Master Stress in Only 10 Minutes a Day

Master Stress in Only 10 Minutes a Day
by Dharma Singh Khalsa

As I write this article, the stock market continues its wild gyrations and the economic and other rampant stress of our times is beginning to take its toll on our health.
This is not just my opinion, it’s also been shown in a recent poll published by the American Psychological Association (APA).1 Money and the economy topped the list of stressors for at least 80% of those surveyed. Finances now overshadow the more usual daily stressors of work and relationships, with 46% of people reporting that their stress is due to worries about providing for their family’s basic needs.

My own research clarifies that when you feel you have less control over your stress, it definitely causes you more concern. It raises your internal mind, body, and emotional threat level.2
Women Worse Off

Unfortunately, the brunt of this economic stress is falling upon women more than men. According to the APA’s poll, compared with men, more women say they are stressed about money, the economy, job stability, housing costs, and health problems affecting their families.
Ladies of the boomer generation (ages 44-62) and Matures (aged 63+) are most likely to report the economy as a significant stressor, while women in general rank financial worries above personal health. Female Boomers report increases in stress associated with their job stability and health problems affecting their families.

Moreover, mature women are reporting dramatic increases in stress associated with family health concerns (87%), the economy (92%), and money (77%).
Beyond that, Generation Xers (ages 30-43) and Millennials (ages 18-29) are not immune from financial worries either. Generation Xers are the women most concerned about money (89% report money as a source of stress) and Millennials are most concerned about housing costs as a source of stress (75%).

The current work from the APA clearly reveals that our economic stress is causing more than half of Americans to report irritability, anger, fatigue, headaches, and sleeplessness. What’s worse, these stress sufferers say they self-medicate by over-eating unhealthy foods, over drinking, and generally straying from healthy habits.1

In addition to the above-mentioned symptoms, the rise in stress-related issues can:
1. Weaken your immune system
2. Raise your blood pressure
3. Disturb your sleep
4. Lead to depression
5. Cause memory loss

So What Can You Do?
As seen in the picture below, in 1949, a Swiss physiologist named Dr. Walter Hess, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine by revealing that two separate and distinct centers exist in your brain. The one on the left is the stress center, while the other one is an anti-stress center.3

An x-ray of the brain’s stress (left) and relaxation centers (right).
When you are able to activate the anti-stress spot by following the directions below, many wonderful health-promoting events occur. Your blood pressure goes down, your pulse decreases, your unhealthy stress chemicals plummet, and, perhaps most importantly, the amount of oxygen your body needs goes down.
This puts you into a true anti-aging zone, because, when you use less oxygen, you create fewer free radicals, which are a hallmark of the aging process.4
Additionally, as emerging medical research shows, the relaxation response changes your genetic expression for the better. The reason is because unbalanced stress shortens the tip of your gene called the telomere, and relaxation lengthens your telomere because it stops the harmful effects of stress on your genes. This new search shows that relaxation techniques such as meditation, actually “turn off” the disease-promoting process stress causes.5
Over the years, there have been hundreds, if not thousands of research studies revealing many health and healing benefits of regular relaxation techniques such as meditation, prayer, visualization, and so on, including the picture of a much younger brain. Regions involved in memory and attention were thicker in people who meditated regularly. While these areas tend to shrink with age, older meditators were able to ward off some of this shrinkage.6-7
Meditation has many other positive benefits as well. As seen in the illustration below, in many research studies over three decades, meditation has been shown to help your heart, reduce anxiety, soften chronic pain, and increase longevity.6

Regular meditation improves health and reduces disease.

A compilation of studies modeled after an article published by the Transcendental Meditation people many years ago. I wrote about it in Meditation as Medicine.
Here are the four steps needed to enter into the stress-mastering relaxation zone:

1. Comfort: You don’t have to sit like a pretzel to meditate. You can enter the zone in a soft chair. One caveat is that you don’t want to be so comfortable that you fall asleep.
Quiet: Your relaxation time is a special time, not to be interrupted by checking e-mail, blackberries, cell phones, or pets. Your time to meditate is sacred. If your spouse or significant other doesn’t meditate, they shouldn’t be in the room with you. The same holds true for children.

2. A Tool: In the basic form of relaxation, your tool can be any thought, sound, short prayer, or phrase upon that you wish to focus. It can literally be anything. Even paying attention to your breath works well. Ideally your word should be something easy. Examples are peace, love, heal, or the word one, which has a long history of being used in the research on basic relaxation and meditation.

3. An Attitude: Once you begin the process, you’ll be surprised to discover that your mind reacts like a four-year-old child. If you ask a four-year-old to sit still, they will probably end up running all around the room. It’s the same with your mind. At a time when you expect your mind to calm down, it actually speeds up. Why is this so? Well, all the pressure you have stored inside your mind is pent up in there. So, when we begin to elicit the response, it’s as if a trap door opens and “boom,” all these thoughts come flying out:

“Why didn’t I go to the bathroom before I started?
“I have to balance my checkbook.”
“I sure hope we get that mortgage.”
“Where’s my brother? He was supposed to be here an hour ago.”
“Whatever happened to Joan from the first grade?”

When you practice this technique, your mind will be bombarded by thoughts.

I’ve been doing it for three decades and it still happens to me every day. Not to worry. This is simply the normal stress-releasing process and is expected. It’s what you do with the thoughts that really count.

And what you do is — just let them go and return to your word.

As one of my patients from England once said in a great Beatles accent, “Oh, Dr. Dharma. You mean you just start all over again?” That’s right. When other thoughts enter your mind, you just start all over again. The way you do that is by going back to your focus word. For example, let’s say your word is one. When other thoughts enter into your mind, you simply say to yourself: “Oh, well, [your name], “relax, one.” That’s all there is to it.

To end the technique, simply inhale, hold your breath for a moment, and exhale. Then inhale again, slowly stretch your arms up, exhale, and relax. Slowly open your eyes and hold your gaze on whatever you see, for about one minute. Then inhale, exhale, and take your time getting up.
Believe it or not, you only have to do this for 10 minutes at least once every day, preferably before breakfast, to get the full effect. If you can do it a second time in the afternoon, all the better.

You can use a digital clock or even open your eyes and look at your wristwatch. Just don’t use an alarm, because it’s too startling. What you’ll find, with time, is that your mind will automatically know when the time is up.
It’s easy.

Best of Blessings,
Dr. Dharma

References
Stress In America; American Psychological Association Report, October 7, 2008.
Khalsa, D. 1998. Alternative therapies in Health and Medicine. 4(6): 38-43.
Hess WR. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1961; 86 3-8.
Beary, J,F, & Benson, H. (1974). Psychosomatic Medicine. 36, 115-120.
Dusek, J, et al. PLoS One 3(7): e2576, Published online July 2, 2008.
Khalsa, D. Meditation as Medicine. Atria Books 2001.
Lazar, S et al. 2005. Neuroreport. 16 17): 1893-1897.

Inspiration: The Power that Drives Your Creativity

Inspiration: The Power that Drives Your Creativity
by Dr. Matthew Anderson

When was the last time you felt truly inspired?
Can you remember the physical sensations that went with it?
How about the intense emotions that accompanied it?
Did your mind join in with ideas, plans and
possibilities for creative action?
Did this experience lead to something amazing
and wonderful in your life?
Is it something you would like to experience more often?

To be inspired implies an infusion of spirit — to be filled with a spirit of energy that can often feel powerful, exciting, stimulating, creative and even divine. Inspiration has been at the core of almost every great accomplishment known to human beings. But, for most people it seems to come and go at will, essentially uncontrollable. What if that was not the case? What if you could increase the frequency and intensity of inspiration with the proper use of certain techniques? Would you want to know more?

The experience of inspiration can become a regular part of your life if you are willing to follow the guidelines I have outlined below. They work for me and they will work for you.

Guidelines for Inviting Inspiration

Since we cannot control inspiration (trying to control it usually kills it), we need to learn how to invite it into our inner being. It is something that comes to us (or wells up within us) when we have created a receptive container. Here is how to do that.

1. Be willing to honor inspiration when it arrives. Be respectful.

2. Value imagination. Staying in your head (being rational and pragmatic) is the antithesis of creativity. Imagination is central and essential to the development of your inspiration.

3. Allow positive emotions to be part of the process. Feelings like wonder, excitement, joy, and enthusiasm nurture and encourage inspiration.

4. Practice stillness. Inspiration most often appears during times of quiet reflection. Excessive busyness will completely block the flow.

5. Pray for it. I often pray this simple prayer: “God open my heart and mind to receive your creativity and inspiration.”

6. Act on it. Action indicates that you are a trustworthy recipient of the gift. Once you have passed this “test” you will experience an increased flow of inspiration.

Let Providence Work It’s Magic

Finally, remember and trust in the following statement made by the great poet and philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). I have posted it on the wall in my office. You might do the same.

“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one commits oneself, then Providence moves too…

"Whatever you can do,Or dream you can, begin it,Boldness has genius,Power and magic in it.”

The 7 Steps to Happily Ever After

The 7 Steps to Happily Ever After
Feature from "Redbook" Magazine

By Marjorie Ingall

What makes love last a lifetime? Affection? Yep. Respect? Sure. But a great marriage is not just about what you have. It's about what you do to make a relationship stronger, safer, more caring and committed. Here's how to make your "forever" fantastic.

Marriage is a home, a refuge against the outside storms. And like any house, it requires a strong, lasting foundation. To build one, every couple needs to take certain steps — seven, to be precise — that turn the two of you into not just you and me but we. You may not move through all the steps in order, and you may circle back to complete certain steps again (and again and again). But if you make it through them all, you'll be well on your way toward creating a marriage that will be your shelter as long as you both shall live.

Step 1: Find a shared dream for your life together.

It's easy to get caught up in the small stuff of married life: What's for dinner tonight? Whose turn is it to clean the litter box? Did you pay the electric bill? But the best partners never lose sight of the fact that they're working together to achieve the same big dreams. "Successful couples quickly develop a mindfulness of 'us,' of being coupled," says REDBOOK Love Network expert Jane Greer, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist in New York City. "They have a shared vision, saying things like, 'We want to plan to buy a house, we want to take a vacation to such-and-such a place, we like to do X, we think we want to start a family at Y time.'"

This kind of dream-sharing starts early. "Couples love to tell the story of how they met," points out Julie Holland, M.D., a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. "It's like telling a fairy tale. But happy couples will go on creating folklore and history, with the meet-cute forming the bedrock of the narrative." As you write and rewrite your love story ("our hardest challenge was X, our dream for retirement is Y"), you continually remind yourselves and each other that you're a team with shared values and goals. And P.S.: When you share a dream, you're a heck of a lot more likely to make that dream come true.

Step 2: Ignite (and reignite) a sexual connection.

In any good relationship, sex is way more than just a physical act. It's crucial for the health of your emotional connection, too: It's something only the two of you share; it makes you both feel warm and loved; it draws you back together when you're drifting apart. And did I mention that it's a whole lot of fun?

Striking up those sparks when you first meet is easy. Nurturing a strong, steady flame? That's the hard part. When you've got a mortgage, a potbelly, and a decade or two of togetherness under your belts, it can be hard to muster up the fire you felt when you first got together. That's when it's even more important to protect your sex life and make it a priority. "You have to keep working to create allure and seduction for each other or your sex life will become lackluster," Greer points out. "Who wants the same turkey sandwich over and over? You want it on whole wheat! On toast! As turkey salad! On a roll!" (And now I will imagine my husband covered with Russian dressing. Thanks, Dr. Greer.)

As the years go by, you'll keep revisiting and realigning and reimagining the passion you have for each other. And if you keep at it, you'll have a sex life that transcends your marriage's lack of newness, the stresses of family and work, the physical changes that come with aging. Now that's something worth holding on to.

Step 3: Choose each other as your first family.

For years, you were primarily a member of one family: the one in which you grew up. Then you got married, and suddenly you became the foundation of a new family, one in which husband and wife are the A-team. It can be tough to shift your identity like this, but it's also an important part of building your self-image as a duo (and maybe, eventually, as three or four or...).

For me, making this transition meant stopping the incessant bitching to my mom when I was mad at my husband — my behavior was disloyal, and I had to learn to talk to Jonathan, not about him. My friend Lynn tells the story of her mother's reaction to a trip to the Middle East she and her then-boyfriend (now husband) had planned. Her mother hit the roof, calling incessantly to urge Lynn not to go. Eventually, Lynn's boyfriend got on the phone with Mom and explained why they were excited to share this experience. "It was clear then that we were the team," Lynn says now. "Not teaming up against my mother, but teaming up together to deal with her issues."

Whatever your challenges — an overprotective mom? an overly critical father-in-law? — you have to outline together the boundaries between you and all of the families connected to you. Not only will you feel stronger as a united front but when you stick to your shared rules, all that family baggage will weigh on you a lot less.

Step 4: Learn how to fight right.

I'm embarrassed to think of how I coped with conflict early in my relationship with Jonathan. I stormed out — a lot. I once threw an apple at his head. Hard. (Don't worry, I missed — on purpose.) I had a terrible habit of threatening divorce at the slightest provocation. But eventually I figured that this was pretty moronic. I didn't want out, and I knew that pelting someone with fruit was not a long-term marital strategy.

"Fighting is the big problem every couple has to deal with," says Daniel B. Wile, Ph.D., a psychologist and couples therapist in Oakland, CA, and author of After the Fight. That's because fights will always come up, so every couple needs to learn how to fight without tearing each other apart.

Fighting right doesn't just mean not throwing produce; it means staying focused on the issue at hand and respecting each other's perspective. Couples that fight right also find ways to defuse the tension, says Wile — often with humor. "Whenever one of us wants the other to listen up, we mime hitting the TV remote, a thumb pressing down on an invisible mute button," says Nancy, 52, an event producer in San Francisco. "It cracks us up, in part because it must look insane to others." Even if you fight a lot, when you can find a way to turn fights toward the positive — with a smile, a quick apology, an expression of appreciation for the other person — the storm blows away fast, and that's what matters.

Step 5: Find a balance between time for two and time for you.

Jonathan and I both work at home. This frequently leads to murderous impulses. Though I'm typing away in the bedroom and he's talking to his consulting clients in our small home office, most days it really feels like too much intimacy for me.

But that's my bias. When it comes to togetherness, every couple has its own unique sweet spot. "There are couples that are never apart and there are couples that see each other only on weekends," Greer says. With the right balance, neither partner feels slighted or smothered. You have enough non-shared experiences to fire you up and help you maintain a sense of yourself outside the relationship — not to mention give you something to talk about at the dinner table. But you also have enough time together to feel your connection as a strong tie rather than as a loose thread.

Your togetherness needs will also change over time, so you'll have to shift your balance accordingly. "My husband and I spend a lot of time together, but it's almost all family time," says Katie, 40, a mom of two in San Leandro, CA. "We realized a few months ago that we hadn't had a conversation that didn't involve the kids or our to-do lists in ages, so we committed to a weekly date. We were so happy just to go to the movies and hold hands, something we hadn't done in ages. It felt like we were dating again!"

Step 6: Build a best friendship.

Think about the things that make your closest friendships irreplaceable: the trust that comes with true intimacy, the willingness to be vulnerable, the confidence that the friendship can withstand some conflict. Don't those sound like good things to have in your marriage, too?

"Happy couples are each other's haven," says Holland. "They can count on the other person to listen and try to meet their needs." Greer adds, "When you're true friends, you acknowledge and respect what the other person is; you don't try to control or change them. This creates a sense of safety and security when you're together — you know you're valued for who you are and you see the value in your partner."

Then there's the way, when you've been with someone a while, that you become almost a mind reader. You have a shared history and inside jokes. Your guy knows what you'll find funny, you forward him links to articles you know he'll enjoy, and best of all, you two can make eye contact at a given moment and say volumes without opening your mouths. And is there anything more pleasurable than sharing the newspaper with someone? Sitting in companionable silence, absorbed in your respective reading, sipping coffee, occasionally reading something out loud, but mostly just lazing happily together, communing without needing to speak? Ahh....

Step 7: Face down a major challenge together.

You're sailing along through life, and suddenly you hit a huge bump. A serious illness. Unemployment. The loss of a home. A death in the family. How do you cope?

The truth is, you never know how strong your relationship is until it's tested. All too often, the stress of a crisis can pull a couple apart. But the good news is, when you do make it through in one piece, you might just find yourselves tighter than ever.

"What didn't happen to us?" says Daryl, 28, a preschool teacher in Harrisburg, PA. "My husband lost his job and took a minimum-wage job he was way overqualified for just to make ends meet. He was offered a better job in a mountain town outside San Diego, so we moved. Then during the California wildfires several years ago, our house burned down and we lost everything. We were living in a one-room converted garage with no running water and a newborn. But we found that this chaos somehow brought us even closer together. We took turns losing it. We really kept each other sane."

Hey, marriage is no roll in the hay. It's tough, real work. But the reward, the edifice you build together that will shelter you through years of tough times, is more than worth the effort. The small, friendly cottage you build — decorated with your shared history and stories, filled with color and laughter — will be the warmest and safest retreat you can imagine.

Your 12 Most Embarrassing Beauty Questions -- Answered

Your 12 Most Embarrassing Beauty Questions -- Answered

By Amy M. Keller.

When the normal bacteria on your feet interact with moisture trapped in your socks and shoes, they emit stinky sulfurous byproducts, says Doris J. Day, M.D., an assistant professor of dermatology at New York University.

1. What causes foot odor?

The fix: Since dry feet equals odor-free feet, wear absorbent cotton socks with shoes made from breathable materials, like canvas and leather, and sprinkle Zeasorb - an over-the-counter drying powder - into your shoes every morning. Three nights a week, pour a pot of tea made with several regular (not herbal) tea bags into a basin, then soak your feet for five to 10 minutes. The tannic acid in tea temporarily inhibits sweat production. See your doctor if your feet are also red, swollen or scaly to make sure a bacterial or fungal infection isn't causing the smell.

2. Why does my breath smell despite constant brushing?

Although brushing will help prevent cavities (so don't stop scrubbing), it can only mask bad breath, since the problem really lies within your throat and tongue, not your teeth. When the bacteria in your mouth lose access to oxygen (which can happen when you use alcohol-based mouthwashes, take certain prescription medications for depression or high blood pressure or simply sit with your mouth shut for a long time), they emit smelly sulfur compounds, says Harold Katz, D.D.S., founder of The California Breath Clinic in Los Angeles; this is the same principle at work with foot odor. Eating garlic and onion also makes your breath stink because they contain - surprise - those same sulfur compounds.

The fix: Contrary to popular belief, a tongue scraper won't banish bad breath - sulfur compounds cannot be removed manually. Instead, keep your mouth oxygenated by drinking water throughout the day and using an over-the-counter oral rinse with chlorine dioxide in both the A.M. and the P.M. to neutralize sulfur compounds. (Try TheraBreath Oral Rinse.) Chewing on oxygen-rich vegetables, like parsley and celery, can also diminish odors. If these tricks don't work, see your dentist.

3. I've started to sweat through my blouses. Should I be worried?

Most likely there's nothing to fear, says Joseph L. Jorizzo, M.D., chairperson of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. You probably just have a benign, hereditary tendency toward excessive sweating that can crop up at any age. But see your doctor to rule out an overactive thyroid, a low blood-sugar level and a number of other problems that can cause continual heavy sweating.

The fix: Before bed, towel-dry your armpits and apply the prescription antiperspirant solution Drysol (it contains a higher percentage of aluminum chloride - a drying agent - than regular deodorants do). Wash the solution off in the A.M. and don't reapply any deodorant. Repeat nightly. Still not satisfied? Ask your doctor about Botox injections - one treatment ($800 to $1,500) can paralyze sweat glands for six months to a year.

4. Every time I shave, I get a bumpy rash along my bikini line -- what's causing it?

A too-close shave or waxing can make hairs split and loop around just under the surface of the skin. As these off-kilter hairs grow, they push up against your skin, causing inflammation and redness, says Lawrence Moy, M.D., chief of dermatology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

The fix: Put down your loofah; dermatologists now agree that rubbing the bumps to free trapped hairs will only make the problem worse. Instead, apply an OTC acetylsalicylic acid (a.k.a. aspirin) solution twice a day for two to seven days to gently exfoliate the top layer of your skin. (Try Soft Cell.) Once you shed this layer, the looped hairs will be able to poke through. A cortisone injection, administered by your dermatologist, will decrease inflammation in bigger bumps. If ingrown hairs are a persistent problem, you may want to consider laser treatment, which damages the hair follicles and prevents hair growth. You'll need about three treatments (each around $350) followed by a touch-up every six months to a year.

5. I've heard that spider veins are hereditary. My mom doesn't have them, so why do I?

Genetics isn't the only cause of these unsightly blue veins. Pregnancy and trauma to the leg (like bumping into something) can bring them on, says Esta Kronberg, M.D., a Houston, TX, dermatologist.

The fix: Though vitamin K cream has been touted by some as the next big thing in spider-vein treatment (possibly because of its ability to constrict blood vessels, which supposedly makes veins less visible), there's no way the molecules in the cream can penetrate the skin on your legs and be absorbed into your veins, says Jorizzo. The best option - with 95 percent of patients seeing improvement after one to three treatments (up to $300 per treatment, per leg) -- is still sclerotherapy, tiny injections of saline solution, which irritates veins and causes them to swell shut.

6. Are the bumps on my butt and on the backs of my arms pimples?

No. They're actually called keratosis pilaris - the cause is unknown, but some claim that it's a hereditary condition.

The fix: You can soften and help slough off bumps by rubbing them with a mixture of equal parts petroleum jelly and either water or cold cream. If that doesn't work, prescription Retin-A probably will, but it can irritate the surrounding skin. A better alternative: prescription LactiCare-HC Lotion 2 1/2%, which contains lactic acid to dissolve dead skin cells and hydrocortisone to soothe any acid-induced irritation. Rub lotion onto bumps twice a day until they clear up.

7. What's causing my toenail fungus?

Toenail fungus is actually athlete's foot (often picked up from shared showers or borrowed shoes) that has spread into your toenails.

The fix: The most effective treatment is a prescription antifungal pill like Lamisil or Sporanox, but be warned: These treatments are only 70 to 80 percent effective at best, and even when they work it takes nearly a year and a half for the toenail to fully grow out, says Day. Prevent a recurrence by wearing shower slippers every time you rinse off at the gym and by not borrowing shoes.

8. Why do my teeth look so dingy?

Smoking and excessive consumption of dark beverages (like coffee, tea, soda and red wine) are the main causes of stained teeth, says Lana Rozenberg, D.D.S., founder of the Rozenberg Dental Day Spa in New York City.

The fix: As with clothing stains, the longer discolorations remain on your teeth, the harder they are to remove - so keep up those twice-a-year dental visits. You can lighten your teeth several shades with a whitening toothpaste that contains carbamide peroxide, but use it only once a day to avoid drying out gum tissue. (Try Rembrandt Plus with Peroxide toothpaste.) Floss treated with the whitening agent silica has also been proven to polish away stains, which often form between teeth. (Try Johnson & Johnson Reach Whitening Floss.) For more dramatic results, your dentist can bleach your teeth up to eight shades brighter with a highly concentrated peroxide gel administered via laser ($800 to $1,500) or in a custom-fitted mouthpiece ($600 to $1,000) that you wear an hour a day for about 10 days, says Rozenberg. (Though drugstore bleaching kits are much less expensive, they aren't quite as effective -- the gel isn't as strong, and since the mouthpieces aren't created specifically for you, the gel can drip out of them and inflame your gums.)

9. Why do I have stretch marks?

You may suspect that the marks on your tummy, thighs or hips were caused by pregnancy or significant weight fluctuations. What you may not know, though, is that hormonal changes that occur during normal growth spurts can also cause your skin to stretch and scar, says Lawrence Moy, M.D. Red marks appear when your skin stretches and thins so much that you can see your blood flowing through the skin's thinned outer layers, says Joseph L. Jorizzo, M.D., When your skin stretches minimally or the stretched skin is thick, white marks result.

The fix: No treatment is guaranteed to remove stretch marks, but you can make them less noticeable. Try twice-daily applications of OTC Striae Stretch Mark Creme - several studies have confirmed that it can reduce red or white marks in about four weeks. Or ask your doctor about laser therapy ($450 to $700 per treatment), which can tone down the brightness of recently acquired red marks, or microdermabrasion ($50 to $150 per session), which can diminish the appearance of white marks.

10. Could there be a serious underlying cause for excess facial hair?

If you fight your follicles on a daily basis or sprout lots of hairs on your chin, see your doctor. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (a disorder characterized by high levels of male hormones) or an adrenal gland problem could be to blame. If you're moderately hairy (you tidy up your brows or upper-lip area once a month), you've probably just got your genes to thank.

The fix: Vaniqa - a new, odorless prescription cream- has recently been approved by the FDA to decrease light to heavy hair growth anywhere on the face ($50 for a two-month supply). Though it doesn't yield immediate results (you'll need to keep using your regular hair-removal methods at first), the cream blocks one of the enzymes responsible for hair growth, gradually slowing it down as long as you continue to use it, says Ken Washenik, M.D., director of dermatopharmacology at New York University School of Medicine. For those who don't respond to Vaniqa, six laser hair treatments ($150 each) can significantly decrease hair growth for months. A monthly electrolysis session for up to a year ($60 to $100 each) can remove hair permanently.

11. Why is my face so shiny?

If you are also losing hair and have stopped getting your period, a hormonal imbalance could be the culprit, and you should see your doctor. If not, your skin is just oversensitive to your male hormones (we all have them) - and this is triggering the production of excess oil. Another possibility: a too-harsh cleansing routine (some of you have written to us saying you use rubbing alcohol to nix shine!). Many derms believe that alcohol-based toners and gritty scrubs can overdry and irritate your skin and make it produce extra oil to compensate, says Doris J. Day, M.D.

The fix: Your best bet is to regulate oil without overdrying your skin. So in the morning, wash your face with an oil-free lotion cleanser, then rub on an alcohol-free toner. (Try Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin and Bath & Body Works Bio Face Oil-Control Facial Toner.) Top with the OTC oil-absorbing gel Clinac OC. Sop up shiny spots throughout the day with blotting papers. (Try Hard Candy Shiny Sheets.) Repeat your A.M. routine - minus the gel - before bed. If you continue to shine, ask your dermatologist about Retin-A Micro. Less irritating than regular Retin-A, this prescription cream was created to treat acne but has also been proven effective against oiliness.

12. What causes hand warts?

The human papilloma virus is responsible for warts - but to get them you have to be both genetically predisposed and in close contact with an infected person, says Doris J. Day, M.D.

The fix: With a clean nail file, gently slough off the top layers of your warts daily to remove dead skin, says Day. (Do not use this nail file for anything but wart removal.) Then rub on over-the-counter Occlusal HP - its highly concentrated salicylic acid dissolves warts. If warts remain after several months, consult your dermatologist about other remedies, including laser therapy and liquid nitrogen treatments. Despite treatment, however, warts can come back. A warning: Be careful when engaging in sexual activity - though it's unlikely, hand warts can spread to your (or your partner's) genitals.

Secrets of Restaurant Nutrition
What you need to know about nutrition and food safety in your favorite restaurants.
By Elizabeth Lee
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Restaurant secrets often start with nutrition. And until now, those restaurant nutrition facts have been available on a hit-or-miss basis.

That's starting to change, as Congress considers two bills that would require chain restaurants to provide information similar to that on a nutrition facts label on packaged foods in supermarkets.

Beyond restaurant nutrition, there are other tips and tricks of the trade that many diners don't know. Want to find out more restaurant secrets about food safety, portion sizes, and which foods offer the most nutrition -- and value -- for the buck? Keep reading.
Calorie Counts

One of the biggest restaurant secrets is nutritional information. Think about it: How many diners would chow down on one of Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onions if they knew it contained an estimated 2,130 calories?

But that may be changing. Of the two bills going through Congress, one would require restaurants with 20 or more outlets to provide nutrition information however they choose, such as on brochures or web sites; another would require restaurant nutrition information on menus or menu boards.

"If it isn't on the menu then it isn't worth doing, because nobody sees it," says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.

In New York City, where restaurants with at least 15 outlets were recently required to begin displaying calories on menus or menu boards, diners have taken notice. Some 90% of restaurant patrons said calorie counts were higher than expected, according to a survey by Technomic, a Chicago-based market research firm.

That information is changing what 82% of diners order, according to the Technomic study. Sixty percent of those surveyed said it also affects what restaurants they visit.

Want more restaurant nutrition information now on what you're eating? Check web sites. Most fast-food chains already provide this information online, as do a handful of dinner-house chains. Yum Brands, which owns Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and other brands, is starting to place calorie counts on menu boards at all company-owned restaurants nationwide and will finish the work by 2011.
Off-Site Food Preparation

To cut down on labor costs, speed up service, and reduce the risk of food-borne illness, many chain restaurants and some independent restaurants serve food that is partially or fully cooked elsewhere, often in a central kitchen or food-processing facility. The practice helps restaurants solve training issues caused by the industry's high employee turnover rate.

"There are big labor savings," says Barbara Fields Brown, director of operations for Global Concessions, which owns 12 restaurants at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. "And we do not have to be worried about a lot of cross-contamination, because the food has already been cooked."

For diners, the benefits are less clear. They'll find consistently prepared food at chain outlets across the country. But if they'd like their steak prepared without seasoning or less salt in the chicken fajitas, they're out of luck.
How Clean Is the Restaurant?

Restaurants accounted for 41% of food-borne disease outbreaks between 1990 and 2006, according to a report compiled by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Private homes accounted for 22%.

Checking out a restaurant's health inspection report offers just a snapshot of its cleanliness on one day. If you live in a state or region where inspection reports must be posted in a restaurant or grades placed on entry doors, take the time to check out the information. Some inspection forms show previous grades, giving a more complete picture of a restaurant's attention to sanitation.

Many states and regions are moving to put restaurant health scores online, too. Find out who inspects restaurants in your area, then go online and look for scores. Hint: Many are listed under the "environmental health" section of local health department web sites.

Many restaurants have stringent food safety policies and training programs. Check out their web sites or ask a manager for information. Find out if the restaurant offers sick leave to employees. Many don't, which means sick employees are likely to show up for work and potentially spread illness.
Economy's Impact on Restaurant Food

As restaurants adjust to having fewer patrons, they may be adjusting what's on the plate to keep prices low. That can mean reducing the portion size of more expensive foods, or substituting less costly items, all of which can affect restaurant nutrition.

Some restaurants are shrinking portions of meat and adding more vegetables and starches. More steamed broccoli is a good thing, but watch out for plates heaped with starches heavy in calories and saturated fat, such as buttery mashed potatoes and noodles in a cream sauce.

Other restaurants are leaving portion sizes alone but switching from more expensive, leaner cuts of meat, like tenderloin and pork chops, to fattier meats such as pork shoulder (Boston butt), spare ribs, beef short ribs, and chuck roast.

Here's another restaurant secret: For the best bargains and the most nutrients, stick to the center of the menu. Entrees usually have lower markups and more nutritional balance than other parts of a menu, like desserts, beverages and appetizers. A non-chocolate dessert may cost more than four times as much as the ingredients it contains. Lobster, on the other hand, is priced much closer to what it actually costs the restaurant, says Kevin Gillespie, executive chef at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta.

Small plates that are scaled-down versions of entrees can be a good deal. But watch how many you order, to keep calories and costs under control. Restaurants that have switched to small plates report higher check averages, because customers typically order more food.
Special Diets

On a special diet? Check a restaurant's web site before you go. Many restaurants, especially chain restaurants, include restaurant nutrition information about allergens, gluten-free foods, and diabetic exchanges online even if they don't disclose calories and other nutritional data.

Ask for a customized plate if you're on a restricted diet, but understand that not all restaurants can fulfill your request. While some chefs enjoy the creative challenge of preparing a low-sodium or low-fat meal, a special meal may be tougher at high-volume restaurants that may rely on meats or entrees prepared off-site.
Watch the Seafood

Be picky about seafood. Chef and author Anthony Bourdain clued foodies in to an unwritten restaurant secret -- never eat seafood on Mondays -- in Kitchen Confidential. That's because many restaurants, except a select group that specialize in fresh seafood, don't get deliveries over the weekend. And seafood deteriorates much more rapidly than meat and poultry.

Carvel Grant Gould, executive chef at Atlanta's Canoe, adds another warning. "I reject stuff all day long, and then they sell it to somebody else," she says. "You ought to eat your seafood in a place that's very reputable."

You can't check out a cooked piece of fish as you would a raw filet in the supermarket, but you can still evaluate it for freshness. When the plate comes to your table, smell the seafood. If it smells fishy, or of ammonia, it's not fresh.
Foods High in Sodium

Foods prepared in restaurants as well as packaged foods are often high in sodium, even those that seem healthier. A McDonald's Premium Southwest Salad With Grilled Chicken and Newman's Own Creamy Southwest Dressing has more sodium (1,300 milligrams) than a Big Mac (1,040 milligrams).

Sodium counts can be higher at dinner-house chains, where the portions are often large. An order of grilled pork chops at Romano's Macaroni Grill contains 3,540 milligrams of sodium, more than double the amount most adults should eat in a day. A child's portion of macaroni and cheese comes in at 1,980, according to the restaurant's web site.

Check nutrition information if it's available. Some restaurants provide sodium information or suggest lower-sodium options, even if they don't disclose complete nutritional data. Outback Steakhouse suggests that guests who want to cut sodium order salads without croutons or dressings, and get burgers and sandwiches without cheese, sauces, bacon, and dressings.

If you are trying to control how much sodium you consume while dining out, the American Heart Association recommends asking that your food be prepared without salt. It also advises using pepper or fresh lemon juice instead of salt to season your food. But if the food is prepared in a central facility rather than in the restaurant's kitchen, you may not be able to get a meal prepared without added sodium.


SOURCES:

Jacobson, M. and Hurley, J. Restaurant Confidential, Workman, 2002.

News release, National Restaurant Association.

News release, Technomic, Inc.

News release, Yum Brands

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

News release, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Center for Science in the Public Interest: "Dirty Dining."

Sarah Klein, staff attorney for food safety, Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Restaurant Hospitality: "Less is More."

Kevin Gillespie, executive chef, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta.

Carvel Grant Gould, executive chef, Canoe, Atlanta.

Arby's.

American Heart Association.

Romano's Macaroni Grill.

Outback Steakhouse.
Reviewed on February 25, 2009

High Cholesterol Treatment -- What Works?

High Cholesterol Treatment -- What Works?
Safe, effective treatment for high cholesterol isn't hard -- but it can be confusing. Get the facts.
By R. Morgan Griffin
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

If you've just been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may be worried. After all, along with your age, genes, and other factors, high cholesterol is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. But while you can't turn back the clock or yank out unhealthy genes from your DNA, you can change your cholesterol numbers. That's because high cholesterol treatment works.

"We have good, safe treatments for high cholesterol," says Adolph Hutter, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "They can directly lower your risks of heart attack, stroke, and death. So why not take advantage of them?"

For many people, making changes to their lifestyle -- eating better, losing weight, and exercising -- will be enough to lower cholesterol. Others may benefit from medicines. Often, a combination of these approaches is the right choice.

But where do you start? "People tend to be very confused about treating high cholesterol," says Nathan D. Wong, PhD, director of the heart disease prevention program at the University of California, Irvine.

WebMD talked to experts to help reduce the confusion -- and help you sort through your high cholesterol treatment options.

* Is it time to consider medication? Take this quiz for cholesterol-lowering tips.

Finding the Best High Cholesterol Treatment

There's a lot of variability in how high cholesterol treatments work in a given person. Treatment that did wonders for your spouse may do nothing for you. Some of it depends on your genes. You and your doctor will need to come up with a custom-tailored approach.

For most people, the first high cholesterol treatment to try is three lifestyle changes:

* Eating better
* Maintaining (or losing) weight
* Exercising more

Some people, if they already have other risk factors -- such as diabetes -- may immediately start medication as well.

While lifestyle changes can really help bring your cholesterol down, Wong says that not enough people give them a real chance.

"The problem is that both patients and their doctors like immediate results," he tells WebMD. "Lowering your cholesterol with exercise and diet is just not like that."

So try to give high cholesterol lifestyle treatments time to work. If they do, you can avoid the hassle of being on a daily medicine for the rest of your life.
Eating Right as a High Cholesterol Treatment

We've all heard that diet has an effect on cholesterol, but there's much confusion about what you should or shouldn't eat. Here's a rundown of the current evidence.

* Fat. If you have high cholesterol, you should cut down on saturated fat -- found in fatty meats and whole milk dairy products like cheese, ice cream, and butter. You also need to reduce your intake of trans fats, a man-made fat found in many processed foods, like stick margarine.

But the message isn't as simple as "fat is bad." There are a number of foods with healthy unsaturated fats that will actually improve your cholesterol. They include fatty fish like tuna and salmon, walnuts, and almonds. Since even good fats are high in calories, you should still eat them in moderation.
* Calories. According to Wong, the importance of counting your calories is often overlooked by people with high cholesterol. No matter how much or how little fat or cholesterol is in a food, its calories still add up. Eating too much of it can lead to weight gain, and that increases your risk of high cholesterol.

* High cholesterol foods. Experts have long urged people with high cholesterol to shun foods loaded with cholesterol, like egg yolks, shrimp, and organ meats. While some recent evidence suggests eggs may not be quite as harmful as once thought, experts still generally recommend you limit all high cholesterol foods. Also, don't assume that a food labeled "cholesterol-free" is necessarily good for you.

So what sort of diet works as a high cholesterol treatment? Ask your doctor for specific recommendations. Some experts recommend a Mediterranean-style diet, which cuts down on saturated and trans fats, while boosting intake of healthy unsaturated fats from fish and nuts.

If an improved diet doesn't help your cholesterol, don't feel like a failure. Because of their genes, some people just don't respond as well to this approach.


Weight Loss & Exercise as a High Cholesterol Treatment

Being overweight or obese ups your odds of having high LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels and low HDL (good cholesterol) levels. It can also lead to other serious risks like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. So it's crucial to keep a healthy weight.

As a high cholesterol treatment, physical activity can have a modest effect. Exercise can lower your triglycerides (and bad LDL cholesterol to a lesser extent) and boost your good HDL cholesterol. So you should aim to get some physical activity -- even just a brisk walk -- for 30-60 minutes most days of the week.

But there are limits to what exercise can do. "For most people, exercise by itself wouldn't be an effective therapy to lower cholesterol," says Laurence S. Sperling, MD, director of preventive cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga. But it can keep your weight down and reduce other cardiovascular risks.


Medications as High Cholesterol Treatments

If lifestyle changes haven't been enough as a high cholesterol treatment -- or if you're at high risk of cardiovascular problems -- your doctor will likely turn to medications. In most cases, the first drug you will try is a statin.

Statins like Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, and Zocor work by blocking the effects of an enzyme that helps make cholesterol. They can lower bad LDL cholesterol by an impressive 20-55%. They have a modest effect on triglycerides and give a mild boost to your good cholesterol, too.

But don't assume that taking a statin makes you invulnerable. They won't cancel out a diet of french fries and fondue. "Statins are a complement to dietary changes," says Hutter, "not a replacement for them."
As with any drug, there are side effects. They can cause muscle aches, an increase in liver enzymes, and other issues. But the risks are low and it's important to keep them in perspective.

"On one hand, statins can reduce your risk of death, heart attack, stroke by 30-35%," says Sperling. "On the other, they pose a 1-2% risk of generally mild side effects." The benefits are often worth the small risk, Sperling says.

Although they tend to be overshadowed by statins, other medicines are also important high cholesterol treatments instead of, or in addition to, statins. They include:

* Bile acid resins like Colestid, Lo-Cholest, Prevalite, Questran, and WelChol. They stick to cholesterol in the intestines and prevent it from being absorbed. They can lower LDL cholesterol by 15-30%.
* Ezetimibe (Zetia) blocks some of the cholesterol from being absorbed by your body. It can lower LDL levels by 18-25%.
* Fibric acid like Antara, Atromid, Lopid, and Tricor. They reduce your triglycerides and may give a mild boost to your HDL.
* Niacin, available as Niacor, Niaspan, and Nicolar. Niacin modestly lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and can raise HDL cholesterol at low doses. LDL levels are usually cut by 5-15%.
* A combination medicine like ezetimibe with simvastatin (Vytorin) which uses a statin to block production of cholesterol and ezetimibe to prevent cholesterol from being absorbed.

Remember that medicines aren't right for everyone. Since they're often taken for life, you and your doctor need to carefully discuss whether you should use them.


Do Alternative High Cholesterol Treatments Work?

While lifestyle changes and medicines have been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, the same can't always be said for many alternative treatments. Some of the various supplements and herbs that have been touted as high cholesterol treatments are garlic, policosanol, and guggul.

While a few studies of garlic have found a modest benefit, a recent study of policosanol found no effect. However, none of these studies have been large enough to be definitive, experts say.

Keep in mind that, unlike medications, herbal products are not regulated by the FDA. They are not evaluated to see if they work. They could also interact with other medicines you use.

"You just don't know what you're getting when you buy these products," says Wong. So if you want to take an alternative high cholesterol treatment, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Sticking to Your High Cholesterol Treatments

Many people find that their dedication to lowering their cholesterol fades over time. When they're first diagnosed, they're gung ho. They go on a diet and train like marathon runners. But after a few months, they get complacent. Their low-cholesterol cookbooks gather dust and their gym membership card lies in a sock drawer.
Sticking to Your High Cholesterol Treatments continued...

It is very easy to forget about high cholesterol. Even though it may still be doing damage, you can't feel it.

So how can you make healthy changes stick? The experts have some advice.

* Get tested regularly. All adults need to be tested at least once every five years. People with high cholesterol or other risk factors may need to be tested once a year or more.
* Know your numbers. "People need to know what the cholesterol numbers are and what their target numbers should be," says Sperling.
* If you've been prescribed medicine, take it. It's easy to get lax about taking a daily medicine. So do what you can to remember. Use a weekly pill box or an alarm to help you remember.
* Get help in making lifestyle changes. Changing the way you eat isn't easy -- you've probably developed some bad habits over the decades. But, unfortunately, Wong says that many doctors -- because they are so busy -- just don't give good guidance on this crucial part of treatment.

"Doctors might just tell a patient, 'Exercise more and eat less,'" Wong says. "But making these changes requires a lot more than vague advice."

So ask specific questions about what to do. If you find you're having trouble making changes to your habits, check back in with your doctor. If possible, Wong suggests having a few meetings with a dietician who can help guide you.

Perhaps most importantly, you need to stay involved. Don't be a passive about your high cholesterol treatment. Partnering with your doctor will lead to better results, says Sperling.

So whether you've been just diagnosed with high cholesterol or have known for years (and never gotten around to doing anything about it) now is the time to get serious. High cholesterol treatment is safe and it works. It could even save your life.

Is There Sex After Heart Disease?

Is There Sex After Heart Disease?
Doctors have good news for heart patients hoping to resume sexual activity.
By Karen Springen

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Four years ago, Emmetsburg, Iowa, insurance agent Jim Wirtz, now 65, had triple bypass surgery. Just 10 days later, he was back at the office. Three weeks after that, he received a clean bill of health from his doctors, who said he could do any physical activity -- except shovel heavy snow.

Wirtz took their advice, and he and his wife resumed having intercourse. "Stay in the game, whether it's sex or work," he says. "My own philosophy is, you just better live."

Wirtz is doing what doctors say most heart disease patients can and should do: having sex after heart disease. "We encourage people to stay physically and sexually active," says Vincent Bufalino, MD, a cardiologist and spokesman for the American Heart Association and president and CEO of Midwest Heart Specialists. "They tend to be happier folks."

That's good news for the 80 million Americans with one or more forms of cardiovascular disease, including the 7.9 million who will suffer from a new or recurrent heart attack this year.

There are, of course, some caveats to resuming sex after heart disease. Here's what else people need to know:
Stress Tests

It's important to remember that sex is a workout. So doctors typically tell patients to abstain from sex after heart disease until they can withstand the cardiac workout.

"The concern is if somebody has absolutely no physical activity and then with sexual activity is more physically active than any other time," says Peter Schlegel, MD, chairman of urology at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

But patients who can handle the stairs or walk six minutes on the treadmill should be OK. "They shouldn't have any fear," Bufalino says. "I tell them if you can pass your stress test, you are more than comfortable to do anything you want -- have intercourse, play tennis, or go for a light jog around the block. We shouldn't have intercourse be one of the things we stay away from."
Sex After a Heart Attack or Bypass Surgery

Not surprisingly, some patients, or their partners, are afraid that sex will trigger a heart attack.

"After a heart attack or any kind of heart disease, they're frightened about whether or not they can have a sexual life," says Wei Jiang, MD, an internist and psychiatrist at Duke Health Systems at Duke University.

But the reality is that most patients can have a sexual life. Although you can't jump into sex the day after a heart attack or surgery, most people can resume sexual relations three to six weeks afterward, as long as they are free of chest pain or other complications.

Sex also gives heart disease patients a good incentive to change their lifestyles. "What's bad for the heart is bad for the penis," says Harry Fisch, MD, a urologist at Columbia University, and author of Size Matters. And what's good for the heart -- exercising, maintaining an ideal body weight, not smoking -- is good for the bedroom. "Everything that is healthy for your heart is healthy for your erection," Schlegel says.

If concerns persist, "You may want to seek out a psychologist to speak with about some of your fears," says Susan Czajkowski, PhD, program director for the NHLBI's division of prevention and population sciences. "The goal really is to get people back to as close as possible their normal set of activities and feeling good about themselves and feeling pleasure… Quality of life is important."
Erectile Dysfunction

Although heart disease is a risk factor for erectile function, erectile dysfunction can be an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease. The reason: the tiny arteries that go into the penis are about half the diameter of the ones that go into the heart, so they "clog up" first, says Craig Niederberger, MD, a urologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "The penis is like a red flag…You generally get about three years between symptoms of erectile dysfunction and symptoms of heart disease. Every man with ED should be considered a man with potential heart disease."

People with heart disease also likely have other risk factors for ED such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and obesity.
Medications

Beta-blockers, used for irregular heart beats after open heart surgery and to lower blood pressure, are the biggest culprit that can interfere with sex after heart disease. They lower blood pressure -- and the "hemodynamic fill of the penis," says Paul Turek, MD, a retired professor of urology at the University of California at San Francisco and director of the Turek Clinic in San Francisco. "Think of it as a hose. If you lower the pressure, you're effectively … turning off the hose. The inflow is lower."

Doctors also can try to adjust the drug's dosage over time, which can also help, or switch patients to a different medication.

An erectile dysfunction drug may help, but some men may not be able to take ED drugs because of other medications.
Using ED Drugs

Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis are OK -- with some exceptions. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra) do not increase heart attack or death rates and are considered safe for most men wishing to have sex after heart disease. One exception is in men taking nitrates (usually for angina, the sense of tightness in the chest), because the combination of the two drugs can cause a large and sudden decreases in blood pressure.

Another caveat: "the pill enables them to perform activities that will tax the heart the way it hasn't been before," Turek says. Many men feel timid and hesitate to ask about these types of medications, Niederberger says. He reassures them by explaining that the erection problem is related to the heart problem and that "sexual activity is a healthy thing to do." Sometimes a man will say, "my wife is afraid for me to take it," Niederberger says.

If ED drugs don't work, doctors may offer alternatives such as injections (which patients give themselves five or 10 minutes before intercourse and which last 15 to 60 minutes), vacuum-erection devices (a plastic cylinder that draws blood into the penis, and then a ring is placed at the base of the penis) or surgery (a prosthesis can be surgically implanted).
Depression and Psychological Issues

Men and women may suffer from depression after a heart attack, which can cause a lack of interest in sex, Jiang says. But some antidepressants may also affect sexual desire and function.

"We are truly in a dilemma," Jiang says. And not surprisingly, men with erectile dysfunction typically feel depressed, which decreases the desire to have sex after heart disease.

Therapy to deal with psychological issues can also help with sexual problems.
Lifestyle Changes Can Help

Men who take steps to live healthier can help their hearts and their sex lives. Sex also gives heart disease patients a good incentive to change their lifestyles.

Exercise increases blood flow everywhere, including to the penis, Fisch says. He recommends walking 10,000 steps a day, or 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day.

Losing weight helps patients lower their blood pressure and their cholesterol levels. Smoking constricts and damages the arteries, including those going into the penis. Heavy drinking can lower libido and lead to erectile dysfunction.

The bottom line on sex and heart disease? Patients need to talk to their doctors about their individual cases because someone who has bypass surgery is different from someone who has a mild heart attack. "They should have very open and honest conversations with their physicians," Czajkowski says. Ideally, she says, bring in a significant other.

Patients with any fear of having sex after heart disease might want to remember that intercourse is psychologically -- and apparently physically -- healthy and can have a "protective effect" on men's health.

Mother Nature's Natural Germ Fighters

Mother Nature's Natural Germ Fighters
By Lisa Forgione,


Natural Topical Therapies

Some natural substances have amazing anti-infective properties, but are not effective or safe skin treatmentswhen taken internally. However, they work wonderfully when applied topically to the skin or mouth area. Please see Part 1 of this article for the internal therapies available.

Tea Tree Oil has been used for centuries for all types of skin infections, scabies, insect bites, burns, and acne. It effectively penetrates deep down into the skin layers. It is also useful for hard-to-treat fungal infections, such as nail fungus, dandruff, vaginitis, and ringworm. Apply topically to the gums for periodontal disease. It should not be taken internally and should be discontinued if irritation develops.

The essential oil of clove can be applied topically to mouth ulcers, sore gums and toothaches. Gargling with diluted clove oil helps relieve sort throats. It can be used topically like tea tree oil for all kinds of skin infections.

As its name implies, comfrey helps heal burns, bites, stings, bedsores, skin ulcers, dermatitis, scabies, inflamed bunions and rashes. It is available in ointments and creams.

Remember having a cold as a child and the soothing feeling of Vick's VapoRub on your chest? Eucalyptus in the Vick's is what suppressed your cough and let you sleep. Eucalyptus is a terrific decongestant, and useful for all kinds of respiratory infections -- apply topically to the chest or back, or use as a steam vapor that can be made from the leaves.

For Internal and External Use
You have probably heard of silvadine as a topical burn treatment. Colloidal silver is a powerful antibiotic for both internal and topical use. It can treat drug-resistant staph, tuberculosis and the bird flu. In Africa, it is used to treat just about everything, including AIDS, hepatitis, malaria, cholera, and pneumonia. It can be used topically to treat burns, wounds, thrush and other skin infections.

Use a 5-parts-per-million concentration, at a dose of one teaspoon three to four times per day. There have been rare instances of silver overdose resulting in skin and nail discoloration. However, this is from ingesting silver salts, not colloidal silver. Carefully research the product you are buying for is strength and purity and follow the directions for usage to the letter.

Check your spice shelf for oregano. Wild oregano and oregano oil both fight bacterial, viral and fungal infections, along with boosting your immune system. Use oregano to help fight acne, allergies, athlete's foot, insect stings, bronchitis, colds, diarrhea, gum disease, parasites, sinusitis and skin infections. Apply the oil topically as needed. Wild oregano is also available in capsules to take orally as directed.

There are many more natural products available to fight infections of all types. We have covered the more common ones here. It's astonishing how readily available these treatments are -- and they are inexpensive! You can avoid germ resistance, antibiotic side effects, and long waits at your doctor's office by allowing Mother Nature to heal you. A visit to your local health food store or an internet search will provide you with information and easy access to these exciting products.

The editors at Total Health Breakthroughs know it is impossible to avoid germs. We want you to be happy, healthy and infection free. Winter is cold, flu and pneumonia season. So, eat your garlic, oregano, cinnamon and honey, rub on your tea tree oil and breathe your eucalyptus vapor. Care for yourself naturally and safely, and live well!

Artichoke & Wild Salmon Eggs Benedict

Artichoke & Wild Salmon Eggs Benedict
By Kelley Herring


Boost your body's antioxidant defenses with this Benedict breakfast! The production of eggs benedict glutathione -- your body's master antioxidant and detoxifier -- is manufactured by your liver given the right ingredients, including sulfur-containing amino acids and selenium.1 This delicious dish provides 51% of your daily requirement for selenium, plus those sulfur-containing aminos from the organic eggs.

Time To Table: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Excellent Source of: Fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Protein, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Folate, Riboflavin
Good Source of: Calcium, Niacin
Preferences: Gluten-Free, Low Sugar

Ingredients
1 ounce organic cream cheese
8 medium organic artichoke bottoms, drained
2 ounces wild smoked salmon
6 large organic omega-3 eggs
4 large organic egg whites
4 tsp. organic extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. organic plain yogurt
2 tsp. organic lemon juice
3 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss artichoke bottoms with 2 teaspoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons oregano. Place them top-side down on half of a large baking sheet. Roast until the artichokes are just beginning to brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and whites. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet (preferably ceramic or porcelain enamel) over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and cook, folding and stirring frequently with a heatproof rubber spatula until almost set, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in cream cheese and the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano. To serve, divide the artichoke bottoms among 4 plates. Top each artichoke with equal portions scrambled egg, smoked salmon and creamy lemon sauce. Garnish with oregano sprigs if desired.

Nutrition Information
323 calories, 15 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 329 mg cholesterol, 537 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g sugar, 14 grams fiber, 25 g protein

Reference

1. Gladyshev VN. Selenoproteins and selenoproteomes. In: Hatfield DL, Berry MJ, Gladyshev VN, eds. Selenium: Its molecular biology and role in human health. 2nd ed. New York: Springer; 2006:99-114.

5 Fat-Burning Strategies

5 Fat-Burning Strategies
Here's how to work out, eat right -- and lose fat.
By Kathleen Doheny

You work out zealously and eat healthy meals -- at least most of the time -- and the pounds are starting to drop off. You're looking and feeling more toned, too, just as you'd hoped.

But with all this effort, shouldn't you lose fat? Shouldn't the flab be dissolving faster? If you're of a certain age, you know the flab we're talking about.

If you're a woman, you may still have the dreaded muffin top, that slab of fat that spills stubbornly over the top of your best jeans, spoiling the look. Or if you're a man in that same bracket, you may have the unsightly pot belly that adds years to your otherwise youthful physique.

Shouldn't fat burning be faster? Not to mention easier?

WebMD consulted an exercise physiologist and an exercise physiologist/registered dietitian to find out how best to burn fat -- once and for all!

Here are their five best fat-burning strategies:
1. How to Burn Fat: Get Realistic

Get real tip No. 1: "You can't spot reduce," says Darlene Sedlock, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "Nobody wants to hear that."

Translation: If you're hankering to get rid of the jeans spillover or the pot belly, you need to burn fat from head to toe. "Anything to reduce your overall body fat will help," she says.

Get real tip No. 2: You need to give it some time. "There's no easy fix to the flab," Sedlock says. "Over time, some of the flab will disappear," if you're diligent about the eating and exercise plans. Give it several months, she suggests. Your weight might not change, but you will notice a difference in the way your clothes fit, she says.

Get real tip No. 3: This is perhaps the cruelest. You probably can't expect to be as flab-free as when you were 20. "Skin loses elasticity as you age," Sedlock says. The sagging of the skin adds to the unsightly appearance of flab, she says.

Other factors also make flab a challenge, says Jim White, an exercise physiologist and registered dietitian in Virginia Beach, Va. who is a national spokesman for the American Dietetic Association. "As we age, muscle mass declines, and metabolism slows, so we are definitely fighting an uphill battle."

So is some flab inevitable with age? "It seems to happen, but if you make a concentrated effort to avoid it, you can," Sedlock says. Too late if you're reading this article, of course, but preventing flab is a lot easier than banishing it, she says.

Even so, it's possible to reduce your fat and flab, White and Sedlock say. Besides being realistic, here are their best tips.
2. Fat-burning Workout: Pump Up the Cardio

A good overall cardiovascular conditioning exercise program is crucial to burn fat, say Sedlock and White. "Walking is excellent," White says, but most people have to pump it up a bit from their routine pace, especially if they've been exercising for a while and the flab isn't budging.
2. Fat-burning Workout: Pump Up the Cardio continued...

"Increase the days," White suggests. "If you work out two days, go to three. Or if you're jogging for half an hour, increase it to 45 minutes or an hour."

Interval training -- that is, alternating bursts of intense activity with bursts of lighter activity -- is a good way to burn more fat, White says. "Walk for five minutes, then jog for five," he says, then repeat. That strategy will burn overall more calories and more fat. If you are already jogging, jog then sprint to mix it up, he says.

Increasing intensity for a short period within your regular workout will burn more total calories and therefore more fat, Sedlock says.
3. Fat-burning Workout: Pump Iron or Do Other Strength Training

If you're trying to banish flab, weight training three times a week for a half hour each session -- if you're a beginner -- is ideal, White says. Once your flab is under control, two weight training sessions a week usually will help you maintain tone, he says.

"Work the full body," he says, rather than focus only on, say, triceps work for flabby upper arms. A full workout works all the major muscle groups, not just the flabby ones.

If you're a beginner to weights or other kinds of strength training, such as resistance bands, get some expert instruction first by hiring a personal trainer for a session or two, experts suggest.

You can incorporate the full-body weight training exercises that focus on your flabby areas, of course, White says. "For the muffin top, focus on the [abdominal] oblique muscles by doing bicycle kicks," he says, "or do oblique twists with the cable [weight] machine."

A simpler at-home exercise to burn fat, White says, is: Get a broom, hold it straight up over your head, then lean to the right and the left. You should feel the effort in your so-called love handles.

For flabby upper arms, you can do dumbbell kickbacks with hand weights. (With upper arm parallel to the floor and bent at the elbow, lean over a weight bench or other low bench with your other arm supporting your body. Extend the lower arm holding the weight until it is straight. Repeat and switch the weight to the other hand.)

To maximize the fat burning during weight training, women should aim for 12 to 15 repetitions per exercise, White says, and focus on a higher number of reps rather than constantly boosting the weight. Men should aim for eight to 12 reps and increase the weight periodically.
4. Fat-Burning Workout: Crunch Your Flab

Although a lot of people think a thousand sit-ups or crunches a day will get rid of the flab, that's not entirely true, Sedlock says. "Sit-ups aren't going to get rid of your abdominal fat, per se," she says. "Sit-ups strengthen the abdominal musculature." So that means with enough sit-ups your tummy should have a better appearance, she says.

"If part of the muffin top is due to those muscles not being exercised for a long time, toning up those muscles may help," she adds.

Pot bellies can be toned up with crunches and reverse crunches (lie flat and raise your hips and legs to work the lower abdominals).
5. How to Lose Fat: Overhaul Your Diet

Every other week, it seems, there's some new "fat-burning" food or supplement. On the list: chili peppers, low-fat dairy, and numerous dietary supplements.

There's some truth to the fat-burning food claims. "Some studies show certain foods can speed metabolism," White says.

For instance, capsinoids -- compounds derived from chili peppers -- increased fat burning slightly, and more so in subjects who had a body mass index (BMI) over 25, the beginning of overweight, according to Japanese researchers who published the study in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.

Researchers have debated the role of dairy foods in weight management. Diets with at least three daily servings of [low-fat] dairy products speed weight loss and body fat loss in obese people compared to a diet with little dairy, according to Michael Zemel, PhD, of the University of Tennessee, who has published his results of the value of dairy in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and other journals.

But White says don't rely on the so-called fat-busting foods to banish flab while you eat whatever you want the rest of the day. Instead, White suggests, incorporate the fat-burning foods into a sound diet.

What's sound and flab-unfriendly? Whole grains, lean protein, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and eight glasses of water daily, White says.

Small frequent meals also help you lose weight, White says, although not all experts agree that many mini-meals are better than three square meals.

"I have a client who came in eating one [huge] meal a day, and he weighed 300 pounds," White says. He put the man on five small, healthy meals a day. He lost weight, White says, and was amazed. Eating often also helps keep your energy levels up, White says.


SOURCES:

Jim White, RD, exercise physiologist and registered dietitian; national spokesman for the American Dietetic Association, Virginia Beach, Va.

Darlene Sedlock, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

Zemel, MB.Journal of the AmericanCollegeof Nutrition, December 2005; vol 24: pp 537S-46S.

Inoue N. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, February 2007; vol. 71: pp 380-389.

St. Jeor S. Circulation, Oct. 9, 2001; vol 104: pp 1869-74.

WebMD Feature: "Experts Debate How Often We Should Eat for Weight Loss."
Reviewed on February 06, 2009

Healthy Cooking Secrets from Celebrity Chefs

Healthy Cooking Secrets from Celebrity Chefs
Star chefs share cooking tips and healthy recipes.
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

It seems the latest category of superstar in America is the celebrity chef. The popularity of food shows, restaurants, and cookbooks masterminded by our favorite celebrity chefs shows no sign of waning.

With that in mind, WebMD took this question to several star chefs: Do you have any secrets to pass on to those of us at home hoping to cook and eat more healthy foods?

The good news, experts say, is that one of the easiest ways to change your eating habits is to start cooking more at home. Healthier eating starts in the kitchen, where you control the ingredients, the preparation, and the serving size.

In fact, one celebrity chef -- Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite -- has made healthy and delicious cooking her life's work.

"As you become more adventurous in the kitchen, you will quickly learn that healthy food can be delicious once you master simple techniques and become more familiar with testing recipes and ingredients," she says.

Here are tips from several celebrity chefs to demystify cooking and help you become a healthier cook.

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 1: Look for Inspiration

Emeril Lagasse, famed for his restaurants, cookbooks, and cooking shows, attributes his success to his mentors.

"Throughout my career, there have been so many people who have inspired me, such as chefs Alice Waters, Charlie Trotter, and Mario Batali. But beyond chefs, restaurateur Ella Brennan taught me how to lead by talent and hard work, leaving my ego behind," he says. "If you find someone or something that inspires you, it will give you the support to be adventurous and bring your culinary skills to another level."

Your own inspiration might come from cooking shows, cookbooks, or great cooks you know personally.

Anne Quatrano, chef and co-owner of three restaurants, including the top-rated Bacchanalia in Atlanta, says she drew inspiration for her culinary skills from her grandmother and great-aunt.

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 2: Choose Great Ingredients

Great ingredients make great food. Your ingredients don't have to be expensive, just fresh and of good quality, says Lagasse.

Quatrano creates dishes that star local, organic produce because, she says, "fresh ingredients need less manipulation."

At the renowned Blackberry Farm retreat in Tennessee, chef Josh Feathers credits the award-winning cuisine to the organization's commitment to sustainable, local, and fresh foods.

"We plan our menus farm-to-table around what we can grow seasonally on the property and the end product is incredibly delicious," says Feathers.

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 3: Be Passionate About Food

"When you have passion for food, you can take it to the next level of 'wow' food," Lagasse says.

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 4: Stock Your Kitchen with Essential Ingredients and Tools

Great chefs can make a meal out of almost anything. Witness the Iron Chef TV show, in which chefs are given a group of ingredients to prepare without the help of recipes.

If you want to be creative, start by having good, basic ingredients on hand in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.

You also need the right tools, including a good set of pots, pans, knives, and cutting boards, say the experts.

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 5: Keep it Simple

Some of the best dishes are made up of just a few well-prepared ingredients.

"Don’t be apprehensive about trying simple preparations that let the ingredients shine, especially if you buy what is local and fresh," says Quatrano, who with her husband, Clifford Harrison, won "best new chefs" honors from Food and Wine magazine.

Krieger’s suggestion: "Select five dinner meals that look appealing, doable, and simple to get started. Once you've mastered these, add in another recipe to start to build a repertoire of recipes you love."

Celebrity Chef Tip No. 6: Make it Your Own

Individualize your recipes and meals to suit your palate. For example, there are a hundred ways to make onion soup; you can experiment with stocks, herbs, types of onions, and cooking techniques to make it your own.

Rich Tromonto, the Chicago restaurateur who is a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef show, says he takes great pride in developing new recipes, and making sure his staff can duplicate them consistently.

Remember, cooking is all about experimenting, so don’t get discouraged if your recipe is not up to par the first time around. Just step back and think how you could make it better next time, say the experts.

Celebrity Chefs’ Recipes

Ready to hit the kitchen? Lagasse and Krieger shared three easy-to-prepare recipes with gourmet results.

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

Two 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices

1⁄4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill

11/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese melts, about 12 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings



Nutrition Information: Per serving: 295 calories, 10.5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 34 g protein, 12 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 235 mg cholesterol, 645 m sodium.

Recipe from The Food You Crave (Taunton, 2008). Republished with permission.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Curls

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle cut side with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Place squash, cut side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Remove squash from oven and cool slightly, to handle. Into a bowl, shred the inside of the squash with fork to resemble spaghetti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and top with curls of Parmesan cheese. Serve warm.

Yield: 2 entrée or 4 side servings

Nutrition Information: Per serving: 184 calories, 4 g protein, 8.5 g carbohydrate, 16 g fat, 3.4 g saturated fat, 7.5 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 113 mg sodium.


Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Republished with permission.

Grilled Peaches with Red Wine Syrup

Ingredients:

1 750 ml Sangiovese or other dry red wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (beans reserved)

1/3 cup sugar

6 large ripe peaches, halved and pits removed

Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

1. Preheat a grill to medium high.
2. Place the peaches, skin-side down, onto the grill and cook until lightly charred, 5-7 minutes, depending on the grill. Turn peaches over and continue to grill for and additional 2 minutes.
3. Combine wine, rosemary, vanilla bean and seeds and sugar in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced and the flavors combine. Transfer the peaches to saucepan and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Let peaches cool in wine syrup.
4. Serve in a bowl with strained syrup and ice cream if desired.

Yield: 6 servings


Nutrition information: Per serving (not including ice cream): 217 calories, 2 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, .4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 5 mg sodium.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc . Republished with permission.

SOURCES:

Rick Tromonto, chef; owner, Cenitare restaurants, Chicago.

Emeril Lagasse, chef; owner, Emeril’s restaurants; author, From Emeril's Kitchens: Favorite Recipes from Emeril's Restaurant, New Orleans.

Ellie Krieger, MS, RD, host, Food Network’s Healthy Appetite; author, Foods you Crave.

Josh Feathers, executive chef, Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tenn.

Anne Quatrano, co-chef and co-owner, Bacchanalia, Quinones, Star Provisions, and Floataway Cafe, Atlanta.

Rick Tromonto, chef; judge, Top Chef TV show; owner, Cenitare restaurants, Chicago.
Reviewed on February 02, 2009