So how was your 2010, health-wise? Do you feel more or less healthy? For me personally, it was a continuing slow improvement of my overall wellness, and I continue to be fortunate in having no major illnesses. I did make a few changes which I’d like to share with readers (and perhaps you can share your changes in the comments section under the article):
Change #1: I stopped taking a multivitamin.… Read the rest
Most of my website’s posts can be divided up into three categories: public health; disease; and wellness articles. My public health articles (AKA pollution) get the most hits, but I’m more partial to my wellness posts. Here are my choices for 2010’s top wellness tips:
Gastroenteritis — diarrhea caused by bacteria from our foods — peaks in the summer but can occur all year. Pregnant women should be especially choosy about where and what they eat, since a bad bout of “gastro”, while usually not serious for mom, can sometimes cause serious problems for her baby.… Read the rest
I often lecture people on exercise, and I frequently mention how 150 minutes a week of “moderate” exercise can be just as healthy as 90 minutes of heavier exercise. But what’s the difference between light, moderate and heavy?
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines exercise intensity in three ways: percentage of maximum heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, and METS (metabolic equivalents).… Read the rest
We are in the thick of mosquito season, and I’m sure we all have our favorite bug-killer products, from zappers to plug-ins. But what really works? I found a nice new resource from the good folks at the doctor-oriented Prescriber’s Letter; they have a free detail-document discussing what really works against skeeters.… Read the rest
Ah, summer breaks — laze away the summer days, gorge on watermelon, lose your reading ability…
Huh? Lose reading ability? Unfortunately, yes — there’s even more evidence than before that schoolkids who don’t read at all during the long summer break do worse in tests, and the effect is cumulative over the summers — which of course adds up slowly to worse grades, less competitive colleges, less career income.… Read the rest