Daily Health News Blog

 5 Great Ways to Express Thankfulness Year-Round - By Loren Meier What are the biggest parts of positive thinking and the law of attraction? Can you guess? Appreciation and gratitude! The title may have given it away, huh? Start appreciating what you have right now!  I am challenging you to start getting the "attitude of gratitude"! Start by appreciating what and whom you already have in your life. Be thankful! Celebrate Thanksgiving everyday (minus the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and crazy Aunt Sally!). Here are a few steps you can follow to get in the mood of appreciation. Step one: Appreciate what you have right now! You may not have the car, home, money or clothes that you want right now. Even so, be thankful for what you do have. Appreciating what you have right now will create a feeling of abundance. If you focus on wanting or on being discontent, those negative thoughts will attract even more negative feelings. I am thankful for

Happy, Feel-Good Holiday Seasons Start With Healthy Choices at Thanksgiving, Nutrition Experts Say While most people only gain about a pound of weight during the holiday season, that pound may never come off, increasing the likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and the risk of related health problems, according to a National Institutes of Health study. University of Missouri dietitians recommend families maintain healthy diet and exercise habits during the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving. Donna Mehrle, registered dietitian and extension associate in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, reminds people to consider how they feel when they eat healthy foods and are physically active, so they're more likely to continue those behaviors when holiday stress and cold weather offer convenient excuses. Feeling better is a great motivator, she says. "People can continue their healthy habits by being aware of their food choices at the Thanksgiving

Californians are about to experience the biggest change in the health care system since the 1960s By  Daniel Weintraub Special to The Bee JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Do you think that you or your employer will benefit from the federal health care reform law? Add your comment below. To write a letter, go to sacbee.com/sendletter . If this year's election was a referendum on President Barack Obama's first term, then it was also a test of the voters' support for his biggest legislative achievement: federal health care reform. And while polls continue to show widespread public skepticism about the Affordable Care Act, Obama's re-election means the law is probably here to stay. That prospect should cheer Californians, who support the federal health care reform in greater numbers than voters in most other states. Not coincidentally, California has also done more to implement the law than other states, where officials were holding back to see if the reforms w

So you may be wondering what to do about the fibromyalgia pain and other devastating symptoms you have. You may be wondering if there is a fibromyalgia diet out there that works. See if this scenario sounds familiar to you. You have gone from doctor to doctor looking for a diagnosis. You have terrible pain in the trigger points, you are severely fatigued, anxious, experiencing brain fog, but don’t know what to do. Doctor’s are having a hard time diagnosing you and treating your symptoms. You may feel crazy, like no one understands how you are feeling and what you are going through. Doctor’s may not know how to treat you, but there is help. You are not crazy! There’s a secret out there in the medical community that can help your Fibromyalgia symptoms get better. Many studies have been done to show that changing your diet can help you alleviate the severity of your symptoms. A magic diet? No, there is no such thing. But there are some things that research is validating when it comes to

YOU die alone, philosophers say. But you could die sooner if you live your life in loneliness. Close connections to friends and family may ward off poor health and premature death, recent research suggests. Loneliness is a risk factor for functional decline and early death in adults over age 60, according to a University of California, San Francisco study  published in July. More than 43 percent of the 1,604 participants reported that they often felt left out or isolated or lacked companionship. In the six-year follow-up period, more than half of the self-identified lonely people had difficulty with basic housekeeping and personal tasks. They also had a 45 percent greater risk of dying earlier than older adults who felt more connected to others. The majority of lonely people (62.5 percent) were married or living with others — an indication that feeling lonely and being alone are not the same. “It’s not the quantity but the quality of your relationships that matters,” said Dr. C

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 ahead

The day after Thanksgiving Day will be marked by millions of shoppers and businesses as something worth celebrating. Some people like it as much as the holiday turkey.  Store sales are plentiful and prices are dramatically lowered on the 23rd. Although Black Friday comes during what many have come to believe is a 4-day holiday, it's not. Most people have to work on Friday, unless they've taken the day off or their state has proclaimed a legal holiday. Mail delivery resumes. Some major retailers open at midnight with a "midnight madness" tactic; some even earlier. They want to capture as many shoppers as possible before they run out of spending money. But that's not a problem in many stores that have layaway programs: buy now, bail out your stuff before Christmas.  Increasingly, people are concerned sales will begin on Thanksgiving Day, and some already do. They're signing petitions against Thursday hours that can spoil the attitude of togetherness and