U.S. News and World Report tells us:

Chronic inflammation, long known as the scourge that turns arteries into plaque magnets, may also predict whether breast cancer is likely to recur.

Inflammation turns out to be the culprit in many diseases and many of the aches and pains we feel as we age. It is of course what causes pain in arthritis. The idea that inflammation is associated with cancer is not new — the study referenced above is news because it means a possibility of predicting recurring cancers.  Inflammation is “regarded as a likely cause of heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and some cancers.” More research links inflammation to heart disease on a regular basis. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the quandaries that plagues anyone who builds a diet and exercise scheme is the question: “What constitutes a reasonable meal?” The answer lies not only in calorie count but nutritional composition and ease of preparation. Using sites like NutritionData.com makes the calorie counting and nutrition figuring easy, but what about prep? Read the rest of this entry »

Carbonated soft drinks account for 7% of a typical American diet. It’s more like 13% for teens. So, it should be logical that we can cut our calories by 7% by switching to diet soda. The excess weight should just melt off, right?

It turns out, no. Regular drinkers of diet soda often gain more weight! There are two reasons for this. First, the diet soda drinker can rationalize away eating more calories: I have a diet soda so I can have a candy bar or an order of fries (or both). The second reason relates to the fact that when we consume something sweet, our bodies expect lots of calories to go with it. “When the body is fooled by tasting an artificially sweetened food, a craving for high calorie food can result.”

Read the rest of this entry »

You may not know his name unless you are into yoga, in which case you know Krishna Pattabhi Jois as the man who brought Ashtanga yoga to the west. He passed away at the age of 93. In the picture that accompanies this article, he is an incredible 90 years old, and clearly going strong. You can learn more about him here, or visit his official website to see absolutely amazing pictures and learn more about his teachings. 

Namaste.

What if you read that there was one thing you could do everyday, in the privacy of your own home, that wouldn’t cost a lot of money and would only take a few seconds to do, but that would keep you looking younger? And better yet, what if that same thing could prevent one of the most common cancers? And what if it could prevent one certain painful skin condition too?

I am of course talking about sunscreen. Sunscreen is designed to prevent the sun from injuring our skin. It is clinically proven to prevent sunburn, skin cancer, and reduce wrinkles when used regularly. Read the rest of this entry »