Tip of the Month

Is Watching TV Is Bad For Babies' Brains?

Have you ever used television as a babysitter? Sure, you wouldn't leave your kids in front of the TV and go out for a night on the town. But, the TV is often used to occupy the young ones while you answer the phone, make dinner or just take a little break.

Well, new research suggests the TV may be a very poor parenting helper. Here is why: According to U.S. News & World Report, December 7, 2010, "Babies who watch TV are more likely to have delayed cognitive development and language at 14 months, especially if they're watching programs intended for adults and older children. Babies who watched 60 minutes of TV daily had developmental scores one-third lower at 14 months than babies who weren't watching that much TV. Though their developmental scores were still in the normal range, the discrepancy may be due to the fact that when kids and parents are watching TV, they're missing out on talking, playing, and interactions that are essential to learning and development."

These results appeared in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The U.S. News & World Report also said that researchers did not find any positives or negatives to watching educational TV shows designed for young children like Sesame Street. But researchers did note that the parents of children watching TV most likely spend less time reading to and teaching their children.

And here's something important: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies under age 2 watch no TV at all.

Remember, we're always here to help your body heal
and maintain the health you deserve.

Did You Know?

Water does not calm the tongue after eating hot spicy food because the spices in most of the hot foods we eat are oily, and, like your elementary school science teacher taught you, oil and water don't mix. In this case, the water just rolls over the oily spices. What can you do to calm your aching tongue? Eat bread. The bread will absorb the oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk contains a substance called "casein" which will bind to the spices and carry them away.

Tip of the Month

Professor Loses 25 Pounds In 10 Weeks On "Twinkie Diet"...

Find out how someone can eat a Twinkie every 3 hours instead of meals,

and lose a ton of weight

If you think you have to stop eating junk food to lose a ton of weight - this is going to shock you. Here is why: According to a November 8, 2010 CNN article, Mark Haub, a Professor of Human Nutrition at Kansas State University, lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks on his "Twinkie Diet."

What's the "Twinkie Diet?"

For 10 weeks, Mark ate a Twinkie every 3 hours instead of meals. Yes, you read that right. According to the article, "To add variety to his steady stream of Hostess and Little Debbie snacks, Haub munched on Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos, too." As it turns out, the good Professor was doing his own little experiment. His theory is that when it comes to weight loss, caloric intake is what's most important, not the quality of food. So, Haub consumed fewer calories than he burned. He limited himself to less than 1,800 calories a day. A man of his size usually burns 2,700 calories per day.

Results?

His body mass index went from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal. His weight went from 201 to 174 pounds. But wait... Just because he lost weight doesn't necessarily mean he's healthier, right? According to the article, Haub's 'bad' cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his 'good' cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent. He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent. "That's where the head scratching comes," Haub said. "What does that mean? Does that mean I'm healthier? Or does it mean how we define health from a biology standpoint, that we're missing something?"

Great Point, Professor Haub...

So let's repeat it: "Or does it mean how we define health from a biology standpoint, that we're missing something?" Clearly, how most people define health has made and kept them sick for a long, long time. For example, most people think that if you do not have physical symptoms, then you are not sick. If your back does not hurt, there is nothing wrong with it. If you don't have a fever, aches and pains and don't FEEL sick, you are not sick. Well, here's a question for you: What's the first symptom of heart disease? That's right, a heart attack. But clearly, that heart attack was building for many years... even decades.

What's the point?

The point is: There is a monstrous gap in between what many people, doctors and scientists consider "healthy" and what, in reality, actually IS healthy. Clearly, not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. In other words, REAL health is something science simply does not yet have the ability to measure. Just because it cannot be measured with the tools science presently has, does not mean it does not exist. That's why, at some point, everyone has to make a decision about what's best for them with the use of current scientific research and a little common sense.


Ask yourself - is a Twinkie every 3 hours healthy, even if you lose weight?

Remember, we're always here to help your body heal

and maintain the health you deserve.

Did You Know?

How times have changed!

100 years ago...

- There were less than 20,000 motorcars in the whole world, a lot of them being electric cars.
- The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph (16km/h).
- The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world at 1,063 ft (324 meters).
- Most women washed their hair only once a month using egg yolks for shampoo.
- Eggs cost about 10 cents per dozen.
- Pneumonia and influenza were the leading causes of death.
- In 1910, the population of the United States was 92 million and the world population was 1.7 billion people.

Today...

- There are more cars manufactured than there is demand for them.
- There are about 1 billion cars and light trucks on the road, half of them in the United States.
- The roads are so congested in most cities, the average speed is just over 10 mph.
- The tallest building is the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) at 2,640 ft (800 meters).
- Women wash their hair on average once a week - using any of thousands of products.
- On average, eggs cost $2 per dozen.
- And, the leading causes of death are heart attacks, cancers, strokes, and motor accidents.
- Today, the population of the United States numbers 300 million and almost 7 billion roam the earth.

New Study: Texting And Social Networking Linked to Health Risks?

Modern technology can be wonderful. It has never been easier to stay in touch and communicate with friends and family. With texting and social networking, anyone can communicate messages, pictures, internet links and videos within seconds.

But Is There A Down Side To All This Texting And

Social Networking?

The article defines "hyper texting" as sending more than 120 texts per school day, and "hyper networking" as spending more than 3 hours per school day on social networking sites (like Facebook).

According to the article, the study found nearly 20% of Midwestern teens surveyed were "hyper texters."

"hyper texter" teens are:

- 2 times more likely to have tried alcohol.

- Nearly 3.5 times more likely to have had sex.

- 40 percent more likely to have tried cigarettes.

- 41 percent more likely to have used illicit drugs.

- 43 percent more likely to be binge drinkers.

- 55 percent more likely to have been in a physical fight.

- 90 percent more likely to report four or more sexual partners.

The article also stated 11.5% Midwestern teens are "hyper networkers." They are:

- 60 percent more likely to report four or more sexual partners.

- 62 percent more likely to have tried cigarettes.

- 69 percent more likely to be binge drinkers.

- 69 percent more likely to have had sex.

- 79 percent more likely to have tried alcohol.

- 84 percent more likely to have used illicit drugs.

- 94 percent more likely to have been in a physical fight.

Here's an important note from the author of the study: "We are not saying texting causes these behaviors... We can recognize that these kinds of connections... may be facilitating or enabling these kinds of behaviors, but we certainly can't think of (the online connections) as causing them."

So, if your teenager is a hyper texter or hyper networker, taking away their phone or internet access may not reduce their risks in the above categories but they are an indicator that you should pay more attention to your child's activities.

Tip Of The Month

Tips To Make Things Last Longer And Save Your Hard-Earned Money...

Times are tough. The economy is bad. Use these simple tips to make what you have last longer, save money, and make your life easier and more secure...

Very few people have money to burn these days. Most are just trying to make ends meet. Too many are really struggling to keep their home and feed their family. What many people don't understand is just how large of an impact a handful of small changes can make. For example, according to http://www.simplyinsulate.com/, "If your home is as little as 5 to 10 years old, you likely have one of the 46 million under-insulated homes in the U.S., according to the Harvard University School of Public Health. Adding more insulation is easy. Plus, insulation is one of the lowest cost options for improving the energy efficiency of your home. It pays off fast and keeps paying off with better comfort and energy savings for as long as you own your home."

Free Guide To Save You Money


If you go to http://www.simplyinsulate.com/, you can download a guide from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help you make your home energy efficient and save money for years and years. The site even has an "energy savings calculator" you can use to find out an estimate of how much you will save by making your home energy efficient. Decreasing both heat and air conditioning bills can really add up.


How Your Car Can Save You Money


Another great way to save money is to keep your car in tip top shape. This will not only seriously decrease your odds of a very expensive breakdown in the middle of nowhere... it will save you money for gas, tires, repair bills and your car will last much longer. Keeping your tires properly inflated is extremely important. Underinflated tires cause you to burn more gas and wear out much faster - not to mention safety issues. Rotating tires every 5,000-8,000 miles can dramatically expand the life of your tires.


Tires And Pressure?


Also, having the right size tires for you car will actually save you money. Smaller tires may be cheaper today, but they will wear much faster and have to be replaced. Keep a tire pressure gauge in your glove compartment and check the pressure at least once a week. Tire pressure gauges are only a few bucks and can be purchased in many stores or gas stations. And make sure you get the oil changed every 3,000 miles and have a mechanic you trust keep you up-to-date on all other scheduled maintenance. Changing the oil routinely is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car running properly for years and years. Keeping up with regular maintenance is always cheaper in the long run than "driving until something breaks." Ironically, the same is true about your body and health. :-) As a general rule - spend a little to maintain now as opposed to a lot later.


Remember, we're always here to help your body heal and maintain the health you deserve.

Did You Know?

Shoppers who do not regularly wash their reusable grocery bags may be placing themselves and their families at heightened risk of food borne illness.

It is estimated there are about 76,000,000 cases of food borne illness in the United States every year. Most of these illnesses originate in the home from improper cooking or handling of foods. Reusable bags, if not properly washed between uses, create the potential for cross-contamination of foods.

Only 3 percent of shoppers wash their reusable grocery bags out regularly. Most shoppers don't use separate bags for meat and produce, and some shoppers even use their bags for toting objects other than food. Contamination potential exists when raw meat products and foods traditionally eaten uncooked (fruits and vegetables) are carried in the same bags, either together or between uses. This risk can be increased by the growth of bacteria in the bags.

Washing the bags by machine or hand reduces bacterial presence to nearly zero.