Healthy Living

Metabolism is how fast the body burns calories. By increasing your metabolism, it makes it that much easier to lose weight. I saw an article on WebMD today about ways to increasethe metabolism. The article had your typical ways to increase metabolism like building muscle, intense cardio workouts, and drinking more water. However, there were some interesting tips to increase

During the winter season, people are taking more public transportation to avoid the cold. However, public transportation is a hotbed for germs and diseases. A study done in Nottingham, England, examined how public transportation affects the number of infections in the winter season.

Researchers studied a flu outbreak in Nottingham between December 2

I saw an interesting article on WebMD today. The daily recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables may not be enough to fight off heart disease. A new study suggests eightservings may be the amount needed to fight off heart disease.

Over 300,000 people from eight different countries in Europe were examined for this study. Researchers studied

Continuing from my post from last week, seems there is even more news about the dishonored study on the link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Andrew Wakefield planned to makemillions off his study thanks the scare he would create.

Back in 1998, Wakefield wrote a study depicting the link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Thus creating a fear in

I read some fantastic news today, the infamous study on the link between the MMR vaccine and autism has finally been dealt the last blow.

In 1998, AndrewWakefield wrote a study on the link between the MMR vaccine to an increased risk of autism. Since then, it has a started an endless debate. It has caused countless infants to be left unvaccinated a

Christmas is only a two days away and I can’t wait for the feast that awaits me. However, I’m not looking forward to the post-holidays belly. So this year, I vowed towatch myself, but I’m still only one person. On WebMD, there was this great article for tips on how to avoid those extra holiday pounds.

Lately, I’ve noticed my mom’s wrists have been irritating her more than usual lately. I suggested to her to drink more milk or anything with a lot of vitamin D and calcium. Then I felt there are more things she could do. So I went on WebMD and found a bunch of exercises for bone health.

• Walking – Taking

Recently, I was talking with a few friends about sleep talking. One of my friend sleep talks all the time and I have done it plenty of times myself. So I got to researching sleeptalking on WebMD and found a few interesting facts.

Sleep talking, or somniloquy, is very common and not really a serious medical condition. The somniloquy could range fro

A new study suggests eating fruits and vegetables may prevent a prematuredeath. Eating foods rich in antioxidants, like fruits and vegetables, may fight diseases to prolong life.  

Researchers found people with the highest amou

Thanksgiving is next week. All of that turkey, yams, and mashed potatoes wreaks havoc on all dieters. However, there are ways to still lose weight without all the dieting.

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Slow-eating – Becoming a slow eater is a great way to lose weight. Eating slowly allows you to enjoy your meal more and cause the body to release fullness hormones to

Today is Veterans Day, it is a day to remember and support everyone who has ever served in the armed forces. However, an article on WebMD tells us who really supports our troops: their spouses.

According to a study by the National Alliance for Caregiving an

People who engage in regular exercise and are physically fit are less likely to catch colds and the colds they do catch are much milder. A study has madethis observation after looking at the data of 1,002 adults.  These individuals were aged 18 to 85 and reported their perceived fitness, their lifestyles and dietary habits.

Halloween is almost here and so is the candy. While Halloween candy is a tradition, it is also one of the unhealthiest treats out there. An extra 100 calories a day is enough togain 10 pounds in a year and the average piece of candy contains over 100 calories. So imagine constantly munching on extra Halloween candy for weeks after Halloween is over. It is very easy to lose c

Now that the season for flip-flops is over, I noticed my feet don’t hurt as much. After reading an article on WebMD, I found out flip-flops provide poor arch support which can cause sore feet, ankles, and knees. Not only flip-flops, but many other common everyday activities cause a lot more p

These days, everyone has been talking about the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup. Not only does high-fructose corn syrup supposedly cause obesity, it is also found in almost everything from sodas to cereals. Yet, how is it di

A new study indicates a possible link between diabetes rates and exposure to fine particulate air pollution. People who lived nearin areas where the air quality were near, but sill below the acceptable safety limits of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), had a 20% higher chance of diabetes compared to people who were e

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a brain disorder, not just a behavioral problem. New evidence suggests a genetic cause of ADHD. People with ADHD had high numbers of copy number variants or CNV. CNV are chucks of DNA

Sleeping pills may not be the best solution to insomnia, say experts. New research indicates aerobicexercise could improve the quality of sleep, vitality, and mood.

Chronic insomnia affects half of people, middle-aged and older. So researchers tested 23 adults who fall unde

Usually when researchers try to find genetic causes of disease, they try to find out how the genetic code of sick people differs from the genetic code of healthy people. Andrew Feinberg, MD, and his research team took a different approach. They looked for changes in gene caused by chemical attachments as the trigger of diseases.  What they found out is

A new study observed men suffer from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) more than women. MCI is when a person has trouble with memory and thinking processes well beyond the normal aging process, and its lapses are noticeable by other

A new study shows coffee may combat high blood pressure. As people age, their blood vessels stiffen up and constricts the flow of blood. This constriction leads to high blood pressure. Greek researchers observed older people with high blood pressure who drink one to two cups of coffee have more elastic blood vessels than people who drink more or less.

One of my absolute favorite things to do in this warm summer weather is to throw a BBQ for my friends and family! The only problem is that traditional BBQ food is a little (to say the least!) less healthy than I'd like. 

So, this last weekend I was determined to find something WAY healthier than a burger, without sacrificing the delicious taste. So after flipping through all my c

It seems like everyone has an opinion about ADHD and the different ways of treating it, especially parents. I read this article from Health News and it really does show why there is so much controversy, there are great points and stati

So I don't know about you? But I've always felt like a Doctor is one of the only professions where you really can trust that they know what they're doing. I mean, they go through years of training and have our lives in their hands... So I thought they'd be tightly regulated too, especially by other doctors who worked hard to build and maintain they're p

I came across an article on WebMD today with some surprising statistics. Only about 1 in 4 stroke victims makes it to the ho

I love breakfast, especially breakfast from some of my fast food chains. However, just how bad are breakfast foods from our favorite fast food joints compared to their normal meals? Apparently, just as bad or worse. According to this slideshow from

Did you know that these replacements can yield great results?

AllRecipes.com gives many other calorie-cutting tips .

Are there more you can think of? 

While we think of our kids engaging in sports as being a good thing, there are still dangers beyond the typical parental fear of a son or daughter getting hurt.  Here is an overview of a recentstudy on sudden cardiac death :

A new, inexpensive screening method could help reduce the risk for sud

I love spicy food! So when I read this article on Health News, I couldn't help but be excited:

The sweat that beads up on the foreheads of spicy pepper aficionados just may be the key toweight loss associated with the consumption of jalapenos, habaneros, and serranos. While not everyone can tolerate such hot culinary fare, those peppers can be beneficial to your waistline, at leas

Heartburn is a feeling of burning, warmth, heat, or pain that often starts in the upper abdomen just beneath the lower breastbone (sternum). This discomfort may spread in waves upward into your throat, and you may have a sour taste in your mouth.

• Heartburn may cause problems with swallowing, burping, nausea, or bloating and may last up to 2 hours.

• Heartbur
  

Many turn to low-carb diets because they seem to make weight loss go rather quickly.  According to Yahoo! Health, the Archives of Internal Medicine ran a story last January by researchers who found that participants who ate a

Approximately 150,000 individuals in the U.S. were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2009 making it the third most common cancer. One quarter of patients diagnosed with coloncancer will have a relative with colon cancer which suggests a potential for an inherited, familial risk. Having just one close relative (brother, sister, or parent) with colon cancer, or even a prec

How important are preventative measures in healthcare?  Proper screening can help patients have higher success rates in treating conditions. For example, the death rate from colon cancer has declined over the past 20 years, colon cancer is still very prominent. However, the reason for the decline is due in part to the availabil

There are a number of other things that affect cholesterol levels:

Diet: Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol in the food that you eat can increase cholesterol levels.  Reducing the amount of these in your diet can help lower your blood cholesterol level.

Weight: As well as being a risk factor for heart disease, being overweight

Supraventricular tachycardia is a disorder categorized by a heart beat that is faster than normal, originatingfrom the atria, the upper chambers of the heart.  Causes of supraventricular tachycardia include: hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart failure, thyroid disease, chronic lung disease, pneumonia, blood clots in the lungs, pericar

Winter can mean a less active lifestyle, which can wreak havoc on our bodies.  Here are some tips from the American Heart Association on how to stay active, even when it’s hard to.

Many people experience leg pain when they walk. It may be a pounding pain or a prickling pain, a dailypain or something you feel once a month. Many people ignore this pain, possibly thinking it is normal with their age, enduring it to the best of their ability without ever getting it checked out. Ho

Watching what you're eating can be difficult, but rather than eliminating all of the things we love to eat (but can be bad for us), I've found it easier to make the same dishes, but healthier.

I found this recipe for Fish 'n' Chips through HealthNews:

FISH STICKS
2 pounds 1 1/2-inch thick halibut fillets
3 1/2 ounce package panko bread cr

Here are some tips from this Healthy Living Blog that can help with staying healthy in the wintertime:&nbsp;

Buying a gym membership may seem like a high initial expense, but the key is to look at is as an investment in your health. Join a gym with friends or family members, and make it a

NorthShore University HealthSystem will be holding an online live chat on stress management. The chat, “;How to Keep Stress from Ruining Your Health”, will be held on Thursday, January 21st at 11am CST.

Hope to see everyone there!

It's really easy to get stressed out, but it's also hard to manage stress. WebMD gives some tips on how to stay away from stress, and how to manage it properly:

 

    *  Keep a positive attitude.

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Diabetes is something I have lived with for many years. It isn't always easy, but there are days when everything seems right to go along the days where you mysteriously can't lower your numbers! 

The growing number of diagnoses of diabetes is scary, but living with diabetes doesn't have to be. While sometimes it's frustrating to deal with and it might seem easier to j

The flu can sometimes be unavoidable in the colder months, but there are steps you can take to help prevent from catching the flu or a cold. This can be hard to avoid when livingwith other people, especially if these people have colds of the flu themselves.

WebMD recently published an article focusing on the steps we can take to avoid getting sic

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) refers to a complex disorder of the lower intestinal tract. It is mainly characterized by a pattern of symptoms that is often worsened by emotional stress.

Symptomsmay include:

* Abdominal distention
* Abdominal fullness, gas, bloating
* Abdominal pain or tenderness that:
o Comes and goes
o Goes away after a bowel movement

Everyone craves carbs from time to time, but research is showing thatthere could be psychological links to carb cravings and depression. According to research, carbohydrate crav

Here are a few facts on colon cancer and screenings:

• Your risk of developing colon cancer increases as you age

• The simplest way for average-risk individuals to preventcolon cancer is to receive colon cancer screening starting at age 50 and continuing through age 75

• Colon cancer is the third leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States

Recently came across this Heart Healthy Blog and this post stuck out:

Diets rich in red meat are often linked to heartdisease. WebMD’s recently published article on sheds light on several questions about nutrition, red meat and heart disease.

Some red meats are high in saturated fat, which raises b

Here are  a few tips WebMD gives on how to boost your metabolism:

-Build muscle: Every pound of muscle uses approximatelysix calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only two calories daily. That small difference can add up over time.

-Drink more water: Your metabolism may slow down

According to a new study, a woman’s lifetime hormonal activity affects her risk of dying from ovarian cancer.

NorthShore University HealthSystem’s cancer center states, “ovarian cancer develops when cancerous cells develop either within the ovaries or on the surface of

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is also a leading cause of serious long-term disability.

Among people who survive, strokes can affect the entire body. People who survive a stroke are also at risk for having another stroke.

    * Physical:  Persons who have had a stroke can have weakness or even complete paralysis on

Portion is one of the most influential parts of weight loss. It seems that everywhere I turn, I see words like "super sized" or "extra large" when it comes to size options at restaurants. And while those options already seem bad for you, it's still hard to know how much of something is enough. 

I recently found this tool on WebMD that shows different examples

With the summer months approaching, it is important to keep skin health in mind. While many people get too much sun, others aren’t getting enough.

Teens are most susceptible to both ends of the spectrum.  “It’s hard to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle to kids because they don’t see immediat

I feel as though a lot of diets seem to fail because of too much restriction, and not enough variety. Sure, eating a salad is obviously going to be healthier than fried chicken, but what happens whenyou're stuck in a rut, eating the same things over and over again? 

 

Here is a list of different kinds of sa

Eating disorders continue to affect millions of people each year. According to NationalEatingDisorders.org:

  

• In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder.
• For females between fifteen to

Here are some statistics I found on sleep:

 

From the National Sleep Foundation

• Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem

• About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorders, and an add

As I'm getting older, I find myself tired a whole lot more than ever! Anyone else feeling the same way? I just can't stay up as late as I used to, and want nothing more than a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, and as we all know, a good night's sleep can be something that we hardly get. But I still feel sleep is important. 

I'll definitely have to do more resear

Hi everyone, I found this great resource concerning sudden cardiac death. There will be a sudden cardiac deathlive chat coming up on Wednesday, February 18th at noon (CST).

Hope to see you all there!

Sleep apnea is a problem that can go undetected for a long period of time. Do you have a snorer in your family? Perhaps you are the one doing the snoring without even realizingit. But snoring is not something to take lightly, as it can be a sign of sleep apnea.

What is the number one killer of women? While most might be quick to assume it's Breast cancer, the truth reveals that that is not the case. The number one killer of women in the United States is heart disease.

I hope everyone's doing well today. It's very cold in my city now, so I'm here waiting for spring!

I do however, have some information for you all. I found a link to a live chat comingup today concerning preventive breast surgeries. The chat starts tonight, Jan 27th at 8pm CST. Here's the link

Hi everyone. I did some more research on risk reducing breast surgery and thought I'd share my findings:

 

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve, and is ready to grab 2009 by the horns! I am very excited for 2009 and have many resolutions.

My number one resolution is to take care of myself. That encompasses a lot of things from the physical, to the emotional, even the spiritual. 

I also want to continually seek out information that will help myself, my family, friends a

Fortunately for me, I do not have to travel during the holidays.  But for those who do, I found this great article that talks about what precautions to take when traveling.  There are several factors to consider when traveling. Are you driving, flying or taking an

I feel like Thanksgiving was just here, but Christmas is right around the corner! Does anyone else feel like the days are just passing us by, a little too quickly? Before we know it 2009 willbe here! It might be time to start thinking of resolutions...

 I think I'm getting ahead of myself! Hope you all are doing well. 

How do you stay healthy during the holidays? One thing that I've been doing for years is going to the gym before I start making Thanksgiving dinner. I also try to incorporate healthy foods withthe not so healthy ones. Like, making a salad and only eating a little bit of stuffing, etc.

What about you?

Although I will never have to deal with prostate cancer within my own body, I often worry about my husband who has a history of prostate cancer in his family. I did some research and decided to sharewith you all a brief overview of prostate cancer:

·         About 10% of all breast cancers are associated with an inherited genetic abnormality.

o   The most common genetic abnormalitiesinvolve BRCA1 and BRCA2.

 

From wbca.org :

·      &nb

As Breast Cancer Awareness month is coming to a close, I wanted to talk about one of the biggest influences of breast cancer-- Genetics.

 

I'm looking through information on howgenetics affect breast cancer, and am learning the ins and outs of the two:

 

"To date, most inherited ca

I found a great resource for integrative medicine and breast cancer. If you want to find out more about Integrativemedicine and breast cancer, check out the live chat going on on Monday, October 20th at noon (CST).

I've been trying to learn more about integrative medicine in general, but I thin

What have your experiences with Integrative Medicine been like? I'm curious to know, because until today I didn't know what it was!

 I think I need to do some research on it and learn what it's all about.

October is breast cancer awareness month and one of the first lines of defense against breast cancer is the breast self exam. Ideally, one should perform a breast self-exam once a month. For women who still menstruate, they should perform the exam a few days after the last day of her period.

I was recently reading up on the self exam and found a few articles that said the exam might not

Why do you stay healthy? I stay healthy for my mother, who has battled and survived breast cancer. Because breast cancer can be hereditary, I make it my duty to be educated about everything breast cancer related, and take the steps to do everything to prevent from getting it too. 

Although it's not guaranteed that I will not ever get cancer, being aware is just one step that I ta

I can't believe September is almost over! Time has really flown by, and before we know it, it will be the holidays and then 2009. 

Along with Halloween, October is also the month dedicatedto raise awareness on the number two killer of women (heart disease being first)--breast cancer.  With the many

I'm so happy to have found such a great site! I look forward to getting to know different people as well as sharing any information to help others. I haven't had a chance to be on the site in the past week, I've been super busy, but now I hope to be on here more often!