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Pedometer Program. Using a pedometer to monitor how much people move during the day was effective at increasing activity and decreasing sitting time. In a 12-week program where participants wore a pedometer daily and received emails twice a week offering nutritional and exercise tips, the average weight loss was 2.5 pounds (~ 1.1kg). American College…
Read MoreBenefit From Probiotics. Patients who are on antibiotics showed a decrease in antibiotic associated symptoms after taking probiotics. This study looked at the effectiveness of probiotics (live bacteria that can take up residence in digestive tracts) in treating common side effects of antibiotics such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea and life-threatening side effects such as Clostridium difficile…
Read MoreDementia Rates Double In China! In 1990, 3.68 million people in China had dementia. By 2010, that number rose to 9.2 million. Dementia patient health care costs will soon be higher than heart disease and cancer combined. Experts believe the increase can be explained by a combination of factors in China such as increased life…
Read MoreEase Anxiety. Volunteers with normal levels of anxiety and no previous meditation experience or anxiety disorders participated in four 20-minute classes to learn “mindfulness” meditation. In this form of meditation, people were taught to focus on breath and body sensations and to non-judgmentally evaluate distracting thoughts and emotions. Anxiety ratings fell as much as 39%.…
Read MoreFish Oil, Your Heart, and Stress. A new study finds that regular consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids (most commonly found in cold water fish like Salmon) improves cardiovascular health by dulling the connection between mentally stressful events and cardiovascular functions like heart rate, blood pressure, the fight-or-flight response, and blood flow. Those who frequently find…
Read MoreNo Headaches! Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is an effective treatment for tension headaches. In a study, patients who received SMT continued to benefit from care even four weeks after treatment concluded. This is in contrast to patients who received pharmaceutical therapy; they reverted to baseline values when checked a month after treatment ended. Journal of…
Read MoreIt’s Not Too Late To Cut Heart Failure Risk! In an eight year study, middle-aged participants drastically reduced their risk of heart failure up to 40% by increasing their cardiovascular fitness level. American Heart Association, May 2013
Read MoreBrain Rewards. Restricting food intake increases the reward value of food, particularly high-calorie and appetizing food. The more successful people are at caloric-restriction dieting, the greater difficulty they will face in maintaining the restriction. Dieting by skipping meals and fasting is less successful than weight loss efforts characterized by intake of low energy, dense, healthy…
Read MoreChildhood Disability On The Rise! In the United States, disabilities due to neurodevelopmental and mental health problems increased 16.3% during the first decade of the current century. Six million kids had a disability in 2009-2010, that’s almost 1 million more than 2001-2002. Pediatric Academic Society, May 2013
Read MoreDepression and Stroke Risk in Middle-Aged Women. A 12-year study of over 10,000 middle-aged Australian women found that those who suffered from depression had nearly double the risk of stroke compared to non-depressed women in their same age group. The American Heart Association encourages everyone to learn how to recognize a stroke. Think F.A.S.T: F-Face…
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