Monthly Archive: February 2011
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin with functions in various body systems. The active metabolite is involved in the metabolism of several other vitamins and in the production of haemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in...
Soft drinks drain your body of essential nutrients. Most sodas contain phosphoric acid and caffeine, which can deplete your body’s calcium stores and natural fluids. Plus you’re likely to consume them in place of...
There is a huge range of vitamin and mineral supplements now available. These may take the form of individual vitamins or mixtures of several vitamins, with or without minerals added, designed for specific age...
Dreary weather got you down? You’re not alone. Many Americans experience melancholy days, especially during this time of year — when colder temperatures and less light dampen the mood. In fact, a Duke study...
You’ve heard about the importance of keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure in check to avoid heart attack, and watching your weight and toxin exposure to lower your odds of getting cancer. But recent...
There are a whole range of biologically active substances in foods, especially plant foods and herbal remedies, apart from those accepted as nutrients. Some of these are harmful or affect the availability of nutrients...
Extensive research promotes clobbering your couch potato tendencies and bumping up physical activity to ward off disease, strengthen your heart, keep you positive, and control your weight. But as you experience the advertised promises...
From its first beat some 21 days after you’re conceived to its last on your dying day, your ticker expands and contracts without pause — that’s exhausting, if you consider how quickly your hand...
You might think that working up a sweat on your walk is all you need to whittle away the pounds. But what you do when you’re not walking might actually have more impact. While...
Every year or so, you make an appointment to be poked and prodded, stuck with needles, and handed a cup much smaller than your usual target in which to pee. Somewhere between dressing up...
Trichotillomania, aka “trich”, is a disorder that causes people to literally pull out their hair. Some people pull out their eyelashes or eyebrows; others pull from their scalp, arms, or legs. Although few people...
Coenzyme Q10 Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a fat-soluble nutrient that is found in many foods and is made in nearly all of your body’s tissues. It has the important responsibility of producing cellular energy....
Make evening time = Exercise Time Rethink what you do after dinner, that’s when many families sit down in front of the television with a bowl of potato chips. It’s the witching hour for...
Benefits: CGMS is able to provide a more complete picture of a person’s daily glucose levels with up to 288 glucose readings per day. As such, the patient has the immediate benefit of reducing...
So what’s stopping you from going to the gym? A study from George Washington University Medical Center this year says that for many women, it’s about feeling self-conscious: You don’t want to exercise in...
Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) provide users 24/7 blood glucose monitoring. The available systems include three devices: a disposable sensor which is stuck to the body and takes subcutaneous blood glucose readings, a reusable...
You’re super-organized, and are willing to put in the time to follow a complicated plan if the results pay off. Diet to try – South Beach is a well-balanced, three-phase plan created by cardiologist...
The objective of diabetes diagnostic tools is to assess an individual’s glucose levels and variability in order to develop a plan that will allow for proper management. The three most common diagnostic tools utilized...
Agave nectar Agave nectar was prized by the Aztecs as a gift from the gods. A natural sweetener and a healthier alternative to sugar and honey, the nectar (sometimes called syrup) has a consistency...
Blood is composed of four key elements: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. • Red blood cells or hemoglobin are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. •...
Even if you’ve always been into exercise, what with your desk job, your kids, and only 24 hours in a day, it’s easy for a few extra pounds to sneak onto your once-flat stomach....
Whether it’s pitching in on the PTA fundraiser or getting the gang together for a girls’ night out, there’s nothing you love better than spending time with your friends. Diet to try Weight Watchers...
Your busy workweek leaves you no time to think, let alone cook. You’re lucky if you remember to feed the dog, much less whip up an egg-white omelet before racing off to make the...
There are several tests available that allow physicians to screen for diabetes. The typical methods provide a measure of the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels. Normal fasting glucose levels are at or...
You know your way around the kitchen and love to whip up meals from scratch. There’s only one down side to your lifestyle. The temptation of all that good food is ever-present. Diet to...
When you have tweens and teens, you spend a lot of time in the car, driving them to soccer practice, music lessons, and sleepovers. You know how frustrating all that chauffeuring can feel –...
Why is it so hard to lose weight? You may be choosing a diet that doesn’t fit the realities of your life. You can lose weight on practically any diet that cuts down on...
We are what we eat The human body is powered by energy that is derived from the sugars we eat. During digestion, these sugars are converted by the liver into glucose. The glucose is...
Kids grow fast these days. For the under-20 age group, overweight and obesity growth rates are disturbing. From 1974 to 2004, the prevalence of overweight kids 6 to 11 years old grew from 4%...
ONE OF THE BEST post-exercise recovery drinks could already be in your refrigerator, according to new research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in 2010. In a series of four studies,...