That's Fit

Judy Mazel, the founder of the controversial Beverly Hills Diet, is dead at the age of 63, according to this article on Diet Blog. Mazel died on October 12th of complications from peripheral vascular disease.

The Beverly Hills Diet was criticized frequently by nutritionists and experts, and it;s easy to see why. The main premise behind the diet was that food combinations were at the heart of weight loss. So, only one food group could be eaten at a time, and on the first 10 days of the program, dieters would eat nothing but fruit. The diet was unhealthy, bizarre and not based on real scientific evidence, but it's what Mazel says helped her lose 72 lbs and maintain a svelte 108 lbs for the remainder of her short life.

I don't know what specifically caused Mazel's death but 63 is too young to die, if you ask me.

A tragedy recently struck a family that I know, and as such events often do, it's made me think long and hard about my own life, and how we really only have right now, so we better savor each moment.

That's part of the reason why I love this list from The Next 45 Years -- they give some examples of really simple things that you should do every day. Here they are:

• Say thank-you ... and mean it
• Do nothing -- if only for a few minutes. And enjoy it.
  
• Cross one item off your to-do list -- you'll feel so much better
• Eat one healthy meal. Or preferably three but don't beat yourself up over it if you fall off the wagon
• Do something nice for someone -- even if it's just holding the door open
• Listen to someone with an open heart
• Focus on one task at a time.
  
• Review your goals ... and if you don't have a list of goals, make one
• Say no -- set boundaries for yourself.
• Say 'I love You'

I think these are great rules to live by? Do you agree?

Ever had a morning like this, where nothing seems to fit and all you want are your comfy, roomy 'fat pants'? Ah, yes. I think we've all been there at some point or another. Kudos to Kristie Alley for having the guts to laugh at herself.

It's been a year since Kirstie Alley lost 75 lbs, so she's the one laughing now at all the naysayers. Even we had our doubts, but she's seemed to prove everyone wrong. For some tips on maintaining weight loss, check out Kirstie's Video Blog.

What do you think of Kirstie's weight loss?

When I feeling the warning signs of a cold (sneezing, congestion, a sore throat) by first instinct is to head to the nearest pharmacy and spend a small fortune on over-the-counter medicines that will help me get a good rest during the night and also help me function well the next day. I usually try to avoid reaching for pills, but when sickness overcomes me, I become a big baby and will do anything to feel better. I suspect if I had kids, this would be my first reaction too, to given them OTC meds to make them feel better right away.

But using certain OTC meds isn't the best way to fight a cold, especially for kids, according to this article. What is? Here are some suggestions:

• Fight congestion with a humidifier and nasal drops
• Make sure the patient gets plenty of fluids
• Don't over-wrap a feverish baby -- they won't be able to cool down
• If necessary, give a small amount of acetominophin to babies over 3 months and small amount of Ibuprofen to babies over 6 months to relieve a high fever.
  

How do you handle your child's illness naturally?

A survey released last week by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America concluded that a large gaps does indeed exist between asthma patients insofar as how they think their disease is under control and how it ends up affecting their daily lives in reality.

Although 66 percent of survey respondents say that their asthma symptoms were under control, the fact is that half also reported having what I would consider to be severe symptoms of asthma instead of mild ones: shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing and a tightening of the chest (all happening once or more per week) were the top symptoms produced.

What has happened here is the way of life many asthmatics have has become so normal that symptoms like those above are almost 'normal' to many sufferers. Therein lies the disconnect.

Cellulite is something that affects almost every woman out there -- even seemingly perfect celebrities. Jessica Simpson, Kate Hudson and Mischa Barton are among those who are plagued with cottage cheese flab, according to Life & Style Magazine. But cellulite doesn't always have the final word; Here are some tips for avoiding it or getting rid of it:

• Do like Jessica Simpson and choose only sugar-free drinks
• Do like Kate Hudson and get some exercise in -- though exercise alone won't make all the difference
• Do as Mischa Barton does and eat a diet low in fat and high in estrogen.
  

Good advice? What do you think?

Phobias are a reality for many people these days, and I'm happy to say that I'm not one of them. But what if your phobia kept you from fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a parent?

According to this article, Tokophobia -- the acute and irrational fear of childbirth -- is keeping thousands of women from having children. Actually, it's more than just a fear -- while few women are overjoyed at the thought of the pain that comes with childbirth, tokophobia is characterized by physical disgust and/or panic at the site or mention of anything to do with giving birth.

There's no real cure for tokophobia -- though talking to a therapist would be a start. If you think you might be suffering from tokophobia, talk to your doctor about options.

Have you heard of Glyconutrients? They're a form a manufactured sugar that are supposedly healthy for you, because apparently your body is lacking in these so-called 'essential' sugars. Does this sound like a hoax to you? It does to me.

And it is, according to Mark's Daily Apple, who weighs in on the idea of Glyconutrients and uncovers that there is no such things as an essential sugar. In short, those who purchase glyconutrients are wasting their money, and there have been numerous lawsuits and warning letters urging manufacturers to stop scamming consumers.

So remember, don't believe everything you read, especially if the word 'glyconutrients' is in there.

In a recent study that looked at the causes of obesity, the conclusion was that dopamine (a "reward" type of brain chemical) does indeed play a role in obesity.

This makes sense, as I've seen and hear hundreds of people that sound like they're getting a drug fix when munching on that cheeseburger or ice cream. In fact, I'll go as far and say that some folks sound like they have a "sex" response to some foods. At least, it's sounded that way to me from my observations.

Genetically obese rats were found to have lower levels of dopamine D2 brain receptors in their brains cells compared to lean rats in this most recent study from the U.S. government's Brookhaven National Laboratory.

This weekend, firefighters in California continued battling the blazes that have scorched thousands of acres in the state and burned over 1,700 homes.

Some light rain swept through the Orange and San Diego counties, although rough winds were still making it hard to gain further headway against quenching those wildfires. However, decent gains had been made this past week in curtailing much of the fires.

According to fire authorities, more than a dozen fires had been surrounded and another nine or so were anywhere from 40 percent to 97 percent contained. If you're a reader living in California near these fires, has your air quality become drastically different that you have noticed?

We're in an age of brilliant information technology. Systems that allow Google to search worldwide databases in a millisecond to give customers search results on anything are commonplace. Just don't tell the medical community.

Medical bills, insurance bills and related procedures are still an undecipherable mess to many of us. How on earth can we tell what we're actually paying for and if those amounts are correct? Flip a coin?

Itemized billing of every single process and visit to a medical facility should be requested from every patient, then scrutinized to see what mistakes show up (and they will). That, or face a large possibility of throwing some money out the window.

Even as you, a new mother, revel in the joy of your newborn, you might be watching with the despair the southern migration of your breasts. It's no secret that motherhood changes your body in some irreversible ways. But when University of Kentucky plastic surgeons interviewed over 100 women in their late 30s who were interested in breast augmentation surgery, they found that breastfeeding wasn't a major factor in changing breast shape.

Instead, researchers say that smoking, age, a larger pre-pregnancy cup size, and the number of pregnancies had more to do with loss of elasticity than did breastfeeding. So you can still blame any sagging on your babies, just don't let it stop you from breastfeeding them.

Consumers International, a federation of consumers groups with 220 members worldwide, announced the winners (or should I say losers) of their annual "bad products" awards. Among them:

• Takeda Pharmaceuticals: This Japanese company marketed Rozerem, an insomnia medication, to kids this fall in a back-to-school style campaign that did not include information about health risks.
• Coca-Cola: Poured water into bottles straight from the tap and called it Dasani.
• Kellogg's: Heavy use of cartoon and licensed characters to sell sugary products to kids earned this company their award.
• Mattel: High lead levels in paint and dangerous tiny magnets lead to a global recall of 19 million toys.

Consumers International says that because these companies are large and carry brands that are household names, they need to be accountable for the safety and integrity of their products. The hope is that these "bad products" awards will spur companies into being more responsible. What do you think of these products or of Consumer International's awards?

I am soooooo doing this next year!! As a pretty avid reader of Men's Health, I was already aware that their was something called the Urbanathon, but I never really looked into it. I suppose I automatically assumed that it was just a marathon that took place in an urban environment. Wait ... don't most major marathons take place in an urban environment, I thought. So, what's so special about this one?

It's special because it's awesome. And I don't care if I sound like a 13-year old for describing that way, either.

What makes the Urbanathon so different is that it is an actual obstacle course, stationed over various parts of New York City (and also Chicago, which is its own, separate event). Participants cover a total of 8.1 miles; starting from the Band Shell area in Central Park and -- after jumping over taxi cabs, navigating through a scaffolding maze, climbing the 52 stories of a skyscraper, and successfully overcoming a myriad of other obstacles -- eventually ends at Battery Park.

One of the coolest parts of the Urbanathon is that it can be done either as a solo effort or as part of a 3-person relay. So, if you're not exactly up to the full challenge, maybe you can convince two friends to join in the fun with you. Oh yeah, and just because this is a Men's Health sponsored event, it doesn't mean that it's strictly a boys club sort of thing. Women are just as welcome to brutalize their bodies for hours on end in this citywide obstacle course.

To read more about the Men's Health Urbanathon, click HERE. Hope to see you at next year's race!!

With autism continuing to be in the national medical spotlight, a leading pediatrician group in the U.S. is now installing its largest movement yet to have all children screened for autism before the age of two.

The reason for this is to help parents and doctors spot actual autism much earlier than today -- everything from no babbling to not looking at toys. Early therapy can lessen the severity of the disorder, although there is no known cure.

The report from the pediatrician's group lists several early warning signs, many of which center on social or language construction disappearance or difficulty in those early years.