health

Two students from Rice University in Houston created a centrifuge to help diagnose anemia using only thirty dollars worth of common household items: a hot glue gun, a few cut up plastic combs, empty yoghurt containers, and a salad spinner. Inventors, sophomore Lila Kerr and freshman Lauren Theis, were challenged to make a medical device that is portable and can operate without electricity.

Medical research has shown that aging skin is the result of more than just years on the calendar. Exposure to environmental elements like sunlight (Ultraviolet or UV rays), smoke, and air pollution all contribute to skin aging.

Judy: Amy and Karla started the new year with a tap of the reset button. They went back to the toughest and most restrictive version of the elimination diet to verify their assumptions. They've zeroed in on several foods that affect the way they feel and sleep.

To all moms out there: What is the most coveted thing when you have a baby? What do you need to make you sane, to give you the energy to deal with your little one? What would you give an arm or leg for? We all have the same answer. SLEEP! Something so important for moms everywhere, but seems to elude so many.

I do not have a green thumb. Any plant that enters my house better have its affairs in order because it's going down. It may be quick and painless as is the experience of any orchid I get or it may be a slow painful death as that suffered by my zee zee plant, which Julie England says is practically impossible to kill. Outside plants fare no better. The one exception to this mass slaughter is rosemary.

The reason I haven’t written this book about staying healthy is that it would only be 6 words. The dedication would be much longer – there are many role models and mentors who have taught me in principle and action that these 6 words prove the point.

The dream of a long, healthy life isn't a new one: Juan Ponce de Leon was not the first with his search for the fountain of youth, but today we seem more confident that using science and epidemiological studies we can find the secret.

Those pudgy cheeks, that cherry red nose, the belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly: Santa looks cute, but he serves as a good reminder in this season that we need to watch growing mid-sections. Before modern marketing folks got hold of him, Santa was a thin, ascetic fellow in long fur-trimmed robes, and probably a lot healthier. Today's Santa, and others with bellies that shake when they laugh, are more prone to disease than our also large, but pear-shaped friends.

Judy: Amy and Karla told me that they're glad to be on the elimination diet through the holidays. It keeps them mindful of their eating and makes it easier to avoid the foods they know they don't need. I'm glad they feel that way. It can be tough to contend with holiday treats when you feel deprived. They are still focused on the goal and are realizing great benefit from staying focused.

Judy: Amy and Karla are juggling those busy schedules, travel, and now the food challenges. Keeping track and staying on course is difficult, but they've done really well. Eating in restaurants is actually easier than dining at the home of friends or family.

When Amy and Karla started on this journey, we knew there would be challenges: these are busy women who eat several meals a week in restaurants and at meetings. Everything seemed to hit this week. As Karla's diary reveals, she struggled with restaurant menus and trying to find nourishment in buffet lines.

Judy: Deaths in close circles, busy schedules, and daily demands can derail the most determined dieter. Karla and Amy have both had tough weeks, but they stuck with their elimination plans.

For people watching what they eat, the holidays lurk like monsters in a kid's closet. Sometimes we start eating what we know we shouldn't just because the holidays are coming: A preemptory shot of eggnog to keep feelings of deprivation at bay.

Goats will eat anything. My parents had a goat on their farm that got loose and was found snacking on the vinyl roof of their Plymouth Fury.  There's a human equivalent of goats. You know the ones-people who can eat anything and never suffer a headache, heartburn, or unexplained rash. Others of us have to be more careful.  

It seems that now-days, everyone has a cleanse diet for losing weight, clearing toxins from the body--primarily the colon, boosting energy or just feeling better. Celebrities have made some of these programs famous by dropping pounds before a big role - a quick fix for weight control. Not surprisingly, many such programs eliminate alcohol, sugar, caffeine, processed foods and fast foods.