Daily Health News Blog

RETIREMENT PLANNING YOUR ONLINE GUIDE TO RETIREMENT NEWSLETTER www.retirementplanninginsight.com Are you living day-to-day or from paycheck-to-paycheck? If you are, you are not alone. Many Americans are now finding themselves in a financial  crunch. At that same time, financial advisors are still encouraging Americans to save for retirement. This is where you may feel hopeless. There is, however, good news. That good news is that there are still ways that you can save for retirement, even when experiencing financial problems right now. The first step you should take depends on your age. If you are between the ages of forty and fifty, you will want to closely examine your retirement goals. This includes both your wants and your needs. How much money do you need to retire? To determine an amount, look at your living situation. How much will it cost you to survive with the basic necessities, including food, shelter, health insurance, and transportation? Next, examine you

By Robert Killen  "You get what you pay for" or so common wisdom tells us. Yet numerous examples prove that sometimes paying more actually decreases the richness of our lives. The following examples are 10 of the simplest ways to live a richer life by paying less! 1. Stop the Pop! One of the most destructive health (and money) habits in the US is our addiction to sweets, soda being chief among them. As refreshing as carbonated sweetness poured over ice may seem on a hot summer day, water is the real deal. While soda is linked to diabetes, cancer and all kinds of health nastiness, water is free, healthful and equally refreshing. 2. DIY Snacks The chip/cracker/cookie aisle in your local grocery is a mind boggling assortment of costly treats. While no single package is likely to break the bank, a fully stocked cupboard is an unnecessary expenditure. Make popcorn instead. Spread peanut butter on saltines, or better yet a celery stalk. Munch on a vegetable. Cheaper and

by Josh Green There are many different dieting ideas out there in today's market. The amount of different diets can be very discouraging to many people that are in need of a diet plan that works for them. It can be very disheartening to continually have a diet that may work for someone else and when a person tries the diet for themselves it does not work. The main concept behind dieting is that we should begin to eat a healthy diet consuming the correct foods in order for our bodies to still function but not excessive in order to create a surplus of calories and sugars that are turned into fat and stored in the body. For weight loss to be effective those following weight loss programs need to stick to the diet specified and take regular exercise. There can be no diet that will work for everyone since we are all different and rules can be hard to follow, is there such a thing as fat loss for idiots?. The diet for idiots was created with this in mind. Diet for i

As winter closes in, it is important for seniors and those who care for them to be aware of some simple precautions. Seniors are at risk during the winter months for several reasons. Winter weather and storms may isolate the elderly more than usual. Diseases such as the common cold and the flu are more prevalent and present a particular risk to those who are older or already in weakened health. There are also the dangers that the cold weather itself presents to those who are vulnerable. In response to these circumstances, the American Red Cross has issued its annual winter-preparedness tips for senior citizens. Be sure to arrange to have someone check on older persons regularly. It is also a good idea to have a plan to signal the need for help. For example, a daily phone call to check in might be appropriate. Post emergency numbers near the phone as well. We never know when severe weather might hit. If specialized care, medical supplies, or equipment is needed, plan ahea

Three years ago,   Women's Health was among the first to expose sitting disease . The gist: Too much inactivity can leave you prone to such deadly ailments as heart disease and obesity. The advice: Get moving. But Americans haven't budged much. The only real momentum has been in the lab, where research has found that inactivity can also damage your mind, sleep cycle, and organs. It could even shorten your life: Women who sit for more than six hours a day have a roughly 40 percent higher risk of dying from any cause, regardless of their fitness level, versus those who sit for fewer than three hours.   "The human body evolved to move around," says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. "Yes, there are times to sit, but we put our feet up now more than ever. It's unnatural and hazardous to our health." Young women are especially prone: Research shows they spend more time on their bums than others. Devastating news,

There are two kinds of good news about brain power: First, you aren't stuck with the number of brain cells you were born with. And second, it isn't true that brain cells will inevitably die off as you age and can never be replaced. Pumping up your body and mind with extra oxygen from exercise is the magic that gives birth to more brain cells and keeps the ones you already have in top shape. It turns out that aerobic exercise is one key to "getting smart" and staying that way. Neurologist Fred H. Gage was the first to challenge the "no new brain cells" doctrine. A professor at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, Calif., Gage discovered newborn cells in the brains of terminally ill cancer patients. The new cells appeared in the part of the brain associated with learning and memory. In further experiments, Gage shows that the number of brain cells in mice will increase too, but only when the mice run. In 1999, he demonstrated that exercising mice had twic

Being a woman does not make you powerless against breast cancer. There are steps you can take that can reduce your chances of becoming one of the tens of thousands of North Americans who contract the disease. 1. Live a healthy lifestyle. Choose more foods from plant sources. Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Choose foods from plant sources, such as breads, cereals, grain products, rice, pasta, or beans. Limit intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources. Be physically active. Be at least moderately active for 30 minutes or more each day. And stay within your healthy weight range. 2. Be aware of inherited risk factors. Women with a family history of breast cancer are more likely to develop it themselves. While only seven percent of all breast tumors are considered to be hereditary, breast cancer in a close relative should increase your efforts toward prevention. 3. Self-examination. All women over age 20 should perform breast self-