There’s No Magic Pill for Weight Loss

Despite the fact that millions have been spent looking for one, and many an unethical marketer has promoted it, there is no magic pill for weight loss.  Many women are searching for this answer, but the bottom line is a harsh one.  Overweight people can achieve greater weight loss success with a combination of a low-calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral changes.  The best case scenario is to allow people to learn about the foods to eat, how to choose them at restaurants and the store, as well as providing support for exercise.

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Body Image and Anorexia

Anorexia is a major health problem in teens and it all has to do with body self-image. Clearly, what we’re finding from Hollywood is the message that anorexia is not that bad of a thing…being thin is a wonderful thing. The reality is it is a big problem that has to be dealt with. If you have a child who is too thin, or losing weight and doesn’t really have a good reason for it, talk with them, but get help. It is the psychiatric help that can be essential.

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Dealing with Pressure During the Teenage Years

The teen years are a time of pressure, intense pressure. One of the difficulties with the pressure is the fact that teens are often trying to make other people happy and not even knowing their own identity. That puts them at risk for all sorts of problems. The pressure that arises during the teen years can’t be ignored, nor can it be underestimated. If you have a teen, make sure that you communicate with them. Let them know the stories and issues that are out there, and above all, make sure you take the time to speak with them.

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Causes of Pink Eye

It’s called pink eye. The medical term is conjunctivitis, and when conjunctivitis occurs, it basically causes red or pink eyes. There is an inflammation of the conjunctiva. Antibiotics can be used and it is the topical antibiotic applied directly to the eye that is the most effective at treating pink eye. Pink eye is caused by a virus and it can sometimes be confused with allergy symptoms.

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Over-Consumption of Junk Food Can Trigger Addiction-Like Responses in the Brain

Doctors and researchers have suspected this for quite some time, but a study in rats reported in the journal Neuroscience has found that over-consumption of high-calorie food can trigger addiction-like responses in the brain, and that junk food can turn rats into compulsive eaters in a laboratory setting.  When the researchers regularly offered rats a choice of high-calorie foods such as bacon, sausage, cake, and chocolate in addition to their regular food choices, the animals over-consumed calories and gained weight rapidly.  The study gets even more interesting, the team trained their rats to expect painful foot shocks when seeing a light signal.  Although normal rats stop eating even the most delicious junk food when the light comes on, the obese rats used to the high-calorie diet just keep feeding.  The desire for junk food overcame the fear of pain.

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Sleep More to Weigh Less

If you’re a child, and you want to knock off a few pounds, one of the theories is just get more sleep. That’s a word from a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology which followed more than 68,000 people over a 16-year period. Now, what they found is that researchers who found patients who caught more Z’s each night tend to put less weight on throughout their entire life. It’s a Case Western University research study. Basically, the amount of sleep you’re looking for is independent, and it varies by age.

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ACL Tears

It is called an ACL tear; anterior cruciate ligament.  It's more or less an X-type ligament that actually helps keep the knee together.  If you have an ACL tear as an athlete, it can be a devastating problem.  Many athletes and many people who have ACL tears actually don't feel anything dramatic.  They just hear a pop and then they notice they have some pain.  That's an example of how the ACL actually severs and separates.  It can be a problem but it can be fixed with rehab and lots of conditioning. 

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