Skin Care Tips for a Happier Baby

Baby Skin Care: Simple Tips to Keep Baby's Skin Healthy

Expect Bumps, Spots, and Rashes

There's nothing quite like the soft, delicate skin of a baby. And nothing like a cranky infant irritated by diaper rash, cradle cap, or another skin condition. While your baby is perfect, your baby's skin may not be. Many babies are prone to skin irritation in the first few months after birth. Here's how to spot and treat common baby skin problems.

Newborns Are Prone to Rashes

The good news about your newborn's rashes: Most cause no harm and go away on their own. While caring for baby's skin may seem complex, all you really need to know are three simple things: Which conditions can you treat at home? Which need medical treatment? And how can you prevent baby from experiencing skin problems to begin with?

Avoiding Diaper Rash

If baby has red skin around the diaper area, you're dealing with diaper rash. Most diaper rashes occur because of skin irritation due to diapers that are too tight; wet diapers left on for too long; or a particular brand of detergent, diapers, or baby wipes. Avoid it by keeping the diaper area open to the air as long as possible, changing your baby's diaper as soon as it's wet, washing with a warm cloth, and applying zinc oxide cream.

Pimples & Whiteheads

Baby acne gets its start in the womb, where baby is exposed to mom's hormones. Those hormones boost oil production, clogging baby's oil glands. Pimples on baby's nose and cheeks usually clear up by themselves in a few weeks. So you don't need to treat baby acne or use lotion.

Baby Birthmarks

Lots of babies have birthmarks — more than one in ten as a matter of fact. Birthmarks, areas of skin discoloration, are not inherited. They may be there when your baby is born, or they might show up a few months later. Generally birthmarks are nothing to worry about and need no treatment. But if your baby's birthmark worries you, talk to your pediatrician.

Atopic Dermatitis or Eczema

Eczema is an itchy, red rash that occurs in response to a trigger. It is common in children who have a family history of asthma, allergies, or atopic dermatitis. Eczema may occur on baby's face as a weepy rash. Over time it becomes thick, dry, and scaly. You may also see eczema on the elbow, chest, arms, or behind the knees. To treat it, identify and avoid any triggers. Use gentle soaps and detergents and apply moderate amounts of moisturizers.

Baby's Dry Skin

You probably shouldn't worry if your newborn has peeling, dry skin – it often happens if your baby is born a little late. The underlying skin is perfectly healthy, soft, and moist. If your infant's dry skin persists, talk to your baby's pediatrician.

Excess Oil Causes Cradle Cap

Cradle cap can show up during baby's first or second month, and usually clears up within the first year. Also called seborrheic dermatitis, cradle cap is caused by excess oil and shows up as a scaly, waxy, red rash on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelids, the sides of the nose, or behind the ears. Your pediatrician will recommend the best treatment for cradle cap, which may include a special shampoo, baby oil, or certain creams and lotions.

Prickly Heat Causes Irritated Skin

Showing up as small pinkish-red bumps, prickly heat usually appears on the parts of your baby's body that are prone to sweating, like the neck, diaper area, armpits, and skin folds. A cool, dry environment and loose-fitting clothes are all you need to treat prickly heat rash — which can even be brought on in winter when baby is over-bundled. Try dressing baby in layers that you can remove when things heat up.

Infant Skin Doesn't Need Powdering

Babies can inhale the very fine grains of talcum powder, which could cause lung problems. So it's best to avoid using talcum powder on your infant. A corn starch-based powder is considered safer. But yeast, which can cause diaper rash, feeds on corn starch. So to protect baby skin, you're better off skipping the powder.

Newborn skin: White Bumps (Milia)

As many as one in two newborns get the little white bumps known as milia. Appearing usually on the nose and face, they're caused by skin flakes blocking oil glands. Milia are sometimes called "baby acne," but baby acne is related to hormonal changes. In this case, baby skin care is easy: As baby's glands open up over the course of a few days or weeks, the bumps usually disappear, and need no treatment.

Baby Yeast Infections

Yeast infections often appear after your baby has had a round of antibiotics, and show up differently depending on where they are on your baby's skin. Thrush appears on the tongue and mouth, and looks like dried milk, while a yeast diaper rash is bright red, often with small red pimples at the rash edges. Talk to your pediatrician: Thrush is treated with an anti-yeast liquid medicine, while an anti-fungal cream is used for a yeast diaper rash.

Laundry Tips for Baby Skin Care

Avoiding skin rashes will keep your baby smiling and happy: Use a gentle detergent to wash everything that touches your infant's skin, from bedding and blankets, to towels and even your own clothes. You'll cut down on the likelihood of baby developing irritated or itchy skin.

Yellow Skin Can Mean Jaundice

Usually occurring two or three days after birth, jaundice is a yellow coloration that affects baby's skin and eyes. It's common in premature infants. Caused by too much bilirubin (a breakdown product of red blood cells), the condition usually disappears by the time baby is 1 or 2 weeks old. Treatment for jaundice may include more frequent feedings or, for more severe cases, light therapy (phototherapy).

Infant Sunburn

The sun may feel great, but it could be exposing your baby's skin to the risk of damaging sunburn. Avoid baby skin problems by protecting from sunburn: keep your infant out of direct sunlight during the first six months of life. Later, use a strong baby sunscreen, hats, and umbrellas. For mild infant sunburn apply a cool cloth to baby's skin for 10-15 minutes a few times daily. For more severe sunburn, call your child's pediatrician.

Baby Sunscreen and More

Apply sunscreen to the areas of baby's skin that can't be covered by clothes. You can also use zinc oxide on baby's nose, ears, and lips. Cover the rest of your baby's skin in clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. Sunglasses protect children's eyes from harmful rays.

Baby Skin Care Products

Shopping for baby skin care products? Less is more. Look for items without dyes, fragrance, phthalates and parabens — all of which could cause skin irritation. When in doubt, talk to your pediatrician to see if a product is appropriate for newborn skin.

Avoiding Skin Problems at Bath Time

Remember, newborn skin is soft and sensitive. Keep baby's skin hydrated by bathing in warm water for only three to five minutes. Apply a baby lotion or moisturizer immediately after bath while skin is still wet, and then pat dry instead of rubbing.

Baby Massage

If rashes or other skin conditions are making your baby irritable, try baby massage. Gently stroking and massaging baby's skin can not only help boost relaxation, but it may also lead to better sleep and reduce or stop crying, according to a recent study.

When to Call the Pediatrician

Most baby skin rashes and problems aren't serious, but a few may be signs of infection — and need close attention. If baby's skin has small, red-purplish dots, if there are yellow fluid-filled bumps (pustules), or if baby has a fever or lethargy, call your pediatrician for medical treatment right away.

Nutrients for Children Four Years Old and Above

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Foods That Steal Your Sleep

What You Eat Affects How You Sleep

If you could pick the right foods to help you get the best sleep possible, wouldn’t you? And if you knew which foods would hinder your restful slumber, wouldn’t you avoid them? Now’s your chance to learn which foods to eat, and which to steer clear of for a good night’s sleep.

Reach for Tryptophan-Rich Foods

We’ve all heard of warm milk’s magical ability to send us off to dreamland. Do you know why it’s true? Dairy foods contain tryptophan, which is a sleep-promoting substance. Other tryptophan-containing foods include poultry, bananas, oats, and honey.

Indulge Your Craving for Carbs

Carbohydrate-rich foods complement dairy foods by increasing the level of sleep-inducing tryptophan in the blood. So a few perfect late night snacks to get you snoozing might include a bowl of cereal and milk, yogurt and crackers, or bread and cheese. Avoid an all-carb snack that’s also high in sugar, since the sugar low that will follow may disturb your sleep.

Have a Snack Before Bedtime

If you struggle with insomnia, a little food in your stomach may help you sleep. But don’t use this as an open invitation to pig out. Keep the snack small. A heavy meal will tax your digestive system, making you uncomfortable and unable to get soothing ZZZs.

Put Down the Burger and Fries!

As if you needed another reason to avoid high-fat foods, research now shows that the more fat you consume during the day, the less likely you will be to have a restful night.

Beware of Hidden Caffeine

It’s no surprise that an evening cup of coffee might disrupt your sleep. Even moderate caffeine can cause sleep disturbances. But don’t forget about less obvious caffeine sources, like chocolate, cola, tea and decaffeinated coffee. For better sleep, cut all caffeine from your diet after noon each day.

Medications May Contain Caffeine

Some over-the-counter and prescription drugs contain caffeine, too, such as pain relievers, weight loss pills, diuretics, and cold medicines. These and other medications may have as much or even more caffeine than a cup of coffee. Check the label of nonprescription drugs or the prescription drug information sheet to see if your medicine interferes with sleep or can cause insomnia.

Skip the Nightcap

Here’s the catch-22 with alcohol: It may help you fall asleep faster, but you may experience frequent awakenings, less restful sleep, headaches, night sweats and nightmares. If you’re consuming alcohol in the evening, balance each drink with a glass a water to dilute the alcohol’s effects.

Beware of Heavy, Spicy Foods

Lying down with a full belly can make you uncomfortable, since the digestive system slows down when you sleep. And spicy cuisine can lead to heartburn or GERD. Make sure to finish a heavy meal at least four hours before bedtime.

Keep Protein to a Minimum at Bedtime

Sorry Atkins. Protein, an essential part of our daytime fare, is a poor choice for a bedtime snack. Protein-rich foods are harder to digest. So skip the high-protein snack before bedtime and opt for a glass of warm milk or some sleep-friendly carbs, like crackers.

Cut the Fluids by 8 P.M.

Yes, staying hydrated throughout the day is great for your body, but curtail your fluid intake before bed. You’re sure to have interrupted sleep if you’re constantly getting up to go to the bathroom.

Don’t Be Fooled by a Relaxing Smoke

Nicotine is a stimulant, with effects similar to caffeine. Avoid smoking before bedtime or if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Supplement Your Sleep with Vitamins

Taking vitamins with a light meal in the evening can help give you a good nights sleep while it replenishes your body with essential nutrients your body used up the day before. Wake up the next morning more refresh and energetic to tackle another day.

The Health Benefits of Yoga

Yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. Yoga can hardly be called a trend.

Most Westernized yoga classes focus on learning physical poses, which are called asanas. They also usually include some form of breathing technique and possibly a meditation technique as well. Some yoga classes are designed purely for relaxation. But there are styles of yoga that teach you how to move your body in new ways. Choosing one of these styles offers the greatest health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance.

Yoga Benefits: Flexibility

When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a gymnast. That makes them worry that they're too old, unfit, or "tight" to do yoga. The truth is you're never too old to improve flexibility.

The series of yoga poses called asanas work by safely stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Yoga Benefits: Strength

Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga and power yoga, are more vigorous than others. Practicing one of these styles will help you improve muscle tone.

But even less vigorous styles of yoga, such as Iyengar yoga, which focuses on less movement and more precise alignment in poses, can provide strength and endurance benefits.

Many of the poses, such as Downward Dog, Upward Dog, and Plank pose, build upper-body strength. This becomes crucial as people age. The standing poses, especially if you hold them for several long breaths, build strength in your hamstrings, quadriceps, and abdominal muscles. Poses that strengthen the lower back include Upward Dog and Chair pose. When practiced correctly, nearly all poses build core strength in the deep abdominal muscles.

Yoga Benefits: Posture

With increased flexibility and strength comes better posture. Most standing and sitting poses develop core strength. That's because you're counting on your deep abdominals to support and maintain each pose. With a stronger core, you're more likely to sit and stand "tall." Another benefit of yoga is the increased body awareness. This heightened awareness tells you more quickly when you're slouching or slumping so you can adjust your posture.

Yoga Benefits: Breathing

Because of the deep, mindful breathing that yoga involves, lung capacity often improves. This in turn can improve sports performance and endurance. But yoga typically isn't focused on aerobic fitness the way running or cycling are. Taking an intense power yoga class that gets you breathing hard in a heated room, however, can provide an aerobic benefit.

Most forms of yoga emphasize deepening and lengthening your breath. This stimulates the relaxation response -- the opposite of the fight-or-flight adrenaline boost of the stress response.

Yoga Benefits: Less Stress, More Calm

Even beginners tend to feel less stressed and more relaxed after their first class. Some yoga styles use specific meditation techniques to quiet the constant "mind chatter" that often underlies stress. Other yoga styles depend on deep breathing techniques to focus your mind on the breath. When this happens, your mind becomes calm.

Among yoga's anti-stress benefits are a host of biochemical responses. For example, there is a decrease in catecholamines, the hormones produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Lowering levels of hormone neurotransmitters -- dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine -- creates a feeling of calm. Some research points to a boost in the hormone oxytocin. This is the so-called "trust" and "bonding" hormone that's associated with feeling relaxed and connected to others. That may be why so many romances start in the yoga studio.

Yoga Benefits: Concentration and Mood

Harder to pin down and research scientifically, concentration and the ability to focus mentally are common benefits you'll hear yoga students talk about. The same is true with mood. Nearly every yoga student will tell you they feel happier and more contented after class. Recently, researchers have begun exploring the effects of yoga on depression, a benefit that may result from yoga's boosting oxygen levels to the brain. Yoga is even being studied as an adjunct therapy to relieve symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Yoga Benefits: Heart Benefits

Perhaps one of the most studied areas of the health benefits of yoga is its effect on heart disease. Yoga has long been known to lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. A slower heart rate can benefit people with hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Yoga was a key component to the heart disease program designed by Dean Ornish, MD. This was the first program to partly reverse heart disease through lifestyle and diet rather than surgery. On a biochemical level, studies point to a possible anti-oxidant effect of yoga. And yoga has been associated with decreased cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as a boost in immune system function.

Yoga Benefits: Effects on Other Medical Conditions

As yoga has become more popular in the West, medical researchers have begun studying the benefits of therapeutic yoga. This is also called integrative yoga therapy or IYT. It's used as an adjunct treatment for specific medical conditions, from clinical depression to heart disease. Yoga benefits other chronic medical conditions, relieving symptoms of asthma, back pain, and arthritis. Most worldwide clinical studies are happening outside of the United States. But even the NIH has funded clinical trials on yoga and its health benefits for insomnia and multiple sclerosis.

Other Benefits of Yoga

Some studies have suggested that yoga may have a positive effect on learning and memory. Other researchers have been studying whether yoga can slow the aging process, increase a person's sense of self-acceptance, or improve energy levels.

Some potential benefits of yoga may be hard to study scientifically. For instance, yoga has been said to increase spiritual awareness. Nevertheless, there is an abundance of anecdotal claims for what yoga can do. Go to any yoga studio and listen to students after class. Some will even tell you that yoga can help improve marriages and relationships at work.

The only way to be certain of all that yoga can do for you is to try it for yourself and see.

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Can Vitamins Give You More Energy?

Energy Boosters: Can Supplements and Vitamins Help?

Energy supplements have become one of the fastest-growing categories of supplement. And that’s because everybody whether you’re a man or a woman, young or old wants more energy.

What Is Energy and How Do Supplements Work?

What sort of energy are you after? The definition of energy depends a lot on the context. Are you an elite athlete, a sprinter trying to shave seconds off your best time? Or are you an average person just hoping to make it through a whole movie without dozing off?

Vitamin B-Complex is a organic natural vitamin that provides energy.

B vitamins, like vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, thiamine, niacin, and different amino acids. Many energy supplements are derived from the nutrients, proteins, fats, and amino acids that are already in our bodies or that we get from food. And they do work – in a sense. “Research has clearly shown that these compounds support the energy metabolism process,” says Shao. They affect how the body processes the nutrients we eat and converts them into energy.

If you eat a well-balanced, healthy diet, you likely get enough of these vitamins and amino acids from food. The real question is do you eat a well-balanced healthy diet?

Some people who are deficient in nutrients, proteins, fats and amino acids, will benefit from taking B vitamins supplements. Nutrient deficiency is much more common than we think that most people think. This deficiency leads to immune system breakdown, sickness and disease.

Who is likely to be nutrient deficient? Athletes who push themselves hard might be depleted in these nutrients. Plus, people who have poor diets or take regular medications, such as acid blockers, anti-inflammatory painkillers, or antibiotics. If this is you, taking Vitamin B-Complex will replenish the nutrients your body is missing.

Bottom line: Will these supplements boost energy? If you are deficient in these nutrients or are an elite athlete, you might benefit from some of these supplements.

Energy Supplements: Calories

Many of us have a skewed impression of what calories are. We see them as villains who lurk in food and make our pants too tight. But calories are the measurement of the energy potential in any food we eat.

So energy supplements consists of calories, usually carbohydrates (like sugars), which our bodies can easily break down and absorb as energy. They’re in energy drinks and energy bars as well.

These are really attractive to athletes, especially ones who might be in the middle of a marathon. They are easily absorbed carbs that can give you the fuel you need to keep going.

But what if you’re not running in a marathon? Will a dose of Vitamin B-Complex give you a boost after a day of sitting in an armchair? Yes and it will depend person to person the actual energy effects for each person..

Energy Supplements: Keeping Perspective

So there’s the rundown. Of course, if you’re suffering from serious fatigue, you should check with your doctor before you start before taking an energy supplement to make sure a medical condition isn’t causing your fatigue. Then, after ruling out a problem, here are some questions to consider:

Do I really need Vitamin B-Complex? A well-balanced diet should give most people the minerals, vitamins, and nutrients they need. Are there deficiencies in your diet? If so, try to eat a better diet, and supplement your diet with vitamins and supplements your diet is missing.

Boosting Energy with Lifestyle Changes

While they might seem quaint when compared to energy boosting vitamins and supplements there are conventional ways to boost your energy also.

Sleep. Start with the stone-cold obvious: if you’re feeling tired and low on energy, sleep more. Getting into good habits before bed – called sleep hygiene by the experts – really might help. Aim for seven to eight hours a night. Quick naps during the day – just 20-30 minutes – can also leave you feeling energized.

Exercise. “Really, the best way to have more energy is to have a more active lifestyle,” says Clemens. It might seem counter-intuitive, but exerting yourself will make you feel more energized, not less. One 2006 review looked at 70 different studies of the effects of exercise and energy levels. The result? Over 90% of the studies showed the same thing: sedentary people who started an exercise program had less fatigue and more energy.

Eat a healthy diet. There’s no special energy diet. But for overall health, experts recommend a diet with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. As a rule of thumb, Clemens recommends following the USDA’s food pyramid.

Alas, none of these are quick fixes. They take some dedication and work. But they’re also the approaches guaranteed to help, along with taking organic vitamins and supplements for high energy and strong health.

You’ve heard it before. Better health includes appropriate diet, moderation and variety of foods, and appropriate exercise. A little of all of these and you will live a long healthy happy life.

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Why Don't Men Take Better Care of Themselves?

When men are young, they think they're going to live forever - nothing's going to get in their way. That's why young guys do stupid things; they think it's not going to hurt them. Why are teenagers promiscuous in the face of HIV, hepatitis C and all those other diseases? Because they think it will happen to somebody else but it won't happen to them.

As men get older they get into this pattern of reactive care. They don't understand about proactive health care. They don't understand that that's their body for life, that they have to be in tune with their body and take care of it, and if they do, the quality of their life experience will be dramatically improved. When men do abusive things, when they drink too much, take drugs, are overweight, then that has an impact on them. They don't realize that that "never happening to me," changes to "it will happen", and then it's just around the corner. By then it's often too late.

By the time men become aware that it's too late, they've lived through years of abusive behaviors. They've eaten the wrong foods, they've had too much to drink, they smoke, have hypertension, diabetes, liver disorders, and cholesterol problems. Those are the guys, you read about: people in their 40s and 50s who suddenly get a heart attack and die or have a massive stroke. It doesn't make sense. Sometimes it's random bad luck but sometimes it's things they've been doing all these years.

Women, on the other hand, are programmed by society to be into preventative health. They go to the OB-GYN young in life. They go to the doctor for checkups. Women are the leaders in health care in this country. Almost all of the health care decisions are driven by women. On WebMD, many who post on the men's health message board are women asking the questions for their husbands or boyfriends.

You have to wonder, if it's about blood in the semen, or erection disorders, or pain or lumps or bumps, why the guy isn't there asking the question himself? It's because that's not what guys do. I don't know whether it's fear or denial, or maybe they don't value themselves enough, but the wives are the ones that will go online and ask the questions.

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What Stress Does to Your Body

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The human body is well adapted to deal with short-term stress, but if it remains on orange alert for an extended period of time, you can grow vulnerable to some serious health problems. Here's how major systems respond to your worries.

Nervious System

The "fight or flight" response begins here: When you're stressed, the brain's sympathetic nerves signal the adrenal glands to release a chemical variety pack, including epinephrine (aka adrenaline) and cortisol. Persistently high levels of these chemicals may impair memory and learning, and up your odds for depression.

Endocrine System

Stress hormones trigger the liver to produce more blood sugar, to give you that kick of energy in the moment of perceived danger. But if the "danger" you're concerned with is a long-term dilemma and you're already at risk for type 2 diabetes, bad news: Elevated glucose levels may turn you into a card-carrying diabetic.

Respiratory System

At high-stress moments, you may find yourself breathing faster, feeling short of breath, or even hyperventilating. Over the long term, this strain on the system can make you more susceptible to upper-respiratory infections (so if you're considering a career in air-traffic control, you might want to stock up on Emergen-C).

Cardiovascular System

Momentary, acute stress, like, say, when you're walking down the aisle to get married, will make your heart beat faster and blood pressure rise. Long-term stress, like unwelcome pressure from the folks to produce offspring, can cause narrowing of the arteries and elevate cholesterol levels, upping your chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Reproductive System

Stress can lengthen or shorten your menstrual cycle, stop it altogether, or make your periods more painful. High levels of stress make bacterial vaginosis (BV) more likely and, during pregnancy, may increase the chance of your baby's developing asthma or allergies later in life. Bring on the prenatal yoga.

Immune System

Short-term stress can actually boost the immune system, helping your body fight infection. Ongoing stress, however, turns things in the other direction, possibly slowing wound healing, leaving you more susceptible to infection, and worsening skin conditions such as eczema, hives, and yes — acne.

Digestive System

Extreme stress isn't unlike the morning after a bender. It can cause dry mouth, indigestion, nausea, and gas, and it stimulates the muscles of the intestines, possibly causing diarrhea or constipation. Have these symptoms chronically, and you may increase your risk for irritable bowel syndrome, severe heartburn, and ulcers.

Musculoskeletal System

Muscles tense to deal with what your body perceives as danger. No one who's pulled an all-nighter with only PowerPoint for company will be surprised that constantly tight muscles can cause headaches and neck, shoulder, and back pain. Chronic stress may also increase your likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

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Get Your Body Back After Pregnancy

If all those images of svelte and shapely celebrity new moms have left you feeling like you never want to look in a mirror again, take heart! Here's some real-world advice on how to get your body back after pregnancy.

It sometimes seems as if they're jumping right from the labor bed to the treadmill with many high-profile celebrity new moms snapping back from pregnancy with a model-perfect shape in almost no time!

Indeed, take a look at Katie Holmes, Angelina Jolie, Melania Trump, Heidi Klum, and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham -- whose record-time baby-fat weight loss has set the bar high for new moms the world over.

But is it realistic -- or for that matter even healthy -- to slim down after pregnancy with such lightening speed?

Experts offer up a resounding "No!"

"We don't have the kind of lifestyle that would allow for that kind of quick loss -- and the sooner women recognize that, the better they will feel about themselves, " says Laura Riley, MD, a high-risk-pregnancy expert from Massachusetts General Hospital and spokeswoman for the American Collage of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,

Riley says celebrities don't generally gain as much weight during their pregnancy as the average woman, and she says "they have resources that the rest of us don't have after baby is born." This, she reminds us, includes personal trainers, chefs, and nannies, all of whom allow the celebrity new mom to devote serious time to getting in shape, a luxury few other women have.

"And, many of them also do their share of crazy diets -- which is not an example anyone should follow," says Riley, author of You and Your Baby: Pregnancy.

Experts warn that when it comes to getting that post-pregnancy body back in shape, neither crash dieting or a stringent exercise program is the way to go -- particularly if you've had a difficult pregnancy, a C-section delivery, or if you're breastfeeding.

"The worst thing a woman can do is try too hard to do too much too soon -- if you do you're likely to find yourself exhausted and discouraged, and less likely to continue, and you'll wind up carrying that baby weight a lot longer, " says fitness trainer Sue Fleming, creator of the Buff line of workout DVDs including Buff New Moms.

When to Begin

Although most women say that diet is the quickest way to lose weight after giving birth, experts say a dramatic cut in calories is not the best way to begin - particularly if you are breastfeeding.

"You should be eating at least 1,800-2,000 calories a day while breastfeeding, and if you eat less you will not only be shortchanging yourself, you'll be shortchanging your baby. You can't produce quality milk if you are not eating enough," says nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy.

Riley says she frequently advises patients to not even think about dieting until after their first six-week visit.

"If you can lose a couple of pounds before then, that's OK, but you really don't want to cut your food intake dramatically during these early weeks -- you need the energy, and you need the calories for breastfeeding," she says.

Good news: Breastfeeding burns calories. It can help mothers lose extra weight gained during pregnancy.

But what if you're not breastfeeding? Somer says it's OK to watch your caloric intake, but never aim to lose more than a pound a week.

"Pregnancy is not unlike running a marathon every day for nine months. You have really put your body through the ringer, so even if you ate well, several nutrients are still likely to be compromised. You need this postpartum time to restore your nutritional status and your energy," she says.

After Pregnancy: Working Off the Pounds

While postpartum dieting may be off-limits for awhile, exercise is highly recommended. Experts say it can not only help you get your body back, but also increase energy and may even reduce risks of postpartum depression.

In a paper published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women's Health, experts reported mounting evidence suggesting that exercise not only benefits depressive symptoms in general but pointed to two studies indicating it may offer benefits specifically for women with postpartum depression.

To this end, many groups, including American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have not only significantly loosened the reins on the number of activities a new mom can safely do but have also begun promoting exercise as a key factor in the health of new moms.

"There used to be many more 'don'ts' about exercising after pregnancy, now there are many more 'dos,'" says Fleming.

But how do you know if you're ready to begin an exercise program? ACOG recommends that you check with your doctor before starting, especially if you had a complicated pregnancy or delivery. That said, most experts agree you are free to begin a mild workout as soon as you feel up to it -- and you can keep up with the activity level.

"That's key, being able to keep up with whatever program you start. If you can't then either the program is too rigorous, or you're just not ready. Exercise should make you feel better, not worse," says Riley.

Post-Pregnancy Workouts: What Works!

Whether it's within six days or six weeks of delivering, ACOG experts say one of the easiest ways to begin a postpartum exercise routine is by walking. And you can even get baby in on the fun! Indeed, one of the more popular forms of organized new-mommy exercise involves walking stroller workouts.

"The idea is to use the stroller as a piece of fitness equipment and doing exercises that actually rely on the stroller, or workouts that can be done while your baby is in the stroller," says Lisa Druxman, founder of San Diego-based Stroller Strides, one of several nationwide programs devoted to helping new moms get back in shape.

If you think you're up for a more-challenging activity, Fleming says begin to add in the exercises you did in your third trimester of pregnancy - and then work backwards.

"You can start with what you did in the third trimester, then gradually add what you did in the second trimester, then the first, until you are back to doing what you did before pregnancy," says Fleming, who says the process should take between four and six months.

The one area where you might want to start on sooner rather than later, however, involves strength-training exercises to build a strong core, an area that Riley says many women neglect during pregnancy as well as during the postpartum.

"Even if you had strong core muscles before pregnancy, you really lose that strength during pregnancy because the muscles are all attenuated and stretched out - plus you've spent nine months carrying extra weight in that area," says Riley.

What's the best way to build a strong core?

"You can start simple and slow with a pelvic tilt, a modified sit-up (if you didn't have a C-section), squeeze and tighten your butt then relax, put a pillow between your knees and squeeze and relax. This can start to build your core and strengthen your back," says Fleming.
A Final Word of Caution

No matter how eager you are to lose your baby fat, experts caution against any activities that put major stress on your joints -- such as jogging, jumping, or running -- for at least six to eight weeks. Why?

"During pregnancy you produce a hormone called relaxin, which actually makes joints loose and consequently more prone to injury, and you will still have significant amounts of this hormone in your blood for at least several weeks after childbirth," says Fleming.

Put too much stress on joints during this time, she says, and you could end up sidelined for months with a serous injury.

Moreover, regardless of what exercises you do, pay close attention to the warning signs of trouble and seek medical attention if any of these symptoms appear:

Excessive bleeding

Pelvic or abdominal pain

Extreme shortness of breath

Exhaustion after even mild exercise

Muscle soreness that does not go away within a day or 2

Click the following links for weight loss products of weight loss drinks, and carbohydrate blocker tablets that can help reduce weight you gained during pregnancy.

How to Evaluate Vitamins and Supplements

Everyone needs a balance of essential nutrients from a variety of foods to stay healthy. Yet it’s not always easy to eat right when you’re on the go. That’s why taking vitamins and supplements is good to fill in the gaps in our daily diets.

Yet, with a plethora of multivitamins, herbs, and botanicals out there, how can you tell if a supplement is safe or right for you?

Click here for our Health Problems Vitamins Guide

Click here for our Vitamin Mineral Reference Chart

Questions to Ask About Vitamins and Supplements

Taking vitamins and supplements along with having a proper diet, and exercising a little everyday is a positive solution to living a long healthy life. Evaluating supplements and vitamins to add to your diet, here are some questions to ask.

What health benefits does this supplement offer me?

Do I need this supplement for my good health? Necessary or not for good health?

What is the recommended dose for this supplement? See vitamin supplement links on right column.

When and for how long do I need to take this supplement? How long do I want to stay healthy?

Which is most appropriate and effective for me? A pill, powder, or liquid?

Does this supplement or vitamin have any known side effects? Most don't but depends if you have a particular bad health issue your dealing with.

What are the best brands of this supplement? Organic is good. Synthetic is bad.

Does this supplement interact with any medications or foods?

Will I need to stop taking this supplement or vitamin if I have to undergo surgery?

Which Vitamin Form Should You Choose?

Once you know which vitamin or supplement is right for you, you’ll discover many can be bought as pills, liquids, or powders. Typically the difference between them is the rate at which your body absorbs the supplement and how quickly the supplement becomes active. For example, liquids are absorbed faster than pills.

The bottom line: Do your research and exercise caution. Here are a few more important safety tips:

Try to eat a balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, look for a multivitamin with no more than 100% of the daily value of most vitamins and minerals.

Although vitamins are essential to our bodies, in high doses some vitamins can disrupt biochemical pathways. Avoid high doses is especially important with the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K because these vitamins build up in your body and can become toxic. Water-soluble vitamins are excreted in urine if you take more than your body needs.

Who Should Be Careful Taking Supplements and Vitamins?

Supplements for people with certain health conditions should be careful taking vitamins and supplements. Also, some supplements can interact with medications. Always talk with your doctor before adding vitamins or supplements to your diet to make sure you will not experience any side effects.

People who should be careful taking certain supplements include.

Pregnant or breastfeeding women, because some kinds of supplements can be dangerous to the baby. A daily prenatal vitamin supplement is perfectly suited to pregnant and lactating women. Also common vitamins and supplements for women and pregnant women are Iron-Folic, Calcium Magnesium, and Vitamin BComplex.

Those taking certain medications, including heart medications, diuretics, blood thinners, aspirin, immune-suppressing medications, and steroid medications. These drugs can interact with certain herbal and other supplements. Omega3 is a popular supplement to reduce cholesterol in your arteries, along with providing DHA to the brain, and helping in relieving arthritic aches and pains.

People who are going to have surgery, because some supplements may lead to bleeding and other dangerous complications. The Super-Potent Mega-Daily Multivitamin has been found to help surgery patients recover faster and healthier.

Those being treated for or with a history of cancer, because some supplements could encourage the growth of cancer cells.

Quality Organic Vitamins and Supplements

We Never Compromise on Quality. At the USA manufacturing facility, our standards of quality in manufacturing are as much a part of our company culture as our natural farming practices. Clean rooms and well-cared-for equipment are one measure of excellence. Another is the level of expertise demonstrated by the staff throughout the manufacturing process.

Plants are harvested at their nutritional peak and transported as quickly as possible to our dehydration facility.

The concentration process uses specialized equipment in a state-of-the-art facility to dehydrate, mill, and extract nature's richest nutrients from the plants – creating the world's finest nutritional concentrates.

Each batch of concentrate powder is tested to ensure it is free of contaminants and of proper potency.

Computer-controlled scales measure the exact weight and amount of each concentrate powder.

The various powders are then blended into a single, uniform mixture.

The powder blend is compressed into tablets, coated with a special solution for easier swallowing, and inspected closely for cracks or chips.

Finished tablets are sealed in specially-designed containers to maintain freshness.

Quality control experts perform over 15,000 tests a month on our vitamin supplement Products.

Although not required, we choose to follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to ensure our products are safe, properly identified, and of the highest quality.

3 Tips for Storing Vitamins and Supplements

Supplements don’t last forever, and to maintain their strength they need a little care. Our vitamins and supplements come with a natural organic coating locking in freshness. After purchase:

Keep vitamins and supplements in a dark, cool and dry place. Avoid bathrooms and other damp spots.

Make sure all supplements are stored on a high shelf or in a locked cabinet, out of children’s reach.

Some vitamins and supplements lose their viability when they sit on the shelf for too long. Do a regular check of the date of your vitamins and supplements.

Finally, always let your doctor know about any vitamins or supplements you plan on taking, especially if you have a chronic condition or are on regular medication.

Click here for our Health Problems Vitamins Guide

Click here for our Vitamin Mineral Reference Chart

Women Warned: Eat Less or Weigh More

Calorie Cutback Cuts Women's Odds of Middle-Age Weight Gain

Women who don't try to eat less more than double their risk of substantial weight gain in middle age, a three-year study shows.

If you're a 40-something woman, it doesn't matter whether you're thin or overweight -- odds are, you'll gain weight over time if you don't make an effort to cut back on what you eat.

The finding comes from a study of 192 women with an average age of 40 by Brigham Young University researchers Larry A. Tucker, PhD, and Laura Bates. The women were not obese, had not yet reached menopause, and did not smoke.

At the start of the study the women underwent detailed physical exams, including measures of weight and body fat. They also underwent a seven-day analysis of the food they ate, in which they weighed and recorded every bit of food they put into their mouths.

Three years later, the women underwent another round of physical exams and food-intake analysis. The bottom line was no surprise: Women tend to gain weight and body fat as they age and become less physically active.

But not all women gained weight. Even if they didn't exercise more, women who made an effort to eat less were 69% less likely to gain more than 2.2 pounds and were 2.4 times less likely to gain 6.6 pounds or more.

It's never too soon, or too late, to watch what you eat, Tucker and Bates suggest.

"It matters little at what point women are regarding restricted eating. What matters most is that they increase their dietary restraint over time or they will likely gain weight," they conclude.

Women who increased their "emotional eating" -- that is, eating as a way of coping with feeling depressed, lonely, bored, anxious, worried, or other emotional states -- were also more likely to gain weight than women who did not increase this kind of eating behavior.

"To avoid weight gain, these women have to learn to control their food consumption during emotionally challenging situations," Tucker and Bates note.

Some earlier studies suggested that women who try to eat less actually end up gaining weight because their feelings of deprivation lead them to cycles of bingeing. But Tucker and Bates saw no evidence of this, even though they acknowledge that binge eating usually does occur in people trying to eat less.

"Tight regulation of food intake may lead to bingeing from time to time, but over the long term, fewer calories are consumed and the risk of weight gain is much less in women who practice restricted eating," they suggest. "In fact, women have to increase restraint over time to keep from gaining weight and body fat."

The study appears in the January/February issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Click the following links for weight loss products of weight loss drinks, and carbohydrate blocker tablets that can significantly lower your weight and at a faster rate. For a overall good health program, its always recommended to eat nutritious food, exercise 15 minutes everyday, and take organic vitamins supplements.

Good day and good health to you!

Getting Started With a Weight Loss Plan 2009

So you’re gearing up to eat better and lose some weight. Good for you. But how do you get started? With the hundreds and hundreds of diets out there, how do you choose the best approach?

To find out, WebMD turned to James O. Hill, PhD, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado in Denver. Much of Hill’s research has focused on the habits of people who manage to achieve what we all want: stable and sustained weight loss. So how do these people lose weight and how do they keep it off? Hill has some answers.

I want to lose weight but have no idea where to start. What should I do?

Before you try to make any changes to your habits, first you need to see where you are right now. Find out what your body mass index (BMI) is. See how it compares to a healthy weight. Start keeping a record of what you eat each day and how much exercise you get.

Now people say, “Why bother? I already know what I’m eating right now!” But you really don’t. Eating is something that we do every day without really paying any attention. Once you start writing it down, you may learn things you never knew about your habits. You could be drinking five pops a day and have no idea. Taking stock of where you are now gives you a sense of what needs to change.

The next step is really important. You have to make a long-term commitment. If you’re going to change your eating and exercise habits, you won’t be done after six weeks or six months or six years. You have to decide that you’re motivated to make changes that will last for the rest of your life.

Which commercial diet books, programs, or plans really work?

Basically, almost any diet plan will work for weight loss. The weight loss links on the right column will give you tips on eating less so you can lose weight. But the problem is that almost none of them work if you don't make them a permanent part of your lifestyle to keep the pounds off.

If you want to lose weight, I don’t think it matters how you do it or what plan you use. But to keep it off, you will probably have to use different strategies, and the most important of all stick with your weight loss program.

I co-founded the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks about 6,000 people who have, on average, lost 70 pounds and kept it off for seven years. What we’re doing is trying to learn how these people manage to do it. What strategies really work? We’ve found some common factors. People in the Registry tend to do a lot of physical activity. They tend to eat a low-fat diet and pay attention to overall calories. They self-monitor: they weigh themselves and keep periodic food diaries. And they eat breakfast every day.

Do I really need to exercise to lose weight?

No. If you cut way back on your calories, you can lose a lot of weight without doing a lick of exercise. But you absolutely need to exercise to keep the weight off. I tell people that if they’re not prepared to substantially increase their physical activity, they shouldn’t even bother trying to lose weight. It won’t have any lasting benefit. Exercise is the key.

How much exercise should I be doing?

My recommendation is to shoot for about an hour a day. We’ve found that people who successfully keep off lost weight tend to exercise for 60 to 90 minutes daily. If you can't allow that much time, then 10 to 15 minutes a day is sufficient.

Now, people will say, “60 to 90 minutes a day? That’s terrible!” But the people in the National Weight Control Registry have maintained an average weight loss of 70 pounds. I think a lot of people would say that giving up an hour a day to keep off 70 pounds is not a bad deal.

The good news is that you can spread out the exercise throughout the entire day. You don’t have to do it all at once. Most people still have some planned exercise at a specific time each day. For instance, they take a walk or a bike ride right after work every day.

You could also try using a step counter, which I think is a wonderful tool. They give you immediate feedback and make setting goals easy. We find that people in the National Weight Control Registry take an average of 11,000-12,000 steps a day, which works out to about five to six miles. But when you’re just starting out, take it slowly. Work up to an hour a day slowly in 15 minute increments.

Getting in your physical activity will never be easy. Even people who have been doing it for years will tell you that they still have to force themselves to get out there every day. But if you want to keep off weight, exercise has to be a priority.

How many calories should I be eating?

To lose weight, you can go on a 1,200 or 1,400 calorie diet. Eating that amount will work very well for weight loss. The problem is that although you can eat 1,200 calories for a few months, you can’t eat that way forever. You won’t be satisfied by so few calories and won’t be able to keep it up.

So I have a radical idea. I think you should eat as many calories as you can. But the only way you can eat more calories is if you balance them with increased exercise. The more exercise you do, the more you can eat.

How can I stay motivated to lose or maintain my weight?

People have no problem staying motivated in the short-term. A person will think, “Gosh, I’m going to a wedding in six weeks – I have to lose some weight.” And as you start to lose the weight, it can be pretty easy. You get a lot of positive feedback, because everyone’s telling you how good you look.

But as time goes on, you get diminishing returns. You stop getting compliments because people are used to your new appearance. Then you have to rely on internal motivation, which is a lot harder. So that’s why it’s so important to start weight loss with a real commitment to making changes forever. It’s not easy. But we’ve found that the longer you keep weight off, the better your odds. People report that after they keep the weight off for three years, their likelihood of ongoing success is pretty high.

What kind of foods should be on my weight loss diet?

We’ve found that although all sorts of diets help people lose weight, the people who keep it off tend to eat a high fiber, moderately low-fat diet.

But most importantly, you should eat foods that you’re going to be able to eat your whole life. You have to be realistic. If you love ice cream and go on a diet that makes you give it up, that diet is probably not going to work for you.

Can I take weight loss products help me to lose and keep off extra weight?

Yes but make sure they are organic. Organic products such as weight loss drinks, carbohydrate blocker tablets can significantly lower your weight and at a faster rate. Make sure to use these types of products with your overall weight loss reduction plan of proper diet and a little to a lot of exercise.

Has your research changed any of your own dietary and exercise habits?

I’ve always tried to make physical activity a priority, so my research just reinforced this. If anything, it did make me realize how important it is to eat breakfast every day.

Good day and good health!

The Best and Worst Beverages for Weight Loss

Skinny Sipping: Drink Pounds Away

Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That’s a mistake. The average American gets a fifth of daily calories from beverages. Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite, and reduce your total calorie count. Which drinks are spoilers and which are helpers on the path to weight loss?

Spoiler: Soda

Every time you chug a bottle of soda, you’re consuming hundreds of empty calories. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, carbonated soft drinks are the single biggest source of calories in the American diet. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories, but it’s unclear whether this switch results in weight loss. In some people, diet soda may increase their sweet tooth.

Helper: Water

Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day, and the benefits don’t stop there. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may encourage the stomach to feel full more quickly, so you don’t eat as much. In addition, new research suggests drinking plenty of water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Jury’s Out: Fruit Juice

Juice can have as many calories as soda, but it has far more to offer in the way of nutrients. This presents a dilemma -- you want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. The safest bet: Look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Look for the percent of real juice, noted on the nutritional label. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.

Helper: Vegetable Juice

Vegetable juice is every bit as nutritious as fruit juice with about half the calories. A 12-ounce serving of tomato juice has 80 calories, compared to 160 calories for orange juice. Vegetable juice with pulp is also high in fiber and can help control hunger.

Jury’s Out: Smoothies

Blend a banana, strawberries, and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you’ve got a delicious arsenal of disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. The homemade variety is best when you’re counting calories, because you can control the ingredients -- skim milk and fresh fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may contain ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Jury’s Out: Low-Fat Milk

Consuming calcium-rich foods may do a body good, but calcium probably won't help you lose weight, new research now reveals. Some earlier studies suggested calcium may prompt the body to burn more fat, but there’s little evidence to support these claims. Depriving the body of calcium, on the other hand, has been show to trigger an increase in the production of fat cells. To get the benefits of calcium without consuming extra fat, stick to skim or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.

Spoiler: Energy Drinks

Sports and energy drinks are calorie bombs like soda. They may have more added nutrients, but you can find the same vitamins and minerals in low-calorie foods. People who are serious about losing weight should stay hydrated with water rather than sports drinks.

Helper: Black Coffee

When you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda or energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie-free and rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that consuming moderate amounts of coffee (about 3 to 4 cups a day) may improve mood and concentration, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

Spoiler: Fancy Coffee

Once you add heavy cream, flavored syrups, and/or a snowcap of whipped cream, that innocent mug of black coffee becomes a minefield of fat and sugar. Specialty coffees can contain up to 570 calories per cup -- possibly more than an entire meal! If you don’t like your coffee black, add a little skim milk and artificial sweetener to keep the calorie count low.

Helper: Green Tea

Green tea is another excellent choice when you’re looking for a little caffeine. Not only is it calorie-free, some research suggests green tea extract may stimulate weight loss through the action of phytochemicals. These are plant-based compounds that may temporarily cause the body to burn more calories and melt fat. The benefit appears to last only a few hours, so it may help to drink green tea at least twice a day.

Spoiler: Wine Coolers

Wine coolers may sound light and airy, but they are heavy on calories. A 12-ounce wine cooler can have 190 calories and 22 grams of carbs. Regular wine is not much better with at least 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass. A low-calorie alternative is a wine spritzer: mix a dash of wine with some sparkling water.

Spoiler: Cocktails

A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix in soda or cream, watch out… An 8-ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda.

Helper: Weight Loss Drinks

When you don't have time for a meal, or you want a healthy snack, just add water and shake up a cupful of energy and good nutrition with the Weight Loss Drink Mix.

Helper: Carbohydrate Blocker Pills

One tablet serving has a powerful carb-blocking effect. Help block up to 500 carb calories when consumed with a high-carb meal. Blocks absorption of both sugars and starches. It works by inhibiting the activity of digestive enzymes whose job is to break down carbohydrates for your body to absorb and store as fat. Your body still benefits from the vitamins, minerals, and fiber in the foods you eat.

6 Top Health Threats to Men

What puts a man’s health at risk as he gets older?

More boys than girls are born every year in the U.S. But any lead in health men start with vanishes with the first dirty diaper.

From infancy to old age, women are simply healthier than men. Out of the 15 leading causes of death, U.S. men lead women in all of them except Alzheimer's disease, which many men don't live long enough to develop. Although the gender gap is closing, men still die five years earlier than their wives, on average.

While the reasons are partly biological, men's approach to their health plays a role too, experts tell WebMD.

"Men put their health last," says Demetrius Porche, DNS, RN, editor in chief of the American Journal of Men's Health. "Most men's thinking is, if they can live up to their roles in society, then they're healthy."

Men go the doctor less than women, and are more likely to have a serious condition when they do go, research shows. "As long as they're working and feeling productive, most men aren't considering the risks to their health," says Porche.

But even if you're feeling healthy, a little planning can help you stay that way. The top threats to men's health aren't secrets: they're known, common, and often preventable. WebMD consulted the experts to bring you this list of the top health threats to men, and how to avoid them.

Cardiovascular Disease: The Leading Men's Health Threat

They call it atherosclerosis, meaning "hardening of the arteries." But it could as easily be from the Latin for "a man's worst enemy."

"Heart disease and stroke are the first and second leading causes of death worldwide, in both men and women," says Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the CDC. "It's a huge global public health problem, and in the U.S. we have some of the highest rates."

In cardiovascular disease, cholesterol plaques gradually block the arteries in the heart and brain. If a plaque becomes unstable, a blood clot forms, blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke.

One in five men and women will die from cardiovascular disease, according to Labarthe. For unclear reasons, though, men's arteries develop atherosclerosis earlier than women's. "Men's average age for death from cardiovascular disease is under 65," he says; women catch up about six years later.

Even in adolescence, girls' arteries look healthier than boys'. Experts believe women's naturally higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL) are partly responsible. Men have to work harder to reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke:

* Get your cholesterol checked, beginning at age 25 and every five years.
* Control your blood pressure and cholesterol, if they're high.
* If you smoke, stop.
* Increase your physical activity level to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated or trans fats.

"There's a saying that 'children should know their grandparents,'" says Labarthe. "This is fatal or disabling condition that causes lost family time and working time. But a large number of these events are preventable."

Lung Cancer: Still a Health Threat to Men

Lung cancer is a terrible disease: ugly, aggressive, and almost always metastatic. Lung cancer spreads early, usually before it grows large enough to cause symptoms or even show up on an X-ray. By the time it's found, lung cancer is often advanced and difficult to cure. Less than half of men are alive a year later.

So ... are you still smoking?

Tobacco smoke causes 90% of all lung cancers. Thanks to falling smoking rates in the U.S., fewer men than ever are dying of lung cancer. But lung cancer is still the leading cancer killer in men: more than enough to fill the Superdome every year.

No effective screening test for lung cancer is available, although a major study is going on to learn if CT scans of the chests of high-risk people can catch cancer early enough to improve survival.

Quitting smoking at any age reduces the risk for lung cancer. Few preventive measures are as effective -- or as challenging -- as stopping smoking. But new tools are available that work to help men quit. Your doctor can tell you more.

Prostate Cancer: A Leading Cancer for Men

This is one health problem men can lay full claim to -- after all, women don't have prostates. A walnut-sized gland behind the penis that secretes fluids important for ejaculation, the prostate is prone to problems as men age.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men other than skin cancer. Close to 200,000 men will develop prostate cancer this year in the U.S.

But while one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, only one in 35 will die from it. "Many prostate cancers are slow-growing and unlikely to spread, while others are aggressive," says Djenaba Joseph, MD, medical officer for cancer prevention at the CDC. "The problem is, we don't have effective tests for identifying which cancers are more dangerous."

Screening for prostate cancer requires a digital rectal exam (the infamous gloved finger) and a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA).

But in fact, "Screening has never definitively been shown to reduce the chances of dying from prostate cancer," according to Joseph. That's because screening finds many cancers that would never be fatal, even if undetected. Testing then leads to aggressive treatment of relatively harmless cancers, which causes problems like impotence and incontinence.

Should you get screened for prostate cancer? Some experts say yes, but "the best solution is to see your doctor regularly and talk about your overall risk," says Joseph. "All men should understand the risks and benefits of each approach, whichever you choose."

Depression and Suicide: Men Are at Risk

Depression isn't just a bad mood, a rough patch, or the blues. It's an emotional disturbance that affects your whole body and overall health.

In effect, depression proves the mind-body connection. Brain chemicals and stress hormones are out of balance. Sleep, appetite, and energy level are disturbed. Research even suggests men with depression are more likely to develop heart disease.

Experts previously thought depression affected far more women than men. But that may just be men's tendency to hide depressed feelings, or express them in ways different than women's.

"Instead of showing sadness or crying, men get angry or aggressive," says Porche. "They feel it's not OK for them to say, 'I'm depressed,' so they cope in other ways, like drinking too much." Men are also less likely to seek help for depression.

The results can be tragic. Women attempt suicide more often, but men are more successful at completing it. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among all men; for young men it's higher.

Most men and women respond well to depression treatment with medications, therapy, or both. If you think you might be depressed, reach out to your doctor or someone close to you, and seek help.

Diabetes: The Silent Health Threat for Men

Diabetes usually begins silently, without symptoms. Over years, blood sugar levels creep higher, eventually spilling into the urine. The resulting frequent urination and thirst are what finally bring many men to the doctor.

The high sugar of diabetes is anything but sweet. Excess glucose acts like a slow poison on blood vessels and nerves everywhere in the body. Heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations are the fallout for thousands of men.

Boys born in 2000 have an alarming one-in-three chance of developing diabetes in their lifetimes. Overweight and obesity are likely feeding the diabetes epidemic. "The combination of diabetes and obesity may be erasing some of the reductions in heart disease risk we've had over the last few decades," warns Labarthe.

Exercise, combined with a healthy diet, can prevent type 2 diabetes. Moderate weight loss -- for those who are overweight -- and 30 minutes a day of physical activity reduced the chance of diabetes by more than 50% in men at high risk in one major study.

Erectile Dysfunction: A Common Health Problem in Men

Erectile dysfunction may not be life threatening, but it's still signals an important health problem. Two-thirds of men older than 70 and up to 39% of 40-year-old men have problems with erectile dysfunction. Men with ED report less enjoyment in life and are more likely to be depressed.

Erectile dysfunction is most often caused by atherosclerosis -- the same process that causes heart attacks and strokes. In fact, having ED frequently means that blood vessels throughout the body are in less-than-perfect health. Doctors consider erectile dysfunction an early warning sign for cardiovascular disease.

You've probably heard more about the numerous effective treatments for ED than you ever cared to just by watching the evening news. Treatments make a fulfilling sex life possible despite ED, but they don't cure the condition. If you have erectile dysfunction, see your doctor, and ask if more than your sex life is at risk.

Click here to supplement your diet with super-potent organic nutrients for increased energy and to keep your immune system strong to fight off disease and sickness.

High Cholesterol Risks: Top 2 Dangers

There are usually no symptoms of high risk cholesterol, yet the dangers are very real -- even fatal.

A lot of people don't take the risks of high cholesterol very seriously. After all, one out of five people have high cholesterol. A staggering 50% of Americans have levels above the suggested limit. Could something so common really be a serious health risk?

Unfortunately, yes. Cholesterol is a direct contributor to cardiovascular disease, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.

"Despite all of the amazing medicines and treatments we have, cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death and illness in our society," says Laurence S. Sperling, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.

The World Health Organization estimates that almost 20% of all strokes and over 50% of all heart attacks can be linked to high cholesterol.

But if you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol, don't despair. The good news is that high cholesterol is one risk factor for strokes and heart attacks that you can change. You just need to take action now, before your high cholesterol results in more serious disease.

All About High-Risk Cholesterol Numbers

When it comes to high cholesterol risks, it's tough to keep the details straight. We might have a vague idea of whether our cholesterol is "good" or "bad," but we forget the actual numbers by the time we get to the parking lot outside our doctor's office. So it may be worth reviewing the basics.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance circulating in your blood. Some of your cholesterol comes from the foods you eat. But the bulk of it is actually made in your own body, specifically in the liver. Cholesterol does have some good uses. It helps produce new cells and some hormones. But an excess of it in the bloodstream can lead to trouble.

There are two types of cholesterol: LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.

LDL is also called "bad cholesterol" -- Sperling suggests that you think of the "L" as standing for lousy. LDL cholesterol can clog your arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Most people should aim for a level of less than 100 mg/dL. However, people who already have heart disease may need to aim for under 70 mg/dL.

HDL is "good cholesterol." Imagine the "H" stands for healthy, Sperling suggests. This type of cholesterol attaches to bad cholesterol and brings it to the liver, where it's filtered out of the body. So HDL cholesterol reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in your system. You should aim for 60 mg/dL or higher.

Triglycerides are not cholesterol but another type of fat floating in your blood. Just as with bad cholesterol, having a high level of triglycerides increases your risk of cardiovascular problems. Aim for a level of less than 150 mg/dL.

So although we all talk about high cholesterol risks, the term is a little misleading. What we really mean is high levels of bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and a low level of good HDL cholesterol.

What about total cholesterol, which is the sum of your LDL and HDL? While anything under 200 mg/dL is still considered the target, most experts don't focus on the number. It doesn't mean all that much. "Someone can have a total cholesterol of under 200 -- which is lower than average for Americans -- but still have unhealthy levels of HDL or LDL," says Sperling.

Realizing the Risks: How Harmful Is High Cholesterol?

Everyone has cholesterol in their blood. But if your levels of LDL are too high, the excess can accumulate on the walls of your arteries. This build-up of cholesterol and other substances -- called plaque -- can narrow the artery like a clogged drain. It can also lead to arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which turns the normally flexible tissue into more brittle.

Plaques can form anywhere. If they form in the carotid artery in the neck, it's carotid artery disease. When they form in the coronary arteries -- which supply the heart muscle with blood -- it's called coronary artery disease. Like any organ, the heart needs a good supply of blood to work. If it doesn't get that blood, you could get angina, which causes a squeezing pain in the chest and other symptoms.

There are other high cholesterol risks. If these plaques break open, they can form a clot. If a clot lodges in an artery and completely chokes off the blood supply, the cells don't get the nutrients and oxygen they need and die.

If a clot gets to the brain and blocks blood flow, it can cause a stroke. If a clot lodges in the coronary arteries, it can cause a heart attack.
Do We Underestimate High Cholesterol Risks?

The risks of high cholesterol are quite clear. "If you look at populations of people," says Sperling, "the higher the cholesterol, the higher the level of heart and blood vessel disease." It's that simple.

But experts say that people don't take high cholesterol risks seriously enough. According to the CDC, in 2005 almost a quarter of American adults said they hadn't had their cholesterol checked in the last five years.

One problem is that high cholesterol doesn't cause symptoms that make people pay attention.

"People naturally respond more to medical conditions that cause symptoms," says Nathan D. Wong, PhD, fellow of the American College of Cardiology and director of the Heart Disease Prevention Program at the University of California, Irvine. Since you won't feel your rising cholesterol levels, you won't go to the doctor about it.

By the same token, people may be less likely to stick to treatment for high cholesterol than they would be for a painful condition.

"People on cholesterol-lowering medicine don't feel any better," says Sperling. "It's not like taking a painkiller for an aching knee, where you know it's working." As a result, people may be less likely to follow their treatment plan over the long-term, Sperling says.

Also, high cholesterol risks are usually not immediate. The damage accumulates over years and decades -- high cholesterol in your 20s and 30s can take its toll in your 50s and 60s. Because the effects take time, many people don't feel real urgency in treating it. They feel they can just deal with it later.

"Unfortunately, I think that many people are too casual about their high cholesterol," says Adolph Hutter, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "They ignore it for years and it only gets their attention when they actually develop vascular disease."

Taking Action to Lower High Cholesterol Risks

There are many good treatments for heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and other serious conditions caused by high cholesterol. But it's a terrible shame to let things get that far when making changes now could prevent these life-threatening illnesses. Reducing your high cholesterol risks is a crucial step.

So what should you do? First, go to the doctor. "It's very important for all adults to get their cholesterol tested," says Wong. Every adult over 20 should have a cholesterol test at least once every five years.

Also, keep track of your cholesterol levels yourself. Write down your current numbers and, if they're high, what numbers you should be striving for.

If you do have high cholesterol, get serious. Talk with your doctor about what your goals should be and how you should achieve them. Make sure you understand what lifestyle changes you need to make. If you already have heart disease or other risk factors like diabetes, you need to be even more careful.

Whatever you do, don't ignore your high cholesterol risks. Don't put off treatment for another year.

"Having high cholesterol may not hurt you today or tomorrow," says Sperling. "But if you don't do something about it, it can have a terrible cost down the road."

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Warning of Risky Weight Loss Pills

Philippine BFAD Adminstration Take Note:



The USA FDA Tells Consumers Not to Use More Than 25 Weight Loss Products Due to Undeclared, Illegal Ingredients.

Dec. 22, 2008 -- The FDA today warned consumers not to buy or use more than 25 products marketed for weight loss because they contain undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may be risky.

Those products, which may be sold online or in stores as "dietary supplements," are:

* Fatloss Slimming
* 2 Day Diet
* 3x Slimming Power
* 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
* 3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi
* 24 Hours Diet
* 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
* 7 Day Herbal Slim
* 8 Factor Diet
* 999 Fitness Essence
* Extrim Plus
* GMP
* Imelda Perfect Slim
* Lida DaiDaihua
* Miaozi Slim Capsules
* Perfect Slim
* Perfect Slim 5x
* Phyto Shape
* ProSlim Plus
* Royal Slimming Formula Slim 3 in 1
* Slim Express 360
* Slimtech
* Somotrim
* Superslim
* TripleSlim
* Zhen de Shou
* Venom Hyperdrive 3.0

"These products have not been approved by the FDA, are illegal, and may be potentially harmful to unsuspecting consumers," states an FDA news release.
Undeclared Ingredients

Some of the weight loss products that the FDA is warning about claim to be "natural" or to contain only "herbal" ingredients.

But FDA tests found that the some of the products contained undeclared ingredients including sibutramine (a controlled substance), rimonabant (a drug not approved in the U.S), phenytoin (an antiseizure drug), and phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent).

In some cases, the amount of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the products far exceeded the FDA-recommended levels, posing a health risk.

The FDA notes that sibutramine can cause high blood pressure, seizures, fast heart rate, palpitations, heart attack, or stroke. It can also interact with other drugs, and its safety hasn't been established in pregnant and lactating women, or in children younger than 16.

The FDA also points out that rimonabant, a drug which the FDA considered but didn't approve, has been associated with increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and has been linked to five deaths and 720 adverse reactions in Europe, where it is an approved drug, over the last two years.
FDA's Advice

If you're using any of the weight loss products that the FDA is warning about, the FDA advises you to stop taking those products and consult your health care professional immediately -- and to seek guidance from a health care professional before purchasing weight loss products.

You can also report any serious side effects or product quality problems to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting system. File a report on the FDA's web site or call 800-FDA-1088.

The FDA says it has asked for product recalls and may take further enforcement actions against the companies marketing the tainted weight loss products.

Click the links below for our Philippine BFAD Approved Organic Weight Loss Products

Weight Loss Power Drink

Weight Loss Power Bars

Carbohydrate Blocker

Good day and Happy Healthy New Year!