If you look closely at a Gatorade commercial featuring Serena Williams called “You Fuel Us, We’ll Fuel You,” you may have noticed she is wearing a small patch.  That patch is a biosensor being used as a health monitor—in this case, by assessing sweat. Biosensors are currently being tested in athletes, but have other applications in the world of health. The sensor itself is a soft, flexible patch that adheres to the skin and is placed directly on the forearm or back. It’s a little larger than a quarter and about the same thickness. Fluids can be collected non-invasively and many... Read More

My mother has dementia. When I talk to her it is like talking to a pre-school age child — stream of consciousness-style ramblings of reality mixed with fantasy. It is disturbing to compare this woman to the person my mother was before dementia.  She was smart, witty, and quite opinionated.  She was a modern woman who was still quite old-fashioned; a unique woman for her generation. Dementia is not a disease, but rather a group of symptoms caused by other conditions.  Dementia causes problems with thinking, memory, and reasoning, happening when the parts of the brain used for learning,... Read More

We all know that it’s important to eat well, be physically active and get a good night’s sleep.  In recent years, magazines such as Entrepreneur, Time and Inc. have featured articles about the connection between engaging in the trifecta of health behaviors and professional success. Why? Your success starts with your health – eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. After all, if don’t feel great, how do you expect to sustain the focus and energy needed to get things done? Here’s a closer look at why food, sleep, and exercise can impact your success and what... Read More

There is widespread agreement among those in the scientific and health care communities, that certain behaviors contribute greatly to preventable chronic disease, improve productivity and impact health. In 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that four lifestyle-related behavioral risk factors accounted for approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States. The optimal lifestyle metric (OLM), reflects adherence to these four positive health behaviors: not using tobacco, exercising at least 150 minutes per week, consuming at least five fruits and vegetable... Read More

  The HELO smart wrist band is a sleek, revolutionary, health tracker. It is the first wearable device to provide real time health monitoring, 24/7. HELO , or Health & Lifestyle Oracle, monitors heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, distance covered and sleep quality, but HELO takes health monitoring to new heights by offering some exciting new features: ECG/EKG – the electrical activity of your heart Blood Pressure Mood Sensor Fatigue Sensor Remote monitoring of other people’s vital signs Provides emergency SOS GPS location for everyone in your family A Panic button, with GPS... Read More

Every new year brings with it resolutions, goals, intentions – whatever you want to call it.  In short, we make plans for how to be better versions of ourselves.  I’d like to suggest that we think differently about the new year by considering our big WHY? Your big why is something you plug into emotionally that drives you when things get tough. It’s not a wish or a goal, it’s something that will change your life or others around you or do something for you that really matters to your soul. It’s your purpose. If you made a resolution, you may already be feeling like you should... Read More

It’s almost fall! As the new season arrives and temperatures cool down, it’s a great time to cook some healthy comforting food.  As we’ve all heard for some time now, it’s important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – 5 to 9 servings is the recommendation. If you’re tired of the same old broccoli and green beans, how about something different? Locally grown produce is kinder to the environment and ensures that your produce is as fresh as possible. Fresher is better when you want to maximize the nutrient value of your produce. Here’s a sample of what’s... Read More

Recently, a friend of mine posted on social media that he was considering a plant-based diet to reduce his risk of heart disease.  What does that means for those of us who are omnivores – eaters of food that are of both plant and animal origin? Is it necessary to eschew animal protein to have a healthy heart? Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, among others, has been an outspoken critic of both America’s obsession with healthy eating and American food policy.  In 2009, Mr. Pollan spoke to a room full of CDC scientists about how and why... Read More

Whether from your garden, the farmer’s market or the grocery store shelf, fall produce is fresh, seasonal and happening now!  Eating healthy may seem harder come fall, when your favorite summer produce dwindles and the choices seem fewer and, perhaps, unfamiliar. Take advantage of the opportunity and think outside the box in your fall food preparation. Most fall produce can be prepared in a number of tasty ways and all of the produce mentioned here is grown locally. Brussels sprouts are exceptionally rich in protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Sprouts are a good source... Read More

Sea greens, also known as sea vegetables, are a group of foods in the seaweed family, that grow in the ocean. If you eat Japanese food you may be familiar with some sea greens – nori, the dark green wrapper on your sushi, or kombu, a common ingredient in miso soup. If you think you’ve never had seaweed, think again! Agar, a gelatinous substance that comes from red seaweed is used as a thickener in many foods. Sea vegetables are some of the most nutrient-packed foods on earth, packed with fiber vitamins and minerals. They are beneficial to us because they slow the aging process by promoting... Read More

Recently, I had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Usually I get a meal and don’t have room for the sopapilla that comes with it, but this time I took the sopapilla home to eat later. When I was ready to eat it, I was surprised to see that the “honey” for the sopapilla was not honey at all. It was fake honey made with corn syrup. I happened to have some locally source honey at home and used that instead of the faux honey. This is just one of the reasons it’s important to read labels. If you’re trying to change your life by eating fewer processed foods, less sugar, or any number... Read More

There is a plethora of information about super foods and what you should be eating to be healthy, live longer, have good brain health and more.  You probably already know that avocado is a nutrient superstar, full of healthy monounsaturated fat and linked to successful weight loss.  Dark chocolate is another food celebrity loaded with antioxidants and a protective agent against heart disease.  Let’s talk about some of the unexpected foods that have health benefits that you might not be eating. Embrace egg yolks! Eggs are a misunderstood fat-rich food that’s an incredible source of vitamin... Read More

Researchers have found that people who stuck to a diet that included foods like berries, leafy greens, and fish had a decrease in their risk for the dementia and related brain diseases, which affects more than 5 million Americans over age 65. There is an eating plan associated with this research called the MIND diet, short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. The diet combines elements of the Mediterranean diet, that features olive oil and vegetables, and the DASH diet, an eating plan developed specifically to help treat or prevent high blood pressure. The MIND diet... Read More

Did you know that people who track their physical activity are more successful at losing weight?? A fitness device like FitBit, Jawbone, or FuelBand could be exactly what you need to support your weight loss goals. Some wearable devices are trackers on steroids — monitoring your workouts, counting calories, evaluating your sleep, and tracking your progress as you slim down. You can use your device to see how close you get to your target goal each day, or if you crushed it! Or, set a smaller, shorter-term goal so you’ll feel successful right away. Doing so will help you to stay focused.... Read More

A report was published this week in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention that links gum disease with an increased risk of several types of cancer in postmenopausal women. Periodontal disease was tied to a 14 percent higher risk of developing any type of cancer, but the greatest risk was for esophageal cancer, which was more than three times more likely in older women who had gum disease than those who didn’t. In addition, gum disease was associated with a higher risk of lung cancer, gallbladder cancer, melanoma and breast cancer. women who smoked and had gum disease... Read More

New research suggests people who get too little sleep during the week can make up for it on the weekends. According to a study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, people who slept less than five hours each night throughout the week had an increased risk of early death compared to those who slept six to seven hours every night. People who get less than five hours during the week, but who catch up on some of that lost sleep on the weekend, do not have the same risk. These results suggest that sleep is not a risk factor for mortality if it is combined with a medium or long weekend sleep. Some... Read More

It’s almost here again…back to school. Getting your kids back in the school year groove doesn’t have to be stressful as long as you plan ahead for classes, sports, and getting up early. Here are some tips to make your back to school strategy operate smoothly. Get back on your school year sleep schedule. Pediatricians recommend that children age 6 to 12 get 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night, and that teens get 8 to 10 hours a night. If it’s still light outside when your kids go to bed, consider light blocking shades to help your child’s body send the appropriate signals for sleep.  All devices... Read More

We live in an “all or nothing” society.  You are either an exerciser or you aren’t; you are a healthy eater or you aren’t.  The fact of the matter is that the all or nothing attitude is not helping us to be healthier.  The judgment associated with all or nothing is “If you can’t do everything, why do anything?”  You should absolutely do something because something is always better than nothing.  Let me explain. When we skip our walk/run/bike/Zumba® because we don’t have time to do as much as we wanted to meet our goal, then we do ourselves a disservice. Why?  Because we... Read More

Television is a valuable source of information. We can get the weather forecast, see documentaries about subjects that are important to us, or learn how to cook at any hour of the day or night.  While having access all the time may be valuable, like anything else, too much of a good thing is not good. The current 24-hour news cycle style of TV, creates a culture of fear that creates anxiety about the world in which we live. There is a perception in America that we live in a more dangerous time than ever.  The fact is, crime statistics show a decrease in crime since the 80s.  Now, however, we... Read More

Are you a glass half-full person? In other words, are you hopeful and confident about the future?  If so, you might be healthier than your friends who believe that the worst will happen. Many studies have reported that optimism influences health. Among the findings:   Highly pessimistic men were three times more likely to develop hypertension. People with positive emotions had lower blood pressures. The most pessimistic men were more than twice as likely to develop heart disease compared with the most optimistic.   It is hard to know if optimism is the result of good health, or if... Read More