Today's Health Issues

Mental Attitude: Brain Scans Of Healthy Women Reveal Fear Of Getting Fat. Using MRI technology on healthy women, researchers observed viewing images of overweight females activates an area in the female brain that processes identity and self-reflection. "These women have no history of eating disorders and project an attitude that they don't care about body image," said Mark Allen, a BYU neuroscientist. "Yet under the surface is an anxiety about getting fat and the centrality of body image to self."
Personality and Individual Differences, May 2010

Health Alert: Lawsuit Fears, Peer Pressure Drives Higher Costs, More Tests! 25% of heart doctors order more tests than necessary, driving up costs. However, most report the extra tests are not for their own financial gain or to meet patient's expectations. 24% said they recommended a test because they were worried about malpractice lawsuits. 27% said they did it because they thought their colleagues would.
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, April 2010


Diet: Diet Alone Unlikely To Lead To Significant Weight Loss. Reducing caloric intake is not enough to promote significant weight loss. This is due to a natural compensatory mechanism that reduces a person's metabolism in response to a reduction in calories. Diet and exercise must be combined to achieve this goal. American Journal of Physiology, April 2010

Exercise: Back Stretching Exercises at Your Desk. Stretch your back with a "big hug". Hug your body, placing the right hand on your left shoulder and the left hand on your right shoulder. Breathe in and out, releasing the area between your shoulder blades. Do this several times during your day. Angela Smith, MD

Chiropractic: It is about your nervous system? There are more nerve cells in the human brain than there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to increase nerve flow to vital organs.

Wellness/Prevention: Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks. According to the World Health Organization, tobacco smoke is responsible for one in ten adult deaths. Many countries have introduced policies restricting where people can smoke, leading to fewer hospital admissions for cardiac events.
The Cochrane Library, April 2010

Quote: "It is true that I am carrying out various methods of treatment recommended by doctors and dentists in the hope of dying in the remote future in perfect health." ~ George Santayana