Give Stress a Rest

According to Jeffery Crupi, the owner of the Peak Fitness Gym in Westpoint, CT., when we physically exert ourselves, our bodies release endorphins, a "feel good" substance. When it comes to combating stress, every bit of exercise counts. Listed below are a few suggestions to incorporate into a routine exercise program and will help relieve stress.

Aerobic Activity

1. Walking - just 20 minutes of brisk walking can provide stress relief

2. Aerobic classes - Some people need the stimulation that an aerobic class has to offer: music, people, bright lights, etc.

3. Biking or running - take long bike rides or short jogs. Consider forming a bike club.

Household Chores

1. Gardening - Carrying bags of soil, planting, weeding, and watering plants can give you a moderate workout.

2. Lawn Mowing - Using a push lawn mower can give you a workout especially if you have a large yard.

3. Washing Cars - Skip the car wash and do it the old-fashioned hand and sponge method.

Yoga

The stretching and strength exercise in yoga class can help relieve stress.

Just 20 minutes of exercise a day can greatly reduce your stress. If you have stress in your life, you can't be the best spouse, parent, worker, or friend. So, try to find a way to relieve the stress in your life with aerobics, house chores, or yoga. Your family and your health will be glad you did.

Healthy Meals and Snacks

Kids are always hungry. Melinda Johnson, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and owner of the company Nutrition for Slackers (http://www.slackersnutrition.blogspot/ ), suggest quick, easy, and healthy ideas for meals and snacks for kids.


Morning Starters:
1. Oatmeal made with skim milk and raisins
2. Frozen waffles with frozen berries and walnuts
3. String cheese with a piece of fruit and wheat crackers
4. Scrambled eggs with low-fat cheese wrapped in a tortilla
5. Hummus with celery sticks and wheat pita
6. Toasted English muffin with tomato sauce and cheese
7. Fruit smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt

Afternoon Snack
1. Fresh whole fruit
2. Low-fat string cheese
3. Prepackaged fruit cup in fruit juice or water
4. Homemade trail mix
5. Carrot/celery sticks with low-fat ranch
6. Oatmeal-raisin cookie

Evening Snack
1. Small bowl of cereal with skim milk
2. Plain yogurt with honey and sunflowers
3. Cottage cheese with pineapples
4. Hot chocolate made with skim milk
5. Slice of wheat toast with nut butter
6. 1 cup of air-popped corn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese

A Gift of Forgiveness

A gift you can give yourself this season is the gift of forgiveness. It is astounding the benefits for both your body and soul forgiveness will bring. Better yet, showing your children how to forgive will be a tool they can utilize for the rest of their lives.

Although there is no single path to forgiveness, here are expert guidelines to follow according to December 2009, "Good House Keeping" magazine:

1. Allow yourself to feel anger before trying to let go of the hurt and how you can protect yourself in the future.

2. Talk about it with a trusted friend or therapist. Not only can this help you sort out how you feel, it can also allow you to see alternative viewpoints.

3. Calm yourself when you start feeling upset. It can help to go for a walk or do something else to calm down. Practicing meditation helps reduce stress and enhance a person's ability to forgive.

4. Empathize with the person who hurt you. Put yourself in the shoes of the person who hurt you, or recall a time that you hurt someone and were forgiven.

5. Remind yourself that forgiveness is a gift to yourself. It is easy to think of your own self-interest rather than the interest of a person who wounded you.

6. Commit to forgiveness. Once you feel like you've reached a turning point, write it down or tell someone - a friend, your spouse, or the person who hurt you. Forgiveness is easier to hold on to if it goes beyond the privacy of your own heart.

7. Relish the release. The sense of peace feels so good.

Teach your children the value of forgiveness. It can change everyones' lives for the better.

Eating As A Family

When I was growing up we had dinner every evening at five o'clock and you better not be late! Now a days families are lucky if they eat as a family even once a week. With so many cooking shows on TV and 30 minute meals in cookbooks, there are no excuses for not eating and sitting down together as much as possible.

It might be a struggle to get everyone to the dinner table for a family meal.  Keep at it, your hard work is paying off, according to an article from "Better Homes and Gardens", March 2010 article. Adolescents who participated in regular family meals five or more times a week reported healthier diets than kids from families who rarely eat together. Their meal patterns were better too, setting them up for a healthier adult future. Below are ways to get the family to sit together for meals:

Involve everyone in the process:

1. Let everyone suggest their favorite meals.

2. Make a weekly menu together.

3. Cook together or pair up with different family members.

4. Have weekly or monthly cook-off competitions.

5. Older children can try and cook their own meals.

6. With everyone participating cooking will hopefully be more exciting and inviting

7. Try Annabel Karmel's new, "Top 100 Finger Foods", for easy kid-teen-tween friendly recipes.

8. Determine that dinnertime will be a relaxing time to talk and enjoy each others' company.

Tips On Managing Stress

According to the May 2010 Good Housekeeping issue, for those crazed, heart-racing moments, breathing deeply for a minute or so can lower your stress level. But to decrease overall anxiety and boost confidence, practice daily for 15 to 20 minutes (start with 10 and work your way up). Health experts at Harvard suggest three different methods; use whichever feels most comfortable to you.

1. Simple Break - Take a normal breath followed by a slow, deep breath, letting the air come in through your nose to fill your lower belly. Now breathe out through your mouth or nose. Alternate normal and deep breaths.

2. Hand on Belly - Put one hand just below your belly button and breathe deeply. Feel your hand rise about an inch each time you inhale and fall about an inch when you exhale.

3. Multisystem- Close your eyes. Imagine that each inhale washes relaxation into your body and each exhale carries tension away. To reinforce the effect, as you inhale say (to yourself), "Breathing in peace and calm" and as you exhale say, "Breathing out tension and anxiety."

Teach your children less stress techniques. It might help them in stressful situations to have breathing techniques to incorporate so they can learn to bring down their stress levels.

Two new studies show that kids who watch movies depicting alcohol consumption are more likely to begin drinking or binge drink. Here are some tips to keep kids sober:

1. Know the Number.  Restrict the number of PG-13 flicks your tween can watch and R-rated movies your teen can see to three a week, even during the summer, advises James Sargent, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and an author of both studies.  In my opinion, I would make that once or week or not at all. 

2. Create Boundaries.  Make it clear that booze at their age is against the rules and will not be tolorated. Know their friends and monitor what your tween and teens are doing.  Let them know you are checking up on their activities and expect them to use good judgement.

3.  Model Behavior.  Enjoy the health benefits of alcohol.  You must be the example and don't drink or over indulge in drinking in front of your children. Remember they will do what they see.

Kids and Sports Injuries

According to an article from the July 2012 issue of Family Circle magazine, practice makes perfect.  But kids who spend too much time training can be at risk for overuse injuries such as torn tendons and stress fractures.  Common in adults, these are now showing up in children.  "Parents and coaches are pushing kids at an earlier age, hoping they'll can become star athletes," says Stephen Rice, M.D., a pediatric sports medicine physician at Jersey Shore University Medical Center who coauthored recent guidelines for young baseball and softball players.  "Reduce your athlete's chances of getting hurt by watching out for:

1.  Pushy coaches - Kids can have trouble telling authority figures they're being worked too hard.  Check that your child isn't exhausted post-practice, losing motivation or experiencing lasting soreness.

2.  Too many teams - Let your child's coaches know about any other teams your child is on so they can adjust the workout accordingly, like having the child throw fewer pitches or swim fewer laps.

3. Sports camps - Kids in summer programs my drill five to eight hours a day.  This huge increase in activity doesn't allow them to slowly condition their muscles.  Ask the camp for a training schedule so your child can gradually ramp up the activity three weeks in advance.

4. Ignored injuries - Once pain gets intense, recovery takes longer.  Better for your child to rest before an injury starts to affect their performance instead of paying through it.  Explain to your kid the importance of telling the coach about pain and scaling back until they feel better. 

Sugar Needs A Warning Labels

Health report says sugar needs its own scary warning labels

Capping off a week of mind-bending health news, a "60 Minutes" report airing on April 1 sets its sights on the toxicity of sugar. On the heels of stories on how chocolate keeps us slim and mummy poop may solve the obesity damage done by chlorinated water and antibiotics, "60 Minutes" is reporting that sugar is no better than high-fructose corn syrup, contributing to heart disease, diabetes and even helping cancer tumors grow due to increased insulin production. Dr. Robert Lustig calls it a "public health crisis" and suggests that sugar should be regulated and include warning labels similar to those used for tobacco and alcohol.

Coffee or Tea?

Drink to Your Health

by Rachel Meltzer Warren

Coffee or tea - take your pick.  According to an article from the March 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, new research shows that both deliver unexpected health pulses.  A 2011 Harvard study, for example, found that female coffee drinkers who averaged four cups a day cut their risk of endometrial cancer 25% and, with more than three cups of caffeinated java, lowered their odds of basal-cell carcinoma 20%.  Tea, contains cancer-fighting antioxidants.  The beverages may also be mood boosters, with coffee linked to a decreased risk of depression and tea to less anxiety.  To get the most from your morning mug.

1.  Go for the High-Octane (I you can) -   The health bonuses haven't been found as consistently in decaf versions of coffee and tea.  But since regular coffee can pack as much as 200 mg of caffeine per eight-ounce cup (depending on the bean and the way it's brewed) and tea can go up to 60 mg per cup, stick with decaf if you have a GI issue like irritable bowel syndrome or acid reflux, Ditto if you suffer from anxiety or sleep disturbances - or if you're simply sensitive to caffeine.  You'll still get some benefit from other compounds in your brew, such as the antioxidant chlorogenic acid in coffee.

2. Skip the Creamer - Adding non-dairy creamer and sugar to coffee interferes with the absorption of anti-oxidants, a Swiss study suggested.  Also, creamers are often made with partially hydrogenated oils, which contain heart-damaging trans fats.  To lighten your coffee, use cow's milk or soy or almond milk instead.

3. Take Your Tea Black - Adding milk may blunt its heart-health benefits, a German study found.  And speaking of black, green tea may be the health star, but all members of the Camellia sinensis family - black, white, and oolong tea, as well as green- have health benefits, including aiding in fighting infections and slowing cognitive decline.

4. Favor Filters - Coffee brewed without a paper filter - in French press or espresso pot, for example - retains an oily residue that contains cafestol, a substance that raises levels of heart-damaging LDL cholesterol. You could-if you're addicted to your French press - pour your coffee through a paper filter into a cup.  Or, just save special brews for an occasion - breakfast in bed, anyone?

FDA Approves First Influenza Vaccine

FDA Approves First Influenza Vaccine That Protects Against 4 Strains

Accroding to an article by CBS News Staff, the first flu vaccine of its kind that protects against four influenza strains has been approved by the FDA, the agency announced this week.

PICTURES: Do flu shots cause the flu? 12 influenza vaccine myths busted

The FluMist Quadrivalent vaccine from AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit protects against two strains of influenza A and two strains of influenza B, and is approved for people ages 2 to 49. Similar to the previously approved FluMist, the new vaccine is a nasal spray that delivers weakened strains of the virus.

Previously, all flu vaccines contained two strains of influenza A and one strain of influenza B, chosen annually by medical experts based on their potential to spread the virus. Having an extra strain of influenza B increases the likelihood that the vaccine will protect against illness, the FDA said in a statement.

Skip the flu vaccine? "There's no excuse," says CDC

"Illness caused by Influenza B virus affects children, particularly young and school-aged, more than any other population," said Dr. Karen Midthun, director of the FDA's biologics center.

The severity of illness and death due to influenza varies widely from season to season, which is why vaccination is the best method of protection, according to the FDA. Between 1976 and 2007, flu-related deaths have ranged from an estimated low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people, the agency said.

Are there side effects? The FDA says side effects are the same as the older FluMist and include runny or stuffy nose, headaches, and sore throats.

Besides the flu vaccine, there are everyday actions a person can take to reduce their risk, according to the CDC. Those actions include washing your hands with soap and water, avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth (this is how germs spread), and avoid close contact with sick people. If you're sick with a flu-like virus, stay home for 24 hours after your fever is gone.

Fitness For Kids: Getting Children Off the Couch

Fitness For Kids: Getting Children Off the Couch

Direct your child's energy into a lifelong love of physical activity.

According to an article from MayoClinic.com, family health is an important and far-reaching topic, and we all want the best for our families. Included in this section are health articles and tips from respected leaders in the medical field in areas including men's, women's, and kid's health, pregnancy, and aging.

For many kids, biking to the playground and playing kickball in the backyard have given way to watching television, playing video games and spending hours online. But it's never too late to get your child off the couch. Use these simple tips to give your child a lifelong appreciation for activities that strengthen his or her body.


Set a good example
Your active lifestyle can be a powerful stimulus for your child. If you want an active child, be active yourself. You can't just "talk" activity — you need to make activity a priority for yourself as well. Go for a brisk walk, ride your bike or take a yoga class. Better yet, invite your family to play catch or to join you on a walk. Talk about physical activity as an opportunity to take care of your body, rather than a punishment or a chore. Praise, reward and encourage activity. You might even set goals and have everyone track their activities and progress.

Wonder how much physical activity is enough? Consider these guidelines from the Department of Health and
Human Services:

Kids. Children and adolescents age 6 and older need at least an hour a day of physical activity. Most of the hour should be either moderate or vigorous aerobic activity. In addition, children should participate in muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week. Many classic activities — such as playing on playground equipment and jumping rope — cover all the bases at once.

Adults. Most healthy adults need at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or swimming, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity, such as running — preferably spread throughout the week. Adults also need strength training exercises at least twice a week.

Limit screen time
A surefire way to increase your child's activity level is to limit the number of hours he or she spends in front of a screen — including television, video games and online activities. For example, you might consider a limit of one or two hours a day and, for a better night's sleep, no screen time in the hour before bed. To make it easier, don't put a television in your child's bedroom, don't watch television while you're eating dinner, and restrict computers and other electronic gadgets to a family area. Also consider limiting other sedentary activities, such as text messaging or chatting on the phone.

If your child plays video games, opt for those that require movement. Activity-oriented video games — such as dance video games and video games that use a player's physical movements to control what happens on the screen — boost a child's calorie-burning power. In a Mayo Clinic study, kids who traded sedentary screen time for active screen time more than doubled their energy expenditure.

Establish a routine
Set aside time each day for physical activity. Get up early with your child to walk the dog or take a walk together after dinner. Start small, gradually adding new activities to the routine as you — and your child — become more fit.

Let your child set the pace
For many kids, organized sports are a great way to stay fit. But team sports or dance classes aren't the only options. If your child is artistically inclined, take a nature hike to collect leaves and rocks for use in a collage. If your child likes to climb, head for the nearest jungle gym. If your child likes to read, walk or bike to a local library for a book. Or simply turn on your child's favorite music and dance in the living room. Get creative as you search for activities your child enjoys.

Promote activity, not exercise
To keep your child interested in fitness, make it fun:

Get in the game. Play catch, get the whole family involved in a game of tag or have a jump-rope contest. Try classic movement games such as Simon says or red light, green light. If you don't remember the rules, make up your own!

Try an activity party. For your child's next birthday, schedule a bowling party, take the kids to a climbing wall or set up relay races outside.

Put your child in charge. Let your child choose an activity of the day or week. Batting cages, bowling and neighborhood play areas all count. What matters is that you're doing something active.

Give the gift of activity. Offer activity-related equipment, games or outings as gifts and rewards — both for your child and others.

Remember, incorporating physical activity into your child's life does much more than promote a healthy weight. It sets the foundation for a lifetime of fitness and good mental and physical health.

Two Tests You Need!

I have a birthday next month, and it is hard to believe that I am getting older.  I finally decided to get my health and weight under control.  So, in October 2011, I joined Weight Watchers.  I am determined to change the way I eat and not to return to my bad eating habits.  I went for a complete check-up and found that not only my blood pressure is high but my cholesterol was elevated.  This made my getting my diet under control even more important.  In just four months, I have lowered my cholesterol from 237 to 204.  The doctor told me I no longer have to go on cholesterol medication.  I still am controlling my blood pressure with medication, but once again determined to get that under control with diet and exercise.  I have lost 25 pounds and looking forward to losing 25 more. 

Below are some interesting tips from an article in the February 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping magazines about checking your cholesterol and blood pressure. 

Cholesterol Check

How often should you have your cholesterol check?  At least every five years, more frequently if you're over 50 (45 for men)  or have any heart risk factors like a family history of the disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, being overweight, or smoking.

Make it reliable - While you can pop over to a local health fair, you may get only your total reading, not the breakdown of bad LDL and good HDL cholesterol levels or triglycerides.  Also, even if you're given a breakdown, your LDL and triglyceride readings may not be reliable if you haven't fasted for the previous nine to 12 hours.

Blood Pressure Measurement

How often should you take your blood press?  At least every two years, and more frequently if your pressure goes above 120/80.

Make it more reliable and take it yourself.  Then discuss your readings with your doctor before starting any treatment.  In a recent Spanish study of 8,295 patients, more than one-third of those thought to have hard-to-treat high blood pressure were actually suffering from "white-coat hypertension," pressure-raising anxiety triggered by the medical surroundings. 

Let Greens Outsmart Your Genes

According to an article from the February 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, whether good or bad, you can't change the DNA your mom and dad passed on to you, but it turns out you can keep some dangerous genes from undermining your heart health.  In two large international studies, researchers looked at heart disease rates in people with gene variations on chromosome 9 (known to significantly increase odds). 

Sure enough, people with the risky variations had more heart disease, but here's the kicker: That was true only if they also ate a crummy diet (the investigators referred to their eating as "none-prudent").  Those who followed the healthiest diets had no more heart disease than those without the risky gene variations.  That involved consuming serveral servings a day of two out of the following categories - fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and berries.  The most powerful food: raw veggies.  So pass the raw carrots and cucumbers on your leafy greens.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 4

Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things that Might Really Cause Autism

Jan 7, 2011

7:28 PM ET
By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

"People are going to manifest the disorder in different ways, and that could be because there are different sets of genes, [or] different sets of environmental factors," that contribute to how the disorder presents itself, said Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization that funds autism research.

Here are #3-5 findings and ideas from scientists about what might really cause this mysterious condition.

3. Pharmaceuticals
Babies that have been exposed to certain pharmaceuticals in the womb, including valproic acid and thalidomide, have been found to have a higher risk of autism.

Thalidomide is a drug that was first used in the 1950s to treat morning sickness, anxiety and insomnia. The drug was withdrawn from the market after it was linked with birth defects, but is currently prescribed for a severe skin disorder and as a treatment for cancer.

Valproic acid is a medication prescribed for seizures, mood disorders and bipolar disorder, according to the NIH.

4. Parental age
As parents grow older, they have a higher risk of having children with autism, Halladay said.

A study published last February found that women who are 40 years old have a 50 percent greater risk of having a child with autism than women who are between 20 and 29 years old.

Researchers aren't sure why parental age may influence autism risk, but it might be related to genetic mutations that occur in the sperm or the egg as parents grow older, Halladay said.

5. The development of the brain
Particular areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum, have been implicated in autism, Mao said. These brain areas are thought to be responsible for concentration, movement and mood regulation.

Irregularities in the levels of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, have also been tied to autism, Mao said. Problems regulating dopamine can lead to problems with concentration and movement disabilities, while troubles controlling serotonin levels can result in mood problems.

Research advances
While scientists cannot say definitively what causes autism, they have come a long way in the last decade, Halladay said.

For example, researchers originally thought there might be just a single gene or a few environmental factors that are linked to autism, but now evidence has shown there are likely to be more.

"I think our knowledge has increased, and the way that we go about looking for potential genes and environmental candidates has improved," Halladay said.

"We're thinking about a new model — it's not just going to be just one gene or one environmental factor, it's more complex than that," she said.

Ain't That Sweet!

According to Sora Song, from chocolateinfo.com, new research shows the hidden benefits of eating dark chocolate.  Medical science has cooked up two sweet reasons to eat chocolate, as long as it's dark chocolate. Two small studies suggest that dark chocolate may offer such benefits as lower blood pressure and higher levels of disease and age-defying chemicals called antioxidants.  As if you needed and excuse.  I know I don't need any excuses.

Researchers have long known that cocoa beans contain a class of chemicals called flavonoids, which are also found in fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine.  Previous studies suggest that flavonoids raise levels of HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and act as potent antioxidants, protecting cells from free-radical damage, which can contribute to aging, heart disease, and certain cancers.

The plain truth is that chocolate's antioxidants and flavonoids are also found in more healthful packages, like fruits and vegetables, that offer nutrients, vitamins and fiber, none of which are in chocolate.  Modertion, as always, is the key.  "You shoudl not think that by gorging yourself on chocolate, you're going to be doing yourself any good," says Alan Crozier of the University of Glasgow. "But if you like chocolate anyway, make it dark chocolate, and it could well be healthy."

The Obesity Charge

According to Sharon Epperson, a correspondent for CNBC, being overweigth puts a burden on your wallet as well as your health.  Tipping the scales at well above your ideal weight is not just a personal health problem.  It also has a monetary cost that falls heavily on both the 64% of American adults who are obese and society at large.

Overweight and obese Americans spend $700 more a year on medical bills than those who are not overweight.  That comes to a total of about $93 billion in extra medical expenses a year, says economist Eric Finkelstein of  RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Many of these cost are passed on to all Americans in the form of greater premium and co-payments for health-insurance plans.  Plus, notes Finkelstein, the average taxpayer shells out $250 to $200 a year to finance obesity-related medical expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. 

Many Americans who are carrying extra pounds are saddled with additional expenses, ranging from higher priced clothing to the second seat an airline may charge them for flying.  To make matters worse, they are often stuck paying these extra bills with a limited income: studies show the obese receive lower wages than the average worker.  So the "fat tax" of increased insurance premiums and medical cost often falls on a slender wallet.

Better Fish to "Fry"

According to an article in the July 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping, you should be eating at least two servings of fish per week, but don't count on fried fillets for the health perks.  Fish used for frying tend to be lean varieties that aren't high in healthful omega-3 fats.  Plus, frying depletes the omega-3 that are there.  Instead, enjoy crispy oven-fried pollock, which packs 600mg of fish fats per serving.  Below find a quick and easy recipe for crispy-oven pollock.

Recipe

In a a pie plate, whisk 2 large egg whites with a fork just until frothy.   Place 3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs on waxed paper.  Sprinkle 4 pollock fillets (4oz. each) with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Dip each fillet into egg whites, then coat with bread crumbs.  Arrange on a baking sheet coated with nonstick spray.  Broil 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning over once.  Serves 4.

Tip 9: Eat Healthy Meals

Continuing along the same topic as tip # 8 on health, tip #9 has to do with getting the right nutrition.

Tip # 9: Make sure your family is eating balanced and healthy meals.

The first thing you want to make sure your child is getting a good breakfast. This can be at home or at school. If your child eats breakfast at home make sure it is not full of sugar and empty calories. A good guide would be a serving of fruit, protein, and grains. (example: small glass of orange juice, a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of low fat milk, and a piece of toast or bagel). If your child eats breakfast at school, check the school menu and make sure your child is going to eat what is offered and that the meals the school is offering is balanced and healthy. This goes for lunch and dinner. Try not to eat processed foods and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Only eat at fast food restaurants on rare occasions and get your child use to eating at home or making healthy choices when eating out. A healthy mind and body will learn and retain more at school.

Addition By Subtraction

According to Dr. Robert J. Leon , cardiovascular disease specialist, patients in his office ask the question, "What vitamins or pill would you recommend to improve my health?" And his answer is always the same: addition by subtraction!  That's because Dr. Leon believes that before you add anything to your health routine your should take a hard look at what things can be taken away.  Below are Dr. Leon's tips:

1. If you smoke, nothing is more important than stopping this habit.  No amount of Pilate's or novel concoctions is likely to reverse the harm of nicotine.

2. If you are overweight, losing 10 pounds will have tremendous positive effects on your cardiovascular health, blood pressure, insulin levels and overall well being, not to mention the fact that you will feel better.

3. A simple 30-minute daily exercise regimen, which can be as simple as walking or as complex as circuit training, is invaluable in maintaining your overall health fitness.

4. If you have hypertension or diabetes , monitor your blood pressure or blood glucose levels.

5. If you suffer from stress, get a hobby or meet with friends to relax. 

6. You should read, do puzzles, or play chess to keep your mind sharp.  Turn off the TV and stimulate your mind in other ways.

If you said "yes" to questions 1 through 5 or  "no" to 6, don't think Dr. Leon can prescribe a magic pill.  You have some work to do. Then he can talk about vitamins.

When Less is More

In an article in the GoodHealth section of the July 2011 Good Housekeeping magazine, women undergoing a lumpectomy for breast cancer generally have the key "sentinel" node removed.  If it shows signs of cancer, more nodes are taken out, leaving patients vulnerable to painful arm swelling. 

But a study of 891 women at 115 medical sites, researchers found that extensive removal may not be necessary:  Whole-breast radiation and other therapies, routine after lumpectomy, treated cancer in the remaining node and survival rates were just as high.