On Healthy Living

According to a recent study only three percent of Americans are doing most of what is commonly known to increase health and well-being: not smoking, eating five servings of veggies a day, exercising regularly and keeping a normal weight. (I only do three of those on good days.) Many more people don’t smoke than exercise […]

I wanted to just title this post “Wow!” or “Outrageous!” because that’s how I really felt when I read this story from Reuters about the Center for Consumer Freedom running full-page ads in the big newspapers (New York Times, L.A. Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, etc. as well as Newsweek) citing the study […]

There was recently a post extolling the virtues of using the natural gym around us. I’d like to throw my two cents in on that topic. Yesterday I went for my first bike ride of the season. Whizzing up and down the Chicago lakefront of Lake Michigan always does my heart good, in more ways […]

If you’re experiencing empty nest syndrome, the grief that follows a grown child’s departure from home, the answer may be adopt a cat. According to the June 2005 issue of Cat Fancy, “cats may protect baby boomers against high blood pressure and stress.�
Makes sense. Kid grow up and leave; cats grow old and stay. And […]

My husband and I enjoyed the first few salads from our backyard garden this weekend. I alwyas love this time of year, when things in the garden first bgin to produce. It’s the calm before the storm of July, when there will be (almost) more tomatoes than we know what to do with, and when […]

I’ve had that Dramarama song stuck in my head all day: “It’s April 21st, and everybody knows today is Earth Day, Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday to whoever’s bein’ born…”
Which has nothing to do with anything, but it is Earth day (though not April 21st) and though it’s a topic I bring up a lot, it’s […]

My doctor was less than thrilled with the amount that I go out and party and drink too much. Being honest, I told her that it probably wouldn’t completely stop any time soon (I am, after all, only 25!) But then I realized something. On the days that I do yoga, I drink less. Not […]

The government unveiled today the next generation of food pyramid, actually a series of 12 different sets of steps that can be customized for each indivuidual. If you’d like to find the “pyramid” that’s right for you, check out the USDA’s new website devoted to the diet plans.
The site, understanadably, is running very slow […]

Newsweek has a really excellent series of articles in its edition hitting newstands this week about health in families and how the health of one member often affects the health of other members. This article highlights disease and mental illness patterns that aren’t due to genetics: the 10-year-old who has ulcers because her parents are […]

Doctors Take Issue With Bextra Withdrawal
Some believe the decision to use the drug should stay with physicians
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) — Medical professionals expressed surprise and concern at Thursday’s FDA announcement that the prescription painkiller Bextra would be withdrawn from the market, and that a host of other effective analgesics will […]