Health | Wellness | Yoga

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com In early July, Danish researchers published a new study, showing many cases in which cancer patients, particularly those with lung cancerdiscovered they had a tumor after being referred for psychiatric care. The study, published in the June 25th issue of the International Journal of Cancer, got almost no attention. But it was actually an important finding because it gives us a new way to look at one of the hot issues in cancer treatment right now, which is the problem of lung cancer going undiagnosed until its well advanced and nearly impossible to cure. The study, which followed 4,320,623 people in Denmark for ten years, showed that when people ages 50 to 64 were referred to a psychiatrist for the first time in their lives, the reason often turned out to be an undetected malignancy. Our study illustrates the importance of making a thorough physical examination of patients with first-time psychiatric symptoms, lead author Michael E. Benros, MD, was quoted ...

Ask a person if they want to stay well and in less than a nanosecond you will get a universal, resounding Yes! Then ask if they eat healthy, exercise regularly, incorporate relaxation into their daily routine and get enough sleep. The response is much slower and the percentage saying, Yes is a lot lower. Sure, people want to make changes to improve their health, but changing old habits for newer, healthier ones is hard work. For many, it seems almost impossible. Why else would the average person make the same New Years resolution 10 different years without success, or only one in seven people who have had a heart attack make long lasting changes to improve their diet or exercise habits? Dont you think it is time to take responsibility for your own health? The trick is to start simple. Small changes can make a big difference. Here are five simple steps you can start doing today to improve your health. 1.Drink one less soda or sweetened drink per day. The average American drinks nearly ...

Im the mother of three darling terriers , Bella, Scuppers, and Sable, and let me tell you, some days they can be a real handful! You might imagine the potty routines and destructive abilities of a three-month-old, a two-year-old, and an eleven-year-old pup, each of which has a strong and unique personality. It takes a lot of time and attention on my part, and not a day goes by without me thinking about how much more time parenting of a child would require. Below are a few ways in which raising dogs is easier than raising children. Potty training takes several weeks, as opposed to several years Most puppies can be housebroken in a few weeks if their owner is consistent and knowledgeable. My Sable is only three months old, and shes almost there! Children need diaper changes over the first couple of years of life, at least. Some sources indicate that an average baby 3-6 months old requires 10-12 changes a day, for a grand total of 4015 diapers a year! And then the training can go on and o...

Sweet juicy raspberries are so good! They grow abundantly in my garden every day for the last month, a joyful part of my daily schedule was picking these red ripe treasures. Did You Know? Raspberries are a member of the rose family. Some cultures consider the raspberry to be love-inducing. They are not just red: there are also black, purple and gold raspberries. The average raspberry has 100 to 120 seeds. Unripe raspberries do not ripen after they are picked. The good news is that raspberries are one of the powerfoods , along with saskatoons and apples . Raspberry Benefits: Helps keep your metabolic rate high with high levels of the trace mineral manganese. One of the top 10 antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Has twice the ORAC value (antioxidant) of oranges or apples and higher than blueberries. Contain ellagic acid, a natural substance which is an anti-carcinogenic (cancer-preventing). High in vitamin C. One cup provides over half your daily requirement Has more fiber tha...

What do strawberries and oysters have in common? Both make the list of the top ten foods responsible for the most outbreaks of foodborne illness since 1990 in the United States. Oysters, okaybut berries? A century ago, typhoid fever, tuberculosis and cholera were the common foodborne diseases. Improvements in food safety (think pasteurization, safe canning, disinfection of water supplies) have conquered those diseasesbut a host of other foodborne diseases have stepped up to the plate, so to speak, to take their places. Foodborne disease outbreaks are currently responsible for tens of millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths every year in the United States. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published their report of the top ten riskiest foods (FDA Top Ten) overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is responsible for regulating produce, seafood, egg and dairy products, as well as packaged foods such as...

Get Your Pasta Right Rule of thumb: if the pasta is tubular, it is meant to be stuffed and coated with saucedo not toss it in oil after boiling, or the sauce will slide off. Soften brown sugar Simple. Just pop it into the microwave for 15 seconds.Though white sugar keeps for as along as two years, brown sugar should be replaced within a year. Make Herbalicious Honey Infuse your honey with a sprig of fresh rosemary, lavender, sage or thyme for a sweet fragrance and a lovely flavour. Create Cute Hooks for Your Cutlery Drill holes into the ends of old forks and spoons. Bend the base into curves with pliers, and use them to hang your oven gloves and aprons. Reuse that Aluminum Foil Do you, like me, hate to throw away used pieces of aluminum foil? If so, just ball them up and use them to scrub food off your glass pans and bowlsthey work just as well as steel scrubs. Have Your Cheese and Eat it Too Trying to lose weight but cant bear to have bland bread? Just tie up a cup of fresh plain yogu...

Desserts dubbed Death by Chocolate may be in need of rebranding after a recent study has found that high levels of chocolate consumption might be associated with a one third reduction in the risk of developing heart disease. The results of the study, published on bmj.com ,agree with existing studies that generally confirm a potential beneficial link between chocolate consumption and heart health. The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2030, nearly 23.6 million people will die from heart disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Other recent studies have shown that eating chocolate is good for human health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This includes reducing blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity (a stage in the development of diabetes). Even so, the evidence about how chocolate affects the heart have been unclear. Therefore, Dr Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge conducted a large scale review of the existin...

Its sobering to see whats going on across the board with our health. Manymight assume that heart disease and cancer hover at the top of whats killing us in this country, and theyd be correct, but some of the other causes that make the top fifteen are somewhat surprising. The data used for this list was complied fromrecords of deaths, which were received from state vital statistics offices and processed by the Centers for DiseaseControl and Preventions (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Whats so surprising is what a role tobacco plays in this list. According to the World Health Organization , tobacco use is a major cause of many of the worlds top killer diseases including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease and lung cancer. In total, tobacco use is responsible for the death of almost one in 10 adults worldwide. Smoking is often the hidden cause of the disease recorded as responsible for death. This list represents deaths of all ages. When looking ...

By Carol ODell, Caring.com Contributing Writer Protect older adults during a natural disaster by following these tips: Try not to watch the news incessantly or in front of the person youre caring for it can make anyone who already feels vulnerable (including children) nervous and anxious. Quietly gather supplies, and dont wait too long. Its best to give yourself plenty of time and not rush. Know where youre going shelter, hotel, other family members house and let others know your A, B, and C plans. Keep medications in grab-and-go containers for quick evacuation. If your loved ones have certain conditions and you fear you may be separated, write on their arm or leg with a marker pen, noting when they need to take their medications, what condition they have, and any other important details. Make sure you have a copy of all insurance/medical information as well as home insurance information since you may not be able to get back into the house to get policies. Have a backup person (n...

Living with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (#19 in a series) You never know whats going to happen when you find a lump in your breast . You hope its inconsequential because most breast lumps are. Mine turned out to be triple-negative breast cancer. Throughout months of treatment, I remained fairly healthy, if thats the right word for someone with multiple sclerosis and cancer. I didnt have so much as the common cold and, aside from a few afternoon naps, never took to my bed. Oh, there were lots of symptoms and side effects, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Looking back on the last ten months, its hard to believe Im on the other side of it all. I survived finding a breast lump, informing my husband, having a mammogram, an ultrasound, a double biopsy, and the shocking diagnosis of a fast growing, very aggressive triple-negative breast cancer . I survived informing the rest of my family by long-distance. I survived a mastectomy, the drain, the stitches, and the physical and emo...

Deb had brain surgery 10 days ago: Nothing life threatening but I had trigeminal neuralgia (TN) that resisted drugs and radiation so surgery was my only option. TN is a nerve that runs close to the brain stem and then emerges by the ear and splits in three up to the eye, along the lower and upper jaw. There are some pesky arteries that run very close to it by the brain stem, so if the nerve gets inflamed or the arteries get swollen whammo, electric shocks grab your face. Anyone who has had TN knows how excruciating it can be its known as the suicide pain for good reason. The surgery wraps Teflon around the nerve so as to cushion it. So far, no pain. Welcome to the modern world! Lying in Intensive Care, Deb knew she had two choices, and these apply to anyone who has something wrong with them, whether life threatening, serious, or even just a small deal. We can either make the issue our story by identifying with it, detailing diagnoses, prognoses, doctors, therapists, basically makin...

Some aging factors are beyond our control, but one of the biggest inflammation neednt be. Heres how you can extinguish the flames of chronic inflammation before they ignite. What is Inflammation? Under ordinary circumstances, inflammation is a healthy process that comes to the bodys aid when its injured. For instance, if you cut your finger while making dinner, the bodys inflammatory response sends in an army of white blood cells to the scene. Unfortunately, inflammation isnt always so exact. Like a houseguest who overstays his welcome, inflammation sometimes hangs around too long and refuses to leave. Aging is one of the biggest risk factors for inflammation, since, as we age, our bodies are less able to disarm the inflammatory process. A genetic predisposition, high blood pressure or even smoking can also fuel the flames. When the inflammation switch refuses to turn off, the body operates as if it is always under attack. White blood cells flood the system for weeks, mon...

Chlorella , a single-celled fresh-water algae, is one of the most heavily researched algae in the world. Its often referred to as a near-perfect food as research through the years have identified an astounding range of health benefits. While being well known for its ability to detoxify your body by binding to toxins and carrying them out of your system, thats certainly not all its good for. Chlorellas Impressive Range of Health Benefits As you will see, chlorella seems to fit the description of a wonder nutrient that serves far more than just one function. Heres a sampling of some of the health benefits associated with this green algae: Repairing nerve tissues Enhancing your immune system Improving digestion Promoting healthy pH levels in your gut, which in turn helps good bacteria to thrive Enhancing your ability to focus and concentrate Increasing your energy levels Normalizing your blood sugar Normalizing your blood pressure Removing potentially toxic metals from your body Eliminati...

By Sara Novak, Planet Green Food trends come and go. One moment were shunning fats and the next were drinking flax oil down by the spoonful. One moment carbs are low fat and the next were removing the bun from our burger. Its rather hard to keep up. But then there are some diets that seem to have a little more traction, and more importantly, have motivations beyond just weight loss. Just today a Facebook friend proclaimed that she had gone wheat-free for a month and had never felt better. Last week in a yoga class the girl one mat over explained that since giving up gluten she felt the weight of depression lift. While there have yet to be enough studies to back up such claims, holistic practitioners say its a diet thats working in a big way. Why are we giving up wheat? What are the benefits? 1. Celiac Disease This is by far the most studied reaction to wheat. Wheat has gluten in it and those with Celiac Disease have a severe intolerance to gluten. Much of the early popularit...

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com senior editor We get lots of wake-up calls that were getting older. Suddenly we cant make it up the hill without stopping for breath, or we misplace the keys or acquaintances names more often. But no whining; theres also lots we can do to slow the aging process. We have way more control than most people think over the factors that affect aging, says Kelly Traver, a physician and professor at Stanford University and author of The Program: A Brain-Smart Approach to the Healthiest You (Atria, 2009). A few simple lifestyle changes and you can look ten years younger, feel better, and get your energy back. Lets get started! 1. Stay active Add a sport or physical activity to your regimen. When you engage in a physical activity that requires coordination, you stimulate the connections between neurons, essentially juicing the brains circuitry, experts say. So get out the golf clubs, take a dance class, try tai chi, get that old bike out of the shed, or join a...