Milestone birthdays can be stressful times. I find it’s always around any birthday ending in 0 that I start reaching for self-help books. This year was no different. Soon after my birthday, I started reading the following…
Change your habits, change your life (A Proven Plan for Healthy Living) by Danna Demetre. In this book, Demetere, a lifestyle coach, provides a 40 day guide to how you can make dynamic and lasting changes to your life by taking an ‘inside-out’ approach. Along the way, you will learn how to turn unhealthy thoughts healthy, stay active and maximize your energy by eating …read more

Did you know that around 40 million squirrels a year get run over on US roads simply because they are so busy running back and forth, with no plan or strategy, with the sole aim of finding nuts?
Which is why Andrew J Sherman, in his self-improvement book Road Rules, suggests that we need to ‘Be the Truck. Not the Squirrel.’
Unlike squirrels, trucks are big, powerful, and have a plan, road map, and destination in mind. They, unlike the squirrel, don’t get squashed.
Yes, it sounds a bit extreme, even violent and aggressive. But once you get into the book, you’ll find …read more

Word everywhere is that washing your hands is the key to staying healthy, especially when there are so many bugs and viruses floating around.
Soap and water work great but sometimes you just feel the need to use something a little more potent  – like an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
But there’s a lot of controversy surrounding hand sanitizer products. Some people worry about the effectiveness of them. Others are concerned about the chemicals put in them – chemicals such as the endocrine disruptor Triclosan.
Easier, in some ways, to make your own. That way, you exactly what’s in it.

DIY hand sanitizer recipe
In …read more

What causes hair loss?
 Can you prevent it?
Can lost hair be restored?
These are just some of the questions answered by the user-friendly Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies. Co-authored by well known hair restoration surgeons Robert M. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.A.D., and Dr. William Rassman, this book gives both men and women a clear understanding about hair loss, hair loss prevention, hair replacement, natural remedies, over the counter treatments, and medical and hair transplant options.
Featured chapters include …

Getting To Know Your Hair ( What Causes Hair Loss; The Devastation Of Hair Loss In Women; Undergoing Hair Restoration Surgery)
Anatomy and Physiology of Hair …read more

Here’s a study you can use.
Swearing apparently plays an important role in relieving pain.
The study, published last month in the NeuroReport journal, tested this theory on college students. Students are required to immerse their hands in cold water for as long as they could. While the hands were in the cold water, they were encouraged to either repeat a swear word of their choice or chant a neutral non-swear word.
The students who used sweat words reported less pain during the exercise and were also able to keep their hands in the cold water for at least 40 seconds longer.
While the …read more

Marinades not only make grilled foods taste better, they may also make them safer. That’s the word from a number of studies that have been looking into the risk of grilling meats on the BBQ.
The latest study suggests that adding beneficial antioxidants such as rosemary extracts or Thai spices to the meat can significantly reduce the risk of ingesting heterocyclic amines (HCAs).
Last year, scientists at the University of Porto in Portugal examined the effects of beer and red wine marinades on grilled steak and discovered that simply marinating in beer or red wine for six hours reduced the levels of …read more

Summer time is BBQ time for most of us. But in the past few years, there has been a lot of concern about the health issues relating to barbequing meats.
In particular,  health concerns revolve around the potential exposure carcinogenic compounds such as Hetrocyclic amines (HCAs) that increase as meat is charred on the grill and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAAs) that are created when fat and meat juices drip onto the coals and stones.
Back in 2005,  HCAs, which has been shown to cause tumors in animals and possibly increase the risk of breast, colon, stomach, pancreatic, and prostate cancer in humans, …read more

Hey, we all know that being in a recession is the pits.
Fears of job and house losses, not to mention dwindling 401Ks (retirement funds) can make things like pretty gloomy.
But, believe it or not, the recession could actually be good for your health – well, at least your physical health.
Here‘s why – by suddenly looking at your life and starting to examine the way you live, how you spend, and what you do with your time, the recession could actually help you recreate a more healthy and even happier you.
Here’s how…
1. Pull out the saucepans and start cooking
Eating out is …read more

With May being National Correct Posture Month, it seems only right to think about ways to improve the posture.
Sitting at the computer for hours on end has, I’m sure, increased my habit of slumping so a few reminders and tips on how to straighten up won’t go amiss.
Here’s what Dr Greg Thielman, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Philadelphia, suggests in the way of tips and exercises…
Evaluate your workstation: A workstation is anywhere that an individual spends a notable amount of time daily and for many of us, our primary workstation is standing or sitting at a desk. “If …read more

MSNBC reported the other day that ‘thanks to the swine flu, there’s a little less hugging and kissing  [going on] in the United States’.  They base this on a recent  Harvard survey that found about 1 in 10 Americans have stopped hugging, kissing, and even shaking hands because of swine flu concerns.
Sounds pretty extreme and probably not all that good for your health. Hugging, after all, makes people happier. And happier people will often be healthier people.
Hugging, a simple physical expressions of affection,  improves and strengthen peoples connections and relationships with other people and themselves.
Hugging, even in the time of swine flu H1N1 flu, is good for you. 
To find …read more