Wellness and Beyond

Deciphering The Food Labels

Photo by Ninjapoodles  

Many of us don't get the proper nutrients we need.  But that is no thanks to the confusing food labels at supermarkets which lead us to believe that added ingredients can turn a not-so-healthy product into a heart-healthy food.  Here are some definitions that can assist you in getting the proper nutrients.

1. Whole Foods - Means that the product has not been modified in any way whatsoever, such as produce, fish, meat and whole grains.  These foods are more nutrient dense and should top your grocery list. 
2. Refined Foods - Foods that are processed, such as wheat when it gets turned into white flour.  Nutrients are often lost during the processing.
3. Enriched Foods - The nutrients lost during processing has been added back in.  For example, the B vitamins in wheat get lost when it is processed into flour.  Adding B vitamins back in classifies the flour as "enriched" and enriched foods should be avoided.
4. Fortified Foods - These foods don't have nutrients that occur naturally, so they are added during processing.  Certain fortified foods are good for our health, such as flour with added folic acid, milk with vitamin D, and salt with iodine.
5. Enhanced Plant-Based Foods - These foods have been genetically modified.

Running A Fever: When Does It Call For A Trip To The Hospital?

Photo by Hamed Saber

A flu and pneumonia epidemic has hit our city.  It is so severe that patients are in beds in the hallways waiting for rooms to become available.  I've been told that some people are choosing to stay home and rough it out alone. 

So, just how bad should a fever be before seeking a doctor's advice?  Most fevers don't need to be treated.  The Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource says that 98.6 is the normal body temperature and it can vary by one or two degrees.  But if your temp goes above 103 or stays above 101 for more than three days, it is time to visit the doctor.  Persons older than 65 whose temp rises above 101 should seek a doctor's advice as well.  Especially if it is accompanied by a stiff neck, severe headache, recurrent vomiting, throat swelling, or difficulty breathing. 

It is best to take steps to fight off the infection before it occurs and help your body to resist getting sick in the first place.  Do so by feeding your body with vitamin-enriched foods, staying in physical shape with regular exercising, and getting plenty of rest.  Colds and flu are highly contagious, so help others ward off an illness by making a habit of washing your hands before handling items commonly used and before handling food. 

Got A Trampoline In Your Backyard?

Photo by Judepics

If you have a trampoline attracting the neighborhood kids, here's some good information to know. 

An article published in 2007 by the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery reported that 58 percent of trampoline injuries happened when two or more persons were jumping together.  The injuries were sustained to the arms, legs, head, body, and face, and included fractures.  About 20 percent of the injuries required hospitalization. 

On top of that, according to a recent study on trampoline injuries, the lighter of two children on a trampoline is 14 times more likely to sustain injury than the heavier child.  So jumping alone is in fact the safest way to jump.      

And here's a bit of trampoline history for your entertainment. 

• 1936 - The trampoline was patented for circus acts.
• 1940s - Trampolines are adopted for gymnastic and fitness training.
• 1960s - Schools and recreational clubs install trampolines and injuries begin to increase.
• 1971 - National Collegiate Athletic Association bans trampolines from its competitions.
• 1996 - U.S emergency rooms see 83,000 trampoline injuries.

Yikes!

Sister Site: The Health & Wellness Post

This introduction is a little overdue, but I want to share with you the new sister site to Wellness & Beyond.  The Health & Wellness Post is (you guessed it) a health and wellness site, but it goes into more in-depth health issues and thinking.  I invite you to take a look!  You can go straight to the blog by clicking here. 

A word of thanks:  Also overdue is a great big "Thank You" to Groovy Vegetarian for providing me with my domain name on the new sister site.  I entered a huge contest over at Problogger during its somewhat recent birthday bash.  I won three free domain names courtesy of Groovy Vegetarian.  After lots of frustration in coming up with a domain name which I liked AND which was available, I ended up with www.healthwellnesspost.com as well as the same name with the .net and .org extensions. 

One reason I am so slow in getting the sister site going is because I decided to use Wordpress.org for the new site as it provides me more flexibility.  Since I have always been a Tyepad user, it took me a little time to familiarize myself with Wordpress.  If you are seriously thinking about starting a business blog, I strongly recommend Wordpress.org.  It is a free service, but you do have to pay for hosting.  My hosting, though, is cheaper than what I am paying Typepad, and I strongly recommend my host as well - BlueHost.com, which is currently $6.95 per month.

Check out my sister site!

Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: A Primary Prevention Guide

"One in every two American men and one out of every three American women will get cancer over the course of their lifetime."   

That is a quote taken directly from the book, Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer.  I became acquainted with Author Lynne Eldridge through my blog over the past year.  I've read this book (authored by Dr. Eldridge alongside her brother Dr. David Borgeson) and I use it as a reference guide quite often.  And there is no better time to talk about this book than during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This book provides practical advice for preventing cancer by becoming environmentally aware and implementing a proper lifestyle and dietary practices.  It is about primary prevention ... which the authors define as preventing something before it actually happens.  It is very informative and will make you more health conscious.  It is obvious that a great deal of research went into this book as it provides the most up-to-date advice for avoiding cancer.  I strongly recommend this book! 

The USDA Took Away Our Raw Almonds

So here's yet another post on package mislabeling.  This post regards almond packages being labeled as raw when in fact they are pasteurized.  But don't blame the almond producers as they want to sell you true raw almonds, but a new rule no longer allows them to. 

On September 1, 2007, the USDA quietly approved a new regulation that put to an end the distribution of raw almonds.  Since then, all stores have been required to remove true raw almonds from their shelves.  Yet, while the new rule requires pasteurization of all almonds (including organic almonds), those same almonds continue to be labeled as "raw."  One of the recommended pasteurization methods involves the use propylene oxide which is classified as a possible human carcinogen (which is banned in Canada, Mexico, and the European Nation). 

Raw almonds are superior in nutrition than pasteurized almonds.  Loaded with essential nutrients, almonds are an excellent source for: 

Are Pomegranate Juice Companies Ripping You Off?

Pomegranate juice is a hot item these days ... and for good reason.  It is a juice rich in antioxidants and which protects against cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, urinary tract infections, and heart disease.  It also helps to protect the eyes and the brain from degenerative conditions.  In fact, eating seeds from pomegranates daily would be like taking anti-cancer medicine. 

The many health benefits of drinking pomegranate juice are encouraging consumers to buy pomegranate juice regularly.  I personally drink it on a daily basis.  However, unfortunately, most consumers don't read the nutrition facts on labels before they buy their juice.  And while the label may say "100% Pomegranate Juice," in reality that often is not the case.  Some companies are experts at deceptive advertising so as to convince you to buy what you believe to be a quality product and to save themselves money.  Here is a list of common wording to look for on the labeling and an explanation as to their true meanings:

Premarin: Loss For Wyeth Equals Win For Women

$134.5 Million!   That's the amount of the recent judgment against pharmaceutical giant Wyeth after being sued by three Nevada women. 

The women claim the company's hormone replacement drugs ... namely Premarin and Prempro ... caused their breast cancer, and the jury agreed.  These two drugs are often prescribed to women to ease symptoms of menopause.  I always cringe when I hear a woman mention she is taking one of them (for the sake of the woman's own health and for the sake of the poor pregnant mares).  And I am just dumbfounded that so many women still do not consider taking Premarin to be a huge risk for cancer.  But hopefully with this recent judgment against Wyeth ... to the tune of $134.5 mil ... knowledge of the dangers of these drugs will increase tremendously.  It is my hope that more women will start talking to their doctors about synthetic or plant-derived HRT alternatives. 

Take A Virtual Walk In Support Of Stage IV Breast Cancer Patients

What is Stage IV Breast Cancer?

It is breast cancer that has spread to other organs of the body, such as bones, lungs, liver, or the brain.  By the time a cancer patient has reached this stage, there is practically no hope for survival.

Over 300,000 patients worldwide will lose their battle to Stage IV Breast Cancer this year.  And as Carrie Dederich, Chairperson for the Gal To Gal Foundation, puts it, ...

6 Health Tips For Busy Bloggers

Does blogging make you feel tired?

I'd be surprised if it doesn't.  Sitting in front of the computer for extended periods of time day after day can be quite exhausting.  If you are anything like me, you may plan to sit at your computer for only a couple of hours, but six hours later you are still there.  And then you pay with sleepiness, backaches, neck pains, and even weight gain (among other things).  There are steps you can take though to alleviate these problems. Do these daily as you blog and your mind will be clearer, you'll have more motivation, and you'll be healthier! ...   

Thinspo: Dying To Be Thin

I started to write about thinspo sometime ago.  But I was so bothered by the topic that I put it aside.  Thinspo, in case you are unfamiliar with it, is a term used by people suffering from eating disorders.  It stands for "thin inspiration" and it inspires and motivates people to lose weight and become super skinny.  With my blog being a health and wellness blog, you may ask why this topic bothers me so much more than any other illness.  The reason being ...

Breast Cancer Awareness: Be Passionately Pink

It's almost October again ... National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  You can join the fight by participating in Passionately Pink for the Cure™, a fundraising program that begins on October 1, 2007.  Here's what you do.  You form a group of friends, relatives, or co-workers.  Register your group so you'll receive a registration packet containing posters, breast health information, and Passionately Pink pins for your group to wear.  Then you pick a day (or days) during October in which you will all wear the color pink.  Each person will also make a $5 donation to Komen for the Cure.  You could even host a local event and ask each participant to make a donation. 

More than 700,000 people participated in 2006 and raised $3 million.  Komen is striving for one million participants in 2007 and is hoping to raise $5 million.

Calling On Women Who Take Lybrel

Do you take lybrel?

A journalist of a very well-known and popular magazine contacted me in a search for women willing to be interviewed who are taking Lybrel ... the new birth control pill that also stops menstruation and which was recently approved by the FDA.  See my previous post on Lybrel.  I do not personally know of anyone taking Lybrel, but offered to assist in the search by spreading the word.  If you are a Lybrel user and would like to be featured in a big name magazine, email me and I'll put you in touch with the journalist.  Note, however, that this particular journalist is an Italian journalist based in Los Angeles and this article will be published in the Italian issue of the magazine, not in the U.S.  Still, might be fun to be featured! 

Diet Foods: What Are The Artificial Sweeteners Doing To You?

Picture this scenario.  You are constantly going to the doctor for unexplained migraines, anxiety, and panic attacks.  Your doctor determines the culprit must be stress, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise.  You leave with your prescription in hand to treat the ailments and go to lunch ... with a Diet Coke.  Little do you know (or the doctor for that matter) that the artificial sweetener in the diet drink you are enjoying for lunch is causing all your symptoms.  You spend every day trying to find the cause, all while drinking your diet soda.  ...

Gaining Gorgeous Abs

Washboard abs seem to be the hardest thing to achieve in any fitness program.  We may do 100 or more belly crunches a day plus an hour's worth of cardio exercise, yet still not have the movie-star stomach we so much desire.  If that describes you, chances are you need to keep a better watch on the type of foods you are eating.  The key to achieving great abs, besides cardio and abdominal exercises of course, is eating plenty of protein and fiber and drinking lots of water.  Don't think you need to skip a meal here and there; just change what you are eating during that meal.  Cut out the fried foods and processed sugar.  And don't fall into the trap of buying exercise equipment aimed specifically for getting six-pack abs.  There are plenty of exercises you can do without the equipment.  Determination and persistence is all you need.  David Zinczenko's book, The Abs Diet, is a great book/video to get you started and I HIGHLY recommend it.  This book tells you what powerful foods you can eat without giving up the pleasure of eating, plus will get you started on an exercise routine.