Health Notes
A reader from Canada passed along this article on Açai, a Brazilian berry that purports to have ten times the antioxidants found in red grapes; boost your energy; prevent premature aging; and kill some cancer cells. Wow, that’s a lot for one little berry to do. And of course through the magic of the internet, Açai is available at places like Amazon.com. Cool.

I thought that a diet pill (Excalia) that helps you lose weight was a good idea until I did some further research. Excalia is a combination of zonisamide SR and bupropion SR. The former seems to be an anticonvulsant, while the latter looks like the ingredient found in Wellbutrin and Zyban, a really serious psychiatric medication. I can understand, I suppose, that if a person has a serious weight problem, then he or she might want to resort to serious measures to remedy that problem. Excalia, it seems, is one such option. If I was obese and couldn’t lose weight, especially if that obesity was threatening my life, then maybe I would take this. But I do think I would try a lot of other stuff first.

Can calcium intake help you control your weight?

Since we seem to be talking a lot about weight control, here’s an article about Hoodia again.

Eating fruits and vegetables can help lower a person’s blood pressure. Maybe it’s the nitrates found in those foods that do the job.

Does taking Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec cause people to have more broken hips?

While they are genetically modifying the peanut, I hope I will still be able to get some non-GM peanuts in the future.



news, aging, Acai, antioxidants, anticonvulsant, Excalia, blood pressure, calcium, calorie restriction, nitrates, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, diet, food, health, Hoodia, fruit, genetic engineering, peanuts, obesity, osteoporosis, GMO, bupropion, zonisamide, Zyban, vegetables, vegetarian, weight loss, Wellbutrin,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Scientists may have found a chemical that will stop alcoholics craving alcohol. Apparently there are orexin cells in the hypothalamus which regulate the pleasure derived from alcohol. It might be possible to block the action of these cells. Now if they could just do this for cigarettes.

For those who are not alcoholics, here is another article that says drinking a couple of glasses of wine per day is good for your health.

And here is an article that gives six reasons to drink wine. One big reason includes the possibility of avoiding ovarian cancer. There may be a reduced risk of 50 percent associated with moderate wine consumption. Here is an Australian study. Here is an Hawaiian study. And here are other articles. Other reasons, as if that were not enough, include possibly helping your memory and avoiding osteoporosis.

I love Indian food. As I may have mentioned before, you can make very tasty dishes using a minimum of spices. Here is an article about Indian spices. They are very healthy for you, and since I am vegetarian, they help add flavor to my meals.

Some of the supplements that are most in favor right now include: Andrographis, Astragalus, Elderberry, Honeysuckle and forsythia, Pelargonium sidoides, Probiotics, Vitamin C, and Zinc.

Here is an article about foods that may help you fight colds.

Here is an article on the health benefits of tea generally. And here is an accompanying chart that compares different teas and their benefits. It makes you want to try the various teas.

Research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Thomas B. Shea, University of Massachusetts Lowell) suggests that eating two apples a day could help protect our memory as we age.

Research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention suggests that men who lose weight may lower their risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer.


news, aging, alcohol, Alzheimer's disease, alcoholism, Andrographis, astragalus, honeysuckle, forsythia, cancer, elderberry, diet, nutrition, food, health, Indian food, immunity, memory, longevity, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, spice, tea, wine, vegetarian, weight loss, women, supplements


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Using mistletoe extract to fight cancer may not be a good idea. It may cause tumors.

Scientists are developing new drugs to fight cancer by blocking blood supply to tumors, but this time in novel ways. (Two separate reports in the journal Nature: one by Regeneron’s Dr. Gavin Thurston, and the other by Genentech’s Minhong Yan.)

As we have mentioned before, sometimes inflammation in the body is not good. Here are some suggestions for anti-inflammatory foods to eat. Some ideas include: adding flaxseed to breakfast cereal; eating more tuna and salmon; consuming omega-3 fatty acids; having a good balance between omega-3s and omega-6s; eating sweet cherries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries.

This article has some suggestions for natural approaches to fight depression for those who are not doing well on their prescription medication. It mentions such things as: L-tyrosine, an energizing amino acid that helps make dopamine, a happy brain chemical. It also boosts thyroid hormone, which eases depression and fatigue; SAMe, a natural antidepressant and joint-pain reliever that has been used overseas for decades with great success; EPA/DHA fish oils as well as a good brand of 5-HTP; and St. John's wort which is very useful too, and numerous studies prove it. Please note: I do not vouch for any of these substances, but I mention them here for your information. I must say that I would like to look into some of these further myself, because I am not at all familiar with some of them.

Here are articles on the “World’s Healthiest Foods.” They include Spanish olive oil, Japanese soy, Greek yogurt (I liked this a lot when I visited Greece), Indian lentils, and Korean Kimchi. The list is interesting, but be sure to follow the links and read the individual articles on each food. They are very interesting and informative.

Political Note
So, how is New Orleans doing some sixteen months after Hurricane Katrina?


news, antidepressant, angiogenesis, cancer, cholesterol, depression, diet, fruit, food, health, inflammation, Katrina, kimchi, mistletoe, New Orleans, natural, olive oil, omega 3, soy, research, tumor, vegetables, vegetarian,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Low testosterone in men is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Testosterone therapy might one day prevent that problem.

Men who take anti-cholesterol statin drugs may be less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer.

Here is an article on breast cancer and predicting the likelihood of its recurrence.

Also regarding breast cancer, sometimes you don’t know what to believe. Sometimes people say not to worry about fat in the diet, for older women, that is. (Here is an assortment of articles.) Now an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute says a low fat diet may prevent recurrence of breast cancer. I remember the earlier study. There were flaws in it as I recall. I would definitely go with this most recent one.

One day they say eating a low protein diet may prevent cancer. Now this study from Harvard Medical School says a high protein diet may be good for the heart. But this is not just any high protein diet. It is one that doesn’t include a lot of meat, but does include lots of nuts, beans, and whole grain cereals. The latter approach is similar to what I eat. Don’t forget the fruits and vegetables.

Cromolyn, an asthma medication, might be effective against pancreatic cancer.

Here is an article on aging, brain exercises, and mental acuity. There is a box on the right side of this page titled “Mental Aerobics” which provides exercises with pictures, lists, and words. What I’d like to know is this: do all these exercises have to be puzzles? I mean puzzles are ok, but what if a person remains mentally active every day, learning new things, thinking about new concepts, etc? Wouldn’t that serve the same purpose as puzzles? I guess it’s all good, but I think we need to stress the importance of remaining mentally active, with or without puzzles. But hey, what do I know?

Here is an article on the flexibility of the adult human brain. And here is an article on why the teenaged brain may sometimes be so chaotic.

Apparently the herbal supplement black cohosh may not relieve the hot flashes of menopause.

Can antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals boost our immune systems and help us fight the flu?

In 2004 Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, said "the marketing of junk food, especially to kids, is out of control.'' Now that he will be chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, he may be in a position to do something about that problem.



News, aging, adolescence, Alzheimer's disease, antioxidants, asthma, Cromolyn, breast cancer, calorie restriction, cancer, commercials, children, cholesterol, pancreatic cancer, black cohosh, diet, exercise, fat, food, health, heart disease, immunity, Tom Harkin, testosterone, junk food, hot flashes, menopause, obesity, prostate cancer, intelligence, protein, supplements, brain, statins, ads, vitamins, herbs, weight loss, women, politics,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Inflammation in the body is an important concern. Rosehips (or rosehip extract) may help lower inflammation. And here is an article on other anti-inflammatories.

While we’re talking about anti-inflammatories, this article says olive oil may reduce the risk of cancer. It may be the monounsaturated fats in the olive oil that reduce oxidative damage done to cells – damage that could lead to cancer. I often eat a dish called Pasta Alia Olia, which is basically garlic sautéed in olive oil, served over linguine. I always thought it was healthy, but now I’m even more convinced.

I mentioned Ibuprofen recently. I talked about how there are so many warning labels on the box. Now the FDA says that a lot of painkillers are safe if taken as directed, but they are not always taken as directed, which is very dangerous (I don’t know if you saw the story on ABC News last night) so they want more extensive warning labels on more painkillers. Now I’m really afraid to take any anymore.

And speaking of painkillers, this article advises you not to take acetaminophen to combat a hangover, because it could harm the liver if mixed with alcohol. Now you see, I don’t understand that. Of course you’re not going to take acetaminophen with a glass of wine, but you mean you should also not take one the next morning, after you haven’t had any alcohol for like eight hours? That seems bizarre to say the least. I need further clarification on that.

The residents of this town in Italy, Stocarreddo, eat anything they want, with little or no apparent ill effects, while heart attack and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death in the state of Tennessee. Of course it’s not fair, but it’s all genetics, I guess. If we could figure out what makes those Italians so healthy, maybe we could help the people of Tennessee and elsewhere. That’s one thing we should be trying to do.

Everybody’s probably heard about this by now, but vitamin D may reduce your risk of getting Multiple Sclerosis. Great!

I guess we should all think twice before beginning a fast. Here is an article with more information and discussion on fasting. I don’t really fast, but sometimes I devote a day, perhaps Sunday, to eating a lot of soluble fiber, like that found in oatmeal and bananas. Also I often try to limit my calories. And speaking of oatmeal, this opinion article touts the benefits of oat cereal. (It may lower LDL cholesterol levels and prevent heart attacks.)

For those who are trying to stop drinking alcohol, nutrition may play a part in that process. Some doctors recommend a diet of fish, high cholesterol food, and vitamins to help kick the habit.

Here’s an article that says reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages during childhood may lessen the risk of getting conditions like diabetes and heart disease in later life. Maybe somebody should feed these kids a dish of Pasta Alia Olia.


news, acetaminophen, aspirin, NSAID, vitamin D, FDA, fasting, fiber, labels, calorie restriction, pain, cancer, children, cholesterol, painkiller, diabetes, diet, hangover, fat, food, health, heart attack, heart disease, genetics, inflammation, LDL, rosehips, olive oil, ibuprofen, alcohol, liver damage, soluble fiber, wine, disease, stroke, sugar, vitamin C, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, oatmeal,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
I have talked a lot about ovarian cancer recently. I believe I can’t talk about it enough, because a lot of women die from it, and it is important that women have information. So, once again, here are the symptoms of ovarian cancer: pelvic or abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, urinary urgency (needing to get to a bathroom immediately), urinary frequency (having to urinate often), feeling full, having difficulty eating. If you have these symptoms, get to a doctor fast.

Women in this study who drank two cups of tea per day presumably had a lower risk of ovarian cancer. And here is a resource for more information on ovarian cancer generally.

Here is a resource for more information on breast cancer.

I have talked a lot about omega-3 fatty acids. I mentioned that those with heart failure should not take omega-3s. Now it seems there are other risks associated with taking too much omega-3, (more than 3 grams per day?) including increased bleeding, stroke, etc. Check this article at Wikipedia, and do more research for yourself. Anything can be overdone, I suppose, including taking omega-3.

Does everyone know what cataracts are? Here is some information. I am definitely going to wear my sunglasses more often. Maybe that will prevent my developing cataracts.

What is it with alcohol? Now they’re saying that it might actually help prevent arthritis. At least it seemed to have been effective for mice.

For alcoholics, if they stop drinking, in many cases their brain chemistry improves and they regain brain volume. This, of course, is cause for optimism.

Here is an article that wonders if we are over-diagnosing prostate cancer. I certainly think we are over-screening for it. I had a biopsy six years ago that I think was totally unnecessary. In this article Dr. Gil Welch at Dartmouth says, “What we should be doing is tell people the whole story and let different people come to different decisions.” I’m all for that.

While we’re talking about prostate cancer, here is an article on some new treatments that may be available.

Here is an article on cancer, diet, and food, including fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants.


news, alcohol, antioxidants, arthritis, alcoholism, breast cancer, bleeding, cancer, cataracts, diet, food, health, heart disease, fruit, omega-3, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, PSA, symptoms, tea, stroke, vegetables, vegetarian, women,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Smoking may have a negative impact on your IQ.

Eating fish, or taking fish oil, may help regulate your heart rate, and thereby lower your risk of sudden death.

A new test that focuses on a protein called EPCA may help in diagnosing prostate cancer. EPCA levels were found to be elevated in a number of men who had negative biopsies, but in whom the disease subsequently was found.

According to this report, taking aspirin neither increases nor decreases your risk of pancreatic cancer.

Don’t want to get cataracts? Eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables.

Pregnant women who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, etc, have an 80% greater chance of having a miscarriage.


news, NSAID, heart disease, cancer, health, diet, food, prostate cancer, PSA, fish, fish oil, LDL, HDL, cholesterol, omega-3, cataracts, vegetables, vegetarian, aging, mental decline, intelligence, smoking cessation, aspirin, pancreatic cancer, IQ, smoking, miscarriage, women, pregnancy,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are getting some good press these days. There was the recent article that taking them may prevent Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Now there is an article on how they may help prevent or treat cancer. I love these kinds of stories. Sometimes I feel pessimistic when I read about things in the environment that cause cancer. It is always good to read about new and promising treatments. I guess I’m an optimist at heart.

High blood pressure can be bad of course, but low blood pressure (hypotension) can be bad too.

And too much exercise is not good. Think stress fractures, insomnia, and compromised immune systems.

I hate a lot of those drug ads on TV. Now is seems that the GAO thinks the FDA should do more to regulate direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. Good luck with that. The pharmaceutical industry has a lot of clout.

Can a low calorie diet help with Parkinson’s disease? Maybe so, according to a new study, by Mark P. Mattson of the National Institute on Aging, which is being reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Here are two articles about diet and breast cancer. (CNN, AP) The idea, I think, is that a low fat diet may help prevent the recurrence of some breast cancers, but only those that are not driven by hormones. The evidence for this, however, is not conclusive.


news, NSAID, Parkinson's disease, prostate, cancer, blood pressure, calorie restriction, hypotension, fat, injury, health, weight loss, diet, prostate cancer, Prescription drugs, FDA, GAO, aging, inflammation, exercise, breast cancer,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
Here is a list of ten medical treatments that are currently being tested, and that could revolutionize the fight against certain diseases, like lung cancer, Alzheimer’s, and HIV.

Here is an article about the drug Avastin that may act to cut off the blood supply to lung cancer tumors.

Some of the adverse effects that smoking has on the cardiovascular system may disappear soon after one quits. That’s good news.

It may be better to treat prostate cancer than to just wait and watch.

Here is an article about breast cancer and the effectiveness of tamoxifen in treating it.

I’m sure that a colonoscopy is not a very pleasant procedure. If you want to avoid having to get one, you might want to eat less meat and more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Do antidepressants increase the risk of suicide? This is something you might want to think about. Here is another article from International Herald Tribune.

Here is a discussion of diet and healthy food, including spinach, tomatoes, red wine, cinnamon, etc.

Vegetarians who eat a diet low in protein may have less risk of developing cancer.

I feel bad for people who have trouble sleeping. Here is a discussion of treating insomnia.

This is interesting: the flu vaccine does not need to be a perfect match for the strain of influenza that is going around. The vaccine will probably still work anyway. This may also be true for the bird flu.

Is mercury pollution increasing in the Arctic? Some scientists fear that it might be. I’m worried about mercury pollution in the environment too.



news, medicine, heart disease, cancer, Avastin, health, diet, food, prostate cancer, tamoxifen, antidepressants, suicide, vegetables, vegetarian, protein, Alzheimer's disease, insomnia, flu, bird flu, colonoscopy, colon cancer, lung cancer, smoking, breast cancer, smoking cessation, pollution, mercury, H5N1,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
I don’t know why doctors have to work such marathon shifts. Of course they are more prone, at times of great sleep deprivation, to make more mistakes. It seems to me, really, to be a scheduling problem: how can we best schedule our doctors for the benefit of all? (There was also a discussion of this on NPR)

I think making the information public on how effective heart surgeons are is a great idea, although I’m not sure what good it would do for the majority of people. If I needed heart surgery, I have a choice basically between two hospitals. One is about a mile away, so I think I would be more likely to go there in an emergency, regardless of who the doctors were.

Here are ten warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a very good, detailed list of symptoms.

Scientists may have developed a test that can accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, although sticking a needle in my spine is not exactly my idea something good.

Can having olive oil as part of your diet help prevent cancer? The January 2007 issue of FASEB Journal discusses that question. And here’s another article.

Here are six warning signs of ovarian cancer. This is an important disease, and we can never talk about it enough.

Exercise might help prevent breast cancer.

Here is an article that asks if breast cancer might be transmitted sexually. It seems that researchers may have found the human papillomavirus (HPV) in some breast tumors. In a related story, might oral cancer result from having oral sex? I guess the point here is that one of the best tools we have for fighting disease is information. Armed with information, we can alter our behavior and hopefully catch things before they become problems.

Circumcision may reduce the risk of getting or transmitting the AIDS virus? I wonder how many African men are going to take advantage of the opportunity to get circumcised.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a serious condition. It causes thousands of people per year to lose one or both legs. Checking to see if you have PAD is rather simple, but treating it is a little more complicated.

New treatment options may eventually be available that would stop the decay from osteoporosis and stimulate bone formation.

If children eat whole grains and fish, that might cut their risk of having asthma.



news, atherosclerosis, heart disease, medical mistakes, cancer, ovarian cancer, doctors, medicine, sleep deprivation, surgery, surgeons, health, olive oil, diet, food, Mediterranean diet, STD, sexually transmitted disease, human papillomavirus, HPV, cholesterol, oral cancer, oral sex, AIDS, HIV, peripheral artery disease, circumcision, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, exercise, children, women,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.

Health Notes
You know, you hear a lot about how this vitamin does this, and that vitamin doesn’t do that. My attitude about vitamins is this: any particular vitamin may or may not help prevent a certain disease. But if we eat a varied, healthy diet with lots of nutrients, then in all likelihood we will be healthy.

We eat a lot of soup. The soups we eat are mostly vegetarian, in some cases vegan. Here is an article on how eating soup might help you lose weight. Eating a lot of creamy, high calorie soups, however, might not help anyone lose weight.

Eating vegetables might limit the mental decline associated with aging.

Is it harder for women in their 40s to lose weight than women in their 20s? Here is an article with tips on avoiding weight gain during the holidays. And here is another really good article on healthy eating and weight gain during the holidays. A lot of this information is good if applied at other times of the year too.

Cancer patients, particularly those with breast cancer, need to watch their alcohol consumption.

Here is a good discussion of dietary fat. One thing it says is that monounsaturated fat lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL. That’s great. I eat quite a few pistachio nuts, which contain a lot of monounsaturated fats.

After giving antibiotics to all those kids with ear infections, now they say that most ear infections may heal on their own. Thank you.

In my experience, pharmacists offer to explain medical prescriptions to patients who need help, but I guess some people still get it wrong. “Nearly half of adult Americans have trouble understanding and using basic health information, and dosage error is the most common medical mistake associated with low health literacy.”

The dark side of living in a developed country? More than a million people die prematurely each year due to air pollution. This pollution includes “gases such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, as well as tiny particles found in air,” which are thought to lead to respiratory infections, lung cancer, and heart disease.

Is there really a link between losing height as we age and developing heart disease?

Here is an article on exercise and fitness for people who are overweight.

People who watch their calories but don’t exercise may experience bone loss as well as weight loss. (December 11/25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine)

Here are some exercises for people who don’t have time to exercise.



news, air pollution, heart disease, vitamins, cancer, testosterone, women, calorie restriction, medicine, fat, obesity, health, weight loss, diet, food, prescriptions, soup, acid reflux, fitness, LDL, cholesterol, HDL, antibiotics, ear infections, otitis media, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, aging, Alzheimer's disease, eating, cooking, osteoporosis, exercise, drugs, lung cancer, medicine, breast cancer, alcohol, wine, medical mistakes, children,


Note: links that look good today often are no longer good in the future. I make every effort to create good links. When I discuss a topic, I also attempt to provide enough pertinent information so that readers won’t have to rely solely on the link at hand for their understanding, or for their further research.

BUY MY BOOK

As reviewed by Miss Cellania, you now get four books in one volume, including, for the first time in print, The Tao of America. Click here for more information about this volume, including excerpts.

The Tao of Politics Anthology, now available as e-book (only $6.00), or as paperback.

Also check here for The Tao of Love. And for a good time, anytime, visit Miss Cellania online.