Birch bark may contain healing benefits

The inheritance of obesity: Thanks, Dad
THAT a gestating mother’s environment can have a permanent effect on the physiology of her offspring is well established. The Children of Dutch women who were pregnant during the “Hunger Winter” of 1944, for example, suffer much higher rates of Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease than those born a year or two earlier. Similar observations in other famines, together with experiments on rodents, suggest this is an accidental consequence of an evolutionary adaptation to f...

Esperion Therapeutics Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study for ETC-1002
PLYMOUTH, Mich., Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Esperion Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company working to discover, develop and commercialize treatments for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical study for ETC-1002, the company's lead product Candidate. ETC-1002 is a novel small molecule compound that has demonstrated preclinical and clinical activity as a metabolic regulator of imbalances in lipid and Carbohydrate metabolism....

Digital tools can help put fitness goals on track
Websites, health-related applications for Web-enabled cellphones and gadgets such as heart rate monitors may help some people toward goals to improve their health. Of course, technology won't change your habits for you. Mike Krauklis, 29, of Penfield said phone apps to track Workouts and what he ate were helpful when he was doing well, but he skipped them when he didn't see significant Weight Loss. Dr. Betty Rabinowitz, medical director of the 22 Primary Care practices affiliated with University...

Thinking beyond pilaf _ a chicken Marsala quinoa
This Dec. 12, 2010 photo shows Marsala chicken quinoa casserole in Concord, N.H. Quinoa, a grain with a nutty flavor that has recently been gaining in popularity, contrasts with the sweet flavors in this casserole recipe. Despite quinoa's rise in popularity, most people still are trying to figure out what to do with it. Most recipes call for using it in pilafs and salads. But we wanted to offer up something a little different. Its nutty flavor and grain-like texture are a nice contrast to the e...

For nights when a slow simmer needs to speed up
This Nov. 28, 2010 photo shows black bean and spicy sausage stew over brown rice in Concord, N.H. A simmering pot of stew is just right for a cold winter night and this recipe will heat you up without taking too much time in the kitchen. A nice pot of chili or stew, slowly simmering on the stove is a heartwarming thought. But it's a dinner that requires forethought. What about the wintery day you walk in late from work but still want a meal that will take the chill off? We've got you covered wi...

Knowing how many calories you need is what counts
Do you know your number? Not your cellphone number or Cholesterol, but the number of Calories you should be eating daily to maintain a healthy weight. A recent poll showed that about two-thirds of people can't accurately estimate how many Calories they need. But if you want to lose a few pounds this year, it's important to have a grasp of how much you should be eating. "There is no magic to Weight Loss — the key is to decrease your Calories without feeling hungry or deprived," says Dawn Ja...

Fruit fly droppings give insight into human gut problems
© Dr Irene Miguel-Aliaga Clues about how the human gut helps regulate our appetite have come from a most unusual source - fruit fly faeces. Scientists at the University of Cambridge are using the fruit fly to help understand aspects of human metabolism, including why pregnant women suffer from bloating and constipation, and even the link between a low calorie diet and longevity. Although scientists have known for some time that there are as many as 500 million nerve cells in our gut, th...

Added diet incentive: Years melt away with the pounds
Losing weight may be the new Fountain of Youth: It makes you look and feel younger. So say several dieters who have been featured in the USA Today Weight-Loss Challenge and Obesity experts who study Weight Loss. Tom Slater, 42, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, who now weighs 162 pounds, down from a high of 288, says his face looked "swollen" when he was heavier, "almost like I had been stung by 1,000 bees. "When you have so much excess weight, your face shows it most," Slater says. He started to look you...

The Best ThingYou'll Read All Day
"I think one of the biggest misconceptions when we talk about Obesity in general is that obese people are obese largely because of their lifestyles and because of the way that they live," Dr. Arya Sharma of the University of Alberta, told CBC News. [Sharma is the chair of Obesity research and management at the University of Alberta and medical director of the Weight Wise program at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital.] Sharma points to studies where people's eating and activity are carefully mon...

Christina Pirello: Healthy Cookbooks to Start Your New Year Off Right
We live in scary times. If you look at the statistics, we are in serious trouble when it comes to our health and the environment. With each new form of Processed Food that is manufactured and marketed to us (25 percent bigger burgers at Wendy's!) we lose a little more of our collective health. We need a dramatic shift in the way we eat if we are to get out of this life alive, so to speak. People are paralyzed with confusion. On one hand, we have experts telling us to stop eating so much meat, ...

Most Americans Say They Eat Well, But They Don't
Like this Story? Share it: Are you eating right? See the government's guidelines, calculate your body mass index and quiz yourself on healthy food choices. Have you consumed myths about diet and nutrition? Take these quizzes to find out. (CBS) Most people at the Grocery Store like to think they're filling their baskets with healthy choices, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller. "I don't buy a lot of goodies," said one customer. "I keep away from the cake and the chocolate and stuff li...

We're out of control . . .
Wonder why you have already broken all your New Year's resolutions? Do not blame yourself -- heaven forbid. Enlist modern sophistication, and blame your brain's frontal cortex, affluence, the Internet (the ``collapse of delay between impulse and action'') and ``the democratization of temptation.'' Those phrases are from Daniel Akst, a novelist and essayist whose book We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess notes that the problems of freedom and affluence -- of ``managing desire ...

Study finds what bodybuilders have known for 60 years: Protein key in dieting
How much money must be spent on these studies before researchers start talking to the bodybuilding community that has known these facts for the better part of a century now? From the AP via The Detroit News: Study: Protein key in dieting More turkey, less white bread and mashed potatoes. Just in time for holiday feasting, a large study found that diets higher in protein and lower in Carbohydrates can help overweight adults who have managed to drop some weight keep it off...

Tamara McClintock Greenberg: Worried About Your Weight? How Much Can You Control?
How do we know what is really in our control? Many of us do a number of things to prevent illness; we exercise, eat fruits and vegetables, don't smoke, try not to drink too much, etc. But the reality is, some people do everything right and still get sick. It may also be that some people who engage in the right behaviors to manage their weight are still heavier than they want to be. A new study, reported by Stephanie Pappas, suggests that Obesity is increasing in animals, though it is unclear ...

Carole Carson: The Skinny on Fitness Trends in 2011: Strategies for Tackling Obesity
What's your reason for getting fit and dropping a few pounds? Like Ashton Kutcher, are you worried about a "massive world-crushing event" where only the fittest survive? Or are your concerns more immediate, such as an oversized number on the scale and a thinning wallet? Nearly 75 percent of Americans will be overweight or obese by 2019. That's the projection of Economists in a report, "Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit Not Fat," issued by the Paris-based 33-member Organisation of E...

Teen heart risks 'can be tackled'
Health campaigns targeted at teens could help reduce their risk of heart problems as adults, a study suggests. Concerns have been raised that warning signs like high Cholesterol, are being seen in the young, laying the foundation for future Health Problems. But study of over 500 people found those with high cholesterol at 15 could cut it to normal by their mid-30s. The Australian researcher is published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Participants in the Australian study had l...

Dioxin scare closes 4700 farms in Germany
Regional authorities in Germany have ordered the closure of 4709 farms across the country following a scare over dioxin contamination, the agriculture ministry says. Most of the farms involved were in Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, and most of them were ones raising pigs, the ministry said in a statement. Until the farms had been checked and found to be clear of contamination, they would not be allowed to make any deliveries. It was in Lower Saxony that 2500 out of the 3000 tonnes of contamina...

Illinois Spending $428 Million Per Year To Keep Elderly Inmates Behind Bars
Chicago Reader: Bill Heirens, infamous as Chicago's "Lipstick Killer," is the longest-serving inmate in the Illinois Prison system. He's been behind bars since the age of 17, when he confessed to three gruesome murders that dominated the news headlines throughout the summer of '46. Housed at Dixon Correctional Center, the 82-year-old Heirens can't get out of bed or bathe himself, and his cataract-plagued eyes have left him unable to read. He has severe Diabetes and gets shots of i...

New Evolution Diet: Eat Like a Caveman
Consume less, burn more isn’t the only way to keep that New Year's Weight Loss resolution: Two new books take aim at conventional dieting wisdom, with one targeting Insulin and the other advocating a return to our ancestors' eating and exercise habits....

Exercise may improve odds against prostate cancer death
Prostate Cancer patients who routinely engage in modest amounts of vigorous physical exercise appear to lower their risk of dying from their disease, new research suggests. Three hours a week or more of vigorous biking, Tennis, jogging or swimming seems to improve the prognosis among such patients, the research team found. But they added that even moderate physical activity appears to lower the overall risk of dying from any cause. "This is the first study in men with Prostate Cancer to evaluate...

A.M. Vitals: FDA Has New Guidelines for Tobacco-Product Makers
Tobacco Rules: New FDA regulations require Tobacco Product-makers to get approval from the agency for any new or changed versions of their Cigarettes or smokeless tobacco, the WSJ reports. The guidelines, part of a 2009 law, also require companies to submit for review any product introduced or changed since Feb. 2007. Folded In: The Insurance-industry Oversight office created by the health-care overhaul law will be folded into CMS, the agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid, Kaiser Health News r...

Lawsuit accuses New Balance of false walking shoe ads
The Lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Boston, calls New Balance's marketing claims that the shoes increase muscle activation and calorie burn "false, misleading, and reasonably likely to deceive the public." The lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiff Bistra Pashamova and others like her who say they have been misled or harmed by the sneakers. Plaintiffs are seeking Class Action certification and more than $5 million in compensation. On the New Balance website, the company sa...

Think portion control for healthy eating in the new year
When Mae Pike moved into an older apartment, in a house built in 1910, she had a sudden revelation about one of the most widespread problems with Americans' diet in the 21st century. "I have a normal set of contemporary dinner plates," she said. "I found that those plates didn't fit into the cabinets. "I said, 'What is going on here?' I realized that the cabinets were from an era before people started using these oversized plates for their oversized meals. That was a sort of light-bulb moment." ...

Does 'Psshh' mark the spot for Super Bowl glory? Orlando man hopes so
"Psshh" – pass it on. You might help an Orlando man get his commercial featured during the Super Bowl. Brandy Gill made a commercial called "Zero Calories? Psshh," and it's now one of 10 finalists in the Crash the Super Bowl Challenge. The Psshh spot cost $30 to make. Gill, 36, directed his co-workers over a lunch hour, and co-worker Wes Sumner shot the commercial. "It took about an hour to shoot, and we did the editing in an hour on my Mac," Gill said. "Start to finish, we were done in t...

Lawyers going after toning shoes
Looks like we will need try something else for butt tightening. The lawyer class has found new friends. Attorneys nationwide are flexing their legal muscles against toning shoes, questioning the leg-tightening and butt-firming benefits of the hot-selling footwear category. Yesterday, a Los Angeles woman sued New Balance in Boston Federal Court, alleging the Brighton company falsely claims that its TrueBalance and Rock&Tone toning shoes encourage greater activation of gl...