Health Nut

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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • Novelist says girls are ready to have babies at 14
  • Too little sleep linked to increased belly fat
  • To buy happiness, book a plane ticket
  • Top 10 College Majors For Women

Top Stories

Sex infection frankness is 'key to long relationship' (BBC) - Young people think frank conversations about their sex lives signal that a relationship will last, says a survey.  The government-funded Populus poll of more than 1,200 15 to 24-year-olds cited talking about sexual infections and a person's sexual past as key.  They even thought this was a better sign of a relationship getting serious than meeting parents.  But 73% admitted that they did not talk about sexually transmitted diseases before having sex with a new partner.  And 30% said they felt uncomfortable asking a new partner to use a condom.  (Read more)

A Hidden Trigger of Obesity: Intestinal Bugs (TIME) - If you're fighting the battle of the bulge, most of your attention - and frustration - is probably aimed at your midsection. It makes sense, since that's where the extra pounds tend to gravitate, especially with the creep of middle age, piling on to form that dreaded spare tire.  But a growing body of research suggests there's another, less visible reason to focus on your gut if you want to lose weight. Scientists led by Andrew Gewirtz at Emory University reveal that your intestines harbor a universe of bacteria - the so-called gut microbiota - that may play an important role in whether your body will store the food you eat as extra pounds.  (Read more)

In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie? (NY TIMES) - The basic formula for gaining and losing weight is well known: a pound of fat equals 3,500 calories.  That simple equation has fueled the widely accepted notion that weight loss does not require daunting lifestyle changes but "small changes that add up," as the first lady, Michelle Obama, put it last month in announcing a national plan to counter childhood obesity.  In this view, cutting out or burning just 100 extra calories a day - by replacing soda with water, say, or walking to school - can lead to significant weight loss over time: a pound every 35 days, or more than 10 pounds a year.  While it's certainly a hopeful message, it's also misleading.  (Read more)

Young marijuana smokers at higher risk for psychoses (CNN) - Teenage marijuana smokers are at higher risk for developing psychoses -- such as schizophrenia, hallucinations and delusions -- compared with those who don't smoke marijuana, a new study says. ... "We looked at the association between how old they were when they first started to use cannabis. And then, on the other hand, we looked at how their mental health was and, in particular, whether they had psychotic disorders or isolated symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. And indeed we found a highly significant relationship," said psychiatrist John McGrath, a professor at the Brain Institute, the study's lead researcher.  "For those who started using cannabis when they were 14 or 15, they had about a two-fold risk of schizophrenia."  (Read more)

'Alcopops' only look innocent, hook kids on booze (SEATTLE TIMES) - The alcohol industry has found ways to make its products attractive to kids, and parents may not realize what it is their children are drinking.  So-called "alcopops" taste like fruit juice but can contain as much booze, or more, than some beers. Girls, in particular, love the sweet malt punch.  Other beverages are packaged to look like popular energy drinks, but contain liquor.  "One of the big trends we are seeing is with alcopops. We've had clients who don't even realize they are alcohol," said Tiffanie Ferguson, an adolescent program coordinator at Akron, Ohio's Community Health Center.  (Read more)


Multimedia

Do you suffer from SAD? (MSNBC) - Dr. Roshini Raj speaks with TODAY's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb about seasonal affective disorder and the real effects winter weather can have on your mood.  (Watch video)

Sleep shortage takes its toll (MSNBC) - It seems easy enough: You're tired, you lay down, put your head on a pillow and sleep. But for many, it's not that simple. NBC's Robert Bazell reports.  (Watch video)

What's behind those hefty charges? (CBC) - (Canada) Does shock, anger or confusion best describe your reaction to your cellphone bill?   (Watch video)

Fitness helps with academics (CNN) - A new study finds that being physically fit can help with academic performance as CNN's Christi Paul reports.  (Watch video)

More children getting bifocals (MSNBC) - A new study suggests bifocals may be the best choice for children with worsening myopia. KNSD-TV's Monica Dean reports.  (Watch video)

Low-fat vs. low-carb (CNN) - Low-carb and low-fat diet results are about the same long term. Susan Hendricks reports.  (Watch video)

Rental cars are sometimes vile vehicles (MSNBC) - Lab results show that some rental cars contains as much contamination as that found in public restrooms. NBC's Jeff Rossen exposes secret filth.  (Watch video)

Safe sex PSA: Men are jerks! (SALON) - Are stereotypes about young dudes really the best way to encourage contraceptive use?  (Watch video)

Study: Kids over-exposed to sexual images (MSNBC) - A London-based study says children and young people were exposed to growing amounts of "hyper-sexualized images." NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.  (Watch video)

Lifestyle

Top 10 College Majors For Women (FORBES) - Business is the No. 1 college major for women and men, according to a recent AAUW (formerly known as the American Association of University Women) analysis of the Department of Education's "Condition of Education 2009" report, the most recent data available. Business degrees now comprise 18% of all degrees awarded to women, nearly twice as much as the No. 2 most popular major, health professions and clinical sciences.  But despite more women moving into this field of study, there is a continuing gender imbalance in the majority of undergraduate college majors.  (Read more)

Find Happiness At Work (FORBES) - In her new book Happiness At Work (Wiley-Blackwell), Jessica Pryce-Jones calculates that workers will spend an average of 90,000 hours at work in their lifetimes. In an attempt to make that time more pleasant, she pinpoints the major elements that contribute to a person's happiness or discontent. She believes if a worker has high levels of confidence, commitment, conviction, contribution and culture fit, paired with feelings of recognition, pride and trust in the company, they will achieve their potential at work.  "These items are low right now because of the economic climate we're in," says Pryce-Jones. "I'd advise thinking about the tasks and relationships in your job that you really enjoy, and figure out how to maximize them."  (Read more)

To Impress, Tufts Prospects Turn to YouTube (NY TIMES) - There are videos showing off card tricks, horsemanship, jump rope and stencils - and lots of rap songs, including one by a young woman who performed two weeks after oral surgery, with her mouth still rubber-banded shut.  ... It is reading season at the Tufts University admissions office, time to plow through thousands of essays and transcripts and recommendations - and this year, for the first time, short YouTube videos that students could post to supplement their application.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Breast ironing, a painful practice for Cameroon's girls (WASHINGTON POST) - The phenomenon gained some international attention in 2006, thanks to a campaign by a nonprofit organization. Since then, the State Department has included breast ironing in its annual reports on human rights abroad. But despite the increased attention, the practice persists. It affects as many as one in four girls, according to local health activists. Some mothers massage hot grinding-stones into their daughters' chests, while others pound the tissue with heated plantain peels. Sometimes, women rub kerosene or medicinal herbs on adolescent breasts.   To understand what would drive a mother to press a hot stone into her daughter's chest, I talked to local women, girls, physicians and community organizers.  (Read more)

Novelist says girls are ready to have babies at 14 (TELEGRAPH) - The 57-year-old novelist said that society ran on a "male timetable" which dictated that women should have babies at an older age.  "Having sex and having babies is what young women are about, and their instincts are suppressed in the interests of society's timetable," she said.  "I think it is that men's lives have set the timetable. Men reach a sort of sexual peak when you are 20, a social peak when you are 40.  "There is this breed of women for whom society's timetable is completely wrong."  Mantel, who won the Man Booker Prize last year for her novel Wolf Hall, said that society was "incredibly hypocritical" about teenage sex and teenagers having babies.  (Read more)

A rare pact: Teens' double suicide rocks Pa. town (AP) - As the high-speed Acela train came thundering down the rails, a teenage girl screamed at her friends to get off the tracks.  But Gina Gentile and Vanessa Dorwart did not move. They hugged as the train bore down on them at speeds up to 110 mph, carrying out a suicide pact that the witness herself had backed out of only moments before.  The loss has shaken Norwood and its neighboring towns just outside Philadelphia. There were hints the pretty and popular high school sophomores may have been suffering from depression, but experts say such suicide pacts are extremely uncommon - especially among teens. Pacts are made because suicide is so daunting - and they are broken for the same reason, said Thomas Joiner, a psychology professor at Florida State University.  "This is a deeply fearsome thing," Joiner said. "We're not wired for it; our bodies will recoil from it."  (Read more)

News Briefs...

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Your Body

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Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Indigestion may be the upshot of overeating or gobbling up too much food that "disagrees" with you.  In addition to avoiding foods that you don't tolerate well, the American Academy of Family Physicians says you can also help prevent indigestion by:
  • Limiting greasy, high-fat foods.
  • Limiting consumption of chocolate.
  • Eating slowly without rushing.
  • Not smoking.
  • Managing stress and relaxing.
  • Resting at least an hour after a meal before starting strenuous activity or exercise.



Got a health related question? Worried about something and you want an adult opinion? Let me know.  Click here then scroll to the very bottom of the page and enter your text into the box - then click submit.




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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • When City Hall Tells You What To Eat
  • What's in Household Dust? Don't Ask
  • Anti-smoking ads spark scandal in France
  • Out-of-date make-up can be a magnet for germs

Top Stories

'Date-rape drugs' are on the rise, UN warns (BBC) - So-called date-rape drugs are on the rise, according to the United Nations drug control agency's annual report.  The International Narcotics Control Board says tough measures against the best-known drug, Rohypnol, have worked.  But sexual abusers are turning to alternative substances subject to less stringent international controls.  It wants these placed on governments' controlled substances lists and for manufacturers to develop safety features such as dyes and flavourings.  (Read more)

Alcopops only look innocent, hook kids (BEACON JOURNAL) - The alcohol industry has found ways to make its products attractive to kids, and parents may not realize what it is their children are drinking.  So-called ''alcopops'' taste like fruit juice but can contain as much booze, or more, than some beers. Girls, in particular, love the sweet malt punch.  Other beverages are packaged to look like popular energy drinks, but contain liquor.  ''One of the big trends we are seeing is with alcopops. We've had clients who don't even realize they are alcohol,'' said Tiffanie Ferguson, an adolescent program coordinator at Akron's Community Health Center. (Read more)

When City Hall Tells You What To Eat (FORBES) - Americans eat way too much. Our diets are laden with dangerous amounts of salt, empty calories from corn syrup and artery-clogging trans fats.  Now the politicians at City Hall want to do something about it. In an effort to curb obesity and improve heart health, city and state public health officials across the country are cracking down on fast food, sugary sodas, trans fats and other unhealthy ingredients. They are banning fast food in certain neighborhoods, demanding that restaurants post calorie counts, and considering taxes on sweetened soda.  (Read more)

What's in Household Dust? Don't Ask (TIME) - It's hard to get too worked up about dust. Yes, it's a nuisance, but it's hardly one that causes us much anxiety - and our language itself suggests as much. We call those clumps of the stuff under the bed dust bunnies after all, not, say, dust vermin.  But there's a higher ick factor to dust than you might think. And there's a science to how it gets around - a science that David Layton and Paloma Beamer, professors of environmental policy at the University of Arizona, are exploring.  (Read more)

Interval training can cut exercise hours sharply (CTV) - People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse.  Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour. Those regimens -- also called interval training -- were originally developed for Olympic athletes and thought to be too strenuous for normal people.   But in recent years, studies in older people and those with health problems suggest many more people might be able to handle it. If true, that could revolutionize how officials advise people to exercise -- and save millions of people hours in the gym every week. It is also a smarter way to exercise, experts say.  (Read more)

In a Dessert, the Soul of Canada (THE ATLANTIC) - Like many expat Canadians, I often feel compelled to introduce Americans to the wonders of my home. Last Monday evening, as I watched a Canadian Olympian receive a gold medal on home turf for the first time in history, I knew it was an occasion for Nanaimo Bars.  Before I mine the lore of a sweet associated with the town of Nanaimo, in British Columbia (the province hosting this year's games), let me offer a window into the mysterious cuisine of a nation whose anthem proclaims it the "True North, Strong and Free." What do inhabitants of this vast expanse of frozen earth eat?  (Read more)

Multimedia

Recovering from Eating Disorders (CBS NEWS) - Eating disorders affect up to 24 million Americans, most of them girls and young women. For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Dr. Jennifer Ashton talks with Project HEAL's Liana Rosenman about her organization's mission and her personal story.  (Watch video)

Hope for quake victim (CNN) - A 12-year-old girl injured in the Haiti earthquake now has a place to call home. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.  (Watch video)

Placing a tax on sugary beverages (MSNBC) - State Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, D-Calif., who introduced a soda tax bill, explains whether it's necessary to fight obesity.  (Watch video)

Napping for Your Health (CBS NEWS) - Dr. Jennifer Ashton discussed a new study that shows short afternoon naps can refresh brain activity.  (Watch video)

Controlling Your Calories (CBS NEWS) - When you're watching your weight and don't have much time to prepare meals, what do you do? Chris Wragge speaks with Health Magazine's Frances Largeman-Roth about controlling calories.  (Watch video)

'Embrace Life' goes viral (CNN) - A PSA about seat belts turns into a worldwide phenomenon. CNN's Josh Levs reports.  (Watch video)

Choosing the Right Yogurt (CBS NEWS) - Self Magazine's Erin Hobday discussed which yogurts are good sources of protein and which yogurts are too sugary.  (Watch video)

Paralyzed pup uses custom wheelchair (MSNBC) - A puppy with a spinal injury cannot use her back legs. Her owners wanted to give her a normal life, and a local animal rescuer is working to make it possible. WCMH-TV's Rick Reitzel reports.  (Watch video)


Lifestyle

Make Your Resume Stand Out In The Stack (FORBES) - Switching jobs is tricky at any time--but especially in a strained economy. With the unemployment rate hovering around 9.7%, the competition to find any job is challenging, let alone a job in a new field.  For many, it's not a voluntary decision to quit it all and forge fresh career turf. Those working in hard-hit sectors like finance, manufacturing, retail and publishing have been forced out of positions that may never return. Leaner companies have figured out that they can operate with less headcount, making hiring less likely than ever. Forced-out employees may not only find themselves seeking a new job, but a job in an entirely new field.  (Read more)

Out-of-date make-up can be a magnet for germs (MSNBC) - The average British woman's cosmetic bag is out of date by a worrying four years, according to a study on Wednesday.  Women are using cosmetics well past the use-by date, unaware that some products could be magnets for germs which could damage their health and looks, said Sara Stern, Director of Cosmetics at retail chain Debenhams.  "British women are famously loyal to make-up brands and products, however, their reluctance to throw away old products is a risky business," Stern said in a statement.  "We wouldn't hesitate to chuck out moldy or bacteria-ridden food and the same standards should apply to the lotions and potions and that we put on our skin. Beauty is timeless but unfortunately, products are not."  (Read more)

Designers Are Finally Creating Clothes For Real Women (FORBES) - There has always been a wide divide between what designers show on the runways and what the average woman actually ends up wearing day to day. Sure, that princess tulle gown or leather outfit might look great on a twentysomething model, but neither will cut it for long days spent in a cubicle or a trip to the supermarket. Even in New York--often dubbed the "commercial" style capital--fashion show creations are hardly screaming buy me at full price and wear me now!   But there is good news--the tide is beginning to turn.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

A Surgeon Learns of the Choking Game (NY TIMES) - ... While I had operated on more than a few suicide victims, I had never come across someone so young who had chosen to die in this way. I asked one of the nurses who had spent time with the family about the circumstances of his death. Was he depressed? Had anyone ever suspected? Who found him?  "He was playing the choking game," she said quietly.   I stopped what I was doing and, not believing I had heard correctly, turned to look straight at her.  "You know that game where kids try to get high," she explained. "They strangle themselves until just before they lose consciousness." She put her hand on the boy's arm then continued: "Problem was that this poor kid couldn't wiggle out of the noose he had made for himself. His parents found him hanging by his belt on his bedroom doorknob."  (Read more)

New 'healthy' eating disorder difficult to diagnose (FREE PRESS) - Eating healthy can actually be unhealthy at times, doctors and dieticians said.  With the rise of food trends promoting purity and dietary cleansing movements, a new eating disorder has emerged. Orthorexia nervosa, an unhealthy obsession with being healthy, has health professionals struggling in their diagnoses.  Because orthorexia is not an official medical diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa are, it is less well-known and harder to diagnose. The term was coined in 1997 by Steven Bratman, a Colorado doctor who experienced the disorder, said Boston University Nutrition and Fitness Center nutritionist Sarah Butler.  "It's very variable and depends on what they believe," she said. "Your mind can't think about other things. You're only thinking about what you're eating or what you're going to eat next."  (Read more)

Anti-smoking ads spark scandal in France (WASHINGTON POST) -  A provocative anti-smoking ad campaign featuring teens in a subservient sexual position has sparked a storm of controversy in France, with the country's family minister calling Wednesday for the advertisements to be banned.  The ad, sponsored by the Association for Nonsmokers' Rights, features a teenage boy who could be construed to be performing oral sex on a man in a suit, except the teen has a cigarette in his mouth. A caption reads, "Smoking means being a slave to tobacco." There are two other ads in the same vein, one featuring an adolescent girl.  The leader of the organization behind the campaign acknowledged the ads were meant to shock and said such provocative campaigns were the only way to reach young people.  (Read more) (View the ad photos)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by extreme tiredness and a feeling of being worn out all the time, even after waking up. Its cause isn't understood. The U.S. National Women's Health Information Center says chronic fatigue syndrome may have these symptoms:
  • Extreme tiredness for longer than 24 hours, especially after exercise.
  • Forgetfulness, or difficulty maintaining focus.
  • Tiredness that persists after sleep.
  • Muscular aches and pains.
  • Joint pain that isn't accompanied by redness or swelling.
  • Headaches that vary in severity, pattern or type.
  • Soreness of the lymph nodes beneath the arm or in the neck.
  • Sore throat.




Got a health related question? Worried about something and you want an adult opinion? Let me know.  Click here then scroll to the very bottom of the page and enter your text into the box - then click submit.






Tags: health nut, health news

Comments are closed.

Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • 'Sexting In America: When Privates Go Public'
  • Does where you live affect your happiness?
  • Another Blizzard: What Happened to Global Warming?
  • Facebook Reflects the Real You

Top Stories

Driving risk gap between teen girls, boys narrows (TRIBUNE) - Molly Sutton finds it challenging to ignore a text message when she's driving. The 18-year-old high school senior said it's hard to wait until the next stoplight.  "I know it's not safe because there's proof with all the crashes and everything, but it's one of those things you don't think much of or you think you still have some control over," she said.  Her friend Claire Quinn, 18, finds it annoying when someone in front of her drives slowly, but she doesn't think she's a risky driver.  "Where do I start?" said Quinn's passenger, Matt Parilli, 17, cataloguing his friend's driving shortcomings. "She's crying in the car because there's snow on the ground, or she's in a rush to get to school."  (Read more)

Study: Lack of early light upsets teen sleep clock (AP) - Sit by the window in school? Lack of the right light each morning to reset the body's natural sleep clock might play a role in teenagers' out-of-whack sleep, a small but provocative school experiment suggests. Specialists say too few teens get the recommended nine hours of shut-eye a night. They're often unable to fall asleep until late and struggle to awaken for early classes. Sleep patterns start changing in adolescence for numerous reasons, including hormonal changes and more school, work and social demands.   (Read more)

Exercise may not boost obese teens' metabolism (REUTERS) - A few months of moderate aerobic exercise may not rev up obese teenagers' ability to burn calories, even though it may increase thinner teens' ability to burn dietary fat, new research suggests.  In a study of 28 obese and normal-weight teenagers, researchers found that after 12 weeks of treadmill and exercise-bike sessions, the heavier teens showed no changes in their bodies' calorie- and fat-burning throughout the day.  Their thinner peers likewise showed no changes in daily calorie expenditure. However, their dietary-fat metabolism did increase, on average.  The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, do not mean obese kids should throw in the towel on exercise, given previous research.  (Read more)

As Girls Become Women, Sports Pay Dividends (NY TIMES) - Almost four decades after the federal education law called Title IX opened the door for girls to participate in high school and college athletics, a crucial question has remained unanswered: Do sports make a long-term difference in a woman's life?  A large body of research shows that sports are associated with all sorts of benefits, like lower teenage pregnancy rates, better grades and higher self-esteem. But until now, no one has determined whether those improvements are a direct result of athletic participation. It may be that the type of girl who is attracted to sports already has the social, personal and physical qualities - like ambition, strength and supportive parents - that will help her succeed in life.  (Read more)

Young adults 'less religious,' not necessarily 'more secular' (USA TODAY) - Young adults today are less church-connected than prior generations were when they were in their 20s. But a new study finds they're just about as spiritual as their parents and grandparents were at those ages.  Members of today's Millennial generation, ages 18 to 29, are as likely to pray and believe in God as their elders were when they were young, says the report from Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.  "They may be less religious, but they're not necessarily more secular" than the Generation Xers or Baby Boomers who preceded them, says Alan Cooperman, associate director of research.  (Read more)

If You Could Stop The Biological Clock, Would You? (FORBES) - "My biological clock is tickin' like this, and the way this case is going, we ain't never getting married," Marissa Tomei says to Joe Pesci in her Oscar award-winning performance in My Cousin Vinny. She taps her foot impatiently to emphasize "this," in an attempt to sear into Pesci's mind that time is of the essence. While her outfit--a skin-tight floral jumpsuit--was certainly circa 1993, the biological clock is very much a 2010 issue. It's still tickin' like this.  But what if it weren't? What if fertility could be extended indefinitely?  (Read more)

Multimedia

'Sexting In America: When Privates Go Public' (MTV) - What seems like an innocent, flirtatious teenage gesture - sending an explicit picture of yourself to a boyfriend - could land you in way more trouble than you might imagine.  (Watch video)

Aspirin may help breast cancer (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on new indications that aspirin may help breast cancer patients.  (Watch video)

'Eat This' in the morning (MSNBC) - David Zinczenko, author of "Eat This, Not That!", shows TODAY's Al Roker nutritious breakfast foods that can help you start your day off right.  (Watch video)

Spain tackles eating disorders with proposed ban (BBC) - The Spanish government is proposing to tackle eating disorders by restricting television adverts for some beauty treatments, slimming products and plastic surgery.  (Watch video)

Fight against child obesity (CNN) - Bill Clinton talks about a program targeting childhood obesity, and how old eating habits impacted his recent health.  (Watch video)

Mood Foods for Winter Blues (CBS NEWS) - Dr. Jennifer Ashton spoke to Harry Smith about why some foods to help your mood including oatmeal, milk and tea.  (Watch video)

Teen faces suspension over rosary beads (WABC) - The parents of a high school student from Rockland County are demanding answers after their ninth grader was suspended for wearing rosary beads to school. (Watch video)

Expecting a baby, at 19 (MSNBC) - A recent high school grad grapples with how an unexpected pregnancy is changing his life.  (Watch video)

Finding their way after high school (MSNBC) - Graduating into the "real world," five teens from Elkhart, Ind., find adulthood a balance of dreams and reality.  (Watch video)

911 dispatcher helps save son's life (MSNBC) - When six-month-old Jacob Scott was found unconscious and not breathing, his mother dialed 911, only for her husband, an emergency dispatcher, to answer the call. KING's Drew Mikkelsen reports.  (Watch video)


Lifestyle

Best-Paying Jobs That Women Aren't In (FORBES) - Women comprise just under half of the U.S. economy and have lost fewer jobs than men in this recession, putting them in position to become the majority of the nation's workers. Yet women remain concentrated in low-paying sectors of the workforce. The Department of Labor (DOL) reports that in 2008 the most common occupations for women were secretaries and administrative assistants, registered nurses and elementary and middle school teachers.   In hopes of finding the best jobs women haven't yet discovered, ForbesWoman has created a list of the best-paying jobs that women aren't in--but should be.  (Read more)

Facebook Reflects the Real You (WebMD) - The image you present to the world on Facebook is likely to reflect the real you.  This finding is from a study by psychologists who sought to learn whether people fake it on Facebook and similar social networks, leaving "friends" with misleading impressions.  It turns out that people who spend time on social networking sites paint near-mirror images of themselves instead of trying to pump themselves up to leave idealized clues about who they really are.  People present accurate images of themselves either because they "aren't trying to look good, or because they are trying and failing to pull it off," study researcher Sam Gosling, PhD, of the University of Texas, says in a news release.  (Read more)

Dress For Interview Success (FORBES) - Remember that Tide-to-Go commercial, the one where an interview candidate tries to explain why he's the best choice for the job. But the interviewer is so distracted by a stain on the man's shirt that he imagines the stain talking to him? The message is obvious: One tiny detail can have a big impact when it comes to getting the job. And what you wear has a lot to do with it.  Although job-related skills an experience rank high in importance in whether or not you land the position, during the initial hiring process they have less power than most of us think. That's because the first thing we notice about someone is their appearance, and more specifically, the way they are dressed.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

'16 and Pregnant': Jenelle (LA TIMES) - It's the show that spawned MTV's reality hit "Teen Mom": "16 and Pregnant." The docu-series, which follows teens on their road to motherhood, is back for its second season. And it's expected to have some intense story lines: This season will feature a girl who gives birth to twins and another whose child has health problems.   In the "16 and Pregnant" season premiere, we're introduced to 16-year-old Jenelle Evans, from Oak Island, N.C. (Never heard of it? It's "where the surf is good and the fishing is even better.") She and long-distance boyfriend Andrew, a former model (for what, I'm not sure I want to know), are about to be young parents.   (Read more)

Another Blizzard: What Happened to Global Warming? (TIME) - As the blizzard-bound residents of the mid-Atlantic region get ready to dig themselves out of the third major storm of the season, they may stop to wonder two things: Why haven't we bothered to invest in a snow blower, and what happened to climate change? After all, it stands to reason that if the world is getting warmer - and the past decade was the hottest on record - major snowstorms should become a thing of the past, like PalmPilots and majority rule in the Senate.   (Read more)

Analyzing The End Of Music Television (CRAVE) - Over the last few weeks a once great titan of pop culture has undergone what many feel is a long overdue facelift. MTV dropped from its logo the words "Music Television" a move that seems to be propelling the channel once step closer to being just another television station.  From here on in the MTV will mean simply the station letters in the same vein as CW or FOX. Dropping the music television moniker will also reduce the responsibility MTV has to actually represent music. Now they can handpick who and what they cover because they're not music television anymore, they're just MTV.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Frostbite occurs when the skin is exposed to extremely cold temperatures, says the U.S. National Safety Council.  Symptoms of frostbite include skin that looks waxy, pale white or gray-yellow in color. Affected skin also may feel numb, and very cold to the touch. The top layer of skin may feel stiff.  Frostbite can be superficial or a more serious form known as "deep frostbite" that frequently affects hands and feet.

To prevent frostbite, the council suggests wearing many layers of clothing whenever you're exposed to very cold weather, and immediately removing clothing that becomes wet.  You should also eat healthy foods and drink plenty of liquids that don't contain alcohol or caffeine.





Got a health related question? Worried about something and you want an adult opinion? Let me know.  Click here then scroll to the very bottom of the page and enter your text into the box - then click submit.




Tags: health nut, health news

Comments are closed.

Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • Is your doctor a criminal?
  • Dating Abuse: Breaking The 'Boy Code
  • Interview Mistakes That Can Cost You The Job
  • What your heart and brain are doing when you're in love

Top Stories

Tanning bed regulation heats up over cancer concerns (USA TODAY) - Tanning beds could come under tighter regulation soon, as a result of studies linking them to cancer.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and members of Congress are scrambling to protect tanning salon patrons - young women, in particular - from exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.  "To me, tanning is exactly the same as smoking," said Dr. Darrell S. Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "Just like smoking, the more you do of it, the greater the risk of getting skin cancer later in life."  (Read more)

Teenage girls have 'poor diet', FSA study shows (TELEGRAPH) - The report, undertaken by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Department of Health, indicated that teenagers, especially girls, are eating far too much sugary fizzy drinks, chocolate, crisps and other junk food.  Just 7 per cent of girls between the ages of 11 and 18 eat the recommended 5-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables, while more than two in five girls of this age group do not consume enough iron, magnesium and other key nutrients. The FSA said this was a "concern" and something they were trying to rectify by promoting its health message to teenagers on Facebook.   (Read more)

Dating Abuse: Breaking The 'Boy Code' (COURANT) - ... Yet boys often are raised in a way that puts them at greater risk of confusing power and control for love and feeling.  They learn the "Boy Code": Boys have to be big and strong and must stand on their own two feet. Boys reasonably fear that they will be called wimps, girls or fags. So, when they are in pain, they dare not show it. When they are in need of direction, they cannot ask for it. They develop a vocabulary for feelings geared toward expressing frustration, anger and, when it grows, rage.  Boys have a hard time showing vulnerability in a relationship, and are prone to action rather than talk. Most boys, fearing shame, will suffer in silence, confuse girls with their inability to say that they care and simultaneously look to their female counterparts for direction in intimacy.  (Read more)

Sugary pop nearly doubles pancreatic cancer risk (CTV) - Drinking two or more soft drinks per week nearly doubles a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer, concludes a huge new study released Monday.  Researchers examined the health risks among those who drink sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks, versus those who don't consume these beverages.  Lead researcher Mark Pereira of the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota led a team who followed the health of 60,524 men and women in Singapore. They calculated how much juice and soda the participants drank on average and followed them for 14 years to see how many developed cancer.  (Read more)

What your heart and brain are doing when you're in love (CNN) - Poets, novelists and songwriters have described it in countless turns of phrase, but at the level of biology, love is all about chemicals.  Although the physiology of romantic love has not been extensively studied, scientists can trace the symptoms of deep attraction to their logical sources. "Part of the whole attraction process is strongly linked to physiological arousal as a whole," said Timothy Loving (his real name), assistant professor of human ecology at the University of Texas, Austin. "Typically, that's going to start with things like increased heart rate, sweatiness and so on,"  When you catch sight of your beloved and your heart starts racing, that's because of an adrenaline rush, said Dr. Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Read more)

Multimedia

Note: Olympics coverage is dominating the news, which means slimmer pickings for other stories.

Tugging on heart strings to make people buckle up (YOUTUBE) - A moving public service announcement from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership in the U.K. has quickly become a viral phenomenon (Watch video)

Secrets to getting the best health care (MSNBC) - Health.com's Dr. Roshini Raj shares advice that can help you ensure the best care form you doctor.  (Watch video)

The Science of Love (CBS NEWS) - What attracts us to one person, and not another? Chris Wragge speaks with Helen Fisher about the science behind what happens when we fall in love.  (Watch video)

Women and heart disease (CNN) - CNN's Campbell Brown talks to cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg about women and the high risk of heart disease.  (Watch video)

Dogs give blood (CNN) - CNN's Susan Hendricks tells us about a blood bank for dogs.  (Watch video)

Lifestyle

The New Math on Campus (NY TIMES) - ANOTHER ladies' night, not by choice. After midnight on a rainy night last week in Chapel Hill, N.C., a large group of sorority women at the University of North Carolina squeezed into the corner booth of a gritty basement bar. Bathed in a neon glow, they splashed beer from pitchers, traded jokes and belted out lyrics to a Taylor Swift heartache anthem thundering overhead. As a night out, it had everything - except guys.   "This is so typical, like all nights, 10 out of 10," said Kate Andrew, a senior from Albemarle, N.C. The experience has grown tiresome: they slip on tight-fitting tops, hair sculpted, makeup just so, all for the benefit of one another, Ms. Andrew said, "because there are no guys."   (Read more)

Interview Mistakes That Can Cost You The Job (FORBES) - David Lewis, president of OperationsInc, a human resources consulting firm, has seen his share of embarrassingly bad job candidates. He says one woman crossed her legs, looked at her feet and realized she had forgotten to change from sneakers to heels before the interview. She stopped him mid-sentence to change her shoes. Another brought her lunch to the midday interview and proceeded to eat it in front of him. When he asked what she was doing, she responded: "You know I am here on my lunch hour!"  Extreme, yes, but these examples highlight the myriad gaffes, mixed signals and wrong impressions that could happen in your one shot at proving yourself.  (Read more)

Lovesick: Hooking up over a shared disease (MSNBC) - An Internet entrepreneur named Ricky Durham believes he has the answer to Valentine's Day loneliness for people living with chronic diseases or health conditions: match them up with other people who either have the same conditions or are, for some reason, looking for a lover who has them.  Desire a bipolar date? An irritable bowel romance? A herpetic lover? A fling with a fellow Tourette Syndrome sufferer? Durham's Prescription4Love.com promises to match you up.   Other special interest dating sites have sprung up based on mutual health issues, especially STDs. Some sites offer a twist by also promising to match parties interested in, say, amputee devotion.   (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Woman buried alive to save family reputation (THE STAR) - In a remote, mountain-fringed town of southeastern Turkey, a young woman who had barely begun to live met a terrifying death.  The body of the 16-year-old Medine Memi was found in an earthen grave last December, slumped in a sitting position with her hands tied. Large amounts of soil were in her lungs and stomach. She had been buried alive, the apparent victim of an honour killing.  But her suffocating death was symbolic of the fate that awaits hundreds of young rural Turkish women, some killed after moving to cities like Istanbul.  (Read more)

Is your doctor a criminal? (CNN) - You've probably heard of Dr. Conrad Murray, who stands accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop star Michael Jackson, but you may not have heard of Dr. Khristine Eroshevich or Dr. Sandeep Kapoor or Dr. Phil Astin or Dr. James Graves.  Eroshevich and Kapoor stand accused of illegally prescribing drugs to an addict, actress Anna Nicole Smith. Astin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally prescribing drugs to his patients, including wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed himself and his family. A Florida jury found Graves guilty of manslaughter in 2002 for prescribing the narcotic painkiller Oxycontin to four patients who eventually overdosed.  Hundreds of doctors in the United States have been found guilty of criminal acts, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards. Many continue to practice, and patients have no way of knowing about their doctor's criminal past unless they do some online sleuthing.  (Read more)

Is 7-year-old Carnival queen a step too far even for Rio? (THE STAR) - She is the Shirley Temple of samba, a 7-year-old named to a coveted Carnival role normally reserved for barely clad models who have undergone more plastic surgeries than little Julia Lira has seen birthdays.  Naming the girl drum corps queen for the Viradouro samba group is raising eyebrows even in a city that has seen everything in the annual megaparty that begins next week.  A judge is considering blocking Julia's participation. A state agency that defends children's rights says she's too young to take on a traditionally sexy role.   (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Nasal congestion, commonly called a stuffy nose, occurs when the tissues that line the inside of the nose become swollen.  The U.S. National Library of Medicine says common causes of nasal congestion include:
  • Having the common cold or flu.
  • Having a sinus infection.
  • Having allergies.
  • Using nasal sprays or drops for longer than three days.
  • Having nasal polyps.
  • Being pregnant.
  • Having a condition called vasomotor rhinitis.




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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • What's a Degree Really Worth?
  • Teen Girl-on-Girl Fighting Goes Online
  • Sleeping beauty's illness no fairy tale
  • The Skinny on the Mayo Clinic Diet

Top Stories

Young women urged to give up indoor tanning (CTV) - The spot was very dark, almost black, barely the size of a pencil eraser, and would bleed when Jackie Connors shaved her legs.  She initially chose to ignore it. But at age 20 while in nursing school and learning about the signs and symptoms of skin cancer, it soon would become a cause for concern.   "I still remember sitting at my desk thinking, `Wow, this is what I have,' and still trying to put it in the back of my mind of not wanting to think that it could be that," Connors recalled in a telephone interview from St. John's, N.L.   Her family doctor thought she was too young to have skin cancer, but referred her to a surgeon to have the spot removed.   About a week after he'd taken it off, the surgeon called her and confirmed her initial fears -- she had melanoma.   (Read more)

'Internet addiction' linked to depression, says study (BBC) - There is a strong link between heavy internet use and depression, UK psychologists have said.  The study, reported in the journal Psychopathology, found 1.2% of people surveyed were "internet addicts", and many of these were depressed.   The Leeds University team stressed they could not say one necessarily caused the other, and that most internet users did not suffer mental health problems.  (Read more)

A Lasting Gift to Medicine That Wasn't Really a Gift (NY TIMES) - Fifty years after Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in the "colored" ward at Johns Hopkins Hospital, her daughter finally got a chance to see the legacy she had unknowingly left to science. A researcher in a lab at Hopkins swung open a freezer door and showed the daughter, Deborah Lacks-Pullum, thousands of vials, each holding millions of cells descended from a bit of tissue that doctors had snipped from her mother's cervix.  Ms. Lacks-Pullum gasped. "Oh God," she said. "I can't believe all that's my mother."  (Read more)

Experts: 40% of Cancers Are Preventable (TIME) - About 40 percent of cancers could be prevented if people stopped smoking and overeating, limited their alcohol, exercised regularly and got vaccines targeting cancer-causing infections, experts say.  To mark World Cancer day on Thursday, officials at the International Union Against Cancer released a report focused on steps that governments and the public can take to avoid the disease.  (Read more)

Study: Abstinence program most effective at delaying sex among youths (CNN) - An abstinence-only education program is more effective than other initiatives at keeping sixth- and seventh-graders from having sex within a two-year period, according to a study described by some as a landmark.  The study, published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicated that about one-third of the preteens and their young teen classmates who received an eight-hour abstinence lesson had sexual intercourse within two years of the class. (Read more)

How to Survive an Earthquake: Two Schools of Thought (TIME) - Most of us know to stay low to the floor if we're caught in a fire, or head to the basement if a tornado's coming, or board up the windows in a hurricane. But because relatively few of us live along fault lines, the massive earthquake that hit Haiti last month was a reminder that we're far less versed on what to do when the ground below us convulses. If we're in a house or building, for example, our first impulse might be to run outside - but, counterintuitive as it might sound, experts warn against that since people are too often killed by falling or fallen debris as they try to escape.  (Read more)

Multimedia

Sleeping beauty's illness no fairy tale (MSNBC) - As 15-year-old Louisa Ball sleeps for days, suffering from Kleine-Levin syndrome, life is passing her by. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.  (Watch video)

Government has your baby's DNA (CNN) - Newborns in the U.S. are routinely screened for disease, and their DNA is stored indefinitely, and often without consent.  (Watch video)

Study: Abstinence-only works (CNN) - CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports on a new study that shows abstinence-only education may work. (Watch video)

12 Myths About Your Hangover (WebMD) - Myths about hangovers are as varied and as fanciful as the cocktails that cause the dreaded syndrome. From eating pasta at bedtime to popping prickly pear pills, the list of supposed hangover cures warrants a closer look. (View slideshow)

Olympian credits father-daughter bond (MSNBC) - TODAY's Natalie Morales shares the story of freestyle skier Emily Cook and her father Don, who has helped Emily though extraordinary challenges on the road to Vancouver.  (Watch video)

Myths and facts of fad dieting (MSNBC) - Can you lose weight by eating a cookie? Will eating half a grapefruit burn the fat? Dietitian Keri Glassman separates fact from fiction.  (Watch video)

The Skinny on the Mayo Clinic Diet (CBS NEWS) - The Mayo Clinic Diet tells its readers that their program includes a plan to help them lose up to 6 to 10 pounds in two weeks. Dr. Donald Hensrud talks with Dr. Jennifer Ashton about how that claim is possible and practical.  (Watch video)

First lady launches fight against obesity (MSNBC) - First Lady Michelle Obama invited a group of Cabinet members and Congressional leaders to the White House to talk about her campaign against childhood obesity.  (Watch video)

Small folks can still be obese (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports that people with a normal weight can be classified as obese.  (Watch video)

Health of rescued girl (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about the girl pulled from the rubble in Haiti after 15 days and answers other questions.  (Watch video)

Jackson Doc Likely To Be Charged (CBS NEWS) - Dr. Conrad Murray, the now infamous physician who was with Michael Jackson at the time of his death, could soon felony charges. Thomas Roberts reports from Hollywood.  (Watch video)


Lifestyle

What's a Degree Really Worth? (WSJ) - A college education may not be worth as much as you think.  For years, higher education was touted as a safe path to professional and financial success. Easy money, in the form of student loans, flowed to help parents and students finance degrees, with the implication that in the long run, a bachelor's degree was a good bet. ...  Most researchers agree that college graduates, even in rough economies, generally fare better than individuals with only high-school diplomas. But just how much better is where the math gets fuzzy.  (Read more)

"Sexting in America: When Private Lives Go Public" (TVBTN) - This Valentine's Day, MTV will explore a new facet of youth culture with the MTV News Special, "Sexting in America: When Privates Go Public," premiering Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 9pm ET/PT.  Part of "A THIN LINE," MTV's multi-year initiative to stop the spread of digital abuse, the 30 minute special examines how 'sexting' is impacting youth culture and relationships, the stakes involved - from legal to emotional - and how this trend is becoming a new frontier for teen dating abuse.   Additionally, MTV today announced that All Time Low, Michelle Trachtenberg ("Gossip Girl," "Mercy"), Boys Like Girls, and Asher Roth have joined in to help spread awareness about the thin line between digital use and digital abuse.  (Read more)

Teens Abandon Blogging as Their Parents Pick it Up (CLICKZ) - The numbers behind a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project leave little room for doubt: Blogging has lost much of its cache with American teens over the past few years, just as it has caught on with people over 30.  What's behind those numbers is open for debate. So far, most of the media coverage has pointed the finger at Facebook.  Seventy-three percent of American teens online use a social networking site today, up from just 55 percent in 2006 and 65 percent in 2008, according to the survey (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Teen Girl-on-Girl Fighting Goes Online (CBS NEWS) - If you thought only men engage in fist fights, you'd be wrong.  CBS News correspondent Whit Johnson reported there aren't any statistics yet, but experts say there's a growing problem with teenage girls letting disputes with one another turn violent.  Increasingly, Johnson reported, girl fights are being recorded and posted on the Internet, which can make the problem even worse.  A video popped up on YouTube more than a week ago that showed two teenage girls in a violent fist fight -- with two adults allegedly watching -- and another minor videotaping the entire thing. The fight took place in Baton Rouge, La.   Days later, in Lowell, Mass., local authorities discovered similar videos online. (Read more)

New York girl arrested after getting caught doodling on desk (NY DAILY) - A 12-year-old Queens girl was hauled out of school in handcuffs for an artless offense - doodling her name on her desk in erasable marker, the Daily News has learned.  Alexa Gonzalez was scribbling a few words on her desk Monday while waiting for her Spanish teacher to pass out homework at Junior High School 190 in Forest Hills, she said.  "I love my friends Abby and Faith," the girl wrote, adding the phrases "Lex was here. 2/1/10" and a smiley face.  But instead of simply cleaning off the doodles after class, Alexa landed in some adult-sized trouble for using her lime-green magic marker.  (Read more)

Making a difference for girls in Kandahar (THE STAR) - The Afghan-Canadian Community Centre in Kandahar city is not a typical school, at least not in this part of the world.  Kandahar, cradle of the Taliban, is one of Afghanistan's most conservative provinces - and its capital city is no exception. Local tradition dictates women stay at home and cover themselves from head to toe.  They are discouraged from going to school - sometimes with violence of the sort that killed three schoolgirls and three American soldiers at a girls' school earlier this week in restive northwest Pakistan, another Taliban hotbed.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Migraine headaches frequently are characterized by symptoms such as nausea, dull or severe head pain and sensitivity to light.  In some sufferers, certain foods may help trigger migraines. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list:
  • Processed, marinated, fermented or pickled foods.
  • Baked goods.
  • Chocolate or dairy foods.
  • Foods that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate).
  • Foods that contain tyramine, including red wine, aged cheese, smoked fish, chicken liver, figs or certain beans.
  • Citrus fruits, bananas or avocados.
  • Processed meats containing nitrates, such as hot dogs, salami or bacon.
  • Onions.
  • Nuts or peanut butter.




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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • Truth about sex: 60% of young men, teen boys lie about it
  • Barefoot Running Laced With Health Benefits
  • Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru
  • Quit Multitasking (And Start Getting More Done)

Top Stories

Teen Pregnancy on the Rise, Abortions Too (TIME) - Pregnancy rates among U.S. teenagers, which had been dropping since 1990, took an upturn in 2006, according to newly released data. The figures, obtained from government sources and abortion providers by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health think tank, echo previous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that births among teens had risen.  But the new Guttmacher report rounds out the picture: in 2006, there were 71.5 pregnancies for every 1,000 women under the age of 20. That's 3% more than in 2005. The increase was concentrated among 18- and 19-year-olds (Read more)

Household chemicals linked to reduced fertility (LA TIMES) - Flame-retardant chemicals found in many household consumer products may reduce fertility in women, researchers reported Tuesday. Their study joins several other papers published in the last two years suggesting that the chemicals, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, affect human health.  PBDEs have been used as flame retardants for four decades and are found in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets and plastics. The chemicals are being phased out nationwide, and certain PBDEs have been banned for use in California. But they are still found in products made before 2004.  (Read more)

Are your thoughts dragging you down? (WebMD) - Almost everyone has dark thoughts when his or her mood is bad. With depression, though, the thoughts can be extremely negative. They can also take over and distort your view of reality.  Cognitive therapy can be an effective way to defuse those thoughts. When used for depression, cognitive therapy provides a mental tool kit that can be used to challenge negative thoughts. Over the long term, cognitive therapy for depression can change the way a depressed person sees the world.  Studies have shown that cognitive therapy works at least as well as antidepressants in helping people with mild to moderate depression. Treatment with medication and/or psychotherapy can shorten depression's course and can help reduce symptoms such as fatigue and poor self-esteem that accompany depression. Read on to see how cognitive therapy or talk therapy might help you start thinking and feeling better if you are depressed.  (Read more)

Barefoot Running Laced With Health Benefits (WebMD) - Running barefoot causes less collision force to the feet than running in cushioned shoes, a new study says.  Researchers reporting in the Jan. 28 issue of the journal Nature show that runners who run without shoes usually land on the balls of their feet, or sometimes flat-footed, compared to runners in shoes, who tend to land on their heels first.  Cushioned running shoes, which date back only to the 1970s, may seem comfortable but may actually contribute to foot injuries, say Daniel Lieberman, PhD, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, and colleagues.  (Read more)

Forget Jenny Craig. Hit the Drive-Thru (NY TIMES) - Can eating fast food help you lose weight?  Christine Dougherty, a 27-year-old business consultant in Pensacola, Fla., thinks so. "I don't like to cook, and I wanted to be realistic without changing my lifestyle too much," Ms. Dougherty said. She began replacing her usual fast-food lunch or dinner with meals from the Fresco menu at Taco Bell, which consists of seven items - including burritos and tacos - each with less than 9 grams of fat, compared with, say, 30 grams of fat in the Stuft beef burrito on the regular menu.  Ms. Dougherty said that she ate there five to eight times a week, exercised more and - over two years - lost 54 pounds.  (Read more)

Multimedia

Health of rescued girl (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks about the girl pulled from the rubble in Haiti after 15 days and answers other questions.  (Watch video)

Haiti's young amputees (CNN) - Some earthquake survivors who got out of the rubble alive now face another challenge. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports. (Watch video)

Fighting Cyber-Bullying (CBS NEWS) - Advocate Tina Meier and cyber-bullying victim Brittany Jordan spoke out against online bullying as it has resulted in suicide in teens. (Watch video)

Is Running Barefoot Better for You? (TIME) - TIME's Bryan Walsh goes for a test run in a pair of Vibram Five Fingers - basically gloves for your feet - to test recent theories that running barefoot is better for your body  (Watch video)

Congress eyes new tanning bed regulations (MSNBC) - Congress considers new regulations for tanning beds. WNBC's Roseanne Colletti reports. (Watch video)

Cavities making a comeback (MSNBC) - New numbers from the CDC indicate tooth decay is on the rise among young children in the U.S.. KXAS's Lindsay Wilcox reports. (Watch video)

Diet S.O.S. tackles viewers' emergencies (MSNBC) - TODAY's diet and nutrition editor Joy Bauer offers tips and strategies to viewers trying to lose weight. (Watch Video)

Macaroni meals could be making you fat (MSNBC) - TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer explains how huge portions of pasta, which typically lacks vitamins and nutrients, could be the culprit behind your expanding waistline. (Watch video)

Chewing gum as a sexual aid (MSNBC) - The company behind "Sexlets," a new brand of chewing gum, says their product offers "natural male enhancement" of both libido and sexual performance. WTVJ's Amara Sohn reports. (Watch video)

Lifestyle

Young facing online fraud risks (BBC) - Young people are most at risk from online fraud, according to two surveys.  Those aged between 16 and 24 were the most likely to be defrauded in the UK with the typical theft amounting to £590, said insurance group CPP.  A separate global survey by security group RSA found that 35% of those asked felt secure when banking online.  Both polls also found that many relied on their bank to inform them of thefts and highlighted fears about the security of social networking sites.  (Read more)

Quit Multitasking (And Start Getting More Done) (FORBES) - Chances are you check your e-mail while chatting on the phone, maybe sipping a cup of coffee and scribbling items on your to-do list while you're at it. That would put you firmly in the camp of most Americans, who regularly multitask--and assume that technique allows them get more done in less time. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth.  Recent research shows that not only does multitasking not save time, it actually hinders your ability to operate efficiently.   (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

The downside of getting high in B.C. (NATIONAL POST) - Tyler Ridout was smoking a lot of marijuana. Three or four joints a day. That was not unusual, even for a high school kid. Nor was it remarkable that he thought the pot was good for him, a natural stress reliever.  In fact, it was influencing his moods and his behaviours. It was making him sick. Mr. Ridout was experiencing psychosis. He began to think there were dragons in his parent's yard. He could not shake the feeling that the world was about to end. His mother Debbie called a government-sponsored drug hotline, looking for help. "I was told not to worry, that it's just pot and not that big a deal," she recalled this week. Her son wound up in a hospital psychiatric ward.  (Read more)

Truth about sex: 60% of young men, teen boys lie about it (USA TODAY) - Teenage boys and young men may talk a lot about sex, but often the only ones listening are their peers.  Now, an online survey of 1,200 guys ages 15 to 22 gives them a clear voice.  And the girls are listening.  "Everybody thinks they just want to have sex - that it's all about getting it on," says Ann Shoket, editor in chief of Seventeen magazine, which commissioned the survey in partnership with the non-profit National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy for the magazine's March issue, out next week.  (Read more)

Sexting leads to felony charges for children (TRIBUNE) - Last week, two middle school students in Valparaiso, Ind., were caught sending nude pictures of themselves to each other on their cell phones. The students were caught when the 13-year-old girl's cell phone rang in class, and her teacher confiscated it, according to a police report. The girl cried that she would get in trouble because a 12-year-old boy sent her a "dirty picture."  The boy sent the girl a picture of his genitals and requested that she do the same, the report said. The girl then texted him a picture of her naked, police said.  The students have been charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography, both felonies.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism, the medical term for an overactive thyroid gland.  Most often, it affects women aged 20 to 40. It can be treated, avoiding potentially deadly complications. The National Women's Health Information Center offers this list of common Graves' disease symptoms:
  • Insomnia and fatigue
  • Difficult conceiving a baby
  • Frequent bowel movements
  • Irritability
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Sensitivity to heat
  • Increased sweating
  • Muscle weakness
  • Changes in vision or bulging eyes
  • Lighter menstrual flow
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Shaky hands




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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • Get off that deadly chair: Sitting too long raises fatality risk
  • The surprising reason why being overweight isn't healthy
  • Medical Mystery: A Girl Loses Her Mind
  • Do You Have the 'Right Stuff' to Be a Doctor?

Top Stories

High cholesterol puts 1 of 5 teens at risk of heart disease (WASHINGTON POST) - One out of every five U.S. teenagers has a cholesterol level that increases the risk of heart disease, federal health officials reported Thursday, providing striking new evidence that obesity is making more children prone to illnesses once primarily limited to adults.  A nationally representative survey of blood test results in American teenagers found that more than 20 percent of those ages 12 to 19 had at least one abnormal level of fat. The rate jumped to 43 percent among those adolescents who were obese.  Previous studies had indicated that unhealthy cholesterol levels, once a condition thought isolated to the middle-aged and elderly, were increasingly becoming a problem among the young, but the new data document the scope of the threat on a national level.  (Read more)

Get off that deadly chair: Sitting too long raises fatality risk (USA TODAY) - Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.  Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods - even if you also exercise regularly - could be bad for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place - at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV - just the overall number of hours it occurs.  Research is preliminary, but several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.  (Read more)

The surprising reason why being overweight isn't healthy (CNN) - It's shocking, but it's true: Being a woman who's more than 20 pounds overweight may actually hike your risk of getting poor medical treatment. In fact, weighing too much can have surprising -- and devastating -- health repercussions beyond the usual diabetes and heart-health concerns you've heard about for years.  Recent studies have found, if you are an overweight woman you:  • May have a harder time getting health insurance or have to pay higher premiums; • Are at higher risk of being misdiagnosed or receiving inaccurate dosages of drugs; • Are less likely to find a fertility doctor who will help you get pregnant; • Are less likely to have cancer detected early and get effective treatment for it (Read more)

Don't mess with your natural weight (PRESS) - Does thinness make you happy? This is a question that clinical psychologists ask their clients with eating disorders to think about on a regular basis, alongside "Does thinness make you likeable? and "Does thinness make you successful?" Individuals who hold the belief that thinness can make them happier, more likeable or more successful, can go to dangerous lengths to pursue weight loss, and these kinds of beliefs must be resolved during the treatment of any eating disorder.  However, at this time of year, many people decide to diet, which can be part of a lengthy history of dieting with some success and lots of failure.  Therefore, this is an opportune time to consider our beliefs about our weight, and how they drive us to diet. The biggest problem with dieting is we are attempting to change our body's natural "set point".  (Read more)

Do You Have the 'Right Stuff' to Be a Doctor? (NY TIMES) - Not long ago, a friend confessed that her son, who spends much of his free time volunteering at a children's hospital and who is applying to medical school, has been particularly anxious about his future. "His test scores are just O.K.," my friend said, the despair in her voice nearly palpable. "I know he'd be a great doctor, but who he is doesn't seem to matter to medical schools as much as how he does on tests."  Her comment brought me back to the many anxious conversations I had had with friends when we were applying to medical school. Over and over again, we asked ourselves: Do we really need to be good at multiple-choice exams in order to be a good doctor?  (Read more)

Canada's plan to fight H1N1 at the Olympics (CNN) - Maddy Schaffrick has a lot on her mind for a 15-year-old. Along with schoolwork and friends, she's also got a good shot at making the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team.  Ranked among the world's Top 10 female snowboarders, Schaffrick's unique talents include riding up the steep walls of snow-covered "halfpipes" and vaulting herself off the edge and high into the air. Being airborne with a board under your feet, she says, "feels like nothing can touch you."  But a deadly H1N1 flu pandemic has added a new kind of hurdle for Schaffrick and other Olympic hopefuls, as athletes and authorities hope for the best while preparing for the worst. ... The prospect of potential virus carriers converging on Vancouver, British Columbia, next month from all corners of the world has prompted Canadian and U.S. authorities to exercise abundant caution.  (Read more)


Multimedia

Health dangers from quake (CNN) - Susan Hendricks looks at the health issues facing victims of the Haiti earthquake. (Watch video)

USNS Comfort soothes ailing quake victims (MSNBC) - The U.S. Navy's Comfort, a 1,000-bed floating hospital, docks in Port-au-Prince, bringing much needed medical relief to the devastated city. (Watch video)

Dr. Gupta lends a hand (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta discusses the surgery he lead on a 12-year-old Haitian girl aboard the USS Vinson. (Watch video)

Raising cervical cancer awareness (MSNBC) - Gynecologist Carol Brown and Leeanne Kuks, a cervical cancer survivor, speak with TODAY's Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb about the importance of early detection and annual exams (Watch video)

Student's suicide attributed to bullying (MSNBC) - A Massachusetts principal vows to crack down on a culture of bullying after a freshman girl's suicide. WWLP's Tom DiLorenzo reports. (Watch video)

Study: Kids use media 53 hours a week (MSNBC) - A new study reports easy access to electronics is leading U.S. kids to spend almost 8 hours a day immersed in various forms of entertainment media. NBC's Leanne Gregg reports. (Watch video)

Kids' multitasking should concern parents (MSNBC) - A new report says children are online nearly every minute they are out of school and not sleeping. Parry Aftab, of Wired Safety, and parenting expert Michele Borba speak with TODAY's Matt Lauer about the importance of "disconnected time." (Watch video)

Natural Ways to Fuel Your Workout (WebMD) - 12 ways to help you get the most out of your workout.  (View slideshow)

Kids and yoga: Fit and fun (CNN) - HLN's Susan Hendricks shows us the many benefits yoga has for children and young adults. (Watch video)

Seven Ways Germs Can Be Good For You (FORBES) - Your body is teeming with 100 trillion bacteria. Researchers are increasingly realizing that they are important to your health. Good bacteria may protect us from diabetes, prevent asthma, help the immune system function, aid in the metabolism of common drugs and even protect against throat cancer. (View slideshow)

Explaining Sex Addiction (CBS NEWS) - Maggie Rodriguez spoke with Psychologist Dr. Doug Weiss and recovering sex addict Cory Schortzman about the different types of sex addiction.  (Watch video)


Lifestyle

Not Your Mother's Workforce (FORBES) - Despite the difficulties faced by previous generations of women, a majority of young female professionals in the U.S. still feel like they can have it all. And one-third of those believe that their ability to have it all will not be affected by the economic downturn.  According to a survey released today by global consulting management firm Accenture, the vast majority of Millennial women (ages 22-35) believe they can achieve a balance between a successful professional life and a gratifying personal life.   (Read more)

Want to appear more attractive? Tell people you're spiritual (CANWEST) - I've finally figured out why so many Canadians now tell anyone who'll listen that they're "spiritual, but not religious."  They're looking for a date, or at least to have people desire them.  A sweeping new psychological survey has come to the conclusion that North Americans tell others they have spiritual beliefs to appear more attractive, especially to prospective mates.  (Read more)

U.S. kids, teens consuming more media: study (CTV) - A new study has confirmed what most parents already know -- that children and teenagers are consuming more media than ever.  In fact, the only thing they do more than sit in front a screen -- whether a computer, television or cellphone -- is sleep.  "I spend about 4 hours on my computer -- and about 8 hours on my iPod," said one Toronto student.  The U.S.-based study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Americans between ages eight and 18 spend about 7.5 hours a day consuming media outside the classroom. That's the majority of time when they're not asleep or in school.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Medical Mystery: A Girl Loses Her Mind (FORBES) - New York University neurologist Souhel Najjar specializes in solving puzzling cases that other doctors have given up on. Last August he took on one of the most challenging cases of his career.  He saw a 19-year-old girl who had been an honor student before experiencing a bizarre decline that caused her to drop out of school a year later. Five neurologists, a speech pathologist and three psychiatrists failed to figure out the source of the problem, even as the girl suffered hallucinations, strange trances and severe learning problems.  The trouble began in the spring of 2007, when the girl was a 16-year-old high school student. One evening at a dance performance she froze in place.  (Read more)

Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school (DAILY MAIL) - A 13-year-old Saudi schoolgirl is to be given 90 lashes in front of her classmates after she was caught with a mobile camera phone.  The girl, who has not been named, was also sentenced to two months in jail by a court in the eastern city of Jubail.  She had assaulted her headmistress after being caught with the gadget which is banned in girl schools, said Al-Watan, a Saudi newspaper. The kingdom's use of such punishments has been widely condemned by human rights organisations  (Read more)

Where bodies go after natural disasters (CNN) - Four days after Haiti's massive earthquake, efforts are under way to bury the dead as thousands of bodies crumpled in the streets of Port-au-Prince lay exposed to the sun or draped in sheets and cardboard.  Throughout the city, people covered their noses from the stench and some resorted to face masks. CNN correspondents in Haiti reported efforts to remove the bodies, including the creation of a mass grave.  ... CNN's Anderson Cooper, reporting Friday from a mass grave on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, described seeing hundreds of bodies mixed with garbage in open pits. Some bodies were bulldozed into the half-filled pits.  "These people will vanish," Cooper said in a phone report. "No one will know what happened to them. That's one of the many horrors.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

The exact cause of acne isn't understood, but the American Academy of Dermatology says four factors are involved: too much oil, clogged pores, bacteria, and inflammation. The academy offers these skin-care suggestions designed to help manage acne:
  • Gently clean your face one or two times per day with a gentle skin cleanser and lukewarm water. Excessive washing, on the other hand, can irritate the skin and make acne worse.
  • If your hair is oily, shampoo daily to help prevent oil from getting to the skin.
  • While foods aren't believed to cause acne, in some people, certain foods can make acne worse. If you know which foods seem to aggravate your acne, avoid them.
  • Use oil-free makeup and skin products.
  • Avoid getting hair products, such as sprays or gel, on your face.
  • If you have acne, your dermatologist may recommend a prescription or over-the-counter treatment.




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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • The Pill May Decrease Bone Density
  • Thailand: Wearing Braces for fashion?
  • Is your junk food habit making you depressed?
  • A Facebook Movement, Against Mom and Dad

Top Stories

Haiti Faces Serious Health Risks in Quake's Wake (HEALTH DAY) - As devastating as the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti has been, potentially worse public health calamities could lie ahead in the days, weeks and months to come, health experts say.  The decimation of Haiti's infrastructure will be the tragic backdrop to coming public health crises, both short- and long-term. And the country - one of the most impoverished in the world - did not have a robust public infrastructure to begin with.  "Now you've got the problem, which is fairly common in disasters like this, that a lot of the infrastructure related to health is severely damaged, for example, hospitals," explained Tom Birkland, a professor of public policy at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. "It's probably worse now, 10 to 100 times worse. The physical systems that support the health systems are broken badly."  (Read more)

U.S. Lawmakers Getting Closer to Health Care Reform (HEALTH DAY) - An agreement in principle on the landmark overhaul to the U.S. health care system could come as early as Friday, lawmakers said Thursday.  The agreement in principle, which would cover major issues such as how to pay for health coverage and how many Americans could receive it, would then go to the Congressional Budget Office for its estimates. Only after the budget office reviews the proposal can the House of Representatives and Senate take a final vote and send the bill to President Barack Obama for his signature.  Specific issues, including whether taxpayer funds would cover abortions, would be resolved later, the Associated Press reported.  (Read more)

As Swine Flu Wanes, Don't Be Fooled (HEALTH DAY) - Although only four states are now reporting widespread H1N1 swine flu activity, U.S. health officials caution that a new outbreak is possible.  People should get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu while there is a lull in flu activity and vaccine supplies are plentiful, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a Thursday afternoon press conference.  "Complacency is probably our top enemy," Schuchat said.  "I am concerned that people may think this is all over," she added. "I would hate for people to make decisions thinking there is no risk and then get sick or severely ill." (Read more)

The Pill May Decrease Bone Density (HEALTH DAY) - Oral contraception may decrease bone density in young women, a new study suggests.  Those taking birth control pills for more than two years, and those on the low-dose estrogen pills appear to have the greatest risk of decreased bone density in the spine and whole body, according to the researchers.  "I think the evidence is still emerging on this association, but our findings suggest that low-dose oral contraceptives with long-term use have some impact on bone density," said study author Delia Scholes, a senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute of Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.  (Read more)

Sleeping in? Don't be fooled - you're still tired: study (AP) - Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security.  New research shows chronic sleep loss can't be cured that easily. Scientists teased apart the effects of short- and long-term sleep loss - and found that the chronically sleep-deprived may function normally soon after waking up, but experience steadily slower reaction times as the day wears on, even if they had tried to catch up the previous night.  The findings have important safety implications in our increasingly 24/7 society, not just for shift-workers but for the roughly one in six people who regularly get six hours or less of sleep a night.  (Read more)

Is your junk food habit making you depressed? (MSNBC) - Junk food may taste good, but along with the detrimental effects of all that sugar and fat on your body, eating it makes you feel low as well. The researchers are pretty confident that they've uncovered a true cause-and-effect relationship.  "Our finding shows a strong association between diet and depressive symptoms after controlling for a large range of socio-demographic factors, and for health behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, and health status," notes lead study author Tasnime Akbaraly, PhD, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in Montpellier, France.  (Read more)

Multimedia

Study: Students more depressed (CNN) - A new study finds students are more depressed now than during the Great Depression. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.  (Watch video)

Is your kitchen making you fat? (MSNBC) - Are the items in your kitchen encouraging you to eat more than necessary? Courtenay Smith of Prevention magazine joins TODAY's Amy Robach to discuss. (Watch video)

Not all calorie counts are created equal (MSNBC) - Some restaurant and food labels are nearly 20 percent off when it comes to listing caloric content. So why the discrepancy? (Watch video)

Beat Blues on The Job (CBS NEWS) - Sue Morem, author of "Hot to Get a Job and Keep It," tells Chris Wragge about ways to stay happy in the work place and ways to avoid stress and dissatisfaction in your career.  (Watch video)

Breast guidelines shifting (CNN) - Dr. Freya Schnabel says women should know their breast cancer risk and seek out the tests they want.  (Watch video)

Free ways to get healthy in 2010 (MSNBC) - Health magazine's Dr. Roshini Raj shows TODAY's Natalie Morales free programs and products to help you achieve your health goals. (Watch video)

Too much TV? (CNN) - A new study finds that too much time sitting in front of the TV can increase the chances of dying from heart disease.  (Watch video)

Report links tattoos to deviant behavior (MSNBC) - A new study says that people with four or more tattoos are more likely to engage in deviant behavior. KXAS's Ellen Goldberg reports many who've been inked disagree with such claims. (Watch video)

Police: Pill abusers target veterinary clinics (MSNBC) - Pills for pets are being abused by people. WPSD's Johnette Worak reports. (Watch video)

She went mad for a month (MSNBC) - Susannah Cahalan says she inexplicably lost her mind for a short period of time and has not received a proper diagnosis. TODAY's Meredith Vieira and NBC's chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman talk to her about the medical mystery (Watch video)


Lifestyle

Are apps stealing our minds? (TORONTO STAR) - Five times a day, Umair Vanthaliwala's iPhone calls him to prayer. With a flick of a finger, the iPhone's compass points him northeast toward Mecca.  Every morning, the 23-year-old uses the WeatherEye application to decide if he needs to wear long johns under his thin dress pants. In the evening, he slips a tiny accelerometer into his sock before running on the treadmill and his phone tracks his kilometres run and calories burned.  With more than 100,000 applications for iPhone and the iPod touch now available through the Apple App Store and many more to come, it's clear that Vanthaliwala and his sleek black phone are the future.  (Read more)

A Facebook Movement, Against Mom and Dad (NY TIMES) - They feel her pain. At the Spence School and Greenwich High and Fullerton Union High and Nyack High and Narragansett High, teenagers and near-teenagers, hundreds of them, are waving a virtual flag for Tess Chapin, a 15-year-old from Sunnyside, Queens, who has been grounded for five weeks. A few days after founding the Facebook group - "1000 to get tess ungrounded" - Tess had nearly reached her stated goal, with 806 members by Friday morning; after this column about her quest was posted on nytimes.com, she surpassed it.  (Read more)

20 Best Marketing And Social Media Blogs By Women (FORBES) - Over the last year I have learned a great deal from women in the field of marketing, social media, branding and entrepreneurship. While there are many female thought leaders in the marketing industry that I may have missed, this list contains the women that have made a difference in my life or my viewpoint and continue to lead the way for women in business.  It's up to each of us to find online content we find valuable to our growth and business needs, and then to consume and put into action the advice and tips from the experts.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Thailand: Wearing Braces for fashion? (GLOBAL POST) - Thailand's Ministry of Public Health is forever condemning the next underground beauty craze. There's glue-on eyelashes that can prick retinas. Toxic skin-whitening creams. Cheaply made contact lens that offer girls Pikachu-sized fantasy eyes.  But the teen fad health authorities consider the most dangerous is proving surprisingly resilient. After more than five years of health warnings, after two teenage deaths last year, some Thai girls still seek out cuteness-enhancing "fashion braces."  Braces, that scarlet letter of American junior high geekdom, are adored by some Thai teenyboppers.  (Read more)

High heels on little girls? Families, doctors fret about dangers (TORONTO STAR) - A pair of sparkly, peekaboo shoes with heels five centimetres high are favourites of six-year-old Helena Bell ever since she got them for a wedding.  "She's worn them to the point where the jewels have fallen off," says Helena's mother, Dana Bell of Woodland Hills, Calif. "It's not my preference, but I've stopped fighting it."  The heels aren't allowed at school, but the first-grader slips on her white treasures first thing when she gets home and wears them to church every Sunday. "I think if it's within reason, it's okay," her mom says.  As images of 3 1/2-year-old Suri Cruise out and about in blingy heels recently hit magazines and the Internet, reactions to the grown-up look have ranged from cries about inappropriateness to defense of a little girl's right to be girlie.   (Read more)

Dove's idea of real beauty to include average Joes (TORONTO STAR) - The famous Dove campaign for real beauty has crossed the gender divide.  As women around the world recognized their dimpled bums and curvy figures on billboards and bus shelters, now men will be able to catch a glimpse of their own bounty of imperfections - a billowy beer belly perhaps, or concave chest and spindly legs.  Called Dove Men+Care, the product line that includes body and face washes and moisturizers, hits stores next week. But its advertising campaign - one that's anticipated to celebrate the sheer variety of male body types - will be launched during the Super Bowl game on Feb. 7.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

(HealthDay News) - A food diary can help you track how much food -- and how many calories -- you're taking in. This can help make it easier to lose those extra pounds. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for keeping a food diary:
  • Don't change your eating routine, unless your doctor suggests this.
  • Track which foods you eat and how much. Don't forget to include snacks, beverages, side items, sauces, dressings or dips.
  • Each time you eat, write down the time of day, where you were, and if you were alone or with someone else. Enter these details immediately after you finish eating.
  • Note how you felt while you were eating -- happy, sad, anxious, etc.
  • Jot down what you were doing while you were eating, such as working, watching TV or reading a book.
  • Be honest, and don't leave anything out.



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Health News - Body, Mind & Soul

In the news this week...  
  • Positive lyrics can hit home with grumpy teenagers, study says
  • New Health Rule: Quit Worrying About Your Health
  • A Weight-Loss Resolution That's Light on the Wallet
  • Are our feet really getting bigger?

Top Stories

Absolutely Attainable Goals For 2010 (FORBES) - When we asked the ForbesWoman community of professional women to share their 2010 New Year's resolutions, we didn't know what to expect. After all, to say 2009 has been trying might just be the understatement of the century. From layoffs to pay-cuts to--gasp!--recession weight gain, many of us were dealt a rough hand last year. With that in mind while soliciting hopes for the coming year, it seemed prudent, albeit depressing, to assume we'd see some lowered benchmarks.  Happily, we were wrong.  (Read more)

Positive lyrics can hit home with grumpy teenagers, study says (GUARDIAN) - It's a scenario every parent of a teenager will recognise: the bedroom door closes, a volume dial is rotated clockwise and loud music fills the room for hours at a time. But there is some good news – this routine might actually make your child more caring and socially responsible.  After years of studies purporting to show the harmful effects of young people listening to songs with violent or misogynistic themes, a psychologist has concluded that music containing a positive message has a beneficial impact on listeners. (Read more)

Rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teens reaching epidemic levels (CAP TIMES) - Four sets of locked doors slam shut behind Meghan Benson as she marches into the Dane County Juvenile Detention Center lugging a plastic storage container. Teens in maroon jumpsuits wave. Benson is a Thursday night regular. She is here to fight an epidemic that will infect more young people at the center and in the rest of Wisconsin than H1N1, and Benson is one of the few people willing to take it on openly.  After signing in at the security desk, Benson opens the container and pulls out her weapons: condoms, a replica of the female reproductive system, birth control pills and patches, a diaphragm, a dental dam and a wooden model of an erect penis.   (Read more)
 
New Health Rule: Quit Worrying About Your Health (NY TIMES) - Have you had your five to nine servings of vegetables today? Exercised for an hour? Cut back on saturated fat and gotten eight hours of sleep?  Dictating the rules for healthful living has become a cottage industry, with Web sites, talk shows and books (and health columns like this one) devoted to the dos and don'ts of staying healthy.  But when it comes to achieving these goals, many of us feel we are falling far short. Whether you're a busy parent who can't find time for exercise, a chronic dieter struggling to lose 20 pounds or a multitasker who gets by on six hours of sleep, it is virtually impossible to follow the rules.  Now Dr. Susan M. Love, one of the country's most respected women's health specialists, offers a new rule: stop worrying about your health.  (Read more)

`Sexting' nude photos a concern among teens (TORONTO STAR) - Brittany Green was at her Toronto home late one night when a male acquaintance texted her an unsolicited photo of his nether regions. He had just come home from a party and had been drinking.  "I told him not to," Green says. He did it anyway.   Fortunately for Green, 17, the file wouldn't open. She says the photo might have been an invitation of sorts, but that she found it weird and "kind of creepy."  (Read more)

Wireless monitors emerge as tool in obesity research (CTV) - The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives.  The experimental devices are designed to keep track of how many minutes they work out, how much food they consume and even whether they are at a fast-food joint when they should be in the park. The goal is to cut down on self-reported answers that often cover up what's really happening.  In a lab in this Los Angeles suburb, two overweight teenagers help test the devices by taking turns sitting, standing, lying down, running on a treadmill and playing Wii.  (Read more)

Multimedia

The Scoop on Teen Health (CBS NEWS) - Author of "The Body Scoop for Girls" Dr. Jennifer Ashton sits down with a group of teenage girls to discuss their health and habits as they are growing up. (Watch video)

Shedding light on women's health (MSNBC) - Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman concludes a week-long women's health series with answers to your medical questions. (Watch video)

Where America Stands on Obesity (CBS NEWS) - With a seemingly endless array of fast food restaurants and high-calorie meal options throughout the nation, Seth Doane finds out "Where America Stands" in the ongoing fight against obesity.  (Watch video)

Which friends will help you live longer? (MSNBC) - Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Prevention magazine, reveals the six friends every woman needs.  (Watch video)

The Dorm Room Diet (CBS NEWS) - Going to college doesn't have to mean midnight cram-sessions fueled by pizza and chocolate. Dr. Jennifer Ashton talks with Daphne Oz, the author of the best-selling book "The Dorm Room Diet," about how to ward off the "freshman fifteen."  (Watch video)

'Super foods' for women (MSNBC) - WTVJ's Diana Gonzalez and a registered dietician weigh in on Health magazine's Top 10 list of "super foods" for women. (Watch video)

Scanners pose little risk (CNN) - CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says he's been flooded with questions about the health risks of airport scanners. (Watch video)

Stop emotional eating (ABC NEWS) - Tips for overcoming hunger tied to your emotions.  (Watch video)

New exercises for the New Year (MSNBC) - Cruch trainers show TODAY's Hoda Kotb and guest host Piers Morgan innovative and fun new fitness fads.  (Watch video)

PSA: Don't drink soda (CNN) - A New York City public health service announcement warns that soda's excess calories can quickly lead to extra pounds. (Watch video)

Can women be fat and still fit? (MSNBC) - Women's Health: Relying on your Body Mass Index reading isn't always a reliable indicator of overall health. NBC's Nancy Snyderman reports.  (Watch video)

Protect yourself from the cold (CNN) - Much of the nation is battling frigid temps. Susan Hendricks has tips to keep you safe when you're out in the cold. (Watch video)

Young boy survives freak chopstick accident (MSNBC) - toddler in China is expected to recover after a fall caused a chopstick to go up his nose into his brain. Some of the images may be graphic. Msnbc.com's Keva Andersen reports.  (Watch video)

Lifestyle

A Weight-Loss Resolution That's Light on the Wallet (NY TIMES) - For most people who resolve to shed pounds after the holidays, the decision means shelling out cash - on packaged foods, books, health club memberships, a scale, liposuction consultations. Problem is, the only thing many people end up losing is money.  But on a cost-per-pound basis, the newest class of weight-loss innovation could beat them all.  Free and nearly free cellphone applications for dieters and aspiring hard bodies are proliferating in the various app stores for iPhones, Android handsets, BlackBerrys and others.  (Read more)

Facebook fights back, disallows the Suicide Machine (LA TIMES) - Like the computer in the movie "2001," Facebook is struggling to keep its profiles from virtual extinction at the hands of its arch enemy - the Web 2.0 Suicide Machine.  The Suicide Machine is a clever Web site out of the Netherlands that was designed to free users from their social network lives on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn. You just pick one of the networks, start up the machine, and it graphically shows you unfriending your contacts, one by one, and eliminating all your other contacts with your profile. Forever.  (Read more)

'Stop Me From Spending!' Facebook Application (PRN) - Youth Media International (Youth Radio) and Context Optional, the social marketing company, today announced the launch of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting-backed "Stop Me From Spending!" Facebook application. The Context Optional-powered application is the first from Youth Media International and is aimed at giving young people a social way to encourage each other to be more thoughtful spenders.  Youth Media International approached its first venture in application development by collaborating with young people to create the Temptation Converter, a composite tool capturing young people's ideas for what they want and need as they navigate this tough economy.  (Read more)

Off The beaten Path...

Should we bring back food rationing? (BBC) - It's 70 years since WWII rationing was brought in and many pass comment on the contrast between the current obesity epidemic and those healthier days of dearth. But how did people handle rationing and could we use the lessons to fight obesity now?  On 8 January 1940, the UK tightened its belt and entered a period of privation that was to percolate through every layer of the national consciousness.  (Read more)

Are our feet really getting bigger? (BBC) - Clodhopper, Big Foot, Yeti, flippers, clown's feet. You name it, Emma Supple has heard it from the patients who come knocking on the door of her foot care clinic.  Their motivation is to find some relief from the pain of years spent squeezing into shoes that are too small.  The result of this self-imposed form of 21st Century foot binding is a host of podiatric injuries, ranging from corns, callouses and blisters to trapped nerves, toes which have been compressed to resemble claws and a condition called mallet toe.  Just as the rest of our bodies are growing, upwards, frontwards and sideways so, it seems, are our feet. (Read more)

Living Oprah For A Year (FORBES) - Chicago-based yoga teacher and performance artist Robyn Okrant had a silly idea: What if she spent the entire year of 2008 doing everything Oprah Winfrey suggested? Would she find happiness? Would she achieve Oprah's female "ideal" without domestic help and on a yoga instructor's budget? It was something no one else had done before. She decided to go for it.  Blogging daily about her experiences on LivingOprah.com, Okrant, 37, completed every task that Oprah personally assigned or backed up on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in O magazine and on Oprah.com.  (Read more)

News Briefs...

Your Life

Your Body

Your Health

Your World


Health Tip

While people who have braces don't have to switch to a special diet, there are foods that can cause problems and should be avoided, the Nemours Foundation says.  If you have braces, you should avoid popcorn, gum, hard or sticky candy, and beverages that are too sugary, such as some sodas and juices.  The Foundation offers these additional suggestions to care for your braces:
  • Carefully brush and floss your teeth after each meal or snack.
  • If you drink sodas or juices with lots of sugar, brush afterward to help keep the sugar from sticking to your teeth.
  • See your orthodontist about any problem with your braces, including loose wires or brackets that can cut into the skin.
  • For sore teeth after an adjustment, take an over-the-counter pain reliever.




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Digging In The Dirt

I've always had generally good skin. It's genetic, my mom had it, my grandma... So my teen years haven't been too bad face wise. But now... I'm getting HORRIBLE breakouts by my ears, and at least one or two blemishes are constantly on my cheeks. I'm almost positive it's from my cell-phone, and talking on it 2 hours a night. SO, is there anything I can do to clean my phone and save my skin? I use 3 acne soaps, a zit cream, toner, astringent...yet they still keep coming! HELP!

FRUSTRATED! | age 17 | United States | January 4, 2010

Jamie says...

Let's be honest here, skin gets dirty. As such, it's not unreasonable to expect that this 'dirt' can/will get transferred to things that touch our face, like telephones. This is not just about cell phones either, when was the last time you cleaned your 'regular' telephone? So what can you do to help clean these devices and save your skin? I have a great (and cheap) way to do it!

Simply wiping down a phone is not good enough since it won't sterilize it. So what I use are call 'Alcohol Swabs'. We've all had a needle at some point in time right? Do you remember that the doctor/nurse use a small wet pad to clean your skin before the needle? Well that's an alcohol swab. In our case we will NOT be using them on our skin (more on this below) but instead will be using it on the phone. What's great about these swabs is that they are soaked with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol, which is a disinfectant. They are a roughly 1" by 1" piece of fabric with solution on it, they are small and disposable, and they are cheap to buy.

I can get a box of 100 of these swabs for under three dollars. Head to your local pharmacy and ask the pharmacist where to find them if you don't see them on the shelf. These are not a controlled substance or anything like that, even though they are used by people who use needles (like Diabetics). Once you have a box of them, just open one swab and wipe down the phone. It may get the phone a bit 'wet', but don't worry, it's not enough to damage the phone, and since it is mostly alcohol it will evaporate quickly. When you are done, check out the swab and see all the dirt it picked up! I usually clean my phone once a week.

If you are skill getting skin irritation from the phone even after keeping it clean, then you may be allergic to the plastic composition in the phone, or to the latex in the buttons. (Since many phones use latex to make 'soft' buttons.) If this is the case you will need to try an alternative like a headset when you use the phone. By the way, you should NOT use these swabs on your face. It's OK (and safe) to use these swabs on your skin when you are getting a needle, however, if you use alcohol on your face on a regular basis it will really dry it out. (Since the alcohol removes the natural skin oils that the body have, and this can harm the skin if used repeatedly.)

 

 

(Originally posted in October 2006)




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Tags: health nut, alcohol swabs, cell phone, how to clean

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