Recent Blog Posts

  Stomach Pain? Here are the 9 Most Common Sources and What to Do   Stomach pain is incredibly common, impacting just about everyone at one point or another. Sometimes, such as if you've just eaten a giant bowl of spicy chili, the cause is obvious. Others, and more often, you may have no idea what's causing the pain. Constipation is the most common cause of stomach pain in children, new research shows. Because your abdomen houses numerous organs (your stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas), the first step to identifying the cause of your stomach pain is to figure out where it hurts. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can then narrow down the source accordingly. Navel: Pain near your bellybutton may be related to a small intestine disorder or an inflammation of your appendix. Upper middle abdomen: Pain in the upper middle section of your stomach, just above your abdomen, may be a sign of a stomach disorder. Persistent upper middle abdomen pain may be related to your pancreas or gallbladder. Upper left abdomen: Pain in [...]

  Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail and How to Re-Set Your Resolutions NOW For Success   How many times have you vowed to lose 20 pounds starting with the New Year or said that this was the year you were going to cut back on your drinking or quit smoking once and for all? After the excitement of the New Year dies down, will your New Year’s resolution survive? After celebrating on New Year’s Eve and using it as the last hurrah to overindulge, most people set out on a stringent quest of resolutions beginning the very next day. Then around the end of January, many fail to live up to their stated resolutions, give up and go back to their former lifestyle. One survey listed the top three resolution categories in order of popularity: 37% - Start exercising 13% - Eat better 7% - Reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption or quit smoking The researchers found that people who looked at self-control as a form of willpower had the tendency to make more than one resolution and those who [...]

  Lutein: Are You Getting Enough of This Anti-Aging Antioxidant Powerhouse?   Lutein, a yellow-hued carotenoid (that's also found in non-yellow foods), has been receiving much well-deserved attention as of late. This powerful antioxidant may help fight everything from cancer to aging, and it's available in so many foods that there's no excuse not to add it to your daily diet. Egg yolks provide the most readily absorbed form of lutein -- leafy greens are also an excellent source. "We all used to talk about beta carotene [the carotenoid that makes carrots orange] in preventing disease. It's now lutein," says Frederick Khachik, Ph.D., senior researcher at the University of Maryland. "Lutein is just as important to health, or more so, than beta carotene." While no recommended daily allowance has been determined for this powerhouse nutrient, experts recommend 4-6 mg a day. However, federal surveys found that the average American consumes only about 2 mg of lutein daily. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this could easily be doubled by eating a salad consisting of one cup of spinach [...]

  11 Unexpected Things That Are Making You Fat Add to your list below the endless series of things that make you fat, many of which have to do with architectural planning and design. TreeHugger.com compiled this excellent list, which contains numerous waist-expanding phenomena you probably hadn’t thought of … Is your neighborhood making you fat? Quite possibly, yes! 1. Cul de Sacs: A study by Lawrence Frank of the University of British Columbia found that residents in neighborhoods with grids and interconnected streets traveled 26% fewer miles by car than those who lived in neighborhoods of cul-de-sacs. 2. Cars: The less people walk, bike or use public transit, the more likely they are to be obese. If you don’t have a car, it’s also more difficult to load your fridge with tons of food. 3. Where You Live: Certain states, such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have much higher rates of obesity than others, like Colorado, Utah and Montana. Way of life, including physical activity and food trends, may partly explain why. 4. The Recession: When money is [...]

  How Adults (and Teenagers!) Can Avoid Acne and Pimples   Acne is often thought of as one of the rites of passage of being a teenager -- one that, fortunately, you get to grow out of. Yet, acne does not always disappear once you reach your 20s and beyond. Having acne as an adult can lead to feelings of embarrassment, shame and lack of self-esteem. "Despite the fact that adult acne tends to be generally milder than teenage acne, this common medical condition can have a significant impact on a person's overall quality of life -- regardless of when it occurs," said dermatologist Julie C. Harper, MD, FAAD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Harper and colleagues conducted a study to find out just how common acne is among adults. After surveying over 1,000 people aged 20 years and older, they found that: During their 20s, 51 percent of women and 43 percent of men reported experiencing acne. During their 30s, 35 percent of women and 20 percent of men reported experiencing acne. During [...]

  You Really Can Die From a Broken Heart   While the idea of dying from a broken heart may strike some as nothing more than folklore -- Shakespearian even research has proven the reality of such an occurrence. Put the fire back into your love life. Avoid dying from a broken heart and spice up your relationship with coming articles. When people encounter certain distressing situations, a flood of stress hormones are unleashed, taking a drastic toll on the heart and causing sudden life-threatening heart spasms in otherwise healthy people. Such situations may include: A traumatic romantic breakup The shock of a surprise party The death of a loved one Being in a car accident One woman experienced sudden, intense chest pain after giving an emotional talk about her son's battle with mental illness. After being rushed to the hospital and treated for what doctors believed was a heart attack, it was discovered the woman had instead experienced an unusual heart malfunction ... otherwise referred to as broken heart syndrome. Suffering from broken heart syndrome, technically known as stress [...]