We know that a healthy diet can help prevent a number of diseases and conditions, including Type II diabetes and some heart diseases. While we might discuss our diet and lifestyle choices with our general physicians, we sometimes forget to ask our dermatologist how what we eat is affecting our skin.
Approximately 14 million people in the United States have rosacea, a skin disorder that causes inflammation of the cheeks, nose, chin, forehead, or eyelids. For some people, it may appear as redness – think severe blushing – or swelling, sometimes accompanied by acne flare-ups.
While you can’t necessarily prevent or control the symptoms of rosacea with diet alone, there are certain foods that may be associated with rosacea flare-ups. According to Chicago Dermatologist and Skin Care Authority, Amy Forman Taub, MD, the Medical Director of Advanced Dermatology and Assistant Clinical Professor, Northwestern University Medical School, Department of Dermatology, some foods and beverages may cause dilatation of the blood vessels in the face, or may be associated with inflammation.
Read Full Post >
Listerine Strips have been around for a long time: those minty paper-like strips that you place on your tongue when you just don’t have time to use mouthwash. Now the same sort of packaging is being used for an energy boosting product.
Sheets is a brand of energy strips that are individually packaged and dissolve quickly after you place them on your tongue. At this point, there are just two flavors to choose from: Cinnamon Rush and Berry Blast. Makers promise more flavors in the future.
So what is it in Sheets that gives its users a boost of energy? There’s as much caffeine as what is in the average cup of coffee. It’s also loaded with vitamin E, B5, B6, and B12. But let’s make no bones about it, it’s the caffeine that gets you going.
Read Full Post >
Debra Roby is certified as a Personal Trainer through NASM. She trains private clients in the SF Bay area and is developing an online coaching business. She blogs at Weight for Deb.
When we get mildly dehydrated – simply missing one to three glasses of water throughout the day- the symptoms are often weight gain, confusion and a craving for sweets. Because we do not recognize these clues as “my body is thirsty”, we go about addressing these symptoms incorrectly. Often our “cures” -coffee or soda, salty or sweet snacks or even a nap- make the condition slightly worse instead of better.
We’ve learned it’s important to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Sipping from one glass each hour throughout the day keeps our cells hydrated. When we forget, our body pulls water from where it can find it -our urine, our intestines, and our blood-to insure that our cells can continue to function. When this fluid is pulled away, it leads to kidney stones, bladder infections, constipation and more. More chronic dehydration affects our brain, leaving us confused or unable to concentrate.
Read Full Post >
UPDATE 3/30/2011: I would like to apologize for the confusion. This article was incorrect because I misread the source. Colt 45 does not contain caffeine. However, many people are still concerned because of the fruity flavors and celebrity endorsements that the product has; they think that these factors will make it more marketable to underage drinkers.
When Four Loko hit the shelves last year, health advocates and parents were concerned about the dangerous side effects the alcoholic beverage posed for young adults. Four Loko and other caffeinated alcoholic beverages contained a possibly lethal combination of alcohol and caffeine, which could cause drinkers to have heart attacks or other negative health consequences; some deaths have even been contributed to alcohol abuse from these drinks. In late 2010, many of these drinks were banned from the shelves unless they altered their recipes.
Now, a new caffeinated alcoholic drink is hitting the market, and many are concerned that it will target underage drinkers. The drink is called Blast by Colt 45 and Snoop Dogg, a famous rapper, is promoting the drink, according to NYDailyNews.com. Blast is a fruity-flavored drink with flavors such as Pomegranate-Blueberry and Raspberry-Watermelon. Blast is sold in 23.5 ounce cans and contains 12 percent alcohol; this is comparable to the infamous Four Lokos.
Read Full Post >
Walk by any group of teens hanging out together and you may very well see a wide assortment of energy beverages being consumed. It’s not unexpected, since more than half of all teens have reported using these stimulants. The next time you take your child to the doctor, be prepared to discuss these beverages, thanks to a new research study released online today in the Journal Pediatrics. The study, conducted by the University of Miami School of Medicine, shows how very harmful these drinks may be to this age bracket.
The study was conducted by running targeted searches of Google and the medical database PubMed. The research team pulled a total of 121 references to energy drinks, including RockStar, Monster, or Red Bull. Two-thirds of the references were discovered to be in scientific articles. Among the findings:
Read Full Post >
