If you live in a hot climate, or are planning a winter vacation in the sun, think twice before stocking up on flip-flops at Walmart.

[Read more →]

The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association have released new guidelines for physical activity that recommend that healthy adults ages 18 to 65 exercise a minimum of five days per week in order to promote health and prevent disease.

[Read more →]

Loss of height of one inch or more may be an indicator of a vertebral fracture. That means one of the 29 “backbones” forming the spine might have a crack or be slightly crushed. These vertebral fractures are much more common than one would think and vertebral fracture is emerging as an important indicator of osteoporosis.

[Read more →]

There are many approaches to weight loss; it is a multi-million dollar industry in our land of plenty. The bottom line is to eat fewer calories than you expend daily, but not drastically fewer, until you’re happy with how you fit into your clothes, then resume a diet and exercise program that will maintain the desired weight. You can dress up weight loss with grapefruits, or cabbage stew, or Hoodia, but really, the only thing that works is to burn more calories than you’re eating. [Read more →]

Q:Why Do I Crave Foods That Are “Bad” For Me?

[Read more →]

From Women’s Health, January 2005

Q: I’m a 70-yr old female. What can I do naturally to improve my bone health and vertebrae deterioration? (H.G., Schooleys Mt., NJ)

[Read more →]

Please print and affix with thy most favorite refrigerator magnet:

1. Thou shalt honor thy health and good spirits above all else.

2. Thou shalt not go on crash diets; there lieth the way of madness.

3. Thou shalt not clean thy neighbor’s plate.

4. Thou shalt not eat when thine eye lusteth but when thy stomach doth supplicate for sustenance.

5. Thou shalt sup chiefly on the fruits of the earth, the grains and vegetables thereof; on the fowl of the air and the fish of the seven seas, whence donuts cometh not.

6. Thou shalt not eat when thou art miserable, for food is not a medicine unto the soul.

7. Thou shalt take exercise daily; for why hast thou sinew and bone, legs and sneakers?

8. Thou shalt be patient but not forgetful of meal times.

9. Thou shalt take delight in every good friend and good song, in every good walk and good day; for to enjoy them more is why these commandments are given unto you.

10. Thou shalt not knit thy brow if thou transgress a commandment, but forgive thyself; for it is written, nine out of 10 is not too shabby.

Q: Is it dangerous to basically just exercise on the weekend? I don’t have time to workout during the week.

[Read more →]

Old age is a consequence of civilization; it is seen seldom in primitive societies and very rarely seen in wild animals. Although in this century the average lifespan of women and men has increased by 30% since the onset of industrialization and by over 300% since Neolithic times, we don’t exactly know how or why aging occurs. We do know that aging is a function of cells ceasing to divide. Some scientists speculate that any given differentiated cell can only divide a fixed number of times (as opposed to a cancer cell, which is undifferentiated, and theoretically immortal in that it continues, unchecked, to divide). The human body has more than 10 million, million (that’s 13 zeroes) cells, all of which are differentiated into nerve, muscle, adipose, etc., and are thus mortal. Given that we all die at some point, the objective now is to maximize the QUALITY of our lives and avoid controllable causes for pre-mature death.

[Read more →]

Curbing Carbohydrate Cravings

There are many approaches to weight loss; it is a multi-million dollar industry in our land of plenty. The bottom line is to eat fewer calories than you expend daily, but not drastically fewer, until you’re happy with how you fit into your clothes, then resume a diet and exercise program that will maintain the desired weight. Regular, preferably daily, exercise is a must; and a brisk walk is a terrific choice. Exercise not only burns calories, but gets you away from the fridge, stimulates the cardiovascular system thereby improving bloodflow, tissue oxygenation and the overall sense of well-being, and promotes lymphatic drainage which will help rid the body of toxins.

[Read more →]