Mile High Natural Awakenings

A recent American Heart Association (AHA) survey reports that only 12 percent of American adults regularly practice the healthy-life trifecta of good nutrition, exercise and oral care. The most common excuse is a lack of time. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said that eating at least nine servings of fruit and vegetables daily is a struggle. About 60 percent find it difficult to log the association’s recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. At least 25 percent don’t brush and rinse twice daily and floss at least once daily. Yet, 90 percent of Americans like the idea of improving their health. The AHA “My Heart. My Life.” initiative offers a straightforward set of solutions to help families understand how to make incremental changes that have long-term health impact (MyLifeCheck.Heart.org). “Whether it is simply adding a 30-minute brisk walk to your day, eating a few more fruits and vegetables with meals, b...

Beyond continuing its well-documented opposition to genetically modified (GMO) labeling laws in order to protect its corporate interests, Monsanto has recently launched aggressive backdoor attacks on organic and non-GMO farmers and consumers. The corporation’s rider attached to the U.S. House of Representatives’ 2013 Agriculture Appropriations Bill would allow planting of new genetically engineered (GE) crops—even when courts rule that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved them illegally. Now, Monsanto has slipped an even more dangerous provision, HR 872, into the house version of the Farm Bill. This so-called Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act would stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from reviewing new and expanded uses of pesticides (often caused by the introduction of herbicideresistant GMO crops) and require the USDA to approve GE crops easier and faster. Most GMO crops have been genetical...

The portable computers that serve as our business and communication “lifelines” may actually be thwarting unborn lives. Researchers suggest that laptop computer (LTC) users should avoid putting the devices directly on their laps, especially for extended periods of time. Recent research reported in the journal Fertility and Sterility examined semen samples from 29 healthy male donors that used an LTC on their laps, near their testes. The scientists found that LTCs connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi resulted in decreased sperm motility and increased sperm DNA fragmentation. A separate study, published in the journal Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health, noted that electromagnetic fields produced by LTCs likely induce currents within the body and can expose developing fetuses in pregnant women to unsafe levels. The researchers concluded that, “[An individual’s] ‘laptop’ is paradoxically an imprope...

A Healthy Family Starts With Walnuts FOLSOM, Calif., Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Research published in the recent issue of Biology of Reproduction Papers-in-Press reports that 75 grams (approximately 2.5 ounces) of walnuts consumed per day improved sperm vitality, motility, and morphology (normal forms) in a group of healthy young men between 21-35 years of age.  These findings are of particular interest to the 70 million couples worldwide who experience sub-fertility or infertility.  In fact, 30 – 50% of these cases are attributed to the male partner, and in the United States the prevalence of men seeking help for fertility is estimated at ~3.3 – 4.7 million[1]. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120816/SF58428-a ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120816/SF58428LOGO-b ) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120112/MM34615LOGO-a ) This research suggests that walnuts provide key nutrients that may be essential in male reproductive health...

Talking on a cell phone or texting might have an unexpectedly troubling downside. Researchers at Stony Brook University, in New York, studied young people that were texting while walking and discovered that they walked slower, veered off course more and experienced decreased working memory.

When it comes to improving bone health in postmenopausal women—and people of all ages, for that matter—eating dried plums is a simple, proactive solution to help prevent fractures and osteoporosis, reports a Florida State University researcher. “During my career, I have tested numerous fruits, including figs, dates, strawberries and raisins, and none of them come anywhere close to having the effect on bone density that dried plums, or prunes, have,” says Bahram H. Arjmandi, The Florida State University’s Margaret A. Sitton Professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences. Arjmandi and his colleagues tested two groups of postmenopausal women over a 12-month period. The first group of 55 women consumed 100 grams of dried plums (about 10 prunes) each day, while the second, control group of 45 women ate 100 grams of dried apples. All partici...

Can rhythmically tossing and catching  balls in the air help grow the  brain? Researchers from the Universität  Regensburg, in Germany, after studying  two dozen people using brain scans,  say yes. Half were asked to learn to  juggle; the others were given no special  instructions. After three months, the  brains of the jugglers had grown by 3 to  4 percent in the areas that process visual  and motor information; the more skilled  the jugglers became, the greater the  brain growth. No change occurred in the  non-juggling group. The research team says the study proves that new stimuli  can alter the brain’s structure, not just its function. Source: Nature.com