If it possible for anything good to come out of the loss of Farrah Fawcett, it would probably be that it is bringing cancer awareness back to the forefront of our minds.  She even made a documentary (Farrah’s Story) of her experiences for that very reason.

But, I think there are a few things that need clarification about the type of cancer that Farrah Fawcett was suffering from.  You have probably heard that it was anal cancer, but you may not realize that anal cancer is not the same as colon or rectal cancer.

In researching for this post, I came across several people making statements that confused anal cancer with colon and rectal cancer.  These are distinctly different types of cancers, each with their own symptoms, treatments and causes.

For one, the incidence of anal cancer is tiny in comparison to colorectal cancer.

How Common is Anal Cancer?

Anal cancer is fairly uncommon. It accounts for about 1-2% of gastrointestinal cancers. About 4,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S.A., about half in women. Approximately 600 people will die of the disease each year. This may be compared to 140,000 new cases of colorectal cancer with 50,000 deaths per year.

When it comes to every type of cancer, catching it early is key to successful treatment.  This is no different with anal cancer.  Early detection is key, so never allow embarrassment to cause you to ignore symptoms…

Signs and Symptoms of Anal Cancer…

Some cases of anal cancer cause no symptoms at all. But bleeding occurs in more than half of patients and is usually the first sign of the disease. Often the bleeding is minor. At first, most people assume that hemorrhoids are the cause of their bleeding. Itching can also be a symptom. This is more often a sign of AIN, which should also be treated. Important symptoms of anal cancer include:

• rectal bleeding
• rectal itching
• pain in the anal area
• change in the diameter of stool
• abnormal discharge from the anus
• swollen lymph nodes in the anal or groin areas

There are a number of benign conditions, such as hemorrhoids, fissures, or anal warts that can cause similar symptoms. But if any of the signs or symptoms of anal cancer are present, discuss them with your doctor without delay. Remember, the sooner you receive a correct diagnosis, the sooner you can start treatment, and the more effective your treatment will be.

But what causes anal cancer?

Well, that’s the somewhat controversial side of this disease.  It seems a large percentage (up to 85%) of cases are associated with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and that anal sex may increase your risk for developing anal cancer.

From Lauren at EmpowerHer – Shedding Light on Anal Cancer…

In all the discussion about Farrah Fawcett’s cancer, most people shied away from mentioning its origin and those who did neglected to delve further into its causes. It has become taboo to talk about anal cancer because — in most cases — it alludes to anal sex and/or STDs around the anus.

However, with incidences of anal cancer steadily on the rise, it is absolutely necessary to educate people on the causes so that they can protect themselves from some of the aggravating factors that lead to the illness.

From The Philadelphia Inquirer…

HPV is but one part of the anal-cancer puzzle. The American Cancer Society points out that there are many studies that have found an increased rate of anal cancer in smokers, and the effect of smoking is especially important in people with other risk factors for anal cancer. Any condition that leads to a weakened immune system may trigger, in the presence of HPV, the development of anal cancer. This includes HIV/AIDS or any medical condition that requires the use of powerful immune-suppressing drugs.

Who is at risk for anal cancer?

Anal cancer is commonly associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus causes warts in and around the anus and on the cervix in women. It is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer in women.

A risk factor is something that increases a person’s chance of getting a disease. In addition to exposure to the human papilloma virus, additional risk factors include:

• Age – Most people with anal cancer are over 50 years old.
• Anal sex – Persons who participate in anal sex are at an increased risk.
• Smoking – Harmful chemicals from smoking increase the risk of most cancers including anal cancer.
• Immunosuppression – People with weakened immune systems, such as transplant patients who must take drugs to suppress their immune systems and patients with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, are at a somewhat higher risk.
• Chronic local inflammation – People with long-standing anal fistulas or open wounds are at a slightly higher risk.
• Pelvic radiation – People who have had pelvic radiation therapy for rectal, prostate, bladder or cervical cancer are at an increased risk.

I really don’t find the risk factors controversial, and I don’t think there needs to be a stigma associated with anal cancer.  Risk factors are just that, and what they should not be are accusations.  For example…Smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, but there are many people dying of lung cancer that have never smoked a cigarette in their life.

This is from The American Cancer Society Survivors Network – Farah Fawcett’s Anal Cancer…

I was told when I was diagnosed with stage 3 anal squamous cell cancer that the causes COULD be from my years of smoking (diagnosed at age 39) or from an HPV. They also ask me if I had anal intercourse. Never had anal intercourse. I’ve been with my husband for 20 years and neither of us have strayed outside our marriage.

From The Stitchery…

Farrah Fawcett lost her life to the rare cancer, anal squamous cell cancer that I had. The reports about her death list the causes of this cancer. I don’t know if Farrah had HPV, (Human Papillomavirus Virus) or had anal sex or multiple partners. We are not allowed that information. But those are the main “causes” being touted.

I didn’t have those. I did have major stomach pain, constipation/diarrhea swings, a swelling stomach, no energy for a long time, susceptibility to illness. And a tumor growing and spreading, for some period of years. I had a colonoscopy 4 years prior that didn’t reveal this tumor but now it was there.

I have so much respect for the courage that Farrah showed through her long ordeal with this disease.  But, there was one thing that bothered me a little about Farrah’s Story.   I was under the impression that her treatments in Germany were done when all other treatments were exhausted in our country.  But it seems that she made a choice to ignore her doctors recommendation for surgery, because she didn’t want to end up with a colostomy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging her for this decision.  I’m just wondering if the outcome might have been different, had she allowed the doctors to do the surgery before going for additional treatments in Germany?

This is from Cathi at Frugal Is A Four Letter Word – Farrah’s Story…

The questions I had after watching Farrah’s Story were:

• Why did they never do the colostomy?
• Why did they wait until the end to do anything that would cause her hair to fall out?
• What if she had not been rich–or Farrah–who would have flown her to Germany a million times and pay for treatment.

In these ways I felt that all playing fields are not equal (as we know).

What do you think about Farrah’s battle with anal cancer?  Has it helped bring more awareness to this type of cancer?  Has it helped decrease the stigma associated with it?  Has it added to the controversy over alternative medicine?  Has it made you more aware of your own personal risks for this type of cancer?  Let me know in comments.

Also See:

From M at Medicine.net – Farrah Fawcett’s German Cancer Care…

From Bonnie at EmpowerHer – Anal Cancer and HPV

From Behind Blogndie Park – Actress Farrah Fawcett Dies at 62

From Cora at Hidden Riches From Secret Places – Farrah’s Story

Are You There Cancer?  It’s Me, Jenny

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Royal Pains: Can Concierge Medicine Coexist With Obama’s Healthcare Plan?

Have you seen the new show Royal Pains?  If so, you are probably now familiar with what a concierge doctor is.  It’s not a bad show, but is concierge (or boutique) healthcare bad for patients?

This is from an episode of The Doctors…

Have you ever wished you had your own personal doctor at your beck and call? Now you can. Concierge doctors are gaining popularity, but can the average person afford them? President of Elite Personal Physician Services, Dr. Cheryl BryantBruce, explains that her clients have 24/ 7 direct access to her.

“Whether you get the $100,000 package or the $10,000 package, you will get the same medical care,” Dr. BryantBruce assures. “We have a Hippocratic oath that tells us that is what we are supposed to do.”

It seems to me that if you can afford it, it’s a great way to go.  The trouble is, most people probably can’t afford it.

From Womanist Musings – The Terrible Nightmare of Single Payer Healthcare…

The United States has some of the world’s best hospitals, yet millions of U.S. citizens are unable to access their services, making their existence meaningless to large sections of the population. Many die each year due to a lack of insurance and the greatest cause of bankruptcy is unpaid medical bills. Looking from the outside, it is clear that the American Health care system is about profit, whereas the value of a single human life is priceless.

From Doc Gurley…

For those of us who don’t live in the rarefied world of “concierge” anything, here’s how a concierge doc works: you, as a doc, sign up people for a fixed monthly amount, then you offer them hand-held service for that monthly payment. Also part of the arrangement is a (sometimes explicit, sometimes assumed) limit on the total number of patients the doc will see – say, 600 people total.

But it’s not just about more and more physicians turning to concierge medicine, it’s about why?

From Chelsey Ledue at Healthcare Finance News…

To adapt to market pressures, some physicians are moving to full concierge practices. The model works well for physicians – and for patients who can afford it – but it often disenfranchises those patients who can’t afford or don’t want to move to such a model.

“The way the market is moving we may well create a system where millions of Americans no longer have access to primary care physicians,” said Lipton. “This creates a bit of a paradox as the administration and healthcare leaders are publicly highlighting what an important role PCPs play in providing and coordinating care for Americans.”

From Jennifer Erickson of The Laguna Beach Independent…

Some opponents of concierge medicine view the business model as an extra level of bureaucracy atop managed care medical insurance. Dr. Bill Anderson, who runs the Sleepy Hollow urgent care facility downtown, wrote recently in a weekly ad, “if you have a real doctor in a private practice and not a managed care medical plan, you get the same service, minus the frills. Your doctor or an associate is available by phone 24/7 and they coordinate emergency and hospital care when you need it. So what’s the big deal?”

Will concierge medicine help or hurt the millions of uninsured and under-insured in our country?

From Josie Brown at Single Minded Woman – Support Single Payer Healthcare…

Last week I got a notice from our insurance carrier that our family policy rate was going up — almost 35% (!!!) — oh, and yeah, it’s time for my college age daughter to get a plan of her own: another $159 above and beyond the increase.

Few kids in college can afford to cover their own health insurance policy. Of course Martin and I will do so until she’s making an income that will do so (forget about a plan from an employer: those are becoming as rare as Ugg boots).

Adding to our cost concerns, our deductible is being raised again, and some benefits (I use that term lightly) are no longer included.

How will this new form of healthcare integrate itself into the Obama healthcare plan?  Does it even want to?

From Mommy Life – Obama and ABC Merge…

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care — a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!

Highlights on the agenda:

ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House.

The network plans a primetime special — ‘Prescription for America’ — originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

Have you checked out the new show Royal Pains?

From Megan’s Minute – The “Royal Pains” of the Hamptons…

Did you know there were such things as concierge doctors?

Medical professionals who hang out at ritzy resorts waiting for party-goers to overdose, or slip on the dance floor or crack-up their cars? That’s when a discreet doctor is literally worth his weight in gold.

So…What do you think about concierge medicine?  Will it help or hurt our chances of getting quality and affordable healthcare for everyone?  If you had the money would you prefer to have a concierge doctor?  Let me know your thoughts in comments.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Sunday marks the first day of summer…How are you feeling about getting into your bathing suit?  Personally, I was hoping to be in a little better shape by now.  Even though I’ve been successful at getting closer to my ideal weight, I’ve been playing one step forward and two steps back for the last several weeks.

Since I know I’m not the only mom out there struggling to eat healthy and lose weight, I’m not going to give up.  I’m determined to have my Valerie Bertinelli moment, and it would be great if I could get to it sometime this summer.  And yes, I do have a plan.  It involves a few of the things that have already worked for me, and a couple of new (somewhat unconventional) ideas too.

Here’s an unconventional idea from izzimom – Best Weight Loss Tip Ever…

I’m not implying that any of YOU need to lose weight but if you ever need some inspiration to keep your eye on the ball and your ass in gear, just put on your bathing suit and look in the mirror. This is especially important if you’re putting on your bathing suit for the first time since it got warm. The impact will be much greater. But possibly more depressing, too. Consider yourself warned.

Then? Repeat EVERY SINGLE DAY so you never, ever become complacent or forget that you have NOT reached your goal…mostly because you sit in front of your computer all day. Ahem.

Check out some of the comments here.

I don’t know about you, but I can totally relate to This Mama…

From This Mama Cooks! On A Diet – My Weight Loss, Slower Than A Herd Of Turtles…

Most weight loss and diet bloggers do a lot of weekly update posts. I haven’t since going back to Weight Watchers earlier this year and starting on their Momentum Plan. You know why? Because reading that I’ve lost 1 pound here, or gained a few pounds back there, is boring.

Well, it’s beyond boring to me that is. In fact, it’s downright maddening.

I know I’m going to need to shake things up a bit if I’m going to get back in the swing of things.  So, here is my plan…

First, something new – I’m going to take the advice of Violette DeSantis from Type-A Mom and try eating a Horned Melon (hopefully they aren’t too expensive)…

If we are not eating right our efforts at dieting and exercise are complemented with fatigue. Truth is we are more apt to work at eating right and continuing on a course of fitness when we have energy and less frustration. One remedy to fight fatigue is iron and a favorite source for most of us is melon. What usually comes to mind is our summer favorite, watermelon but let’s discover a new melon that packs a wallop of iron, the horned melon.

Yes, it looks scary; a puffer fish on a vine. I promise it won’t bite back.

Second, something old – I’m going to get more exercise to try to increase my metabolism, as suggested by Workout Mommy – Simple Ways To Lose Weight…

Instead of spending your free time on the couch, walk around and get a few household chores done as you keep an eye and an ear on the television. Instead of taking the elevator, use the stairs. Park at the end of the lot so that you need to walk longer to get to the office or your home. And get down to enjoy some rambunctious fun with your kids. These are small things, they’re certainly not what we would call exercise, but they do increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.

And third, something unconventional – I’m going to try a subliminal weight loss program that I received a few months ago.  I listened to it a few times, but never committed to using it every day.  But starting tonight, I’m going to give it a real try.

I’m hoping these subliminal messages will help keep me motivated to make healthy food choices and say “no” to the empty calories and angry whoppers.  I’ll keep a journal for the next month so I can report back to everyone on whether it actually worked or not.

So that’s my plan, and I’m going to try really hard to stick to it.  Do you have any plans for staying healthy or losing weight this summer?  Will you be trying any unconventional weight loss methods?  Does the thought of being seen in a bathing suit affect your desire to get into better shape?  Let me know in comments.

Could The Recession Be Making More Americans Fat?  Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?

There seems to be evidence that the poor economy is taking its toll on American families and their ability to make healthy food choices.  For some it may be that stress is contributing to an increase in emotional eating, and for others it may be the cost of eating healthy.  For what ever reason, the recession appears to be having a negative affect on obesity in America.  And since there is no sign of economic recovery in the near future, we need to all find ways to get ourselves (and our families) through these hard times without forfeiting our health.

Back in October I wrote a post on saving money while still eating healthy, and now more than ever, I think we need to take another look at how we can do that.

Today Newsweek had an article about how the recession is contributing to an increase of overweight Americans.

Is The Recession Making Americans Fatter?

Could the plummeting economy be contributing to expanding waistlines? Something is: new data released exclusively to NEWSWEEK from Gallup-Healthways shows that in the past year, the number of Americans considered obese has jumped by 1.7 percent—or almost 5.5 million people—and that the obese report a much lower quality of life than those who are at healthier weights.

. . .

The stress of worrying about keeping or finding a job, paying bills and keeping a stable home does take a negative toll on one’s health, including weight. “There’s a clear link between stress and weight gain,” says Leslie Heinberg, director of behavioral services for the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. “People may be more likely to eat comfort foods or eat things that are higher in fat and calories,” she explains. And, this kind of weight gain can be especially unhealthy: “There’s good evidence that stress hormones may play important role in holding onto fat, especially the much more deleterious visceral fat.”  And a tight budget doesn’t just mean stress eating, it also means we’re more likely to choose foods that are cheaper, which are typically foods that are higher in fat and calories.

Let’s take a look at what other women are blogging about eating healthy on a budget.

From Natures Mom Blog – Organic Healthy Foods on a Budget…

Yes, the conundrum that most families into natural health and wellness will face. On one hand we have the argument that organic, healthier foods cost more and therefore cannot be justified when we have a modest budget. There is some truth to this no doubt. Organic cow’s milk might cost you $4.99 for a half gallon at the grocery store. The non-organic milk sits right next to it at $2.79 per whole gallon. The raw organic almonds I buy at $12.99 a pound to make breakfast bars with seems extravagant when I could buy Pop Tarts for a couple dollars a box right? Why go buy $15 worth of ingredients at the store to make a good dinner when we can shop the $1 menu at McDonalds?

But then the counter argument is that unhealthy foods and non organic foods will cost us more in the long run. Why? Because food is our medicine. An unhealthy diet will eventually lead to health problems, doctor visits, unpaid sick days, hospitalizations, pharma prescriptions, etc.

From Gluten Free Mommy – A Frugal Healthy Grocery Budget…

Prices just keep going up at the grocery store! I thought it would be a good time to reflect on eating healthy and frugally, since sometimes it seems that the two are mutually exclusive. When you add on other dietary requirements or preferences like eating gluten free or shopping locally, it can seem downright impossible. I was raised that healthy eating is a priority and worth the expense, but there are ways to be frugal and eat healthy too. For those of us who are gluten-free, we know first-hand that what you put in your body matters! Consider healthy eating to be an investment in your future health.

From This Mama Cooks!  On a Diet – The Pasta Queen Eating Healthy on a Budget…

Now that our economy has entered a recession, some experts hypothesize that we may pack on recession pounds as people turn to cheaper, processed foods high in empty carbohydrates. There is no doubt people are looking for ways to make their money go farther, but that doesn’t mean they can only eat off the dollar menu. Here are some tips on how to live healthy without living in a cardboard box.

From $5 Dinners – Losing Weight on a Budget…

I hear so many people say, “Eating healthy is so expensive. How do you stay on a budget?” Last year, I lost 35 pounds by eating healthy foods and staying on budget. So, eating healthy is possible if you want to lose weight and not break the bank!

Planning is key to so many things and it certainly important with weight loss! Planning makes it easier to spend less when you’re trying to eat healthier.

From The Skinny Gourmet – Budget Friendly Meals That Are Nutritious and Delicious…

The quest to economize in the modern American home often focuses around food. And rightly so. According to the 2007 Consumer Expenditure Survey, moderate income Americans spend somewhere between 31 and 37% of their total food expenditures on eating outside the home. Americans earning fourty-thousand dollars or more per year spend about 42 percent of their food budget on eating out, while the wealthiest income bracket spend nearly half their budget on dining outside the home. The very poorest Americans, whose annual income was $5,000 or less spent a whopping 41 percent of their income eating out.

But now that the economy is putting the squeeze on our plates, many of us find ourselves in quite the bind: how can we make food that is nutritious, tasty, and won’t break our increasingly thin wallets? And by the way, if it isn’t asking too much, wouldn’t it be nice if those food solutions also didn’t require hours and hours of preparation time, because although we have less cash, we are still really busy folks.

Are you finding it harder to eat healthy in this poor economy?  Are you surprised that the recession is causing an increase in obesity?  Do you think it is possible to eat healthy on a tight budget?  Do you have any tips you can share about how you and your family are eating healthy on a budget?

Also See:

Tips For Eating Green and Why You Should

Check out the BlogHer Healthy Eating tag for more women blogging on eating healthy.

Nordette’s post on Ten Things I Won’t Cut From My Families Budget

From Dr. Mommy – Healthy Eating On A Budget

Is It Possible To Eat Healthy on a Budget?

How private do you think your personal medical information is?  You may be surprised (or angry) to find out the truth.

Could you be unknowingly giving away your private information to unscrupulous marketers?  Well, if you’re one of the 27 million people that have taken an online questionnaire to determine your real age, that may be exactly what has already happened.

From Stephanie Clifford at The New York Times…

While few people would fill out a detailed questionnaire about their health and hand it over to a drug company looking for suggestions for new medications, that is essentially what RealAge is doing.

RealAge allows drug companies to send e-mail messages based on those test results. It acts as a clearinghouse for drug companies, including Pfizer, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, allowing them to use almost any combination of answers from the test to find people to market to, including whether someone is taking antidepressants, how sexually active they are and even if their marriage is happy.

From The Great Fitness Experiment — Is Your Real Age Accurate?

At first I will admit I was thrilled with my results. See? That healthy living obsession is paying off in the form of high-kicking organs and a mind that could battle wits against a Sicillian and win (although not in a land war in Asia.) But then the doubt started to creep in. I fussed around with my results and discovered something interesting: the test puts an immense, some might say disproportionate, emphasis on certain supplements. Especially confusing to me was the pro vitamin E stance, considering all the recent research about its harmful effects. A supplement that reportedly causes a 15% increase in early death actually added years to my life according to the quiz. Are they just operating off of old research? After all, Vitamin E used to be the wonder supplement before Vitamin D threw it off the bridge with cement shoes. Or, is something more nefarious going on?

. . .

In addition, The Real Age test, backed by Oprah’s Dr. Mehmet Oz, has branched out into a full online community with mailing lists, chat rooms and even recipes. Boasting a membership of over 27 million, they’ve got a lot of eyeballs. So not only is the test assigning an arbitrary number based on dubious health principles but they’re also creating one of the largest online drug marketing databases in the world.

This is from Cranky Fitness — Find Your “Real” Real Age…

Have you taken the “Real Age” test? It’s that site where you sign up and answer a bunch of family history and lifestyle questions. Then the site figures your health risks and tells you how old you “really” are.

Twenty seven million people have taken it so far. And it’s energetically pushed by Oprah’s pal, Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Jodie Andrefski wrote Those Fun Online Quizzes May Be More Than You Bargained For…

Then, you have sites like RealAge. Oh, this one is nifty. This one is popular for telling you what your biological age is based on your answers to a detailed quiz about health habits and family history. Are you depressed? How often do you have sex? Now, the answers to these rather personal questions aren’t just to figure out your “Real Age” by the way. Ahhhh….no. Your information is then used to market you based on your answers. Depressed? Having problems in that area and Viagra is starting to look good? Well, let us (RealAge) help. We will allow partners to sponsor messages that we will then send to you. Aren’t we ever so helpful? *cough, cough*

“These [types of sites] are data-mining havens where users willingly opt in from the very beginning,” says Ryan Jacobson, an attorney and co-chairman of the Entertainment Media and Privacy Law Group at the law firm SmithAmundsen in Chicago. “I’m afraid that the average user fails to recognize or take the time to understand what privacy rights he or she is actually giving up by responding.”

What do you think about the way this RealAge site is using our basic desire to stay young and healthy, just to turn around and sell us out to pharmaceutical companies?  Is it dishonest?  Or a shrude business plan?  Have you taken the questionair?  Is so…How does it make you feel knowing your personal information  is being used to send you pharmaceutical spam?  Let us know in comments.

Are you getting enough vitamin D? Would you know if you weren’t? Apparently, most of us are deficient in vitamin D, and that is putting us at greater risk for heart disease, osteoporosis, some types of cancer, diabetes, and possibly other chronic medical problems (like asthma, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis).

You might be surprised to learn how important vitamin D is to your overall health, and how easy it is to make sure you’re getting enough.

From BlogHer joyofnutrition – Vitamin D May Make You Brighter…

A study published this past week indicates that increasing your levels of vitamin D may help older people stay mentally sharp. Your body can produce vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun as well as through the diet. Sources of vitamin D include oily fish, liver, mushrooms and fortified products, such as orange juice.

From Women to Women – Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency…

Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, symptoms of depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.

From BlogHer HeartStrong…

A recent study (The Framingham Offspring Study) published earlier this year reported an increased risk for heart disease in people whose Vitamin D levels were low. People with high blood pressure were at an even higher risk than people with normal blood pressure.

From The National Women’s Health Network – Basking in the Benefits of Vitamin D…

Although we have known for ages that Vitamin D is a crucial for healthy bodies, it has received extra attention in the media lately that may have left you wondering what all the fuss is about. If you’re as skeptical about hyped up new health trends and dietary supplements as I am, then you probably haven’t gone out and bought every bottle of Vitamin D pills at your local health food store. However, the more I read and understand about it, the more inclined I am to soak up the sun and drink a tall glass of fortified soymilk.

From BlogHer eapgourmet – Vitamin D and Heart Health…

Studies conducted by the American Heart Association indicate that low levels of vitamin D may be associated with an increased risk for PAD, which occurs when the arteries in a person’s legs narrow or become clogged with fat. The association estimates that 8 million Americans are affected by PAD.

From BlogHer Fighting Fatigue – Vitamin Deficiency Dangers…

I never realized until I was diagnosed with a serious Vitamin D deficiency what all problems this could cause. My doctor was very concerned because my levels were dangerously low and he immediately put me on a high dose Vitamin D supplement. Some other health problems my doctor told me Vitamin D deficiency could cause include heart disease, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS and other autoimmune diseases.

From Naturally Knocked Up – Boost Your Fertility With Vitamin D…

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and exists in several forms. Some of these are basically inactive in the body and have limited ability to function.

Why is it important for fertility? Well, you need it in order for your body to produce sex hormones. And without the right amount of hormones in your system, you can suffer from pcos, PMS, and infertility. Vitamin D is also key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow.

In the news from PR-USA…

Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV) – a common vaginal infection that increases a woman’s risk for preterm delivery, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. Available online and published in the June issue of The Journal of Nutrition, the studymay explain why African-American women, who often lack adequate vitamin D, are three times more likely than white women to develop BV.

The Sun Screen How-To…

I’m reading that sunscreens block Vitamin D absorption — should I be worried about that?

No, and you definitely should absolutely not skip the sunscreen in order to get some Vitamin D. If you’re wearing sunscreen daily on your face (which I wholeheartedly recommend) then you are getting enough incidental exposure during your normal day to boost your Vitamin D intake. But for a day when you know you will be out in the sun for a long time, especially around water, please lotion up. The damage that even a mild sunburn does to your skin is not balanced out, in any way, by the Vitamin D you will get from being sunscreen free.

Take this quick vitamin D quiz at Fit Sugar.

Also See:

• Vitamin D and Sun
• Why Vitamin D Is Important In The Winter
• From Menopause The Blog – A New, In-Home Test For Vitamin D Deficiency
• From The Diet Pulpit – Low Vitamin D and Other Health Issues
• Lack of Vitamin D Associated With Dementia
• From The Mayo Clinic – Vitamin D: Benefits In Pregnancy

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Is Your Family Affected By Food Allergies?

Do you have children that suffer with food allergies?  It seems like food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent.  Why is that?  My personal opinion, is that it has something to do with how germ and bacteria free we’ve become as a society.

Last week was food allergy awareness week, so I thought I would use this post to look at food allergies and how some parents are coping.

What are food allergies?  From The Mayo Clinic…

Food allergy is an immune system reaction that occurs soon after eating a certain food. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.

Food allergy affects an estimated 6 to 8 percent of children under age 3, and about 4 percent of adults. While there’s no cure, some children outgrow their food allergy as they get older.

Here is an informative video on food allergies…

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Announces New Food Initiative Advocacy Committee…

WASHINGTON, DC, May 14, 2009 – Today, as we continue to mark Food Allergy Awareness Week, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., member of the Board of Directors of the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI), announced the formation of FAI’s Advocacy Steering Committee. The committee’s objectives are to help build a strong nationwide presence for the food allergy community in the public policy arena; and to actively seek to increase federal funding of food allergy research, as scientists believe that with proper funding, a cure can be found in less than a decade.

The new steering committee comprises 16 leading parent advocates nationwide who confront the daily dangers of raising children with severe food allergies.

There is a lot of discussion about how schools are dealing with food allergies…

From No Whey, Mama – A Food Allergy is a Food Allergy…

I don’t mean to get all Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, and I certainly am not trying to get into a “my child’s allergy is more severe than yours” discussion. It’s inappropriate, and it doesn’t matter. The school system should treat all food allergies as if they equally severe. It’s just safer that way. Besides, you never know which reaction is going to be the anaphylactic one, so it’s best just to avoid reactions altogether.

From Pink Preppy Party Girl:  Child Food Allergy Etiquette…

My children go to a “Nut Free” school which has changed to a “Nut Aware” school since the school cannot guarantee that it is “nut free”. So, more or less, no peanut butter sandwiches allowed–no vital protein (that doesn’t spoil) at lunch. There have been stories about lunch ladies taking Skittles away from children because they are made in factory that also makes M&M’s. We call the lunch ladies Peanut Nazis because they embarrassed and humiliate the children who bring in the Skittles too.

How does your school deal with food allergies?  Are they doing enough?  Could they be doing more?

As with everything in life, sometimes bad things can lead to something good…

How A Debilitating Food Allergy Led To Launching A Baking Company…

Beth George’s story touched me and I think you will feel inspired too. Beth was unwilling to accept the host of diagnoses and psychotropic drugs doctors recommended to deal with her son’s unpredictable behavior. Instead, she was determined to figure out the cause. After years of struggling, she discovered that her son was allergic to a common wheat and certain artificial food additives. Once she removed these ingredients from her son’s diet, miraculously his symptoms disappeared. This inspired her to start a baking company, Spelt Right® Baking, that only uses organic, all natural materials with no artificial ingredients of any kind in their products.

Research…

From The Nut-Free Mom Blog:  Food Allergy Awareness Week Research News…

I just received a press release from FAAN that made me smile! The organization has donated 1.1 million to food allergy research, including peanut allergy therapies and vaccines. I have high hopes for vaccines–more so than I do for immunotherapy studies like the small one just published from Duke University. This study has received a lot of media buzz but is still in its very early and experimental stages and has caused severe allergic reactions in human subjects. In fact, this experimental therapy isn’t currently recommended for those who have high IgE levels (that is, patients whose blood tests indicate they are at high risk of anaphylaxis) or who have ever had a severe reaction to peanut or tree nut. That leaves many of us out! Now, if this therapy has helped you personally, great. I’m just saying that for many it’s not even an option. That doesn’t sound like a “cure” to me.

Also See:

From Food Allergy Buzz:  Food Alergy Grocery Shopping

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis NetworkSee the Food Allergy Quick Reference at

Food Allergy Initiative

What are your experiences with food allergies?  Do you have advice for other parents?  Let us know in comments.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Chronic Illness:  Claims Of Cures Are Often Scams.

Do you suffer from a chronic illness with no known cure?  Like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?   If so, you probably wish every day that you could find a cure and finally be healthy and well.

Why is it that just about every illness without a medically proven cure, has loads of people “claiming” to know the cure?  Not only is it disingenuous to promote cures to desperate people suffering with chronic illness, but it also minimizes the seriousness of these conditions.

For instance, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and many people believe the cure for this condition is as simple as getting more sleep (and oddly enough, more exercise).  Guess what?  CFS has nothing to do with how much sleep someone gets, and exercise often exacerbates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  There is no cure for what I have, but the Internet is full of sites that claim to have “sell” the cure.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are many alternative modalities of  healing that can benefit the symptoms of this disease, but they should not be mistaken for (or touted as) cures.

From Pamela Rice Hahn – It’s All In Your Head…

Anyone who copes with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Fibromyalgia (FM) knows there are people out there with all sorts of theories about what’s wrong with them. We’ve heard it all: You’re just depressed. If you’d exercise more, you’d feel better. The insulting “it’s all in your head.” And on and on.

The worst insult is probably: Everybody gets tired.

We know that! Before we got sick, we just got tired, too.

I’m not the only women suffering with chronic illness that is frustrated by false claims of cures.

Here is a quick video of what it is like to live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome…

From MSMaze – Multiple Sclerosis & Mutual Support…

Apparently, I’m the voice of doom because I caution my fellow MSers to be wary of scams touting “cures“ for MS. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been offered the cure for MS, I could retire. Unfortunately, these scams are intended to make a buck off our hope. I don’t mean to rob anyone of hope. In fact, I’m filled with hope at recent medical breakthroughs. I stand by my advice… be wary of cures that land in your email inbox and always perform due diligence.

Kristie from X-Out MS – MS and My Diet…

There is a LOT of information floating around the internet on miracle diet cures – and amazing detoxification methods that will supposedly ‘cure’ multiple sclerosis.

While it may be somewhat exciting and offer some much needed hope for people that live with this disease – I have to be honest and say that some of the things these people are touting are really quite scary and offers a very false sense of hope and expectation. I can assure you that if any one of the people actually had a true and viable cure for this disease – it would have a whole lot more attention than an occasional blip on an internet search engine! Additionally, they would be shouting their findings from the mountain top – eager to share it with everyone they could find – and not charge $29.95 for the ‘e-book’!

Quite honestly (if you can’t tell already) most of these people completely disgust me.

From Stacy Stone at Chronic Illness 101 – Lessons in Chronic Illness…

If someone proclaims they have the cure, they would be famous and everyone would be cured. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

So…How do you protect yourself from false claims of medical cures?  You can start by knowing the signs of false health claims…

To avoid becoming a victim of health fraud, consumers should learn how to evaluate health-related claims.

First, watch out for websites that offer quick and dramatic cures for serious diseases.

Consumers should be wary of statements that the product is a quick and effective cure-all or a diagnostic tool for a wide variety of ailments. For example, “Beneficial in treating cancer, ulcers, prostate problems, hepatitis, heart trouble and more…”

To be safe, avoid products that suggest the product can treat or cure diseases. “Shrinks tumors, cures impotency…”

Question promotions that use words like “scientific breakthrough,” “miraculous cure,” “secret ingredient” and “ancient remedy.”

–read full article at Haleakala Times

Also See:

From Fraud Files Blog – MLM Scheme, Mannatech Pays Millions For False Claims of Cures.

From The Daily WD – Daily Dose: Cheerios  and Cholesterol

One Lesson From A Decade of Fighting Chronic Illness

Don’t Be Fooled By Produces Claiming To Cure Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Have you ever wondered how the foods we choose to eat each day effects our carbon footprint?  You might be surprised to find out just how much it does.

But, do we all have to start growing our own food and become vegetarians to save our planet?

No.  Even if we just make one or two changes in our eating and purchasing habits, we can each begin to make a positive impact on our environment.   So…I’m going to give you several tips on little things we can all do to help us get on the path to greener eating.

Before we do that, lets take some time to address how our food choices are affecting our carbon footprint.  Here is an interesting tool to help you calculate the carbon footprint of your diet…

With every meal you eat, you have the power to reduce climate change.

The Bon Appétit Management Company Low Carbon Diet Calculator is designed to allow you to compare the relative carbon impacts of your food choices.

Once we become aware of how our food choices are contributing to global warming, we can then look for ways to reduce our impact.   Here are a few tips to consider…

Tip One – Buying local is more important than buying organic…

If you shop at a farmer’s market, talk to your vendors and see if they use eco-friendly agricultural methods–many of the farmers I have talked to do so because they recognize the importance of keeping their land healthy. Consider buying non-organic locally grown produce over non-local organic produce, if you can determine that it was grown conscientiously.

There is a lot of information available on buying food locally at Big Green Purse…

Find Good Food Near You. Want fresh, locally grown food, but don’t know where to find it? The Local Harvest community level map makes it easy to locate sustainable farmers, farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture projects (CSAs) in your area. You can click on a map or enter your zip code to get quick results.

Tip Two – Reduce your intake of meat…

The FAO report found that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of “CO2-equivalent” greenhouse gases the world produces every year. It turns out that producing half a pound of hamburger for someone’s lunch a patty of meat the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.

From Cool Food Facts…

Reduce your impact on global warming by eating vegetarian for a day.  Worldwide, meat and dairy production account for 9% of carbon dioxide emissions, 65% of nitrous oxide emissions,and 37% of methane emissions.

How far would you be willing to go to eat green and contribute to saving our planet?   Would you consider making a commitment to not eating meat on Mondays?  Check out this video…

Also See:  13 Reasons Eating Meat Hurts Our Environment

Tip Three – Consider trying some “faux meats” – these are plant based products used to imitate meat products.  If you haven’t tried any of these types of products recently, it might be worth giving them a second look.

Meat Substitutes Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em…

When I was growing up, most fake meat products were pretty grim. Rubbery, spongy, or just plain bland, they were generally avoided at all costs. Today, however, a visit to the health food market or many supermarkets presents a vastly expanded and improved selection of faux sausages, burgers, “chicken” patties, ground “beef,” and more. (Chinese and Taiwanese markets often have their own comprehensive range of imitation meats from duck to lobster, many of them colored and shaped to resemble the real thing.) Most of these are made from soy protein.

Let’s face it, these products are an “acquired” taste, and many of us will find it impossible to acquire it.  But remember, these food products are usually low in fat while being high in protein, and (if you can tolerate the unusual taste sensation) this can make them an important part of a healthy diet.

Tip Four – Purchase foods with as little packaging as possible.

From Cool Food Facts…

The food processing and packaging sector is one of the top 5 users of energy in the U.S., using almost 14 billion gallons of gasoline every year.

Here are a couple more quit tips…

Tip Five — Freeze leftovers rather than tossing them in the garbage.

Tip Six — Buy in bulk.

Tip Seven — Take a buddy with you when you go shopping at the grocery store or local farmers market.  Why take two cars, when you could both get there in one?

Tip Eight — Plan out your meals in advance, and only buy what you need.

In general, choosing to eat green is also choosing to eat healthy.  So whether you are choosing to do it for your personal health or your planet…It’s a good thing.

Here are some tips from Lindsay’s Green Living Blog – How To Eat Green on a Budget…

Every time we look at the evening news we get a swift reminder that times are tough and for a great deal of us, wallets are getting tighter. The current recession is certainly affecting a lot of us and we are being advised to spend wisely by making smart choices on how we spend our hard earned dollars.

When it comes to green living, it is often assumed that eating green, especially choosing expensive organic foods, is a luxury that we just cannot afford anymore.

I would like to offer a few valuable suggestions on how you CAN continue to eat green, and stick within your budget.

Also See:

• From 61 Days To Better Health — Eating Healthy, The Green Way
• From greenlagirl — Cooking Green
• From Crunchy Chicken — Sustainable Food Challenge
• From Eco-Veg Footprint – What Is Eating Green Anyway?
• The Cool Food Campaign
• From VegCooking Blog – Top Five Tips For Eating Green
• From Peaching Green – Eat Green

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Stalker Diet Detective Ambushes Overweight Women For Reality TV Show

Yes, you heard right.  There is a new show on We-TV that has many women (including myself) up in arms – It’s called I Want To Save Your Life.  But what could be so bad about a show that wants to save lives?  Well, it gives the impression it is a kind of “intervention” type show…but it’s really an attack on women who are overweight.

This show is wrong on so many levels that I barely know where to start.  Below is a promo clip of this pathetic excuse for reality tv.

I did happen to see this show last week, and it was quite shocking.   I think the worst part about it is how family members (in the case I saw it was the husband), basically “rat out” the women and allow this guy to stalk them and then confront them about their weight and diet on reality tv.   I don’t know who is worse, the stalker nutritionist or the husband who rats out his wife?

This show would be a lot less revolting to me if the women were writing in asking for help on their own.  But instead, they are being betrayed by the people that are suppose to love and support them unconditionally.  It’s really very sad, not to mention HUMILIATING.

And to call it I Want To Save Your Life, really adds insult to injury.  A better title might have been…

Honey, I think you’re FAT…So I’m going to humiliate you into going on a diet.

In the episode I saw, the (so called) lifesaving nutritionist/diet detective made the overweight woman go to the bakery and purchase a slice of her favorite chocolate cake.  Then he made her hold it in a box while walking for over two hours in the hot sun.  Is he freekin kidding? Not only did she have to walk off the calories in the cake, but she wasn’t even allowed to eat it (before or after the walk).  It was more than a little cruel, not to mention totally unnecessary and degrading.

What are the producers of this show thinking?

From Fit & Healthy…

How Charles makes people lose weight – He uses some unconventional techniques to get his points across. “Most people think they know the caloric content of the foods they’re eating, but they don’t,” he says. That’s why he has one woman, Jennifer, walk for more than two hours while holding a piece of chocolate cake – the time it would take to burn those calories if she ate it – and then makes her clean a messy garage that has come to symbolize her cluttered mind-set.

Here is what other women bloggers are saying about this sorry excuse for television…

Jill at Feministe wrote…

Summary: White woman walks around town, sometimes eating unhealthy food (ice cream sundaes, etc). Thin white man follows her, and narrates his stalking — “I investigate people. I spy on them. I watch their every move. I dig through their lives. I look inside, so I can help them change the outside.” When she walks into her house, he’s there, with her husband — he introduces himself, and says, “I’m here to save your life.”

Because, you know, she’s fat.

From Miriam at Feministing…

First of all, this guy is like a stalker, following her around, monitoring her. He’s creepy beyond belief. Secondly, this once again, for the millionth time perpetuates the myth that everyone who is overweight is secretly and guilty sneaking ice cream sundaes. We should know by now that weight is much more complex than that. Thirdly, this shit is just sensationalist. I want to save your life? This woman does not look like she is at risk of dying because of a few extra pounds.

From Erin at lemondrop – Creepy Dud Stalks Overweight Women…

The premise? He stalks overweight women, catches them in the act of eating sundaes (’cause, you know, that’s what fatties do all day long) and infiltrates their lives via loved ones in order to save them from themselves. We think we just burned some calories thinking about kicking the crap out of this condescending little prick.

From Frances Ellen Speaks – Fat Girls, Beware!

But, of course, WE has sanitized the show by assuring the viewer that the degradation to women is all done in the name of healthy living. Oh, did I forget to mention the reason why these fat girls will be made to eat humble pie instead of apple pie? WE-TV is out to Save Their Lives. Yes, sir–it’s all about being altruistic. Thanks so much, WE.

Here is what Sarah from The Pursuit of Harpyness thinks about the nutrition stalker…

Platkin the superhero is providing a public service! What would women do if we didn’t have complete strangers to protect us from ourselves and our self-destructive choices? It’s just too dangerous to leave us in charge of what to put in or take out of our own bodies. I am all for teaching people healthy eating habits and encouraging balanced diets and regular exercise, but this is sensationalism.

Live from the Mothership – Anger-Induced Aneurysm…

It reinforces stereotypes about fat people and obesity. We see this woman eating a donut, some ice cream … she has cupcakes (Oh, god! The horror! Cupcakes!) in her cabinet. Would anyone think twice seeing a thin person eating a donut or ice cream or cupcakes? Would a thin person’s life need “saving” if they ate junk? Also, the ad implies that she’s fat because she just eats a lot of junk. It supports the hugely erroneous theory that fat people are fat because they eat worse and more than thin people. Not all fat people are gluttons. Body size isn’t much determined by eating habits. I’m not saying it doesn’t play a role, and that no fat people are fat because of what they eat, but for the most part, that theory is just a steaming pile of bullshit.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Laurie from Laurie Writes – I Want To Save Your Life (Fatass)…

I believe that America hates fat people. Hates. The vast majority of men here do not pursue overweight women. Many women judge each other to some degree based on appearance and body size. I occasionally, shamefully, think bad things about overweight people, and I AM ONE OF THEM. Call it projection, reflection, whatever, it is what it is.
.  .  .

The weight loss industry and culture is predicated, for the most part, upon people feeling like shit about themselves. It took me 20 years to cut through the bs and decide, to have a moment earlier this year, just about a month ago, actually, where I decided that I was concerned about how I felt and how I looked, and for whatever reason my head was in the right spot to do something about it.

This happened in spite of – IN SPITE, not BECAUSE – of the not-thin ex-boyfriend who tried to shame me into going to the gym on a regular basis and questioned my every move while I was there. Shouldn’t I be doing intervals and not stepping like I was? Shouldn’t I be lifting more? Shouldn’t I do more abs? This happened in spite of the countless times I know my weight has been judged in social situations (Overheard, of me and aforementioned frozen yogurt friend: “Look, there’s a big one and a little one.”) and the few times that comments were made directly to me about it.

Read Laurie’s full post on her struggles with food and weight here.

From Womanist Musings – It’s All Because You are Fat…

What would be lost if we stopped judging people based in appearance? I have been told that I spend far too much time dealing in probabilities or what should be, rather than the world that exists. As a disabled fat woman, how can I embrace a society that is determined to erase and shame my existence? Am I to love my oppressor in spite of the personal cost to myself? My disability is permanent and the resulting weight gain is probably permanent as well and therefore; to surrender is to allow someone else to decide my value and my worth. I do not wish to play “super crip” and rise above because being different does not have to mean less than if we all decide that all bodies matter.

Did you see this show?  What did you think?  Infuriating?  Provocative?  Stupid?  Let us know in comments.

Also See:

Link to flicker that illustrates what BMI looks like on real people.

Kirstie Alley on Oprah Talking About Her Weight Gain

Did you see Kirstie Alley on Oprah?  She was on to talk about her weight gain, and her desire to develop her own weight loss program.   The interview wasn’t at all what I expected.  She talked to Oprah about spending this past year researching weight loss (for her soon to be announced weight loss program), while gaining even more weight than she had lost on Jenny Craig.  It was a bit odd.

One of the biggest questions I got from my post on Valerie Bertinelli’s recent weight loss, was about whether or not she will be able to keep it off once she stops the Jenny Craig diet.  It seems that if Kirstie Alley is any example, the answer might be no.

What do you think?

I’ve known for a while now that Kirstie Alley had gained back all of the weight she lost on the Jenny Craig diet, and I have no judgment of her about that.   After all, most of us spend a good portion of our lives gaining, losing, and gaining again.  I’m no exception.  I just don’t understand why she didn’t seem to make any attempt at all to maintain her weight loss?  Even moving all of her high-end exercise equipment to her garage.  Why?   She obviously had the means to hire people to cook healthy meals for her, or trainers to work-out with her.  Why didn’t she?  I think I could understand a little better if she wasn’t also claiming to be developing her own weight loss program.  I just don’t get it.

I know the celebrity weight loss thing is getting old, but I do believe that many people are inspired by these celebrities and their stories.  I think the fact that Kirstie Alley is still maintaining a positive outlook on her life and not giving up is also an inspiration to many.  I really do wish her all the best, and I am looking forward to learning more about her weight loss program.  She also told Oprah she will be starting to twitter…I would really love to see her start a blog.

What do you think about all of this?  Do you even care?

Here is a look at what other women bloggers are saying about Kirstie Alley’s weight gain and interview on The Oprah Show…

From Laura at The Pursuit of Healthyness – Kirstie Alley…

Kirstie says she’s sorry to the people she let down, and I don’t think she should be. It’s not HER responsibility to keep people motivated, and people make mistakes! We all do! Look at me! How many pounds have I lost and gained and lost and gained again? Even the people she inspired might screw up and fall off the wagon too, and you know what? If she inspired them then, then she’ll probably inspire them now, by crawling out from under her rock and talking about it, and talking about what she’s doing now to try to get healthy again.

From Nicole at Star Obsessed…

She famously revealed her much disputed 145 pound bikini body on Oprah a couple of years ago. Now she is back and supposedly 85 pounds heavier. Why? Well, one reason is that she turned her gym into a DINING room! Probably not the best idea.

From Lori at Finding Radiance…

I find myself alternating between irritation with Kirstie Alley and a lot of sympathy. Sympathy in that not only does she struggle with her weight, but she is doing so publicly. And blatantly publicly by doing commercials for it.

I feel irritation because she still doesn’t get it. She keeps talking about going on and off diets, and instead of realizing that is the problem, she says she is going on another one. She has set a time line for herself to be ‘ripped’ in 6 months. That is a lot of weight to lose and a lot of fitness to gain in 6 months. I really wish her the best of luck, I truly do, but it doesn’t quite sound like she is going to do anything different.

From Liz at Gather – Do Celebrities Have An Excuse?

Are we supposed to sympathize with Kirstie Alley and feel her pain? Keep in mind, this is not a regular person – she has the means and resources to lose weight. She is more educated than most of us when it comes to healthy eating and dieting. Not to mention, she can afford a personal trainer, a gym membership and healthy food. In addition to that, she has the time! She doesn’t worry about chasing around kids, or getting locked into a 50 hour a week job.

From Tracy at Jezebel – Kristie Alley on Oprah…

Kirstie’s honesty was really refreshing, as her story is relatable for many women. And while she used humor — when describing how she literally had her home gym renovated into a dining room after her Jenny Craig contract was up, and how paparazzi from TMZ will chase her in airports, calling her a fat ass, in order to get reaction shots — her heartache was still evident, particularly when speaking about the success that Valerie Bertinelli has had on the weight-loss program.

From Mary at A Merry Life – Thoughts on Kirstie Alley…

I also was disgusted with Kirstie’s comments about losing the weight again. She kept talking about losing 20 pounds in 5 weeks and how she the only thing she had been doing in the last year was researching how to lose weight. She talked about how she would lose the weight again, maybe by November, and then come back with her own secret weight loss program. Basically she was pimping out a yet to be released weight loss program. I loved how Oprah responded to most of this junk, telling her to set a more realistic goal (lose the weight by February) and brushing off the future Kirstie Alley weight loss program. To be honest as soon as she seemed like she was selling something I lost interest. I had hoped she would shed light on emotions or how she just wants to get healthy… but no. It was back to the wear a bikini, lost weight in x number of months, and sell my secret way to lose weight.

Janice Taylor from The Huffington Post wrote…

Was the appearance on Oprah a set-up? Are we now going to watch Kirstie get ‘thin’ again, so she can sell us her bill of goods?

Whether Kirstie loses it or not, I can pretty much guarantee that she is going to ‘find’ it again, because weight loss is primarily a mind set that comes from your belief systems; it’s about internal change. It’s about self-love and acceptance. Kirstie’s words, thought process, affect, sense of self appears not to have changed, moved, shifted, not even one tiny, little bit.

Kirstie, if you want to join the ‘permanent fat removal’ club, you’ve got to change your thinking. The bikini is not the prize. Loving yourself is.

Also See:

• From That’s Fit – Kirstie Alley’s Yo-Yo Dieting
• From Meg at Bitten & Bound – Kirstie Alley Interview (videos)
• Heather from Diets in Review – Kirstie Alley Discusses Her Weight Gain on Oprah

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Understanding why we overeat is an important step on the road to making healthy food choices.  And for many of us, our unhealthy emotions are contributing to our unhealthy eating.

It’s called being an emotional eater.  Are you one of them?  I can admit…I am. I think if we are being honest with ourselves, we all do this to some degree. And in small doses, emotional eating isn’t so bad. But many of us have gone way beyond minor emotional eating. Many of us are using food to avoid dealing with our true feelings…and not only doesn’t it work, but it also compounds are troubles with feelings of guilt and anger toward ourselves.

This is from the Mayo Clinic – The Connection Between Mood and Food…

Major life events — such as unemployment, health problems and divorce — and daily life hassles — such as a stressful work commute, bad weather and changes in your normal routine — can trigger emotions that lead to overeating. But why do negative emotions lead to overeating?

Some foods may have seemingly addictive qualities. For example, when you eat enticing foods, such as chocolate, your body releases trace amounts of mood- and satisfaction-elevating hormones. That “reward” may reinforce a preference for foods that are most closely associated with specific feelings. Related to this is the simple fact that the pleasure of eating offsets negative emotions.

Food can also be a distraction. If you’re worried about an upcoming event or rethinking an earlier conflict, eating comfort foods may distract you. But the distraction is only temporary. While you’re eating, your thoughts focus on the pleasant taste of your comfort food. Unfortunately, when you’re done overeating, your attention returns to your worries, and you may now bear the additional burden of guilt about overeating.

Here Diet.com address the 12 Types of Emotional Eaters…

You might already know you’re an emotional eater. Or you might not be sure and you may need a little bit more information to decide.

The first step is to find out if you are emotionally hungry.

Below are the 12 types of emotional hunger that trigger Emotional Eating. As you read through the list, ask yourself how many of these apply to you and your life.

If you use food in any of the ways listed below, you’ll know that Emotional Eating is the real reason you struggle with your weight.

Many women have blogged about their struggles with emotional eating.  Are you one of them?

Jessica Manning wrote about enduring emotional eating…

Have you ever dreamt of overcoming emotional eating by dieting even while knowing that it is not about self-control? Perhaps not, since it is not the thing that ends quenched. Well, emotional hunger is a tasty problem eating in reaction to an emotional trigger. We have all come across such people who make an attempt to manage mood swings with food.

Emotional eating is not about weight; it’s about the whys behind it and it is a very common consequence which clarifies that it is not due to actual hunger. hard to control. As I said, it develops as a problem only when the person resorts to regulating mood swings through eating.

Leah talks about crossing the threshold of emotional eating…

From the very first day on my raw journey, I have struggled with emotional eating. Taking away all of the cooked foods and SAD delights left me emotionally exposed. The longer periods of time I stayed raw, the more buried emotions surfaced.

Mary from Merry Mary is exploring her problems with emotional eating…

I didn’t – and still don’t – want to do this. I’ve put it off and pushed it away acting like I don’t have a problem. I don’t want to talk about how my emotions and other issues relate to my eating habits… but I need to. I wish I could just exercise away all my extra weight and forget about the reasons why I reached this weight in the first place.

But its not that simple.

Exercise makes me happier to a certain point. It gets all those good chemicals running in my brain but it doesn’t solve the deeply rooted issues that lead me to overeat. I have to do that myself by spending time with the messy, broken parts of my life. I have to explore them and try to find ways to heal those parts.

Laurie also admits to being an emotional eater…

Don’t get me wrong I am so proud of my friends and the commitment that they’ve made. It’s just makes me pay more attention to what I put in my body. Talk about a drag.

I’m not one to give up things I love all together ‘cuz I am an emotional eater and icing brings me great joy. However, I have found a couple things the past month that are good substitutions. Such as:

Once you realize you are emotionally eating, you need to begin to recognize true hunger…

A key factor in breaking the pattern of emotional eating is to recognize emotional eating for what it is and physical hunger for what it feels like. Physical hunger is characterized by the same physical cues that you have experienced before. It occurs gradually and sometimes involves a growling stomach. When you are truly hungry, you can usually be satisfied with healthy foods and stop eating when your stomach feels full. On the other hand, emotional eating can come on suddenly and typically demands foods that you would look forward to eating. Too, emotional eating doesn’t necessarily register a full stomach as a cue to stop. This can often lead to overeating, feelings of guilt, and a continuum of the vicious cycle.

A good way to reacquaint yourself with physical hunger is by keeping an eating journal. Every day for one month, keep track of everything you eat and when you eat it. Each time you put something in your mouth, write down any accompanying feelings, such as anger, anxiety, or loneliness, then rate how hungry you are on a scale of one to 10. An eating journal can help you identify patterns that connect your eating behaviours to specific feelings and triggers.

From That’s Fit – End Emotional Eating…

There are a lot of reasons people overeat, and more often than not, hunger isn’t one of them. Do you eat because you crave a taste or texture, or because you’re bored or upset? If you’re taking your hunger cues from your brain or your taste buds, rather than your stomach, it’s really easy to overeat.

Any emotional eater knows that it’s a lot harder to control this kind of overeating than typical cravings, but it’s not impossible. If you recognize one of the emotions below as a trigger for overeating, try some of these tips from AOL Health to get your emotional eating under control:

Do you overeat?  Does your mood play a role in your overeating?  If so, what emotion is triggering your emotional eating?  Is it stress over money, your marriage, your job?  Is it anger?  Depression?  Frustration?  Boredom?  I hope you’ll take a moment to share your experience in comments, or if you’ve blogged about it leave a link.  This is the kind of thing that can be helpful to share (not just for yourself, but also for others reading who might find comfort in knowing they are not alone).

Also See:

Curb Emotional Eating With Yoga

Keep Healthy Foods In The House At All Times

De Stress and Weight Less

I Stress; Therefore I’m FAT

How To Stop Eating Emotionally…

If you want to stop emotional eating, you need to be honest with yourself. To stop emotional eating, you must identify what you’re really feeling and deal with your feelings differently. All the weight loss tips in the world won’t help you stop eating emotionally unless you know why you’re compelled to eat mindlessly.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Spring Cleaning and De-Cluttering For Better Health

I should probably have called this post…Do as I say, not as I do.  The clutter in my house has gotten totally out of control, and I really do think it affects the way I feel.  But I also believe that cleaning out the clutter in our homes (and our lives) is helpful to our overall well being.  So I plan on doing some serious spring cleaning and de-cluttering very soon.

I’m going to start by purging my closets of all the clothes that no longer fit or that I haven’t worn in the past year.  I try to do that a couple times a year and donate them to our local Goodwill.   I’m also planning on having a garage sale in a few weeks to get rid of a lot of stuff cluttering my house and my life.

Do you have any plans for de-cluttering?  Do you find the clutter in your home affects your emotional or physical health?

From National Women’s Health Resource Center – Cleaning Tips for a Healthy Home…

For many of us, housecleaning is simply a necessary evil—a chore we delay as long as possible and then rush through quickly. (That’s why the dirty socks get stuffed under the sofa cushions!) It may be time to rethink that philosophy. Cleaning your living space has real benefits beyond making the place presentable. How you clean and what you choose to use when you clean can help you reduce some medical problems and even build your fitness.

Could clutter be causing symptoms of depression?

From Care2 Healthy and Green Living (and body)…

Does clutter cause depression? Does depression cause clutter? At any given moment during a high-clutter period in my household, I may argue the validity of both of these scenarios. Clutter has a special way of inspiring stress and frustration, which, more often than not, abets the inability to combat the mess. It becomes circular–which came first, the chicken or the egg? In the end, it seems to snowball into a tangled mess of tension and depression and it’s hard to tell what’s causing what.

Could your clutter be causing you to gain weight?

From Diet Soda Diva – Decluttering…

I truly believe there is a connection between my being over-weight and my clutter issues… both are emotional. And also one is empowering the other… I sometimes overeat due to clutter stress, but when I over eat I gain weight which in turn causes me to buy more stuff.

Huh, did that make any sense?

Regardless I think I’d feel better and be better able to focus on all my goals if I had less clutter in my home distracting me.

Clutter certainly causes stress for many of us…

From Nutri-Living Blog – 100 Healthy Habits That Can Save Your Life, Your Money, and Your Planet…

Clean out the clutter. Having clutter around the house can stress you out, forcing you to rummage through things trying to locate items or tripping over things that don’t have a home. Cleaning out your garage, basement and closets can rid you of much of this clutter and may even make you some money if you have a garage sale.

From Carrie Tucker – How Spring Cleaning Can Improve Your Emotional Health…

Cleaning out old emotional energy will improve your emotional health! All that accumulated stuff that you no longer need, may also have some emotional “stuff” that needs to be processed and released right along with it. Just handling and removing your unnecessary collection from the past will free up energy and draw emotions out of you. After such a thorough house cleaning you will be better able to attract what you want into your life.

Don’t forget to reduce the clutter on your desk or workspace.

From Jackie Silver – Spring Cleaning For Your Life…

With today’s fast pace, many of us find ourselves buried under piles of “important” papers in our workspace, whether it’s at home or at a traditional job. An organized workspace seems to invite new creativity and a renewed zeal for the job at hand. Tampa Bay, Florida Television Producer Sandi McKenna says, “Spring-cleaning my closet and clearing off my desk set the wheels in motion for a clear head, refocused energy and increased productivity. Everything in its place — I can breathe again! Instead of being overwhelmed at the thought of another day, the path is now clear both literally and figuratively.”

Here are some posts with tips on clearing the clutter.

Tisha Morris – 5 Steps To Clearing Clutter…

Clearing clutter has fast become one of the most popular facets or subcategories of Feng Shui. When Feng Shui was first used thousands of years ago, clutter was not an issue like it is in today’s world. I believe our culture has hit its climax of consumption, either voluntarily or forced. We are realizing how little we actually need in the physical world and turning more to the simple pleasures in life. Furthermore, it simply doesn’t feel good to be in our living space if it is filled with items that we no longer need. And, for good reason. Anything in your space that you no longer use or love is simply taking up space for something else to come into your life.

From The Organized Mother – Conquering Clutter…

There are two big lessons we need to learn and stick to:

1) Once you’ve started decluttering, don’t allow new clutter to take its place. Once you get that desktop or kitchen counter or dining room table nice and clear, keep it that way. Look for ways to embrace the clutter-free lifestyle and try to keep up – don’t let it gradually clutter back up. Be vigilant!

2) Fighting clutter is a continual process. Just one cleaning session will not be enough. Once you get an area clear, you must work to keep it that way. It will be much easier to maintain if you try hard not to let it get cluttered again. It’s not as hard as it sounds, as long as you don’t allow yourself to be lazy.

From I’m an Organizing Junkie – 8 Simple Steps To Less Clutter…

I’m not a fan of the cleaning. Organizing, yes. Cleaning, not so much. Thankfully the organizing lends itself to less cleaning. Here are eight steps I follow to keep my clutter and cleaning to a minimum resulting in more time for the things that really matter.

Will you be de-cluttering?  Do you have any de-cluttering tips or advice?

Also See:

• Spring Cleaning Tips
• Bohemian Revolution – Preventing Kid Clutter
• Our Red House – Managing Fridge Clutter
• Hanging Out The Wash – Clutter Hot Spots
• Another Good Thing – Counquering Clutter:  Oprah Style
• Organically Inclined – Zen and Art of Clutter

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Is there a such thing as “healthy” fast food?

I think if you work hard at it, it is possible to eat healthy at some fast food restaurants.  But to do this you also have to find the willpower to see those giant pictures of burgers and fries all around, and still choose to buy the less attractive healthy item.  It’s not always easy, and recently it’s become a real problem for me.

After doing well at making healthy food choices and even losing weight, a few weeks ago I fell off the wagon.  It’s so bad that I am actually afraid to get on the scale to see the extent of the damage.  The crazy thing is, I’m not a fast food junkie (or at least I never was), but something called an Angry Whopper is turning me into a total addict.   Seriously, I feel totally out of control.  The worst part is, it was just a whim that I even tried this stupid thing in the first place, and every day since I have been wishing I could turn back time and replay that decision.

I really need to get a handle on this, and even though I know it is sooooo bad for me to eat these things, something is just not clicking.  Ironically, it was about two years ago that I developed a similar problem with a Natcho Cheese Chalupa at Taco Bell.  I think the turning point for me with the Chalupa was when I actually looked up the nutritional value (or lack there of).

So, I need to give myself an Angry Whopper intervention, and I think I know just how to do that…

As much as it pains me to find out the truth about this burger, I am going to Google the Burger King Angry Whopper right now and get the hard truth on the nutritional value of my menacing addiction — two Whopper flame-broiled hamburgers topped with Angry Onions, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese and Angry Sauce.

Here goes…

Nutritional Value for the Burger King angry Double Whopper

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew it was going to be bad, but this is unbelievable.  It’s 1,120 calories and more than half of the calories are from fat (657 calories).  There are 63 grams of fat, 1675mg of sodium, 59 grams of carbs, and 175mg of cholesterol.

OK.  It’s painfully obvious that if I continue to eat these things I will be back up to my heaviest weight in no time, and I can’t let that happen.  I know I have to stop cold turkey, I just hope I can.   If you have any advice or wisdom for me on how I can keep this commitment to myself, please let me know in comments.

What do you think?  How do you feel about fast food?  Are you addicted?  Were you ever addicted?  Here is some of what other women are saying about fast food.

From Girly Fitness – Is There Fast Food That Won’t Make You Fat?….

I often find myself far from home and hitting up the fast food drive-thru. I know that it is not optimal, but there are actually some fast foods that you can eat that will at least allow you maintain a healthy weight. There are plenty of bad things typical to fast food: high fat, simple carbohydrates, and lack of nutrients. I must say, even these choices here are minor offendors!

From Chef Ann — Fast Food = Fat Kids…

Just in from the department of not-so-surprising news: a study has found that young teenagers tend to be fatter when there are fast-food restaurants within one block of their schools.

The report found an increased obesity rate of at least 5.2 percent among teenagers at schools where fast-food outlets were a tenth of a mile — roughly one city block — or less away.

To remedy that, Eric N. Gioia, a city councilman from Queens, wants to stop fast-food restaurants from opening so close to the city’s schools.

From Fit Sugar – KFC Goes Grilled…

As posting calorie counts becomes mandatory in more and more places, many fast food restaurants are trying to lure health-conscious customers back in an effort to boost slumping sales. Following its competitors that have been offering grilled fare for years, Kentucky Fried Chicken is now serving up buckets of grilled chicken, which is much healthier than its fried counterpart. The grilled chicken will cost the same as KFC’s Original Recipe, but the caloric price is considerably lower.

From The Collegian Online – Calories on Campus…

“Many students think that all fast food is a bad option but you can make healthy choices,” Ann Lentell, a registered dietitian who teaches in the food science and nutrition department, said.

Just knowing which items to choose can make a big difference in the nutrition of your meal. Let’s take a look at some healthy and some not so healthy options at the eateries on campus:

Also See:

• Good and Bad Fast Food
• Tips For Making Better Food Choices at Fast Food Restaurants
• Fast Food Nutrition and Best Choices
• Eating Healthy on a Budget

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com and Women4Hope

Are you sleeping with Bed Bugs?

If you’re eating, you may want to pass on reading this post until a little later.  If you’re easily sicked-out by bugs, you may want to pass on this one altogether.

It seems that infestations of bed bugs are on the rise, so much so that the EPA held a Bed Bug Summit this week. The purpose of the summit was to address the problem and work towards finding a solution.

Do bed bugs pose a health risk to you and your family?  Probably not.  But it’s gross to think that these things could be in our beds feeding off of our blood before we get up in the morning.  Yuck.  Yuck.  Yuck.  Bed bugs are  not a huge threat to your health, but bites can be irritating and some people may develop allergic reactions to them.

When you go to bed, are the bed bugs biting?  If so, it might look like this…

Pictures of Bed Bug Bites

Bed bugs aren’t very big, if you were to see them, they would appear to be very small brown or black specks.  But if you could see them close up, they would look like this…

YUCK!

I know I’ve seen this bug somewhere before – thankfully not recently.  Does it look familiar to you?

I don’t think I could ever sleep tight (or at all) again if I found one of these buggers in my bed.  What about you?  I’ve been getting increasingly itchy just writing this post.

From ClaireNeelyMD’s Blog – Bed Bugs…

It seems that these little critters have hitch-hiked here from overseas in travelers suitcases.

The good news, is that bedbugs are not known to transmit any diseases. But the bites are very itchy. ( I know from experience-a hotel in Nepal-but years ago, so I am not to blame for transmission to the US).

From Red, White and Green – Sleep Tight! Bed Bugs Back With A Vengeance…

Sleep tight…don’t let the bed bugs bite! In recent history, this has been all but a cute bedtime refrain of my grandparents on the occasion they tucked me into bed; most of us don’t really think about the true origin of the phrase, from the time when mattresses were made out of organic materials like straw and rope that tended to attract actual bugs. That has changed, however, much to the chagrin of the American public, who are discovering the miniscule blood-sucking critters everywhere from cellphones to five-star hotel bathtubs.

One possible explanation for the resurgence of bed bugs after 20 years of virtual extinction is the ban of powerful but environmentally detrimental chemicals that were effective at keeping the bed bug population in check.

From EmpowerHer…

Bed bugs live in mattresses, sofas and sheets. They’re not known to transmit any diseases, but people can have an allergic reaction to their bites.

Dana from Advanced News Writing…

Most people associate bed bugs to impoverished dwellings, but that is not the case. Bed bugs can “pop up” anywhere. The small reddish brown bugs feed on blood so they are hiding anywhere a bed is located. Their bites resemble a mosquito bite. Although the little pests do not carry diseases, they are very costly and time consuming to get rid of.

From Harvard School of Public Health – What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are increasingly becoming a problem within residences of all kinds, including homes, apartments, hotels, cruise ships, dormitories and shelters. We have drafted this document to provide basic information about the biology and health significance of these pests, and to offer guidance on how to safely and effectively manage an infested residence.

Check out this article from the University of Kentucky that has many pictures of what to look for if you suspect bedbugs…

Most householders of this generation have never seen a bed bug. Until recently, they also were a rarity among pest control professionals. Bed bug infestations were common in the United States before World War II. But with improvements in hygiene, and especially the widespread use of DDT during the 1940s and ‘50s, the bugs all but vanished. The pests remained fairly prevalent, however, in other regions of the world including Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. In recent years, bed bugs have also made a comeback in the U.S. They are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools, and modes of transport. Other places where bed bugs sometimes appear include movie theaters, laundries/dry cleaners, furniture rental outlets and office buildings.

From Kathleen at ExamHealth wrote…

Treatments used include antihistamines for itching, steroid creams, and adrenalin injections if severe allergic reaction occurs. Fortunately, most bed bug lesions resolve within one week. The bite of a bed bug causes an itchy, red, raised bump on the surface of the skin. Allergic reactions to bed bug bites include hives, whelps or wheals on the skin, small swollen areas that contain pus, and blistering.

The authors write, “Bed bugs are likely to be more problematic in the future due to travel, immigration, and insecticide resistance.” Cats and dogs can also carry bedbugs into the home.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Bedbugs inject an anticoagulant to keep your blood flowing as they suck, along with a numbing agent to keep you from feeling them when they’re at work”. In other words, bed bugs are tiny little red bloodsuckers, and they thrive in all climates.

EPA’s National Bed Bug Summit…

The EPA called the two-day meeting because the United States is experiencing its biggest bed bug outbreak since World War II.

Also See:

New York vs. Bed Bugs

Chicago vs. Bed Bugs