country's 65 separately-run poison centers. Callers dialing the number will be automatically linked to the closest poison center.
Dark Days Indoors? Vitamin D is it. Regular sun exposure helps your body synthesize vitamin D. With the lack of sunlight during winter months, it is more important than ever to get your daily dose of vitamin D through diet or supplements. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, a nutrient important for bone health. RealAge Benefit: Getting 1,200 milligrams of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D daily can make your RealAge as much as 1.1 years younger. RealAge January 21, 2002
The Trouble With Fat-Burner Pills: Be suspicious of dramatic weight-loss claims of these supplements, and pay closer attention to their risks, says Ian K. Smith, M.D. I want to give equal billing to the flip side of the supplement craze. Various supplements that claim to work by increasing thermogenesis (converting more of the food you eat into heat before it can be stored as fat) may have serious risks associated with their ingestion. Most contain the controversial ingredient ephedra (a Chinese herb also known as mahuang) or ephedrine. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Admin., there are reports of 80 deaths and about 1,400 instances of adverse effects that may be associated with the use of the herb. FDA has also issued strong warnings about the use of ephedrine-containing products. Potential side effects? Heart Attack. Stroke. Seizures. Psychosis. DEATH. Bottom line: Be careful. Consult your physician before taking ANY supplements. It might just save your life. Dr. Ian's recommendation for reliably increasing your metabolism? It's a great one. INCREASE YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Not bad advice, people. Dr. Ian appears on NBC's TODAY SHOW and can be reached at ianmedical@aol.com. Time Magazine August, 2001
TIRED ALL THE TIME? Check out this site and learn possible reasons and ideas to combat these fatigue creators. http://redbook.women.com/rb/health/features/80ener11.htm
CUT DIABETES? Exercise and Healthy Lifestyle Eating! Duh, right? But it doesn't hurt to hear the truth. Diet and Exercise found to cut occurrence of diabetes by 50%. A large clinical study found that even modest lifestyle change - eating less fat, exercising 2 1/2 hours a week and losing a moderate amount of weight - cut the incidence of the disease by 50% among those most at risk. The study dealt with Type 2, or adult onset, diabetes which is by far the most common type and linked to risk factors including obesity and lack of exercise. 16,000,000 American have the disease. Come on people. Take CARE of yourself before it happens to you! New York Times Newspaper, August 10, 2001
LOWER BACK PAIN!?! If many of you out there are like me, your lower back is the root of all evils for aches and pains. "While most patients rate X-rays as very important for diagnosis of back pain, in fact they are not usually necessary. Researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, have interviewed 99 patients undergoing X-rays for lower back pain. Seventy two per cent said that it was 'very important' to them to have the X-ray. Women and those whose pain was worsening were most likely to want the X-ray. But in fact an X-ray usually adds little to what the doctor can discover from a physical exam. In up to 75 per cent of cases, an X-ray is quite unnecessary for the diagnosis of lower back pain. Doing an X-ray just because the patient thinks it's a good idea isn't sound medicine if it's not going to give any benefit. Doctors need to explain this to patients, so they don't have to undergo an unnecessary test." Source: Spine June 15 2001 Susan Aldridge PhD SusAldr@cs.com
WOMEN: A MUST FOR YOU!!! Health Magazing on-line has some wonderful "help tools" available through their site, www.Health.Com. If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can download a chart that gives you some greta info on "when to" exams: http://www.health.com/pdf/tests.pdf. For a "How to do a Breast Self-Exam": http://www.health.com/pdf/selfbreast.pdf. Health.Com, June 2001
Vitamin Rich Herb: A 1/2 cup of raw parsley provides 40 milligrams of Vitamin C. Fitness, September 2001
FAT: Mind Your Menu Math! I just read something I found profound, well, in a nutritional sense. "A pound of fat contains roughly 3,500 calories. To gain a pound of body fat, you need to eat 3,500 more calories than you burn," according to Dr. Patrick O'Neil, PhD., clinical psychologist and one once director of the Weight Management Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "One hundred calories a day is roughly 10 pounds per year. On a daily basis, if you eat 100 calories more than you burn, expect to gain 10 pounds a year. Ten pounds for a year is not much, but 10 pounds a year for 10 years is 100 pounds. Ouch. It is all relative. To maintain a healthy physique, avoid fad diets and stick to balance. Cut the fat and ease into eating change. Know your nutrition: read and learn. And, mind your menu math. You have the future of your mid-section, as well as your health, in your own hands. Do something about it. Why is this so profound? Well, because we, as in each of us, have CONTROL. We can do something about it. And, it makes perfect sense. Perfect common sense. Disease Free, Rodale Press 1993
HOW DO I LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMEOPATHY?
The best source of homeopathic books, tapes, home medicine kits, and software is:
Homeopathic Educational Services
2124B Kittredge St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 649-0294
(510) 649-1955 (fax)
Various homeopathic organizations provide training programs and general information:
National Center for Homoeopathy
801 N. Fairfax #306
Alexandria, VA. 22314
International Foundation for Homeopathy
2366 Eastlake Ave. E. #301
Seattle, WA. 98102
Younger-Looking Skin: Peaple who eat a diet rich in leafy greens, beans, olive oil, nuts and whole-grain breads (and low in fatty meat, butter and sugar) are less prone to premature wrinkles, an Australian study suggests. The high concentration of antioxidants in this kind of diet may help stall the aging process, the researchers say. Fitness, September 2001
STRESS as related to desease: Scientists are learning more about how stress harms the body. Sudden bouts of stress can trigger a heart attack or stroke. Now findings from recent studies suggest how: Acute stress causes a surge of the hormone epinephrine, which appears to increase the activity of platelets in the blood. Platelets are blood cells that help blood clot and prevent bleeding. Platelets are helpful if you're bleeding, but too much platelet activity can cause clots to form in blood vessels that supply blood to the heart and brain. Epinephrine also appears to thicken blood, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke even more. Go to http://www.health.com/wynks/StressWYNK2000-MAL/latestdevelopments.html for further info and help aids for this dangerous phenomenon. Health.com 2001
Weight Lifting/Cardio Training debate: WHICH FIRST IN A WORKOUT? According to a study from Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, either one. It makes no diff. One group did resistance training, then endurance training, the other the reverse. Neither group's weight changed significantly, but both decreased their percentage of body fat. (Lance's suggestion: Start EACH workout with 10 minutes of cardio, even on a 'weight' day. A little more can't hurt, right?) Fitness August 2001
COFFEE FIX?? The Hidden Link Between Caffiene, Stress and Aging! Check out this URL for some interesting info on our wonderful little morning habit. http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/Article.asp?Id=2155 Healthy.Net 2001
Look, Ma, CAVITIES! Here is a wonderful reason to quit smoking parents. Second-hand smoke can nearly double the risk that kids ages 4 through 11 will develop cavities. The connection? A by-product of nicotine called cotinine, once thought to kill off the bacteria linked to cavities, actually does the opposite, encouraging tooth-destroying bugs to grow and multiply. Yuck. Quit smoking. If not for you, for your kids. Time Magazine, May 2001
AS WE AGE... I find this site very enlightening. Not only for those of us that are up there in age, but as a site that is great for knowledge in the form of prevention to help us as we all age. It's never too late! HealthAndAge.Com 2001
WOMEN: Do you perform your own BREAST EXAM? There are studies that say that doing so may do more harm than good. Prompting unnecessary testing of what are in fact normal lumps. Ask your physician. The article I read was in Time Magazine, July 9, 2001 entitled Failing Grad for Breast Exams? Contact Christine Gorman at Time at gorman@time.com. She wrote the article that sparked my interest and seems very well informed. Tell her Lance Austin at www.AbsForLife.Com sent you!
Aspirin Protects Men And Women. It is now well known that aspirin can reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks in vulnerable men. But its effectiveness in women has been confirmed only recently. In a new Italian study, low-dose aspirin (100mg/day) was given to 4500 men and women who had at least one of the follwoing risk factors for cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, overweight or a family history. The aspirin conferred significant protection for both men and women. Parade Magazine, April 2001
Arthritis and You: Exercises that can help. Try these exercises from the Arthritis Foundation daily, repeating each one 3 to 10 times: http://www.health.com/wynks/RheumatoidArthWYNK2000-MAL/box1.html Health.Com 2001
Don't OverJuice Your Kids! Fruit Juice tastes great and many parents think they are doing their children great service by filling them full of these beverages. Quite the contrary. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently set limits on the amount of juice kids should consume. For more information on these suggested limits, you can visit time.com/personal. Time Magazine, May 2001 (christine gorman, gorman@time.com)
The Funny Thing About Cholesterol... is that most people with serious heart disease do not have high levels of it and never did. And, it may be something else entirely that's going to make your heart explode. There is a GREAT article in Esquire about this very thing. Check it out. Esquire Magazine, June 2001
Are You OVERWEIGHT? Recently, The National Institues of Healther released the first federal standards regarding the subject of individuals who are overweight. This is imperfect science, but it gives you a guidline for testing yourself. Consider your own body composition while charting your body index. Here is the link: http://www.health.com/pdf/bodymass.pdf Time Health Media Inc. 2001
Olive Oil: 77% monounsaturated fat and is cholesterol-free... Food & Wine, June 2001
Fat America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that every U.S. adult accumulate 30 minutes or more per day of moderate-intensity physical activity on five or more days a week. An example of moderate-intensity exercise is a brisk walk. More than 60 percent of U.S. adults do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity and approximately 25 percent are not active at all. (Always check with your family physician before beginning any new exercise routine.)
HERB WATCH! Ginkgo Biloba - Common health claims: boosts memory, works as an antioxidant, improves circulation. Evidence shows: Studies suggest it may slow the progression of dementia, particularly in Alzheimer's patients. Some evidence indicates it may reduce leg pain and increase walking speed in patients with peripheral vascular disease, and also reduce symptoms of vertigo, ringing in the ears and motion sickness. Laboratory studies suggest ginkgo may have antioxidant properties on brain neurons, although there is little evidence that it improves memory in healthy people. Precautions: Headaches, upset stomach and allergic skin reactions can occur. Avoid taking ginkgo prior to surgery or if taking blood-thinning drugs.
HAVE KIDS? When is fitness right for your children? Check out this very informative site about your child and his or her involvement in physical activity and wellness. http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/center.asp?centerid=4
Want A Copy Of Your Medical Records? You can get this yourself: write to the Medical Information Bureau, P.O. Box 105 Essex Station, Boston, MA 02112 or call (617) 426.3660 for a disclosure form. Or download the form from the company's Web site, www.mib.com. It costs $8.50 (as of 2001) to have MIB search for records, even if they find no file on you. Newhouse News Service 2001
Charred food linked with Cancer? Don't run out and throw away the barbeque just yet, but scientists believe a link may exist between cancer and foods cooked at particularly high temperatures. There are two reasons why and they each deal with chemicals created in the burning process. Health.Com 2001
Can Your Kitchen Pass The Food Safety Test? This article originally appeared in the October 1995 Consumer. WellnessWeb.Com 2001
YOGA! Comprehensive info on this wonderful form of exercise can be found at, you got it: www.Yoga.com Check this out for information on everything from Yoga to Massage, Meditation to Exercise. Lots of great stuff. also... www.moreyoga.com
Stretch Marks? "The first truly effective product for stretch marks." ABC & NBC News www.StretchMark.com 1-877-389-1066 or 1-806-741-8155
SPICES! Cancer Fighter? They're fat free, packed with flavor and may help prevent disease. The following types of spices and their prevention potential: Cayenne pepper-Cancer/Obesity, Black Pepper-Colon Cancer/Age Related Disease, Garlic-Heart Disease/Stroke, Turmeric/Ginger-Cancer/Heart Disease, Nutmeg/Allspice-Diabetes/Stroke. Check out this issue of FITNESS Magazine for the full article! Fitness, September 2001
Vitamin C and Eliminating the Common Cold? Over the past 25 years, there have been many, many randomized, controlled trials of Vit C and the common cold. A recent meta-analysis, published as part of the Cochrane Library Project, pooled the data from 21 of the best of these trials, including more than 4000 subjects who had experienced a total of 5438 upper respiratory infections. The main conclusion of this meta-analysis was that vitamin C had no benefit on the incidence of the common cold, but that it did have a small, consistent benefit in decreasing the duration and severity of symptoms. Douglas RM, et al, thepowerstore.com 2001
Toxic Playground! 98% of wood sold for outdoor use in the U.S. is treated with chromated copper arsenate. In Florida alone, that adds up to nearly 30,000 tons of arsenic. Is your child's playground, fort or castle safe? Learn about how to dispose of or seal toxic wood at www.epa.gov/pesticides/citizens/1file.htm. Better safe than sorry. Time Magazine, Toxic Playgrounds, July 2001
Why do women reach their sexual prime in their thirties? Great question. Any men interested in this? I thought so. Libido Seems intimately tied to the male hormones (androgen, testosterone), even in women. Although male sexual activity seems related to adolescent hormonal surges, women's sexual responsiveness, interest, and activity seem related to subjective psychodynamic factors: a sense of well-being, sexual confidence, trust in partner, accumulated experience - which, women in surveys report, peak in the early to mid thirties. Although women engage in sex more often in their twenties, frequency of achieving orgasm is higher for women in their thirties and even older. 'Nough said. Esquire, How a Woman Ages, August 2001
WATER RISK? If you are undergoing cancer treatment, have a weakened immune system from illness, an organ transplant or HIV/AIDS, watch the water you consume. A parasite -Cryptosporidium- can find its way into tap and bottled water. Healthy people can get cramps and other symptoms. For the weak, however, the parasite can cause serious health problems and illness. Tougher EPA standard goes into affect 2001 but even the best filters may not remove all of it. Boil your water, store it in clean containers, consider getting a water filter with a pore size of "absolute one micron" and change it regularly, of buy distilled bottle water treated by reverse osmosis. For details, visit www.epa.gov/safewater or call 800-426-4791. Parade Magazine December 2000
How Tall Will The Kid Be? check out this predictor: http://content.health.msn.com/heightpredict
Giving Blood Can HELP you: The most common genetic disease in the country is Hemochromatosis (HH). Although HH can be a killer, it is easy to detect and treat, and doing so gives the patient a normal life expectancy. Most doctors do NOT do routine tests for HH, so most patients do not know they are afflicted until they are at death's door. URGE your doctor to give them these blood tests: Serum iron, TIBC (total iron binding capacity), percent of saturation and serum ferritin. DNA testing can also confirm a diagnosis or show genetic risk. Anyone wishing for free literature on HH can send a self-address, stamped (66 cent) envelope to: American Hemochromatosis Society, 777 E. Atlantic Ave., PMB Z-363, Delray Beach, Fl. 33483-5352 (www.americanhs.org), or call 888-655-4766 Ann Landers Column, Austin American Statesman, July 1, 2001
Know Your Oats! New research indicates that oatmeal could be one of the healthiest breakfast foods for your heart. In a recent Yale University study, 50 subjects downed high-fat shakes. When they drank the shake by itself, their arteries constricted. When they ate a bowl of oatmeal along with the shake, blood flow remained normal (a bowl of oatmeal worked as well as 800 IU's of Vit. E, a known artery protector). Previous studies have shown that people who eat oatmeal for breakfast take in fewer calories at lunchtime. Fitness Magazine, August 2001
Watermelon/Wonder Melon! This delicious fruit (or is that veggie? :) is available year round and is one of the best sources of the antioxidant lycopene, which studies show can help ward off heart disease and prostate cancer. check out www.watermelon.org for all kinds of tidbits! Fitness, September 2001
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: The bad news. Almost 1/3 of Americans with high blood pressure (estimated over 14 Million!) don't know they have the condition! Worse, 70% have een a doctor 3 times on average in the past year, and 90% have health insurance! The joys of our health system, huh? Time Magazine, August, 2001
Postpartum Depression: Have the baby blues? It is normal for a woman to go through a period of depression soon after her baby is born and can last from four to six weeks. Longer time periods of depression could be a sign of something bigger, though, requiring medication and/or psychotherapy. This strikes 5-15% of women, not a small number. If you have a history of mood disorders you are at greater risk. New dads can get it, too. Go to www.postpartum.net for some answers. This site offers information on postpartum depression, a self-assessment, chat rooms and a list of support groups across the US. SHAPE Fit Pregnancy Magazine June/July 2001
Mood Problems?? Eat this... The right food can have a huge effect on brain chemistry, energy and emotion. A recent Finnish study found that people that ate fish less than once a week were 31% more likely to feel depressed than more frequent fish eaters! (sources-Salmon,Albacore Tuna,Mackerel,Omega-3-Enriched Eggs,Walnut) Take Selenium for Self-Esteem. (sources-Brazil Nuts,Raw Oysters,Beef Liver,Salmon/Tuna/Halibut,Lean Beef,Chicken Breast,Oatmeal,Whole-Wheat Bread) Take Zinc for Anger. (sources-Beef Liver,Crabmeat,Raw Oysters,Skim Milk,Wheat Germ,Almonds) Foods to AVOID: Too muich sugar, caffeine and alcohol can throw off your emotional balance. Sleep like a baby: In addition to stress, a diet low in magnesium, copper and iron is often to blame for lack of sleep. Try to get these shut-eye minerals from foods. Take suppliments, particularly Iron, only if diagnosed as deficient. (sources-Magnesium: Black Beans,Pumpkin Seeds,Almonds. Copper: Raw Oysters,Soybeans,Peanuts. Iron: Beef Liver,Lean Beef,Soybeans, Wheat Germ. Fitness, September 2001
Body Odor: Is it a problem? Ever walked by someone in the gym and had to hold your breath? Ever been the subject of that episode? You may not even know it if you have. Scary. Check out this URL. http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/Article.asp?Id=495 Healthy.Net 2001
Vitamin E rich foods: go to www.getyourE.com
The Best Cranberry Juice? Northland brand contains 27% cranberry juice
Migrains? Zomig ZMT for the killer headache: www.zomig.com
Natural Diabetes Prevention: www.diabetes.org
Cholesterol guidelines: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol
"Psych" sites of interest: www.psych.org, www.aacap.org, www.medem.com
Alternative Med sites: www.onebody.com, www.cmbm.org, www.drweil.com
Gynocology: www.cancer.org, www.nih.gov, www.asrm.com
Pharmacy: www.cbshealthwatch.com, www.talkaboutrx.org, www.ahrq.gov
Internal Medicine: www.webmd.com, www.drkoop.com
Cancer-Fighting Pill: Another benefit for women who take birth control pills: they can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer. According to a study review in the British Journal of Cancer, women who took the Pill at any point in their lives were 20 percent less likely to get the disease. Fitness, September 2001
Books: Healthier Meals - Healthier Heart. Great sources of books to help school a healthier you. Check them out! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0737016191/wwwhealthcom/107-7585461-3478106
