Bookmark this page |
Tag to del.icio.us
| Add to Technorati Favorites
|
Our discussion forum is open for business. Come say hello. |
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Women: Time to Go From Guilty Eating to Positive Exercise
The more women punish themselves for being overweight, the more likely they are to turn to food for help and comfort. (That frozen pint of ice cream is quick, easy and reliable). Here's an uncommon solution: Flip the equation. Think positively about how you can get started, talk to friends about your feelings and get together to create change for yourself, your families and womankind. If the goal is wellness and happiness, and the message is one of "you can do it" vs. "you have failed," I have no doubt that women will lead the way to a healthier nation. (Full story here)
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
New Advice: Don't Sit Up Straight
The longstanding advice to "sit up straight" has been turned on its head by a new study that suggests leaning back is a much better posture. Researchers analyzed different postures and concluded that the strain of sitting upright for long hours is a perpetrator of chronic back problems... When strain is placed on the spine, the spinal disks start to move and misalign. At a 90-degree sitting position, this movement was most prominent. The disks were least moved when subjects were sitting back at a 135-degree sitting position. (Full story here)
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Exotic pets in U.S. may pose health risk
Exotic animals captured in the wild are streaming into the U.S. by the millions with little or no screening for disease, leaving Americans vulnerable to a virulent outbreak that could rival a terrorist act... More than 650 million critters — from kangaroos and kinkajous to iguanas and tropical fish — were imported legally into the United States in the past three years... Zoonotic diseases — those that jump to humans — account for three quarters of all emerging infectious threats... The Journal of Internal Medicine this month estimated that 50 million people worldwide have been infected with zoonotic diseases since 2000 and as many as 78,000 have died. (Read story here; includes many examples of specific problems and why the situation is likely to get worse in the USA)
Join us for lively debate and fun banter
Our ARGville Forum is a place to speak your mind, be it about serious topics such as Single-Payer National Health Insurance, or exchanging cheap gift ideas in Christmas aint cheap, as well as a slew of other topics.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Piecing Together the Infertility Puzzle
Couples With Infertility Problems Often Focus on a Woman's Biological Clock and Forget About the Male Contribution... It appears that men older than 35 are twice as likely to be infertile as men younger than 25. As men age, both the number and quality of their sperm decline — so older men become less likely to father a child and more likely to father a child with schizophrenia, Down syndrome, or other problems... men 40 years or older are almost six times more likely to have a child with an autism disorder than men younger than 30. Miscarriages also are more common as dad gets older... Given that 20 percent of couples are infertile because of abnormal or absent sperm and that 27 percent of infertile couples have a combination of male and female factors, it makes sense to evaluate a man's equipment, so to speak, sooner rather than later. (Full story here)
One Spoonful at a Time
This is an excellent article by Harriet Brown about her struggles with her daughter's bout with anorexia. It details her quest to find the best way to help her daughter, and the sacrifices involved in the process. The article is in the New York Times. It requires a free registration. If you don't have one and anorexia is a topic of interest to you, it's worth the trouble of registering.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
We worry about the wrong things
We agonize over avian flu, which to date has killed precisely no one in the United States, but have to be cajoled into getting vaccinated for the common flu, which contributes to the deaths of 36,000 Americans each year... We wring our hands over the mad cow pathogen that might be (but almost certainly isn't) in our hamburger and worry far less about the cholesterol that contributes to the heart disease that kills 700,000 of us annually... Shoppers still look askance at a bag of spinach for fear of E. coli bacteria while filling their carts with fat-sodden French fries and salt-crusted nachos... We pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk, yet we have a confounding habit of worrying about mere possibilities while ignoring probabilities, building barricades against perceived dangers while leaving ourselves exposed to real ones... At the same time, 20 percent of all adults still smoke; nearly 20 percent of drivers and more than 30 percent of backseat passengers don't use seat belts; two-thirds of us are overweight or obese. (Full story here)
Go Ahead, I Dare You
A new study asks why teenagers do stupid and dangerous things. The answers might surprise you... It has long been assumed (and taught) that teenagers do stupid things because they can’t think very far into the future and therefore can’t fathom harm or death. But... there is no evidence for the “myth of immortality.” ... if anything teenagers overestimate the risks of such things as drunk driving and unprotected sex. They just do them anyway. Why? Because they have weighed the risks and weighed the benefits and made a cold calculation that the benefits outweigh the risks. That benefit may be immediate pleasure, as with drugs and sugary foods, or the emotional connectedness that. (Read story here)
Saturday, November 25, 2006
To control your weight: shrink your stomach
Studies and anecdotal reports suggest that people who routinely consume large quantities of food have stomachs that can stretch tremendously... Turning the concept on its head, your aim... is a stomach that stretches less. "You can shrink your stomach by only permitting a certain volume of food at each meal,"... Split your meals into smaller servings to be spread through the day... If dining at a restaurant, "have them put aside half the meal before it's even served." (Full story here)
Friday, November 24, 2006
Few Americans favor abstinence-only sex ed
Most Americans, regardless of their political leanings, favor comprehensive sex education in schools over abstinence-only programs... Currently, the federal government champions the abstinence-only approach... 82 percent supported programs that discuss abstinence as well as other methods for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases... Even among self-described conservatives, 70 percent supported comprehensive sex ed. (Full story here)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Serve the best wine for the holidays
If you're looking to serve excellent wine for the holidays, Wine Spectator, the most popular and well-respected wine magazine has voted a 2001-vintage Brunello di Montalcino, from Italy, the Best Wine of 2006. The price varies, but in the USA be prepared to spend around $50.00, give or take $10.00, for each bottle.
Holiday gobbling weighs down students
If there are college kids at your Thanksgiving table, don't encourage them to gobble so much. New research suggests that the typical student leaves the holiday weekend as stuffed as the turkey, gaining more than a pound during the short break. Students who started out overweight or obese tended to waddle back to campus with even more weight — more than 2 additional pounds on average, the study found. (Full story here, including some tips to control your eating over the holidays)
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
How to Pick Safe Toys this Holiday Season
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a major toy recall. Mattel has recalled 4.4 million Polly Pocket magnetic play sets after three children reportedly swallowed tiny magnets in the toys and had to undergo surgery... the consumer commission offers a few tips: Make sure to look at the toy's label to see whether it is appropriate for the age of your child; If your child is under age 3, try to avoid toys with small parts that could cause choking; For children under the age of 6, small magnets could be dangerous because kids might swallow them; Even for older kids, those 8 and under, try to avoid toys that have sharp edges and points. (Full story here)
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Benefits of cranberries
Cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits... So far, research has found:• Drinking cranberry juice can block urinary infections by binding to bacteria so they can't adhere to cell walls. While women often drink unsweetened cranberry juice to treat an infection, there's no hard evidence that works.
• A compound... proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth; mouthwashes containing it are being developed to prevent periodontal disease.
• In some people, regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H. pylori bacteria, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers. (Full story here, includes more health benefits)
Monday, November 20, 2006
How to be the perfect houseguest
In our increasingly informal society, how do you decipher the rules of houseguest etiquette? Each friendship or family tie has its own blend of familiarity and propriety. Making yourself at home can seem friendly or impolite, depending on the details. A nice gesture -- say, pitching in with the after-dinner dishes -- can seem downright offensive to a host determined to spoil you. With the holidays fast approaching, here are some strategies for the modern houseguest: Communicate clearly beforehand; Don't overstay your welcome; Be flexible and listen to your host; Say thanks before, during and after the visit. (Full story here; includes specifics about each of the items listed)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Lexapro and pregnancy
Kristy, 25 from Jackson, MS asks: I am taking Lexapro 20 mg a day. Can this harm the baby? I feel bad for having to take it but without it I have severe panic attacks. (Visit Ask A Real Mom for a comprehensive answer)
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Casino Royale, the new James Bond movie
Put simple: This is the best James Bond movie ever! Oh I know, some of you will think this heresy. That no one compares to almighty Sean Connery and some of the early movies. I don’t care. I’ve seen them all and I say without hesitation: this is the best Bond movie ever made. (Go to Pop Culture for more about the review)
Friday, November 17, 2006
The truth about happiness may surprise you
"People have a lot of bad theories about happiness." So where do we go wrong? [Daniel] Gilbert, author of the recent book "Stumbling on Happiness," blames our culture, our genes and our imagination. Our culture implores us to buy bigger, newer, better things, but research shows "stuff" does not buy happiness. By and large, money buys happiness only for those who lack the basic needs. Once you pass an income of $50,000, more money doesn't buy much more happiness, Gilbert said... our imaginations fail us, Gilbert said, because when we envision different futures we see either perpetual gloom or happily ever-after scenarios. In fact, neither unhappiness nor joy last as long as we expect... So what makes us happy? In general, the older you get the happier you get -- until you reach very old age... The survey also found: Married people are happier than singles; College grads are happier than those without a college degree; People who were religious are happier than those who aren't; Sunbelt residents are happier than other U.S. residents; Republicans are happier than Democrats -- but both are happier than independents. [The survey was taken before November 7, no doubt. :) ] (Full story here)
Thursday, November 16, 2006
ARGville Forum: Seeking members
Come join our forum and help us make it a more lively place. We talk about many topics, but here is just a sample: Spiritual, Not Religious, Sex tape of Britney, What is it with Americans and their obsession with nipples?, The sickest Americans
Europeans OK anti-obesity charter
European health ministers from 53 countries approved the world's first charter to fight obesity on Thursday, vowing greater action against the epidemic of expanding waistlines across the continent... It is the first real attempt to compel national authorities to take concrete action to combat obesity... The prevalence of obesity in Europe has tripled in the past two decades; half of all adults and 20 percent of all children are overweight. (Full story here)
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Excerpt: 'You: On a Diet'
Most people cringe at the thought of going on a diet. But doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen say dieting doesn't have to be so hard. In their new book, "You: On a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management," the trusted doctors and best-selling authors reveal the secrets to shaving inches off waistlines everywhere.The book motivates readers with the most effective fat-burning tool: knowledge. By understanding how the body's fat-storing and fat-burning systems work, readers will learn how to crack the code on true and lifelong waist management. (Full story here, includes a fascinating look at the history of eating, dieting, and weight gain and loss.)
Are You Addicted to the Internet?
Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but "in terms of losses," said Maressa Hecht Orzack, a Harvard University professor and director of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., founded in 1995. "If it is a loss [where] you are not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result around it and this is something you can't handle, then it's too much." The Web site for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction: Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer; Craving more and more time at the computer; Neglect of family and friends; Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer; Lying to employers and family about activities; Inability to stop the activity; Problems with school or job. Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene and sleep disturbances. (Full story here)
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Eating nuts each day may keep the doctor away
There are at least four studies in the U.S. showing the impact of nuts on cardiovascular disease... Between them, these studies looked at hundreds of thousands of individuals and found that nuts can indeed decrease your risk of heart disease... Why are nuts good? It's felt that their plant protein and fiber have a cholesterol-lowering effect, that nuts are a great source of Vitamin E and have an antioxidant effect... So how many nuts do you need to help your heart? Even though the European study talked about eating 20 almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts twice a week, you could probably switch to eating eight of these nuts a day to get the same benefits. (Full story here)
Red meat may raise breast cancer risk
Eating red meat may raise a woman's risk of a common type of breast cancer... Women who ate more than 1 1/2 servings of red meat per day were almost twice as likely to develop hormone-related breast cancer as those who ate fewer than three portions per week... It may be wise to cut down on red meat because of its fat and calorie content.. but "this isn't a reason to become a vegetarian if you weren't planning to do that already." (Full story here; includes the results of a study on vitamin supplements.)
Monday, November 13, 2006
What's Going on in our Forum
Marie Antoinette Sucked - Comments about the current movie starring Kirsten DunstShe might get a few headaches - Woman gets shot in the head and lives.
Put yourself in this cop's place - Online cop tracking a pedophile witnesses a young child being molested.
Do weight-loss supplements work?
We’ve seen ads about products claiming to help us burn fat and shed pounds. Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom... offers advice: The unproven claims of products that tout quick weight loss may be unethical, but they are not illegal. These products are usually a bad idea either for your health, wallet — or both. But if you insist on taking them, at the very least, make sure the manufacturer provides an 800 consumer phone number you can call to ask questions about the product’s documented safety and purity. If you’re on prescription medications, check with your doctor before taking these products to avoid harmful interactions. Most of all, remember, when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. (Full story here with answers to common questions.)
Waltzing helps mend hearts
Italian researchers have come up with a novel way for cardiac rehabilitation patients to exercise their damaged hearts without having to squeeze into spandex or gyrate in a gym: waltzing. The dance proved to be just as effective as bicycle and treadmill training for improving exercise capacity in a study of 110 heart failure patients. Dancers also reported slightly more improvement in sleep, mood, and the ability to do hobbies, do housework and have sex than the others. "This may be a more effective way of getting people to exercise, and may be more fun than running on a treadmill." (Full story here)
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Most Useful Wine Book Ever
The Washington Post once described The Oxford Companion to Wine as "the greatest wine book ever published." That's a reasonable claim; it is without question the most useful wine book ever published. The third edition of the OCW has just landed here; if you have a more-than-casual interest in wine and don't own either of the previous editions, this is one instance in which your wine money—$65 of it, anyway—will be best spent on something to read. (Full story here)
Customers to shop by image on Web site
So you want those sleek pair of black boots worn by supermodel Tyra Banks or the bling bling sported by Paris Hilton? This holiday season, customers can get their chance with a new Web site called Like.com that bills itself as the first visual search engine, allowing consumers to search for items by appearance instead of just text and then purchase similar versions — at all price points — from 200 merchants' Web sites. (Full story here)
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Happy people catch fewer colds
People who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to catch colds and report fewer symptoms of the illness when they are under the weather. The new finding held true regardless of personality traits such as optimism, extraversion and self-esteem. A person’s age, race, gender, education and body mass also did not make a difference. (Full story here)
Are you a walking zombie?
If we can just get over that cultural hurdle that brands every napper as lazy and poorly motivated, maybe we can make some progress with an ailment that afflicts most Americans. According to volumes of research, few of us get enough sleep. The latest research is out of Stanford University, where scientists have found that staying awake for 24 hours "has the same effects as being legally drunk." (Full story here)
Friday, November 10, 2006
6 tips to keep your honeymoon sweet
The honeymoon is the big kahuna of travel, and it would be wise to remember that important marriage line: “Till death do us part”! You don’t want a honeymoon disaster hanging over your marriage for the next 60 years. So please, avoid the temptation to book an Internet special to some surprise destination. Instead, sit down with your soon-to-be-spouse and a travel agent. Work together as a trio and your idyllic week or more in paradise will go off without a hitch. Yes, there may be a fee, but it’s worth every penny. (Full story here, including six honeymoon tips to get you started)
401K Mistakes to Avoid
If your company offers a 401K plan, here are five mistakes you want to avoid: Not participating in it, not contributing enough, not investing for growth, borrowing from it, and cashing it out. Visit this site for more details about each mistake.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Carbs may be worse for heart than fatty foods
Eating a low-carb, high-fat diet for years doesn’t raise the risk of heart disease... The study... found that those who got lots of their carbohydrates from refined sugars and highly processed foods nearly doubled their risk of heart disease. At the same time, those who ate a low-carb diet but got more of their protein and fat from vegetables rather than animal sources cut their heart disease risk by 30 percent on average, compared with those who ate more animal fats. (Full story here)
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
I was a player before she got with me
LoKee, 17, asks: "Yes we cheated on each other, but she knew I was a player before she got with me... I'm not like that anymore and I do and try my very best to show her I love her. She knows I love her and she says she loves me too. I just feel like I'm the one getting played now, but I don't have any proof and like I said, I love the girl..." (Ask A Real Girl)
'Couchsurfing' travel takes off on Web
A number of Web sites have sprung up to help pair travelers searching for a place to crash and hosts with a spare couch. Sites like hospitalityclub.org, couchsurfing.com, globalfreeloaders.com and place2stay.net are often free, serving only as middlemen and offering tips on how to find successful matches... Sites do offer some safeguards to help members: Members can vouch for each other and leave references for someone they've stayed with or hosted, similar to eBay's rating system. But Web sites warn that they are not liable for any possible dangers that could arise between host and traveler. (Full story here)
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Borat has landed!
Movie Review: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. So, what's the hoopla all about? Is this movie worth all the attention it's getting? (Pop Culture)
Don't forget to vote!
If you live in the United States, are a citizen, and haven't cast your votes yet... don't forget to vote! Don't be one of those idiots that think voting doesn't matter. It does matter.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Out to Lunch
According to Business Week, prepackaged lunches are a $750 million-a-year industry... Despite some efforts to make them healthier, most of these meals are high in fat, sodium, and harmful additives. Are prepared meals that much worse than a homemade lunch? (Full story here; includes tests and reviews by a panel of 10 experts of 9 popular prepackaged lunches)
Professor Studies Mind-Stomach Link
Cornell University marketing professor Brian Wansink... wants to know if people grab more M&M's from a bowl if there are more colors (yes), if people tend to eat less popcorn at comic films like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" than during gloomy films (yes) and whether people are tuned into the subtle prompts like mood and setting that affect their eating (generally, no)... Wansink argues that a good way to lose weight is not by obsessing over carbs or banning trans fats, but by addressing dietary "hidden persuaders." He lays out the case in his new book, "Mindless Eating, Why We Eat More than We Think We Eat.""So much of the answer lies not in counting calories, not in legislating, but in the middle range of what we can do by changing some of our own habits. (Full story here)
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Check out our discussion forum
Join our forum to discuss just about anything on your mind. These are some of the topics currently under discussion: Scott Peck's Stages of Development; Never had a gay relationship with anybody; global sex trends; Marie Antoinette Sucked; Put yourself in this cop's place
Before you rush to drink wine by the bottle
A substance in wine, grape skins, and peanuts might protect you from the harmful effects of a fatty diet. Mice that were fed the substance, resveratrol, with a fatty diet got just as fat as mice that ate the same diet without resveratrol. But they didn't get the same heart damage, liver damage, or pre-diabetic blood changes... Rash conclusions: 1) Now you can eat all the ice cream you want! 2) Drink more wine! 3) Buy resveratrol pills and live 10 years longer! Researchers' warnings: 1) You'd need about 1,000 bottles of red wine a day to get as much resveratrol as we gave the mice. 2) Wait till we find out whether it works in humans. 3) And wait till we make sure it's safe for you. 4) The safer course is to eat healthy food.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Why Young People May Shun Condoms
Social and cultural factors, not just unavailability or ignorance, influence why young people do not use condoms... Some sexually active under 25s associate condoms with a lack of trust, while others believe carrying them could imply sexual experience, which might be a plus for men but not necessarily for women... young people assess a potential partner's disease risk, and the need for a condom, by their appearance and how well they know them socially. (Full story here)
Friday, November 03, 2006
No soup for you!
The practice is particularly crude and cruel, critics say. The "finners" pull the sharks onto the boat, hack off some or all of their four fins, then throw the shark, usually still alive, back into the water. Unable to swim, the sharks sink to the bottom of the sea and die... The fins are sold primarily to China for shark fin soup, considered a delicacy and a symbol of affluence... Demand for shark fins has increased with China's economic growth.. with the creation of a new middle class in China with disposable income, what was once rare is now common at weddings and corporate banquets... Conservationists estimate some shark populations have declined as much as 80 percent or more in the last 50 years. While there may be a variety of reasons for that decline, they say the shark fin market is only making the situation worse. (Full story here)
Expert Predicts How Diet and Nutrition Will Change in 25 Years
Dark chocolate, long recognized as both a rich indulgence and a health food, will dominate stores and homes alike... The optimal dose of red wine will be known, and its health effects relative to other libations will be fully elaborated... nutritionists will be able to determine the optimal dose of vitamin E. Trans fat will have been eliminated entirely from the food supply. Food-borne infections will have been drastically reduced by use of bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria) and radiation. Of course, this will be after years spent convincing the public that these techniques are indeed safe. (Full story here)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Forget Cancun! Forget Jamaica!
Did you know that the new "in" place to go on vacation is Iraq? Well, I didn't know that until one of our conservative visitors made this statement: "Tourism, however, goes on and most of iraq is safe and secure". Do you agree? Disagree? To join this discussion visit this topic: The debate is over: Iraq is a monumental disaster
Divorced Women Have More Illness
Women may give up more than a husband by divorcing they may also lose some of their good health, according to a study... it appears there is a link between the higher number of physical illnesses and the different stresses associated with divorce, including financial problems, demotions, layoffs and parenting problems... divorced women, especially in rural areas, have poor job opportunities and fewer support systems... the women also suffer stress from having to make changes in housing, insurance, transportation and time with children. (Full article here)
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Study dispels some sexual behavior myths
In the first comprehensive global study of sexual behavior, British researchers found that people aren't losing their virginity at ever younger ages, married people have the most sex, and there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. (Full article here)