Recent Blog Posts

  The 11 Signals Your Nails are Giving You About Your Health   Many people put a lot of effort into keeping their nails perfectly trimmed, cleaned and manicured. If the nails aren't perfect, the solution is often to cover them up with fake nails or polish. But ignoring such signs and viewing them as only an aesthetic problem could be dangerous to your health. Concerns Below the Surface? What you can't see could be concerning. What you can see could be signaling greater health concerns. Like your skin, your nails are excellent indicators of what's going on inside your body. If your nails are healthy (smooth and pink with a slightly curved surface), your body is probably pretty healthy too. But if your nails are discolored, brittle or otherwise appear unhealthy, it may be because of an underlying health problem. "The nails can be windows to a patient's overall health, and while the nail itself is dead tissue, the areas under the cuticle and beneath the nail are alive," said dermatologist Richard K. Scher, M.D., professor of clinical dermatology [...]

  10 Steps to Avoid Alzheimer's   Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's Facts and Figures. While over 5 million people in the United States are already living with the disease, it's estimated that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's during their lifetime -- and this number is expected to triple by 2050. Simple and enjoyable things like playing cards with your friends, doing crossword puzzles, and going to family get-togethers can keep your mind sharp well into your older years. The prevalence has grown so much in recent years that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, even surpassing diabetes. Aside from the devastating emotional toll this disease takes on those afflicted and their families, it also costs the United States more than $148 billion each year. The Most Common Form of Dementia Dementia is a loss or decline in memory and other cognitive abilities that is severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease is [...]

  15 Ways to Save Money in the New Year Americans rang in the New Year with increased optimism about what the future holds, but many are still treading cautiously when it comes to their finances. Given the ongoing recession facing the nation, it’s no surprise that the third most popular New Year’s resolution, according to a survey by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, New York, was to save more money. Cooking meals at home with your family saves money and can be fun too! Plus, you’ll stay healthier in the New Year. Many have already begun to scale back, with 55 percent of respondents to a USA TODAY/Gallup poll saying they’ve cut household spending because of lower prices in the stock market and fears about the economy. Already: 63 percent said they cut back on travel for the holidays 81 percent have cut back on eating out at restaurants 72 percent have cut back on entertainment such as going to the movies 37 percent have cut back on household services such as housekeeping or lawn service [...]

  Cold Sore Cure? Why Calcium and Vitamin F are Essential for Natural Prevention and Treatment for Herpes Herpes … everyone’s heard about it but no one wants to talk about it. Widely shunned as a taboo topic, this painful virus is actually much more common than the average American citizen would like to admit, making it more important than ever for people to learn the correct facts about its wide range of symptoms, causes and cures. Millions of people suffer from cold sores, which are caused by the herpes simplex virus. Often, this virus is picked up during childhood (via food sharing, etc.) and lies dormant until you’re stressed or sick. Though there are many prescription treatments on the market, many of them contain chemicals and compounds that might not be the healthiest and most sustainable options. Fortunately, new studies suggest that natural calcium supplements can reduce and prevent the outbreaks from happening, but in order to understand how they work and why they work, a better understanding of the herpes virus is needed. What is Herpes? There are [...]

  The Promises & Perils of Mind-Altering, World-Changing Drugs Like Modafinil (Modafinal & Company)   Millions of Americans down mug after mug of coffee to stay alert and get through the day with perhaps a bit of an edge. Some go so far as to pop caffeine pills to pull all-nighters while studying for exams or finishing a top-priority report. Others awaken bleary-eyed at 4 a.m. to get their days started, while the rest of us typically just wish we had more hours in a day. With modafinil you could put in a 40-hour workweek in two days. If you could take it, would you? But if there were a pill you could take that would keep you wide-awake for 40 hours at a time -- with no side effects, no risk of addiction, and no crash afterward -- would you take it? This tempting question is now a reality as mind-altering drugs like modafinil are already on the market. Modafinil, a drug originally developed to treat narcolepsy, is being prescribed off-label to a host of people who need to [...]

  Is Goal Setting Causing You to Fail? Despite the fact that setting goals is an extremely popular ingredient in the typical recipe for success, some studies seem to prove otherwise. Goals are usually set using the best intentions and effort, but many people consistently fall short of achieving their goals. When you don’t meet the goals you set, you generally blame yourself. You may even label yourself a failure. However, the root of the problem may simply be in the goal itself. Means to the End Goal Justifies? Unreachable goals set by management can often lead employees to use unethical business practices. We live in a culture that is obsessed with setting goals. People often believe that success and accomplishment actually depends on meeting specific goals in life. The standard motivation tool used by powerful leaders and large corporations is a continual focus on improvement and success. In addition, the way those leaders and corporations tend to measure success is by simply measuring goal attainment. The idea that "bigger is better", "it's their way or the highway", or "working [...]