Feb
12
This new series explores how becoming aware of the impact of seasonal change on health and well being can provide insight and new tools to guide your actions and improve your quality of life.
It’s not coincidental that, instead of celebrating the new year a week after the winter solstice, the Chinese calendar falls nearer to the spring equinox, when life underground begins to stir. Western cultures prefer to bypass the limits that winter rest represents, interfering as it does with lives based on continual growth. But continual activity loses its footing when it’s not rooted in periods of reflection and integration. And winter isn’t empty rest, it’s teeming with life under the surface. Read more
Feb
9
Jimmy Carter Chooses Women’s Equality Over Church Affiliation
February 9, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
Thank you! says Marianne Williamson on her website, posting this open letter by Jimmy Carter, Losing My Religion for Equality, to say that he is severing his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention after years of trying to change its views over its treatment of women. Indeed! He also speaks as part of fellow global Elders Nelson Mandela, Gro Brundtland, Bishop Desmond Tutu, and other leaders deeply committed to challenging injustice. Their recently published statement declares that “the justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.” Carter says that “Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God,” and that he had to take action. Read more
Feb
7
Natural Compounds in Pomegranates May Prevent Growth of Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer
February 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
Besides benefiting the heart by reducing arterial plaque, raising HDL and lowering LDL cholesterol, and helping inhibit damage to cartilage in osteoarthritis by its enzymatic action, a new study shows phytochemical compounds in pomegranates reduce the incidence of hormone dependent breast cancer. Ellagitannins appear to be responsible for pomegranate’s anti-proliferative effect, suppressing estrogen production to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells in estrogen-responsive tumors. Pomegranates have three times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea, making them potent anti-aging free radical quenchers. Drink it straight, add it to orange juice, or try some new ideas to spice up your diet, like a syrup to enliven greens or a tangy and sweet Persian dish with walnut and pomegranate molasses sauce for chicken or turkey. Yummy! I love finding new foods and flavors, don’t you?
Feb
5
Strength Training Improves Women’s Ability to Think, Focus and Plan
February 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
In case you need another incentive to pick up those weights, interesting results from a new study may just tip the balance. Older women who underwent a strength training routine of only 1-2 hours a week scored higher on ‘executive function’ tests for brain processes responsible for planning and executing tasks after one year. This means an improved ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and to stay focussed without being distracted. Strength training improved these women’s performance by 10-12%, while women who only did balancing and toning exercises experienced a .5% deterioration. Wow! Unfortunately, older women are among the least likely to focus on building strength, even though it’s one of the most important preventive health actions to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis, and to counteract muscle loss and strength. To the gym! -the payoffs keep mounting. It’s great to feel strong, light on your feet, not to mention looking great and being able to jump tall buildings in a single bound!
Feb
3
Leasing Low Cost Solar Power Now an Option for Homeowners
February 3, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
A new financing plan called a residential solar lease, may make going solar affordable by bypassing the high initial cost of installing a system. Popular in California, the world’s third largest solar-power market, twice as many people filed for solar power permits in 2009 than in 2008, much of the demand driven by solar leasing. Solar City, a Silicon Valley pioneer in residential solar leases, offers a no-money-down, low-monthly plan. Instead of investing from $20,000 to $50,000 to purchase and install a rooftop solar array, you can lease one for around $100 a month with the option of extending your lease or buying the panels at the end of your contract. SolarCity says customers can typically expect to start shaving 15% off their electricity bill from day one, and to see increased savings as standard electricity costs continue to rise.
Feb
1
If you suffer from knee pain the first two minutes of this short snippet by physical therapist Chantal Donnelly from her 30 minute training video, Strong Knees, by Gaiam, a trusted resource for wellness products, may just explain what you need to know to relieve it with simple exercises. One key? Focus on your gluteus maxiumus muscles – the big muscles of your butt – to strengthen your hamstrings. Your glutes extend and externally rotate your hip. If your glutes are weak, they weaken the hamstrings in the back of your legs, and weak hamstrings can lead to knee pain. Watch – and perform! – these two exercises to get you started. Her full program gives you a balanced strengthening and stretching routine that targets all the muscles to strengthen and protect your knees against undue stress and strain.
Jan
30
Using an iPod to Improve Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
January 30, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
This is such a brilliant use of technology. It’s been known for some time that music can be a vital tool in helping the elderly, and those with Alzheimer’s connect with their past, as well as to build a relationship with their caregiver. Music and technology have often gone hand in hand, and The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function is building on this tradition by creating the “Well-Tuned” program, training caregivers to use iPods to play music for people with Alzheimer’s. IMNF trains caregivers across the country on how to build iPod playlists that play music tailored to a person’s likes, background and daily activities with input from family members and caregivers. The music can help relax a person before bed, get them energized to take a walk, help connect them with their past, ultimately creating a soundtrack for their daily lives.
Jan
28
Tips for Understanding Health Studies, FDA Rules, and Drug Marketing Language
January 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
I was so glad to find this site that gives tips to journalists on medical reporting, because statistics in health studies can be maddeningly opaque, and of course the devil is in the details, since marketers can “language” their statistics in a variety of ways to suit their purposes. The particular issue about paying attention to relative risk or absolute risk in reporting risk of disease -or drug side effects – came up for us when Jennifer and I were researching and writing our report on the Selling of Osteoporosis, where drug companies report the relative risk reduction benefits of taking fosamax and other biophosphonate drugs in a way that puts then in a positive light. BUT it’s usually the absolute Read more
Jan
26
Pain Free Mammogram Technology Waiting FDA Approval
January 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
When approved, this heretofore oxymoron is biting the dust at last, and good riddance. Called digital tomosynthesis, a new pain-free breast imaging technology in development that uses less compression than traditional mammograms should cause less of the ritual discomfort and indignity in screening for breast cancer. There’s positive news on other fronts as well. Tomosynthesis also should make cancers easier to find in dense breast tissue, appearing as irregular white areas. And because it can take at least 11 different angles of the breast using an X-ray tube that moves in an arc around the breast to capture several images, the clear, focused digital images it sends to a computer should be able to pinpoint cancer as small as two millimeters. Read more
Jan
24
Sabotaging Prosperity with Self-Talk About the Meaning of Money
January 24, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Posted by: Kathleen Daniel
During my ritual beginning-of-the-year cleansing of files, bookmarks and the like, I came across this short reflection about money called: Are You a Reverse Money Snob? from the Barefoot Executive’s site for At Home Professionals. Its musings on our attitudes towards wealth seem germane as we continue evaluating the meaning and role of money in our lives.
“We developed our attitude toward wealthy people from the messages we received while growing up and we all have some bias toward wealth or the lack of it. Women tend to be almost twice a biased against the wealthy as are men, believing they are greedy, snobby, selfish, and self-centered. I’ve heard this myself when talking with women who praise themselves for being able to survive on so little and feel superior because of it. Because they view the wealthy with such disdain, they will never allow themselves to become one of them – they are reverse snobs. Read more
