The Truth About Relaxation Techniques By Jane Farrell article The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), advocates relaxing as an antidote to stress but offers some guidelines so you can avoid ineffective strategies:
_ Sleep Health Best Treatments for Severe Sleep Disorders By Jane Farrell article Sleep is one of our most ordinary but important activities. If we don’t do it “right,” we can suffer. Snoring, the partial blockage of your airway, has been linked to some serious health issues, including heart disease, diabetes and weight. And the more serious sleep apnea – a condition in which your airway can be completely blocked from anywhere to five to 50 times an hour – can be life-threatening. And in both cases, you’ll probably be plagued by dangerous drowsiness the next day, affecting everything from driving to your job.
Your Man and Stress: Saving His Sanity and the Only Brain He'll Ever Have By blog Although we have known for some time that stress can cause damage to the heart, the gastrointestinal tract, and other parts of the body, we have recently learned that stress can actually damage the brain. J.
_ Relationships & Love John Edwards Is Guilty--Of VIolating Human Decency By Jane Farrell article To me the most compelling news to surface in John Edwards’ trial for alleged violation of campaign finance laws is the scene described last week of Elizabeth Edwards ripping off her blouse and bra and confronting her husband with evidence of her scarred life (physical and emotional - she had a double mastectomy and was battling a recurrence of her cancer). “You don’t see me anymore,” she cried, as ex-aide Christina Reynolds recounted in the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.
_ Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Incontinence Urinary Health Dr. Marie's Help for Incontinence By Sondra Forsyth article A 2008 article in the New England Journal of Medicinearticle revealed that 25 percent of perimenopausal women and 40 percent of postmenopausal women report leakage of urine. ThirdAge medical expert Marie Savard, M.D., author of "Ask Dr. Marie," says that the main causes of this annoying condition are decreased estrogen levels and aging pelvic muscles that are losing strength. She adds that obesity can exacerbate the condition, as can asthma, diabetes, a chronic cough, and medications such as diuretics, antihistamines, and antidepressants.
Rare Disease Day: 1 in 10 People Are Afflicted By Sondra Forsyth article Ten years ago at the age of 44, Liz Gorka was stunned when she was diagnosed with a disease she had never heard of before. Systemic sclerodema is a progressive disorder that causes the hardening of connective tissues and can seriously damage vital organs. As the Mayo Clinic site puts it, "For unknown reasons, the immune system turns against the body . . . Scleroderma has no known cure."
_ What's On Your Bucket List? By Sondra Forsyth article The term "bucket list" was around before 2007, but it was popularized that year by the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman film about two terminally ill guys who travel around the world with a list of to-dos before they "kick the bucket." They find, in their travels, that some of the more trivial items take on deeper significance. An especially touching scene happens when Nicholson as Edward reconciles with his estranged daughter and meets his little granddaughter for the first time.
The Great Ballets 101 -- Part I By Sondra Forsyth blog When I was a young ballet student, I read "The Complete Book of Ballets," by Cyril Beaumont, many times over.
Exercise How to Start an Exercise Routine By Sondra Forsyth article Does the word "exercise" make you think of boring routines that feel like an obligation you'd just as soon avoid? Follow our step by step checklist to help yourself get moving and stay on track. Let's make 2012 your year to be a fitness maven. Ready, set, glow! Get Your Docs OK Before You Begin
Parlez Vous Ballet? By Sondra Forsyth blog 'Tis the season when rehearsals for myriad annual productions of "The Nutcracker" are underway across the country. If the beloved holiday ballet is coming to a theater or high school auditorium near you and you're not a regular balletomane, here's your chance to bone up in advance with my Q&A about the history and lore of the liveliest art's classical dance form. Q. Why are all the ballet terms French?
I Walked My Daughter Down the Aisle By Sondra Forsyth blog On a blazingly beautiful July afternoon in 2003, I walked my daughter down the aisle. Well, actually, it was a hill since the ceremony was on the grounds of a lodge in Montana's Glacier National Park. The point, though, is that she was on my arm and not her father's.
To The Pointe By Sondra Forsyth blog During the New York City Ballet's seasons at the David H. Koch Theater in Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, a film offering a backstage glimpse of the dancers' lives plays as a loop on a screen beside the box-office windows. People waiting to pick up tickets invariably watch with particular fascination during the segments about pointe shoes.
_ Dr. Marie's Hospital Guide By Jane Farrell article No one is in a better position than a nurse to give you insider information about your hospital stay – unless she's a nurse who went on to become a doctor. Marie Savard, M.D., medical contributor to Good Morning America and the author of Ask Dr. Marie and How to Save Your Own Life, offers these tips for taking charge of your healthcare when you're going to the hospital:
_ 7 Ways to Treat Depression With Food By Jane Farrell article Treatment for depression can be a complicated process involving both therapy and medication. But one often-overlooked factor is nutrition -- you are what you eat, and you need to eat food that will help you be happy. Here are seven tips to help you eat to curb depression.