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Are You an Exercise Junkie? - 10/01/2007 - When I told my husband my next writing assignment dealt with people addicted to exercise, he couldn't contain himself. "Ha! You mean, like you?" he asked. Funny, but not much of a joke, really. I do exercise a lot, pretty much every day -- running, biking, skiing, climbing, you name it. Sure, these habits are deeply ingrained -- I plan my days around my workouts....see article |
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No Pain, More Gain - 09/01/2007 - A doctor friend of mine likes to point out that a lot of health conditions develop not just because of the food you eat or the habits you do (or don't) develop, but because you've had another birthday. The doc's logic makes special sense for joint pain. You know the drill. You can outrun osteoarthritis for a while, but eventually it catches up with you. With each year you gain, it seems you also earn one more snap, crackle...see article |
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Supplements for Heart Health - 12/01/2007 - If you run marathons, meditate twice a day and eat fiber-rich oatmeal every morning, does your heart still need a boost from supplements? "Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t get adequate nutrients supplied by diet," says Ryan Bradley, N.D., who developed the Diabetes and Cardiovascular Wellness Program at Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle. "And some nutrients are depleted by medications to treat cardiovascular concerns." So whether you're looking to reduce heart-disease risk or treat an existing condition, certain herbs and supplements can make a difference....see article |
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Douse Eczema's Fire - 01/01/2008 - Dry, thick, scaly skin. These symptoms and others--like crusty red bumps or sores that always seem to itch--signal an all-too-common chronic skin condition: eczema, which affects up to 31 million Americans, according to new research....see article |
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Head-to-Toe Healthy - 03/01/2008 - Home remedies are a staple of natural medicine. They are cheap and fast, often work just as well as a drugstore fix, and may be as near as your spice cabinet, refrigerator, or laundry room. To update your arsenal, I asked seven experts to share their latest discoveries, from headache panaceas to simple solutions for stiff backs, indigestion, charley horses, and more. Here are their surprising, patient-tested contributions....see article |
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Vitamins: Top 10 Questions - 01/22/2008 - You likely got the memo: Multivitamins are good insurance. The pills ward off nutritional deficiencies and, even more, can help prevent dire conditions like cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease. But with the shelves lined with so many options, how do you know which pills are best to pop? I talked to leading nutrition experts to get answers to your top 10 vitamin questions....see article |
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Natural Love Aids - 02/28/2008 - Every love life needs a little lift now and again. After all, nearly half of American women--43 percent--and more than one-third of men suffer from some kind of sexual dysfunction, reports the Journal of the American Medical Association. And not only can it damage a relationship, it can damage your health as well: Research shows that sex may ease stress, relieve pain, strengthen hearts and lengthen lives. So to give your sex life a boost, I tracked down the best tools--lubricants, massage oils, bath salts, candles and more--to help turn a humdrum day into a fun, passionate night. No, these products won't necessarily be the dream come true and fix serious conditions, but they can enhance romance--naturally....see article |
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Get Supplement Savvy - 04/02/2008 - So you don’t eat the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Who does? Besides, if you’re like a third to a half of your compatriots, you’re taking a daily multivitamin to make up for any nutritional gaps you may have. Oh, you’re not doing that either? Well, don’t let those vitamin-laden shelves intimidate you. Here’s how the experts respond to the most common questions about taking supplements....see article |
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Body Boost - 04/03/2008 - As you add birthdays, you might notice that your metabolism — the complex process by which the food you eat gets converted into energy — has put on the brakes a bit, not just because you're older but because of the choices you make. Maybe you've slowed your pace, which means you don't burn through food as efficiently as you used to. Or yo-yo diets over the years have cost you calorie-burning muscle and not so much fat. Whatever the reason, the good news is that adopting a few natural strategies can recharge your metabolism to get you back into great shape....see article |
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Allergy Tamers - 05/02/2008 - Ahh, spring — time to pull out tank tops, sandals, and, unfortunately, tissues. More than 26 million Americans know allergy season has arrived when a simple outing — to mow the lawn or hike through a flower-studded field — brings on sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing. “Certain proteins from pollens released by trees and plants irritate the immune system,” says Letha Hadady, DAc, a New York-based herbalist and author of Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health (Rodale, 2006). The body then produces excess histamine, an inflammatory compound that leads to, you guessed it, allergy symptoms. The good news is that drug-free remedies can help stop the sneezing without the side effects associated with over-the-counter decongestants. Here are the experts' favorite natural allergy-alleviating tools....see article |
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Supplements soften winter skin - 08/31/2008 - Experts share the top supplements for customers to take to keep skin healthy during winter....see article |
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Is conventional cat-food wisdom - 09/30/2008 - Cats are famous for being finicky. When you want to play, they want to be alone. When you dish up the same meal they ate eagerly yesterday, they turn up their noses today. When they're thirsty, they won't drink. This difficult behavior is entirely natural. "As a species, they evolved from desert-dwelling wild cats," says Michael Dym, V.M.D., a holistic veterinarian in Marlton, N.J. "In the desert, they have limited water sources, so cats are used to thriving on water extracted from prey."...see article |
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Joint Ventures - 09/30/2008 - No matter what type of joint troubles you have, aches and pain and loss of function are the result. The debilitating conditions literally stop people in their tracks because healthy joints are at the core of every physical movement, from walking up stairs to picking flowers....see article |
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Chew Wisely - 09/30/2008 - Whether you chew it while chopping onions to prevent tears, munch on it instead of a caloric afternoon snack to keep the waistline in check, or use it to freshen breath, gum has plenty of proven uses. Perhaps that's why the business of chewing gum has stuck with us ever since the ancient Greeks started chomping on the resin of the mastic tree and the Mayans began sinking their teeth into the sap of the sapodilla tree....see article |
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Fight off the flu - 09/30/2008 - NEWS Fever. Sore throat. Runny nose. Fatigue. Muscle aches. The flu strikes up to one-fifth of Americans each year, according to the National Institutes of Health. A yearly flu vaccine may help you dodge the dreaded virus, but gentle herbs and supplements also offer targeted prevention. ...see article |
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Nature's Medicine Chest - 12/02/2008 - Your body can throw you for a loop at any time. You wake up with a sore throat on the day of your office Christmas party, a seafood-salad sandwich leaves you with grumbling indigestion, or you overdo it at the gym and arrive home with a stiff neck. Wouldn't it be great to have a live-in doctor/therapist/trainer to tend to your everyday aches and pains?...see article |
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Supplement Use and Cancer - 11/01/2008 - It's not unusual to see cancer patients — or those whose cancer is in remission — wash down a handful of supplements alongside their prescription medications, according to research findings from a new American Cancer Society (ACS) study on the use of dietary supplements and other complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among cancer patients. ...see article |
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Soothe Digestion - 12/01/2008 - Irritable bowel syndrome isn't a standard conversation starter at holiday celebrations. But with one in five Americans prone to IBS, chances are it affects you or someone you know. For IBS sufferers, party time can quickly turn into bathroom time....see article |
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Halting Headaches - 12/01/2008 - BUSINESS When a migraine—an intense headache that affects more than 29.5 million Americans—strikes, many people pop pain pills. Sure, they work—at least at first. But when the medication wears off, another headache likely rears its ugly head. Sufferers grab their bottle of relief again, and soon enough, they're locked into a never-ending cycle of migraines and medication....see article |
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Succor for Celiacs - 12/01/2008 - BUSINESS Odds are that several of your customers have celiac disease, a condition that renders a person intolerant to gluten in wheat, barley, and rye and that affects about 1 in 133 Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. A few tests can usually determine if celiac disease is causing digestive woes. If so, you know to point ailing customers to the gluten-free aisles. But beyond diet, what can you do to help?...see article |
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Everyday Detox - 01/02/2009 - Beyoncé, Gwyneth, Oprah ... what celebrity hasn't popularized a get-it-done-now detox plan? Lose a little weight, gain energy, lighten your toxic load — sounds great. But are restrictive detox regimens really the answer? While getting it done fast — by next week at the latest — may sound appealing, such programs may be little more than a new generation of crash diets. There are other, gentler ways to detox your system....see article |
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Kick Candida - 04/01/2009 - You may think that yeast overgrowth is only a problem “down there.” But according to Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, author of The Gut Flush Plan (Avery, 2008), yeast often multiplies in unhealthy numbers in the intestines. The resulting candidiasis — which affects men, as well as women — can be hard to spot because it shares symptoms with other health issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome and gluten intolerance. You might find yourself bouncing between doctors in an effort to find the true culprit of symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, sinusitis, or headaches....see article |
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Green Cleaners Recession-Proof? - 02/01/2009 - BUSINESS Manufacturers of natural and eco-friendly household cleaners don't expect the battered economy to mess up their sales, which Nutrition Business Journal research shows soared 35% to $737 million in 2008. In fact, most green cleaning players predict they'll continue to sweep up sales in 2009....see article |
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Fall for the Lawn - 08/01/2009 - The lawn in late summer is like a marathoner at the end of those 26.2 miles: hot, tired, and really thirsty. It needs some serious recuperation to be at the top of its game next year. Help get it there via the soil....see article |
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