Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Eat to a flatter belly!
If your tummy is bloated, this may be due to food sensitivities or allergies that you don’t even know about. Healthy living and nutrition expert, Beth Aldrich, advises cutting salt from your diet and eating anti-inflammatory foods (listed below) for up to two weeks to see a difference. You probably won’t only see results but you’ll feel better too.
Cherry surprise
Muraleedharan Nair, PhD, professor of natural products chemistry at Michigan State University, has shown in lab experiments that tart-cherry extract can stop the formation of some inflammatory agents 10 times better than aspirin. His findings fueled a cult of cherry-juice devotees among arthritis patients who swear by two tablespoons of concentrated juice daily. In recent research, Nair found that sweet cherries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries produce similar effects.
Peppermint iced tea
Place a couple of bags of peppermint tea in a glass pitcher and let it “sun” for a couple of hours. Remove the tea bags, then add a natural sweetener, like stevia extract and some ice. Then top with a mint leaf and voila! Your belly flattening tea is ready to go!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Spring workout survival guide
Now that it’s warmer out, you can skip the gym and stay in shape while enjoying the great outdoors. Whether you’re going walking, hiking or cycling, here are some items you’ll want to have with you.
Add a little pizazz to your workout with this metallic tank! The top is made with 3% lycra for comfort and also has a built-in shelf bra with removable cups and an interior pocket that can hold your money and keys! “The Kim Tank” by Kelly Dooley, BodyRockSport.com, $60.
Rain or shine, this is the perfect outdoor shoe from Bogs. Not only is this shoe waterproof, it keeps moisture away so you stay cool and dry on hot days. Get it now and wear it all year round! The Timberline MT shoe, BogsFootwear.com, $113.
Why waste your money on bottled water when you can take Bobble with you. This reusable water bottle has a carbon filter which filters chlorine and impurities from municipal tap water, so you can fill up as much as you want. Plus you’ll be helping the environment by cutting down on waste. Available at Target, $9.95.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring clean your body with “The Cheater’s Diet”
When you think Spring cleaning, you probably think about organizing your closet, office, or the rest of your home. But it can also mean something else such as cleaning out your body from the inside. Marissa Lippert, a leading nutritionist and author of The Cheater’s Diet, shares her tips for detoxifying your system, which will get you healthier and help shed the pounds.
Give your liver a break and flush toxins
Beets and cruciferous veggies including broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower are great for releasing toxins. You can also drink a one or two cups of green tea in the morning and afternoon. It’s loaded with antioxidants and a bit of caffeine and is a cleansing alternative to other calorie-dense or sweetened beverages.
Release any sight of extra water weight
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemon, tangerines, etc.) are excellent for jumpstarting a sluggish digestive system and wringing out excess water. Cucumbers, artichokes, and asparagus also serve as light natural diuretics and come into season in mid-to-late spring.
Help bust inflammation and bloating
Get a toned stomach by summer with healthy omega-3 fats such as avocado, wild salmon, and walnuts.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Know the signs of heart disease
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in both women and men, but the symptoms are markedly different. Chicago Healers Practitioner Dr. Martha Howard, MD tells us what women should look for to help prevent the occurrence of a heart attack.
Early signs
There may be signs that a heart attack is approaching up to a month prior to the actual heart attack. If you suffer from unusual fatigue, sleep disturbances, shortness of breath, indigestion and anxiety, you should contact a doctor.
Symptoms
Men usually experience chest pains while women experience shortness of breath and weakness as symptoms of an occurring heart attack. Other symptoms included fatigue, cold sweats, and dizziness.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Be Happier in 2011
The year has just begun and you’re already off to a bad start. Well, maybe it’s time to make a few changes to move your life in a more positive direction. Todd Patkin, co-author of the upcoming book Finding Happiness: One Man’s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and—Finally—Let the Sunshine In. has some tips for a better year. “You don’t have to do all of them at once—just focus on the three or four that resonate most with you and do those,” he said.
Start exercising
Exercise keeps you healthy, helps you control your weight, and it’s also a natural antidepressant.
“Even a twenty minute walk every other day is great for both your body and mind if you do it consistently. And the good news is you can do it with your spouse or kids—and spending more time with them is another shortcut to happiness.”
Be easier on yourself
A lot of New Year’s resolutions are little more than thinly disguised vehicles for beating yourself up. (“I’m too fat—this year I will lose twenty pounds!” Sound familiar?) There’s nothing wrong with self-improvement, says Patkin, but it needs to come from a place of love. Yes, you need to love and forgive yourself for your mistakes and shortcomings… and that’s tough for many Americans.
“The American work ethic has made our country great, but it has also made us chronically unhappy,” says Patkin. “Many of us have a we’re-never-good-enough-or-doing-enough mindset that’s antithetical to happiness. It’s not easy to change these ingrained thought patterns, but it can be done. And becoming aware of this tendency is the first step.”
Put your gifts and talents to work
Talent wants to express itself. If your job doesn’t allow it to do so, find something that does. (Yes, it would be better to find a job that lets you do what you’re great at, Patkin acknowledges—but let’s face it, that’s not always possible in a bad economy!)
“Playing to your strengths brings real happiness,” he notes. “And when you combine those strengths with a desire to do something good, it’s a double whammy. For example, if you’re a store manager with a flair for writing, and you also love animals, you might offer to pen a weekly newspaper column for a local dog or cat rescue group.”
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A doctor is just a phone call away
So you’re not feeling too hot, but you don’t have time to go to the doctor and it’s not serious enough to go to the emergency room. Still, it’s important you take something to get better faster or to keep it from getting worse. RingADoc, a new service that immediately connects patients to doctors over the telephone, may just be what you’re looking for.
Here’s a Q&A with co-founder Jordan Michaels, who tells us more about this innovative service.
How much does RingADoc cost patients?
It’s a one-time fee of $39 per encounter. So each time you speak to a doctor you pay $39. The patient has a credit card on file that is charged ONLY after they speak with the doctor.
Is this service available by phone 24-7?
Yes it’s available by phone 24-7. So when a doctors’ office is closed after-hours, on the weekend, or during the holidays, they are able to call a doctor. The system runs on a software we developed called TeleThrive that sophisticatedly gauges patient demand and requests doctors to be available accordingly.
Do you connect patients with doctors that are closest to them geographically or is it whomever is available to take the call?
Right now it works on availability, but hopefully with expansion and greater demand in the future we will be able to route a patient based on zip code, which will be fantastic!