Author Archives: Descygna

About Descygna

Descygna is a health journalist who has made her health, and that of her family, a top priority. She loves making over traditional recipes and staying on top of the latest health trends.

Women Less Likely to Get Immediate Heart Attack Treatment

A new study of over one million patients has been released showing women are less likely to get immediate treatment for a heart attack. The study of the Journal of the American Medical Association was authored by John Canto of the Watson Clinic and Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida. This study also revealed that women are more likely to die in the hospital from a heart attack than men with rates of 15 percent of women and 10 percent of men.

Some of the treatments available that can stop a heart attack if quickly detected include balloon insertions to open the arteries, bypass surgery or even drugs that dissolve clots. The reason for these staggering statistics is that female patients very often do not recognize the symptoms they experience when having a heart attack. While about 31 percent of men never experience the classic symptoms of a heart attack like chest pain or pressure, that number is increased to 42 percent for women. The lack of classic symptoms is even more common in women under the age of 55. Many women go to the hospital with symptoms like nausea, feelings of fatigue, back or jaw pain, vomiting or even sweating and are misdiagnosed and sent home when they are actually having a heart attack.  (more…)

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Descygna

Salma Hayek Helps Launch The Breakfast Project

In an effort to encourage healthy breakfasts for families across the country, Salma Hayek is working to kick off a new campaign that will emphasize starting every morning with a breakfast that includes milk.

We’ve been told forever that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but millions of people skip breakfast altogether or make poor food decisions for their morning meal. About one in five Americans don’t eat or drink anything in the morning so The Breakfast Project is hoping to change people’s view of that all-important meal.

Actress Salma Hayek is teaming up with the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign in conjunction with The Breakfast Project to encourage people to enjoy breakfast at home and ensure that milk is on the menu. TV chef and dietician Ellie Krieger is also working with the project offering tips and recipes through the web site.  (more…)

Posted on February 25, 2024 by Descygna

Controlled Programs Help Teen Girls with Weight Issues

Losing weight is not typically seen as an easy task. Add in factors like being a teenage girl with a body that is constantly changing, and losing weight may be even more difficult. Certain elements can aide in the success of weight loss as a newly released study conducted by Kaiser Permanente has shown. This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and looked at 208 girls between the ages of 12 and 17 living in Oregon and Washington. The observations of the study took place in the years 2005-2024 with all of the participants being classified as obese at the beginning of the study. The young girls in this study were divided into two groups – one group that received only regular care from their doctors and one group that was placed on a program featuring regular group meetings, information on changing their lifestyle with behavioral counseling. The girls that were on the specified program were also asked to chart their daily calories, exercise and weight.

Lead author and senior investigator with Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Lynn DeBar was quoted as saying, “Nearly one-third of teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 17 are overweight or obese, and many of them are likely to be obese adults. Our study shows that intervention programs can help these girls achieve long-term success managing their weight and also learning new habits that will hopefully carry over into their adult life.”

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Posted on February 22, 2024 by Descygna

Doctors Increasingly Prescribing Exercise to Patients

At a time when obesity rates are at an all-time high and continuing to grow, doctors are bumping up their recommendations for patients to increase their physical activity. The CDC reports that in 2024, one in three adults that saw a doctor or other health care professional was advised to increase their physical activity to improve their health. This is a vast increase to the recommendations in 2000 when less than one in four consultations resulted in a recommendation of more physical activity. This dramatic change over 10 years shows that members of the medical community are increasing their efforts to recommend lifestyle change to boost health benefits.

This development is important because patients typically listen to advice given by their doctors. According to a study done in 2024, overweight patients were nearly five times more likely to exercise if their doctors counseled them to do so. They were even more likely to keep active if their doctor followed up with them after the initial prescription.

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Posted on February 22, 2024 by Descygna

Free Access to Nutrisystem’s All-New Community Site Now Available

nutrisystem with food in backgroundNutrisystem is relaunching their community web site to better meet the needs of dieters. Nutrisystem doesn’t want to make its customers feel like there is a one-size-fits-all approach to losing weight, and the community offers a place for dieters to have a personal and customized experience and meet other dieters.

The Nutrisystem community redesign is focused on the dieter and many of the changes were made through the direct suggestion of members, including the names of certain sections. The site is free for the first time ever and offers three different levels of 24/7 access. As a guest you will be able to read content, dining out and grocery guides, message boards and member pages without having to enter any personal information. For more extensive access to the site, including interacting with other members, you simply register and become a Nutrisystem member, which is also free. The VIP membership level is available to those who are on a Nutrisystem program. This membership option offers access to all of the content on the web site as well as tracking tools designed to help you through your weight loss journey. (more…)

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Descygna

Biggest Loser Resort Niagara to Open in May

Those that want to lose weight like the contestants on the hit TV show Biggest Loser will soon have another location to consider for a weight loss getaway. The Biggest Loser Resort will be opening a Niagara location in Java Center, New York which is only 30 minutes from Niagara Falls. The newest location joins the current resorts in Ivins, Utah and Malibu, California and will open on May 6. The Biggest Loser Resorts are award winning fitness and wellness destinations that offer an affordable, results-oriented, calorie-controlled program. The new Niagara location is set on a pristine and scenic 300-acre retreat and will offer the same results oriented program that is available at the other locations.

Through the Biggest Loser Resorts, you can gain a memorable and life-changing experience that includes fitness, nutrition, education, relaxation and camaraderie. Visiting the resort is a great way to enjoy the same elements of fitness and diet plans that Biggest Loser contestants use on the show, without the cameras or pressure of being eliminated. The Niagara location will offer guests an outlined itinerary that includes seven hours of exercise and 1,200 calories spread out over three meals and a dessert each day. Similar to the other resort locations, Niagara will have former contestants at the site. The contestants slated for this location will be Jessica Limpert and Ramon Medeiros from season 12 of Biggest Loser. Jessica and Ramon will serve as full time trainers at the resort so the guests will truly get a Biggest Loser experience. They will be available to share their weight loss journey and experiences they had while on the show. Guests at the Niagara location may even get to share a meal with Jessica and Ramon on occasion.

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Posted on February 20, 2024 by Descygna

Apple Files Patent to Combine Handhelds and Gym Equipment

The Apple Corporation has filed a patent that will help people workout together and share their results no matter where they are in the world. The patent that was filed last October is for Interfacing Portable Media Devices and Sports Equipment and this new technology would help owners of Apple products like the iPhone share their workout data and performance information with others regardless of where they are in the world. Things like your speed or heart rate would appear in real time on your friend’s handheld display along with their own, provided both users have Wi-Fi or a cellular network connection. Many people are using media players like the iPhone to track their performance as well as to have a distraction while working out, but until now, the missing component was an easy way to insert data into your handheld device and share it in real time with others.

In a statement, Apple wrote, “an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides sports equipment that is capable of writing workout data to a media player. The workout data may be data related to contemporaneous workout activity. The sports equipment may include a connector or connector insert for mating to a connector receptacle on a media player to form a communication link. The sports equipment may also have wireless or optical circuitry that may be used to establish a communication link with the media player.”

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Posted on February 14, 2024 by Descygna

Jennifer Aniston Finally Spills on Her Day to Day Workouts

Jennifer Aniston was named the Sexiest Woman Alive in 2024 and she has been known for hitting the red carpet in great shape. She is currently promoting her latest movie Wanderlust with co-star Paul Rudd that will be in theaters February 24th. While promoting the movie, Aniston speaks openly about her current diet and exercise habits.

“I work out almost every day, at least five or six days per week,” she admits. “I do 40 minutes of cardio: spinning, running, the elliptical, or a combination of all three. Then I do Pilates one day a week, and I do yoga in addition to that, three days a week. I try to mix it up.” Being a busy actress, Jennifer also makes sure she’s prepared to get her workouts in when she’s on the road traveling. “I take eight pound weights with me whenever I’m staying at a hotel. It’s always good to do arm exercises when you’re watching television or talking on the phone. I also love to stretch before bed, and usually throw in a couple of sit-ups,” Aniston said.

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Posted on February 13, 2024 by Descygna

Lap-Band Surgeries Halted While LA Clinics are Investigated

The New Life Surgery Center in Beverly Hills and the Valley Surgical Center in West Hills have stopped performing Lap-Band surgeries while they conduct a top-to-bottom review of the medical procedure. These two California clinics are affiliated with the 1-800 GET THIN marketing company and the move to stop procedures comes after Irvine-based Allergan’s announcement that it would stop selling the Lap-Band device to companies affiliated with the ad campaign.

The 1-800 GET THIN marketing company has been targeted in state and federal investigations in recent months. The Lap-Band is an adjustable ring that is surgically placed around the stomach in obese patients to reduce the amount of food eaten to spark weight loss. 1-800 GET THIN actually markets to those that need to lose weight and allows them to call or go to the web site to find a Lap-Band provider in the California area. The company offers insurance verification, orientation and will answer any questions you have about the surgery. Basically, this company advertises and markets Lap-Band surgeries through billboards and other traditional advertising methods.

The FDA has recently issued letters of warning for misleading advertising to 1-800 GET THIN and all eight of the California surgical centers affiliated with them. There is a class action lawsuit pending as well for anyone that responded to advertisements by 1-800 GET THIN for surgery. While these ads highlighted and glamorized the benefits of Lap-Band surgery, they didn’t address some of the drawbacks of the procedure.

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Posted on February 9, 2024 by Descygna

Eight Healthy Ways to Use Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is growing in popularity and seems to be popping up for sale at every grocery store. Aside from being thick, rich and high in protein, Greek yogurt has intense versatility. You can use it to cook with or in place of condiments that might be higher in fat and calories. At Diets in Review, we like to lean toward Chobani and Fage for our Greek yogurt purposes. The possibilities with this product are endless and it can all be done with zero percent fat, plain Greek yogurt.

We recently spoke with recipe developer, cookbook author, lifestyle blogger and President of Ingredients, Inc. Alison Lewis about some of her favorite uses for Greek yogurt. “I love to use it instead of sour cream in dips, tacos and fajitas. I also love to use it in spreads, dressings and in baked good recipes for muffins, cookies and quick breads,” Alison said.

You may be wondering about substituting and if it will affect the taste of your items, so I asked Alison if she noticed a difference in flavor when using Greek yogurt. “Actually I think it gives all of the foods a richer, tastier flavor. My kids cannot even tell when I have replaced it on top of baked potatoes or tacos. I think it adds even more moisture and fluffiness to baked goods,” she said.

Using Greek yogurt in some of your favorite recipes can definitely help you cut fat, calories and add protein without sacrificing flavor. Below are some suggestions for using plain Greek yogurt in your favorite dishes.

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Posted on February 2, 2024 by Descygna

Dr. Travis Reveals Foods to Lose Your Gut on The Doctors

Today on The Doctors, Dr. Travis Stork will be be uncovering the Secrets of Losing Your Gut for Good. This will be his first time doing the show as a sole host. Dr. Stork works as an ER physician and one of the first things he examines in his patients is the amount of belly fat they have. This information can tell him how easily someone might recover from injury and if they can expect to face future health issues like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and others.

Some of the things that will be shared on Dr. Stork’s first-ever solo show are the foods that can help get rid of extra belly fat, statistics on how extra weight can affect your health, little things to do to make a difference in belly fat and some of the best snacks available. As a preview to the show, we’ve listed the top five belly-busting foods Dr. Stork will be sharing:

Beans: Choose dried beans over canned whenever possible. They are a great food because they fill you up without filling you out.

Eggs: Eggs are full of muscle building protein and the vitamin B12 in egg yolks are an energy booster that keeps red blood cells healthy.

Berries: Full of antioxidants, it is better to eat whole berries rather than to drink only the juice.
Dairy: Have three lean or low-fat servings of dairy each day to decrease your chances of being overweight by 60 percent.

Whole Grains: Having whole grains that are minimally processed can add fiber to your diet and keep you full. Items higher in fiber and less processed are your best choices. (more…)

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Descygna