Topic: Health & Healing

When you’re trying to manage your weight, a grocery store can offer plenty of tempting treats, but there are many healthy options to find as well. Next time you go shopping, arm yourself with these simple strategies.

When you’re trying to manage your weight, a grocery store can offer plenty of tempting treats, but there are many healthy options to find as well. Next time you go shopping, arm yourself with these simple strategies:

Consumption of apples and apple juice are associated with decreased symptoms and risk of asthma and wheezing among children, according to two studies in respected European journals: "Thorax" and "European Respiratory Journal."

Published in the September 2007 issue of Thorax, the latest study finds that when women ate apples during pregnancy, researchers found a significant decrease in asthma and wheezing among their children when the children were followed over five years and reached five years of age.

Changes in the immune system may explain why social factors like loneliness are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, viral infections and cancer.

It’s already known that a person’s social environment can affect their health, with those who are socially isolated - that is, lonely - suffering from higher mortality than people who are not. Now, in the first study of its kind, published in the current issue of the journal Genome Biology, UCLA researchers have identified a distinct pattern of gene expression in immune cells from people who experience chronically high levels of loneliness. The findings suggest that feelings of social isolation are linked to alterations in the activity of genes that drive inflammation, the first response of the immune system. The study provides a molecular framework for understanding why social factors are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, viral infections and cancer.

From time immemorial, gemstones have been looked upon as an effective way to heal people as well as improve the overall quality of life. But not many of people know much about the different gemstones and their different effects. Now, a new gemology software gives an insight into the different gemstones based on a person's zodiac sign.

Swetha Lodha of of MysticBoard.com on Thursday announced the launch of MB Free Gemology, an unique gemstone reference software, available online at http://www.gemology.co.in. Lodha believes that this software can be an excellent guide for people interested in gem stones astrologically.

According to John Hopkins' Gerard Anderson, "We spend so much more money on health care in the United States than other industrialized countries primarily because our prices are so much higher."

The United States continues to spend the most on health care when compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Health care prices and higher per capita incomes are major factors for higher U.S. spending, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Princeton University. Compared to the average OECD country in 2004, the United States has fewer health resources—physicians, nurses and hospital beds—and lower utilization of these resources. Health spending for chronic health issues, such as obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking, also contributes to high health spending in the United States. The study is published in the September/October 2007 issue of Health Affairs.

While many in the scientific community work to debunk Linus Pauling's claims that vitamin C can prevent and fight cancer, other researchers are having much luck in proving Pauling right.

Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate Linus Pauling famously and controversially suggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, a team of Johns Hopkins scientists have shown that in mice at least, vitamin C - and potentially other antioxidants - can indeed inhibit the growth of some tumors ― just not in the manner suggested by years of investigation.

Like a clock that needs to be set daily for accurate time-telling, the body's circadian clock needs "setting" from the light each day. A new device under development may help people to tell whether they're getting the proper amount of light.

Scientists have long known that the human body runs like clockwork, guided by a circadian system that responds to daily patterns of light and darkness. Now a team of researchers is developing a personal device to measure daily light intake and activity, which could allow them to predict optimal timing for light therapy to synchronize the circadian clock to the 24-hour solar day and relieve psychosocial stress.

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By wearing this small, wireless device being
developed by scientists in Rensselaer's Lighting
Research Center, users can monitor their daily
rest and activity pattern as well as exposure to
circadian light. The tool will have the capacity
to communicate with the user in real-time to
give immediate feedback regarding proper
light exposure to promote a synchronized
circadian rhythm.

Although the antioxidants found in supplements are considered safe, research suggests that the ultimate benefit can be found by getting your antioxidants from natural sources.

When it comes to boosting antioxidant intake, recent research indicates there’s little benefit from taking diet supplements. A better way, according to a report in the September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, is eating a diet rich in antioxidant-containing foods.

When we eat, we are not only feeding our bodies. Hopefully, we are feeding our minds and spirits as well.

New Age recording artist and creator of a music and meditation CD series for vibrational attunement, Dyan Garris is the author of the innovative cookbook, Voice of the Angels Cookbook - Talk To Your Food! - Intuitive Cooking. This is not just an ordinary cookbook. The artist calls it an adventure in opening one's creative centers.

Experts say that many fruit juices provide powerful health benefits. In fact, recent research has identified ways that beverages such as pomegranate, orange and cranberry juices can help to prevent or cure diseases.

In years past, family physician Pamela Rockwell told parents not to let their children drink too much fruit juice because of its link to obesity. These days, though, she has changed her advice.